Legend of Auriga

Hey All,

So- I am posting a personal project below. I found that I was really taken by the world that Endless Legend, Endless Space, and Dungeon of the Endless created. I don't claim to be a master of "lore" (in fact in some cases I am content subverting core lore with my own story). My enjoyment of the Endless universe prompted me to start a writing project. In short- I have a notion of a unified narrative for the game "Endless Legend" based mostly on Endless Legend but also leaning on Endless Space and DoE. I have written other "chapters" but I feel like they need more work. I feel like this needs more work too but... also after having written 20,500 words up to this point, I feel like I can throw this out there. I feel like it is not totally done, but more so than other "chapters" I have written, which I feel need significant revision.

If I am jumping into this too early in the writing process- fine. If I am taking too many liberties and I should stop- fine. If there is the general sentiment that I am writing too far off script- fine.

lol- I have been excited about writing this for months. As in- What is below took me... a week? and I have much more material that I want to spend a lot more time on. If this is only ever for me- fine. But I like talking about this universe and I am pretty sure my boyfriend (who is very sweet) doesn't share my enthusiasm for this topic. ha ha. I would be pleased to hear what people think. If they like what I have written, Great. If not- I would like to make it better. If Everyone hates it, then fine it was all for me! ;p

In the text below the F-bomb is dropped 2 times. If you can deal with that and my writing you are ready to proceed.

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

The elevator lurched to a stop. Guner Wuchter’s men ran ahead of him, the shoulder mounted lights of their environmental suits bounced up and down as they set to work setting up the site. As the room was illuminated, Guner thought it was odd how he almost felt like he was back on one of the planetary orbiters of the United Empire. Together the doors were five times the height of a man and wide enough for forty to stand abreast. They were somewhat underwhelming after all his contemplations. He wished he had stopped to see them before now. He could imagine launching wave after wave of starfighters out of those doors. A real fighting force. But his meager malita of men and the few war machines they kept functioning over the years were all he had now.

His engineers, the few that saw fit to work with him, had apparently already been working on the mechanics of the doors. On the outer edges were six points where the outer layer had been removed to reveal the workings of the bulkheads. Two were near the ground, the second set midway up the door, and the last pair near the top of the frame. There seemed to be ruins of metal work along the walls, as if once there had been a catwalk leading up to these portals. His engineers had erected their own scaffolding to access what he suspected were maintenance points. Apparently not much progress had been made beyond that since they were now resorting to explosives.

Not until today had he set eyes on the threshold, though it had been discovered months ago. There was no time to see them whilst campaigning to win over some of Nadjne Zolya’s camp. In retrospect, it seemed like a futile effort. The conferences and debates he held allowed Zolya’s followers to demonstrate the miraculous technological advantages gleaned from the Laboratory, and all he’d had to offer was the promise of glory, of returning to the UE as heroes. A reunification that most in attendance would probably never live to see. The loyal would follow him, and the rest be damned. The soldiers had been won over, and that’s what Guner cared about most. Certainly he would need scientists and engineers to complete his mission, but survival would be the first priority. It would be rifles in hand, not data and research that would save their necks out there. He wondered, looking again at the gateway. They might even pose a problem if they were to bring the Titans with them, the doors too low for the war machines. Wide enough but too short. His thoughts were interrupted.

“Sir, we are ready to detonate charges” his son, Kurpa Wuchter, said to him. Bright brown eyes met his own. Guner blinked then looked to the scaffolding which had just been evacuated. His resolution wavered for a moment. Yes he thought. He nodded to his son. He didn’t seem satisfied with just a gesture “Shall we detonate?”

“Yes” he whispered. His son held a fist in the air and there was a cacophony. Guner was blinded and deafened even through his environmental containment suit and tightly closed eyes. His ears adjusted to ”breech failed… doors remain sealed… no opening.” For a moment his blood boiled with rage. He felt a hand on his arm but shoved it away. In a single moment, months of engineering failed. And after all the months of failed diplomacy, this rang too true. Munitions had never failed him. Never. All the years repelling the Horrors of the laboratory, the flash and bang of guns had been a saving grace. “God damn it!” he shouted on an open channel. He looked around the cavernous room and could see a diminutive stance held by every man, from his son to the nameless men on the scaffolding nearest the charges.

