November 3rd, 3235, 1021 hours
UNSC Phoenix (DDG-626)
Outbound from Telos IV
They just needed to get away from this place. The destroyer went as fast as her engines could take her through space. Since the planet had been attacked impromptu, the techs hadn't been able to render the Phoenix 100 percent repaired. The engines were repaired to about ¾ of their original power output but not much more than that. Shields were repaired to a measly 25 percent output, the hull breaches were patched up with durasteel plating, the autocannons were refilled with some of the native projectile ammunition which was technically not chambered for the human autocannons. In addition to the reloads, the Telos technicians must have though the Phoenix was underarmed. Multiple missile pods were placed and welded in strategic locations around the ship. Each pod held a large number tiny but high-yield torpedo. In the course of almost a day, the Earth destroyer was about as powerful as a Halcyon-Class cruiser, once one put armor and shields in the mix.
The surface of the planet was visibly burning. Saul Karath's fleet was doing a number on it. Behind the retreating ship, millions of citizens were dying from the laser bombardment. Those left behind would be victim of the coming corrosive atmosphere that would engulf the planet. Captain Alan Perry felt so bad about not turning back that he almost felt like throwing himself headfirst out the airlock.
He was glad to see that some people were trying to get away. According to Gerard Briggs' scan of the area, there were hundreds of shuttles outbound from Telos, each with hundreds of citizens on them. Why wasn't Karath's task force attacking them? "Legacy." He whispered, barely audible. However, Lieutenant Hayes was able to pick it up with her ears and asked, "Excuse me, sir?" Perry was surprised for a moment that the Mobian had heard the whisper. "Legacy, Lieutenant. Saul Karath left these people behind to go and spread this…this…experience of atrocity to the galaxy! He left them alive so that people will fear him!"
Callows spun his chair around. "Sir, if that's true, why didn't Admiral Karath attack Coruscant instead? Then he would be like…emperor or something." Perry shook his head. Bianca took the liberty of answering the Ensign's question. "Coruscant is well guarded, Ensign. I remember detecting defense platforms in orbit around the planet, much like our Super MAC Defense stations in orbit over Earth and Mobius. With a task force of approximately 12 ships, I doubt that the Admiral would want to attack the capital of the Republic with only a dozen ships." Lieutenant Hayes chimed in. "Yes Bianca but I was detecting cruisers that were in excess of 1200 meters in length. That's about the size of a Halcyon." Bianca folded her arms in annoyance. "I stand by my opinion, Lieutenant." The feline anthro shut her mouth.
There was something that was nagging Captain Perry. The thought was pestering him like a mosquito desperately trying to suck his blood. If Saul Karath wanted to attack Telos, it would have to have been for a reason. People like him didn't just crack, defect and attack innocent planets out of the blue. He was tapping his chin thoughtfully when he noticed his own index finger. He was pointing to himself.
It's us!
His eyes went wide. "Oh dear Lord." He said. The Mobian sensed his discomfort. "What's wrong, sir?" Perry didn't answer, he was frozen solid, his hands grasping the brass railing so hard he thought he would crush it like aluminum. "How soon can the jump engines activate?" Calvin Briggs checked the report from Engineering. "Three minutes." "Tell Major Faustus to put his ass into it! I wanted to be out of here sixty seconds ago!" The younger Briggs twin sensed the fear in his CO's voice. "Aye aye, Captain." He said and sent the report. Perry sat in his command chair and gripped the arms with apprehension.
"Sir, Faustus is reporting full activity with the hyperdrive!" "Briggs, get us out of here!" Calvin looked at him. "Where, sir?" Perry met the young man's eyes and seriously said, "Anywhere." Briggs gulped and spun back around. Gerard was attracted to the radar for a moment. "Got contacts, Captain: three cruisers moving in on our position at flank speed!" "Get us out of here!" The Navy Captain said. "I'm trying! I'm trying!" Calvin said tapping in the commands. Sweat was forming on his face. Suddenly the computer panel blew out spraying sparks all over the surprised Navy officer. The deafening bang made everyone in the room recoil. "What the hell just happened?" Perry said wide-eyed. Bianca popped up on the holotank. "Captain! I'm detecting high gravity wells! The computers are not letting us jump!" Perry froze. Interdictors. Humanity had been using the tactic for centuries. The process worked by spoofing the computers on a Human or Covenant ship into believing that they were dangerously close to a gravity well. Once here, the ship was an easy target. That's what Karath was up to. "Bianca, sound General Quarters."
