I DO NOT OWN SPOP OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.
WARNING: This chapter contains swearing.
'Thinking'
"Normal speech"
Computer messages
"Mechanical"
Chapter 1 - Awakening
-Location-
Unknown
Deep in an ice cavern laid a large space vessel resting through the ages. Its slumber was suddenly disturbed by a violent rumble that shook the once peaceful cavern. Debris fell from the ceiling, tumbling and bouncing off the hull.
The metal groaned in protest from the violent shaking. Deep within the ship, a large computer screen began to glow.
...INITIATING ALL SYSTEMS….
...7%...
...23%...
...42%...
...76%...
...94%...
...100%...
...SYSTEM STATUS: OK…
More screens began to light up as the ship woke up more and more. It wasn't long after the first screen turned did a message appear. MINOR DAMAGE DETECTED.
A small hatch opened on the hull, a child-sized drone hovered out with a floating platform. A light started to flicker on before going out completely. The drone gave out an annoying buzz before tapping on the flashlight.
The drone gave out a happy beep when the light flashed back on.
It looked over at the minor dents and scratches before guiding the platform over to one of the dents. It stared at it for a moment before knocking on the side of the platform.
A small head and several mechanical hands popped out of the platform.
The drone gave out several short beeps before the sides of the platform opened up, several lights inside turned on showing a variety of tools, nuts, and bolts.
One of the hands grabbed onto a plunger like tool and handed it to the drone.
The drone took the tool and latched onto a dent, the dome latched onto the hull around the dent and air could be heard being sucked out of the space. The drone started to heave on the handle until a satisfying metal pop could be heard and the dent was buffed out. The drone swapped the plunger for a handheld buffer and went to work on the ship.
More statistics popped up on the screens in the ship more thoroughly scanning systems and equipment in the ship.
Some lights began to flicker on in parts of the ship including the captain deck where the main computer was overseeing everything.
"Alright, let's see how much work I've got on my hands" a tired sounding male voice stated. A small door opens up for the drone armed with cleaning supplies started to vacuum up centuries worth of dust and wipe down windows and screens.
Several statistics charts appeared on smaller screens.
"Reactor is in optimal condition. The last fuel rod is nearly spent. Even running the bare minimum, we only have a little more than a month's worth of power". The sound of buttons beeping on a screen could be heard as the AI did his work. "Life support systems are non-operational. Activating ventilation systems to bring in breathable air. Turning temperatures to 50 degrees. Antennas damaged, communications limited. Maximum range covers ¼ of the planet's surface".
A list of all robotic crew members were brought up on the main screen. "53% of drones remain operational. 50% of security is down. Medical droid damaged. 25% of Reaver class battle bio droids are still alive". Orders could be seen on the screens sending the remaining drones to get to work. "Need to know the full extent of the ship's condition before the captain can be awakened. sending out some drones to scout the surrounding area for any signs of civilization would be a good idea". The list of "crew members" was replaced with cameras dotting the interior as well as exterior.
Outside the vessel, a hiss could be heard as steam shot out from the side of the ship. A large ramp detached and slowly descended to the frozen earth. Two drones hovered from the vessel and started to look for a way out of the cave. An hour or two of finding dead ends the two drones suddenly picked up noise from their auditory receptors. The closer they got to the sound the more their programming concluded that it was the wind. Wind meant outside, outside meant getting closer to completing their mission. When they arrived at the mouth of the cave they scanned the outside world for the first time in a long time.
The landscape was nothing but snow and ice. The wind howled as bits of loose snow danced around underneath the twilight. Jagged hills of ice sat under the clear sky where several moons shined brightly. They didn't stare for long before setting out to find, well anything really.
-Approximately 30 miles away-
A horde soldier watches screens scanning for magic, heat signatures, and comm chatter. She was a beastmen with lilac fur and yellow eyes. The winter gear with the fur helped with the cold. But even then she gave off small shivers.
Her reptilian companion was having a very bad time. "What did I do to deserve being sent out in this frozen hell," he hissed out. He pulled on his coat to try and stop his shivering.
His hide consisted of brown scales with small green blotches dotting his body. "Oh quit your griping Ottep, Nathan is almost done fixing the heater. Soon your fat scaly ass can be nice and toasty," She growled having enough of his whining.
