Chapter 4:
Hidden Terror
6th December 2378
Mission Time Counter: 1 minutes, 30 seconds
Orbit, Xevenya XII Gas Giant
If there was one thing Xevenya was best known for, it was the fact that there really wasn't anything of value or interest in the system at all. At the fringes of Federation space, the only notable thing was the fact that it was the closest system to Villaires, and the fact that the colony here had a reputation for being peaceful and somewhat isolated. This lack of interest had made both Villaires and Xevenya a major spot for Starfleet's weapons and alternative propulsions testing program – but that had all been shut down several years ago, after the incident with the ill-fated U.S.S. Redemption.
Other than the infamous incident with the ship, Xevenya was notable for just one other thing: the gas giant that was known to most as Xevenya XII. Around the same size as Saturn, the gas giant held an impressive array of rings in its orbit. Unlike Saturn, however, the planet was a red and purple color as the gases involved were of a completely different nature altogether. What was most interesting about the giant, however, were the storms that raged throughout the planet. Often larger than entire planets put together, these super-storms seemed to defy the laws of physics and fluid dynamics almost completely – almost as if an invisible hand were guiding them along from the inside. Many of the Federation's scientists had come about to witness the storms and study them – but to no avail. Every attempt at explanation and every theory had failed when the storms churned into divergent paths.
The followed no set pattern, not predictable course – indeed, everything about them seemed to operate completely in reverse to the laws of thermodynamics. Low pressure spots would automatically move to high pressure ones and increase the pressure there – and then all of a sudden a super storm capable of ripping a small moon to shreds would then take place, moving from one pole to the other in the span of days. Yet, despite this, the giant would remain remarkably intact despite the fact that the gases were moving at speed that could easily allow it to reach escape velocity from the rest of the planet.
The only thing actually predictable about the planet itself was its gravitational field which, thankfully remained steady enough not to put throw off the courses of the fighters that had just warped into it. The fighters warping in wasn't visible, however – the holographic emitters on the outside were efficient enough to even cover the elongated appearance of the fighters as they exited warp – a miracle which Ashter was somewhat thankful for as the sensors came online along with the other systems. Everything had gone dark in the cockpit as they had moved into low warp; the engines having taken most of the power. But now that they were back on impulse, everything came up as normal as they assumed orbit of the giant just outside of it's giant rings. Ashter sighed to herself as the passive array picked up and then accepted the narrow-beam computer link from Daniel.
"Alpha 2, what's your status?
She had been fighting alongside this wing for sometime now, and yet she still couldn't understand much about them…but then that was probably because of the fact that she didn't bother to speak to them much.
But then they'll just ask you about Bajor and why you left. Ashter thought to herself as she just shook her head. She didn't like talking about her past…about the memories that she had tried to suppress till now. Even though she was relatively young, and had led a sheltered life compared to most other Bajorans, Ashter had still suffered in other ways...ways that were too many to count and too painful to remember. The constant nightmares about the past…the horrors of the person that had tortured her mind so long ago still forced her to see the counselor once in a while – a task that she hated with a vehemence. She didn't like Betazoids and the way they tried to constantly poke into your brain and read your thoughts. Not only was it invasive, but uncomfortable as well.
"Glare! Quit daydreaming and report!"
Daniel's voice immediately shook Ashter out of her reverie as she hit the comm. Line and spoke up, her tone calm and even – as if she had been busy checking something rather than actually thinking away.
"Alpha 2 here – my sensors show zilch. Nothing on the EM bands or subspace detectors either."
Internally, she cursed herself. How could she have let herself get distracted so much? It was shameful not only from the perspective of a Starfleet officer, but as the second-in-command of the wing too. Not to mention the fact that she had somewhat prided her ability to keep a watch out for the rest of them. She organized her thoughts and focused on the task at hand. Considering the nature of what they were up against…well, she really didn't want to be caught off guard right now.
"About time you replied. For a second we thought Dead Man's disease was contagious."
Daniel's face appeared on the display once more, and although Ashter couldn't see much past the mask, his smile was clearly visible as it shone through his eyes. Ashter just glared back at him, and the smile immediately vanished as Daniel cleared his throat. Skier interrupted the rather awkward moment however, as his face appeared on the display and spoke up.
