Dark Haven - Chapter 15

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crunn
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Dark Haven - Chapter 15

Post by crunn » Sun, 8. Jun 03, 13:11

Chapter 01 (Fate of the Armadeaus)
Chapter 02 (Portents)
Chapter 03 (Passing of a Fantasy)
Chapter 04 (Fissures in the Dark)
Chapter 05 (Reminiscence)
Chapter 06 (Things that go Bump...)
Chapter 07 (The Rocky Road)
Chapter 08 (Escape Plan)
Chapter 09 (Becoming)
Chapter 10 (And it Begins Again)
Chapter 11 (Flight)
Chapter 12 (Cut-off)
Chapter 13 (Spicy Noodles Under a Blood Coloured Moon)
Chapter 14 (The Dreaming)

------------------------------------------
DARK HAVEN

Chapter 15 (Room With A View)


Argon Prime Shipyard.

Argon One, Docked.


General Ilandas is in his office sat behind his desk.
The room is large, luxurious. Similar in size to the Admirals office at Fleet Command, something Ilandas is always quite pleased about.

A painting hangs on the wall behind the chair.
A beautiful sunset across a mirror-like ocean. A small cluster of rocks just breaking the surface. The silhouette of a bird can be seen perched on one of the rocks.
The colours of the sun, the reflections and shadows are so vivid, so strikingly realistic you could easily imagine being there.
A careful eye would spot the signature, 'F Ilandas'
The Grandfather of the General. Painted over one hundred jazuras (years) ago. This is his only memento of the man who meant so much, who took him in and cared for him when his parents died so many years ago.
The painting often brings a tear to the ageing General.


'Ten days we've been in dock. They still haven't finished checking us over for more of that space fungus which ate through the Gamma HEPT. With this priority mission the checks will have to be finished some other time.
They replaced our lost weapon and are now running system tests while we await the arrival of the Jumpdrive.
The replacement weapon is the first off the production line of the new Delta HEPT. They tell me that the prototype testing showed it to far exceed initial expectations. We will be lucky enough to be the first to test it in the field.
Eventually all our weapons will be exchanged, but we haven't time for that now.'

'Having gone over the Armadeaus' logs again and hearing the stress, almost panic in Captain Halls voice makes me redouble my concern over this 'new enemy'.'

'That damnable Ornov never changes, no regard for life.
He is a living commercial for 'the old school teachings',
the mission comes first, lives can and will be lost, honour and duty above all else, Captain goes down with the ship, no greater honour than dying in battle. Ornov is all too willing to endanger and sacrifice people.
A man like that has no place being Admiral of the fleet.
Of course the mission is more important than the individual but every precaution should be taken. Caution and safety should be exercised, the job IS about protecting the lives of the civilians and military alike, if a life can be saved every effort should be made to do so.'

'Knowing what he knew at the time I'd have sent a single fast scout, a Discoverer or better still one of our Paranid Pegasus'. Either that or the whole fleet.
Well, to his credit, he is doing the right thing now, in contacting the other races and sending in the fleet.'

The comms panel chimes and a voice is heard.

"General?"

"Yes Commander?"

"All the tests on the DHEPT that can be done, short of firing it, have been completed. Everything looks good.
Also our Jumpdrive is due to arrive in five mizuras."

"Ok Commander.
We will test fire the weapon if we get the chance.
As for the Jumpdrive, meet me in the dock, I want to see one of those things before it is fitted."

"Yes General."

Ilandas steps from behind his desk, lifts his uniform jacket from the back of the chair. As he is about to leave the room his eye catches the window.

"Ha! even Ornov doesn't have a window."

The struts of the shipyard can be seen extending from the body of the station and disappearing from view, ending somewhere above the Argon One.
A small maintenance drone makes its way back to its dock inside one of the struts.

The General leaves his office and walks to the elevator at the end of the corridor.
He presses the appropriate button for the docking bay level and it descends quietly.
On the way down Ilandas thinks again about the black ships described by Captain Hall.

The elevator comes to a stop and he exits.
The doors ahead lead into the large carrier's docking bay where Commander Jalat awaits.
As he approaches the Commander he looks around the hanger.

'Other than the one or two empty berths and the one Lifter, we have a full compliment of fighters.
I don't remember the last time we had so many on board.
That must be the Lifter that brought the energy cells a stazura ago, I imagine it will be leaving before we make the jump to Teladi Way.'

"General, just in time. The Discoverer is about to dock."

