Xeno Core

Three light beams play out across the darkness, revealing girders of an unknown material running from deck to ceiling. Massive things, at least seven ubits in diameter, their numbers stretch off into the sharply curving distance.

Kali is in the lead, her duty as the Scout. Moving in silence save for the sounds of their own breathing, they jump in great long arches around the concave decking. With almost no atmosphere inside the alien vessel. All communication must be carried out through systems built into their suits.

"Which way did the life signs come from, Tulson?" Kali slaps the thin wand like device in her gloved hands, the glowing display shows only static. "I can't pick anything up from here."

The engineer activates the mapping function of her personal comms. "We'll need to find a way to go lower. There has to be another deck or something. Who builds a giant empty ship?"

"Spooky, right?" Kali leaps again, landing close to one of the pillars. Unused to the heavy suit, the scout's foot slips and she tumbles forward. She crashes into the thick pillar and thin fingers of blue white energy enshroud her armored suit.

Their surroundings are lit by the brilliant arcs. Shadows dance across a vast emptiness between two curved plates of ceramic metal, supported by pillars in a five-part radial pattern.

Flying across the gap, jets flaring from his boots, Gelly tackles the scout. The two of them roll across the metal floor and the energy vanishes, leaving them once more in the oppressive gloom.

"I was fine, Gelly," Kali complains as she pushes him off of her. "These things are very well insulated. Tulson, you did a good job with these, by the way."

"Think, would ye," the Weapons Operative says with forced patience. "How many times since we've been in this dark hole have ye seen it do, well, anythin'?" He waves his arm around the darkness.

A look of horror covers Tulson's face, as she realizes what he means. "A good engineer would notice a surge like that. There'd be a system in place."

Gelly nods to her to continue.

"This was a trap, and we set it off. We need to move." She looks down at her map, then back at Kali. "This way, follow me."

They change directions and begin jumping as far as they can, trying to remain away from any of the large conductive pillars. Each time they land they feel a growing vibration. The whole structure hums, hinting to some unknown function, perhaps activating for the first time in eons.

"Faster!"

Each time their boots meet the deck plating the vibrations that shoot through them are noticeably stronger. Static pours from the speakers in their helmets. The pain caused by the vibrations assaulting them increases in shocking bursts. Turning off their radios muffles the sound but does not eliminate the feedback.

The three nearly exhaust their suits energy supply powering their boot jets. Costly, but the speed they gain could be what saves them. They can feel the vibrations in their bones, the strange frequency the structure oscillates at causing painful headaches as it builds unceasingly.

Blood pounds in their deep-set ears when they finally reach Tulson's goal. The curved wall before them is made of the same pale material as everything else around them. Stopping only to catch their breath, the pain almost unbearable, Tulson notices a pattern of indentions pressed into the wall.

Reactivating her comms system causes it to emit a harsh noise so painful she turns it back off immediately. Waving to get the attention of the others, she sprints bouncing to the left, along the curving length of metallic ceramic.

Vision turning red she finally spots a door built into the wall. A closed door. Set into the wall next to it is a keypad. Keys labelled in a script unknown to any of the explorers taunt them.

Kali rips the keypad from the wall with her gauntleted hands. Tulson looks it over and recognizes the wiring schema, nearly identical to those her own people use. Wasting no time to contemplate, she hastily rewires the door. Power courses through the circuits without constraint causing the metal door to fly open.

They stagger through without looking, and plummet down a deep shaft.

The lights of their weapons bounce around the thin shaft, only six ubits across and square in shape. Down the center runs a metal pole with screwlike ridges running along its length.

Grabbing onto to the central pole, the three explorers slow themselves. Their gauntlets shed orange sparks before they come to a stop. The jarring impacts cause sore and bruised hands.

A blinding light pours out of the open doorway many ubits above them, energy washing into the top of the deep shaft. It doesn't last long before fading once more into darkness. They reactivate the comms built into their helmets, but don't speak for some time.

They hang there until they catch their breath and can start to compose themselves. First to break the silence is Kali.

"You think Bella was still inside the sphere when whatever that was went off?" Kali's voice cracks up but she continues, "She had to see the build up? Right?"

Gelly starts climbing down but answers her worry with confidence. "She's a smart one, Bella."

They climb down for what feels like days, injured fingers making each movement seem to take an eternity. The low gravity makes the climb bearable, more an effort of will than of physical exertion.

Eventually they come to a platform that fills the entirety of the shaft, but the walls around them remain blank and featureless.

Kali, having watched far too many dramatic trivees, checks the platform upon which they stand without hesitation. Her efforts are rewarded, and she pulls open the emergency hatch with a smug grin on her face.

Gelly drops down first, landing lightly inside the cramped compartment. Reaching up he helps the others down then moves out of the way.

Kali is the first to locate the exit door. Though slower due to aching hands, Tulson rewires the door to their tiny cell. The door opens, splitting apart in the middle.

A shimmering barrier separates them from a lushly carpeted hallway. Panels in the ceiling provide warm light allowing them to see the artistic patterns of metallic dots and swirls set into the white walls.

The barrier slows their movements as they pass through but does not stop them. It has an odd effect on their equipment, powering them off and on rapidly, the lights in their displays flickering. On the other side the pull of standard gravity causes them to stumble slightly.

The sound of Gelly's ragged laughter causes the other two to turn. This corridor contains an atmosphere, though its composition remains a mystery.

Like everything else in this structure, the hallway they walk down curves slightly to the left. As they walk, Tulson checks her comms, but is unable to receive any signals from farther away than her two companions.

They abruptly reach a door, almost smacking into it. One moment the hallway stretched on forever, the next the sound of metal striking metal echoes down the hall as they crash into one another in their efforts to stop.

Unlike previous doors the trio had come across, this one has no keypad beside it. Instead, a single round silver button gleams invitingly in the warm light.

Urged forward by her companions, Kali presses the silver circle with a single metal encased finger. A deep chime sounds on the other side of the door.

A look passes between the sore and weary explorers, and as they look back at the door it slides open. The light inside is bright enough to activate the automatic darkening feature of their visors.

When her vision adapts to the glare, Kali steps through with the others right behind her. The room seems to extend on forever, no walls or ceiling visible. Only blue skies above green grass. Behind them stands the door and its frame, without any visible support.

Gelly walks a complete circle around the door, prompting Kali to go back through. He takes another lap around the door before she returns.

"Some kind of portal?" Kali props the door open before having Gelly make a third lap around the doorframe.

"If so, it's no the kind the chiefs use," offers Gelly. "They do without the frame, anyway."

The three spread into a loose fanning formation, attention on the door. Tulson scans it with her hand tool, but the device returns only jumbled nonsense.

A voice behind them causes the three explorers to jump.

"PFFFffttt," it proclaims dryly.

"Excuse ye."