werewolflht65
Exalted
Joined: 08 October 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 780
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| Posted: 08 May 2011 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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So, it seems I have been away for quite awhile, and I had this 500 or so odd word fan fic started, but never got around to finishing it. Until last week.
Being stuck without an internet connection is kinda like being without a cell phone in this modern age. After 2 days of remorse and withdraw, I opened the 'My Documents' folder, and began re-exploring my computer.
That's when I found this old GE story, only partially started, and crying for completion.
So, from last Saturday until Wednesday, I wrote, averaging about 3,000 words a day. I took a 500 word short story, and turned it into a 23,000 word, ready for the publisher mini novella... :)
So, here it is, complete with explanations at the bottom.
“And now for something a little different”
By Michael Keegan
Star date: 240711.15
Location: Outer fringe of Mechad-controlled space
Talia paced quietly back and forth in her quarters. They were rather Spartan, as far as shipboard accommodations usually go. But this WAS a Vektrean vessel and the Veks weren’t known for their accommodations.
She had drawn this billet from a local mercenary lottery while on leave on Ambrosia.
Ambrosia.
Known throughout the galaxy as the Vacation Planet, because of its many attractions that lured both military and civilians alike to its sprawling open air cities and domed pleasure sectors. Anything and everything could be had for a price on Ambrosia.
Talia, a humanoid tiger from the planet Vincennes, a distant colony from a different place and time, her people were the only survivors of a crashed generation ship. According to the remaining library cubes that still functioned, she had learned that their vessel had encountered some form of subspace anomaly, and wound up crash-landed on the world the locals of this side of the galaxy called Vincennes. Her people managed to scratch out a reasonable living as soldiers for hire, and were quickly recruited by the Vektreans, a human dominated society that lived as mercenaries, hiring out anything from a platoon of battle hardened marines all the way up to battle squadrons of starships. Talia, having volunteered as a child to be one of the first ones placed in suspended animation, knew about humans from her original home, and even though the Vektreans looked, and even acted human, she knew there were subtle differences between the ones she knew as humans, and these new humans.
For one, the humans she knew as a child lacked any semblance of honor, while the Vektreans seemed to ooze it from every fiber of their being. Sure, they were greedy bastards, and usually over-charged for all of their contracts, but they were some of the best tacticians and fleet strategists in known space. They could accomplish more with a heavy triad then any other race could with three times the ships.
So, when she reviewed the mission orders, she was a little taken aback. It wasn’t often that a race would contract the Veks to simply spy on someone else, but that is exactly what the Argonians had requested. Being an officer had been a minor blessing as far as Talia was concerned, because unlike the common merc grunt, she was privy to knowledge that would help her better plan for her future survival.
And the knowledge that she received last night was just a little bit disconcerting.
‘Spying on the Mechad?’ She thought to herself. ‘But why?’
The Mechad.
Not an entirely friendly race, considering 85% of the population were machines driven by a seemingly psychotic A.I. hell bent on dominating this part of the galaxy. The last war ended nearly a year ago, and required the combined might of the Corporate Forces and the Argonians, as well as an uneasy truce with the Bolaar pirates and Lone Wolf Indirigan tribe.
The battles were fierce and bloody, for both sides, but eventually with the timely arrival of three contracted Vektrean heavy triads, the battles began to turn back the Mechad advances. Within a year’s time, they had been beaten back to their original pre-aggression treaty borders. And that was when they sued for peace.
Weary from the battles, the Corps and Argonians quietly signed new accords with the Mechad Overseers, the organic creatures that were rarely seen except by spies on a few of their captive worlds, like Muckstra and Verkish I & II.
That was 8 months ago…
Talia sat down on the sparsely covered recliner in her small quarters, and pondered what the Mech’s could be up to that would warrant the Argonians sending in a spy ship. Shrugging after a few moments of deep contemplation, well, deep for her, she rose, stretched, and rummaged around in her duffel for some more of that great bubblegum she had bought on Ambrosia. Not sickly sweet like regular gum, just sweet enough for flavor, with this gum she could blow record setting bubbles, and she had always loved blowing big bubbles, despite the potential for a mess, considering her fur and a sudden large bubble pop. She had to have her face shaved only once as a child for her to learn when big was too big. But finding this remarkable product on Ambrosia, and paying nearly all of her leave money for the entire inventory the vendor had, some 1000 pieces, she realized she would be almost able to fill her whole cabin with one massive bubble. And with only 2 pieces at that!
Settling back into the recliner once more, she put out of her mind all thoughts of the Mechad, their mission, and everything else, and proceeded to make insanely huge bubbles.
Elsewhere…
Darya and Mitchell looked out at warped space, as the ‘Watcher’ slid across the stars at a mere warp two, careful not to exceed the safe cloaking speed the engineers from Corporate space had recommended when they fitted their ship with the latest Shroud device. Not only would it make them nearly invisible, but phasers would have next to no effect on them, so long as the shroud stayed active. They couldn’t take any offensive action while shrouded, but theirs was a passive mission, not an active one.
“I dunno Mitch,” Darya began, “But if the Argos are right, we’re supposed to see a whole new battle fleet of Mechs’ in the next sector. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to that.”
“Pre-combat jitters? Wow Darya, are you slowing’ down in your advancing years?” Mitch said with a chuckle as he let his gaze wonder off of his sensor display and across the short expanse between his console, Ops, to hers, Nav. She frowned.
“No, I just want to collect the bonus I’m due after this assignment, and make the final down payment installment on that converted freighter my uncle has waiting for me. 200 tons of cargo space AND cruiser grade shields and phasers to boot!”
“Yeah? You gonna have room for all of us? Mitch asked with a quirked eyebrow.
“Yep, I’ll need a great sensor man, and Tali can man the guns. She seems really good at it, considering.”
“Heck yeah, did you see her scores before we left? A fracking 98%! That’s just nuts! You’d think she lives in her turret, but I know she doesn’t. She’s just a natural. It must be nice to have something come so easy, considering it took me three tries to get accepted by Summer-sun and then 3 separate tests to get my Sensor credentials.”
“Well, even with natural talent, training and discipline will take you loads further. As a Vek Merc, she’s got all of it. And heck yeah, a 98% is damn near ungodly. If we live through this mission, don’t be surprised if she gets offered a senior ops position, or even better. After our run in with that rogue pirate last month, and her shooting skills, she’s got a better shot then anyone I know of making Captain before she hits 30.”
“How old is she? Any ideas? Her species is a strange one to me, albeit she’s kinda cute, once you get passed the fact that she’s an animal made humanoid.”
“I think she said she was 6, in their years. She looks 22 in ours, so she’d be 10 and a Captain if she keeps going…” A sensor alarm cuts Darya off mid speech, as Mitch throws a few switches and drops the ‘Watcher’ out of warp.
“Ok, I got a lock on something. Damn! Look at the size of that thing!” Mitch gasped, as Darya transferred the image from his scope to the main screen.
“Captain to the Bridge!” Darya announced across the 1mc.
Sitting in his quarters, Captain Andrew McHammond watched the video monitors. All Vektrean ships had installed in their berthing and crew staterooms, small hidden cameras, to warn the senior staff (Captain, XO and Department Heads) if there were any mutinous actions being perpetrated by any member of the junior staff or crew. What he was watching at this particular moment was his new chief tactical officer making a bubble gum bubble so large as to fill her small stateroom. She was also enjoying herself at the same time, and that was what had him so intrigued. She was anatomically similar to human females, with 2 breasts and vagina in the correct places. She had spoke of her people only once to him, that her race had been genetically engineered from both human DNA and an animal native to where she was from called a ‘tiger’. Her IQ and aptitude test scores were very high considering, and she had already mastered the Vektrean Command language as well as Argonian and the warbling whispers of the Tufor. She was studying the financial under-pinning’s of the Corporate Hegemony and was supposed to be studying advanced tactical symmetry, but here she was doodling with herself while blowing up an enormous bubblegum bubble. He had to pan the camera angle back as far as it would go just to see more than just her bubble. As an orgasm ripped through her, her bubble struck the corner of her desk, as all previous bubbles had, he recollected, during this same moment of ecstasy, and burst with a mildly loud ‘POP!”, sending shreds of the gum all over her cabin. As she lay there panting, it was all he could do not to just go to her cabin, explain how he felt about her, and see if she’d consider him mating material. But, before he could explore the idea any further, a summons came across the 1mc for him.
“Captain to the bridge!” Came Darya’s call, as he ran for the bridge. Up two decks, and passed CIC, and he was there, straightening his tunic as he entered. Taking his seat, he looked at the view screen and let out a shocked gasp.
“What in all the hells is THAT!?”
“Well, judging by its design, it’s definitely Mechad. But it’s easily twice the size of their last known battleship.” Darya said, as her passive scans examined the ship hanging in a space dock in lower orbit of Verkish I. Several patrol ships darted here and there around the massive ship, as tugs moved supply modules alongside and repair drones could be seen placing armor plate along the ship’s dorsal aft quarter. From all of her scans, Darya concluded that this ship would be finished in less than 3 hours, give or take an hour.
“Orders Captain?” Mitchell asked, as he brought ‘Watcher’ to a stop 30,000 kilometers from the space dock that housed the Mechad behemoth.
“Hold position here. Darya, prepare a COM. We need to let HQ know what we found.”
“Umm, not to counter you Cap, but if we launch a COM torp, those Mech’s will see us.” Darya pointed out, though McHammond was already smiling.
“This is why I picked you for my second Darya. You can read a bad situation and always have the correct answer.” Darya’s fluffy eyebrows shot up at the mention of being the Captain’s second. Her face then contorted into a massive Tuforian grin.
“Damn Cap, give a girl a heart attack why don’t you! When were you gonna post this new billet for me?”
“Don’t you check the morning roster e-mails? I posted it this morning.” He said with a smile. Sitting back in his command couch, he stared for a long moment at that ship just hanging there in its dry-dock. Mitch smiled to Darya who was still a little bit stunned.
“Hey, does this change your plans?” He whispered to her. She shook her head.
“Darya, move us back behind that small moon, the one in the distant orbit of Verkish I.”
“Aye sir.” She replied as she set about backing the ‘Watcher’ around Verkish Minor, the only moon in the Verkish binary to have an atmosphere, but life signs scans revealed no life forms higher then protoplasms.
“Ahh, I see now, use the moon to hide the COM torp launch, and then slip away in an opposite direction incase a patrol ship comes to investigate anyway.”
“Exactly. Is the torp ready Mitchell?”
“Message loaded and torp is ready Captain.”
“Very well, launch….NOW!” He ordered as the ship lurched as the COM torp left out of the rear of the ship, just above the shuttle bay. It scanned an area of space for only a moment, then went to high warp.
“Ok, take us back around Minor here, and head back to that dry dock. When we get to within 30k, then we can sit back and wait.”
“And to be painfully honest Cap, it’s that part that I hate the most.” Mitchell laughed.
“Overlord?” The enforcer on sensors asked.
“What is it?” The overlord responded testily.
“I picked up a signal, it was only there for a moment, then something went to high warp, according to scans, on the far side of Minor.”
“Dispatch War Cutter Ajax and Braxxis to investigate.”
“By your command, Overlord.” The enforcer respond eagerly, pressing several holo switches and transmitting something unintelligible to normal carbon based life. Two of the patrol ships that had been orbiting the dry dock moved off at high speed, heading for the far side of Verkish Minor…
“Damn. Another mess to clean up.” Talia mused to no one as she began the task of cleaning up another dead bubble. Strands of the stuff literally hung from all surfaces in her small cabin. They peeled easily from the wall and desk surfaces, but anything made of polyurethane or plastics, it stuck to with a vise-like attachment. Twice she had to use an engineering solvent to get it off of both her wall clock’s face and off of the small porthole window. Rolling the mess into a small ball, she tossed it into the waste recycler, hoping the machinery down in engineering could process the stuff. Stepping into her sonic shower, she quickly washed away the last vestiges of her huge bubble, as well as cleaning up from the orgasm that followed. Ten minutes later, she was quite the chipper kitty, and began dressing for her shift. Looking out the porthole told her they were no longer at warp, and were currently passing by a small moon.
‘Must be Verkish Minor.’ She thought to herself as she fastened the blaster pistol to her waist. That was when she spotted them. Two Mechad patrol corvettes circling Minor, and swinging in behind them. She noticed the Shroud was still engaged, but by the way these corvettes were moving, they acted as though they could SEE their ship.
“Damn! This is not good!” She yelled to no one as she darted from her cabin and made a beeline for her turret.
The ‘Watcher’ class of Vektrean Spy Cruisers was a relatively new design, an enlarged upgrade of the standard workhorse of the Vektrean Armada, the class 5 heavy cruiser. A larger shield generator, an additional phaser located rear for stern chaser duty and enhanced sensors and science instruments, the ‘Watcher’ was well suited for its role. It’s current load out consisted of dual triple mount turrets, each containing two phasers bracketing a single Bi-Tritium Boomerang, the preferred torpedo weapon of the Indirigan tribes. Fast as hell and hard hitting, the BTB was fast becoming the heavy weapon of choice for Vektrean ships throughout the area. Activating her wrist COM, Talia called the bridge.
“Darya! We got trouble, check six!” Came Talia’s cry over the bridge COM as Darya swung her scans to the rear, putting what she was seeing on the main screen. Two Mechad corvettes dead astern and closing fast.
“All stop! Let’s see if they really do see us.” The Captain ordered. Darya nodded and brought the ‘Watcher’ to a stop. Mitch looked over at her nervously, then turned back to the screen. She scanned the two corvettes and read power surges in their forward whip arrays.
“They’re energizing their whips Captain!”
“Dammit! Red alert, Defensive posture Echo Thirteen! Send word back to Command HQ via Subspace: Have been spotted, will try to break off, send help if available.”
“Message spooled and sent Captain. If they didn’t know we were here, they do now.”
Crawling through the pressure hatch and slamming it shut, Talia looked down the long shaft below her chair and saw Har-nee-nee, their ships other gunner and a Bolaar, climb into her seat and begin her systems check while strapping in.
“You up there Tali?” She called up the shaft that served as torpedo and power conduit feed for both turrets which sat just forward of warp engineering. The torp magazine sat directly below Tali and above Har-nee-nee.
“As if I wouldn’t be?”
“Well, after I walked in on you and got caught in that damned bubble of yours. You know I’m still finding that sh*t in my hair. Damn that thing was big!”
