999 OCTILLION SOULS, May 29, 2024
I FLIGHT
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.26
Legume huddled with Charlotte, the metallic chill of the brig seeping through her thin clothes. The tremor that had rattled the cell moments ago was nothing compared to the deafening clang that echoed through the corridor now. It was followed by a cacophony of alien shrieks and the unmistakable hiss of blaster fire. Panic clawed at Legume's throat. The pirates were breaching the ship.
They had heard the commotion on the approach - the guttural roars, the clash of metal against metal. Now, the battle raged closer, the yells and PLAM fire punctuated by the groaning of the ship under duress. Legume pictured the Wugum crew fighting back, their stoic resolve a flickering candle against the storm. But trapped in the brig, she was helpless.
A heavy thud resonated through the floor, followed by a grinding screech of metal. Legume's heart hammered against her ribs. They were breaching somewhere nearby. Through the barred window, she saw a flicker of movement - a hulking figure, clad in crimson armor, stalked down the corridor, its silhouette monstrous against the faint glow of a distant Dyson swarm.
Tears welled up in Legume's eyes, blurring the image. She had gambled on the Ore Seeker, hoping she might offer them passage home. Now, it seemed that gamble had backfired spectacularly. A guttural shriek, closer this time, sent shivers down her spine. These weren't the gruff Wugum voices she'd heard before. These were guttural growls, laced with a feral hunger that sent a primal fear coursing through her.
One by one, the sounds of battle died down. An eerie silence descended, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the ship's failing engines. Legume's breath hitched. The silence was worse, a harbinger of what was to come.
The cell door screeched open, flooding the cramped space with harsh light. Legume shielded Charlotte with her body, her gaze rising to meet the imposing figure in the doorway. He was taller than any Giant Legume had ever seen, his crimson armor adorned with spikes and glowing runes. His face, a grotesque mask of scars and exposed bone, was devoid of any humanity. In his hand, a crackling power gauntlet hummed with a malevolent energy.
translator: taller than eight feet
luo_ji: what’s a power gauntlet
translator: armored glove that enhances the wearer's strength
Legume's voice trembled as she forced herself to speak. "Please, we mean no harm. We just want to go home."
The pirate captain, his voice a guttural growl that vibrated in Legume's chest, tilted his head, his single reptilian eye gleaming with cold amusement. Home? In this pitiless expanse of space, the concept seemed ludicrous.
He spoke his words with a harsh rasp that sent shivers down Legume's spine. "This soddin’ ship," he said, his voice echoing in the confined space, "belongs to us now. So do you." The power gauntlet crackled ominously, casting an unsettling glow on the scene.
Legume squeezed Charlotte tighter, her mind racing for a plan, any plan, to protect her daughter from whatever horrors awaited them aboard the now-pirate-controlled Ore Seeker.
Legume's desperate plea hung heavy in the air, unanswered. The pirate captain, the Shi, loomed over them, his reptilian eye glinting with predatory hunger. But before Legume could brace for the inevitable, the Shi tilted his head, a flicker of surprise crossing his bestial features. A guttural growl erupted from his comm device, the response laced with urgency.
IE: Shi is probably an alien race
The Shi barked a harsh command in his language, then turned towards Legume with a sneer. "New orders," he said, his voice surprisingly devoid of malice now. "Holy galaxy! Looks like we've got a more lucrative opportunity." He gestured roughly towards the back of the cell. "Stay put."
The words offered little comfort. "Where the hell you taking us?" Legume asked.
The Shi snorted, a sound devoid of amusement. "Don't know, don't care. Just another double dam’ jump point to exploit." With that, he turned and stalked out of the cell, the heavy metal door slamming shut with a resounding clang.
Left in the dim confines, Legume clutched Charlotte close. The rhythmic hum of the ship had changed, a low thrumming that vibrated through the floor. A sound Legume had never experienced before, a feeling of unease crawling up her spine.
Moments turned into an eternity. Then, with a shudder so violent Legume thought the ship would tear apart, the familiar hum died down. An eerie silence followed, broken only by Charlotte's whimpers. Legume wasn't sure how much time had passed when a blinding white light erupted from the viewport, filling the cell. It intensified for a heartbeat, then vanished, leaving behind a dizzying sensation that made Legume's head spin.
The low thrumming returned, a different rhythm this time. Tentatively, Legume peeked through the viewport. The familiar, star-dusted blackness of space was gone, replaced by a swirling vortex of flickering colors. They were in a wormhole.
astro_raj: could be gravitational lensing or Doppler shifts
Legume's heart pounded against her ribs. The Shi had mentioned another jump point, but this wasn't the controlled, sterile environment of a Dyson swarm transit hub. This was a wild, chaotic journey through the fabric of space. A cold sweat slicked her skin. Where were they going? What dangers awaited them on the other side of this swirling vortex?
As the wormhole's colors intensified once more, Legume squeezed Charlotte tighter, a silent prayer to St. Trillian and Holy Urt escaping her lips. They were hurtling deeper into the unknown, their fate resting in the cruel hands of the Shi pirates.