Sunderbans K: The beginning of the Ky Epic

Prologue

SUNDERBANS

Imperial Year 3143, seventy three years ago

Deep in the Sunderbans...

HRMS Chimera

Bridge

There were ten of them, all clad in battle armor. The bridge was bathed in a dim red light, while the eerie green glow seeped in through the viewports. Captain Hilderuc Perida, standing near the aft section of the bridge, looked over the crew who were busy blocking the main entrance in. He looked at the time and sighed, "It won't be long now."

The XO (Executive Officer) stood between the forward console and the main viewer.   Though relieved of duty, he was beginning a new entry into the ship's log while he stood in front of the main console.   He fumbled a new power pack into his datapad, dropping the cover as he did. Ignoring that, he turned on the datapad and waited.  His gaze was drawn to the main viewer displaying huge green clouds violently churning before him.  He stepped back, as though that might actually distance him from the danger before him.   The pad beeped, he looked down, selected log recorder and began his entry, "It is the sixth day of the fourth week of voyage through – no, into the Sunderbans." He paused, looking around with exhausted, hopeless, and nervous glances.   "We have lost the port side of the ship, and a main drive, we are barricading corridors-" He closed his eyes, as though something pained him greatly.  After a moment his eyes shot open and he gasped.  He turned and nodded to the Captain.

"Stop! "  Perida called out quietly, "Take your stations."  The crew formed into two three groups, one on either side of the barricade, and one behind the rear console near the entrance. The XO returned his gaze into the main viewer and continued his entry.

"What about him?" Alcan, the navigator asked.  Perida shook his head, "We'll have to do this without him."

"He's gonna lose more than his girl if he doesn't snap out of it."

"Perhaps," Tezra said slyly. "  you could help him with his dreams."

Alcan glared at him.  "Nightmares, you mean-"

"Enough!" Perida said strongly.  "We can beat them, then we can finish the repairs to the drive and –"

The ship shook, noises of metal scraping and bending resounded throughout the bridge.  "It has come." The XO said dully.  He turned around facing the barricade, but nothing happened.  "False alarm."  Alcan whispered.  The XO frowned and stepped forward. Then the barricade exploded and he was struck by debris.  He dropped to the floor, hands flying up to cover his face, the pad dropped  elsewhere.

The bridge crew rushed towards the broken barricade while the XO recovered.  Yells from the crew filled the air as they attempted to fight and kill the intruder while the XO looked about for his pad.   He found it and picked it up, but as he tried to turn it on, drops of blood appeared on its darkened screen.  He suddenly felt pain in his forehead and put his hand to it, drawing back blood covered fingers.  He rose slightly to peer over the console and dropped back down quickly.

And then, it was silent.

His senses came back to him and he realized he should not move, not make a sound.  He was trembling, sweating, and bleeding.  He saw the power pack well out of reach.  Then it came to him.  He touched his forehead again with his finger and drew on the front of the console's rough surface: one arc.   He thought he heard something move as he began a second arc that started in the first and stretched back, away.  He wiped more blood from his forehead and felt he was being watched as finished the second arc.

More blood.   He placed his finger on the console, above the middle of the second arc to begin the last arc, but before he started he felt a presence above him.  He looked up.  There, over the console was the intruder, dark and huge, looking down on him with its blood black eyes.

He tore his eyes way, looked back at the console to finish his arc, finish his message.

But he didn't.