“Yeah, and if you had chimed me first, it would have filled the whole room too!” Talia replied with a lop-sided grin.
“Think I can get some of that stuff from you? I wanna try it, maybe see if I can fill my cabin too!”
“Sure, get with me after and I’ll give you some. Lord knows I got plenty to share.” Tali finished as the red alert klaxon sounded throughout the ship. Indexing her turret to the rear showed Talia the score: Two patrol ships angling for a shot at their stern. She also saw why they were able to see them; The doors that the COM Torp launched from hadn’t fully closed and were disrupting the Shroud.
“Damn! Turret one to Bridge, de-activate the Shroud! The COM Torp doors are still open!” She grunted as she began tracking the lead corvette, and, not waiting for the order to fire, lit him up. Twin red streaks of phased energy lanced out from her turret, followed closely by a torp, arching straight and true, the phasers removing the small ships shield, and despite it’s efforts to dodge, the torp finishing it off. Har-nee-nee’s shots crippled the second ship, only one of her phasers hitting but the torpedo managing to blow off the small ship’s engineering section, leaving the rest a wobbling obstacle in a slowly fading orbit of Verkish Minor.
“Yes! Nice shooting you two!” Darya exclaimed from her seat as the Captain slowly nodded.
“Plot us an escape course and make it fast Mitchell!” He ordered as Mitch’s hands flew across the controls, bringing the cruiser about and moving out system. Darya de-activated the flickering Shroud, setting off a chain of events no one could have predicted…
“Overlord! A Vektrean Spy ship just attacked and destroyed Ajax! Braxxis is sinking into Minor’s gravity well and will crash if not rescued soon.”
“Order the drones to move to assist Braxxis. Engineering? Make ready to get underway. Full power to dynamos, ahead one third on main drive. Charge forward whip arrays and arm the distortion cannons. We will teach these interlopers what it is we do to trespassers!”
“It shall be done, Overlord!”
“Oh damn, this isn’t good! That ship is powering up both of it’s forward whip arrays and its Distortion cannons! Captain we need to warp out NOW!”
“We can’t! I don’t have a stable course plotted. If we go to warp now, there’s a gas giant on the system’s edge we might just plow right through. I’m plotting as fast as I can, just fly the damn ship Dar!” Mitch yelled back.
“Damn! That’s one big damn Sonuvab*t$h!” Har-nee-nee shouted up to Talia. Tali only grunted, watching the huge Mechad as it dumped power into it’s EMF network. Quickly, she activated her turrets tiny scanners and what she found made her eyebrows shoot up.
“Har, check these readings. Class 18 EMFs? This thing’s a monster!”
“Class 18? That means this ship is as big and powerful as an Argo battlewagon. Class 9. Holy sh*t Talia, what did we sign ourselves onto here?”
“I dunno Har, but I can tell you this, all we’ll do is piss it off if we start shooting at it. I hope Mitch warps us out soon, before it comes into range. I’m reading 9 whip arrays, 2 distortion cannons and 2 transwarp torpedo launchers, all of which are pointing at US!”
“Course laid in Captain!” Mitch yelled over the whine of power racing into the warp field generators.
“Engage!”
But just as Mitch moved his fingers to send them into warp, the massive Mechad ship fired its distortion cannons. A shockwave through sub-space, distortion cannons rip through anything and everything in an area of space, through the very fabric of reality itself. Shields fail, structures take damage based on how massive they are, the more massive the more damage, yet a person caught outside would feel only a mild nausea sensation.
The blast of energy ripped ‘Watcher’s shields apart, slamming the ship sideways and frying the warp controls. Darya gritted her teeth as she tried to bring the tumbling and spinning cruiser back onto an even keel, as both the Captain and Mitch fought to hold down their respective lunches.
Talia heard a bang then a cry of pain before the emergency blast doors sealed off her turret from the magazine and from Har-nee-nee’s turret. Looking down through the window in the door, all she saw on the other side was green.
The color of Bolaar blood…
“HAR!”
“Damn, gotta control this roll!” Darya said through gritted teeth as she finally got ‘Watcher’ back on an even keel. Mitch read off the damaged systems as Darya got them moving again, but now only at half speed. The damaged ship just wouldn’t go any faster. As the Mechad Juggernaught closed the range, all of it’s forward whips fired, some 6 cannons in all, destroying the ‘Watcher’s engines and most of everything else in the engineering section and bringing the vessel to a stop. Only a sudden burst from the lateral thrusters, one of Darya’s trademark dodges, saved them from total destruction.
Talia smacked the armrests of her gunnery chair, releasing the safety harness and scrambling down the tunnel towards the blast doors that separated her from Har-nee-nee’s turret. When she arrived however, all she saw through the window, other then a smear of rapidly boiling green blood, was stars…
“Enforcer, grapple that ship, send drones aboard to round up any surviving biologics, and return us to the dry-dock.”
“By your command, Overlord!”
Mechad security drones launched from two ports along the huge ship’s starboard side, 20 in all, and shot across space toward the crippled ‘Watcher’. Captain McHammond watched helplessly as the robotic boarding party arrived at his ship and began cutting their way inside, coming in through a portion of the cargo bay.
“If anyone is still alive, we’re being boarded. Lay down your weapons. Hopefully Central HQ will be able to barter for our release.” The Captain said over the 1mc, as Talia shed silent tears for her lost friend of 2 years and 6 tours.
“May the stars see you to a better place Har, and hopefully I’ll see you soon.” She said as she stroked the pressure door’s window. Pulling her blaster, she checked the charge, looked to see if she had extra charged cells, then climbed up to the egress hatch and made her way to the armory. There, she met Boone, the only other Tig on board.
Boone Grifin was part of the same wrecked generation ship as Talia, but he was a full class older then she. Now a full Commander, his job aboard ship was that of two roles: Chief of Security and Chief Medical. Talia used to joke that Boone was the only member of the crew that could both take you apart in hand to hand combat, then put you back together again. He appreciated her levity, but never asked anything of her, even though she had offered on many occasions.
“Did we get off an SoS before we got our asses handed to us?” She asked as she pulled her preferred rifle from the rack, an Indirigan heavy particle beam rifle. He checked her power cells, then handed her three more.
“Still using that power-hungry ole whore I see?” He commented with a smile. She grinned like a fool at him.
“Last time I checked, combat drones have a 30cm armored chest plate protecting their brains. You’re not gonna get through that with a blast pistol.”
“I was just pointing out that we have better and newer weapons.”
“Oh, like what? And before you start handing out fusion guns, remember, the objective here is to save OUR ship, not fill it full of more holes.”
“Hey, who’s the master at arms here? I have better on my shelves nowadays kitty.”
“Oh? Like what?” She challenged as he reached up, pulled a rifle off the walls that Talia thought for sure was a Tuforian laser rifle.
“EMP gun, meet Talia. Talia, meet the latest in Mechad-chewing tech, designed by your friends and mine, the Time Knights.”
Time Knights.
Humanoid beings locked in a deathly struggle to control the correct and current flow of time, theirs was the cutting edge of tech. The EMP gun was only useful against small vehicles and of course, Mechad combat drones.
Talia hefted the weapon, and found it to be rather lightweight. Lifting it to her shoulder, she swept it from side to side, then slung it.
“Ok, I’ll give it a try. But me and Ole Bess here will try our luck first.”
“Suit yourself or shoot yourself, preferably not in the foot though.” He said with a grin. Taking point, he moved forward toward the cargo bay, and where internal sensors said they were being boarded.
Captain McHammond looked at Darya and Mitchell. Both were scared, he knew, but neither of them betrayed how they felt, not in their demeanor or in their actions. Both sat at their stations, waiting for the drones to come for them.
“Where’s Boone and Talia?” Mitchell asked Darya, who then pulled up the internal security feeds. After several dead screens and a few views of deserted corridors, she found them, just outside of the cargo bay. The Captain saw how they were armed and didn’t look happy.
“I ordered everyone to stand down Boone!” he shouted over the 1mc.
“Sorry Cap, not my style. Be sure to mention in your final report that I disobeyed you to save the ship, k?” Boone said as he hit the stud that would cycle the cargo bay outer airlock door. It opened with a hiss.
“And what about you Talia, are you going to throw away your career, just to defend a wrecked ship?”
“Last time I checked Cap, this was YOUR ship. So get your ass down here, stop feeling sorry for yourself and give us a hand. That goes for you two as well, Darya.” She said as she stepped through the airlock and into a firefight.
Fifteen combat drones had already come through the force-field reinforced hole they had cut in the bay doors, and had taken up positions around the various resupply crates in the cargo hold for cover. Their barrel shaped builds, with two utility arms and a Gatling phaser mounted on their right shoulders, with a small gravitational unit mounted at the bottom for lift and propulsion. Their heads were designed for ultimate shock value, a skull with glowing red eyes and a mouth lined with jagged teeth and two fangs. The unit closest to Talia wouldn’t have to worry about it’s head unit any longer, as she and Ole Bess removed it with one well placed shot. The unit then crashed to the floor.
“Nice shootin kid!” Came Boone’s voice from off to her right, as his shot knocked three of the units cleanly out of the fight, the EMP blast shorting out their internal circuits.
“Nice! Let me try my luck then.” Talia quipped, dropping her rifle and unslinging the EMP gun.
“I need to warn you, it takes about 10 seconds between shots to recharge, and with the internal battery pack, you only get 3 shots, so make them count!” Boone shouted over the whine of Gatling phasers, as the drones sensing resistance, began blasting everything in the bay, attempting to destroy any obvious cover items. He leaned out from his position behind some spares crates and squeezed off a shot that caught 4 of the drones as they were about to blast his position. All four dropped to the deck, smoking. Talia smiled, then had an idea.
Darya, Mitch and the Captain all watched the main screen as Talia and Boone engaged the drones. First, one lost it’s head to Ole Bess, then three fell to the floor, smoldering internally from Boone’s first shot. Talia unslung her EMP rifle and before she could draw a bead, Boone’s second blast dropped 4 more that revealed themselves, trying to shoot his position. Then, as if she’d lost all control of rational thought, Talia leapt from cover and ran diagonally across the bay toward the far forward corner opposite the hole they had made when they began their boarding action. Seven drones arrayed themselves in an attempt to get a lock on the sexy tigress, and in doing so gave Boone one helluva shot. After doing a quick 1-2 count, he fired his last blast, catching 6 of the seven as Talia did a cartwheel into and over a crate of prepackaged food, landing in a sliding crouch, and bringing her gun up. The seventh drone, along with the last one that had just come through the hole in the doors were nearly side by side when Talia leaned out from cover and pulled the trigger.
All she heard and felt however was a time freezing ‘CLICK!’…
‘Oh crap, I forgot to tell her about the safety!’ Boone thought quickly as both drones aimed their Gatling’s at the defenseless tigress. Jumping from cover, he jumped up and down, screaming at them.
“Over here you stupid tin cans! Yeah, right here!” He yelled, throwing his now discharged gun at the one closest to him. It hit the drone a glancing blow, and both turned toward him, aligning their Gatling’s on his chest.
‘Figure that gun out fast lil kitty, or you’ll be sponging me off the floor.’ He thought, as the targeting lasers stopped over his heart. There was a moment of dead silence, then a pair of blasts that sounded a lot like a Kurita. Both drones dropped to the steel deck, holes blown through their chests by a pair of fusion gun blasts. Looking to her left, and Boone looking behind him revealed a mortally wounded Har-nee-nee holding a Kurita, and Mitchell holding another, helping Har to stand. She then sank to her knees, dropping the heavy rifle. Talia ran to her friend, as Boone moved over to her, and began assessing her injuries.
“HAR!” Talia yelled as she slid to a stop, kneeling beside her friend, careful not to touch or interfere with Boone as he looked her over and began trying to save her. She coughed and nearly a lung-full of green blood came out of her mouth. Blood was leaking from around her eyes, and both of her ears were bleeding. A piece of metal the size of a 9 iron was sticking out of her left side, and her left arm hung limply at her side. Darya ran in a moment later with one of the two full med kits the ship carried.
“Hurts…like…hell.” She said as she again coughed up a small stream of blood. Boone shushed her as Talia cradled her head in her lap, trying not to come undone, as tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on Har-nee-nee’s forehead.
“Oh, for…future reference…You can’t…breathe…outside, heh.” She coughed, then lay still. Boone checked her hearts beat, and nodded to Darya. She set down the med kit and tore the sleeve on Har’s right arm, inserting the I.V. and began the drip of whole Bolaar blood. Talia bent over and kissed her on the forehead. She was still trying to get a grip when Boone placed his left hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, help me get her to the gig, it has a med table inside. Darya, you and Mitchell gather as much of the survival gear you can salvage. Captain! I need your access codes to unlock the Gig’s controls!” He called out over his COM, and was rewarded with a much closer response.
“I’m right here, Mr. Grifin, no need to yell.” He said with a grin, holding two packs of emergency gear and handing them to Mitchell, who took them and headed for the gig, which sat slung to the bottom of the ‘Watcher’ for planetary missions, since the ‘Watcher’, like most Vek ships, couldn’t fly in an atmosphere. Talia and Boone carried Har into the gig, and laid her on the med table which began treating her injuries. It gave two green lights, indicating that not only was it’s patient stable, but that the patient would survive.
“I thought for sure she was dead, considering her turret’s not even there anymore.” Talia said to Boone, as she gently stroked Har’s cheek. Boone looked at the way Talia was behaving and asked a question he felt he should have waited to phrase better.
“Are you two lovers?” he said, really wishing he had waited for a better time, or at least to thoroughly think it through. She turned to him, and shook her head with a confused look on her face.
“Why would you think that? We’ve been through 6 campaigns together. We’re almost like sisters. Believe me, when I want sex, it’s with a guy.” She said, setting him straight, as Darya and Mitchell brought in the last of the salvageable supplies, and dropping a duffel next to Talia.
“Figured you’d just about die if we didn’t get you your gum, silly kitty.” Darya said with a grin. Talia hugged her.
“Is this everyone?” Captain McHammond asked.
“Yeppers Skipper, there’s just nothing left of engineering. Krauss and his team are just gone.” Mitchell replied, looking first to the floor then to Darya. She looked sad, but put it behind her as she took the co-pilot’s seat beside the Captain.
“Ok, take your seats. Hopefully the ride down to Minor will be less bumpy then the last hour or so.”
“Charges are set and primed Skipper, I’ll blow the ship on your say so. At least it may buy us some cover.” Darya said as she lined the small craft up for a simple glide approach to Verkish Minor.
