Dark Haven - Chapter 21

[crunn]

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)
Chapter 15 (Room With A View)
Chapter 16 (Clearing the Way)
Chapter 17 (Nasty)
Chapter 18 (The Gathering)
Chapter 19 (Duty Calls)
Chapter 20 (Transition)

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

Chapter 21 (Countdown)


Teladi Way

Argon One


The doors to the bridge slide open and the Admiral steps in.
One of the officers near the door stands to attention and says loudly,
"Admiral on the bridge!"

Many of the other officers followed suit in standing to attention. However Commander Jalat, Illandas' first officer, simply turns his head and gives a brief look of disapproval. Perhaps too brief for Ornov to have noticed, if he had noticed he gave no indication. Jalat makes no move to leave the Generals command chair.

A moment after the Admirals arrival an incoming massage sounds, the Commander puts it through.

"This is the Elite First Squadron to Base Ship.
We have cleared the path through the asteroids, awaiting further instructions."

Jalat responds,
"Good job, come on home. Argon One out."

Ornov then speaks,
"I sense some tension in the room. No doubt disapproval at me taking command of this ship.
A matter as important as this I felt I should be here personally.
Now, we are all soldiers and we have a job to do, so let's get on with it."

Several "Yes Sir" were heard, Jalat and a few others were not among them.

The Commander stood and let the Admiral take the chair.

"Any sign of the Teladi ships, Commander."

"No Admiral."

"I spoke to Generals Tirnok and Vos just before I arrived.
Vos will be here in a few mizuras, Tirnok is still having trouble with the Jumpdrive, we will proceed without him if he is not here before the Teladi."

"The two Boron Rays should be arriving any moment now."

"Excellent, I hear these new mark5 Rays are incredible. Still untested in real battle, but we will soon see to that."

...


Jubilee

Bridge


The General is now seated next to the Captain and is going over the X8 sector information again.

A voice is heard over the comms.
"Lieutenant Pierson, this is the engineering team."

"Pierson here, how's it going?"

"We have finally worked out the problem.
You see there are two normal ways that an EMP can disable a system.
The first is where a very powerful EMP simply frys the components destroying the system.
The second is were a less powerful burst leaves a residual charge in the circuits temporarily disabling them.
With the first you need to replace the parts.
With the second you just need to shut down the system for a few sezuras to let the residual charge dissipate.
What ever they fired at the Discoverer is different.
It works in a similar way to the second in leaving a residual charge in the system. Only it creates its own feedback loop of a sort, so the residual charge never dissipates.
I've never seen anything like it.
We have had to open up each individual circuit and drain this charge off manually.
The shields and weapons are working again.
We are about to start on the rest of the systems."

"Very good.
Let me know when it is all done.
Pierson out."

...


Argon One


"Admiral, I'm detecting three Xenon fighters coming down from the north, one M3 and two M4's."

"What, did they slip through the west gate and come around?"

"No, we would have detected them.
They must have been here since before we arrived.
There are several dense nebulae in the north, they could have easily been hiding there."

"Xenon, hiding in nebulae, that doesn't sound right.
Launch three Elites and three Busters to take care of them."

"Yes Admiral...
Fighters away."

...


Jubilee

Medbay


'I'm still asleep but I feel, I can feel something, a great heaviness pulling me down, back into my body.
Tired, so tired.
I can't open my eyes, but sensation is coming back.
I feel the weight of the artificial gravity, I feel cold and warmth all at once, I feel tingling in my limbs and a numb throbbing in my head.'

'Senses, taste, the taste of blood in my mouth.
Sound, a low hum, like computer consoles.
Smell, the smell of... of clean, what is that? I know it... medical antiseptic, I think.'
I'm in a hospital or medbay.

'I need to get up, I need to warn them of the Spore. It must be destroyed before it germinates, that is our only hope.
I know there is very little time. How do I know that? The dreams. Yes the dreams, I must still be connected to them somehow.'

...

The Doctor is still in the next room to Monroes. He is running a computer simulation of a viral infection over and over trying to deduce the pattern of infection.
"It can't be random. I don't believe in random. There is a pattern or reason or mathematical formula for everything if you look hard enough. I'm just not looking hard enough."
He increases the magnification a further ten times.

A loud crash from the next room has the Doctor jumping to his feet.
"What was that?"

The Doctor arrives to find Monroe sprawled on the floor, a trolley overturned beside him.

"Captain Monroe, you really should not be up and about in your condition. Let me help you back onto the bed."

"My leg?"

"Yes, those were some nasty injuries you received.
I had to remove what remained of it.
Now you are awake we can fit you with a replacement leg.
I'd be interested to know what did that to you."

"No, no you wouldn't.
Where am I?
What ship is this?"

"You are onboard the Corvette Jubilee.
We were sent in to rescue you from the station in X8."