"Hey, that's not funny you know!"
Ashter sighed as Daniel replied to the kid with a slight chuckle.
"Hey, you EARNED that one, Skier. Come on, let's get back to patrol. Communications window with command is in ten minutes."
Then Daniel's face went off. Ashter checked the settings on autopilot before activating it. The computer would fly the craft on its standard formation from here on out, and would notify her if something was out of the norm. Sighing again, Ashter looked to her right, at the gas giant and the storms that raged on its surface. She reached for the control yoke and then pushed it a bit to the right, rolling the fighter in the same direction for a few degrees, before stopping it. The view from up here was fantastic, to say the least. Storms churned and raged as they raced across the surface of the giant – covering hundreds of kilometers in mere seconds. Sometimes a storm would pass near a larger one, and the edges of their clouds would connect. These edges would then connect and start spiraling off into a different direction from either two; forming another smaller storm.
It was a fantastic sight – and all of it took place in the matter of less than thirty seconds. This defiance of physics…of all the known laws of science…it was unnerving, in a sense. It was almost as if this gas giant was challenging those who observed it; challenging them into finding the hidden pattern that guided it along.
Or was it something else entirely? Could this gas giant be a question, rather than a challenge? Or was it an example instead?
But what kind of question is it…or an example of what, for that matter? Ashter asked herself as she looked at it. She then shook the thought out of her head. She was just a pilot – not a scientist. Such matters were better left to those that specialized in dealing with them. For now, though, the only significant fact about the gas giant to her was the interference it was causing with her sensors.
Then something on the sensor display caught Ashter's attention. From the looks of it, Moray had transmitted a narrow beam signal to her computer, which now prompted her to either accept or reject it. Ashter mulled over the decision for a second. Moray rarely spoke, unless it was necessary, or to address the stares of those around him. Still…the fact that he was now contacting her – and from the looks of it, just her – meant that it must have been really necessary. She accepted the signal, and his face appeared on the display.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Moray?" Ashter asked, somewhat curious as to what he had to say. Internally, she hoped that he hadn't noticed her delayed reaction earlier.
"I ask you that same question, Lt. Ashter…I sense that you are…troubled. Is everything all right?"
Asther sighed as her hopes were dashed to the ground.
By the prophets…as if human curiosity wasn't bad enough! Asther thought to herself. She was about to glare at the giant eel when she realized it would be useless – Moray always won the staring contests, regardless of how hard or dangerous the stare might be. Instead, she took the best alternative in this scenario: lie through her teeth.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. Now, is there anything else?"
She replied curtly, her tone calm and even while the ridges on her nose wrinkled a bit as she frowned.
"Yes…you don't lie as well as the humans do…so now may I have a truthful reply?"
Ashter uttered an oath as she looked at the display. This time she really shot him a glare that would've caused any human to flinch – but which did absolutely nothing to the Sandgrade as he stared back with his lidless eyes.
Damnit! Don't tell me that bastard has Telepathy to go with his telekinesis!"
Asther thought for a second, before considering carefully how to reply. Moray wasn't going to give up easily without an answer…yet, she didn't want to give him one either. So she then tried the next best thing after lying: Evasion. She couldn't help but consider his motives suspect in this scenario.
She looked away, adjusting one of the controls on the autopilot as she spoke.
"Give me one good reason why I should tell you anything. I have the right to privacy, you know – not to mention the rank with which to enforce it."
Moray just looked at her for a second, before he replied, slowly.
"You are my wing mate – and more importantly, the second in command. I have learned that if any of a group's leaders are distracted by internal conflicts, then they are doomed to watch those under them perish. You may not like my invasiveness…but I have watched you, Ashter – you are usually not as distracted unless there is something bothering you. Would you rather not get help with dealing with it now, as opposed to having to fight it in the heat of battle?"
Ashter just looked at the view screen and as the Sandgrate looked back. For a long second, she just stared at it, her mind in turmoil. On one hand, she just wanted to use her rank and dismiss Moray. However, another part of her mind had to admit that the Sandgrate was right…
Too fucking right! Damn that bastard! DAMN him! Does he think that a hundred years of experience gives him the right to tell me about getting help?
