Adventures of Kyle & Mad

Adventures of Kyle & Mad

Chapter 6: Bacterian Trouble

Inside the B.E.S. Ravana

Leaving 6724-1XB system

The tall Bacterian female stood in front of her chair on the bridge of the Bacterian cruiser Ravana. His personal fleet included three other cruisers of the same class as hers: the Shakthy, Bukhara and the Gorgoroth. The small fleet had formed itself up in order to move out of the system.

“Commander Gortynoides, I thought that the day when you would let someone escape like that would never come” the female spoke with her booming voice. “My lady, I promise it will never happen again” a Bacterian male said while standing at full attention on the woman’s left side. “I believe it is not enough. These Gigerdians with their ship are the unfortunate witnesses of our operation on the moon of that world. If word of it gets out, the Court of Bacterium will likely dispose of me as well” the female commander pondered. “What do you want me to do, my lady?” the somewhat shaken commander replied. “I want you to inform sub commander Catopsilia, that she has just made to the rank of full commander”, the Bacterian female instructed. “But, that is my rank” the shrunken commander replied quietly.

The woman started to laugh, and after a few seconds she took out her laser rapier, and cut the other officer’s head off. “How can you have a rank, when you no longer exist?” she laughed at the body. After a few moments a pair of Bacterian warriors emerged from her side, and quietly dragged the body away. “Communications officer, I want you to inform all of the other sub commanders and captains of the fleet, that by the order of Fleet lord Alsophilia Bacillus, all efforts must be concentrated on the successful capture of these Gigerdians along with their ship” she instructed. “Yes, my lady” the communications officer replied.

The tall Bacterian female looked at the large view screen several meters in front of her, where a video log of the previous battle was playing. Several of the Bacterian officers on the bridge were analyzing the tape. She quietly left the bridge as the picture zoomed even closer to the hull of the freighter that had slipped away.

Chapter 7: Prison of the Mind

Kyle glanced at the view screen in front of him, and sighed loudly:”oh hell, looks like the fuel gauge has dropped considerably during the few hours that we’ve been in hyperspace”.

Mad and Den Kylek raised their heads from the console that they had been repairing: “there’s only one reason why the gauge would look like that, you know” Den replied sternly. “I know. Looks like the Bacterians got our gas tank” Kyle stated. “Alright, we’ve got to pull this bird out of hyperspace for awhile, and someone’s got to put on a spacesuit, and go weld the leak shut” Den explained as he slowly walked to Kyle’s console and visually confirmed that there sure was a leak happening in the fuel compartment of the ship. “Who’s going to go out there?” Mad asked suspiciously. As this imminent question was blurted out, Kyle immediately looked away. So did Den.

“Oh, come on. We’ve got to draw straws?” Mad’s tone of voice raised from careful to a more high-pitched tone. “This is your ship, so don’t look at me, folks” Den immediately washed his hands clean of the whole mess. “Kyle, you’re the one who put us on this cruise” Mad gestured towards Kyle with his hand. “Fine, I’ll go out there and weld that stupid leak shut, then” Kyle replied. “I’m pulling the ship out of hyperspace and shutting down the reactor” Den cut into the conversation as he pressed a few switches on the helm console.

The Hawk of the Galaxy pulled out of hyperspace as smoothly as it had entered it. The darkness of hyperspace was left behind, but as the ship entered a completely new, albeit as dark of a reality as hyperspace was, it hadn’t exactly fared that well at all. The ship had turned up in a thick red stellar cloud somehow.

“Oh, look at the space. It has suddenly changed colours” Den said with a half-sarcastic tone of voice. “Oh hell, this doesn’t look like the place I plotted the course for at all” Kyle replied as he looked out of the main view screen of the bridge. “Well, don’t worry; it’s not your navigational skills here that are poor. I think that our navigational computer didn’t really like all those pretty beam weapons that almost literally shook the ship apart. It must be broken, and thus we’re in a stellar cloud of some sort” Den explained while taking a seat on the navigator’s chair. “This ship is old, so the equipment might be a bit touchy, and thus breaks easily” Den continued. “I’ll try to reconfigure the navigational computer somehow, Kyle, while you do that little spacewalk of yours” Den smirked. “I’ll help you out with the reconfiguration” Mad said. “Sure. And while you’re at it, try to find out where the hell are we, exactly” Kyle replied as he stood up from the helm and walked to the back of the bridge and slid down a pair of ladders that took him to the little airlock. Kyle walked to a small locker, and took out a smudgy orange space suit along with a pair of gravity boots. He put them on, and flicked a switch near the airlock; a red flashing light started blinking on the ceiling of the little compartment along with a siren. “Warning, outer door opening, leave room now for maximum safety distance!” a strange computerized voice warned anyone without proper gear inside the compartment. “Funny, these warning protocols still work, and are actually installed, for that matter” Kyle said to himself from inside the bulky spacesuit. As Kyle exited the airlock, he also attached a long titanium safety wire into the equipment belt of his spacesuit. This precaution was made if the gravity boots decided to malfunction somehow, and thus the wire would stop the wearer of the suit from drifting off into the nothingness of space.

Kyle took a small repair kit with all the necessary tools with him. As he slowly walked the hull of the small freighter, all he could see was extremely thick red stellar matter all around him. No stars or sunlight were visible.

Kyle walked around the ship all the way to the engines, and saw a medium-sized hole right next the left engine; it was slowly dripping a bluish liquid, which formed into bubbles in the vacuum, and floated off into the distance. “Guys, I’ve located the leak, and I’ll start repairing it right now” Kyle explained to a small head set that he was wearing. “Copy that. Be careful out there.” Mad’s voiced boomed back.

