Here's the next chapter for you all, questions will be answered and others will be asked. Note: I only own what characters i create, the names and places i invent and the ships and vehicles i seem to be designing in droves for this single story.

I would like to thank AlexanderD for all his help and i strongly recomend reading his story New Dawn. I hope he likes the character named after him Admiral Alec Xander.

For those of you interested in what some of the ships featured in this story look like here are a few sketches on photobucket: .com/albums/ae166/Senrab_Nomis/

Please review and i will respond. Or alternatively post in the thread for this story in my forum. .net/topic/84023/35075481/1/

Review Responses

AlexanderD: It seems to be paying off for him so far though so as far as Zarin is concerned its beneficial. My Telford hasn't yet crossed as many lines as yours has and is on unofficial probation, so killing the majority of the people under his command wouldn't be good for his future.

Shadows-of-Realm: This is where the begins.

Nerdrage61: Glad you're enjoying it. Cliffhangers are my favourite thing to end a chapter on.

s-david-m: I thought of that as well don't worry, the possibility still exists. The only downside to that approach is that if you want to then go in you'll be exposed to the same low oxygen atmosphere.

Scourge75: You have to ask yourself, is Zarin really twisted enough to do that? Wait and see.

romanhellhound: Glad you like it. Enjoy the next chapter.

jobe457: Your welcome. I hope you do decide to leave more reviews in the future.

Sciencefictionsquirrel: In the long run the Zarasians are going to be looking at hell, as it stands though they're having it all their own way.

Doom Bringer – One hour ago

The two reapers dragged the limp form of Sovaer down the corridor like the Averian was a rag doll. Confident in the potency of the muscle relaxer he had been sedated with they carried him between them, one of his arms slung across their shoulders. They weren't expecting him to be any trouble even if he was conscious and taking in his surroundings. Occasionally they would pass another group of reapers or even the odd ordinary human, going about their duties. The prisoner would give them a wary look but otherwise would do nothing, not that he could do anything. It wasn't until they found themselves alone in a stretch of corridor without the sound of approaching footsteps ringing along the decking that Sovaer twitched.

But what started as a simple twitch of the arms quickly changed into a sudden, and for the reapers very surprising, controlled movement. Sovaer's hands balled into fists and curled around the reapers necks, the middle joints of his fingers brushing against their skin as he then dragged his hands back along their necks. As his hands came away and he stood stably on his feet the two reapers fell, a long gash having appeared across their necks. What they hadn't realised, and had ultimately been their undoing was two simple things. The first was that the muscle relaxer had had no effect on him. The sedative having been designed to work on a subject with an organic musculature, something Sovaer no longer possessed. And the second being that seemingly innocent twitch earlier had in fact been caused by two wafer thin blades sliding out between the knuckles of his middle and index fingers.

Silently the two blades retracted back into his hands, his artificial skin springing together around the hole, leaving nothing but a small scar to mark their presence. The Vanir may not been able to give him bone claws like he originally requested but blades with an atomic edge hidden in his hands were a wonderful alternative.

Wasting no time he quickly dragged the corpses of the two reapers to a nearby storage cupboard and left them there. He couldn't dispose of the bodies but he could make it so that it would take a while to find them. As an after thought he sabotaged the wiring of the control panel so that the door wouldn't open. At the very least that should buy him a bit more time until the bodies were discovered.

Luckily for him his captors had not thought to check through his pockets right away, if they had he would lack his toys as Zarin had called them. Pulling out a small syringe he injected himself with a radioactive isotope, another prototype of the Vanir, which would hopefully render him invisible to the ships internal sensors. If it didn't seem to be working then he always had a second vile to double the dose as a last resort, although hopefully he wouldn't need to and he could save it to give to Jakose. Of course that required finding him first.

Moving as quietly as he could he started to make his way through the ship. Relying only on his senses to detect anyone approaching, he carefully made his way to an empty room with a computer terminal. Tampering with the door controls to prevent them from being opened from the outside he brought the computer online. He stared at the computer coding written in ancient being displayed in front of him. He knew he lacked the necessary skill to bypass the computer systems by hand however he did have another option. The only problem was that it would mean he would lack the means to defend himself while he was searching through the computer core. He had a decision to make, although really it was no decision at all because he knew what he had to do.

