Dark Screams

Chapter 4: Breach tactics 101

2008-06-30T14:37:00.003+02:00

A small craft left the carrier, carrying a team of ten highly trained combat specialists, and headed towards the motionless Megathron. Rounds and drones where whizzing past the small craft and if only one of them were to hit, it would most likely mean the end of them. The pilot did his best to fly in random patterns avoiding the stray gunfire and narrowly avoided a collision with one of the Serp drones as it veered towards Silas. Flares from every explosion or superheated round that passed the portholes illuminated the commander of the breach team as he calmly stated their plan of entry and elimination, standing with practiced ease despite the ship’s violent movements. His team triple-checked their armoured pressure suits and received their instructions with equal ease, as though oblivious to the battle that went on outside of the thin hull separating them from a certain death.

“Once we clamp onto a bare piece of structure, a pressure seal will be formed between the boarding hatch and the hull, and a shaped charge will be detonated to provide us access to the enemy ship. One of the pod pilots is removing the armor as close to the bridge as she can for our point of entry; she must be careful as to not blow up the bridge in the process, so we may have a bit of a walk. Once inside, we neutralize any opposition encountered and proceed towards the bridge entry. Our objective is to capture the officer and seize the ship. If taking control is deemed impossible, we are to place explosives at the controls and make our way back to the transport. Everyone clear on their roles?” As the team confirmed, the transport’s pilot was already looking for a suitable entry point on the Mega’s ravaged hull.

Freyya was restricting fire to half her turrets to avoid damaging the officer’s ship too badly. The rounds hit hard enough to keep the level of armor on her target stable at 60% and restrain the nanobots trying to repair the hole underneath the bridge section. It was as good as a place to provide an entry point for the breachers as she could manage without risking the destruction of the bridge.

“As you can see you are no match for my superior ship! Surrender now and I might spare you so you can live as a slave in my private mining colony!”

Orstoy was apparently not paying attention to the rest of the battlefield as more and more of his support ships began crumbling like cookies, which meant he also hadn’t noticed the breachers getting ready to clamp onto the bare hull Freyya provided them.

“Give up now, or--” Static erupted into the local channels, interrupting Orstoy in his ego boosting parade.

The shaped charge fitted on the transport carved through the hull and shattered the next five compartments beyond. Most of the crew present in the vicinity died instantly; the ones who survived were blinded and deafened from the explosion and debris that cut through the corridors.

“Ready arms and proceed into the enemy ship, eliminate any opposition and fire at will!” Commanded Team Lead as the transport's ramp lowered, giving way to ten highly trained soldiers eager to start their mission.

As the men in full body armor switched off the safeties on their micro blasters and auto rifles, Orstoy was climbing back up onto his feet.

“Hull breach in tower section 87 Juliet, Sir!” One of the crew members reported.

His expression told Orstoy enough about what happened. Quickly, he grabbed the internal com microphone;

“All personnel in tower section 87! Breach detected in 87 Juliet, arm yourselves and make your way towards 87J! Eliminate any hostiles on sight! Special Security forces are to fall back to the bridge and reinforce this position!”

Orstoy was pulled back to reality as his future now seemed uncertain. He fell down into his chair and sat there saying nothing for a few seconds until one of the crew asked him how to proceed.

“Keep firing on that Navy Megathron, recall all support ships and tell them to do the same!”

The breach team ducked from the transport into a completely demolished and darkened chamber not far from the bridge, ruptured wires dangling from the ceiling and water from burst conduits streaming onto what remained of the floor. Spreading out in pairs, they made their way through the wreckage as bullets from the opposing forces began to ricochet around them in the dark.

As the fighting inside Orstoy’s ship grew heavier, the fight on the outside was taking a turn for the worse for Freyya. The remainder of the Serp fleet had trained their sights on her and her Navy ‘T and it wasn't taking the beating well, enemy drones and rounds were engulfing her ship in an aura of engine trails and rays of superheated plasma.

"I need remote rep quick! Armor percentage dropping below 50% and my repper can't keep this up much longer."

Frey was getting worried. The tanked-out Navy’T’ could take one hell of a beating but the combined firepower that struck her ship was steadily stripping away its armor.

"Remote-repair nanobots have been dispatched." Marcus replied calmly.

It was, however, too late as a Shadow tungsten round hit a weak spot in Freyya's protective shell and blew a gaping rent on the port side, just above gun-mounts 2 and 3.

"Hull breach detected; sealing off sections 57 Charlie a,b and f. Ammunitions elevator is out of order. Turrets 2 and 3 will run out of ammunition in 1 minute 13 seconds. Internal damage control system shows 6 minutes and 48 seconds before repairs are complete. Sensors indicate three crewmembers are no longer on board this ship."

It was at times like these Freyya wished Spectre sounded a little more human. The AI's untroubled voice made the loss of crew sound so unimportant while she felt completely the opposite.

"Marcus, you getting that?"

"I am..."

She could sense he was feeling sorrow for the loss of life as well. It was troublesome enough they already had killed thousands of crew on board the Serpentis ships but it really hurt when the lost lives were your own... and under your command, for that matter. The weight of that responsibility could crush even the strongest of spirits.

"Report already sent to Oversight, they'll handle it from there. We will recover the bodies later."

The remote nanobots where already working in unison with the locally dispatched nanobots, and bonded to form a new sheet of armor over the gap in Freyya's hull. Marcus examined the battlefield for a second and decided the best course of action.

"Silas and Aveeva, your primary and secondary targets have been broadcasted. Sil, send your drones to the tertiary target broadcasted right now. Shae and Liora, primary and secondary targets on broadcast. All fightergroups engage the enemy drones that are shooting Freyya. After that it's a free for all. Confirm and execute."

All fleet members confirmed their orders and started tearing appart their designated targets.

"Freyy?"

"Yes Marcus?" she replied, willing the nanobots to relocate to another patch of armor.

"Breach team reports progress is slow and they're encountering heavy resistance. I want you to send in a drone to clear a path towards the bridge section."

"Roger that, tell ‘em to get clear of the section they're in now and I will send one into the adjecent section."

One of Freyya’s tech-2 Goblins changed direction and headed towards Orstoy's ship, already spitting fire to blast a hole in the hull to gain access to the inside. Emergency lighting flared on and a decompression alarm howled through the ship as compartment isolation hatches sealed themselves around the damaged section to prevent any more bodies and debris to be sucked out into the vast emptyness. Even though the drone was one of the smallest available it was still at least a full chamber worth of alloys and guns, and as such it needed to blast away 2 stories inside the ship to be able to fly around relatively free.

"All right men, we're receiving help from the outside. Find cover away from the route towards the bridge and get ready for some heavy explosions!"

As the breachers made their way towards a safe haven in the midst of enemy gunfire, a rumbling sound was getting louder and closer. The small drone easily chewed its way through the bulkheads and reached the enemy’s position in no time. With its smaller 8-barrel guns blazing, the drone quickly made a grisly mess of the reinforced section. The rounds, small in comparison to the drone’s usual targets, were large enough to punch head-sized holes in the bulkheads; they completely tore off limbs and cut bodies in half, littering the area with Serpentis corpses. After the drone’s job was finished, it fell back so the breachers could advance towards the bridge, picking their way through the complete massacre filling the ruined halls. They encountered a few minor pockets of Serpentis crew and dealt with them accordingly before reaching the large, reinforced steel double-doors that gave access to the command rooms and bridge beyond.

"Team lead to fleet commander, we have reached the bridge entrance and are about to proceed inwards. Any updates on the situation outside?"

"All is going well out here team lead. We're working on the last few remaining support vessels right now. Reinforcements from neighbouring regions and systems are almost here so we'll have complete control in about three minutes or so. Breach in two."

"Understood commander. Preparing breach now and proceeding in two."

As the demolitions expert placed the charges at calculated points across the doors, another breacher prepared the antimatter grenade: a marvelous piece of equipment designed to seek the centre of multiple heat signatures and burst in mid-air.

“Charges ready Lead, detonation at your mark.”

The breach team took up defensive positions on the opposite side of the room. When all had signaled they were ready, the team leader nodded to the member holding the trigger.

“Mark!”

The two heavy steel doors tore from their mountings with a scream of distressed metal and hurtled into the room beyond, wiping out two Serp security officers in a haze of gore; heat from the charges themselves vaporised parts of the door-frame, along with two more of the enemy forces who had been standing too close. Razor-edged shrapnel sliced the remaining hostiles to ribbons, leaving the room a blood-soaked tribute to Oversight’s R&D department.

