Shadows of Reality
Of Robots and Spaceships
The cavernous bridge of the Divinty resembled upturned hull of a ship more than anything else, with a huge, vaulted cieling, a large, flat 'window' at one end, and a raised platform at the other. The captain's chair was unnocupied, the various wires that allowed the captain to become a literal part of the giant cruiser retracted into the body of the thronelike construction. Small terminals, originally manned by half-machine humans, lined the walls, their sockets and screens replaced by the disk-shaped drones that served for crew. The bridge was huge, taking up about a hundred meters square of the ship's interior. It was designed to be run by a bridge staff of fifty or so, but since Hakubi had salvaged the huge ship, the three present were perfectly capable of reacting to any situation. The robot stood at one of the four terminals set around the captain's throne, doing... whatever it did. The subcommander, Ami, sat fiddling with one of the consoles next to him, probably losing at solitaire.
Sesshoumaru sat at a console set just infront of them. Despite not being on the front line of the action, the quiet on the bridge suited him better, even with the constant background hum from the consoles. He watched out of the large 'window' considering the gigantic hulks floating on the black backdrop. They had appeared roughly two hours after Zer's return to the Divinity, and had grown steadily closer as the crew ran about thier preparations.
The comm unit crackled into life, the vioces still recognisable despite the distortion.
Ray Hakubi: Alright. Devilfish, launch, go to cloak, and get a foothold.
Zeratul - "Command, this is Infiltration team... The Devilfish is away"
Goran X-12: affirmative, remember to avoid as much as possible first law issues
Ray: Goran, if you mention that one more time, I'll reprogram you. With an axe.
Or, Sesshoumaru considered, shifting slightly, you could let me do it for you... I'm sure I could hunt down an axe if I tried hard enough...
Zeratul: "As I've said before, I've brought a tranquilizer gun.."
Lucles: I'm reading subspace anomalies, be on your guard
The comms continued the buzz in the background, but Sesshoumaru faded it out for a while, it was becoming riddled with static which hurt his ears.
Ami: Alright. Find anything interesting?
Goran X-12: nothing yet mistress Ami, I am asking the Divinity central computer surface scan of all different systems from divinity
Zeratul: "Commander, there's a... Cat on board..."
The comms suddenly got more interesting again. Sesshoumaru had wondered where Kage had slunk off to, he hadn't seen her since that morning. The shape shifting abilities that were displayed by a fair few members of the crew had surprised him at first, but he realised quickly that it was a learnt ability, and therefore anyone who felt the need to learn could do so. And a lot of people had.
Zeratul: "One of your pets, Commander?"
Ray: I don't keep pets.
Lucles: Anomaly identified. Incoming torpedoes.
A row of large, missile-like weapons shimmered into existence in front of the Divinity's 'window'. He watched them approaching with a strange sense of detatchment, like he was actually somewhere else and any minute now he'd wake himself up again.
Goran X-12: Incoming torpedoes mistress Ami
Lucles: Shoot them down, I want to conserve the shields
Zeratul: "The ships crawling with cats, these days. And there's a cat under my chair. I feel inclined not to believe that."
Ray: Just to be clear, the cats arte NOT mine
Goran X-12 : locking all drones on incoming torpedoes and ordering to fire at will. All torpedoes torpedoes are destroyed, scanning area thoroughly
On the view screen, the drones where intercepting and shooting down torpedoes at lighting fast speed with almost impossible turn reflexes, directed by the robot. The explosions flickered at the edge of everyone's peripheral vision, distracting them from whatever they were trying to do.
Ami: You alright over there Fluffy?
He didn't reply, despite the urge to tear the stupid woman to pieces. The name had been spawned over the appearance of his tail, which apparently was somewhat funny. Unfortunately he didn't share thier view.
A loud snoring sound had started up over the comms, amid shouting and swearing at the guy responsible. And then the static started again, twice as bad as it had been before, completely breaking up communication with the infiltration team, and the swearing doubled.
Lucles: "Incoming torpedoes."
The drone-fighters, driven by the robot, once again started to clear the space infront of the Divinity of explosives.
Ami: Theyreally don't like us, do they?
Zeratul: "Commander, the cat's... One of ours. It's Kage. And we've heard the warning, we'll try to sabotage their weapons first."
Khys: ZzZzZ mumble Burn the things
Goran X-12 says: torpedoes destroyed, I have been able to lock the torpedoes' signature into the computer and the drones will now destroy them without direct order
Zeratul: "Command, our cover's blown. We're going to try and get in, anyway."
Ray: "I'm initiating an Attack Run on the second Escort... wish me luck. Ami, target the first escort and open fire."
Ami: Luck
Ami bent once again over the keyboard, tapping away for a moment and then and opening fire on the first escort ship.
