Strange Activity
The Zero Alliance notices strange activity in their automated Unobtanium mines in the Zeta Aquilae system on Zeta III. All contact with automated ground installations and satellites have gone silent. Central Command contacts Zero aboard his Typhoon Class flagship, the Expediator, in Fleet 1 of Armada A. The Central Commander's voice sounds throughout the bridge in a loud, squeaky voice.
"Zero, command. Contact with all installations on Zeta III have gone dead quiet. No attack alerts, no all clear alerts, no signal of any kind. All other planets with surveillance gear are not in alignment and the Fleet posted in the Zeta Aquilae system are off reinforcing the garrison in Limefrost Spiral against the Space Pirates. Your Fleet is the closest to Zeta. Recommend only a splinter group and leave the rest back on their post."
Zero walks over to the front and center of the bridge with his head held high and his armes folded behind him. He looks out into the black vista and observs his most powerful fleet, Fleet 1 of Armada A. Zero's fleets do not make sense like other races' fleets. Zero has had the legendary time, the incredible resources, and awesome technology to make hundreds of fleets. He organizes 100 Fleets, each with 100 ships, into each Armada for a total of two and a half armadas. It has only been a couple thousand years and about a trillion clones to get the job done.
Zero thinks to himself about the mission. "It must be just a simple communication glitch and I really don't think that it would require my attention and the amount of ships that I want to bring with me, but something smells fishy. If it was just a minor glitch, just send someone else that is not so important and has nothing better to do. Oh wait. I'm pretty bored anyway. Alright, let's humor them. I only hope that this is just a reconnissance mission and nothing more."
"Affirmative command. Expediator, 4 cruisers, 1 carrier, and 6 frigates leaving orbit of Tallon IV for Zeta III. Starting pre-jump sequence now."
Zeta III
Later, the splinter group arrives in orbit around Zeta III, a civilian farming world with a population of 1 billion humans. The planet has no oceans. However, underground there is an enormous amount of water, enough to rival an ocean, that can be easily tapped through modern aquifers. The planet itself is mainly a sea of dark brown dirt with large patches of green farming lands that stretch on for miles around. The Zero Alliance's unobtanium mines on Zeta III serve as one of their closest and primary sources of this rare metal. Unobtanium is mainly used for making their strongest ship hulls for their Typhoon class flagships.
Zero looked at a holographic sphere of the planet . "Aurora Unit 1, scan planet any one jumping our fences around the mines.
In the very back of the large, single decked bridge, locked away behind the most powerful combinations of plexi steel, glass, and forcefield, a floating "brain in a jar" clears away a blue, hazy mist inside of it's tank.
"Got it, sir." Says the biological machine in a cool, not in a hurry, soothing feminine voice. "We have a small group of raiders on the planet, concentrated in one area. Photos indicate that it is the PTMC. Boy are they going to have it."
Zero furrowed his eyebrows. "Contact the--"
"UPDATE!" Exclaims AU 001. She continues in a quickened, and stressed voice. "PTMC forces have engaged our planetary defenses! All defenses are non responsive to any of our signals! A strange virus has infected all of the robots."
"Alright no time. Gotta move, gotta move. Deploy what we need to quell this attack. What is the place that the PTMC are attacking? Contact PTMC Tower and ask what the hell are they doing."
"Copy all. Sufficient attack forces have been selected. Warning, unable to contact PTMC Tower due to hypersignal jamming from our base. Unable to contact Command either. We are on our own."
"Forget it. Let's get this done."
Enough Chit Chat!
Attack forces land in the thick of the PTMC forces and the mine's robots. The robots are shooting both the PTMC and the Zero Alliance!
The comms officer raises the PTMC aggressors on the radio to send a warning warning. The enemy refuses to back down. They want the mine no matter what.
A new, but not to be underestimated Zero Alliance Comms officer is sitting in a back corner of the main dropship, fiddiling with dials and buttons as he multitasks, organizing com channels for allied forces and fighting with the PTMC commander.
"Are you insane?!?! Not only are you facing a technilogically advanced, renegade mine, but you are up against US?!?"
The PTMC commander retorts back, "You are not so good as you think!"
"Please stand down. You are out numbered, out gunned, out skilled, and out of your league."
"Pick on someone your own tiny baby size!"
A slight smile came across the ZA coms officer's face, knowing the power of the ZA. "Don't make me laugh! Heh. Oops, you just did!"
The Zero Alliance Commander is not pleased with how his units are cooperating with each other. From his usual standing spot in the side door of the dropship, he leans back and yells in a gruff voice down the long hallway of the cargo area. "Hey! Enough chit-chat with the enemy! Coordinate our attack!"
Zero Alliance forces deploy, a bomber drops a deep fusion bunker buster to destroy the mine before it produces more robots and before any PTMC engineers, that may have slipped inside the mine, have time to reprogram the robots in their favor.
All Gone...
Zero Alliance soldiers on the ground are already celebrating the distruction of their own mine turned hostile.
"Whewwww! There ya go! Big boom!" says one soldier.
Another soldier replies, "we're not out of the woods yet. We still need to mop up the PTMC, and the robots."
"Wait a minute. They operate on a remote signal from the mine. Didn't we...?
The commander notices that there is something wrong with the battlefield picture. He grumbles to himself, "hmm. All that is left of the mine is a large crater that the mine supervisors will hate us for. There is no way that the robots can still be operating from a virus within the mine's computer. Must be an outside signal, but nothing can crack our wireless code. Who the hell...?"
The ZA comms officer spins around in his chair and beckons the Commander. "Sir, I've got Zero callin for ya, sir."
