killa - You probably haven't asked me (either that or you did and I just forgot, admittedly that is a possibility) because I have no idea what you're talking about. I'll gladly remove anything you find offensive, if you'll be more specific. If you don't want to post the details feel free to drop me an e-mail.

MUST HAVE MORE

Always and forever a TREKKIE

Neuro, its good to have you back. I also like the way you have taken this one better.Its smoooth....

C'mon man, us junkies need our feel-good juice!

Who needs Freelancer 2? If microsoft ever get around to making it it's hard to see how they could top a good fanfic like this.

In a sudden fit of creativity, I have managed to complete TWO new chapters! So, without further ado, here is chapters 10 and 11.

Chapter 10: Occupation

Trent awoke in the infirmary with a splitting headache. He looked around and saw King standing over him. He groaned.

"What happened to me?"

"You passed out on the bridge two days ago," King said. "What's going on?"

"I'd like to know as well," Orillion said, walking into the room. "Would you excuse us for a moment, King?" King nodded, and left the room.

"So, how are you feeling?" Orillion asked.

"Like hell," Trent replied, "but I'll survive."

"Trent, how long has this been happening?"

Trent was silent.

"Trent, we have to know. For two days you've been hallucinating, saying that 'They just want to talk to us.' Who wants to talk to us?"

Trent sighed. "I've been having these strange dreams ever since we found that ship. They all involve what I can only assume is an alien creature of some kind chattering in some alien language. Suddenly a group of Nomads appear and destroy the creature, then turn on me. Then I wake up."

"What do you think it means?" Orillion asked.

"How do I know? I'm not a psychiatrist."

"You must have some idea."

Trent thought for a moment. "I really don't know. It always seems like the alien is trying to talk to me, but I have no idea what they're saying."

"And what about what happened on the bridge two days ago?"

"It's like the dream. An image just appears in my mind, and it's the alien trying to say something to me, I think. I don't know why it happens."

Orillion was silent for a moment. "Get some rest. I need you healthy."

---------------

The next day, Trent was feeling much better. He made his way up to the bridge, where most of the senior staff was gathered. Trent saw King and headed over.

"Hey look, it's the walking dead!" King said. "Feeling better?

"Yeah."

"Wish I was. A lot has happened while you've been in La-La-Land."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, Juni's disappeared."

"What?!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. She left on a patrol to investigate the Dom'Kavash ship and never came back. That was two days ago."

"What are the Dom'Kavash doing?"

"Nothing much. They're just orbiting Manhattan. They certainly have New York shut down. There's no traffic at all through the Trade Lanes. It's basically a blockade."

"Wonderful."

"Oh, it gets better," King said. "One of our battleships, the Horus, seems to have disappeared as well. She was en route to us here in the Badlands when we lost contact. Come to think of it, it was about the same time Juni went missing."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"Maybe."

"Ah, Trent," Orillion said, joining them. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm not dead."

"Let's try and keep it that way." Trent noticed that Orillion looked a little distracted. With everything that had happened, Trent reasoned, it was understandable. Still, Orillion had always been cool and composed when things went from bad to worse, and seeing him with an uncertain look was a little disturbing to Trent.

"I just received a report of small fighter craft around Manhattan. The ships could be Dom'Kavash, which may give us an opportunity to observe their fighters' capabilities. You two feel up to a patrol?"

"Do we have a choice?" King said.

"I want you two to fly a wide route around Manhattan. Make it as non-threatening as possible. I don't want to set off an incident here."

"You mean like blowing up Manhattan?"

"Yes, like blowing up Manhattan. Now get out there."

-------------------


Trent and King approached Manhattan and the Dom'Kavash vessel. There had been no sign of any of the reported Dom'Kavash fighters since the initial report, and Trent was beginning to wonder if they really existed. The alien ship seemed to ingnore them completely, as it had done before. The Thoth was supposed to be difficult to detect, but then again this was an alien vessel from a species that predated humans by a million years. If they really wanted to see them, they probably could, Trent thought.

"There's nothing out here," King said conversationally. "We could fly this route for days and bore ourselves to death."
"Think we should head back?"

"Yeah, nothing's going to happen today...wait, what's that?"

A large vessel decloaked right in front of them.

"Holy crap, it's the Horus!" King exclaimed. They watched as a wave of Anubis fighters launched and flew on an intercept course toward the Dom'Kavash vessel.

"Order fighters, this is Commander Michael King, come in, over!" There was no response to his hail.

