A swarm of camera drones and an array of powerful sensors worked
together to send signals through the capsule control interface into
Arrakh's nervous system while he floated, immersed in viscous
pod-fluid. His brain translated those impulses into a star-spangled
panorama obscured by a nebula glowing a deep crimson in the near
infrared spectrum.
He had chosen a
wavering passage further into the Anoikis cluster as his central
focus point in that stellar vista. His mace-shaped Sleipnir-class
command ship rested motionless in space several kilometers off the
cosmic gateway, flanked by a number of Loki hulls looking like squat
insects in their chosen configuration.
Without warning, the
wormhole before the group of ships shivered and flared. A moment
later the gravitational tunnel collapsed in on itself and a long
barge-shaped behemoth materialized in it's stead. The two-pronged bow
of the gigantic Archon carrier reflected in the solar panels arrayed
like a transparent fringe around the bulky front of Arrakh's ship as
the commander addressed his fleet.
'Scouts, scan for a new
exit.' he ordered lazily. 'Far Squad, report.' his simulated voice
demanded more briskly then.
'This is Far Squad
one.' came the reply 'The Yanissary fleet has jumped through it's
vanguard. Their main body is now approaching the wormhole.'
'I want you to swing
around that wormhole and jump through with them.' Arrakh commanded.
'But commander, we will
end up in the middle of their fleet on the other side.' the
commanding officer of Far Squad replied with fearful disbelief.
'Then pray that they
have control of the other side and do not decloak you before they
warp off.' Arrakh barked back, anger turning his deep voice into a
menacing growl.
He knew it was a
gamble, but his instincts told him that the Yanissaries will move
quickly once they crossed over. If they had encountered any
resistance they would not commit their full force immediately but
bring in smaller and faster fighting ships into the battle first.
Their vanguard had just jumped moments earlier after destroying an
Awakened Industries spotter ship. The Matari fleet commander assumed
that they must have cleared the other side. According to what he knew
about commodore Sivaata, that man will want to move quickly and gain
a strategic position where he can attack with the element of surprise
before his opponents could form up for a concerted defense. 'He
has caught you unprepared Cedrien.' Arrakh thought. 'But help
is coming.'
'Far Squad, you have
your orders. I want eyes on whatever happens over there and full
reports.' Arrakh closed the channel. Then he addressed the main body
of his forces who were with him in a wormhole system many lightyears
away from the squadron of scout ships and their precarious position.
'As for the rest of you, keep scanning and collapsing. Find me an
exit into that system.'
'Help is coming
Cedrien, and this time you wont be able to send me packing with smug
thanks. This time your fate will be in my hands.' The Matari
thought, and the faint echo of a smile appeared on his full lips. An echo of the amusement he felt appearing on
his otherwise unmoving face as his body floated in the capsule.
***
'We are under attack.'
Cedrien's synthesized voice sounded over the fleet channel. 'Support
wing, warp back to station. Tower ops, man the defenses.' He
transmitted on a full spectrum broadwave that would be received all
across the system. Immediately the swarm of interceptors that had helped
to keep the Awakened Preserver drone immobilized veered away. One by
one they vanished into the distance at warp speed.
'Torstan, we must stop
the procedure. Now!' he transmitted to the bridge of Alira's ship
where the Sebiestor scientist was busy adjusting variables,
optimizing performance figures and compensating for system overloads
as the ships computer systems strained to decrypt and manipulate the
workings of that ancient synthetic intelligence they had ensnared.
Without stopping with
his frenetic activities the old man shook his head at the disembodied
voice uttering from the speaker system. 'Impossible!' he shouted
back. 'If we stop now the subject's control systems could be
irreparably damaged and we might even lose them completely.'
In their capsules, the
two women, whom Hegomir Torstan had just called mere subjects,
writhed and strained as nanites manipulated their neural interfaces
under the influence of alien programming. So far Hegomir had not been
able to create a full link with the Sleeper vessel's higher
functions, but it's repair systems had been activated and were now
reconfiguring the swarms of microscopic maintenance bots of the two
capsuleer ships. Confused by the simplicity of the unfamiliar
miniature machines, and at the same time confounded by the presence
of organic matter intertwined with more familiar artificial parts,
the Awakened Preserver's machine brain tried to cope, and failed
repeatedly.