"Yes... I saw the rescue, thanks."

"You saw the rescue?
But you were unconscious."

"Yes I was, there is no time to explain now.
I must speak with the Captain and Argon Fleet Command immediately, all our lives depend on it."

"Bridge, this is the Doctor calling.
Monroe is a wake and is asking for the Captain."

"I'm on my way." Replies Hall.

...


Argon One


"The Xenon ships have stopped moving.
Our fighters are ten kilometres and closing...
The Xenon have turned around and are running back to the nebulae."

"What? Xenon running away.
Hiding in nebulae.
There is something wrong here.
I don't like it.
Tell the fighters to pursue and destroy, but be careful."

"Yes sir."

"Contact the Teladi Trading Station."

"Greetingss Argon Fleet.
I am Rurandis Uguras of Trading Sstation Teladi Way.
How can I help you?"

"Hello to you too.
I am Admiral Ornov and I need some information about the Xenon."

"Pleasse ask your questionss."

"Do you often get Xenon ships and attacks in this sector?"

"Yess, but only recently.
I requessted more ssystem ssecurity shipss but it wass denied.
You see thiss system is no longer profitable, almost abandoned it iss.
They have not even sent replacementss for the few ships we lost in the last few dayss."

"Are they coming in from the west gate or the newly discovered east gate to X8?"

"We do not know.
They come into our ssensor range from all directionss but more so to the north."

"Did you ever think that you might have a north gate hidden in the nebulae or asteroids."

"No, our sscouts that discovered thiss system some jazurass ago did not find one.
Though they did not find the east gate either.
You may be right Admiral."

"Thank you Rurandis Uguras.
You might want to recall all the ships in the sector, if not evacuate the sector entirely.
There will be a fight in X8 shortly and we don't know if it will spill into Teladi Way.

"Thank you Admiral for the warning."

"Commander Jalat, contact the fighters tell them there might be a gate to a Xenon sector up there somewhere.
Don't go through, but if they can take out those few fighters do so. Then get back here."

...

Jubilee

Medbay


The Doctor is fitting the new leg to Monroe.
Making careful adjustments.

Hall and Illandas enter the Medbay.
Monroe sits up in the bed and stammers for a moment as he tries to say more than his lips can keep up with.
He takes a breath then speaks again.

"Captain and General.
General? What are you doing here?
No time.
We must call in the fleet and destroy the Spore,
before it is too late.
It may already be too late.
It is soon, very soon.
It will bring life, glorious life but not for us.
Nothing but death for us."

Illandas speaks.
"Slow down Captain.
What is this Spore you mentioned?
The station, you mean?"

"No, in the station, on the station.
It is or has eaten the station.
It consumes matter to grow and germinate, once it erupts...
We need to contact Argon Fleet Command and get the fleet here."

"Don't worry, the fleet is already here, well most of it. The rest will arrive soon then we will be going in."

"Good, though it may not be enough."

"Ornov thought the same, that's why we have some of the Boron and Teladi fleets with us."

'More lambs to the slaughter.' Mounroe thought.
"I only hope... No."

"You hope what?"

"Nothing, I hope that is enough."

"Try moving the leg." the Doctor cuts in.
"Stop.
Again.
Stop.
Now the foot.
Stop.
Ok, that's it.
It will take some getting used to but with practice it will be almost as good as the original."

"Thank you Doctor."

"I want you to stay in bed a while longer so I can check up on that nasty head injury."
The Doctor leaves the room.

"What happens when this Spore germinates?"

"The end.
The small ships can jump point to point as long as they can see where they are going.
So in this particular case they can jump from their place of origin to anywhere this Spore can see.
These ships act almost entirely as guardians for the Spores.
I call them Spores, I don't know their proper name, if they have one. But they behave as a spore would.
I don't even know the name of this race and I've been inside their heads and they in mine."

"Inside their heads?
What do you mean?"

"When it attacked me I could sense its thoughts, there was a connection."

"But you are ok now?"

"Yes, perfectly.
Only their tiny ships can jump like this, something to do with size, shape and mass within the warp tunnel. All the larger ones need jumpgates.
They can use the gates created by the Ancients which we use,
and they can build their own.
No... they can grow their own.
That is what the Spores are.
They germinate, they grow and erupt into gates.
They periodically send out these Spores in all directions, they travel through deep space for many jazuras, maybe hundreds, thousands. Until they find a suitable place to grow. They attach themselves to a planet, moon, asteroid, in this case a Pirate station and consume what they need.
The moment they erupt a fleet of their large ships come through and secure the system and any surrounding system joined by the Ancients gates.
Then they send more ships to colonise the system.
They kill any other life they find and use it as nourishment to grow more of themselves, more Spores, expanding ever outward.
Our only hope is to kill it before it germinates."

"Ok, we'll contact the Admiral immediately.
You get some rest."