As soon as the shock wave had passed, one of the breachers aimed his micro blaster at the door to the next chamber and pulled the trigger. Part of the steel door simply melted through as the miniature blaster round struck and exploded into a small superheated ball of plasma. At that point the breacher with the grenade aimed and fired it through the gap.

Glowing an eye-hurting ultraviolet from the force-field which made up its ‘shell’, the grenade squirted through the hole into the midst of the confused Serpentis and popped, releasing a powdery puff of tiny stars in all directions which eliminated anything they touched. The ‘stars’ - air molecules annihilated by contact with the fine chains of antimatter thrown out by the grenade - gave way to bursts of pure energy. Where the needle-like antimatter strands struck flesh, holes appeared, spraying blood and pieces of intestines as men fell screaming; if their wounds didn’t kill them outright, exposure to the explosion’s gamma radiation fallout would. The shock wave rolled out, flattening anything which remained upright. One of the breacher team grunted in pain as the heavy metal desk he’d selected for cover flipped over and trapped him underneath, having only the solidity of his armored pressure-suit preventing the bones in his lower torso from being crushed. As the smoke and dust settled somewhat and the suit's audio systems recovered from the shock wave, Team Lead heard the moans of his trapped team member. Rushing to his location and ordering several other men to help lift the metal desk, he quickly assessed the status of damage to the pressure suit and it's armor plates. Finding the external damage to be minimal he ordered the team member to sit tight while the rest of the team would take care of the objective. Feeling quite compressed and having severe pains in his lower torso the team member wasn't about to disobey that order.

“Alright! Continue into the next chamber men! Only one room left and we’ll have to do this by conventional means. Check your target before you fire but don’t wait too long unless you want to take a few in the chest….just don’t kill the officer! We need him alive for questioning!”

On the outside of the ship Marcus was so intently focused on the fight against the remaining Serpentis forces that it took him a moment to notice the incoming communication.

“Go ahead.”

“Commander Quo, Breach team reports success, preparing for extraction, all crew has been ordered to abandon ship. We took two losses, three injured. One is critical, receiving emergency medical attention, he should make it. Officer vessel is largely intact and in operational status.”

"Received, Team lead, job well done. Situation is under control on the outside, almost all resistance has been neutralized, backup has arrived and the system in now in effective lockdown. Other ships are taking care of the ejected rescue pods, salvage and partially or largely intact ships. You'll enter docking port 3 and are to escort our new passenger to the persuasion room from there. We'll have some interrogation specialists ready to prep him.....I'm sorry for the loss of your team members.....Quo out."

"Affirmative Sir, received and understood! Thank you Sir…"

Chapter 3: Unpleasant surprises

2008-06-30T12:38:00.002+02:00

As the jump was completed, camera drones left their small docking bays and started to orbit the ship. Their feeds where starting to fill Freyya’s ocular implant and the sights of several wrecks hanging motionless in space turned her stomach.

“Everyone hold positions and maintain jump cloak!”

She sounded worried, and the message came across as the other pilots where receiving their feeds as well. Counting 9 wrecks in the position the camera drones where pointing, then with a thought they turned around the field of vision to the rear side of the ship. Even more wrecks littering space all around the jump gate.

“SIR! We have incoming! Scanner picks up several large vessels heading this way! Acquiring more intel….new results coming in.”

The panic was easily heard in the voice of Liora and Freyya was afraid she might leave her protective cloak. They still had about 20 seconds worth before the effect wore off completely.

“Maintain positions people! Alert the crew and man all battle stations! ..I see them coming…”

The ship scanners onboard all starships where now registering multiple large contacts and several smaller ones following not far behind. Further analysis and scans resulted in a hit in the ship database: 7 Serpentis battleships approaching with 12 smaller guardian forces tagging along.

“Spectre, initiate battle algorithms and calculate primary and secondary targets.”

Results where streaming through all the implants inside every pilot’s brain as Spectre linked to every ship’s own mobile version of the AI. Ocular implants displayed the number and types of ships on scanner, states of all systems and weapons, as well as the immediate surroundings. Perception implants where running hot with all the influences that had to be calculated into the battle algorithms such as position of wrecks, friendly forces and the estimated warp in point of the hostile forces closing fast. Memory implants where storing all available information and caching all related bits of information in easy to reach places. All skill hardwire implants such as the Zainou “Snapshot” and Zainou “Deadeye” implanted in the heads of the pilots where jolted into action as the stream of battle algorithms reached their processors.

“Arazu pilot, warp out to the nearest planet and warp back in at 100K! Stay cloaked and try to gain at least 100K more distance so you can provide a close cyno location in case we need backup bad!”

A small flicker on the overview indicated the pilot left jump cloak and entered it’s self generated field. At that moment the Serpentis ships reached the stargate at 20 kilometres away, but only 10K away from Freyya and her fleet.

“10 seconds to cloak effect drops. Everyone received primary and secondary targets, new ones will be broadcasted as enemy ships are destroyed. Proceed to optimal weapons range at decloak. In need of assistance? Send a broadcast and we’ll cover your back. Any questions?”

The fleet transmission line remained silent. “Alright then…. Give them hell’s wrath people!!!!”

As the jump cloak effects wore off simultaneously, Freyya mumbled to herself; “Come get some you fucking douchebags…'"

“Sir! We’re receiving a video feed from the fleet!” The sound Mav’s voice made when he was excited was annoying at the least. A high pitched peep was present and made him sound like a mouse from a famous holoreel.

Marcus was in the middle of a meditation inside his pod when the message bursted into his mind. “Well? What are you waiting for?! Patch it through damnit!”

“Coming up sir…it should be running now.” Mav replied while typing his fingers off at the keyboards, turning more red with every second that passed before the feed was finally patched through to the carrier’s video systems.

Mav and the rest of the crew present in Tac where watching with awe at the scenes being portrayed on the large holoscreen while Marcus had his own private show. Flashes of light and the sounds of exploding ships and ammunitions bounced off every wall where the feed was being watched.

“Spec, patch this through to Uli and all operatives on standby. MAV!”

“Y..yes sir? He replied, startled by the sudden shout of his commanding officer. “Why the hell weren’t we aware of this troops build up in the mission system?!”

As the tension in his body grew, knowing the Serpentis scum where able to form a fleet without Oversight in the loop beforehand, he let out an angered yell while forming his fists inside the pod...he took the goo inside his mouth for granted and swallowed it.

“Get every damn agent infiltrated in the Serpentis organisation to report in and explain why I didn’t know about this!”

“Right away sir!” If Mav’s face could get any more red he would probably explode from massive blood buildup in his brain. The message was sent to every active agent within the Serpentis organisation, from low ranks to senior deep cover agents…all replies where almost instantaneous;There was no indication whatsoever about a fleet being assembled in or near the mission area. Marcus thought about this for a bit before he realised this could only mean one of 2 things; Either the attacking forces are not true Serpentis, or they are a separated wing of the Serps acting alone or under a separate directory of the organisation.

“I want every spare analyst on this right now. All leaves have been revoked and I want all agents and operatives who are on leave reporting at HQ within 12 hours. We need to get to the bottom of this since we could be dealing with an all new ship and weapons design created by the Serpentis family. I will NOT tolerate this lack of information as they could have easily built a whole armada of these things and we don’t know jack shit about it!”

Marcus calmed down a bit after he was done ranting, knowing he might be needed in battle soon. It was his first priority to be clearheaded if his assistance was required on the battlefield and he would deal with the rest when the situation returned back to as normal as possible.

“Maintain close formation! Get those warp jammers Silas!” Another few hybrid rounds flew past the gleaming hull of the Dominix that was piloted by Silas. He already suffered some heavy hits but they weren’t through his shields yet. His t2 Hammerheads where ripping away at a Guardian Vexor, which quickly caught fire as the drone sized shells hit it’s armor with deadly precision. Pieces of black armor plating where slung into space as they tore off one by one. The Vexor was no threat anymore as it’s engines where dead, it’s crew either dead or dying and all of it’s weapons ripped off by the continued pounding the drones provided. Silas turned his energy vampires and neutralisers at another Guardian vessel; a Brutix homing in on the Myrmidon piloted by Shae Tiann.

Antimatter rounds where whizzing past the tail section of her Myr and some even hit their intended target. Her shield was already down as she had received fire from several cruisers and battlecruisers. The green hue indicated her armor repair systems where running at full speed trying to keep up with the damage her pursuers inflicted on the armorplating. Luckily for Shae, Uli really did his best on making the ships as damage hardened as possible and she found her personal copy of a Shadow Serpentis armor repair system was working way above it’s designed repair levels. Such irony…
The Brutix that had a fix on her was already engulfed in flames before exploding into a giant cloud of igniting plasma, debris and exploding ammunitions, set on fire by the trails of the drones and blaster rounds that headed towards it shortly before it’s demise… Shae’s drones where already working on a Thorax class cruiser and her medium sized blasters trained at another Vexor she was chasing.