“Well?” he shouted across the com. After a long silence the crackling of static was overcome by a voice, “There appears to be no damage to the mechanisms holding the door. Based on our previous attempt. I recommend unlocking the doors by overriding the mechanism without overwhelming force.”

All this way! An explosive material made from the Vault itself. Years of analysis, building infrastructure… fucking politics… all for this? Less than a foot of metal between us and open sky.

“And how should we accomplish that?” Guner asked across the radio, knowing none of his men had the kind of technical proficiency required for this task. Kurpa looked at him with hope and apprehension. Guner opened a private channel.

“Rill?” The older man asked asked.

“Rill.” His son admitted.

Wuchter Sr. switched back to an open channel. “Rill Kata will be joining us shortly. Please prepare a holotape of all relevant schematics for her.”

The room was still.

“Now!” He shouted into the com. There was a flurry of motion.

“You really think you can get her here?” Guner asked over the private channel.

His son answered,“I think it would be best if you asked for her.”

Wuchter Sr. turned away, “I’ve had enough talking to the scientists today. You make the call.”

Kurpa was not overwhelmingly charismatic and that made him anxious about what was about to transpire. He hated talking to Zolya’s followers.

“Open a channel to the colony” he commanded. before there was the imperceptible static silence filled with minute hisses and pops. The silence was absolute now and it put him on edge a bit much to his own chagrin. Perhaps this was the opportunity to make her stay with the United Empire. His name would be celebrated if he could convince her. She was worth too much to leave behind in the Vault. Whatever might come, she would be needed. The channel connected and the crackling of a silent line returned.

“Rill?” He said. His voice was flimsy, the gravity of the situation pressed on him. “Rill?” He called again into the crackling ether.

“Yes?” a ghostly voice responded. He straightened.

“Your presence is hereby requested by the United …”

“Seriously?” she interrupted, “I am interested in whatever it is you have found, but stop now if you want my help. I will be participating as an independent researcher.”

Kurpa was silent for a moment but then mechanically continued “for your expertise in the field of robotics, machinery, and alien architectures.” He could have kicked himself.

“I’m getting dressed, I will be ready for retrieval by 0300 Hours.” she said.

He checked his watch. I was only 0200 hours UE time, but his father was impatient, “make that 0230 hours” He said. There was a moment of tension followed by

“Understood,” and line died. He nodded to his father. She was on her way.

The demolition team retreated down the elevator along with a few guards to escort Rill Kata to them. While they waited Guner took stock of the men and women in the room. Aside from the engineers most were Sheredyn. He couldn’t help but surround himself with the Sheredyn, all the Mezari he commanded were brave and loyal, but none quite like a Sheredyn. Before the crash he had just been a captain in the UE, no small feat of its own, but not one of the fighting elite. But when it came time to rally against the Horrors of the Lab he quickly found he and the Sheredyn were cut from the same cloth. They were decisive and resolute and followed commands with an almost mechanical accuracy. In that way it really did seem as if he was one mind with them on the battlefield. They earned his respect instantly and he earned theirs at each encounter with the Horrors they had faced in the depths of the laboratory. Tephys, the commanding officer of the detachment, assured him that he would be accepted into the ranks of the Sheredyn if they ever made it back to the United Empire. It was an honorific gesture, but one he realized he was very unlikely to see carried out.

He watched his scientists tinker with the intricate mechanisms that seemed to hold the door in place. He almost wondered if he should tell them to stop their work. They were indeed the brightest minds he had at his disposal, but they had never proven themselves particularly deft working with the technology that caged them. It was clearly man made, but still advanced centuries beyond the greatest minds the UE had to offer. He let them go about their business. Now would be a bad time to discourage his men, if their journey to the Sanctuary was any indication,whatever waited for them on the other side of those doors would require absolute cooperation to survive.

With the hum of work filling the chamber it didn’t seem like long before the motor of the elevator whirred back to life. Wuchter Sr., Kurpa and the engineers working at the doors fell into formation to greet their independent researcher. As the lift rose Rill Kata’s head stood out from her escort. It was not protected by a containment suit, her black hair fluttered as the air was shifted by the motion of the elevator. As the platform leveled with the floor of the room it was apparent that she had no intention of wearing one, she was dressed in civilian clothes. A patterned blue and white tunic and loose fitting trousers. Guner prefered formality, and did his best to arrest a frown at the sight of her.