Captain Chris Vennettilli sat on his bunk with his face in his hands. He had never, never seen that much death before in one place. It was all too much for this one man to bear. When millions of people were snuffed out all around you, you tend to notice. When a man loses his wife right in front of you, you tend to notice! This place horrified him. It left him with a cold, scared feeling. Was this what Humanity might become; these monsters that kill planets, men, women, and children? He wanted to go home. He missed his parents who had been dead for over five years. He wasn't in solitude in his bunk, but he cried.
Generally a commanding officer crying in front of his men was bad news. It had shown that the combat had gotten to him. For these men it was different. Sally sat beside him. She wasn't embarrassed that he was troubled; in fact it made her love him even more. Sonic never cried in front of her. She glanced across at Tails who was in his bed, curled up and his tails wrapped around him. He was crying for his mother. Who was she trying to fool? She hugged Chris tenderly and cried into his shoulder. The Captain noticed and stroked her hair. Even Tails was looking for comforting and the human didn't disappoint him and gave the fox a good reassuring hug.
"All those people…! T…Th…They're all dead!" he cried. "Hey, calm down, big guy. It's going to be alright…" Chris whispered, but he just couldn't stop! A tear for each citizen of Telos fell from his eyes and onto the floor which splashed and shattered, never to be rebuilt.
In the other bunk rooms, the effect was similar. Sergeant Johnson didn't light a cigar but took out a rosary and started praying. Rouge the Bat was in the Ryan's arms gasping and not trying to hold back the tears. Her eye shadow was starting to run and her eyes got all puffy. Ryan rubbed her hair soothingly. "It's OK, Rouge. You're safe." Rouge hiccoughed. "Ryan…Thank you." Bunnie had taken out a harmonica that her mother gave her and blew a sad tune. Crystal clear tears slid down her cheeks but she never broke the tune of her music. Johnson finished his prayer and made the sign of the Holy Trinity. "Bunnie, that's beautiful." The Mobian rabbit smiled sadly. "Thanks, Sarge." She said and returned to her somber song.
Claire was sitting in her room, the lights dimmed and a single incest candle was lit. Strictly non-regulation as usual but today of all days her Company Commander couldn't care. Her bunkmates sat around the candle thinking about the citizens who had gone to another plane of existence.
Captain Banks and his men were in the mess hall slowly drinking to the citizens of Telos. Tyrell held a bottle up in the air stating that the citizens would be avenged even if he had to die doing it. "To Telos." He said powerfully. The ODSTs raised theirs as well and shouted along, "To Telos!"
Kaiden and his men were also sitting in their rooms. It was a Mandalorian tradition to meditate on the death of innocent civilians. Mandalorians were expected to do their duty and fight regardless of attackers. Those who could not fight should not be on the battlefield. But this, oh…this was something different. It was cowardly, it was unprovoked. It was just wrong.
Tails lay on his bunk slowly crying himself to sleep. Chris and Sally were still embraced kissing each other. Tears were still flowing but one was the only thing that could keep the other happy. "You know princess, ever since Telos, I think we should have a redo on our little experience. I want to be sober this time too." Sally's eyes sparkled. She nodded. "Yeah. Me too." Suddenly, she was on him grabbing his shoulders and forcing him back on the bed. She was getting close to him. Sally thought happily that this relationship was going to get on to a wonderful start. She thought of the wonderful nights they would have together. She thought happily that they would eventually leave the military with the blessing of her father; they would be married and have children, oh she was starting to pick out names already. By this time their lips met. Only one more step now…
The alarm sounded at the worst possible moment. Sally's eyes grew wide and she reeled back. No. Not now! She thought sadly and slipped off him. Chris edged himself up and saw her sulky posture. Tails woke up so fast that he hit his head on the same girder Chris did. "Mother FUCK!" Tails said and instantly covered his mouth.
"General Quarters! All hands, the ship are being approached by enemy forces. Marines on all decks are to report to the armories. Stand by to repel boarders. Pilots, report to your vehicles."
Lieutenant Wallace Veers ran down the hall with the rest of his wing behind him. Three Humans, four Mobians they shoved aside Navy techs and lower ranking Marines. They had a job to do now. "Attention: Radar confirms three enemy contacts. Enemy interdictor cruisers approximately 600 meters are 10,000 kilometers distant. Good Luck, Bianca out."