After a few hours of work, the leak had been repaired with a few strategically welded plates of additional armour. Kyle returned back to the airlock, and gently floated inside after releasing the gravity lock on his boots. He shut the door from the same little control pad on the wall, and took off his spacesuit. As Kyle hurried back to the bridge, and saw Mad on the helm of the vessel. “Kyle, take a seat, we’re going to put the reactor back on again.” Den explained. After a few seconds the main console on the helm informed the three that the reactor was running, and Mad ignited the engines. The ship’s engines ignited a bit slowly, and took almost twelve seconds to achieve full glow, but at the end all of the consoles showed a green light. “Alright, I’ve plotted a new course for the same system. It should take us twelve hours to reach” Mad stated as he was preparing the jump engines for another duty. “Good. I’m going to go to the little couch on the crew compartment and have a nap” Den patted the two on the backs as he rose off from the chair. Mad and Kyle were left alone on the bridge.

The Hawk of the Galaxy jumped back into the depths of hyperspace again as it left the red stellar cloud behind. “Smooth sailing through the winds of hyperspace”, Kyle blurted out after a little pause. Mad chuckled for awhile, and then looked at Kyle: “Yeah, I remember that captain saying it every time we managed to enter hyperspace back in the academy”. “He would look over the entire crew on the bridge, and like a poet, he would let out those words out” Mad said with a smirk as Kyle nodded. “I’m sure she would’ve made an excellent poet, rather than captain instructing us cadets” Kyle continued. “You know, I’m a little worried about those Bacterians being here.” Mad said quietly. “We actually saw them in combat only twice after that HemmoCruiser incident, and then the politicians were busy on negotiating a peace between us and them. The Bacterians are sneaky alright.” Kyle replied grudgingly. “I know Den doesn’t see this as a big deal, but I’d say that there’s definitely something going on” Mad pondered calmly. “Even if we inform our own government about this, there’s still no way we can touch this. The Beta Quadrant Free Zone is under no jurisdiction whatsoever from any of the major or minor star powers. And besides, we’d be violating the independence of these systems if we’d come over here with guns blazing” Kyle replied quickly. “Potentially innocent people are still dead, and we know who killed them” Mad said quietly. Kyle looked at Mad for awhile, and shook his head.

As suddenly as the relative calmness before this little conversation had started, it also ended. A large explosion shook the ship again, and the engines of the vessel shut down. Kyle and Mad looked at each other again. “What is it this time?” Mad yelled while the ship’s engines suddenly glared up again. Den Kylek quickly rose up the ladder and ran to the helm: “What’s going on!?” he also demanded to know. Just as Kyle was about to open his mouth, the ship suddenly pulled out of hyperspace. This turn of events wasn’t, yet again, a positive thing, since the ship found itself inside the atmosphere of a planet. “Holy crap! The navigational computer broke again!” Den yelled in panic as he strapped himself into the navigator’s seat next to Mad. Kyle attempted to maneuver the ship with the best of his abilities, but it seemed evident, that one of the engines had blown up. All of the ship’s consoles were showing strange numbers and letters, and one had blacked out completely. The Hawk of the Galaxy was on a crash course and going down on a completely alien world.

“Prepare for a crash! I think this ship is going down real fast!” Kyle shouted as Mad and Den tried to push and slam the various buttons on their consoles for no apparent effect. The ship slid through the various layers of the atmosphere as fast as greased lightning, and the three unfortunate travellers inside could see the surface of this swampy world reveal itself with all of its’ wet glory.

As The Hawk of the Galaxy was only a few hundred meters away from the ground, Kyle managed to get the brakes operational again. These “brakes” (for the lack of a better term) were to be used in situations like these, where one had to land on a planet but had no means of controlling the ship. Kyle pulled the lever that released the brake, and the ship slid to the ground with great speed, while cutting trees and brush emerging on its’ landing route. Kyle, Mad and Den held to whatever solid surfaces they could find as the ship slid into a small lake after the tree line had vanished. The Hawk of the Galaxy came to a sudden halt as it collided with a small sandy beachhead with it’s’ engines gleaming red hot. For awhile after the landing, the entire crash site was completely quiet. Moments later the muffled sounds of some distant, indigenous birds could be heard. Kyle, Mad and Den all arose from their chairs after unbuckling their safety harnesses, and quietly looked at the interior of the ship. The airlock a few decks down was now under water, so it was of no use as an exit. “Open the top hatch” Den instructed Kyle, who immediately climbed to the ladder, and opened the small hatch at the upper end of the ladder. Fresh, breathable oxygen immediately flowed in as the three climbed out of the ship.

Chapter 8: Planet-fall

Kyle, Mad and Den observed their surroundings on top of their crashed freighter, The Hawk of the Galaxy. The world they had crashed into was a small swamp world with large jungle-like forests and several indigenous animal species. Den observed the horizon with a pair of binoculars, as Kyle brought a pair of backpacks from the hatch.

“I packed all the needed gear into these two packs” he explained as he gave one to Mad and slung the other around his own shoulder. “Great. The ship’s not in a too bad of a condition. The hull’s intact, and nothing’s broke externally besides the left engine” Den reported as he turned to face the two Gigerdians. “We were pulled out of hyperspace” Mad reported back. “Yeah, I figured. We should’ve just taken a little more time in that stellar cloud, and checked the engines, too” Den replied. “And that damn navigational computer blew up again” Kyle added cynically.

“Let’s go over to the beach and prepare us a shelter deep inside the forest” Den suggested. “Sure, we’ll have to camp out in this darkness until morning anyway” Kyle replied in the coming darkness. “I sure hope that we’re still in the Beta Quadrant” Kyle said as he walked first into the beach and then proceeded towards the forest. “We were in hyperspace for something like ten minutes, so I’d bet that we’re still very much in No Man’s Land” Mad replied as he walked behind Kyle. The trio walked deep into the forest, each of their footprints leaving marks on the now muddy ground. The terrain was becoming even muddier and clearly the three were now stepping over vast swamps. The alarming screeches of the various dactyl-like birds echoed over them, as they slowly hiked the terrain of this alien world. “Have you considered on sending a distress signal?” Mad asked after a long silence. “The way I see it, is that we’ve got the odds of about eighty to one for the signal ever making it to someone friendly. If that signal was to be sent, the Marauders would then mostly likely come for our ship, or the raiders in turn would come for our lives” Den replied with clear fatigue in his voice. “I say we’ll try to lift the ship away from that little pond in the morning.” he continued. “And I don’t know about you Gigerdians with your fancy superhuman bodies, but I am going to need some sleep” he added. The trio then stopped to a small dry spot in protected by a large tree.