“Do it.” He said, a little reservation in his tone, knowing that even though he was losing his command, it was to hopefully save his crew. Those that survived at least. Darya hit the button on the detonator, and the ‘Watcher’, Hull number CS-685, detonated in a matter/anti-matter explosion. They were already hitting atmosphere when the shockwave reached them, adding a few more bounces to the re-entry.
“Overlord? We lost contact with the drones, and the biologics have self destructed their ship. I scan no survivors among them or our drones.”
“Very well. Continue outfitting and once we’re back in the docks, finish final assembly. We may have company soon. Send word to High Command, request assistance from Overlord Twelve’s task force.”
“By your command, Overlord.”
Verkish Minor, while having a breathable atmosphere, was still a cold place to call home, even if for a short time. Day time temperatures spiked at 10 degrees (F), while the night time temps dropped as low as -40. The wind howled every night, and was just very breezy during the day while the crew set up their survival shelter. Talia had spotted a ravine with a cliff face overhang that would hopefully shield them from the Mechad scanners and over flights of patrol ships. The gig had a small phaser, but it was no match even for a corvette. Until Har-nee-nee finished healing, she was the only occupant of the gig, everyone else occupying the single survival shelter. It’s small heater struggled to keep the inside above freezing, and closeness was the order of the day. Darya objected to having to sleep with someone, but Talia simply pointed out that unlike her, Darya’s fur was more for show then to keep her warm. She had agreed with her after shivering her way through the first night. The next night, she pulled Mitchell close, who had been snuggling with Talia the night before. He hugged her, kissing the tip of her nose, and whispered into her ear how he REALLY felt about her. Talia was stuck with the Captain and Boone, and with Boone’s help, made the Captain the meat in a furry sandwich. He too told Talia how he felt about her, but she rejected him flatly. Not because he was Vektrean, but because she didn’t want to muddy up her performance evals by sleeping with the boss. He had shrugged and rolled over, running it through his head a number of times, and deciding (correctly) that she had a valid point, and let the matter drop. He did however enjoy cuddling with her for warmth, coping a feel only once. She growled at him, and he quickly moved his hands from her backside.
48 hours prior, before the ‘Watcher’s destruction
Admiral Noguma sat at his desk reading over the latest intel from all of the spy ships in his flotilla. A Senior Admiral, and a former resident of Vincennes, the Vektreans knew greatness when they saw it, and he didn’t disappoint. In his 15 years with the Vektrean Mercenaries, he served with pride and distinction, and that service was very rewarding. Now in command of not only a heavy triad but an Asteroid Star base and a flotilla of some of best spy cruisers in the whole of Vektrean fleet, he was the very embodiment of honorable service.
As he paged through the last report, his aide chimed in on his desk COM.
“Admiral! We have a priority one encoded transmission from the ‘Watcher’!” His eyebrows shot up at the mention of his daughter’s ship.
“Understood. Pipe it through to my screen.”
“That’s not all sir. A COM torp just arrived, also from the ‘Watcher’. We’re currently downloading the data stored within. Should we bring the drives directly to you?”
“Yes, see to it personally Drake.”
“Aye Admiral, message is on your screen.” And his aide closed the circuit. Turning his monitor to face him, he activated the coded message, going through the security precautions of a bio scan and then a retinal scan. The message then played. It was very brief, but the tone in which it was recorded told Horatio Noguma all he needed to: His little girl was in trouble!
“Have been spotted, will try to break off, send help if available!”
“Lieutenant Drake, report!” he bellowed across the station’s COM. A few moments passed, then Drake walked into his office carrying a small disk. He handed it over to the Admiral, who inserted it into his computer’s reader drive. But as he turned to leave, Noguma said, “No, stay. You’ll need to see this too.”
“Aye sir.” Noguma then moved the files in question and started the video file, changing the image location from his desk to the wall monitor. What they saw took both of their breaths away.
“My god Admiral, look at the size of that thing!” As Noguma grunted something in his native tongue, but his mind was already plotting what he would need to deal with something this size.
“The Argonians are gonna have a fit when they see this footage. Any word on the ‘Watcher’?”
“Aye Admiral, though you won’t like it. We received a computerized burst transmission, the kind that the computer sends before the self destruct system is finalized. No counter message was recorded or received by us.” Fear flashed across Noguma’s features though Drake missed it. He composed himself before speaking.
“Prepare the triad for departure. Contact Fleet Command and apprise them of the situation. Also, contact Ambassador Cumulus, advise her as well. See if she can spare any heavy units. We need to deal with this thing before the Mech’s can get it into the field. Or build anymore.”
“Aye aye Admiral! The triad will be ready for departure in 20!” Drake responded, turning and running from the Admiral’s office. Rising, he adjusted his tunic then made his way to his flagship, the Vektrean Dreadnought ‘Impervious’. Combined with the carrier ‘Contract Royale’ and the battle cruiser ‘Galant Victory’, his Triad was fearsome indeed. Only Sector Admiral Winchester fielded a heavier group, consisting of three DNs.
Three hours later, cruising at warp 7
“Tight beam message from Argonian High Command Admiral!” Came a call from across the mighty ship’s flag bridge.
“On screen.”
Ambassador Cumulus’ head and shoulders appeared on the main screen. She smiled to him warmly.
“Ambassador.” He nodded curtly.
“Admiral, I have a task force enroute to the Verkish system. ETA puts it there in 33 hours. What’s your ETA?”
“30 hours at our current speed, but I’ll slow my force so we can arrive more or less at the same time.” ‘The hell I will, my little girl is out there somewhere.’ He fumed to himself.
“Understood Admiral. Good hunting.” And with that the connection terminated.
“Admiral, should I slow the task force?” Drake asked.
“Negative. Maintain course and speed. I’ll be in my ready room.”
“Aye Admiral.”
Activating his COM system, Noguma contacted Captain Hayes on the carrier. He needed to formulate a battle strategy, knowing full well that that Mechad wouldn’t be alone when they arrived.
“Captain Hayes here. What can I do for you Admiral?”
“George, we need to plan. We’re gonna get there 3 hours ahead of the Argonian Force. That ship the Mech’s have won’t be alone. I’m betting they’ll have at least a full battle group in-system by the time we arrive.”
“Understood. You have a plan then?” Captain Hayes asked cautiously.
“What I want you to do, is launch all of your birds, then get the hell out of Verkish. Make sure they have a maxed load out of ordinance. And I do mean, launch EVERYTHING, including your SAR craft. Have them stand off and only come in if called on.
“Any place in particular you want me to park ‘Royale’?”
“Pick a nice marker star nearby. I’ll send you a call when everything’s secure. If you don’t hear from us within 12 hours, assume the worst, and RTB.”
“Understood sir. Good luck, and good hunting.” Closing the COM, Noguma placed a new call.
An older woman’s face appeared on the screen. She wore the uniform of a Fleet Admiral, the only rank above Senior Admiral, but under Galaxy Commander.
“Ahh, Admiral Noguma, nice to see you again. It’s been awhile. I still owe you a bottle of something for that timely intervention out near Bolaar space.”
“In the past, Elan. How far away is your battle group from Verkish?” he asked, looking at her soft lines and barely held in check bosom. She scratched her chin, the claw on her left finger pulling a few loose strands of orange and black fur from under her chin. Absently she flicked her claw free of the hair and looked Noguma in the eyes.
“If we push it, I can have my group there in little over a day. Call it 36 hours. Why?”
“Leave your tenders and resupply ships behind. Just your warships. How long then?”
“Will you tell me what this is about first? Why am I running off to meet you in Mechad Space? That’s a helluva place to enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company, don’t you think?”
“The ‘Watcher’ was lost in action. No word on any survivors.”
Elan Drena Noguma sat down heavily into her wardroom chair with that last statement. The ‘Watcher’ was the last posting of their only child together, Talia. Their’s wasn’t a life that was meant to be spent together, but they worked it out for the benefit of their only child. Quickly, she put the morbid thoughts from her mind, and did the hard calculations.
“What’s there?” She asked mid calculations. Horatio uploaded both messages to her COM line.
“My god! Are you on your way there now?” He simply nodded.
“William! Report to the wardroom on the double!” She called out to the 1mc system. Within 30 seconds, her exec, Lt.Cmdr William Perry ran into the wardroom.
“You called Admiral?” He began, then the image on the main view screen in the room caught his eye. His jaw dropped.
“Break up the task force. Have all the support ships along with all the lesser escorts, destroyers and smaller, stay behind to guard the support vessels. Everyone else, form on us, Maximum warp to Verkish.”
“Aye aye Admiral!” Perry said as he ran from the wardroom.
“With just my battle line, we can be there in right around 31 hours. Give or take 30 minutes.”
“See you there.” Noguma said, and signed off.
Elan sat back in her chair, wishing she had had more time to tell her little girl how she really felt. Burying her head in her hands, she cried very softly…
Staring intently up through the cloudless night sky, Talia, bundled heavily to ward off the cold, stood and studied the sky through the portable telescope she found in one of the survival cases. As she watched, almost a dozen ships dropped out of warp just outside of Minor’s gravity well. Only one was super imposed against Verkish I: It was a Mechad battleship!
“Man, if this is a heavy task force, I hope Command sends really big stuff to deal with it.”
“Noguma’s no fool. Assuming they got our messages, he’ll know what to do.” Boone said as he walked up to where Talia stood staring up at the night sky.
“The Mech’s just got a reinforcement. I counted at least one BB.”
“You got that thing on max zoom?” he asked, as she fumbled with the scope. Finding the pictographic button indicating zoom, she pushed it until the scope stopped whirring. Looking through it this time, not only could she make out the ships in orbit, she could read their individual hull numbers!
“Holy frack! Nice feature. Got something to write with?”
“I have my COM. Shoot.”
“Ok, they got one battleship, two dreadnoughts, two Tenders with patrol ships, two heavy cruisers, three battle cruisers, and one command cruiser. Hey, I know this task force. From the war. This was that raider that kept attacking Argonian supply lines.”
“Ah, that does change things. According to treaty stipulations, Overlord Twelve was supposed to have been de-activated after the war ended.”
“Well, it looks like he wasn’t after all, and now he’s got himself a nice little raider fleet with a new flag. How much you wanna bet he’s operating outside of Mechad Authority?”
“That my dear, is a sucker’s bet. We need to get word to Admiral Noguma somehow, to keep him from flying into a trap.”
“If we could, I’d tell the Captain, but as it stands now, until Har-nee-nee is well enough to be off the med-table, all the power that the gig makes has to go to the med-table, but hey, look at it like this; we got ringside seats to a Mechad ass whipping party, because you and I both know Noguma isn’t gonna show up with just his triad. He’s gonna bring everything including the kitchen sink!”
“That would be impressive, but tell me, how well does a kitchen sink fly? Does it have bigger guns then a patrol ship?” He teased. She merely punched him in the shoulder and walked back to the survival shelter.
“Come on, I’m wasted and I need someone warm and cuddily to sleep against.”
“Is sleep the only thing on your mind? I happen to have a whole case of protection.” He hinted.
“Having it and using it are two entirely different scenarios.” She replied as they entered the shelter. A pile of blankets in the far corner seemed to be moving in a rhythmic fashion and Talia tried hard not to giggle. She failed.
“Darya? Mitch?” She called out in a soft whisper. Mitchell stuck his head out from under the blankets and both Talia and Boone could see Darya’s head below his. She was grinning like a fool.
“Sorry, were we making too much noise?” He asked as Darya giggled then pulled the covers back over them. Talia looked at Boone.
“Honestly, I do like you Boone, and I have been thinking of asking you out for a date, but I was a little concerned about the whole us being the same species thing. Most of my dates are with people that can’t make me a mother.”
“Is parenthood that frightening to you?” He asked as he stripped down to his shorts, then dove under the other set of blankets. She stripped to nothing but her fur, and followed him in, lying on his chest and kissing him very softly. He returned her kisses and gently stroked the small of her back.
“No, but it does tend to put one’s career into a holding pattern.” She said with a smile as she fumbled with his shorts, and then stroked him to full mast. Rising up, she gently slid down his erection, then locked her mouth onto his. Stopping the kiss, but not stopping her hip rolls, she whispered into his ear.
“Just so you know, I’m in season at the moment. I hope you were being honest about your feelings for me.” His eyebrows shot up as he rolled her onto her back, taking his time, gently and slowly giving her all he could, knowing full well that upon climax, she would conceive his child.
As they lay in the soft afterglow of sex, he whispered into her ear, “I have always loved you, Ms Tygra, from the moment you came into my life.”
“Tygra is my adopted name. My real last name is Noguma.” She said shyly. Eyes wide, he looked down into hers.
“So, Admiral Noguma is…”
“My father, yes. Sector Admiral Drena is my mother. And no, before you ask, the reason I have a different last name is because I wanted to earn my own way. Some kids would be content to ride their parent’s reputations into an easy billet. That’s not my way. Everything I have, everything I’ve done, I did myself. If something came to me and it seemed too easy, I turned it down, because I knew it was due to my parent’s meddling.”
Shifting his weight off of her, he slipped down beside her, gently shushing her with little kisses.
“I love you just the way you are Talia, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.” She hugged him tightly, returning his loving kisses…
The Admiral’s Noguma sat around the conference table on board ‘Impervious’, watching the long range track of the vessels in and around Verkish I and II. Captain Bennett, from the battle cruiser ‘Galant Victory’, was making his tactical assessment when a call came in over the COM.
“Admirals! I have a sub-space transmission coming from Verkish I. It’s Overlord Twelve!”
“WHAT!? Horatio shouted, rising from where he sat. Elan merely narrowed her gaze in a feline scowl.
“Put it on the main screen here.” He ordered. The screen flickered, then stabilized, showing the mechanical construct that was Overlord Twelve. His design was freakishly simply, with long, spindly arms and legs, which ended in clawed hands and taloned feet, a narrow torso with exposed abdomen and a head shaped like a grinning demon, complete with paired horns. He wore nothing that resembled clothing save for a single medal, the Mechad Medal for Outstanding Leadership, one of their highest military awards.
“Ahh, Horatio, how good to see you at last. This must be your blushing bride. A pleasure madam.”
“Why are you still functioning Twelve? According to the treaty…” But the Overlord cut him off.
“Treaties are for the weak, corpulent masses. A true visionary only retreats but never surrenders.”
“Well, we’re coming to put a stop to you Twelve, just so you know.”
