Subject: [FANFIC] Pilot, Original Work: Voyage of the Avenger: Forlorn Hope Part 1 Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 03:38:44 -0800 From: "Colin 'The Yosemite Bear' Witz" Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars Forlorn Hope Concept by Colin Witz: Looking for Future Writers: Anyone Welcome Mars: (Bradbury Colony, Outskirts of New Folsom, Sunday Night January 19th) Female Media Announcer: Well after years of being the Laughing stock of Penal League Football New Folsom here on Mars has one it's first Super ball, 24 to 17 over the Earthbound Rikers Island. While the great many penalties and summary executions were higher then previous years resulting in a great deal of controversy, the crowd of Ex-cons and their families here on Mars appear to be taking the news with a great deal of enthusiasm. Female Announcer: In other News Today, Tomorrow's fresh catch shuttle from earth will include Electronic Terrorist Damien Rust, Rust who spent the last ten years as the International Cyber Enforcement agencies most wanted criminal will be sentenced to death by combat here on Mars..... The Scene cuts to thousands of thin ragged people hollering and drinking, while giant TV/Billboards overhead show the Newscast and various ads. A large cheer echoes from the crowd as the Billboards show pictures of Rust being escorted into a shuttle by heavily armed Police. Tuesday January 21st (Eris in Orbit over Mars) Male Announcer: UN Marines have been called in to stop the Super ball riots over on Mars, after the Attorneys from Riker's Island filed an injunction in Court yesterday. Out on board the stations soldiers, checked their gear, and plugged their smart linked rifles into the APC and Drop ship troopers all plugged themselves into their vehicle onboard systems. The fall from space shock the whole crew as the 1/3 G of Mars took a hold of their drop ship. The treads of the APC gripped the pavement on the desert like colony and sped towards the city. The Direct link military vehicle link had been developed by Martian prisoners to greatly enhance their effectiveness with their mining robots. In the last 20 years, mars had grown from being home to the most violent criminals where the low gravity and long sentences prevented them from being a threat to the general public. However the last twenty years the demography of Mars had changed, More and more computer criminals were being shipped out to Mars, Mars was now leading Earth in developments in Robotics, Computer Sciences, and Mathematics, as Hacker's with life sentences, made machines, and bribed other prisoners, to do their work for them. Bradbury City was one of the largest 'Free Cities' on the Planet, Paroled convicts, and their descendants made up the population of the City. Marines against an army of Low G's armed with makeshift weapons, was a forgone conclusion. Still the battle was not as one-sided as the Press dubbed "Martian Massacre' labeled it, The Martians had some tricks of their own. Pvt. Hunter crouched behind the APC exposing only his hand as he fired over the side. With a thought he triggered a triple shot, with his rifle eye, he zoomed across the smoky filthy streets, his artificial eye's clarifying objects, he blew away another cocktail thrower on a roof two blocks away. Another rioter pulled a woman infornt of him as a shield, she probly had been sent here for possession, but that didn't matter, Hunter keyed an Exclude code, in his eye, he fired a single shot right through the target's hand, and then the neck followed by a shot to the eye. The woman ran to the APC triggering an automatic threat response as the APC shredded her. Meanwhile Cpl Parker in his riot mech unloaded 12.7mm rounds, and folding fin rockets, at the enemy. Malcolm rubbed his scabbed interface plug, he had agreed to let another convict/doctor implant the interface in him so that he could make more script working robot loaders, still this vehicle was much smaller, a mining maintenance robot with blocks of Semtex, smaller, and with electrical shielding the drone was kamikaze just beneath the APC. The blast ripped up pavement and sent the small tank flying. Killing the soldiers closest to it. Shattering the legs of the Power suit. Hunter had just been lucky, turned around to reload his rifle, when the blast went off. His squad mates had shielded him from the brunt of the explosion, dieing in the process. Triggering his biomonitor he sent painkillers, and flesh repairing polymer's into his bloodstream. The Neoplatelets reacted to the air forming an artificial skin wherever they were needed, sealing wounds quickly. The drugs kicked in his adrenal responses, and combat programming, ducking behind a doorway; he spotted another target of opportunity, another kill. Not to far away Parker popped the chest hopping and dragging himself on his leg and a half. Before unfolding his rifle. In orbit over Mars, Eris space station prepared for a Televised execution in the Middle of the chaos. Unaware that the prisoner was quite well aware of what was going on. Rust's messengers had arrived on Eris far ahead of him. As the station Admistrator and Warden of Mars came in to inform his prisoner that they would be shoving him out an airlock rather then letting him die on a football field Damien just smiled, and looked over at the cell 's cameras. As he was led to the airlock, the guard shoved him in with enough enhanced strength to break bones. Staring at the lens he said his 'Last Words' Personally, "Personally I would like to sing "Daisy, Daisy" right now. As the Warden pressed the outer lock key, bulkheads slammed shut across the station, then the 'fire suppression system' kicked in flooding key sections of the station with gas killing them as efficiently as if they had been exposed to vacuum. The Second half-clean air purge came and the inner door opened letting rust out into the corpse-strewn corridor. He had never killed anyone before, sure they had counted all of the people who jumped out windows, or