"Move it, move it!" Veers shouted running into the Phoenix's launch bay. His techs had prepped his F-29 Hellcat for immediate launch. Veers slipped into the cockpit and made the canopy close over his head. He put on his helmet and sealed it. The HUD automatically started up. And a blast shield rose behind him. "All pilots: start your engines." The Flight Control Officer said.
Veers put the throttle down on his bird. The clamps kept the plane in place but the engines were bellowing trails of fire that were intercepted by the heat shield. The marshal was currently waiting for the order for Veers to take off. "You boys ready for this?" Veers said over the radio. "Always ready, sir." A female Mobian said laughing. "Check in, check check. Viper Lead Active." Veers said. "Adder is active." The female Mobian said. "Asp is ready to rock and roll!" "Rattlesnake ready to bite!" "Python is a go." "Boa is a go-a" "Basilisk is ready, baby!" "Sidewinder's gonna get ya!" Veers smiled. "Snake Squadron, lets slither!" The green light sounded and the clamps released. Seven F-29 Hellcats screamed out of the bays into space.
The Hellcats banked in space, Telos' star reflecting on their bodies. The Phoenix turned into a small speck in mere seconds. "All Snakes: form up on me." Veers commanded. Seven 'Roger's came from the squadron. The Hellcats arced over the destroyer and rolled until they were level with each other. Saul's fleet was coming at them at full speed. "Snake Squadron this is Big Bird. You have our support on this one, over." Two C710 Longsword Interceptors sped over the strike fighters and took a comfortable lead. "Radar confirms twenty enemy fighters, Lieutenant." Adder "Let's take care of them the way we practiced guys." Veers opened throttle and sped forward through space.
The fighters that sped towards them were Sith Interceptors. They were small, inexpensive, fast, and otherwise flimsy fightercraft. Holographic representations of the ships appeared in the cockpits of the UNSC jets. "Targets located." The computer chimed. "OK Snaked, break and assume Broken Delta formation." Seven blue acknowledgement lights winked in his HUD and the ships dispersed.
The interceptors were only fifty kilometers distant now. "Pick targets and fire at will." It happened with lightning speed. The squadron broke formation and scrambled on random vectors, confusing the enemy pilots. The Longswords melted out of the night and sprayed the hostile fighters with 120mm rounds from the rotary cannons. A few interceptors were blown away from the guns and the rest broke contact.
"Hit 'em where it hurts, Snakes!" Veers commanded. "Hell yeah!" Basilisk crowed. The majority of the interceptors were unorganized. That made them all the more vulnerable to the jets. Viper Lead followed one who as panicking, trying to get away from him. The Lieutenant had an evil smile on as he tracked the alien ship with his crosshair. The lock alert sounded and Veers sent a missile right into the rear of the fighter. It exploded and the Hellcat flew through the field of debris.
Satisfied with his results, he spun his Hellcat around 180 degrees and blasted another enemy fighter with his main guns. Veers slammed the throttle down to counter his inertia and rejoined the fight.
Big Bird and Little Chick-the call signs for the Longswords-were skimming the surface of the interdictor cruisers. They were so close to the hull that their reflection in the hull was plainly visible. The pilots flipped the fighters until they were perpendicular to the hull. Their speed carried them forward while they shot with their guns and missiles. They had no affect though and glanced off the glowing shield. Dismayed, both pilots adjusted their birds and flew out of the range of the cannons. "Big Bird to Phoenix, do you read us?" There was static for a half second as the message bounced off the destroyer's dish.
"Phoenix here, Big Bird. What's the problem?" "Our weapons aren't having any affect on these cruisers. They have their shields up." There was more static. "Copy that, Big Bird. Let's see them block this." There was suddenly a bright light from the Phoenix. She had fired her MAC guns and before the Longswords could travel ten more meters, the rounds sliced the ship in two right between the claw-like prongs. There were explosions all around the hull as the pieces drifted apart. She tried to restart her engines but it was no good. Another volley of MAC rounds destroyed the bridge and the dead ship floated in pieces. "Thanks for the help, Phoenix." "Any time, Big Bird. Be advised, Saul's not going to fall for the same trick again. Those cruisers are on the move now!"
It was true. The two interdictors had stopped playing and recognized the Phoenix as an actual threat now. If they didn't do something, they would be space dust inside of ten minutes. Eleven tops.