“But Admiral, surely you wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to your little child trapped on the moon below my task force, now would you?”
‘She’s alive!’ Both Horatio and Elan thought joyously.
“What’s your game Twelve. What do you want?”
“Simple really, I want to contract with you. Or more correctly, I want to employ the services of 2 Vektrean heavy triads.”
“What?!” This came from both Admirals and Captain Bennett. “You can’t be serious?”
“Actually Admiral Noguma, I am quite serious. I’ll dispatch a shuttle right now, have your child and her meddlesome friends brought up here and then sent to you, safe and unharmed. Is that serious enough for you?”
Noguma was deep in thought. Overlord Twelve was a butcher, that much was for certain, but something must really be wrong for him to want to not only help them get Talia and her crew back, but to want to contract both he and Elan’s heavies to help with something.
“Ok Twelve. Out with it. WHY do you want to contract with us?”
“Very well, I suppose you deserve an explanation. I’m sending you the data now. Look it over, then respond back to me on this channel. This channel ONLY Horatio, are we clear?”
“Crystal.” And Twelve cut the COM.
“Admiral, I have a data packet on Drive C. Shall I send it to your ready room?” Came a call over the 1mc in the conference room.
“Negative, send it here.” He said, sitting back down and entering his secure access codes, then running the file.
“How do you know it’s not some virus that will ruin the ship Horatio? Elan asked, a bit of concern in her voice.
“I fought against Twelve during the last war. He was a fiend and a butcher, but he was pretty straightforward. Under handedness was never his style. Brute force and cruelty, that is.” She nodded.
As the file loaded up, an image of a ship took form on the view screen. It looked like nothing this side of the galaxy had ever seen before. The hull was like a three fingered hand, the fingers separated by a scant few meters, while the back of the ship was flowing but angular along the sides and stern. Weapon ports could be seen on the fronts of the three fingers, as well as along both sides of the outer fingers and along both sides of the aft structure. As the camera panned around the image of the ship, what looked like a Mechad medium cruiser, an up gunned version of their light cruiser, flew toward the ship and it was clear then to both Elan and Horatio that whoever this new race was, they were either genetic giants or they were lost colonists. The size difference between the alien ship and the Mechad was mind numbing to say the least. The alien easily dwarfed the Mechad cruiser by a factor of 20 to 1.
Then suddenly, the alien ship fired a blistering barrage of phasers at the Mechad ship, which promptly exploded. The file ended after that, the image going to warped starlight.
“Good lord, did they even have their EMF energized?” Elan asked. Horatio nodded.
“The first few pulses of phaser fire were stopped by the EMF, but the rest of it just hit hull.”
“Have you ever seen a ship like that before?” She asked.
“No, not in all of my travels. Looks like we have a new player on this side of the galaxy.”
“Captain Bennett, open a channel back to Twelve.”
“Aye Admiral.”
“You’re not seriously considering taking a contract from him are you?” Elan asked, standing.
“As long as he has Talia, yes. Besides, we are still Vektrean, and that is what we do.”
The COM line opened to Overlord Twelve reviewing a message of his own. Turning away from his screen, he looked at Noguma.
“So, you have seen the file?”
“Yes, we have. But why do you want to hire us? Surely with that new ship you have, this shouldn’t be too much trouble for you.” Elan said before Horatio could speak.
“The Juggernaught was under construction back before the end of the last war. I kept the project going even after the Overseers deemed it unnecessary. We will surely need it where we’re going.”
“And where is that exactly?” Horatio asked.
“What you didn’t notice in that video file was WHERE it was taken. That ship arrived at Mechad Prime 7 days ago. The aliens aboard called down to the home world and ordered our surrender. It then destroyed every ship that got too close, and the Overseers surrendered. My spies tell me the race is humanoid but know nothing else. All we know is what they call themselves and what their plan for this side of the galaxy is.”
“Care to enlighten us?” Elan asked. Horatio and Bennett merely looked on.
“They’re here to ‘pacify’ this sector of the galaxy. They call themselves the InterStellar Concordium.”
“Pacify us? That makes no sense. I’ll contact Galaxy Commander Graham, fill him in on the problem, and see how we should proceed. If this is some kind of elaborate hoax though Twelve…” He let his words trail off, but Twelve just shook his head.
“This is no joke or hoax. Mechad Prime is conquered. I’ve sent a shuttle to retrieve your people. When you arrive at Verkish, they will be handed over to you. Twelve out.”
Talia didn’t know what happened. She and Boone had been laying together, making love when suddenly their world went black. When she woke up next, she and Boone were in a cell in what looked like a warship’s brig. Darya and Mitch were in the cell beside theirs and Har-nee-nee and the Captain were in the cell on the other side of theirs. They had been stripped of anything technological but at least it was warm. She looked over at the sleeping pile of fur beside her and smiled. Leaning over him she planted a small kiss on his nose.
“Wake up sleepy head. I think the Mech’s captured us last night.” She said as her kiss woke him. His eyes went wide looking around the cell, then re-focused on her lovely face. Leaning up, he kissed her softly.
“Woohoo! Talia’s got a boyfriend, Talia’s got a boyfriend!” Darya chanted from their cell as Mitchell looked over and laughed. McHammond stirred awake as Har-nee-nee sat up at Darya’s chanting and smiled to Talia.
“He’s not my boyfriend!” She spat. Looking down at him, a confused then hurt look on his face, she smiled broadly and warmly to him.
“He’s my mate and the father of my child!” She said proudly.
“You’re pregnant Tali? When did this happen?” Har asked as the Captain rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Surveying their situation, he simply nuzzled Har’s neck and gave it soft little kisses. She absently reached back behind her and stroked the back of his head, leaning her head back as Talia answered and kissed him softly.
“Well, we’ve been making love now for the last few hours, and since I’m in season currently, I’m almost positive I’ll be pregnant when I go to check next. That’s the way it works for us. Unprotected sex while the female is in season, bam! Pregnant.” She finished as Darya and Boone looked at each other then at Har and the Captain.
“I see stressful situations bring out the animal in a few different species.” Boone commented. Darya laughed then kissed Mitchell.
“No, Mitch and I had been ducking the obvious for a long time. It took being nearly killed then marooned to realize life is too short. Now, Har and the Captain, that’s a new twist.” She said, as Har turned away from the Captain and smiled a broad Bolaaran smile.
“Well, he admitted he did have a thing for you Talia, but after talking to him and realizing that because we were always together he thought he was attracted to you, I pointed out it was my pheromones that were driving him nuts, not yours. Besides, I appreciate an older man more then you do.”
“Age has it’s advantages. But I prefer virile bedroom mates. And I think I found one here.” Talia quipped as she hugged Boone.
“So, any thoughts on how we’re getting out of here?” McHammond asked.
“Nope. Not even thinking about it at the moment. My mate and I are just gonna lie here for a bit, and enjoy what little time we may have left together. No one escapes from a Mechad ship, not unless you can breathe vacuum.” Boone pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea.” Mitchell agreed as he pulled Darya on top of him, her giggling as she went. Har turned back around and laid Andrew onto his back, and showed him that even though she was still recovering, she could be a good lover.
As they slept, transporter beams sent all of them to the med bay on board the ‘Impervious’. The medical officer on duty was quite surprised when all of the prisoners sent to her from the Mechad ship were naked. She quickly had orderlies move them to separate beds and covered them with warm blankets. Admiral Noguma and his mate looked in on their daughter as she slept.
“She gets more beautiful the more time passes, don’t you agree Horatio?” He merely grunted.
“I don’t see why Twelve insisted on drugging them before sending them back. And why send them back naked? It’s not like they could have concealed anything useful on their persons.”
“Just one more mystery to solve later about Mechads. At least they’re home safe.” He agreed and as they were turning to leave, Talia stirred awake. Spotting the two older tigs, she spoke up.
“Mom? Dad?” The Admirals turned around, and moved with quick strides to hug and kiss their beloved daughter. Wrinkling up her nose, Elan looked down on her daughter however.
“Talia Elizabeth! Who have you been sleeping with?!” She chastised as she followed the scent she found all over her daughter. But as she tried to move away to track down the source of the scent, a scent that was in this very room, Talia grabbed her wrist.
“Mom! No! He’s my mate!” This one statement caused her mother to turn in shock and her father to arch both of his eyebrows.
“Your mate?” He said as Elan moved back to her side. Her maternal instincts kicked in almost immediately as she held and caressed her daughter, stroking the soft fur on her belly and cooing in her ears.
“Mooom, stop will ya! I’m not a child. I may be with child, but I’m not a little kid anymore. Geez.”
“Talia! You’re pregnant?!” Horatio roared, this waking everyone else in this wing of sickbay.
“Owww.” Came a soft moan from Har-nee-nee.
“Ohhh, did anyone get the number of that shuttle?” Mitchell said sitting up.
“No, but when you do, let me know so I can sue the driver.” Boone said, as he sat up, and upon seeing two elder tigs, and Admirals at that, fawning over Talia, he immediately sat up at attention.
“Attention on deck!” He half shouted, then moved a hand to his forehead, as that only made the throbbing worse.
“At ease son. At least my daughter has good taste. A Commander no less. Yes, I believe the two of you will do just fine.” Horatio said as everyone seemed to relax. Boone shifted a little uneasily until he caught a glimpse of Talia from around her mother. She cast a smile his way, and he relaxed immediately.
“Admiral, I take full responsibility for this fubared situation.” McHammond said, as he slipped off of his med table and nearly fell to the floor. Only Horatio’s quick grab kept him from hitting the floor. With the strength only found in the tigers of Vincennes, Horatio Noguma picked up McHammond and laid him back into bed as though he were a child.
“Nonsense. I blame the Corps for this. Had the Shroud worked correctly, you would never have been seen.”
“No Dad, it’s not their fault. I don’t want to speak ill of the dead, but the Maintenance crew is really to blame. The COM torp doors didn’t close correctly after the torp was launched. That disrupted the Shroud enough to allow those patrol ships to see us.” Talia pointed out. McHammond nodded in agreement.
“She’s right Admiral. I saw them from my turret.” Har-nee-nee added. Horatio nodded.
“Well, you all made it out, but now is the real challenge. We’ve been contracted to assist Overlord Twelve.” He said, as Elan moved away from Talia, kissing her forehead and moving to stand beside Horatio. This statement drew shocked gasps and looks from all present.
“The Butcher of Bolaar IV? We accepted a contract from him?” Har-nee-nee said shocked.
“Yes, and when you’re all fully rested from your ordeal, I have a video to show you. It will explain a great deal. Until then, rest. We’re enroute to Muckstra. Also, Captain McHammond, I have a new command for you and your crew. Captain Ramius found another large piece of the Ancients Puzzle Box. I need you and your crew to check it out. Your new command is in Hangar 18.”
“We’ll need an engineering team Da- I mean Admiral.” Talia said. He turned to look at her.
“Rank has it’s place my daughter. But I am and always will be your father. You can call me Dad anywhere.” He said with a proud smile.
“Ok.” She replied with a smile of her own. He and Elan then left. The questions started as soon as the door closed.
“Damn Talia, you never said you had Admirals for family, geez!” Darya said with a grin.
“I think she wanted to make a go of life on her own.” Har-nee-nee chimed in before Tali could answer. She simply nodded.
“So, what do you suppose this new command is?” Darya quipped as she slowly drew herself out of bed, tentatively stepping down, then standing fully. The haze and fog of the knockout gas Twelve had used on them was gone. Hunger pangs were felt by all almost immediately.
“I could use some food though, and damn, no clothes? And no gear!?” Talia buried her head in her hands, and let out a soft cry.
“And no bubblegum for you my lovely kitten. Don’t worry, I did some research after you came on board with that stuff from Ambrosia. I know where it’s made and how to get more.” Boone said with a smile.
“Really?” She seemed a lot happier suddenly. He nodded.
“And I have an order in with the company for 10 cases, each a different flavor. I’d like to see just how big a bubble you really can make with that stuff. Plus, it’ll be good for the kids too.” Boone said with a laugh. She shrugged and smiled at the mention of kids.
“Well, we won’t know for 6 more months if it’ll be one kid or more.”
Boone slipped easily out of his bed, and walked shamelessly naked to her bed, lifted the PADD that was hanging at the foot of it and read through her reports. His eyebrows shot up as he read the doc’s assessment of her health. Looking over the PADD, he smiled to her.
“I think before we head out, we should ask your father if he knows a Captain who’s got an hour free.”
“A Captain, why?”
“Because only a Captain can perform marriages at sea or in space.” He said with a grin. Her eyebrows shot up this time.
“I’m…I’m preggers?” She stammered, trying to get a grip on the words that just left her lips. He nodded.
“Hey! Congrats you two!” Mitchell said as he stepped from his bed and moved to hug Darya. She was all smiles too.
Four hours later…
Standing around the Officer’s Mess, as people talked, enjoyed cake and generally enjoyed the moment, Horatio traded war stories with his new son-in-law.
“Honestly Admiral, I mean Dad, You really buy into this Ancients Prophecy? What are we looking for?”
“All I know is, the Ancients left artifacts all over the quadrant. That rogue pirate that was run down a few months ago, had some of their tech, and more pieces to the puzzle then High Command thought actually existed. Using the clues we gained from those pieces, we’re sending you and your crewmates to investigate a world on the edge of Scorp and Tufor space. The Scorps don’t believe in the Ancients, but the Tufor do, so if you get into any scrapes, you can call on them for assistance.”
“Ok, but what’s the chain of command now? Is McHammond still in charge? I’m not concerned with anything else except with the way things went down during the firefight.”
“Be at ease son. You both did what you thought was right. For the time being, he’s still the Captain. Unless something changes that would change that, just go with it. When you come back, with good news or bad, we’ll discuss the future. For now, we have a new menace to deal with, and you and yours have your orders. Be good to my daughter, and protect my grand kids.” He said with a smile. Boone nodded.
The next day…
Boone and Talia met the rest of their crewmates in the lounge. McHammond and Har were there, barely able to keep their hands off of one another. Darya and Mitchell were likewise enthralled with each other.
“Geez guys, get a room!” Talia joked as she and Boone walked in.
“So, has anyone seen our new ship yet?” Darya asked.
“Not a clue. Could be a long range shuttle for all I know.” McHammond said, pulling Har onto his lap where she lightly ground against him. Talia moved over to her and gave her a warm hug.
“I thought you were a goner. I’m so glad you’re ok. But, what gives, you were never the overtly frisky type. Did nearly dying change that?” She asked. Har leaned up and whispered into her ear.