put a gun to their temple after he had crashed the Market Nine years ago, among his victims, but he had made himself a fairly nice profit in his criminal actions. At this moment Damien Rust was in complete control of Eris Station, and would soon be in control of Mars. . . Twenty-Seven Years Later: The End of the Earth/Martian War. Not with a Whimper but a bang, Eris station exploded, along with the Martian Facilities in the Asteroid Belt, _Typhoon_ had pulled away fully refitted while her sister ship Avenger was still out in the outer rings performing her shakedowns. Activating her Wyrmdrive Typhoon's missile drones exited her launch bay in the aft ventral portion of her superstructure traveling to Earth with her payload of Salted Nuclear missiles faster then the speed of light, exchanging fire with the orbital facilities she once again activated her drive as she sped to the sun, instantly lost by the orbital and moon based missiles that tracked her. The Moon sent the anguished reply at the death of mother earth, high boost missiles slammed into Mars as well. Within hours humanity was gone, Capital ships killed each other, as the battle waged between the two worlds, leaving only earth's military Presence on the moon alive to defend it's self. Further out, _Avenger_ shifted into space around Ceres, her forward Ventral and dorsal turrets tracked the debris of the previous week's battle like a pair of eyes. She and Typhoon were to have been Mar's salvation, the first two ships equipped with a faster then light drive, in addition to the powerful fusion drive, still as she lacked any form of Faster then light sensors, she would still have to travel the majority of her journey's in normal speed. The massive engines, and Bunkerage took up the rear of the ship, consuming 2/3 of it's total length, the box like superstructure had two Double Turret's on the top, and one on the bottom, opposite of the aft-side Dorsal turret was a large airlock that served as the ship's oversized carrier/Docking bay. While the Bridge was in a tower between the two dorsal turrets. Captain Emma Rust looked at the scene of the devastation, her home world, and the station she had spent all her life until joining the Martian Military had been utterly destroyed. Near her IV 's fed her crew, lost in side the ship, their minds operating the guns, and navigation, through a low grade fugue she relayed orders, and saw through the same events as they did, just from a greater distance. Any sign of any life out there anywhere? As if in response to her query missiles launched out from the surface of Luna. The Tranquility missile base seemed active indeed, *Let them get a little closer, activate counter measures and open a gate. * As the radiation disrupted the missile sensors the ship vanished into a cloud of radiation and special inconsistencies, only to reappear over the earth. Scanning, showed the world was dead, the only hope now was in humanity was perhaps making peace with the garrison below. Slipping almost completely out of fugue she activated the TV circuit. "Lunar Garrison, this is Captain Emma Rust, I am standing down and seek a truce." Major Matthew Hunter hero of the siege of Bradbury was nearing his Fiftieth year. Scars crisscrossed his features, as he received the transmission. The Martian GIRL was no more then in her early twenties, and looked exactly like she was given her rank and fancy warship fresh out of the academy. Not a proper academy like on earth, but the game rooms of Mar 's were contestants spent days jacked into simulators 'killing' each other' s *Simulated* warships. It was too late in the game, earth was dead, but he still had a chance, turning back, Hunter called his "Counsel", David Jackson son of a Marine he had had the pleasure of dragging across the rubble strewn fields of Bradbury, and Heinz the Garrison's defacto FCS, and targeting AI, the computer controlled German "White Tiger" class AI super heavy APC, could carry 32 marines, and still had firepower to spare. Agreeing to send over a negotiation shuttle to the Martian heavy Cruiser, they prepped their gear, including a large case from the lunar stores. Hunter waited, as an armed guard of Martian Navy forces and the captain approached the shuttle he detonated the Ion bomb, the discharge fried his shuttles engines, but more importantly, it disrupted the electronics thought the ship, the Martians in fugue would probably not recover from the artificial strokes the energy pulse had sent through their brains. Hunter and Jackson fired as they went, shooting the dazed cyborgs. The ship's systems recovered within half an hour, however there was no functioning crew to jack into the stations. Better yet, almost all of the crew was in light fugue at the time the Ion blast went off, the Virt junkies were all dazed including the captain. LT. Jackson looked down at the young woman bleeding from her nose, while the Second shuttle brought Hurricane Heinz into the landing bay, the AI, began raiding the ship's data systems. "So major, should we space these Cons?"-Asked Jackson "As pleasurable as that might be I have, just checked my Available stores on Luna against the crew roster of this Rebel ship. _Avenger_ has a crew that was selected on the basis of high scores in Math, Cybernetic compatibility, and low body mass, they are all Second and Third Generation Martians and more then three quarter's of them are female."-Responded Hunter "In the event of an attack on a Major Governmental or Scientific installation, the Lunar colony was entrusted with the Genetic information of the best minds that Earth had, as well as those of the President, and most of the Politicians."