‘Ask for forgiveness later.’ – Thenos, East Canyon

Silence buzzed amongst machinery as Theta worked above Astra, laying more wiring for her reconstructed rig. “Try it now please, Click.” his rich voice spoke, disrupting the comfortable quiet.

Astra smiled up at him from the floor as she rewired a board, pleased as he took initiative, glad for the partner she had found as opposed to another subordinate.

“Connection established. Testing coupling…test failed.”

She saw disappointment cross his face. 

“We’ll get it right.” Astra smiled, giving Theta a reassuring squeeze. “I wouldn’t have been able to rebuild this quickly without your help.”

He took her fingers in his as she reached up, accepting her comfort. How easy it was to care for her.

Click spoke. “A call for you, Commander. The signal…it is marked as malignant for Raider activity.”

Astra tapped her ear, standing as she moved away from Theta to hear. Theta signalled that he was listening in as he turned the server room light on. “Who is this?”

“Commander.” A deep voice began, penitent and luring. “This is Maewan. I wanted to extend an invitation to you, and am hoping that you’ll accept.”

She scoffed. Maewan, Leader of the Thenos Raider encampment calling her directly? “To return everything your pirates stole from me? Gladly.”

His easy laugh did not unnerve her. “No. No–I was hoping we could discuss more than that. As it seems, I am in desperate need of friends and in that–I believe we can aid each other.”

She shook her head. “Why would I come to you? You could have me killed.”

“But I won't. We can’t help each other then.” she listened as he seemed to lean into the receiver. “You want to lead your people from the strife of the desert, and I want to help you. It’s worth the risk.”

As the line clicked Theta lowered his hand. “It may be worth a look, Commander. Would you like me to come with you?”

She nodded. 

Theta turned, allowing her to go through her locker before entering the elevator and pressing the silver button to descend into the basement hanger.

He followed her past several all terrain vehicles, a light bicycle with bright blue lights whirring as they grew closer. 

She signalled to one beside it in red. “You can drive, right?”

“Probably better than you.” he said confidently as she enjoyed his smirk before his helmet went over his face.

Astra lowered her goggles as the hanger opened, revealing the falling panel into the sand, kicking up orange dust as they got on and rode, passing lime shrubbery as rocks drifted behind them towards the Eastern Canyon.

She looked to her left to the North where the peaks of Arkham Rift could be seen beyond the mountainside, tall black machinery pounding away at the terrain in a permanent cloud of dust. 

Then she looked to the South where the Southern Gorge of New Dawn laid–eager to see change on the planet she had been tasked with leading. 

Industry was not eternal.

She wanted more.

As they neared a canyon rising up to the blue sky, the orange and brown grooves woven into weaved bubbles of rock, they slowed their bikes, parking them next to a Raider guard clutching a rifle.

They signalled them on, leading them in a pack of six, encompassing every side as they escorted them through the carved tunnels, raiders and their families sickly and underfed clinging to the walls as they hung their washing and tilled at the sparse plants they had. 

“You have children here?” Astra asked the nearest guard. The only reports of Raiders were all estimated to be individuals seeking enterprise, not struggling farmers.

As they approached a clearing, a small bubble shaped building of blue and orange sat around prickling yellow plants covered with spare sheets of metal for coverage. Out stepped a middle aged human man, his long black hair greyed and pulled up into a messy bun, reminding Astra of a documentary on blade warriors from Earth. 

His red armour was thicker plated than his soldiers, plastic mesh gloves making his fists large and scraped. “It’s life, Commander. We each find our own way to make what little we've been given bearable–worth it. Our purpose becomes each other, mutual benefit.”

Maewan came closer, his heavy raiders beside him moving into place, taking over for the smaller guard. “I suppose it benefits Starion for you to believe that our antics are irrational–no motive in sight. But our actions are only the summation of the poverty you see here.”

She looked behind herself as they entered the building, leaving the ashen faces of the starving children and families behind. “You’re doing this to yourself. You broke your Starion contracts before the agreed upon date–”

“Save me the spiel.” He interrupted, “Your metahuman training is indoctrination at best. You service our colonies and yet still know nothing of our culture.” 

