LotS/The Story/Princess Illaria's Escape/Child of Heaven

Child of Heaven

You did what you had to.

You try to cling to that thought as you gaze around the bare walls of your cell, at the blue energy barrier stretching beyond its slender bars. It provides little comfort.

Again and again the scene plays across your mind. You feel your thumb pressing the red button at the end of the control stick, see the Centurian ship exploding – a flash of brilliant fire against the black of the void. The sound of its destruction, spawned within your aural implant, rages in your ears like an accusation.

And here you sit, imprisoned at the command of the Sian Emperor himself. When the cruiser reaches its destination, bringing you back to your homeworld, you will stand trial. Emissaries from the Centurian Collective will speak out against you, demanding your execution.

You lie back and close your eyes, knowing that sleep will never come but trying to delude yourself that it might. Then your eyes flick open, as the world shakes. You leap to your feet, and another tremor rumbles through the cell. Something’s wrong… A collision? You call out for the guard, but no one answers. Whatever’s happening, it’s called him away from his station at the end of the corridor.

Long minutes crawl by as you wait, gripping the bars with white knuckles. Then you hear screams of pain and terror in the distance, punctuated by the unmistakable hiss of laser fire. An attack!

Your mind whirls. No enemy could get aboard the Child of Heaven, past its countless lines of defense. And there was no warning alarm. It makes no sense… But the sounds of combat continue, louder now. The ship’s under attack, and only one thought fills your mind: Princess Illaria… she’s in danger!

You yank at the bars of the cell, screaming in frustration. Then you fall silent, as you hear footsteps sounding along the corridor. Someone’s coming…

Jailbreak

Jailbreak

The blue energy barrier in front of your cell flickers out of existence. Only someone with the authorization code could have deactivated it… Hope surges within you. Has the guard come back to let you out?

Then she appears beyond the bars, her beautiful face marred by anxiety.

“Princess!” you gasp.

Her eyes light up as they meet yours.

“Quickly, take it!” she says, pressing a laser rifle against the bars. “I couldn’t find the key. Shoot the bars.”

A million questions spring to your lips. But you take the weapon, turning it so you can pull it into the cell. Illaria flits aside, clearing your line of fire.

Engaging the Enemy

Engaging the Enemy

You step out of the cell, knocking the damaged bars aside.

“What happened? Who-”

“It’s the Centurians,” she replies. She’s already moving down the corridor, her laser pistol raised. She gestures for you to follow, and you move to match her pace.

“How did they get on the ship?” you ask.

“I don’t know. They… they just appeared. The sensors didn’t detect them.”

“But-”

You fall silent as the two of you near the doors which lead out of the prison, into the atrium beyond. The sounds of combat are close now. Questions dance across your mind, attempting to penetrate the confusion. But now isn’t the time.

Centurian soldiers are outside, their backs to the prison as they fire at targets out of your line of vision. You signal for the Princess to stay back, but she’s already pressing herself against one of the prison doors, her weapon at the ready as she prepares to attack. You nod, and follow her lead.

Guarding the Guards

Guarding the Guards

In the atrium a group of Sian Guardsmen are exchanging fire with more Centurian soldiers. They’re outnumbered, and several of them already lie dead. But the survivors are holding their ground, fighting on.

“We have to help them,” says the Princess, already moving and firing.

A cry goes up from the guards as they see the Princess in their midst. They throw themselves into the combat with renewed vigor, desperate to protect her. You do the same, firing at the advancing Centurians.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice

A ragged cheer goes up as the last Centurian falls. For a moment there’s calm, though the noise of distant weapons fire shows that you’re simply in the eye of the storm. All around your fragile bubble of safety, chaos still rages.

You turn to Sergeant Tarik, the highest ranking guardsman there.

“What’s our status?” you ask.

He shakes his head, his expression grim.

“The ship’s lost, captain. They’ve got the bridge.”

“We have to take it back,” says Princess Illaria.

“There’s too many of them, Highness,” replies the sergeant. “We need to get you to the nearest hangar. There’s still time to get you out.”

