Meanwhile on Andromeda
It had taken a little more than a day to repair and reload, but now they were ready to leave. "Everyone report to command" Beka called out over the com "Today we are heading towards Vegas drift". Everyone made their way to command as quick as the could as they were all anxious to get on with this mission. "Sintii Space dock this is Beka Valentine of the Andromeda requesting permission to disembark"
"Permission granted Andromeda. Good luck to you"
"Thank you Space dock, and good luck to you" Beka replied before cutting the com and turning back to her crew "Ok everyone we are off to Vegas" she told them as she lifted Andromeda off the platform and aimed her towards the location of the nearest slip portal. As they approached she activated the pilot's controls and told everyone to brace for slip stream. It didn't take them long to reach the system as it was a well travelled route from where they were. They dropped out of slipstream to find nothing in front of them.
"Ummm... Beka are you sure this is the right system?" Asked Harper as they looked out into space and all they could see was debris
"Yes according to the star charts this is the location of Vegas drift. We are in the right system but there is no drift... I wonder where it is" Beka said clearly confused, Tyr on the other hand looked shocked. He had been running a scan on the debris trying to figure out what could have caused that much debris and when he got the answer he let out a startled oath.
"We are in the right place and Vegas drift is there... Or rather what's left of Vegas drift" he said as he brought up a close up image of a piece of the debris that was clearly a neon sign.
"A whole drift destroyed?" Asked a horrified Trance
"It looks that way. Rommie scan the wreckage and look for any survivors" Beka said.
"I doubt you will find any" Tyr said
"DO IT ANYWAY!" Yelled Beka, she was angry and scared and took it out on the only people she could. She got a hold of herself after seeing the looks she got from her crew "Sorry I'm just a bit stressed is all" she apologized before turning and leaving command
"Scans show nothing. No survivors" Rommie said as she finished the scans and watched Beka leave
"Is there any thing out there that will help us understand what did this?" Asked Trance
"I'm not sure, it might help if we picked up some of the debris and ran a deep scan on it" suggested Harper
"I am also detecting faint residue from a slip portal that appears to have come from something very large. It doesn't appear to be more then 10 hours old... It could be from whatever did this I say we follow it" said Rommie as she looked towards Tyr awaiting his decision. Tyr appeared to be deep in thought and when he noticed everyone looking at him he said
"What?"
"Tyr as Beka is not on command at the moment you are in charge. You get to decide what we are to do" Rommie told him
"Oh, very well then. Ship take us over to the debris and pick some up for the little professor to study and then I will take us to slipstream and try to follow that residue you have found.'
"Yes sir" Andromeda replied as she set a course towards the most heavily concentrated area of debris. When she got close enough she sent out a couple of her drones to drag some debris into one of the cargo bays so Harper could study it. When they retrieved enough she informed Tyr and he set course out of the system following the slip portal that she had detected.
Three Weeks Later
"Another one. Damn that's the Twenty First drift we have found destroyed in the past Three weeks, who the hell is doing this?" Exclaimed Beka after Andromeda dropped out of slip-stream into yet another system only to discover the exact same situation here as they have found at every other system. Be it a Planet or a Drift each time they arrive all they find is destruction and a faint slip-portal showing they are only a few hours too late.
"I don't know Beka but it seems to me as if we are being led around by our noses" replied Rommie looking at the scans of the debris trying to find any indication of what was doing it.
"Well hopefully this little adventure will come to an end soon before to many more lives are lost"
"Not likely."
"Your probably right... Ok lets follow them again and see where we end up."
"Yes Captain"
===============================================================================
Same Time On Vedrans Vengeance
"Sir this is the Twenty Second successful test of the vessel" Said Dylan
"Good, Good. Helmsman set course for the next system and take us to slip-stream" said Loki as he leaned back into the throne.
"Sir may I ask a question?" Said Dylan looking at his captain
"What is it?" Loki said as he turned to look at Dylan
"Well this wholesale destruction of Drifts and Planets might be fun for you but what do you intend to accomplish out of it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we slip to a system block all out going communications, threaten the drift or planet, then destroy everyone and everything in the system." Dylan paused waiting for a reaction
"So?"
"So... If there are no communications leaving the system and no survivors how is anybody supposed to know who we are and what we want?"
"Hmmm...."
"I mean we haven't sent out a communication with demands, and we haven't left any calling cards of any kind except destruction, so what are we getting out of this?"
