The Void Within- Chapter Three- Tragic Recovery
Stars
Fire
Debris
Spinning....
That was all that Nathanial could see through the small window of his escape pod. His body ached with numerous pains sustained during the mad dash to this escape vessel. His command jacket was singed in places from exposure to the small plasma fires that had laced the corridors of his once glorious and mighty ship. Now it was a debris field, nothing was left, not even its name plate. The command that Revan had given him was dead, and his own life? What was to become of him now that his ship was gone leaving him stuck in this tiny, hyperdrive-less escape pod? His options were bleak but his mind could not fathom those for the moment. The battle that had just occurred still raged in his mind's eye. The complete destruction that had befallen his fleet and even that of their Republic pursuers had been so absolute that it was as if they had been fighting a malevolent god.
He could still remember the screech of alarms, the wail of technicians and the cursing of the Dark Jedi as the deck bucked and holes began appearing in the Goliath's superstructure. He had been thrown to the floor as the second attack hit them but he could not remember getting up. It had always been his dream to die with the Goliath, at her helm, yet despite such an overwhelming desire he had left the bridge and fought through the panicked crew to an escape vessel. 'Fought' was an appropriate word for such trip as the destructive, debilitating attacks had turned the crew into a ferocious, angry, selfish mob. They attacked one another, drawing their blasters and swords, cutting one another down, preventing another from taking the precious escape pods.
The Dark Jedi had then ignited their own blades and started to leisurely chop, hack and slice their way through the mob. They used the Force to throw people into walls or simply squeezed the life out of them. They laughed like they were impervious to harm but such joy was quickly cut short as a hole was opened up in an adjacent bulkhead, depressurising the entire section. Nathanial had grabbed onto a nearby bulkhead but the Sith were pulled from their homicidal frenzy out through the hole into the black silence of space. The containment pressure doors sealed and gravity returned to the corridor. Nathanial had scrambled to his feet only to be thrown to the floor again as another powerful blast impacted on the ship's hull. The Goliath groaned in protest and plasma fires exploded up through the deck plating. Nathanial had clawed his way up the deck trying to bring his feet underneath him, trying to follow the mob up the corridor. Suddenly the corridor in front of him and the crazy mob had disappeared in a great inferno as some sort of plasma beam turned the entire section into molten slag.
Pressure doors sealed almost instantly but white hot debris started to melt the Durasteel. Glancing to his left he was surprised to see an escape pod standing open, welcoming him into its dark, cool interior. The mob's frantic nature must have blinded it to the existence of such refuge though maybe this was fortunate considering their state of mind. All Nathanial could do was look at the open door of the escape vessel and a strange calm appeared to descend over the scene. He could hear distant impacts and explosions, slight shudders through the deck plating, cries of men now too distraught to care and yet here in this place he felt a strange serenity as if nothing mattered; even escape was no longer relevant. Perhaps he could die with the Goliath, escape into death, forget his worries and disappear into blissful ignorance of the Force as the Jedi believed. Why couldn't he just die here on his command vessel as he had always dreamed?
BECAUSE MALAK MUST PAY!!!
This sudden realisation seared into his mind like white hot lightning, his breath caught in his throat and a flush of heat rushed through his entire body. His muscles aching he pushed himself off the deck and stumbled into the escape pod. He landed heavily onto one of the acceleration couches and thumbed the release handle. The door whirred itself shut and the pod jolted as the explosive-decompression charges detonated propelling the vessel out of its mooring lock in the Goliath's hull. Not a moment too soon for as the pod fell into space a projectile rocketed past it into the corridor Nathanial had just been lying in, turning that section into another pit on the Goliath's emaciated surface. His ship was nothing but bones now, its skeleton of Durasteel girders exposed through a wash of blue plasma fire and projectile explosions. As the view of the Goliath receded into the distance, she began to tumble out of control. Another plasma beam hit her, originating from somewhere above the escape pod's limited view.
The beam seethed its way through the remains of her command deck. There was a bright flash and the top part of the tower was gone, fire bristling out of its neck, bodies flying into space. The Goliath shuddered again but not from projectile fire. It seemed to quiver and shake as if caught in the gravities of a black hole. This mystery was quickly explained as a large asteroid, from the nearby field, pushed its way through the broken space vessel splitting her in two. The stern section drifted off towards another asteroid, wandering out of the pod's window view but Nathanial knew it would disappear in a brilliant flash of light as it impacted with one of the great hulks of rock. The other half drifted forward towards the Republic fleet, Nathanial watched it intently expecting the Republic's ships to finish the Goliath off.
But no such attack came and the Goliath's pitted nose continued to drift until it collided with the debris field that had once been the Republic's fleet. Nathanial studied the debris field intently, searching for some sign of life. But there was nothing left of Republic's armada, even the renegade Blockade Breakers had been vaporised. Something knocked the pod sending it spinning, its thrusters firing to straighten its trajectory. The star field spun and the Goliath's remains dissolved into a blur.
