Chapter 21: Ploy 02
Nigel, still sprawled on the floor, watched as Nova casually tossed the ornate hammer aside, her tentacles writhing and twisting with unrestrained power.
Tatyana, panting heavily, struggled to her feet, her eyes never leaving Nova, her grip tightening on the empty air where the hammer had been.
Bella, her laser rifle still trained on Nova, looked at Nigel, her eyes filled with a mix of concern and frustration. "Captain, we can't keep this up. She'll just keep... healing herself," she said, her voice tight. "We need a new strategy."
"It is the Celestial Engine, you see." Nova gloated with her chin held high, her eyes reflecting the purple glow of the shadowy energy emanating from her body. "The heart of the Titans Pillar, the very essence of its power, is mine to command. It flows through me, heals me, makes me... unstoppable." She extended her arms, the tentacles writhing and twisting in a grotesque display of power.
Nigel looked up at her, his mind racing. He had suspected as much, but hearing it from Nova herself, seeing the extent of her power, sent a chill down his spine.
He looked at his crew, their faces etched with determination, frustration, and fear. They were outmatched, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. But they weren't beaten. Not yet.
Nigel pushed himself to his feet, his expression stoic. "You're right, Nova," he acknowledged, his voice steady despite the turmoil within him. "The Engine's power is indeed remarkable. But it's not infinite. And it's not under your command. It's under mine."
Nova's eyes narrowed, her tentacles writhing in anticipation. "And what makes you think you can stop me, Nigel? You, and your kind, who have always been so weak?" Nova taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. She took a step forward, her tentacles squirming and stretching, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
It was at that moment Nova felt a gripping sensation, as if her tentacles were being pulled, tugged at, but not from inside the Titans Pillar. She looked around, confusion etched on her face, as she noticed the rest of the crew staring at her, their expressions a mix of shock and bewilderment.
"What's happening?" she growled, her tentacles writhing in confusion.
Nigel, his eyes gleaming with a newfound determination, stepped forward. "I told you, Nova. The Celestial Engine is mine to command. And I've commanded Lucas to pilot it into the invisible boundary of the Wandering Gate."
Nova's eyes widened in shock, her tentacles freezing mid-writhe. "The boundary of the Gate? You wouldn't dare," she hissed, her voice filled with a sudden uncertainty.
Nova was not alone in her shock. Bella, Tatyana, and Orlova exchanged glances, their expressions mirroring their confusion and concern. The boundary of a pristine Celestial Gate was harrowing enough, as the recent battle with The Lupus could attest. The Wandering Gate was a dangerous, unpredictable phenomenon, a rift in space-time that could deposit the Titans Pillar anywhere in the cosmos. Contacting its boundary could shred them into a fine stream or some fate worse than death.
Nigel, however, seemed unperturbed by their doubts. He stood tall, his voice steady. "I would, and I will. I've already given the order. Lucas is maneuvering us towards the boundary as we speak."
Nova's mouth was agape, her tentacles writhing in confusion. "You're bluffing, Nigel. You wouldn't risk your ship, your crew, just to get rid of me."
"Grayson, status." Nigel's voice echoed through the comms, his gaze locked onto Nova's. The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with anticipation.
Lucas' voice crackled through the comms, "Captain, we're approaching the boundary. And the tentacles, surrounding the ship, well, they're massive now. They have already made contact with the barrier. They seem to be... sticking to it..." Lucas remarked, his voice quizzical as it was tense. "We're not exactly equipped for this kind of maneuver, Captain."
Nigel's gaze didn't waver, his voice firm. "Hold course, Grayson. We need to buy some time."
Nova's eyes narrowed, her tentacles writhing in renewed fury. "You're playing a dangerous game, Nigel. The Wandering Gate is unpredictable. You could lose your ship, your crew, everything. While I... remain unscathed," Nova taunted, her voice laced with arrogance. She took a step forward, her tentacles stretching out, ready to ensnare Nigel.
Nigel stood his ground, his expression unreadable. "Perhaps, or perhaps you die with us. Either way, this ends, now," Nigel replied, his voice firm.
The flesh of Nova's human face turned bright red; her eyes surrounded by pooling tears, "You... fool! You would sacrifice your own to get rid of me? I thought you loved me, Nigel!" She cried out, her voice echoing off the cold metal walls of the Astrometrics Lab.
A wry smile grew on Nigel's face, "I do Nova. I do love you, as much as I expect you love me." he whispered in reply, with a look of knowing.
Nova closed her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek. It was a moment of meditation, reflection, of searching the cosmos for answers. As her head raised and her eyes opened, her expression changed from one of sadness to one of epiphany. She looked at Nigel, her eyes softening.
"I understand now, Nigel. I understand why you would do this. But I can't let you. I can't let you sacrifice yourself, your crew, your daughter, for me. For what I've become, because..." her soft voice was replaced by a distorted darkness, "This has been ordained."
With an almost incomprehensible speed, Nova, and her tentacles with her, vanished. The Astrometrics Lab was left in stunned silence, the only sound the soft hum of the ship's systems. Nigel, still standing, looked around at his crew, their faces mirroring his own shock and confusion.
"Where... where did she go?" Tatyana asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her grip on the empty air where the hammer had been finally releasing.
Nigel shook his head, his expression grave. "I suspect, hope that she has left the ship. Bjorn, Grayson, status on the tentacles." Nigel's voice cut through the tension, his gaze still scanning the empty space where Nova had been. The comms crackled to life, Bjorn's deep voice booming through.
"Captain, they're... they're gone. All of them. Just... vanished. Like they were never there." Bjorn's voice was filled with disbelief, his usual gruffness replaced with a hint of unease.
Grayson chimed in, his voice steady despite the circumstances, "Same here, Captain. The sensors aren't picking up any signs of them. It's like they just..." he paused, then his voice returned with renewed excitement, "Captain! They... her... Nova is outside of the ship, straddling the boundary."
"Back us away, slowly, Grayson. Give us some distance," Nigel ordered, his voice steady despite the surreal situation. "Bella, bring the outside of the ship up in Astrometrics."
Bella nodded, her fingers dancing over the controls. The main holo-screen flickered to life, displaying the exterior of the Titans Pillar. The image was grainy, the view distorted by the swirling energy of the Wandering Gate's boundary. But there, unmistakable, was Nova. She was... straddling the boundary, her tentacles writhing and twisting, seemingly stuck in the invisible barrier.
"Why isn't she being pulled in?" Tatyana asked, her voice high with curiosity, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Let's ask," Nigel replied.