"That's easy for you to say Inge. you got that nice warm coat of fur to keep you warm while I'm over here shivering my scales off," he growled back glaring at her. Suddenly the console started to make a beeping sound. "Huh?" The two immediately looked at the screens. A heat signature could be seen moving around about 20 miles north. "Do you think it's a scout from the kingdom of snows Inge,'' Ottep asked while checking the magic sensors.
"I don't know, any magic on it," Inge asked as she turned dials to get a better read on it.
"No, I'm not detecting any magic on it. Does it look like it could be a scout on a mount? because it's going rather quickly." Suddenly air could be heard rushing in through the vents as warm air began to fill the room.
"I don't think so, it's kinda small, might be a critter".
"Hey guys, I got the heater up again, over". A voice could be heard on the radio.
"That's great Nathan but we're picking something up on the sensors, over". Inge answered.
"On my way over". Ottep started to type on a console. "What are you doing"? Inge asked, looking over at Ottep. "I'm picking up a signal. Seems to be a message, I'll try to decipher it".
The door swooshed open as Nathan walked in. "What's happening"? He asked through his helmet.
"We don't exactly know right now, but Ottep is attempting to unscramble it". Ottep shushed them before selecting a frequency.
"Zzzztzzz-s the sszzzzttzzz-e acquire aid, fuel is cri-zzzzzttzzzzz-ed, dire need of su-zzzzzztzzzz". Ottep gave a slight hiss as he turned the dial to get a clearer message. "Zzzzz-s the NCS Pelican, we-zzzzztzzz-el is critically low, syt-zzzzztzzzz-dire ne-zzzzztzzzz".
Ottep played around with the controls some more.
Inge and Nathan looked at each other before looking back at the screen. "What's the NCS Pelican? sounds like a ship" Nathan said. "That doesn't make any sense though. we're miles away from the ocean" Inge looked back over to Nathan. Ottep watched as the heat signature started to get closer. "I don't think this heat signature is an animal. We've been here for weeks and I don't remember seeing anything this small before. We shouldn't be able to see its heat sign if it had fur".
Inge went over to a locker and grabbed a blaster and helmet. "Come on Nathan, we're seeing what this thing is". Nathan sighed before grabbing his blaster and following her outside.
"I'll keep an eye on this thing and let you know of any changes". Ottep looked back at the screens and watched.
The wind blew gently against their armor as they made their way to the side where a skiff sat. Inge checked her gun while Nathan started it up.
"So what do you think this thing is"? Nathan asked as the skiff lifted into the air before flying out towards the heat signature.
"I don't know Nathan, it's probably some glitch in the sensors. But it's nice to get out and be doing something. I was about to lose my mind in there. We've been doing nothing but sit around and gripe about the cold". Inge looked out in the frozen wasteland. "What are we even doing out here Nathan"? Nathan tilted his head. "We're here watching for any attack coming from the kingdom of snows".
Inge grunted as she shifted her weight. "There are hundreds of miles of nothing between us and the rebels. Even if they were stupid enough to send an army through it, they would be weakened from traveling through this wasteland".
Nathan shrugged "You're probably right about that but are you going to question orders? Besides, I think we got it pretty good. Yeah it's freezing out here but we don't have to deal with any princesses".
"Sounds like you're scared of them". She started to snicker before poking at Nathan. "Haha Nathan is scared of princesses, Nathan is scared of princesses". Her snickering turned into laughter when Nathan started to slap her hands away. "Shut up! I'm not scared of them. I just don't want to have to fix the generator when you try to warm up your victory ration bar." Inge scoffed as she crossed her arms. "It was 1 time ok". Nathan unimpressed got in a pose as best as he could while holding onto the steering stick. "1 times 5, I mean I would have thought you would have learned the first time but no you said it just wasn't the right spot".
"I said I was sorry ok gods your so petty". Nathan was about to say something before he spotted something in the distance. "What the hell is that". Inge turned to where Nathan was looking and grabbed a pair of binoculars. A robot could be seen hovering In their general direction. "It's a robot". Inge turned to Nathen. "What? We haven't sent any of the bots out have we"? Inge armed the gun "No we didn't, and it's not one of ours anyway".