The commander tromps over and grabs a headset with Zero on the horn. "What happened?!? The mine is gone and the robots are still coming! Gimme a sitrep!"
"Sir, the mine has competely been obliterated. I suspect an outside signal."
"Impossible. Sensors would have picked up anything, whether it be normal, subspace, or dimensional."
The Aurora Unit jumps onto the communication thread. "Can I make a random conjecture?"
"Go ahead," Zero says.
"Could it be that the mining robots have gained an enhanced AI all on their own?"
"How could it be? relpied Zero. "They do not have the capacity for such a thing. Unless someone upgraded them, but I never authorized such a thing."
The commander was looking out of the window at the time when he spotted an object rising out of the ashes of the mine. "Sir! There is a strange black, cigar shaped ship coming out from the crater. I am picking up zero readings. Wait a minute... There is some... What? A loss of interstellar mass? What is this?"
"Dark matter, commander," said the Aurora Unit.
"Woah! It is getting away at super high velocity!"
A soldier standing by the dropship started to lose his balance. "The ground is shaking! Watch that gun tower! It's coming down! Woah!"
The commander grabbed a handhold to stableize himself and said into the comm to Zero, "Sir! We are experiencing an earthquake! I thought Zeta III was a stable world!"
Zero, who was observing the scene from orbit and looking out from a starbord porthole, notices the UFO incoming like a lawn dart! "It's coming right for us. Break left! Break left!"
The UFO shoots by the Expediator at incredible speed, missing the hull of the ship by a few meters. Aurora Unit 001's voice comes booming over the ship intercom. "WARNING! SEVERE LOSS OF INTERSTELLAR MASS IN A 100,000 KILOMETER RADIOUS AROUND THE EXPEDIATOR! HULL CRACKED IN NUMEROUS PLACES! INTENSE BENDING IN THE SUPERSTRUCTURE! NANOTECH REPAIR CREW IS ON THE JOB! WARNING! SEVERAL SMALLER SHIPS HAVE BEEN EFFECTED GREATLY BY THE DISTURBANCE AND ARE ON COLLISION COURSES WITH EACH OTHER AND THE EXPEDIATOR! WARNING! PLANETARY IMPLOSION IS OCCURING! RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE EVACUATION OF THE AREA!"
Zero could not believe a bit of what he was hearing. His eyes went wide and yelled into the comms to the commander on the ground.
"Holy S---! Get your asses out of there, now!"
"We're buggin out! Over and out!"
Zero's forces quickly drop whatever they are doing and sprint at high speeds back to their dropships. They leap up 15 feet inthrough the rear ramp of the hovering dropships.
The Aurora Unit resumes talking in her calm voice. "I was unable to track the object directly, but I was able to triangulate it's position around the 100,000 kilometer disturbance field. The object's disturbance field is currently minimal, but it is now leaving us in 3..2..1.. We are clear."
"That doesn't mean that the damage isn't done," replied Zero. "Three of the six frigates are crushed like a soda can, two are impaling the carrier, two of the cruisers are smashed together..." Zero rolls his eyes and does a facepalm as he finishes reading the casualty report on his left arm data holos. "And one of those cruisers has been shoved up our ass."
Zero just now looks out the porthole again and realizes the real disaster. His voice comes out weak and in a slight wisper. "Oh nooooo. The, planet. It's...I... Ohhhh. Everyone..."
The planet was no longer a planet, but a new asteroid cluster that some of the most advanced autopilot systems could hope to navigate.
"............What is the status of the dropships," Zero asks.
Aurora Unit 001 replies in an almost inappropriately, cheerful tone considering the fiasco that just occured. "100 percent return rate. Zero KIA. 60 wounded. Good news, communications with command has been restored.
Zero walks over front and center of the deck in a daze. He sits down in his command chair. He stares into nothingness and feels the eyes and slight mental connections that he has to others nearby, asking him for orders. He crosses his arms and slumps back in his chair and lets his gaze drift down to the floor as he thinks of the 1 billion inhabitants of the planet.
All gone...
Talk Time
The Expediator still sits lifeless next to the newly formed asteroid cluster previously known as Zeta III.
The Expediator's helmsman finally speaks up to break the silence.
"Sir, plans?"
Zero takes in a deep breath and stands as he exhales. He puts his hands behind his head and looks down for a moment.
"..... Begin search and rescue of the surrounding area. Contact base."
He sits back down and swings his chair around 180 degrees. The comms officer spins left in his chair to face his console. He presses a single button. "Ready, sir."
Zero puts his right elbow on the armrest and props up his head with his hand.
"Base, this is Zero, we've got a big situation."
The head commander responds. "Alright, fill us in."
Zero notices that the one replying has a higher pitched tone to his voice. Last contact was only 2 hours ago and current duty shift of the head commander doesn't end for another 3 hours. He rubs his chin.
"Hey, you the head commander?"
"Yes sir."
"What happened to the other guy that was here 2 hours ago?"
The clone on the other side of the line now sounds puzzled.
"Nothing. He's me. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, our problem is that I was contacted two hours ago by Command about Zeta III. Is that true?"
"No, we were going to send in a small scout ship to go investigate a loss of communications from that area."
Zero blinks a couple of times. "Ok, now that is a problem that I am going to have to solve." Now here is the real problem right now. Zeta III is now an asteroid bealt. An unknown craft that uses dark matter for fuel took off from Zeta III. The loss of interstellar mass caused the planet to shake apart. No one got off the planet except my troops whom I had originally sent to quell a PTMC invasion."
"PTMC invasion? When did that happen?"
"You mean you didn't know?!"
"Sorry sir, I'm looking around and nobody here at Command knows what you are talking about."