Complete silence fell over the tired and muddy travellers. As night fell, a bluish fog surrounded the vast forests and swamps of the planet; all of the vast forests deep in the horizon had now disappeared into a misty blue fog. Kyle lit a small campfire, while Mad carried a pair of small logs around the campfire. The two sat in silence, and looked at the sky. “This trip hasn’t gone too well, now has it?” Mad said to Kyle, who instantly stopped his gazing of the skies. “True. In the past five days, we’ve already managed to piss off a group of raiders and some Bacterians, who are probably turning the No Man’s Land upside in order to find us” Kyle replied. “You still got faith in the mission?” Mad asked quietly. “Yes, I don’t want to abandon a dream this easily.” Kyle said with a little smile. “We’re going to get out of here, you know.” Kyle continued as he looked at Mad. “When does our adventure start, when we’re knee-deep in trouble already?” Mad asked a bit grudgingly. “We’ve just had bad luck so far, my good friend” Kyle attempted to reason the slightly hopeless situation. “More than anything else, I’m blaming myself for not looking over those engines before we entered hyperspace again” Mad confessed suddenly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get this ship fixed and be on our way again soon” Kyle attempted to cheer Mad up. “Just keep telling me that” Mad replied quietly.

The bluish mist engulfed the two Gigerdians almost completely now. The only visible light was the flames of the campfire. The two sat quietly around the flame, and turned their heads down in the humid night of this alien world. Both of these Gigerdians were physically in this rather hopeless-looking world, but in their quiet slumber, they were clearly back home, dreaming of their families and friends. This provided a little refuge for the two.

After a few hours, Mad awoke from his slumber. He looked around, and saw that the smoke had cleared considerably again. He could see something gleaming a few hundred meters ahead of him. Mad stood up from the tree log he had been sitting on, and walked a few paces further. “What is that gleaming thing over there?” Mad pondered quietly. Den Kylek, who had been sleeping a hundred meters away from the two, now sat up and pulled the hood of his trench-coat away from his eyes. “What do you see?” the bearded human asked Mad as he walked next to him. “Do you see that gleaming thing over at that small swamp over there?” Mad asked enthusiastically, to which Den nodded. “Looks like there’s something definitely there” Den replied. The thick fog had apparently been so thick, that spotting it had been almost impossible a few hours before. Mad woke up Kyle, and the three slowly walked to the gleaming object.

As the three reached the small swamp, an amazed gaze was undoubtedly their first reaction: the swamp had swallowed a star fighter of some sort, which only its’ tail visible anymore. The little ship had been buried deep under water, and by the looks of it, for some time. Large and small pieces of the hull had scattered around the swamp. “Well, I’ll be goddamned” Den shouted out loud as he walked around the little swamp, and looked at the sunken ship. “Looks like we’re not alone” Kyle replied.

“Who do you think this belongs to?” Den said with an amazed look on his face. Mad lifted up a small piece of the hull, which had been sitting on the ground. “The hull along with some of these pieces has symbols on them” Mad replied. “Let me run a quick scan of the symbols with my tricorder” Mad stated, as he took the little gimmick out of his equipment belt. The Tricorder whirred for a second, and then produced a preliminary scan of the object onto the miniature screen. “Looks like these symbols seem to point to the Orcish” Mad said surprisingly. “Or the Hemmoians, for that matter” he added. Den and Kyle looked at each other: “What would a fighter of theirs be doing here?” Kyle pondered out loud. “It’s been here for awhile” Den observed. “The cockpit is intact, and someone has cut him-, or herself out of it with some sort of an blowtorch. It’s now filled with water, though, and I don’t see any blood or bodies” Den explained as he took out a small flashlight from his coat pocket, and pointed the beam underwater, where the cockpit of the vessel could be seen fairly well. “The pilot might still be alive, then” Mad replied.

As the three were engaged in searching the crash site, the sound of a snapped twig suddenly originated from behind them. Den jumped up from the ground, and instantly pointed his sidearm into the general direction of the sound. “What was that?” he grunted. Kyle and Mad looked around too.

A tall dark figure emerged from a large bush in front of them. The bulgy yellowish and orange head made no mistake about the identity: it was a Hemmoian. This particular Hemmoian seemed somewhat grungy and disorientated. He was clearly wearing a slightly damaged spacesuit for pilots, and on it’s’ head the Hemmoian had a strange helmet-like hat. The Hemmoian lifted its’ arm, and said something completely incomprehensible to the three. Den turned his weapon down, and Kyle immediately took out a small, square-shaped interstellar translator. He placed it on the breast of his jacket, and smiled to the creature. “We come in peace, please do not be alarmed” Kyle said quietly. The Hemmoian looked at the three for awhile, and then pulled out something of his own from a floppy looking pocket on his jumpsuit. The Hemmoian now spoke out clearly: “What are you doing here? How did you get here?” the creature demanded.

“Our ship crashed, and we found your fighter” Kyle replied in Hemmoian as Mad and Den also took a pair of these translators. “What year is it? What day?” the somewhat disgruntled Hemmoian asked. “Are you the rescue party?” he added with a confused tone. “Unfortunately we’re not.” Mad replied. “I have never seen races like yours before” the Hemmoian asked as he carefully stepped closer to the three. “Yes, this must be a first contact situation for you. Whereas, for us its’ not” Kyle replied. “What do you mean?” the Hemmoian asked carefully. “Well, we’ve met your kind before” Mad explained as the Hemmoian stood in front of them. “How long have you been here?” Den cut into the conversation. The Hemmoian looked around for awhile, its’ bulgy head clearly swaying with disbelief. “I don’t really know anymore. You see, time has become somewhat of a nuisance to keep track of in an environment like this. So, I just gave up time” the Hemmoian said with a slightly happier tone. An uncomfortable silence followed, as the three understood that this Hemmoian might’ve been on the planet for a long time.

