SUN I
USERNAME: hyllalia8653
PASSWORD: ••••••••••
LOGGING IN…
LOGIN SUCCESSFUL.
WELCOME, ALIA! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)
I CAN SEE IT IS YOUR FIRST TIME LOGGING IN. MY NAME IS KOKO, AND I WILL HELP YOU ADJUST TO YOUR NEW JOB! (｡･ω･｡) BEFORE WE BEGIN, PLEASE NOTE YOUR LOGIN INFORMATION: YOUR USERNAME IS THE FIRST FOUR LETTERS OF YOUR LAST AND FIRST NAME FOLLOWED BY THE FIRST FOUR LETTERS OF YOUR EMPLOYEE ID. YOUR PASSWORD IS DERIVED FROM THE EASY TO REMEMBER DIGITS OF YOUR HOME PLANET, SPECIES, AND FLUID TYPE CODE NUMBERS. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF THESE NUMBERS, PLEASE REFER TO A HELPBOT DESIGNATED FOR TECH SUPPORT. o(^▽^)o
NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO YOUR ROLE ON OUR VOYAGE, YOU ARE ALMOST READY TO START.
YOU ARE ON STARSHIP 1131343315 KRAKEN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOYAGE IS [CONTENT REMOVED]! HOW EXCITING!
CAPTAIN LAMBERT HAS ASSIGNED YOU A HELPBOT TO AID IN YOUR TRANSITION. HELPBOT 0X771 CAN BE PICKED UP AND ACTIVATED IN THE ROBOTICS WING ANYTIME AFTER LAUNCH. (^_−)−☆
WE ARE SO GLAD YOU HAVE YOU HERE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE USE KOKOCHAT TO ASK ME!
GOODBYE!
Alia Hyll has been dreaming of space for her entire life. From the moment she understood the concept of the galaxy, she wanted— needed— to see it all. She glued glow-in-the-dark stars to her walls, built models of her home planet, researched and researched and researched just what she had to do to reach beyond. Viribor is the leading planet in the space travel field. 20% of all professional astronauts are Viriban by blood or by home planet. Alia knows this well. She also knows that of the twelve billion Viribans on the planet, only 100,000 citizens a year make it into a program. 1 in 120,000. She knew from the start of it all that she needed to be that One. When her childhood neighbour, Anatoly Lambert, offered her connections for a HoshCo internship, she took it without question. She worked for all of her teenage years at the stuffy office until finally, finally, she did it. She was the One. (She would be, she is, she was.)
“You grabbed a new inhaler, right? ‘Cause if you die from asthma up there, it’ll be pathetic,” Alyssa says through the Holocube. She’s three years younger than Alia and three times as wise. When it comes to siblings, she’s on top. The cutest and smartest kid on Viribor.
“Obviously, Lyss. I triple-checked, see?” Alia pulls out her inhaler, waving it in front of the cube, “Even if I did, the med deck’ll have extras. They have all my medical history.”
Alyssa hums in response, still unsatisfied. “They don’t have your… brain history,” she fumbles, “they’re not prepared for when you do something dumb.”
“An is prepared for that.”
Alyssa hums again.
“Good luck with work. Call me if anything comes up, okay?” Alia says, stepping closer to the Holocube, “and if Mom and Dad bother you, send them my way.”
“To space?”
“To my cube.”
Alyssa shrugs noncommittally and ends the call. She’s always been this way, rigid and cold to those who don’t get her. Alia knows, though, that this is her way of showing she cares, by not wasting time.
Anatoly lives eight floors up in the Captain ward. Alia’s quarters are down at the lowest level, grovelling with the other service workers, but breakfast delivery is a perfect excuse to skulk up and visit the mythical ninth floor. Anatoly hasn’t actually been ordering any food, but Alia still comes up every day with a plate and a smile. He never eats, but it’s the thought that counts. Even before the expedition started, she knew he wasn’t doing well. Now, eight months in, it gets clearer every day. He’s stable enough, though-- management doesn't need to know about the empty booze bottles littering Anatoly’s floor.
“You should clean,” Alia mumbles as she’s helping him back into bed one night, “If anyone but me come to see you, they’ll--”
“I don’t care what they think,” He slurs, trying to wiggle out of her grip, “They can suck my my lumps, Lia. Every last one of them!” His face is a blotchy red, left cheek covered in sleep lines and drool.