Not caring for what the propaganda taught her, he moved on. “Did Admiral Arkham ever tell you why it happened that night? The last attack on Arkham Rift?”

Astra huffed as Maewan sat on his rickety iron desk, the desert fading into the background. In truth the Admiral had been very quiet about it, not even mentioning it when her own colony was lost. “No, but not without reason–”

“What reason would they have for withholding the truth? What could justify that?” He pressed with eyebrows raised as if to beg her to think for herself.

Astra fell frozen silent.

Maewan nodded, scratching the black and white beard on his tan face, recalling a memory. 

He waved his hand in a small circle as if spinning yarn. “Starion used to have something called ‘Century Night'. For each year that a colony thrived, they were rewarded, supported, lavished with gifts, equipment, medicine. And each year we were the top colony to produce. Our whole lives revolved around it. We were just so…thankful to have been lifted up to the stars, given a chance to make something of ourselves. So we worked. And worked, and worked–and worked well. My own father died at his machine, his last words to me ‘to keep going’. To do it for my own son to know freedom.”

He lifted from the desk and looked out the window. “See, rumour had it that if you did this for a hundred years in a row that on your Century Night, your contracts would all be closed, and any debt you owed to Starion wiped away. A figment of the past.”

Astra crossed her arms. “So you blamed them for your own assumptions?”

Maewan turned to her with a heartbroken smile. “If only it were so simple. They confirmed it.” 

She dropped her demeanour, shamed by her thoughts. 

“It was winter of my twenty-seventh year, the beginning of the ninety-ninth year in a row that we had done this–excelled. They came into town like a tourist attraction–their platinum cars and banners everywhere, the rich we longed to be a part of, viewing us like sideshow acts, thanking the poor for their luxuries like some kind of Welfare tour. I was the lead engineer. We had just had a collapse in a tunnel, so we had quite a few of my team injured, missing limbs, wheelchairs, unable to afford prosthetics. And the CEO of Starion–little bitch that she was, practically pure chrome implants–shakes my hand, thanking me for my sacrifice and told me…told me that this was the year we would be free. As long as we just kept up the good work.”

He took his knuckles to his desk. “So we worked.” he rapped with each word, emphasising his tone, the air thick. “And on the next Century Night, our main vein dried up, and we fell short of our goal. So we were told we had to start all over. Not better luck next year–all–over.” Discomfort grew as the raiders gruffed around them. “Naturally we weren’t happy with that, and we told them so–respectfully. We threatened to strike, and they laughed. And laughed. And pointed to our Nomad, and said that if we did anything stupid like that they would send  him in and pick us off one by one until we complied. Naturally because we were close with our Nomad, we assumed he would join us. To see the pain they had caused us. Then Antonio Arkham–glistening beacon of hope for the MSC–started firing on us from behind enemy lines.”

“So we stopped mining. And we picked up weapons. And we took our freedom instead. The metahuman man that had cared for us since our birth as a colony, took us out with no remorse as if we were lab rats that had lost the will to live.” 

Astra felt herself shaking as Theta took her shoulder. Could that be true? They were told to never fire on humans–not ever. It was their most absolute rule, one you could adhere to even if your superior ordered you to do it. No matter what, you were protected by it. 

Why had Arkham decided to obey?

Maewan continued. “We came in contact with a few sizable sympathisers, which worked for us for a time. But…recently a benefactor of ours has ceased contact and we’re in dire straits. We need friends, and I recalled your initial outreach years ago for New Dawn. I had hoped we could discuss continuing it.”

Astra felt confusion overtake her. “Sorry, that offer is no longer available. You attacked it, and stole my equipment. I still haven’t recovered–and even if I had I would never welcome you again. I stuck my neck out for you before even clearing it with my superiors and look at what that got me.”

Maewan drew his dark brows together. “We have not attacked you for several years, Commander. We limit our operations to the transit belt above Thenos between jump gates.”