"Well now you do. The PTMC has some explaining to do, and we have a spy or someone from outside the ZA that was able to hack into our comms, which is extrordinarily hard to do."
"What is your plan of action?"
"I need to make a call. Zero out."
The comms officer cuts the aduio transmission. Zero states his next order.
"Dial up the PTMC vid-line."
The communications officer opens a contact list. Right on top of the priority list is the PTMC. The Zero Alliance and the PTMC are constantly bumping heads over mining territory rights and other points of interest. The PTMC is not high on the Zero Alliance's ally list. Especially not after the Zeta III incident.
"We've got President Wallace Breen on the vid-line."
Zero sits up straight and looks into the large, newly materialized hologram formed 6 feet infront of him. The face of a pudgy man with thinning hair and small wrinkles looks back at him.
"Mr. Breen, we need to talk."
"Ahhh, Zero from the Zero Alliance, what a pleasant suprise. How can I help you?"
"You can start by not rocking the boat and attacking my mines on Zeta III!"
Breen attempts to sound calm and casual, but it is obvious that he is up to something. Patronizingly he replies, "What? Us? Attacking? You can't possibly be serious. We are just a simple mining corporation. We do not have the means to stage any sort of attack. Your policies strictly enforce the law of "no transfer of technology." We are to progress at our own pace, so obviously, our mercenaries are at a technological disadvantage. They don't have a ghost of a chance to stand up to one of your soldiers.
Zero mentally rolls his eyes, knowing that he is just making a pathetic excuse.
"Yes, obviously. You didn't have to tell me what I already know. Now tell me what the heck you were doing out on Zeta III if you are so sure that you would get your asses kicked!"
Furrowing his eyebrows a bit, Breen replies "Please, take it down a notch. Your impatience is not making this go faster."
Zero explodes and yells "Listen, pal! Troops that had your weapons, armor, and insignia were attacking one of my mines! How do you explain that?!"
Mr. Breen steeples his hands in front of him and begins to drum his fingers together.
"I can assure you that we had no direct involvement in this situation. We have obviously been framed."
Zero barely supresses a scoff.
"(Could have fooled me.)"
"We must have someone dealing under the table to an unknown terrorist group. It could most definately be another mining company, despirate at clearing out the competition, playing dirty tricks in order to get you to fight their war for them. I can assure you that the PTMC holds you in high reguards and would do absolutely nothing to aggravate you.
Zero clenches and unclenches his fists. "I need evidence."
"I do apologize, but I am far too busy to get involved in a matter that the PTMC did not do anything in. We were not involved; it is not our problem. It is yours."
Zero jumps out of his chair in disbelief and confusion that Breen is brushing off this event and that he is going to sit idly-by while his company is at risk. Astounding.
Zero shoves his finger into the floating face of the fat man.
"I can't trust that you weren't involved! It was your junk out there!"
"Good day, Mr. Zero. Breen out."
Under the Table
Mr. Breen smashes his right fist upon his desk after finishing his talk with Zero. "Damn," He says. "He's still there."
"Your inability to help destroy the head of the Zero Alliance, will not go without payment."
Breen jerks up to look at the source of the menacing, deep and grueling voice. An unseeable figure shrouded in a very thick, black, and light absorbing mist stood infront of Mr. Breen's office door. Small eyes with fluctuating reds, oranges, and yellows were gleeming and glaring at the president.
"M-My inability?" Stuttered Breen. "I-I..Well I did as you told. I set up the decoy and you said that you had a plan to stop Zero. What about our deal? I can help you to destroy all opposition! You will help me to become your arm of power here!"
"You supplied the information about Zero's ships. Their strength was more than what your information told us. You, have failed. We shall take matters into our own hands, as was our original plan before you discovered us, and promised to strengthen us, and to make us the most superior species."
"But we are still doing that! You will become the most powerful-"
"Failure, is not tollerable. You will fail, in enhancing our species as well. As of now, your research facility, has been terminated."
"But! But!"
"Your services are no longer required."
The alien figure then sent forward a portion of the black mist surrounding him towards Breen. "What are you doing?!" asked the panicked man. The mist consumed him and it retreated back to the figure. Breen was gone.
"Your secret plans of using our technology to rival us, are futile. You are no more."
Cerberus
Cerberus Station. The main hub for cultural interaction, trade, and good old drinks among the numerous alien races around the galaxy. It is also home to some very notorious crime lords. The station was originally developed by the Terrans to be a science outpost. It was named after Cerberus, the 3 headed dog of Greek mythology because of the coalition of 3 alien races who originally worked there. The Terrans, the Kazackshians, (ka-zac-she-ans), and the Nortu. As more and more races joined and the population increased, the atmosphere became less of a highly sterile environment, to a college feeling. After some time of not getting any work done, it finally evolved into a recreational center. It consists of 7 main bodies. One, 60 kilometer high hexigonal body who's width is about 35 kilometers. Attached to each of the six sides are pentagonal docking modules. All of them are 25 kilometers high and 15 kilometers wide. Each one has 1,000 docking places inside of them. They can house everything from tiny probe droids to entire battleships, minus Typhoon class battleships.
The Aurora Unit makes a general announcement and then adds a small comment just for Zero
"Arriving in standard orbit around planet Earth. Welcome home, Zero."
"Thank you AU001. Drop me off at Cerberus station. I need time to recouperate."
"Shouldn't we be getting on with our investigation?
"I need time to recouperate," He reiterated.
"Very well. Your Hellbender is preped and ready to go."
Zero walks to the back corner of the bridge to the teleporter. He turns around and gives the deck a solid salute and steps in. The doors seal behind him. The 6 walls of the tiny room are painted a dark red to symbolize the main bridge teleporter. A tiny projector eye comes to life and a hologram of the Expediator with several small dots appeares before his eyes. Zero focuses and blinks at the dot to the main hanger on the starboard side of the ship.