“That is an unwise course, Captain. You cannot continue this lifestyle without risks,” Zero says as she tucks Anatoly in, “It cannot last forever.”
But it does last, as always, and Anatoly wakes up wildly hungover the next morning and doesn't eat. It was sad, but this little game was the most exciting part of Alia’s day. Contrary to what Trek Wars had taught her, space was no longer a place of exciting discovery: no final frontier, no faraway galaxy, just an endless highway of stars and space dust. Massive warships transport more bureaucrats than soldiers nowadays. Alia isn’t Commander Lurk, she’s one of the single-episode cameos that dies right away. A replaceable cog. No one on the ship is concerned about one of a hundred cabin boys. (Except Zero. Always Zero.)
Most of the other service workers were tired, jaded adults just waiting for their next vacation. Most didn’t have Helpbots of their own, but Zero was a gift from Anatoly to help Alia adjust to her new life. All Zero had ever known was uneaten breakfast deliveries and mountains of laundry, so she understood Alia’s passion for the work. Any work that brings her closer to the end goal is good work, even if that end goal only keeps getting further. Alia doesn’t know this yet, but that goal isn't as far as she thinks.
On the 244th day in space, ⅔ of the way done, something horribly perfect happens.
Everything explodes.
(But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.)
It is the 244th day of 1131343315 KRAKEN’s voyage, and Alia Hyll is, for a moment, alone. Zero is always gone in the mornings, off talking with the other many Helpbots and completing her designated jobs. Cleaning, deliveries, duties all so similar to Alia’s own. She pokes her head in Alia’s room, pausing for a moment before attempting to mirror her companion's grin.
“Hello, Alia,” she says, the same as every morning, “How was your rest?”
Alia turns from the mirror, holding a ball of curls carefully as she ties them to her head. One on the left, one on the right, the rest down; a tasteful but youthful look in her eyes, and a childish one in Anatoly’s. “Good! Had some funky dreams, but that’s all.”
Zero nods thoughtfully as she fully enters the room. “I see. You dreamt of disco?”
“No, no! Funky weird, not funky disco.”
“Oh! I will keep that in mind.”
The robot hums, shutting her eyes in an impersonation of expressions she’d seen others make. Alia hops out of her chair not a moment later, and the routine proceeds. To Anatoly, they both know, breakfast in hand. Every day, every day, every day, every day, every day, every day every day, ev
“Lia.”
Anatoly is outside of his room.
“An! Gorn, what-- are you finally getting it together?” Alia mumbles as she looks at him. Surely not, she thinks, because he’s still just as dishevelled as usual.
“I need-- we need to talk. Now. Please.”
“Okay, buddy.”
She looks to Zero, eyes squinted, who only nods along and follows as Anatoly pulls them both into a small janitorial closet.
“Lia-- Alia, you have to do just what I ask, okay? Promise me,” he says desperately, “promise right now that you’ll do it.”
“An, are you okay?”
“Please.”
Alia swallows. “Okay. I promise.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Lia,” Anatoly says, rubbing his face, “Good. Good, good, good.”
“Are you-- An, are you having another episode? Did you take your meds last night?”
He ignores her question and turns to Zero. “You remember your job, 0X771?”
“An, what--” Alia sputters, but they just aren’t listening.
“Of course, Captain. Protect Alia.”
“Good, good, good, good-- now, you need to-- protocol ten. Now. Please.”
Zero doesn’t answer. Nothing is normal. Nothing.
“What the gorn is protocol ten?! Anatoly, look at me!”
He doesn’t. All he does is fumble with his pocket for a moment before pulling out-- “Your inhaler. Here, just-- I love you, Lia. Get out of here, that's all I'm asking you to do. Get out and stay safe.”
Before she can ask anything, anything at all, Zero has already scooped her up and started running. The ship is the same, always the same, but Alia is moving faster than she ever has down these halls. It's all wrong. Something is so, so wrong.
“Zero! Zero, what are you doing?!”
No answer.
“Please! Just-- just tell me what's going on!”
Only the sound of whirring electronics. She takes a hard left, feet skidding against the metal ground, and rushes into the pod dock.
“Zero, what is happening!?”
The robot says nothing, still, as she steps into one of the pods with Alia in arm.
Then, finally, everything explodes.
