. any how here's the first part of the third chapter not quite how i had intended it but it will now make a lot more sense. Chapter 1 : Monday moooornings
Chapter 2 : Burnt Offerings
Part 2 now up. = = = = sorry i appear to bea little slow at the mo.
Part 3 now up too =+=+=+=+=+
CHAPTER 3: Pandora’s box (part 1)
Trev stood looking at the Holotable watching the three little dots move across it. One speeding away, and the other two heading towards the representation, of the trading station.
“Ensign Gardna I require a com link to Ensign Gardna” Trev said, whilst almost smiling at the stupidity of the order he’s just given.
Charlotte opened a com link to Mark. Not batting an eyelid at the absurdity of the order. Whilst she announced, “Com link open.”
“Ensign Gardna I want you to lower your shields when you with in 6k of the station, so that we can do a P 2 P transport of the black box. Once we have received the box. Escort Ensign Chapman back to Base”
“Sir” confirmed Mark as he saluted at Charles’ discoverer as it sped of towards the north gate, whilst saying a silent prayer that he made it back in one piece. No pilot wanted to go on a solo mission, especially if it was in a M5 in to a hot xenon sector.
Whilst not realizing that the com was still open.
Luckily only Charlotte caught the beginning of it and quietly turned off the coms channel. As Trev sat down in his chair so that he could use his computer. He for the second time this morning, which was quite unusual, pressed the internal coms button. “We need Science station alpha open and prepared for an incoming BB.”
Trev then stood and turned to Chris. “Reckon we should go and await our little present” With that he turned and walked towards the door, with Chris just behind him.
Science station alpha was located on command deck. Just on the opposite side of the elevator. So it was just a couple of seconds to get there from the control room. So Trev was surprised to see the door open and two technicians already preparing for the incoming black box. They were so engrossed in their work, setting up the central table where the black box was going to appear, preparing the cutting gear and sensor equipment. Along with setting various monitors so the commander could see what was going on currently in the sector and the information from the black box. That they didn’t see the Commander and Captain Miadon stand in the door way, so not to impeade their progress.
Daniel the senior technician turned around to ask his under technician to change a couple of settings for the 2D view of the sector, when he saw the commander standing out of the way by the door. Causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
“Commander? How long you been there? I hope everything is in order? Are we taking too long? We’ll be finished in a minute” He franticly stammered. With this he and his under technician stood to attention.
“Yes everything’s fine. And please there’s no need to salute me. Nobody else dose. It is me who should be in shock at the speed that this room has been set up in anticipation for the incoming box.” The Commander said with more then a little admiration in his voice.
“Sir, we were going to be testing some cargo sensors any how. So where had just entered this room when you asked for it to be prepared for the black box.” The senior technician replied still with a little awkwardness still in his voice.
“Were ready to receive the box no sirs” Pauly the under technician said. As he did so the black box appeared 3 inches above table and fell with a bang on too it.
“Dam it looks like you were right Pauly, it is an old mark 7 split box. Guess we could have raised the table up” The senior technician remarked as he walked towards slightly battered black box
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Pauly pulled off the partial cable that was still attached to the short term memory, as Mark had forgotten to remove it before the transport. He droped it too the floor where it coiled round it’s still smoldering end and flopped limp like a dying snake. With out noticing the demise of cable eh reached for the new and ready commnected one that hung from the ceiling. Plugging it in, he watched the sensors on the wall to confirm a good connection and that the automated information download was working.
Whilst Pauly was doing this Daniel prepared the laser scalpel so that he could begin cutting in to the box and access the long-term data storage, once Pauly had finished.
“That’ll be all the data Dan, There appears to be a little bit more then Ensign Gardna sent us.” Pauly now much more relaxed with the commanders pressance announced. Whilst removing the cable and letting it be drawn up a couple of feet back in to the ceiling.
“Good, Good. Turn on the Projection system so I can see where I gotta’ cut this thing.” Daniel replied whilst picking up his teladianium gloves and active face cover.