...


Argon One


"Admiral, I have General Illandas on the line, he needs to speak to you privately."

"I'll take it in the office."

A moment later the General relays the information given to him by Captain Monroe.

"Troubling, most troubling.
Very well.
Vos and the Rays should be here any mizura now.
We will jump as soon as they arrive with or without the Teladi.
The Teladi, I have no idea, I'll call them and see where they are.
Ornov out."


The Admiral then calls the Teladi Military Director.

"Director, the fleet is almost ready to jump.
Where are your ships?"

"Ssoon Admiral.
The last of the fighterss are being loaded onto the ssecond Albatross.
Fifteen or twenty mizurass perhapss."

"Good, thank you again Director.
And please hurry there isn't much time."


The Admiral returns to the bridge.


"Our fighters are nearing the edge of the dark blue nebula.
The Xenon disappeared into it a few mizuras ago."


A barrage of high energy weapons cut out of the dense nebula and tear the Argon fighters to shreds.
A moment later the unmistakable front end of a Xenon Destroyer can be seen emerging.

[Snokid]

oooooooo

[Mercenary]

Looks like the Xenon are up for a fight too...

Perhaps they will lead the charge..

[KiwiNZ]

Very good read! That is a very interesting development, yet again So Monroe is not hosting a new spore? Hmm, I still suspect he does, also goes along with his still existing connection. Perhaps in this juvenile state they are not recognised as spores hence cannot send signals to their guardians? Very interesting. Are the Xenon volunteering for decoys?

I am quite curious about that 'alter ego' of Monroe's. Also, how did the spore get there in the first place? Would it imply that ther is another race with gateless jump capability? Or did one of the ancients get infected? Or did it drift through deep space?

Looking forward to more.


notice a tyoi:
"We were sent into rescue you" - sent in to rescue

[Moss]

Cheers Crunn, seem more like a disease than a thinking species the way these spores spread, but then again the same could be said of any expanding species I supose.

Not sure if the xenon will aid or hinder the up coming battle, they still killed the Argon ships on sight, and Illandas was just as willing to take them out too, should be interesting to see how the battle plays out, a three way melee maybe? after all there realy isn't that much difference in the goals of all concerned, all require space for continued expansion, even if some can cooperate at times!

[crunn]

how did the spore get there in the first place? Would it imply that ther is another race with gateless jump capability? Or did one of the ancients get infected? Or did it drift through deep space?

Your saying that got me thinking -
'Didn't I explain that bit?
I'm sure I did, I remember the sentance.
It's right here... No it's not, where is it???
Check back to my original copy...
Not there either, Hmmm, how puzzling, where did that go??'

So I wrote it back in.
Edited in above.
And here it is also-

...
No... they can grow their own.
That is what the Spores are.
They germinate, they grow and erupt into gates.
They periodically send out these Spores in all directions, they travel through deep space for many jazuras, maybe hundreds, thousands. Until they find a suitable place to grow. They attach themselves to a planet, moon, asteroid, in this case a Pirate station and consume what they need.
The moment they erupt a fleet of their large ships come through and secure the system and any surrounding system joined by the Ancients gates.
...

notice a tyoi:
"We were sent into rescue you" - sent in to rescue

Thanks, fixed.

[crunn]

I'd thought about involving the Xenon in the battle on our side, (them having had trouble with these Aliens before).

But that would be too uncharacteristic, can you imagine the Xenon forming an alliance with the Argon??
No of course not.
(Be funny tho)

Besides, the Xenon don't know of X8 or the presence of the Aliens.
We only just discovered the gate and had to blow several asteroids apart to get to it.

So from the Xenon point of view, all they can see is a large fleet of enemy ships gathering right outside one of their systems.
They may (or may not ) be going for the pre-emptive strike before any more allied ships arrive.



Thanks folks

Next chapter (possibly the second last) will be in the week sometime,
likely thu/fri again (coz angel o darkness , hmm nice. )

[Al]

Nice one Crunn. Be interesting to see what the Xenon get up to

Al

[Moss]

I'd thought about involving the Xenon in the battle on our side, (them having had trouble with these Aliens before).

But that would be too uncharacteristic, can you imagine the Xenon forming an alliance with the Argon??
No of course not.
(Be funny tho)

Besides, the Xenon don't know of X8 or the presence of the Aliens.
We only just discovered the gate and had to blow several asteroids apart to get to it.

So from the Xenon point of view, all they can see is a large fleet of enemy ships gathering right outside one of their systems.
They may (or may not ) be going for the pre-emptive strike before any more allied ships arrive.



Thanks folks

Next chapter (possibly the second last) will be in the week sometime,
likely thu/fri again (coz angel o darkness , hmm nice. )

Some fun to be had for all involved then, I suspect, should be a great and probably very confusing battle methinks