An Obsidian Sky by Ewan Sinclair Page A

and
finally the others. The angels stood around us, their wings
outstretched, shielding us from some unimagined horror. They gave
off an aura of impossible kindness, of unrivalled benevolence. They
seemed to draw you towards them.
    Each was
slightly different in appearance but in reality all looked very
much the same. One of them, who was standing behind me, placed a
hand upon my shoulder. A burst of utter sorrow flowed from him and
into the very core of me. It shook my very soul. It was as if he
was trying to communicate his compassion with our situation. I
wondered how could this be an army when all I felt from them was
the very manifestation of love. I wanted one to hold me, to tell me
that everything would be okay. That there was no reason to fear the
night, for there would always be day. But instead the hand withdrew
and he settled protectively behind me. I knew that they would give
their all to protect us. Even Aeniah seemed awed by their
countenance, their mercy.
    She spoke with
a cracking voice. ‘Oh for the love of...Let’s just get on with this
shall we?’
    Blue Dawn
turned towards Aeniah. ‘I am unable to access my sensor gird beyond
this point. You should be prepared for anything. The Equinox
subjects should offer some limited protection but I would not
wholly rely upon it. Perhaps you would prefer something with a
little more explosive potential than that glorified pistol of
yours.’
    ‘I think that
this will be more than enough Dawn. Right then, open her up.’
    In front a
symbol flashed from red to green. The door sighed as it heaved
itself open. The view of the dock opened slowly before us. The
lights were low and everything had a faint blue tinge. By the
opening of the door lay several bodies. All bore the Eternis
Systems logo.
    ‘Oh no,’
gasped Aeniah. She rushed towards their bodies, checking them over.
The angels soundlessly filed out and made a protective circle
around her. Through the mass of gentle wings I could see Aeniah
pause by one body. A tear seemed to trickle from her eyes. Sean
floated and descended within the circle. He seemed to whisper
something to her. She touched his little frame with kindness and
rose confidently. She wiped something from her eye. I wondered if
it was a tear. With some effort she began to pace smartly towards
the vessel. I followed after her.
    The docks were
in a bad way. There were cracks about the glass that gave a
panoramic view from the docks into space. There were scorch marks
pitting the part of the dock closest to the ship. A few bodies lay
scattered around the ground between us and the vessel. We
cautiously stepped around them.
    Swiftly we
reached our destination at the umbilical which connected the
station to the ship. This was in an even worse condition than the
docks. The angels appeared to scan around the section listening
intently. I understood that they must be listening for the telltale
hiss of the environment being vented into space. It occurred to me
that this was a perception that I might not have had a couple of
weeks ago. But now my brain appeared to have been re-wired, many
things were beginning to make sense.
    Aeniah thumbed
a pad on her arm. A communication broadcast about us. ‘Knightly the
pressure doors are under lock-down, get them open.’
    Knightly’s
rather shaky voice became audible over the comms. ‘Yes Aeniah, the
security cordon about the vessel appears to have been quite
successful in keeping away the rebels. I don’t hear the sound of
explosives anymore.’ The angels had circles tightly around us. Each
one of us had protective arc. Blue Dawn looked distinctly
unimpressed by the damages made to her docks. Indeed she seemed
almost disappointed at the lack of a challenge so far.
    ‘I am not sure
about the reactor state,’ Knightly continued, ‘ship systems are
giving a denial of service on any attempts to check up on it. The
rest of the ship’s systems are responding normally, although
several reports of damage are coming