Serenity was supposed to bring about… serenity. To symbolize a new, unified Orion Spur. Then, perhaps humanity could finally set its sights beyond.

Unfortunately, very few believed it. Maybe that's why, in a way, it made perfect sense that she would crumble on her first voyage.

But surely no one could've anticipated any of this.

[Greetings, Captain.]

Several minutes after his first annoucement to rescue only his fellow Imperials, the Count's aloof, seemingly disinterested voice, echoed throughout the bridge.

[I assume that the reason you didn't immediately announce your own rescue attempt, is that you could not. Or should I entertain the idea of complacency on your part?]

Having spent all their time trying to make contact with their own ship, the crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. But before they could wonder how, after trying everything they could, it was the Count who succeeded in establishing contact - they realized the meaning of his words.

"... what do you mean?" The Captain asked, despite the fear that his voice would not reach the other side. Because the Count's words confirmed their worst fear.

Their computers were showing false data. They didn't have access to the PA system. Which begged the question of what else wasn't true? Yet despite that realization, the Captain continued.

"We did."

The Count's next words came immediately after he spoke.

[... What a shame. Rest, Captain. May the light take you.]

Fear now turned into despair. The Count couldn't hear them. They weren't just stuck physically, they couldn't do anything but watch.

Maybe not even that, because what if the cameras were also wrong? The feed could be an hour late for all they knew. They were so full of spirit just a few minutes ago, and yet… now both men and women, all trained and tested on the battlefield, could do nothing but soak in the fact that they were useless.

However, the Captain figured out how the Count was able to communicate with. He must have commandeered a subconsole and was using it, as if it were a separate ship. That way he circumvented the still damaged, or most likely, jammed intercoms.

Which was a confusing thing, on its own. But he'd rather take it as an oversight of whatever had seized control Serenity. After organizing all that information in his head, the Captain screamed, his desperation clear.

"Wait!" Even without a response, he didn't hear a beep so the line should still be active, and that was enough to keep him standing upright. "Please! I know you can hear me, Lord Count!"

He refused to let go of hope. He'd rather believe that the Count deliberately ignored them. He'd rather trust in the disdain of his nation's greatest enemy, than surrender. Yet when one second became ten, then twenty, even the Captain hung his head.

[... Tell me, what use is there in speaking with useless men already in their graves?]

Was it a resurgence of energy? Glee? No. It was something far more vindictive that renewed the crew's vigor.

"Lord Count." He breathed in deep, as if swallowing what rage threatened to leave his lips, deep in his gut. "I beg you to save everyone that you can. Not just your countrymen."

"The Ceres Parlton has been given instructions to act as a rescue vessel… for all passengers. Please, let them dock first. We vow to support you in any way that we can, with information and tools that the subconsoles don't have access to."

There was silence once again, like he was mocking them. But they could do nothing about it.

[I accept the post of Serenity's new Commander. I shall require every authority that comes with that title, as well as every resource you have access to. Are my terms of employment acceptable?]

"... yes!" Not even the Captain could hide his confusion, towards the sudden change. Even though the Count's voice and tone remained constant. "You are granted with all that you require!"

[Thank you, Captain. Now, let's start exchanging.]

The ship has been invaded, they know that now. But it took a while for the crewmen to form some sort of idea about what these things were.

Mutated strains belonging to the extinct Blattodea order of insects. Cockroaches as they were commonly called. These were pests deemed to have no benefit to mankind, like the Diptera. Both of which were exterminated from every Dominion planet during its heyday.

It was a miracle that the information even survived this long in their records. But that placed the creature's anatomy into question. Since, the 1.45 million uncategorized pings that showed on their heartbeat sensors had to belong to these creatures, this suggests that possessed mammalian-like organs. Which could explain their size, but not necessarily their ability to survive in a vacuum.

"Most of the insectoids are gathered in Deck A. But they're spreading towards Deck B and C through the Support Towers. We've also confirmed numerous passenger groups, including the 159 under your protection."

The massive screens on the bridge kept shifting, revealing new images every few seconds.

"There are 2200 men, women and children inside the Terrene Grand Casino of Deck A. 700 more in Deck B's Kyrsana Opera House. Another five hundred are mobile, under the protection of Duke Jin-ho and the Stellarch's security force, while the Union's Minister of Foreign Affairs has 400 more with her."

