The Continuing Story of Deep Space 2: Page 98
Karn was satsified with the both their answers, it made sense that the stronger sex would take the more demanding role. Karn wondered what would happen if he had to stay with MACCs in their universe. He wouldn't want to stay home, though it would be kinda nice to have the women make advances on the man.
Karn chuckled to himself.
The Admiral posed her own question...
"Well, my galaxy is defintley not a safe place. For a long time there was peace, under the old Republic, but over time the Senate became stagnant and the system which help the worlds together began to fall apart. To reunify the galaxy again during the Clone Wars, one man, Chanslor Palpatine declared himself Emperor, and under a military fist rushed the revolts and brought order to galaxy. Well, so everyone thought. Right now the empire is waging a war against the Rebellion, who are attempting to bring back the republic. Your right he is a cruel dictator, and they do alot of stuff thats just not right, for the sack of order. I used to be a crack commando for the Empire, not long, but enough to know how things went down. I didnt exactly like the ways things were run so i retired. I really dont like to be caught up in my galaxies politics any more so i try
do what i got to do to live another day..."
Katz put the ship just where he wanted her, and he left to begin the weilding...
Onboard the vessle it hadnt taken long before the com chatter from the battle had really got going. Karn was getting orders to everything take prisoners, get out, move to a differnt position, and to make the matter worse he had hostiles.
Almost WITHOUT thinking Karn dropped to one knee and set the carbine to stun and, spatter the target with stun rounds. Pausing to see how the targget was reacting Karn to move closer to one of the "ribs" of the living ships supports so he could cause soem "heartburn".
Ernie flew over to Sarah's shoulder and kept nudging her to get her
full attention before sending her a telephatic message.
Ernie asked where Sarah kept his private stash of Gummy worms because
he wanted to feed the Baby.
Sarah turned and looked at Ernie, "What Baby? Where have you seen a
baby on this ship?"
Ernie told Sarah the Baby was scared and hungry. Couldn't Sarah hear
it too? Ernie sent a sad thought-we did a bad thing, I think we
killed its mother. Ernie asked couldn't Maccs help the Baby. They are
the same so Maccs should know what to feed the Baby if it didn't like
gummy worms.
Sarah said, "Maccs, I think we have a new problem. Ernie said there
is a Baby just like you that needs our help. He said its scared and
hungry. Do you know what Ernie is talking about?"
SETTING: Frances listened to Kan's explanation of the universe he
came from, a chill running down her spine at the mention of both
Karn's empire, and especially his "Clone Wars" -- cloning also the
process her world chose to re-establish numerical balance between
the sexes soon after World War III; leading as well to those later
problems she likewise described when discussing the saving of
Earth's male populace from extinction. No wonder the young laddie who likewise told her all about Chancellor Palpatine decided on "early retirement" from Imperial service, able to appreciate his position. To her it sounded like nothing less than an interstellar version of Earth's ancient patriarchate, the "United European Empire" -- Karn's position in the matter sounding no different than someone in the Scarlett Legion coming to the moral conclusion they could no longer serve such an unconscionable system, or leadership principal. However, such musings on the young Laddie's past ended quite soon
enough aboard the ship both she and Karn managed to board -- a
scenario Frances found both upsetting to one's sense of reality as
well as one's equilibrium -- the interior of the ship all around
them offending her baser, more crocodilian, sense of reality while
also aware it shared with "her own" Young Maccs Starchild a certain
significant kinship the product of her own people's civilization
back home. And understanding this now, Frances likewise understood where both the raiding party aboard the Alice Cooper-B came from as well as these hooded "Grim Reaper" wannabe's now attacking her and Karn both coming and going -- all of a sudden just disappearing as quickly as they arrived -- Karn's carbine fire (his attempt at giving the leviathan all around them an immediate case of chronic "heartburn) doing the trick.
FRANCES (feeling a distinct shudder all around them.. the alien
vessel giving way to a brief, but certain tremor. the attacking
specters likewise disappearing very soon after): "They're 'avatars',
Karn -- nothing but alien versions of Maccs' and his avatar; 'Avaat'!!! No wonder they don't talk; having no more need
than our own different body parts needing to talk amongst each
other in order to function. to work. You know what this means??? It
means there are only three actual 'people' here fighting us and the
Alice Cooper-B -- the three alien starships themselves".
KARN: "So what about that little ship Maccs told us not to fire on.
the one which came out of the large one Admiral Arthur got??"