USERNAME: hyllalia8653
PASSWORD: ••••••••••
LOGGING IN…
!LOGIN ERROR!
40444444444444444444444444???????44444444??????4444444444444444444444444444444444?????????444444444444444444444444444444444444???4444444444444444444444444444444444444??4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444????
SorrY! KOKO Chahhahhgahahhhahahahhahahah
H
Hhhhhh
Kokkokokokokokokokokokokokokokokkookokkookokkkokookokkokookokkokokokookokokkookkokokokokk
{shes here. i feel it.}
[Are You Certain?]
{yes.}
[It Has Been So Long… And You Just Arrived, As Well…]
{shh. its happening.}
[I Think You Might Be Right.]
{mm.}
[Yes, Yes. I Feel It Too.]
Everything hurts, and then everything is bright, and then nothing is bright, and then nothing hurts, and then numbness. Numbness? No, no, because numbness itself has a feeling. This is nothing. Nothing at all. Until, like a grand implosion--
“--ia? Please, inform me of any pain you feel. I will do my best to treat it, despite the circumstances.” Zero? It’s Zero, yes.
Zero, Alia tries to say, but only a throaty groan escapes.
“Oh, Alia. Do not worry. I will ensure you recover swiftly.”
“M’kay…”
“Please allow me to examine your head.” Alia grunts, but relents, and Zero carefully cups her head and begins parting her hair to examine the skull. “No visible damage.”
“Good?”
“Yes, Alia. Come, stand.” Zero takes her hands and pulls her up, keeping her stable as she wobbles and adjusts. “Are you in any pain?”
“Uh, no. Which is weird, actually. I feel… kinda… at peace, if that makes sense?” Alia says, rubbing the back of her neck, “I should be panicking right now, but it feels right.”
“I cannot say I share the sentiment, but I am relieved you are well.”
“Okay. Okay, Let’s get outta this thing.” Alia moves a piece of the utterly destroyed pod, opening the world outside. It’s dark. Empty. Except--
“Ey, Blondie!” A stranger barks, holding out a bright green blade, “This is my turf! I called dibs!”
“What?”
“I said, this place is mine! Go find some other scraps to pick through! This one’s gonna sell good, I’ll fight’cha for it!”
“Wh-- hey, why are you calling me Blondie?” Alia asks, taking a step closer to the stranger, “I’m not a blonde.”
They raise an eyebrow. “Uh, yes, you are.”
“You’re obviously unwell. Sick in the head! You’d have to be, to think a crashed escape pod is worth anything, or see brown as-- as blonde!”
“What the “gorn are you goin’ on about?” The stranger asks, running their fingers through the front of their hair.
“What are you,” Alia seethes, “going on about?!”
Instead of letting the scavenger speak, Zero snaps a piece of the ship's metal hull off and steps before Alia. The metal glistens in her hands as she holds it up to Alia’s face, and looking back are no familiar dark curls. They’ve changed, somehow, to a golden shine, a colour she’d never before seen on someone’s head. Pure yellow, like the sun itself had made a home in her hair. Her own eyes reflect back to hers, no longer the dark colour they once were, but a bright, uncanny amber, one so unnatural for a Viriban. Her freckles, once dark specks, now sparkled like stars along her cheeks. She swallows.
“It is a recent development,” Zero explains, “You began to glow during our descent. I am unsure of why. It is not a natural phenomenon in your species.”
“Gorn. Gorn, what is happening?”
(Despite the incoming confidence, the stranger has no clue either.)
“The thing! With--” the stranger sputters, “with the swords! You have the swords too, right?!”
“Swords? What are you--”
“You almost died, and then-- and then you changed, and-- and swords!”
“There have been no swords,” Zero interjects, but the stranger ignores her.
“Blondie. C’mon, work with me here. It all went to nothin’, right? Like you were dead. And-- and then!” They cry, “The explosion!”
“Implosion,” Alia croaks, “it was-- it was like I was on fire from the inside.”
“Yes! Yes, and then you woke up different!” The stranger, now far more excited about Alia than the crashed ship, pulls down their-- her, it's clear now-- mask and extends her hand.
“Elanor’s the name. Call me El.”
“Alia. Uhm, Hyll.” She takes El’s gloved hand, hesitantly, and shakes.