She leaned forward, tired of lies. “You just stole our generator, and more tech from my data net. You could practically build it yourself now, you don’t need me.”

Maewan looked to his first hand commander and back to Astra. “Commander… I fear our problems are bigger than a missing prototype and benefactor. We have reason to believe Starion may be masquerading as us in several organised hits from other colonies. We’ve had vehicles go missing–plates and all.”

“But…if Starion is sabotaging its own operations…” Astra looked to Theta before chaos ensued.

They jumped in surprise as an alarm began ringing in her head, her implant whirring loudly as sound blinded her, holding her ears. 

Theta connected to her implant as explosions outside of the building began, Raiders getting into defensive positions behind cover. 

“Breathe, Astra!” Theta shouted, pulling her into cover as she regained her footing. “They set off a tracker in your implant. It’s likely they picked up the call back at the outpost.”

“Fuck!”’ she shouted, huffing as she picked up her gun, the Starion vehicle lowering security mechs onto the ground as it began to fire indiscriminately on families. 

It was New Dawn all over again.

“Oh, fuck–oh, fuck–” she felt herself shaking, her post traumatic stress taking over until she heard Theta call for her again.

“Astra!” he looked to her, hearing screams. “These people need you now. Are you with me?”

She nodded, catching her breath. 

He put on his helmet. “Starion is our superior, but I follow your orders, Astra. What do we do?”

She looked into his eyes knowing what he was asking was clear. They would have to choose: protect Starion or protect each other. And Theta’s free will would protect her each and every time.

She lifted her blaster, gaining his courage. “Fire now–ask for forgiveness later?”

Theta nodded with a smile.

Together they stood, firing through the Starion Operatives as Raiders helped their families escape, rejoining the duo’s side as they cleared the canyon walkways, blaster fires kicking up smoke as rock crumbled. 

Around each other they danced, Theta lifted a hand and crushed a falling rock above her, continuing to fire as a heavy mech came barreling towards them.

Not long after did all fall quiet, the Starion vehicles descending to the terrain as the drivers slunk out, dead on the desert floor.

Unable to stay to celebrate, Astra gave a final look to Maewan, asserting their partnership before climbing on a light bike. “We’ve got to get back.”

On arrival at the outpost, all that could be seen were scraps and steam, tunnelling dark clouds into the sun. 

Theta crouched near a door, seeing the familiar markings of Starion weapons. “These are the same markings from the masquerading Raiders the night of the generator attack, Commander. It was Starion as Maewan said.”

She looked to the pile of rubble, seeing that all had gone. Her plans–the entirety of her work. “Which means we’re on our own.” she clicked the side of her helmet. “Still with me, Click?” 

Astra felt comfort as her implant chimed. 

“Always, Commander.”

Vector ⋯ 110

Nothing left – Thenos, Southern Gorge

Theta lowered the lab vault door manually, squeaking its rusted hinges closed in the exposed desert sun in front of the grassy overgrown gorge, the structure of New Dawn plated across the top and bubbled as if in a living greenhouse environment.

He sat a box down before passing Astra looking over blueprints on an old felt pool table, old fashioned wood chairs and derelict computers lining the walls.

“All this equipment is about a century behind. It was all that was left after the attack.” She looked around the long circular room. “I didn’t see the use in putting them in storage at the outpost. Now I’m glad I didn’t.” she flipped the plans over, attempting to redraw a line. “They won’t find us here. This place is far off their radar now.”

Not dwelling on their fall from Starion’s grace, he grasped her by the waist, and pulled her close, nuzzling her with affection. “Take a break with me.”

She felt her cheeks warm, his touch telling her to be more compassionate to herself as he intended to be. “Theta…”

Theta looked out the glass to the green centre of the enclosed city, dripping with old water and broken copper pipes, leaves growing out of them. 

She had worked unceasingly out of guilt for their predicament and this was their first moment alone in some time. 

He intended to seize it.

He kissed her neck as she pushed at his chest, his peppering kisses turning her blush into abdominal heat. “Your pulse is accelerating…acting shy, Commander?”

