While Yank faced the General, Karin ran toward the portal. She trembled as she recalled Yank's words:
"If we encounter that General, let me fight him, and you run. My death has to mean something. Do you understand?"
Every fiber of her being wanted to scream at him to stop, to run with her. But she knew he wouldn't. He was buying her time, sacrificing himself to ensure the briefcase reached the Federation.
Less than ten meters from the portal, she looked back. Yank was still standing, fighting with everything he had. But she knew he was at his limit, and the General seemed to be toying with him.
"Come on, just like the others—turn your hair blue. You all get more interesting when you do that... I don't have all day."
The General, mocking Yank, suddenly noticed the absence of the human woman. His expression shifted from amusement to rage.
"Wait… where is that female?"
Finally glancing at the portal, he spotted Karin with the briefcase, and fury ignited in his eyes.
"A mere human trying to escape from me."
The General dropped Yank and began advancing toward her, abandoning his entertainment. That's when Yank summoned all his remaining strength.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, you bastard?"
He grabbed the General by the waist, using his weight and strength to slow him down. The General casually shrugged him off, even as Yank clung with all his might. In a desperate move, Yank lunged toward the General's horrible, putrid face and sank his teeth into one of the General's eyes, biting down hard on the viscous organ.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The General's scream echoed across the field as he staggered back, finally stopping. Black liquid oozed from his empty eye socket, mixing with viscous blood.
"You... you... I will kill you!"
The General raised his fist, his fury now completely unhinged. Yank, bleeding and exhausted, looked at Karin one last time.
"Go… finish the mission."
The punch came with enough force to shake the ground and create a crater behind Yank. The impact struck Yank square in the face, followed by a horrifying sound like a thunderclap. His head exploded in a shower of blood and bone. His lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Karin watched in horror as Yank was brutally killed. Her eyes were wide, but her body moved on instinct. She dragged herself to the portal, tears blurring her vision.
The General, now a grotesque figure of pain and fury, moved like a wounded beast. The absence of one eye did not diminish the threat he posed; if anything, it amplified the intensity of his remaining gaze, burning like a smoldering ember. He roared—a guttural sound that seemed to rise from the depths of his shattered soul, an echo of pure hatred spilling from his mouth.
"You will not escape!"
With one final effort, Karin threw herself into the portal. The energy enveloped her body, and she disappeared, leaving the General alone in his rage.
The grand hall bustled with constant activity. The two gates connected to two planets buzzed with the steady flow of people, goods, and sounds. An improvised marketplace had formed, where the shouts of vendors and the murmurs of negotiations filled the space. It was a place of pulsating life, but also one of palpable tension. The soldiers stationed around the single forbidden portal were on high alert, as if anticipating that something was about to happen.
Suddenly, the characteristic noise of commerce ceased. A deep vibration filled the hall, reverberating through the walls and floor. Then, a deafening sound pierced the silence: a loud boom, followed by a desperate scream.
"Help me! Please!"
All eyes turned toward the source of the sound. A woman emerged, running from within the forbidden gate, covered in blood. Her expression was one of pure desperation, and her steps were unsteady, as though she had left behind not just her strength, but also her sanity. She stumbled and fell in the middle of the hall, her eyes wide as if something monstrous were right behind her.
Before anyone could react, the ground began to shake. The forbidden portal, protected by a row of fully armored soldiers, started to pulse. The structure, previously stable, seemed on the verge of cracking. A grotesque energy emanated from it, making the air vibrate like waves of heat.
Then, the unimaginable happened.
From the center of the portal, what appeared to be a grotesque hand emerged. It was immense, covered in misshapen, pulsating flesh with claws as black as obsidian. Blue veins glowed as if they carried living energy, pulsating irregularly. The hand stretched, trying to push fully through the portal, but was held back by the dimensional barrier, which was beginning to give way.
The soldiers shouted orders. "Formation! Protect the hall!"
The crowd panicked. Many ran, while others froze, hypnotized by the horrific scene. The portal continued to tremble, and the creature on the other side seemed to be fighting with all its might to break through. The pressure became so intense that cracks began to form along the edges of the portal, as though the fabric of space itself was about to tear apart.
With a deafening roar, the portal finally gave way.
It shattered definitively, releasing a blinding explosion of light that knocked nearby soldiers to the ground. When the dust settled, something fell to the floor with a muffled thud. It was the grotesque arm of the creature. It flailed wildly like a headless chicken, writhing erratically and leaving a trail of black slime on the floor.
The hall fell into absolute silence, broken only by the grotesque noises of the arm's movements. After a few minutes, it finally went still, lying inert on the ground, though the air around it remained heavy with dark energy.
The soldiers quickly surrounded the broken portal and the grotesque arm, but their faces showed more fear than resolve. They knew that something beyond their comprehension had just occurred.
The woman who had emerged from the portal lay unconscious on the floor, her body exhausted and smeared with blood. Two soldiers cautiously approached, checking if she was still alive. One of them murmured, "Is she alive?"
