The Citadel was under attack. 

The foul stench of the attacking Gargoyles wafted through the halls as Lieutenant Katherina Kobayashi sprinted through. The emergency backpack was already so heavy, but all the escape decks were compromised… except for this one. Katherina had to make it.

Still running, Katherina tapped a few times on her wrist watch, opening a holograph of the Citadel’s map. Only a few more hallways to go, and she’d be… gone. In one way, or another.

Gargoyles, named after those old Terra statues. Machines. Designed by the Eldritch, who were widely despised across the universes for being necromancers, thieves, and all sorts of hateful creatures. Rumor had it that the Gargoyles contained deceased Eldritch… which explained the smell.

The Gargoyles had attacked during 01:25 Citadel Time. They had broken into Bay 3, and started massacring. The Citadel was at its lowest defense… It was, from the enemy’s view, the perfect time to strike. 

They broke the Citadel’s reinforced walls, the steel windows. So much had been sealed off by the remaining crew to prevent the whole thing from imploding, leaving only one functional escape deck.

As Katherina took a left turn, she heard the horrible screech of a Gargoyle coming from the closed bay doors on her left. Katherina faltered when she heard the pleading of a young boy- most likely a trainee- but she steeled herself. If she intervened, she'd die, too. 

No sooner when she passed those doors, she heard a blood curdling scream. Katherina picked up the pace. This was no harder in training, right? The ten-league marathon last year was more taxing… 

Katherina was more resilient than Theseus Titanium. She’d survived the Citadel’s harsh training, her even harsher parents. If she couldn’t survive this, her past ten years happened all by miracles. 

She ran faster.

Katherina heard the screech of a gargoyle again, and the heavy, lumbering footsteps. She was being chased, but she can make it.

Katherina stumbled through the escape deck’s doors, just as soon as the creature’s claws grazed her leg. Katherina shrieked at the pain, and tripped over. 

She scampered back, towards one of the escape pod-plane’s doors. Trying not to gag at the smell, the Lieutenant fumbled for her gun, keeping her eyes focused on the monster. 

Her Citadel-specialty gun could only stun, albeit pretty painfully. It was no machine X-gun, but as Katherina took aim at the Gargoyle’s eyes, she thanked her lucky stars for it. 

Her leg burned, but Katherina was sure that it burned even more for the Gargoyle as her gun’s stun-ammo hit its mark. Taking advantage of the monster’s distraction, she threw herself into the pod-plane, quickly locking the door.

“Computer, set course to… to the planet Frey. Approach their primary military base and tell them that the Citadel has been invaded by the Eldritch,” Katherina instructed the dimly glowing interface of the pod-plane’s AI system, her hands scrabbling for the first-aid kit in her emergency backpack.

Gargoyle wounds were infectious, poisonous. Leaving it untreated for too long would be lethal.  Rolling up her pants leg, she unscrewed the bottle of chlorhexidine, and unceremoniously poured it all over her wound.

Katherina screamed in pain, with a few choice words that would give her commander an absolute stroke. …If they were even alive. 

Katherina quickly rubbed on some healing salve, and bandaged it up nice and tight.

The pod-plane softly whirred as it flew away from the crumbling Citadel.

“Estimated arrival time to Frey is thirty six hours,” The computer’s voice hummed.

Katherina pushed herself into the pilot’s seat, buckling herself in. She didn’t take her eyes off the Citadel. “Can it be done any faster? Can’t we warp?”

“Not advisable. High amounts of solar flares and space debris clutter our flight path.”

Katherina sighed. “Well, if you see an opportunity, take it. We need to get to Frey, as soon as possible. Life or death.”

“Understood, Lieutenant Kobayashi.”

Katherina stared out through the side window, watching the remnants of the Citadel give way to the endless void that was… space. 

She doesn’t allow herself to mourn.