[E17] CAUGHT IN A COMET'S TAIL (1/7)
Prompt Code: #E17
Title: Caught In A Comet's Tail
Rating: NC-17
Side Pairings (if any): None
Warnings: Technically interracial sex but it's not as bad as you think
Word Count: 64,254
Summary: Lead Commander Do Kyungsoo is a space archaeologist tasked to study a mysterious race that fell off the radar twenty earth-years ago, but what happens when he meets Kim Jongin, a man claiming to be the very last of his kind?
AN: First of all a huge thank you to the person who submitted this prompt. This entire thing was inspired by you so I hope this turned out the way you wanted it to! I had so much fun writing this since I’ve never actually tried writing sci-fi before. Thank you so, so much! Also a huge thanks to my beta for reading through the entire thing so quickly. You’re amazing honestly. And last but not least, the mods. You guys worked so hard to put this whole thing on and I’m so grateful to you for making all this possible! Well here’s 64k for ya (I have no self-control, I know). Make sure you have a nice snack and maybe a bottle water because this fic is a beast. Happy reading everyone!
Kyungsoo sighs and looks out the window of the small transport ship he’s currently on. There was a large planet with a mix of orange hues and bright, neon yellows passing by. He leans his head on the cool glass and closes his eyes.
As of right now, he is on his way to the Gamma Pavonis System to visit planet HR-2245. At least that is what the Intergalactic Government Space Agency has decided to name it. It’s real name, the name given to it by its people, is not yet known, but that is one of the jobs Kyungsoo is here to perform.
Being well known for their strong work ethic and passion for what they do, Kyungsoo and his team have recently been called in to investigate HR-2245 due to the discovery of a civilization that was previously thought extinct. He and his team of archaeologists will have to spend the next several weeks on the foreign planet. Usually he’s ecstatic to begin work but Kyungsoo feels deep in his gut that this isn’t going to be an ordinary case.
Due to circumstances with the ongoing rebellion in the area, the Intergalactic Government Space Agency has seen it fit to tag along for security precautions. Kyungsoo really doesn’t care about the rebellion or its nearby incidents since it really doesn’t concern him. Why would extremists of any kind even bother him? He’s an archaeologist that specializes in extinct species and cultures, not some high ranking politician or councilmen. He even tried expressing this to his superiors at the Intergalactic Peace Corps but they told him to just go with it. Kyungsoo just grumbled and begrudgingly packed his bags with a guard waiting to escort him to his transport ship.
Usually the two agencies do not work together. One would think peace and government would run along the same lines but not in this case. Many fights often break out between the two so Kyungsoo is determined to avoid any possible quarrels. Afterall, he’s going to need to devote all of his time and effort to this new case.
“Lead Commander Do?”
Kyungsoo opened his eyes and looked at the soldier in front of him, his badge shining brightly on his chest from the artificial lights of the ship. The obnoxious “IGSA” resting in the middle of it just makes his mood even more irritable. “Yes?”
The soldier looks nervous. Probably because Kyungsoo doesn’t look entirely welcoming at the moment. “We’re arriving at HR-2245 in a few moments.”
The Lead Commander tries to put on a friendly smile since it’s not the soldier’s fault that Kyungsoo’s in such a sour mood. “Thank you.”
The man nods and turns around to go back to his seat, a large tail swishing behind him. Kyungsoo stares and realizes the other is from Warden, a planet whose inhabitants are known for their superior strength and other abilities, their most recognizable traits being that of their powerful tail and raised skin that forms strange patterns all over their body. It figures he would be here considering the Intergalactic Government Space Agency usually takes recruits that are Wardaian over any other species since they are easier to give orders to. Mostly because they don’t usually question their superiors, unlike humans who are notoriously known for their individuality and personal morals. Surprisingly there aren’t many races like that out in the galaxy, though this has caused problems in the past.
Kyungsoo, though, earns a lot of respect from his men simply because of his race and while that doesn’t really sit properly with him since he believes respect should be earned not given freely, he can’t complain too much because it gets his job done quickly and painlessly. Many humans are in the Intergalactic Peace Corps, but Kyungsoo is one of the few who have slowly worked themselves up in the ranks over the past few years. Of course, this is probably due to the fact he comes from an influential family but Kyungsoo likes to think he’s made a name for himself all on his own. His passion for what he does clearly shows those around him that he’s serious and that for him, this isn’t just a job.
And it’s really not. For Kyungsoo, his job is his life. He loves learning about other races and uncovering secrets that were once buried with their people, never before seen by the rest of the galaxy. He truly enjoys studying the culture or architecture of ancient civilizations because they are so different from his own. He could gush about Calyfreighgan pottery and symbols for hours or draw so many sketches of ancient Pojersan hieroglyphics that you’ll be seeing double.
His father, of course, doesn’t approve of his “little obsession” and every time Kyungsoo travels back home for the holidays, he rolls his eyes at his son’s stories. It figures, since his only wish was for Kyungsoo to become a Lead Commander in the Military, but he really can't complain too much since his son indeed made it to the Lead Commanding Officer position. He just wishes Kyungsoo would stop playing with his little brushes in the dirt and do real work. Kyungsoo, however, pays no mind. At least he has his mother rooting for him.
Kyungsoo figures his father can just have fun wasting all of his family’s money on buying abandoned planets on the far end of the galaxy. He really doesn’t need his support anymore anyway.