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a miniaturised distress beacon. The thing was powerful and had an impressive range for its size but achieving long ranges was only possible for a short period before the power cell ran dry. Of course there was always the chance that it would be detected by the people on this ship. So in order to cover that issue he pulled away a vent cover and dropped the active beacon inside. He was rewarded by a series of metallic clangs as the beacon bounced through the vent system before eventually coming to rest. Hopefully no one would think to find out where that noise had originated from, and if they did…well its not like he had plans for this evening anyway and at least the beacon would be a bitch to fish out of the vents.

Figuring he may as well make himself comfortable, because he had no idea how long this would take, he settled down on the floor in front of the console. Reaching into another one of his pockets he pulled out a long cable with what appeared to be a metallic spike on one end and a control crystal adapter on the other. He placed the control crystal adapter into a slot on the control console. Now for the tricky part. Brushing his hand through his hair he located a bump on his scalp before closing his eyes. Flattening down his hair he took a calming breath and inserted the spike into the hole. He gasped as the only slightly familiar tingling sensation hit him and he felt a jolt run through his body.

He opened his eyes and found himself not in the room but looking at a sea of flowing yellow computer code. This was a place he had only been recently become associated with. Cyberspace, the electronic information realm, the world inside the machine there were many names for this place but so few races had so far been able to immerse themselves in it and certainly none who were organic in nature. The Vanir had first opened the doors to this world to Sovaer and now he was stepping through on his own.

Operating in this world was different to what he was normally used to. It was much more thought and a lot less action. The brain operates on electrical signals and is capable of interpreting them as many different things. A computer works in much the same way so it is often said that the brain is an organic computer. Navigating the computer core of the flagship was done more by thought than by motion. Sensing the trails of coding flowing in front of him, identifying them for what they were. Sections of the computer core were separated by barriers, firewalls that prevented him from accessing different systems and secure databases. Right now he was in the basic access section of the computer core. Non-critical systems and open access data were all that lay here. One system he did have access to though was the internal security cameras. In front of him projections of the images the cameras saw appeared including the room where he was sitting in a meditative state. He kept that one open for later. Flickering through the numerous images being displayed at a speed too fast for a human to comprehend when seen outside this state he finally found what he was he was after, the room containing Jakose.

Immersing himself in the data stream he watched as his friend was interrogated by a Wraith queen of all things that bore a resemblance to the Matriarch Echidna. He knew that while his friend was in that lab he could never reach him in time to stop Zarin from getting the answers he required. So while his friend was being questioned he worked on tracing a path from here to the lab, using the different security cameras as a series of relay points. Unfortunately by the time he found out how to get there they were already dragging his friend away. This would make things more complicated.

Concentrating he brought up a map showing the locations of the security cameras he had bounced along to reach the lab. It gave him far from a complete map, more of a path of light in a web of dark tunnels, but it served its purpose. Now he would need to find a way to intercept them or reach the brig without being detected. Figuring that breaking Jakose out of the brig would draw less attention he followed them using the camera feeds until they reached the brig. If they thought his friend was sitting safely in his cell then they wouldn't need as much security for him or would wonder why they hadn't had confirmation he had arrived. A man you sent on a mission is far more likely to be noticed as missing when he doesn't report in than a guard you believe is where he should be. Comparing the trail they were taking with the map he was updating on the fly he noticed that they were following the same path he would have taken to head to the lab up to a point, then they suddenly diverged and took a different path. They must be taking him to a different brig to keep the two of them separated.

Through the security feeds he watched as they took him to the brig and dumped his friend behind a force field in a cell. Mapping out the route he would take and committing it to memory he closed his eyes and disconnected himself from the computer. Opening his eyes he found himself back in the room he had started off in. Getting up he took a moment to stretch his slightly stiff muscles, realising that the deck plating really hadn't been that comfortable to sit on. Once his muscles had loosened again he disconnected the interface cable from his skull and the console before tucking it safely away in the inner pocket from which it had come. He powered down the computer before setting off to the brig where his friend was being kept, leaving no trace of his presence in the room.

