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Chapter 15 Descent
I was so happy to hear Khore's voice, but it hadn't exactly been good news. They had him, or at least the part of him that I thought mattered. I wiped my eyes as I rose from the floor. I started walking again through the hallway.
"TK, Khore said that I was not allowed to absorb all ship information?" I said aloud.
"Yes Bransen that is what Khore instructed and what you just heard. It was for your own safety. It would never have been allowed even if he had not stated it. I am not allowed to harm you or do anything that might as a result of my actions cause you harm." TK answered.
"Sounds like a lot of double talk to me." I huffed.
"Sucks to be you!" TK quipped.
"Maybe... maybe not." I answered.
"TK, Khore said that the Kotanare coming. Have you any records on such a race?" I asked.
"No Bransen."
"Have you detected anything moving in this direction?"
"Yes Bransen. There are approximately 32,295,185 objects coming in this general direction at this moment. Meteorites, debris, asteroids, and a very large concentration of objects on the edge of this solar system."
"TK, The large concentration of objects. What are they?"
"Unknown."
"Are they heading in our direction?"
"The objects are moving from the remains of the previous planet and now moving toward the fifth astral body in this solar system."
"Did it NOT occur to you that these might be the Kotan?" I was quickly losing my temper. "And what do you mean 'remains' of the previous planet?"
"Weeellllll excuuuussssse me! I have no reference point to say what might or might not be the Kotan, though these objects do seem to be moving with some form of intelligence. They have just altered their course since entering this solar system. From this recent course change there is a 83% probability they will continue from planet to planet until they have arrived at this one." TK snapped at me.
"You said that they were now heading for the fifth planet? What happened to going to the planets between that and the 9th?"
"Their current orbits place them at a greater distance than the fifth planet." Answered TK
"TK, I want you to give me all command and operations information. Download it to my leaky brain." I commanded.
"I'm sorry Bransen, Khore's orders were clear about downloading ship information to your mind." TK answered.
"Khore said you were not allowed to give me all ship information. He did not say you couldn't give me parts of it." I smirked at the thought.
There was a moment of silence. "Agreed." TK finally replied.
Images flashed through my mind as I saw the intricacies of ship systems and how they interacted. It was so much information I found myself squeezing my eyes shut in a weak attempt to avert sensory overload. I was lost in numbers and images feeling them pile over my mind threatening to spill out like a bowl of water. When I thought there couldn't possibly be any more information it continued to push and push. The saying "Pounding ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag" came to mind as my world spun.
"Complete." Was the last word I heard before feeling the cool floor crush against my body.
"Welcome back Captain Dumbass" came TK's voice.
I opened my eyes. I was happy the lightning was lower than the bright of the hallway I had just been in. I had passed out and been transported here. I felt the information surge through my mind. I now knew ever bypass and energy flow as different systems went on and off line during almost instantaneous repair. It was deafening and made me dizzy. I groaned.
"TK, is there anything we can do to cut down on the background noise in his mind?" Doc asked from 1.3 meters from my position. OUCH. Too much information. Weight 183 pounds, height 5'9 Hair Blond, approximately 420 years. He lied to me!
Every miniscule piece of data concerning the Doc was racing through my mind. Facts were filling my head faster than I could comprehend them. It was a jumble of noise and it was driving me insane. It was like listening to music so loud all you heard was static! Then suddenly it all stopped.
"Bransen? Can you hear me?" I heard Doc's voice as he walked around from behind where I lay coming into view.
"What happened?" I asked.
The look on Doc's face was not encouraging. He looked worried, and he looked pissed. It was the look my father had when he found me in the forest as a child. He had taken a nap and I had gone wondering and was lost. I don't remember seeing anyone so happy and pissed off at the same time. I also remember getting the beating of my life shortly after returning home. Well 'Welcome Back!'. I only hoped this time it would end less painfully.
"What were you thinking Bransen? You nearly killed the rest of the team, and destroyed the ship." He was in a huff though the creases in his forehead had started to smooth. He was happy I was awake.
I remembered now. I had instructed the ship to download ship information to team members according to their area. I also remember accidentally powering up weapons and nearly disabled the cloak before TK's systems shut down the process. I had leaked. Random thoughts became commands direct to the ship's computer. Millions of details and systems flooding in and out of my mind had been too much.
"I'm sorry Doc. Khore talked to me. I heard him. Did you know the ship was telepathic? They're hurting him Doc. The Kotanare coming! They're eating whole worlds!" I had a hundred things to say and my lips were barely able to keep up. I felt like I was crawling out of my skin.
"Shhhhh... listen for a moment." Doc hushed me. "TK explain to him what has happened."
"You cheated." TK answered.
"The details TK, damn!" Doc shouted.
A long sigh sounded through the room. "You asked for operations and command system information to be absorbed. I performed your request. After you had operations information, you circumvented security protocol pulling in the rest of the ships systems justifying that they were needed for operations. Basically you raped me. I feel so violated!" sniff sniff...