As she walked towards him, there was a clang with the fall of her left foot. What had been her left foot. It was known that she had lost it as a girl after contracting a necrotic infection in the Laboratory. Opbot, the only surviving surgical android, had saved her life with an amputation. He crafted a crude pegleg for her out of metal. By the time the Vault had been established Rill had developed into the most accomplished engineer and machinist of the Mezari. The Vault finally afforded Rill the time and resources to consider improving the pegleg. She had the technical skill to make something resembling a foot for certain, but from the middle of her calf downward extended a long, tapered shaft of metal, composed of layer upon layer of machinery. Though it was simple in shape, it was complex in design with an array of panels and compartments. As she walked the different sections of the prostec shifted and compressed to absorb her weight and then relaxed again as she hobbled forward.

“Rill Kata, what a pleasure it is to see you.” He

“Wuchter,” she nodded to him “Wuchter.” She nodded to his son, “so you need me to open these doors for you?” she noded to the portal behind them.

“Right to the point,” He resigned himself to the woman’s casual addresses. “Yes, from what we can tell these doors are the final barrier between us and Auriga. We attempted to blast the locking mechanisms with the explosive produced by your scientists. The product we were given proved to be somewhat underwhelming.”

“They are not my scientists, I don’t know what was made for you but I am sure it preformed to the specifications described but…” She stepped towards the door “I don’t think that we can manufacture anything that would open these without blowing this entire room apart. And that’s assuming we could blow this room apart.”

She walked over to the lowest of the locking mechanisms and gestured to the escort that carried a bag. It seemed to weigh a great deal from his staggered walk. He laid it next to her and stepped back into formation. She unzipped it and set to work.

“Rill… I mean...” Kurpa started “Kata, shouldn’t you have a containment suit on. We have never measured the atmosphere outside. We have a dozen on standby.”

“I don’t need one. I am going to open these doors, and when I do, as you have pointed out, there will be nothing left to keep the Sanctuary below safe,” She explained continuing her work, “Don’t kid yourself about the elevator, that won’t stop the monsters we faced before. We’re all already fucked as long as I am doing this, so if there is something that means to harm us on the other side I would rather die here and now.”

The seriousness of her tone left a silence in the room as they considered. Wuchter Sr. spoke up before the thought could settle in too deep.

“If you’re so convinced opening the door will kill us, why are you here?” Guner asked authoritatively.

She looked back at him with a twinkle in her eye, “I’m curious”

“No ambition to leave with us? You’re sure you don’t want out of this damnable place?”

“Not at all.” she had turned back to her work, picking up tools and manipulating intricate little pieces of metal. She had nothing else to say to him.

“We will leave you to your work, if you need anything just-”

“Ah!” she shouted. She picked up an arc spanner and shoved her arm into the frame of the door. There was a quiet snap and then a loud groaning. She yanked her arm out and the groan grew into the screech of metal on metal as a massive bolt somewhere within the barrier slid out of place.

“That’s one,” she said, “Bring a few of your engineers over here and I will show them what I did. As far as I can tell there are five more tumblers that are going to need to be released. From there… we’ll see.”

She demonstrated what she had done and each of the engineers took a place next to one of the remaining five access points. One after the other they repeated the motion with the arc spanner as shown. When the sound of the last bolt scraping stopped Rill stepped back towards the door. It would take every Mezari man and woman to pry one of the doors along it’s track a door this size even without the damage and disrepair. She was certain it would have an automated mechanism to open it.

“What now?” one of the engineers said to her.

She examined the surface again and found what she was looking for, like most of the relics of this laboratory it had a shallow receptacle. An opening in which to pour the power source for the door. It substance that she did not understand, no one did. Collection and experimentation of small quantities of the stuff had been conducted by the UE. It was known as Dust because it was difficult to explain it any other way. It seemed to hold infinite possibility. It was volatile and unpredictable, miraculous and deadly, ancient and powerful, there were many known properties of the Dust yet none of it helped to illuminate the purpose of the stuff. Until Auriga. Until the crash threw them into the abyss. Dust was everywhere, siloes of it, in the dark depths of the Laboratory you could run your hand along a wall until you cluched a fist full of the stuff. That would be ill advised though. Usually nothing would happen at all, yet it

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