“So, anyway, have you heard anything about the war?” the Hemmoian asked suddenly. “Excuse us, but which war might you be referring to?” Mad replied. The Hemmoian sighed: “Oh, how silly of me to think that you could’ve heard about it. I just wondered if we managed to win or lose that’s all”. The three looked at each other. “This war that you speak of, can you tell us anything more about it?” Kyle asked. “Sure, but I think that it is better we go to my little apartment over there” the Hemmoian replied a bit happily than before. “You see, the creatures come at night, and I hate all those howling and growling big and small animals” he explained as the three started to walk back to the direction that the Hemmoian had come from. “Oh, by the way, my name is Lineet Kosmonok; I guess it would be fair to say that I once was a fighter pilot” he said as the four disappeared into the jungle. “Nice to meet you” Kyle replied.

Chapter 9: Worlds Collide

Lineet led the three into a small cave near the crash site of his fighter. The cave had been decorated with all sorts of objects that had clearly been salvaged from the fighter. On one of the walls inside the cave, the Hemmoian had a pair of animal heads hanging as a decoration. There was also a small makeshift table and some sort of an altar.

“Could you tell us how you got here?” Kyle asked Lineet. “Certainly I can. This is the first time I’ve ever had the chance to tell it to someone else instead of replaying it inside my head”. Lineet and the three sat down on the surprisingly clean floor of the cave.

“On my world of Aldaain, I used to love flying. I bought a starship as soon as I could, and flew around like there was no tomorrow. My fellow Hemmoians didn’t understand me, but I kept my calm. One day, the Orcish and the Hemmoians established a contact with the Bacterians. They attacked us with no apparent reason sometime after, and when a war broke out, I joined our armed forces; the fight against the Bacterians was quickly turning quite futile, though. So, one day, I took a lot of supplies with me and just flew off into the nothingness of space. I couldn’t bear the meaningless bloodshed and the killing. Anyway, I got pretty far, but eventually my supplies ran out, and I drifted in space for some time. At one point I remember waking up from a slumber inside the cockpit and seeing the atmosphere of this muddy world open up before my eyes. My fighter was in a bad shape, and thus crashed. I never knew where I was, though.” Lineet explained to the three, who were all listening to his story quietly.

“After the crash, I had my doubts concerning my decision. I even sent a distress signal, but after there was no answer, I just gave up the idea of ever wanting to leave this place again. So, I adapted; I hunted, built this little hut inside the cave, worshipped the Great SID in peace, and did what I could to pass the time”. Lineet explained as Kyle, Mad and Den just listened. “I felt lonely for some time. I couldn’t interact with my fellow Hemmoians, and agreeably I left my home world to face a great peril. Yet, I felt strangely peaceful after leaving all of that behind me.” Lineet confessed.

“Well, we established first contact with your species and the Orcish a few of our own years ago” Kyle replied. “Your species managed to escape total extinction even if your home world was destroyed.” Mad added. Den Kylek didn’t really want to intervene into this interspecies affair, and decided to let Kyle and Mad with their (obvious) training on the matter lead the way. “As proof of your species’ savior, you can see that our translators have this Hemmoian language along with a few Orcish dialects installed into it” Mad explained to Lineet, who listened with dismay. “The Bacterians have also managed to expand their territories, but a peace treaty is currently in place” Kyle added carefully. “I see.” Lineet replied after some pondering.

“I’m sorry to cut your geopolitics one-on-one lesson, but our freighter’s sitting in that little pond over there, and I have a feeling that we should get going again” Den Kylek finally cut into slow dialogue between the Hemmoian and the Gigerdians. “Yes, as I said before, we also crash landed here. However, our ship is still pretty operable. We’d just need to pull it out of water and get the engines running again” Kyle explained to the Hemmoian. “Perhaps, if you’d like, we could take you with us” Kyle proposed after the Hemmoian had stood up and walked a few paces away from the three. “All of this came so suddenly. I’ll need some time to think your propositions over” Lineet answered. “Alright then, we’ll just go and have a look at our ship then” Den said and turned to the entrance of the cave. The Gigerdians followed him.

The trio walked away from the Hemmoian’s cave, and crossed a small swamp along with a little forest. As the familiar hull of the Hawk of the Galaxy appeared before their eyes, Den immediately turned to Mad and Kyle: “Listen, I believe that the maneuvering thrusters on all sides of the ship still work. If we’ll heat them up, it might be enough to pull the vessel out” he explained. “Although, that is just the easiest part; one of the engines is busted and someone should take a look at the navigational computer and check the jump engines as well” he added a bit grimly. “Let’s get right on it, then” Kyle and Mad agreed.

Mad and Kyle went back to the cockpit of the ship, and Den Kylek gave them directions through a headset on the outside. The ship was easily pulled away from the swamp, but problems ensued as the damage to the engines was more closely observed. “Damaged engines are always a bitch to repair.” Den stated as he saw the damaged left engine pipe. “With luck, though, I might get this thing to fly for awhile, at least” he added. “We’ll try to fix the navigational computer” Mad replied. The two Gigerdians retreated back to the cockpit of the ship through the upper hatch of the vessel. Mad sat on the helm console, and attempted to reconfigure it. Kyle checked the condition of a nearby console, which had broken during the landing. “So, what do you think of this Hemmoian?” Mad asked Kyle, as their work commenced. “I believe him. Although, I think that the best we can do for him is to offer a ride out of here” Kyle replied as he took out some tools from a nearby little box. “And after we fly out here, we’d need to find a good place to get this ship into shape as well” Kyle said.

The two worked inside the ship’s interior for several hours, as Den worked on the engines outside. A few rays of sunlight managed to pull through the dense cloud cover as morning turned into midday. “Alright, I think that the navigational computer should be working fine enough now” Mad said as he finished running a diagnostics program on it. “And this auxiliary console is also repaired” Kyle replied as he stood up from behind the console. The two Gigerdians left the bridge again, and went to see how Den had fared with his repairs. “Repairing these engines takes slightly better equipment that what I’ve got here. However, I’ve wrapped them up to a state, which will get us flying” Den said as he cleaned his hands with a rag in front of the engines.

