Last updated on 1/21/98
Trakh Bridge
When Akhouw orders a channel opened to the Kingfisher Aiwi, of course, complies immediately.
"Secured lasercom channel to Kingfisher open, Admiral."
Akhouw turns to face the holo pickup, looking every inch the dominant noble Aslan, decorated many times by Khaukheairlko. "Shuttle _Kingfisher_, this is Admiral Akhouw of Clan Khaukheairl, commanding the KCR _Trakh_. May I have the honor of speaking to Admiral Nanadth? We have serious matters to discuss (gesturing towards the ceiling, apparently a sign of resigned acceptance), particularly in light of this predicament. Please inform Admiral Nanadth that we intend to secure the lifepod and will advise as information becomes available." His bearing is polite yet formal, his speech clearly enunciated and precisely phrased. His ear twitches ever so slightly as he waits for the response.
The holo panel clears, revealing the Bridge of the Kingfisher. Seated in the command chair is an arlaeaha with startlingly-patterned black and white fur. One eye is obscured by a blood-red data monocular, and the other one, blue as the sky of Kusyu, surveys Akhouw critically.
The return gaze is no less polite for being equally critical. Akhouw considers Bhyarrvouf with the practiced eye of a veteran naval commander, his orange orbs silently analyzing and storing information. In return, Bhyarrvouf sees one of the fteirle, wearing a close-fitting tunic of red and black, adorned with platinum epauletts, and with a gold command sash (decorated with ornate yoyeaokhtef) worn across the tunic. His clothes do little to conceal the powerful musculature in his visible upper torso.
'Vouf speaks, his voice a velvet-lined growl.
"Keyaho, _Trakh_. This is the Command Shuttle _Kingfisher_, Turnskaad Mission SubCommander Bhyarrvouf commanding." He snaps off the final "vouf" with a click of sharp teeth. "Admiral Nanadh has taken his post on the Bridge of the _Alcyon_, our Jump tender, as befits his station. I have been charged with bringing the _Kingfisher_ to a safe berthing."
Akhouw accepts this information calmly. "Indeed, SubCommander. Quite an adroit change of location by Admiral Nanadth. The Ringworld at work, I would presume."
"If you wish to speak with Admiral Nanadh directly, he would no doubt be willing to do so, and you may feel free to break connection here and contact the _Alcyon_ directly. However, the Commander has already asked me to offer you the opportunity to dock at one of the medium-tonnage stress points on the _Alcyon's_ grid....here." He raises a hand, and Akhouw sees that it is entirely encased in gleaming metal. At his gesture, a rotating holographic simulation of the _Alcyon_ appears overlaying his image, with a blinking marker indicating one of the docking points, at a stern apex of the tetrahedral hull.
Akhouw refers to his own holotank for a moment. "Ka'tai, SubCommander. I accept your offer. Docking maneuvers commencing." Akhouw looks away from the holo for a few moments. A slight hum reflects the added power usage as the Trakh begins a precisely angled glide towards the dock-point, slowly rotating to bring the main airlock to bear. The movement of the Trakh is almost artistic, a slow and intricate dance of space.
"We have noted your movement to rescue the lifepod, and thank you for your concern in this matter. After you have done so, and retrieved your OWN shuttle safely, please do us the honor of considering a more," and he half barks, half chuckles, "FORMAL attachment."
A moment of silence hangs heavy, then Akhouw tilts his head back slightly and briefly laughs as an Aslan would, a bizarre yowling sound that no doubt is unnerving to many of its non-Aslan listeners. "Quite so, Sub- Commander. Events have left us no room to sprint. We have little else to do if we abide with cold suspicion, as the Syoisuis might."
"We will soon be docking, and the _Alcyon's_ hull will be blocking our transmissions. Please re-aim your antenna to the _Alcyon's,_ so that you may continue contact with either myself or Admiral Nanadh."
Akhouw makes a cryptic hand motion to Aiwi, who proceeds to route a maser link to the Alcyon. "That has been taken care of, SubCommander. I would prefer to continue with both yourself and Admiral Nanadth."
The arlaeaha sits forward suddenly, fixing Akhouw with one blue eye. "I cannot describe," he whispers in a voice like dry ice on steel, "My eagerness to meet you face to face, Admiral."
An ear twitches in response and his eyes narrow slightly, then relax. Akhouw's deep voice is imbued with a tone of wary respect, akin to a velvet glove over mailed fist. Akhouw leans forward, mirroring the arlaeaha's movement. "Your words speak truth, SubCommander. Your desire for us to meet does not hunt alone." Akhouw leans back into his chair.
Kingfisher
During the conversation between 'Vouf and Akhouw, Mac hears from Ger:
<< Permission to Dock is Granted. Permission to Board is not, repeat not granted at this time, Have the subcommander talk to me before taking that action. >>
"Aye sir." Mac flicks off the holo for a sec. And he relays this information to Vouf.
'Vouf's ear twitches in response, and one hand makes a weird motion in midair while the other punches a button or two on the holopanel.
Words appear on Mac's terminal:
_TEEL HM OKAY, GREY HAS MANAUL CTRL OF DOXKINF BAY HATHC ANYWY_
'Vouf looks down at the panel and winces, then shoots Mac a pleading look. Evidently he isn't too facile with virtual keyboards....|->
Mac gives Vouf a smirk. He nods, and then transmit the message as Vouf requested.
