>>6327775She rubs her temples and groans, bitter painful laughter escaping her lips as she mutters to herself. You wander closer to the cell trying to make out her words.
“…paracausal bullshit… the irony.” Her head snaps up and previously glassy eyes focus on you again.
“So it really is dead then?”
You recall your predecessor, Shivre. Called themselves a Narazim, you’d never heard of that species; they were aquatic and communicated through bioluminescent signalling. Overall Shivre reminded you of a multi-armed deep sea shark that had to use a mobile aquarium when interacting with the rest of your team. Pact leadership had initially hired them for their expertise in weapons development.
You couldn’t deny their capabilities but you found their mentality completely unsporting. Their first proposal had been for a relativistic kill vehicle; undetectable, un-interceptable, guaranteed system wide total biome kill… about a century after launch. Pact leadership had no interest in such complete annihilation of their adversaries and even if they did, vengeance decades after the fact was a poor salve for defeat in the present.
“There was no way they could have survived the strike. I should thank you by the way. Even though you almost killed me, you also allowed me to take their place.”
Another bitter laugh. “Petty <span class="mu-i">human</span> ambition. It’s refreshing to see something so familiar again.” She blinks as if realising something. “How long has it been?”
“Since when?”
“2242 C.E. ; the year my mission began.”
“I don’t recognise that dating system.”
“A very long time then.”
This was starting to bore you. You doubted this causality addled “Auditor” had anything of further interest to you. You turn to leave.
“Wait, what happened to Holloway?”
“Who?”
“My companion.”
“You were the only crew member aboard the ship.”
>cont 