Nexus

Chapter Two: "Were the Aliens"

"Don't move..." Nexus spoke under his breathe. Karliah slowly turned her head toward him, he lifted his hand showing three fingers "On three, we run. Ready?" She nodded "Don't stop running, and don't look back. Got it?" Karliah nodded again, speaking in a hushed tone "...Yeah, how far do we run?" Nexus looked down at his palm, a hologram of the surrounding area mapping itself. "About five miles to the southwest we'll reach the basin of the mountain range. Wait at the tree line there for me. I'll be right behind you." Karliah's eyes widened, "No, no no no. Nexus, your NOT leaving my side!" Nexus grabbed her hand "Kara, our only means of protecting ourselves are still back with our cryopods in my weapons chest. Were going to need it now more then ever. Your going to have to trust me, right now you have no other option." Karliah, sighed and conceded. She stood up, getting on her feet. "Three... Two... One. NOW!"

Karliah ran as fast as her feet could move, even has her lungs and chest digress. She constantly looked past her shoulder, but it was just a blur due to her speed. She finally reached the end of the tree line, the massive vessel still hovering over head. But Nexus, still was no where to be seen. She heard the roaring sound once again, but on a much smaller scale and coming directly from the forest. Nexus appeared, a burn seared threw his shoulder. "Karliah! Run!" he screamed, the roaring became more hostile and rapid.

They both ran even faster, yet the roaring kept getting closer and closer. They continued up the mountain side, their lungs burning from the cold air. Finally, as they clipped a corner, Nexus grabbed Karliah by the waist and pulled her into a crevice in the rock. "Don't... Move." he whispered into her ear. They saw something move past, the roaring almost deafening. They waited, till the roaring stopped. "Wait, it could still be out there. Trying to make us think it's gone." Karliah spoke softly. "Well we can't stay in here for ever. We need to move, and get as far away from this damn ship as possible."
Karliah sighed, "Can this opening go any deeper?" Nexus moved his arm along to stone wall "It feels like it, maybe you can fit threw?" She nodded, tightly slipping past him. She squeezed forward, but the rocks shifted beneath her the further she went. It began to slide. "Nex-NEXUS!" she screamed, as the rock crumbled and they sank threw. Both fell almost twenty feet, plummeting into a large body of water. As they resurfaced to gasp for air, it was clear to see they were now in some form of temple atrium. Carved from Stone with strange glowing inscriptions imbedded in the walls. They were in a circular pool, that was filled with turquoise clear water and lied before a stained glass mural of a depiction of a nude, blue skinned, goddess. Who appeared humanoid, and was surrounded by stars. She herself appeared to be apart of the open space sky, as stars and stardust merged into her. Nexus helped Karliah out if the pool. They both stood in awe and the sight of it. It was truly beautiful. "Nexus, this is a temple. And... It's man made." Nexus grinned, as he gazed up to the shrine. "No, not man. This is made by something much different, yet very similar."
Karliah pressed a button on her Nano suit, it shifted and reshaped to a light, nylon dress. Her original uniform for her unit. She looked to Nexus, who did the same. "It's pretty warm down here, is there heating?" Nexus' eyes lit up, turning a bright blue as they projected a holographic scanner as he looked around the temple. "Hm. I don't think so. My thermal scans have concluded this temple was built in an area of high geothermal activity. Most likely a hot springs of sorts. However, there's no doubting this was an advanced civilization. Building a temple atrium inside a mountain, this pristinely? It must have taken, thousands of years with Stone tools but only a few months with razor pristine technology. As this temple is only a few hundred years old based on observable erosion. They seemed to have a very in depth understanding of astronomy and mathematical capabilities it's just so... Sorry, I lost myself in all of my hypothetical equations." Karliah giggled "No your fine, I was intrigued." He smiled, "I'm glad out of all the people I could have been left here with. I was left with you." He smiled. Bringing her in for a hug before hearing a woman's voice behind them. "You admire our work, and you are not one of the enemy, but you are not one of us. Tell me. Who are you. Where did you come from?" They both shakily turned towards the the voice, and what they landed their eyes upon made both of their jaws drop wide open.

