Forlorn Hope

**"Forlorn Hope"** is the fourth episode of *Part I: Darkened Heaven*, the first instalment of *Hyperspace: The Cosmic Gospel*. It was written on August 22nd 2021.

## Plot

*Launching a suicide mission, the crew of the* Unreliable *stock up on supplies at a remote station, where they encounter a potential new ally.*

## Synopsis

The *Unreliable* blasts through hyperspace, having escaped the Nexus moments before. The damage to the hull has worsened the balancing issues of the ship as well as damaged critical systems. Gerren switches the ship over to HIEdi's control and calls a meeting of the crew. Gerren explains that, when they approach the Amaranthine conduit, a brake-beam will be fired that will physically "pull" them out of hyperspace; however, the damage that the *Unreliable* sustained during its escape from Nexus Station has wiped out its inertia dampeners, meaning that, when the brake-beam reaches the *Unreliable*, the ship's speed will still be near that of hyperspace, which would, in his words, "turn all of them into a thin veneer of red mist".

Although little can be done, Gerren proposes that the three biogenics of the crew - Elijah, Alia and Kera - could theoretically create a large enough gravity field that would significantly dampen the inertia, potentially saving them. Despite Elijah being unsure that he is capable of producing such fields - due to an inability to summon his powers since Haven - he agrees, as does Alia, but Verandar refuses to allow her daughter to help them and reiterates that she and Kera will be leaving at the next safe settlement. Gerren politely says there could be nowhere safe for them, to which Verandar xenophobically insults him. Elijah breaks off their argument, saying that, for now, they are all in the same boat and Kera could be of great help. Despite her mother's protests, Kera agrees, though she too is unsure that she can generate such a field.

Alia leads Elijah down to the cargo deck, where she aims to instruct him to generate a gravity field. Elijah fails to summon his powers, let alone a gravity field, before Alia aruptly slaps him. When he looks at her in shock, she continues to strike him before punching him in the gut. In defence, Elijah yells, generating a massive telekinetic blast that throws Alia against the wall. Elijah immediately apologises, to which Alia says she is okay. She explains that Elijah's powers, for now, manifest only as a defence mechanism and that he can be trained to summon them at will. Alia reassures Elijah once more that she is fine and the two appear to have a moment. However, they are cut off when Hendrix summons them both, telling them they are approaching their destination and to prepare themselves.

The crew gathers on the command deck, where Gerren tells them that a brake-beam has locked onto their signal. The crew lock themselves in for the rough journey before Alia creates a small gravity field. Elijah tries to do the same but instead unleashes another telekinetic blast, knocking the ship off balance even further and causing the brake-beam lock-on to become even more tenuous. Alia instructs Elijah to focus, but in his blind panic his powers disappear once more. Alia strains herself to distribute the gravity field evenly throughout the ship, but the stress takes its toll on her and she begins to faint. Running out of options, Elijah sees the terror on the crew's faces, spurring him on to try once more. With just seconds left, the stress causes Elijah to finally generate a field, only far more powerful than Alia's. As the field grows in strength, Elijah's veins and nerves begin to glow purple, with even his eyes turning indigo. As the *Unreliable* collides with the brake-beam, the hyperspace construct around them disappears, and the ship is thrust back into realspace. The force sends everyone standing to the ground and shuts down the engines.

Elijah regains consciousness and asks if everyone is okay; everyone eventually responds that they are fine. When Alia recovers, she still holds a look of shock at Elijah's sudden surge of power. Their relief is broken short, however, when Gerren pulls their attention to the starboard view. The crew gathers to see what is happening, only to share a look of horror: below them is Amaranthine, its atmosphere darkened by soot and its surface engulfed in fire and destruction. Elijah realizes that the Scourge has already come and gone, and with Amaranthine fallen it won't be long until the rest of the galaxy is overrun. Forlorn, the crew prepares the *Unreliable* for the long journey to a space station and, eventually, to Sithniatt.

However, as they set off, HIEdi detects a sudden disruption in the local spacetime. On their port side, a tear opens in the fabric of spacetime, from which emerges a large, snake-like spacecraft that aims directly for them. With the engines only just primed, the *Unreliable* is barely able to dodge the craft's attack, but it quickly enters pursuit. Elijah shouts at Gerren to lightfold, while the craft disappears into another tear. Believing themselves to be safe, the crew is unexpectedly attacked by the mysterious craft once more, itself enveloped in a foldspace-like tunnel, allowing it to keep pace with the *Unreliable* at FTL speeds. The craft moves to attack the ship, but as it collides with foldspace it appears damaged and agonized and quickly disappears.

