Disclaimer: I'm bored of the average disclaimer, so I think I'll let the
characters speak for themselves.
Cale: Starphoenix23 doesn't own my universe, or the people in it.
James: Same goes for us.
T'Lor: Therefore, it would be illogical to sue her.
Talela: You will NOT sue Starphoenix *waves hand*
K'Bhena: If you do, you shall die! *gets out her d'k'tahg knife and waves it threateningly*
Najen: Ooookay...Let's just get on with the story...
CHAPTER 6: OPPOSITION
They worked for three hours straight. T'Lor found weird readings from a certain site, so they went to check it out, towing the Riata Ky Hwi along behind them. Now they were just waiting for the ship to get there.
On the way, they split into several groups. Najen marveled at the strangeness of the scene in front of her. It was like a mural with lots of action going on in different parts of the painting. If Najen were an artist, she would have sketched it.
James was in a corner with Talela, eagerly asking her questions about Jedi Knights. However, Najen believed that he was more interested in the elegant Talela than in anything else. James began to slip his arm over her shoulder--and from across the shuttle Cale's hands curled into fists.
When Cale wasn't glaring at James, he was shooting sour looks to the other end of the shuttle, where Akiran was sitting by himself, staring out into space. Koby the Wookie sat next to Cale, probably commiserating with him about the flirtatious great-great-grandnephew of Kirk or the weird Imperial sitting at the bow.
Next to the Imperial sat T'Lor. T'Lor was not talking with him, however. Instead, she sat hunched over her console, serenely studying scanner readings.
In the chair behind T'Lor sat Levek. He was examining the Federation console-no doubt carefully remembering his new experiences with Federation technology to tell his Romulan superiors about later.
Next to Levek stood K'Bhena. She too was studying Starfleet technology-only her area of interest was weapons systems. While they worked, Levek and K'Bhena talked--er, argued--about whose technology was better: Romulan or Klingon.
Najen sat down next to Koby. For a member of a species that was clearly very strong, Koby seemed shy around the others. Or perhaps he didn't talk to the others because his mouth couldn't form the words of their languages.
"Can Koby understand me?" Najen asked Cale. Cale nodded.
Najen turned to Koby. "Would you mind talking for a bit in your native language?" Koby growled a bit.
"He wouldn't mind," Cale translated. "But he wants to know why he'd be doing this."
"I just want the Universal Translator to analyze it a bit," Najen explained. "Can we start now?" she asked. Koby nodded.
"Okay," Najen said thoughtfully, pressing some buttons on her console. "What's the Wookie word for 'hello'?"
Koby made a noise that sounded like "krrooiiwwlll".
"Kuh-row-il," Najen pronounced. Then she laughed. "I bet my accent's terrible. Can you say some more? Anything'll do."
Koby continued talking. Najen glanced down at her readouts. The Universal Translator was 62% done with its analysis.
"Come on," Najen urged. Then, to Koby: "More, please."
Finally, the Universal Translator was done. Programming it some more, Najen spoke, "Okay, Koby, one last time. Say anything you want."
Koby growled for a moment. Then the computer translated it:
"Okay, even though I don't understand exactly what you're doing," Koby said. Then: "Hey, I'm speaking Basic! Is that what you programmed your computer to do, Najen?"
"Yes," Najen replied, pleased with herself. "Now it'll be easier for us to understand you."
Koby bared his teeth in a Wookie grin. "Thanks, Najen."
Then another voice came through from the Rebel ship.
"Excuuuse me!" a thin and metallic voice cried. "How long were you going to leave me alone here?"
"Who's that?" Najen asked. "I'm not reading any life-signs on the Riata."
"Oh, that," Cale grumbled. "That's just our droid. Better beam it over."
"Droid?" Najen asked, beginning the transport. "As in 'android'?"
"Yeah," Cale said, frowning as the silvery robot materialized a foot away. "This is an especially annoying droid that's obsessed with cleanliness-as if it could get sick-and afraid of the dark."
"The android is afraid of the dark?" Najen asked, confused.