Suddenly the rooms turns yellow with a purple "2" written on each wall. The starboard hanger already. Zero steps out and looks around the unbelievably massive, blue, metal hanger.
The hanger's air traffic controller is notified of the leader's presence by a little light set aside on his control console.
"Zero is on the deck," is his general announcement.
Zero walks forward and around some crates and past a Pyro-G8, a radical departure from the old Pyro-GX from his favorite game, Descent. This puppy packs 8 lasers and nanite ammo which gives each fighter an unprecidented payload considering its size. A couple of techs working on the bird nods to Zero. Zero nods back and continues walking towards his own bird of prey, the Hellbender. A tech is walking on top of its gull wings giving a final check.
The tech looks up and notices the Hellbender's exclusive pilot strolling over. "She's all fueled up and ready to go. Have fun out there."
"I'll try."
Zero jumps effortlessly into the air and lands perfectly in the cockpit of the fighter. The bubble cockpit comes over the top from the right to left, and then closes. The windows are a tinted in a one way ultra black tint so no one can see in, but the pilot can see out. Zero looks back to check if the rear window is working. He sees the fuel silo behind him. In actuality, what he would really be looking at would be the body of the figher. The rear window is actually a camera screen. Zero faces forward and flips up two switches on his forward panel and flips 5 more on an overhead panel to his left.
The control tower notices the Hellbender and addresses Zero by his personal squadron callsign.
"Razgriz 1, I see you on powerup. Go for launch?"
"Affirmative. Razgriz 1 go for launch."
"Roger Razgriz 1, hover path to launchway has been lit. Cleared for taxi.
"Cleared for taxi. Razgriz 1."
The ship slowly climbs 10 meters into the air and turns right 90 degrees to head in the direction of the magnetic launchway. His pathway is marked by green, 3D squares generated by his helmet's Heads Up Display.
The launchway is a 1000 meter strip of special magnets that looks like a runway made way back in the year 2000, running from the back of the hanger to the exit. Those special magnets only interact with a special metal on each one of the Zero Alliance's ships, which can be turned on and off at will. This is the standard way of launching vehicles when battle stations is not in effect. It the Expediator was in a state of battle, it would be a mad scramble for all pilots to get out of the hanger and only special craft with permission would be allowed to use the magnetic launcher.
"Razgriz 1, you are fist in line. Cleared for departure."
"Cleared for departure. Razgriz 1."
Zero turns the craft 90 degrees to the left and slides right into place above the magnetic strip. Zero thumbs the afterburner. The engines light up and the burners sound like thunder as the fighter is propelled at over 2000 MPH out of the hanger. If it wasn't for the G-Diffusers, anything inside or outside of the ship would be turned into jelly.
Within half a second, the ship is clear of the hanger and out into the black.
"I am clear of the D-shield. Razgriz 1. G' day."
The D-shield is short for depressurization shield. Its main task is to keep atmosphere inside the ship and it also acts as a light security shield which only allows ZA ships and craft with special permissions. This prevents boarding parties to slip into the hanger.
"Roger, you are free. G' day."
Zero makes the necessary course corrections to intercept the station. Behind him lies the beat up, bent Expediator. A shimmeriong gold shield encloses the humongous Expediator and then disappeares in a flash of light half a second later.
Guts Pattern
A frantic and nervous controller aboard Cerberus is alerted by a top priority craft approaching. He knows darn well who it is, but he needs to follow standard procedure in order go get his pay check.
"Unidentified craft, identify yourself."
He goes ahead and inputs all of the data on who this is so that he can move on to the next inbound spaceship.
"This is Rasgriz 1, Zero of the Zero Alliance, requesting clearance to dock. Razgriz 1."
"Affirmative. Cleared for bay, 6 dock 4. You good out there?"
Asking "you good out there" is a common courticy for station controllers of Cerberus to ask. It is usually for inexperienced pilots who need help navingating to their docking bay...not that the controllers can do much to help the fresh meat.
"Copy. I'm good. Razgriz 1."
Cerberus Station has no traffic pattern, but rater a guts pattern. The traffic is so bad with personal craft, large cruise
liners, and drones that the station's 15 Air Traffic Controllers and 20 multi-tasking ATC computers are only good for giving suggestions because the flow of the pattern is so unpredictable. It takes guts to fly in there.
The docking bay is highlited in yellow and the dock is in red on Zero's HUD. The suggested flight path is in blue boxes. It goes straight in...in front of a swarm of angry commuters.
Zero amuses himself with the hell he would raise if he went in wielding his authority, forcing ships out of the way and watching them smash into eachother.
"(Yeaaahh we're not going to go that way. Alright. Time for combat mauvers.)"
Zero puts the Hellbender into a diving roll as he pushes into the great steel could. He sees a straightaway and hits the afterburners. The fighter thunders and streaks into a quickly closing gap. Zero starts to hear the emulated sounds of engines and honking horns of the incomming personal craft and cruisers. A few fast ships aware of Zero's skill fall in behind him. Zero gives them a quick scan.
"So. They plan on getting to bay 6, dock 4. What a coincidence. They're looking for the steal. Let's give them a run for their money, shall we EVE?"
"I will help you to your destination."
EVE is the Hellbender's Enhanced Virtual Entity. She is capable of advanced thinking and adaptation. Each one of Zero's fighters have the same thing, but with different personalities, tones, and genders.
"Ok, what have we got, EVE?"
"7 personal crafts and 1 corvette bringing up the rear. Several more craft are following suit."
"Mark anyone who follows us as a target. I want a way to track them."
