The corridor was narrow, powerful lights and holographic displays located on thermals flashed constantly. Sounds of various alarms sounded in the background, while men and woman wearing a variety of colored uniforms dashed about in a frantic way. The word Ascension, as well as a diagram of a dozen other capital ships were listed around it, were highlighted on a corridor wall.

Looking down at my arms, my once polished dark blue armor was burned, scorch marks made wearing the uniform painful at best. Stumbling down the cooridor, blood dripping from my head, the scent of copper invading my nostrils, all of it made me nauseous. I eventually turned down a side corridor, at the end of which was a large hanger door. A panicked thought raced thought my head, “She has to be there!”. I hadn’t seen Aurora since the surprise attack, and I purposely avoided thinking of the worse case scenario. “She has to be alive..She has to be!”, was a second thought raging in my mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the hanger door, only to pause and wipe the violet purple blood from my head, and compose myself before hitting the sensor on the door. The door slid open, and I walked in quickly, trying not to draw attention to my wound.

Powerful Ships Laid In Rune…….

The fighter hanger was a mess, the surprise volley had hit us when we least expected it. The bridge crew all dead, the Ascension’s systems all failing, the Andromedan battle group had been devastated by the Ancient’s weapon system, that somehow had been hijacked. I quickly surveyed the hanger looking for Aurora. But all I saw were support craft that had been damaged when the Ascension had been hit. “How could this have happened!”, I ranted in my head. It was surreal that the command ship of the group, the Ascension, wasn’t going to survive this.

Like the least fortunate of us, or perhaps they were the lucky ones, pilots lay dead on the hanger floor. While some survived the attack, but were in a dazed state. I had lost almost all hope, when I felt someone come up behind me and put their hand on my shoulder. I spun around, to see Aurora nursing a shoulder injury, with a look of bewilderment on her face. Her dark red armor, just as scorched has mine was.

“Aurora….. The Ascension is not going to survive this. We did everything we could to stabilize the ship, but we don’t have much time to make to the pods. We need to leave now!” I exclaimed. But Aurora just stared at me for several moments, almost as if she was hoping this were a bad dream. I was about to speak again, when she brook her silence. “Are the experimental fighters you were working on still intact?”

I couldn’t believe it, she wanted to fight.. My beautifully powerful Aurora wanted to go out in blaze of glory. “Aurora, we never had time to get their temporal cores online. Without them they have no chance of getting past that platform out there”. “We need to get as many people to the pods, and try and reach the jump point.” Aurora just looked at me dead in the eyes, “Lieutenant, I’m fighting. There are enough ships and fighters left, still able to put up a fight. You need to get those cores online.”

“Aurora!”, I yelled, “Most of the Psy. team was vaporized in the first attack. There are only an handful of us left, and most of them are making their way to the pods”. “They knew exactly what we were going to do, it’s the only way they could hit us like this.” I continued. Aurora raised her hand to my face, and wiped the blood from my head. I hadn’t noticed, that I had started bleeding again. “I almost lost you Lieutenant, I… we…. lost so many”. Before I could say anything, Aurora griped me harder…. “I thought I did loose you, I was ready to die because of it”. I could tell Aurora wanted to cry, but didn’t want to be seen as weak.

I was about to hug her tight, when a couple dozen fighter pilots came over. “Captain, what are our orders?” One of them shouted. Aurora turned to look at them, then she looked at me, and then back at them. “Head to the pods, and make a run for the jump point, we need to make sure someone survives and reports this”. With that the pilots scrambled, alerting everyone who they came across.

The Enemy Among Us……

The hanger was now void of all activity, expect Aurora and I. I hugged her tight, and felt her warmth through her armor. The love of my life, looked so defeated, and she knew I felt the same. It wasn’t until a swirling ball of energy, caught the attention of us both, did we stand at attention. My head was hit with a wave of pain, that almost took me to my knees. “Aurora!”, I whaled, “They’re making an etheric jump from the platform!”.

Aurora bent down and pulled me upright, just in time for use to see two large etheric looking creatures exit a vortex. The creatures quickly solidified, and their predatory eyes looked Aurora and I over as if we were their next meals. Aurora whispered under her breath, “Lizzies”, as we both stood our ground trying to decide what to do.

I reached for my sword, and stepped in front of Aurora. I knew I couldn’t last long in the state I was in, but I could buy Aurora time to get out. I was about to charge them, when Aurora grabbed my shoulder and clenched me tight. “No!” she yelled. “You’re not in any state to even take on one of them, and I’m not losing you”. With that she reached to her side, grabbed two plasma grenades, and tossed them into the air at the Enemy.