“If you saw the thing he has between his legs, you’d understand.” And then kissed her furry ear. Talia blinked a few times, looked at her Captain with a smile, then moved over to the door that led into the hangar. Stopping at the window, she looked in and damn near died.
“Umm, Darya? Didn’t you say your uncle was selling you a Hopped up freighter, a modified Nitsua class?”
“Yeah Tali, why?”
“Umm, maybe he sold it to the Veks instead.” She replied, jerking her thumb at the window in the hatchway. Darya moved off of Mitch’s lap and looked in through the window. Her jaw dropped.
“Sonuvab*t$h! Wait, no, that’s not his ship. This Nit is new!” She said as she opened the door and walked out into the bay, looking over the crisp angular lines of the Nitsua Combat Freighter.
Designed almost a hundred years ago on a modified tugs hull, the Class 4 Nitsua was a competent cargo hauler and very durable. When the war with the Mechad started, the Argonian’s had been caught napping, and their merchant fleet took a pounding. The Nitsua that had been around for decades were pulled out of mothballs all over the quadrant, refitted with modern engines and armed to act as blockade runners. Able to shrug off up to 40 kilojoules of phaser energy before losing it’s shields, the Nitsua’s performed admirably. After the war, with nearly 5000 of the competent vessels left over, most were sold to provincial navies while some were sold off to the lowest bidders, who removed most of their guns and returned them to service as frontier freighters.
“Cool, lets go see if it’s got fun toys!” Talia said winking to Har as she ran passed Darya and moved to the ship's lowered cargo ramp. But, before she could go up, she got met at the ramp by a small, purple skinned Indirigan holding a hydro spanner.
“Whoa! Who are you?” She asked. The Indirigan midget looked her up and down, then smiled broadly.
“I’m Widget, your new chief engineer! Nice to meetcha!”
“Hi Widget, I’m Talia, Chief Tactical. Your skin is purple. Which tribe are you?” She asked, as she was familiar with most of the tribes, but not this one.
“I’m Garshain.” He said proudly, mentioning one of the true wanderer tribes. The Garshain were true space gypsies, even more nomadic then the Lone Wolf. All of them competent spacers, the Garshain were best known for their abilities with both haggling for a good price (good for them at least) and working with explosives…
“Is there anyone else aboard?” She asked the diminutive engineer. He only stood tall enough to see her belt and had to back up to see her face, as her more then ample bosom blocked his view of her face. She thought he was drooling.
“Yeah, my assistant Trix. That’s it.” He responded as he shifted his weight from one foot to the next, looking past her as the others came over to their new ship. A high pitched shrill of a yell made both he and Talia cringe.
“WIDGET! Where the hell are you, you pint sized nuisance!” It was female, that much Talia was sure of, and by the look in Widget’s eyes, reality had just come crashing down around him.
“You’re assistant?” She asked. He merely nodded, rolling his eyes.
“I’m up here you old crone, and stop yelling! You’re scaring the new guys!” He yelled back over his shoulder as the rest of Talia’s friends and crewmates arrived at the ramp.
“Welcome aboard the ‘Gypsy’s Moon’. Stow yer gear, and let’s get on with it. My contract runs out in 3 months, and I want to retire to a nice private island on Ambrosia, assuming the Ancients don’t blast us to bits for trespassing or grave robbing.” Widget said as everyone came over. Talia made introductions as a female version of Widget came to the lowered ramp, introduced herself as Widget’s wife, Trix, then drug him by a larger then normal ear back to engineering.
“Ow, Ow, Ok, ok, I’m comin, I’m comin, Geez!” He yelped as she drug him away. Talia and Darya snickered.
“Come on Har, let’s check out the guns, and see what we got for heavies. Darya, lets us know before you launch, these old Nits are balls out fast and I don’t wanna wind up toothpaste on the walls from a full throttle launch, k?”
“No probs Mom!” Darya said with a lop sided grin. Talia only sighed. Boone moved to her, hugging her tightly.
“So, how well do you carry? Or, better still, how well did your Mom carry when she was carrying you?”
“She was rock solid, to hear her and Dad’s side of it. Hopefully, since I rarely get sick, I inherited her pregnancy constitution.”
“Ok, if you need anything, I’ll be down in the armory first, stowing the gear in those crates outside, then in the dispensary, assuming it has one.”
“Ok, after Har and I finish checking out the guns, we’ll come give you a hand.” And with that the crew set about their chosen tasks.
Darya and Mitchell, along with McHammond, got the bridge, small as it was, with only three chairs, unlike the ‘Watcher’ which had 5 and was very spacious, into order, setting up displays and setting various automated controls.
Talia and Har-nee-nee, after checking out what they were armed with, went to help Boone stow their supplies and gear. 4 phasers and 4 transwarp torpedo launchers, the phasers in twin dual mount turrets, and the torp launchers mounted below the bridge, the ship was better gunned then most empires’ cruisers. A 200 ton cargo hold just behind the bridge currently held two tracked ATVs, two medium sized fighters, two cutters, with a cargo module (for the ATVs) and a passenger module respectively, and 60 crates of various spares, prepackaged food stuffs and various odds and ends.
Fitted with 10 standard size crew cabins normally, the ship had been modified by the ‘Impervious’ engineering staff to accommodate the sleeping arrangements of the current crew. 8 of the cabins were combined into 4 double sized staterooms, and the last two removed to add more space to the galley/lounge area.
After everything was stowed, and the call was given to Admiral Noguma, the ‘Gypsy’s Moon’ launched, and made its way toward Tufor space, some 55 parsecs away…
“So, is it just me, or does anyone else think it sucks that we have to miss the big showdown with this new alien threat, just to go hunt down some Ancients digsite?” Darya asked at the dinner table. As the ship was currently cruising under autopilot at warp 5 through friendly space, everyone could gather for meals in the galley. Between Talia, Trix and Har-nee-nee, no one went hungry, as all three were excellent scratch cooks, Talia having studied it while in survival training, Har having it forced on her as the oldest sibling to 5 younger brothers and sisters, and Trix because it was her people’s way, as space going nomads.
“Yeah, I’m a little surprised, but I think whatever it is we find might be of help to all involved considering that new threat. Did you see the size of that thing?” Talia said as she ladled a helping of beef stew onto Boone’s plate, then serving Darya and Mitchell before adding more to her plate, sitting and enjoying it with the rest of them.
“Mmm, good stew you guys!” Mitch said as Darya nodded in agreement. Talia and Har smiled as Trix added two loaves of what smelled like fresh baked sweet bread to the table.
“Baking is my passion, though to hear Widget here, he’d swear I was an engineer first. Like him.” Trix said to laughter as Widget enjoyed his serving of stew.
“Well, as long as the food is this good, the rest can have their fun with those new aliens. A happy stomach always comes first in my family.” McHammond said smiling.
“Here here!” Added Har-nee-nee.
“So, at warp 5, how long until we get to the coordinates for this digsite?” Talia asked.
“Five days. And before you ask, that’s as fast as I want to push it. This may be a new ship, but the Nits were never fast in warp. Their true speed is in sub light.” Darya said, turning serious at the end.
“Ok, I was just asking.”
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Muckstra Star system…
Admiral Noguma sat at a table with the commanders of the other ships in what would become the Liberation Task Force. In attendance were:
Admiral Drena of Vektrean Triad 3, Captain Bennett and Captain Hayes, Overlord Twelve,
Commodore Thunderhead of the Argonian Task Force and Captain Wolf, of the Lone Wolf Dreadnought ‘Black Forest’.
Twelve was giving a tactical assessment of the situation at Mechad Prime, as the others were studying the long range scanners. That one ISC ship had been joined by 11 others, all of them smaller, but all just as menacing. As they watched, a lone Mechad cruiser, a battle cruiser that Twelve had detached from his subordinate’s force, flew headlong toward the alien’s battle line.
Triggering it’s distortion cannon as it got within range, the officers saw first hand what it was they were up against. As the subspace pulse emanated out from the battle cruiser, the lead ships of the ISC seemed to rock a bit and energy could be seen arcing over their shields, but then the lead elements, the heavier ones, fired a plasmatic weapon of their own back at the BC, it’s EMF disintegrating and then it imploding just as quickly. Shocked gasps could be heard from all present.
“And that is where we stand. Did you notice that despite the distortion cannon’s effect, their shields remained intact? This bears further study.” Twelve said, as he transmitted something no one else could comprehend, and one of the 4 dreadnoughts in his combined task force, broke off and warped in system to confront the alien threat.
This ship’s controller however, didn’t just stop at using its distortion cannons however. Using single target tactics, it picked the lead most alien ship, by its size, a destroyer perhaps, and unloaded it’s full arsenal onto it. The officers again watched as another Mechad ship fired on the aliens, the alien ship seeming to take the abuse with nary a care, then the whole of their task force returning fire and atomizing the Mechad ship.
“So, as you can plainly see, we will need to strike them as a cohesive unit if we are to stand any chance of victory. It is their tactical superiority that lets them withstand a single ship assault, even when targeting a single ship.
“Well Twelve, all you showed was what a fool you are. Only a fool would send a single ship, regardless of size against an armada of a dozen. Watch and learn.” The Argonian Commodore said, speaking in hushed tones to his COM. Everyone turned toward the screen again as a dozen Argonian ships, over half of his task force turned and accelerated in system.
“Now we will see who carries this day, hmm?” He said smugly.
Taking up a loose formation, the Argonian task force of twelve ships consisted of 4 destroyers, a patrol tender and 4 patrol ships, 2 heavy cruisers and 2 light cruisers streaked in toward the aliens. Before even getting to effective range, the Argonian heavies began firing their torps at the same lead destroyer. Over two dozen torps streaked toward it, but one by one, those same torps came under fire from not just the targeted destroyer, but the two other destroyers in the forward battle line beside it. Within seconds only 2 of the original 24 torps remained, which indeed struck the intended target, detonating seemingly harmlessly against it’s shields, as no other damage was seen. Those same destroyers then launched a torpedo of their own, a fireball of sorts, concentrating on all of the Argonian heavy cruisers, two fireballs at each. The heavies returned fire, their phasers slicing into the shields of the lead destroyer, but, after more then two dozen hits, the ship’s shields remained intact. Each of the torpedoes the aliens launched hit the Argonian heavies and the patrol ship tender, which by it’s size is a heavy, those three ships exploding in a crescendo of reds and oranges. The remaining Argonian ships, undaunted by the loss of the capitol ships, charged forward, all focused on that single lead destroyer. Phaser fire, a few more torps followed by counter-battery fire from the lead destroyers and it was over. The Argonian force was wiped out, but the lead alien destroyer was heavily damaged. It rotated to the rear of it’s force, being replaced by, as close as anyone could surmise, a light cruiser. Shuttles could be seen launching from the main heavy unit in the ISC line, the first ship seen, and crews of humanoid figures swarmed over the crippled ship, making repairs.
“Ok, we now see that we can hurt them, but the cost is very high.” Commodore Thunderhead concluded, as he sank back into his chair.
“Yes, thank you for that demonstration of self sacrifice Commodore. Should we need martyrs in the future, I’ll know who to turn to.” Twelve said sarcastically.
“Enough!” Noguma shouted. “We need to assemble and strike them as a whole, not in a piecemeal fashion.
“Admiral, as you clearly saw, our weapons are either a joke to them, or their shields are more powerful then ours. Either way, there’s just no way the ships we have here will do anything more then destroy but a handful of their smaller vessels, then be destroyed in turn. If I’m speaking out of line, say so, but I’ll not commit my fighters or crew to a slaughter.” Captain Hayes said.
“At ease Captain! Remember who you’re addressing here!” Drena began but was silenced by a wave of Noguma’s hand. Moving to the viewport in this briefing room, Noguma could see all the ships in their combined task force. He did a quick count of sizes and numbers of.
Vektrean: 2 Dreadnoughts, 2 Battle cruisers, The Flagstar they were all on, 2 Carriers, and 4 heavy cruisers.
Mechad: Twelve’s Flagship, the Juggernaught, 3 Battleships, 2 Dreadnoughts, 3 Battle cruisers, 4 heavy cruisers and a dozen light and medium cruisers.
Argonian: The Commodore’s flagship, a class 10 ship of the line, 2 Battleships, 4 dreadnoughts and 1 Carrier.
Lone Wolf: Captain Wolf’s ship, the ‘Black Forest’.
“We have two choices gentlemen, and lady. We wait for them to come for us, which I think they will do given enough time to study us, or we take the fight to them.” Noguma began, but before he could finish, a call came in from the bridge.
“Admiral Noguma, message from the Alien commander!”
“On screen!”
The view screen in the briefing room shifted from one of stars to a human’s face, round with a pug nose and narrow, almond shaped eyes. Green fire seemed to burn in those eyes, as they stared directly at Noguma.
“I assume you there, furry thing, are the leader of the taskforce on the edge of this star system. Know this, you have 160 of your hours to stand down and surrender. Within that time, if you choose to surrender early, you will be allowed to leave via the smallest vessel in your task force, the rest being confiscated by us. If, after that time frame, you haven’t decided your fate, your fate will be decided for you.” The COM then went dead.
“Engineer Barnes, your assessment on their damaged ship! How long, rough guess until it’s back in battle ready condition?” Noguma shouted to his head engineer. Barnes studied the footage and the current scans of the wounded destroyer.
“Best guess, old friend.” Noguma prodded.
“6 days. 7 at the most, without a yard or at least a dry-dock.” Barnes said, looking up from his scope.
“168 hours. Thanks Chief.” Noguma turned to the others. “When they have that destroyer repaired, they’re coming for us.”
“Then I say we make ready. I can have 4 more Captains here in 3 days. On our way here we saw a Bolaar Prince on his way to Ambrosia. Perhaps he could be convinced to aid us, for the right price.” Captain Wolf suggested.
“Make the calls Wolf.” Elan said, with a nod from Noguma.
“As for the Bolaar, tell him Overlord Twelve has that distortion cannon diagram he’s been so anxious to see.” Twelve said snidely. Wolf nodded. Moving over to the wall COM, Noguma placed a quiet call to his COM officer.
“Yes Admiral?” She asked.
“Place a coded priority one message to ‘Gypsy’s Moon’.”
“Message sir?”
“Make haste, be at Muckstra in 6 days. Noguma.”
“Aye sir, message sent.”
