Ark Noah 3
Hey Everyone!
This is a new story I'm writing. A science fiction with a bit of fantasy thrown in. I have a couple of other stories on the site but I have no plans to continue them at the moment and I'm currently rewriting another. Here is Chapter 3. The fourth one will follow soon. Email your comments to jewelofthewestmeadow@gmail.com. Thank you to those who have sent their comments to me. I appreciate it.
A quick note on the DakThran. I won't be having them speak any English or other human language within the story. I want to try and keep the feeling of "alien-ness" during scenes with them. I will try and add meaning to their dialogue through the narration and directly translate where I cannot describe what is going on. If you know Dutch or Afrikaans, you might kind of be able to understand what's being said. Please try and bear with me.
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Disclaimer:
The following works are copyrighted by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author. All characters are entirely fictional and any resemblance to living persons is coincidental. This story will contain scenes of explicit or erotic sex between men. If this is illegal in your country or state, or offends you, please leave now.
Chapter 3
CAPTAIN Daniel Embry sat in his captain's chair on the bridge of the newly commissioned Sky Galleon X1, pissed.
The scowl on his face was fierce and the silence on the bridge was heavy. His officers studiously avoided looking at him, not one of them willing to incur his wrath by talking to him.
Daniel's long, lean frame was folded awkwardly into the chair, his right elbow resting on the armrest and his head cradled in his wide palm. Rich, dark brown hair was mussed from the constant threading of impatient fingers through them. Steel gray eyes darted from terminal to terminal and person to person, looking for some excuse to bark.
The reason for Daniel's current disposition, which had lasted from the moment of first receiving his orders, was their mission.
"A fucking pansy-ass lame mission," Daniel muttered to himself. Those nearby who heard him flinched.
Daniel's pride ached. He was a decorated fleet officer. Top of his class. And the first mission they send him on in a long time, in a new ship, is a babysitting one.
Yeah sure there were incidents where supply ships and far flung facilities were being attacked, and yes Neo Bangkok was destroyed, but that was probably spacers who felt like they deserved more than they were getting and decided to take matters into their own hands. And Neo Bangkok was a cesspool for the deviant. Pirates were highly rare, but they did exist.
The ship and his crew were not meant for babysitting duty. But he was told in no uncertain circumstances that the escort and protection of the Noah Space Station was a top priority.
The Sky Galleon had just passed the halfway point of their journey. They would reach their destination in another twenty hours which, thank God, was quick. At least he didn't have to spend months attached to an outdated space station no doubt filled with boring old scientists and long-winded astronomers.
Grunting, Daniel decided to adjourn to his ready room. There was no need for him to retire to his quarters as he was too keyed up and wouldn't be able to rest. Twenty hours wasn't that long anyway.
Sitting at the desk, Daniel logged onto his personal unit and decided to browse through the files on the commanding officers of the Noah. He was a bit disappointed that there were no images that accompanied the personal information.
Daniel started with the head honcho, Corrin Day: Male, thirty-three years old, was part of the original crew that served to receive refugees from Earth. Day was later assigned as Chief of Life-Support after the re-designation of the Noah as an Observations and Science Space Station under the Science Guild. Shortly thereafter he was made Station Commander when the previous one retired. One dependent.
"Shit!" Daniel cursed. Just great! As soon as the Sky Galleon docked with the Noah he would be subject to the command of a man six years his junior. Life just couldn't get worse.
Daniel flicked his hand over the screen and the file changed. Sean Day: Male, nineteen years old, Chief Science Officer, arrived alone on the Noah from Earth when he was nine and chose to remain. Officially adopted by Station Commander Corrin Day.
So Junior was a genius too. Daniel would have to retire soon if things kept going the way they were.
Daniel checked through the rest of the files then huffily shut the unit down. Okay, so it looked like the Noah wasn't run by boring old men. Not surprisingly, Daniel's mood did not lighten.
He sat back and though about how he managed to end up where he currently was. When he was eighteen, he'd left Earth to join the space fleet. It was during a time when the Integra hadn't yet been established. Though humanity had progressed by leaps and bounds over the decades, there was still a lot of fighting going on, which culminated in the burning of the Middle East, and thousands dying in inter-colony wars.
The fleet was a major military force at the time and served both in space and on Earth. The Middle East had been saved and the colonies had finally agreed to a truce when news had come about the sun.
Needless to say, that was the catalyst that finally made humanity unite firmly together. Daniel had already achieved the rank of captain and his duty had been to ferry people from earth to safety as well as to prevent chaos from breaking out on the ground and during trips. Opportunists thrived in chaos. His ship hadn't been available for the last of the refugees when the expansion had eventually reached earth and incinerated it.
Daniel could still remember every detail of where he was and what he felt. An incredible rage had filled him at the thought that something so impossibly devastating could happen; and a sadness so deep when he learned how many hadn't made it.
And there was no one to blame. No cause, no culprit could be identified. Unprepared was a word so inadequate for what the human race was.