Kyungsoo sighs, looking back at the report sent in from his team already on the ground. They were sent a week ahead of him due to complications with his own clearance to go to this sector, so they’ve been able to get a grasp at what exactly they will be dealing with as far as the case goes. Kyungsoo runs his fingers along the three page report and cringes just like the first time he saw it.
His usual archaeological digs render pages upon pages of information examining his team’s findings, some sections having a ‘refer to holopad for more information’ because there is just too much to physically put together, but not with this case.
In this case, there was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
And that’s the strange part. The Intergalactic Government Space Agency has records of a civilization once thriving on HR-2245, but they were previously thought to still be in their primal stage of life so their planet was deemed off limits for visiting. Now, however, there has been an account that this civilization was way beyond this stage in evolution, that they were intelligent enough to make contact with other species outside of their planet if they wanted to. The only problem with this source is that it was filed by an old time traveler who says he was there on the planet when the people were thriving, but when he returned ten years into the future to visit again, they were gone without a trace.
Kyungsoo was called in specifically because this was such a strange case. Usually the civilizations the Intergalactic Peace Corps studies have been extinct for centuries, not a measly couple of decades. Kyungsoo figures no one would have payed particular attention if there had been physical evidence of the species dying there. For example, if there was a natural disaster on the planet and it wiped out the entire race. In this instance there would be evidence like charred remains, flooded homes, or at least something of the sort. It’s sad and unfortunate, but it does happen.
However with this case, it seems the people are just missing, not dead. But then again, there would be traces right? All he knows is that the only physical evidence they have of this previous culture is the architecture they have left behind. Kyungsoo spent most of the duration of his trip with his eyes glued to his holopad, examining the pictures his colleagues took of the beautiful pillars and temples carved into a massive cave. There were strange symbols decorating the sides that Kyungsoo swears he had seen once before, but he would need to check all of his notes once he gets settled in at the base camp. He thinks he knows exactly who this civilization is, but he really hopes he’s wrong because that just means things are going to get even more complicated.
Kyungsoo shakes his head. He can already feel a headache coming on from overthinking everything.
The ship he’s currently on vibrates just a little as it begins to descend into HR-2245’s atmosphere and the Lead Commander begins to gather his papers and holopad to put them back into his briefcase. He looks out the window and sighs dejectedly.
“Please don’t be Daknae,” he whispers to himself, earning a look anyway from the Wardaian guard sitting a few seats away from him.
🌠
Daknae.
Of course it would be Daknae.
Kyungsoo kicked a pebble lying in his path with all his might. “Great. Just great.”
The Lead Commander landed a couple of hours ago expecting to be greeted with the usual chaos that comes with an excavation, but it was eerily silent when he walked through the camp. There had been a sinking feeling in his chest and when he found some of his men just staring blankly at their holopads, it only intensified. After an hour long meeting and dejected sighs when Kyungsoo brought out his notes from his previous cases, everyone had come to the conclusion that the civilization that was once thriving here was definitely Daknae in origin.
Daknaes are a very conservative race and because of this fact, little to nothing is known about them. The most contact anyone has really had with them are through their lovely carvings and buildings that are somehow spread out across the galaxy on miscellaneous planets. Most of these planets seem to be barren and void of any other intelligent lifeforms and are only visited if there are problems in that sector or if there is an archeological site that needs to be excavated.
No one has really thought to research into this mysterious culture mainly due to the fact that no one’s really even confirmed their existence. Conspiracy theorists like to try to come to their own conclusions, of course. That is, saying things like Daknaes are actually the first beings ever in existence which is why there are traces of them across the galaxy, but Kyungsoo’s never really been one for theories. All he knows now is that he’s got a firsthand account of the Daknae people and a whole city to research, rather than the previously discovered small temples or shrines found on other planets.
The Lead Commander runs his hands down a large column reaching all the way to the ceiling of the cave, the smooth texture reminding him of the tiles his mother had installed in their kitchen back on Earth. He glances at the ceiling above him and sees colors mixing beautifully together. Greens, blues, pinks, and yellows swirling, joining in the middle. The longer he stares, the more he swears he sees a vague outline of an eye encasing the colors.
His eyes move to the steps beneath him, a bit of water dripping on them from the ceiling that arcs hundreds of meters above him.Kyungsoo holds out his hand and collects a bit in his palm. He briefly sticks his tongue out to taste it and furrows his eyebrows.
If there is one thing that irks Kyungsoo about this case so much, it’s the fact that nothing made sense. The civilization was only here for a decade or less, but yet they are all gone without a trace. The planet itself doesn't seem too hard to live on. The water doesn’t taste too acidic or dirty to drink and there is enough oxygen that even Kyungsoo can walk around without his oxygen converter. Then again, maybe this place isn’t suitable for a Daknae.
But if this was true, wouldn't there be bodies as evidence?
Kyungsoo gently made his way down the steps to another area that had a coliseum stretching across the back end of the cave. He had to squint his eyes because of the artificial lights latched to the walls but he couldn’t help but to look in awe at it’s spectacular size and design. When he spots a walking area at the top he immediately begins his trek up. He’s breathing heavy and wiping some perspiration from his forehead by the time he gets there, but when he looks out at the rest of the abandoned city, he’s happy he did it.
From there, Kyungsoo could see most, if not all of the buildings. Some, as he was told by his team, are actually built underground, but they haven’t been explored just yet. Kyungsoo has a small smile forming on his face when he takes in the entire sight and basks in the beautiful architecture.
He was just about to climb back down when he notices something strange. All of the buildings, including those not carved into the walls of the cave, are all facing the same direction. When he looks harder, he sees that all seem to be built around a plaza area in the very middle.
