PEGASUS (FARSIDE SAGA: BOOK TWO)

In hindsight, Jason was rather amazed at the events that took place before he blacked out. In fact, he was rather amazed from that point on.

The moment he took off to save Samantha, he felt a sudden shift in reality. He didn't understand it at the time, nor did he care. His mind was set on, not running to save Samantha, but hell bent on destroying the thing that took over Cassia's body. He found himself unexplainably leaping up over the second tier railing and was arching down on top of Cassia with his fist drawn back. He could've sworn he saw Crystallina disappear into thin air, winking at him as he looked down. Just before he struck the top of Cassia's head, her focus was suddenly shifted to Mike, as his flaming blade glanced across the shiny surface in a shower of sparks. The momentum forcing her head in the opposite direction. Mike landed on her other side as he stared at his blades in confused amazement.

Jason saw a deep crack forming where Mike made contact, and the best part, that manuever placed it right in his cross hairs. Jason launched his fist towards the crack. Much to his surprise, his hand glowed with a bright golden color, just as his fist made contact with the crack as Mike's blade slid out the way, not even giving Cassia time to snap back from the first blow.

Jason hit Cassia so hard, the room seemed to take on a temperal effect as everyone appeared to freeze in place. The air rippled from the force of the impact, sending spiderweb like cracks along the shiny black and purplish surface as everything slowly came back into play. The shockwave sent Cassia crashing into the captain's quarters doorway before it had the chance fully open upon her arrival, bending it jammed. The no longer shiny surface crumbling to her sides as she slumped down...unconscious.

Jason was thrown backwards through the wall of the council's chambers, rolling through the debris as he came to a stop in the middle of the sitting room. He too...lay unconscious.

"Noooo!!...." Samantha yelled, breaking the silence amongst the rest of the bridge as they stood mesmerized by the events taking place. She took off towards the lift, unaware of the orb that was just floating behind her. Vanessa standing to the side with her finger on the control panel waiting for her.

The vortex slowly began to close as the four orbs, who were motionless as if they too were watching the whole event, began moving towards it. The first two made it in as everyone directed their firepower on the retreating orbs. A leafy tentacle suddenly shot out and wrapped around the third, at the same time the fourth exploded.

Udar landed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily before falling over. His half melted armor still smoking. Pelik, Vira, and Kurie ran to his side.

Everyone else looked at the leafy tentacle as the vortex closed completely, then followed it back up to the second tier. Cassia...the REAL Cassia, shone radiantly in a myriad of colors as she floated down towards the orb. Her face mangled into that of pure hatred. Everyone spread out as she approached. The closer she got, the tighter she squeezed. The tighter she squeezed, the smaller the orb got. By the time she reached it, the orb was no longer existent.

She closed her eyes and composed herself before opening them again, her radiant colors dimming down to a rainbow-like shimmer. She looked around the room and was slightly surprised to see that humans were her saviors. None the less, she thanked them with a slight bow before sensing a familiar but strange presence. She looked up at the council chambers as she floated back up to the second tier and landed. Looking through the gaping hole, she saw Vanessa in tears standing to the side looking down at Samantha cradling Jason's head in her lap, also in tears. She now knew who truly freed her. Saddened, she was just about to help him recover when suddenly the ship began to rumble slightly as waves of purplish black chunks swarmed past the ships towards the planet. The small chunks in the corner by the captain's quarters all shot up through the ceiling to join the rest, leaving a small hull breach before the nanites quickly sealed it. Nano, still floating outside, watched as all the chunks flew past the planet and began to form into a giant black and purplish blob of sorts. The shiny surface of the planet began streaming off and joining with the churning dark mass as it spoke.

"This was not supposed to be....you promised me he would be easy." It said angrily, then let out a loud roar catching everyone's attention.

The living planet saw what was about to happen and couldn't move quick enough. A massive bright purple beam shot out from within the dark mass and hit the planet, but the planet was not the target. The large beam drilled its way through the planet obliterating it as it continued on towards the Impala.

Those that could make out its way only prolonged the inevitable as they too were also destroyed by its massive electrical field.

The massive beam hit the Impala with so much force that it actually pushed it into a slow backwards summersault, disintegrating a large portion of the nanite shielding before dissipating.

Electrical systems shorted out and sparked as everyone was tossed across the bridge. Lights flickered and sparked as Vanessa, after checking on Samantha, checked on everyone else. Samantha slid out from under Jason and finally noticed Cassia. Jason's side arm was still strapped in as she grabbed it and aimed at Cassia. Cassia, unphased by the sudden turn of events, simply smiled. Just before Samantha squeezed the trigger in a fit of her own rage, Jason's eyes shot open. His eyes held a white glow.

Nano, who managed to stay clear of the beam, was suddenly compelled towards the Impala. He burst into a large dark mist as he covered the exposed part of the ship. The nanites began repairing the ship just as the beam struck again, Nano absorbing the brunt of the force with no problem.

Jason began floating off the ground as the ship began to reorient itself, facing the dark mass. A golden glow began to form around Jason as the light strips around the edge of the Impala began to take on the same glow and growing brighter with intensity. The turbine began spinning, spinning faster than normal. The glow matching it's intensity as electrical discharges arched around it, spreading to the twin nodes in front of it.

For all the ferocity and suspense the ship was building up to, everyone fell into a disappointed silence as they watched the canon shoot off a small almost thread-like golden laser beam towards the dark mass. The beam seemed to travel slowly across the distance until it disappeared from sight. The bridge let out a sad sigh...until it made contact.

The dark mass was suddenly engulfed in a golden bright bubble. The dark mass screamed and churned as it was slowly being disintegrated. The screams became a maniacal laugh as it spoke for the last time.

"This is only the beginning. You have no idea what you're up against." He said as his maniacal laugh died off into the void of space. The bright golden bubble slowly dissipating, leaving nothing in its absence.

Samantha, no longer thinking about Cassia, who had disappeared off the ship anyway, slowly started backing away from Jason as he himself started to glow. The aura around him glowing even brighter as the air began to shimmer.

As if a wormhole opened on the inside of the ship, the Impala began to fold in on itself as it disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles.

#GREENCLOUD79