The invading vessels patrolled the skies of Clarion after the initial attack. Ground crews scoured the colony for survivors, spreading like a swarm across the mountains, taking prisoners or killing those who put up a fight. Aaron and the others had holed up in a mine among a small group of colonists. It was a few days before they had been captured, and taken up to one of the invading ships.

Aaron now found himself onboard one of the attack ships, pinned down by an energy field within a translucent tube, unable to move his limbs. He felt itchy in various spots where wires and tubes had been surgically implanted, most of them into his head. A large clear tube protruded from his abdomen. Red liquid flowed through another tube that penetrated into his chest on the left side. A tangle of metal wires extended from his skull to a panel on the inside of the tube enclosing his body.

He was centered in a large, ornately decorated chamber. Unable to move his head, with his vision obstructed by the entrapping tube, Aaron struggled to see what was happening. All around him, other tubes of prisoners were arranged in lines. Robed figures walked up and down the rows, checking panels, tapping on buttons. Intermittently, they would wheel a prisoner tube from the room.

"Aaron," a voice coming from a tube behind him -he recognized it as Ryan. "Aaron, you there?"

"I'm here."

"I'm scared man. What're they gonna do?"

"I don't know."

"Hey!" another voice from a few rows down—Cayden. "Don't worry guys. Hey Ryan."

"Hey."

"Did you know it's summer back on Earth?"

"Yes"

Aaron and Cayden laughed briefly, before the cold reality of their situation again took hold.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"I'll tell you later," Cayden answered, hoping he would have the chance.

One of the robed figures walked towards Aaron, pushing a wheeled viewscreen. He silently positioned the screen directly before Adel's capsule, and pressed a button.

The screen lit up with the face and torso of an elderly man, cloaked in a red and black robe. He looked into Aaron's eyes, speaking coldly and directly.

"You have been charged with crimes against God. The punishment for these crimes is eternal damnation. Unless you are forgiven for your sins, you will be excommunicated".

Aaron stared back for a moment, virtually paralyzed with a flood of emotions, and now suddenly face to face with one of the invaders. He didn't think about what to say.

"Eat Shit."

The old man on the screen smiled. "I'll see you in hell." He smirked.

The screen blinked off, and the robed attendant leaned to Aaron's capsule, flipping a large switch. A green liquid began to fill up around him. He felt cold spread through his body as the implanted tubes pumped unknown chemicals into his veins. He felt a sudden painful pinching in his skull. And then, as robed men wheeled his tube out of the chamber, the world became dark.

Aaron awoke to the pungent smell of sulfur. The capsule was gone. He found himself lying on a stone slab, sweating from the heat. The wires and tubes appeared to have been removed from his body. He quickly ran his fingers over the spots where they had been -there were no scars or marks. Flames licked up around the stone slab on which he laid, casting shadows on rock walls. The heat from below grew steadily more painful. As his eyes adjusted to the light, an enormous silhouetted figure came slowly into focus at the end of the stone slab. It leaned over him—a grinning, horned demon that looked straight into his eyes. Brandishing an enormous pitchfork.

"Welcome to Hell..."

****

"Captain Gaisler, the Excalibur has been tasked as envoy to the Catechumen."

"Thank you, General," Morgan replied through the communication console at his desk.

"The most direct route will take you through Alliance territory. They have agreed to permit access through their gates, provided you escort a research vessel, the Avalon, to an unexplored sector near Clarion. The coordinates will be provided to you. You are authorized to allow the Avalon access through Federation controlled gates for the escort."

Morgan nodded along as the General spoke. "A senior diplomat, Irene Lam, has been designated as official ambassador to the Catechumen. She will be joining you on board the Excalibur. Jorge Rutan, a compliance officer, has also been posted to the Excalibur. They both have their orders."

"And Captain?" Captain Sheldon asked.

"Yes?"

"I appreciate your concern for the people of Clarion. But there is a greater purpose being served here. Your orders are simple: make contact with the Catechumen, assess the threat, and leave on good terms. This is nota rescue mission."

"Understood."

"So I can trust you to carry out your orders to the letter?"

"Absolutely."