Art:Space Pirates/Prasti's Story

= Prasti's Story=

by Ligeia

27th January 2207,
I've been in the lifepod for 7 days, 6 hours and 13 minutes exactly. I'm watching myself repeatedly on the camera fitted to the ceiling. Who would have thought that would help anything anyway? I decided that I would take it down, but had only a hair grip on me. I managed to turn it into a radio within 40 seconds. I still berate myself for taking so long. The wait for somebody to find me feels as though it has been going forever. As I try to piece together the events that led me here, I find myself singing my tune for comfort.

20th January 2207 (one week earlier),
I was in the mess on board the good ship Oliver's Folly one afternoon, idly playing with a television that I had decided to improve. I heard a whistle from the captain, so I went to find out what was going on. Ship Navigator Mulligan was in the navigating station picking his nose with a knife, and looking over the dreary reports coming in. The crew had heard rumours of indescribable treasures in a nearby sector and were en route to check it out. The Captain had bet me 60 credits that we'd all be rich by the end of the mission. Either way, things were looking good.

The Captain had called me on deck to ask my opinion of a glowing piece of debris. A quick glance at it told me it was junk, not worth going after. His greed took the better of him and he decided to set a course and capture it. This was when the trouble started.

The only way we could get close enough to snare it was to orbit a dead star, on the verge of collapse. I was tinkering with the navigation system to try and make it a little more stable to orbit such danger, when the ship's computer groaned and turned out the lights. Mulligan gave a start, cut his nose with the knife, and farted. The Captain managed to find the flashlights, but before he could grab it he noticed a glow from underneath his chair. Grimacing, and holding the flashlight like a weapon, he inched towards it.

The second he touched the object his face changed to an expression of pure happiness and contentment, then all of a sudden it changed to horror as he was contorted and pulled into the object. Mulligan gave a start, and grabbed the control panel next to the Captain's chair, trying in vain to teleport the object back into space. He shouted at me to fix the broken controls, but even I couldn't get them to work.

Mulligan started shouting out orders to the other crew members to secure it, when it started shaking and emitting a loud screeching noise. Small holes that we hadn't noticed before grated open and small light tentacles protruded from within. Within seconds there were small creatures of light all over the deck. The tentacles reached out towards us, nearly touching us. They absorbed two more crew members before Mulligan ordered us to the lifepods. With nothing we could think of on board that would fight such creatures, it was our only chance to survive. We figured we could always come back when it was safe.

We ran to the lifepods built for two, and clambered in. Wheezing slightly, Mulligan clambered in with me and pressed the button to escape. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he fought to regain his composure enough to bark instructions to the surviving crewmates. As always in times of stress I started to hum, but Mulligan closed me down very quickly, claiming it was annoying. Mulligan had remembered to turn the ship around to face away from the collapsing star, but it had clearly not been enough as it quickly dragged us into orbit. We tried everything we could to escape its gravitational pull, but with the pod’s limited thrusters, even Mulligan and I were defeated.

27th January 2207,
We've now been orbiting the star for 7 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes, and Mulligan and I are almost ready to kill one another. We're both convinced we know how to get away from the star, but neither of us is willing to concede defeat to the other. In spite of the homing beacon I created within the first hour of our escape, no one has come to our rescue. Mulligan has started to go crazy without any alcohol on board, and his eyes are twitching. The lifepod is barely big enough for us both, as they weren't designed to be lived in for any great length of time. We've seen two of the other pods sucked into the star over the last week, and we silently said our own prayers to the crewmembers we'll not see again.

We feel a slight shudder run throughout the pod and suddenly the scenery whooshes past us in a flash of the brightest light I’d ever seen. I’m not sure how I got here, but the next thing I notice is that I’m lying on a cold floor with a pounding headache. I was on a Navy Cruiser (class two) with guns pointed towards my head. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mulligan tied up, sporting a bruise or two, and a black eye. As much as he irritates me, I still care about him, possibly more so now we’ve spent 7 days in a small area together without killing one another. Without thinking, I start to rise to go and check on him, but I’m restrained by an officer very quickly. As soon as the officers notice I am awake, I am whisked away into a holding room and told to wait for interrogation.

A large man walks into the room with an air of superiority and I realise this is who will be asking me questions. However, I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to have done wrong, and I think he manages to work this out as he looks me square in the eye and sits opposite me. He starts by asking my name, which I can just about remember. He then moves on to my whereabouts for the last week. That’s the easiest question I’ve ever been asked – I’ve been orbiting a collapsing star.

The officer started fiddling with a small monitor on the edge of the desk, I start to pay attention. I offer to help fix it, as I can see what’s wrong from the other side. The officer just glares at me and I sit back, fingers itching to get inside the machine. What he shows me takes my breath away. It’s what appears to be myself and Mulligan inside the maximum security bank on Glarfang. As I watch the monitor, the not-me and the not-Mulligan open fire on the clerk, leaving a trail of blood as they run down the corridor.

Glaring again, the officer turns to me and asks me again where I was. I’m astounded by the footage they’ve shown me. The timestamps clearly showed the footage had been taken the previous day, when we couldn’t possibly have been there. My interrogator stood up and flexed his muscles and struck me in the face. He seemed determined to get answers from me, truthful or otherwise.

At that point, another officer walked in and dismissed my interrogator with a look. He undid my handcuffs and put them on the table. He looked up at me, and told me we needed to talk.

“Do you know what you are?” he asked me, “Because I do.”

