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Veracia Chronicles: Darkest of Stars. By: Anthony Adams, Brittany Adams, and Lucas Unger

Chapter one: Staring at darkness.

The darkened corridors of a wrecked starship did nothing to hide the quiet but bright fizzing light of a plasma cutter as it's wielder cut through layers of compressed steel. The energy tool slowly guilds across the metal frame separating one part from another leaving a thick red line that cooled into a rough line in the absolute zero temperatures of the airless hulk.

"How long?" One of the three suited figures asked.

"Five Sennets" the figure with the cutter responded it's suit-clad tail flicked in frustration.

"Exit?"

"Clear." the third figure answers, a rifleman in a similar armored pressure suit keeping watch on the corner of the intersection, "This situation isn't ideal captain. A wrecked Illumitari prowler in the middle of occupied space? They're gonna come looking."

"Stow it, Marine!" The captain growled over the radio, "We're not leaving without that data core!"

"What's so special about this piece of hardware anyway?" The rifleman asked as he swept his rifle sights from one corridor to the other.

"It's the Psyonic memory storage drive." a forth voice-this one female- explained through the radios, "Every Collective ship has one. They carry copies of the Collective's information! Intel, deployments, battle plans, infrastructure. Everything we need to plan an offensive against them and push them out of Verna and Venacia."

"Meaning if we get that thing..."

"It might enable us to get the edge we need to retake Veris... it means our people could go home."

"The home-world..." they all paused in the wonder of the idea of finally going home.

But the soldier's nostalgia was cut short when the female came back over the radio channel. "Hate to cut the moment short guys, but the power just rerouted itself to the cryo-bay!!"

"Shit!" The marine cursed slapping the side of his rifle, causing it's white indicator lights turn blue signifying it's armed state. "That means we'll have Psi-troopers on us in about ten sennets."

"Tani! Get the Orindal out of here!" the captain ordered before turning to the engineer and the half breached the door, "Tiggs arm the mine, if we go down we'll take these bastards with us!"

"Captain Orlic!?" Tani called out concerned.

"Just do it, Tani! Get out of here!" the captain snarled, "Save the ship! That's an order!"

"But... Yes, sir." The ship's second in command finally complied, "Setting two-stage jump to Edaan. Good luck guys." the radio cut out leaving the three males to their fate.

"Someone remind me again why we brought a Micro-Impulse Singularity Warhead with us?"

"Standard protocol after the fall of Veris." Tiggs replied dropping his cutter and taking up his own rifle, "Deny the enemy of any salvageable resource. And a MISW detonated from the inside would literally erase any trace of this ship from physical existence."

"I know that..." The rifleman griped as his grip on his rifle tightened, "But why does it have to be a suicide mission every time the fleet tries to salvage a piece of Collective technology?"

"We need every edge with can get while stripping those damned psychics of any advantage they have over us." Orlic explained readying his weapon, "Rakk, kill shots. Drop any troopers that come down those corridors!"

"Sir!" the marine responded shouldering his weapon and training it down one of the hallways as the other two did the same with the adjacent corridors, holding their positions as the armored Psi-troopers came practically running down the corridors with weapons at the ready.

"Make every shot count boys!!" The captain tells his men, his tail almost thrashing with anticipation. "FOR THE FLEET!"

"FOR THE FLEET!!" The two marines repeated as they started firing their energy carbines into the approaching enemy squads. Each one moving almost identical to the one beside it, and everyone wearing the same uniform and blank mask. Even outgunned the three soldiers held their ground dropping numerous enemies as flashes of light and various color energy blasts whizzed back and forth in the vacuum.

At present, the Marines' weapons were taking out any of the lightly armored Psi-troopers that got hit until a bolt got blocked by a honeycomb like a barrier that was being used by a more heavily armored enemy, "SHIT THERE'S A NEXUS!!" Rakk called over the radio just as Captain Orlic got struck in the visor causing his suit to instantly decompress and kill him before he even had a chance to grunt, and the tail that was previously thrashing in righteous battle fury now lay still.

"CAPTAIN!" Tiggs called out reaching for his fallen commander but was cut off by a hail of energy bolts.

"Tiggs!" Rakk broke from his position grabbed the engineer and threw him towards the mine, "Set the timer on the MISW! I'll cover you!"

"But Orlic..."

"He's dead already! Just arm that bomb!" The marine kept firing, in controlled bursts trying to keep the engineer covered. With the Nexus' direction, the troopers altered their attacks, timed their shots, and got closer and closer to hitting their marks. "Tiggs! Status!?"