Pater's voice is faintly heard coming from the speakers mounted on the head rest of the pilots couch *Commencing docking procedures, Mr. de Mer*
Using only the gentlest of attitude thrusters Etienne is slowly maneuvering the shuttle to the upper rear of the Alcyon, just outside the bay door. The exterior view shows a long stretch of smooth metal that is slowly sliding to one side revealing the dark shuttle bay. As the door gapes wider, banks of flood lights are turned on with changing colors to help the pilot with the docking.
Trakh/Alcyon/Kingfisher Bridges
"Trakh, this is Alcyon on line. Admiral Nanadth Nggemen Ger commanding."
Akhouw addresses the holo, ever so slightly more formal in his bearing and presentation. "Admiral Nanadth, greetings from Admiral Akhouw, Commander of the KCR _Trakh_, in the name of Khaukheairlko. Your gracious offer of a dock-point is accepted." Akhouw is choosing his words with care. "It would seem adviseable if we were to meet shortly; that is, myself and Executive Officer Aiwi with yourself and SubCommander Bhyarrvouf. Do you not agree that this is wise? A suitable location aboard the Alcyon should serve our needs."
Ger responds with equal courtesy. "Greetings Admiral Akhouw. It is nice to see that you were selected by the ringworld to accompany us to safety. I am wondering what happened to the local shuttle, possibly subject to the depredations of the Solomani."
"I would be honoured if you and your XO could come abord my ship for a meeting with myself and my subcommander. I am planning a conference with all my senior officers a half hour after we dock, are you available before then?, or we could meet later at your leisure."
By this point the Kingfisher is positioned and ready to enter the docking bay, but Etienne has held up for a few seconds to wait for a chance to ask 'Vouf: "Sir, We're ready to begin docking, shall I hold off until you finish with the Aslan or would you like your conversation patched through the Alcyon?"
Bhyarrvouf doesn't answer directly. But his hand moves, and a message appears on Etienne's board:
_TH LATTR_
Etienne acknowledges 'Vouf's answer with a wave of his hand and glances at the commo station to be sure that Mr. Witfield is handling the switch. He then calls up large size holo of local space (i.e. the shuttle and the bay), which is some- what less detailed than normal due to the lack of active sensors.
Bhyarrvouf gently interjects, "We are preparing to dock now, m'lord. I should be with you in---*KYAI!*"
Gemini Arbiter
"This is great! Now where are we! 'Arby full sensor scan of our immediate area.' Let's see what shows up."
"Activating passive scans," the computer reports. "Active sensors coming on line."
"Here come the results," says Nikki.
All Ships
The instant the Gemini Arbiter's EMS array goes active, every ship inside the bubble is slammed by broadband EM noise. All detectors, from ELF to UHF, from IR to UV, radio, microwave, and any number of other frequencies too numerous to mention, are overloaded by the signal. Every glare shield flicks on, blinding the pilots.
The lasercom connections between ships flicker for a second and stabilize.
Aboard the Talisman, Westwind, Kingfisher, and Gemini Arbiter, all sensor arrays automatically shut down to avoid burning out the receptors. Aboard the Trakh, Paladin, Aurora, and Alcyon, military-grade frequency buffers and dividers immediately kick in, keeping the sensors from being overwhelmed by the chaotic flood of energy. Even on those ships, the signal processing software gives up after struggling for a few milliseconds in a vain attempt to derive some data, *ANY* data from the multi-spectral cacophony.
Within less than a second, however, the sensors begin coming back on line: visible and higher frequencies almost instantaneously, deep IR and UHF a second after that. The main sensor batteries, covering wavelengths below 1 GHz, come back on line in about ten seconds. No damage is reported on the Trakh, Khaurl, Kingfisher, Aurora, Alcyon or Paladin; on the Talisman, Westwind, and Gemini Arbiter, the computers report that several high- sensitivity boards in the sensor arrays have been blown out and rerouted to backups.
On the bridge of the Trakh, the sensor station console immediately displays the message:
"WARNING: ALL SENSORS NEUTRALIZED BY BROADBAND EM JAMMING. UNABLE TO LOCALIZE SOURCE. SUSPECT LARGE NUMBER OF WIDELY DIVERGENT SOURCES. SIGNAL STRENGTH SUGGESTS JAMMING EMITTERS ARE AT EXTREME CLOSE RANGE OR UNUSUALLY POWERFUL."
"UPDATE: SENSORS BACK ON LINE. NO DAMAGE TO SYSTEMS."
Similar messages appear on the bridge of the Paladin and the Aurora.
Kingfisher
Etienne's hand comes up in a reflex, and futile, gesture to shield his eyes. Fortunately the view-port's automatic filters engage in time to prevent serious flash-blindness. "Merder, alors!" After one loud curse, Etienne reverts to his normal under- the-breath comments on the state of the universe (whichever one we happen to be in at the moment), and tries to make some sense out of the last microsecond of sensor data. He shortly gives up on this, and calls up both densitomiters and rapidly locks in on the Alcyon. As soon as he has an object lock, he links the scan to his holo of the bay and waits until there is enough detail for him to try to dock.