Turing back round he could see there was outline of where he should cut projected on the box. He lowered the visor of his active face cover. He could now see the box as a pale gray with a bright orange projection of the memory of the box. Around that in a darker orange was the gap between the inner box where the memory was stored and the outer box. This was projected on to the inner of visor so he could see what and where he was cutting.
“Sirs you may want to cover your eyes when I start to cut this as it gets very bright. There will also be a smell of burning don’t worry that the’s suppressant gel between the two box’s atomizing as I get through to the inner box.” Daniel said. Before he bent forwarded, turned on the laser scalpel and begun the arduous task of cutting through the outer protective layer of the box.
“He’s not wrong about the intensity of light from that thing, What was that about a suppressant gel” Captain Miadon Questioned. Whilst turning his face away from the busy technician and his bright blue glow.
“Not sure what it is” replied Trev.
“Sirs the information that I downloaded is ready to be viewed there is a little extra information then was downloaded from earlier on. One thing that looks a little odd is that it would appear that it was a Kha’ak?? That piloted the ship through the gate, although it dose seem to be cradling a young split on board.” A now very puzzled Pauly told the two Commanding officers.
“A Kha’ak how could that be” Trev said, now thinking about the new puzzle that had just been put in front of him. Completely forgetting what he was just about to say about the suppressant gel, and that it might have something to do with cooling and protecting the data storage from impacts.
“So you finally came to make sure that I would make it back to base after completely forgetting about me till you were almost home already.” Chapman said as Mark pulled up on his wing.
“Ai I thought you need an escort for the last ten K’s. You know you might get lost again” Mark replied as he checked that there were no threats to his wingman and his already damaged ship.
“That’s a little below the belt. I told you, it was in a SON and well, you know the rest…”
“Yep I do. Any how were at 2K I’ll follow you in.” Mark said apologetically remembering the hard time Chapman had through the last two years of cadets for that little mistake.
“Dropping transfer drone, and preparing to enter 472.” Charles said as he dropped the drone that would transmit everything it received from It’s opposite number on the other side of the gate. This was because you couldn’t transmit information through eth gate networks. Everything had to be sent buy message drone, and having a set up on either side of the gate meant you could get pretty much real time information from another sector with pictures and telemetry about load out, vector and even energy of every object with in the sensor range. The other advantage to this system is that the drones would vessel up to the gates body and became almost impossible to detect.
“Received, Allocating SC Alpha Five, and good luck out there” Charlotte Replied. SC alpha Five was the one of the secure data channels the station had.
“Let’s hope I don’t need it. Entering the gates horizon now……” Charles announced as he entered the gate. Hoping against all hopes what he thought was on the other side isn’t there now.
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“Do we have any information on how the ship came be flying at such a high velocity, and how there was a Kha’ak on board the ship.” Commander Gardna, now visibly losing his cool, he was renowned for asked Pauly.
“No sir just that there was one on board. Were going to have to wait for any information which can be collected from the long term recorder.” Replied Pauly, whilst looking at the image of Daniels progress towards being able to access that data.
“I’d say it’ll be another ten minutes or so before we can see what state the data is in” he continued.
“Very well. We’ll be in the control room notify me when you have any more information” Commander Gardna said as he and Captain Miadon left the room.
After the door to Science Station Alpha closed Trev turned to Chris and said. “You should get the crew for the “Infection” ready. I’ll be sending you with Bilker and Charlie Wings, to give assistance to Captain Danna.”
“Sir” Chris replied. Whilst he saluted smartly, turned and walked to the lift.
“I really wish people would stop insisting, on saluting me” Though Trev as he watched the doors for the lift shut after Captain Chris Miadon had entered it, with a satisfying “clunk.” With the shutting of the doors Trev turned and walked back in to the control room.
As Commander Gardna entered the Control room for the second time this morning he noted, that the windows to the sector before had be covered with a large screen. On the screen was a 2D representation of Black Hole Sun. To the right of that was a representation of Xenon 472. “It would seem that Danna has arrived at 472.” He thought o himself.
