centerbPrologue: Infiltration/B
briMission Accomplished/i/center
p
A vast belt of asteroids in various sizes circled a nearby star with the grace of ballerinas. Slowly and benevolently they drifted through the void of space with nothing to disturb them but the warm radiance of their magnificent sun.
p
Further away in deep space lurked a lone asteroid following its peerless orbit. Silently it rotated about itself. Its surface was rough and vulgar, battered by thousands of micro meteors over the period of millions of years. Bits of crystals and minerals caught the light as they rotated in and out of the sunlight. Its path took it through the asteroid belt and it scattered the smaller asteroids off to their new routes around the distant star.
p
Traveling at great speeds across the vast nothingness of space the shower of space rocks hulled themselves away from the relatively ordered paths of the asteroid belt. A solitary pebble was at the head of this outburst. It streaked across the heavens in an otherwise linear path save the sun's gravitational influence. As it followed its new pathway an invisible distortion occluded and disintegrated it. The nugget of ancient minerals crumbled to oblivion and enveloped the object, passing around the surface of the distortion. The astrophysical phenomenon continued its trajectory, leaving a small clump of stardust in its wake.
p
Still rotating with its majestic grace the enormous asteroid continued its orbit after breeching the asteroid belt. Utterly unaware of the approaching object, and unable divert even if it did, the huge mass collided with the invisible entity. Instead of smashing against the invisible object, the asteroid engulfed it with its bulk. A depression formed just before a tunnel was carved into the center of it. The event happened too quickly for the asteroid to handle and cracks spiked outward to the surface. The smooth wall of the tunnel was broken as the asteroid crumbled and obliterated to thousands of pieces. The menace left undisturbed.
p
The resulting fallout spread and covered a gigantic area of space. Several chunks of the broken off asteroid were further obliterated by other invisible objects. The clusters of space dust revealed six more of these menaces.
p
Slowly but steadily they headed toward the same point in space where a colossal object awaited, just beyond the asteroid belt. From further out it would've been indiscernible from the surrounding asteroids and the backdrop of space. But as the cluster of seven closed the distance it slowly became more apparent and visible. Its curved surfaces revealed an elegant design, even through the hazy filter surrounding it. The vessel was unlike any other designs in the known galaxy. Its translucence made it a stealthy ship and the stars on the opposite side were lucidly visible without any diffusion.
p
As the squadron returned back to base a section of the object became opaque and the haziness disappeared. Slowly one by one the squadron faded in from their surroundings. Seven strikecraft type combat vessels oriented themselves before docking to the larger ship.
p
"This is Bravo-flight, requesting permission to dock." The leader of the squadron said through a secured telemetric laser transmission linked directly to the gigantic oval shaped vessel. As he entered, the surrounding haze disappeared and he could see the side of the ship without its translucent properties.
p
The weak scarlet docking lights welcomed him and his team. Its warmth fondled him, inviting him in. "Bravo team, permission granted." the Controller replied with a firm professional voice, "Your port is in sector B-3. The Admiral has requested your docking ASAP." The Controller paused as the squadron accelerated into the safety of the interior, "Welcome back, by the way."
p
"Thank you." The leader smiled a little bit, familiarity in his voice. "Glad to be back." iAfter a twenty-hour mission who wouldn't be,/i he thought rhetorically, the ache in his shoulder blades was lost in chaos of sensory overload. The long mission had worn him out and the dull pain from his entire body had long been blocked out through the help of exhaustion. The ship had been on autopilot for the last five hours.
p
Moments later the bay doors closed up behind the squadron and the glass-like layer covered it, making it semi-transparent again. A sturdy silence passed as the massive vessel prepared itself. Its exterior remained stagnant. For an infinitesimal moment the entire superstructure became opaque and was exposed to the universe; it's perfectly smooth and vulnerable surface revealed to the outside world. Then a low blue miasma flared around the vessel before a sapphire-blue plasmatic fire from hyperspace engulfed the ship and erased all trace of its existence in the blink of an eye.
p
The light emitted by the process passed by unrecorded as a massive fireball six hundred kilometers away blossomed into existence. The intense radiation was comparable to a supernova. Even from the edge of the star system the bright flash of destruction could be observed –- and was by a remote Proximity Star –- even next to the bluish-white fury of the blue giant star.