Ashter then caught herself and sighed, looking away.
…by the prophets…who am I kidding? Of course it does.
She looked back at Moray and was about to reply when Moray's face disappeared off the screen, and Daniel appeared. From his tone, he was obviously annoyed.
"Glare, Moray – I can pick up your narrow beams on my passive sensors. You two planning a mutiny back there that I should know about? If not I'd suggest you keep the chatter to a minimum. It's not like these are toll free you know."
Kid's got a good sense of timing. Ashter breathed a sigh of relief. At least now she didn't have to tell Moray anything. Her troubles would remain with her for now. As Moray replied however, her hopes were dashed to the ground.
"Understood sir. However, I believe there might be something that Ashter might want to share with the rest of us."
Ashter came very close to groaning as Moray replied.
Why the hell cant he just give up on the matter? she thought, shooting him a poisonous glare that was strong enough that it made the Eel flinch a bit. She sighed and was about to curse and rail at Moray when Skier's face appeared on the screen.
"err…sorry to interrupt, sir, but did subspace readings just spike for anyone else around a second ago?"
Skier's face disappeared, to be replaced with Daniel's. There was a excited look in his eyes and tone as he spoke up.
"My sensors show nothing Alpha 3. Alpha wing, come to a full halt. Can anyone else confirm those readings?"
Ashter gave a short sigh of relief, and a prayer of thanks to the prophets. Someone seemed to be looking out for her today. She checked her sensors, and found that the computer had recorded no changes. At the same time, she adjusted the speed controls to match the other fighter's, all of which now slowed to a halt. Double-checking one more time to be sure, she spoke up, sending her own recordings to Daniel as well.
"That's a negative, sir. My subspace sensors show nothing."
"My computer shows no recorded anomalies since we arrived."
Moray replied just after Ashter did. There was a look in his eye that sent a shiver down Ashter's spine, however. The message he sent over was clear, though: this wasn't over…yet.
What the hell is that Eel's problem anyway? Its not like we go around asking for HIS past. She thought to herself, somewhat pissed off at all of this. Still, they had a potential situation now, and she couldn't afford to be distracted.
"Now that's odd. Whatever that anomaly was, it seems heavily localized. There doesn't appear to be any ships in the vicinity, so I'm going to do a narrow band sensor-sweep of the coordinates, stand by.
Ashter watched her sensor displays as they suddenly lit up, showing the active sensor cone that originated from where Daniel's fighter was. Normally, using active sensors was dangerous in any stealth mission, but with it focused as a cone, the ranges at which they could be detected were actually very low, allowing their use when there were no enemy ships in the nearby vicinity. She watched as the data feed came in, showing Daniel's sensor readings.
"Now this is interesting – subspace readings confirmed. It's not just a spike - we've got a trail here! From the looks of it, whoever it was either had a very, very messy subspace sensor array or we've found our target."
Moray was the first one to react to this new piece of information.
"From the sensor readings, it appears they have gone to the gas giant below. Should we report this to command?"
"Negative. Our communications window is still five minutes away. The trail looks like it might dissipate by then, though – especially in the gas giant's atmosphere. I'm deploying a message probe with all this information now. It'll burst-transmit to command once the window hits."
"What's the plan then, sir? Are we going to follow it down?"
Skier interjected, his tone one of confusion…and could Ashter sense a bit of fear underneath that? Daniel then replied in a somewhat jovial tone.
"What's the problem Dead man? Scared of a little gas?"
"No sir. More like those storms. They don't look friendly at all."
"Maybe so, but we don't have a choice. Alpha wing, switch power from the stealth systems to your Structural Integrity Fields – we'll need the extra strength against the pressure. Form up on me, and lets head down."
Ashter didn't question the order, instead she did as asked and diverted the power as required. The computer asked for her confirmation to deactivate the stealth systems. She just acknowledged it, however. Around her, Ashter saw the holographic systems on the other ships deactivate, and they shimmered to life to her left. Daniel's fighter did a partial roll to the right, before smoothly diving towards the planet below. Ashter pushed the stick forward, following suit and bringing her fighter around. The holographic display showed both Skier and Moray following suit next to and behind her respectively. An air of seriousness took hold as the fighter wing now descended towards the broiling storms below. Ashter adjusted the HUD controls a bit, and a spray of particles suddenly appeared in front of her. The now lit-up trail descended straight towards the giant in front of them…right into one of the seemingly calmer regions of the surface.