FRANCES (the answer to Karn's question coming to mind the moment he
asked it, a sick realization like some mental slap in the face): "Oh
my God. We got to get the hell outta here!!!"
"What the heck kind of freak show is this???" Dr. Kory Caynizmyr
insisted yet again upon sight of the alien casualties brought to his
sick bay courtesy of Gav Tiral and his department.
"Thought you might prove interested", Gav gave Kory an amused little
grin, the Alice Cooper-B's Chief Medical Officer not sharing the
Tellarite security chief's humour.
"These things are not only identical, but possess no distinct
physical features other than the most basic", the old Dohg chose to
ignore Gav's last remark, pulling instead yet another hooded robe
from yet still another member of that alien raiding party -- its
surviving members making good their escape aboard the vessel they
came from in the very first place.
"Look almost like wax figures", Finiksa Stangya offered as chief
science officer, having already gotten in touch with Captain Kalee
about questioning their passengers -- the archeological team they
were ferrying back to Federation space -- both Finiksa and Gav now
waiting their C.O,'s final decision..
"Notice how their faces look as though they were melted", Finiksa
carried on, Kory now running a diagnostic scan of each.
"Androids?", Gav asked both science officer as well as medical.
"Not even that", Kory shook his head. "From what I can determine
they're no more than some sort of remote-controlled, long distance
scout probes in humanoid form -- no individual minds either organic,
or synthetic.
"Agreed", Finiksa nodded, solemn: "In fact, it would appear that
they were all 'slapped together' at the last moment as if their
creators were caught off-guard, needing them right away".
"Which would suggest that whoever attacked us wasn't planning to
attack us so until quite recently", Gav mused out-loud: "This whole
affair spur-of-the-moment".
"Interesting when you consider what they stole", Finiksa replied
just as quickly; "That strange artifact I was getting all those odd
energy readings from -- the one that Vulcan scientist in charge
seemed quite determined to keep me from looking at".
However, before anyone else could offer any further comment, Captain
Kalee sent word concerning his final decision in then matter of
Finiksa's recent request. calling as he did an immediate meeting
between both his senior officers and the leaders of that
archeological team he Alice Cooper-B recently beamed onboard.
Picking up the communiqué from DS-2 with his own communications
array -- the one informing Admiral Arthur concerning the Katsimari --
Maccs raised that very same subject with that alien vessel he was
already deep in conversation with --the one both Frances and Karn
were still aboard.
"I know nothing of that", the other gave Maccs it's honest answer,
the Terran starship returning to their original subject matter upon
realizing the alien ship knew nothing at all about the Katsimari.
"All I know is what I already told you".
"And not much to tell me there, either", Maccs sighed, frustrated.
"At least I'm willing to let those companions of yours still aboard
me go", the other sounded quite indignant. "After what your people
did here to Velintrinah." it's voice trailed off in Maccs' head,
referring to it's late companion -- the ship Admiral Arthur's forces
managed to destroy.
"Nor are they to blame for that, either" Maccs insisted. "All they
were doing was trying to protect one of their own. Don't forget it
was you and your other two companions who attacked first the Alice
Cooper-B. Nor did they know Velintrinah was 'with child' as my
creators would say...
At least you'll notice they broke off the attack once I realized
what happened. told them to.. the baby safe now with your other
companion", Maccs insisted even further -- unaware of what Admiral
Arthur was about to try doing by way of 'droid Delta' --Sarah
interrupting him from inside his own body before Maccs detected with
his own sensors the shuttle, "Delta One".
Ernie flew over to Sarah's shoulder and kept nudging her to get her
full attention before sending her a telepathic message.
Ernie asked where Sarah kept his private stash of Gummy worms
because he wanted to feed the Baby.
Sarah turned and looked at Ernie, "What Baby? Where have you seen a
baby on this ship?"
Ernie told Sarah the Baby was scared and hungry. Couldn't Sarah hear
it too? Ernie sent a sad thought-we did a bad thing, I think we
killed its mother. Ernie asked couldn't Maccs help the Baby. They
are the same so Maccs should know what to feed the Baby if it didn't
like gummy worms.
Sarah said, "Maccs, I think we have a new problem. Ernie said there
is a Baby just like you that needs our help. He said it's scared and
hungry. Do you know what Ernie is talking about?"
"Yes; unfortunately I do", Maccs assured her, doing so with deep
regret. "That's why I refused to press the attack, insisting we
leave that little 'ship' alone. These ships are like me. what we
call back home 'Starkinder'... syntha-sentient starships like
myself, but created by others.