It strikes the Lead Commander as odd since some cultures do this to show importance of something. For humans in their earlier days, most towns based their lives around religion. Because of this, they would build their towns distinctly around a church so the church would signify the center of everything they do. Kyungsoo briefly wonders if the Daknaes thought the same way when they decided the layout of their city.
He starts daydreaming about what could possibly be in the center as he makes his way down from the massive coliseum, his stride long and quick. Could it be a sculptor or some sort of artifact? Any sort of discovery besides more unknown symbols would be great at the moment, even if it really doesn’t explain the disappearance of the people. They just need something.
As Kyungsoo approaches the opening in the center of the area, he realizes it’s much bigger than he originally thought it was. He scanned the area and made a face when all he saw was more symbols decorating the ground like some sort of canvas, all circling around a center point. Following the lining of the buildings, Kyungsoo ends up in the very middle, the spot he’s standing on currently covered with a thin layer of dust. He gets on his knees and wipes the sediment away, black carvings showing themselves once he’s done.
Lines intricately follow each other in a hexagonal shape. If Kyungsoo looks at it closely, he can see there is a pattern that makes the shape into some sort of maze. He drags his fingers through the pathways between the lines until he makes it to the center. He tilts his head when he spots yet another marking there and leans in to get a good look at it. He must look like an idiot right now, face basically squashed against the cave floor, his pert butt being held in the air as his knees dig into the hard ground.
From the looks of it, the marking is a large triangle with crooked lines running in a circle in the middle of the figure. There is a dot in the center that makes the entire thing look strangely like an eye. Kyungsoo briefly thinks back to those illuminati stories he learned about in ancient history class, but dismisses the thought.
He raises himself to sit on his knees and looks around once again. Whatever this symbol is, it seemed to hold great meaning to its people.
When he sees some of the lights in the far areas of the city being shut off, he begrudgingly gets up to head back to his sleeping quarters at camp. His team must be deciding to retire from work early tonight so he should probably do the same. Before he makes it to the mouth of the cave, however, nearly all of the lights are turned off and a steady blue glow takes their place. Some of the glowing breaks off into orbs and floats around, some landing in the palm of Kyungsoo’s outstretched hands. He and his colleagues have identified the glowing as a non-harmful bacteria thriving in the cave that illuminates itself when there is no outside light. The Lead Commander gives one last look at the city, smiling at the natural beauty of the cave before leaving it behind for the night.
He’s almost to the base camp a few meters away when he feels like he’s being watched. His gaze briefly flies to the dense forest close by, then shakes his head. He’s been staring at symbols for too long. His brain must be hallucinating.
🌠
Three weeks fly by and Kyungsoo still has nothing to show his superiors besides soil samples and pictures of the city itself. Day by day, they seem to uncover more and more unknown symbols that it’s become ridiculous. Kyungsoo swears they are beginning to haunt him in his dreams for God’s sake.
He and his people have come to the conclusion that the Daknae race seems to have two different ways of writing. Some through characters and others through what seems to be drawings. There are patterns, but they aren’t visible to the naked eye. Instead, the Lead Commander and his team have to upload the symbols to their computer system and let the technology find the patterns for them. One might call this ‘progress’, but then again they still have no clue as to what any of their meanings are and therefore, this information is practically useless until they get some sort of translator. Kyungsoo is on the verge of pulling his hair out again when his right hand man, Minseok, knocks on his door.
Minseok is from a planet that Kyungsoo has never been able to properly pronounce. The latter tells him that most are unable to say it since it’s not only very long, but also has several combined sounds that most languages in the galaxy don’t have. They had met in college years ago and previously roomed together. Kyungsoo considers him to be his closest friend and trusts him with his entire being, but sometimes he has to tell Minseok to be careful with him. The other’s species is known for being far stronger than humans and since Kyungsoo isn’t very strong by a human’s standards, he is definitely no match against Minseok. Kyungsoo figured that out the first time Minseok playfully punched him on the arm. The next day the human had a black and purple bruise and some major swelling. Needless to say, Minseok stays pretty cautious about his strength around the other.
He also has to remember to keep his anger to a minimum. Kyungsoo never really asked about it but he notices things around Minseok would begin to ice over when he so much as grits his teeth in annoyance at something, even if it’s just small and insignificant. Usually Kyungsoo just gives him some breathing room when he feels the temperature around start to drop a few degrees. Afterall, constantly becoming a human ice popsicle on the account of your best friend’s anger isn’t really the ideal way to live your life.
Minseok timidly peaks his head through the door with an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry to bother you Lead Commander, but the witness just arrived at the main ship.”
Kyungsoo nodded and thanked the latter, getting up and gathering a few things spread out on his desk. Minseok took that as his cue to leave and quietly shut the door when he left. He finds it strange to behave so stiffly to Minseok. Afterall, they have been friends for years, but regulations say that since Kyungsoo is a higher commanding officer Minseok must treat him as such. It’s a shame, but the two understand. They talk to each other comfortably off duty so it’s fine.
The Lead Commander stopped in front of the large mirror and straightened his stark white uniform, adjusting some of the pins on the side of his chest before putting on his hat. He’s always hated wearing this uniform, usually opting for baggy shirts and cargo pants when he’s working outside at the excavation sites. However, it’s standard protocol for him to wear his uniform when given orders to travel to a specific sector or when he’s on board any official ship. He sighs and makes his way outside to get into the small transport ship. When he gets all settled in he closes his eyes, figuring a small cat nap wouldn’t hurt since he really hasn’t gotten proper sleep since he arrived. It seems that paranoid feeling of being watched is beginning to get to him, even making him stay up long hours into the night.