She banked to the right a bit as a message probe left the rear launcher of Daniel's fighter, zooming past her as it then moved to maintain orbit around the planet. It then disappeared from her sensors as its own stealth systems came into play, hiding until the time was right for it to transmit to Command.
It was than that she focused on the gas giant itself. The spot they were headed to was somewhat clear of storms, with the nearest being several thousand kilometers away. But considering the unpredictable speed of the storms, it wasn't much of a margin. Even in the 'calm' areas, however, wind speeds and pressures were enormous.
"50,000 Kilometers to the gas giant's upper layer. ETA is 15 seconds. Watch the rings Alpha wing – I don't think I'd be able to survive the embarrassment of having someone taken out by a rogue rock!"
Ashter smiled internally at Daniel's joke, but didn't let it show. Instead, she manipulated the thrusters a bit and raised her relative altitude to the rings – which now passed below her. The sea of multi-colored ice and rocks moved in their orbits, uncaring as the small wing of fighters streaked above them. They varied in size, starting from the fine myst of particles that were only visible with sensors, to gigantic rocks that dwarfed even the Persistence. They glittered in the sun's reflecting, casting a distinctive blue glare off some of her displays. Ashter considered adjusting the tint, but then dismissed it as the glare passed. Instead, she adjusted the enhanced display of the particle trail to show a dark blue-black color, which would be more visible against the bright red and white gasses of the planet.
She watched as the gas giant grew in size, filling up the visible portion of the space outside the cockpit. Soon, she could no longer see the stars around the giant, or the sky for that matter.
"14,000 Kilometers. 6 seconds. Stand by for turbulence – those storms on the right are getting a bit too close for comfort."
Daniel spoke up as they left the rings behind. Ashter looked to her right and caught what Daniel was talking about – one of the massive storms was moving just off their direction. It looked like it would miss, but at the same time it would be coming significantly close.
For the next several seconds, Ashter just watched as the gas giant's edge came closer – the point that the exterior of the ship was now almost completely covered in the trace elements of the atmosphere. Switching one of the displays to the rear camera, she watched as the view of space began to get clouded, and then eventually fade away to nothing but vortex upon vortex in the clouds. It was then that the fighter suddenly started to shake and rattle. Ashter frowned and immediately switched back to the status screen. Her systems were in the green, but pressure was steadily increasing the further down they went. She deactivated the alerts and sirens that rung out as the rattling became worse. The nose of the ship began to drift left, and away from the particle trail they were chasing.
"Shit! This Turbulence is heavy. Alpha wing, report status. Is everyone all right back there?"
Looking up, Ashter realized she had lost sight of Daniel's fighter in the fog already – despite the sensor panel telling her that he was not 4 kilometers ahead of her own fighter!
Looks like this is going to be instruments only.
"Alpha 2 here; all systems are green, and SIF is holding steady at 95 for me."
"Alpha 3 here, all green. Man, I can't see shit in this fog! I've got you on sensors, Sir, but I can't get a visual on your craft."
Skier replied – but the visual line on the display had significant amounts of static on it. She was about to point this out, when Moray replied first.
"Signal quality is degrading severely. I recommend we close up our formation to maintain the strength, and keep visual contact."
"Agreed. Alpha wing, close up to 100 meters distance and pick up the pace."
The fighters moved through the fog. Ahead of her and to the left, Daniel's craft slowed down, moving back on the sensors. Ashter banked her own fighter to the left and slowed down as well. Less than a second later, Daniel's fighter broke the edge of the cloud as vortexes of gas formed up behind the wings and body of the Night Watcher. To her left, she could see Skier's craft break through the fog as well, and no doubt behind her Moray's would be doing the same as well.
Looks like this should be easy enough.