Hegomir looked over the
various holographic readouts projected all around him and wiped sweat
off his wrinkled brow. 'Maybe this confusion presents an opening.'
he thought, and felt how he
became light-headed like he usually did under high pressure.
Possibilities raced through his mind as he processed the information
coming from various sources. Somewhere on the fringes of his
awareness he heard the voice of the Gallente commander.
'If
we do not leave now we will all be lost.' the man's voice screamed
from speakers far, far away in the shadowy recesses of the small
ship's bridge which Hegomir had all but put out of his mind. His long
thin fingers flew over keys and his eyes darted between glowing
holograms and neocom displays. Some part of his over-strained
consciousness found the capacity to speak.
'Leave!
Fight your battle! I will fight mine here.' he shouted back and then
he lost himself completely in the storm of numbers, equations and
data models.
He knew he would only
have seconds. Within moments the capsuleers out there would
disengage. If he failed, that relentless machine out there would be
free to obliterate the two small defenseless vessels flanking it.
Hegomir did not even lose a thought about his own life, or that of
the two capsuleer women whose fate was tied to his now. All he was
focused on was the problem at hand. He had to link that inhuman mind
with the brains of those two female pilots. To him they were not a
manifest machine and two human beings, but a blur of higher
mathematics. Problems to be solved, equations to be balanced, data to
be processed.
With one last flurry of
entries he gave it his last and best. Then he straightened up and
looked outside through the bridge's tinted windows. The capsuleers of Awakened Industries had left to defend their home against an unknown invading force. Hegomir was alone with the two capsuleer women in their exploration vessels and the Awakened Preserver.
With a sudden serenity he realized that the menacing, dark Sleeper drone floating out there might be among the last things he will see in his life.
With a sudden serenity he realized that the menacing, dark Sleeper drone floating out there might be among the last things he will see in his life.
***
Commodore Sivaata stood
in the centre on the bridge of his Archon-class command carrier and stared into the streaming vortex of
the warp tunnel outside. With hands clasped behind his back and his
square jaw thrust deftly forward, he looked like the unmoving statue
of a military hero on the main square of a Caldari city rather than a
man jumping with his ship into a fight. Calmly he reflected about his
last experience with Cedrien Roucellis and his forces. The younger
Gallente commander had fought with desperate cunning supported by
sound tactical thinking. His capsuleers were powerful and highly
skilled even when compared to others of their kind. Certainly they
were superiour to any pod-pilot under his command since he lost
his most capable capsuleers in the multiple traps of the last engagement.
Sivaata was not a man
who dwelt on thoughts of revenge. His sober Caldari business sense
prevented that. But retribution. Yes, that he would consider. A cold
military concept implying the strategic crippling of the enemy's
strength after suffering a loss. Evening out the odds. Restoring the
balance of power.
The situation was
favourable. They had encountered only one spotter ship that was
quickly dispatched. The immediate scan of the system showed that
there were no ships visible close-by, and the vanguard had quickly
found that a group of ships was gathered at a far-off site. Roucellis
and his capsuleers with certainty. One of Awakened Industry's space
stations was within range of their scanners, and Commodore Sivaata
had chosen that structure as their first target. He had the
initiative, and he was intent on keeping that advantage for as long
as he could. Moving forward while captain Roucellis was unprepared.
'Commodore.' the
communication officer demanded his attention. Sivaata turned towards
the young man and leveled his gaze at him. 'Report.' he replied
curtly.
'Commodore, sir. One of
our rear guard reports a ship's signature appearing just as they
entered warp, sir.' the officer said.
'Was it an Awakened
Industries signature?' Sivaata inquired.
'Negative, sir.' the
young officer made a face. 'But they could not get a lock on their
actual ID. They were already entering warp.'
Sivaata waved the man's
report away with a brisk gesture. 'Probably the stray scout of some
other wormhole dwelling bunch of outcasts.' he said. 'We left that
wormhole on the verge of collapse. Nothing can follow us that would
add any challenge.'
'Yes sir.' the young
officer concurred.
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