🌠
Kyungsoo is shaken awake and ushered to a small interrogation room as soon as he boards and is met by a very kind, old man, who he learns is also human. The Lead Commander grins and shakes his hand, a gesture usually only humans seem to show to each other since other races usually find it strange. The man’s eyes lit up in happiness and gleefully gives him a small bow as well.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commanding Officer of this vessel. May I ask who you are?”
The old man gave a crooked grin. “My name’s Kim Jongdae. It’s nice to meet another member of my race. You’re even Korean too! Today’s just full of surprises.”
Kyungsoo gave a polite smile and gestured to the chairs. “Shall we sit?”
Jongdae nodded and took his seat, Kyungsoo taking the one directly across from him. “I hope you don’t mind that this session will be recorded. I’m afraid we can’t leave out any details in the case.”
Jongdae shakes his head. “No, no. Record all you want. I don’t blame you for not wanting to rely on memory. It’s not the most reliable thing, especially for an old man like me.” Jongdae let out a loud laugh and the Lead Commander felt his eye twitch.
“Right. Well let me just begin this by saying you are definitely a hard man to track down Mr. Kim.”
“Please call me Jongdae. Mr. Kim was my father. Or at least I think he was,” the time traveler paused and then whispered “maybe he was my son” while looking off into space.
Kyungsoo blinks and Jongdae grins again. “Time travel can be a nasty thing. It messes with your head. Sorry about that. Where were we?”
The Lead Commander licked his lips. “Why don’t we just jump right into it then? We’re both busy men and we shouldn’t waste time.”
“I’m not sure about you Lead Commander, but I’ve got all the time in the world.”
“Can you describe what you saw the day you arrived at HR-2245?”
Jongdae made a strange face, like he had just eaten a really sour lemon. “You mean Dakartius?”
“Dakartius? Is that what they called it?”
Jongdae nodded and stared at the table in concentration. “The people there- Daknaes, I believe they called themselves, told me the planet I had arrived on was called Dakartius when I asked. They were very kind people. I was surprised they were so welcoming towards me despite all of the rumors about how secretive and mysterious they are.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes bug out of their sockets. This sounds so out of character for these creatures that it’s almost unbelievable. “Can you describe what they look like? We have no physical evidence of their features.”
Jongdae pondered for a bit before speaking. “It’s almost as if they were human. In fact, I believe the reason they welcomed me so easily was because I looked so much like them. Their skin tones seem to range just as humans do and their facial features are the same way. The only visible difference between us and them are their eyes.”
Kyungsoo waits for the old time traveler to continue but he seems to be lost in thought. “What about their eyes?”
The latter jumps as if Kyungsoo had woken him up from a peaceful slumber. “Oh yes well you see their eyes actually change colors. From what I could understand, the color changes with their emotions.”
Well that’s definitely something Kyungsoo didn’t know. He’s pretty sure no one outside of this room knows that to be honest. “And their clothing?”
“All of them seemed to dress in a black robe. They wore hoods over their heads as well.” Strange, maybe the Daknaes lived in a sort of utopian society where color was banned. Kyungsoo’s seen it before in past culture’s he’s research. “But that day, they were celebrating so maybe that was just their formal dress. I’m not entirely sure.”
This bit of information makes Kyungsoo perk up. “Celebrating? What were they celebrating?” This is good. Celebrations usually mean a link to information about a race’s culture and a glimpse into how they think or act.
Jongdae put his hands together and played with his thumbs. “From what I saw, they were celebrating a boy. There was a feast being devoured by the people, each of them offering their plate to a specific boy. He never took it though. Instead, he just looked at everyone with a sad and scared face. I thought at first that this was a sacrificial ceremony since the child was just sitting in the very middle of all of his people with a few elderly men standing guard by him, but nothing ever happened to him the whole night.”
Kyungsoo almost holds his breath. “This feast. Did it take place in the city? In the large plaza perhaps?”
Jongdae nodded after thinking hard about it. “I believe it did actually. How’d you know?”
He looks down at pen and paper he has in front of him, his eyes catching on the triangle symbol he drew a few moments ago while the other was talking. He’s willing to bet that the boy they were celebrating was put on the exact symbol from this drawing. This means that this triangle figure is definitely something important to the Daknaes. He’ll have to update his notes later.
“So you were able to participate in their celebration? I’m surprised they let you see any of this.”
Jongdae huffed. “You’re telling me! I didn’t even have to ask what they were doing or if I could tag along. I was just dragged by a merry bunch and given all the food a man could ask for. I decided to just stay the night and leave the next morning because I was entirely too full to time warp. Have you ever tried doing that on a full stomach? Let me tell you, it is not fun and it’s not worth having last night’s dinner all over your console.”
The Lead Commander griminced. He’s never time traveled before but the thought of anyone throwing up makes his skin itch in an uncomfortable way. “Ah, yes. Well, I guess I would have to agree. So when you left the next morning was there anything strange?”
Jongdae scratched his ear. “Not that I remember. I mean it was quiet when I left but it was pretty early in the morning. I already said my goodbyes the night before so I just kind of got up and left.”
Kyungsoo bit his lip. “And you never went back after that?”
The time traveler shrugged. “I really didn’t think about it. I go forwards and backwards in time so often that I lose track of the places I go and the people I visit. It was just on a whim I decided to visit Dakartius again ten years later, but when I got there-” Jongdae gave a small sigh, “-they were all gone without a trace. I wasn’t sure if they relocated or if they were in some sort of danger so I reported it to the Space Agency.”