The engineer didn't say anything at first until the flash of a bolt striking the bulkhead near him, "Timer's fried! I'm rigging to detonate manually!"

"Do it fast they're getting ugh..." Rakk got struck in the torso, his suit absorbed the heat but it was enough force to throw him to the deck and separate him from his weapon. He crawled to try and reach it but a sudden and very painful pressure on his tail halted his advance. He looked behind him and saw the Nexus with one boot on his tail pinning him there. "Get the fuck off..." as he reached for his sidearm to get the heavily armored Psi-trooper off of him, the Nexus raised it's free boot and stomped on his helmet crushing the visor and buckling the plating on its sides. The Ve

Tiggs was absolutely terrified, their captain and now one of his fellow marines, he could see Rakk's scaly muzzle, the look of shock frozen on his face as the abyss took him. The engineer took up the detonator and pushed himself back to the bulkhead as the Nexus turned its attention to him and advanced on him. Tiggs had nowhere to go as the armored trooper grabbed him by his pressure suit and lifted him off the deck, his helmet's flashlights reflecting off the featureless visor.

The young engineer swallowed his fear for one last instant, and held up the detonator with the safety catch up, "For the home-world you psychic bastard!" and smashes the button enveloping everything in a white light.

Moments before. Verna star system. RVA Valiant Archon. On approach to Edaan Defense Zone.

In a completely different part of the cluster, a survey ship made it's way back home. It was returning from the kind of mission that only could be considered boring and unnecessary. For former RVA Marine Lieutenant Amelie Zidaya, the Archon's first officer it was a mission that in the grander scheme of things was vital for the war effort in terms of keeping logistics operating optimally. Patrolling shipping lanes and ensuring that they stayed open and clear of attack ships belonging the Illumitari Collective. By keeping the lanes safe, it insured that the soldiers of the Verian Military and multi-racial Royal Verian Alliance Forces as a whole stayed fed, and by extension allowing civilians access to the supplies needed to survive on the colony worlds.

"Whats our status Rayona?" Amelie inquired as she walked down the steps leading down to the lower bridge, to a female dark gray and yellow striped salamander who was sitting comfortably behind her controls at the helm tail carefully threaded through the slot for tailed species.

"Nothing to report, ma'am." Rayona Lamarque one of the ship's helmsmen rattled off with an even and practiced tone. "Scopes are clear, and the board is looking good."

The former smiled slightly nodding her head, "And the crew?"

"Robert, to my knowledge is still sleeping in our bunk. Krill appears to have disabled the sensors in engineering again and I'm not seeing Aria on the shipboard so you can guess where she is. And the Captain..." She swiped her dainty claw across the screen, "Is having another nightmare."

Amelie cocked her head, "How can you tell?"

Rayona pointed just below one name, Halrand-Falx, Jona. Who's pulse was alarmingly high, "His heart rates spike to those levels when he does."

"I'll go wake him, it's kinda time for him to get up anyways. Keep an eye on things."

"Yes ma'am." the salamander replied.

Amelie stops short of the door to the captain's quarters at the back of the bridge, "Rayona you don't have to be so formal with me, I haven't had an official rank in two revs."

"I'll try to work on that." she didn't turn around, but Amelie probably figured the normally professional salamander had a smile on her face.

Taking a deep breath, Amelie placed her claw on the bio scanner. And after about a moment the door split open to admit her. Jona made it a point to give her access to Captain's quarters on the reasoning that they were also her quarters as well. Jona wasn't just her captain, he was also her life partner and employer.

She saw him, thrashing in their bed in the troughs of a nightmare that plagued his sleep for the past two revolutions. Since Veris was globally razed. The ash gray-white Verian had been having nightmares of people... soldiers dying, it was unnerving to think that something like a nightmare could bring Knight Captain Jona Halrand-Falx, a prince, a third tier royal and protector of their people nearly to his knees.

Amelie couldn't stand seeing him like that, seeing her love in such a state went to wake him. She strode over to his thrashing form and gently tried to shake him awake, "Jona... Jona wake up."

At first, he didn't respond just mumbling in his sleep, sweating profusely.

His clawed hands gripping the sheets so tightly that they threatened to put holes in the fabric.

"Jona, it's only a nightmare." She tried to assure him as she shook him, "I'm here, please wake up." He didn't respond just mumbled a few names as Amelie shook him again, "JONA!" That got a response as his eyes snapped open revealing a pair of angry red irises as one hand freed itself from the sheets and latched on to Amelie's throat and started to squeeze.

