The Flotilla of Coalition warships sat in the far flung and forgotten Omicron-64 system. A triad of Storms, forming a predatory screen around the RECON cruiser Kerimov, lurking, watching and waiting.
Clutching his mug of coffee in the oddly designed bridge of the Order vessel, Captain Ricardo Alvarez tried to wake up after the long night of tossing and turning aboard the uncomfortable confines of the Social Credit.
Across the bridge, sitting in the command chair looking equally as tired, Captain Levesque was reviewing data his science officer was showing to him on a tablet pc. Processing the all important data the ships had collected in trying to triangulate the alien transmission.
Sitting on a console, his feet dangling over the edge sat Lt. Colonel Razin, wearing a well worn sweater and hands wrapped around a steaming mug of toxic sludge that could only be Kerimov coffee. The former fighter-pilot turned coalition diplomat looked as exhausted as the rest of them, staring at the main screen that showed a surprising empty vista of nothing.
'Anything Comrada?' Alvarez inquired for the fifth time since starting his cup of coffee.
Leveque shot him a typically French stare of disgust at the Latino's stereotypical impatience.
Alvarez rolled his eyes, 'fine, hermano. I will go back to counting the stars with senor Razin.'
Razin's blue eyes sparkled with amusement, but he wisely chose to say nothing.
Alvarez shot him a withering look, before he took a seat at the oddly shaped Order weapons console, all done out in the ostentatious retro-Egyptian detailing that Alvarez found so annoying. Out of spite, he'd deliberately tipped over the bust of Nephritis that had sat in the men's head an hour before. There was something about a woman watching him pee that Alvarez found disturbing.
'This system's dead,' Alvarez muttered. 'There's nothing out here but ghosts and shadows.'
'That's probably the point,' Razin observed. 'At least Brooks and Santorini seem to be finding a way to occupy their time.'
On the scopes the two Odin fighters on CAP were racing each other around the NAV points. The Commander and the Lt. Commander putting each other through their paces in a mock duel. Making Alvarez regret not taking them up on a bit of flight time, they had an XKR prototype down in the hold, and he was anxious to take it out for a spin.
'We have a fix on a location,' Levesque reported. As the screen changed to a tactical display. The positional icons of the four coalition vessels at the time of the scan, each using the advanced Order RECON scanning system to triangulate the source of the signal, giving them a precise co-ordinate lock.
'Just in time,' Doctor XiaoBei stated in his usual dramatic fashion, walking out onto the bridge, his goggles up and smoking a cigarette, a mug of tea in his hands that he used to gesture at the screen. 'What are we waiting for Captains? Let's see what this fishing trip has uncovered, eh?'
I wonder why we are in this forsaken system... mused Santorini as she went through the routines with her superior, Jayce Brooks. He was a worthy opponent, and she did not much idle time for musing, but it was hardly a serious test of skill just yet, so she mused all the same.
The details of this assignment were hidden from her of course, but she could guess. Sitting in this forsaken place doing nothing meant they had to meet someone, and the person would hardly be the savory time.
A jolt to the shields brought her back to the real thing, and she concentrated on the practice.
One of the Gunboats within the cold confines of Omicron-64 did not have the simple luxuries of a Environmental Control System, chairs nor control panels, in the core of the ship, a simple reinforced cylinder about the height of an average man, and as wide as a man with his arms calmly at his sides.
In one of the cylinder's rather few view-ports, one could peer inside and observe an unique form of AI Core, connected to it was a small palm-sized platform with a much of motors and within a transparent spherical 'eye' installed on the platform, the eye was an organic one, deriving nutrients from the fluids that kept it moisturized and safe from the outside elements, attached to the nerves was a device that tapped directly into the 'Organic Component' and transmitted the data from the eye into the Core, the platform could swivel around to look out of each view-port while the base of the Core was wired directly into the ship's systems judging by the many wires and cables at the base.
Connected all around the cylinder's upper core but below the eye was a set of multiple 'Personality Cores' which govern each and every 'sub-group' of mimicked emotions as well as containing Data-Cores that served as it's Database. They were smaller cylinder containers that had a silvery-surface. On both ends of the cylinder Core there was a set of handles which were obviously used to move the core into the storm in the first place.
As the AI scanned for it's objective without a moment's hesitation, transmitting it's telemetry to the Kerimov as it scanned the area...Surprisingly the AI felt...Bored...While it's Chassis was designed with this specific form of mission in mind, the AI core was designed for Combat and Logistical Support, not recon...Still it performed it's programming to serve the Coalition to the best of it's abilities, following the basic laws laid down by it's creator...
