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As Sundered Angel's fighter streaks away, Sargantanus and the others are left confused in the bar. What just happened? And why is Sargantanus so furious?
((Sargantanus: Set the scene))
------------------ Sundered Angel , The One and Only
Out in space, a Sal carrier is on patrol. Suddenly the Radiant Flare drops out of Omni-space directly in front of it. The carrier fires its bolt rod but the bolt hits the Flare's intercepts and shorts out. Fighters are launched. The explosion of the Flare's intercepts hides it from view until it appears again with its guns trained on the carrier. The Flare's main gun fires. The crimson bolt sizzles through space and impacts on the carrier, damaging its bridge and putting it out of commision. The carrier's fighters are picked off by the Flare's main turret except for one which slips through and does some damage before it, too is destroyed by turret fire. Three platoons of Taeskors board the carrier and take it over. A piloting crew boards and flies the carrier back to the bar. Then the Flare disappears into Omni-space. It reappears moments later in a different part of space entirely, near a small fighter. Open a channel. "Aye, sir. Channel open." Hello, Angel. How are things out here?
------------------ Commander Cicion, commander of Phylydion Primary Armada
"Never tell me the odds!" -Han Solo
Jane suddenly found herself perplexed by what she was sensing. She quickly realized the false sword she had recovered was a mere disguise that Sundered Angel had made and that he was in serious trouble. Leaving her drink on the counter, Jane rushed to her craft. Activating the neural interface, Jane guided the ship out of the atmosphere and raced the ship across the galaxy.
In the meantime, the crowd in the bar began to clamor at the young cadet seated in front of Rawc. Rawc bellowed out a laugh full of gusto and lightheartedness as he proceeded to stand up and congratualate himself on winning another drinking contest. "I'll drink till I got at'a least one of you bet'n me." saying in his scottish accent. Immediately, the crowd began to escalate their wagers and pick out a new contestant. Then, a thought struck him. His commander wasn't drinking at the bar anymore, and she'd left him without notice. He growned and fell down on his chair in a daze. Suddenly, drinking so much wasn't such a hot idea with him anymore.
------------------ No Guts, No Glory.
Sundered Angel's holo-image appears on the deck of the Radient Flare.
Greetings Cicion. Gave me a bit of a shock they. I forget the potentials of that Omni-Drive you mount. I suppose you're here in lieu of Sargantanus?
The little fighter drops out of the near-impossible speeds it was moving at and pulls alongside the Radient Flare. Onboard, a crewman addresses Cicion.
Sir! The Angel has dissapeared from all but visual scans!
Not surprising, Ensign. The fighter has a sensor masking system. It is probably too small to hold a full cloaking device like the one the Radiant Flare has. Turns back to hologram. Angel, perhaps you'd like to come aboard? Here are the jump coordinates. Lists coords. Sensor officer looks up from her console. "Sir, Gaitori patrol of three cruisers in a line approaching.!" Raise shields. Activate cloak. The Flare disappears from Angel's view. He has not been spotted yet. He sees the cruisers, in a straight line, head towards where the Flare used to be. Suddenly the first is crushed from front to back, then its remains go backward and crash into the second, which is crushed, and the third as well. The Flare decloaks, with the remains of the cruisers floating around its nose. Always liked to use the cloak and ram tactic. Now, would you like to come aboard?
*A ship looking like a larger, darker, enlongated version of the Angel fighter warps in. It hails the Radiant Flare *
"Cicion!" Beams Sargatanus' distincly sharp voice. "What brings you to this isolated plot of space? Unless it's those beautiful plasma waves being sheared by that binary star system, but I suspect not."
"We picked up a strange warp signiture from a ship similar to yours. Which raises the question of why are you in a fighter?"
"This is one of the prototype variants of the Angel design. This particular one is called the Epyon. It's now the fastest ship in the Salrilian fleet. The only one that can catch up to Sundered Angel, who I assume you ran into. Did you by any chance catch where he was heading?"
------------------ Throughout their history these "unenlightened" beings have continually opposed and fought abuses of power wrought by their own bretheren. We, as the prophets would do well to learn from these Humans. -Final statement of the Salrilian reformist Sirthis shortly before his execution.
Actually, Admiral, I had just invited Angel to come aboard. Perhaps you would like to as well?
Cicion realises that as he has talked to Sargantanus, the Angel fighter has dissapeared. After considerable searching, a faint tachyon distortion trail leads away... Heading through Gaitori space, straight for Earth.