As the jamming wavefront hits, Bhyarrvouf winces and reflexively rips the data monocular off of his head. He glares at it for a moment as if it bit him, and shakes his head vigorously. His next sentence, even if anyone present spoke Vuakedh, would be unprintable. He gingerly inserts the bug back into his ear, and listens to the commotion on the Trakh and Alcyon in the background. "They got hit, too," he mutters. "I was right. I wish I wasn't but I was RIGHT."
When the sensors overload Zben jolts, almost as if he'd been physically hit! The sensor shut-down data and condition status come up on his engineering panel, with some of the more sensitive recievers showing an `off-line, defective' reading. "Damn! WHAT the HELL was THAT? I'm surprised the Walls are intact!" System evaluation underway he turns to Etienne, and notices he's using densitomiters to manuver by. "Good move, Mr. de Mer." Turning to Bhyarrvouf, " Sir, with your permission I can try to bring some of the external cameras back on line by running them through a step down filter. It may at least give us a visual of what's going on..." Muttering to himself: "...happen if you hit a jump field with a meson cannon..."
...and at that, the sensors flicker and come online again, and the antiglare field turns off. The view outside is no different than it was a few seconds ago. Total blackout time was about ten seconds.
Paladin
The GA's active ping snaps Morser back to reality (quite painfully, too, I'd wager...)
"Zum teufel! Vas..? Ach...Who vould be schtupid enough to ping in a pocket univerrse? Oops.. I guess I'd better make sure ve don't try ze same ting..."
Morsers hands fly deftly across the consoles, locking down any systems that might accidentally fire off an active EMS ping. Then he starts shuuting down any weapons systems the Paladin has, and securing access to them, as well.
"Herr Gougzharrr," he says, in a flat, but nervous voice, "I vould advise shutting down all manuver thrusters, until ve figure out chust vat ze hell is goink on arrround here. Transmissions like zat last sensor scan could be verry dangerous, und I don't even vant to THINK about vat might happen if somebody fired a veapon in here..."
"Already shut down," Zar barks. "They went offline the minute we ended up in this, hrrrrr....." His voice trails off.
Trakh Bridge
Aiwi's ears flatten out back on her head and *both* dewclaws extend reflexively for an instant. Her sensors, her eyes and ears, are under attack. She feels the adrenalyne rush and the primitive urge for a material foe -- one she could sink her claws into -- *deep* into. After the sudden rush she masters her instincts and is once again the efficient professional most of her shipmates know. "Fa'eairl, analyze. Use best available data, best probabilities to determine specific cause and source of sensor neutralization. Highest priority." She speaks loudly so the Admiral is sure to hear, but without obvious emotion. Characteristically, she has started solving the problem and informed Akhouw in the same breath. Her hands, as has oft been the case of late, fly across her board in search of an explanation -- a *satisfying* explanation... "Admiral, message on your board." She copies the "WARNING: ALL SENSORS..." message to Akhouw. "Hryawi, report. Can you shed any light on our sensor problems? Could they be linked to your work in any way?" Her face shows a grim smile -- with lots of tooth -- as she works. If the fiyfiyalr are so dishonorable (and *foolish*) as to be tampering with them again they will regret the error.... still, be sure before you act... balance... balance...
Hryawi is startled by the sudden surge in all the sensors, quickly recovers and verifies that the computers are recording everything they can about the surge. Once she is sure that the recording is occuring she quickly has the computer run compare sensor overload times (to the pico second) to attempt triangulation.
She then loads in all data about sensor reactions of ships hit by various weapons (nuclear, laser, meson, maser, etc) just before and after entering jump space and while cloaked in a black globe.
She then mutters under her breath "why do humans have to ruin warfare with such unhonorable actions."
"Hryawi here. Whatever it was, it knocked out several of our more sensitive systems. Backups are on line, and I am retrieving what little information on the disturbance we recorded before the systems cut out."
In the middle of supervising the docking maneuvers, Akhouw's sudden frown at having his sensor eyes suddenly blinded is like a sudden thunderclap from a clear sky. A dangerous growl wafts through the air. "Whatever place this is, this small room is overstuffed..." snaps Akhouw, his low tone audible to all on the bridge, "...yet unless we are victims of this strange space, this blindness is caused by one of the fiyfiyalr!" A dewclaw flexes. "If I live a hundred more ftahea, I wonder if I should see a more compelling reason for inner peace, balance of thought and mind. Only an imbecile closes his eyes upon entering a darkened room..."
Akhouw shakes his mane in mounting exasperation. He stares at the last sensor readouts for a moment, allowing haaealri to reassert itself. The brief pause is broken when his eyes light up with an idea. "Fa'eairl. Tie in densitometer readings to last EMS input. Compensate for maneuver vectors. Display docking plot on my HUD."
Using what help the densitometers can provide, Akhouw uses the last known EMS "snapshot" to guide the Trakh towards the dock-point, slowly nudging the ship along with painstaking care. The sensors come back on line a moment later, simplifying the maneuver considerably, and the Khaurl reports that it is about to enter its bay with the lifepod safely on board.
The Trakh, ever so slowly, comes to rest, nestling up against the dock point as it waits for docking connections to be made.
