Kershala opened his eyes slowly he was laying next to Kale who was still asleep. His implant had shut down and put him to sleep to prevent a sensory overload, the result was that he was incredibly tired. He felt like he barely slept when he sat up he realized that the AI was hovering in front of the couch projecting an image.

"What are you doing Anubis?" Kershala stood up slowly and walked over to the couch.

"I have now decrypted seventy-eight percent of the access device. I am currently accessing the ships internal sensors to map out the vessel." The images changed rapidly as Kershala watched the AI moving through out the ship.

"This is good news. Are you able to access the ships teleporter unit yet?"

"I predict I will be able to access ships primary functions one I have reached eighty five percent decryption."

"Have you determined if there are any other life signs on the vessel yet?"

"I apologize, I only have access to tertiary sensors, they do not allow me to scan for life signs." Kershala had a sense of dread fall over him that the AI was able to detect. "If there is any other life on board than it will likely be other prisoners, not likely to be hostiles. The Arktora do not travel together and are thought to be loners. If there are other Shiron up there, they will likely be neutralized very quickly and pose little threat."

"Can you show me the external view of the ship?" asked Kershala taking a seat on the edge of the couch.

"What's going on?" asked Kale clearly groggy. Kershala didn't notice him stir as he spoke with the AI.

"Anubis has accessed the sensors on board the ship." Kale sat up slowly and put his hand to his head covering his eyes.

"Ah dammit, last night must have done a number on me. I haven't felt a headache like this in a long time. Definitely a migraine." Kale laid back down and Kershala walked over to him, he wasn't feeling great himself, but he wasn't in pain.

"What can I do?" Kershala knelt beside him put his hand gently on Kale's shoulder and kissed the hand he held over his face.

"A drink of water's a good start." Kale kept his hand over his eyes. Kershala reached over just behind the makeshift bed to where they kept one of the bottles of fresh water. He opened it and placed Kale's free hand on it. "Thank you." Kale twisted the top off and let it fall to the side before raising the bottle to his mouth for a couple of small sips. "Any idea how long this is going to last?"

"The effects of the process used have been known to last on Daoran minds for twelve of your hours. But in those situations, the memories were extracted from criminals against their will. Estimating based on previous recovery time and the amount of time you slept, it should not go on for much more than a few hours," Anubis explained.

"I guess that's good," said Kale running his hand through his hair.

"Come, sit with me while we look at this vessel." Kershala sat on the couch, he watched and waited as Kale slowly stood to join him. When he was close enough he took his hand and guided him he sat down. "Rest my en'saba." Kale looked at Kershala confused as he laid his head down on his lap. "It is a term of affection, Kale." Kale smiled at him as he got comfortable. Kershala rested his hand on Kale's chest and massaged it lightly as he watched the AI project an image of the ships external hull. Kershala turned his attention to the projection. "Activate a tactile interface and bring the image closer." Kershala ordered. Kershala watched as the image faded and reloaded there was now a clear spherical interface around the it so that he could touch and manipulate the image. The ship was bigger than Kershala had first imagined, it seemed too big for one being, at least twice as large as the ship he and his family used. Kershala manipulated the image with one hand and zoomed out from the image, the ship was heavily armed with several energy weapons mounted in strategic locations around the vessel. The surface of the ship seemed to be showing signs of battle stress, he could see several scars in the vessels heavy armor that were likely from energy weapons. Kershala could only imagine the poor souls that had come face to face with this vessel and its pilot, he would likely find the evidence of their struggles when they got to the ship in the form of their remains. He flipped the vessel to be able to see the underside. He could see where both the sub-light drive and main engines were located, it seemed to be equipped with a standard pulse drive with several smaller thrusters for maneuverability. The shape of the ship itself was unlike anything he had seen before, two large pincer-like apparatus extended from the main circular hull giving the ship an almost insect like appearance. The hull itself was not smooth like most ships he had come across either and seemed as though every part of the ship was forced into place. He wondered where it had come from, the design was clearly not of Shironian origin and he could tell it had been heavily modified. He felt Kale move his head on his lap as he studied the ship.

"Pretty mean looking thing huh?" he said quietly.

"Yes. It fits its owner." Kershala didn't turn away from the vessel.

"Doesn't look like a very inviting new home." Kershala looked down at Kale who was staring at the ship.

"It is a war machine, it is both heavily armed and armored and likely very maneuverable."