Slowly he made his way through the corridors of the ship, following the route he had mapped out in cyberspace. A few times he was unfortunate enough to encounter a patrol of reapers marching along the corridors, but there heavy footsteps meant their approach was easy to detect. Each time he hid from them and waited for them to pass before emerging from a hiding place and heading on his way, seeing their large backs as they went on their way. It was interesting to note that sometimes there was a human amongst them but they were a rare appearance. There didn't seem to be many humans on this ship, which wasn't really surprising considering the small population the Zarasians had started off with all those years ago. Presumably they were serving as the officers of the ship while the reapers made up the majority of the crew numbers. Eventually he reached the brig of the ship. From his time interfaced with the system he knew that there was only one guard present, which suited his plans just fine.

With a hiss the door to the brig slid open, causing the guard inside to turn around. When no one entered through the door or even appeared in front of the doorway the reaper got suspicious and decided to investigate. As the guard stepped towards the doorway Sovaer's hand shot out from around the door frame and pulled the reaper off of his feet. As the reaper started to tip forwards Sovaer's other hand came round and grabbed him by the back of the neck, helping the reaper along on its trip to the deck plating. With a thought the blade inside that same hand flicked out and he plunged the trinium blade an inch into the back of the reapers exposed neck. With the reaper now permanently out of commission he dragged the carcass back into the brig and shut the door.

Looking up he was met with the smirking face of Jakose, who was standing by the force field of his cell.

"Thanks for stopping by," said Jakose.

"Well I happened to be on the ship so I thought I might as well," said Sovaer as he started to work on the cell force field controls. "How you are you feeling? Your head must hurt after being interrogated by a Wraith."

Jakose frowned. "How do you know about that?"

"I got into the computer and used the internal security feeds to keep an eye on you," Sovaer explained as he finally brought down the force field.

"How long have you been free?" asked Jakose, stepping out of the cell. "That muscle relaxer must have worn off quickly."

"Actually it didn't even take effect," said Sovaer as he set about dragging the reaper into the same cell. "It doesn't seem to work on synthetic muscles and that's all I have these days."

"Ah, that makes sense," said Jakose. "But I really have to ask, why are putting that reaper in a cell?"

"So that the life signs sensors will show that there is still a prisoner in the cells," said Sovaer as he re-activated the force field.

"Surely that won't work because the reaper happens to be dead," Jakose pointed out.

"Actually he's alive," said Sovaer, casually leaning against the wall.

"You stabbed him in the neck," argued Jakose adamantly. "Usually when you of all people stab someone in the neck it tends to kill them."

"I only severed his spinal cord," Sovaer pointed out. "I'm not sure if it was between the fifth or sixth vertebrate though. It's difficult to tell when you're not entirely familiar with these…things."

"So he's alive but paralyzed from the neck down," Jakose summarized.

"Yep," said Sovaer, moving to the door. "Now let's get moving."

Jakose shivered slightly as he glanced back at the paralyzed reaper, sometimes his friend could be a little scary in his dedication to duty. Still Sovaer's duty was keeping him safe so he really couldn't complain.

Sovaer pulled out a syringe from inside his coat, proceeding to shoot the contents into Jakose arm without a word.

"Follow me, stay close and stay silent," Sovaer ordered.

Jakose knew better than to argue.

Slowly the pair made their way through the corridors of the ship. Jakose couldn't help but notice how tense his friend appeared and felt a pang of guilt. He knew why his friend was feeling this way. It was because of his presence. For his friend this would be tricky certainly but far from impossible, but with him present it made the task much more difficult. He knew he lacked the stealthy nature of his friend or the ability to move without a sound and that was dangerous in a situation like this. Nevertheless they slowly made their way through the ship to the room where Sovaer had previously hidden, not that Jakose knew this.

When they finally arrived Sovaer settled down in front of the computer terminal while Jakose took stock of the room. There wasn't in the way of furniture, a table with a pair of chairs and an empty cupboard in the corner.