The Gigerdians and Den Kylek returned back to the Hemmoian’s cave as evening came. Strangely, however, the Hemmoian was nowhere to be seen. The cave was empty. “Where’d he go?” Kyle said suspiciously. “He said that he hunts, right? Maybe he's outside” Den suggested as he sat beside the Hemmoian’s table. “Well, I’m sure he won’t mind if we take a little nap in his hut, gentlemen” Den said. “I was hoping that we could’ve asked him to come with us” Kyle replied. “Well, I guess he’ll reappear” Mad said as he too sat down on the ground. Kyle sat down and after a few moments he also fell asleep. Gigerdians needed considerably less sleep than humans, but it didn’t mean that they didn’t sleep at all. This, however, was one of the rare occasions when Kyle felt fatigued. The crew of the unfortunate freighter rested peacefully inside the cave.

Kyle woke up as a dark, tall figure entered the cave quietly. The Hemmoian pilot had come back, but this time it had something in its hand. “Put your hands up, and stay put!” the Hemmoian ordered quickly. Mad and Den also woke up now, and looked at the Hemmoian. “What’s going on?” Mad asked groggily. “Shut up, and don’t make any fast moves” the Hemmoian continued sternly. “Why are you pointing a weapon at us?” Mad asked as the three rose to their feet with the Hemmoian in front of them. Lineet motioned the three to back away with his sidearm. “I know that you three aren’t real. There are only two possibilities now; either you’re Bacterian associates or simple figments of my imagination!” the Hemmoian shouted.

“I assure you, that we’re quite real” Den replied. “This wouldn’t be the first time, when something like this has happened. So you imaginary beings just stay put!” the Hemmoian snapped suddenly and aimed at Den with his sidearm. “Take it easy, please” Den replied. “Oh, my little mind has played tricks on me again! You pathetic little thing! I’m going insane!” the Hemmoian cursed manically. Kyle and Mad looked at each other, while Den eyed Lineet’s sidearm with a worried look on his face. “This time, you’ve decided to torture me with false daydreams about a potential rescue, huh? You think this is funny, you meaningless blob of unimaginative Goo!?” obviously the deranged Hemmoian was referring to his brains, which he thought had somehow caused him to hallucinate Kyle, Mad and Den as living beings in the first place.

“For so long I have dreamed of a way out of this world.. And now you mock me with these lies about some ridiculous green and pink beings coming to rescue me while telling that the war’s over ?! Think again!!? Think again, I tell you!” The Hemmoian shouted to himself inside the cave. “Please, listen to us; we have a ship here and we crash-landed just like you did!” Kyle shouted back as the Hemmoian held his head. “Oh, I bet you’d say anything, you stupid green imaginative harbinger of nightmares!” the Hemmoian cursed, and he slowly slumped to his knees. “Please, let us help you” Mad said quietly, and took a step forward. “Stay back or I’ll shoot myself!” Lineet threatened suddenly.

“If you create these hallucinations once more, I swear I’ll shoot you even if it means the end of us both!” Lineet aimed at his head. “Please, we can prove that we’re real!” Kyle jumped to Mad’s side. “We really do have a ship, you know” he added. “Put that weapon away, and we’ll lead you to it” Mad offered. Lineet looked at the two Gigerdians. “What guarantees do I have concerning your claims of being real?” he asked. Kyle approached Lineet, and softly touched his head with his fingers. “You felt that, now didn’t you?” Kyle asked cautiously. The Hemmoian sighed: “With all due respect; do you think that this is the first time that one of my hallucinations have attempted to convince me of being real? For all I know, my mind could be making your touch real. So, it’s about time you’ll show me this ship of yours” the Hemmoian replied as he raised his sidearm again. The group of four then proceeded to walk out the cave with the Gigerdians and Den walking in front Lineet, who was pointing them with his sidearm. “Oh great, now the Hemmoian got all crazy on us” Den whispered to Kyle, who motioned him to be quiet as the group approached the ship.

“See; we weren’t lying!” Mad shouted to Lineet, who stopped as he saw the Hawk of the Galaxy rest quietly on the beach. Lineet approached the ship, and looked at it for awhile. He went closer, and touched the hull of the vessel quietly. He whispered something to himself. “Can this thing get me out of here?” he asked suddenly. “We can take you with us, yes” Den said with a diplomatic tone in his voice for the first time. The Hemmoian looked at the ship with a confused gaze, and then in turn he looked at the three now in front of him. “You don’t really want to hurt us, now do you?” Kyle asked. “If this ship is indeed here, then I’m afraid that I cannot leave this place, no matter what” the Hemmoian explained. “None of the other characters from my hallucinations have actually showed me their ships. Instead they’ve just mocked me” he continued. The Hemmoian lowered his sidearm, and looked at the three: “perhaps you three are real. But, if this situation has finally come, when someone finally gives me the chance to escape, I am at a loss here.” Lineet said as he looked at the hull of the vessel.

“You see, I cannot leave this place; mainly because I do not want anyone to know that I survived, and secondly because this situation is still too surreal for me to believe it” Lineet said as he lowered the sidearm. “Perhaps this is a trick by my mind to get me to some dangerous, potentially even deadly situation. I do not wish to follow you, but while my goodwill lasts, I’m willing to let you go.” he added. “Thank you” Kyle replied quickly. “This planet wants me to stay” Lineet whispered quietly. “Go, now!” Lineet shouted.

Kyle, Mad and Den hurried inside the vessel, and they immediately started the engines of their freighter. Lineet looked at the ship from the outside, and put his hands over his head and beckoned to the ground. The Hawk of the Galaxy arose from the ground with a thunderous boom, but Lineet just lay on the ground as the gusts of wind originating from the ship’s engines blew sand and shrews against his body. Lineet screamed furiously.

The two green humanoids and a pinkish white one disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived. Lineet looked at the sky for awhile, and then sat on the ground. “If that wasn’t real, then I believe I’ve finally gone utterly and hopelessly insane” he quietly said to himself.