The female grabbed her lover's tightening wrist trying to break his hold and then moved her hands to his own to try and pry his hand open to get away from him, "Jona... stop... it's me." she rasped her tail thrashed about hitting almost everything it could reach. Jona just kept choking her to the point to where she started to black out and her marine training to take over and deliver a sharp blow to his diaphragm, which was essentially his third lung. The sudden blow forced Jona to start rasping for air and snap out of his rage and relax his arm causing Amelie to fall on top of him. "You bastard!" She inhaled after she was released from Jona's death grip.

Blinking for a few moments, he then turned his gaze upon her, "Am-lieee?" he rasped. The language being spoken was not galactic standard like the translators put out, but he spoke in full Verian dialect, "Aep hiss ponseie..."(Another nightmare...)

"Yes, and it was pretty bad this time." Amelie affirmed checking her neck any nicks his claws might have left before she started rubbing the exposed scar on Jona's bare chest, "You about choked me out this time. I thought you had gotten over this."

"Essaree..."(Sorry) the male apologized, gently pressing his snout to his partner's with loving affection.

Amelie chuckled and gently nuzzled him back, "You're forgiven, now come. Get up and get your translator turned on, we're almost at Edaan." She got up off of him and assisted him into a sitting position.

"Olal, Olal..."(Okay, Okay) he grabbed the edge of their bed pushing himself up as his female was standing up.

"I'll be on the bridge, see you after you freshen up." she smiled at him as she walked out, swaying her hips and tail for Jona to watch until the door closed behind her.

The male shook himself out of the state his lover and partner had put him in and entered the washroom. Throwing water on his face waking himself up fully before looking at himself in the mirror. His eyes held a good deal of pain within them, loss, doubt, and betrayal. The scar that runs from the length of his jaw down his neck was proof of one such betrayal. With a sigh, he grabs a small metal device and attaches it to his right ear. He didn't even have it affixed for five sennets when Rayona came over the comm.

"Captain I got Edaan defense command on the band." the pilot's report was quick and clear, "It's for you sir."

Jona sighed yet again before tapping the device on his ear, "Patch me in." his voice resonated in standard in a clear lone tone.

"Aye, sir."

Pausing for a moment letting the channel change over before speaking, "Verian Guardian Corps. Knight-Captain Falx here. What can I do for you."

"Son." A female voice came over the comm.

Jona went semi-ridged "Mother."

"Jona we have a situation that requires immediate action." she began, "We have a ship in danger of capture and you're the only one in position to assist."

"The ship wouldn't happen to be a salvage prowler by the name Orindal would it? Formerly under the command of a Captain Orlic?"

His mother paused on the other end of the line before responding, "Saw another vision?" she asked.

"From the boarding party's point of view... up until they detonated their MISW."

"That matches the report..."

Jona ran his hand through his mane, "What's the mission?"

"Assist the Orindal and escort it back to the defense zone." She ordered, "You are to avoid engaging Illumitari forces, however, if that proves to be impossible the use of MISW torpedoes are authorized... leave no hostiles intact."

"Received and understood." He sighed, "Are you sure there isn't anybody else that can take this assignment? I mean we're not even fully crewed. I just have two pilots and an engineer. What the hell can an undercrewed cruiser do?"

"But you also have an Illumitari refugee on board." She countered knowing exactly who he had on board. "She can feel her former compatriots coming."

"An ability that is rendered completely useless once we activate the dampening field generators to hide us from their sight." Jona shot right back, "This isn't my first tangle with the Collective mother, and it surely won't be my last."

"There are no other ships in the area Jona, as I said you are the ONLY one in the position to assist the Orindal reach Edaan's defensive perimeter."

"Fine..." The male Verian finally gave in tail twitching in annoyance, "Give me the coordinates."

The mirror's refection darkened and started to show tactical and positional data. Jona's expression darkened and his fell still, tense but still. "Is this a jest?"

"Come again?" Was his mother's reply.

"These coordinates are in the outskirts of Venacia! That's technically enemy occupied territory!" Jona exclaimed angrily, "What in blazes was a salvage scowl doing out there without an escort?!?"

There was a pause on the channel for a few moments before his mother responded, "They were... trying to deploy a new communications relay... its purpose was to establish contact with any resistance forces on the home-world... as well as try to contact the surviving crew of the RVA Atlas."

Something didn't feel right to Jona, he questioned it in his mind but he didn't dare challenge his mother without anything short of conclusive evidence. "You're trying to get in contact and see if father is still alive..."

"If you have to assume I have a personal motive in their mission then yes..." This hiss in her tone wasn't missed but Jona could tell she wasn't being completely honest with him but again he didn't question it... yet. "You have your orders Knight-Captain. Bring that ship home."

