ANDROMEDA: Journey of a Cursed Man

She got out of the bed in a matter of seconds and she dressed up. All the others aboard were still asleep, apart from the pilots and Agelaos. She tried to be as quiet as she could be in order not to wake the others sleeping. Kat made her way down the room trying to find the door's handle. It was really hard to be quiet in the same time as not being able to completely blind. "I still have two hours to sleep and instead of that I am walking around like a homeless blind woman" she thought when she stumbled on a desk.

She finally found the door and walked out of the room, into a corridor. "Why am I even bothering?" she asked herself before moving towards the cockpit. The corridor started spinning, and she felt a pain on her head. She kneeled and made a great effort not to scream, she just waited for the pain to fade away before she did anything else. Her sight became clearer and the pain retreated leaving her a moment to relax before she tried to stand up.

The nausea hadn't completely faded and the fatigue was bigger than ever; she could barely control her legs. The more steps she made the harder it got to keep going, that in after five steps her feet became heavy like lead and her muscles burned like she had gone through a burning building. "I can do this" she said to herself and stood back up. She didn't even know why she was trying so hard, or why she was in so much pain. All she knew was that she had to reach Agelaos and tell him what Alcatraz said to her.

She started to walk again towards the door, her heart was pumping like crazy and she felt adrenaline flowing through her veins. When she finally made it and opened the door to the Cockpit. "Thank god Corinthians have front seats in a battleship" she thought and went through the first door. The second one was an airlock, which meant that it was harder to open.

The airlock opened with a soft sound revealing Agelaos discussing with his generals. Before Kat could make a step she screamed from pain as she felt something cutting her back from her neck and across her spine. << Kat are you ok? >> Agelaos said and ran to her side to help her. << What happened? Why are you screaming like that? >> one of the generals interfered. << I can answer only one of the two questions >> Kat said and stood up. The pain was still on her back, but she had no choice than to ignore it as much as she could. << Then answer the question you know damn it!! >> The other general shouted. << I don't know why I am in pain, but I know something far more interesting; Alcatraz is on the station, along with hundreds of victims of an unknown epidemic >> she said and no one spoke.

Agelaos walked back to the war map and took a file from it. << What do you mean with the word 'epidemic'? >> he asked and opened the file. << We didn't have the time to chat >> she replied. << We? You and who else? >> he asked and gave the file to one of the generals. << Me and Alcatraz. He told me not to land until he contacts us, or the whole fleet will be gone >> she said and shat down on the floor, he back was killing her. << We can not base our strategy on some crazy human's dreams >> one of the generals shouted to Agelaos.

<< Shut up general. These two humans have saved my life and they have both gone through some very tough fights, so you are the last person to judge them >> Agelaos shouted back making the general stop. << You and I know that Alcatraz wouldn't lie about anything of that importance >> Kat said and let him think. << Gentlemen leave us alone please >> Agelaos said and the generals left the room.

<< Where did you see Alcatraz? >> he asked when the airlock closed. << I saw him in..... >> she couldn't finish the sentence as she had realized what Agelaos meant. << Do you think it is happening to me too? >> she asked terrified. << I suppose. It might have been transferred to you when you kissed him >> Agelaos said. << Why can't a woman love someone who is not being chased by an army or he is the source of a virus? >> she said and stood up. << This world is an unfair place, The nice fact is that both of you have made it out alive from all this bad luck you are talking about you. Don't worry, he knows how to keep himself safe >> Agelaos said trying to keep her calm.

<< You speak like you have been in his place >> she said. "I shouldn't have done that" she thought when she saw Agelaos's expression getting a little darker. << Yes I have been in his place and believe me he has much more to go through >> he said. << What makes you say that? >> she asked curiously. << He is cursed to get through the worse. But he has the strength to face it >> Agelaos said and took her hand, his 'paw' was soft and calmed her. << We should focus on other things right now >>.

<< Like what? >> she asked. << Like the fact that we still have a fleet to face before we reach him >>he said after a while. He went to the war map in the middle of the room and turned it on with a smooth move of his hand. A small light flashed and then a reconstruction of sector 6 and its surroundings; the facility was one of the largest space stations there had ever been constructed by human hands, around it like a wall there was an asteroid field. << That will not make this any easier >> she said, meaning the asteroids.

<< I will agree with you, it will make it difficult for them to go through but it will make it also hard for us >> he said trying to figure out what to do. << Wait, why do they have this colour? >> she said getting closer to the glass. << What colour? >> he asked confused.

<< Turn on the war map and enable field diagram >> she said. Agelaos turned and did what she told him. << What do you have in mind? >> he inquired. She didn't answer, instead she stared at the diagram that showed the asteroids a little different than they ought to be. << That's it, I found it! >> she said and zoomed in the map. Agelaos didn't understand what she had found out, but he listened. << The asteroids are positively charged with electricity >> she said while she was trying to calculate the distance between each asteroid.

<< Can you be more specific? >> he asked. << The central core of the facility draws all the electrons from the asteroids around it. This means that they are charged >> she made a pause to make another calculation and the continued. << If we throw negative charged mines on the Stygian ships, the asteroids will be drawn on them and eventually crash them >>. Agelaos raised his eyebrow, he seemed to be slightly proud. << That might work, I'll call the engineers to see if they can work it out. If this works, this battle will be ours >>. Kat walked out of the room the moment Agelaos's men were coming in. All she wanted right now was a good night's sleep and that was what she was going to get. She opened the door to her room, without caring if the others would awoken.

She laid on her bed, closed her eyes and enjoyed the complete inactivity of her body and the relaxation that it offered. "Everyone said that I am in heaven, I believe I am on the wrong side of it" she thought right before the ebony veil of sleep came and darkened her thoughts.

On the picture is the Stygian fleet.