IOuter Orbit of Asteroid Field 'Meteo'/i
"The asteroids were once one of Lylat's most spectacular sites," began Allie as she explained their current position to Kevin who found it all very interesting, "with massive tunnels and cavities all over the place. Lately, however, it's been overrun by mercenaries and the like."
"Such as yourselves?" asserted Kevin.
"Yes," laughed Allie, "such as ourselves." Kevin smiled. "The place is always alive with activity, whether it's a giant asteroid plowing it's way through the field," she made several gestures with her hands, moving her fist into the palm of her other paw, "or some ships flying by looking for prey."
"Sounds fun, actually. Maybe when I'm finished rebuilding my ship--"
"Whoa, you're rebuilding your ship?" asked Allie with sudden childlike interest. Kevin couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes, I am. It's rough, and I expect it'll take about a month, but I'll do it."
"Show me!" she yelled with joy, yanking on Kevin's arm. Once again, he found himself laughing.
"On one condition," said Kevin with a sly smile.
"What? Tell me!"
"My arm remains attached to the rest of my body!" he laughed.
"Oh! Sorry!" She promptly let go of his arm. Kevin shook it until the feeling returned.
"It's fine, really. I just like my arm where it is, that's all."
"Can we go rebuild it now?"
"Yup!"
"Ew." Kevin laughed at Allie's reaction to the leftover pieces to Kevin's original craft. The entire thing was in pieces. Wires lay everywhere. The entire section of hangar was covered in debris. "How do you put something like that together?"
"How do you do anything, Allie?" asked Kevin with a smile.
"Well, you have to start isomewhere/i!"
"Exactly! Come over here." He led her to a small clear section with a huge piece of machinery about as high as Kevin's waist and twice his width. "I've begun work on the thrusters first. It's been a bit of a snag considering the wiring and tunneling necessary, but it's coming along nicely."
"Is it really?"
"Besides the occasional headache, yes."
"You must know your stuff," said Allie, her eyes wide with interest.
"I've had training," replied Kevin, almost embarrassed.
"Who instructed you?" asked Allie innocently, toying with a nearby piece of wing.
"Myself," said Kevin, answering the question he actually feared.
"You taught yourself?"
"Yea, I did." He felt his face turning red just slightly. "It took me about seven years, but I did it."
"That's just…wow." She put the metal piece back down slowly, almost absentmindedly.
"Yea, it's not that big a deal, really," said Kevin, trying to relieve some of the attention. Somehow, he felt, it wasn't working.
"Did you build the ship yourself?" she asked, pushing it further with that same childlike interest. It took him several seconds to answer the affirmative. "That's just amazing, though! I never would have thought someone could teach themselves to something like this!"
"With time and the will, you can do anything you want."
"Obviously!" Kevin leaned down to pick up some other pieces to the thruster and his necklace fell out of his shirt. Allie, ever the curious cat, immediately noticed it. "What's that, Kevin?"
"Hm?" he asked, not noticing that his pendant had fallen out.
"This," she said and grabbed it, showing it to him. It was a pure gold crucifix with a red jewel at the center. "What is this?" Kevin's heart dropped slightly. Allie must have had a talent for digging deep into personal things. But, to Kevin, it didn't matter too much. It wouldn't cause any harm to tell her.
"That," he said, taking it and looking directly at the jewel, "is a memento of my mother. I've had it since birth. Well, right after birth anyway," he added with a chuckle. Allie smiled.
"Do you suppose she's waiting for you to get back?" asked Allie quietly.
"Yea," Kevin answered after a few long seconds, "yea she's waiting for me all right." He allowed himself a slight smile as he kissed the pendant and put it back where it belonged: at his heart.
"Peppy," began Falco, "this is Kevin Peale, and I hope I said that correctly." Kevin nodded. "Good. Kevin, meet Peppy, current Commander of the iGreat Fox/i." Kevin shook Peppy's paw firmly.
"A pleasure, Sir!" said Kevin with military tones, and he swiftly added a salute.
"A military man, hm?" Peppy stroked his own chin. "There'll be no need for formalities, Kevin. This is no Military ship, just a mercenary's excuse for a carrier." Peppy finished with a slight smirk, noting a joke that Kevin missed entirely.
"Slippy is currently running repairs on the right upper wing," said Falco, "so I'll introduce you to him later on."
"Works for me, Falco."
"Good. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get myself some grub. See ya!" Peppy shook his head, smiling slightly.
"Falco told me your story, Kevin," said Peppy.
"And I assume you don't believe it?" Kevin was ready to defend his story, but quickly found it unnecessary.
"Oh, I believe it. Remember, we had another reality-jump incident before, two years ago."
"Oh yea. Fleet Admiral Joseph."
"Precisely. A great man."
"I know, I have an AI based off of him. Well, I ihad/i an AI based off of him."
"We were hoping he would return with us, but he wanted to stay in his own reality. A shame," added Peppy sadly, "he would've been a huge asset to us."
"I'm sure I can cover for his behind, Peppy," Kevin said, slightly agitated.
"So then," said Peppy, seemingly changing the subject, "what are we to do with you?"