"Battleship Horus, respond!"

"Order vessels, you will clear the area immediately. Any attempts to stop us will be perceived as a hostile act."

"What the hell are you talking about?" King asked. "You're freakin' Order vessels too!"

"Not anymore. We will ask you once more to clear out. We cannot be responsible for your safety if you fail to comply."

"Horus, if you attack that thing you could really piss them off! And you know what they do when you piss them off!!"

"Commander King, this will be your last warning. Clear the area!"

"Horus, wait!" There was no further response from the battleship.

"King, we've got to stop them!" Trent called.

"And fire on our own people?"

"You heard them, King. They're not part of the Order anymore. God knows what will happen when those fighters engage that thing! I'm going in. Are you coming or not?" And with that, Trent engaged his cruise engines and set off in pursuit of the rogue Anubis fighters.

"Hell's bells," King said as he turned his ship and followed.

The Anubis fighters had a respectable head-start on King and Trent, but the Thoth was equipped with a new power distribution system that allowed them to transfer power between different systems on the ship. Trent had redirected his shield energy to his cruise engines, giving him a sizable speed advantage over the Anubis, and as a result he was closing the gap between the ships fairly quickly.He knew that if he finally caught them he would be without shields for a while, but he would cross that bridge when he got there.

The former Order ships reached torpedo range and launched their salvo at the Dom'Kavash vessel. Trent cursed as he reached down to arm his own weapons. He reached missile range of the closest Anubis, cut his cruise engines and fired a pair of missiles. They streaked in straight and true, impacting on the Anubis' shields and sending it spinning out of control. He armed his cannons and fired several bursts, hitting the Anubis and disabling its engines. Trent left the ship intact, not wanting to take the life of the former comrade until he knew what was going on.

The torpedoes launched by the Anubises hit the Dom'Kavash vessel dead-on, but the ship seemed to be unaffected. The Anubises broke off and began to engage Trent and King in a vicious dogfight. King managed to take out one of the ships with a well-placed volley of cannon fire, but was unable to avoid the fire of another.

"Trent! We gotta get out of here! My ship's falling apart!"

Trent did not reply as he fought to keep a pair of Anubises from blowing him to dust. It was no use. The ships' cannons ate his shields to pieces and started on the hull.

"King! Get the hell out of here and tell the Order what happened!" He hoped King got the transmission as the last bits of armor on his Thoth were blown away. He reached down and yanked the eject handle and cringed as his escape capsule was ejected away from his disintegrating spacecraft. Trent watched helplessly as one of the Anubis fighters activated a tractor beam, pulling his escape capsule into the cargo hold of the fighter.

------------------------

Mmmm...Synth Paste...

Edited by - neuromancer on 11/6/2004 9:35:38 PM

Chapter 11: Captured

The escape capsule was lowered to the flight deck of the Horus as two men approached. One of them reached down and opened the capsule door. Trent found himself looking at the wrong end of a pair of blaster pistols. One of the men motioned for him to get out. Trent complied. The two men led him into a small room off the flight deck. It was dimly lit, with a single table and chair in the middle of the room. One of the guards motioned for Trent to sit as the other guard bound Trent's hands behind his back. The two men then left the room, closing the door behind them.

He could not believe what had just happened. Members of the Order, his own comrades, had turned their backs on their former friends and made their own attack on the Dom'Kavash. He had no idea what the attack had accomplished, or even if Manhattan was still there.

Now what do I do? Trent thought.

The door opened several minutes later and two figures entered the room. They walked slowly into the light, and Trent's jaw dropped.

Colonel Kress and Juni stood in the dim light and looked at him. Trent could tell by the smug look on Juni's face that she was going to enjoy every minute of this.

"Mr. Trent, how nice to see you again," Kress said. "I would like to welcome you aboard the Horus."

"Your hospitality is overwhelming," Trent retorted.

"You must forgive my men. They were only protecting us from a possible threat. Are you a threat, Mr. Trent?"

"I could be, unless you tell me what the hell is going on here."

"Shut up, Trent," snapped Juni. "You have no say here."

"That is enough, Colonel Zane," Kress said. "If you wish to know what is happening," he continued, addressing Trent," then I shall tell you, and you will have the opportunity to decide if you wish to join us. If you do not, I cannot make any promises to you."

"Well, it doesn't look like I have much of a choice," Trent said. "I'm all ears."