Before I could react she pulled me hard with her, and we were running for the hanger door. The Lizzies leaped into the air towards us, in an attempt to stop our escape. But the explosion of the grenades intercepted them, flinging them back several dozen yards. Aurora and I reached the hanger exit, turning to see the Lizzies slowly recovering from the blast. They were powerful creatures, but they were not invincible.

Aurora slammed her access key into a terminal by the door, and hit the evacuate alarm. Indicating the destruction of the Ascension was imminent. Anyone who was left, should make their way to pods, and make a run to the jump point.

Powerful Explosions…….Are Never Fun

Aurora and I dashed out of the Hanger, and I slammed my sword into the control panel, trapping the Lizzies inside. At least long enough for us to get away. Hand in hand we ran down the corridors of the once powerful flag ship of the battle group. A ship that both of us called home for years. Finally we reached the pods, sealing ourselves in one tight, before pulling the eject handle.

The next thing we knew, we were floating in space, several million kilometers from the Ascension. We watched as enemy ships surrounded the Ascension, hoping to invade it before its drive went critical. Aurora looked at me. “Love, we made it”. But before I could respond a bright flash lit up the darkness of space. The Ascension was gone! I couldn’t believe it. A massive shock wave was now heading out in all directions. It was so bright, brighter than a 1000 suns……….

The Garden Of Healing…..

I stood overlooking a vast pristine jungle. Everything was healthy and radiated a peace and tranquility I hadn’t seen in many years. Time had no meaning there, and it wasn’t until I heard the soft approach of another, that I had forgotten that no one is truly alone.

“Hello Lieutenant… Or is it Commander now?” I turned to see the smiling face of Galadriel standing behind me. I smiled wide at her. Galadriel was one of mine and Aurora’s teachers. She had always been there, and despite her graceful demeanor, and encouraging words, the rumors were she had been a legendary warrior in the early days of the Lyran wars.

I used to think that Aurora and I were pushed onto Galadriel, because no one wanted to take on the task of watching over the two of us. We were always getting into trouble, often teasing, and fooling around. It wouldn’t be until much later, that we would learn Galadriel asked to take us under her wing. Perhaps she saw something in us, something we had yet to see in ourselves.

“Galadriel!”, I beamed. “I always find this place so relaxing, especially after such a chaotic time”. Galadriel smiled, her soft blue eyes twinkling, as if they were the night sky itself. “You and Aurora are always welcome here, this is after all your home.” Galadriel’s words brought a peace to my mind. It was wonderful to know, there was a place we could go, whenever times got rough. “What’s next Galadriel, what should I do now? I’m not sure”.

Galadriel, was silent for a moment, and then in her infinite wisdom softly spoke. “My dear, you can do anything you wish, go any place you want. Explore anywhere . There are no rules here, no boundaries, no edict to follow.” Her words brought tears to my eyes, and before I thought too much I blurted out. “I want to serve in another way, I need a break from being called things like Lieutenant, Captain, or Commander.. I want to try something else!”

Galadriel beamed, “I know.” she said softy. “There is a planet, located in a distant sector of another galaxy. It has called out for help, and it even has been called the name you love calling your Twin…. Aurora.” My gaze meet Galadriel’s, and before I could say anything she spoke again. “Aurora is waiting for you in your room, she is hoping you will go with her. She signed on board, a micro moment after she heard through community chatter I was talking about it. That twin of yours, she’ always is up for an adventure”. I couldn’t help but beam a smile back at Galadriel. “I’m in!” I expressed. “Be creative my dear, both of you, this is a difficult planet, but one that offers so much. You will struggle at times, but this is the path of all Wanderers”.

I nodded, running over to give Galadriel a big hug. She hugged me back, and in her calm peaceful voice, said “Enjoy the journey, and remember you and Aurora, are One.”

With that I shot up in bed, to Aurora grinning next to me. “Rise and Shine Love! Let’s get your gear from the jeep, and talk about what I found.” I grinned back, “Can we take another shower first?” I asked. Aurora laughed, “Oh I’m saving that for a little bit latter, but no worries. I’m going to rock your world again soon”. We both laughed, and hugged each other tight, before getting out of bed, and making our way out of the bedroom.

Author’s Note:

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this powerful episode of Taran Ascending. If you missed the last “Spicy” episode, you can read it by clicking here. As always, all content on Taran Station is property of the Author. Please provide an attribution link back to the site, if you decide to share any content.