Saul Karath stood on the bridge with Darth Malak beside him. Karath couldn't help but feel the coldness of death when he was beside the Sith Lord. He could even feel his disappointment when an Interdictor-Class cruiser exploded. "Admiral. I was aware that these humans were quote "Unable to stand against anything the Sith will throw at them." Enquote." Saul swallowed. He was well aware that once the Dark Lord got angry, people were known to disappear from the galaxy forever. They never existed. "No, my lord. This is simply a snag in our plan. We can overrun the ship with our forces." Malak stared at the Admiral. His metallic faceplate was level with his forehead. "I sense the fear within you, Admiral Karath. There is much fear within you. Do not fail me with this task. You are well aware of the penalty if you fail."
To make his point, Malak seized up the power of the Dark Side to grab an unfortunate soldier, lift him up in the air, and toss him screaming across the bridge with the force of a missile into the bulkhead. Saul flinched as he heard the crushing of bones and guts. The body slid down the bulkhead trailing blood. Two security guards removed the twisted, bleeding body from the bridge. After a few moments of silence, Saul's concentration was spurred by a UNSC Hellcat shooting at the shield near the bridge. "We can take control of the ship, Lord Malak. They will not be able to hold against our men." Malak nodded. His synthesized voice reverberated in the room. "That is a sound choice on your part, Admiral. Proceed with the plan."
Veers and his squadron regrouped. Snake Squadron was wiping the sky with their machine guns and missiles. Interceptors burst into short-lived flames thanks to the more-organized UNSC ships. The Lieutenant saw a flash in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to see what just combusted. An Interdictor cruiser had just split in two and the pieces spun in space. "Damn!" Asp said with an air of surprise. "Did they just kill that thing?" "Roger, Asp." Boa responded. "She blows up nice. You could call it art." "Right." Python said rolling her eyes on her end. "'Scuse me Picasso, I'll let you get to work on that canvas."
Boa chimed in. He had some activity on his radar. "Viper Lead, I'm detecting enemy craft approaching approximately 200 kilometers distant coming from the flagship. Estimated twenty meters in length. Roughly cylindrical shaped, sir." "Shit! Boarding craft! How many are there, Sergeant?" "Estimated seven craft, sir."
Veers opened up squad channel. "Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. We have detected boarding craft approaching our ticket home. All ships move in and destroy those craft. Big Bird? Mind bringing the Chick along for some hunting?" "Reading that five by five, Viper Lead. We'll be over for dinner in no time." Veers turned his beast around and locked onto his nearest target. Bingo, only 1.31 klicks away. He opened fire on it, chipping away at whatever shields the boat possessed. Soon, it was nothing but scrap metal.
"Lieutenant, I've got one on my tail! I can't shake him!" Sidewinder called in distress. The Mobian pilot tried to make peace with his controls but the fighter still had a lock on him. Laser blasts went by him only skimming close to the canopy. He was flash blinded for a second and tried strafing. It was still no good. "Oh, I'm sorry, Helen." Sidewinder said.
The interceptor scored a lucky hit. The laser impacted right between his canards. Systems went haywire and spun Sidewinder's ship out of control. He tried activating maneuvering thrusters but it only made the problem worse. He took a deep breath and tried with all his earthly might to bring his ship straight. He was hit again, this time it was unavoidable. His radar screamed red. "Oh fuck me."
Sidewinder's F-29 impacted on a boarding craft at nearly 2700 KPH. Both of them exploded in a bright fireball which seemed to outshine Telos' star. "NO!" Asp yelled. It was too late. Nobody, Human or Mobian could survive an impact at that speed. A blue representation of Sidewinder's F-29 went dark. "Fuck. He's gone." Veers said somberly. The surviving Snakes tried to regroup and destroy the other remaining ships. "Just…one…more…" Python said, but then the Interdictor cruiser shot him with a turbo laser. "AAAAGGGHH" he screamed before the channel went static. "No, no, no!" Veers said. The computer said, "Ammunition depleted." "Fall back! Retreat! We're outnumbered!" More fighters came from the ships hunting down whatever was left. Little Chick was gunned down and she spun into an Interdictor's hull. The explosion didn't even damage the ship. "Why isn't the Phoenix firing?" Veers demanded. "Sir, the fire control center was damaged by laser blasts. MAC guns are out of commission!" Asp said frantically. "We can't get that boarding craft now! Fall back to the hanger!"