"Bridge, Hryawi. Initial report on the disturbance: After comparing overload signal arrival time from all sensor phasa arrays, and taking into account the transit times on the optical leads in the hull of the Trakh, I was able to establish rough triangulation on the sources of the electronic 'scream'. The only source in that general direction is the hisol'i ship, the Gemini Arbiter. The military filters incorporated into the Trakh's sensor array were able to establish a pico-second pattern match with a standard Imperial type-S active EMS pulse before it was drowned out by the echoes."
"The signal chaos that following made it almost impossible to collect any useful data, but with fa'eairl's help, I was able to establish two information points of note...."
"First, the harmonics of the dying EMS pulse, and the number of iterations of signal bounce before it dropped below a measurable strength, showed that the boundaries of this bubble that now holds all the ships apparently reflects about 91% of the EMS energy it is hit by."
"The second interesting piece of data is that the uniform background thermal constant of the bubble 'surface' appears to have risen by approximately 0.0017 degrees Kelvin."
Westwind
"Great," says Talon as the Westwind's sensors shut down. "No...
Hur'Shurvan taps hopefully at a few controls on the sensor panel. "There
appears to have been some sort of overload. Hrrrm... how odd..." He folds
his upper arms, while a lower hand traces thoughtfully down a long list of
sensor diagnostics. "Do you think we should try to contact the other ships?"
"I think we'll wait a little while, Shurv, and see what happens. I
imagine all hell is breaking loose at the moment, as everyone tries to
work out what's happening.
Gemini Arbiter
Ships computer announces "Sensor array overload. Systems shutdown
completed to prevent malfunction."
In unison the sisters turn and face each other and exclaim "Oops!".
A few moments pass before either one speak then Nichole inquires
"Did we do that?"
"Sensor overload prevented. Sensors back online." states the ships
computer.
"Whew! Another close call! I don't think my nerves will ever be the
same again."
Kingfisher
'Vouf verifies that the lasercom is still on target, and speaks slowly
and clearly, with every word reeking of bloody murder kept just BARELY
in check. "Admiral Akhouw, you may or may not be aware of the fact
that Turnskaad is not responsible for all of the Imperial ships
present. Others have arrived here of their own accord, and are not
subject to Commander Nanadh's authority...or, it seems, the common
sense required to survive to adulthood in most normal sophonts."
"Thank you, SubCommander, that does illuminate the matter. It is a most
unfortuate truth that neither adulthood nor operation of a starfaring
vessel is a guarantee of prudence or intelligence." Akhouw is speaking
with a tone of such aggrieved patience that is remarkable for even a
human. "We shall speak again, hopefully in more amenable surroundings."
He takes a deep breath. "Admiral Akhouw, Commander, please allow me
to bow out of this conference. Some knaerrvarrgh ROUKH just activated
an active scan inside this fishbowl, and I have to find out whom."
"Good hunting, SubCommander..."
'Vouf breaks contact and says, "Zben, once you get the cameras on line,
help Mac on Commo. I need an expert for this next stunt. While I'm
recording this message as a data packet, I want you to prepare to
sequentially hit each ship's lasercom with the packet. Go to it."
"Aye sir." Mac programs the comm station with assistance from Zben
to prepare the data packet.
Zben pulls the lasercom targeting scope onto his panel and
rapidly sets up each of the ships as a tracking target, then loads in
a standard "track-burst-next" loop, setting it up to hit the further
ships first. After a quick thought, and a shrug, he includes the
Bernoulli, on the off chance there may be active equipment.
'Vouf then turns away, punches up RECORD mode on his console, and
PAUSE. He then looks around the Bridge, and says, "All Bridge
personnel with sensitive ears are hereby requested to plug them for a
minute, while the CO has a temper tantrum. Thank you for your
cooperation."
"That's ok sir, I think we can take it." Witfield smiles.
Grinning the biggest grin he's allowed himself for, oh, an hour,
Zben leans back in his chair, in rapt anticipation...
'Vouf takes the recorder off PAUSE, and cuts loose like a full-grown
rabid timber wolf with one leg caught in a trap.
"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THE STUPID PINKSTINK MORON THAT SET OFF AN
ACTIVE SCAN INSIDE THIS DEATH TRAP, I'M GOING TO DO THEM AN INJURY
OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AND SCOPE THAT THEY'LL BE MAKING *SPLATTER MOVIES*
ABOUT IT A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW! DON'T APOLOGIZE! DON'T EVEN
*IDENTIFY* YOURSELF! JUST--QUIT--THE--ACTIVE--SCANS!!"
He snaps off the recorder, and says in a normal tone, "I feel MUCH
better now. Send that off, Zben. Etienne, resume docking. Mac, when
the packets are on the way, reconnect me to the Alcyon."
Knowing he is in the presence of a Master, Zben's grin widens.
Checking to make sure that the targeting program has acquired all
vessels, he pulls the recorded message into the compressor, and starts
it on its way. He then expands the engineering section to be able to
assist with docking as needed.
The recording finishes compressing. "OK" appears on the comm screen. "Got
the data packet." Witfield adjusts various links, "Hi Ho Silver, you go."
He press the start button. And the data packets are sent as Vouf ordered.
Gemini Arbiter
"Since we're so close to those other ships shouldn't we try to
contact them?" asks Nichole.
A notification beep goes off indicating an incoming message.
>"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THE STUPID PINKSTINK MORON THAT SET OFF AN
>ACTIVE SCAN INSIDE THIS DEATH TRAP, I'M GOING TO DO THEM AN INJURY
>...