Chapter 10: Collision Course

The Hawk of the Galaxy flew through the vastness of space again, but the ship was still clearly limping. Mad had taken the helm as Kyle and Den quietly sat on their seats.

“There’s really no telling how many people Lineet has turned away or potentially even killed because of his state” Den finally said. “I know. But it would’ve been too dangerous to try to convince him that we really were real.” Mad replied as he punched in some new coordinates on the navigational computer. “So, are we going to inform the authorities of his location?” Den asked. “I believe that he would even consider members of his own race as hallucinations.” Kyle replied.

“We’ll honor his request, and never mention this system to anyone” Kyle concluded. Mad and Den nodded quietly. “And besides, I think that he living alone in that world makes him feel a lot better while dreaming of a potential escape, than when actually experiencing one” Kyle continued. “Let’s just hope he survives with all those demons inside his head” Mad said as The Hawk of The Galaxy entered hyperspace, and simultaneously left Lineet’s home system behind.

Demole Station

The surreal lifestyle of Demole Station continued in its’ entirety. Ships were coming and going, money and services changed hands. Fights and assassinations took place.

A small fighter approached the station at full speed. This fighter caught the attention of anyone passing by it, or seeing it at all. The fighter was a Gigerdian military fighter, which surely wasn’t on sale anywhere in the markets. The fighter’s other T-shaped wing had been replaced with a mean- looking rotating gun, and some minor adjustments had been made on the hull of the vessel as well. The fighter was clearly of an older model, yet with all of the modifications; it could easily match the newer designs as well.

The fighter quietly flew closer to the station, and then landed on one of the little hangars designated for visitors. The hangar had a few people inside, but as they saw something this rare land on the deck, they instantly walked closer to inspect it. From inside the vessel emerged a tall Gigerdian; he was wearing a strangely colored body armor, which had two ammunition bandoleers strapped over it. He was clearly carrying other weapons as well, but they were concealed inside his jacket. What made the Gigerdian even stranger looking, were his physical features; the other side of his face had been replaced with a metallic mask of some sort, and in place of his left eye now stood a red sensor of some sort. Finally a bandanna had been draped over his third eye on his forehead. Clearly this Bandanna was meant to also conceal a wound of some sort; perhaps his third eye had been removed due to an accident of some sort.

The quiet Gigerdian walked away from the hangar, and after descending some staircases, he found himself on a wide street inside the bowels of the station. On the other end of the street lay a large billboard, this had all sorts of notes of interests hanging on it. A person wearing yellow and blue striped body armor was placing several advertisements of some kind on the billboard. The Gigerdian walked closer while a large amount of people had also gathered to see what were these advertisements all about. Yet, as the Gigerdian reached the billboard, he saw that the advertisements weren’t really advertisements at all – rather they were wanted-posters. He read them:

WANTED:

A pair of black-haired, medium-built Gigerdians traveling in a freighter carrying the name “Hawk of the Galaxy”. As far as we can tell, they were both male.

The amount of 250,000 universal credits will be paid for anyone apprehending them dead or alive. If they are apprehended intact and brought to the clan(s) alive, the clan(s) promise(s) a free coupon at the Vemrer beauty parlor for the individual.

Another 250,000 will be paid for the apprehension of the human named Den Kylek possibly traveling with them. He is wanted dead, and if the body has been mauled to an unrecognizable state, then the clan is pleased to offer the individual a free meal at an establishment of his choice on Demole Station in addition.

Happy Hunting!

Signed,

The leader of the Yellow-Blue Clan
The leader of the Red-Purple Clan
The owner of the establishment “Drunk Comet”
Demole Station Traffic Authority

Obviously many of the people that had gathered to look at the poster were just about ready to start hunting these individuals. Some of them were converging quietly about the quite handsome bounty. The Gigerdian kept on looking at the poster as the crowd dispersed.

On one of the corners opposite the billboard, a pair of Bacterians dressed in civilian attire observed the happenings. These two had noticed the Gigerdian looking at the poster. One of the Bacterians pulled out a small subspace communicator from his pocket, and spoke to it softly: “Command, do you acknowledge?”

“Yes, this is the Bukhara responding. How is your search proceeding?” a metallic voice asked. “I believe that we are very close on finding these Gigerdians. Inform Fleet Lord Bacillus, that we are going follow a member of their own race, who might lead us to their whereabouts” the Bacterian spoke quietly to the communicator. “Plan confirmed. The Fleet Lord will be happy to hear of this” the same metallic voice responded. The Bacterian shut the communicator. “Follow that Gigerdian, and find a way to attach this transmitter to his ship” the Bacterian instructed the other one, who quietly nodded, and left the scene.

The Gigerdian that had been looking at the poster also left the billboard, and headed back to the hangar.

Chapter 11: Loose Ends

Kyle Gigerdi’s log

Stardate 4163.4

“We’ve been traveling the Beta Quadrant Free Zone for two weeks now. After our unfortunate crash at that unknown world, we spent a week on a space yard getting the ship repaired and modified with additional shields and weaponry. We also bought some supplies. After that, we finally scored our first big cargo hauling gig, and managed to pay off our ship’s upkeep for the space yard.

I thought I knew space. I thought I had seen everything, but coming to the No Man’s Land certainly opened my eyes again. I find this place as alien as it is hostile. The only rules that exist here are the rules you make for yourself.”

Kyle ended his log with the touch of a button on the entertainment console located in the small crew compartment of their ship, the Hawk of the Galaxy. Den sat at the small couch near Kyle, and looked at a newspaper of some sort. “You know, there’s a bunch of cargo-hauling jobs available in the Hogland system” Den stated. “Where’s Hogland?” Kyle asked quietly. “It’s one of those rim systems, which nobody wants to go to. Apparently this job would include the delivering of manure to some outpost” Den replied. “Fortunately, we don’t have facilities to transport anything like that” Kyle said with a relieved tone of voice. “True, we’d need to find higher paying jobs anyway” Den agreed.