I.S.C. DN ‘Shining Star’
“Surely Admiral, these pathetic creatures can’t possibly think they can best our forces, do they? They have seen first hand what happens to those that try. I say we crush them now, before they have a chance to reinforce.” Commander Bretab offered.
“I gave them that time so they could make a valiant stand. It will do the worlds here some good to see their mightiest military leaders swept aside. And, it will go a long way in pacifying this area of space. With their best and mightiest gone, opposition will crumble before us.” Admiral Nostrum answered. Bretab was silenced for the moment. He had to admit, the Admiral’s plan made good sense, strategically. If only he had the patience to wait that long…
‘Gypsy’s Moon’, 40 parsecs from Ancient Digsite 14…
“Hey skipper, I got a coded priority one message from Admiral Noguma here!” Darya said, looking over her shoulder.
“Play it.”
“Aye.” She replied, putting the message on the bridge speakers.
‘Make haste, be at Muckstra in 6 days. Noguma.’
“6 days?! Once we hit the digsite, we’ll only have a day left!” Darya commented, shocked at having to be halfway across Tufor space in 24 hours.
“Ok, time to see what this old Nit can do. Increase to maximum warp!” McHammond ordered. Darya crossed her fingers, then slid the holo controls to maximum. The deck plates beneath their feet seemed to hum a little louder as Widget called the bridge.
“Hey! Give a guy a warning before you max out the reactor! Geez, tryin to blow us up down here?”
“Sorry Widget, Captain’s orders. How long can we hold this speed?” Darya asked.
“Let me make some adjustments to the mix ratios.” A squeaky valve could be heard being turned, as Darya shot a startled glance at Mitch. He was wide eyed at that sound. The ‘Gypsy’s Moon’ seemed to surge ahead after the squeaking stopped.
“There, but so you know, we’ll need to find a source of dilithium when we hit the digsite, as these shards will be gone by the time we get there!”
“Aye engineering, bridge out!” Darya responded, looking down at the chrono.
“ETA to the digsite, now 2 days! Holy Frack! This little sh*t is fast! We gotta be doin’ close to warp 9.7!”
“I’ll be in my quarters, call me when we arrive.” McHammond said.
Trix cast a glance at Widget as he placed the sound recorder back into his pocket.
“Are you still using that squeaky water valve sound effect?” She asked with a grin.
“Always my love, always.” He replied with a toothy grin. “Gets them every time.”
“Boone?” Talia said over her shoulder as she lay snuggled against his chest.
“Yes love?”
“Boy or girl?”
“As long as they are healthy kits, either is fine. If it’s a girl, I hope she has your eyes.”
“One or more?”
“One for now would be a handful, but I came from a big family, and I miss my brothers and sisters. But, it’s your body. You tell me how many you want, and I will work as hard as I can to give them to you.” He said, pulling her tighter to him. She giggled.
“For now, a healthy son would be a blessing. A daughter would be fine, but sons are easier to deal with, with regards to the opposite sex I mean.”
“Well, a son it will have to be then.” He replied, rolling her over and pulling her into a long kiss. She returned it, rolling him onto his back and straddling his waist. Gently caressing her swollen bosom, they made love in the warped starlit room…
2 days later…
“Ok, I got a planet coming into sensor range. Its orbital track puts it in the orbit of the A4V off to our portside. According to these coordinates, that planet is it.” Darya said. Mitch confirmed the readings.
“Talia, you Boone and Har-nee-nee ready down there?” McHammond said over the 1mc.
Down in the cargo bay, Talia finished loading the last crate of supplies into the ATV that would be loaded into the cutter. Her and Boone had drawn the job of sifting through the digsite, while Har stood over watch in one of the fighters. Trix would be along too to analyze anything they found for engineering or weaponry applications. Everyone else would stay aboard the ‘Gypsy’s Moon’.
“Loading the ATV at the moment Skipper. Give us a few.” She replied to her COM. Jockeying the ATV in tight spaces proved a little harder then she thought, as she backed into the passenger module for the cutter hard enough to leave a dent. But that collision moved the module far enough away that she was able to get the ATV into it’s berth and Trix secured it. Hopping out and closing the door, then the door on the module, she called Boone up on the cutter’s bridge.
“ATV is loaded Commander, as soon as Trix and I strap in, we’ll be ready to go.”
“Roger that Lieutenant. Captain, we’re ready to go!”
“We’ll be in orbit in 10. Opening bay doors, now!” Mitch said, as he flipped the switch, which swung the belly doors of the cargo bay open, and Har-nee-nee’s fighter dropped out.
“Yeehaw!” she cried as she did a few barrel rolls and then took up a flanking position along side of the freighter.
“Gee, ya think she likes flying a fighter?” Talia said to Boone with a smile.
“Guess so. Launching!” Boone replied, dropping the cutter out of the bay as a blue-white world hove into view below them. Deploying the cutters wings, he dove for the atmosphere, Har right behind.
Vektrean Asteroid Flagstar ‘Invincible Retribution’, Same time…
Admiral Noguma looked up as Elan straddled his waist, rising and falling at her own pace. As the moment of climax gripped them, he pulled her to him hard, rolling them over so he was atop her, and finishing in her. They lay there panting for several minutes afterward, enjoying the moment that rarely came to them these days. He nuzzled her cheek, her returning his nuzzling with soft kisses across his short muzzle.
“I hope we live through this. I would surely miss this if we didn’t.” Elan said, pulling away from his nuzzling. He smiled down to her.
“Hopefully Talia and her friends find something we can use. Otherwise, this side of the galaxy will be a subjugated nightmare.”
“We’ll know in 4 days time I guess. Any word whether that Bolaar Prince would be helping?”
“He’s already sent word back to their home world. Best guess is we’ll have to wait and see if they take this threat seriously.”
“As if we could make something like this up? That’s an absurd thought.”
“Elan? I just had a thought?”
“What is it?” She asked curiously.
“Are you in season?”
She simply smiled lovingly, kissing the tip of his nose…
Mechad Juggernaught, same time…
“Overlord, message from Bolaar Prince Mikhail.”
“COM or text?”
“Text.”
“Read it.”
“I accept your terms Twelve. Stay as far from our worlds as is capable, and the Bolaar will aid you.”
“Good. Did he say what they would be sending?”
“Negative Overlord.”
“Typical.”
Ancient Digsite 14…
“Damn, why is it everywhere we go, it has to be cold?” Talia whined to Boone as she drove the ATV. He and Trix took turns reading the sensors, following the computer-generated map that was supposed to lead them to where the Ancients site was on this frozen world.
Located just outside its star’s biozone, A-14 as everyone was calling it, could have been a terrestrial paradise. According to it’s orbital track however, for 18 of it’s 24 year orbit around it’s star, it was a frozen wasteland. The last 6 years of it’s orbit brought it close enough to at least thaw it out for 4 of those years, when life might actually spring up. For now however, it was a snowball.
“Damn, glad I remembered to pack everyone a pair of shades. We’d all be snow-blind otherwise.” Talia quipped from the driver’s seat. Boone looked up to her, and flashed her his best toothy smile, while giving her a thumbs up. Trix continued to stare at the screen.
“Talia!” She yelped.
“What!?”
“Stop the ATV! We’re here!” Trix said as the coordinates on the map lined up with the position the ATV was at. Rotating the image showed Trix that the ATV was sitting 300 meters above the site, and according to the topographical radar image, they were directly in the middle of an enormous lake. Albeit a frozen to the ground lake, but a lake nonetheless.
“Ok, did we pack a thermal drill?” She asked, as Boone’s eyebrows shot up with an idea.
“Talia? Pull the ATV forward 50 yards. I have an idea.” He said as she nodded, lifting her foot from the brake and letting the ATV roll forward for a few seconds. She then stopped it, setting the brake.
Picking up the headset next to Talia, Boone called up to Har-nee-nee flying cover high above them.
“Har-nee-nee, do you copy?”
“Yes Boone, what’s wrong?”
“How good are you at dive bombing?”
“Dive bombing?!” This from Trix, Talia AND Har-nee-nee.
“Yes, put simply, set yourself into a nose down dive, gear down, flaps set and speed brakes on full, and phaser us a hole 50 yards behind the ATV’s current position. Think you can handle that?”
“Ha! Piece of cake!” she grunted as she pulled her fighter into a steep climb, then, flipping it over onto it’s back, she did as Boone instructed. First she lowered her landing gear, set her flaps to full as though she was landing, and opened all of her speed brakes. She even deployed her drag chute, hopeful that she wouldn’t need it to actually land with. Then, sighting on the spot Boone had indicated, 50 yards behind the ATV, she cut loose with a concentrated blast from her nose phasers. Talia and Boone watched as the ruby red beam burned a hole 3 meters wide some 50 odd yards behind the ATV. The beam sent a geyser of steam 100 yards high as it continued to burn it’s way through the thick ice. After almost a minute the beam stopped and the shriek of a fighter’s engine at full power roared passed them.
“Tally ho!” Har yelled over the COM as she flew passed the ATV and climbed back high into the sky. Throwing up the back door of the ATV, Boone jumped down, and ran for the hole, Trix and Talia right behind. When he got there however, he soon realized this was going to take more then a fighter could do, since Har’s hole was only 30 or so meters deep.
“Hmm. Har, you need to return to the ship, man your gun, and blast this hole again, but with the ship’s guns.” Boone said over his COM. He was rewarded with a double click.
“Hey, what’s up?” Talia asked as she and Trix slid to a stop at the edge of the hole.
“Let’s stand back a bit. Har is going to blast this hole a bit deeper for us.”
“Well, like Widget and I always say, if at first you don’t succeed, blow it up again!”
Talia and Boone both laughed as Trix stood there smiling. 10 minutes later, Har-nee-nee called down.
“Ok, I’m in my turret, and I have the hole in sight. Keep us steady Dar!”
“On it!” Darya yelled back.
“Umm, you guys wanna stand back, just in case?” Har cautioned. Boone and the girls stepped back a few meters.
“Ok, target acquired. Firing!” Har yelled across the COM as she squeezed the triggers on her dual phasers.
A meter wide, coherent ruby beam streaked down through the sky, down the hole she had started with her fighter, and began burning and cutting it’s way deeper through the frozen lake. Steam exploded up through the hole forcing Boone and the girls back even further until they were at the back door of the ATV. The ice around them cracked and starred as the beam of ruby energy continued to burn deeper and deeper down through the ice. Finally it stopped, and Har called down to them.
“Ok, check that! My scanners say I’m hitting something made of metal down there.”
“Will do, thanks Har!” Talia said, cutting the COM. Boone shined a light down, as Trix began setting up the portable winch bipods.
“We’ll have to lower ourselves down in sections. The cable we have is only 100m long.” Boone pointed out.
“Well, we do have rope up here, what we could do is lower Trix down to a spot at the end of our rope, let her dig out an area where she could set up the winch, then we slide down and go down from there.” Talia explained. Boone thought for a moment, then agreed.
“Ok, but what if I don’t want to go first?” Trix pointed out.
“Well, since you’re the smallest, and you can’t pull either of us out, it only makes sense to send you first.”
“Ok, good point. Let me grab my tool belt.” She said as she scurried back into the ATV. She emerged a few minutes later with her belt and a particle beam rifle much like Ole Bess.
Upon seeing Talia’s and Boone’s odd looks, she said simply: “Hey, you never know what’s down there, and I need something I can make quick cavities in the ice with.”
“Good point.” Boone acknowledged, as he and Talia wrapped the rope around Trix’s waist, and lowered her down to the limit of what they had, which was 200m. She quickly burned away a few ledges where she could set up the winch bipods, then sat on the larger ledge, letting the rope go back up. After an hour of setting, rappelling and resetting everything, the three of them found themselves standing on the hull of a starship!
“According to the scans I’m reading, this thing is as big as the ‘Impervious’, if not bigger!” Talia said to Boone, since they were so far down, their COMs couldn’t reach the surface, let alone their ship.
“Well, since we don’t have 18 odd years to let the lake above us thaw out, we need to burn our way to either a hatch or some other doorway in.” Boone mentioned as Trix studied her scanner.
“According to this, there’s an airlock 30 meters south. But I don’t recommend we burn our way to it. We could always chip our way there.” Trix said.
“Screw that Trix, that’s why I modified Ole Bess here for burner work. Stand back!” Tali shouted as she took aim at the ice where it met the hull. The beam the rifle fired was warm, to say the least, and quickly melted the ice wherever it touched it. The run off followed the contour of the hull that had been burned by Har’s phaser barrage. Boone shined his light down the hull following the water, to see where it was going. He also noticed that despite the time their ship’s phasers had been hitting the hull, there was only light scorch marks but no real damage. The ice where it had been touching the hull in this area was completely melted away, all the way around the area they were standing in, indicating that the hull had absorbed the phaser damage, turned the energy into heat, and transferred that heat through the hull plates in every direction for a solid 30 meters. Talia’s runoff was slowly filling in the areas where the ice had melted away from the hull plates, and as Boone calculated how much more runoff she could create versus how much more she’d be able to get rid of, he quickly reached out and tapped her shoulder.
“TALIA! STOP!” He yelled over the whine of Ole Bess. She let go of the trigger and looked to him.
“What?” She asked, as he pointed down. She noticed that where they were standing was now in a puddle 2 inches deep of water. Their cold weather suits and boots kept out the wet and the cold, but would do them little good if they got frozen to the deck. Quickly, Boone picked Trix up and put her on his shoulders so she could make some handholds for the others to grab a hold of before the water re-froze. She did so, and soon all three were dangling by hasty handholds cut into the walls of ice, as the hull soon cooled back to the surrounding temperature, and the puddle they had been standing in refroze. Dropping down onto the newly frozen ice, Talia looked at how close they were to the airlock Trix had found.
“Five more meters. Think we should go for it, and worry about the ice later?” Boone nodded. Sweeping Ole Bess up and down, Talia melted a Trix-sized opening through the ice, letting the run off pool around their feet again. Taking Trix’s rifle, Boone began blasting the ice around the hole they came down, in an attempt to give the water Talia was making a place to go. With the two of them working together, they were able to cut a hole they could crawl through to get to the airlock. Trix went first, since if it needed to be picked to let them in, she was the girl to do it. It did, but she had it open in less then a minute.
“These Ancient’s weren’t very bright. The password for the airlock was 1234.” She said with a frown.
“Well, that is an easy number for anyone to remember, and it’s not like any would be hackers would think of something so simple.” Talia pointed out. Trix just shrugged. Walking through the corridors of the alien vessel, Talia looked at the markings on the walls. Some she thought she could almost make out, while others were definitely alien to her.