"Sounds mad doesn't he!" says Nichole grinning.
Aurelia adds "And how are we to know what this place is anyway! It's
not like this happens everyday!" then takes a deep breath to calm
down.
"Go ahead and open up a channel to the Alcyon." says Aureila.
Nikki opens a channel and says "This is Nichole Xerxes on the Gemini
Arbiter. We would appreciate guidance in resolving our present
situation. Over."
"This is Alcyon, Morgan Grey. Gemini Arbiter, follow the beacon to
light-stress docking point indicated and dock with Alcyon at once."
A holographic image of the Alcyon, with one docking point suitable
for a ship of 100 to 200 tons highlighted, appears.
"Roger that Mr. Grey and thank you. It will be pleasure meeting every-
one, finally. This is Gemini Arbiter, out." responds Nichole.
Punching up nav and docking systems, under minimal power, Aurelia
guides the Gemini Arbiter along the beacon to the docking area.
A pause then both women break out giggling, in relief at being helped
out of their current situation and from a funny thought expressed by
Aurelia "You know what would really top these past few hours." facing
Nikki "Colliding with the Alcyon! That would really be a mess!"
"The way you fly it might happen!" quips Nichole affectionately.
"Thanks! You really know how to inspire confidence!" retorts Aurelia.
"Well!" Nichole says standing up with exaggerated indifference "I
know when I'm not wanted!"
Then they both break out in giggles once more.
After this bout subsides Arurelia speaks "Now that you're up and
we have quite a few minutes. Make us something to drink. One of your
specials. A little celebration will be just about right!"
"Good idea! I'll be right back!" says Nikki as she leaves the bridge.
Alcyon/Trakh
After the momentary interruption to deal with the sensor problem, Akhouw
resumes talking with Ger.
"Certainly, Admiral Nanadth, Executive Officer Aiwi and I would be most
happy to conduct our business with you promptly. We have no matters of
pressing importance as yet, so we are ready to meet with you shortly
after docking is completed. What shall we say, ten of your minutes?
I am unfamiliar with your ship, if you would indicate where you desire
to hold our conference, we shall arrive there at the appointed time."
"I will send my executive officer to meet you, and guide you to my office,"
Ger responds. "Alcyon out."
Kingfisher/Alcyon
The Kingfisher glides in on the beam and sets down with nary a
bump on the hangar deck, a tribute to Etienne's delicate touch on the
controls. As the auto-umbilicals attach and the deck begins to fill
with air, Bhyarrvouf heaves a sigh of relief. "All personnel, stand
down from duty stations," he orders, getting up from his chair.
"Debark and assume normal stations on the Alcyon. Mac, to the Bridge
sensor suite. Zben, Fitz, get down to Engineering and relieve Aaron
and Slide. Dr. Abuko, you might want to check in with Pater on the
data he uploaded from the sensors. Dan, go with him and collate the
stuff you and Ralf got... coordinate with the Talisman until Ralf gets
here in person. Lazer and Rigo, set up in Security and check in all
lethal weapons as they come in. I don't want ANYONE walking around
with anything heavier than a stungun. Clear? Jan, to Sickbay on the
double to aid with the new arrivals...and Bishop." He frowns for a
moment. "And by the way, people. The events leading up to my arrival
on board the Kingfisher have NOT been forgotten. I see no reason to
restrict any of your duties or rounds, as YET. But," and he makes a
valiant effort to keep a straight face, "Nobody better try to LEAVE."
"Keyaho, Bridge! Kingfisher down and locked. I'll be on the Bridge
in a few minutes."
"Aye sir." Witfield nods. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to sensors we go."
He whistles as he proceeds to the sensor suite as ordered.
Paladin
Upon the open invitation from the Alcyon, Goughzar moves the Paladin
in to dock. Meanwhile, Morser is doing just what Trweerl is begging
to...run every kind of test and passive scan the Paladin's Mod 10 can
handle.
Alcyon
Morgan Grey is busy rattling off traffic control data as fast as he can,
flipping between holo projections and sweating profusely.
"Don't know how those Navy boys DO this....Okay, ten meters, two and a
half downrange... three meters, one-half down... All engines stop...and--"
The Alcyon reverberates with a soft "thud."
"Gemini Arbiter down and locked on midportventral, Commander. Lessee
now, Paladin, Paladin...Goughzar, you're cleared for approach to
foreportventral...Westwind, please lock in on the beam and approach
midstarboventral... WHOA!"
Another "thud," softer this time. Grey looks angry.
"AURORA! What the hell kind of stunt was that, coming in without guidance?!"
_I am fully capable of automated docking, Mister Grey,_ replies Moira's
silky voice. _I am unoccupied at the moment, and acted to assure my own
safety. Entering standby mode._
"Wiseass computer," Grey groans. "Let's see-- AH! Trakh, this is Alcyon,
you are clear for final approach, docking ring has been reconfigured for
Otaiokeh-standard ringshape. Okay, five meters, one downrange, two meters,
cut power, and--"
*THUD*
"We have a positive lock. All systems nominal. My compliments to your
pilot. We are going offline; please contact us via shipwide closed-circuit
intercom when your CO and XO wish to meet with ours. Welcome aboard. Out."