“Run bastard! RUUUUN!!!” She laughed maniacally as she thoroughly enjoyed the thrill and excitement of up close and personal combat.
The Serpentis fleet had already lost 7 of their smaller ships and one of the Megathron class battleships was starting to crack under the pressure of continued fire by the Hyperion, Navy Raven and the Navy Megathron. Torpedoes where circling each other as they made their way to the heavily damaged Megathron, sections of it’s hull completely stripped of all the thick armor that it possessed only a few minutes before. Explosion after explosion rocked the very inner structure of the vessel as the torpedoes hit it’s target one by one. Plasma venting into space, instantly frozen alongside alot of crewmembers from the various decks that where exposed to the cold and harsh void.

Tech 2 Void cartridges where being exhausted by their t2 Neutron blaster cannon hosts, fitted on the shiny and fear inspiring NavyThron and Hyperion. Round after round cut through space, heading towards it’s crippled and badly wounded target. The other Serpentis battleships where firing their guns and using their tracking disruptors in a blind fury trying to save their falling brother in arms, but it was to no avail…A bright flash of light marked the end of it’s existence and the shockwave of the explosion send debris and bodies flying through space, hitting both the Serpentis battleships and the ships of Oversight. Loud thuds where heard by the crew of the Hyperion as hybrid rounds from both large railguns and blasters hit it’s steel shell. The double X-type large repairers had no troubles at all at keeping the armor well above 80% integrity, while sparing the capacitor from certain emptiness if lesser modules where used. Some cap charges where expended to keep the guns blazing in their full glory and the crew manning the guns were putting cartridge after cartridge into the loading platform. The entire gun platform area was engulfed in a thin mist from the expelled cartridges and the smell of melting steel could be detected as the heat from continuous fire was building up slowly but surely.

“Alright men, the first battleship is down! They have already lost 9 cruiser and battlecruiser sized ships thanks to Silas and Shae, our next primary target is the Dominix at 5790 meters away. Engage at will!”

Once again a hail of gunfire was sent towards the enemy, quickly reducing it’s shield with every hit it took. As the last bit of shield resistance was expired, a fading blue glow was seen. Frantically the Serpentis forces where shooting at the battleships ripping them apart. More rounds started missing than actually hitting anything worth while but Aveeva’s shields where starting to reach critical mass as the drones operated by the Serp Dominixes where firing round after round at the Navy Raven. This combined with the finally concentrated railgun fire where starting to take their toll on it’s shield systems. Suddenly there was a massive boost visible in the CNR’s shields as an extra large Pith Shield booster received a jolt of energy from the capacitor.

“HAH! I’ll show you asshats how to kill a ship!” A very big smile appeared on her face as the shield was replenished to above 55% and gaining a good 33 % as the next boost made the shield glow and vibrate.

More torpedoes made their graceful way to one of the Domi’s, literally ripping huge chunks out of the now structural unstable ship. It’s repair systems trying to save what was left of the ship, which was not much anymore. A void round fired by Liora slammed right into a large gaping hole in the Domi’s hull, probably killing dozens of crew on board the enemy vessel with the intense heat it produces when fired. It hit the central warp core chamber after demolishing several decks, and with the protective plating surrounding said warp core gone, it’s force field dissipated. This meant the end for the now steel coffin as the WC overloaded and imploded on itself.

Rounds from the blasters fitted on the Serps MegaT’s were regaining their targets as their pilots and crew apparently got a boost in confidence. Antimatter shells where once again slamming into the hull of the Hyperion, putting a bigger strain on it’s armor systems and capacitor along with it.

As Silas’s drones killed the before last smaller sized ship, he turned his attention to the 5 remaining battleships. Neuts and Nos where now draining the capacitor of both a MegaT and Domi. T2 Ogres making their way towards yet another target, already expending their ammunitions from a good distance away. The trails left by the drones made it almost look like a beautiful light and laser show, explosions complementing the intricate patterns the small and thin engine trails made, heated ammunitions bouncing off armorplates creating gorgeous fountains of melted steel and liquids and plasma spilling into the void creating fantastic colored clouds assuming the weirdest shapes before being either vaporized or frozen. Slowly but surely the Serpentis fleet was turning into nothing but floating heaps of biomass and tangled steel.

Shae was trying to shake off the last of the smaller vessels, another Guardian Brutix, who had taken up position behind her and wasn’t about to loose his lock on her. Shooting his railguns while following the microwarpdrive propelled Myr, the pilot tried to keep up with all the sudden moves Shae was performing and trying to steer clear of all the wreckage that was littering his immediate surroundings.

“I can’t get this scumbag off my tail!” Shae was getting quite frustrated with the BC still following her every move.
She was kind of hoping he would have flown into a wreck or a large piece of debris a long time ago because her drones where destroyed and her guns almost empty.

“If he wants to go out with me just ask already damnit! Stalking me is going to get you nowhere..I’ll need to try harder to make you loose your lock, and your ship along with it.”

Shae was really pushing the limits of her ship as she pulled one roll or corkscrew after another, trying to ditch the bastard harassing her. Her crew either tightly strapped in or trying to hold on to things as they where being pushed from one side to the other. Grav boots really helped in these situations. Suddenly she saw an opportunity…
The Myr turned towards the battleships and got in between the 2 fighting parties, appearing to be flying in random directions. As the Serp pilot was too busy following Shae around, he noticed his mistake little too late. A shell fired by one of his brothers slammed right into the already weakened armor of the bridge and completely tore off the top front section of the battlecruiser taking the bridge and several tactical and engineering decks along. Shae admired her handy work for a few seconds before focusing her attention on the 3 remaining battleships.

With the combined effort of the entire fleet the 3 remaining BS’s were taken care of in short order. Looking over the battlefield, littered with debris, wrecks, bodies and supplies, the group was finally able to wind down a bit and look at their own status. Most of them where scarred and a bit damaged but nothing that was a danger to their lives.

Freyya opened a com channel to all pilots and crew members; “You can be proud of what you did here today, facing such a large opposition and winning the engagement without casualties is worth every drop of sweat and blood you’ve had to deliver in this intense battle! Beers are on me tonight!” she said proud to all of the members in her fleet.

Cheers, songs and laughter resonated through corridors, tubes and pipes. Cargo bays almost empty of cap charges and ammunitions, drone bays empty or emptier than they where.
Suddenly it dawned on Freyya…With her hands full on the battle with the Serpentis fleet she completely forgot about the real mission target. It is still out there and could well be on it's way to finish off her weakened fleet.

“Sir! Multiple contacts appearing on scanners! I’m getting 3..4...7..9…9 confirmed battleship signatures, 7 battlecruiser sized signatures and 15 cruiser sigs!”

“Serpentis battlefleet approaching, 45 seconds until they reach our grid position. Warp point calculations show enemy fleet drop out of warp at their optimal range. Current status of capacitor is 97 % and climbing, supplies and ammunitions are almost depleted throughout our fleet. Combat effectiveness against opposition enroute is 38.298 %. Estimates show 91% of friendly fleet will be destroyed within 3 minutes and 21.43 seconds after destroying 4 battlecruisers and 5.18 cruisers or 2.71 battleships. Proposed tactics: Emergency warp to another grid location, open cynosural field and re-supply with Thanatos class carrier currently on standby.”

Spectre’s voice was sounding as serene as ever, calmly stating the facts and it’s calculations. Freyya and the rest of the fleet, who were receiving the same message from the AI, knew it was their best and only shot at surviving another encounter with an even larger fleet of Serpentis. With most of their ammo depleted and little to no capcharges left, the ships they had would turn into huge paper weights….and floating piles of scrap not soon after.

“Initiate emergency gang warp to grid coordinate: 29304.289101.27364550. Send battle report to Tac, also send a message we need carrier support right away!”

The still cloaked Arazu was first to enter warp and reach drop point. Already charging it’s internal systems and preparing the containers of liquid ozone for insertion into the cynosural field generator. The rest of the fleet came out of warp not soon after.

“Cynosural field is generated and stable.” The Arazu pilot stated, with a voice that portrayed nothing but anxiety.

The cyno would show up on all scanners and the Serpentis fleet would have no difficulty in tracking them down.The Thanatos was already halfway outside the station as the reports came in. Marcus’s installed AI had already received instructions from it’s counterpart in the endangered fleet and initiated a full thrust towards the docking bay’s doors, which opened in time for the carrier to pass through with only centimetres to spare.