“I won’t surrender the Child of Heaven,” she says.

Sergeant Tarik turns to you, a look of appeal in his eyes. It’s mirrored on the faces of the other guards. None of them can bring himself to contradict the Princess of the Sian Empire, but you read the thought on all their minds.

“We’ll all die for you, Highness,” you say, gesturing at the bodies of the fallen. “But don’t let us die in vain. If you escape the Centurians, these men and women will have fallen doing their duty.”

She opens her mouth as if to make a retort, then closes it. You know her well enough to read the subtle emotions which play across her face, bespeaking the flow of her thoughts. Her sense of discipline, of duty to her empire, overrides her passion. She nods.

“Form up around Her Highness and the captain,” says the sergeant. Then he adds, before you can protest, “If we get to the hangar, you’ll need to fly her out.”

He’s right. You’re the only pilot there. In that moment you realize just how bitter it must be for Princess Illaria, knowing that others are dying so you may live.

Together you round the corner and charge along the atrium, towards the hangar at the far end. Centurian soldiers stand at the entrance, and their crimson lasers rip into your formation as you run. Sergeant Tarik collapses beside you, dead before he can even cry out. You fire towards the soldiers, hoping you can pick them off before they can cut you all down.

Commander Rautha

Commander Rautha

Somehow you survive the barrage of lasers, and pour into the hangar. The entrance platform is covered with corpses, both Centurian and Sian. They fought hard for control of the hangar, the Centurians to prevent their prey from escaping, the Sian Guardsmen so that their people might reach safety.

Standing amongst the dead is a man wearing a Centurian commander’s uniform. A malicious grin crosses his face as he sees Princess Illaria approach.

“Nice try, Princess. But you’re not getting off this ship. Not till General Rahn’s cruiser comes for you.”

Almost as soon as the words are out of his mouth, you, the Princess, and the remaining guardsmen open fire. Laser beams fly at him, but each one stops a few inches in front of his body – the air shimmering as it makes contact with an invisible field.

He’s not carrying a pack… there’s nothing on him big enough to be a shield generator…

The commander laughs at your confusion. Then he makes a sudden, predatory movement, grabbing hold of the nearest Sian Guardsman and yanking him over by his arm. You dart towards them, but before you can intervene there’s a sickening snap, and the guardsman is hurled aside – his neck broken.

“Who’s next?” asks the commander.

...............

The commander staggers back against the railing, gasping for breath, and falls to one knee. The arrogant smile is gone, his face now twisted in hatred.

“I don’t have time for this,” he rasps. “If Rahn wants the bitch, he can gather up the pieces!”

With a quick movement he snatches a grenade from a fallen Centurian soldier’s belt. As he stands back up, the lights on its surface flash, a blinking red to herald the destruction that will come. But before he can throw it, you’re on him. One of your hands clasps his, pressing his fingers down, preventing him from dropping the grenade. Your other arm comes round in an arc, your elbow smashing him in the mouth. He splutters as his teeth fly down his throat. Then he topples over the railing, disappearing from sight. A second later there’s an explosion from down below the platform.

“They’re coming!” yells one of the guardsmen from behind you.

As if to punctuate his words, you hear weapons fire from outside the hangar. A few of the guardsmen head out into the atrium, one of them yelling over his shoulder:

“Go! We’ll hold them!”

You descend to the floor of the hangar, and make for one of the long-range fighter ships. You bark out a command word, and the canopy opens as the ship’s computer recognizes your voice. You boost the Princess into the cockpit, and clamber up after her – the guardsmen aiding you from below. You reach back down to help them up in turn. Then the canopy descends, and the ship’s engine roars to life.

The fighter moves forward, turning towards the energy barrier separating you from the darkness of space. To your right Centurian soldiers rush onto the hangar’s entrance platform, having at last fought their way through the guards who remained to stall them. They open fire as the ship rises, their crimson lasers flashing out towards you. But their small arms fire has little effect, and a moment later you’re through the energy barrier.