"I now count 23 targets. Shall we shoot them?"
Zero smiles to himself. "Heh-heh. Nahh, not yet."
"Warning. Inc-"
"Woah!"
A leaving passenger liner dives right in fornt of the Hellbender. Zero uses the Hellbender's superior mauverability and powerful engines to effortlessly pull up and give the passengers on the starboard side a little scare. Several of the following ships could not contend with the Hellbender and had to break off to the sides. A few others managed to dive and make it under the nose of the speeding liner. A few others careened into the liner's sheilds and bounced away. Hopefully their G-diffusers could keep their pilots from getting smashed by the G-forces. And the even fewer others who were able to manage keeping pace kept following. Zero was impressed by this.
"Oh yeah? I think they are in this for the sport. EVE, how many do we have now?"
"6 ships remaining, but many more are joining after witnessing your moves."
The Hellbender streaks up towards the station and into a more thicker part of the titanium cloud. He rolls to jacknife through a line of cargo tugs. Other ships behind him follow him closely while others are forced to break off as there is no other way past the slow moving tugs.
Zero barrel rolls to avoid a stream of exiting ships from the station. 5 kilometers to go.
Another passenger liner drifts into view about 200 meters away. He blows right inbetween the main hull and the protruding bridge of the liner. Zero is traveling at extreme speeds, faster than even the gutsiest pilot in the swarm. Zero's heightened reflexes allow him the flexibility he needs to flow through the chaos.
At this point, none of the original presuing ships are presuing him anymore. New ones naturally come and go. Some are getting a little more aggressive. The thicker in a pilot goes, the angrier the others around him get because they have been stuck in the trap for extended periods of time. Don't even get started on the ones who need to go to the bathroom.
An extremely thick hillbilly accent fills the helmet's speakers.
"Whay heeeeeeeey! Dang! That's some flying skills you got there! What's your name, son?"
Taken aback by this hillbilly screaming in his ear, Zero replies with his usual into.
"I am Zero of the Zero Alliance. My fighter callsign is Razgriz 1."
"Zero Alliance? Ain't those the wunz who protect the Earth or somethin? Hyuk!"
(Is he drunk?) thinks Zero
"Yes. I am th-"
"Say, I'm heading towards the same bay as you. Wanna have a little race? Hu ha!"
(Indeed he is.)
"Uhh, are you ok there? You sound a little drunk? How long have you been out here?"
"45 years! Yeah! Uh-huh!"
"Yeeeeaaahhhh. I can tell that you are getting despirate. You must not know that you cannot possibly beat me. It would be suicide if you try and follow me."
"I know what you can do. I was just playin wid yas. But don't worry, I won't grab yer spot. I'm parked just a few lots down. Finish line is the very enterance to the bay."
"Alrighty then. Show me what that old crop duster can do.
"Well, dis here crop duster is about to dust you!
"You're on!"
The brown and rusty tug of the old pilot had been keeping pace with the Hellbender throughout the duration of the conversation. Pretty impressive for something looking so old, but suddenly, it bolted forward and screamed right past the Hellbender.
3000 meters to go.
This caught Zero by suprise, but he was not shaken by it. He suspected that Hillbilly Bob had an ace up his sleeve.
Zero jams the afterburners and catches up with the old tug.
"Good," said the pilot of the tug. "Thought I lost ya back there. Try and keep up!"
EVE gives an advanced warning about the forcast.
"Incoming traffic. Dive low to avoid it. Your opponent may be slowed down if he does not evade."
Zero dives down into a green haze marked on his hud by his computer to signify the zone in which he needs to be in to avoid the traffic. The Hellbender boosts on while the speeding tug gets caught up in traffic.
2000 meters to go.
The tug was only slowed down a little and had dropped behind by 25 meters.
"Get your wash out of my windscreen! I just painted this!" hollered the tug pilot.
Zero takes another look in his target infrormation Multi Function Display and looks at the picture of his opponent's ship. "Just painted? What? 20 years ago? Look at that rust!"
"All will be revealed."
Zero is puzzled by this. This old coot seems familiar.
EVE chimes in again with a small bit of bad news.
"Incomming traffic. No way to avoid without losing the lead. You need to play this one by ear."
"Thanks for the heads up."
A swarm of leaving passenger buses and drones had come out of bay 6 and were headed straight towards the two dare devils.
1,000 meters to go. Better start breaking soon.
The tug had caught up with the Hellbender. It seemed that whoever braked last would win the race, but would end up crashing into the rear of the bay.
500 meters.
A sinister smile came across Zero's face.
300 meters.
"Sir, the station is starting up tractor beams."
"Jam them for both of us, EVE!"
100 meters.
Zero's hands became deadlocked on the stick and throttle.
50 meters.
His arm muscles tensed, getting ready for the manuver that he was about to pull.
10 meters.
He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He also heard EVE in a tiny voice say, "Oh God..."
1 meter!
At the last second, the unknown pilot mumbles "shit" and whips around 180 degrees and sets engines to full power. At the last half second, Zero does the same exact manuver. Both ships zoom into the bay and slide past their predestined docking points. The rear wall is coming up fast. Zero makes a slight course correction to allow sliding thrusters to assist in the slowdown. Trichording, as they call it. The tug and the Hellbender both make a soft kiss on the cold hard metal of a wall in the docking bay. They made it without any problems!
Zero engages autopilot and streaches out his legs, loosens his seat bealts, and slumps in his seat.
Right on cue. A light on the dash signals an incomming transmission from Cerberus Tower.
"Razgriz 1! What the hell were you thinking??!! You had us shitting bricks up here! Do you know what the--"
"Uhhh, I can't hear you. I'm, uhh, I'm going through a tunnel!"
