Metal Fiction Series

If you'd like to read a more "traditional" top-down version, head over to @OmniReboot's @Vocal_Creators site: http://bit.ly/OMNIDNA 

----- That's it for this week's post. Comments welcome; replies will come from @MillisBrent.

"The time it takes for an orbital satellite to reach a position above us, and receive a relay." Deshel pointed out.

Unconcerned, Deshel continued, "The machine broadcasts every 109 hours, give or take.

A look of concern on her face, Priyanka touched Suen's arm. Suen shook it off violently and glared at Deshel.

Deshel craned his neck to see her, "If that's the Metal… If that's–" He thrust his chin at her console, "whatever's pinging us, yes."

"You recorded it?" Suen was visibly upset.

Priyanka shivered.

The language was Galactic Standard, yet alien in tone. It switched several more times in as many moments. Voices, noise, nothing...

Suen's mouth hung open in shock.

"What insanity is this?" Priyanka muttered.

It was breathless, one word flowing into the next in a ceaseless sermon, alternating between near-weeping tones and "righteous" anger.

"Come... I am here. Worship me and I shall bestow upon thee, power and protection. Come, and my fall shall be redeemed..."

It sputtered on for several moments before becoming something almost human…

Earsplitting squeals, verbal snatches, white noise, and frequency modulations wrestled, mixed, and then became a continuous throaty croak.

Once again, noise broke out across the tight confines of the bridge, leaping across aural tones and harmonics.

The scornful, tired look on Priyanka's face told Deshel she was listening. His fingers rushed over his console.

"Pree, please!" Urgency filled Deshel's plea. "Will you just listen to me? Just for a moment. Before we go digging anything up?"

"That's pretty close. We weren't too far off," Priyanka said, noting their accuracy.

Suen replied, "85 degrees west, about 300-odd meters."