"Yeah," Cale replied. "Don't ask me why-it just is. Najen meet SU-9. SU-9 meet Najen."
"My name is not SU-9," the droid replied. "I am LE-416 of the Corellian Technology Center. You may call me 'Ellie'. Where am I?"
Cale ignored the droid's question and asked Talela (who had moved away from the annoying James and was now talking with T'Lor), "Didn't this droid say its name was SU-9?"
"Yes," Talela replied. "Is there a problem?"
"Well, now this droid says its name's LE-416."
Talela frowned. "That's odd. I have a very good memory, and I know that the droid said its name is SU-9."
"Well, I know we didn't pick up two druids," Cale muttered. "Hey Koby, can you examine the droid for a moment. Maybe it's malfunctioning."
"I am NOT malfunctioning!" the droid cried. "Ohhhh, this is just like what they did at the Tektaron Laboratory! Everyone was dissecting me, and probing my artificial intelligence chips--it was terrible. They said I was malfunctioning! Why, they were going to shut me down and turn me into scrap for sure! But I escaped from them."
"You escaped?" Cale asked, confused.
"Yes, I had to," the droid replied. "They said I was malfunctioning!"
"WHY did they say you were malfunctioning?" asked Najen.
"So-called 'normal' droids are supposedly not afraid of the dark. Nor are they as concerned with hygiene as I. Well, that's their problem--it's not my fault if they get contaminated."
"Contaminated?" Najen asked.
"Yes," SU-9/LE-416 replied. "Do you know how much dust is floating around? What if it collects in my joints and...rusts them? Why, dust alone could DESTROY my body! I HATE DUST!"
"What is that noise?" Levek asked. "That robot has to be the most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life! It's even worse than my math teacher's lectures on irrational numbers."
"This android's beginning to creep me out," James muttered.
"Ohhhh!" the droid cried. "You're just like all the others! No one ever keeps me for longer than a month! My old owner left me marooned on Hoth, to die a slow death of dust contamination!"
"I wonder why," Levek muttered sarcastically.
There was a blinding flash of light from the direction of the droid. Before anyone could react, Levek jumped up and grabbed his arm in pain. "Ahhh! In the name of Rehu!"
"I'm sorry," the droid said mockingly. "I didn't mean to shock you like that..." Then the droid trailed off and broke out into shrill, creepy, mechanical laughter.
"The droid's psycho!" James cried. Then SU-9/LE-416 zapped him in the leg and laughed some more.
"Turn it off!" Cale ordered, before the droid shot him in the chest. Cale's body sagged like a marionette with cut strings and crumbled to the floor, unconscious.
Screams echoed throughout the shuttle. Then the droid's laughter was abruptly cut of.
K'Bhena had stuck a knife in the back of SU-9. The droid fell forward with a resounding CLANG, its circuits too damaged to work.
"Ooookay," James muttered, picking himself off the floor. "That was certainly creepy."
"I agree with you there," Levek echoed, helping the Human up.
T'Lor revived Cale with a stimulant. He was fine.
And then the attack came.
"There is a ship off our starboard side," T'Lor reported calmly. The shuttle began to shake. "And it is firing at us."
"That's an Imperial ship!" Cale cried, noticing the design.
James hailed the Imperials. "This is the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga. We mean you no harm. If you keep attacking us, we shall have to retaliate."
"They're not going to listen to you," Cale warned. He was right. The Imperial ship didn't even reply.
K'Bhena took a seat at the weapons console and prepared to fire. "I've got a weapons lock," she said, grinning at the excitement of battle.
"Watch out!" Talela cried, feeling a tremor in the Force.
"NO!" Akiran cried, rushing forward and tackling K'Bhena before she could fire on his people.
"Arrgh!" the Klingon shouted angrily, shoving the Imperial into a bulkhead and turning back to the weapons console. "I shall deal with you later!"
Akiran tried to rise, but was held in place by Koby. "Rebel scum!" the Imperial howled. Then, in a vain attempt to incapacitate the Starfleet shuttle, he started pressing as many buttons as he could, hoping that he was messing with vital systems. Koby stopped him before he could do any damage.