“Sir the rapid Commutations drones have been set up between here and 472. We can now have live data and communication between here and 472.” Charlotte said. As if knowing what Trev was thinking and confirming what had actually happened.
“What’s the status of the rest of Angle Wing.” Trev Questioned. As he made his way to his chair and sat in it. Noting that there was fresh cup of coffee there.
“They’ve just landed.” Charlotte replied. As she switched their flashing communications switches in to the inactive position.
“There been any other activity in the sector since I’ve been gone.” Trev asked. Whilst savoring the smell of cup of coffee he might finish this time.
“No, it’s been a normal Monday in that respect. A little sluggish at this time. Maybe it the hour or so it might pick up.” Replied an overly stimulated Michel who was now on his fifth cup of coffee. With the empty cups stacked in the corner of the bin conveniently located just beside his seat at the gravidar display.
“Well that’s some good news at least.” Trev said whilst pressing the internal com button on his small computer.
“This is Commander Gardna. Would Bilka and Charlie wings, prepare for training exercises around the north gate with the Infection, you launch in five minutes.” Trev said whilst trying not put any emotion in to his voice.
“Turning back to Charlotte get me a line of sight communication with Spec Ops com sat two. Also patch it through to my room. I’m gonna have to talk to Commander Jenna.” Trev Ordered. As he stood up to go to the small room located on the left side of the control room.
As Trev turned he caught a Gimps of Display of 472, There was not a single red dot.
“Scratch that order, I need a direct com to Captain Danna.” Trev ordered with a fair amount of urgency in his voice. Whilst walking round the Holotable toward what was once the window.
“Opened” Charlotte immediately replied whilst switching the last flashing switch on her board.
“Captain Danna. Is it Right what I can see here. No objects on your scanners” Trev said. As he reached the far side of table and leaned back on it and stared at the image of 472.
“Err, Not quite. There ‘are’ no ‘active’ objects with in my scanner range that is correct but there is a hell of a lot of wrecks out there.” A shocked Charles replied, as he sat like he had been sitting, for the last couple of minutes. Completely in awe of the sheer scale of destruction that was lain in front of him.
“Can we see, what he see’s” Trev said to any one who could answer him, still looking at the 2D image of nothingness on the wall in front of him.
“Yes sir, all you have to do is get him to actively broadcast his sensor readings to the relay drone. Then we can get it all put together and represent it on the holotable. If you’ll let me access this panel I can set it up” Pauly said as he entered in the control room.
“Good, Good. Lets have it done. Captain Danna did you hear that” Trev Said with a hint of anticipation as he turned around to look at the table he had leant against.
“Indeed I did sir. Switching to active now. You not gonna believe what you can see.” Charles replied still a little overwhelmed, as he turned the switch for internal to active.
“There you go it should start to appear now.” Paul announced and turned round to see what would be projected on the holotable.
Gradually a fully rendered Holographic image of the carnage that lay strewn with in Captain Danna’s sensor range. There where numerous wrecks of Xenon capital ships that had been completely blown apart, along with fair few obvious wrecks of fighter craft. However the most Starterling and deeply disturbing was the sheer quantity of small parts of ships ranging from wings of fighters to tips of gun barrels. All strewn in what seems like a neat stream from north of the 472 straight towards the gate. It was almost as if someone or something didn’t want these ships to leave, from where ever they had come from. It looked as if a least a few of them were very close to succeeding, with the closet pieces of ships just a few kilometers from the gate.
“It looks like someone has stopped a dam invasion.” Michel said as he finished his fifth coffee.
“Or Maybe an exodus” Pauly commented
“Oh yeah, Daniel said to come and tell you that he has begun downloading the data from the black box” he continued, as he stared at the image before him.
“Thank you Daniel, I’ll be there to have a look in a minute. Can you have him call up all the info from the box for the time that the scorpion was in 472 please” Commander Trev quietly said.
“I’ll require that Spec ops link now please” The commander said.
though the khaak aren't gonna really be a player.