Ashter noticed that the trail seemed to be a bit…off, and was about to commend on it when, suddenly, an alarm went off on her right. The entire cockpit then turned red as she struggled to identify what exactly had gone wrong. When she caught a look at the problem, and the cause of the problem, the only thing Ashter could do was think Oh god no.
Then the fighter suddenly jerked to the left; the throttle controls slipping out of her hands for a moment, before she caught it again. All the fighters rocked and tumbled as a massive gust of wind blew through the atmosphere, catching them all off guard and scattering them. The display next to her flickered as static-ridden images of the others appeared along with similarly static-ridden voices. Daniel's was the first one she heard.
"What in…name o…"
Ashter didn't respond, however, and instead attempted to clear the line and stabilize her fighter. She was still drifting and being blown away by the storm front – as were they all. But unless she caught control, she would crash into one of the others.
"Ma…y! …yday! SI…fa.ling…dang……low!"
This time the transmission was from Skier. Ashter again ignored it. She almost had control! Come on you bloody scrap-heap. She cheered internally as the controls once again began to respond, and the lines cleared.
"Secondary storm front inbound! BRACE FOR IMPACT!"
Moray's voice rang out clear as day Ashter struggled to bring her fighter's nose to face the new storm front. She switched on the rear camera to check on Skier, and was somewhat relieved to find that it was still intact. The force of the impact had blown Skier a significant distance away, however, and his fighter was only barely visible as it slowly moved to face the new wave front. However, what was most concerning was the fact that it was right behind her. If the front hit now…
"Alpha 2, move your fighter! Get out of the way before – "
But it was too late. Ashter didn't even get the chance to finish the sentence before what felt like a wall hit her fighter, sending it tumbling backwards end over end. It flipped once, and then twice so that she could now clearly Skier's fighter as the storm hurtled her straight into it. Ashter brought her hands up to cover her face as she screamed. Her fighter streaked across space and then smashed right into Skier's dead-on at speeds in excess of several hundred kilometers per hour.
Ashter didn't feel the impact, though…in fact…she didn't seem to feel anything. She blinked, and removed the hands in front of her face. Looking around, Ashter realized she wasn't in the fighter anymore.
Am I dead? She thought to herself, as she looked at the surroundings. She was clearly nowhere near space, either – which was then confirmed by the bright sun that now hung directly above her in the sky. She was in some sort of city…but one that seemed eerily familiar. Her immediate surroundings consisted of an alley between what seemed like two very large and very old buildings. They seemed to be made out of sort of brick and cement combination, while a large fence was present to her rear. There was only one exit in and out of the alley. Moving towards one of the walls, feeling the surface and examining it for any signs or clues as to where she was. Strangely…this place seemed to have resided in her memory…
Was she really dead? The fighter…Skier…what had happened to him? Was he dead too?
Hardly.
A voice rang out from near the entrance of the alley. Ashter instantly whirled about to face it…but saw nothing. It was clear and empty. Frowning, Ashter cautiously took a step forwards as she spoke up.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
Don't you remember?
The voice spoke again. This time, a wind seemed to pick up from the front of the alley, and a piece of paper blew in from somewhere. Ashter's hand reached out and grabbed it as it flew past. Bringing it up to her face, she realized it was actually a pamphlet…one written entirely in Bajoran. Frowning, Ashter read it. As she did so, her face slowly began to change to an expression of shock and horror.
This cant be happening…by the prophets… Bajor…how had she reached Bajor of all places? It was clear across the quadrant, last she remembered. And that voice…why did it feel so…familiar?
You still don't recognize me? Perhaps you need a closer look…
The voice spoke up again – and this time there was something behind it. Although Ashter couldn't hear it, she could distinctively feel that someone, somewhere was laughing…laughing at her. A shadow passed across her as a figure suddenly appearaed at the end of the Alley. It was shrouded mostly in darkness…but Ashter could make out some kind of uniform. The figure was clearly not Cardassian – the size was off too much for that. It seemed primarily human…a small figure at that. It seemed to be wearing some sort of hat, one with a very strange symbol on it that resembled a reverse 'Z' of the Federation standard Alphabet.
Ashter took a step back. She was unsure who the hell it was – yet at the same time it seemed familiar…so eerily familiar.
"Who are you?"
