Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

Falling Through the Black

The Empyrean was supposed to have an excellent inertia dampening system, but that was one of the ship's secondary functions, and without a full Maker to power the ship, there were a few pieces of equipment that went woefully without power.

"Ramirez." She called.

She didn't want to distract him but this had to be done.

Overhead, the crewmember attached to Ramirez turned taking the brunt of the conversation so Ramirez could concentrate.

"Maverick?"

"You have to call Adam back, you have to tell him. Don't trust Everett. He's with the void."

There was visible confusion on the faces of everyone in the room who had heard, "JUST DO IT!" She ordered, ad wasn't surprised when Ramirez made the call. If there was anyone in this rom that trusted her, it was him.

"Adam, this is Ramirez. Maverick says not to trust Everett. He's with the void."

Maverick stood helplessly at the base of the command deck blotching onto a railing for dear life. It wasn't until a hand grabbed her by an arm and hauled her into a seat an extra seat did she notice Sunny sitting with concern and confusion at her weapons station. The Drev was using four hands to coordinate the weapons systemon the empyrean, while simultaneously controlling one of the big guns along her starboard side.

"What's going on." She demanded, "Is Adam Okay."

Maverick shook her head, I.

Inside her head the vid creature hissed.

Apotheosis, it spat into her head raking the word across her mind like it was attempting to drag the name across hot coals .

Maverick shoved it aside, "Everett, the maker that is supposed to be watching over Adam is a double agent working for the void. The ship, the derelict crew ship that we found Everett on was one of the first and early infections by the void. When Everett died they got to him."

Sunny cursed, and Maverick could see in the Drev's eyes that she wanted to be able to do soemthing, wanted to go after Adam, but still her hands never stopped on the controls of her station. She would not leave her post.

Adam was on his own until they all got there.

And with the pitched battle before them, that was seeming less and less likely.

***

It was hard to see where they were going through the spinning glass, but Everett kept them moving forward, blasting shards out of the air with fields of churning orange light. Together they spun through the air and Adam took out a darkboarn heading straight towards them with a flair of golden light. The sudden surge and loss of energy made him feel slow and lethargic for a moment before he was able to recharge.

Everett's hand still gripped him tight around the wrist.

The world around him was chaos, but still silent. Small shards of glass peppered his suit. Tiny clicking sounds filled the otherwise silent space inside his helmet as microparticles impacted the clear screen of his visor. They spun and dove, cutting through the glass field in strange and confusing patters, which seemed to Adam to be mildly unnecessary unless Everett was trying to lose pursuers.

Either that or disorient him.

If that was the case the last part didn't work. Adam was a pilot by training and so didn't get disoriented very easily. He righted himself, until he was floating on the same plane as Everette following the other man's eyes in the direction they were fleeing.

That was about the time he realized they were not, indeed fleeing.

But heading straight towards the Darkborn mother.