A Plot Intertwined

4122 C.E.

UNKNOWN SYSTEM, CONTESTED SPACE

Those confined to the darker depths of the Sphere, or the enormous artificial ravines of barren industrial worlds, often held deep space in high regard. Its vastness and empty majesty were considered preferable alternatives to the claustrophobia and congestion that dominated many densely-settled locations. Those that got the chance to venture into it for the first time often found themselves consumed by a childlike wonder at the endless starry sky. However, this wonder was fleeting, and in its absence, the cold, ruthless isolation of the infinite void made its unbidden entrance.

Warden Cylus was already very well-acquainted with the less comfortable parts of spending so much time in deep space, but that didn't mean he had come to enjoy them in any way, nor grown entirely numb to their effects. Staring out of the large square-shaped window of his spacious quarters, the view of twinkling, distant stars brought him no solace. It merely reminded him of just how truly isolated he was in that very moment. Not alone, of course. The Kalypto had more than a thousand active crew members, and with the Echelon researchers and administrative staff that had been brought on board, that number had nearly doubled. In spite of this, Cylus knew only a handful of people on the ship personally, and those he did know weren't always seen during his daily duties. That left only shuffling crowds of quiet-mouthed strangers, and being surrounded by strangers frequently felt like being surrounded by no one at all.

"TACHYON RELAYS LINKED... CONNECTION ESTABLISHED..." A string of bold glowing blue text appeared on the bulky, desk-mounted monitor sitting in front of Cylus, pulling his eyes away from the window and back towards his personal computer.

"Oh, finally!" he said, sighing with relief. His rugged hands typed hastily on the large keypad attached to his desk, entering several commands into the terminal that eventually shifted the display over to a solid square of rippling static. "Hello? Numia, are you there? Can you hear me?" he shouted at his display. After a few moments, the faint outline of a human face started to appear through the static.

"Cy... Cy, is that you?" called a female voice, still scratchy and distorted. The face on the monitor became clearer as the static started to dissipate, making Cylus smile with excitement.

"It's me, sweetheart! It's me!" Cylus called, waving. As the last of the static was flushed away, he finally got a perfect picture of the face of the love of his life. A thin, but cutely-shaped, face hiding underneath a sizable crown of long, curly black hair, a tiny bit of bright blue tinge visible in some of her locks. Her eyes, large and as dark as space itself, jumped to life immediately upon seeing him. Her skin was a smooth, dark gray, one of the many shades of monochrome pallor that defined her species. By the beauty standards of that day and age, she wasn't anything special, but Cylus couldn't consider any other woman to be more beautiful than his dear Numia.

"Cy! You called! I can't believe it!" Numia exclaimed with the giddiness of a young girl, her hands bunching up with glee near her chin. "I thought I wouldn't get to talk to you again until you got home, how'd you manage to get us connected?"

Cylus shrugged. "I must've just gotten really lucky. We're on the edge of an uninhabited system right now, nothing but icy rocks and empty space as far as the eye can see. Captain Vuroza hasn't given the order to punch to the next system, yet, so I tried booting up the TachNet to see if I could ring you," he explained. "If anything, I'm just glad you picked up."

"I would never miss a call from you, Cy, not in a million years," Numia said with an honest smile. "You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice again..."

"Are things rough back on the Sphere?" Cylus asked, hearing the concern in her voice.

"Oh, no, not at all! Well, I mean, things are more or less the same. It's just..." Numia paused, looking away from the screen pensively. "I really miss you, Cy..."