AUTHOR: Starlight Riddler
PAIRING: None in this chapter.
RATING: U (I think)
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own these characters. They belong to Tribune, CanWest and Fireworks I believe. I’m just giving them a holiday or something, and no copyright infringement is intended.
SUMMARY: The Dragons launch a series of seemingly pointless attacks on the Andromeda, and then accidently lead them back to the command drift.
FEEDBACK: is always appreciated: starlightriddler@hotmail.com
Do not fear your enemies. The worst they can do is kill you. Do not fear friends. At worst, they may betray you. Fear those who do not care; they neither kill nor betray, but betrayal and murder exists because of their silent consent.
~ Bruno Jasienski (Yasensky)
"Two targets inbound - source still unknown, tracking two missiles heading towards us at eighty PSL, payload and propulsion methods still completely unknown."
"Nuts!" Harper cried out quickly and threw the circuitry he was soldering together to the floor of the bridge and ran up to the command podium. "Uhh... Dylan! Dylan! Get up to command!"
"Missiles are closing fast."
"Uhh, Rommie... turn on PDL cannons, arm defensive missiles, fire all hell."
The tactical schematic showed two brightly glowing spheres leaving the Andromeda’s wire frame representation and slamming into the red blips shooting towards them, all being annihalating. Dylan ran onto the command deck with Tyr a few paces behind.
"Andromeda, cancel battle stations" The blue hue on the bridge switched to standard illumination and Dylan pressed a few keys to check on the situation. "Another missile volley, easily destroyed... whoever is up to this sure does have plenty of missiles to waste."
"Analysis of the debris shows no payload, just empty shells targeted towards us." The on screen representation of Andromeda’s AI reported.
"What's the point?" Harper asked, slipping under the rails to scavenge what remained of the circuit he had thrown down.
"They are testing our defences, probing for weaknesses." Tyr muttered ominously.
"Yes, well, I hope we gave them a good show." Dylan replied annoyed. "Rommie, launch some oracle drones, sierra search pattern for six light minuets out." He threw up his hands and walked off the bridge. "Lets, see if we can find anyone."
"Aye" Rommie replied holloway. Dylan walked out of the bridge as Beka turned up, yawning, and nodded to Dylan as he strode out annoyed.
"Another missile attack? Must have slept on right through this one."
"Yeah, another stupid pointless missile attack. Rommies having a look now, but we can’t find out who is sending them."
"Great." Beka lent down lazily on the piloting chair, and yawned again.
"You’ve been up all night playing that trashy holo novel again, havn’t you? The one where your some dancer in the-" Harper got a sharp kick in the knees. "I just... play it for fun." She replied.
"Uh huh, well, i've seen what kind of fun you get up to on that." Harper winked at Tyr who looked at him distainfully.
"You can hardly talk about her taste in literature, as I had the misfortune of seeing what you keep under your pillow on the Marou."
"-Ahh, now, c’mon... that was a gift, from a very special friend of mine-"
"Who happens to give you copies of ‘Keyhole Inari Weekly’?" Beka asked impishly.
"Ill have you know its a very literary magazine."
"Oh, sure..." Beka’s snide comment was interrupted by an small alarm beep.
"Drone six has detected one light frigate, Drago Kasov signature, running as fast as they can away from our position."
"Dragons?" Asked Tyr retorically. "I thought they were leaving us alone for a bit."
"Obviously not..." Beka punched down a sequence of controls and the steering columns extended to allow her to pilot the starship. "All ahead full, Dylan report to command."
"They are only running from our drone right now, they havn’t seen us yet." Tyr spoke matter-of-factly. "Keep a stalking distance, don’t use any active sensors, we will follow them."
"Enemy ship is entering slipstream." Rommie reported.
"Follow them in." Beka ordered, and plunged the controls forward and kept a close eye on the ship and tried to navigate through the tanglelled mess of blue chords to find there way out in space again, still behind the war frigate.
"Position?"
"Triangulum Galaxy, star positions say we are about 40 degrees inclined from Hugt 215."
"Right in the middle of Dragon territory." Tyr replied.
The door opened as Dylan walked back onto the command deck, with his now customary annoyed expression.
"Report" He said simply.
"We followed a Drago-Kasov war frigite in full stealth mode back to here. We’re deep inside Dragon territory."
"Great. Keep our distance here and get a stealth drone to track it."
"A drift?"
"Not just a drift. Possiblly the drift." Beka replied excitedly.
"Dylan, if this is what we think it is, it could be the base of the Dragon’s entire military operation. We could find maps of other High Guard POW camps, all the slave worlds... with this information the Sabra-Jauguar could easily win the war with that kind of knowledge about there fleet and troop movements."
The holographic version of Rommie appeared.
"If we are going to make a move, it better be soon. Long range passive sensors have detected a twelve ship patrol group heading towards our direction, probobly going to check out the EM burst from our slipstream portal. If we are going to launch a stealth mission, we better begin now."
"Allright" Dylan grinned. "Tyr, report to the Marou. We’re going on a little trip."
He nodded to Beka. "I’m sure you can keep the place together until we get back."