"Well to answer your question the reason we haven't been leaving anything behind is just so I could make sure that this vessel was able to handle everything well. And also to test and make sure the upload was working fine and that you would follow my orders no questions asked."
"Don't you think that Twenty One planets and drifts were enough to get all the bugs worked out?"
"Your right. If you could have resisted I believe you would have done so by now. Narvi bring in the messenger" Loki said turning towards his son who stood at his right hand
"Yes Father" Narvi said before bowing and leaving the room only to return minutes later with a badly beaten man. "Here is our volunteer."
"Good, do you know why you have been summoned?" Loki asked of the man kneeling in front of him
"Yes my lord I am to deliver a message to the first commonwealth vessel I come across" the man blabbered out honoured to be spoken to by his master.
"That's right wait here whilst I prepare the message." Loki turned back towards Dylan and said "Ship prepare to record a message"
"Ready to record message Sir"
"Ok start recording now. First Triumvere and Conclave this is Supreme Overlord Loki of the Children of Loki Revolutionary Movement. You are probably wondering who I am and what I want well Located on this Data disk are slip-stream co-ordinates for a remote system where I will expect to meet the Flagship of your Fleet in exactly Three Weeks. Now if you need some incentive as to why you should even consider this I have also input 22 system names that I would like you to visit, if you have not already done so. When you arrive at these systems you will see the results of my excursions and the only way you will get peace is if you meet my demands which I will give to your flagship at our rendezvous. Now I expect to see only 1 vessel in the system I have selected, I will be there alone and waiting. I give you permission to send in a slip-scout before hand to make sure that I have kept my word, and you may also leave you fleet if you so choose to deploy it a minimum of 2 slip-jumps to they system. I look forward to meeting you representative there. Until then Goodbye. Stop recording"
"Recording stopped"
"Good now upload all the information I have given them to a disk and give it to our messenger. When we drop out of slip-stream broadcast the usual and destroy them. Then before we leave the system eject an escape pod into a dense area of debris."
"Yes Sir"
The ship dropped out of slip-stream and broadcast its message to the drift. Loki looked on with satisfaction "Very soon the Endgame begins" he smiled whilst he waited for the reply from the drift.
It had taken a little more than a day to repair and reload, but now they were ready to leave. "Everyone report to command" Beka called out over the com "Today we are heading towards Vegas drift". Everyone made their way to command as quick as the could as they were all anxious to get on with this mission. "Sintii Space dock this is Beka Valentine of the Andromeda requesting permission to disembark"
"Permission granted Andromeda. Good luck to you"
"Thank you Space dock, and good luck to you" Beka replied before cutting the com and turning back to her crew "Ok everyone we are off to Vegas" she told them as she lifted Andromeda off the platform and aimed her towards the location of the nearest slip portal. As they approached she activated the pilot's controls and told everyone to brace for slip stream. It didn't take them long to reach the system as it was a well travelled route from where they were. They dropped out of slipstream to find nothing in front of them.
"Ummm... Beka are you sure this is the right system?" Asked Harper as they looked out into space and all they could see was debris
"Yes according to the star charts this is the location of Vegas drift. We are in the right system but there is no drift... I wonder where it is" Beka said clearly confused, Tyr on the other hand looked shocked. He had been running a scan on the debris trying to figure out what could have caused that much debris and when he got the answer he let out a startled oath.
"We are in the right place and Vegas drift is there... Or rather what's left of Vegas drift" he said as he brought up a close up image of a piece of the debris that was clearly a neon sign.
"A whole drift destroyed?" Asked a horrified Trance
"It looks that way. Rommie scan the wreckage and look for any survivors" Beka said.
"I doubt you will find any" Tyr said
"DO IT ANYWAY!" Yelled Beka, she was angry and scared and took it out on the only people she could. She got a hold of herself after seeing the looks she got from her crew "Sorry I'm just a bit stressed is all" she apologized before turning and leaving command
"Scans show nothing. No survivors" Rommie said as she finished the scans and watched Beka leave
"Is there any thing out there that will help us understand what did this?" Asked Trance
"I'm not sure, it might help if we picked up some of the debris and ran a deep scan on it" suggested Harper
"I am also detecting faint residue from a slip portal that appears to have come from something very large. It doesn't appear to be more then 10 hours old... It could be from whatever did this I say we follow it" said Rommie as she looked towards Tyr awaiting his decision. Tyr appeared to be deep in thought and when he noticed everyone looking at him he said
"What?"
