When Asher opened his eyes , he found himself lying on a cold, metal floor. He groaned, trying to sit up, but his head was pounding, and he felt disoriented and dizzy.
"Lyra?" he called out weakly, his voice echoing in the silence. "Are you there?"
There was no response, and he realized with a sinking feeling that he was alone.
He struggled to his feet, using the wall to steady himself, and looked around. He was in a small, dimly-lit room that was completely unfamiliar to him. The walls were made of a smooth, metallic substance, and there were strange symbols etched into them that he didn't recognize.
He reached into his pocket, searching for the artifact, but it was gone. Panic began to rise within him as he realized that he was completely defenseless and alone.
He stumbled towards the door, which was made of the same metallic substance as the walls. He pressed his hand against it, hoping it would open, but nothing happened.
He was trapped.
Asher took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He had been in tight spots before, and he knew that panicking would only make things worse. He had to think.
He closed his eyes, focusing his mind, trying to remember how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was using the artifact in the heat of battle, but after that, everything was a blur.
He opened his eyes again, looking around the room, searching for any clues or hints. And that was when he saw it.
There was a small, glowing panel on the wall, just next to the door. It was pulsing with a soft, blue light, and as he approached it, he saw that there were more of the strange symbols etched into its surface.
He reached out tentatively, tracing his finger along the lines of the symbols, and suddenly the panel lit up, bathing the room in a bright, white light.
The door hissed open, and Asher stumbled out into a long, narrow corridor. He looked around, his heart pounding in his chest, trying to get his bearings.
The corridor was empty, and it stretched out before him, disappearing into the darkness. But there was something... different about it. Something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever lay ahead, and stepped forward, determined to find out where he was, and how he could get back to Lyra and the Ulysses.
As he walked down the corridor, Asher's eyes scanned the walls, looking for any clues or signs that might help him figure out where he was. The symbols etched into the walls were similar to the ones on the panel he had just touched, but they were arranged differently, and he couldn't make sense of them.
The air was stale and musty, and he could feel the weight of the silence pressing down on him. He felt like he was walking through a tomb.
But then he heard something. A faint, distant hum that seemed to be coming from deep within the ship. He quickened his pace, his heart pounding in anticipation.
The hum grew louder as he walked, and soon he could hear other sounds as well. The clanking of machinery, the hiss of steam, and the distant chatter of voices.
He turned a corner, and suddenly the corridor opened up into a vast chamber. The walls were lined with consoles and monitors, and there were dozens of people bustling about, each focused on their tasks.
Asher looked around in confusion, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He had been expecting to find himself in some sort of alien dungeon, but this... this was something else entirely.
He was in a spaceship.
A sleek, metallic vessel, humming with power and pulsing with light. And it was like no ship he had ever seen before.
He looked around, searching for any sign of Lyra or the Ulysses, but there was no trace of them. He was alone in a ship that he didn't recognize, surrounded by strangers who were paying him no attention whatsoever.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He had been in tight spots before, and he knew that the first step was to gather information. To figure out where he was, and what was going on.
He approached one of the consoles, trying to look casual as he scanned the screens. Most of the readouts were in a language he didn't recognize, but he was able to make out a few words here and there.
"Hyperdrive... coordinates... fleet..."
The words sent a chill down his spine. He had stumbled into something big. Something that could change the course of the war.
But what was he going to do about it? He was just one man, alone in an alien ship, with no idea how he had gotten there, or how to get back to his own ship.
He looked around again, searching for any clue, any hint that might help him make sense of what was happening. And that was when he saw her.
A woman, standing at the far end of the room, watching him with a curious expression on her face. She was dressed in a sleek, black jumpsuit, and her hair was cut short in a stylish bob.
Asher felt a jolt of recognition as he looked at her. He didn't know her, but there was something familiar about her.
She smiled at him, and began to walk towards him, her steps slow and deliberate.
Asher felt a surge of fear, but he stood his ground, determined to face whatever was coming. He had been in tight spots before, and he had always found a way out.
The woman stopped in front of him, her eyes studying him intently.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice low and steady.
Asher hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should reveal. But then he remembered Lyra, and the mission they were on, and he knew that he couldn't afford to hold anything back.
"My name is Asher," he said, his voice strong and clear. "I'm a soldier in the United Earth Fleet. And I need to get back to my ship."