The remnants gathered in the colonies and settled around Eris and the outlying planets of the solar system. The fleet's headquarters was located on the moon orbiting Eris, Dysnomia.
There Daniel watched as the Integra and its guilds were formed. Humanity had come together to try and achieve some sort of piece.
So far, so good, Daniel thought.
After that there wasn't much use for the fleet in combat situations; however their readiness always remained high. The Integra wouldn't be caught with its pants down.
The fleet had discharged Daniel for a couple of years. Two years filled with boredom and loneliness, a limbo Daniel was happy to relinquish when he was ordered to return to duty, only to be sent on a babysitting mission. At least it would be a quick one.
A klaxon sounded, startling Daniel out of his funk.
"Captain," called the urgent voice of his first officer over the comm, "you need to come to the bridge immediately."
Daniel stood up and rushed out of the room and onto the bridge. "What is it?" he grunted.
"We've detected a distress signal," Cade Boscoe, the first officer said.
"Origin?"
"Sir, it's coming from the Noah."
"Are we close enough to see it?" Daniel asked.
"Yes Captain, it appears the Noah is on a direct course heading toward our position at full speed. We've detected five smaller signatures swarming the station."
"On screen," Daniel commanded.
The viewscreen at the front of the bridge switched over to display the oncoming space station.
Shit!
THE DakThran splinter hovered just outside of sensor range of the Noah. Their orders were simple. Destroy the station.
" l hândge vûrbír vír vedge!" The splinter commander barked at his men to prepare for battle.
The trick to dealing with simple-minded ensigns was to shout and bark everything if you wanted something done.
"Vât ish osh teiken?" The ensign wanted to know their target.
Momentarily silenced by the ensign's stupidity at the obviousness of their target, the commander forgot to answer. The question came again.
"Naidrûl!" the commander swore. "Osh teiken ish jie stêl. Bûgûn skítch!"
They began firing,
HIROKI felt them before the attack came. A feeling so alien and malevolent he felt faint, and Rock was forced to catch him before he hit the ground.
"Hiro! Are you okay?"
"They're going to attack!" Hiroki gasped, just before the first blast hit.
The station rumbled and shook, and the officers around Rock and Hiroki cried out.
The alarm klaxon rang its shrill cry, and motivated everyone to get to their places.
Hiroki's mind cleared and he was able to stand up. He dragged Rock behind him as they rushed to the bridge. Rock was their impromptu tactical officer and was essential to keeping them safe.
They entered the bridge and found Corrin already seated in the captain's chair, worrying his lip.
"Good, you're here," Corrin said when he saw them.
Hiroki could feel the tension and distress on the bridge and it almost choked him.
"We raised the shield just in time," Corrin continued. "Engines to full power. Let's get the hell out of here."
"Aye Commander," the flight control officer acknowledged.
The station reverberated as it reoriented itself, legs facing forward. The thrusters ignited with a dull blast and the crew had to brace themselves as the initial speed momentarily made the inertial dampener void.
"We are go, Commander," the conn officer said.
"Good, I want people manning the pin laser turrets and scatter torpedo bays at all times. Work up a shift if you have to. Target those damn things and fire at will."
"Bridge to med deck, how are things looking?"
Corrin waited to hear the medical officer's reply anxiously.
"Med deck to bridge: everything's okay. Nothing serious apart from a few scrapes and bruises."
"Good, keep me posted."
Hiroki watched things unfold. Rock had gone to a navigation terminal to try and gauge the enemy's flight patterns. A sick feeling had settled on Hiroki now. Somehow he was able to sense those things. Their intent. He wondered if it would help the Noah in trying to hold off the enemy until they reached the Sky Galleon. And that was all they were able to do: hold them off. Pin lasers and scatter torpedoes didn't do much damage. They were meant as a deterrent.
A spike of pain flared in the back of Hiroki's mind and he knew the enemy's next target. "Commander!" he exclaimed. "Divert fifty percent shield energy to the aft of the station for ten seconds!"
Corrin started and looked warily at Hiroki.
"Trust me, do it now!"
Corrin nodded. "Do as he says."
Just as the energy was diverted, the Noah shook as the enemy tried to blast the Noah's thrusters. The shield held and ten seconds later the attack was over, and shield energy was redirected throughout the station.
Hiroki breathed a sigh of relief when the pain eased. Rubbing the back of his head, he looked around to find that almost everyone was watching him. Rock stood at the terminal, hands poised over it and gazing at Hiroki with an inscrutable expression. Hiroki had some explaining to do. But it had to wait until this was over. The Noah had to survive first.
"Will you trust me for now? I can help us get through this," he implored Corrin. Rock had to wait. Corrin was in charge right now.
"Okay," Corrin acknowledged. "Everyone, whenever Officer Sumeragi has a suggestion, do it. For now, keep those ships from blowing holes in the Noah. I want rapid fire from the pin lasers. Keep them moving. Don't let them get a lock-on. Keep the torpedoes for the vulnerable areas of the Noah."