T'Lor piloted the ship in a blinding rush of evasive maneuvers, her fingers flying over the computer console. But it was too late.
The Ticonderoga rocked violently as a blast from the Imperial ship slammed into it.
"They have disabled our weapons systems," T'lor reported. "We must go to warp before it's too late."
"No!" K'Bhena cried. "A Klingon NEVER retreats!"
"Either we retreat or we die!" Najen retorted. "And I vote retreat!"
"An enemy that runs away lives to fight another day." James muttered.
T'Lor went to warp just in time. Everyone in the shuttle breathed a sigh of relief.
Levek glanced at the still-struggling Imperial. "I think we need to lock him up again."
"I second that," Cale agreed.
"So what do we do now?" James asked. "You know those Imperials will find us eventually."
"There's only one thing we can do," Najen said. "We have to prepare for when they do."
T'Lor, like always, had to be the practical one who burst everyone's feelings of security.
"A shuttle of this class does not have adequate weapons to carry on an attack of any magnitude," T'Lor pointed out.
"Then we can modify them," Levek said. "I have some ideas."
"So do I," K'Bhena added, still sulking about the retreat.
"Well, then." Najen began, trying to sound calm and focused. "Let's get to work."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Najen: Well, now that you've read the story, it would be nice to review.
K'Bhena: Review or DIE! *gets out bat'leth*
James: What kind of a way to get people to review is THAT?
K'Bhena: An effective way.
James: Sure...*Inches away from Klingon*
Levek: How about: Review, or we'll sic the droid on you!
T'Lor: I must protest. That is a cruel and illogical threat. In addition, the author was stressing out about schoolwork when she wrote the part about SU-9. It would be inhumane to subject the audience to it...
Levek: *shakes head* Vulcans...
Cale: What my counterparts from another galaxy are TRYING to say is: review. Please.
Talela: Oh, and a vision from the Force tells me that Starphoenix will put her next chapter up this weekend. A Jedi must have patience...May the Force be with you until then!
Cale: Starphoenix23 doesn't own my universe, or the people in it.
James: Same goes for us.
T'Lor: Therefore, it would be illogical to sue her.
Talela: You will NOT sue Starphoenix *waves hand*
K'Bhena: If you do, you shall die! *gets out her d'k'tahg knife and waves it threateningly*
Najen: Ooookay...Let's just get on with the story...
CHAPTER 6: OPPOSITION
They worked for three hours straight. T'Lor found weird readings from a certain site, so they went to check it out, towing the Riata Ky Hwi along behind them. Now they were just waiting for the ship to get there.
On the way, they split into several groups. Najen marveled at the strangeness of the scene in front of her. It was like a mural with lots of action going on in different parts of the painting. If Najen were an artist, she would have sketched it.
James was in a corner with Talela, eagerly asking her questions about Jedi Knights. However, Najen believed that he was more interested in the elegant Talela than in anything else. James began to slip his arm over her shoulder--and from across the shuttle Cale's hands curled into fists.
When Cale wasn't glaring at James, he was shooting sour looks to the other end of the shuttle, where Akiran was sitting by himself, staring out into space. Koby the Wookie sat next to Cale, probably commiserating with him about the flirtatious great-great-grandnephew of Kirk or the weird Imperial sitting at the bow.
Next to the Imperial sat T'Lor. T'Lor was not talking with him, however. Instead, she sat hunched over her console, serenely studying scanner readings.
In the chair behind T'Lor sat Levek. He was examining the Federation console-no doubt carefully remembering his new experiences with Federation technology to tell his Romulan superiors about later.
Next to Levek stood K'Bhena. She too was studying Starfleet technology-only her area of interest was weapons systems. While they worked, Levek and K'Bhena talked--er, argued--about whose technology was better: Romulan or Klingon.
Najen sat down next to Koby. For a member of a species that was clearly very strong, Koby seemed shy around the others. Or perhaps he didn't talk to the others because his mouth couldn't form the words of their languages.