Lt. Colonel Razin banged out a cigarette and lit up, enjoying his morning coffee and the fact that Alvarez was about to loose his mind from the sheer and utter boredom.
There was nothing better than watching the short Hispanic man with a bad temper getting antsy, especially given that Captain Levesque seemed to enjoy taking his time... almost as if the Gaul were deliberately baiting the Latino out of some ancient ritual.
He idly wondered about sending a quick note back home. It was Tuesday, and date night. He wasn't too thrilled with missing it. But when the Premier asked, Razin did. That was how it went. Though there were times when Stenka missed the deep space patrols on the Social Credit.
He looked up when the announcement was made that something had been found, stubbing out his cigarette in the hand of an Egyptian statue he ran a hand through his hair.
"We should send a patrol to investigate," he offered.
"I'll go!" Alvarez announced, a bit too enthusiastically.
Razin nodded, "Aye Captain, though Captain Levesque is the mission commander..."
"Si, si," Alvarez waved a hand to ignore the observation. "I will take the XKR, order Santorini and Brooks to fly on my wing." He was already out the door and hurrying away.
Razin glanced at Levesque, who was trying not to smile at his successful ability to drive El.Coyote Muy Locco.
BDI helmet on, Alvarez was immersed in data. Weapons status, TADS, fuel, HUD, IVWR, it was as if he were one with the fighter. It was the thrill of the new XKR fighters, that edge of oneness that came from man and machine finding a symbiosis that found previous iterations of Coalition fighters lacking.
His leather gloves flexed on the controls of the fighter, duel sticks, pedals, everything was set.
He gave his nod to the cat, and the XKR dropped away from the Kerimov, into space where it could prowl.
The engines growled menacing, the Hessian designed Tokamak reactors feeding power through the sturdy frame. It was a culmination of Doctor XiaoBei's finest work. Hessian engines, BWT-frame, Gallic alloys, Order interface, and Coalition construction. It was designed to mate all of the disparate technologies into the Coalition's Third Generation space superiority fighter. The VHF armoued booster packs, sitting like a trio of beehives on the wings, gave additional function to an already lethal design.
Like some kind of caged jungle cat, the XKR was all muscle and agility, coiled ready to pounce.
He applied throttle, and the fighter screamed away from the Kerimov and into cruise.
"Coyote to Bobcat and Hare, form once in range," he called, the IVWR indicating the two Odin Hybrid fighters, the design predecessors of the fighter he was flying.
"Confirmed Lead," Santorini called, echoed by Brooks a moment later. The two Hybrids breaking off their simulated combat exercise, looping around to slot into formation on the stockier XKR. Their engines bubbling up to full thrust as they accelerated to match his speed.
The trio of fighters swept through the night, curling down towards the location indicated by the Kerimov. El Coyote leaning forward in his seat as he searched the darkness for something his onboard sensors were telling him, just wasn't there.
"I got nothing Lead," Brooks called through the TAC-link.
"There has to be something, holmes," Alvarez said, calmly. "Signals don't just materialize out of thin air. Keep your eyes peeled."
The IVWR suddenly lit up with warning alarms, "incoming bogies!" Coyote called, "break, break, break!"
Six small, agile shapes cut through the darkness, weapons blazing as they split up, two per fighter, his BDI feeding the XKR's sensor data into his HUD. Detailing that the things chasing them were automated armed missiles. And for Alvarez, that was like take the worst of two nightmares and mating them together into a major pain in the ass.
"Drone Missiles," he called over the TAC, as he pulled the XKR into a stomach wrenching series of evasive maneuvers to avoid the weapons fire. "Don't let them get too close!"
Aboard the Kerimov, the crew were rushing to action stations, solaris turrets spinning up, as they swept to track a second section of inbound Drone-Missiles that were streaking towards the flotilla of Coalition ships.
"Scramble the Alert Fighters," Levesque ordered taking command of the situation.
Razin slipped into the science station, setting his mug of coffee aside as he used the Kerimov's advanced sensors to study the incoming alien weaponry.
"BAAL," Razin called, "I have a triangulation on the source of the drones, break formation and investigate..."
The Kerimov's turret weapons went live in a roar of fire, seeking to smack the drones out of the air before they could hit home.
"Coyote," Razin slid his chair down the bank of sensor consoles. "Drones are carrying nuclear warheads, with EMP capabilities... They're trying to cripple you. Steer clear of them when they explode."
