Radiance: Part One

V8: Uncharted Terrain

Sett The 2nd, 5694 CE; 2800 hrs

Vyrik was absolutely certain that he'd witnessed Lyda go into shock. She was answering slower, and seemed lethargic and lost. He kicked himself for not putting the pieces together sooner- he felt responsible for all of the crew having to witness what they had. It was hard not to blame himself entirely. He wasn't doing much better, though. He'd simply jumped in, when he watched her go down. No one was meant to function after they saw anything like that and he wasn't going to make her.

He wanted to hold her, but knew it was unsafe to even touch. So instead, he watched her, with a careful eye, while her world fell apart around her. He watched the dread in her face as Ymara broke down over her friend, and as the others stifled their own tears so as not to overshadow one another. It was heart wrenching. After everything their colony had been through in so little time. Before he could think of anything to say, his people had begun to board.

Eryk made an announcement over the ship's intercom-

"I need everyone's attention please. Due to a catastrophic event, we will no longer be landing the Avalon ZC on the planet's surface. As many of you may have noticed, there have been issues with the ship and we have been informed that it is unsafe to attempt to breach the atmosphere in our condition. Our new friends have come to ferry us down to the surface. I need everyone to only grab what you can carry and stand on the outside of your rooms. They will collect you and we will begin boarding the charter ships that are docking now. I will announce your deboarding by hall assignments, you have five minutes to prepare yourselves before I release A through D. That is Five minutes."

They boarded without a hitch. A through D, then E through H, and so on, until there were only fifty people left on board, including all leadership. The first ship would be landing in a handful of seconds. Vyrik wasn't sure that the humans were aware of how technologically behind they had been. He hadn't quite understood it himself until he'd come aboard the first time. It was strange to think he was seeing the pinnacle of their society's achievements.

After too many stretched out moments, it was time for them to board the final ship, the smallest of the three, from Vyrik's personal fleet. He wanted to make sure that they all had the best care possible, and would be permanently taking the helm as soon as they stepped on board.

"Sire, are these the leaders you spoke of?" A lieutenant asked him, stepping into the room.

"Indeed," he nodded, though the majority of his attention was still on Lyda, who had gained a far-off look. They would all need time to heal.

The lieutenant ushered the bewildered leaders down the hall, to the lift, through the cargo hold, and up to a blank wall. Lyda looked over at him in confusion. He smiled at her.

"It is my ship, they did not dock. Do you still have the bracelet?" Vyrik tapped his wrist.

She pulled her sleeve up to reveal it, the revelation hitting her.

"Good," he nodded. The lieutenant nodded back and in an instant, Lyda's body had dematerialized. The other leaders were outfitted with similar cuff bracelets, as was the security team, i.e. everyone else on board. As soon as he knew they were safe, he followed them, taking a deep breath as his body was repelled through space and he found himself quite wholly on the bridge of his own ship, the Star Bride. He had missed it.

Lyda and the rest of the humans would be seated in the common area of the ship for the handful of minutes that it would take them to land on the planet's surface. He could hear them oohing-and-awing in the next room and smiled to himself, hoping it would offer them some small distraction from the horror they had all just been a part of. They would all need extensive therapy, his people included.