“Marcus to Tac, if any more Serpentis reinforcements show up I want to know about it before they where even assembled! I want to know what they know and what they are so eager to protect or destroy. I do not like being surprised like this and putting my men in more danger than we anticipated! Also direct all resources towards finding out if the “alien” vessel is still in that system and what it’s doing. Call in all available forces in the immediate surroundings, I want that system in lockdown and secured yesterday!!”

Marcus was really starting to get pissed off at the surprises stacking up on top of each other and got more angry by the minute.

“Message received and understood Commander. Current tactical maps show several medium grade reconnaissance and combat ships in the immediate surroundings, several operatives within customs and navy border patrol are also in the immediate vicinity. Arrival of all forces should be within 10 to 20 minutes….. Orders are sent and acknowledged Sir.”

The people in Tac where working frantically to make sure all operatives knew what they where supposed to do. Fake orders for relocating or dismissing the navy and customs undercover operatives and their ships where made, sent to the appropriate bureaus and accepted within short order. Computers processing radar and any video datastreams trying to find the aggressor’s vessel, people talking and typing to operatives, screens showing all new information as it became available, scientists and engineers working on ideas and solutions to where the Serpentis and agressor came from. It was complete chaos but in a reasonable orderly fashion.

As Marcus was getting ready for the jump towards his fleet, preparations where made inside the large steel structure. Ammunitions stacked neatly besides the external loading bays, capcharges placed next to the ammo, all specifically designed on it’s intended recipient’s cargo bays and modules. Fighter pilots got into their vehicles and armed all weapons, drones where being racked up and put in place for deployment.

“Lock acquired on intended cynosural field. Estimated time before arrival: 8 seconds. All systems activated and running at 100% capacity. Remote armor repair systems completely charged and ready for triage boost. Initiating jump procedure.” The entire ship was surging with energy as it's navigational computers acquired a lock on the opened cyno field. With a burst of light and webs of electrical surges the carrier was pulled into a miniature wormhole.

As the carrier came out of the cyno in the mission system, preparations where already made to supply the depleted cargo holds of the fleet. External loading docks sprung into action and the supplies already being grabbed by the immense cranes where waiting for their recipient.

"Carrier to all fleet members, converge on my position for supplies."

"Acknowledged sir. You arrived not a moment too soon might i add." Freyya was understandably happy about Marcus showing up as the Serpentis fleet was but 15 seconds away from dropping out of warp at their position.

"Re-supply coordinates broadcasted, order your cargo crew to load up as fast as they can."

All the ships made their way to the loading docks while the crews prepared for their jobs at hand. With the cargo doors open, all that stood between the crew and vacuum was the special force field which kept air from escaping but allowed anything else to pass through.. including enemy fire. Containers where quickly hauled on board and as soon as all the necessary supplies where on the cargo bay floor the doors closed, creating a secure environment for the people working there once more. Stacks of ammunition, put upon automated carts the size of a truck, quickly made their way towards the gun platforms where they refueled the blaster cannons of the Myrmidon. Cap charges arrived at the booster module and where quickly inserted and new drones flew into the drone bay to connect to their new host. As all the goods arrived at their destination, Shae felt like she was boosted with a shot of pure energy. It was as if the now fully operational ship let it’s pilot know it was doing good and ready to fight again. Shae understood the message completely and made her crew prepare for a second round of intensive combat.

"Ready for battle sir."

One by one the pilots reported. Marcus was viewing all data as the information about the fleet was updated.

"Everyone prepare for accepting AI dock with fighter escorts." He said while ordering the fighters to leave their hangars. As dozens of trails marked the routes of fighters flying away, an alarm was triggered.

"Serpentis battle fleet imminent, time of arrival; 7 seconds. Scan results show an officer of the Serpentis is present leading the fleet. Database shows outstanding warrant for the capture of several officers, one of which is the enemy fleet commander. Chances of victory and capture are calculated at 96.857 %." As Marcus was listening to Spectre, he sent a message to the fleet.

"Capture Serpentis officer Orstoy Zve'Quastej, keep him alive at all costs."

The Serpentis fleet dropped out of warp at 20 km.

"This is officer Zve'Quastej, you have entered a forbidden zone and engaged one of our groups...A crime for which you will pay dearly. Surrender now and you might live another day or fight and die a fools death. Your choice."

"I saw your sister last night, must say that dog was really going at it there." Nothing like a little smack talk in local Marcus thought.

"You are going to die slowly and painfully for that! All ships engage!!"The Serp fleet opened fire on about anything that moved. Railgun fire mixing with the rounds from large blasters together with drones made the space in between the two opposing forces fill up quickly.

"Return fire at will. Silas and Shae, engage cruisers and battlecruisers at your discretion. Use both blue and white fighter group to assist. Broadcast when in need of remote repping. Aveeva and Liora concentrate on the battleships, you have green, yellow and purple fighter groups for assistance. Freyya, i want you to concentrate on Orstoy..I'm preparing a group of breach and capture specialists as we speak. Keep him occupied and get his armor low enough to prepare a hole for the breach."

As usual the Serp fleet lacked most discipline as they did not really focus their fire on a single target, but just fired away at anything. Apparently the presence of Orstoy was a good thing for the Serps as one half suddenly changed target to Silas an the other half focused their fire on Liora. The concentrated fire on both ships was proving to be effective as they both hit armor in an instant. Numerous rounds where slamming into both vessels and their armor was being shot away with every hit it took. Eventhough the ships where tanked to hell and back, their armor started to drop further and further.

"I need remote rep and i need it quick!" Silas was panicking as section by section of his armor was ripped off their supporting structure. The nanobots tried to keep up but the combined damage of half the Serp fleet was proving to be too much.

"Initiating remote repair, hang tight!"

As the stream of nanobots traveled through space to reach Silas, Liora was blasting away at her attackers. 'Le Buttplug' was holding strong at 83% armour as the double X-type reppers where working at full capacity repairing the faction plating fitted on the exterior of the ship. It appeared to hold out for now allowing Marcus to focus all his attention on remote repping Silas. Shae got behind a Brutix and commanded the blasters to fire their payload towards it. The first few rounds bounced of it's shield but that was quickly depleted by continuous fire from the Myrmidon. As it's armor was being shredded to pieces, Shae was receiving fire from 2 thoraxes who took up position behind her.

"Blue group, could you please do some rodent extermination for me?"

"Blue group. Orders received and understood , proceeding towards targets." As the five fighters trained their sights on the thoraxes, the Brutix exploded into a huge ball of fire and debris. Rapid fire from the fighters ate through both of Shae's pursuers and they where turned to harmless space junk not soon after.

"Veev!" Liora shouted, "Launch some torps towards that Megathron at 13 km away… I’ll reload Null and fire away at it after your second volley of torpedoes hit. Green and Yellow group, take position at 10 K away and orbit broadcasted target. Engage as soon as torpedoes have hit the target.”

“Alright, commencing fire sequence. Volley one is away, volley two will follow in approximately 7 seconds.” As the 6 torpedoes left their launchers, leaving trails of fire in their wake, the targeted Megathron released a few Defender missiles and took down one of the torpedoes. It was not enough for the ship as the five remaining torpedoes slammed into it’s shield, detonating their heavy payload and stripping the shield of it’s energy. The second volley was already under way and another spurt of Defenders hit a torpedo. It was not enough to take out the warhead this time and all 6 torps detonated into the armor plating of the Megathron, leaving giant gaps where they struck. As soon as the explosive shockwave died off enough the fighters engaged their target and released a rain of bullets onto their victim. With 3 of it’s gun ports blown wide open and secondary explosions from the ammunitions stored there, the now in 47% armor ship was beginning to tear apart. Bullets hitting it’s armor creating holes big enough for an Ibis to pas through, bullets hitting already created holes and slamming into inner sections of the ship killing dozens of crew aboard the enemy ship and finally bullets hitting the weakened sections where the main structure’s support beams where located. As the structural integrity passed below 20%, the once mighty battleship began breaking into two. Explosions on the inside and outside of the ship made the two separated parts drift away from each other before exploding completely, while the fighters turned their attention to another battleship within short order.

“Marcus to all pilots, keep shooting the officer’s support. We’ve already decimated a few battleships and half of their cruiser sized support. Freyya, keep that douchebag there and prepare for the breach team!”

"Roger that Commander! He's not going anywhere."

Chapter 2: Preparations for departure.