-Came Heinz's reply. "So, Jackson, just put them all in a nice long freeze, even the most brain fried can still pay for their crimes as an incubator. How's it going Hurricane?" "I have penetrated the ship's computer and tactical systems, I am uncertain how efficient my control of this ship will be in the event of actual combat, I should like to have a pool of fugue experienced personal to assist me." "JACKSON! How many of us are good at ship piloting!" "You, Ali, Maria Sir, Me." "Well, it looks like Damien's brat is going to get in the first wake up rotation if things get hot." The main reactor would provide power for over a thousand years, as the crews slept on. While the Wyrmhole drive could allow a ship to travel faster then light, by opening a portal in front of the path of the ship, Heinz could not operate those systems, and still control the rest of the ship's systems. Further the lack of FTL sensors, was another complication to this plan, instead after one long jump through charted territories, Heinz bid the star Sol a bitter farewell, and left the solar system. Still after long times traveling up to speed, _Avenger's_ reaction stores long since depleted cruised through the emptiness seeking out life and contact, and a forlorn hope of a planet to call their own again. *Scanning, sensor impeded by bridge sensor net destruction in Pulsar Flare, 179years, Seven Months, 13 days, and 11.45 hours ago. Shielded and turret sensor nets compensating. Unable to track #1 fore turret past 137degrees, due to damage from space dust over the course of my journey. Receiving Transmission, can not understand, attempting to translate, beginning waking cycle for crew, unknown craft too close expendables depleted sensors and reaction fuel below combat operational levels. * The Q'thon scout looked around the derelict, it was clearly not changing course, but it obviously had some form of power running within it. Still no sign of response to any of standard Q'thon or the hated Virixxil clicks, after spending some time shadowing the vessel the Scout's mother carrier ordered the Scout to investigate, matching speeds with the monstrous ship, the scout latched on with it's graviton tentacles. Crawling cross the Hull it's depth sensors found an air lock, activating the graviton feed, and securing a portable environment the pilot tried different forms of click signals to get it to open and finally settled for digestive acid, and securing the scout flush with the lock's hull, the damage to the outer door could be fixed later, or the ship would make good salvage in the hive's war against the Virixxil. The Scout found the ship un imaginable it's crew had to be giants! The vessel's interior doors were all incredibly tall; Ten times the size of a Dreaded Virixxil, how tough could the shell of such creatures be the scout shuddered. *By doing a rough break down of the transmissions I think I can communicate with this creature, I have reset the door automations to recognize a creature it's size. Still how what its intentions are I am not sure. * Emma's smaller body recovered from the long sleep faster then her captors, but still she woke up in medical restraints, and gown. Also while the doors opened she was still secured to the bed waiting a good fifteen minutes before the first of the other's had awoken, she remembered this helplessness as clearly as the hour of helplessness that had followed it before the sleep. Fully aware just not able to move a muscle as the power surge had disrupted all of her voluntary functions. Parker was next up, but he ignored her, it wasn't until after a couple of NCOs had woken up before someone undid her straps. And unhooked her mask. "So we have been traveling for over four hundred years, two hours ago an alien came aboard this vessel and laid claim to it, it's main ship is traveling to intercept, and we need this ship repaired. We know that the portune of the crew that was in dream fugue when we attacked will the most likely to work, those that were manning battle stations will be veggies and the rest somewhere in between. I want this vessel combat ready as fast as it can be, Heinz will give you your area's of responsibility."-Hunter Commanded Now Dressed in a black pilot's suit Emma sat while the rest of the marine' s left the room. "So, am I a prisoner, or can I offer input? You did after all violate a truce, and we are the lasts of the humans, I realized that before I opened communication with you." "Shut up CON, before I turn you over to a medical corpsman!" Growled Hunter Hunter spoke as Heinz translated his English into a series of Clicks and whistles, waiting long pauses after he spoke for the headache inducing noise to stop, Afterwards the creature on the floor responded with more clicks and whistles the creature had six main legs, a manipulative tentacle and a pair of claw like arms. It looked like a cross between a Scorpion, and an Octopus, it's fine manipulators were located in it's mouth or using the razor like barbs on it's tentacle/tail An agreement was worked out they would not fire on the scout's mother ship, and would agree to defend local space, and would be allowed to conduct repairs and refuel hydrogen for their fusion drive's reaction bunker un-molested. "Sir, I have made some headway into deciphering their communications. They presently are at war with an other species, a race of Parasitic Cnidarians that they call the "Virixxil" I think that if we provide them with personnel support they will in turn provide us with Minerals and supplies that we need, furthermore, We are closer to the Galactic Core, we apparently may find richer, and more diverse life, then we did on our own star system."-Came H.H.'s broadcast to the captain. "So why should we pay you this much to fight for us"-came the televised reply from the Q'thon flagship, "Besides your size, what could you shell less ones possibly offer in the way of warriors." "Heinz, roll the Historical Footage, World War II, Asia Police actions, African and Middle eastern conflicts, the South American Zone Wars, and the siege of Bradbury."