Death of these Stars

There was an intense agony rushing through his body. It was like his veins had been filled with fire.

The trickle of sirens streamed past his ears, comms interfacing with his head as he writhed silently in his dreams. He was definitely being strangled. Not in the way that he felt hands on his neck, but that his throat was being crushed by this pressure. His lungs were filled with fluid, and he could feel the popping of those bubbles against his flesh.

What was this viscous, cold substance that he was covered in? When it graced the serrations on his flesh, he shivered. It didn’t begin to feel like pain there, it was now intense pleasure, a euphoria that brought his mind to think of the best moments of his life, his previous life.

[Operator First]: “Nise, Admiral Hisa is dead! Raimph Ha Kyun has demanded you take over the Ship’s Operations! Line Captain! Line Captain Hioka!”

His eyes shook as he awoke in the slumber of oil. That grating pleasant cold washed over his eyelids, blurring his vision to all but the ambient light which seeped through the glass and swirling haze. The necessary information presenting his current physical condition entered his mind.

Right arm… torn to shreds, but wasn’t irreparable…

I lost feeling in my left pinky toe…

…what the hell is this sort of luck?

His hair fluttered in the chilling air of the medic wing as he burst out of the pod, the fibrous gossamer rim of its doors soaked in the illusory violet oil Nise Hioka had been submerged in. He coughed violently, his body ringing in reverie as liquid that had flooded his lungs dripped from his lips ceaselessly. Nise hung over the pod, staring at his reflection in the pools of oil on the floor, his crow-black hair falling over his slightly-sunken cheeks.

And Raimph Ha Kyun wants me to take over the operations of the Ship? What kind of initiation test is this? First making me a Line Captain… then a Worm God!?

He held his fingers near the side of his head, tapping twice to activate his Communications Sequence Unit. Then, in a deep, unwavering tone, he spoke plainly.

[Nise]: “The Legate has my answer on the basis of whether or not the Worm God has been killed.”

His Line had been vanquished in a split second by this being, this insipid behemoth that swam in the dark river of space. How could he advance his career without making sure his compatriots were avenged first?

A reply quickly beamed into his head, repeating the honeyed yet grave voice of his close confidant.

[Operator First]: “Give me a moment, Line Captain!”

He could hear the tapping of keys in the background of her communication.

Space Lady still used to digital Sequence Units… He clicked his tongue a few times before smiling slightly. …my kind of woman.

A couple of minutes later, the Operator’s reply came in, ringing through his head as usual.

[Operator First]: “Legate Raimph Ha Kyun has confirmed the information, Line Captain! The Worm God is dead! Killed by Lieutenant Kaito!”

Nise tightened his cuff links, straightening his cloak. He had already dressed by the time her next communication reached him.

[Operator First]: “Legate Raimph Ha Kyun congratulates the Commander Nise Hioka of the S-Class Planet Destroyer Titan, Kel-34! Now manage the damn damage control- ah, his words, not mine, Commander.”

His eyes were dark and menacing as he glanced through the largest bay window of the medic wing, out into the blossoming expanse of space. A sea of milk blanketed its horizon, blooming out into a wide array of colours that could only be perceived through his once-human eyes. He lamented those natural-borne Sanguine Nobles, those who couldn’t see how beautiful this horror was.

How gorgeous gazing into the death of these stars would be.