“Trix, what do you make of this language?” She asked the small engineer.
“It’s Ancient.” She replied flatly. Boone chuckled and Talia just shrugged.
“Yeah, I kinda guessed. I figured that in all of your roaming, you might have come across this before.”
“Yeah, I have, it’s Ancient, as in the language of the Ancients, and no, I don’t know what it means or how to read it.”
“Oh.”
After walking for what seemed like hours, up and down lifts and around and around, Talia looked to Boone.
“This is hopeless. If we don’t find a control room or something we can use, we might as well go home. We need a Science Team down here.”
“No, we need Mitchell and Widget. Mitchell has a degree in Xeno-linguistics and from what I read about Widget, he can figure out the engineering of just about everything.” Boone said, as Trix nodded vigorously.
“It’s the only reason I married him. I knew he had a knack for strange stuff, and figured before we were old and gray, he’d find something we could sell and retire to paradise with.”
“Ok, let me go back to the airlock, and make the call.”
“Be careful.”
“No probs Hun, I got this.” She said as she jogged off. Boone and Trix watched her go.
“Think she’ll get lost?” Trix asked.
“Nah, she’s pretty capable.”
Talia found the airlock they had come in through, but it was closed, and locked. Entering the code Trix had found didn’t open it either. She tried it at least a dozen times but to no avail. When she turned around to head back to where Trix and Boone were waiting, she almost had a heart attack, for standing in front of her was a slender teenaged girl with long, flowing blonde hair, wrapped sensuously in a long, blue silken gown, a crystal tiara on her head and these piercing ice blue eyes that seemed to bore into Talia’s soul.
“AHH!” She shrieked upon seeing the girl who also shrieked in surprise when Talia did so. This only made Talia scream again, and the girl simply vanished.
“Why are you on my ship? And what are you?” Talia heard from all around her. Stopping and concentrating, she realized that the voice wasn’t coming from around her at all, it was coming from inside her mind!
“You’re a telepath!” She said aloud.
“Yes, I am, now what are you doing on my ship?” She again heard in her mind.
“Are you Ancient?” Talia asked, not phrasing the question correctly, but trying not to end up dead or worse.
“No, I’m 19. Who are you and what are you doing on my ship? This is the last time I’m asking this.”
“My name is Talia Tygra-Noguma-Grifin, and I’m an explorer. We came to this world looking for an Alien artifact to help us defeat an evil invader to our side of the galaxy.”
“Why do you have such a long name Talia the Explorer?”
“Adopted name, Birth name, Mated name.” She replied, glad for the moment that she wasn’t dead.
“Wow, you have a mate? Is he that male I scanned earlier? He suits you.” She said and her tone sounded more girl friendly then menacing. Talia leaned back against the wall sighing happily.
“Yes, I love him, and yes, he does suit me. We’re expecting our first child soon.” She said, then felt warm and fuzzy all over, like she was being scanned.
“Children, if I may be so bold, Mrs. Grifin. You have three on the way. Congratulations!”
‘Wow, three kids! Boone really rocked my world.’ Talia thought to herself.
“Umm, thanks. So, are you alone here? It seems like such a big ship to have all to yourself.”
“Sadly, yes. Father brought us to this world many years before, in an attempt to hide from those of the dark faction, the evildoers of our society. He then left me here over a thousand years ago to search out survivors of our war. He has not yet returned, and I fear he never will.”
“Ok, so, not to sound morbid or uncaring, but we have need of this ship, if you’d be willing to help us. Plus, I know this great planet not too far from here where a young lady like yourself can enjoy all the pleasantries your heart would ever desire, and unless I miss my guess, you’d definitely enjoy a serious shopping day, am I right?”
“Do they have open air markets, with fresh fruits and all the latest fashions? I do so miss those days back on home world when mother and I would spend hours trying on all the latest trends and styles. Will you take me to this place Mrs. Grifin?”
“Call me Tali, and yes, but only if you help us. How big is this ship anyway?” Talia asked, thinking she may have solved a riddle of her own.
“Ok Tali!” She said very cheerful. “By the way, my name is Amy!” She said, as she appeared again in front of the surprised tigress. Amy reached out, and gently stroked the fur along Talia’s side, Talia having removed the cold weather gear after they got inside. She had been about to put it back on once she got to the airlock, but when she couldn’t get it to open, and it being inside the lock itself, well, it surely didn’t matter at the moment.
“Are you related to the Terran cat called a tiger?” Amy asked.
“Yes! How did you know that? And where did you see one of my ancestors last?”
“Oh, we seeded lots of different planets in this and in hundreds if not thousands of different dimensions all across this and a number of other galaxies.”
“So, how did you end up wiped out?”
“Greed. Plain and simple. Even when you have it all, some people simply want more.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” Talia said disgustedly.
“Come on kitty, I’ll show you the bridge. Can I call you kitty?”
“Yeah, I suppose. Are you human or…?” She let the obvious trail off.
“No silly, our race is called the Sindrohei.”
“Ahh, well, we call you the Ancients simply because you existed thousands of years before any of our races went to the stars.”
In the blink of an eye, Talia and Amy were standing on an immense bridge. The Captain’s chair sat at the very back of the bridge, on tracks it looked like, that rose up the wall and through a hatch in the floor. Ahead of his seat sat a chair with a giant crystal globe in front of it. Forward of that sat 7 other chairs that ran from port to starboard along the front of the bridge.
“Oh! Silly me. You won’t understand any of this. Here, come with me, I’ll need to re-educate you first.” She said, grabbing Talia by the hand and they disappeared again.
And re-appeared in what looked to Talia like some form of sickbay. The slender Amy, all of 5’9”, led Talia to a table, and bade her to lie down. She did so. Amy then fitted a small metal band to Talia’s head and restraints locked her to the table. She struggled at first, but Amy shushed her in her mind.
“Silly kitty, it won’t hurt. Unless you struggle. Then it can be downright deadly.” She said, a cold malice to her tone suddenly sending a bolt of fear down Talia’s spine.
“Ha-ha! Just kidding! Father taught me how to taunt foes and I’ve been dying to try out his teachings. Did it work, was I frightening?”
“Umm, yeah. I was literally terrified. Still am a little, because I have soo much to live for now.”
“Ohh, I’m sorry, I forgot, you’re gonna be a mommy soon. Is ok kitty. I’ll just give you the basics, then I’ll get your two friends in here, and get them caught up as well. Here, chew on this, and you’ll be asleep in no time.” Amy said, slipping what tasted like the bubblegum she had gotten from that merchant back on Ambrosia. Chewing happily she worked out the sweetener, but before she could blow the bubble she had formed behind her lips, she was indeed unconscious.
Boone looked around when he thought he saw a young girl in his peripheral vision. But when he turned there was nothing there. Shaking his head, he turned to look at Trix, but she was gone! Looking down the corridor in both directions as he stood revealed he really was alone.
<Be at ease Boone Grifin. Tali sends her love, and I need to teach you all I can so you and she can take me shopping!> He heard in his mind before he collapsed to the floor, stunned unconscious.
“How long have they been out of contact now?” McHammond asked. Darya looked at her chrono.
“Three hours. Boone said if we didn’t hear back from them in six hours, to head for Muckstra. I don’t want to leave them here either, but they need us back there.” Darya answered.
“Besides Cap, All of these Ancient Sites are fraught with enough danger to turn your hair gray. The last team the Corps sent to a site lost half their members to homicidal robots.” Mitchell finished.
McHammond sat back in his chair as Widget came onto the bridge.
“Any word?” he asked.
“None so far.” Darya answered.
“Damn. Not good.” He said, turning and heading back to engineering.
“Darya, you have the Con. I’ll be in my quarters.”
“Aye Cap.”
Talia opened her eyes. Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t believe all of the stuff she now knew. The astrogation information alone was staggering, and it made the area that made up known space as it was called by all the races in this sector absolutely tiny by comparison. The tech marvels were another matter altogether. But this ship, this incredible vessel, this was at the forefront of her mind. She looked down, and in a language not her own said “restraints release” and the table let go of her. Looking around she saw Boone in the same predicament, his body convulsing slightly as the computer forced his brain to store all the data hers had been given. Off to her left on another table lay Trix, she too being re-educated. Standing, she moved out of sickbay, knowing now that the two of them would be fine, but she needed to get to the bridge and let everyone topside know they were ok. Amy appeared beside her as she made her way to the central lifts, and up to the bridge.
“Hi Tali!” Amy said in her cheerful tone. Talia reached out in a fast as lightning grab and pulled Amy into a tight hug. Amy coughed from the tiger’s grip hug, but scratched Talia behind her ears, illiciting a purr from the big tigress. Setting Amy down, she mouthed two words to the small girl: Thank you.
“Ahh, no big deal kitty. I can’t drive this thing myself, and I really don’t want to learn how, so, my ship is your ship. As long as we can go shopping at some point soon, take us where we’re needed most. K?”
“It’s a done deal kid. Go to sickbay and send Boone and Trix up to the bridge when they’re done with the re-education, ok?”
“Okie Dokie!” And Amy disappeared. Talia arrived on the bridge and began activating systems long since dormant. First, she brought the other four fusion piles to full power, and once they were at capacity, began feeding fuel to the total conversion unit. This caused the lights on the bridge to come up to full. Moving to the forward most station, the chair at the center of the seven, she activated the inertial dampeners and contragrav units, spooling the latter to full power. Moving a few other controls brought a pistol grip up out of the armrest on the right side armrest of the chair. Sitting in that chair, she donned the dark goggles that sat there and began a verbal countdown as the readings on the total conversion unit hit full.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FIRE!” She yelled to no one as she squeezed the trigger…
“Holy Frack! Mitchell! Look at these energy readings! From down at the digsite!” Darya yelled as Mitch leaned over and looked at her readings. The readings indicated that a small star had suddenly come to life below the frozen lake that Talia, Boone and Trix were supposed to be investigating. But before either of them could call the Captain, an energy beam ripped free of the ice, shattering most of the frozen lake in a shower of ice chunks the size of destroyers and shooting into space not 2000 meters off to their starboard side.
What was revealed after that energy beam shattered the frozen lake astounded both of them…
A ship, easily twice the size of a Flagstar, a cylindrical hull, flanked on 8 sides by cannon like shafts that ended in arrow shaped energy emitters. The energy beam came from a circular opening in the forward part of the ship, as it slowly rose from the floor of the lakebed. Boone and Trix walked onto the bridge a moment later, Boone taking the seat two positions to Talia’s left, and Trix taking the seat two positions to her right.
“Warp intermix ratios at optimum. Transwarp Array at full power. Slyper drive on standby. We’re ready to go when ever you are Cap.” Trix said, all business.
“Main gun in trickle charge mode. Main Phaser Arrays on standby, Proton torpedo racks loaded and on stand by. Point defense systems also online and in stand by mode. Shields up and fully energized. EMF on stand by.” Boone reported.
“Let’s go kick some Alien ass.” Talia said as she slid the ship into orbit, a tractor beam grabbing ‘Gypsy’s Moon’ and dragging it into an immense cargo bay. 45 minutes later, Darya, Mitchell, Widget, McHammond and Har-nee-nee came onto the bridge. Darya took the seat behind the large globe, which showed the star system they were in with the A4V in the center. McHammond took the chair against the wall and donning the cap that sat on the chair, a navy blue Captain’s cap with a gold anchor on the front. Mitchell took the station to Talia’s immediate right and Har took a seat to her left. Widget took the seat between Mitchell and Trix.
“All systems at full capacity Captain! We’re ready to go.” Talia called over her shoulder.
“Set course for Muckstra, maximum transwarp!”
“Course laid in Captain. Engaging!” Darya yelled, slamming a pair of slide levers to their stops. The star field ahead of them warped and twisted, and the Sindrohei Warship ‘Avenging Justice’ disappeared…
Edge of Muckstra System, Hour 160, Flagstar ‘Invincible Retribution’
Admiral Noguma watched as the dozen I.S.C ships moved away from Mechad Prime and headed for Muckstra. His force, now standing at an additional 2 dozen ships, all stood loosely around the Flagstar, some making last minute repairs or refits, the rest doing battle drills to get their crews in tip top shape for the battle all knew was coming.
“Still no word from the ‘Gypsy’s Moon’?” He asked Captain Hayes.
“Negative Admiral.”
The Bolaar had sent not one, not two, but three of their best dreadnoughts, along with 4 battle cruisers. The Prince was indeed happy to have the distortion cannon specs, along with a working example and a few Mechad techs to teach his techs how they worked.
Captain Wolf had convinced three of his fellow Captains to also join the fight, considering that if the I.S.C was successful, they’d surely be forced to leave this area, which none of them wanted.
Ambassador Cumulus was able to convince not only the Tufor to send a few ships, but the close minded Scorpead as well. Once the Scorps saw the ships arrayed against them, they committed three Dreadnoughts of their own to aid in the defense. Rounding out the additions to the fleet, were a half dozen police cruisers, stripped from their posts along the neutral zone between Mechad space and the Argonian / Corporate border.
All of the ships in the Vektrean line had their heavy weapons mounts refitted with distortion cannons, for theirs was the most suicidal of missions: Fly at the enemy head on, and blast them with all of their distortion cannons. Hopefully the combined blast of over 100 of those guns would make a sizable dent against the I.S.C.'s force.
Admiral Noguma stood on the flag bridge of 'Impervious', holding both the Flagstar and Elan's DN in reserve. If things began to go badly, he would retreat via shuttlecraft back to the Flagstar, and there, with Elan, they would make their final stand.
"All ships, this is Admiral Noguma. Ours is a desperate struggle indeed. We go boldly now to protect those whom we care for, to halt a menace this side of the galaxy did not need, did not warrant, and surely did not deserve. Today, we say with one voice: You shall not pass, I.S.C.!" He finished amidst a mighty cheer from the crew around him. Turning toward one monitor showed Admiral Drena. She was smiling.
"Mechad and Vektrean forces, Advance!" He ordered. The front line of his group consisted of Twelve's Juggernaught, 3 battleships, 2 dreadnoughts, the 'Impervious', the 'Galant Victory', 3 Bolaar DNs, 4 Bolaar BCs the 4 Lone Wolf DNs, 30 odd Vektrean fighters, 4 Vektrean CAs, and 3 Mechad BCs.