2008-06-26T12:08:00.003+02:00

Screaming and kicking she rolled out of her bed. The door to her apartment was demolished as security forces, alerted by bio sensors registering her abnormal mental distress, stormed into the room to save her from any threat present. Rail guns and micro blasters ready to shoot at anyone not cleared to be there. After the quarters where secured a medical officer rushed into the room and began his evaluation of Freyya’s physical and mental state.S he could do nothing else than just sit there and undergo the thorough investigation the medical officer performed on her.
After several minutes the report was sent down to Taccentre. It cleared Freyya for return to active duty and she was summoned to head to Tac as soon as she was cleaned up.

The warm and relaxing shower was like a godsend and helped her relieve herself of any remaining stress from that horrid nightmare. The images where still running through her mind and the most horrifying where those of seeing her own intestines spilling out onto the metal floor as the blade cut it’s way through her torso. The words spoken by the face where playing back in her mind as well and she was trying to think of what they could mean. After a couple minutes she just gave up and decided it was nothing more than a regular nightmare. A vivid one but a nightmare nonetheless.
Soap bubbles where comforting rough skin and the smell of fresh flowers relaxed tense muscles still slightly twitching from the memories flashing in her mind. Hot water flowed freely through her hair, along her back and spilling onto the floor as it went past her legs but suddenly she startled…this was exactly how the nightmare started. Quickly and decisively she left the shower and ran into one of the security officers standing on watch. He saw Freyya’s face and quickly decided it would be best for him to stare into oblivion instead of looking at the slim and well trained naked body next to him. Freyya wasn’t exactly know for being kind to men who stared at her for too long since there where several technicians who ended up in the hospital ward after doing just that.
She grumped and went past him to retrieve her podsuit. The tight fit felt comforting, like a personal armour tailored to match the curves of her body perfectly.

“Sir, Tachandler is expecting you in Taccentre.” The security officer said. “Shall I escort you?”

“Fine by me.” She replied, trying to sound as valiantly as possible. It wasn’t such a good try.

Unlike in her dreams the corridors where filled with people running around and talking to one another. Some turned their heads as Freyya passed them after they heard what happened. A furious look back at them was sufficient to make sure they would keep their nose into their own business. After arriving at the doorstep of Tac the security officer took watch at the door.

“You are cleared for entry Sir.” Holding his fist up at his chest in salute to his superior.

“Thank you kindly..” she replied with a similar gesture.

The door slid open with the all too familiar release of pressurised air and closed right after her.

“Hey Freyya, you allright?” Marcus asked..

“Yeah I’m fine thanks.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know to be honest, had a very vivid nightmare but it was just that…a nightmare.”

“You really need to lay off the drugs you know.” Smiling as he sat in his chair, sifting through dozens of pages per minute.

“I didn’t take any…” She replied somewhat resentful.

“I know, I was just kidding.”

“Hell! I’m not!” A voice came from a cocoon shaped steel casing, from which a multicoloured light shone out of both open sides. “You where just tripping again, admit it you damn hippy!”

“Shut up Mav, it isn’t funny.” Freyya replied in an angered manner.

“Back on topic, get reacquainted later.”

Freyya was immediately stunned, “The exact same sentence as in my dream…” She mumbled.

She was right back in her dreams when she noticed how familiar the scene looked to her. Marcus sitting in his chair in the centre of the room, Mav working on the data pods…She almost didn’t dare to ask but curiosity got the best of her.

“You still testing those new data pods Mav?” Her voice had a rough and cold undertone, drenched with fear of what the answer would be.

“Hehe, yeah i’m still running diagnostics but they appear to be fully integrated and functional. Had to perform some surprise banging to some of the circuit boards here and there but it’s working like a kid in Korea....”

“Alright, on to business. We’ve received numerous warnings from Spectre about a system several light years away. Apparently it was flooded with electrical signatures for a minute or two. After thorough analysis of these signatures we believe them to be a cyno field, but we are unable to detect if it is a regular or covert cyno. To be honest they don’t resemble either databased sig but they show only minor fluctuations in the generated signal.”

Marcus’s voice slowly faded into the background as Freyya realised more and more what was happening. Every single event happened as in her dream. The display and the video feed it was showing, the narration by Marcus and Mav and her replies where as if she was on auto pilot. After everything was said she just stood there, going over everything that just happened.

“Freyya….Freyya what’s wrong…FREYYA!” Marcus’s voice brought her back to the present…she was still dazed by what happened just now.

“Really quit those drugs Freyya, they’re..” Mav was cut short by Freyya:

“Sir I don’t think the nightmare I had was just a nightmare..”

She explained everything what had happened in her dream and all Marcus and Mav could do was listen in amazement at the horrifying details. After everything was said, Marcus told Freyya to go get some rest and relax a little. Afterwards she and 4 others would be sent to the designated system to investigate the events that unfolded there. Arrangements where made to meet up at Freyya’s quarters so they could all walk together to the hangar deck.

“I’ll contact Uli so he can set up a Navy Issue Megathron for damage and faction tank which I want you to be the pilot of. Torrus Blatella is the designated jumpfreighter pilot to pick up any remains of whatever you might encounter. I’ll have Shae Tiann, Aveeva Serenity, Silas Ender and Liora Vahan on standby to be your squad members. We already have a Cynoship waiting a couple jumps near the designated system and I’ll be on standby aswell with the Thanatos. You’re dismissed. Be ready in 3 hours.”

“Yes Sir!” Making the salutation gesture, she turned around and headed for the exit.

Torrus was the best industrial ship pilot Oversight had. Not a cargo vessel, freighter or mining barge he could not fly. He was also a damned good combat pilot when the situation needed him to be. Mostly specialised in Minmatar tech 2 combat ships, but capable of flying numerous other ships when the need was there.

Shae Tiann was the resident deep undercover operative of Oversight. Her heavy negative security status made it easy for her to infiltrate many pirate factions and she was pretty keen on earning the security status for herself…Once referred to as Angel, now her callsign was Devil as she plummeted deeper and deeper into the negatives by free will. Mostly by killing other pirates but unfortunately she had to kill some innocent pod pilots aswell to make her cover seem more legit. She didn’t really care either way, as long as there where pretty explosions to be seen. Mostly specialised in Gallente designs and is usually seen in smaller sized ships. Relatively new colleague of Freyya since she was recently contracted, but a close and good one nonetheless.

Aveeva Serenity used to be a security officer before she was contracted by oversight.Training of piloting ships went excellent and she finished classes early. Enthusiastic and eager person and always cheerful. Mostly specialised in Caldari designs and has a love for high damage dealing vessels. Capable of flying the Dreadnought class ship of Caldari design, she really went for the biggest of the damage dealers.

Silas Ender is a story in itself. Usually is the first to raise his hand at a meeting, little bit of a know it all type but a very respectable combat pilot. He went missing a short while after he was assigned to Oversight at the beginning. His name was Toyoto Hidetaki before he went MIA, but when he returned he had underwent extensive body and facial reconstruction to become the man he is today. His personality didn’t change a bit though which was good, the team always needed someone to fire up for a laugh. Cleared to fly up to Gallente tech 2 ships.

Liora Vahan is the most inactive of the bunch at the moment. Had a child a while ago and that has taken it’s toll on combat readiness. Nevertheless a good pilot and very fond of her favourite ship; The Hyperion or otherwise known as “Le Buttplug”. Used in many decoy and trap operations because of the extensive work Ulitio had put in it’s tanking abilities. She has yet to crumble under extensive enemy fire.

Shae was already at Freyya's quarters after hearing what happened. Once inside Freyya told the whole story once more and all Shae could do was listen in amazement on the described events.

"That must have been one hell of a heartracer.." She said with a compasionate voice while giving Freyya a hug.

They spent the remaining time before the operation talking and relaxing a bit.

"Alright, it's time to head to the hangardeck's briefing room. We better get a move on since we will have to plan any course of action in the event we encounter that thing."

They both got up and made their way to the briefing room after the rest of the team arrived at the doorstep to Freyya’s quarters.

"Ok people." Freyya said when everyone took their place.

"This is the situation; We're being sent out to a system where unexplainable events have happened. We lost a recon ship due to an unfamiliar weapon system so we're going in heavily tanked. We have no idea what we're up against but it is entirely possible we will encounter the agressor and in that case it's best if we prepare tactics for it now."

A display came out of the ceiling and flickered to life, portraying stills of the video feed shown to Freyya before.

"We have no intel whatsoever about the agressor, be it shipdesign, weaponsystems, damage resistances or race but we do know that the weapon that destroyed our scoutship produces a massive energy spike before it fires. If you get this kind of spike on your readouts start evasive manouvers immediatly and prepare for impact. All ships have been fitted with the best modules to be certain of highest possible resists. Uli has done his best to prepare the ships in case we must enter a combat situation with the agressor so we must now prepare ourselves."

