Voyager's Short Stories and One Shots

[Artyom Romanovich]

* I do not claim any characters referenced accidently or intentional nor their respective shows, games, books, etc.

Alphonso looked out one of several windows present in the hallway he was currently in. In the distance he could see the massive metropolis, Aurora, which cropped up around the Arctic Command Naval Base in recent times. It was an amazing feat considering their location and the fact that Aurora used to be a small town housing dozens of people just years ago. Yet instead of the awe that others felt at times, it served as a grim reminder for him personally.

The rapid growth of the former town was due to the massive amount of refugees flooding in from all over the world due to the abyssal war. A war which had begun years ago after the Abyssals struck humanity where it hurt, crippling them and preventing an immediate response. The abyssals had managed to conquer swathes of land in parts of Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, ensuring little to no survivors made it out.

But Humanity had managed to retaliate, eventually retaking lands in some areas while failing in others. And despite the rapid advancements made in technology, humanity was still no closer to winning the war than they were when they first retaliated. This was due to a couple of reasons, them being an unknown energy utilized by the abyssals and the large casualties that occurred every time they fought.

It was honestly demoralizing for many but a large part of humanity still held onto hope that they could win. And they could, but it would require for him to come clean after all these years. Humanity had been paying for the mistake he and several others made several years ago.

When he and a group of like minded individuals created a connection to another world without thinking about the consequences. It was out of simple curiosity and a desire to know more. They crossed over through the connection and explored but only discovered death wherever they went. The exploration team only found ruins of that world's humanity and so they searched for the cause.

They discovered why and much more. But at the same time, something found them. Only he and a couple others made it out alive. They proceeded to close the connection in order to prevent what hunted them from following them and dismantled the devices after all was said and done. After that, most of them chose to forget the ordeal entirely while others chose to study what they had learned. While it was too late for certain actions to be taken at this point, it didn't mean that there was no hope.

He began to walk towards his destination, the briefing room. He opened the door and entered it, heading for the center of the room.

Alphonso took a deep breath as he stood before everyone and readied himself. He looked around the packed room at his friends, colleagues, and superiors who had gathered here. What he was going to say would change how others looked at him however he didn't mind.

The people gathered here were some of the brightest people mankind had to offer and were in part why mankind had advanced so far in the last few years. They had enabled mankind to fight against their otherworldly aggressors even if they were still on the losing side. At the moment they were safe from the horrors of the war at the Arctic Command Base but that would eventually change. While they had advanced far, it hadn't been enough.

But with what had been taken from the other universe, humanity may have a chance.

"I welcome those who have gathered at my request. I apologize if this interrupted anything you might have planned for today but it is important. For I have answers to questions which have plagued us since the start of the war. I also have knowledge which could help us end this grueling stalemate we now find ourselves in.

The abyssals as you know have eluded us since the beginning of the war. We don't know much about them despite having fought for so many years. We don't know their origins, their purpose or what they even are. All we know is that they want the destruction of humanity.

However I and a couple others have known more than most. Afterall we created a connection to their world which led them to us despite closing it."

At that last sentence everyone but a select few and the soldiers standing guard exploded into outrage. It was understandable. Some even stood up and stared at him with anger or hatred. Yet before the situation could get out of hand…

Someone intervened. "Let the man talk."

Everyone paused and looked toward the source of the words. At the very back in front of the doorway was the Leader of both Arctic Command, The Navy and Aurora City.

It was Admiral Beowulf. Yet they did not see the normally cheerful persona of the good admiral they had come to know. Instead they felt a cold aura emit from him as he stared at Alphonso, eyes narrowed.

"The man has come before us in order to talk about the Abyssals. Let him talk."

And so Alphonso obliged.
—--------------------------
Admiral Beowulf sat behind his desk in his office, arms crossed and eyes gazing at the ceiling as he thought about the briefing. The information revealed by Alphonso shedded much light upon the origins of the Abyssals and gave them a way which they could potentially fight back without suffering as heavy losses as they had been. He would've felt astonishment about what he learned if it hadn't been drowned out by anger, shock, and a feeling of betrayal.