As you begin to follow the trail, Gaitori fleets mobilise to impede your progress
BTW Cicion, if you noticed, I dropped the role of Fleet Admiral. I am the Haruspex now. I have placed Verad in charge of my previous fleets. You should find him very interesting; he was a Phylydion. And he claims to have known you.
Notices the Gaitori fleet on the sensors
What the hell? They must not realize that I'm with you. The Gaitori may not be fond of the Salrilians, but they certainly wouldn't want an armed conflict. In any event I need to intercept Sundered Angel. There's just something about him having that sword that irks me. Listen, I don'tnow what he's up to but I won't be able to get a sizeable fleet here for a few hours. I will probably need your help. He's headed for Earth and my ship is faster than his, but I will need to spend some time punching a hole in the blockade. They won't be more than a nucience; this ship is more agile than they can possibley imagine and it has the most powerfull shields and cloaking device I could squeeze into it. If my hunch is right, than Sundered Angel will be headed for the Gaza Strip in Egypt. I suggest we rendavous there. Assuming you're willing to assist of course.
As Sargatanus prepares to warp after Angel another ship enters the system. It's Jane.
Jane, you understand Sundered Angel better than I do, but I need to pursue and don't have time to explain. Talk to Cicion.
The Epyon shoots off faster than any of the present ship can follow
Jane materializes on the Radiant Flare's bridge. She walks over past Cicion to a console. "Do you know who notified the Gatori? Where did Sargatnus go? Oh, darn!" Jane didn't stop for a second to look at Cicion. She just raced across the control and sensor boards with her hands looking for answers. "Either way, I hope your ship is ready for battle. I'm not leaving, yet." Sweet drips from her chin as she glares at the looming fleet. "They're going to pay."
Cicion is confused for a moment, and then realizes her Duploi half breed. Remembering the Gatori envasion, Cicion has a heart to help her situation. Jane looks up at Cicion trying to read his mind "Good luck Cicion." Saluting the Commander, Jane vanished in a wisp of light.
Her ship's weaponry activated, and the light coming from her ship began to bend away from her ship in every direction. As the ship grew darker, it disapeared from all scanners. Ready for battle.
At the Blockade Jane finds herself in the wake of a destructive skirmish. Fresh debris in an almost perfect circle marks where Sargatanus blasted his way through the Gaitori fleet. Two tachionic warp signitures show up on her sensors. One about ten minutes old, and the other not more than ten seconds old; both of them headed for Earth.
At the UNS border "I'm sorry sir, but we cannot allow military ships enter our space without notification from a head of state from the government the ship belongs to." Crackles a voice over Sargatanus' radio (for lack of a better term).
"I AM THE HEAD OF STATE!!! And I gave you notice about twelve parsecs ago! And just to let you know, I happen to be pursueing a wanted and extremely dangerous criminal!"
"That may be true, but once he crosses into UNS space, he's under our jurisdiction. If you want to file a grievence with the department of justice we could start an investigation as soon as one week maybe t-"
"He has stolen the most sacred and powerfull artifact in Salrilian space and quite possibley the known galaxy. And as long as he has it, he is in my jurisdiction."
"...any government official has that exclusive right, but the fact is that we have a hard time believing that the Salrilian Haruspex would travel alone in a fighter craft, which for all we know could easily just be some form of civilian ship."
"You are aware that the Haruspex is now a human right?"
"So we have heard."
"And you are also aware that all military technology is forbidden on Salrilian civilian ships as well correct? And that the Salrilians have the best internal security force in the galaxy right?"
"Again that's what we've been told."
"Then tell me what Salrilian civilian ship can do this..."
*The Epyon opens fire on the border probe, destroying it before it can respond. Something that no single, light military ship of any galactic power could do before. On the UNS end of the radio only confusion can be heard."
"I'm also going to notify you that Fleet Admiral Verad will be trailing me with the 7th fleet, and Phylydion High Commander Cicion will be jumping in shortly behind me. He should already be within your sensor range. Make no mistake, I'm not trying to start an intersteller incident, and if the same applies to you, I suggest you let me go about my business. I will be headed for Earth, at the Gaza Strip."
As a wing of Gaitori carriers move against Jane and Cicion, and Sargantanus is let past the border by grudging UNS Authorities, Sundered Angel stands in the depths of a pyramid, holding a flaming torch in one hand and a gleaming black sword in the other. He translates the heiroglyphics aloud, eyes glowing in the darkness.*
"And from the darkness, a star shall fall, burning. It shall be followed by more, and they shall fight the fallen god for the prophesised sword, and shall take it from him."