"Do you think you'll be able to fly it?" asked Kale.

"If I cannot, the AI can fly it at first." Kershala briefly felt something strange in his implant and the image began to distort. "What was that?" he asked. He felt the AI's connection to the implant completely sever. "What are you doing?" At the urgency in his voice Kale sat up.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Kershala, a layer of defence has been triggered from the ship itself…" the AI spoke, then paused, the core fell to the floor. "I… am… under… attack… hostile application… detected." The AI's voice began to distort and change.

"Disconnect from the vessel!"

"I can..not." Kershala jumped from his seat and picked up the core. He used the implant to scan it, the virus seemed to be causing an energy surge from within the AI core causing its neuro network to fuse.

"Cease all back up operations and devote your processes to establishing a firewall." Kershala called the nanites out of his implant and they wrapped themselves around the core as he held it. "We have to get it outside, it could explode." Kershala used the nanites to draw excess energy from the core in an attempt to prevent the build-up while using their addition processing power to assist the AI in defending itself. He ran outside with the machine in his hand breaking through the door quickly. The AI core began malfunctioning right in his hand, it began projecting images around them off and on. Unfortunately, enough to be noticed, his implant was telling him that with the nanites additional processing power there was a chance it would be able to protect itself, but he could tell that the virus had already fused several of its neural pathways. The core became so hot he had to sit it on the ground in front of him. Kale staggered out of the building and walked over to him.

"Is it gonna be okay? What kind of explosion are we talking here?" Kale looked around at the projections it was putting out. The images were familiar to Kershala, star charts, planetary maps, Daoran leaders and any number of other memories taken from their travels across the galaxy.

"Quiet Kale." Kershala watched as the AI defended itself, he felt disappointed in himself and the AI for not being more careful. To not think that the vessel would have a cyberwarfare suite to protect itself against exactly what the AI was attempting to do. Suddenly everything went quiet, Kershala couldn't get a reading from the core at all with his implant it had completely shut him out and seemingly shut down. He held the core in his hand everything around them was quiet except for the ambiance of the city. Kershala felt an anxiousness building in his stomach as he looked at the AI laying quiet, everything that the AI contained was at risk of being destroyed if it could not pull through. The history of his people was at risk. Kale walked over and knelt beside him.

"Is it … gone?" asked Kale looking intently at Kershala.

"I do not know, I cannot connect to it, it has shut me out." Kershala could feel that the nanites processors were still engaged when they involuntarily retreated to his implant. Kershala detected a message that had been carried through the nanites as they retreated telling him to throw the AI core into the air. "Get back!" With everything he had Kershala threw the AI core up into the air sending it a hundred feet in the air. As it reached it's highest an energy burst was released that would have destroyed the building, several car alarms started sounding in the neighborhood.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kale reacting to the explosion. As the AI core fell back toward them, Kershala could feel it re-establish the connect to his implant and see it visibly coming back online. It stopped just shy of hitting the ground and hovered just inches off the ground. Kershala could detect that while it had sustained some damage it was successful in dealing with the Shironian virus.

"Anubis report?" said Kershala as he grabbed the core and took it back in the building.

"I have sustained major damage to my secondary processors and will be inhibited from performing most secondary functions as a result. The damage may be repaired once we acquire the proper components but, in the meantime, my physical defensive capabilities have been disabled." Kershala felt a rush of relief move through him, the damage was something he could repair later but the archives were safe inside the core.

"Can you still decrypt the device?" asked Kale.

"Yes. I have already re-engaged with the vessel now that I have disabled its cyberwarfare suite," Anubis explained.

"Can you take us to it yet?" asked Kershala.

"Decryption is at eighty percent. It will not be long now, however, the energy explosion has caught the attention of our pursuers and they are on their way." Kershala looked at Kale he could see the worry in his face. "You must find a way to hold them off until I am able to take us out of this location."

"We will run, come on," said Kershala turning to the door.

"No, it is already too late for that, they are here." As he did his implant detected heat signatures just on the other side of the door. Instinctually he grabbed a box and threw it at the light knocking it down and leaving them in the dark. Using his implant, he could see around the room in the darkness with ease, he pulled a large shelf down in front of the door with ease than ran back to Kale.

"I can't see anything, Kershala," said Kale as Kershala grabbed his hand and pulled him into the corner.