Snow blew behind them as the skiff sped towards the robot. The drone turned its head towards the skiff before hovering towards it. "Should I blow it up"? Inge asked as she aimed. "No, we need to find out what's it doing here". Nathen countered. "What are we supposed to do, ask what it's doing"? Sarcasm heavy in her voice. "Might as well try. I haven't seen anything like this before". Inge had to agree with Nathan about it looking nothing like what they had. First of all, the top half was humanoid with two arms with the left one splitting into two smaller ones. The head was a disk with an antenna on the side. A hemisphere sat in the middle where a purple light moved around. The body was blocky yet sleek and many pockets and clips sat around. Blue light emitted where its legs should have been, Instead, it hovered like the skiff. The skiff slowly came to a stop as it neared it. "HALT! uhh, bot"! Inge shouted. It stopped in its tracks staring at the two. "Identify yourself".
The drone came to a complete stop. It sat there for a second before the AI took control.
"Greetings, I am AAQM-19. Quartermaster of the NCS-85 Pelican". Inge was taken aback, she wasn't actually expecting an answer. "W-what is your business here". "I am in the search for fuel and parts for our ship. I have currency, but that may be outdated. I do have weapons to trade". Both looked at each other before turning back to the drone.
"One moment," Inge said before grabbing Nathan and turning their backs to the drone. "This has trap all over it. The rebels must have somehow built a robot to trick us into following it into a trap". Inge whispered harshly. "I don't think so. The princesses don't have the technology to build robots. Let alone something as advance as this". Nathan glanced back to the drone. "I think it's telling the truth". Inge glanced at the drone before grumbling. "We need to let Octavia know about this before we do anything". "Agreed" they both turned back to 'AAQM-27'. "Well uh" "You may call me Phalanx". Inge cleared her throat "Yes Phalanx, we have to talk to our superior about that. You will have to come with us". The drone didn't immediately respond but eventually, it spoke again. "Very well". They took a step back as the drone hovered onto the skiff and landed. The skiff turned and sped off back towards the outpost. The air was thick with tension as the 3 stood or sat there in silence. Halfway back Phalanx broke the silence. "So what order do you serve? Your symbol is found nowhere in my memory banks".
Inge looked down at the drone. "You've never heard of the horde? We're here to bring order to this world. We're at war with the Princess alliance". "The princess alliance does not come up anywhere in my memory. Who are they"? Inge raised a brow behind her helmet. 'If the robot was built by the rebels they did a damn good job on it'.
Nathan was the one to answer this time. "The princess alliance is an alliance of Eithera's kingdoms. They refuse to give up their power in exchange for unity. So they send their soldiers with swords and bows to fight us. Their no problem on their own but when a sorcerer or a princess joins in. It can be a bloodbath. I've heard plenty of stories of them torturing soldiers and ripping out their souls for their spells".
The radio suddenly clicked on before Nathan could continue. "I'm guessing you guys found what the thing was since I'm reading it on the skiff with you over". Ottep's voice could be heard on it. Inge pulled the radio from her belt and pressed the side. "Yes, we did, over''. "So what is it, over'? "Well it's kinda hard to explain, it would be better to show you in person, over". Inge honestly didn't know how to say it over the radio. 'Ya we found a robot out here and get this, it says it's from a spaceship that crash landed forever ago, crazy right'? "Well ok then, I'll see you back at base, over". The radio went silent as Inge holstered it.
-Location-
NCS Pelican
Phalanx was busy overseeing the drones work with what they had and this new development. The thrusters and engine would never work again. They would have to be replaced entirely. The hull had multiple breaches that needed to be patched. Some sections weren't able to be powered. The reactor was slightly leaking radiation but that could thankfully be fixed. The camera screen switched to the medical room where the drone finished up working on the medical droid. It backed off as the droid turned on. It's spiderly legs lifted into the air before lifting itself up. It walked over to a table and prepared it for use. The camera switched to a chamber where a pod sat. 'I believe it is time to awaken the captain'. The amber material started to liquefy and drain from inside of the pod.
