Life was looking up for the first time since the Stygibora attacked Earth and kidnapped a large portion of the populace. While still technically a prison, they had a home, and that was what mattered. After they first took over, several of the former human prisoners were concerned that orbital bombardments would bring this place to the ground, but apparently there were reasons the site was so well defended.
Jean leaned back into the padded chair he’d dragged out of the former commander's office and listened to the explanation as it was being given. From what he understood about the situation, this planetoid was never supposed to be a place for people to live. In reality, it was nothing more than an enormous chunk of space debris that had gotten caught in a gravity well as it passed through the system. If the Stygibora could be believed, it was the last gift from the Starborn before they abandoned their first creation to discover how to survive. The bald man didn’t trust the stories told about the Starborn--—marking them as nothing more than yet another religion that ruled over a piece of the cosmos—but one story in particular caught his interest, and he hoped it was true.
“Long ago, when light first cursed the universe with its vile touch, the Stygibora were born to a land of shallow waters and endless bounty. The progenitors, cursed be their name, had crafted this world as a mirror to their own. Where the Starborn had light, plasma, and energy inside their stars, the Stygibora lived in a world of shifting light, water, and never-ending change.” A Scaladorian guard spoke in a low voice, as if he was telling the deepest secrets of the cosmos.
“For many years, the Stygibora lived in peace with their creators. They hunted game created to push their physical prowess, learned crafts that pushed the limits of their attention to detail, and touched the face of philosophy. During this time, a great thinker expressed his belief that although the Starborn were superior physically and mentally, they were still prone to the same mistakes made by all living beings.
“One day, a creator came from the stars with questions on the nature of life and if they should continue spreading their benevolent gift across the stars. This question terrified their creations, for if they left, the Stygibora would have no direction. Life would be truly meaningless. Upon hearing this, the Starborn grew angry and collapsed two stars nearest the Stygiboran home world and cast them into darkness.” The guard recited, clearly having heard this story several times in the past. “Without light, the Stygibora were crippled, and their planet darkened and froze with passing time. Just before their last city fell to the cold, a comet composed of an unknown material struck the planet and infused its inhabitants with its gravitational power.
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“They changed. Their skin changed from a bright prismatic shine to a black darker than the space between stars. Light from any source burned the Stygibora, but in return they gained the ability to shape their bodies into whichever for the chose so long as they remained darkened. Millions of years went by, and the primitive life of their blackened home evolved into hunters capable of surviving the darkest nights. The plants evolved into luminescence, but the collapsed star pulled their light away from the planet like a thread.” In a way, the story was sad. Despite their corruption, they were the true victims and had become something twisted from the actions of uncaring gods.
“Eventually, Stygiboran technology grew past the limits of their planetary system. They broke free of their gravitational prison to find the stars in the wrong place, proving they’d been imprisoned for much longer than originally believed. Along the outer rim of their quadrant, they found planets made of a hyper light material created from the near constant exposure to concentrated light as it passed through the planets and into the black holes beyond. They named this material Gravitrum. With time and research, they discovered it had the ability to traverse the stars in seconds. Breaking all known laws of the universe, and folding space for the wielder.”
Jean lifted his head and tapped his metallic fingers against his arm rest. “Sounds to me like this resource is incredibly valuable. If I were them, I would certainly send an army to eliminate the rebels and reclaim my prize.”
“That’s because he hasn’t explained why they can’t attack.” Mik’t said, “The impact shockwaves from an orbital bombardment would destroy the element. The only way they can reasonably take the base is to come down here and take it in person. Luckily, our leader ordered the seizure of the planetary defenses, so if any craft gets close enough to drop troops will be shot out of the sky.”
Jean stood and approached a holographic interface that displayed the Narax and studied it closely. The old defensive platform was nearly autonomous, only requiring regular preventive maintenance. Most of the former Scaladorian guards had come to his side, and were now openly teaching human operators how to work on the equipment. Of all the captured aliens, only a few had rejected the proof of corruption.
“Lucky indeed. How long do we have until we can expect the first wave of replacement guards?”
“Sir, according to our records, we can expect the ship to be inbound within a week.” A human said from a desk in the corner of the room.
“Will our merry band of pirates be ready to intercept and capture the vessel?” Jean asked, touching the hologram and changing focus to the orbital station.
From a nearby table, Monique’s voice rang out with an opinion that was echoed across all the former prisoners. “With the Pirate King at our head, how can we lose?”