"Mr. Trent, this vessel now belongs to the Sirius Covenant. We are individuals from all walks of life, and from every corner of Sirius. We are united in one common purpose: To defend humanity from the Dom'Kavash. It is our intent to rid Sirius of the Dom'Kavash threat once and for all."

"Umm, isn't that what the Order is supposed to be doing?"

"The Order sits on its hands while millions have died in Dom'Kavash attacks, and millions more are threatened. The Order would just sit back, watch and let this all happen!"

"The Order is trying to figure out what the hell is going on!" Trent snapped. "And the Dom'Kavash haven't destroyed any populated planets in the colonies!"

"You forget Crete, Mr. Trent," Kress said. "Yes, they were Corsairs, but they were also human. Millions of lives snuffed out of existence. Do you really think that the Dom'Kavash will stop there?"

"Are you actually falling for this line of bull, Juni?" Trent asked. She said nothing, but looked at him with an icy cold stare that answered his question.

"No, Mr. Trent, I do not think that Crete was the last populated planet the Dom'Kavash will destroy. Sirius was their home long before it was ours. They left, and now we are here. They will try to remove us by force, and more lives will be lost. We will not allow that to happen."

"What about the Nomads?"

"The Nomads are weak. Humanity has beat them back twice now. Perhaps they will want to align themselves with us to rid Sirius of a common enemy."

"I don't believe this. You really think the Nomads will team up with Humanity?"

"Perhaps. That is something to be decided later. For now, Mr. Trent, the only decision that must be made is one that you alone can make. We are giving you the opportunity to join our cause. A pilot of your skill would be most beneficial to the Covenant."

"I think you're full of it, Kress. How does the word 'no' grab you?"

Kress looked at Trent. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe you just need a little time to consider. I will send someone to escort you to your new...quarters aboard the Horus. Hopefully you will eventually see our point of view. Good bye for now, Mr. Trent." Kress and Juni turned and left.

Trent tried to absorb all he had been told. Kress and Juni were now traitors to the Order, had stolen an Order battleship and were now on some crazy crusade to purge the Dom'Kavash from Sirius. He knew he had to get this information to Orillion, but being a prisoner on board a former Order battleship with no friends to help him, he had no idea what he was going to do next.

-------------------------

King flew his heavily damaged Thoth fighter back into the Badlands. The Anubis fighters had broken off their pursuit, perhaps thinking that King would not survive much longer in his damaged craft. The Thoth was truly a remarkable machine, King thought to himself. Despite the damage the ship had taken, it had managed to outrun the Anubis ships chasing him. Now he just had to survive a hairy trip through the Badlands to where the Osiris was stationed.

The ship was starting to handle badly, but the scanners had picked up the Osiris. King looked out his cockpit window and could make out the shape of the battleship in the dust ahead.

"Osiris, this is King, requesting docking clearance."

"King, you're clear to land."

King eased his fighter into the hangar bay and set it down as gently as he could. A fire crew was standing by. They sprayed flame retardant over the damaged and smoking craft as King got out. Orillion was waiting nearby.

"What happened, King?"

"We were jumped by our own people! The Horus decloaked and launched fighters at the Dom'Kavash. They actually launched torpedoes at the thing!"

"Where is Trent?"

"They got him. I don't know if he ejected, but if he did, they probably picked him up."

Orillion was silent, his face a mask of rage. He cursed to himself and walked away.

----------------------


Mmmm...Synth Paste...

MMMM Rebelleion in the order

Always and forever a TREKKIE

I just don't have any thing to say. That was so good, I just can't believe your not a world famous book writer Neuro. I wish my story Chaos Theory was that good, but now for the second time I have given up on it. The way I see it it would be pointless for me to continue my story because everyone else is paying attention to yours and bret's. For good reason of course. So please don't make your story suck out of sympathy for me. I sort of enjoyed my vacation from writing.

I am so incredibly stoked. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through this thread. Kudos, kudos, kudos.

(and I'm accepting story submissions on my website. )

Hoo boy. This has suddenly become very interesting. Great job.

This is very exciting now. Hope Trent makes it, blows up all the bad guys, saves Juni from certain death and they live happily ever after together. Let's face it, they're totally after each other!!

(me, the romantic)

ttfn

Indeed. I first read the story on fanfiction.net and despaired when no updates occurred. However I am happy to see it has continued here.

Come ON
a cliffhanger?
We're already in suspense on Athena's thread.
/me gets some drugs hoping they'll act as a replacement.