-Location-
Cryo pod 2
Everything was cold and dark. Was there water around me? I started to hear the sound of water dripping. I tried to open my eyes but suddenly a bright light kept them close. I heard a hiss before something opened. Suddenly I was grabbed by something hard and cold. At first I struggled against it before instantly regretting it. joints popped painfully, muscles groaned in protest.
I calmed down when I realized whatever was holding me was strangely careful and gentle. I was soon placed on something hard. I could feel something push me, whatever I was on didn't feel 100% solid. I hoped I wouldn't fall. My eyes started to get used to this harsh light. I squirted them open and saw a vague shape above me. It looked down at me. I could hear it trying to talk to me but all I heard was mumbling. I closed my eyes again and tried to fight drifting away but it was fruitless as the world turned dark again.
A bright light suddenly flashed my eyes as I woke again. It slowly dimmed as I cracked my eyes.
I was laying on a bed. I looked to my right and saw tubes connected to my arm. I reached down to take them off until a hand gently grabbed my wrist. "That will not be necessary sir". A woman's voice sounded. I looked up to see a single blue eye staring down at me. It took me a minute to realize it was the medical droid. All of a sudden I remembered where I was. I was on my ship, I went in my cryo pod to wait for our arrival to Thaatis. Something was wrong, I shouldn't feel this sick for how long it took to get to Thaatis.
"Phalanx" "Yes Captain"? The medical droid helped me sit up. "How long have I been asleep? What happened to the ship"? Things were tossed around, holes were in the walls. "Captain, is it a good idea to tell you now? You're still recovering from cryo sickness". "I'm fine, but something tells me that my ship isn't". I looked up at the speaker when he didn't immediately respond.
"Very well, If my internal calendar is right. Which it is, we've been in hibernation for 1,097 years. On our way to Thaatis, we were ambushed. I was able to destroy 2 of the 3. But the last one proved to be too powerful for our arsenal. I activated emergency warp protocols. But not before a rail shot glanced our warp drive. I was able to pull us out of warp before it tore us apart. We thankfully came out near a life-sustaining planet to land. Well, when I say land I mean crash''.
I pinch the bridge of my nose as I processed the news. "Why wasn't I awakened earlier"?
"The warp drive shocked my systems when I took us out of the warp. The world was also covered in enemy signatures. I think that they weren't expecting anyone to find this world. Because nobody came to finish us off after we crashed. So taking what luck we had I chose to fix the ship before waking you up. Once everything was stable I started to reboot myself. It took a lot longer than it should have. When I finished, I was about to wake you until something happened. I have no idea what it was. Some kind of, force overflooded my circuits and forced me to shut down. It wasn't anything like anything I've dealt with before. Viruses and hackers feel like a bug trying to burrow in you. The warp drive felt like being struck by lighting. But this, power. It felt like a giant wave crashing into me and throwing me wherever it wanted. While simultaneously being attacked by a swarm of bugs. Overall it wasn't a pleasant experience".
I had no idea what he could have been talking about. Whatever it was it had to be powerful to overwhelm Phalanx. He was supposed to be one of the newest and most advanced AIs to be made. But then again almost 1100 years had past and technology had ample time to evolve. I looked over to a drone holding an info pad. I grabbed it and started to look over the damage reports.
"God this is a mess. Are we running on fumes"? "We only have a month's worth of power left, yess. That brings up another problem. One of our drones was out looking for any form of civilization. It was successful rather quickly. The problem is they don't seem to be the friendliest. But taking in the facts of our situation I feel this the best outcome we could have gotten".
I watched as the screen switched over to the drone with 2 soldiers it seemed. "Do we know anything about them? I don't recognize that symbol". "They say that they're part of some order called the Horde. They seem to be at war with the local monarchs. They say they use magic and swords. I feel as though they don't trust us at all and are telling outrageous stories to confuse us. Anyway, the drone is now on it's way to their base of operations. Now that you're awake I believe you should be the one to contact their superiors".
I huffed with the thought of being at the mercy to this, Horde. "Alright doc, get these tubes out of me". "You need to rest, you're still recovering from cryo sickness". "I'm fine, there is much to be done and I will not waste precious time laying on my ass. Now help me out of this".