"I will hold them off, take the AI core." Kershala put the core in Kales free hand. "Stay here." There was banging on the door as they tried to get the door open. It was silent when there was suddenly gun fire and the door crumbled. "Stay down," Kershala whispered as he walked away from Kale. His implant told him there was at least six of the men coming inside. They were heavily armed each of them carrying assault rifles and side arms on their person. The lights on their rifles let Kershala easily track their positions. He could see from the implant they were all wearing a heavy armor not that it would do them much good.

"Be careful, these terrorists can't get away. We have authorization to shoot to kill." Kershala picked up the audio from their communication devices sealed in their helmets. He could only imagine who these men thought they were after but the fact that they were shooting to kill made him more than a little nervous. They seemed to be carrying powerful experimental weapons that he could not find a reference for in the database he had collected from the internet he had to assume they were of great danger to him and more so of course to Kale. All six men were in their hide out now, shining their lights around. He looked back at Kale who had crouched down behind some boxes. They would have to trip over him to see him. Kershala jumped quietly into the rafters along the ceiling. Further analyzing their equipment, he could tell they were equipped with some sort of night vision and could likely see him if he wasn't careful. Luckily, he had spent some of their first few nights climbing around in the rafters to see if they'd support his weight if he needed them to, so he knew where he'd be able to settle. He quietly jumped to get behind the first one. He regretted it but would have to use lethal force, he didn't see a way around it. He knew once he started his attack they would fire on him with no hesitation, he had to protect Kale. He dropped down behind the man making a slight noise as he hit the floor.

"What was that!" The man swung around and saw him, he opened fire and Kershala pushed the gun to the side. The other men in the squadron turned to face them and opened fire as well. Kershala anticipated this, he pulled the man close to him and used him as a shield.

"I am sorry," he said to the man as the bullets clipped into his body. The man let out a gurgle as Kershala threw him into two of the men that were firing on him.

"We need a medic up here!" Kershala jumped back to the rafters all the while still under fire from the other three. He had called out the nanites and they scoured his body blocking shots that would have otherwise hit their mark. He swung into one man and incapacitated the other with a swift back hand. He ducked weapons fire from the third soldier and threw a box at him with his free hand knocking him off balance. Kershala jumped at him and before he could compose himself with a swift kick it was over. Kershala looked back at Kale who was still cowered. He looked back to the door when an explosive device was thrown into the room. It exploded mid air and sent shrapnel flying in all directions. Kershala turned away from the explosion, the nanites spreading out to protect his vital organs but he felt the shrapnel collide with the right of his body stinging in multiple spots. With that suddenly the lights in the building were active and eight more soldiers came running into the room. With no cover of darkness, Kershala's instinct was to protect Kale he jumped back to the corner he was cowered in. The men all pointed their weapons at them and Kale stood quickly and put his hands in the air.

"We surrender, don't shoot!" he screamed. Kershala landed in a crouching position in front of Kale. With the light on it was visible where the shrapnel had hit, he hadn't been wearing a shirt before the attack and the wounds to his right side were dripping violet. The men encroached on them their weapons raised.

"Send up the General, the enemy has been subdued," said the lead soldier. Kershala felt anger boiling in him at the fact that they had been caught. Kershala began looking around the room for a possible out when he realized that the floor beneath them led to a large open room and could easily be broken through.

"Good to see you two again," said the voice of the unnamed general they had dealt with at the base. He walked through the door and took up a position behind the soldiers. He too was wearing body armor but had no helmet on. "You didn't think that you could stay hidden, forever did you? Holed up here like a couple of animals. Let's get you back to the facility where you can't hurt anybody, and pop open the skull of yours and see what makes you tick."

"We never hurt anybody until you forced us to," said Kale. "Why can't you just let us go?" At the mention of cracking open his skull Kershala had already had enough.

"We will not be going anywhere with you!" he screamed. Kershala didn't hold back his anger in his voice. He screamed out in rage as he brought both of his fists down on the floor below him breaking through the floor. A shot went off and he felt a burning in his shoulder as his feet hit the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. He reached behind him and grabbed Kale pulling him through the mess and pushing him forward. Several of the soldiers opened fire down in to the hole he had created, the bullets digging into the floor under the debris. Kershala took several steps, he could hear the men above him getting ready to chase him when he decided he had enough. Before he got too far he looked above him and could see where the General was standing he had run a few feet back but the floor was still thin. Still in a fit of rage he jumped into the air and forced his hand through the floor grabbing the man by the leg and pulling for all he was worth, he had ripped the general right through the floor and slammed him to the ground. He then kicked him a few feet from where he landed so they could not shoot him from above and crouched over the man so close he could feel his breath against his face. The older man fumbled for his weapon but was quickly disarmed. "You will call off your men and leave us alone or I will kill you where you lay, do you understand me!" Kershala's fury was present in every word he yelled in the mans face, he could see violet spatters of his blood coming through in his mouth having taken some of the shrapnel to the side of his face. His blood splattered on the mans terrified face as he screamed at him. "Do you understand me!"