"WHAT?!!? YOU CAN'T BE-"
Zero cuts the transmission.
"What are they going to do. Sue me? I'll just remind them of the favors they owe me for defending their station from pirate takeover. I went out of the way for those fat cakes in the tower."
The unknown ace drifts into view infront of Zero.
"YEEEEEEEEEHHHHAAAAWWWWW! Now that's flyin'! My computer says that you won fair and square! Say, meet me at the Hitoku Bar. I want to meet you in person. I'll be wavin' both arms at you!"
"No problem. I want to meet the pilot who almost beat me in a race. That took guts."
The Informant
The Hitoku Bar is generally a rough place. It is one of few Rebirth Foundation friendly bars throughout the station. The Rebirth Foundation, was a rebel group determined to uproot the Galactic Federation, which is a league of allied alien races who keep the peace and used to enforce unberable laws. There was a war between the two factions over these strict laws back in the year 2883. The government often pushed people to the limits. They were tired of the government telling them what to do and what not to do. At first, there was a secret underground movement to stockpile weapons, getting ready for a war. The Galactic Federation caught word of this uprising and started a preimptive strike. Both sides called upon the Zero Alliance for help, but ZA policies state that "in the event of any major political revolutions in the universe, the Zero Alliance is to take no part in influancing the results, except in the event that the Zero Alliance leader deems the situation to be 'dire' and 'unreasonable'." Zero did advise the Galactic Federation to look into its laws for immediate and unconditional reforms, but nothing got through to them. The war between the Independance lasted 4 Earth years and ended about 2 years ago. The year is currently 2893.
Fortunately, all of this bloodshed of the many races of the galaxy caused the Galactic Federation to look upon its laws and decided that reformation was needed. The strictness was toned way down. Unfortunately, millions of lives were lost. Even after the war, there are still a lot of Independance extremeists around. They do not smile upon the Galactic Federation eventhough they did change their laws, and they do not like the Zero Alliance either because of thier reluctance to assist.
Zero walks into the bar. He spots a middle aged man grinning and waving both of his arms in the air.
Zero gets a smile on his face and walks over. "He-hey! If it isn't my old friend, The Informant! I knew there was something familiar with your voice! Haven't seen you since before the Rebirth War!"
The Informant, or Michael Dawkings, is a pilot for hire. He is a Universal Class Spy. His ship, the Lazy Ear, is an old tug, but it has been upgraded to be one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. He is a darn good pilot too. He has to be when the enemy catches onto his spy work. And in order to do that spy work, he is outfitted with the latest and greatest survaliance gear that money can buy. Of course, it's second to the ZA's gear, but that's still saying a lot! The exterior of his ship may look old and rusty, but that is just the paint job. The Informant's specialty is camoflage and to listen in on whatever communication he is hired to listen to. He has given a few tips to the Zero Alliance before which saved the Earth from invasion by the Space Pirates a few times.
Dawkings drops his hillbilly accent. He likes confusing his friends and old employers with different accents. He now talks in a smooth, charming, old American accent.
"Glad I could be in the same neighborhood as you. At the same time too. All is going well, old friend?"
"Not so well. I've got big problems, man. It could mean total destruction for a lot of people. It already happened to an entire planet. There is also a problem with the PTMC. I can't trust them any more."
"Woah. Sounds deadly. Tell me more."
"It all started out when I was patrolling Tallon IV. Nothing was going on. "Command," Zero quotes with his fingers, "radios me and tells me that there is a disturbance on Zeta III. I head over there and find out the PTMC is attacking one of my mines. The mine turns out to be infected with a virus. We destroyed the mine to prevent further spread of the virus, but you won't believe what we uncovered in the crater we created. An alien ship."
"The PTMC, infected ZA mines, and an Alien ship inside. I thought your mines were supposed to be hevily fortified?"
"You're right. High priority ones. And this one was. That ship activated its engines and the planet started to shake. Readings indicated that it was using dark matter as fuel. That caused the planet to explode. Sorry if I put that flat out, but 1 billion people lost their lives. It even decimated the splinter group that I brought with me and hospitalized the Expediator when the thing flew by. I talked to Command about why I was ordered to investigate myself. My law states that I cannot be ordered around unless it is an emergency. It did not sound like an emergency at all. How could command know? I called Command to ask, but they hadn't contacted me when I thought that they did. I then talked to Breen about PTMC forces attacking my mine. He brushed it off and said that he was framed."
Dawkings lays back and rubs his chin with his index finger. He looks around with his eyes a bit.
"Hmmmm."
"Ahh. You know something, right? You always have an ear to the ground."
"Well, I can't help you with your mysterious Central Commander or PTMC problem, but I have listened in on the PTMC on my spare time. I heard of a new, mysterious race that has this technology that manipulates Dark Matter. No other known race in the universe has this technology. You steared clear from it because of its obvious destructive capabilities. You'd go faster, but at an extreme price."
"What else have you heard of this race?
Dawkings folds his arms in front of him and looks straight at Zero.
"All I have heard in the same day... now this is a rumor from a few drunk crazies, but... someone has an outpost on a planetoid in the Drumania system."
"There's absolutely nothing out there. Research vessles went there a while back looking for anything of value.
"Indeed, it is empty, but do you have any other leads?"
"No."
"Well then. If I were you, I'd check it out. There's no other good options."
"Of course. Now then. I came here to gather my senses after the shock of an entire planet exploding. Let's have some drinks."
Zero and Dawkings enjoy their beverages. They tell some jokes and swap some stories. Unfortunately, Zero had outstayed his welcome. Two big bruisers walked over to Zero's and Dawking's table. Both of the bullies are ex-Rebirth. Both extremists. They are both looking at Zero.