"I'm sure you have a good reason," began Jakose. "But why are we here?"

"I knew this room would be empty," answered Sovaer. "It's a good distance from the brig and we need somewhere to wait."

Jakose raised an eyebrow.

"Wait for what?"

"Hopefully for help to arrive," said Sovaer as he pulled the interface cable out of his pocket. "In the mean time that injection I gave you should hide us from sensors so they won't know we're here."

Jakose rubbed the injection point on his arm reflexively. "What was that thing anyway?"

"A radioactive isotope the Vanir developed to hide life signs from sensors," explained Sovaer. "They figured they might need it for use against the Wraith. I wasn't sure if it would work on Zarasian sensors but it seems to be working so far."

"I'm guessing you have a plan," said Jakose. His friend always had a plan, it was his nature.

"I activated my distress beacon," said Sovaer as he plugged the cable into the console. "Hopefully it will last long enough to be picked up by one of our allies. In the mean time I intend to hide here and see what information I can get out of the computer. Right now we know next to nothing about our situation other than the fact we're on the Zarasian flagship, and even then that's an assumption. I intend to rectify that problem and hopefully get some information about our enemy."

"Are you sure you can get past the firewalls they undoubtedly have?" asked Jakose.

Sovaer frowned. "No, but I'm going to poke around the unprotected areas first and see what I can find."

"Just…," Jakose hesitated. "Just be careful Aerin."

He knew his friend had had some experience with cyber walking, as he liked to call it, before but it was still risky. It involved creating a direct link to the brain for crying out loud. Who really knew what the consequences could be if something went wrong, his friend could turn into a vegetable.

Sovaer handed him the other end of the cable before closing his eyes. "Don't worry JJ I will be."

As an after thought Sovaer pulled one his trademark pistols out of its holster and placed it beside him.

Jakose said nothing and simply plugged the cable into his friends head. In an instant Sovaer found himself in cyberspace.

Casting his senses wide he took in the sea of information before him. The first thing he did was to pluck out the data stream for the security camera in the corridor outside the room. The next thing he did was interface with the computer monitor in that room. Concentrating he opened a window on the computer along with the feed from the security camera. In a way that almost telepathic in nature he typed in a message on the window.

"That's the security camera for the corridor outside."

With a thought another three camera feeds appeared, his familiarity with the associated data streams allowing him to easily pluck them out from amongst the others.

"And that's the security feeds for the corridors around that one."

In the upper right hand corner of each of these feeds a number appeared, which corresponded to a map similar to the one Sovaer had generated earlier for plotting out a route to reach Jakose in the brig.

"You can talk to me by typing into the window," Sovaer added when Jakose failed to respond.

"This is really weird."

Sovaer couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe but it certainly is useful if you're not a hacker."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Try and form a map of this place, find out what it is. The layout isn't in the public access section but I can get an idea by jumping through the security cameras and using their positions to create a map. I'll let you know what I have when I finish."

Focusing with his mind Sovaer began plucking out each of the data streams for the security cameras from the mass in front of him. As he plucked out each one he examined it and marked its position on a map he was creating. As more points were added the map became 3-D until he had a cluster of points marked out. Comparing what was actually shown on the feeds to the map he managed to create a rough floor plan. Then he added a layer of solid plating around the map to represent the outer walls. As he studied the 3-D image he came to the conclusion that this was indeed a ship, and it was a big one at that so it seemed pretty likely that this was the Zarasian flagship.

"I have a rough map of the place. Sorry it took so long but this place is pretty big, if it's not the Zarasian flagship I would be very much surprised."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to check the rest of the public access systems, see what I can find. If I can't find anything useful though then I am going to try getting past the first firewall."

"Good luck."