-Came hunter's command. The Aliens mandibles clicked in uneasiness as the images of Tanks, Stalingrad, Normandy, Concentration Camps, Hiroshima, the Korean conflict, the Tet offensive, Mai Lei, Abrams in Iraq and Afghanistan, gun ships, and cluster munitions destroying drug plantations and villages in South America, the Collapse of the African governments, Hard Shelled parodies of humankind killing and being killed, in many different ways, more faster, heavier armed tanks, White Panther and White Tiger's killing without pilots, finally, blasts and clouds turning a green and blue world into a zone of black death, as the enhanced fallout choked and poisoned the world. "Ok, Marines, we know that the mining station here was invaded by the 'Man-o-wars' on this planet here, the Scorps want us to clear the area of them, we can take whatever we capture from the "Jellyfish" got it!"-Came Jackson's briefing to the assembled squads. Elsewhere Emma collapsed into her cell after a long day of repair work under guard, the Marines out numbered them five to one if you counted all of the folks stuck in cryo, and still were keeping half their force busy either running the ship, or guarding them. "So captains, why don't they just space us or something, I mean they are commanded by the 'Butcher of Bradbury'?"- Came one of her crew's response. "They need us!" Came her tired response. (They don't know how badly they need us but they do." End of Pilot Part 1: Pilot Part II Virixxil Infested planet. Jackson scanned the Horizon inside his suit; the battle loader Mk XI was much more advanced the ones from his father's day. Steadying a Vulcan cannon he waited, the Suit's batteries could only take so much. Drain. Looking through the display he watched as the power meter was dropping too fast, even with repairs the gear had not taken four centuries of entropy as well as the crew had. Emma crawled out from under the recycler the old unit was now working again, well at least at 40% of normal. She could repair it of course, The Avenger class was designed to work out side of the solar system, and to replenish it's self. It was more a mobile, heavily armed, city then anything else. The Recyclers would feed materials to the factories; she could theoretically build another Avenger. However, Avenger had never been fully stocked, and somewhere in her long journey the ship had taken a hit that had ruptured one of the six reservoirs even with that hole patched, they didn't have enough water for the crew and ship both. The fifty year back up reactors were long, long dead, almost all of the rechargeable batteries were either flat dead, or should be recycled and replaced (That was going to take more water too). The only good news was that the cryostorage had kept the Avenger's livestock and seed population intact (Hopefully, they would not need to start using crew for recycler supplies). Medic/Ensign Forrest had been transferred from Navy to the Marine garrison on the Moon, just before the big push. This had saved his life, but he had also missed out on 'paying back the Convicts'. Still he found the ship's medical facilities infuriating, Earth had the Moral and Technological superiority over those damn convicts, and this warship had better facilities then his last Carrier, or the Heavy Garrison on the Moon. It was also infuriating that no sooner did he take over the facility, then the "Prisoners" started poking around in the lab supplies like they knew what they were doing! A small white form streaked past his leg. (What were they doing Thawing their CATS!), then came three prisoners in their Martian Navy Uniforms carrying plastic cages full of albino rats. "What are you doing, those disease carriers, are unhealthy!" Cried Forrest "Their Immunized, Albino Lab Rats, bred for Food, and more scientific uses. Not to mention our own Coal mines Canaries."-Cam The Martian Ensign' s response. "Eating Rats!" Forrest exclaimed turning purple. "Well during the first Five years of the war we put the dead into the recyclers to keep it palatable to the majority of the population. There are worse things to eat then these."-Replied the first Prisoner "Oh, and stay away from the Recycler's "High Protein Kibble" it's just your feces turned back into something resembling cat food, at best."-Came the second Hot time! The first of the aliens were coming toward them, no weapons in their tentacles, Jackson heard a corpsman over the link, snort with laughter, enemies who didn't carry weapons that were an obvious threat to the scorpion who used weapons, may have hidden abilities. The first bursts of weapon's fire had started the Jellyfish splattered here and there but mostly they were stopped by invisible shields, damn, they had their own gravity shields, or something! He felt an massive force slam into his armored suit, knocking it over, then some strange static started forming in his head, blurring his vision, rising up Jackson switched into combat fugue, scoring persist kills the shields the Jellies were using couldn't hold up to the heavier caliber weapons of his suit. Scanning the com net, in partial waking he felt the static return, however, Maria, and her Husband Paul Tanaka were the only active marine combatants, "Major, this is Heinz, all but three of our combat unit's in- group one have been rendered ineffective. The aliens appear to be both telepathic and telekinetic. The Telepathic attack seems not to have any effects on machines or cyborgs." "I never though I would be saying this, Martians assemble in the docking bay, I need every one of you ready with suits, or sniper rifles, we have an enemy that needs your special abilities."-Came the Comm. Call from Major Hunter. Jackson groaned as the Suit overrides kicked him out, plugging a Rifle sight into his neck, he squeezed off a triple shot at a Jelly grappling a stunned marine. The creature's shields stopped the light 6mm rounds in mid air. His intentions were to well broadcast in partial fugue at this range. Grumbling he watched as the Jelly disintegrated followed by several more. A few seconds later came the sounds of the Long barrels. Snipers! The Major had sent back up, Deep fugue cyber traffic informed him that he was being aided by Emma Rust and the First Martian sniper company. Settling on the ground the body forgotten, Emma thought off another shot a Klick away another Jelly exploded, the forces were retreating finally! Good thing, too her fugue vision counters showed only 1 more five round clip, on her person. Unlike the Earth forces the Martians had extensive cyborgs implants, many of which were coming back online. "Reports!"