There was a glossy skinned, short, toned, light platinum skinned woman. Her soft skin glowed, covered in tattoos that appeared to almost blend into her complexion, appearing to be natural. The tattoos were one whole golden and coral colored nebula, filled with stars that actually appeared to be shinning. As if her body was a direct gaze into space itself. Her hair was silky and coarse, a similar color to her platinum skin. Then, she had antler like appendages aspiring from her head. Her eyes were a misty, glowing blue. "Who. How. Why. " Karliah and Nexus were at a loss for words. "I'm sure you have many questions, and I will come to answer them. But for now, its not safe here. Please come with us, to our safe haven hidden from the enemy, or as one would call in them in your tongue, "The Ravaged."
"Wait, US? As in... Their are more of you?" She nodded "Their are Tens of Thousands of us back at the Safe Haven, or as we have named it, the underground city of No'Oran. It is the only stronghold my people have left on this planet. The Ravaged drove my people out almost three centuries ago. We've been fighting them ever since." Karliah finally made sense of some words. "How... How do you even know our language?" "My people have capabilities, natural evolvotions , that you could not even begin to fathom. We are able to communicate threw the mind, and threw touch, universally. It is the reason our species advanced so quickly, achieving advanced medicinal understanding, world union, language, writing and democracy just within our first three hundred years of existence. We achieved space flight in our first millennia. There is so much more I can teach you both, but here is not a safe place to do-" her voice is abruptly cut off by a loud roar, the same thundering horn of the ravaged vessel that chased them here "...B-By the gods." The woman spoke "Its... Its a flag ship! We need to move, now!" Just as they made hast for the end of the large temple atrium, where a smaller hall and two large doorways stood. The Roaring shook the mountain once again, before the entire atrium was lit up with a bright light, and the atrium, along with its pillars, collapsed just as the three of them pushed threw the door way, a hot explosion of energy launched them forward into the air, sending them tumbling threw the hall way on the other side. The wall to the atrium cracked and warped, rumble from the collapsed temple poured threw the door way. They all lie there, groaning in pain from being thrown by the massive explosion. Nexus raised his head "What in the fuck just happened?"
The three managed to regain their footing "-That-" The Woman spoke "Was just a demonstration of the Power the Ravaged have at their finger tips. If the Flag Vessel can level large structures in seconds, you can only imagine what their mother ships can do." Karliah shivered in fear "I imagine they can level, cities, for gods sake." The woman nodded "And you are correct, however the might of the mother ship is not limited to cities. Ten of them can destroy a moon."
Karliah clings to Nexus for comfort, "This is a nightmare, it has to be." The woman offered her sympathy by resting her hand on Karliahs shoulder "I felt the same way, three hundred years ago. They killed so many, so fast. But here we are today, 18,769,450 even dead vessels later. We never caved, even when we were beneath their feet. We fought, we reigned out onto the battlefields, and we won. One after another. We won." Karliahs expression lightened into a weak smile, before she released nexus and took the Woman's hand. Both of their hands lit up threw the contact, the womans expression morphed into one of understanding. As Karliahs story unfolded to her, threw the form of memories. "And I can assure you, Karliah. We will find the rest of your people, your fleet. We WILL keep them safe. I vow on my honor, valor, and strength."
Karliah just hugged the woman, the amount of compassion and reassurance she felt threw that touch was indescribable.

Xenophobia apparently wasn't, not had it ever been, a custom in these aliens culture. They had so much understanding of the universe, it made humans seem like a primal and barbaric race.
Democracy had never been a human achievement, these people have been using it for longer then humans have ever even lived. And don't even get started on the capabilities of this species, biological and technological advancements made human tech look irrelevant. Telepathic Communication?
It was incomprehensible.

The group proceeded threw a cave system that had been carved out with pillars and glowing glyphs. "Where are we going?" Karliah asked inquisitively, to which the woman gestured down the seemingly endless corridor. "Were headed to a small encampment at the peak of the mountain, there we can take a shuttle back to Oran, and then there, well you'll meet the Conclave, who will induct you into a public proclamation for all of Oran to witness. Basically, you'll be introduced to our entire species.
You know, you barely got here and your already on your way to becoming a minor celebrity."
Nexus grinned "Hope my hair is alright then?" The woman giggled "Our people are going go get along just fine.