briMission Accomplished/i/center
p
A vast belt of asteroids in various sizes circled a nearby star with the grace of ballerinas. Slowly and benevolently they drifted through the void of space with nothing to disturb them but the warm radiance of their magnificent sun.
p
Further away in deep space lurked a lone asteroid following its peerless orbit. Silently it rotated about itself. Its surface was rough and vulgar, battered by thousands of micro meteors over the period of millions of years. Bits of crystals and minerals caught the light as they rotated in and out of the sunlight. Its path took it through the asteroid belt and it scattered the smaller asteroids off to their new routes around the distant star.
p
Traveling at great speeds across the vast nothingness of space the shower of space rocks hulled themselves away from the relatively ordered paths of the asteroid belt. A solitary pebble was at the head of this outburst. It streaked across the heavens in an otherwise linear path save the sun's gravitational influence. As it followed its new pathway an invisible distortion occluded and disintegrated it. The nugget of ancient minerals crumbled to oblivion and enveloped the object, passing around the surface of the distortion. The astrophysical phenomenon continued its trajectory, leaving a small clump of stardust in its wake.
p
Still rotating with its majestic grace the enormous asteroid continued its orbit after breeching the asteroid belt. Utterly unaware of the approaching object, and unable divert even if it did, the huge mass collided with the invisible entity. Instead of smashing against the invisible object, the asteroid engulfed it with its bulk. A depression formed just before a tunnel was carved into the center of it. The event happened too quickly for the asteroid to handle and cracks spiked outward to the surface. The smooth wall of the tunnel was broken as the asteroid crumbled and obliterated to thousands of pieces. The menace left undisturbed.
p
The resulting fallout spread and covered a gigantic area of space. Several chunks of the broken off asteroid were further obliterated by other invisible objects. The clusters of space dust revealed six more of these menaces.
p
Slowly but steadily they headed toward the same point in space where a colossal object awaited, just beyond the asteroid belt. From further out it would've been indiscernible from the surrounding asteroids and the backdrop of space. But as the cluster of seven closed the distance it slowly became more apparent and visible. Its curved surfaces revealed an elegant design, even through the hazy filter surrounding it. The vessel was unlike any other designs in the known galaxy. Its translucence made it a stealthy ship and the stars on the opposite side were lucidly visible without any diffusion.
p
As the squadron returned back to base a section of the object became opaque and the haziness disappeared. Slowly one by one the squadron faded in from their surroundings. Seven strikecraft type combat vessels oriented themselves before docking to the larger ship.
p
"This is Bravo-flight, requesting permission to dock." The leader of the squadron said through a secured telemetric laser transmission linked directly to the gigantic oval shaped vessel. As he entered, the surrounding haze disappeared and he could see the side of the ship without its translucent properties.
p
The weak scarlet docking lights welcomed him and his team. Its warmth fondled him, inviting him in. "Bravo team, permission granted." the Controller replied with a firm professional voice, "Your port is in sector B-3. The Admiral has requested your docking ASAP." The Controller paused as the squadron accelerated into the safety of the interior, "Welcome back, by the way."
p
"Thank you." The leader smiled a little bit, familiarity in his voice. "Glad to be back." iAfter a twenty-hour mission who wouldn't be,/i he thought rhetorically, the ache in his shoulder blades was lost in chaos of sensory overload. The long mission had worn him out and the dull pain from his entire body had long been blocked out through the help of exhaustion. The ship had been on autopilot for the last five hours.
p
Moments later the bay doors closed up behind the squadron and the glass-like layer covered it, making it semi-transparent again. A sturdy silence passed as the massive vessel prepared itself. Its exterior remained stagnant. For an infinitesimal moment the entire superstructure became opaque and was exposed to the universe; it's perfectly smooth and vulnerable surface revealed to the outside world. Then a low blue miasma flared around the vessel before a sapphire-blue plasmatic fire from hyperspace engulfed the ship and erased all trace of its existence in the blink of an eye.
p
The light emitted by the process passed by unrecorded as a massive fireball six hundred kilometers away blossomed into existence. The intense radiation was comparable to a supernova. Even from the edge of the star system the bright flash of destruction could be observed –- and was by a remote Proximity Star –- even next to the bluish-white fury of the blue giant star.