Salvation

by voroshilov

Open Gates

It was surprisingly easy to reacquire the last used coordinates. With a simple tap of the console’s panel, there was a flash, the coordinates inputted and the activation sequence was prepared.

“What are you doing?” One of the researchers Astrid hadn’t influenced asked, “what is it saying?”

“I’m activating the Gateway,” Penumbra replied simply, “we need to travel through it.”

The researcher shook their head. “No. Absolutely not. Nobody goes through that Gateway until we are absolutely sure how it works and where it leads.” They stepped slightly to their right, a symbolic gesture of blocking Penumbra from the control room’s exit.

Penumbra was almost impressed the researcher was willing to actually try and stop her. How ignorant, she thought, what a fool they were. She shook off the thought as soon as she had it. That was sounding dangerously like Emperor Nicholas.

“You will never find out how it works,” she said, “not absolutely. You know that. We need to go beyond that portal, what lies beyond it is vital to the safety of the galaxy.”

The researcher tensed slightly. “How can we be sure? What if it’s a trap? What if the portal is damaged? What if you aren’t who you say you are?”

“Hey,” Ablazed Glory yelled, leaping to her comrade’s defence, “you know damn well she is who she says she is. And, what she is is a hero! Now, we’re going and nothing you can say or do will stop us.”

Ablazed Glory’s metaphorical throwing down of the gauntlet caused the researcher to reel for a moment. Clearly, they didn’t quite know what they could do to stop them - though Penumbra was sure they were thinking of something. Seizing on their advantage, Penumbra activated the Gateway and quickly retreated, her comrades recognising her unspoken order to return to the ship. The researchers scrambled to the console, but could not interact with it - though only one of them really tried, the rest tried to take as many notes and readings as they could.

The Retaliator took flight the moment they were aboard, Ablazed Glory having kept the engines spooled up and ready. Penumbra made a mental note to thank Ablazed Glory in the future, before taking her seat in the captain’s chair.

“Luminary,” she ordered, “get us through the Gateway.”

As if on cue, a pair of Dominion frigates, sleek, black hulls glistening in the light of the distant star, emerged from behind the Gateway’s structure. The Luminary flashed up a pair of information boxes about them on the viewscreen: both of them had shields up and weapons primed.

“Get us through those ships,” Penumbra shouted, aimed at anyone who would listen.

Thankfully, someone was. “On it,” Ablazed Glory returned, her console flashing up a set of controls.

The burning alicorn was a magician with the Retaliator. Before the frigates could even broadcast their warning, she had kicked the vessel into a spinning dive, forcing the two frigates to descend themselves.

“Vessel designated Retaliator,” came the processed voice of a Dominion commander over the communication array, “you are ordered to power down your shields and engines and prepare to be boarded.”

“Yeah,” Ablazed Glory muttered, “sure, just let me do this one thing first.”

With a sudden burst of speed, she turned the spinning dive into a straight ascent towards the shimmering spherical membrane of the portal. Astrid, apparently sensing her intentions, inputted a command into the nearest console, diverting power from the shields to the engines. A sudden jolt marked the kick of the afterburners, the Retaliator surging forwards into the portal’s membrane, right as the Luminary flashed up an alert for two inbound projectiles off the stern.

The instant the Retaliator crossed the membrane, the portal vanished.