Stargazers

Athens

Athens:

Two ships appear just outside of Athens' orbit. Siegfried follows and leads them from the center. After taking initial fire, Agamemnon twists slowly through space, firing back as it moves. Their cannon muzzles flash purple as magnetic propulsion hurls large spheres of steel noiselessly through space. The spheres glide harmlessly into the enemy shields and drift off.

From the surface, the battle cannot be seen but imagined. Galahad takes charge, turning his soldiers back toward the facility and dragging Arthur and Chastity after him. He leads them back inside and stows them in a waiting room with two soldiers on guard while he returns to the facility's interior.

Arthur keeps a firm watch on the monitor and the doors. Warnings flash along every screen. Outside, he can see guards hurrying to Gigas Armors and hears the roar of their engines as they take off. Swirling clouds of smoke drift across the asphalt in a dizzying display.

Chastity settles against a wall and hugs herself. Arthur kneels beside her as she begins to hyperventilate. "Hey, don't worry. We've been through worse. We'll be fine."

"We weren't fine on Canaan."

"This is different. Athens is far better outfitted. It's a proper military facility, and we have both Agamemnon and Galahad here. We'll be okay."

A Federation transport crashes outside and erupts into a sphere of flame. The soldiers inside of it die on impact. Two Federation armors land beside it, checking the wreckage before turning their gunfire on circling Republic Hunter armors. Arthur watches briefly before returning his attention to Chastity, putting his body between her and the door.

"Hey, hey," he says, squeezing her shoulders as she cries. "You listen to me. We survived, didn't we? Chastity? Chastity, look at me." Holding her by the chin, he looks her in the eyes. "WE survived, didn't we?"

She sniffles and nods.

"Then we'll survive this, too. Won't we?"

This time she hesitates but relents, nodding.

"Good, thank you. I promise you, I'll get us out of this. For now, do your best to think about something else." Arthur stands and checks outside again. The armors have left. Behind him, a door opens. Galahad enters with his arms folded behind his back and his face stern and lined.

"Arthur?"

Arthur frowns. "What now?"

"Come with me," says Galahad, and turning, he adds, "Leave the girl." Galahad waits for no response.

Arthur hesitates. Kneeling, he pulls Chastity close to him and holds her gently by the wrists. "Chastity? Chastity, can you hear me? I'll be back. I promise you; I'll be back. You just try and be brave until then." He waits, and when she doesn't respond, he pats her head. "The Lady and I will be counting on you to hold down the fort." When finished, he stands and hurries after Galahad.

Galahad walks ahead of him, keeping a brisk pace. Arthur has to run to meet him. They move through rushing people, the crowd thinning the farther they walk. The base interior, Arthur finds, is a series of wide, well-lit tunnels built into the soil. Doors line the halls. The walls are white and largely similar. Beyond these doors, Arthur imagines, are trillions of dollars' worth of top-secret experiments.

They move seamlessly through the halls, turning and walking, led by flashing lights toward an unknown destination. Every hall looks the same to Arthur, who passes white walls, white panels, and bright lights. The floor is reflective and glossy. His boots echo with each step. They stop at an elevator and enter. Arthur watches his own reflection in the polished steel as the elevator slides smoothly downward.