Chap 9: The Ancient WayStation
Along the way we made several stops to catch our breath before finally stopping to eat for the last time.
"General we have officially run out of food, what are your orders sir?" asked Carla of the Benjamin House.
"Will continue on for another half hour before setting up the Barrier Tent and portable generators. After that will need the two of you to make a connection into the Dimensional Rift remember you are the only hope we have of getting out of this alive no pressure we trust you with all of our lives. I don't want to rush you but the generators look like they are beginning to run low on power. If this continues we will no longer be able to hold the fog at bay and will take any connection at this point," explained General Benjamin of the Resinwood House.
"Of course General will keep that in mind but their no telling what will face so be prepared to run in on a moments notice," I explained before proceeding to lock onto the Dimensional Rift and after several failed attempts we somehow managed to after an hour or two of trying to create a another Dimensional Portal as the generators begin to run low.
"Dawnmarie we need to combine our efforts and dig deep into the fog to form a decent connection strong enough for everyone to pass through," I explained and once we managed to establish a decent connection we signaled for the General and his Starz Officer's to go through quickly.
The strangest thing happened something was trying to alter the connection we formed and redirected it towards the fog it took all of our concentration to maintain the current location within the Dimensional Rift and once everyone went through we proceed carefully towards the portal before closing it behind us which ment from this point on there was no turning back.
"Alright officers, we need to make sure this place is secure for our honored guests. Now I need everyone to put their supplies down and spread out. Sunmarie and Dawnmarie I would like the two of you to stay close to me for the time being," said General Benjamin of the Resinwood House as he issued orders to his fellow officers.
When the Galactica Starz Officers returned they briefed us on their findings.
"General we have surveyed the immediate area as you requested and we found something that might interest you and the StarGazers right this way," said Charlie as he guided us to a small room filled with books from all over the galaxy and in the middle of the room on a long table laid a few instructional guides.
"I believe we found something right this way. Take a look at these instructional manuals we found. They talk about an ancient civilization similar to the StarGazers who created this WayStation. Somehow the station ended up hidden deep within the core of the planet. If you look at the wall you will see a nameplate that reads Atlantica WayStation. It appears these versions of StarGazers stationed here undergo a different evolution than your own," said Charlie of the Athens House.
"How strange. What would a StarPoint WayStation be doing this far beneath the surface of the planet? If I remember my StarGazer history there are no StarPoints with that name. StarPoints and StarPoint WayStations are given numbers for their names and identification therefore no name like this could exist," I said puzzled.
"Sunmarie I think I found something. It's the stardate it reads 2313 but that can't be right the current stardate is 2137. I don't understand what this means?" asked Charlie as he gazed deeply into my eyes trying to understand what was going on.
"Calm down Charlie I don't understand this. The year and the technology in this place shouldn't exist, it just doesn't add up," I replied with such confusion myself.
"Let's not think too hard on this matter. Why don't we tour the place some more before we jump to any conclusions," said General Benjamin of the Resinwood House.
"You're right, if we can find a map of this facility we might be able to locate the captain's quarters," I said as we searched through the books.
"Calm down sister, I found the map. If we continue right this way we should pass by the crew's cryogenic chambers and then will make our way towards the captain's quarters," said Dawnmarie of the Lockheart House as she handed me the book.
"Excellent job sister. General, we found a map of the facility. What would you have us do?" I asked before passing the book to the general and his fellow officers as I waited for their response as they studied it over.
"Good job, why don't we check out the cafeteria and then head to the cryogenic chambers," suggested General Benjamin of the Resinwood House as we made our way to the cafeteria.
As we entered the cafeteria, a vast expanse of space met our gaze, covered with remnants of what once was a bustling hub of activity. The scent of stale air mixed with a metallic tang was rampant. We began our salvage operation, meticulously scouring for food and useful items that had withstood the test of time. Beyond the cafeteria, we found the cryogenic chambers, their eerie silence echoing in the cold metallic room. The technology was way ahead of our time, almost alien. We carefully dismantled parts, intrigued by their advanced state.
"These could be pivotal for our research back at StarPoint Central," murmured Dawnmarie, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
With the weight of our discovery and the potential of the advanced technology we had salvaged from the cryogenic chambers, we moved forth, our every step echoing in the silent depths of the Atlantica StarPoint.
This particular StarPoints comes from an alternate future that once existed far in their future. Due to unforeseen changes within their Timeline caused this StarPoint and many others to fall though Dimensional Shifts landing them in the past.
As we ventured deeper into the cryogenic chambers, we discovered a row of empty compartments. The chambers, intricately engineered, emitted a chilling hum - a strange contrast to their vacant interiors. It was as if they had been recently activated, their occupants mysteriously absent. A faint trail of smoke wafted from each chamber, dissipating slowly into the cold air and leaving a trail of frost on the metal surfaces. The timing was uncanny.
We couldn't shake off the unnerving feeling that these chambers had sprung to life the moment we set foot in the Atlantica StarPoint. This revelation sent a ripple of unease through our team, the implications of this discovery looming over us like a dark nebula. We were no longer just explorers. We were intruders, entangled in a timeline far removed from our own. The mystery of the missing occupants and the activation of the chambers was a riddle waiting to be unraveled.
Our survival instincts took over, and we decided to regroup, relying on our rigorous training and experience. Dawnmarie, our tech virtuoso, started hacking into the StarPoints mainframe, looking for a blueprint of the facility that could guide our escape. Meanwhile, the rest of us formed a defensive perimeter, our senses heightened, prepared for any potential threats from this alternate timeline.
As Dawnmarie's fingers danced over the holographic interface, she discovered an old evacuation protocol. It seemed the original inhabitants of the StarPoint had foreseen the possibility of intrusion and had prepared accordingly. Following their protocol, we navigated through a maze of chambers and corridors, bypassing the eerie silence of the cryo-rooms.
With each passing minute, the urgency grew, the icy hum of the chambers fading into the distance. Before reaching the evacuation portal. A shudder ran through us as we stepped onto the teleportation pad, and within moments, we were transported back to the safety of the planet.
In the end, it was our unity, quick thinking, and trust in each other that allowed us to escape the eerie depths of the Atlantica StarPoint. We returned not as mere explorers, but as survivors of an alternate timeline, carrying with us the mystery of the empty cryo-chambers and the uncanny activation that still haunted our thoughts.
Afterward we returned to our StarShip the Tiger Lily and then we made our way back to the StarPoint BattleStar. This massive StarShip holds hundreds of StarGaze Tracers inside its shuttle bay and it is the only thing that can return us to StarPoint WayStation. The StarPoint BattleStar lays on the edge of this galaxy and will take some time before we reach it. Even after we reach it we still have to wait for the other StarGazers to return from their assignments. Before it returns to StarPoint Central. When the StarShip returns, we will present what we've discovered at this StarPoint WayStation to the High Council. It is their job to review all the information we present before they report their findings to the System Lords and they will advise them. Each System Lords governs over a different sector within the galaxy and are well respected and feared.