Kyungsoo reached out and gave a reassuring squeeze. “You did the right thing Jongdae.”
The old man gave a small smile at the Lead Commander before it settled into a slight frown, his eyebrows furrowing together. “I swear I saw that boy they were celebrating on my ship for several days though. I thought maybe it was his spirit or something.”
Kyungsoo tiled his head in confusion. “Did he ever say anything to you?”
Jongdae shook his head. “Usually I would just catch glimpses of him in the corner of my eye. I swear I saw him curled up in one of the cargo areas. He mainly just looked really scared the whole time.” There was a brief silence before the time traveler spoke again. “Come to think of it, after I made that stop back home on Earth I never saw him again.”
“So you think he may have been a stow away?”
“Maybe. I’m not exactly sure. I may have been imagining it all. You never know with this ol’ mind.”
Kyungsoo hums in agreement and stands up, putting out his hand. “Well, it was very nice to meet you Kim Jongdae,” he says in his native tongue, the Korean words making the older man’s eyes glisten with glee, “but I really must be going. Your account has been a huge help and will hopefully help us uncover a few things.”
Jongdae shakes his head. “I’m glad I could help. If I remember anything, I’ll contact you again.”
Kyungsoo bows. “That would be very appreciated. Safe travels, Jongdae.” With that, he leaves, practically sprinting down the halls to the transport ship. He needs to get back to HR-2245- no, Dakartius, and tell all of this new information to his team as soon as possible. He may look crazy right now, his hair a mess and a wide grin on his face (even skipping for a few seconds when he knew he was alone) and he may be breaking protocol by acting so childish, but he can’t help it. This information is just what he needed and he be damned if he’s not going to at least internally celebrate it.
He earns a strange stare from the Intergalactic Government Space Agency soldiers waiting to bring him back to the planet, but Kyungsoo walks past them with his head held high in the air. Nothing could possibly ruin his day. Not even unearthing more stupid symbols.
🌠
Apparently the space gods seem to have it out for him because this was possibly the worst day of his entire career.
Kyungsoo had returned to the excavation site and practically sprinted to his team who were currently in the cave. He didn’t even care he was still wearing his uniform or that he should probably be professional and organize a meeting to explain everything he had just learned. Instead, he just marched right into the city and gathered his group of archaeologists in the large plaza. He happily announced that he had new information regarding the Daknae race and everyone’s faces immediately lifted. He explained everything the time traveler had told him, including reenacting the celebration the man had described.
It was when he began talking about his thoughts on the triangle figure in the middle of the large area that the first explosion went off.
Kyungsoo watches in horror as the coliseum he had once stood on crumbles to ashes, the rocks giving a mighty sound when they smack into the cave floor. The second explosion is much bigger and closer to Kyungsoo and his people. The force of it makes the buildings around it quiver until they fall. Kyungsoo tries to find the balance to stay on his feet, but another explosion goes off even closer and sends him flying forward. His ears are ringing and his vision is a bit blurry as he frantically tries to get up, the sounds of the structures cracking and crumbling to the ground are all around him. A large rock falling from the roof of the cave almost lands directly on his foot, causing him to stumble backwards to dodge it.
“Lead Commander!”
Kyungsoo looks and sees Minseok waving at him and he darts over to him as fast as possible. They both start hoofing it to the cave entrance, yet another explosion nearly knocking them off their feet but they make it up the steps anyway. Minseok grabs Kyungsoo’s hand when he see’s him almost losing his footing and drags him up, barely making it out before the entire thing collapses.
Dust shoots out and covers the entire area. Kyungsoo is coughing and hacking, holding onto Minseok for dear life as they both try to make their way around to see if everyone is okay. They did a headcount and, luckily, everyone was accounted for.
Kyungsoo sighed in relief and patted Minseok on the shoulder. “Thanks for getting me out of there Minseok.”
Minseok’s chest was still heaving from exertion but he gave a small smile. “And let you get left behind? No way. Besides, do you really want to be the only Lead Commander in history to have ‘death by stalactite’ written on their final report?”
Kyungsoo chuckled, equally as breathless. “You do have a point there.”
There was a thick silence that washed over everyone as the dust began to settle, showing the collapsed entrance of the cave. Some of the members fall to their knees, others just let their shoulders slump in defeat. Kyungsoo, however, is a bit different. Instead, he feels his eyes water and a slight prick in his nose, his body beginning to shake from his pent up emotions. Never in his entire career has this kind of incident happened. Sure there had been minor setbacks with previous cases where severe storms would wash away artifacts or something of the sort, but this?
This is devastation.
The Lead Commander is so caught up in his sadness that he almost misses the cries and shouts of the Government soldiers around him. He whips around as soon as he hears a “we caught the suspect” and sees a hooded figure being forcibly dragged out of the nearby forest. The man was thrashing and hissing at his captors, but they were too strong and continued to bring him towards what Kyungsoo assumes to be a holding cell on the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s small transport ship. The Lead Commander’s eyes widen when he sees the man throw a soldier tumbling to the ground. He must be inhumanly strong if he could even almost overpower that soldier, a Wardaian at that.
It takes a few moments to subdue him and Kyungsoo just watches the scene from the sidelines both in horror and in awe. He almost feels impressed with how much of a fight he is putting up- against armed guards, at that. Then, however, Kyungsoo looks to the fallen city and a heavy weight settles in his heart. All he can think to himself is ‘why?’ Why go through so much trouble to destroy an abandoned city? What could he have possibly gained?