The meeting went on for about 20 minutes longer and when everyone understood their roles completely, they stood up and saluted each other.

“Let’s hope we all make it out the normal way my friends. Everyone board your ships and let’s head out.”

Everyone went to their respective boarding chambers to be equiped with the pod interfaces and got lifted into the goo, afterwhich the pods where integrated with the ships. Once all boarding and integration sequences where completed, they powered up their engines and left the dockingbay one by one. All but Torrus where now outside, as he waited for the all clear to jump his freighter to the designated system, where he would salvage anything that would give Oversight more insight on what entered the system and attacked the scoutship. Marcus was still in Taccentre, monitoring the departure of the group before he would head out to the hangardeck and board the Thanatos class carrier and be ready to leave at a moments notice. A destination was set by Freyya and the rest dialed in on that destination. Standard fleet procedures where followed as they all aligned towards the first waypoint. Once aligned, the start of their voyage was marked with the familiar words:
“Warpdrive engaged.”

A Navy Megathron, Dominix, Myrmidon, Hyperion and a Navy Raven where catapulted into the vast emptyness of space, oblivious to what the near future holds in store for them.

11 Jumps where on the route before they would reach the system where the cynoship was waiting for them, which would join the fleet once it came into visual contact with Freyya and the rest. After that there where 3 more jumps before they would reach the designated mission area.
The crew of each ship knew what they where into and most of them valiantly waited, strapped in their seats, until they would reach the mission area and start preparing their positions for any problems they might encounter. Others where either praying, meditating, practising their combat skills or simply staying at their positions to ensure complete operational status while in warps and jumps.

Almost all crews where hand picked by Oversight high command from various organisations or corporations ,and usually the podpilot had a thing or two to say about who would be flying on his ship. Every crew consisted of multiple races aswell since Oversight was not bound to any racial faction or law for doing it’s business. Crews where also kept to a bare minimum thanks to all the advanced technology Oversight either developed or had access to, so even in the unfortunate event a ship was lost in combat, losses where restricted to a very small number of operatives.

Surface agents from all over New Eden where scouring for information after the order was sent from Taccentre. All over worlds and stations agents where on the lookout for any mention of this unfamiliar foe, but searches turned up nothing so far. Data mining by Spectre on files and reports from operatives within concord, government owned corporations and even some privately owned corporations turned up nothing as well.

“Sir, we have come up empty so far on the search to any previous encounters or sightings whatsoever. This could mean that we are the first to encounter and research this unknown aggressor.” Mav said, sounding both proud and a bit hesitant.

He was as intrigued as he was fearsome of the idea..Marcus was already lifted into his goo filled pod and was about to be integrated with the Thanatos class carrier.

“Very well, keep searching and inform all operatives we might be sending them new data when it comes available. Also tell them to keep a very low profile about this since I want this kept under the radar for as long as we can. Can’t use any outsider poking around until we know exactly what we’re dealing with and have a reasonable head start in our investigation.”

“Allright Sir, mission parameters sent. I will keep you informed if any new intel comes in.”

“Primary checks of systems and modules completed. Fighter bay fully loaded and closed. Initiating secondary verifications of systems and subroutines.”

The mobile version of Spectre had a pleasant and relaxing voice, specifically designed to reduce stress levels during stressful situations. The Thanatos was coming to life as energy filled all it’s circuit boards, power systems and engines.

“Ship is ready for departure Commander Quo, all systems are 100 % functional and running at full capacity. Fuel bay is filled and all other stocks have been replenished.”

“Very well Spec, keep the engines warm for a quick departure. I don’t want to be lagging behind when shit hits the fan out there. Please start loading up the Phoenix and Moros and keep them ready for departure as well, I want them ready to go at a moments notice if the situation becomes grave enough to call in the heavy hitters. Do the Revelation as well just to be safe.”

“Preparation procedures have been initiated Commander. Anything else?”

“Yeah…send a message to Uli and tell him to perform his wonders on replacement ships if we run into trouble out there. Also tell him I want a full report on his development progress.I have a feeling that invention of his might become useful very soon…”

“Done Commander, Uli left me a message to deliver to you as well. He stated that he was able to further boost triage mode by 14.6% at this time. Further increases are not impossible but too dangerous without extensive testing right now.”

“Very well.” Marcus turned off the cameradrone feed for the time being as he mentally prepared himself for things to come.

Freyya and the others where discussing their tactics over and over again while they made their way to the rendezvous point. It was only after a few jumps away from HQ that Freyya noticed they picked up a tail...

“People it appears we have picked up a shadow somewhere. Begin standard confuse tactics as soon as we hit the next jumpgate. When you have him separated from normal space lanes, deal with him quickly and report back.

“Affirmative.” Was the unified response through the fleet com.channel.
As soon as they all hit the next jumpgate, they all warped off in separate directions. The small frigate following didn’t know what to do at first but made his choice soon after all ships vanished towards one object or another. Once it regained visual contact with the Navy Raven it chose to follow, his licence portrait dropped from public channels. No mail was ever sent nor was the automated distress call activated as soon as the first torpedo ripped through it’s shield and armour. A frequency blocker built into the electronics array ensured that no one would ever know what happened to the pilot and his ship….Not even the all seeing concord received a note of aggression in one of it’s high security zones. The finishing torpedo slammed into the structure of the crippled vessel only a second later and completely disintegrated any evidence of what once was a starship.

“Aveeva reporting complete destruction of shadow. Sensors indicate all transmissions have been blocked.”

“Nice work Aveeva. Everyone regroup on jumpgate and proceed towards rendezvous. Keep an eye out for any more shadows creeping up on us.”

The rest of the journey was completed without incident and the fleet met with the Arazu. A ship capable of cloaking and also partially designed as a specialised cyno ship it was perfect for the job at hand. It’s pilot didn’t have any notable combat experience and was understandably afraid of what might happen. After all, a cloaked ship was destroyed…After Freyya explained him his tasks he was a bit more at ease. He only needed to stay near the jumpgate in the designated system and create a cyno as soon as the call came through. After which he was required to stay out of harms way so cyno capability was ensured during the operation. They set off once again and now tension began to rise even further. Horns where resonating throughout all ships as the crews where ordered to take battle positions. When they reached the jumpgate into the lowsec pocket Freyya spoke to her fellow pilots and crew alike:

“People, this is the moment all of you have been training for. An unknown entity has appeared in New Eden and we are first to respond. Prepare yourselves for the worst in case a battle has to be fought and ensure you are 100% focused on your tasks.”

Everyone listened with the greatest attention and deepest respect to the words that Freyya spoke. They did not only come from a skilled leader and ship commander, but also from a friend whose words where drenched in both compassion and determination.

“We are the first line of defense against this invader and we will give our lives to protect our homelands! Say your prayers or do whatever you want to do in the next 10 seconds, because after which we will be entering the system and I need every one of you completely focused on the task at hand…..”

Freyya paused for 10 seconds.

“Initiate jump!”

The determination and a sense of pride was filling Freyya’s mind when she spoke those words, and although not a religious person she added; “Good luck and god speed to all of you…”

A flash in her mind as she activated the gate; A black, cold ship...

Chapter 1: The awakening

2008-06-26T10:04:00.000+02:00

“Commander Freyya, please report to Taccentre immediately.”

A short electrical buzz indicated the transmission was finished. Freyya exhaled and regained focus of her surroundings. She looked around, only to find that heavy steel, plastic and silicones were her sole companions in the large, but not brightly lit gym.

“Strange, i could have sworn there where more people here 5 minutes ago? Ohh well, wonder if i have time to hit the shower before i head over to Tac.”

“Commander Freyya, please report to Taccentre, immediatly.”

The intercomspeaker buzzed again and this time the message sounded more urgent. There was also a weird echo coming from the speaker, but she downplayed it to the emptyness of the gym.

“Guess not then.”

After getting out of the large exercise machine she walked towards a corner where a blue and yellow light lit the area. Her hair was hanging straight down her face, sweat still dripping off. A small drop of sweat fell off her chin but it never reached the ground. The radiation dryer was doing it’s job and within a few seconds there was not a mark of her heavy exercises left.
The route towards Tac was desolated, a few bangs and sounds of people running resonated through the steel corridors but there was no-one to be seen. Usually these cramped corridors where even more cramped with people traversing them but not today, today was different from all days.
She was kind of worried showing up in Tac without her uniform but the urgency of the message said enough about the time available to go change. Besides, her exercising outfit wasn’t that bad either.

“It’s not my fault they need me on my day off.” She thought. “Can’t expect me to show up all dressed for the occasion.”