His reserve, or 'second wave' force consisted of: Commodore Thunderhead's Flagship, his 2 battleships, 4 dreadnoughts and 1 carrier. The Tufor sent 3 war cruisers, along with the Scorps 3 dreadnoughts, the half dozen police cruisers and the rest of Twelve's lesser units. All of these units took up a loose formation around Elan and the Flagstar.
Noguma watched as the smaller ships in his formation started straying too far ahead, their crews obviously eager to prove they were better then the invaders. Quickly he ordered them back into the formation, and discipline took over. After a few terse moments, they again moved forward as a combined unit. As they reached extreme phaser range, he ordered them to open fire.
At a distance of nearly 300,000 miles, Admiral Nostrum saw exactly what he was up against, as every ship in the Vektrean and Mechad front line suddenly opened fire, targeting all of their phasers on that same, still slightly damaged destroyer...
Over 125 phasers hit their target, slicing through the shields as though they weren't even there, and detonating the small vessel in an antimatter explosion.
A mighty cheer rang out across the bridge of the 'Impervious' as the sheer volume of fire incinerated the enemy craft. Noguma looked around the bridge and smiled.
'Maybe we'll carry this day after all.' He thought to himself, as the range continued to close. At 240,000 miles all of his ships again fired their phasers, and the destroyer that was next to the now expanding ball of gas joined it's partner, detonating in a frenzied antimatter explosion. The other destroyer suddenly accelerated forward, cutting the range between it and Noguma's forces by half, while his force was still recharging their phaser banks, and let fly with one of those plasma ball torpedoes. It closed the distance in seconds, tracking on one of the Lone Wolf dreadnoughts, and despite the ship's attempts at evasive maneuvers, was caught squarely, detonating in a brilliant fireball all it's own. The rest of the ISC force accelerated forward, dropping the range down to just under 100,000 miles.
Noguma saw his chance.
"Distortion cannons! FIRE!" He roared, and over 100 of the things did so, rippling sub-space in front of his task force. The combined wavefront stripped the shields from the one lead destroyer, as well as reducing the shields on the next three vessels in line to a short circuited mess. But, sadly, that was Noguma's last hurrah, for he knew it would be over before those cannons could cycle, recharge and fire again.
First one, from the wounded destroyer, then 4 more, larger ones than from the destroyer, of those plasma torpedoes streaked towards Noguma's task force, the smaller one vaporizing one of the Bolaar battle cruisers and the four from the light (Strike) cruisers striking the Juggernaught, nearly crippling it, and destroying the 3 Mechad battleships surrounding Twelve's Flag. Turning slowly to port, he began to move from the battle line, until that lone destroyer fired 4 ruby shafts of phaser fire into the crippled Juggernaught, blowing it to pieces. The ISC destroyer was then phasered to pieces by every Mechad ship remaining in the battle line, along with the Lone Wolf ships and the lighter Vektrean units, including the 30 odd fighters. The ISC light cruisers then fired from their central hull, an immense ball of fire, nearly twice the size of the previously seen plasma balls. Before anyone could react or take evasive, one of those massive balls struck Captain Wolf's ship, atomizing it and the other struck the 'Impervious', it's lead helmsman executing a full lateral thruster shift to starboard, thereby saving the vessel, but not by much. Sparks flew from exploding bridge panels, and support beams fell from the ceiling all around him, one such girder catching him from behind and felling Noguma. Those two lead cruisers then accelerated forward, phasering the Vektrean fighters and ripping the last two Mechad dreadnoughts to pieces.
"Horatio!" Elan cried out upon seeing the 'Impervious' reduced to a crippled wreck, as Commodore Thunderhead ordered his task force forward. Only the Flagstar stayed behind, coordinating and acting as the last line of defense.
The battle was bloody and extremely so, considering the obvious tech edge the I.S.C. held over the combined Mechad/Vektrean defense. Even with the Argonian task force joining the fray, the I.S.C. only lost 6 more vessels. Their DN and its escorts, a pair of CC's, remained, while only the Flagstar remained. Noguma had indeed transferred his flag back to the Flagstar, his injuries being treated in route, but there was not a fleet left to command. It had been wiped out to the very last ship.
For their part, the I.S.C. took considerably more losses then even their best strategist had forecast to them. Looking around the slightly damaged bridge on his flagship, Admiral Nostrum sat back and smiled.
"These aliens put up quite a struggle. But now, ours is the victorious..." He was cut off by a call from his COM officer.
"Admiral! I have what looks like a vessel, approaching from behind the enemy's base!"
'Avenging Justice', same time
"Looks like we got here too late to be of much help." Boone commented idly, as Darya slowed the ship to one half impulse and cruised slowly up towards the Flagstar, which had just locked phasers onto them. Picking up the COM unit, Talia called the Flagstar.
"Vektrean Asteroid Flagstar 'Invincible Retribution', this is Lt. Talia Noguma-Grifin of the Sindrohei warship 'Avenging Justice'. We read your predicament and would like to offer any assistance we can. Over?"
"Pitching us up 30 degrees over the top of the Flagstar!" Darya called out. Talia flipped a few switches and began the power transfer to the main gun.
"Justice, this is Retribution, we could use all the help you can spare!" Came Elan's voice over their bridge speakers. Noguma looked up from where he lay on the med-table down in sick bay as he heard his little girl offer her assistance, then seeing what it was she was driving.
"Helluva improvement from a Nitsua." He grunted through the pain meds, as the doctors continued to repair his nearly shattered spine.
"I have a lock!" Talia yelled.
I.S.C. DN 'Shining Star', same time
"Is that a Sindrohei warship??" Bretab stammered, as energy was drawn in through the opening in the ship's bow.
"It can't be, they were all destroyed! We accounted for every one!" Nostrum finished.
"FIRE!" Roared McHammond.
But before anything or anyone could do anything, everyone's view went dark.
The cover above Talia's head opened with a hiss, and slid backwards. Looking up she saw Kelly standing above her Micro-Sim chamber. Kelly smiled down to her.
"Hi Tali!" She said in her usual cheerful tone. All around the Stu's Games Theater, Micro-Sim pods opened, and various people stuck their heads up out of the SD tanks.
"What's the problem Kelly? Why did you end the sim?" Alex asked as he slipped out of the tank he had been assigned. Talia's eyebrows shot up at seeing him in a Game sim.
"Ok, I gotta ask, where you Boone?" She questioned. Hearing another man's voice from behind her, she turned to see Anderson smiling at her.
"No Talia, I was Boone." Anderson said with a smile. She then looked at the 16 SD tanks in this Games Theater (there are 12 of these onboard the Stu), and at all the people she knew and cared for as they climbed out of their tanks. Once everyone was out, she began asking who was who in the game, since she really couldn't tell.
"Oh, come on now Talia, you don't know the role I played? Me of all people?" Alex said with a smile. A light bulb went off over her head.
"Admiral Noguma, right?" She said, and he nodded.
"And I was Admiral Drena." Cygna said, as she hugged her mate of many years. He reached down and rubbed her swollen belly. She was nearly to full term. Talia turned to Ericka and guessed her role.
"E, let me guess, you were Har-nee-nee?" She said, but Ericka shook her head. Cammie jumped into Talia's arms, hugging and kissing the curvy tigress.
"No silly, Har-nee-nee was me!" She said as Talia returned her hugs then set her down.
"And I was Ambassador Cumulus." Ericka said with a smile. Talia nodded with understanding, as Jett and Tina came over to her and hugged her as well.
"Got a clue who we played, Talia?" Tina said, as Jett looked up at her, grinning like a fool.
"Darya and Trix?" Talia said, but Jett just laughed.
"Oh, just because I'm female I have to play a female? Heck no, Tina was Darya true, but I was Mitchell!" Jett said as everyone laughed and Talia's eyebrows shot up.
"Really? Ok, so who was McHammond and Trix and Widget then?" She asked, looking at the rest of those assembled. When she spotted Bennie and Val, she had her answer right away.
"Hi Tali!" Val/Trix said, as she got a long hug from her mate, Bennie/Widget.
"And I was McHammond." Fred said as he hugged the curvy tigress. She had to peel him off of her as usual, since as a tigress, she was Fred's kryptonite. She spotted Mason talking to Lorelei back near the entrance to this Theater, and moved over to ask who they were. Upon seeing his boss, Mason turned from Lorelei and hugged a surprised Talia.
"Hey Boss." He said with a crooked smile. Lorelei looked up at Talia and smiled to her.
"And you guys were?" She asked, running down the remaining cast of characters she had met and interacted with within the game, but couldn't figure out who they were until her mind drew the connection.
"Lorelei! You were Twelve!?" She grinned so wide, Talia thought she'd freeze that way.
"I had you fooled, didn't I?" She said as Alex and Cygna came over and hugged her.
"Heck little sister, you even had me fooled." He grinned hugging her to him, and she returning it. Amythyst walked over, her belly starting to show alittle, as she hugged Talia as well, breathing in the combined scents of sweat and strawberry Magi-Bubble.
"Hi Amythyst. Who were.. OH! You were Amy!" Talia said with a giggle. Amy just smiled.
"Yes, I was. It was a fun diversion, but I don't feel so well. I'm gonna go lie down." Talia noticed her belly bump, and looked right at Alex.
"Your handy work I see." She said with a scowl. "Seriously boss, knocking up the only point of contact we have with the Galhadian High Council?" Alex just shrugged.
"I never could get him to use protection." Cygna said with a wry grin. Alex merely rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Ok, but who were you Mason?"
"I had a dual role, well, three roles actually. I was Captains Bennett and Hayes, and Captain Wolf." He said with a grin, then moved back to talking to Lorelei.
"And the last real question I have is, why were all of you in MY game??" She practically yelled, trying to get the real mystery solved. Everyone turned to her, looked to one another, then yelled,
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TALIA!"
She stood stunned as everyone came over and hugged her or hugged then kissed her. She looked down at her wrist chrono and sure enough, it was Jan 2, 3026.
"My birthday? You guys all did this because of MY birthday?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Alex and Cammie were by her sides in seconds as she collapsed into a crying fit. Not a sad cry, but more of a 'I'm so happy' kind of cry. Everyone else joined in on the big group hug, and she felt more then a few pinches on her backside and one overt breast rub who she knew had to be Fred. After a short time, and as everyone moved away to return to whatever it was they had been doing before joining in on Talia's RPG time, all that remained was Alex and Kelly.
"So, it was you two who pulled off this RPG hijacking right?" She asked, wiping the tears from her face. Alex smiled warmly but Kelly just shrugged.
"His idea." Kelly said, jerking her thumbs at Alex. He leaned over and gave her a small peck on the forehead, pulled Tali close, giving her a long, lover's birthday kiss and fondle, then went on his way. She had to lean against a tank just to steady herself, and had Kelly not been standing there, she would have tackled him to the floor before he got out of the room.
"And the reason I'm here, other then to get everyone back to work, mainly because we have another meeting with the Galhadian High Council in an hour, is to give you these and ask you if you'd help me hone my technique with Magi-Bubble." She said handing Talia a half dozen pieces of the stuff while popping a few pieces into her mouth. Talia nodded with a smile, pulling the small angel close and giving her a lover's hug. If Kelly could have purred, she surely would have.
They then set off to Cargo Bay Two, Port side, and proceeded to make the walls pink...
((Author's notes: GE was a fun game when it first released. However, it suffered horribly from game mechanic failures that could not be corrected in the short time that it existed. This piece of fan fiction is my intrepretation of what it would be like to have a GE deck face down a Star Fleet Battles encounter, keeping the SSD's from SFB and pitting them against the ship cards verbatum from GE.
I used my pet race from SFB, the I.S.C. because their credo fit the storyline (Out to pacify the galaxy) and for their BPV, their ships are just insanely tough. {An ISC Command Cruiser will best ANY other race's CC any time and any where, 1 to 1.} The ships from GE were used straight up; If it has 5 phasers, it does 5 points of damage. This was the 'Tech Edge' that was mentioned in the story. For the SFB side of it, when a ISC DD fired a phaser at a GE ship, considering SFB's ranges of 10,000 miles per hex, at a range of 5 hexes or less, a Phaser-1 would do on average, 5 points of damage. Hence, why a pair of phaser-1's would cripple or destroy an S-5 cruiser.
And that's how the final battle played out. After doing the calculations, it was determined that the ISC would indeed lose all of their smaller ships (Their force was: 1x DN, 2x CC, 2x CA, 4x CS, and 3x DD) but the GE force would be decimated. Nothing but smoldering wrecks and quite a few expanding balls of gas. For example, a Plasma F fired under a range of 10, does 20 points of damage. Only two ships in all of GE can withstand that: A Mechad BB or Juggernaught, and neither could take it twice.
But, it was a fun story to write, and I hope all who read it will enjoy it also. As with all of my fiction, I try to focus on the inter-personal relationships as opposed to the tech involved. It is this style that makes sci fi more fun and accessible for everyone instead of the chosen (geeky) few. :)
Take care, and maybe I'll have Talia finish her 'game' at some point down the road...))
((On a side note: Most GE players would recognize the 'Avenging Justice' from the description: The S8 Lost Pirate ship.
You would be correct, though this ship was indeed a Frayed Time Spindle target from hell. Breaking it down, ala GE, here is how that ship would look in play:
S8 Lost Pirate Ship, E-8 Heavy Ship Upgrade, E-4 Heavy Phaser Refit, E-6 Heavy Weapon Refit, E-9 Future Ship, E-9 Shroud, E-2 & 7 Leopan Armor systems, E-4 Flag bridge, R/E-6 Vektrean Fighter, C-6 Captain (McHammond), C-8 1st Sgt (Boone), C-4 Navigator (Mitchell), C-4 Lieutenant (Darya), R/C-6 Marine (Talia), C-6 Ace Fighter Pilot (Har-nee-nee), C-2 Engineer (Trix), R/C-7 Science Officer (Widget).
With the ship refit, the 2 heavies added by the HWR, the added 2 phasers from the HSU and and the one from the HPhR (Since a ship can only add 3 phasers from refits), added to the 9 the ship already has, plus Future ship's ability, and you can see this ship is one tough customer. I may not have gotten all of the numbers right with regard to the equipment or the crew, but I have no access to GE cards, as I haven't owned any since 2008...))
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"Light Balls? You didn't ask for Light Balls. You asked for Light BEER!" Capt. Sergei Fukov, CPP Kalinka
Star Wreck, In The Pirkinning
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Galactic Empires : News and Misc.
Topic: A piece of Fan Fiction I finally finished