Astra smiled as he held her closer through her resistance. 

He was insatiable. 

“You should try it sometime.”

She took the box in his other arm and nosed through it. “What’s this?” As she saw her original plans and her mock of the data net her mouth fell open. “Theta…” Where had he found it?

“Maewan confirmed that their past benefactor was Starion. They promised them peace and land if they aided in terrorising you. It seems your aggressor has always been Starion. They sent this to them as goodwill for protection if they complied but it was incomplete.”

Astra took the rig and squeezed it. Betrayal slashed through her with red. Decades of reporting to Arkham and Starion, belittled and ridiculed for her failures when they had caused them.

How long had she blamed herself when the true enemy sat pleased with her turmoil?

“So I report to Starion, Starion hires pirates to sabotage me, and then Starion double crosses them. Does that make Maewan my enemy, or my friend?”

Theta looked to her, the anger behind her lip twitching.

He touched her face, hoping to finally get her to release blame. “It makes him human.”

Comforted by his insight, Astra shared a brief smile with him, their fingers touching on the table as knocking sounded. She looked to the entrance where a woman and her child arrived, wrapped against one another, bound in rich purple cloth with gold. 

“I was told there was a med clinic?”

Their newly appointed medical officer, Theta nodded, releasing Astra’s hand as he led them across the green circle to the med bay before the gorge entrance, built into the rock. 

Astra shifted the box, her stomach continuing to flip.

Needing air, she exited into the atrium, looking up to the high rise glass of the circular gold ceiling, the stone and wind welcoming her as Maewan passed though dressed in brown sanding clothes.

“Defences are looking good, Commander Astra. We have you to thank for allowing us to relocate to this place.”

Astra gave him a pained smile. “You had need of it, and so did I. It seems we do make for good friends.”

He gave her a sympathetic nod as his small daughter ran to him, lifted into her father’s arms. Their families would have been bones in the shifting sand if not for her. Perhaps there was hope for Metahuman alliances after all.

“We’ve heard reports on the radio that Starion is targeting Arkham Rift. Should we have a look?”

Though at odds with Starion, the Arkham Rift settlers still needed her.

Briefly Astra looked to the medical bay, joy fluttering her heart as she saw Theta helping the woman’s child flex their fingers, their small hands tugging at his grey hair playfully.

She could handle a quick run herself, couldn’t she? 

“I’ll go. Continue getting everyone settled. I’ll report back and we can come up with a plan from there.”

“Commander–” Maewan called after her, stopping her in her tracks. “This place…it should have a name. What should we call it?”

She looked around, New Dawn no longer seemed fitting. 

Dawn had come and eclipsed time and time again since its first launch of hope. 

Now it needed to be made a home. 

Chiming in, Maewan’s daughter raised her hands. “Astra and Theta.” she declared, playing with her father’s jacket as she looked at his chest.

“Astra Theta.” Maewan said in pleasure. “Do you remember Starion’s first mission statement, Commander?”

She nodded, the first of the humans' excitement clear centuries ago when they migrated from Earth. “Ad Astra.” 

It was once a promise showered in starlight for a better life for all that was now twisted by corporate greed.

Together they would reclaim it.

He reached out a hand to Astra, taking her forearm in return as they sealed their camaraderie. “Ad Astra, Commander.”

Theta looked to the facility entrance as Astra and Maewan shook hands, hearing their goodbye. 

He stood as the woman and healing child moved to Maewan, watching as Astra left without a word.

Before he could reach her on comms, more injured refugees arrived at the med bay door. He took them in, hoping Astra would not go far.

Back in the desert of the plains, Astra rode to see for herself the dangers of Arkham Rift, only to find Starion lying in wait. Surrounded, she could not fight as they forced her onto a shuttle.

Astra looked out of the craft window as the green of Thenos grew further in the great black abyss, the blue stream leading to the jumpgate accelerating their speed. 

No matter how far they took her, she held to hope that Theta would come.

 

To be continued...