The noise from the thrusters is heard first, getting louder.
When it comes through the force-field around the inner launch bay doors the crackle of electricity drowns out all other sounds.
The General and Commander look up towards the incoming fighter.
Its sleek aerodynamic shape turns and approaches the nearest available berth.
Even in the artificial gravity of the hanger the pilot keeps the M5 flying as gracefully as if it were in space.
The thrusters glow brighter as it slows, the roar showing its obvious power even for a small ship.
The Discoverer descends into the berth two along from where the two officers stand.
The landing gear takes the weight of the ship and the pilot cuts the thrusters and turns the power off, the cargo doors open.

Ilandas and Jalat make their way past a Buster to the Discoverer.
Ahead they see two dock workers steering an anti-gravity pallet truck up into the back of the M5. As the officers arrive the dockworkers are on their way back out carrying a crate.

"Is this the Jumpdrive?"

"Yes sir." one of the workers replies to Jalat.

"Stop a moment, we want to take a look."

The other worker unlatches the lid and removes it.
All four peer into the large crate.

'Not as large as I might have expected.' the General thinks to himself.
'In fact it is a little disappointing. Grey, cuboid, all the corners and edges are rounded off. A few holes where I assume it is to be attached to the power and the main engines.'

All four look back out, each looking rather disillusioned at the large grey box.

"Very good. Get that over to engineering, it has to be fitted immediately."

"Yes sir."

...

Commanders Elite


'Ohhhhggh, I'm getting a little dizzy, nauseous.
The ship is spinning a little too fast for comfort.
None of the controls are responding, everything is dead.
I can't see much more than a blur through the cockpit window as I spin, but it looks like the fight is over.
I guess we won.'


Suddenly a loud crash as something hit the Elite. It shook the ship. The sound reverberating throughout.


"Whaa...?"
'Debris? maybe a grapple?
Well, at least I'm not spinning so fast now.'


The Elite then spun near instantly around two-seventy degrees. Stopped and pulled sideways, dragged.


'Grapple it is then. I hope that's the Jubilee.'
"Careful there.
This thing isn't nailed together as well as it was."

...

Jubilee (a few mizuras earlier)


"Let them go.
I wish them luck, they will need it heading further into the sector.
Lieutenant, what is the condition of the Commanders Elite?"

"Disabled, entirely.
Not even communications."

"And the Lieutenant Commander?"

"He is fine, well on his way to the gate."

"Well at least someone knows how to follow orders.
Bring us closer to the Commander and fire a grapple, we will have to tow him out."

"Yes sir."


As Sina navigates towards the disabled Elite the Captain looks at the sector map.
'How is Pierson doing I wonder.
Hmmm, some distance from the black ships now but their speed is catching up with his.
He is still quite a way from the gate.'


The Corvette passes the drifting Elite.
Sina, confident enough to not need to slow down, fires the grapple.
The large electro-magnet attached to a long line shoots out from the rear underside of the Jubilee.
It contacts perfectly, though perhaps a little violently, with the top of the left wing of the M3.


"Nice shot Lieutenant.
You've done that before haven't you?"

"Thanks.
Yes, hundreds of times... in the sim."

"Set the heading back to the gate.
Full speed, lets see if we can catch the Lieutenant Commander."


As the Jubilee continued and sped up the grapple line grew taught and the Elite suddenly whipped round and was being dragged behind.


"Ensign, contact Pierson.
Tell him to start towards the gate now, we are far enough ahead, only eight mizuras to go."

"Ok...
He is not responding."

"Try again."

"Nothing...
There's something coming through now...
Captain, I think he is in pain."

"Put it on the speakers, let's hear it.
...Pierson, are you ok?"
Last edited by crunn on Sun, 8. Jun 03, 21:30, edited 1 time in total.

KiwiNZ
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Post by KiwiNZ » Sun, 8. Jun 03, 13:39

Very good read, crunn! That must please any General, having an office that is beter than an Admiral's :D

Pierson in pain? Did the Captain wake up and is strangling him? :D

Looking forward to the next installment.

Moss
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Post by Moss » Sun, 8. Jun 03, 20:59

Interesting, I guess Pierson is in trouble, musta been the noodles :) or possibly something a little more sinister!

That Delta HEPT has got to be a pretty awesome weapon, will it do the job tho! (spore eradication! I presume).

Looking forward to more, cheers crunn.

KiwiNZ
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Post by KiwiNZ » Mon, 9. Jun 03, 00:42

I'd say it'd be much funnier if the fungus is actually poisonous to them and helps defeating these guys :lol:

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crunn
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Post by crunn » Mon, 9. Jun 03, 09:28

KiwiNZ wrote:I'd say it'd be much funnier if the fungus is actually poisonous to them and helps defeating these guys :lol:
:lol: Now that would be funny.

<<crunn off to rewrite ending to involve the super spore-eating-fungus in the final distruction. (J/K)

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