Foreshadow 3

Posted on Thu Apr 30th, 2026 @ 12:36am by Captain Marie Batel & Patin

1,314 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Beholder
Location: Celestial Temple / Space

"So Prophet of Chaos and Boom huh. Nice title, I can see why you were called that"

Before them the mist swirled once more revealing the Sunfire in an asteroid belt, a hidden warship nearby and a raider waiting in the wings. A black torpedo casing floated between the three of them, two people close to it in what appeared to be a struggle.

Patin’s grin came back slow, sharp at the edges, something bright and a little reckless flickering behind her eyes as she took in the torpedo, the ships, the timing. “Oh, that looks fun,” she said lightly, like they’d just stumbled onto a street performance instead of a powder keg. “They really do have a flair for drama.”

" Uhhh... is that what I think it is?" Marie gulped, realising she may very well be looking at her own body - why else would the Sunfire be close to a torpedo casing with warships nearby. "Can we do something?"

Patin rolled her shoulder, loosening into the moment like she was about to step onto a stage she knew by heart. “We’re not supposed to,” she said, the words carrying just enough emphasis to make it clear she didn’t particularly care. Her gaze lifted, deliberate, aware of the unseen audience pressing in from every direction.

“...but rules get flexible when outcomes get ugly.” She flicked her wrist. The scene stuttered. Just for a fraction of a second. Enough to feel it. Then it snapped back into motion like nothing had happened.

Patin’s smile widened, satisfaction settling in like a spark catching dry kindling. “They’re watching,” she murmured, almost pleased with herself. “Waiting to see if I behave.” She glanced sideways at Marie. “Good thing I’ve never been particularly good at that.”

She stepped forward, and the space responded, not yielding, but bending just enough to acknowledge her intent. The boundary was still there. It was always there. She could feel it pressing against her like the surface of deep water. Patin pushed anyway. “Stay close,” she said, voice dropping as her focus sharpened. “Let’s see how much they let us get away with.”

Marie fell in right behind Patin as though they were two teenagers sneaking out of the house, profiles so low that were almost transparent. Marie kept step, moving forward into the scene where the three ships were equidistant from the torpedo casing. "This is so weird..." Marie murmured as she saw a glimpse of her dead self within. She had a feeling she was about to get a lesson from the master.

Patin slowed as they crossed the threshold into the moment, the burn of bourbon still warm in her throat while everything else sharpened into something far more immediate. “Alright,” she said quietly, tone changing in a way that carried weight.

She angled her chin toward the torpedo, then past it, her gaze cutting between people, ships, positioning. “That raider’s holding position like it's waiting to strike. Warship’s too still, which means it’s waiting for a trigger, not reacting to one. And the Sunfire...” a flicker of something passed through her expression, brief, contained, “...is closer than it should be for comfort.”

She shifted her weight, circling a half-step, as she walked in space as though there were a floor to stand on. “Now factor in the casket. It's being used as bait.”

Patin glanced sideways at Marie, one brow lifting. “So. Given all that, tell me where the real problem sits.” Her hand lifted, palm open toward the torpedo, though she stopped just short of touching anything. “Remember, all we can do is adjust.”

Marie mused for a moment - taking in the picture, knowing time could be paused and she could take the opportunity to really think about it. Adjust...not interfere. So if all they could do was make minor adjustments, she had to make sure they would have just the right impact.

"Like how minor adjustments?"

A crooked smile returned, smaller this time, more self-aware. “Last time I tried this, I nudged the blast vector, just a wee bit. Fraction of a degree. Enough to turn a dead Rhenora into a live Nozzie.” She huffed a quiet breath, almost amused with herself. “Also might’ve slipped them some coats and stretched a few seconds where seconds didn’t technically exist.”

Her shoulders lifted in a half shrug. “Minor things.”

Patin looked back to Marie fully now, the weight of the moment settling into something sharper, more expectant. “So go on,” she said, gesturing lightly toward the unfolding scene. “If you can’t touch it... if you can’t stop it... Where do you nudge?” She was offering Marie the opportunity to 'creatively' help.

The 4 pieces in play remained frozen in time until on her whim time resumed. Marie drew closer to the torpedo, not looking inside but examining the scene around it. Her initial idea was simple, add a little oomph to a gravitational eddy that would make the casing drift closer to the Sunfire and thus quicker and easier for them to retrieve it.

Patin stepped back, allowing her space to observe nuance - that's were the devil was in the detail. Marie highlighted the spatial currents, showing them bright blue amongst the frozen scene. There was a weak one nearby - not currently powerful enough to move anything but micro asteroids very slowly. That could be useful.

There wasn't anything she could overly change with the Sunfire, or the other two ships - other than introducing maybe a glitch into their system, or a weapon's charge that would take a fraction longer. The key was in the torpedo placement.

The highlighted current magnified ever so slightly, and began to influence the objects around it.

"Careful not to tweak it too much. You never know if it might snap back, or effect some planet light years from here." Patin watched in wonder as the bodies of Dean and Baldric disappeared in a shimmer of light. A moment later the casket was latched onto by a tractor beam, passing through Marie as though she mattered very little.

"We can go forward and see what happens next, or go back and see who's behind this mess. Or if you want, we could see a hundred different variations of how it all plays out. That's the rub isn't it? No matter how things unfold, even with the power of Gods, we are still somehow, insignificant." Patin reflected.

Marie froze as the casing went straight through her, causing a shiver to travel up the spine that didn't really exist. "That's so weird" She commented to herself as the Sunfire retrieved its people as well as the torpedo. She wanted to see what happened next - but felt the pull as though they were being watched.

"They're watching us aren't they - to make sure you don't.... meddle as they call it"

Marie’s question pulled a quiet breath from Patin, something softer than her usual edge. “Sure they are,” she said, tone easy, almost conversational. “They’re curious. Always have been. Curious enough to watch everything... and just controlling enough to pretend they’re not.”

She shifted her stance, the faint blur at the edges of her form steadying, tightening, like she was choosing to be seen a little more clearly. “But it’s not just me they’re watching,” she added. “You’re new. Untested. That makes you interesting.”

Her mouth curved, slow and unmistakably mischievous. “They’re waiting,” Patin went on, her voice dipping just enough to feel like a shared secret, “for one of us to cross a line.”

She turned fully toward Marie now, that spark in her eyes catching, brightening into something far more dangerous than defiance alone. It was invitation. It was curiosity with teeth. “Wanna test them?”


TBC

 

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