"Si," Alvarez snapped back. "Because I wanna be hit by one of these things..."
There were times when Alvarez had to wonder what happened to basic logic, of course at that moment, the unidentified drone hurling weapons fire at his furiously jinking XKR, probably wasn't the best time.
"Si, bastardo, I have had enough... of ... you..." he gritted his teeth as he flung the XKR into a zero-G spin, still at full thrust, but now facing in the opposite direction, he began to open fire with the Klashnikov cannons, sundering the drones shields, and sending it into evasive maneuvers as the XKR tore after it, furious to punish the drone for daring to attack.
"No... you... don't... ese..." Alvarez breathed, thumbing the controls to fire the Mini-Razor. Blowing the first drone sky-high.
He wrenched the fighter to port as the second drone shrieked past his cockpit, spitting weapons fire as it went, peppering his shields.
As BAAL received it's new orders, the Avatar of BAAL, a holographic skull in inverted colours, appeared on a small Holographic Projector on the Kerimov, it's 'eyes' were un-readable as it seemed to gaze through Razin as he gave the order.
The voice was slightly distorted yet distinctly masculine.
"Affirmative, relocating to grid Comrade." it spoke calmly, if one listened carefully they could detect a hint of mild-annoyance at being put to such a menial task, still the Chassis of BAAL's controlled Storm broke off it's position and made a beeline towards the position transmitted to it's Navigational Array. Several of the 'drones' had attempted to intercept but were vaporized by pin-point fire of the ship's dual Razor Cannons.
"Pathetic...Your programming is...Inferior." it commented upon the Drones, if one could phrase what it was doing in human terms it would be 'talking to himself'.
Santorini threw her Odin into a stomach-wrenching turn. The G-Forces would have been enough to smash her head in, were it not for the technological aids that were loaded into the ship.
Watch it Hermanos! They're packing Warheads! shouted Alvarez over the comms. Santorini grunted a hurried reply and noted it. Will have to stay away from them and take them out from distance... A Idle moment and half her shields were down.
Bastardos! Curses! she hissed, and turned rapidly, opening up with a full barrage of Kalashnikovs. Her target took lethal damage, and splintered, Exploding in a spectacular fashion, more than can be expected of normal ships.
Whoa, Any closer and that would have hurt She thought.
One for the revolution Comrades! Keep your distance she shouted aloud, weaving a deadly dance with her partners.
The XKR shuddered as the triple boosters hurled it at an impossible speed through the pack of drone missiles chasing Commander Brooks' fighter, looping up as the missiles locked onto the XKR's highly prominent heat signature.
He was giving it everything the prototype fighter had, and then some more, but the missiles were still inching ever closer towards him.
His afterburners were ticking down 20%-19%-18%... when it hit zero, he would be very dead.
"Hello, Poosie-cats! You looking for a nice fat mouse for deenner?" He murmured between clenched teeth.
15%
If he was going to do anything about his situation, it would have to be done quickly.
Throwing the XKR into a sharp bank, he looped around the missiles, the drones following him. His hands already punching the cruise engines.
The afterburners kicked out, as the ship shuddered, power suddenly being diverted to the powerful and energy thirsty cruise engines.
The missiles were closing... proximity alerts blaring. He needed a few more seconds as power built up in the cruise capacitors. Every moment meant the missiles gained on him, and every moment he was that much closer to becoming vapour.
WARNING the Computer supplied helpfully in big red letters across his BDI HUD.
The ship leapt into cruise, throwing the pilot back into his seat as the massive G-forces of the thrust washed over him. Experience had taught him many things, and the most important of those was, he without a Cruise Disruptor was royally screwed.
"Excusa! Esta too mucho rapido for the eyes to follow?" He yelled back at the missiles that were trying to cruise to catch up to him. "I'll show you in el slow motiono."
The XKR's shields and thrusters were climbing back into the safe zones, as El.Coyote turned the fighter back, nimbly dodging the trio of drones that were too slow and unable to match the XKR's maneuverability at such high speeds.
He looped them again.
"Fuel, ese, I have lots, how about you?" He called into the night. "Santorini, you and Brooks make for BAAL, I shall keep the last of these busy, si?"
He flipped the XKR into another series of spiral dances, weaving into and out of the paths of the drone missiles. As long as they were chasing him, they could do no harm, and it had been a long time since he'd had fun with a fighter in cruise.
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