Adrift upon the stellar winds

[October Knight]

Part one: Chaotic encounters





Cruising across the cosmic gateway towards the Kaliguar System, stars whipping past the port windows at the speed of light casting gold and silver streaks across the endless black of the known galaxy, was the Nautica's Phantom.

The Phantom, so named for it's intended purpose as a covert-ops scouting ship, is mid sized, fast and packing enough fire power to hold her own against small fighter craft and destroyers alike. The crew of about 40 (at least a third of which are A.I and janitorial robots) reside in close quarters, sleeping together in bunk lined, dorm like rooms and sharing each meal in a communal cafeteria. Conditions are far from optimum, as the comfort of the crew is sacrificed for the compact structure of the Phantom.

The collective nerves of the crew are on edge while tension heats to a boil between the Merrix and the Shadow breed. Most of their recent battles have been political as whispers of all an all out explosion of arms has sped across the galaxy.

No agreement can be met, and a war for resources, territory and control is imminent, unknown to the humans aboard the Nautica's Phantom headed straight for the epicenter of the conflict.






"Commander Ryan, we're nearing the Kaliguar system, right on schedule"

The Kaliguar system was visible from the port window in the navigation control room, an epicenter of stars and planets, some not yet colonized but ripe with resources. It was indeed a desirable territory, and few could question why two dominate races would kill for claim to it.


Commander Castor Ryan nodded in acknowledgement as knuckles cracked from within clasped hands, a nervous habit that had not been picked up during his years in the trenches wielding plasma rifles against advancing alien hordes, but rather just recently as a commander of a scouting ship. Go figure

With no further instructions, Castor turned and headed towards the door. Polished black boots echoed a steady pounding down the east wing corridor. His brow furrowed heavily beneath a thickly creased forehead, his eyes little more than carved slits in a stone cold face. He was a hard man, no one questioned that, but he was also fair and empathetic towards his crew.

With the missions objective looming in the distance and weighing heavy on Castor's shoulders he passed through the vacuum locked doors that would lead him to the main flight control bridge.














​

 

[Ochalla]

An hour on the flight controls, and smooth sailing was all she could have reported if she was asked. Sandie half found herself wishing to be in her cot, for she was in love. Well "in love" as anyone could honestly be in with a level 5 addiction rated sim album by the performance sensation Miss Lips. Level 5 addiction was the highest that active military personanel were allowed, and Sandie thought even that was too high. She knew her limits and had never had a sim wreck her life like she had seen with some, but even a level 3 had seemed to hold people hostage from living life.

On second thought, it was time to put the album away if she was thinking about it while flying.

The deck doors opened with a swoosh, and Sandie looked over her shoulder. "Commander Ryan," she gave him a nod of acknowledgement once she lifted her nav goggles. Eye contact was always important to give ones superior. She then replaced her goggles and straightened her her seat. Things were routine enough that she honestly could have given him a full salute, but that was a risky habit to make. One time going through formalities you might have to suddenly do some evasive maneuvers.

Sandie Armstrong had only recently been assigned to the Nautica's Phantom but she liked the ship and the commander. The commander didn't leave her guessing and she hadn't seen him play games with favorites. As for the ship, it maneuvered like a dream, though the young pilot hadn't gotten a chance to really test the limits of the ship yet.

With them nearing the star system, and the commander now on deck, new orders were likely.

 

[Layne]

"Never have to step foot on a ship that isn't landed, they said. Swear up and down you'll never go on a mission, they said. I really should learn to stop listening to people that I can't take apart, Qwee."


Ayah sat at a long table that was set against a wall, working carefully and gazing through a microscope as she set pieces. It was easy work, but rather dull since she had done it all before. The ship was in great condition and they hadn't even had to run a routine scan yet. All in all, she was bored. She sighed and looked over at the robot who was twittering back a response. Made of a shining silver, it had ten spindly legs and a square body, with two shining red eyes that occasionally flashed. Despite the fact that it was the size of a baseball, Qwee was one of the most useful things she had ever created.


In her opinion, anyway.


"Hand me that chip. Time to see if this one will wake up," she said, taking the chip from the skittering bot and placing it in carefully. A few snaps later and she sat back, watching. Her creation was a bit smaller than Qwee. He had been asking for a companion. She watched it stand up and look around.. then start chasing poor Qwee around with a laser that left scorch marks on the table.


"Okay, maybe not.."

 

[October Knight]

Castor nodded absently back at the lead pilot, his mind was set on the mission at hand. There was little time for formalities as the Kaliguar system edged towards them in the panoramic windows of the main flight deck.

The objective was in sight.

"Check your speed, we want to make a slow pass, as close to the atmospheric barrier as possible." The room fell silent as the system came into view. After weeks in space, seeing a planetary system such as Kaliguar was breathtaking.