Khys: mumble Not now , I think I've realized how to increase a fireballs damage using paraffin... ZzZzZz
Kage: WAKE UP FIVE
Goran X-12: be careful mistress Ami, try to prevent to much casualties to the enemy crew
Ami muttered to herself, stopping to asses the amount of damage she was actually doing. Convinced that she was making a difference, and completely ignoring the robot, she turned to concentrate again.
Goran X-12: I am sorry to have inconvenienced you mistress Ami
Ami: No worries
Lucles: use the Nova Cannon.
Grinning on the inside, but without twitching a facial muscle, Sesshoumaru keyed up the command for the nova canon.
Zeratul: "Command, I request that you do NOT use the Nova Cannon! Repeat, do NOT use the Nova Cannon! We're still out here!"
With a final look through the viewscreen, Sesshoumaru fired the canon at the ship the infiltration group were targetting. The mile-long canon shuddered, then fired. Missing the Devilfish and the infiltration crew by a hairs breadth, it completely immobalised it's target. It would also take half an hour to reload for a second shot.
Ray: "That was the only shot we'll get, they'll scatter the formation now."
Lucles: "First enemy escort is running silent. She's a hulk."
Kage: heh heh heh, nice shot
Goran X-12: Asks Lucles in comlink: is there an EMP weapon or other disabling weapon on the divinity?
Goran, realising the effects of the Nova Canon, springs upright.
Goran X-12: Lucles, can you disable power usage to the nova cannon?
Ami: override, don't do it Lucles, You know we need it
Goran X-12: I cannot allow such a massive casualty weapon
Lucles: "Goran, attend your duties. The Cannon is our only chance of survival."
Goran X-12: That does is not directly logically proven, and it might harm the crew of the boarding party, as well as any other amount of humans. I suggest that we search for alternative weapons
Goran X-12: I will allow no further usage of it
Sesshoumaru: ... They will be dead before the cannon is ready again.
Ami: True
Goran, mortified at the thought of all of the human lives that could be lost through further use of the canon, moved to stand next to Sesshoumaru's seat, so he could stop him from firing again. Or attempt to, anyway. Annoyed at the thought that the robot would not leave him alone now, Sesshoumaru sat back in his chair, and watched the screen again.
Lucles: "Incoming Assault Boats. Goran, get that fighter screen back up!"
Goran X-12: controls fighters through comlink comlink:attention all drone fighters, intercept and disable assault boats, avoid destructions controls the drones thusly
The screens on all of the consoles on the bridge began to flash, ann an error message appeared, repeated a moment later over the comms;
ERROR
ERROR
BROADCAST ALL CHANNELS
POWER SURGE
Ami: What the... Feth?
She moved herself away from the screen that she was studying, staring at the view on the larger window screen.
Goran X-12: mistress Ami, when have a power dropping on all levels
LEECH TECHNOLOGY DISABLED.
Lucles: I'm detecting a...
As one, every screen in the room exploded, scattering glass fragments everywhere
Goran X-12: it appears that somebody is leeching power from the systems
Locke: AGGGGH, WHAT THE...
Ami: Sht!
The lights suddenly go out, leaving the room in absolute complete pitch blackness.
Sesshoumaru, having been sat directly infront of his console monitor was hit full in the chest with a screen full of glass, disconnecting his comm link and filling Kage's comms chip with static. The sudden rush of pain and darkness left him completely disorientated, unable to move or make a sound.
Goran attempted to access both the first and secondry systems, but failed as the computers had been completely fried. In face of this failure, he started to boot the system completly from cold.
Goran X-12: Mistress Ami, is there a memory terminal where I might log in to access the memory banks from the central computer
The noise in the room was starting to grow fuzzy to Sesshoumaru's ears, the darkness replaced by something infinately more black.
Ami: Sesshoumaru?
He could hear some one...
Goran X-12: he is apparently bleeding, I will escort it to sickbay to be sure.
The robot picked up the unconscious demon, and carried him, completely ubabelt to protest, to sickbay. Ami followed him, stumbling in the darkness andlooking rather lost
Goran X-12: mistress Ami, are you alright?
The robot turns to look at something on the terminal by the wall... the temperature is dropping steadily each minute.
Goran X-12: mistress Ami temperature is dropping swiftly, I will attempt to do something about it
Ami: okay.
The Robot moved to stand by the wall, fiddling with something in the darkness. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.
Goran X-12: Excuse me mistress Ami, but an unknown organism that is aiding us, has dropped a power recharge device into the hanger bay, I will receive it
Ami said nothing
Goran X-12: will you be all right mistress Ami?
silence
Goran X-12: mistress Ami?
Ami she stared at him, wide eyed. Her hands are covered in blood. Sesshoumaru didn't move
Ami: Is he... dead?
Goran moved the press some buttons on the medbots, so that they would start treating Sesshoumaru.
Sorry for bad ending, the computer is being evil and won't let me change it too much ;