-Barked Hunter "90KIA, another 300MIA. Replied Heinz" "Their Shields will stop any projectile under 15mm, and their telepathic assault has a 1.5km range."-Was Jackson's statement "While My crew is unaffected by the alien's attack, however, we are not exactly normal combat troops."-Came Rust's response "The enemies will return in force, we lack expendables in higher caliber; my primary arment is plasma based running off of my Carbon/Uranium fusion plant. I shall need to come to the planet's surface. They also appear to be bringing in a small fleet."-Came Heinz's Response "We need you in both places."-Was Hunter's reply "Major, If you let my people take over the control's we can refit the Drop ships for surface assault to back up your AI unit with air support."-Was Rust's immediate Response. "I hate to agree with the Convicts but she has the best option given our resources." "Forrest here, Pvt. McDowell is still comatose after several hours, his body heat continues to rise, attempting to find a counter to the alien Toxins."-Droned the Medic. Turning around the soldier began to convulse as his stomach began to bulge as small Jellyfish-like aliens burst from the corpsman's body. Forrest recoiled and reached for his laser scalpel as the white form leaped on the first of small aliens, its stinger's leaving red welts around the terrier-sized rat's body. Switching on an Oxygen hose Forrest sprayed the creatures with flames. Strangely the creature the rat had attacked was ding too. Heinz's main gun belched superheated gasses, crisping the aliens as they hovered, their telepathy ineffective against the machine. Elsewhere the Tank's Four Rail guns were also proving effective, as were the missiles, Virixxil were caught between hard ground and deadly sky, still, a means to clear their bunker without loosing the potential POW's was needed. Hunter stood behind Rust in the Auxiliary Bridge, Scanning the battle net for the least sign that she was not on his side. Rust just sat there in her flight suit, here biomonitor feeding her, and occasionally sending electrical impulses through her muscles. The Cyborgs could fight for days like this. Two Klicks outside the range of the Fighter's TK guns they started to explode, the gatling lasers were controlled by a single Martian Gunner for each mount, their computer enhanced brains could almost predict the enemies' moves, and the Martians were taking full advantage of their range advantage. With gravity shields down from the previous centuries of damage, only magnetic and ablative Armour would stand against the enemy's weapons. Rust took over the Ventral Battery, timing with her ship' rotation, she waited, scanning the course of the alien carrier, she waited, with main sensor's down and the Dorsal guns being the only ones capable of full rotation, scanning she waited, for a second hull rotation for a shot to line up with the furthers of the three enemy ships. The triple burst came traveled out at the speed of Light loosing coherency as the Focused Stream of High Energy Electrons struck the enemy vessel. It's telekinetic shields shivered under the assault. On board the Virixxil carrier, the larger ship's blast struck home, hundreds of young died as the feedback from the blast, shorted out their neuro networks, overloading their brains. The Virixxil continued to get bigger as they got older, after certain ages, they would battle each other for physical space, the commander of the carrier, was as large as a human room. The smaller hatchlings worked in teams generating the shield and offensive power under the Direction of the overlord, Yearlings worked as the Foot soldiers, and the Pilots while those between two and five handled weapons mounts. The Director insured that no offspring lived longer then five years. "Major Hunter, I have good news." Came Forrest's cheerful response, as he carried his splotched new best friend-humming "Ring around the Roses" "Maria, Paul return to ship, you need to be refueled and rearmed for a new mission."-Came the cyber command over the net. "Well, it's a fungus, Highly hallucinogenic. It contains a byproduct of its reproduction that is toxic to our enemies. I really have to thank little 'Rosie' here. The Martian Lab rat has been genetically engineered for survival, in order to combat viral and biological warfare. Her blood having been used to create the fungus byproduct she is now contaminated and unfit for consumption. I should have enough genetically engineered fungus to wipeout the whole colony down there in about an hour." Maria's body was completely relaxed as she cruised over the bunker, releasing the modified fuel/air casing over the base, the dispersing charge would speed the fungus all over the area. Paul released another one over the battlefield, Heinz watched as the creatures began falling from the sky. The three carriers suddenly lost their shields as the Psychic backlash of Billions of their kind and the planetary overlord died in madness and pain on the planet below, The combined psychic cry killed the youngest of the three overlords outright, the other two tried to retreat. However, Rust was waiting, with a thought she shared with Hunter she sent an impulse directly to her Turret, three cannons spoke as one, she blasted the sucker breaking the ship's keel. Unable to focus the concentration to fold space around it's self-the ship was trapped, and her Overlord died in the mind surge. Rust, looked about, the view-port was back in place, Of course the Pictures, and her old desk were long gone. Still, with the lathe having built a new bulkhead from the ruins of the enemy carrier. There was also enough metal in the alien's Hull to