The three main planets of the system are Hoan, PTP 7 (Pre-terraformed planet #7) and Deltar Sierra.

Hoan is a highly livable planet with vast resources and often compared to the 21st century earth by scientists and geologist. It has a thriving civilization and worldwide governmental structure. Deltar Sierra is little more than a solid block of ice. It's population lives under the surface in brain twistingly large complexes. They are a self sufficient people who stay out of the politics of the galaxy. PTP 7, PTP being a generic term used to define a planet that is not yet inhabitable, there is little to tell of it save for the fact that it is potentially thriving with vital resources. All three planets, and about half a dozen moons, are caught in the jaws of a power struggle that is the ongoing conflict between the Merrix and The Shadow breed, and all three helpless to do anything to intervene as their defenses are dwarfed by the sheer power of the two waring races.
​

As the ship dropped towards the atmospheric barrier, Castor leaned over the radar operators shoulder, straining to see any signs of ships, hostel or not, that may be patrolling the area. He also noticed that the novice operator had an additional window open on his screen, one that was dedicated to detecting asteroids in deep space.

He could sense that he was making the operator nervous as little green lights blooped and bleeped on the screen. Castor sometimes underestimated the significance his presence held, but not this time.

"Have you ever seen asteroids this low?" Castor barked at once in the ear of the radar operator, a slight man by the name of McCollins"

"Sir?" He straightened up and was shaking visibly as Castor Ryan toward over him

"I asked if you have ever seen asteroids this close to the atmosphere of a planet?" If it wasn't clear the first time, the sarcastic nature of this 'damned if I do damned if I don't' question was clear as glass

"No sir, I was just…"

"You were what?" Castor raised a cupped hand to his ear, as if trying to hear McCollins on a busy street corner. McCollins knew by this point he was about to be chastised and continued to look straight ahead as he he closed the deep space asteroid detection window.

"McCollins, If I had half a mind to……" Castor stopped as something caught his eye.

Just past the tail end of the Nautica's Phantom was a craft. It was a Shadow breed ship, highly distinguishable by it's organic nature. The shadow breed's space craft were not made of metal and computers, but rather of living material, harvested on their home planet and constructed by means totally foreign to humans. They are often referred to as 'breath ships" as they appear to be inhaling and exhaling as they fly through space. The Shadow communicated through a hive like mind control, similar to a net work of computers communicating through a 'Mother brain'. Castor always thought they looked like an HR Giger artwork; Demented and phallus in nature, wrought with glistening black scales and interlocking flesh while eye-like orbs dotted their surface: Living mechanical monstrosities. However, they were allies, and Castor didn't like them and spat at their cultural beliefs, but still, they were allies.

​

As the ship became visible, Castor realized at once that it had had a cloaking device on, another reason the species are known as the Shadow breed. Their ability to mask as a shadow in space has been a long sought after ability by their allies and enemies alike. He watched as it's outer shell transformed, and from it several large wing-like flaps protruded. It was switching to attack mode, but that wasn't all, just as he noticed that first Shadow breed craft, more appeared. Tens, twenties, hundreds. The Nautica's Phantom had unknowingly cut through an entire fleet of the alien vessels, and they were preparing for what had to be an attack.

A red, emergency light began to flash in the main control deck, and Castors eye's shot back to the radar screen which now showed hundreds of ships approaching.

"Christ! We're in the middle of a...." He was cut short as a brilliant white light exploded, and the Shdow breed craft all around them shot past the Phantom to meet the oncoming foe, The Merrix.

All at once, the just seconds ago peaceful space was a frenzy of fire and nuclear hatred. Explosions rang out, echoing and reverberating into the endless galaxy. Merrix and Shadow breed craft alike were going down, cut into smithereens by lazors and space missiles.

The crew of the phantom, caught in the middle of deadly battle, sprang to life as the red lights continued to flash. They had to
get out of here, but all around them war rang out. Escape looked impossible.
​

 

[Ochalla]

It happened so unexpectedly. Despite all her training, Sandie had never been in a conflict, and she had not expected one to bloom out here in the Kaliguar system. She was well trained though, and while emotionally she was still stunned by what blossomed around the Phantom, her job was clear, keep the ship from being blown up!

The ships artificial gravity was top of the line, and even as Sandie took them out of the line of fire of the first Merrix ship that had them in its line of sight, she had to avoid going straight into a Shadow vessel. On a planet, the G forces would have caused the pilot to black out in a jet, but this wasn't a get and they made their own gravity. Still, as fast as her eyes were catching glimpses of what was around them, she was putting that information into action. Sandie was doing her best keeping the fire off their tale, but she didn't have the ability to do that and find a way out of the mess they were in the middle of. Sooner or later her reflexes would fail her, and thus fail them all, unless they got out of the battle completely.