I dream of living in a lighthouse, baby,
Every single day
I dream of living in a lighthouse
A white one by the bay
- From “I Want to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper,” by Eigen Erika
It was with no warning the Ray of Splendor came out of hyperspace. Having to obey the laws of physics again hit the star sloop with a punishing certainty that tormented both ship and pilot alike.
Za’ Arabeth, commander and current owner of the Ray, was pitched from her chair and sent sprawling onto the navigation console. She quickly righted herself and set about the task of checking the instrumentation for her coordinates and any possible visitors: Za’ was traveling a sector of space noted to suffer from the presence of Warp Pirates. Their subspace snares could have been what forced the ship from its journey through the wormhole.
It was to Za’’s great discomfort to learn that her control panel held no answer, as it was dead. Indeed, as the gravity generators powered down and the cabin lights flickered out the young female came to learn her ship had been utterly drained of power.
Cursing, she kicked away from the console and floated over to the storage bay. With a grunt Za’ wrenched open the door and grabbed at an oxygen sheath. The opaque garment billowed across her form, molding a protective barrier that would recirculate necessary oxygen.
With one danger thwarted Za’ set about discovering others, turning back to the ship’s viewport to see if the naked eye alone could ascertain her location.
There was Nothing to see.
Not the dark void of space, barely illuminated by flecks that were far away stars. Za’ Arabeth had stared into that vastness all of her life, and was unmoved by it. This was not space; this was the absence of space, of time, of dimension.
This was the End of the Parodyverse.
Za’ gaped at the spectacle: the final page on which the Narrative is written. She could feel it affecting her, sapping away her drive and inertia, leaving behind an apathy that calmed her terror but also robbed her of the desire to survive.
With a sigh, listless Za’ Arabeth closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
She did not know how much time had passed before becoming aware of the sounds of twisting metal that echoed throughout her sloop. But when she did she also felt some force tugging at the Ray. Whatever it was it was powerful enough to pull her away from the Non-Event Horizon and back to more mundane space.
There were moments when Za’ feared the drag would rip her ship to pieces, but eventually the horrific noises running through the hull subsided. Then there was a sudden jolt as gravity returned to the cabin. Internal power did not, however, leaving Za’ to conclude she was now inside a larger vessel. Again she stared out the viewport for a clue as to where she was, but saw only a bright barrier of energy.
New sounds plagued the walls of Za’’s ship. Rivets were popping free of the cabin door.
By instinct Za’ lunged for the weapons locker and retrieved her Kitaami blade and bolt thrower. Then she turned and braced herself for an encounter with the persons who saved her.
The last rivet was removed and the door was pulled away. A male biped peered inside. He could have passed as Caphan if not for his ashen skin and full beard. He wielded a magno spanner and wore a dark red jumpsuit with a familiar insignia worn over his left breast: a circle of white stars twisting over itself.
“You are an agent of the Epitium Infinitium?” Za’ referenced the long defunct Protectors of the Terran Empire.
The man suspiciously glanced at the Caphan woman’s weaponry, and managed a brusque nod, “Ayuh,” he affirmed.
Then he shot Za’ with his wrist-mounted needler.
To Be Continued.
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