Gaia Lost

Chapter 4-First Assault

“Cut the door.” yelled the leader of the small survey team, his transmission barely going through the static. “Cmon, the door wont open itself, get on it.”

The three men that accompanied him slowly moved towards the door, hugging the wall for support in the weightless environment. The ceiling was covered in shards of ice, the water pipes had burst from the extreme cold native to the depths of space. One wrong move and the ceiling would come crashing down on them, crushing them under a thousand year old sheet of ice.

They reached the door, then slowly began work to remove it. The supports were slowly cut through, a shower of sparks erupting outward whenever the torch contacted the thick metal of the door. The icy walls slowly melted from heat, pools of water appearing on the ground.

Soon the door was cut through. With a quick shove it fell backwards into the next room, a loud crash accompanying it.

“We are now proceeding into the main storage area, will contact when we make it through.” the leader said, his voice growing fainter the further into the ship they went, its massive walls blocking the signal.

All four men waked through the small doorway together and surveyed the room. It was the first time it had been seen by human eyes in over a milenia. The artificial gravity in the room was still active, even after a thousand years of use. They slowly walked further into the room. Soon they saw the room for what it was, horrified by what they saw. Bodies littered the room, all floating lifelessly about the room.

Worse was the sight in the corner of the room.

In the corner of the room lay a pile of bones. One of the men gingerly approached the bones and picked up a lone skull resting on the top of the pile. He carefully turned it over in his hands, examining it with deep concentration.

“Sir, I think you should take a look at this” the young man said, an air of uneasiness in his voice.

“What is it?”

“These bones, they all have teethmarks. These people resorted to cannibalism to survive, the poor bastards. ” the young man said, flustered and uneasy.

“I say we get of here, I think something else is going on here.” one of the other men said.

“Don't dwell on it, stay focused on the mission, we have a job to do.”

The young man carefully set the skull back down on it's original resting place, then rejoined his companions.

The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the gigantic room, just as the deceased had those many years ago. Never again would they walk among the ship. Never again would would they walk among the living. They were gone from the world, never to return.

“Keep your bearings, we don't want to get lost in here. Just head for the door on the southern side of the room.” the leader said, his transmission no longer reaching the survey ship.

“Yes sir” the three other men each said in unison.

They continued through the room, pushing the occasional body out of the way. Every body in the room was still in perfect condition, frozen in time by the cold of deep space. Seeing them now was terrifying, their facial expressions locked into place since the day of their demise.

Soon they reached the southern door, its heavy door still sealed shut after all those years. It towered over the four men, daring them to proceed.

“Check the control panel, it may still work, we have no chance of cutting this one.” the leader said.

One of the men walked over to the control panel and pressed a random button, hoping for a result. The door slowly opened, a grinding screech accompanying it.

“Lets hurry, we should be getting close to the main deck.”

They walked through the halls, now empty and devoid of life. The former passengers had fled to the storage area in a desperate attempt to survive, leaving the rest of the ship a wasteland.

The team moved quickly through the massive halls, now focused on the mission, their heavy boots making a clanking noise that echoed through the halls.

“Proceeding through the second corridor, main lift in sight” the leader radioed in, the sound of static overwhelming his voice, cutting off his lifeline to the outer world.

The hallways were dark and cold, the ships environmental systems no longer functioning. White metallic floors reflected the image of the men as they walked and the cushioned walls were a strange sight for the men.

Soon the lift to the bridge was in sight, its doors still open, jammed by the body of some unfortunate soul. The men stepped over the body and into the lift. One of the men reached down and pushed the body out of the way, careful not too see the face. The door then closed, and the lift activated. The lights flickered on and the lift slowly began to rise.

“Almost there, lets get this done and get the hell out of here.” one of the men said. The leader said nothing, he was to nervous to do anything.

The lift screeched to a stop, they had arrived. The door flew open revealing the remains of what once was the bridge, now nothing more than a graveyard for a failed civilization.. The captain still sat at his post, seeming to choose the path of death rather than giving up his post. No other bodies inhabited the bridge. The captain sat alone.

“Get over to that terminal you two” the leader said, pointing to the southern corner of the room. “You, get over to the other terminal, we need to check these for any relevant information.”

They moved over to the terminals, careful as they rounded the seats on the bridge. The two men reached their terminal first. They surveyed the control panel, looking for how to activate it. Soon the saw a small switch marked power and flicked it on. The terminal sprang into life, screens filled with information spilling forth. Soon a strange voice filled room.

“Welcome to the Icarus, colony ship three of four. Destination unknown. Please input intended destination.”

“You have reached your destination. What is the original launch point of this vessel?.” the leader asked, amazed that such an ancient ship was equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence.

“The original launch point was the third planet of the Sol system.”

“That system is unknown to us, please provide any information available on this system”

“The Sol sector is comprised of a medium sized yellow star, orbited by eight planetary bodies, which are orbited by one hundred sixty two moons.”

“Please provide a star map of this systems location in relation to the overall galaxy.”

Within a few seconds a map of the galaxy appeared on the screen. The system was located on the very outskirts of the galaxy, surprisingly close. The idea that Earths location now appeared in front of them was overwhelming. Soon however the feeling was broken, a blood curdling scream cut through the silence.

The other men quickly turned around, only in time to see the remains of there fellow team member, his body ripped in half.

“What the hell is going on, what the hell happened?! Is it the Nevians? How did they find us?!” yelled one of the men, panicking.

“Lets get the hell out of here, now!”

“Transfer the data first, he will have died for nothing if we don't send that data” the leader answered back, trying to regain control of his fellow men.

“Screw the data” The man bolted off through the bridge and into the lift, desperate to escape. The door closed behind him. Soon his screams could be heard, as the lift plummeted downward, before crashing at the bottom.

“Shit, were trapped” said the other remaining man.

“It would seem so” the leader answered back.

The ship began to tip to the side, slowly drifting out of position. The sound of large chunks of the ship falling of could be heard from the bridge.

“Transfer the data, tell the survey ship to get out of here.” the leader yelled to his companion.

“What about us?”

“Its too late for us, send the message.”

The other man reached down and typed the data into his wrist computer.

Soon a sound was heard from outside the ship, a strange humming, something the men had never heard before. The humming began to grow louder, more powerful.

“What the hell is happening, what is that sound?”

Soon a blinding light filled the room and the humming became a haunting screech. Both men covered their faces in a futile attempt to keep out the light. The screeching ruptured both of the mens eardrums instantly. They both screamed in agony, the pain unbearable.

The last thing either man saw was the swarm of fighters bearing down on the ship, and the blades of their newly revealed enemy. The last message sent was one for humanity, not for any one single man. A message that would alter the course of history.