Alia navigates the ship out of foldspace and over to a nearby space station, Forlorn Hope, where Gerren brings the *Unreliable* into land. The crew pauses to collect their nerves and question what it was that attacked them. Alia theorizes that the craft is a form of Scourge technology sent by the Calculator to stop them getting to Sithniatt and discovering its secrets, to which Elijah reaffirms their committment that nothing will stop them. A bang on their airlock door brings them to attention and they go for their sidearms, alert. Hendrix remotely opens the airlock door to reveal a male shilt, who excitedly welcomes them to Forlorn Hope Station.

The shilt gives his all-name, Amphear, and gives them a short tour of the station and complains about his boss, Ockrahm, while doing so. When the crew finally meet Ockrahm, a gordyop, Amphear offers to look over their ship. Amphear, closely watched by Gerren, heads into the engineering room of the *Unreliable* and appears saddened by the sorry state of the vessel. Despite lingering tensions between their peoples, Gerren and Amphear have a conversation about Amphear's pressure suit; he explains that, even among his people, he is extraordinarily sensitive to atmospheric pressure and must remain in a nitrogren-rich environment at all times, and therefore he is permanently sealed inside of his suit. Amphear also reveals that he is on the traditional shilt pilgrimage, and he is forced to work for Ockrahm due to accruing a significant debt to him. Although hesitant, Amphear cryptically reveals to Gerren that Ockrahm deals in "illegal merchandise".

On the station itself, the rest of the crew spends their last few credits on fuel, food and other supplies for the long journey to Sithniatt. When they prepare to head back to the ship, Verandar keeps her daughter behind, saying that she and Kera are settling on the station until the rest of the galaxy has been secured. Elijah tries to argue that the *Unreliable* is likely the safest place for them, but Verandar yells that he nearly killed them both with his powers and that nobody is safe around him. Defeated and downtrodden, Elijah leads the others back to the ship. Gerren tries to warn the crew about Ockrahm but Elijah silences him, ordering him to pilot the ship. Despite fearing for Kera, Gerren does so and flies away from the station.

On the station, Kera and Verandar are supposedly led to their new quarters but instead are thrown into a cell, where Ockrahm plans to keep them until he can find a buyer for them. Kera telepathically reaches out to Gerren, who turns the *Unreliable* around and back to the station. He explains to the crew that he and Kera have been having telepathic conversations, forming a neural link between them. He finally reveals that Kera reminds him of his own daughter, who died when he crash landed a photon-class starship carrying refugees during the Commonwealth-Great Wall Cold War. Elijah agrees to head back to the station to rescue them, at which point Amphear reveals he has hidden away on the ship and offers to help them.

Amphear directs them to an airlock at the base of the station that has been sealed off for maintainence but should lead them to the cell where Kera and Verandar are being kept. Thanks to his link to Kera, Gerren is able to locate them with Amphear leading. Kera and Verandar are rescued, but Verandar accidentally sets off an alarm that alerts Ockrahm and his mercenaries of the rescue. Ockrahm and his mercenaries attack, but their shots are blocked by biogenic barriers generated by Alia and Elijah. A single shot is able to penetrate the barrier and Gerren jumps in front to protect Kera, wounding his arm. As the crew evacuates to the *Unreliable*, Elijah unleashes a telekinetic blast that damages the station and causes it to depressurize; Ockrahm and his mercenaries are unable to escape in time before suffocating. As the station begins to break down from the attack, the *Unreliable* detaches and fires off into space.

Verandar, grateful for Gerren's heroics, looks over his wound and says he should recover, and he returns to the cockpit. Amphear asks to join the crew on their journey; Elijah informs him that their quest is effectively a suicide mission to stop a genocidal race of monsters that can overwhelm worlds and could destroy civilization if it is not stopped, to which Amphear replies that anything is better than where he was.

On Nexus Station, Captain Young finishes erasing the digital footprint that he made when helping the *Unreliable* escape. He receives a cryptic message on his secure extranet account: "You have seen him. Have you reconsidered my offer?". Young notes that the message is signed "The Overseer".

## Trivia

* First appearance of Amphear
* First (and last) appearance of Ockrahm
* First mention of the Overseer
* This episode marks the first time that Elijah, Alia and Alyx have each killed a sapient creature, those being Ockrahm and his mercenaries
* This episode features the first direct references to the Commonwealth-Great Wall Cold War and the War of the Nomads