She said, gritting her teeth. Now Ashter knew where exactly she was along with when. This was the time when she had been on Bajor…the times of a troubled youth, and a ruthless occupation. She knew who the voice was, though, and where it belonged in her memory – but she asked it anyway. Although she had heard it before…she had never known who it belonged to. The voice seemed to sigh as it then replied, slowly and calmly.
Sometimes…not even I know. Some call me a hero, a savior come to rescue my people. Others call be a butcher of innocents, while my namesake from centuries before would have called me the captain of his ships of fools. In the end…what I am called matters not.
"And why not?"
The figure seemed to smile and just turned around. Hands behind it's back, he moved away from her, into the suddenly bright light behind him. His form disappeared in the light, Ashter could hear him whisper and speak to her.
Because that is the way things must be.
Ashter blinked and took a step back as the light suddenly brightened around her, and her senses faded once again.A sharp pain ran through her neck and head as she opened her eyes – only to see her left arm and hand driven through one of the broken displays. Ashter winced in pain as she pulled the hand back and examined it. The injuries were only superficial, and the suit's seals were still intact so she ignored them for the moment.
what did I just see? she thought to herself, remembering the strange man… the alley. Must be getting delusional… she thought to herself before shaking it off and focusing on the present. Glancing at the working display screen, she grimaced as the systems came online.
This was bad, very bad. Her SIF was at 40 and slowly dropping as the pressure gauge next to it climbed up at a proportional speed. Engines were offline for now, but the systems were showing that they were self-reset and would come online in 20 seconds.
We might not have 20 seconds.
She quickly checked the sensors, and was somewhat relieved to find that the others were still alive. However, as the displays came online, she noted that Skier's fighter was the most damage – his SIF was at 30 and dropping even faster than hers. Moray was just behind her, and had already recovered. She watched on the radar as his fighter dived downwards, heading straight for Skier's.
"Ugh…man, anyone get the serial number of the ship that just hit me? Alpha wing, report in."
Daniel's voice rang out from the radio. His tone seemed a bit nasal, and as Ashter looked at his face on the screen, she could see that his mask was hanging off to one side, with a trickle of blood coming from his nose. From the looks of it, it must have gotten smashed from the console.
"Alpha 2 here – my SIF field is online and holding at 40 integrity. The gas giant is pulling us inwards and the pressure is rising steadily, though. Sir, you all right?'
Daniel just shook his head, and waved Ashter off.
"I'll be fine. Give me a report – how much damage did we take?"
"SIF systems are weakening, sir. We've got maybe two or three minutes of time left in the gas giant's atmosphere before they fail. Alpha three does not seem responsive, however. I am moving towards his fighter and will proceed to dock if he does not wake up."
"This isn't good. Alpha 3, report in. Dead man, can you hear me?"
There was no response from Skier's fighter. Moray didn't seem to be in any better shape, either. Although it was hard to see, Ashter could see that he had been severely injured – the blue aura of his environmental field now had a yellow tinge to it – one that she recognized to be Sandgrate blood. Ashter's attention was drawn elsewhere, however, as she scanned the particle stream to see if they still had the trail. Surprisingly, they did. As Ashter followed where the trail headed, however, her blood instantly froze.
"Skier! Respond, Damnit!"
Ashter looked at it for several seconds. She had to be dreaming this up – just like the person she had seen not a minute ago. Checking the sensors and then double-checking them did nothing to allay her fears as she then continue to look at it. Finally, rather than let it go, she spoke up.
"Err…sir? I think you should take a look at this."
"Hold on, Glare. Moray, dock with him now and get ready to pull up and out of here. Screw the trail – this environment is too hazardous for us to risk it any longer."
"Sure as hell doesn't seem hazardous to them, Sir."
"What in heaven's name are you talki…My god…what is that?."
Daniel's voice reduced to a harsh whisper as he looked out the front screen, somewhat dumbfounded.
The object that Daniel was referring to now hung in front of them. It was barely at the edges of their visual range, looking more akin to a shadow in the mist – or in this case, a monster in the fog. It was over a hundred meters in length, and dwarfed their fighters completely. Most of the ship consisted of a front drum-like extension, which was surrounded by six long, red spikes. Even through the purple and pink fog, Ashter could see a lattice of red, glowing lines on the drum itself as it slowly rotated. The rear was small, and consisted primarily of an engine complex, along with two stubby 'wing' like structures that were angled to both sides and the back. The hull here was mostly black, with a few patches of red that seemed to glow with a strange substance.