Hiroki silently thanked Corrin. As the muted blasts continued around them, Hiroki walked over to Rock and stood beside him. He felt the anger rolling off Rock, and a sense of betrayal. He and Rock were supposed to be best friends. But he was hiding something from Rock. Hiroki wasn't sure how to proceed, so he remained silent and watched the blips on the screen zooming around the Noah. Now and then a slight rumble could be felt from impact. The shields would hold, but not for long.
"Scans show that their ships are not that different from ours," Rock began gruffly. "The alloy is different, but when our lasers hit, they still take damage. Plus their attack formation doesn't seem all that cohesive. It's as if they're just going all out trying to destroy us."
"That is exactly what they are trying to do," Hiroki murmured.
Rock turned and looked at Hiroki. "How would you know that, Hiro?" There was a confused look in his eyes.
"I feel them, Rock, in my mind."
Rock stayed quiet after that. Another spike erupted, this time from his heart. The place that powered his body.
"They're going to target the engineering deck. Divert the shield that way, thirty percent power for twenty seconds." Hiroki clutched at his chest, his hands gripping his overalls tightly.
"Aye!" came the reply.
Hiroki felt an arm slide around him. Rock pulled Hiroki against his side. "It hurts you, doesn't it?"
"Yes, but I can handle it. It'll be gone in a moment."
The Noah shook again and Hiroki stumbled. Rock pulled him into an embrace. After twenty seconds the blast stopped. Hiroki remained where he was. The pain had subsided and he grew aware of the feelings coursing through Rock, feelings of love and protection.
Hiroki had felt all these emotions from Rock before, but he'd never let himself think about it, or what it could mean to him. But now he couldn't stop those thoughts from surfacing. It felt good to be held by Rock. Rock's large, hard body, holding his diminutive, slender form, made him feel safe. He wondered what it would be like to just let go, to let Rock take some of the burden away, to lay with him and just feel.
"You do realize that those things are probably responsible for the sun, right?" Rock said softly.
Hiroki nodded, pulling away from Rock, conscious of the fact that they were on the bridge, and that Rock's father was a few feet away. "Yes, that's entirely possible. Have you sent the data to Eris?"
"I've been trying ever since the attack started. But our lines are being jammed on the grid."
"How long until we meet up with the Sky Galleon?"
"Another two hours. However we'll be within sensor range within the hour."
"Let's hope we last until then. Shields are down to seventy percent."
DANIEL watched the legged station heading toward them and it felt as if his stomach dropped out from under him.
"Identify those unknowns, dammit!" he barked.
"Sir, we can't, those aren't Integran ships."
Not Integran ships. What did that mean? What the hell was going on?
"Sir, it looks like the unknowns are preparing for a major attack!"
"Shit! Deploy the counter drones!" Daniel anxiously sat in his seat, eyes alternating between the viewscreen and his bridge crew.
"Captain, the drones have been deployed, but they won't make it in time."
Daniel watched in horror as the five unknown ships gathered in a swarm-like formation and unleashed a beam that struck the side of the Noah. The viewscreen flashed white; the silence on the bridge was oppressive.
"Get visuals back online now!"
"It's clearing up Captain."
The screen cleared and there were cries of relief as everyone saw the Noah still relatively unharmed.
"Sir," Cade began, "the drones have reached nearest hypergate and are exiting into normal space. They will reach the Noah in two minutes."
"How long until we reach them?" Daniel asked.
"Thirty minutes till we reach the gate."
"Can we hail them?"
"Our lines are being jammed."
It had to be those ships. "As soon as the drones get there, engage the unknowns."
It was a tense two minutes on the Sky Galleon as everyone continued to watch the Noah's valiant efforts to survive.
"What kind of defense capabilities does the Noah posses, Boscoe?"
"Not much, Captain. The Noah wasn't designed with combat capabilities, and defense is minimal. They've got a few pin laser turrets and scatter torpedo bays. It has a sturdy shield though."
Amazing, Daniel thought. They've managed to hold the enemy off with the barest of protection.
"The drones are now engaging their targets, Captain," the tactical officer announced.
Everyone watched the drones as they flew into the chaos between the Noah and its assailants. The drones were quick and accurate and the atmosphere on the bridge lightened when one after another the smaller ships were destroyed. The last one managed to escape in a burst of speed.
"Track that bastard as far as you can!"
"Aye Captain!"
"Sir, the jamming is down."
"Good, hail the Noah, put them on screen," Daniel ordered. He was anxious to get a look at the ones capable of such simple yet effective tactics.
"This is Captain Daniel Embry of the Sky Galleon X1 calling the Ark Space Station Noah. Please respond."
"The viewscreen switched over and Daniel's heart did a little dance in his chest.
"This is Station Commander Corrin Day. Thank God you're here."
Shit.
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