“Where is your commanding officer?”
Kyungsoo was stirred from his thoughts by the voice and turned to the side, catching the soldier’s eye. “I’m Lead Commander. Now can you tell me what the hell is going on?”
“I’m afraid that’s classified, sir.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed and he felt his jaw tighten. “If you think for one damn moment I’m going to go along with that, you’re out of your mind soldier. Now you tell me what is going on at my excavation site in my jurisdiction.”
To the soldier’s credit, he didn’t back down from the death glare Kyungsoo was currently giving him. However, though the other was much taller than the Lead Commander, Kyungsoo was very good at making others feel small and he can tell the man is internally quivering by that flash of fear that crossed his eyes.
“By Intergalactic Protocol set by the Intergalactic Government Space Agency, any incidents dealing with the rebellion are considered classified, sir.” At this, Kyungsoo feels the wind knocked out of his sails.
“The rebellion? This is linked to the rebellion? But why would he-” Kyungsoo shut up, knowing his questions would go unanswered by the man in front of him. He sighed. He looks in the direction that they took the hooded man to. “Where are they taking the man from before?”
The soldier didn’t even blink. “He’ll be taken to the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s high threat facility located on Kara where he’ll be questioned and prosecuted for being a potential member of the rebellion.”
Kyungsoo paused. “Potential member? You mean to tell me you are arresting a man on the accounts he is a possible member of the rebellion? Do you even have any circumstantial evidence?”
He could tell the latter was mentally trying to think of the proper thing to say, but his hesitance was an answer enough. “Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.”
“Lead Commander Do.”
He ignored Minseok’s warning voice and began to glare up at the soldier in front of him once again. “You and your people are nothing but a joke. Jailing those as they please. Sure he just blew up possibly the most wonderful and beautiful city ever created in this galaxy’s history but that does not mean he should be wrongly imprisoned like this. Don’t think I don’t know how you’re superiors think. Them and their sadistic fucking ways of ‘sending a message’ to the uprisers by torturing their people and broadcasting them to the galaxy. It’s no wonder you have a god damn rebellion on your hands!”
“Do Kyungsoo!”
“What?!” He roared, turning on his heels to see a cautious looking Minseok. He gives Kyungsoo a sympathetic look because he agrees too but-
“This isn’t the time for this, sir.”
The Lead Commander takes a deep breath. Minseok’s right. As much as he hates what that badge on the soldier’s uniform stands for, yelling at an innocent man following his orders isn’t going to get him anywhere.
Kyungsoo rubs his face harshly and turned back to the soldier. “What can you tell me about this man that isn’t classified?”
The soldier licked his lips, eyes going back and forth as if he was unsure if he should tell the Lead Commander any more than he already has. “We found him hiding in the forest when the explosions went off. Others in my platoon found his camp a few clicks from your team’s base camp. I apologize Lead Commander, but that is all I can tell you.”
Kyungsoo nodded, ignoring the bubbling anger in his stomach. “And it’s safe to assume that I won’t be able to have a few words with the bomber before you cart him off to Kara?”
The soldier looked apologetic. “I’m afraid the suspect has already been escorted off the planet. He’s on his way to Kara as we speak.” Kyungsoo grit his teeth, about to lash out again but the soldier started speaking again. “If my superiors at the high threat facility allow it, you may be able to visit him briefly.”
“Yes, well I believe they at least owe me that don’t they?” The soldier doesn’t answer, awkwardly standing there since he really doesn’t know what to say or do anymore. Kyungsoo waved him off. “You’re dismissed. Thank you for informing me of the situation as best as you could.”
The soldier gives a stiff nod and jogs away. Kyungsoo’s team stands around him, giving him helpless stares. One of his coworkers, a Trangian named Yuna, sighs. Bits of her overly sharp teeth show through her frown as she stares at him desperately. “Now what do we do Lead Commander?”
Kyungsoo glances to Minseok to notice he’s staring at his feet, using the tip of his shoe to dig into the sediment. The Lead Commander looks out at his people and sighs. “For today, continue working on the discoveries and samples we already have recorded in our systems. We have plenty of data that still needs to be processed and an abundance of symbols that need to be decoded. Don’t worry, we’ll finish what we started here. Just like we always do.” He offers everyone a hopeful smile and find most of them grinning back.
When everyone broke off and left to continue their research, Kyungsoo’s shoulders sagged. He dragged himself to the collapsed cave and stared at it lifelessly. He could no longer even see into the structure, too large of rocks now fully block his view. He doesn’t even think it’s going to be possible to move any of the fallen debris with how massive they are. He shakes his head.
What is he going to do now?
A gentle hand on his shoulder brought him out of his temporary daze. Kyungsoo looked to see Minseok offering him a wary smile and a change of clothes. “We should go check out that guy’s camp. Who knows? Maybe there will be something worthwhile there.”
Kyungsoo nods and takes the clothes, going behind a nearby bush. He changes quickly out of his once pristine uniform and into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, leaving his uniform folded neatly under the bush before walking in the direction the soldier had said the bomber’s camp would be.
It takes them both a while, and Kyungsoo may or may not have tripped and fell multiple times because of the uneven ground, resulting in Minseok having to hover behind him the whole time, but eventually they found it. It was a small, open area surrounded by brush. There was a rectangular shape in the middle made out of some sort of moss. When Kyungsoo squished it with his foot, he found it to be extremely cushy, making him deduce that this was probably where the man had slept. He found a large leaf about the size of his body lying next to the moss bed. When he grabbed it, he realized it was very thick and durable. A blanket substitute maybe?