"Understood. Falx out." the line cut leaving Jona to his thoughts, 'This doesn't feel right... she's not telling me everything.'

He tapped his earpiece again, "Amelie... have Rayona set course to the coordinates that command gave us. Once that's done set condition alpha and prepare for jump."

"Understood, sounding battle-stations!" was his partner's immediate reply and following that, red warning lights started to slowly strobe on and off in the washroom and his quarters. The lights reflected off his face, bathing it in a red light that nearly matched his own eyes before Amelie's voice came over the ship-wide PA, "All hands to stations! Stand-by for emergency singularity jump!"

He felt the inertial dampers strain a little as his ship shifted course for it's targeted destination before a gentle whirring sound could be heard. It got louder over the course of ten seconds before it suddenly got quiet again, indicating that the Jump was successful.

"Rayona here, transition successfully." the helmsman reported with a strong air of professionalism, "Exit point in thirty sennets."

'Sending a salvage scowl behind enemy lines to install a com-sat.' Jona thought, baring his razor-sharp teeth slightly growling in frustration at the mirror before he left the washroom to don a fresh set of clothes. Making use of the time he had before the ship reached its target point. Favoring a pair of dark gray cargo pants and a black shirt over a gray tank top he strode out onto the bridge with a sense of purpose, 'That was not a wise idea mother.'

"Status by the numbers," he ordered almost as he practiced throughout his military career taking his position atop the stairs at between the two consoles on the upper bridge.

"According to plan, drive power levels nominal, should be completing transition shortly," Rayona reported from the main helm not once turning away from the viewport.

"The exit point for those coordinates has us exiting in an open pocket of space in the Cerris asteroid field of the Veracia system." spoke Robert Vermond a canine of the Smooth Collie variety from his place in the co-pilot's station, "Not a lot of space to maneuver quickly."

"We can use that. It means any IC Interdiction or Dominas class warships would be hard pressed to keep to their plotted course. Unlike their crew, the command staff are not thralls they're going to try and be careful to save their own skins." Amelie interjected, "Given the right set up we can set..."

"An ambush." Jona finished her sentence, "This ship can hold it's own against a Dominas in a straight fight, but not an Interdiction. It would tear us to shreds if we hit it headlong." he paused as he planned the engagement in his mind. "Alright, after we jump in we move the ship to a tight cluster of roids. The field would already be wreaking hell on their scanners so staying in the rocks would make us a ghost to them as long as we keep the dampening field levels low until we strike."

An idea sprung to Amelie as she pulled up the cargo manifest on her console, "We still have two racks of T71HI Tactical mines command gave us in engineering. Krill was trying to modify them so we could fit them to the ship, we can use those."

"That's four mines per rack, making eight Type-71 High Intensity 'Ashrock' mines. Set them up with a remote trigger and use them as a pincer attack. Brilliant" Jona grinned confidently.

"What about Aria? Wouldn't she be able to help pick out where the enemy ship is if there is any?" Robert asked looking over his shoulder.

"Yes and no." the male Verian responded, "It would help us locate them, but it would also alert them to our presence. It would be like sending up a signal flare in the middle of a firefight." He took a seat at the control console adjacent to Amelie's "We'll work with what we have, let's get to

it people." a small chorus of 'sirs' signaled that he was understood.

After a few moments, Amelie looked over in Jona's direction and asked, "Are you alright? You had me worried in there."

Jona stayed silent for a moment before responded; in a warm and somewhat calm tone, unlike the one, he used earlier, "Again I'm sorry about that my dear... its just I'm becoming more and more concerned that my nightmares... are actually out of body experiences."

"Experiences that takes your consciousness halfway across the cluster?" she asked skeptically.

"How else can you explain the fact what I see is actually happening in real time?" he quickly countered, which Amelie had no answers too. "The only way I can find out for sure is when I can talk to my mother about it... or somehow find my grandmother that way either of them can tell me what is exactly wrong with me."

Amelie smiled at her partner, "I'm behind you Jona."

"As are we Captain." Jona looked down from his station to see Robert's doggy grin from the Starboard helm, and even though he couldn't see it he was pretty sure the dog's tail was wagging from the 'thumping' sound coming from his chair.

"Better start preparing Captain." interrupted Rayona, "We're not gonna have much time once we exit the tunnel."

"Roger that." The Verian ship captain replied with confidence as he keyed in the intercom for the lower decks, "Krill! Get your cloaca out of Aria! We got work that needs doing and not much time to do it!"