At a loss for words, I dumbly shook my head. What could he possibly mean by that?

“It’s a complicated situation, and one I never dreamed I would have to explain to you. Few outside of this room know your true importance. Many that did are now dead.”

I started humming to myself out of desperation and fright. I had no other solace in which to hide. The people I cared about were all dead; all had been sucked into the star.

“Do you remember what attacked your ship?” he asked, “The light creatures, or as they’re properly known the Daylor?”

I nodded. My head was throbbing from my first interrogator.

“Millions of years ago, the Daylor were at war with an ancient race, the Azkoreth. While the Daylor wished to use the awesome power of light to control the universe, the Azkoreth were sworn to protect the universe and thus destroy the Daylor.

“A bloody battle ensued, neither side assured of triumph. The Azkoreth took a terrible sacrifice, using their power to create a star, more powerful than any other. In doing so, their race was obliterated. The power of this star lured the Daylor into their trap, holding them forever. Until now.

“It was prophesised that in these times, the Daylor would break free of their eternal cage, and seek to renew their vows of death and destruction. The Azkoreth anticipated this, and planted the knowledge of their race in a child. This knowledge would lie dormant for centuries, until the Daylor returned. It is this knowledge that will destroy the Daylor for good, and why so many have died protecting it.”

I wondered why he was telling me this. Even if this was true, what could I do? As if reading my mind, the officer continued.

“You are the last person in the line to have this knowledge. You must help us destroy the Daylor once and for all. I know it’s a lot to ask, but the fate of us all lies within you. I’m sorry I faked the robbery evidence, but I needed the navy to find you. We can trust no one as the Daylor are not without allies.”

Stunned but with nothing else in this world to live for, I agreed with the officer on the condition that Mulligan was to come with us and pardoned from any misdemeanour. I was sure his lot in life was no better than my own. With a worried expression, the officer nodded once. I could tell from his eyes that he was not convinced of Mulligan’s loyalty.

The officer then smiled and put out his hand. “My name’s Hawkins. You must be exhausted. Meet me in my ship tomorrow at dawn. Let’s get to work.”

28th January 2207,
Not knowing what I was supposed to do with myself, I had spent the previous evening in easy company with Mulligan. While I have no doubt he could not stand the sight of me, nor I him, a bond had been forged between us. I kept Hawkin’s story to myself, wishing to enjoy one last night of normality. I rose at dawn and made my way to Hawkin’s ship.

When I arrived, I found Mulligan and Hawkins conversing. Mulligan had a face of disbelief. As soon as he saw me, he shook his head and stormed out of the room. I glanced at Hawkins who responded, “The council are waiting for us.”

It turned out that the council was a group of very old men from varying species. From outside of the room we could hear low levels of chatter, but when the doors opened, an eerie silence spread. Hawkins went to the middle of the room and spoke to the members.

“I have found the one. As foretold, she has the power to defeat the Daylor.”

One of the council members stood, and in a raspy voice he chanted,

“From the prison of Daylor's star To the eternal enchanted moon, The Azkoreth will return And bring the final tune.”

Another looked up and asked, “My child, do you know what this could mean?”

Surely they could not mean my song? In response, I quietly hummed to them. The orb in the centre of the council chambers glowed with an eerie light.

“The One!” they all exclaimed. “Surely child, you are a gift from Azeroth himself!”

Hawkins turned to me and softly said, “You know what we must ask of you? You must return to the star of Daylor where you nearly perished, and face them. The object you encountered was a small vessel the Daylor created to escape their eternal prison. It could only hold a few, but we’ve no doubt that more are on their way.

“When the Azkoreth created the prison, they could only construct it from light, which fed the Daylor’s power. Over the millennia they honed this power to ready their escape. Once the star collapses, they fade away, trapped for eternity. However, in the meantime they have a window of opportunity. The only hope we have to seal this shut is with the rhythm of the Azkoreth.”

I understood. I had to enter the star we fought so hard to avoid only a day before, and sing my song. Hawkins appeared to read my mind once more,

“We don’t know what will happen to you after you enter. The prophecy tells not of the Chosen One’s fate, only that they will imprison the Daylor forever.”

A commotion from outside the council chambers interrupted our conversation, and I turned to look. Mulligan was being dragged around by a couple of guards. I could smell the alcohol on him from 20 metres away. His exceptional hearing had betrayed the confidentiality of the council, and a look at his face told me he knew everything. I called after him, but he was escorted to the brig.

I turned to chase after Mulligan, but Hawkins stopped me.

“We have no time for this right now, we must prepare you for the final battle. You must rest. Tomorrow you will need to pilot Oliver’s Folly back into the star. Your tune will protect you from the Daylor on board.”

I returned to my room as Hawkins instructed, saddened at the thought of never seeing Mulligan again.

29th January 2207,
Mulligan visited me this morning, with a tear in his eye.

“I finally understand what you have to do now. It’s a brave thing you are about to do. In half an hour we’ll be in position to get back on to the Folly. You understand you’ll have to go alone. There’s no amount of money I wouldn’t give to change places with you, but you have to do this. I love you.”

My first kiss was at that moment. All the doubt and uncertainty melted away, and the weight of the world, no, the universe took its place. This is how I feel right now. A hero to none but those around me. I know what I must do. I hope this journal, dear reader, will be found, and people will discover my deeds.

= Cast of Characters =

Prasti Centra

Mulligan McInvernesshireling