"Of course." Beka replied softly.
"Good." He walked out of the officers mess and began down the corridor when Trance, golden flowing hair trailing behind her, stepped in front of him.
"You can’t go."
"Eh?"
"If you go, you will die and the Andromeda will be destroyed. You need to stay here."
"I need more to go on than-"
Something in her eyes commanded obedience. "Allright." He agreed, and tapped his neck to activate the communication implant. "Change of plans, Beka, Trance and Rommie all head to the Marou as well. I’ll stay here with Harper and keep the Andromeda safe."
Trance smiled faintly and strode off down the corridor towards the hanger.
Beka lent back in the Marou’s piloting chair and sighed. She stretched her arms above her head, arching her back, and tired after a long trip of slipstream piloting. Tyr wasn’t exactly the best person on a long trip as he was yet to master small talk, so Beka had started nearly every conversation so far.
"Tyr, I was wondering…" She began.
"Yes?"
"Well, pretty much all the Nietzchean’s we have seen are warriors, or fighters, or generals, yes? Well, on your ships… I mean, some people must have to do boring jobs, monitoring coolant levels, basic navigation… how do they get any respect?"
"It doesn’t matter what the job is Beka" Tyr replied wearily. "It is that no-one else on the ship can do it better. Even if you are a coolant level controller…" He smiled a little "…then you make sure you are the best damn coolant level monitor on the ship. All understand they rely on each other, although all Nietzchean’s are expected to be competent in weapons training."
"Oh, okay" Tyr had wrapped up that attempt at conversation quickly.
"How long are those two going to take?" Tyr asked quickly.
Beka glanced back looking into the main corridor of the Marou.
"Oh, well, Tyr, you shouldn’t interrupt girls when they are dressing."
"Rommie, please, why won’t you let me come with you?" Trance asked, flicking from leg to leg to lean on as Rommie zipped up the dark suit she was getting into.
"Trance, I know that you are able and willing to assist me, but three people are too dangerous." Rommie picked up an ECM generator, checked it, and then slapped it onto her wrist.
"I’ve had experience with this sort of thing though. Breaking into and stealing places, it used to be my job."
"Yes, well, it’s not now" Rommie said shortly, checking her force lance had a full load out then suspending it in her holster.
"What if I can help in other ways though? I might be able to see things coming" Since Trance’s change, she had been a lot more straight talking about her abilities.
"It’s going to be just as dangerous for Beka and you" Rommie replied staring down at some small explosives, checking there electronic fuses. "There’s every bit of a chance they might see some action slipping back out of Drago-Kasov space, you may need to help Beka get back to the Andromeda safely."
The buzz of the Marou’s intercom sounded, and the speakers in the small room surrounded by bunk beds spluttered into life.
"So, I hate to interrupt you girls, whatever your doing" Trance suppressed a giggle which would have for a moment made her seem a shade more purple. "But were six light seconds out from the Dragons command drift"
Rommie nodded to Trance and strode out the room, walking purposefully down the main corridor then ending up in the cockpit, leaning over Beka’s piloting chair. Tyr, despite the fact she was an android, couldn’t deny that Rommie’s black suit wrapped straight onto the contours of her skin made her very appealing to the eye.
"Have they seen us?" Beka asked.
"I’m reading gamma pulses, pings from active sensors… this whole area is one massive sensor net. It’s going to be hard, even with Harper’s new stealth enchantments." Tyr replied blandly, his eyes fixed on the sensor monitor.
"Okay Beka, nice and easy, just take us in." Rommie let her hand onto Beka’s shoulder to ease her.
From the forward view port they could see the Drago-Kasov command drift looming towards them. It was a grey, ugly design, looking cumbersome with different shapes jumping off it at every angle and layers of decks mashed together with still some gaps in between them. It gave the impression the Dragon’s were always adding new sections to it, with no real plan for its eventual design.
"Drop us here" Rommie told her, pointing towards a cylindrical module on the other side of the drift, which was shaded by a massive tower which blocked out the sun.
"Keep in the dark parts where no starlight is flowing in, because even if these modifications hold up against sensors, it isn’t going to help us if someone looks out the window."
Beka gracefully eased the ship into an area of total darkness, slowly using manoeuvring jets until they heard the soft clunk of the Marou landing on the drift. Trance held her breath for a few seconds, because if they had been detected, the Dragons AG fields would blast the Marou off there hull and break it apart right now.
"There now" Tyr got up, seemingly un-impressed. "Beka’s landed us safely. Ship, are we ready?"
Rommie looked impatient. Trance whispered into Tyr’s ears.
"If you’re going to be spending some time with her, it might be nice to call her by her real name."
Beka leaned out of here chair. "You guys need to get moving, I can’t stay here for any longer or the sentry nanobots will detect me."
Tyr picked up his large rifle and opened the airlock, which had drilled into the side of the Nietzchean drift. He stepped inside and dissapeared from sight. Rommie followed after him a few seconds later.
"Good Luck" Trance offered. The hatch closed.
"That allways means so much more when its coming from
you, Trance." Beka replied, taking off gently. "We better get back to the
boys."