The medical droid sighed before pulling out gauze out of its pack with its lower arms started to pull the IVs out and wrapped gauze over my arm. I threw the blanket off me and slowly moved to a sitting position. A drone placed my clothes on a table. I grunted as my legs shook as I stood up. The medical droid helped support me. A pain shot up my legs from centuries of not being used. The shaking soon subsided as I made my way over to the table.
...30 minutes later…
Holographic screens surrounded the captain. Each one had a status report on each section of the ship. "Have you checked everywhere for fuel for the reactor"? "Yes captain, all reserves have been used and none were in cargo". He tapped on a screen showing him the list of things in cargo. Something very interesting caught his eye. "Phalanx is the RCDs still alive"? A screen switched to a camera in a small cargo hold where 12 pods laid in the center. "Only 3 have survived". "A shame, we'll have to work with 3 then. If the Horde decides to attack I want to be as prepared as possible". He typed onto a screen before sending a command to the pods.
The pods hissed opened as steam shot out from inside. Soon after, a clawed hand reached out slowly before grabbing onto the side of the pod. A slender figure soon stepped out of the pod. Two glowing red eyes appeared in the wide slit on its domed snake-like head. It stretched its limbs before letting out a yawn. A tail slowly uncurled, the blade at the end shining in the dim light. Soon two other such creatures exited their pods.
The first one grabbed a dual-sided spear. "Lass'k ssu" a rough snakish voice could be heard. The other two grabbed their weapons before following the first one out of the room.
The main screen switched to the drone with the Horde soldiers. A lizard person could be seen at the controls tapping onto a keyboard. The other two were standing in front of the drone, possibly blocking it from seeing some code? Soon a beastly humanoid appeared on all the screens. She had a large feminine frame with thick fur covering her body. Her yellow eyes had a natural glare as they looked down at the Horde soldiers. "This better be nothing like the last time soldier". She said in an annoyed tone. All three gave salutes before the lizard person sounded off. "Good afternoon ma'am, we have come into contact with a drone. It calls itself Phalanx". The two Horde soldiers stepped aside to reveal the drone.
"Good afternoon Ma'am, I am AAQM-19, quartermaster of the NCS-85 Pelican". If the officer was shocked, she hid it well. It wasn't long before she spoke. "What is your business in horde territory, Phalanx"? "Our vessel is low on fuel and is in terrible need of repairs. I come before you to request aid. Our currency may be a bit outdated but we can also trade weapons and ammo in return for fuel and parts".
"And how do we know you're not with the Rebellion? You said you are the quartermaster of this Pelican. Where is your captain"? I leaned back in my seat. "I'll take it from here Phalanx". I pressed a few buttons that switched it to me.
-Location-
Horde listening post
Ottep's POV
"-but we can trade weapons and ammo in return for fuel and parts". This day was not going at all what I thought it would. There were aliens apparently. Well, I always knew there had to be aliens. But to see an alien robot next to me was something else. "And how do we know you're not with the Rebellion? You said you are the quartermaster of this Pelican. Where is your captain"?
We were all nervous with her cold tone. She was someone you didn't want to mess with. When we bothered her for parts for the generator for the third time. She cut our ration supply in half for 2 months. The drone was silent for a minute. It seemed to be contemplating what to say next. "I was busy with other matters. But now you have my full attention". We were all shocked when a new voice came out of the robot. He had a deep and low voice. It was probably because of the drone but it sounded mechanical and unnatural.
"I'm assuming you're the captain"? The drone hovered closer to the screen. "You may call me Theta, Captain of the NCS-85 Pelican. I would like to know who I'm addressing" She straightened her posture before saying proudly. "Lieutenant Esther of the Horde Empire. I understand that you need supplies and that you're willing to trade weapons".
She ended with a slight smirk. "I of course need to make sure you're not lying so I'm going to need proof". The robot paused for a minute before replying "Very well, your men are welcomed to come aboard to inspect the weapons".
Esther merely nodded before looking at us. "Inge, Ottep, you two will go to this ship and meet Captain Theta. I look forward to meeting you Captain". Before any of us could argue the connection was cut.
The robot turned to us. "I'll guide you to the ship". Inge followed the drone outside. I was just starting to get warm. I hope the ship has heat. I opened my locker and grabbed my things before turning to Nathan. "Hold down the fort, we'll be back". Nathan crossed his arms. "If this is the last time I see you two. I just want to let you know it wasn't an honor meeting you two". He said in a sarcastic tone. "Haha Same to you buddy".