From the simple dots on a holographic projection of the vessel, to camera footage of a group led by a massive figure in white armor with a red glowing greatsword. Then of a woman in a suit in the middle of a crowd. Then, various more figures and dots, when there was no camera available

"Nineteen groups of fifty or less are near Rear Deck C and approaching the Docks. Luckily, they aren't being chased, yet. It seems our Bulletin Board display changes made it through. Countless more groups of one to fifty are scattered about. Bringing us to a total of 130,000 confirmed human and vat grown heartbeats. However, many of them appear to be stuck in the Support Towers or subfloor transports and pathways, where our camera don't have power. Everywhere else, especially out in the open is infested, though. That would have to be resolved if we plan to save them."

[Good. I'll require direct control and real-time updates of all our war potential.]

"Understood. You'll have 3 of our comms officers as assistants."

Then, just as it seemed as the two of them seemed to quickly develop their new working relationship, came perhaps the most dreaded question that the Count could've asked them.

[Now, what about my wives? The subconsole doesn't mention their exact location.]

The Captain and his First Mate shared a look, before the latter nodded with a gulp. None of the crew had optimistic expressions, either.

"They are in one of Deck B's Support Towers. We don't know which, but there are hundreds of survivors inside each one. They must be among them."

Of course, the sound of the Count's tightening grip on something metallic, did not escape the microphone.

[Very well then. I suppose that's all the information I need for now, Captain.] There was still no change in his tone but they could feel that something did change. [I've received your orders for Ceres Parlton to dock first. Unfortunately, she'd take up nine of the ten loading bays due to her design and I cannot risk the Union following through on their threats to shoot down our ships. My citizens cannot remain here any longer, either. So the Ceres Parlton will have to go last.]

"What?!" The Captain roared in disbelief, to which the Count coldly replied.

[You are an honorable, responsible man, Captain. But your countrymen lied to you. The Ceres Parlton already declared that they would only grant passage to people of the Federation. Of course, the Union and my fellow noblemen have said the same. However, I'm sure that you can convince the Ceres Parlton to stay put. You are, after all, the most celebrated man your society has to offer. Otherwise, we might not have any ships to evacuate with.]

[In the mean time, I want them to drag that unknown ship away from us and slag it. But rest assured, I will be the last to leave Serenity and your citizens will be under my full protection while they wait. You shall inform the Ceres' crew as such.] With every word he spoke, the bridge crew felt as if they were falling deeper and deeper into an abyss. Whatever goals they had, every single one would be warped, because they couldn't act upon it themselves. [Now, do you have any other orders, before I announce my new position to our passengers?]

That was forty minutes ago.

In a third of that time, eight men managed to trek two kilometers from where they started, weaving around and above cargo containers, then racing across scaffolding until they reached the lower end of a steep incline. All the while, covering for each other while under constant attack from a seemingly inexhaustible enemy.

In their wake, they left a radioactive trail of mangled steel, melted plastic, insect guts and scattered carcasses, killing at least two hundred roaches each.

But the thing was, they couldn't see any of that just a few seconds ago.

"They're retreating, sir!" One of them yelled at the top of his lungs since they couldn't reach for their earpieces and even then, he was still drowned out by the tinnitus-inducing hums and crackling of the Plasma Diggers.

"Colonel!" Another yelled and finally, enough of them were just about to charge a volley. "They're running away!"

Only then did Hiiro and the others pause to really assess their surroundings. Yes, they were still surrounded by and being chased by several dozen cockroaches as they made their way up the slope. But beyond that small pond which persisted around them, the great sea of black and brown carapaces was indeed receding to the lightless corners of the half-wrecked vessel.

"They left a rear guard?" One of them muttered, while he and the others finished off the remaining enemies.

"Sir, it's almost like they're soldiers…"

"Quiet. " Hiiro said with a low growl. "They're just insects. Don't think about it too much."

"90 second break. Make the most of it, men." Was all that he said, before he turned around and inspected his weapon.

"Yes, Colonel!"

The Plasma Diggers needed to be cleaned after extended use, to ensure that there weren't any clumps in the barrel that could harden and cause catastrophic failure.

Thankfully, it was made easy with a manual flush feature.

When they were sure that all of the dull-glowing, yellowish green sludge had sputtered out the nozzles, they placed the diggers on the floor next to their feet and reached for their coating sprays.

Of course, only half of them did so while the other half kept watch and waited until they were done.