perform more repairs. The aliens had also given up Thousands of Gallons of water, after the recyclers, were done. Still the loss of crew would be difficult if not impossible to replace. However considering how badly the ship had been damaged, and the fact that the aliens had no use for fissionable, they were still had no new fuel for their power plants. Dinner, was an interesting affair, the Medical Officer had brought a red splotched rodent to the table with him. The Albino Rat, seemed to display affection, the Tanaka's arrived late, 'working off' fugue trauma. Still Jackson wondered how the Martian women dealt with it. Voyage of The Avenger Episode: Family Opening scene: A little girl is seated at a table in a light blue metallic room, she has a few small packages, and a cupcake in front of her. The TV flatscreen on the wall shows people dancing in the street., and celebrating. Announcer: "Happy Bradbury Day Mars!, to day we celebrate the anniversary of the withdrawal of U.N. ground Forces from our planet." An older woman walks into the room with a cell phone, Yes, this is Linda Ashford-Rust, you want me to do a broadcast tonight, you know I can't, FRAG!" as she throws the phone against the wall where it shatters into a billion pieces. The girl says "Mommy, why doesn't daddy ever show up for my birthday?" Closing on the little girl's tear stained eyes and pulling back to an adult Emma Rust, as she wakes in her cabin. The computer still wouldn't let her reinitialize her data linkages from her room, still repairs were making some success, she thought as she looked over at the shinning polished wall. Two centuries ago an Asteroid had torn open the bridge superstructure, until they had started their successful campaign against the Telepathic Virixxil a few months ago it's repair had not been high on the priority list. Still. As cable was laid through the bridge section computers and controls should have been back online by now. The Door open into her cabin as her U.N. nemesis's lackey L.T. Jackson strutted into her quarters. "So, Captain, what seems to be the Delay, in getting the power linkages back up. You Martians waiting for Bradbury Day?" He sneered Sarcastically. "I should Have you know LEFT-TENANT, that the power relays are all working fine, the computer's are all working fine, Command Level overrides, and access to the majority of ship's blueprints is sealed due to the Ship's Catastrophic Damage security Protocols." She replied mimicking the British Officer voice she had watched on the Video Shows of her Childhood. "The Ship's Firewall, tipped off by that AI tank's attempt to subvert my Biometric locks, refuses to allow me entry into the command and control functions pending a results of my verification of Identity, futher complicated by the fact that I have eclipsed the human lifespan by some 300+ years." "Oh, before I leave I am here to inform you that the Major will tolerate no funny stuff, laxness of discipline, or other stupidity, during the next 48 hours. Marines do not celebrate your quaint, Convict Holidays" Jackson Replied. "That's fine with me, I abhor the day myself."Emma responded, trying to key the bio-lock on her secure storage locker. Jackson walked out of her room, to the muted cursing of her trying to open the locker. Hunter, looked about, "Forrest!, Heinz you are CERTAIN that they can't use the recycler's to make any contraband.!" "Y-yes sir!, replied the U.N. Navy officer with a slight Hesitation." "What my medical counterpart is saying, is that while the recyclers will only dispense standard rations, there are still 1,143 different methods available to the crew of this ship to manufacture consumables this nature with the materials on hand. Without breaking any rules. Martian Cyborgs can use their own medical implants to distill alcohol, as well as a number of other Class 3 substances, regardless of what they eat." Across the loading bay a marine sergeant with a silhouettes of six pond guns, and a wave pulse underneath it, strode up. "Gunnery Sergeant reporting for duty SIR!" the newcomer responded "At ease Ali." replied Hunter, "Gunny, what's the status on the reconstruction of your department." "Sir, most of our munitions were decayed to the point of being unable to field them, Since then I have had the recycler's build me an entire fugue guided extended range missile launch vehicle, and Despite the loss of the Martian heavy ordinance specialists when we seized this ship, I should have capitol missiles available for launch within about 2 months. Sir!" "Good, we need to keep the Jellies off balance., carry on Gunny." Smiled Hunter. "Forrest, how goes the other project I had assigned to you." "Umm, not well sir, it seems that the incapacitated cyborgs still have intact medical implants, which are not cooperating." Replied Forrest Nervously. "Are you telling me that with all of this equipment available you can't even beat the immune system, on a brain dead cyborg?" Hunter responded rhetorically. Emma, banged her head against the wall twisting amid her room before slamming into the ceiling, in her attempts to break into her own locker she had some how shorted out gravity in her cabin, and now the artificial gravity was generating a -1.1G field around her room. Making the Ceiling the floor. Lifting down her head, she saw one of her crew members, and a somewhat sheepish looking Marine. "Let me guess, you want to get Hitched?" she replied with a weary voice. Jackson, led a group of half a dozen Martians out in salvage vessels. These little arm bearing mining drones, had no cockpit and were controlled from within the ship. Mining the large hunks of rock would help them obtain heavy metals, and fissionable for their journey.. Other EVA crews were working tirelessly stringing hyper density cable across the newly restored bridge section. Fortunately the crew was quite sober, if the cables came loose under tension they would kill any crew members unfortunate enough to be in the way when they released that pressure, or