The Bracerian prisoners lay unconscious in a rough circle, while the Aquilan guards kept careful watch over them. They paced around the chamber while the echoes of screams and gunfire came from the hallway that ran past the entrance. The entire attack lasted barely half an hour, not even enough time to get to the hangar and mount a minimal resistance against the invasion. Everything seemed fuzzy, and his vision was a strange blue hue. It was an effort to think straight. Some sort of machinery hummed in the corner of the room. He stared at the closest guard, noticing the glowing tattoos and the large sword he held, until the guard noticed him and pushed him over almost gently.
‘The neural net doesn’t seem to work on this one as much as the others’ he remarked, pointing at Ka'el.
Another of the guards walked over warily and looked at the insignia on his suit. ‘He’s a commander, his implant must neutralize some of the effects of the net.’
‘They are implanted?’
‘The burden of a commander, they lack the skills to properly control their ships, and must rely on implants to augment their abilities’ he said scornfully. Another blast from down the corridor made the furniture shift slightly. He cocked his head slightly, as if listening to something. ‘Time to go, lets get out of this wretched place.’
‘Hunter, what about these Bracerians?’ one asked.
‘Kill them, use the net.’
One of the guards nodded and walked over to the machine they had brought with them and input the kill key. The mushroom shaped top grew incandescent, and a blinding pain struck Ka'el. The blue hue grew stronger until all he could see was blue, at which point the pain peaked and he passed out.