“You’re stuck here, yeah?” El says, “I’ll get you outta here if you help me.”
Alia frowns. “Help you with what?”
“Figurin’ this,” She gestures to herself and Alia, “thing out! It's a win-win!”
“Alia,” Zero says, tapping at her comm, “should we not begin our search for the Captain?”
In the Hero's journey, a plot guide that claims to describe the path of every protagonist, there are two important stops in the beginning. The call, which is the inciting incident which begs the hero to begin their journey, and the refusal of that call. Alia has never been the type to refuse adventure.
“Alrighty, El. Team.”
Zero does not wilt. “If you consider this the best course of action, I have no reason to disagree.”
“Nice, Blondie! C’mon, Hermes is just ‘round the corner!”
“Hermes?”
“My ship. Big, beautiful guy.”
“What model is it?” Alia asks as she trails El.
“Stars if I know, dude. I grabbed it off some military troupe that-- oh.”
El stops suddenly, her eyes flitting downward. Alia follows suit. By their feet is a girl-- Lyssa’s age, maybe-- writhing and mumbling gibberish desperately.
“Obviously not,” El grunts, “She’s seizing.”
“Hello? Are you okay?” Alia asks, kneeling down. The girl doesn’t react.
“This child is out of commission,” Zero says, tilting her head.
“Oh gorn. She’s-- she’s not okay. What do we do?” Alia sputters, but El offers no direction beyond a shrug.
“Perhaps it is having an episode, as the Captain often does.”
Alia shakes her head. This is different. She hovers a hand above the girl. “Hey, hey, are you... Can I touch you?” She asks softly, “ You’re gonna be okay.”
The girl’s breathing hitches. She stops mumbling. “I think she’s calming down. Hey, are you-- are you okay?”
Something in the girl seems to click. She stiffens, still for a moment, and then sits up. “私は生きている。”
Alia blinks. “I-- what?”
“I am… I am alright,” She says, slowly, like she’s feeling out the words on her tongue, “I apologise.”
“For the gibberish, or the freaky episode?” El asks, crossing her arms.
Alia rolls her eyes. “Ignore that one. I’m Alia.”
“Hoshino Koharu,” she says, and continues when Alia looks slightly confused, “Family, given.”
“Huh?”
“My-- you seem western. I was explaining my name.”
“So your first name is Koharu.”
“Ko-ha-ru. Yes.”
Alia grins. “Well, Ko-ha-ru, it’s nice to meet you!”
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Alia.”
El, finally gaining interest, moves towards Koharu. “So, kid, how’d you end up here? Not exactly the most homey planet I’ve seen.”
”I… It is not something I wish to speak of. I have spent… only the Lord knows how long thinking about what led up to my presence here.”
“The lord? What are you, a cultist?”
“I am a christian.”
“A what?”
“I do not have access to this ‘christian’ in my database. How curious,” Zero hums.
“Okay, everyone, just-- just stop for a second!” Alia shouts, flapping her hands. Miraculously, they do. “Koharu, buddy, did you-- uhm, go crazy numb and also explode before you came here?”
Koharu frowns. “That is not exactly how I would describe it. Moreso… everything was destroyed, and then fell into place.”
“That’s-- yeah, yeah, you get it!”
“Get what, exactly?” El asks.
“Listen, all I’m seeing is this: We all had deadly experiences that ended with the same freaky feeling, and now we’re all here. This can’t be a coincidence!”
Koharu blinks at Alia, but wordlessly nods.
“Yeah, yeah, chill out. I’m gettin’ that vibe too,” El grumbles, “Just get in the ship.”
“Ship?” Koharu asks, just as El clicks something on her wrist and lets the cloaking down. Now, before the ground stands a massive military warship, embellished with symbols of battles and weapons. This was someone’s baby. They hadn’t just fought in it; they’d loved it enough to engrain their time together on every inch of the ship. That kind of customization on a ship this size, easily over 300 feet above Alia? That kind of money was warlord level.
“Holy gnarg,” Alia breathes out, “Where in the universe did you get this thing?”
“Beat the guys who had it before. Stronger gun diplomacy.”
“I have never seen a ship so massive,” Koharu says as she takes a step towards it.
“He’s got plenty’a room. Plus a library, which I haven’t touched, but you folks seem like nerds.”
Library was everything Alia needed to here. She took the first step.