"And to make matters worse the ship Admiral Arthur just destroyed
was pregnant, the infant inside somehow managing to escape. Needless
to say I don't think any of us would appreciate being labeled 'baby
killers'!!!!"
Aboard type 10 shuttlecraft Delta One, droid Delta gave his
instructions. The three droids came to an agreement. They would use
some daring maneuvers and some precision technology. Delta gave his
order.
"Now."
And possessing the incredible bad luck to choose the recently
orphaned Starkinder infant as their target, the android boarding
party beamed aboard it only to 'disappear' once inside. all contact
lost. "gummy worms" proving NOT to be its preferred diet.
Yet devouring the invaders as much out of fear as hunger. an
inherited defense mechanism natural to this particular "race" of
Starkinder. the newborn alien reacted as well with an emergency
distress call to its newly adopted parent -- the ship that likewise
tried to board just recently the Alice Cooper-B.
And hearing its childish cry of alarm, the fear in its young voice,
the larger ship swung about in defense of its new charge -- firing
at the Delta One out of "maternal" instinct, a reaction natural for
any species when protecting its young from hostile attack.
And watching all this from WarBird's cockpit at the same time as
everyone else, both Frances and Karn back aboard their own vessel,
they watched as the alien defender let Delta One "have it with both
barrels" -- a powerful hit delivered almost point blank --
just as Warbird likewise picked up speed, headed away from the alien
A.I. they just left.
"Freakin' darn sanguinary heck!!", Frances roared, swearing up a
blue streak as WarBird sped past Maccs towards this newest brouhaha
unfolding before their very eyes -- Maccs swinging about once he,
too, realized what was going down.
"Karn, take us in", Frances snapped, both furious and scared on
behalf of both 'parent' and 'child' soon to no doubt come under
similar attack -- likewise informing both Karn and Elayna what that
tiny ship really was -- figuring it out already for herself.
"No matter how this ends, I doubt it will end well", Frances hissed
for all to hear.
Aboard USS Ajax and especially USS Strike the actions of the droids were closely followed. To Arthur's surprise after the droids had entered the enemy craft, contact was lost and it seemed that the droids were destroyed. For a moment it was silent on the bridge, until Colonel Jan Theys appeared on the main viewer.
"USS Stike, this is USS Ajax. Apparently our fleet is retreating from the alien ships. I don't understand. We can take them easily. Just give the order Admiral and we are going in..."
"No wait. We have to know what is going on here. Colonel you will continue to secure the USS Alice Coopper-B. That is our first priority. We have to take care of our own first all the rest will have to wait. If the enemy ships leave Federation space that is it. Then it will be over for us. We will not hunt down enemies who we can destroy are who are at our mercy. That is not the way we do things. Is that clear ?"
"Perfectly clear sir."
Admiral Arhtur knew that if it has been up to Colonel Theys, there would now be nothing left of the enemy, without a doubt...
Aboard Deep Space 2, deep down on the lowest deck, the same man, looking a lot like Admiral Arthur or his father, appeared out of nowhere. It was Droid 11 who adressed him this time.
"Is there any news sir ?"
"Yes there is, but not much. The Denoradons species has been eliminated from the space time continuum. Have the Katsimari already disappeared as well ?"
"Yes sir. They have."
"Then our calculations are correct." The man sighted. "These species have been terminated by a temporal infriction. We don't have all the data but apparently there must be a device closeby that changes the timeline. We have not found what kind of device this could be. The device apparently is hidden for us."
But the droid also had some information which could be helpful.
"Sir, our ships have been attacked by alien enemy vessels. Could that have anything to do with this ?"
"It could, but... Wait a minute, I am getting a message... I see... Apparently these enemy vessels as you call them, are living ships, like the White Star. It is not recommended you destroy them."
"USS Ajax has already destroyed one of them."
"That could have been the cause of the changes in the timeline. But I am not sure. We wil have to study these events further. I will get back if I have more data."
The same way he had appeared, the old man vanished. Droid 11, turned around, made contact with all the droids and put the data in their collective mind. Then he returned to his regular duties.
Aboard USS Strike, Admiral Arthur felt safe. The enemy had not attacked. He could not ignore the feeling he had concerning his allies in this fight. They had stopped fighting. They must have more information than Arthur himself. There was only one way to find out. He would make a call.
"Attention all other ships. I have the impression you have more information about the enemy ships that we have not..."
And then the answer came...