"I will not be intimida…." The man rose to yell back at him when Kershala slammed him back to the ground with a hand around his neck.

"You worthless pishar! I have reduced bigger enemies than you to dust!" Kershala squeezed his neck and the man started choking before he let up again. "I hold your life in my hand, see how easily it faulters under it! You will call off your men!" Kershala raged. He heard boots hitting the ground at the first hole they had fallen through and looked up to see the men taking up formation clearly unsure if they should open fire on him. Kershala raised to his feet with the general in tow. "Let us go, or I will kill him." Kershala raised the general by his neck and anticipating an attack broke the general's leg with his free hand. The man screamed out in pain and Kershala could detect the hesitation in the soldiers.

"Eighty four percent." Anubis said from behind him.

"I would likely die from the wounds your weapons inflict, but I will make sure all of you are long dead before that happens!" He yelled not losing any of the rage in his voice. "Are you willing to risk never seeing your loved ones again?" he spoke loudly but with less rage able to tell it would only be a matter of minutes before he wouldn't have to kill anyone.

"Just let us go!" cried Kale from behind him. The tension was high, and they seemed to be in a standoff, their weapons were pointed at them. Kershala still held the general's body in the air having shifted as to not break the man's neck, blood still running from the wounds in his body, the bullet burning hot in his shoulder. Kershala suddenly felt a buzzing all over his body that he hadn't felt in a very long time and he knew the teleportation device was activating. The teleporters that his family ship had was damaged beyond repair a long time ago. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds, he dropped the general to the ground and all he could see was light as it enveloped his body. The feeling of being pulled through subspace was relaxing in its own way, there was a warmth about it, but it also felt like being pulled in several different directions at first. The light faded and Kershala's eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the darker setting. He looked around to see that he and Kale were standing on a platform at the back of the bridge of the vessel. Kale immediately fell to all fours and threw up on the floor in front of him.

"That was the strangest thing I've ever felt," he said wiping his mouth off. Kershala helped him to his feet and stepped down from the platform. He looked at the room around him, the main viewer ran the length of the wall in front of him they could see earth from a high orbit. A graphical overlay was present on the viewer, Kershala recognized the writing as Shironian, the implant would easily translate it. In front of the viewer there was another platform with a console off to the side of it most likely the pilot's interface. "This is crazy. I can't believe we're looking at Earth through a window on an actual star ship." Kale took a step forward and Kershala grabbed his hand.

"Anubis are their any secondary defenses in place that we should be aware of?" asked Kershala.

"No, the only line of defense against intruders was the cyberwarfare suite. I don't believe the Arktora would ever expect anyone to get into its ship as we have," explained the AI. Kershala let go of Kale's hand and realized that the shrapnel was still present all over his right side as blood stained Kale's hand. Kale looked at him with concern in his features.

"Are you okay? I couldn't tell how bad it was when everything was happening." Kale took a step up to him and put his hand up to the side of his face that had been hit. "I can see the pieces sticking out of your skin."

"We have to get it out, but my skin will heal with time," Kershala looked around and sat down on the floor. "We can rest now, we are safe for now. The humans will not be able to find us here." Kale knelt with him and began inspecting his wounds. "Anubis do you have access to the navigation systems yet?"

"No, Kershala."

"Keep me posted." Kershala sat back and rested his weight on his left arm.

"How are we supposed to get all of this out?" asked Kale. Kershala grabbed a piece of the shrapnel that was lodged in his right arm and pulled it out, wincing lightly at the pain. "Anubis is there some kind of medical lab or something on this ship? Or can you at least detect tools we can use to help the wounds along?"

"The nanites can suture the damage and stop the bleeding. We will just have to pull it all out," said Kershala. Kershala concentrated on the wound he had opened and as the nanites deployed he and Kale both began pulling out pieces of the shrapnel.