Placing the map to one side for now he started to sort through the remaining data streams. There wasn't much to find. Internal communications were easily accessible, or at least placing a call was, active transmissions were encrypted to prevent people from listening in. Ship to ship communications were also an option, provided it was within the Zarasian fleet, but even still that was rather pointless if you didn't know where you were to try to talk to another ship. That being said external sensors were not something he could access from the shallow end of the data pool he was sitting in so he didn't know if there was another ship to even bother trying to contact, Zarasian or otherwise. Everything else was sitting behind at least one firewall and so was completely inaccessible from where he was in the computer core. Everything from medical records to internal life sign readings was unavailable without an access code. The paranoia was extreme to the point that while he could make adjustments to the temperature in rooms he was unable to do so to the point that it might be endangering the room's occupants. Even the darn security recordings were sitting behind a firewall which meant Sovaer had a choice to make. Or to put it another way he could try to crack a firewall in an attempt to actually find something useful or he could sit there and do nothing.

"I have access to internal communications, the security cameras and ship to ship communications. That being said I don't even know if there is another ship out there to talk to and transmitting blind would just draw attention. If I'm going to find something useful I need to attempt to get past at least one firewall, and even then I don't know what I am going to find so I may have to break down another."

"How subtle are you going to be about this?"

Sovaer mentally moved up to the barrier around the next data pool. The way the computer core seemed to be set up was multiple data repositories separated by increasingly stronger firewalls. Looking around he could see there was a very strong firewall around the entirety of the computer core making it very difficult to hack in from the outside, unless you happened to be on the ship and had access to a terminal. As it appeared to him this first barrier was a wall of hexagonal shaped blocks glowing in orange, much like the observed shields on the Zarasian ships.

"Judging by the security on this thing I'll have to push harder and harder if I want to access the repositories the deeper I go. The first one though should be simple."

"I think," he added as he touched the barrier and received a jolt.

"Just try not to draw attention to yourself."

"I always do JJ."

"That isn't comforting."

Sovaer smirked before switching his attention to the firewall in front of him, his expression now serious. If he really wanted to he could smash his way through using a brute force attack. However that would most likely trigger every alarm the computer core had and possibly see him ejected from the system as his link was severed by the core in a bid to protect itself. No if he was going to do this undetected some finesse was needed. Now clearly the firewall was there for protection against someone trying to sneak in without the proper access, but there would have to be a way through for someone with the proper access. In other words he needed to find the part of the firewall that allowed for an access code to be entered and bypass it, essentially picking the lock on the gate rather than smashing through the wall.

The first step was finding the gate in the wall. Searching along the edge of the firewall he gently probed the hex sections looking that slight lack of resistance the others lacked. Eventually he found it, a section of the wall that didn't immediately repulse him when he touched it. Knowing he had found what he was looking for he accessed it with a thought. The hex segment rose out of the wall and immediately he was questioned for an access code, one he didn't have. Studying it with his mind he came to understand what the access code entailed. It was a ten digit numeric code, not extremely complex but it still had a large number of potential combinations. The Zarasian security designers were apparently the sneaky kind of paranoid. You may think they were making it easy on you by not making it alpha-numeric but ten digit codes are still tricky to crack. It would take time to go through all ten billion combinations but at least he shouldn't set off any alarm bells doing it. Focusing his mind on the task he set to work. Shuffling through the different combinations he completely lost track of time, all he knew was the next combination to try and luckily the more he concentrated on just the access code the faster he was able to try them until eventually he had the right one. As the last digit clicked into place the hex retreated back into the barrier, causing the whole thing to flash and disintegrate. He was in to the next level of the computer core.

"I'm in."

"Judging by how long it took you definitely used the subtle approach."

"Good thing they only used a numeric code or you would have been waiting even longer."

"Found anything?"

"A few data files on the surface, pretty basic information. Interesting, a video file related to the foundation of the empire…about Zarin apparently."

"What's on it?"

"Hang on I'm putting it up on the screen."

On the screen a video began to play, on the screen stood the Zarin they knew from the Averian military records. He was old, easily into his sixties and he was standing in front of something covered by a curtain and giving a speech to a cheering crowd. The two Averians watched in rapt attention as the video and the events recorded played out. When the video finally came to an end the two were silent for a while until finally Jakose started typing.

"We need to get this video to the others, they need to see this."

"I know, it certainly explains a lot, but we don't have a way to do that yet."

"Keep looking through the rest of the data. Go past the next firewall if you need to."

"I'm on it."

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