But even while they reapplied the coating over their clothes, their eyes were rooted into the lightless abyss that awaited them, several hundred feet away. Somewhere within that sea of metal crates and abominations, was their first goal. They'd have to fight on their own, without their current sight advantage, against an enemy that melded into the surroundings and now showed tactical prowess. However basic.

Needless to say, there was fear in their eyes. But not really of death, though that was indeed present. Much more than that, they feared failure. That their brother in arms's death, followed by their own, would be meaningless.

"Thirty seconds left."

However, the sight of his back reassured them. That even if they fell, they would not fail. They just had to follow him, support him and return triumphantly, to as much drink and women they wanted. For he was the Empire's Spearhead. The unsung hero of the Empire. If the Count commanded victory, then it was Hiiro who brought it to him.

Yet perhaps unbeknownst to them, he was the one most affected.

He had three missions, and he already failed one. No longer would he be able to bring all his men back home, nor could he celebrate fully with them. There'd be another empty chair in the mess hall, and that enraged him to the point of mangling his spray canister as soon as he was done reapplying.

Once again, he had to leave a brother behind because of the accursed thing in his hands. This pulsating, evil thing that has taken so many others from him and from his enemies. All because he accepted it that day. But it was also saving them now... in fact, it's creation may have saved more lives than he could imagine. Yet still...

Then, for a moment, he remembered the dainty, willow-like hands that handed him the first working prototype, and that memory only brought him even more anguish. But he couldn't show those emotions, especially not to the men who believed in him. Nor could he show the same apprehension and fear that they held.

He had to stand straight and be a guiding beacon. Always strong, always sporting a confident grin.

Because he was a leader.

"Hey…" One of the men whispered to another. "What if people stumbled onto the radiation pools we left? We welded most of the entrances shut."

"Don't worry. We made sure to move in a straight line through wide spaces only. They'd be able to see the glow from a mile away." The Lieutenant cut in, before anyone else could answer. "Remember what the Count said, as well. The Bulletin Boards have been turned into maps. They'll all be directed through paths away from ours."

"Are you sure?" Added another soldier. "The glow fades a few minutes before the radiation stops being lethal..."

"Ten seconds, people." Although he didn't raise his voice, everyone stood at attention - as whatever doubts formed from the complacency that Hiiro’s presence gave, were wiped away by his words. "Activate your night-vision and floating markers, then form pairs. Windowed formation. Keep an eye on your partner. Lieutenant, with me. We're going to keep running right through. Don't waste time shooting unless you have to. If you're separated, work your damndest to regroup. You already know where we have to be."

"""Yes, sir!"""

Then he reached for his earpiece.

"Little brother, there might be a problem with your plans."

Meanwhile, almost 20 kilometers away, stood the glorious Kyrsana Opera House.

It was the massive centerpiece of Deck B's Main Square, with several wide pathways and roads specifically meant to reach it. If the lights were still on, then it would've been impossible to miss its upside-down flower-like structure, with a marble and hardened glass exterior.

The three equal-sized petals forming the flower, were of course meant to symbolize the three factions. Inside the flower, was a separate second dome surrounded by a thousand rooms, main halls and restaurants. This dome was further divided into three layers. The top and middle layers were concert halls, while the bottom layer was the central theater which could seat 11,400 attendees.

It was within the bottom layer that many Federation souls hid away, safe from any outside threats. But all of them knew that they couldn't stay. Currently, everyone that could carry a weapon had gathered before the stage where the Commander stood.

"I'll start with the good news first. We have a way off this ship." Her words immediately resulted in sighs of relief from the crowd. Though some kept hardened looks. "Even better news is that the insects have stopped trying to get in. However, bad news in that there might not be anyone to rescue us."

Fear and dread quickly returned to everyone's pallid faces. Had it been any other time, the Commander would've thought they were putting on a performance. However, she knew why.

Morale. It went down the gutter a long time ago. In her heart, she cursed the fact that they didn't have anyone who could rally them by presence alone. But what she could do, was emulate said people.

"I won't lie to you. The only way we can go home, is by shooting our way out. We're wounded, tired, hungry... not to mention that we'll be fighting the disgusting things outside. But… we are the Federation!"

"We've endured brutality after brutality. Cruelty and cruelty. Betrayal after betrayal, during the course of our history!" She roared. "We did not surrender when the Empire pillaged and raped us! We fought back! When they sought to eradicate us with the treacherous Union, we persevered!"

"Having already faced the greatest monsters of this galaxy, do we fear mere insects?! When we have our families to protect, right by our side - do we wait for help?! For the Imperial Dogs to shepherd us home?!"