"Can Koby understand me?" Najen asked Cale. Cale nodded.
Najen turned to Koby. "Would you mind talking for a bit in your native language?" Koby growled a bit.
"He wouldn't mind," Cale translated. "But he wants to know why he'd be doing this."
"I just want the Universal Translator to analyze it a bit," Najen explained. "Can we start now?" she asked. Koby nodded.
"Okay," Najen said thoughtfully, pressing some buttons on her console. "What's the Wookie word for 'hello'?"
Koby made a noise that sounded like "krrooiiwwlll".
"Kuh-row-il," Najen pronounced. Then she laughed. "I bet my accent's terrible. Can you say some more? Anything'll do."
Koby continued talking. Najen glanced down at her readouts. The Universal Translator was 62% done with its analysis.
"Come on," Najen urged. Then, to Koby: "More, please."
Finally, the Universal Translator was done. Programming it some more, Najen spoke, "Okay, Koby, one last time. Say anything you want."
Koby growled for a moment. Then the computer translated it:
"Okay, even though I don't understand exactly what you're doing," Koby said. Then: "Hey, I'm speaking Basic! Is that what you programmed your computer to do, Najen?"
"Yes," Najen replied, pleased with herself. "Now it'll be easier for us to understand you."
Koby bared his teeth in a Wookie grin. "Thanks, Najen."
Then another voice came through from the Rebel ship.
"Excuuuse me!" a thin and metallic voice cried. "How long were you going to leave me alone here?"
"Who's that?" Najen asked. "I'm not reading any life-signs on the Riata."
"Oh, that," Cale grumbled. "That's just our droid. Better beam it over."
"Droid?" Najen asked, beginning the transport. "As in 'android'?"
"Yeah," Cale said, frowning as the silvery robot materialized a foot away. "This is an especially annoying droid that's obsessed with cleanliness-as if it could get sick-and afraid of the dark."
"The android is afraid of the dark?" Najen asked, confused.
"Yeah," Cale replied. "Don't ask me why-it just is. Najen meet SU-9. SU-9 meet Najen."
"My name is not SU-9," the droid replied. "I am LE-416 of the Corellian Technology Center. You may call me 'Ellie'. Where am I?"
Cale ignored the droid's question and asked Talela (who had moved away from the annoying James and was now talking with T'Lor), "Didn't this droid say its name was SU-9?"
"Yes," Talela replied. "Is there a problem?"
"Well, now this droid says its name's LE-416."
Talela frowned. "That's odd. I have a very good memory, and I know that the droid said its name is SU-9."
"Well, I know we didn't pick up two druids," Cale muttered. "Hey Koby, can you examine the droid for a moment. Maybe it's malfunctioning."
"I am NOT malfunctioning!" the droid cried. "Ohhhh, this is just like what they did at the Tektaron Laboratory! Everyone was dissecting me, and probing my artificial intelligence chips--it was terrible. They said I was malfunctioning! Why, they were going to shut me down and turn me into scrap for sure! But I escaped from them."
"You escaped?" Cale asked, confused.
"Yes, I had to," the droid replied. "They said I was malfunctioning!"
"WHY did they say you were malfunctioning?" asked Najen.
"So-called 'normal' droids are supposedly not afraid of the dark. Nor are they as concerned with hygiene as I. Well, that's their problem--it's not my fault if they get contaminated."
"Contaminated?" Najen asked.
"Yes," SU-9/LE-416 replied. "Do you know how much dust is floating around? What if it collects in my joints and...rusts them? Why, dust alone could DESTROY my body! I HATE DUST!"
"What is that noise?" Levek asked. "That robot has to be the most annoying thing I've ever heard in my life! It's even worse than my math teacher's lectures on irrational numbers."
"This android's beginning to creep me out," James muttered.
"Ohhhh!" the droid cried. "You're just like all the others! No one ever keeps me for longer than a month! My old owner left me marooned on Hoth, to die a slow death of dust contamination!"
"I wonder why," Levek muttered sarcastically.
