Ever since the first human pilot explored the trackless reaches of Anoikis, the Sleepers have been a dangerous enigma that beckons to the daring and those who thirst for answers. During all those years since the first wormholes opened into New Eden, those unrelenting artificial guardians of alien structures have been studied, fought, salvaged and turned into components for new technologies. Never has anyone attempted a feat like the one Awakened Industries would try their luck on today: To interface directly with the repair systems of a Sleeper Drone.
After careful consideration and days upon days of tests and simulations, a specific type of drone was chosen. Prior explorers had assigned it the designation Awakened Preserver. It's suitability was chosen on the basis of it's ability to create an energy funnel that directed and programmed nanotechnological devices which could knit molecules together, much like the amour repairers commonly used on the ships of New Eden.
After the plans had been laid, the small capsuleer squadron under the command of captain Cedrien Roucellis systematically destroyed the drones guarding one of the Sleeper structures that had appeared in their system by means still unknown to humans.
Of the artificial sentinels, only one was kept intact.
After the fighting was done, the group of wormhole pilots returned to their hangars and had their capsules transferred to other ships without even leaving them. They returned to the site where that lone survivor was circling forlornly around the curved outlines of the enigmatic structure shrouded in glowing plasma clouds.
That last drone was surrounded by it's hunters, while the smouldering wrecks of it's companions littered the emptiness of space around the exotic floating edifice of unknown purpose and manufacture, The capsuleers came prepared for one task: To immobilise the robotic craft and render inert it's ability to attack.
Shisei used the powerful electronic warfare systems of his Falcon class cruiser. The powerful signal distortion emitters fit to the asymmetric metallic-blue ship did their work and the intelligent machine sped around him in confusion. It's senses overloaded with electronic noise.
Keram flew the wedge-tailed brass hull of a Pilgrim to drain the gleaming autonomous vessel of energy and disrupt it's tracking systems. Cedrien flew a specially configured Proteus hull. With subsystems chosen specifically to shut down the Awakened Preserver's microwarpdrive as well as strengthening the electronic warfare systems of Cedrien's fleet, his dark-green ship looked like a biomechanical, hammerheaded fish swimming through space.
Sandrielle had chosen an uncommon ship for herself. She piloted an advanced Minmatar cruiser-type known as the Rapier. Frail looking with it's angled solar panels, the light and manoeuvrable vessel was well known for it's strong stasis field projectors and powerful shields. Her role would be crucial to hold the Sleeper Drone in place.
A flight of support frigates flown by baseline crews had been called in, inteceptors of Minmatar and Gallente design. They buzzed around the Sleeper drone like shining dragonflies and gleaming beetles. Their role was to provide further disruption systems that would complement the already strong combined effects of the four capsuleers.
Alira and Sylera, the main participants in this historical and daring experiment appeared from warp with small exploration frigates that had been fitted with all available electronic systems Savant Torstan had declared necessary to make this undertaking a success.
Powerful wetware mainframes were standing by to unravel alien communications protocols and find ways to subvert the artificial mind of the ancient machine intelligence. Each small ship also had it's own remote armour repair module. Much less elegantly designed than the one of the Sleeper drone, but suited for the task at hand. Those modules were directly linked to the control systems of the capsuleers residing within the small exploration ships, and newly devised enhancements would link them directly to the artificial parts of the two women's nervous systems. The parts that made them capsuleers.
Hegomir Torstan himself stood on the small, empty bridge of the Cheetah class ship Alira piloted. The cramped command centre was just big enough for him to stand before the control desk normally occupied by the pilot and the navigator. A small ship like this one could easily be under full control of one capsuleer with no additional crew required. Therefore the corridors, cabins and stations of the bulky little ship remained empty apart from the capsule chamber itself where Alira floated in her liquid cradle.
Torstan looked through the segmented, tinted windows at the peculiar and hostile looking craft outside. It's protective coating seemed to swallow the light of the system's double star. Only an oily rainbow gleam was barely visible on it's smooth almost-black surface. The bulbous, elongated hull reminded Torstan of Gallente design, but there the similarities ended. The multiple glowing orbs bulging at it's bow suggested the eyes of an arachnid rather than viewports for a crew, and from under it's armoured carapace, machine tentacles tipped with barbs, pincers and articulate manipulators lashed out in agitation.
The old Minmatar inventor smoothed back his stark white hair with both hands, trembling with excitement. His lively eyes shone like those of a boy at his coming-of-age festival. He envied the young women in their capsules who would be directly connected with that strange creature straining out there against the stasis fields and disruption systems. He straightened himself and turned to touch the communications panel on the command console of the small bridge.
"Miss Tjalgard, Miss Alithe" he called out to the two capsuleers. "The moment has come. Begin the procedure."
***
On the other side of the oscillating passage leading from the home system of Awakened Industries deeper into the Anoikis cluster, two scouts were sitting idly on their hidden ship's bridge. The small vertical-winged Buzzard-class frigate was obscured from both sight an sensors by the ingeniously designed distortion field and the lighting on the bridge was dimmed to indicate cloaked flight.
A holographic star-system display floated above the command station between the two men seated there. The younger one, a sandy haired Caldari with blue eyes and strong virile features looked on with barely concealed boredom as probes swept their sensors across the depth of space graphically represented before him. He reclined in his chair and had rested his booted feet on the surface of the console he sat behind.
"I tell you there's nothing here." he groaned at his sole companion on the bridge, a narrow eyed Achura wearing a faded uniform. The charcoal of that man's jacket matched his black hair shot through with white streaks.
"Keep scanning." the older man barked at the Caldari and stood up to stare out into the black with his dark eyes, as if his gaze could pierce the depths of space and detect things even the probes would not reveal.
Sighing, the young scout took his feet off the console and triggered another probe cycle. As if to prove him wrong, a blip appeared within the overlapping spheres representing the probes' scanning ranges. Quickly the seasoned Achura pilot turned and locked his gaze with the blue eyes of the Civire youth.
"Focus them on that location." he pointed at the signature which had appeared as a small red sphere on the three dimensional projection.
Briskly the other man nodded and began to reposition the probes, triggering another cycle. He repeated the process, and on the third cycle the signature became more defined. Again the two men looked at each other.
"It's a Wormhole." the fair-skinned Caldari announced. "That wasn't there the last time I scanned that sector of the system."
Stroking his short goatee, the Achura nodded slowly. "Someone must have come into the system, opening this exit. We are not alone anymore."
He walked around the command station and took his seat behind it. Entering quick combinations of keystrokes he activated the short-range directional scanner. Immediately the display lit up with the signatures of multiple scanner probes.
The young Caldari jumped up from his own chair. "Probes!" he shouted. "So many and so close. They must have found this exit already." he shook his head in worried disbelief.
"I am alarming our fleet." his older companion announced and opened a channel. "This is scout two to scout commander." he broadcast. "We have potential hostiles in system with us. Entry point detection likely. Do you copy."
He had barely finished his sentence when more signals appeared on the ship's directional scanner. Outside, sunlight reflected from small specks appearing in the distance and an alarm screamed.
"Bombs." the Caldari co-pilot breathed with sudden fear. "Those are stealth bombers." he confirmed after looking at the sensor overview.
The aged Achura scout took a deep breath and cursed himself inwardly for his stupid mistake. They should have taken a position farther away from that wormhole exit. It was a mistake an amateur would make, or an old man grown complacent throughout years of routine.
He closed his eyes before the detonations all around them obliterated their small scout craft.
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