Den and Kyle arose from their positions and proceeded to walk back to the bridge. Mad was there studying the navigational computer’s stellar maps. “So, how’s the helm?” Den asked as Mad read the maps. “I’ve been looking at the stellar maps. There’s a bunch of systems that are rumoured to be rich in several minerals” he explained. “Quite possibly we could travel to these systems, and ask the mining establishments there if they’d need any minerals transported from one place to another” he continued. “Yeah, asking them straight on might actually bring us a job. Good thinking.” Den replied. “Alright, we’d better set course for the Jovo system, then” Mad said to himself as he changed seats to the helm. “Jovo has a large mineral ore refinery. I’d think we’ll find a job from there” Den stated as the ship changed course in hyperspace.

Meanwhile in the Hicatorio system...

“Yes, a freighter like that came by here a few weeks ago” a mechanic at the hangar said to the tall GigerdЭian. He had landed to the fuel depot located in the asteroid field there. The Hawk of the Galaxy had visited the establishment a few weeks ago.

“According to the records inside that refueling robot, the ship in question was refueled and that operation cost 20 universal credits” the mechanic explained further. “I think that they didn’t tell any of us where they were going” he continued. The Gigerdian nodded.

“If they’re looking for work in the cargo hauling business, then you’d be likely to find them looking for it in the neighboring systems. Luckily there are only a few places here that offer such jobs” the mechanic said. The Gigerdian extended his hand to reveal a small sum of universal credits. He gave the shiny coins to the mechanic, who also bowed in respect. The Gigerdian left the refueling depot as quickly as he had arrived. What the Gigerdian failed to observe, however, was a shuttle lurking outside the depot. As the Gigerdian fighter flew out of the hangar, the shuttle quietly turned on its’ lights and engines, and proceeded to tail the Gigerdian craft.

Hyperspace near the Jovo system

“The Jovo system is very close to Marauder territory” Den said to Kyle and Mad on the bridge of the ship. “You’ve mentioned them before” Mad replied. “Yes, who are they?” Kyle asked.

“I’ve had a few run-ins with them in the past. Basically they’re a bunch of technocrats interested of salvaging ships. They’re pretty well armed and organized, and their way of doing things resemble the ways of an organized society in this place” Den explained. “They’ve been known to shoot trespassers” he added. “So, what are the chances of us running into them?” Mad asked in return. “They pretty much keep to themselves in the few systems that they occupy. I wouldn’t worry about them” Den said.

The Hawk of the Galaxy dived out of hyperspace, and entered the Jovo system. The system itself had many inhabitable worlds, but still the main use for the system was plainly to serve as a staging area for mineral transports. The corporations transporting ores and minerals to the other quadrants also had many recruiters situated at the mineral outpost of Jovo. The outpost itself was like a large beehive with dozens of hangars and docking ports meant for transports bringing in and transporting out various valuables. The Hawk of the Galaxy quietly moved closer to it.

The Jovo System

Near Mineral Station

“Looks like we’re finally getting somewhere” Kyle said to Den and Mad. The ship quietly advanced ever closer to the station located on the horizon. “Welcome to Mineral Station, please state your business?” a stern voice requested from the ship’s speakers. “Mineral Station, we’re requesting permission to land. We’re in search for a cargo haul” Mad replied. “Copy that, hangar five is ready for guests” the same voice replied.

Just as the ship was about to slow down near the station, something unexpected happened: a small fighter pulled out of hyperspace in front of the small freighter. The stunt that the fighter had pulled indeed was quite spectacular, but what amazed the crew of the Hawk of the Galaxy the most, was the ship’s age. “Wow, did someone just do the time warp again?” Kyle said with an amazed look on his face as the fighter appeared on the view screen. “I remember those things. We used to have them at the academy” Mad said with a smirk. “Look, the other wing on that thing has been replaced with mean-looking cannon” Kyle added. “Something’s not right here” Den said quietly.

The heavily modified Gigerdian fighter ignited its’ engines, and flew to block the way for the Hawk of the Galaxy. “Hey, there’s a line here, you know?” Den shouted into the speaker. The mysterious Gigerdian fighter stood in front of the ship quietly. It was obvious that the pilot was simply observing the freighter, and ignored them for a reason.

“This is purple seven reporting”, a sudden and metallic voice replied from the fighter. Kyle looked at the vessel with a horrified gaze.

Chapter 12: Unwelcome Meeting

“This is purple seven reporting” the strange voice from the fighter repeated calmly. Kyle looked at the view screen with a terrified look. “How can you be still alive?” he asked.

“So, you know each other?” Den asked with a confused tone. “Mikel Gigerdi” Kyle said to himself. “I can’t believe this to be true” Kyle repeated several times. “He’s supposed to be dead” he added finally.

“Oh, but I am alive, but no thanks to you” the voice from the fighter replied. “I had almost forgotten you, but seems to me like the gods of luck have favored me today by dropping you right in my lap” it continued. “We didn’t know that you survived! We thought you had been burned to a crisp after that ship exploded” Kyle replied frustratingly. “I am amazed that you didn’t send anyone to check that floating wreckage after the ship blew up on me” the voice continued. “What is this guy on about?” Den asked. The image of the Gigerdian fighter pilot quickly came into one of the consoles. The vision before the three clearly upset them.

“Let me tell you, that you three are quite popular targets among the various figures of the underworld these days. They’ve put quite a handsome bounty on your heads at Dremole Station.” the Gigerdian explained. “So, you’ve come to collect then, huh?” Den said mockingly. The Gigerdian smiled: “for your sakes, I haven’t”.

“So, what do you want?” Mad asked. “Yeah, and who is this man?” Den asked Kyle in return. “He used to be a fellow crewmember during the final months of the H’vos War. I was just a kid back then.” Kyle replied.

“Yes, but he took command of the ship after an attack had killed the superior officers. Then he sent me along with a wing of fighters to check out another vessel which had been with us, but the communications on the ship had been knocked out” the voice replied. “Yes, Mikel Gigerdi was his name” Kyle replied. “As me and my wing approached the ship, it suddenly exploded due to a reactor malfunction due to extensive damage there” the Gigerdian pilot continued. “The resulting explosion was so huge, that it wiped out most of my wingmen, and damaged my fighter badly” he added.