Grey turns to Ger. "Three down, three to go, sir," he reports cheerfully.
"But we may have a problem-- there's no dock point for that wrecked Scoutship.
We may have to put her in the empty stern cargo hold, but we're going to
have a rough time doing it. Unless the Trakh doubles as a yard tug, I don't
think any of our ships are designed for hauling...except maybe a Manta,
but I dunno how THEY'RE set up for it, either."
"We aren't exactly going anywhere are we? Just put a line to the
wreck so it doesn't drift around too much."
"Aye, sir. I'll notify the--"
"You overstepped your authority giving permission for all those
ships to dock. Whatever you do, do not let any non-Turnskaad
ship passengers board unless they have a signed contract in their hand.
We'll decide if they can stay in the staff meeting."
"But, but--" Grey turns red. "Yessir. I made the assumption that you
didn't want them bumping into us in here, and I wouldn't have opened
the docking rings without your say-so anyway. Sorry, sir."
"Call 'Vouf and send him to meet the Aslan, and take them to my office.
Also when all the command team checks in, have them meet me at 0450
in the converted stateroom we're using as conference facilities."
"At once, sir." Grey quickly turns to the tasks at hand.
On lasercom: "Talisman, secure the wreck with a drift line and leave it
as is-- we'll deal with it later. Proceed to dock point."
On intercom: "Subcommander Bhyarrvouf to the forward dorsal mount point.
Greet Aslan delegation now docking, time frame nine minutes minus."
"All command team members: Meeting in the crew lounge at 0450."
"Attention, Gemini Arbiter. Please have signed Turnskaad contract
materials ready for inspection upon debarkation." click "Attention,
Westwind. Please have signed Turnskaad contract materials ready
for inspection upon debarkation."
After that's over, Grey gratefully leaves control of Commo to Blaine.
He salutes Ger crisply. "Permission to attend to securing of, and
SECURITY of, docking rings now in use, sir?"
"Certainly Mr. Grey, leave the bridge door open when you exit."
Alcyon Hangar Deck
> ..."Nobody better try to LEAVE."
Lazer grins. "Aye, sir. Confined to pocket universe, sir." Then
seriously, "Question, sir. Are Security permitted sidearms?"
Bhyarrvouf frowns. "Negative, other than snubguns. However, I will
authorize their carrying lethal ammo for their snubguns: gas rounds,
shotshells, high-explosive spatter rounds, as each man sees fit.
If we have teflon-sabot rounds, which I doubt, issue those."
"Sir." Lazer salutes, and turns to leave the bridge.
"Sure, I'll just pack my stuff first." Abuko turns to Lazer, "Where do you
want the weapons? Here or at security?"
"Locking them up in your cabin will be fine," Lazer replies.
When he's done Zben catches Bhyarrvouf's attention: "Sir, might I
suggest that Mr. Grey could use my assistance at the Communications
console, especially with all our new visitors? I think we're all going
to have a Lot to talk about..."
"Hrf?" 'Vouf blinks for a moment and rubs his nose. "Hrmph. Well put,
Mister Blaine. Proceed to the Bridge, and see to it that Kimball Redd
reports to Engineering in your place as soon as the Talisman docks."
He frowns for a moment. "Assuming he hasn't been grabbed for anything
ELSE vital, like hauling in the Bernoulli, that is."
"Wilco!" With that Zben closes up the shuttle engineering panel,
and with a brief stop aft to pick up his carryall, he heads into the
familiar halls of Alcyon.
Westwind
A message comes in from Grey on the Alcyon:
"Attention, Westwind. Please have signed Turnskaad contract materials
ready for inspection upon debarkation."
"Westwind to Alcyon: Contract materials? What contract materials?
What are you talking about?"
The comline downloads a data burst from the Alcyon in response to
Nick's confused request. When decoded, the burst contains a blank
form for a temporary employment contract with the Alcyon crew.
"Aha!" says Talon, as a burst of data arrives on the Westwind.
"THESE contract materials. Bureaucratic ineptitude -- I should
have guessed. We'll probably have to sign ourselves into slavery
before they even let us aboard."
"I'm sure they are just being understandably cautious, Nicholas.
Judging by how you humans usually think, I imagine they just want
to ensure our cooperation while we are aboard their vessel. I
think it would be a good idea to go along with what they want and
set their minds at rest. Considering the bizarre situation in
which we all find ourselves, I would suggest that anything which
can foster mutual cooperation should be encouraged."
"Well, let's see what's actually in these contracts." Talon stabs
a finger at a few buttons, and swivels around in his seat to collect
the hard copies which appear in a tray behind him. He hands one copy
to Hur'Shurvan. "Better scrutinize the small print."
Hur'Shurvan takes the document carefully in his two upper hands and
holds it up close to his face, squinting hard. "Hrrrsshh." A lower
arm reaches back and rummages in one of the equipment pouches slung
at his side. After a few moments he pulls out a large, sturdy
magnifying glass, which he holds up in front of the contract. "Ah,
that's better..."
Talon swivels his seat back around to face forward and starts to read
his own copy, muttering darkly under his breath about red tape and
lawyers and paperwork.
The contract, as it turns out, grants typical rights and privileges,
including a prorated share of all profits, in exchange for an
agreement to abide by the orders of the command crew and to accept and
act upon a designated position aboard the Alcyon, with duties and so
on the responsibility of the Command Team to explain.
