Taken Horizon Origin, volume 2, Descension

Episode 27 : circumstance over relationships

Surveying from my command platform in the bridge, the room was deathly silent.

Durvin and Invoker both stayed in fear of finding Strife by accident while Prophet had been locked inside with us after Strife crushed the doors with his aura of aether in a rage.

Project chariot flew through the darkness of the supply duct, skimming past the rock and metal walls of <archon holds> thick outer shell. The space cruiser was barely large enough to fit within the long cave but we had already passed 1000 kilometer's through it at a steady pace looking for the exit.

"Sir, a contact has been picked up the sonar." Calling my attention a woman operating a lone desk shouted out to me.

"How many?"

"One, sir..." holding a hand against her headset the woman's face shifted into confusion. "They're hailing us sir. Asking to communicate."

"Put them through." The lone vessel became visible through the glass at the front of the bridge. Compared to project chariot it was tiny, being no bigger than a regular fighter jet that can accompany lone pilots.

The woman flipped several switches and pressed multiple buttons at her console, then the hologram of a man with heavily tanned skin wearing golden armour, fine violet and blue silk's, and a crown indicating he was a king appeared.

"Hello, mongrels, from the depths of deprivation. My name is king Gilgamesh of the pantheon <Babylon>. The deities in alliance with us demand you return to your pit or else once you reach the surface only war will await you."

"<Babylon>?" Muttering the familiar name aloud i was surprised to hear the legendary name of king Gilgamesh.

I was once from a world dominated by this pantheon after all. I'd be a fool if I didn't know who the legendary king Gilgamesh was but he's supposed to have died before i was even born.

"King Gilgamesh, i was once a subject on a world ruled by <Babylon> called; Saishi. I ask you hear my plea before we are forced to use violence."

The projection of the regal man with long black hair flowing down his back leered down at me where i stood. "If you were once a shabarra of <Babylon> then you know who i am and what I've done, uzuh. Turn back now or perish."

"King Gilgamesh, i was unjustly forced into this prison when i had only just become an adult! <archon hold> is nothing more than a facility for the <quest line> to abduct strays across the universe and force them to fight one another while incapable of dying! Please just listen!" Desperate to avoid a fight i beseeched the king to listen.

"I've had enough of your gripes, shabarra. We know this place is prison for lunamtagga's who have the future of being able to destroy worlds. Every deity and transcendental know of the horrors <archon hold> hides from our eyes. If you wish to do anything worthwhile in your lives you can all just keel over and die, you uzuh's!" King Gilgamesh spat his shouts at me leaving no negotiating. "Turn your vessel around or perish at the hands of the several pantheon's gathered in defence of the universe. You have been warned."

The connection was terminated and the small vessel outside in the weightless atmosphere began circling around to escape the range of project chariots cannons.

Gripping into the banisters at the side of my command platform i was left exasperated. "There really is no choice but to fight."

Durvin heard my whisper and pressed a button on his mechanical wrist guard.

Not long later a bullet shot out of one of the many cannons and destroyed the messenger's ship taking the pilots life.

Normally i would have yelled at Durvin for doing that but that pilot was likely to be killed in the battle to come anyway.