Zero spots them out of the corner of his eye. "(Oh shhhh-)" he thinks to himself. "Can I help you?" he says with a weak smile.
The first burly man to the left begins. "We've been watching you."
The second one continues for his buddy. "I think that you have been too comfortable in a bar that hates you for bailing out on us."
Zero gives an exasparated sigh. Two years after the war and they are still stuck on that?
"You knew the policy. That was in place before you were born."
"Yeah we know it, but our situation was dire. Couldn't you see it from our eyes, or were you too blind helping out the Feds with their dictatorship?"
"The entire time before and during the war, I was trying to tell the Feds that they needed to change if a whole group of you was rising up. You were the ones to counter-attack which sparked the war while I told you to have a seat while I talked to the Galactic Federation." The words 'Galactic Federation' seemed to sting them a little. "You even knew that it was impossible to win in your state of readyness. Be happy now though, the Feds did take it down a notch."
"Hah! I'd bet you were trying to stop the war! You just thought we were stupid and deserved to be punished!"
"I didn't think that you were stupid then, but you pushing it here and asuming all of these things is making you stupid now."
"I'LL CRUSH YOU!
Zero's attackers come from his left and right. Without getting out from his relaxed position, he puts up both of his arms and deflects the mirrored punches from his attackers to the behind his head. Both fists colide with a loud CRACK!
Both bouncers reared back howling and gripping their broken fingers.
"Now that was stupid," Zero snickered.
A crowd forms around the table. One steps forward from the circle and says, "You have a lot of guts to come here after you abandoned us.
"I have to admit, you have even more guts than the pilots outside to threaten me."
A few "ooooh's" come from the crowd. At this point, Zero is on his feet, expecting the worst. Another crowd member steps forward behind the first one. This one says "Well, we did know his policies." There are some grunts from the croud, agreeing with his statement, but not anything noteworthy.
The first Rebirth fighter turns around to face the one who had spoken. "You must ge G Fed spies trying to indoctrinate us, arn't you? You arn't allowed here.
"Private James Atatmu. 2nd Battalion. Rebirth Army."
"So you're just a traitor! You are supporting the ZA right now!"
The crowd begins to shift in anxiety. Someone in the back calls out, "I support the ZA." Someone in the front puts his hand up and points to himself. "Ovah here." Dawkings in his chair pipes up as well. "Aye. I do too." The first man snipes back at him. "Shut up! You ain't involved on any sides!"
Dawkings flips up and down his hands from the table, then proceeds to take a sip from his drink.
Zero looks around at the crowd with his arms and hands streatched out in a cautious manner.
"I think that Dawkings here has the right idea with his drink. Let's get back to them. I was done here anyway."
The crowd begins to disperse. Zero turns around and places his fingertips on the table. 'The bait.' He listens.
"Thud, thud, thud, thud," came some footsteps. 'The fish.' The attacker is smart. He doesn't come screaming at Zero with a war cry, but he never counted on Zero's experience in knowing that these sort of things never end well.
'The hook.' Zero whips around and grabs the charging man by his belt and collar. Zero flings him straight over the table and sends him careening into the window 5 meters away. The raging bull lands flat and upside down against the glass wall. The strong, 2 feet thick glass holds and hardly notices that it was just hit. The failed attacker gives off an exasparated "uhhhh" and slumps to the ground. Everyone who had been watching, looked at Zero. They all knew that they couldn't take him, so why not take on the neighbor who supported Zero?
The bar erupted in a fury of flying fists and glass. Zero calmly takes a seat and finishes his drink in a single gulp. He takes out a green, quarter sized coin worth about 5000 credits and flips it over to the bartender. More than enough to cover imminant damages. Zero takes out another one and slides it over to Dawkings. Zero stands up, gives a nod and a smile to his friend and starts to walk away. Dawkings looks at the coin, and then back at Zero.
"What's this for? Hey!"
Zero looks back over his sholder.
"For the information you gave me. Since when do you give out information for free?"
"Anything for friends on non business related stuff!"
"Hmmm. Well then take it for the paint that my afterburners burned off," Zero gives him a wink, "during our little race."
"Heh. Sounds good. See ya roud."
Zero gives Dawkings one last nod and walks out the door, but not before having to duck to avoid two brawlers jumping up and at eachother.
Dawkings just sits there, smiling and sipping at his drink. "This is much better than payperview."
Origins
"You have been chozen."
"What?" Zero muttered. He tried opening his eyes, but the lights were too bright. "Arg, turn down the lights. It's too early."
It is the year 2008
"Open your eyes and look at where you are. Stay calm."
Trying to wipe away the layers of sleep from his mind, Zero started looking around the room. This wasn't his bedroom at all. Zero started flailing around franctically on the ground. "Gah! Where am I ?!" Zero quickly scanned the room around him. It was made out of brown metal plates and panels and had mechanical doors leading out. In the corner was a computer console with a bird-like figure sitting in it. It stood up and bowed.
"My name is Old Bird." The alien literally looked like a bird. He was a little stubby and round, had huge beak, and a very pleasant aura about him. "You have been chosen to become the protector that this galaxy needs."
Zero's jaw dropped. "What? How? Uhh! Take me home!" Exclaimed Zero.
"Please hear me out," pleaded the bird. "Something evil is coming and threatenes to eradicate the galaxy one race at a time."
Zero raises his left eyebrow high. "Why chose me?"
"Out of the thousands of other races and billions of humans down on the planet, your DNA has been scanned and deemed compatable with our cloning devices." The bird walked to his left and around the console to stand in front of it. "Our race is desperate. The enemy is using a toxin and it is spreading throughout the galaxy and human tissue appears to be unaffected by its severe deterioritave properties. We need to clone you to create an army to stop the detested toxin and to destroy the creators of it, for they won't dare listen to reason."
