U.S.S.A Umbra

Chapter 4 An ebony trojan horse

Damien could barely feel anything around him; it felt as if he was floating. It was a feeling of the absence of everything, other than dread and emptiness. He could not see anything in the pitch-black void except a faint light. Damien then felt the sensation of being dropped, but not on the ground; it was solid, yet it was not. "Wha?... Where am I? What was in those drinks?"  Then as he looked up he could see a small ship; it was just floating around the void. He could not make out what the name of the ship was except that it was an artifact transport ship. "That ship looks familiar, where have I seen that ship before? I...I can't remember...what the hell is this place?"  Damien thought to himself. In addition to feeling dread, Damien began to feel confusion. Dark and foreboding figures were appearing around the black void, just standing there barely moving. Then, off in the distance, he noticed a mass, as the dark figures seemed to converge. 

 As the mass of bodies got closer, they started to take on a human shape. Something was floating behind the figures. It was one of the few sources of light here. It was a strange-looking device that emanated a shiny black substance much like that of the dark figures. Damien had no idea what to do. Normally when dreaming he'd just let it happen as anyone would, but this was no normal dream. He could see as vividly as if he were awake, but he knew he was asleep and couldn't control anything like a lucid dream. The device was closer and Damien could see it clearer now. It looked like it was umbral tech, but much older and alien. The dark figures inched closer, quietly twisting and contorting. Not a sound could be heard but for Damien's heavy breathing. "What the fuck are those things? I gotta get the hell out of here."  Damien's mind and heart were racing. He could barely see and he was unarmed. He started to panic.  "Calm down Damien...focus, there has to be a way out of all this,"  He thought to himself. He began searching for a way out, but it seemed as if he was out of time. The umbral figures had started to descend upon him. All he could do was run. 

Damien began running towards the strange machine, maybe if he could turn it off these dark apparitions would disappear. The figures all began turning to follow him all while twisting in inhuman ways. As Damien was running past the dark entities, some of them laid their hands on him leaving slick black marks. Damien reached the alien machine and started to look to see if it had a receiver crystal. "Alright, it's gotta be somewhere. Ah ha, bingo!"  Damien spotted it right underneath the spiraling monolith that was emanating from the black reservoir and tore it out. The shadowy figures all began to emit a high-pitched ethereal screech and faded away. Damien thought he saw them form faces just as they were dissipating, as Damien turned around he was faced with the wide grimace of a pitch-black face with four vertical eyes that made it look as if it had only two. "AHH!"  Damien yelled out as he woke from his nightmare, this startled Alice who was lying next to him in the bed. Damien was breathing heavily gasping for air. 

"Jesus! Damien, what's wrong?"  Alice asked concerned. "It's just a bizarre dream I had, I'm fine." - "Are you sure you're alright? You look really shaken up."- "Yes I'm fine...dammit it's 07:30 I got to suit up." - "Aww do you have to go already?"  Alice said, her voice muffled by her pillow.- "Unfortunately I do." "Don't you have a special artifact or something that you're gonna study today?"  Damien asked while putting his clothes on. - "That's what the captain said, I don't even know if it's on board yet."- "Well can you tell me when it gets here?"- "Why do you want to know?"-"I'm trying to show more interest in your work."  Damien was interested but not for the reason Alice thought he would be. "Well, I guess I could tell you when it gets here, just most likely not what it is."- "That's fair, now I really should get going, I'll see you later." -"Have a good day."  Alice said sleepily letting her head fall on her pillow. Damien then took his usual route to security, through deck twenties hydroponics garden. He liked to take a detour through it on his way there, as he found it to be quite relaxing. 

Upon reaching security Damien went to the showers to wash off the grime from the night before, afterward he equipped his armor and gear; he then set out on his patrol through the ship. Alice's wrist com alarm went off waking her up from her deep sleep; she had the strangest dream but could barely remember any of it. It was her boss Connor Murray calling her. "Uh hey Connor what's up?"-"Hello Alice are you dressed?"  Alice was anything but. "Um no not really,"  she said awkwardly.- "Well get dressed and head to cargo bay 1, the Ebony is on its way here."  The Ebony is a famous relic transport ship known for transporting the most important of relics from Umbra. Alice was ecstatic; she never got to study any kind of relic the likes of which the Ebony would carry. "Yes, I will be right down!"  Alice said excitedly. Surely this would be the best day of her life.