Reading the fine print ain't easy, but basically it seems to be a way
of giving them a legal leg to stand on if they let people aboard any of
their ships as anything other than guests under heavy guard.
Gemini Arbiter
Nikki was just a little ways down the corridor when she comes running
back into the bridge exclaiming "Forget the drinks! How much time do
we have?"
Just then the soft thud of connection reverberates throughout the ship.
"About none!" grins Aurelia as she turns towards Nikki. "What are
you so excited about?"
"Excited about! Look at us! Are we presentable like this?!"
Jumping up from the console and quickly exiting the bridge. "Oh my!
You're right! We must look awful! We need" Aurelia stops in mid-
sentence and returns to the bridge. "Let me contact the Alcyon and
inform them that we will be available to meet them in about a half
hour." says Aurelia but Nikki has already left for the dressing
room.
Before opening a channel Aurelia yells down the corridor "WE DON'T
HAVE TIME FOR THE WHIRLPOOL. USE THE SONIC INSTEAD!"
"OH!..." comes back the reply some of which isn't very lady-like.
Opening a comm channel to the Alcyon. "This is the Gemini Arbiter.
We have some details to attend to and will be available to meet in
about a half hour. We hope this isn't an inconvenience for you.
Gemini Arbiter, out."
"Take your time. Just have your contracts signed and handy."
Paladin
As the Paladin docks, Morser signal Charyn from the Bridge.
*tap*
"Frau Robins, if you are feeling up to it, I believe zere is somevun on ze
Alcyon who rrreqvires your lingvistic talents.
"As for everrry one else on board, I sank you for trrraveling Rrrrringvorld
airlines, you may now disembarrrk. Ze veather at our destination is as
norrrmal as alvays--"
Peering, through the viewport, Azani notices in the greyness, a myriad of
ships, including from scarred scouts to merhcant ships... "Interesting..."
he thinks to himself as he then notices an Aslan warship docked with the
Alcyon! "Pirates, I knew it, Aslan pirates!" he cries as runs for the
now opening iris valve connecting the Paladin to ship tender. Morser dives
out of his way, then gets up, finishing his sentence.
"--I vish I could say ze same about ze crrew."
Morser then makes his way gingerly through the lock, taking a moment to
run the sensor feeds into his wrist comp for monitoring purposes.
"Bridge, Paladin. Shutting her down to warm idle," Goughzar says, running
down the checklist.
Kingfisher/Alcyon Hangar Deck
As people begin to file out, Rigo turns to go through the Kingfisher
from aft to stern, checking that no more surprises lurk there. "Be
with you in a moment, Major." He says. "I'll police up here and lock
up shop."
"Negative," Lazer orders. "We have Aslan coming on board, and half my
team is still on the 'Talisman. Etienne can lock up here; I need you
with security. Abdul, you too."
"Yes sir," Abdul sighs. "Just when I thought I had some real work to
do, guess my investigation of this bubble will have to wait a while."
Rigo, already half-way turned to start his search, turns again. "Hau!"
he snaps, and turns back towards his console.
Lazer starts heading for the cycling airlock. He taps his commdot.
"PATER, connect me to ALLCALL.
<< NOW HEAR THIS. This is Farouk speaking. We have guests coming on
board. NO ONE is to carry ANY weapon except the standard-issue snub-gun
with tranquilizing ammo, by order of the Sub-commander. This includes
knives, crossbows and fusion guns, and THIS MEANS YOU. You have TEN
MINUTES to get any such weapons under lock and key. DO SO. Farouk out. >>
Without sitting down Rigo deftly fishes out two of his fresh holo-crystals
and places them in the appropiate slots while at the same time using his
Data Display Headset to instruct the computer to copy the entire content
of the cockpit recorder to both the crystals. While this is being done he
picks up all his belongings, including his empty rifle (which he double-
checks to make sure it is empty). Finally he grabs the two crystals and
his comp-key, waves good-bye to Etienne, and hurries after Lazer and Abdul.
The airlock opens, and Lazer ducks through into the cargo bay. He sets
off at a quick trot for the armoury, and assumes the other two are going
to keep up.
"Bridge please.
<< Bridge, this is Farouk. How long do we have until the Aslan will be
coming aboard? Who will be greeting them? Oh, and how long until the
'Talisman docks? Farouk over. >>
Another tap. "Security.
<< Azani, Mahlel, report in. Farouk out. >>
"Mahlel here, sir. I'm runnin' a perimeter check for the Boss-man.
Aside from a whackin' big lump of rock in the Jump Drive room an'
Slide Wrinkley messin' his britches, we're clean. The perp in
Sickbay was carrying a nifty tube-- it's locked up in the Armory.
What's the scoop? We pickin' up MORE freeloaders?"
"Report to the Armory, Mr. Mahlel, and please explain how we got a big
rock in the drive room." Lazer doesn't sound all that surprised.
"Hell if I know, sir," O'Shi responds. "Slide and Aaron haut-Frieder
started screaming about sumpin weird happening in Engineering, and
then there was this big CLANG. An' now we got a good-sized chunk of
bedrock from SOMEWHERE sittin' in the Engine Room. Go figure--"
He is interrupted by a breathless yell.