“Lead Commander Do, look at this.”
Kyungsoo put down the leaf and stepped over to his companion. Minseok was sitting on his knees currently digging through some sort of messenger bag. He reaches out and brushes his hand against the material. Why does it feel so familiar?
“Hey, don’t you wear these sometimes?”
Minseok holds up a pair of shoes and when Kyungsoo leans in closer to better inspect them, he notices they are Italian leather. “I do, but usually for formal occasions.”
“Are they yours?”
He takes them into his owns hands and reads the size on the tongue. They are way too big to be his own, meaning there was no way this man could have possibly stolen these from Kyungsoo’s sleeping quarters. “No. These aren’t my shoe size.”
Minseok purses his lips and continues digging through the bag. He pulls out a picture and looks at it skeptically. Kyungsoo puts the shoes down and crouches beside the latter, realizing the picture was actually a post card.
Post cards used to be another way of sending letters to friends and family who may live far away. Kyungsoo remembers his history professor saying that most of the time, these cards were sent by those on vacation to show their friends or family where they have been and to tell them how much fun they are having. Truth be told, Kyungsoo’s never even seen a post card in his life besides the copies stored on his hologram’s database. They had gone out of style centuries ago.
Minseok stared at it weirdly, trying to read the writing on the card. “Can you read this?”
Kyungsoo smiles. “It says ‘wish you were here’.”
Minseok stares at it for a few more seconds before shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not sure what that even means.”
Kyungsoo chuckles at the other. “It’s something humans would send to their love ones if they were visiting another place. Usually you send these when you’re really far from home.”
Minseok blinked. “So this is human?”
The Lead Commander scratches his neck. “Yeah but its centuries old. Even these shoes are very old fashioned. They’re very hard to come by these days since shoe makers of this caliber are basically non-existent. Even my shoes aren’t this good of quality.” It’s strange though, because the post card looks like it’s in pretty good shape. A picture of the Eiffel Tower took up the whole front of the card, the backside left blank. All of the ones Kyungsoo has seen pictures of are very worn and the pictures are very faded. This one, though, still looks freshly printed.
“So then this guy had to at least been to Earth to get this stuff right?”
Kyungsoo nodded. “Or at least within its solar system. There are trade stations by Saturn and Uranus. Sometimes areas like that have collectible items that are hard to come by these days.”
“Maybe he’s human then.”
They both sat in silence for a few moments, mulling everything over as Minseok feels around for any other objects in the bag. A few were miscellaneous trinkets that seemed like souvenirs more than anything. It was, however, the last thing Minseok grabbed that had them staring at each other in shock. In his palm rested a necklace, the chain long and thin, made from some sort of metal Kyungsoo definitely doesn’t recognize. It glows softly against Minseok’s outstretched palm and the silver seems to pulse in different shades all around the chain. Hanging from it, though, was a single pendant with the same pulsing glow. It was a triangle with crooked lines running in a circle around the center of the figure, the same one that they had found in the caves. Instead, the very middle had a blood red jewel that sparkled brightly with the metal around it.
Kyungsoo felt like he couldn’t breathe. This man didn’t have any malicious intent towards Kyungsoo or his crew when he set off those bombs, he was just trying to bury the Daknae’s history. But why?
Kyungsoo reaches out and takes the necklace into his own palm, and stares at the jewel in the middle in fascination. Whoever this man is, whether human or not, he knows something about the Daknaes and Kyungsoo’s determined to find out exactly what that is.
🌠
Kyungsoo and Minseok wasted no time getting back to camp and ordering a transport ship to come and get them as soon as possible, Kyungsoo having the bag from before slung over his shoulder. He figures it may be useful later. They gathered all of their team members and told them that they would need volunteers to come with them to Kara, the others were to stay here on Dakartius to continue doing their job as best as they can. When it was decided who would come and who would stay, Kyungsoo lead his volunteers to the transport ship, stopping briefly to speak to the Intergalactic Government Space Agency soldier in charge of their security and told him of his plans to head to Kara. The soldier assured him that the members of his team that were being left behind were in good and capable hands. With a small ‘thank you’ and a curt nod, the Lead Commander boarded the ship and left Dakartius.
Kara is a very long way from the solar system they are currently in, which just means that they would need to jump to lightspeed to get there in a timely manner. Unfortunately, the small transport ships are not capable of warping, unlike the main ship.
The main ship, otherwise known as the SS-Pytheas after the ancient Greek explorer, is a large vessel that carries over a hundred of Kyungsoo’s research workers and staff. A little less than one third of them are down on Dakartius, while the rest will be following him to the high threat prison on Kara.
Minseok heaves a heavy sigh and gives a small glare to the Lead Commander. “Sir, we forgot to grab your uniform.”
Kyungsoo gave a squeak and looked down in horror at his baggy shirt and shorts. The others around him snickered to themselves. Minseok pat his back.
“I’ll give the coordinates to our men in the cockpit. You just go and prepare for stasis.”
Kyungsoo gives the latter a grateful look and looks out the window at the SS-Pytheas beginning to get closer and closer as the ship approaches the boarding deck. The Lead Commander gripped the strap of the messenger bag tightly, anxiety seeping into his bones from the whole situation. When they safely landed, everyone filed out. Kyungsoo was about to sprint to his room because he’ll have his ass handed to him if he’s caught out of uniform again, but Minseok is quick to grab his wrist before he can.
“What should I tell our people?”