“We thought he was dead. Nothing could’ve survived that explosion” Kyle said to Mad and Den. “Looks like you’re wrong there. My fighter did take damage, and I was badly injured. But luckily I was picked up a few days later by a group of refugees fleeing the war” he said grudgingly. “I was badly injured, and I understood that an organization with such fellow Gigerdians serving under it as you wasn’t exactly my place anymore.”

“I went with them, and ended up here. I thought that serving as a mercenary would make ends meet. I never thought that I would’ve seen you here, but then again I remember you babbling on about going system-hopping over and over again back in those days” the Gigerdian pilot said. “I’m sorry for leaving you there” Kyle replied finally. “I can still remember lying in the cockpit half-conscious, and hearing cheers and cries of joy from the helmet intercom as the battle had been won” the pilot replied. “The last sight I remember was the glow of the engines from our ship, and how it just suddenly disappeared, leaving me behind” he said quietly.

As suddenly as the surreal reunion had started, it also came to an end; a group of four Bacterian cruisers pulled out of some sort of faster than light travel in front of the station. “Holy crap, it’s those Bacterians again” Den shouted wildly. The four Bacterian cruisers moved into an attack formation, and then fired a pair of torpedoes in the general direction of the two ships near the station. Both of the ships made evasive maneuvers.

“Freighter Hawk of the Galaxy, halt your engines and prepare to be boarded. You’re coming with us, dead or alive” a Bacterian voice ordered the vessel. “Any plans on getting out of here?” Den asked hesitantly as the massive Bacterian vessels moved ever closer. “Looks like our little reunion will have to wait” Mikel Gigerdi commented. “How’d they find us?” Kyle wondered out loud. “I don’t know, but we’re getting the hell out here” Den replied and took the helm. “Wait! We won’t be leaving Mikel Gigerdi behind” Kyle shouted. “For your information, my green friend, those Bacterians are two inches away from getting us, and your friend’s feelings shouldn’t be the thing to worry about now anyway” Den snapped. The ship turned around and armed weapons. “Man the weapons console!” Den instructed the two Gigerdians.

The Bacterian cruisers suddenly opened fire, but this time the deadly volleys of beams and torpedoes were aimed at the Mineral Station on the background. Unfortunately the combined firepower of four cruisers was enough to destroy the installation, and thus it exploded in a few moments in a spectacular fireball, taking all of the ships docked on it with it. The crew of the Hawk of the Galaxy was horrified, but Mikel had apparently seen this method of combat before. “Damn, looks like we’ve been double-crossed: those Bacterians want no witnesses, and I have a feeling that I’m going to be next one to be disposed of. I’m going down fighting.” he shouted to the speaker aboard his cockpit. He furiously turned his fighter to face the Bacterian cruisers, and armed his weapons. He then proceeded to open fire on the cruisers while advancing towards them. “If you know what’s good for you, you’d better follow my example!” he shouted to Kyle and Mad.

A furious, but ultimately short battle ensued between the lone fighter and the Bacterian cruisers which had now launched their fighters. Mikel’s fighter quickly escaped a pair of beams fired from a nearby Bacterian fighter, but the bigger cruisers were constantly nearing the smaller vessel. The rotating Gatling cannon on Mikel’s fighter fired furiously towards the Bacterian fighters which constantly swarmed ever closer. The Hawk of the Galaxy also returned fire, and managed to destroy a pair of Bacterian fighters with the expert gunnery of Kyle and Mad. The Bacterian fighters formed into a large beehive-like formation, and then swallowed Mikel’s fighter. A small explosion was seen at the center of the formation, but that was all.

“This is purple seven, I’m signing off” a scrambled message was heard from the communications console on Kyle and Mad’s ship. Both of them looked down despite what their relations had been towards this cynical mercenary a while ago. The Bacterian cruisers suddenly stopped their pursuit, and the large cloud of Bacterian fighters divided into smaller group of ships that immediately returned back to the bigger ships. It became apparent that the Bacterian vessels were now leaving, despite the fact that Kyle, Den and Mad were just beginning to get themselves ready. “Hey, where are you going?” Kyle shouted furiously as he pressed the triggers on the weapons console, unleashing bright red beams from one of the incinerator beam turrets located on the ship’s front. “Looks like they’re leaving!” Den reported quickly from the bridge of the vessel. “They had us! Where the hell are they going?” Mad jumped up from the second weapons console, and jogged closer to Den.

Out of nowhere a large shadow came on top of their ship. It was an immense shadow, which only meant that a considerably big capital ship was now hovering over them. “Oh hell, I should’ve guessed!” Den yelled in frustration. “It’s the Marauders! They left us here for them!” he added.

A large capital ship had appeared from faster than light travel, and was now on top of the small freighter. “This is the Warsteiner. Attention, destroyers of Mineral Station! Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded! You are under arrest!” a loud voice proclaimed from the ship’s speakers. “If you fire at us, we will have no other choice but to destroy you! No cheap tricks from your part!” the voice continued. “Let’s just do what they tell us” Kyle said to Den and Mad. They both nodded. “That Bacterian commander was pretty smart. She left us here just in time to pull out herself, and framed us for the destruction of that station” Mad stated. “I’m sure these people are willing to listen to reason!” Kyle replied. “Oh, I wouldn’t count on it, friend” Den replied. A large ruckus was heard from outside the ship’s hull as a bulky docking clamp took a hold of the small freighter, and then gently pulled it inside the large capital ship. After a few moments, the ship was placed on a solid surface of some sort. The crew of the ship assumed that it was a hangar deck.

“Come out with your hands in the air!” a loud voice demanded from the outside. “Don’t make us come over there, and pull you criminals out!” the voice continued. Den, Mad and Kyle quickly ran to the ship’s upper hatch, and opened it. They climbed out of the vessel, and they were met with extremely bright lights. Mad and Kyle attempted to shade their eyes from the brightness.

“Get on the floor, face down!” the loud and demanding voice continued again.