Karin sat in an uncomfortable chair, her body still trembling and her mind replaying the terrifying moments on Alphein. The room around her was sterile and cold, its metallic walls reflecting the harsh white light. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. But she had to finish what Yank had started.
The door hissed open with a mechanical sound, and a woman entered. She wore an immaculate Federation uniform, with insignias indicating high rank. Her hair was tied in a severe bun, and her gaze was as sharp as her posture.
"Doctor Karin Lupane Krauss, correct?"
Karin nodded, her eyes assessing the new presence.
"I am Calera, head of intelligence on this station. Before Director Dante speaks with you, I want to clarify a few things."
Calera sat across from Karin, adjusting her position carefully. There was something clinical about her demeanor, as if she were observing an experiment that needed to be documented.
"Understand that your arrival here has caused quite a stir. We don't often receive refugees from missions of this level... especially when they involve something as surreal as a Tyrano General. You understand the implications of this, don't you?"
Karin took a deep breath, her fingers gripping the chair's arms.
"I understand. More than I'd like to. I'm not here to cause problems, but you need to take what happened on Alphein seriously."
Calera leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table.
"We're taking this seriously, Doctor. But understanding what happened isn't enough. We need to know if what you've brought… justifies the loss of life, the destruction of an entire planet. Did you bring something that makes Yank's death, and the deaths of billions on your planet, worth it?"
The words hit Karin like a blow. She felt her anger rising but fought to keep calm.
"I brought what I could. What was left. Yank died to ensure that, and you have the audacity to ask if it was worth it? Perhaps you should be asking why you sent a single man on a suicide mission."
Calera's eyes narrowed, but she didn't respond immediately. She seemed to weigh her words carefully before continuing.
"Yank knew what was at stake. He accepted the mission knowing he wouldn't come back. What I'm interested in is what you're willing to share now. Because, Doctor, you know more than you're letting on. I can see it in your eyes."
Karin looked away, the weight of Calera's words pressing down on her. After a few moments of silence, Calera sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Very well. Dante will speak with you now. But remember this: here, you're not just a survivor. You're an asset. And assets need to be… managed."
She stood, smoothing her uniform with military precision.
"Good luck, Doctor. You'll need it."
With that, she left the room, leaving Karin alone.
A few minutes later, the door opened again, and a man entered. He carried an air of calculated calm, his impeccable suit contrasting with the tension in the room. The door closed behind him, sealing the room in complete isolation.
What transpired inside remained a mystery.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened with a mechanical hiss, and the man emerged, carrying a briefcase with a firm grip. His expression was grim, his eyes fixed on some distant point as he walked down the corridor. Calera, waiting nearby with two officers, immediately picked up on the gravity of his demeanor.
"Mr. Dante, was the meeting… productive?"
Dante gave a brief nod, but his tone was tense.
"She brought what we needed, but she also brought more questions than answers. We need to act quickly, Calera. Nothing can get out of control now."
He paused and, with a sharp look, asked:
"The harvest. Is it complete?"
Calera blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the abrupt shift in topic, but responded promptly.
"Yes, sir. An incident in the caldera this morning caused the loss of one of the specimens, but we've met the quota of required fluids. The shipments are on schedule."
Dante pressed his lips together, absorbing the information. His eyes darkened, and he shook his head.
"How many died in the incident?"
"Only one, sir. But all the records have been updated, and we can replace them. The shipment is secured."
Dante rubbed his chin as though pondering something. His voice, when it came, was low but cutting.
"Bring me the names of all the children available on this station who are of age for implementation. I need that yesterday. Understood?"
Calera frowned but knew better than to question him at that moment.
"Yes, sir. I'll begin compiling the data immediately."
Dante turned to glance at the door of the room where Karin was still being held. He took a deep breath, as though making an irreversible decision.
"And release the scientist. She will accompany me to Station Alpha."
Calera inclined her head in acknowledgment.
"Yes, sir. I'll make the arrangements for both."
Dante resumed walking down the corridor, and for a moment, the silence was almost oppressive. Calera watched him disappear around the corner, her thoughts churning as she tried to grasp the full extent of the orders she had just received.
One of the officers standing beside Calera finally broke the silence:
"Chief, what did he mean by 'children of age'?"
Calera stepped forward, ignoring the initial question as she issued rapid orders.
"I want a full sweep of the harvest records. Every specimen, the results of aptitude and fluid tests, and the shipment dates. Review everything. I want a report in two hours."
The officer nodded and hurried off, but she remained still for a moment, staring at the door to Karin's room.
"Release Dr. Krauss. And ensure she's ready to leave immediately for Station Alpha with Dante. Make sure she doesn't know more than she needs to… yet."
The tension on her face was evident. Something was amiss, and she knew Dante's request signaled a deeper, darker agenda than he was willing to admit.