"Tyr as Beka is not on command at the moment you are in charge. You get to decide what we are to do" Rommie told him
"Oh, very well then. Ship take us over to the debris and pick some up for the little professor to study and then I will take us to slipstream and try to follow that residue you have found.'
"Yes sir" Andromeda replied as she set a course towards the most heavily concentrated area of debris. When she got close enough she sent out a couple of her drones to drag some debris into one of the cargo bays so Harper could study it. When they retrieved enough she informed Tyr and he set course out of the system following the slip portal that she had detected.
Three Weeks Later
"Another one. Damn that's the Twenty First drift we have found destroyed in the past Three weeks, who the hell is doing this?" Exclaimed Beka after Andromeda dropped out of slip-stream into yet another system only to discover the exact same situation here as they have found at every other system. Be it a Planet or a Drift each time they arrive all they find is destruction and a faint slip-portal showing they are only a few hours too late.
"I don't know Beka but it seems to me as if we are being led around by our noses" replied Rommie looking at the scans of the debris trying to find any indication of what was doing it.
"Well hopefully this little adventure will come to an end soon before to many more lives are lost"
"Not likely."
"Your probably right... Ok lets follow them again and see where we end up."
"Yes Captain"
===============================================================================
Same Time On Vedrans Vengeance
"Sir this is the Twenty Second successful test of the vessel" Said Dylan
"Good, Good. Helmsman set course for the next system and take us to slip-stream" said Loki as he leaned back into the throne.
"Sir may I ask a question?" Said Dylan looking at his captain
"What is it?" Loki said as he turned to look at Dylan
"Well this wholesale destruction of Drifts and Planets might be fun for you but what do you intend to accomplish out of it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we slip to a system block all out going communications, threaten the drift or planet, then destroy everyone and everything in the system." Dylan paused waiting for a reaction
"So?"
"So... If there are no communications leaving the system and no survivors how is anybody supposed to know who we are and what we want?"
"Hmmm...."
"I mean we haven't sent out a communication with demands, and we haven't left any calling cards of any kind except destruction, so what are we getting out of this?"
"Well to answer your question the reason we haven't been leaving anything behind is just so I could make sure that this vessel was able to handle everything well. And also to test and make sure the upload was working fine and that you would follow my orders no questions asked."
"Don't you think that Twenty One planets and drifts were enough to get all the bugs worked out?"
"Your right. If you could have resisted I believe you would have done so by now. Narvi bring in the messenger" Loki said turning towards his son who stood at his right hand
"Yes Father" Narvi said before bowing and leaving the room only to return minutes later with a badly beaten man. "Here is our volunteer."
"Good, do you know why you have been summoned?" Loki asked of the man kneeling in front of him
"Yes my lord I am to deliver a message to the first commonwealth vessel I come across" the man blabbered out honoured to be spoken to by his master.
"That's right wait here whilst I prepare the message." Loki turned back towards Dylan and said "Ship prepare to record a message"
"Ready to record message Sir"
"Ok start recording now. First Triumvere and Conclave this is Supreme Overlord Loki of the Children of Loki Revolutionary Movement. You are probably wondering who I am and what I want well Located on this Data disk are slip-stream co-ordinates for a remote system where I will expect to meet the Flagship of your Fleet in exactly Three Weeks. Now if you need some incentive as to why you should even consider this I have also input 22 system names that I would like you to visit, if you have not already done so. When you arrive at these systems you will see the results of my excursions and the only way you will get peace is if you meet my demands which I will give to your flagship at our rendezvous. Now I expect to see only 1 vessel in the system I have selected, I will be there alone and waiting. I give you permission to send in a slip-scout before hand to make sure that I have kept my word, and you may also leave you fleet if you so choose to deploy it a minimum of 2 slip-jumps to they system. I look forward to meeting you representative there. Until then Goodbye. Stop recording"
"Recording stopped"
"Good now upload all the information I have given them to a disk and give it to our messenger. When we drop out of slip-stream broadcast the usual and destroy them. Then before we leave the system eject an escape pod into a dense area of debris."
"Yes Sir"
The ship dropped out of slip-stream and broadcast its message to the drift. Loki looked on with satisfaction "Very soon the Endgame begins" he smiled whilst he waited for the reply from the drift.