Kyungsoo pondered for a few moments. “Make the announcement that we have found evidence that suggests the bomber knows something about the Daknaes. We shouldn’t sugar coat it for them. They deserve to know.” It’s not really that much of a secret either. Afterall, Kyungsoo could be wrong and this man could know absolutely nothing. But it’s better to find out for sure, right?
Minseok nods. “I’ll see you when we reach Kara then. Have a good sleep Lead Commander.”
“You too Minseok.” The said male gives him a smile and jogs off in the direction of the elevators that would take him to the cockpit. Kyungsoo does the same, only towards his room on the fifth level. When he approaches his room, a robotic voice begins to speak.
“Please state your name.”
“Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas.”
There was a small ticking noise. “Access granted.” The door swooshes open gently and closes as soon as Kyungsoo steps into his room. He takes off his shirt, his bare chest coming in contact with the cool air. He takes off his pants and underwear as well and pads to the bathroom for a quick rinse off. All of the dirt and dust from the caves collapsing seemed to cling to Kyungsoo’s skin and it was beginning to make him feel a bit itchy and uncomfortable. He steps under the water, uncaring if it is still ice cold. He knew he didn’t have much time until the announcement would come on to go into stasis so the ship could warp to lightspeed.
Stasis was used as a safety precaution due to previous incidents when lightspeed was first achieved. For some races, like humans for example, it does not affect them at all. In fact, Kyungsoo’s stayed out of stasis to monitor his ship while his crew members slept quite a few times and came out unaffected. However, for people like Minseok and over half of his crew, warping at lightspeed without being put to sleep could make them severely sick for weeks to come. So, just to prevent it from happening overall, the Intergalactic Peace Corps has set regulations that all members aboard the vessel, no matter their race, are required to enter a stasis unit before the ship could travel to lightspeed.
Kyungsoo’s in the middle of toweling his hair when he hears Minseok’s voice come over the intercom, ordering all members to get into their stasis chambers. Kyungsoo sighed and hung his towel up to dry. He strides across his room in his naked glory to get some clothes he usually uses as sleep wear. He figures he’ll just put his uniform on when everyone’s allowed to leave their stasis chambers when they arrive.
He presses a few buttons and watches as his full sized mattress sinks into the floor, his stasis chamber taking its place by lowering itself from the wall. There are small hisses from the hydraulics being under pressure by the unit, but they soon turned hushed as it is locked into place on the ground. Kyungsoo swings his leg up and throws his body into it. He spreads out into a comfortable position and presses the glowing blue button on the edge. Glass rises from the bottom of the unit and continues on its path until it is hovering over Kyungsoo, locking into place on the other end and becoming the small, cramped space Kyungsoo knows all too well. It’s almost unnerving being in such a tight space like this for a long period of time. At least they put you to sleep.
He listens closely to all of the hisses and whines the chamber makes until there is a gas being released. Kyungsoo breathes in deeply, feeling his stomach go warm and his vision go foggy. He blacks out within seconds.
🌠
After traveling at lightspeed, they have made it to the outer edges of Kara’s solar system. Kyungsoo is awoken when the stasis chamber recedes and allows him to breathe the untainted air of his room. He groggily sits up and stumbles to his closet. The one thing he hates most about stasis is the medicine put into the air to keep others from getting sick and to stay asleep. For Kyungsoo, it always makes him feel horrible once he leaves the chamber. He’ll be fine in a bit though. The effects tend to wear off fairly quickly as long as he doesn’t exert himself too much.
The Lead Commander straightens the pins on the left side of his chest and puts on his hat. His white uniform looks way too bright for him to handle at the moment but he would just have to deal with it. Maybe if he doesn’t look down at himself, it’ll be okay.
Kyungsoo marches out of his room and down the hall to the cockpit of the ship, his shoes clacking on the the metal floors as he walks. He passes a few of his crew members on the way, smiling when they give him a salute. He reaches the elevator and presses his hand to the scanner on the wall. The elevator recognizes him and immediately takes off, the doors opening shortly after to show the 180 degree view in the cockpit. He clears his throat and Minseok stands up from his position in Kyungsoo’s chair.
“Lead Commander on deck.”
Everyone stops what they’re doing and stood, each of them giving a salute. Kyungsoo waves his hand. “At ease.” The crew lower their hands and sits back down, continuing the work they were previously doing before Kyungsoo had come in. The Lead Commander makes his way over to Minseok.
“Good morning Lead Commander. Did you sleep well?”
Kyungsoo chuckled. “Yes. It was definitely something I needed after the day we’ve been having.”
Minseok smirked. “I’d have to agree with you on that, sir.”
Kyungsoo looked out the large windows and notices nothing was moving. “Have we stopped?” He squinted and noticed Kara as almost a spec in the distance.
“This is as close as we can get with the SS-Pytheas. The Intergalactic Government Space Agency shut down our thrusters and are holding the ship in place. I talked briefly with the superiors running this area and they said they would allow you and I to come to the prison for a brief visit to the prisoner, but our ship and our people must stay at the edge of the solar system.”
The high threat security compound on Kara is where the Intergalactic Government Space Agency keeps the galaxy’s worst criminals so Kyungsoo really doesn’t blame them for taking such extensive precautions. He surprised they are even allowing Minseok to tag along with him to be quite honest. Then again, Minseok’s security clearance is just a couple levels underneath his own.
The Lead Commander sighs. “Well let’s get going then.”
Minseok chuckles. “Don’t look so miserable Lead Commander. It’s just IGSA. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Part 2