“Commander Freyya, please report to Taccentre, priority 1.” The message sounded even more shallow in the deserted steel tubes of the station.

“I’m coming already!"

After a few minutes of running she finally reached the door which provided access to Taccentre, a high-tech facility in the heart of the station, fitted with the latest in sensor arrays and their displays; computers which have not yet entered the open market, an AI called Spectre which was believed to be more advanced than aura or any other AI system currently in existence, holographic screens stretching from one end of a 20 meter wall to the other and countless of other cutting edge systems and equipment. The station was no ordinary station either. It was an abandoned Gallente station, deserted and allegedly sealed decades ago. The whole facility was built from the ground up in the centre of the immense steel structure and an innovative shielding system would fool any passer-by through hiding any signs of life or electrical current.

The door slid open with a release of pressurised air.

“Reporting for duty Sir.”

“Finally, I was worried you where performing one of your herbal sessions and got stuck in another dimension or something.”

A grin appeared on his face as the last word left his mouth. Marcus Quo was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by a 360 degree holographic display, sifting through a dozen different screens in mere seconds.
He was Tachandler, a high ranking officer almost designed for a single purpose: Total control of whatever was going on inside and outside of the station. Numerous implants in his head gave him abilities to do tasks no normal man or woman could perform. Extensive training was needed for this job and that training usually began at the age of 4. His started at the age of 2...A podpilot in a way, be it the “pilot” of an entire station. He also participated in a few sorties from time to time since his training cleared him for piloting numerous ships and when the handler was out, Spectre took over for him. There where a few other staff members roaming about the room doing what they where probably presumed to be doing.

“No Sir, merely physical exercise this time.” Freyya responded to the grin with a similar, if not bigger grin.

“Alright, on to business. We’ve received numerous warnings from Spectre about a system several light years away. Apparently it was flooded with electrical signatures for a minute or two. After thorough analysis of these signatures we believe them to be a cyno field of sorts, but we are unable to detect if they are regular or covert cyno’s. To be honest they don’t resemble either databased sig but they show only minor fluctuations in the generated signal.”

A voice came from a large cocoon shaped structure which was only open on both sides, from which a bright multicoloured light shone.

“I’ll bring up a display with all the readings and captured scout camera feeds for you.”

“Hey Mav, nice to “see” you again...still testing out the new data pods i see?”

“Hehe, yeah i’m still running diagnostics but they appear to be fully integrated and functional. Had to perform some surprise banging to some of the circuit boards here and there but it’s working like a kid in Korea....”

Mav Mckinnely was just your average run of the mill guy, be it a bit “special”. He had certain ways to get under your skin or make you laugh so hard you could pee your pants. Also known for his seemingly egotistical personality at times. A good guy none the less though, and one of the best wingman you could wish for. Almost all personnel aboard the station was trained to be a podpilot.

“Back on topic, get reacquainted later.”

A display glided towards Freyya’s position and stopped at a meter away, the display flickered until the image stabilised and began to show a video recording of the designated system. Alongside the video image a graph was displayed, showing familiar but yet disturbingly different patterns from the cyno that was generated only a few minutes before.

“We immediately sent a nearby scout to the system after Spectre started reading fluctuations. What you’re about to see is 3 minutes worth of feed.”

“Why only 3 minutes Sir?”

“Just watch.”

Freyya gazed at the panel and the feed it was showing. The first minute everything seemed absolutely normal. The scoutship was flying past a barren planet, sensor readings where showing no abnormalities and the system was showing no sign of life anywhere. Suddenly there was a bright white flash in the second minute, from which the camera had to recalibrate. The scoutship cloacked when the pilot apparently recuperated from the blinding flash. Sensors where showing remarkable readings and fluctuations in the gravimetric and magnetic fields but no signs of life to be found anywhere.

“Isn’t this almost exactly what happens when a nearby sunstar releases some gas Sir?”

“Keep watching...” The tone of Marcus’s voice made Freyya watch the remaining feed with even more intrigue .

The pilot of the scoutship apparently thought the same as Freyya since the camera tilted towards the nearest sunstar, but this showed regular behaviour. No flamebursts, no excess radiation escaping nor was there any sign of eruption of gasses. The camera tilted back towards the front of the ship but suddenly swayed to the righthand bottom.There was something there but Freyya could not quite see what it was...There was something, hiding in the shadows of the barren planet. Sensor readings returned to normal the second the flash was over however so they picked up nothing out of the ordinary. The camera remained fixed on the dark object still lingering in the shadows for about 20 seconds. Suddenly a massive energy spike overloaded the sensors onboard the scoutship and the camera registered a purple’ish object or high speed beam towards the still cloaked ship. At that point the feed turned into static....

“What the hell was that?! What happened??” Freyya stood there with a grim expression and disbelief in her eyes..

“We don’t know..” Mav replied with an intrigued but saddened voice. “I’ve been running analysis with the new data pods, even linked them to Spectre to completely scrutinise the engery spike and purple object or beam or whatever it was but to no avail….Spectre did find a wreck from a frigate class covert ops ship. It’s beacon is apparently still working.”

“Freyya, I want you over there in about 7 hours. If i’m not mistaken, a new Arazu just left the manufacturing slot. Go ask Ulitio, he was in charge of the cooking last time I checked. Ohh and try not to trash it again this time will you?”

“On my way Sir. Any side notes?”

“Fit for maximum agility and speed. If that…"thing" is still there you may need to warp out quickly or try to outmanoeuvre that purple object. We have no idea what happened out there but I want you to find out…and live long enough to tell about it.”

“Understood Sir. I’ll get Uli to install some of those tech 2 polycarb rigs then.”

Freyya straightened her body, saluted and made a 180 turn towards the door. Marcus nodded while still working through data on his 360 degree display at mind boggling speeds.

“Agreed. Good luck.”

“Thank you Sir.”

“Good luck Freyya!” Mav yelled as the door let loose another spurt of air when it opened and closed again.

Freyya stopped dead in her tracks when the door to Tac closed behind her. She was seeing the last 20 seconds of that feed over and over again in her mind…trying to fixate on the black object shown behind the planet’s outer edge. It had such a dark and sinister look to it and sweat began to break as soon as she noticed it on the screen. There was a very cold and evil feeling to the image imprinted on her retinal implant. A feeling she couldn’t get rid of. She started making her way towards her quarters. She needed to rest and change clothes before getting ready to mount the egg once more.

“A quick soothing boostershot will probably help against that damned shiver .” She mumbled to herself while she went down the long and cold corridors again. There was still no-one to be found.

Arriving at the doorstep of her quarters, a quick scan of her retinal revealed the identity to the computer guarding her personal assets. Even though every single member on board the station was hand picked from various fields of expertise and thouroughly investigated from birth, security was still stricter than a minmatar slavecamp. The nature of the jobs performed at Oversight demanded nothing less. Security designs where followed to the last letter to make sure it was easier to break into the headquarters of a Caldari military development and research centre than getting into Oversight unnoticed and alive. The station was fitted with all conceivable weapons, from small artillery to the huge Dreadnought turrets. All concealed behind shielded pannels on the outer shell. The entrance to the station itself was protected by various means of confirming identity and the validation of these identities. Anyone who would be able to fake these and gain access to the inner corridors where in for a suprise... Validation of identity was done on a cellular and even atomic level. Any attempt to illegaly gain access through faking identity would be registered after which Spectre would guide the intruders into a next generation Skinnermaze ( refference to: Polymelia by CCP Abraxas ) and toy with them for a while, after which any and all intruders would eventually die...with whatever means conceivable.

Freyya entered the room after she was cleared for entry. A sigh of relief was made when she saw that nice and comfortable bed standing there. The last 20 minutes of the walk to her quarters where agonizing, the corridors where as empty as before and she felt isolated and alone. The cold shiver was present the entire way.Her mind kept going over the same image again and again... The strange blackened steel structure or ship hiding in the shadows...ominous and cold like an ancient beast waiting for it's prey. For a moment she thought to be able to hear muffled screams in the feed that was playing in her retinal implants, but she quickly dropped the thought.

"I must be tired." She reassured herself and dropped onto the bed. It was not long before she was gone into the land of dreams and nightmares...and unfortunatly for her, nightmares where taking their turn this time.

Freyya was standing in the shower, leaning against the warm tiles of which it was constructed. Water was falling on her face and body like a warm summer rain and she was enjoying the relaxing perfumes of her showergel. This was exactly what she needed since her muscles where detesting violently against performing any kind of action. She got out of the shower and waited for the radiation dryer to do it's job. The blue and yellow light felt comforting, like she was engulfed in an aura of silence and peace, but the aura lasted only 10 seconds before it vanished as the dryer completed it's cycle.