"Azani, to security, I'm reporting to armory asap, will be there in a few!"
Yet another tap. "Contact, patched through to the 'Talisman.
<< Dave, this is Security. Who do you have that knows the most about the
Aslan? Farouk over. >>
Not being a very good runner, Abdul lags a little behind.
Alcyon Hangar Deck
Carrying several cases on his back and in his left arm, and with a
goldfish-bowl helmet under his right, Johann enters from the hangar.
The first thing he does when he enters the standard Alcyon corridor is
stopping to put down the cases and open the helmet.
"Run off an have fun, Bit. I'm sorry you had to stay locked up in the
helmet for so long and not get down to R-alpha after all."
Looking like a fighter emerging from its launch tube, the bored tree-rat
exits the helmet and speeds away down the corridor.
"Don't steal anything! And keep out of engineering!"
Alcyon
When Kingfisher docks, and Vouf et al comes out of the bridge to disembark...
Fritz will talk with Vouf, or anyone else who doesn't stop him...
"'A! Vouf! Fancy way of getting around you have there! Do you think you might
not have much use for your bike in the future???"
'Vouf is on his way across the Jump Drive area as they chat. "Not likely," he
sighs. "That kind of getting around takes a lot out of you. I STILL want to
show you what REAL speed means, though... with a bikejock like Ralf on board,
we can probably get away with blowing a module or three without crippling
our bikes for life."
"Quite a tense situation there was up front there! Can't say I understand
exactly *why* everyone was pointing guns at each other, but I'm glad I was able
to
Bhyarrvouf winces. "Prime example of Vargr superiority over humans-- vargr
languages don't have puns. I'll make a note of your sense of humor at the
Court-Martial."
"That really was a neat trick popping the Commander out, and yourself in, but I
thought for *sure* someone was going to get a trigger happy there! You *have*
been known to be a little impulsive yourself at times..."
"No! Really?" Bhyarrvouf is starting to look annoyed.
"I sure thought our turkey was cooked when that Fleet showed up! Then
again, I really don't know how we're going to get out of here, now,
where ever here is! But at least we have a chance to give it some
thought..."
"Mmm," 'Vouf says, looking around the drive room critically.
"I wonder if the Ring sent us off into jump? If so, where are we
headed to? Will we come out after a week as in a normal jump? But
then Jump doesn't *allways* last a week exactly... Maybe the Ring
just put us on ice for a week while it dealt with the Fleet, and we'll
come out right where we left???"
"Hm!," is the Vargr's only response.
"I'm real surprized that the Ring didn't prevent the Fleet from
bombarding the ring! I would have thought with all it's other
marvels, it could have prevented it. That was *terrible*! such
massive destruction! So wastefull! Well, perhaps we'll get back and
find everything just fine..."
"Eh-hrf." 'Vouf is now obviously no longer listening.
"If this place isn't jumpspace, where/what do you suppose it is?
Maybe it's a 'grey' globe? :-) Have to do some grav and C
measurements..."
After a bit of yacking, Fritz will head down to Acylon Engineering as
ordered to help out... And pretty much repeat his previous comments
to anyone down in engineering...
On finding out what happened down in engineering (the 'jump out'),
Fritz will keep more then busy examining the remains of the situation,
reviewing the record of the event, and checking, and repairing any
damage.
There are three bullet holes in the Number Six Panel, and some boards are
going to need replacing. The rubble should also be moved out of the way....
"How do you suppose that this is related to our grey bubble? I'll be
*real* surprised if there's not a lot of minor damage. Probably a lot
of shot and depolarized insulation! It seems like a heck of a
coincidence, but there doesn't really seem to be any connection of the
surface..."
Alcyon Bridge
"Good to be back aboard Alcyon again."
Mac sits down in the sensor operator station. "Computer, This is Witfield.
Activate sensor holo display according to configuration MW1." Various
displays and panels appears. "Good, now let's see what we've got here."
Mac starts scanning through the data, checking various displays.
Alcyon
Jumping into the first available grav-lift, Zben slides past Zero
deck to deck 1B, where he litterally throws his carryall into his
cabin. Then he takes the lift back to Zero deck, and trots forward to the
Bridge.
Stepping onto the Bridge, there is a brief moment of indecision
as he comes face-to-face with the Admiral, and memories of the past few
minutes come flooding back...
Saluting sharply, "Sir: Zben Blaine reporting as per request of
Mr. Bhyarrvouf. With your permission I'll assist Mr. Grey by taking
over the Communications Station."
Ger nods.
Permission received, Zben slides into the Commo station, with a
quick glance at Morgan Grey, a look that says `Don't Ask!'...
As Grey gets permission to leave and does so, Zben proceeds to
configure the console to his specs, sets up his operating system, and
trys to clear any congestion. First, however he tries to trace Kimball
Redd, and finding him still aboard the Talisman, he records the
following, keying it to the Talisman's docking: "Mr. Redd, Mr.
Bhyarrvouf would like you to report to Engineering, as soon as you
board."
A moment later, the reply comes: "I'll talk to the damn hound after I
finish eating, Zben. I wish he'd make up his mind where he wanted help."
Redd sounds aggrieved. "Ralf needs me for retrieving the hulk out there,
'Vouf wants me in the drive room....eesh."
TO BE CONTINUED...
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