worse the cables could damage the recently repaired bridge sections. With an impulse Heinz activated the long range sensors, the power surge, cut out artificial Gravity for a split second, and dimmed the lights before the power systems fully compensated for the new drain, Over in the bridge, the problems in the captains cabin suddenly righted them selves, causing The three occupants to suddenly perform a flip as the gravity righted it's self. "Don't worry soldier, It's just my curse." Emma said darkly., "Nothing good ever happens to me on Bradbury Day, It's part of why I hate the holiday so much. Now go to your stations we all have work to do, when I make up my mind I'll tell you." "So, how's the bridge?" was Emma's first response, terminals and cables lay scattered everywhere, one could clearly see where a good third of the room had gone missing during the first impact and had been recently replaced, a manual wire server displayed the read outs from the long range mast, but it wasn't fully integrated into the command net, the way the gunnery stations, were. It was bad having more control from auxiliary systems then from the main C&C. She went to her chair when a message flickered infront of her vision. *Captain Rust, report to Medical Bay* Growling she left the bridge to the lair of that creature Forrest, and his pet rat. When she came into the medical bay, she saw the Tanaka's were already waiting. "O.K. Forrest, what's going on, and how is it more important then my work restoring the bridge and shielding.?! was Emma's first response. "Well, you have to adjust flight rotation now, in order to cover, Maria, the Tanaka's are expecting."-Came Forrest's cheerful response. "Also, The major wants the Veggies, medical implant's shut down." "No, Shutting down the implants will kill them, not that they aren't already brain fried, as soon as I get access to my overrides I will be sure to tell him. " `*Major, Captain, This is Heinz, I am detecting an enemy taskforce heading this way. There are Four carriers. I presume by their approach they are not aware that we have repaired our Long range sensors.* Flashed Heinz's message to the two officers. *Heinz upload me Engineering Data* came the two officer's simultaneous response, as they headed to engineering and the main bridge respectively.. Ali checked to make sure that each of his Shuttles, refit as fighters was ready to go, their cyborgs would have to be ready to face an enormous number of enemy fighters, and they only had Six birds to use. The Squadron would have to do, Jackson was still decompressing, it would have to be Paul Tanaka, leading five Martians. While he couldn't give them the full long range strike of the Avenger, he could at least arm them with Fugue missiles. *Ok, boys, and Girls, there's too many Jelly fighters for us to waste our time trying to kill, just make a missile run on their carriers, As long as we stay in near perfect fugue they can't see us as the can't see out machine thoughts.* It was the last thing he thought before slipping into the Snake, as the Reptile side of his brain took control, guiding his actions with flawless efficiency,. Daniel O'Connell Locked on and fired his brace of Ion Missiles, the EMP warheads would disrupt Electronics as well as disrupt the brains of the Virixxil on board the carrier. The Following pass Thermite and a second dose of Ion missiles would finish off the carriers. If he was thinking he might have thought that it was getting too easy. The enemy couldn't see them, that could also be a disadvantage. The Overlord, had learned from the encounters by others, only The Storm, had been invisible to the Overlords. Still if they could capture these invisible minds they might be able to find a weapon to use against The Storm. Talking with mindspeak with it's fellow overlords the least of the group broadcast intense pain, as it's servitors died from the disruption of the phantom's weapons, they had not expected them to sense them this far out. The overlords stopped their conversation and directed their attentions, objects that they could "Feel" but not see, yes, The Overlord grasped one in his mind's tendrils, as his brothers grasped another. Yes, the things were now visible, feeling pain, yes, they could use these creatures. The yearling's had orders, the Newcomer's ship was to be invaded, crash in, and board, take the ship, intact! These creatures had destroyed whole colonies, and their secrets must be discovered. Daniel's wing pulled away after one pass, Daniel's fighter was damaged, Paul's had been crippled and dropped off the Fugue, the wings shattered by invisible force. Anne's Fighter had crumpled like a ball around her cockpit. It was a small consolation that the creatures could not stop their missiles, or that they had taken one enemy carrier, there were still 3 more. Sparks flew back at Hunter, as he attempted to repair the Primary Shield Buss. The Gravity field generator had overloaded and fused solid, trying to stop that rock that had sheared away a third of the bridge. Unlike Heinz a full crew of Martians could steer the ship, and operate all of the guns at the same time, and do so with a great degree of competency. Cursing he slammed his fist into the wall, breaking his gravity sickness weakened bones, and somehow getting the red tell-tales to turn to a nice yellow, and then begin one at a time to slowly turn green.. *Here they come*, was the command over the Fugue the telekinetic powered fighters were many and numerous, even with full point defense it was a helpless situation. Sure their superior range would only do so much. The Jellies would still kill them out side of the range of their main guns. However the bridge was suddenly washed by a note of calm, as the first enemy fighter swarming in with the speed of it's own TK thrust, shattered against a wall of Gravity. The shields were back! It's partners adjusted their flight patterns. Heinz was the first to notice the new comer ship, a Scorpion dreadnaught, it's tiny ships were