Alphonso Rodriguez was a close friend of his who he had trusted with utmost certainty until now. If it hadn't been for the war which had taken his sister then he would've undoubtedly become his brother-in-law. And to learn that the one he trusted, had known for his entire life, had caused this mess and was withholding critical information… It hurt.

However he also felt thankful that Alphonso had decided to divulge what he knew albeit it came far too late. If you considered the fact that the abyssals struck first as hard as they did, then they must have reopened a connection years before the abyssal war. Whatever help they may have had was now gone and so they must look for alternatives.

With the information they now had, several plans had quickly been drafted in order to find alternatives to the ships girls of the other world. He only had to decide which they would devote their resources to.

And he did.

 

[Artyom Romanovich]

A short one-shot I wrote in my free time featuring a short visit to a café . Admittedly it is not of the best quality but I hope you enjoy regardless and I would appreciate any feedback on what you think.

* I do not claim any characters referenced accidently or intentionally nor their respective shows, games, books, etc.
—--------------------------------

If you asked someone who had gone outside what the weather was like then they would say it's terrible. And it really was terrible. It was cold enough that any water that was outside during the night was frozen solid. Dark clouds loomed overhead as if something ominous was about to occur before it began to rain. And the town of New Orleans was nearly empty save for those who had to go to work on a Sunday.

Still it didn't bother Oliver who had decided to take a scenic walk through the barren town. He had gone to places he had been to as a kid and felt a sense of nostalgia .It was also rare for him to have a day off from work and he didn't have a family to spend time with so he decided to take a walk. Something he didn't do nowadays due to the heavy workload he was burdened with. And he had a strange itch that something was going to happen today.

Perhaps it was a figment of his imagination or something else but he didn't care since it only made him want to explore the town more.

It was then that he stopped walking when he found himself in front of a building. It was an old café that had been open for a decade or so and was being run by an old friend who had inherited it from his father. They hadn't really talked often since high school as they both were busy with work. Still he figured it might be open as he looked inside, something he probably shouldn't do as it could give someone the wrong idea.

The lights were on but he noticed it was empty with the exception of a sole employee. Since it was empty yet still open with an employee up front, his friend might be somewhere in the back. So he lightly pushed aside the door and was welcomed by a familiar bell.

The employee, a female he noted as got a close look, looked up from a book(?) and stared at him in surprise probably not expecting anyone to come in today. The person was honestly a strange sight but he didn't really pay too much attention as he approached and asked.

"Hello, is there a Mr. Beowulf here today?"

Her ears perked up at the name of his old friend and she promptly responded.
"No, he is currently on a business trip somewhere in Europe. Do you know Beowulf?"

"Ah, Yes. He is a friend of mine and it's honestly a shame he's not here. I was looking forward to talking to him." Sighed Oliver in disappointment.

'Since he isn't here, I might as well order a cream latte to take along before I leave'

"Could I have a cream latte."

"Sure."

She went to work preparing his latte as he sat down at a nearby table waiting for his order. He took a look around the establishment wondering if Beowulf had decided to renovate the place after he noticed how different the chairs and tables were from the last he ever visited.

Everything was different than the last time he came here. There were less tables and chairs yet they were of better quality too. The walls were also different and there were a series of paintings depicting events that one would typically see in fiction. And clearly they were works of art as he looked at them closer.

One painting depicted a massive medieval themed city surrounded by large walls.

Another depicted a scene which reminded him of the signing of the U.S. declaration of independence yet it had noticeable differences such as the style of clothing, the building they were in, and the people.

The Third painting depicted German soldiers fighting legions of monsters that gave him an eerie feeling.

He was about to move onto the fourth painting before he spotted the employee bringing him his coffee. It was the cream latte he had ordered in a disposable cup, with a straw.

"Here is your cream latte sir."

"Thank you miss..?"

"It's Intrepid."

He paused for a moment, registering the fact the employee was named after an Essex-class carrier. But regardless it was time to pay before he left.

"I.. see. How much will it be?"

She smiled probably knowing he made the connection yet there was else about that smile that seemed off. Though he promptly paid it no mind.

"Its Twenty Three Dollars." Intrepid said.

He grabbed his wallet from one of his pockets and took out twenty three dollars which he then handed to Intrepid. After that he left the establishment letting that visit fade from his mind as he enjoyed latte.

Afterall, some things are better left forgotten.