The Celestial Way

Chapter 19.2 - Allies of the Way

Aboard Ouroboros, on the outer edge of the Ascendancy System

On the inside, Ouroboros had much in common with Ilsorin. The walls were in the same golden-platinum color, made from ultra-advanced alloys resistant even to dragon claws. Crystal structures featured prominently, their function ranging from decoration and light sources to power conduits and energy matrices. The decks were enormous and open-spaced, in order to accommodate with equal ease the residence of regular-size transhumans and the immense forms of dragons, who – judging by the design – were well able to reach truly awesome statures. On the whole, the titanic dreadnought's interior looked more like a city than the insides of a starship, the illusion reinforced by the presence of numerous artificial gardens and biospheres, and the perfect simulation of daylight from their ceilings.

Many sections were completely destroyed, making it impossible to restore Ouroboros to its former splendor without extensive orbital docking facilities. Yet with the aid of temporary walkway tunnels and sealing bubbles, it was possible to make all decks usable again. Though the near-termination of evacuation missions made the need for additional housing space moot, Airo still wanted the dreadnought functional.

Currently, over ten thousand workers were busy repairing the enormous starship. Yeoman Cloud, Bernard, and Zeromon were tasked with coordinating this significant workforce. Airo was reluctant about putting a dragon on non-combat duty, strapped as he was for firepower, yet Bernard refused any assignments without Zeromon, and since the human Knight was the best industrial engineer in the surviving Radiant Order, Airo had no choice but to pair them. Somewhat surprising to him, the dragon Knight proved an excellent choice as well in terms of a technical mindset, and in addition was able to apply his awesome might when the situation called for, significantly speeding up operations in various instances. Airo was forced to admit that a dragon could be very useful even outside combat, a thought that felt alien to him.

Airo, Veralla, and Magus Dei had arrived aboard Ouroboros through the psi-gate. The plan was to take one of the remaining assault laserships still present in the dreadnought's extensive hangars, and use it to find the H'raal fleet. The three of them crossed the massive octagonal caedome where the psi-gate resided and headed toward the aft decks, where their transport waited. The environment was kept at micro-gravity for the duration of the repairs, and many grav-shafts were still not restored, which meant traversing the giant starship was a slow-going endeavor.

"Should I really wear this again?" Veralla complained, floating along the brightly-lit deck and pawing at her emerald-colored vacsuit. She was covered horns-to-tailtip, with only the helmet's visor being raised currently, revealing the upper part of her reptilian face.

"I am taking no chances," Airo said, eyeing the emergency handholds along the way. He wasn't very skilled in zero-g movement, yet the power armor corrected any errors he made. "Environmental protection equipment is mandatory during orbital or deep-space repairs in case of emergency. Also, while not applicable in your case, this starship is still flooded with background radiation due to its proximity to a neutron star."

"Why then are you not wearing a scaphander, too?" Veralla asked, turning to Magus. The old Knight had a regal bearing even in microgravity, and was dressed in his usual heavy crimson robe.

"Do not mind me, little one. I shall be fine," Magus replied, drifting forward in a perfect line. Airo suspected he was using magic to do so.

"Oh, okay. Where are we going?" Veralla had already seen her fill of Ouroboros' magnificence, which was why she fussed over her vacsuit at all and had become her usual talkative self.

"We are going to meet the H'raal. They are an alien civilization," Airo explained tersely. "They can help us defeat the Revenant."

"Oh, that sounds very interesting! But why are only the three of us going?"