"... no." An old man muttered from the back of the crowd, with tears in the corner of his eyes.

"No!" Then a young man in his prime.

"Never!" Finally, a woman in the front screamed.

More and more voices joined the chorus. Until everyone raised their weapons above their heads, in defiance of everything that wished to harm them.

"Then let's get started!"

Even though she told them that she was no longer Serenity's Commander. That did not matter. She was their Commander. The woman that they'd believe in, that they would follow. They needed her and she needed them if they all wanted to go home.

But the only way that could happen, was if she showed them the chance of finally winning something.

Even though she knew that her words and actions were not far from what her own treacherous men wanted her to speak. This was the only way she could lead a defeated people. It wasn't just the healthy, whose spirits she roused, either. Even those lying on their back, nearing their ends, regained some of their strength. Enough to roar quietly, or to raise their fists.

But only the adults and teenagers had been swept up.

One of many children was a boy, not even eight years old. He sat far in the back with his mother. Both had been wounded in their escape but not gravely. However, he kept scratching his chest, just above his sternum.

"Mom…" He called out with tears running down his cheeks, squirming in his seat - unable to even scream properly. "… there's something stuck!"

"My tummy hurts! Mom!" He complained again, as he leaned forward and clutched his gut. "I need to poop! Mom!

"Mom…!" He gulped then cried out again, this time louder. "Mom, please-"

Others in the back turned to look, but rather than console him, his mother grabbed his mouth and dug her nails into his cheeks.

"Shut up! Stop complaining!" She whispered angrily. Her face was twisted in rage, as if she saw her own flesh and blood as a curse she'd been inflicted. But then why did she protect and carry him all the way here, if she actually hated him? The terrified, confused boy sobbed and cried, so she dug her nails deeper into his cheeks.

"Do you want to get home, or not?! If you do, then shut up, before they leave you behind!" She gasped between every hate-filled word - her expression worsened by the dim red emergency lights. The monster that his mother became, had frozen the boy in place.

As he lowered his head to comply, only then did he notice it. His mother's throat.

There was an Adam's apple larger than his father's, and it squirmed.

"Everyone that can move, gather together! We'll be making stretchers out of the seat covers! Bandages too! Some of us will scout our surroundings and find a route, so we need to be ready to move when they come back! Understood?!"

"Yes, Commander!"

As their morale reached a fever pitch, a soldier in uniform approached the pair with a wary look on his face.

"Is something wrong, ma'am?"

She jolted, pulled her hand back and turned to race him with panicked, rapid breaths and a sweaty, worried look.

"... no, sir. We're fine. I-I should help, right?"

"No." The man stopped her just as she was about to get up. "You don't have to."

Then he turned to the boy again. Unfortunately, he didn't care enough to worry about child abuse, in this situation. Despite how obvious it was. There were far more pressing matters to attend to.

"Just be more discerning, ma'am. This isn't the time."

With hundreds of evacuation attempts going on at the same time, the occasional bangs and pings would drown out the chittering. But such noises only meant that the insects got louder in response, excited at the prospect of new prey.

That's what Guila figured out, when she glanced outside the cracked and shattered windows. Opposite them, on another Support Tower, she saw bright yellow flashes peering through splatters of opaque black. Insects, obviously. She thought. Maybe they ought to take it as a blessing in disguise, that they haven't encountered anyone else.

"Wait, stop." The pair were descending the inclined hallway when Guila grabbed Ariel's shoulder. "Give me a second."

She made sure to whisper as quietly as possible, knowing that Ariel’s ears would be able to pick it up. Guila, with her center of gravity low, entered a room that had its doors slammed inward. By what? She'd rather not imagine.

It was a small storage room. The kind meant for janitors and the tools they required. To the right were lockers and filled shelves, to the left, a computer and bed. Finally, lying in the middle of the room was an aged man in a jumpsuit, with his left arm torn off.

But despite the scene, she thought the truly strange thing was that this was the first corpse they'd found. Despite the ever-widening trails of blood covering the hallway floor, the lower they went. The smears seemed to lead back up the way they came but again, Guila chose to invest her attention on more immediate matters.

Of course, Ariel did not know any of that, other than the floor's state, which she felt directly with her bare feet, as her shoes would've been far too loud. But she nodded anyway - assured that Guila had a good reason for stopping and that she would see her response.