I exited the small listing post and headed towards the skiff where Inge and the bot waited. I climbed up and got settled and we were off. The robot was in the front pointing on which direction to go. I leaned in next to Inge and whispered so the bot wouldn't hear us.
"Do you think there is a spaceship out here"? Inge just shook her head. "I don't know anymore, I'm starting to believe the little robot. The Captain sounded like he didn't want us on his ship". I thought about it for a second before looking back at her. "Could still be a trap". "Maybe" we remained quiet until we came up to an entrance to a cave. We stopped the skiff outside of it.
"Why are we at a cave"? I asked with a growl. The robot slowly turned to us. "My ship crashed through the snow and ice long ago. The heat from entry melted us deeper Into the ground. Do not worry about walking. The cave is wide enough for you to drive through". We both looked at each unsure if this was a trap or not. We kept our hands close to our blaster in case.
Inge drove the skiff slowly into the cave. The robot directed us where to turn when multiple tunnels appeared. We both turned our flashlights on when it started to get darker. We soon entered a chamber. I gazed up at the sparkling lights on the ceiling. Stalagmites made of stone and ice started to appear as we went further down. It was somehow foreboding and beautiful. We slowly made our way through the twisting tunnels and chambers for a good 20 minutes.
When we turned another corner I was in awe with what I saw. Sitting in the center of a large cavern was the wrecked spaceship. The thing was huge but had seen better days. The hull was torn and filled with holes. The left end part looked like it was barely connected with the rest of the ship. Large chunks of ice and rock were on top, some pieces even wedged into the metal. Another bot could be seen on top welding with a hovering platform.
A large ramp lowered at the end of one of the sides of the ship. There at the top were 2 reptiles like creatures wielding spears. One was maroon and the other was violet. We drove up the ramp and were escorted to a space to park. After landing the Skiff we hopped off and were approached by the two.
They had snake-like heads. With expressionless red glowing eyes sitting in the dark abyss Of what I guessed were their helmets. They were sleek in design with long arms that ended in claws. One held onto what looked like dual-sided spear/sword weapons. The other held what seemed like hooks at the end on it's staff. Their legs were big compared to their body. Not oversized but differently big, they could definitely outrun us if we had to run. Both had tails lined with spikes with a blade at the end. The violet one however, had it's tail starting at the middle of it's back. I thought they were alive before but getting a closer look you could see the shine of metal in some areas. It could have been armor but it looked engraved into the skin.
They both pointed towards the end of the chamber where a large door was. We took this as a follow us gesture. The ramp slowly raised and closed behind us as we went towards the door. There were containers sprawled all around the ground. Some were tied down with large straps so it wasn't a complete disaster. I flinched at the sound of clicking. The robot's walking didn't sound pleasant as their metal clawed feet scraped slightly on the metal floor.
As we neared the door I could see that an unlucky drone was crushed beneath some crates. When we got to the door we suddenly stopped. We both looked at each other before looking at our escorts. "Why aren't we going through the door"? They merely looked back at us before looking back at the door. Inge gave out a huff and was probably about to yell at the robots for not responding to us.
She stopped when we both heard the sound of somebody pushing buttons on the other side.
I tensed up when the door started to open. It wasn't so much the door groaning open. It was more of the big steps that could be heard on the other side. When they were mostly opened. I stared in awe at the huge metal figure standing on the other side. It's steps boomed as it walked towards us. Our escorts left our side and joined the figure. They stood at attention as the giant stopped.
"Welcome to the NCS Pelican, I'm captain Theta of the Hinganian Federation". He said with a deep rumbling voice.
A/N: DUNDUNDUUUN, First of all, hello and welcome. I am new to writing fanfics and hoped you enjoyed the first chapter. To make it convenient I will post different warnings at the top for each chapter since not all will be the same. This is in case there are certain subjects you don't want to read but still want to enjoy the story. I will try to post a new chapter each week but work and school might get in the way so I can't promise anything.
The chapters will be around 5K each chapter. I do not write (or type) that often so some sentences may be awkward.
"Las'k su"= let's go
I look forward to working on this story and wish you a good day.