"Alright let's get ready Freyya.." Trying to motivate herself to get a move on.

She grabbed the Podsuit, a suit tailored to fit her body perfectly and made from a fabric which evolved out of kevlar, and slipped in it with minimal effort.

"Now i just have to give Uli a call that i'm coming his way so he can get the fittings ready for departure."

She grabbed her comlink and attached it to her ear.

"Uli, you there?"

"Hey Freyya, what's up." Ulitio responded with an uptone voice.

Ulitio was the resident head mechanic and producer. A levelheaded guy who had technical knowlegde surpassing most other experts at shipdesign, fabrication and everything revolving around that field to the tiniest adjustments a pilot could ask for. Training at Oversight was taken to the next level with specialisation skillbooks programmed by the best programmers Eve had to offer.

"As i've understand there's an Arazu fresh out the oven with my name on it?"

Freyya was already on her way towards the hangardeck while she was talking with Uli.

"Well you've understand correctly then. I've already made all of the adjustments and loaded a mobile version of Spectre into the systems. Standard fitting has been installed as per operation guidelines. I was able to retreive most fittings from the last Arazu you trashed but unfotunatly i had to reprocess the hull."

Whenever Uli talked about his field of expertise you could always hear a sense of pride and gratitude in his voice. He was proud of his work and did it well. Most of his adjustment to shipdesigns saved countless of lives giving the pilots the edge in combat and survivability, icluding himself.

"Yeah sorry about that again." Smiling as she finished the sentence. "Those Serpentis bastards almost got me there but thanks to you i got the long end of the stick. Anyways i called to tell you i need some adjustments to the fitting."

"Stop the flattery Freyya, you know i'm just doing my job hehe. What kind of adjustments do you need?"

"Can you fit some tech 2 polycarb rigs? The mission i'm going on requires me to be as agile as possible."

"Considder it done, i'll have her ready in about 10 minutes." He replied with a resolute tone.

"Thanks, i take it her name has been imprinted on the hull already?"

"More Cowbells, as usual...i still don't get it though."

"Where the hell is everyone." Freyya was still amazed at the complete lack of life in the corridors. Sounds of people walking and talking where to be heared like she was right there but there was no one in sight.

"What's that?" She heard Uli ask.

"Ohh nothing, you're the best. I'll be there in about 15 minutes. Freyya out."

She arrived at a crossing of corridors which made her stop for a second. She looked left and saw a long corridor heading down into darkness. Apparantly a few lights burned out. She looked to her right only to see the same type of corridor heading into darkness.

"What the...this crossroad shouldn't be here? Did i take a wrong turn somewhere? And why the hell are those lights not burning.."

She turned around to backtrack her steps but to her complete amazement and horror the corridor she came through was not there. All that greeted her was a massive steel wall.

"What the fuck is going on here!"

Panic began to rise and the shiver she felt before was returning stronger than ever.
Anger and frustration where building up inside of her, which resulted in a punch against the steel wall.
The jolt that ran through her body was enough to throw her across the corridor and slam her into the opposite wall, where she received yet another jolt of electricity. The current was so strong she chipped a piece of her tooth while trying to bite through the pain. Drained of all her energy and feeling the cramps of the muscles in her body, she fell to the ground and passed out.

After a while she regained consciousness and found herself lying in the middle of the floor. The only light that shone was a single beam of light above her head...nothing but darkness surrounded her and it frightened her deeply.

"Where the hell am i?" She mumbled to herself trying to get on her feet again. Her face showed the unmistakable features of anger and fear, eyes peeled wide open trying to pierce through the darkness. Still a bit wobbly, she stood upright and looked around. Suddenly it dawned on her...The Skinnermaze!

"How did i end up in the maze??" The words trembled as they left her mouth. "I shouldn't be able to...Spectre wouldn't let me."

Her brains where crunching on the possibilities yet every outcome was the same, she shouldn't be able to get into the maze by just walking the corridors. Despair began creeping up, overruling all other emotions. Throwing herself to her knees she began to cry involuntary but she quickly regained her grip.

"Allright Freyya, think! What do i need to do to get out of the maze."

Forcing herself to think about the situation with a clear mind, she wiped the tears off her face.

"Simply die perhaps." A voice said from the dark.

"Who's there!" She replied startled, forming firm fists, ready to strike at whomever lurked in the darkness.

"Don't you recognize my voice anymore?"

Freyya now clearly heard a man's voice, sounding vaguely familiar.

"I must admit it's been a while."

The lack of emotion in the voice made it difficult for Freyya to recognize from who it originated, her memory implant running overtime at this point and she heard the computing being done inside of her skull. Suddenly a face appeared in her mind's eye..

"Yes, you know now don't you."

A face emerged from the darkness slightly, with the single light casting a shadow on most of it's features.

"Prae? PraetorNZ...is..is that you?" Troubled the words left her lips as she backed away from the motionless face. "It can't be, it can't be you! You died!!"

PraetorNZ was one of the combat pilots detached to Oversight. In a mission 3 months ago things went south fast against a group of Guristas pirates. The Raven class battleship piloted by Prae went up in a ball of flames after multiple torpedoes slammed into it's hull, with trails originating from another Raven battleship painted in the Guristas war colours. Freyya always held herself accountable for the death of her wingman since she lost lock on the Guristas battleship and was unable to dampen it's targeting computers. In the weeks past the incident she went on a personal war against the Guristas, killing dozens of them, but it didn't help her to get over the guilt she felt so strongly. For unknown reasons he always refused to grow a clone.

"They're awakening you know, getting ready to reclaim their place in this world again."

The face was still motionless, with no apparent life emanating from it. It's lips didn't move while the words where clearly heard.

"AAARGGHHH!" Freyya lunged at the face trying to strike it with a well placed fist, but the face disappeared and she fell to the ground. A piercing pain shot through her body, originating from her arm and a scream of agony bursted from her lungs when signals of excruciating pain reached her brain. Looking at her arm, she found a thin steel spike sticking through. Blood was flowing and flesh was torn as she tried to free her arm. Her Screams reached far into the darkness.

"Tisk tisk, that's no way to greet a friend now is it."

The latest addition to the Skinner system was morphing panels, with the ability to take any shape they where programmed to take. Spikes where a common form as they could be almost invisible but lethal or very damaging nonetheless. Other popular forms where the morphing into chains, cutting blades and even a human form. This human form would explode into dozens of tiny pellets when touched, ripping through layers of flesh before being drawn out of the body via magnetism and absorbed back into the surrounding panels. Mostly non-lethal, but sometimes the pellets would penetrate the eye or temple of a person and death would be almost instant. A blessing for those affected.

She spent the last 30 minutes creeping through the dark, trying to find an exit. Sometimes a light came to life, casting it's rays of clarity on doors or switches. Praetor's face would reveal itself once in a while, always unexpected and sudden. Taunting words would be produced to torment Freyya's troubled mind already. The voice kept speaking of them, and how they would awaken.

"They where put to sleep, but the fire within their souls burned through the ages of times."

Freyya tried to ignore it but no matter how hard she tried the voice would still penetrate every wall she constructed in her mind. Her body covered in burnmarks, cut's and even big and severe wounds, blood was flowing freely onto the metal floor. At one time she was running down a corridor towards a door, when excruciating pain was felt in her thigh. While running, a metal spike pierced through it and tore off a piece of flesh as her momentum pulled the spike right out the back of her thigh. Blood splattered all across the floor and left Freyya fallen to the ground, gasping for air. Tears mingled with blood and sweat.

She could feel her injuries no more but her body caved in after what seemed an eternity. The face reappeared before her face, seemingly mocking her disability to lift even a finger.

"You will die now, but not before you hear a story i have to tell you."

"They are awakening, the fears and horrors of mankind.
Pain and suffering is what they bring, for they are hard to find.
Dark and sinister they seem to be, but those do not describe them well.
The death they bring is slow, and trapped you will become to dwell.
Lingering in the shadow is what they do, until the time is right it seems.
A pain to be so great, will mark the return of darkened screams."

Freyya tried to speak but the breath in her lungs was not enough for words to be formed. Slowely but surely her life's energy began flowing away.

"I see we need to be quick to make sure you get the message, don't leave us yet."

A cutting blade was formed from the wall and started cutting, she wanted to scream but even trying to fight it was too much. She accepted the horrific pain and sounds of flesh and bones being cut apart. As the last breeze of life left her lips the voice was heard once more;

"Keep the story in mind and remain prepared, for sleepers have awakened to let the world feel their revenge."