Sundered Angel pauses, and frowns.
Apparently this effort of mine shall fail. They? Surely Cicion and Jane will not help Sargantanus against me? I see chaos in the future...
"And though the evil ones clash and war, the good one shall eventually prevail. The good one shall take the sword, and wield it, and defend the galaxy from this time of Strife."
Sundered Angel looks up, and his eyes flash red, mouth forming a single word name as he runs from the pyramid, to where the others have arrived from their various pursuits.
((Describe your battle, Jane, Cicion, and then Sargantanus will set the beginning state of this confrontation.))
A roguish grin flashes across Cicion's face, his Han Solo side showing. Good, a little practice. Bring us up to attack speed, Lieutenant. Activate cloak. The Flare shimmers and disappears from all sensors and visual contact. Arm weapons. Turret gunners, fire at will. Several Gaitori cruisers fly right past the Flare and are blasted into oblivion by its main batteries. Target that carrier and fire main guns! The main cannon on the ventral fin spits three crimson energy blasts which disable the carrier. The other two main guns take out its gunship escorts. Suddenly a large force of gunships fire their atomic pulse guns at where they think the Flare is, and where it is, too. In a burst of speed, the Flare, as fast and maneuverable as a Y-wing fighter, shoots away at just the right moment and all of the pulses collide, creating a spectacular explosion. The Flare zigzags through the fleet until the Gaitori lose any idea of where it is. Until, that is, the Flare rams a carrier and causes its reactor to go critical. It takes several seconds to explode, but before it does it gets off a missle. The missle slams into the Flare's shields, and although it does little damage it shows where the Flare is. A squadron of HVD's get off several salvoes. "Sir, shields at 90%!" Microjump, now! The flare disappears into Omni-space and reeappears so quickly that it might as well have teleported. It reaappears in the midst of the fleet. Missle cloud, now! The Flare fires twelve large missles from its missle tubes, which each split into six more, which each split into eight more, which each split into five more. Each missle seeks out a target and destroys it. The fleet is in total disarray, with ships colliding and debris everywhere. All right, get us on Sargatanus's tail. A multicolored shroud engulfs the FLare as it enters Omni-space and flashes towards Earth.
((Cicion: This happened right after you jumped, so I hope you don't mind me adding it here, since order can't be changed))
As Cicion jumped out of danger, Jane was caught up in the fight. Having been hit by one of the missiles Cicion had fired, Jane's ship had lost its cloaking device and with it its shields. As the Gatori were closing in on her position, a voice crackled over the comlink. "Jane is th-t yo-?! Than- -od I fou-d y-u...!" The power was dying off inside the cabin. Jane quickly sprinted out of her seat and over to a body array. Straining out the last deciquad of energy from her engines, Jane managed to rematerialize herself on Rawc's fighter class ship, the 'Fray'. "Glad to see ya again!" He gave her a full fledged hug, and then put her back on her feet. "Now, do ya want me fly'n or follo'in?" "I think I'll take it from here." She plopped herself in the pilot's seat, and glanced back at Rawc "Thanks." "That's my service, but a- watch out! " The Fray was beginning to enter the debris field. Suddenly, a plan was building itself in Jane's mind. Without delay, Jane opened a computer link with her ship. Sending faulty data, Jane directed her ship to induce a spatial implosion. At the same time, Jane armed the Fray's Plasma Coagulator. Flying straight through the debris field, the Fray got right over her ship, and at the precise moment, Jane dropped two Plasma discharges into her ship. A blinding light of energy exploded behind them incinerating everything in its path. Waves of lashing plasma struck just about anything with a metallic signature. In seconds, the fleet and debris field were vaporized, and the Fray was nowhere to be found.
......Except, for a small ion trail that led out of the fight........
((I had to do my best with punctuation & layout- It came through a mess))
(This message has been edited by Sundered Angel (edited 05-02-2000).)
Sundered Angel wanders into the last tomb before the exit. Ancient faces seem to glare at him from the decaying wall.
"You are an enemy here." If he didn't recognize the voice he would've sworn it came fron one of the glyphs.
"So are you if you blasted your way through the border." Sundered Angel replies as he wields the sword.
"You didn't leave me much of a choice." Sargatanus steps into the light of the torch. "Look, I don't know what your motive is for this, but you can't stop destiny, and I will get that sword from you one way or another. You're one of my closest friends and it would be a travesty if only one of us left here."