The surviving Hellcats formed up and tried to make their way to the hanger. They almost did it completely except when a solid wall of fighters shot enough lasers to walk on. Basilisk was hit and he crashed into the prong of the Phoenix. The shield dissipated the energy but Basilisk was gone. Snake Squadron was down to half hands but the rest managed to get to safety within the launch bays.
The Marines aboard their ship grabbed an assortment of weapons from the armory. Captain Vennettilli supervised the distribution. "OK, let's pack it in, guys! I want every man and woman armed in two minutes!" "Warning, boarding craft are inbound. Teams Victor and November reinforce the starboard lifepod entrances." Bianca blared. "MOVE IT, MOVE IT, GO, GO!" Chris said running out the door with his men. The UNSC Marines ran up stairs charging weapons and flipping off safeties.
"Alert, hostile boarding craft has attached on Deck 2." Chris groaned. That's where his team was. They looked back at their leader." "Captain…?" Johnson asked. Chris gathered his strength. It was hero time. "You heard the lady Marines! Deck 2, let's move it! No ass slacks behind!"
The Marines made their way towards the lifeboat bays. Sally and Bunnie grabbed a weapon locker and threw it on the ground. They both took up crouching positions behind the locker and sighted their weapons, Bunnie transformed her arm. The rest of the marines stood ready to fight. November Company took up position behind the next corner. The Marines heard sounds from the other side of the bulkhead. "Everyone ready?" Chris asked, sweating. "Answer: Always ready Master." The way the droid said it, the bite! It was almost reassuring.
There was little time to dwell on it. The door exploded outward and several armed figures rushed in. They immediately opened fire on the Sith soldiers. Bullets peppered the men and blood sprayed the walls. The enemy soldiers actually seemed to panic which suited the Marines just fine. That was until there was a snap-hiss from within the pod. It made the Marines and Sith hold their fire for a second. "What in the fuck was that?" A Marine from November Company said stepping forward.
A black robed figure leaped out of the pod with a red sword of pure energy. He stabbed the soldier through the chest and kicked his chest. The Marine screamed in pain and died. The Marines of November Company opened fire, but the robed figure dodged all of them. It ran along the walls and diced several members of the company. The guys froze in fright. "What the hell is that?" Sally said with her mouth hanging open. Tails stared at the robed figure causing carnage. "It's a Dark Jedi!"
The butchery was done. The Jedi turned around and stared at the Marines with red rimmed eyes. Chris didn't bother saying hello. A single three round burst killed the man before he could move. A fountain of blood splashed the ceiling. Tails squirmed but calmed down. More Sith streamed out of the boarding craft. "There's too many of them!" Johnson said. "Fall back!" Chris ordered. The Marines fearfully ran the way they came.
"Attention, decks 2, 5, 7, and 8 have been compromised. All teams are to pull back to secondary defense positions." More thumps echoed in the plating. "There's still more!" Bunnie said running as fast as her legs could carry. Another squad of Sith ambushed them. "That's them! Stun them!" The commander ordered. Without question, all of the Marines were shot but fell down unconscious. "Get them back to the Leviathan. Tell Admiral Karath we have the prisoners and he can zap this ship. I want that fighter in the launch bay too." His subordinate saluted. "Yes, Captain."
The battle was lost. The Marines were loaded onto the attack craft and it blasted away from the Phoenix's hull. The Leviathan shot the Phoenix with a low level laser. The ship's engines shorted out and she listed to port. The craft sped back towards their home vessel away from the weak UNSC vessel. She was drifting, unable to do anything.
"Report!" Perry said in his chair. Lights went out all over the ship and emergency lamps flickered on bathing the room in soft light. "All decks reporting low power. Gravity and life support are just barely holding on." Gerard Briggs said. "Emily, how are we holding up?" The Mobian feline had a broken nose and a bloody lip. "MAC guns are down and out. Proton Torpedoes are not responding at all. Autocannon 4 destroyed. Sir, I think they're leaving!" Perry rubbed his hurting head. "I think they are! Why?" Hayes half-smiled. "Legacy, sir."
Perry grumbled, "How men did we lose?" Callows looked at his monitor. "Body count is still coming in but it's currently at 149 dead, 28 injured." "My God." Perry said taking off his cap. "Callows send out a distress signal to anybody out there. Do we have thrusters?" Calvin Briggs responded. "Negatory sir, at least for the moment. Bianca and Faustus are trying to get it back online." Perry sat back and tried to take this all in. He wanted to go home.