"You can test me to see where I fit best, if you'd like," said Kevin, straightening himself up.
"I have a better idea: what is your position within the UNE?" Peppy asked, leaning forward slightly over his desk. That same slight smile was still on his muzzle.
"How'd you know...wait, don't answer that." Kevin laughed quietly. "I iwas/i Captain of the vessel known as the iInterceptor/i. It's long-gone now, though."
"What took it?"
"Those damned spatial twists. They tore it in half." Peppy's smile faded in an instant.
"Strange," he said, rubbing his chin once more, "I never thought..."
"What is it, Peppy?" asked Kevin, obviously interested in the old man's thoughts.
"Here," said Peppy as he got up and out of his chair, "I need to show you something." He stepped over to the viewport. It only extended along the forward section of the Bridge, taking the upper half of two walls at a sharp angle. He pressed a few buttons on a console towards the center of the room and the viewport came to life. Among the twirling asteroids were several of those same blue-white swirls of matter that Kevin had faced only a few days before. That same fear crept back into his heart.
"What the hell...?"
"There are more of them in Sectors X and Y and about five orbiting Titania. I've had Slippy scan them nearly a week ago, but he's found nothing so far." Peppy turned to face Kevin. "But hearing that these things," he gestured towards his viewport, "tore an entire military vessel in half...well...I'd much rather be more wary of these distortions now more than ever. We can't get any closer judging by your experience."
"Good." Kevin's voice came out shaky and he quickly composed himself. "Any plan of action yet?"
"Just one at the moment, not including Slippy's 'mission'."
"And what is that?"
"Find a new Commander before I die." Peppy sat in his chair once more. "The crew have always been my children to me. I am getting older and more tired with each day, Kevin. I need someone I can trust to watch over them and soon."
"What about Slippy? Falco?"
"I trust them, of course. But Falco is far too brash to be put in charge, and Slippy is too young in mind to take charge of this ship."
"Who do you have in mind so far?"
"...No one yet, Kevin," sighed Peppy, "no one yet."
For reasons unknown to Kevin, there was a terrible nagging in the back of his mind. He found he couldn't sleep that ship-night, what with whatever it was constantly irritating him, something intangible that he knew would bother him until he figured it out. He couldn't lay straight, constantly twisting and turning on his bed. Finally, he threw the white sheets off of himself and sat up. He threw on some clothes and walked out of his room to search for the cafe.
"A good drink ought to help me rest," he thought aloud. He was the only one in the cafe, but the noise from the machines might wake up a few of his new crewmates. He avoided the autokitchens and decided to just make himself a small sandwich, or the equivalent of one.
The food, he found, was surprisingly good, Better than that found on the UFP's ships-of-the-line. He enjoyed it more than he thought he would when he first got onto the ship. He made one other sandwich and ate it quickly before entering the hall once more.
He decided it would be best to just try to get back to sleep. It was a restless night.
"Plug it in," said Captain Davis with an unusually emotionless tone. His Lieutenant promptly plugged the Ken AI's chip into the mainframe of the ship, effectively uninstalling the old AI (an older male model) and installing the Ken AI into the ship. Davis stared off into the mainframe, a massive blue-tinted screen.
"Ken," said Davis into the screen. Ken immediately appeared next to Davis.
"This isn't my ship," was Ken's first, and rather surprising, reaction. "Where am I?"
"You are aboard the iGorgon/i, Class-5 Destroyer," was Davis' stiff reply.
"Who urinated in your cheerios?"
"Now is no time for jokes!" Davis' Lieutenant, upon seeing Davis' reaction, leaned towards the Ken-AI.
"He's a bit upset," said the Lieutenant. The Ken-AI allowed himself a smile.
"I can see that. May I ask why?"
"I need information, Ken," said Davis, "and I need it now." Ken bowed low.
"How may I be of service?" He looked up slightly, that same smile still on his face.
"What happened to the iInterceptor/i?" Ken's smile faded in an instant.
"Come to think of it, I find it difficult to remember...Let me search my database." Davis waited several long seconds before Ken finally spoke. "The anomalies."
"You're telling me that those disturbances destroyed it? What about all the debris?"
"The debris is inconsequential. Any ships shields will easily vaporize the smaller bits, and the larger pieces aren't packed enough to be considered threatening."
"But how can those things do..."
"This?" Ken brought up a small snapshot of the field directly from the main viewport on the Bridge. The twisted and still aged remains still lie all over the viewport screen. "How can they alter the age of the debris?"
"...Yes..."
"I cannot accurately describe it," Ken said, lowering his face.
"Then at least try to." Ken looked back up.
"I can't even begin without further investigation into the things."
"Fine, investigate then. But will you please answer me something, Ken?"
"Of course, Sir."
"Is my son alive?"
"Kevin Peale..." Ken thought for several long seconds, recalling the moments where Kevin's fighter was thrown into the debris field.
"Answer me, please!" Davis' eyes were pleading suddenly, a faint hope still alight in them. It took Ken several seconds to answer.
"He was on the Bridge when it detonated. No one survived."