She didn't need to wonder for very long though, as the familiar sound of rustling, coupled with something wet soon reached her ears. Guila, of course, was not looting the man's corpse with a smile. Quite the opposite, in fact. Her expression was twisted by trepidation and disgust.

But she needed clothes. She hoped with all her heart that the lockers contained the janitor's normal attire and that he had the key on his person. She'd take anything at all, as long as it was functional enough to cover her privates. Even better if she could find two jumpsuits for herself and Ariel.

She didn't want to be this exposed for much longer. Not with-

"...!?!?!"

She held her scream by biting on her lower lip, as a pair of several-inch long, spindly antennae peeked out of the corpse's mouth and twitched as her hands neared it.

Pulling away, she fell back on her rump and smeared her rear on the man's dried blood. But after the initial shock ran up her spine, she recovered and quickly swung her head left then right, up and down, desperately checking her surroundings with her one good eye.

Worried that something would leap onto her, and for good reason.

Everywhere she looked, were these segmented insects ranging from an inch long, to as large as her outstretched palm. On the floor, the ceiling, everywhere, they skittered with their antennae constantly twitching about. Earlier, she was able to calmly observe them with her scuffed eyes and grainy night vision, but only because they were so far away.

Yet now that they were surrounded by the grotesque things, which hid behind flower pots, pillars, gathered in the corners, or squeezed against the area where the floor and walls met? There was never a moment where she wasn't on edge. Even though the insects actively avoided them, that didn't change the fact that any one of the things could just fly and land directly on her skin!

Then who knows what the insects would do?! Even if she went back to get her dress and just held it together, they could just climb up her legs!

In such a situation, where her stomach constantly threatened to lurch, while her eye kept the creeping nightmare fresh in her mind, and her bare skin felt colder and more disgusting than ever before, Guila's stifled desperation was clear to even the sightless Ariel.

"I fear there's even more of them ahead, Guila." She whispered softly, while tightening her grip on a long, metal pipe with a piece of cloth wrapped around one end. "Shouldn't we head up, instead?"

"We can't…" Guila whispered back, as she wiped her sweat, making sure that she never closed her eyes for longer than a split second. "The only way off Serenity is down."

But she was right. More and more of the things were coming from below. Which was why they had to hurry up. Her gaze then returned to the corpse near her feet. The twitching antennae were still there, as if they were hooks and she was a fish.

"Ariel… come closer. There's something I want you to stab."

Ariel nodded with a barely-hidden, worried look on her face and her tail wrapped around her waist. Then she allowed Guila to line the cloth-covered end of her weapon with the corpse's mouth.

With a quiet grunt, it pierced right through.

The antennae twitched once, twice, and no more.

Guila noticed that the other insects nearby quickly disappeared from sight, but she chose not to dwell on it. The only thing that mattered was that she could search it without any more worry.

"Shit. He doesn't have any keys." Guila scowled, before she slowly placed the corpse back on the floor. "Okay, it'll make some noise, but you should be able to pierce through the locking mechanism."

"Come on, let's unwrap that-"

"Wait, Mistress." She placed her index finger in front of her lips, and Guila immediately pursed hers. The hairs of Ariel's ears and tail seemed to stand, and the sight of it, worried her even more.

What could've possibly-

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of something meaty getting dragged across the floor, carried by heavy, powerful steps.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

With every passing second, it got louder and louder, until they both heard the dripping and squelches made with every move by whatever this thing was.

Then, came the crying. The crying of a girl, younger than Ariel, most likely. It was a soft, defeated kind of cry. Barely audible. As if she no longer had the energy to keep on doing so. But it was there, and her voice was getting closer.

Closer.

Until finally, Guila saw it.

A massive, magnified version of the insects that surrounded them just a moment ago. It reached Ariel's waist in height and was longer than she was tall. The segments of its body were chipped and scratched, and underneath the armor-like structures, was porous flesh oozing with disgusting white mucus.

Ariel has been gagging since half a minute ago. But even while her body lurched back and forth, wanting nothing more than to hurl, she didn't let a single sound escape her. She grabbed her mouth with one hand and even deliberately smeared bile over nose to hide the stench.

The last thing Guila saw was the source of the crying.

She was right. It was a child.

A child covered in mucus, with her upper half extending from the tip of the creature's rear. Like she had been stuffed inside. That little girl was getting dragged across the floor, while the thing walked right past them.

It was only after the thudding completely disappeared, that Guila moved to aid Ariel, who was on her knees, with her stomach now truly emptied.