"Whatever it is, the computer doesn't recognize it. Hull material is unknown – but apparently theirs no shielding system whatsoever – not even a SIF. Whatever that is, we don't have the weaponry to take it on…or the shields to follow it, for that matter."
Ashter spoke up, studying the sensor readings on the unknown vessel. It was disturbing, to say the least. Not even the Persistence could survive much deeper than this. But here was something with absolutely no shields, not only surviving – but seemingly moving about freely as if the gas giant and its storms were hardly there at all. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as Moray spoke up.
"Sir, we have no time to delay. I have docked with Skier's fighter. I suggest we leave the gas giant post-haste…we will not survive under these conditions for much longer."
"Roger that. Are you getting any life signs from the fighter?"
"Affirmative. It appears that Skier is merely unconscious for the moment."
"Good. Alpha wing lets get the hell out of here. Ashter, you lead and I'll bring up the rear. We've got to report this back to command – I bet they'll be somewhat interested in seeing this."
Ashter breathed a small sigh of relief as she angled her fighter up towards where the sensors said that space should be, and hit the engines. Looking to her side, she could see Moray's fighter docked upside down with Skier's as it sluggishly pulled both fighter craft along. After a few moments, however, the computer systems interfaced, and the engines on Skier's fighter moved in sync with Moray's, allowing them to maintain speed as they climbed up without further incident. Ashter was somewhat relieved when the pressure gauge began to descend, and her SIF field slowly strengthened itself.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they broke the exterior of the gas giant, coming into the full view of the stars and nebula that Ashter was so comfortable with. It was a sentiment that Daniel seemed to share as he spoke up, his tone equally a sigh of relief.
"Man. Its good to finally see the stars again. I was getting sick of that pea soup."
"Gnngh…god…what the hell happened?"
A new transmission suddenly came in, cutting of Daniel. Ashter let out another sigh of relief as she recognized it as coming from Skier, who was now looking around his cockpit. From the video feed, though, she could see that his cockpit was pretty banged up. Like Daniel, there seemed to be a trickle of blood running down his head and nose. The impact must have been real hard to override the internal dampers enough to cause such serious injuries. It was nothing short of a miracle they were all alive, much less still able to fly.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Dead man. You good enough to fly? I think Moray's getting somewhat fed up of carrying you on his back."
"God…my head feels like it's been run over by a truck…I think I should be able to manage, though. Let me take a painkiller from the medkit first, though."
"Acknowledged. I'm going to establish contact with command. With luck, this mission will be over soon enough once we tell them about the informa-"
Suddenly, Moray's voice rang out over the system as he shouted in alarm. At the exact same time, Ashter's sensor systems rang out, going into alert and catching her attention. Immediately, her stealth systems activated on their own accord, and the general transmissions shifted to narrow beam as well.
"NEGATIVE. We have hostile vessel inbound from the Gas Giant's orbital terminus."
"Jesus Christ is that…is that the Jolly Roger? Alpha wing, switch stealth systems to on now, engines off, float dead in the water! Maintain radio silence – even narrow band communications – until I say so! We can't let that ship detect us while we're like this!"
Sure as sin, the ship in question now rounded the Gas giant, coming out of the other side of its orbit, where it had probably been hiding till now. Ashter wasted no time in complying with Daniel's orders, switching the engines completely off and cutting off communications with the rest of the group. The lights went off around her as displays and systems shut off, going into the lowest power mode that was available to them. Breathing slowly, Ashter offered a small prayer to the prophets as she watched the ship approached; praying that her very first mission would not be her last one as well.
However, even as she looked at the Nebula-class warship, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as she saw the painted images of the skull and crossbones across the hull, and the small flag with the exact same figure on the top. This was, for all intents and purposes, a ship of the damned. Now it was here and right on top of them, and there was no place to run and no place to hide.
Ashter had a strange, sinking feeling that her prayers would not be answered today.