Jane lands, fresh from the skirmish with the Gaitori, at the mouth of the third pyrimid. The usually soft voice of Sundered Angel, and the sharp articulate voice of Sargatanus can be heard escalating from the entrence
Inside, the arguing has ceased and givin way to a high paced scuffle that the best martial arts masters could only dream about. Within seconds it seems that Sundered Angel has won hands down, throwing Sargatanus across the tomb. But from the look on Sargatanus' face when he stands up, this hasn't even begun. "I have to admit that I'm impressed but you're forgetting the main reason I was constructed in the first place." With that, Sargatanus gets in a stance and throws his head back. Something sems to overwhelm his body as his mouth foams and muscles seem to double in size almost instantly. He looks forward with a look of pure rage. He lunges. Before Sundered Angel can react he's been hit... hard. His back slams against the wall so hard it makes a crack clear up to the ceiling. Sargatanus throws his arms back and a long sharp blade protrudes from each elbow. He lurches back for the final blow- " STOP!!!!! " The yell was too loud and registered far too fast to have been physical. Sargatanus freezes in his tracks as Jane runs into the tomb...
(This message has been edited by Sargatanus (edited 05-02-2000).)
Sundered Angel's eyes glow red as the surprise of Sargantanus' attack wears off. He rises to his feet, awaiting what Jane has to say, the sword glinting in the partial light of the tomb.
((Your call, Jane. Make it a nice speech, if possible.))
(I had a battle scene all worked out. I came back to post and I found I was late, about three posts too late. But, no worry. Ill write something else for this part. If, Im not too late again, bear with me
(This message has been edited by Jane (edited 05-01-2000).)
Sargatanus and Angel stand there, staring at each other. Suddenly, a rustle is heard. They look to where it came from, but see nothing. Above them, in the shadows, Cicion hangs by his feet from a statue, listening in. His Phylydion phisiology allowed him to slip in unnoticed. He waits. Above, the Radiant Flare orbits the planet, cloaked.
The prophesy! What about the prophesy? Sundered Angels eyes jumped around Sargatanuss form, panicking. What about the prophesy?! asked Sargatanus in sudden confusion. Sundered Angel quickly brought the sword round in pure defiant rage. Seeing Angels attempt at catching Sargatanus off guard, Jane dove in between them. As Angel brought the sword down, Jane was cut from armpit to hip right down the side. Suddenly, Angel screamed in utter angelic torment No!! Why? But... how did- Sargatanus quickly darted past Angel grabbing the sword from his side and running down the corridor. Janes eyes twitched as she was barely able to keep them open. Angel fell on his knees in pure astonishment. Just then, heavy footsteps beated down the passageway. As Jane began coughing up blood, Rawc stood at the doorway also dazed by what he saw. Fulfill the prophesy. She coughed up another clump of blood. Rawc snatched a pattern enhancer from his satchel, and placed it on Janes sleeve. Angel's eyes glowed red. He hissed Fix her up, Wont you? As Rawc began to dematerialize with Jane, he answered in his reassuring Scottish tone Shell be good as new. Ya just catch that guy, ya hear? Angel, with greater fury and vengeance, bolted down the torch lit hallways after Sargatanus.
(I hope that suits. )
(Angel: Just a little modification to my dialog, and it's a great twist )
Cicion silently drops from the statue into another shadow. Noone has noticed his presence. He observes Jane's healing and turns his head towards the hallway that Sargatanus and Angel ran down. He draws his tiny, concealed flare bolt pistol and shoots(That's "shoot" as in "run really fast", not shooting his gun) down the hallway as quickly and silently as a poison dart. He sees Angel and follows him, darting from shadow to shadow like an assassin. In fact, many Phylydions have made a fortune as assassins among other species because of their speed and agility. He continues down the hallway after Angel.
As Sargantanus exits the pyramid, he looks up to see a dark figure framed by the dying light of the setting sun. It's Sundered Angel- But how did he move that fast? He holds up a hand.
Wait, Sargantanus, I have one last thing to tell you.
Sargantanus pauses, ready for anything from the enigmatic character. Sundered Angel smiles, and motions to the sword.
I have decided to let you take the sword. The future is already set in stone, indeed, it was set in stone before you walked the soils of this fertile planet. And it says will should fight over the sword, and we have. And it says that, in the end, the sword will be wielded by neither of us. And thus is how it should be. Enjoy your power while it lasts, Haruspex. For it will not last long. . .
He turns, and dissapears into the shadow of the pyramid, as the sun sinks to its bed. His presence can still be felt, however, and Sargantanus knows Angel can hear him.