How long would he sit here before rescue would arrive, if rescue was indeed coming? The stars continued to spin but his vision became fuzzy and his eyelids felt very heavy. Had he knocked his head, it did not matter any more for he had failed his crew. Maybe he could still find Malak, escape this graveyard somehow and start his search with a new ship and a new crew. He looked to the stars searching for an answer to these questions but in return all they gave him was an intense white light.
The glare slowly faded revealing a white ceiling and a muted light, which illuminated the dimly lit room. Nathanial quickly snapped his eyes shut as the light's low yet piercing shine stung his eyes and quickly created an unpleasant pain in his head. Where am I? When no obvious answer came to his senses he tried to sit up but his back instantly cried out in pain and he was forced to lie back down, grunting hoarsely for the effort.
"Ah, your finally awake I see!"
The voice seemed to come from the rightmost corner of the room but the face that appeared above him came from the left. It looked down at him with a very wide yet strangely distant smile, as if the stranger was not well or quite 'with it'. Suddenly Nathaniel felt very naked and squinting down at his body he realised he almost was. He slowly turned his head upwards, searching the room for his missing uniform though he saw nothing but a sparse medical bay with slightly grey, metal walls and a few other beds. It would also seem that he was the only patient. The stranger suddenly placed a gun-like device to Nathanial's chest, causing his body to tense. The 'doctor' looked at the device, grunted then returned the tool to the table next to the bed which had a number of other instruments upon it.
Quick as a flash, muscles aching, his back crying out for rest yet adrenaline pumping, Nathanial pushed himself off the bed landing awkwardly on the floor in an Echani non-weapon melee combat stance. The stranger was startled by this but he quickly regained his composure and started to move toward Nathaniel with his arms outstretched. It was at this moment that the Captain's strength started to fail him as his back leg trembled and then gave way, pushing him down into a kneeling position. Rather than give up Nathanial put all his remaining strength into his front leg and placed his left hand on top of its knee, with his right arm at his side, his palm facing towards the stranger.
When the 'doctor' was within three feet he pushed himself up and forward with his left hand and left leg, his right arm punching the air out in front of him, landing a solid smack to the stranger's chest. The blow should have broken bones, ribs should have shattered, and the fact that there was only a slight crunch caused Nathanial to look up into the 'doctor's' face with alarm. Body armour? This was the only thought that entered his mind but the stranger's reaction said otherwise. Instead of glaring at Nathanial smugly, as any enemy would do in such a scenario, the stranger simply smiled that oddly distant grin.
"You mistake me for a human, I am flattered!"
Nathanial's mind jarred in reaction to this odd comment and he didn't even notice his strength leave him though he did feel the hardness of the floor as he fell to it. He didn't notice the strong arms lifting and placing him back on the table nor did he appear to perceive the medical examination he was put through. His mind wouldn't let him see any of these things for it was still recoiling from this strange revelation. What his eyes had seen was a weird human stranger. Not a non-human or a.....or a droid. Yet the doctor's comment suggested otherwise and as he was transferred to a bed he forced his numb lips to say something.
"You're not... human?"
"No, but I am flattered that you think so. It has long been the aim of the nano-engines to create a human-like appearance that is as battle-effective as it is aesthetically pleasing."
The words washed over Nathanial like tsunamis. Nano? Human-like? Aesthetically pleasing?
"Sorry, could you say that again?"
"Certainly; 'No, but I am flattered that you think so. It has long been the aim of the nano-engines to create a human-like appea...'"
"Wait! What do you mean by 'human-like'?"
"Forgive me, I have only been briefed on current situation. Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 5B medical assistance system trained in all areas of repairing and healing injuries sustained by all types of organic sentient species. I am proficient in multiple forms of surgery from zero-gravity situations to underwater climates and even harsher terrains found on desert worlds. My log-name is 5B dash 15565763 but I am known to the crew of this ship as 'Bob'. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Bob?"
"Affirmative, this was the name given to me by the nano-engine that created me. For further details on my functionality, please see nano-engine 5B dash 311A."
"You're a droid?"
"Negative, I am a 5B medical assistance system trained in all areas of repairing and healing inju..."
"Alright, alright, alright! I get the idea!" Obviously they don't program these things with much personality, "could you tell me where I am?"
"Certainly. You are currently aboard the Surprise, a recently commissioned Vega Class Frigate of the Expanded Territories Fleet. The Surprise is currently stationed in an asteroid belt overseeing repairs to its main systems."
"Yeah, and gloating over their recent victory."
"Please direct all enquiries concerning the recent battle to the Captain."
"And when may I meet this 'Captain'?"
"He has requested your presence as soon as you are fit to. My last Bio-scan indicates that you are well enough to do so, I shall fetch you clothes."
His voice was emotionless yet Nathanial thought he heard concern in his words, almost as if this 'medical unit' did not want him to see that Captain. As the doctor moved away to a nearby locker Nathanial suddenly felt chill run down his spine. He was alive and he could still take his revenge on Malak but he would have to live with the loss of his ship, though this all rested with the victorious Captain of this invincible Frigate, the Surprise.
'Surpise'... How fricking ironic was that?