Blue Planet
Chapter 5: Welcome Aboard the 731 Valkyrie
Pie finished typing in several computer commands for the small pod they were preparing to leave. The large screen flashed the words COORDINATES ADDED before going dark, never again to light up. The eldest alien groaned and stretched before rising, then headed toward the door that was currently connected to the Valkyrie to join Kish and Tart.
"Well, everything is taken care of. I've encoded the coordinates into the ship and permanently shut down everything non-vital for the pod to reach its destination." He announced.
"So it looks like they're all set for a one way trip to Fuzen!" Tart exclaimed, eager to board the new ship.
"Hm, but won't the soldiers tell the Fuzen guards what really happened? Then they'll inform the general and the king, and we'll be screwed." Kish inquired, but Pie quickly assuaged his fears.
"It won't matter. The fleet'll be halfway to Earth by then, and with luck we'll already be there. They will have no way to contact the general."
Tart then broke in, impatient. "Alright then, so let's get to our new ship! I bet its cool!" The alien wiggled with excitement. Pie nearly smiled at his young friend's antics, but caught himself just in time.
"Right then. Let's go." The three turned and walked through the small bridging tunnel, and Kish used an ID card he had swiped from the head soldier to open the door at the other end. They all stepped through the door, which closed behind them. The trio quickly braced themselves for the expected rocking of the vessel as the bridge connecting the pod and the Valkyrie withdrew, and the pod disembarked on its journey to Fuzen.
They found themselves in a larger, more spacious control room than could be found on the pod, boasting a giant computer screen that could be switched to its second function; a rounded windshield covering most of the ship's front. This was the first characteristic that set this apart as a warship, where such vision of the objects ahead was necessary. The ship was also divided into multiple rooms, a warship standard. Tart's eyes nearly popped our of his head in excitement when he entered, and immediately proceeded to run around and check every room individually.
"Wow, this is awsome! It's got a bridge, and a weapons room, and a stockroom, and an emergency pod..." Tart shouted merrily as he raced from place to place. Kish was also impressed by its size and complexity, although he decided it was better to ask Pie, an expert on these things, how impressed they really should be.
"Sooo...how is it?" He inquired. Pie was already busy, checking to ensure that all of the various machines were running properly.
"I can't believe our luck! A Valkyrie model, and in the 700 generation...not exactly top-of-the-line, but definately close. Perfect for what we need." Valkyries were among the smaller of the warship models, absolutely dwarfed next to the massive Satyricon motherships. But they were fast and maneuverable, and easy to slip in with a crowd. Perfect.
"It's almost too perfect, though..." Pie muttered to himself. "There just has to besomething wrong." Always having held a pessimistic view of life, Pie was unable to accept the way everything had been working out for them. There just HAD to be a snag..."
This was why he moved about the deck, nimble fingers and quick eyes searching for a fault, a flaw in a vital machine that would put an end to their plan. However, it was not Pie, but Tart who uncovered it first. Where once there had been the jubilant cries of the brown-haired alien, silence now spoke louder then he had. It was broken when his speech echoed through the ship.
"Hey guys...what's in this room?" He questioned,and the other two hurried to his side. They found themselves in front of a large, locked door, which seemed as though it sealed an airtight room on the other side. Pie's face paled when he saw it, and for perhaps the first time, he seemed genuinly scared.
Before Pie could stop them, Tart and Kish were using the ID card to unlock it. The card dropped from little Tart's hand to clatter noisilly on the cold metal floor when the door slowly opened to reveal exactly what Pie had feared.