The Marines woke up on cold metal flooring. "My Lord, it seems that they're coming to." Chris was the first to raise his head. Saul Karath was staring straight at him in a kneeling position. "Good Afternoon, Captain." He said slapping his cheek. Chris looked at the man who betrayed the Republic he served. "Good afternoon you psycho." Chris snarled. Ryan came to next. "What's going-" Then he was slammed into the ground by someone's boot. "Sergeant, such conduct is not necessary." "As you wish, Admiral."
An invisible force gripped Chris and dragged him upwards into a standing position. "Now now, my boy. Stand up straight now." A cold, artificial voice said. "That's better. Now, I wish to speak with you." The voice said. Chris looked up at the man. He recoiled in terror. It was a man who was bald, had blue tattoos on his head and had a metal plate on his jaw. "My Lord, the effects of the stun blasters probably hasn't worn off yet." "I'm fine you worm." The Dark Lord Malak laughed. "Such gall. I like that in a person." Malak saw that Sally was trying to get up. He picked her up with his mind and placed her right next to Chris. "I sense a bond between you. Ah, it is love I feel, the most powerful force in the universe." Karath coughed purposely, but Malak ignored it. "Such a bond between those of different races, you are truly against social standards. As my admiral is trying to tell me, you have information that I want." "You're not getting that map, Saul." Chris said angrily. Karath nodded and the butt of a rifle slammed into the back of Chris' head. He felt his spine separate from his skull. Sally gasped but Malak instead kneeled down and placed his hand on Chris' neck. Chris felt the bones painfully reattach. It felt wrong.
"Admiral, this man is our guest and he shall be treated like one. My boy, I am trying to make this as comfortable as possible. Can you please tell us the location of the Emerald?" Malak said. Tails was regaining consciousness. "We don't have it! We never completed it the map!"
"LIARS!" Saul shouted. "YOU'VE BEEN ALL OVER THE GALAXY! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME?" Malak interjected, "ADMIRAL KARATH!" and gripped thin air. Saul rose into the air a few inches and grasped his throat. "You will speak only when told to! I will not stand for this!" "My Lord…Forgive me…" He was set down and he rubbed his throat.
Malak looked straight into Chris' eyes. There was no doubt in them. "You speak the truth, Captain." He thundered. The forced softness in his voice toned into something different, something evil. "Give us the map, now!" "I don't have it!" Chris said. This time it was he who was lifted into the air. Malak's eyes were contorted in anger and lightning seemed to flow from him. The Captain gripped his throat and made horrible gargling sounds. The corners of his vision turned black. He needed Oxygen.... "Put him down!" Sally cried. "Please! He's telling the truth!"
Malak slammed Chris into the deck plating. The human sobbed in pain as blood pooled around him. Sally knelt down and comforted him. Then something caught the Dark Lord's attention. "My Lord, on the female's leg!" Malak grabbed her with the Force and flipped her upside down. Sally's vest slipped off and her shirt covered her face. "What the hell are you doing?" Karath plucked NICOLE from Sally's leg holster. "No, NICOLE!"
Karath flipped the cover up in anticipation. "How to activate?" He wondered aloud. "There's no need, Karath, I'm already listening." NICOLE said this with a bite. Saul almost dropped the computer in surprise. "Oh my." "Damn straight, 'oh my' you son of a bitch!" Malak laughed. "How very embarrassing, Admiral." Karath blushed and tried pressing a few random buttons. "Oh, that tickles, but it does nothing." "SHOW ME THE MAP!" the Sith Admiral yelled. A little vein on his head started to pulse. "Certainly, if you're on my list of registered users. Unfortunately, I don't think you are. Sorry Saul!"
Karath almost lost it and threw NICOLE across the hall. Sally screamed, "NO!" and Malak reached his arm out. The personal computer stopped in mid-air and slowly made its way it the Dark Lord's hands. "Do you know who I am, computer?" "Certainly. You are Malak Squinquargesimus of the planet Quelii. You were once the great Jedi General and padawan of Revan. But you turned to the dark side-" "Enough!" Malak said curtly. Smoke began to rise from NICOLE. Her hologram sprang out and grew to life size. She was Malak's size. He looked into her eyes so close the Dark Lord could see the strings of Binary code. "I am no longer that man. Malak Squinquargesimus was weak. I am strong." NICOLE shuddered as bits of her scrambled in the pure dark side of the force. "You're a traitor, you ignorant, pompous, mother fucker." Malak's eyebrows furrowed and if he had a mouth, he would have snarled. "Don't hurt her!" Sally shouted while a Sith trooper aimed a blaster rifle at the back of her head.