Zero stood up now, shaking from the adhrenalin rush. "So that's why you need me. Now tell me why I need this?"
After departing from Cerberus, Zero sets up the autopilot to head for Zero's second Typhoon dedicated to defending Earth. Typhoon 2 is only 9 kilometers long, 4 kilometers high, 6 kilometers wide hull, and 7.5 kilometers wide from its "wing tips" to "wing tips." Each wing is actually 2 forward swept cylindrical modules. Both of them are hangers. A single hanger can house 2 cruisers with a decent compliment of other ships, or 8 frigates, or 5,000 fighters. The ship is the one of the biggest ships in the universe, the Daedalus is still only 10% smaller than the Expediator.
Zero approaches the Daedalus. He dials the ATC. "Razgriz 1, checking in. I want to move out now. Razgriz 1." A female voice comes over the helmet's speakers this time. Something different from the usual clone voice, eventhough each clone has a different and unique one.
"Affirmative. I've cleared everyone out of the way for you. Welcome to the Daedalus."
The Daedalus is part of an experimental program that is allowing regular terrans or other races to work in the Zero Alliance. This program has been in effect for only a year now, and the Zero Alliance had been pure clones for 885 years. Zero had been waiting for the galaxy to mature enough. It used to be a terribly unruly place until the Zero Alliance stepped in.
The Daedalus
Inside the hanger, Zero is greeted with smiles and salutes from clones, terrans, and aliens alike. He proceeds to the yellow teleporter room and then warps into a red room; the bridge. He steps out. All personel on the bridge stand up and salute. Zero returns their gesture and strolls over to his chair.
"The Daedalus is 10% smaller than the Expediator, the ship that I am usually in. I sure hope that my chair isn't 9% smaller. I might start to miss my old one."
The ships Aurora unit in the back clears away the blue mist. Aurora unit 002. This one is a male. He speaks in a soft tone, similar to Aurora unit 001.
"Only the best for you, sir. You will find that we are prepared for anything just like the Expediator is. We take pride in our work."
"I take pride in this ship and in all of my ships. I will expect nothing less than your best."
"The crew is ready for you order, sir."
Zero looks around at all of the crew members in the bridge. Each one from a different race. The weapons officer, the comms officer, helmsmen, navigator, shield operator, sensor operator, air boss, and battle forcaster. None of them are terran.
"It's good to see you all working together. Alrighty then. I am sure that word of what has happened to Zeta III, the infected mine, the PTMC, the unknown ship, and the mysterious Head Commander has spread all over the ZA?"
"That it has, sir," relpied the Aurora Unit.
"Good. We're all on the same page. Now it's time for the next chapter. We are to jump to the Drumania system. I got a tip from a trusted friend that is worth investigating. We are to jump there, and find out what the heck is going on. We don't want to show up with an emense fleet and intimidate them, so we are going alone." Zero chuckles to himself and adds in a side commnet. He says, "although, a Typhoon is indimidating enough."
"Very well then. Starting pre-jump sequence."
Zero takes a seat and spins around to look out into the black vista. The sun is rising over Matagascar. The windows automatically begin to tint. Zero remembers the words he thought of before he went to Zeta III.
"I only hope that this is a reconissance mission and
nothing more."
KREDTS so far
Part 1: Picture up to All Gone...
This pic and story contains references to 10 different worlds. If you want to be general, then only 9, because there are elements from the game Descent and its book.
In the picture:
1. Battlefield 2142- soldiers, walkers, gunships, big ship in the back (Titain)
2. Hellbender
3. Mechwarrior 4- Turret to the left firing a green laser (looks like a Coliape from MW4), various lasers
4. Descent- Logos, Stormtrooper robot (by Kuman 99)
5. Halo- The Zero emblem on the soldiers, walkers, gunship, and Hellbender (But you really can't see that one :P).
6. Real world airport and airplane ;)
In the story:
6. Metroid
7. Avatar
8. Team Fortress 2
9. Descent Books
10. My own little world ;)
Author's notes:
Tell me what you think. I left it at a good cliff hanger. This could become a whole story that I can write. Heck, I suprised myself by doing this. It may need a little touching up. IDK if it gets down to your feelings. Probably not, but it was fun writing it!
Part 2: Talk Time to The Daedalus
Author's notes: IN NO WAY IS THAT STORY OF THE 16 YEAR OLD BOY MY STORY! I live a great life (well, until I moved to Florida :P) with my mother and father and mah dog. I titled this book Down Time because this is in the time that the Expediator is disabled and Zero isn't really doing anything except finding out clues. I wrote this in what I am guessing to be 5 hours. I never kept track. I pulled this out of a hat with non stop writing. Of course, there are a ton of referances (listed below).
REFERANCES:
1. Hellbender- The game and ship from that game
2. Wallace Breen- Half-Life (I just copied the name. Nothing else)
3. Aurora units- again, from Metroid
4. Cerberus Station- Name of a space station from Eternal Silence
5. Dawkings- Heh. Found that on a construction company's sign. Sounded unique. IDK if the spelling is right though. It might be Dawkins. Doesn't matter.
6. Typhoon description- Well. This is an amazing story. I made up my own ship a long time ago, even before I got Freespace (which I didn't get too long ago) and the design (not including size) and name that I had was EXTREMELY similar to the Vasuden Typhon ship. It is the freakiest coincidence that I have ever seen!
7. Descent- obviously
8. The Chozo- The Chozo from Metroid and Old Bird from a Metroid comic. Story behind them I made.