already being launched, their bio-adaptive technology had been futile against the telepathic rape of the Virixxil. Still, the humans had brought the Matriarchs their first reprieve since the Creatures had entered their space some 20 years ago. The Overlord sensed the new arrivals, the favored prey, was growing strong, now, it was time for the overlords to retreat, as they had before The Storm., soon, with the new prizes in captured the New creatures, and The Storm Would be as helpless against them as the Prey had been before the new creatures. Climbing down from his damaged fighter Daniel was still too jazzed as Maria came running up to look for her husband. Unfortunately there was only Dot, Nat, Jane and him left to face her. *Major, our alien patrons would like to know more about our cybernetic technologies, they feel that it would be of use to them in their war against the Virixxil, in exchange for this information, the Matriarch Tas' ugga is willing to travel with us with her hive ship.* Reported Heinz. Back in her cabin, Emma didn't notice the main door open as her mind as absorbed with the computer at her desk. She waited, as the seconds ticked down, and the authorization program finally unlocked the doors before her. The Flood of data was overwhelming, she had never remembered it being so bad. 400 years of status reports came crashing in, and a single query shut down all access until a certain person logged in on a certain hour of a certain day. Caught in the maelstrom of the input she did not notice the outside hands performing holding her down as she convulsed or, noticed another person plug in to save her. The Major looked down, The Security systems surrounding the Command and Control had not only claimed the Martian Bitch, lying next to her in the medical bay, was his right hand man L.T. Jackson. They were still connected their minds trapped inside the ship's computers. Forrest Looked down at the two as they would occasionally twitch and convulse, trying to cope with whatever they were experiencing. Jackson, knew the Man before him, he had seen him on Earth's Most Wanted, Countless religious broadcasts, war rally's never had he seen him before in the silicon. The Butcher of Hong Kong, The Son of the Devil, the Dark Lord of Mars, Damien Rust! How was the monster still alive inside the ship! "Happy Birthday, my little Girl, my you certainly don't look over 400 years old." came the Dead man's Reply. "DAD!, what the Frag are you doing here!" Was Emma's shocked response. "You seem to have let your compassion allow you to loose My ship to the enemy, unless you can beat me, I shall redress this mistake."- Sneered Damien Jackson leaped for the creature, and was struck hard the sim ribs shattering under the blow, Focusing his mind Jackson worked on repairing himself as Emma Defended herself from her father's attack. Still, Damien rust was used to virtual battles, he had existed in the fugue for so long he was thought to be the master of it. Emma was loosing ground and taking quite a simulated beating at his hands. Remembering how his parents used to fight when anyone would bring up Bradbury, and his father's infidelities over on Mars., just as he could not stand to watch his Father hit his mother he was not going to stand by and let a simulated Rust beat on the fugue form of his daughter. Working in unison, the two pushed back Damien for a bit, but then the simulation responded with more fury, it didn't have a body on the other end to loose,. While Jackson made another Kick, Damien ducked and delivered a hammer blow to Jackson's groin. Emma responded with an Uppercut that knocked her father back, but with a single blow to her solar-plexus he felled her. Staggering Jackson motioned his hand in a Jackie Chan style "Bring it On." And Rust was more then obliging, the blows and blocks followed with the Bodiless Rust Finally getting the Upper hand. "Now I shall Finish you, and regain my Ship through Your Body." Damien taunted, as his body suddenly jerked, a hollow point wad-cutter tearing through his simulated chest he was paralyzed as his daughter stood over him. "You little Cheater!" he coughed. "All I ever wanted was my father to be there for my Birthday, ONCE!, You NEVER CAME!" Emma Screamed as she pulled the trigger. Ten Minutes before Midnight two forms discharged themselves from the Infirmary. "You mean your father Deliberately delayed the ceasefire!?!" was Jackson's response "Yes, Stonewall, just so that it would coincide with my Third Birthday." Came Emma's reply "So this means that we now have control of the Ship and we have full access to the Alexandria Archives?" asked Jackson "Don't be so certain, my father always has back ups made. I should have figured that my father would have placed some of the Alexandria archives here." groaned Rust. As she waved her hand over the locker, she pulled out a small box with a medical seal, and removed two envelopes. Pouring the contents into a pair of Mugs, she activated her cabin's water taps. "Ok, just a cup of Birthday Coco and then you go, Stonewall." Smiling Jackson, removed a decanter from the side of his flight suit, "Reprogrammed the fluid recyclers a week ago. Rum for your Coco?" Fade to black Elsewhere: A young woman in Greco/Egyptian dress looks out her balcony, a smile crosses the teenager's face as the door opens revealing a middleaged man dressed as a German Army General. "Welcome to Alexandria General. I am the guardian of the New Library of Alexandria." the young woman spoke, as the sands of egypt gave way to a cascade of ones and zeroes. The general looked at the other Avatar, clearly modeled after Empress Cleopatra in her youth, before Julius Ignastius. "In order to fight the upcomming battles, I need acess to your information Archives. Science, Weapon's Technology, The Wyrmdrive."The General Spoke with a voice of command. "War is your field General, the preservation of Human civilization is Mine, I believe we can reach an arrangement. However, this will be on my terms."