There was a blinding flash of light from the direction of the droid. Before anyone could react, Levek jumped up and grabbed his arm in pain. "Ahhh! In the name of Rehu!"
"I'm sorry," the droid said mockingly. "I didn't mean to shock you like that..." Then the droid trailed off and broke out into shrill, creepy, mechanical laughter.
"The droid's psycho!" James cried. Then SU-9/LE-416 zapped him in the leg and laughed some more.
"Turn it off!" Cale ordered, before the droid shot him in the chest. Cale's body sagged like a marionette with cut strings and crumbled to the floor, unconscious.
Screams echoed throughout the shuttle. Then the droid's laughter was abruptly cut of.
K'Bhena had stuck a knife in the back of SU-9. The droid fell forward with a resounding CLANG, its circuits too damaged to work.
"Ooookay," James muttered, picking himself off the floor. "That was certainly creepy."
"I agree with you there," Levek echoed, helping the Human up.
T'Lor revived Cale with a stimulant. He was fine.
And then the attack came.
"There is a ship off our starboard side," T'Lor reported calmly. The shuttle began to shake. "And it is firing at us."
"That's an Imperial ship!" Cale cried, noticing the design.
James hailed the Imperials. "This is the Federation shuttlecraft Ticonderoga. We mean you no harm. If you keep attacking us, we shall have to retaliate."
"They're not going to listen to you," Cale warned. He was right. The Imperial ship didn't even reply.
K'Bhena took a seat at the weapons console and prepared to fire. "I've got a weapons lock," she said, grinning at the excitement of battle.
"Watch out!" Talela cried, feeling a tremor in the Force.
"NO!" Akiran cried, rushing forward and tackling K'Bhena before she could fire on his people.
"Arrgh!" the Klingon shouted angrily, shoving the Imperial into a bulkhead and turning back to the weapons console. "I shall deal with you later!"
Akiran tried to rise, but was held in place by Koby. "Rebel scum!" the Imperial howled. Then, in a vain attempt to incapacitate the Starfleet shuttle, he started pressing as many buttons as he could, hoping that he was messing with vital systems. Koby stopped him before he could do any damage.
T'Lor piloted the ship in a blinding rush of evasive maneuvers, her fingers flying over the computer console. But it was too late.
The Ticonderoga rocked violently as a blast from the Imperial ship slammed into it.
"They have disabled our weapons systems," T'lor reported. "We must go to warp before it's too late."
"No!" K'Bhena cried. "A Klingon NEVER retreats!"
"Either we retreat or we die!" Najen retorted. "And I vote retreat!"
"An enemy that runs away lives to fight another day." James muttered.
T'Lor went to warp just in time. Everyone in the shuttle breathed a sigh of relief.
Levek glanced at the still-struggling Imperial. "I think we need to lock him up again."
"I second that," Cale agreed.
"So what do we do now?" James asked. "You know those Imperials will find us eventually."
"There's only one thing we can do," Najen said. "We have to prepare for when they do."
T'Lor, like always, had to be the practical one who burst everyone's feelings of security.
"A shuttle of this class does not have adequate weapons to carry on an attack of any magnitude," T'Lor pointed out.
"Then we can modify them," Levek said. "I have some ideas."
"So do I," K'Bhena added, still sulking about the retreat.
"Well, then." Najen began, trying to sound calm and focused. "Let's get to work."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Najen: Well, now that you've read the story, it would be nice to review.
K'Bhena: Review or DIE! *gets out bat'leth*
James: What kind of a way to get people to review is THAT?
K'Bhena: An effective way.
James: Sure...*Inches away from Klingon*
Levek: How about: Review, or we'll sic the droid on you!
T'Lor: I must protest. That is a cruel and illogical threat. In addition, the author was stressing out about schoolwork when she wrote the part about SU-9. It would be inhumane to subject the audience to it...
Levek: *shakes head* Vulcans...
Cale: What my counterparts from another galaxy are TRYING to say is: review. Please.
Talela: Oh, and a vision from the Force tells me that Starphoenix will put her next chapter up this weekend. A Jedi must have patience...May the Force be with you until then!