"Cut the drama TK." Doc grumbled. "Basically you have been in contact with the Thoren science systems since you passed out. Or at least TK has been. They've been insisting on face to face communication for the last three days and we aren't going to be able to stall them any longer. TK... only acknowledge verbal commands from Bransen and cut off all communications between his mind and your systems."
"Agreed." Was TK's response.
The low roar of my mind calmed. There were a hundred different thoughts buzzing around like flies but they were more manageable than I had expected. My training with Khore had helped more than I had realized.
"How is the Team Doc?" I asked sitting up in bed.
"They are doing well. You're contact with Kelay at the time of Khore's conception, and then again when Khore mingled with Dusty is the only thing that saved you, but we can discuss that later." Doc said eyeing me as I hopped off the table.
Doc had been quick to grab my arm seeing me sway. I was dizzy for a moment but it passed.
"It's okay Doc. I got it now." I reassured him.
"TK, Command Level 1" I thought seeing the flash transport me to the command deck.
"COM, Shipwide. All team members transport to Command Level 1 immediately." I announced.
I was standing on the command deck that floated in the center of the massive command station. Almost instantly I watched as Dusty and Neek were transported to the propulsion and power regulation station on my lower left. Sweed and Raven appeared in a flash at the tactical station to my lower right. Twist and Rift appeared to my upper left on the weapons platform. Doc and Chris appeared on my upper right at the communications station.
Every station had been built for two, and I missed my other half as I sat down in front of my console. "Please be seated" I commanded. Each sat in their station pulling the access terminal before them into place.
"TK... open ship operations to my mind limiting it to only essential system. Propulsion, Tactical, Weapons, Communications, and Environmental."
The information flooded my mind but was subdued. Concentrating I could single out smaller pieces of the noise. It was disorienting, but becoming easier.
"Let's get airborn gentlemen." I announced.
The command deck was phenomenal. A 360 degree virtual display surrounded us as we hovered at the core. On all sides I could see rock and the land outside of us. Altering the view I could see past the stone that encased us into the atmosphere and beyond. It was more than a panoramic view. It was three dimensional in every detail, as if in the center of a transparent sphere looking out.
"Activate the displacement cloak." I commanded.
I could see the stone and earth on the surface of the ship as we hollowed out our space within it. It looked like a bubble floating in the water that was rock around us.
"Dusty, Neek, Get us out of this rock and don't take your time. They may not be able to see the ship, but they will definitely notice a huge hole appearing out of no where. Take behind the moon and match its orbit."
The ship rose as stone and earth seemed to crumble off of the ship. We lifted into the night before traveling at unknown speeds through the atmosphere and into space past the Sphere Major. The point of our rain drop shaped ship led the way as we came about behind the moon.
Neek answered, "We are in position." He muddy brown eyes looked out in wonder. You could hear the awe in his voice.
"Pretty fucking sweet ain't it!" TK blurted.
I noticed Dusty give Neek's thigh a little squeeze as they smiled to one another. Raven's deep black eyes just stared. His white skin and dark features seemed to contrast against the black field of stars. Sweed didn't seem to be taking it as well as some of the others. His color had changed to a sickly green.
"You okay over there Sweed?"
He was breathing quickly but finally answered. "I'm afraid of heights." He said very quietly as he white knuckled the base of his seat.
"Let go of your seat Sweed." I commanded.
He sat in place, arms flexing to get a better hold, shaking his head back and forth.
"TK... Transport Sweed one meter to the right of his current position." I commanded.
A white flash took him from his chair as he floated in place flailing his arms and legs. He was hollering as though he had been splashed with icy water. We all watched as he finally calmed down and just floated in place regaining his composure. I couldn't help but to laugh.
"You cannot fall here Sweed. You'll be okay. Put him back TK"
"Yes Bransen" and with a flash Sweed was back in his chair looking relieved. I still had to chuckle as I noticed his left hand reaching out to Raven's for comfort. What surprised me more was that Raven actually gave it to him. Maybe Raven was coming around after all. Who'd have thought being dunked in a shit tank would have such a positive affect on someone.
Rift and Twist sat staring at the view. The starlight played along Rifts auburn hair as he leaned into his companion. Twist jumped from the sudden contact but you could see him warm into the gentle pressure.
Doc gaped as a giggle escaped Chris. Chris' green eyes glimmered with excitement while it looked like Doc was preparing for his first coronary.
"It's so small!" the Doc gasped.
"That's not what you were yelling last night!" TK snapped.
"Bite me!" Doc shot back.
"Yep... that was one of the phrases! Save it for your office though hot stuff, I don't want that mess on the console." TK's replied.
The rest of us were in hysterics. Sometimes, I was thankful for TK's attitude. It definitely helped to ease the tension of the moment. The noise dwindled down to sporadic giggles as we regained our composure.