Malak deactivate the hologram and handed NICOLE to a technician while keeping his eyes locked on Sally. "Take her away, pry her open. I want that map. If she dies, we use them." Johnson rubbed his head. "Wait, you're gonna dig into our minds and scrape out the info?" Malak laughed evilly. "Don't tempt me." The Sergeant shut up.
"My lord Malak, what do we do about the prisoners then?" Malak didn't even consider it. "Lock them up, and then bring them in for individual interrogation. Perhaps we can turn them to the cause." Malak then froze. He stared at Tails. "Ahhh…What is your name, my boy?" Miles drew himself up to full height, which was around 5 feet. "My name is Miles Amadeus Prower, Petty Officer Second Class of the UNSC Navy." Malak was back to evil charm. "My dear boy, I sense the Force within you. It is a powerful call, one which must be satisfied at some point in life. It is the power that one can use to vanquish their enemies." It was tempting. Miles bit his lip in thought but broke off when he remembered who he was dealing with. "Not interested, milord." "You disappoint me." He said reaching out his hands and zapping him with Sith Lightning.
The blue bolts made contact with Miles' skin and shot up his spinal cord. Nearly every neuron in Tails' brain lit up and his eyes shone for a few seconds. He screamed so loud that it probably could have broken glass. Chris closed his eyes and tried to look away, but the gun barrel at the back of his head prevented him. Rouge hid her head in Ryan's shoulder and Sally could only stare in shock. Tears of pain shot from Miles' ducts but flash-vaporized instantly. Malak thought he sent enough energy through the young Mobian's body and let him fall. Tails was twitching as the current still stayed in his nervous system. Sobs of pain and longing for his parents were still clear. The Sith troopers didn't even show emotion.
"Take them away." Malak curtly said and turned around, facing Hyperspace. Saul Karath still faced the Marines. He stepped closer to Chris and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to make you wish you've never been born. You will beg for death when I'm done with you." A vein pulsed in Chris' neck. "Listen here you old man, I'm going to stick a knife so far up your ass it'll-" The Sith Sergeant tapped Chris with a stun baton and dragged him away. "Come on, hero. Time for you to see your new room." The Sergeant said laughing.
Prisoners. That's what they were: prisoners. They were locked up like filthy degenerates who were menaces to society. The prison block on the Leviathan was large enough to hold all of the Marines in one cell. They were stripped of all weapons and armor but were allowed to keep their T-shirts and pants. Johnson was allowed to keep his cigars and cap, but all guns had to be surrendered. Bunnie had an inhibitor on her arm that prevented it from being transformed into its cannon form.
Captain Vennettilli was sitting in a corner rubbing the burn where the guard had stunned him. Sally was checking his neck out. "You'll be fine. Your skin cells should regenerate the lost tissue in a week. Until then, I suggest that you don't touch it or it'll get irritated." Vennettilli smiled. "Thanks, Sal." Sally smiled. "Aren't you upset?" Chris asked. "Yeah, I'm upset. I want to cry, I really want to. The problem is that the reservoir's gone dry." "No kidding?" Sally leaned forward and looked at Chris. "Captain, if anybody needs to cry, its Tails. Look at him!" Miles was lying on a bunk. Bunnie and Rouge were sitting next to him rubbing his hair and his hands. Rouge actually leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Tails feebly stirred and crossed his legs.
"What a trooper, taking that lightning like a man." Chris said. "Yeah, You were almost choked, Chris." "If anybody deserves a medal here today, it's Tails." Sally scoffed and placed a hand around his shoulder. "Are you trying to get me into the mood?" "Can you blame a man for trying?" Sally laughed. "No, I guess I can't. Normally you get out of prison first before you do that sort of thing." The Captain sighed and said, "Well, I don't know if we're gonna get out of this can any time soon." Sally whispered, "We'll see about that later."
Chris then called everyone to order and made sure the guard was doing his rounds. "Everyone, Saul Karath has imprisoned us on this ship. We are powerless or so he thinks. I, being your esteemed leader and the one who cares most about all of you am going to get you out of this prison, off this ship, and into the clear where we can look for the Phoenix." Ryan said, "How are you going to do that, Captain?" Chris shrugged. "To be honest Percy, I don't know. Give me a few days and I will think of something. I promise."