"Chris, I want you to triangulate his position as soon as we get a reply. I want to know EXACTLY where he is. Patch the coordinates to my terminal." I said glancing at Chris.
"Move us in front of the moon. I want a clear shot Neek. Twist, I want him targeted as soon as the coordinates are known. Rift, be prepared to cover our ass. Dusty, make sure that cloak comes back online as soon as possible if we fire. I don't want to stick around and be anyone's target." I ordered.
"Communication will be telepathic if we establish communications with Keelon."
"Chris, begin a transmission on all frequencies, voice only." I commanded.
"Keelon, Leader of the Thoren people, The Kotanare coming to devour this planet and everything in their path. I would fight against these creatures, but I do not have the time to battle two enemies. I would like to reach some sort of agreement. I await your reply." End Transmission
We sat in silence for several long minutes before receiving an answer.
A three dimensional image formed ahead of us. It was transparent but not completely devoid of shape and color. "I would see the face of those who stole the Cystos before continuing further." The image was of an older man of 60th age. I could not comprehend the passage of time that this thing before us had been witness to, but I also doubted this was Keelon. A vain megalomaniac so bent on living forever would never let himself age like this.
I stood at my station.
Chris: Open the signal video and audio.
"I am Bransen, Captain of the Battlecruiser Cystos. Let's dispense with the games shall we. I am well aware you are not Keelon." I replied.
The image shifted. Before us now sat a much younger looking man of maybe 21st age. He had long black curly hair that cascaded down his sides and hung to his knees. His icy blue eyes glowed with power. His nose was thin leading to even thinner lips which curved into his pointed spear-like jaw. His skin was almost a blue white in color that stretched across his strong lithe body. He wore a white opalescent garment that gaped at the chest and billowed across his ivory muscle. It was gathered at the waist then continued to his feet. He possessed a demon like beauty.
"Indeed." Keelon's low timbered voice cut through the silence. "I had hoped to see specimen 143977."
"If you are referring to Khore, he has other duties to attend to." I hoped the pain I felt didn't betray me.
Chris! Where are those coordinates!
I'm sorry Bransen, they're bouncing the signal all over hell.
FIND HIM!
"So then, are you prepared to return our property?" Keelon grinned.
"You're more than welcome to come aboard any time you like Keelon." I smiled back.
"Try it Keely boy and I'll BBQ your wrinkled ass!" TK all but yelled.
TK! NOT NOW!
The image of Keelon doubled over with laughter.
WHERE ARE THOSE COORDINATES CHRIS!?
"Talp and Feril were always the tricksters." Keelon said calming himself. "I assume then that no Human or Thoren of pure blood may step foot on the ship then. No matter."
I've almost got them.
"We're wasting time Keelon." I stated.
"Time is all we have now Bransen." Keelon answered. "Our scientists have gleaned enough genetic material to advance us another hundred thousand years. We will find another and let the Kotanhave their way with this world."
The transmission is originating from the third Sphere Major above the continent known as Australia. The coordinates are being fed to your terminals now.
"Partial to Kangaroos and Kuala Bears Keelon?" I asked.
Keelon's eyes widened in surprise.
Give it all you've got TK.
"Your time is up Keelon." I said with a smile. End Transmission
FIRE!
The ship de-cloaked as silver and blue light rippled along its surface from base to tip. The point erupted sending a thick beam of destructive energy to the Sphere Major causing it to explode in a halo of blue fire. Several beams of light from multiple Sphere Major rocked the ship before we were able to maneuver behind the moon. The repetition of systems repaired the damage and we were cloaked in seconds.
"Move us to the destroyed sphere's location now! Level off above its previous coordinates. Give us a wide berth" I commanded.
In seconds we sped from behind the moon to a position some six miles above the destroyed Sphere Major dodging random beams of light. What better place to hide I thought.
We watched as the Sphere Major suddenly attacked each other. It was complete chaos as they battled. We positioned ourselves eighty miles from the planet. We watched wide eyed as the battle continued for hours as hundreds of Spheres destroyed each other.
The battle of Sphere against Sphere finally ended as they spread themselves out now much thinner across the planet.
An image appeared before us. "This is acting Captian Trax of the science guild. We mean you no harm. I would speak with Khore immediately please."
Before us stood the image of a man of maybe 30th age. He was thin and tired looking. His dirty unkempt blond hair barely capped his head being cut short at the ears and neck. His eyes were large and friendly framed in long dark lashes. He had an average nose and kind mouth with supple almost abnormally large lips. His body was thin and frail, but poised. Every movement was subtle and controlled as if choreographed.
You all make me worry.. I haven't heard a word since the last chapter... Have I bored you? Either way... let me know... Feedback is my lifeline. Please submit criticism and suggestions to gaywriter72@yahoo.com. As I have said in the past, this is my first story, so all of your help is appreciated. I hope to hear from you soon. For those of you wanting a more 'handy' story... heheh it's coming up.
As always... take care!