Carpathia IV: Episode 40 - Ksenva's Revenge
Space, NCCS Sentinel
Kit: Vashta ship, this is Sentinel. Surrender and prepare to be boarded...
Kit waited for a response before repeating the order while Artemis finished tending Teren.
Artemis: You should be fine now, if a bit dizzy.
Teren: Thank you.
Teren returned to his station while Artemis returned to Amenaru, still seated on the floor, leaning against the bulkhead. Artemis kneeled and took a med kit from a nearby storage compartment.
Artemis: It seems medical might be awhile. I'm sure they have their hands full.
Artemis opened the med kit, pulled out a jet injector and pressed it against Amenaru's neck.
Artemis: This should help with the pain.
Artemis released the painkiller into Amenaru and put the injector back in the box. Then, he began to undo Amenaru's belt.
Amenaru: I already feel better.
Artemis pulled out Amenaru's belt and began tying it into a loop.
Artemis: That's good. This will do as a sling for now. Temporary fix until medical arrives.
Artemis looped the makeshift sling around Amenaru's neck and slipped his arm through it. Meanwhile, Adell and Aire discussed strategy with Ryuu.
Aire: I don't like the idea of boarding the Vashta ship, but I can't think of anything better. If the Furious Spectre were here, we'd have better options. All we know of them right now is that they're with the other Vashta ship and they are not fighting. An encouraging sign, at least.
Ryuu: I would suggest a fourth option. The Furious Spectre will come to us eventually. We only have three torpedoes left. They have full armaments and a fresh crew. We should just wait.
Aire: That seems best. We can keep a target lock on the Vashta ship for now. When the Furious Spectre gets here, we can make a new plan. With their resources, we could board them with swift, overwhelming manpower if needed.
Ryuu: Also, we would have the Furious Spectre's dragon emissary here, Kohai. Two dragons are better.
Adell nodded.
Adell: Okay, you've convinced me. Shall we do that?
Ryuu and Aire nodded.
Aire: I think it's the safest way.
Adell: Right, then. Kit, discontinue transmission.
Kit stopped in mid-sentence and addressed Adell.
Kit: Yes, Commodore.
Adell: That will give us some time to get ourselves sorted too.
With the most pressing decision made, Adell could move on to checking on his crew, but he never had the chance. In an instant, Ksenva materialized in front of them, as though teleported, looking thoroughly disheveled and not at all pleased with her circumstances. Everyone on the bridge reacted with a start, instinctively grabbing their armrests and pressing back into their chairs. All except Teren, however, who immediately pulled a weapon from his console and fired at Ksenva. At the same time, Sorchae and Tamati stepped onto the bridge from the lift, not realizing what was happening at first, and immediately took cover near the lift entrance.
Teren's shot did not find its mark, however, as Ksenva disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the bridge. Teren quickly turned and fired at Ksenva's new location, but she disappeared again and reappeared in front of the helm. This continued for some time before Adell stood and held out his hand, realizing that his already-mangled bridge was taking even more damage and producing no desirable results.
Adell: Teren, stop!
Teren did so, reluctantly, still holding his weapon at ready while Adell turned to address Ksenva directly.
Ksenva: Why can't you just do as you're told?
Adell ignored her question and posed one of his own.
Adell: This is Lazmaedia's power, isn't it? She gave some of it to you.
Adell held out his hand and directed it at the floor while Ksenva, now looking very smug, proceeded to answer.
Ksenva: That's right, weakling. The Great and Mighty Empress...OW!
A rock smacked Ksenva in the back of her head. Adell spread his legs wide, and stomped the bridge deck like a sumo wrestler, sending several dozen more rocks careening out of the bridge's sub floor and toward Ksenva.
Ksenva: OW! This is... OW! What... OW! Cease... OW!
Somewhere during the rock flurry, Ksenva managed to compose herself just enough to teleport to the other side of the bridge. Adell immediately sent his cluster of rocks to follow. She had to teleport again and again to avoid the rocky onslaught, swirling around the bridge like a swarm of bees, and, for awhile, it was a stalemate. Finally, Ksenva teleported as far as she could from the rock cluster.
Ksenva: Enough!
Ksenva thrust the palm of her hand squarely at Adell and he flew backward, hit in the chest by some unseen force, hard enough to plow through the back of his chair and slam into the railing behind it. Arie rushed to his Commodore's side and beckoned Sorchae and Tamati to come. Adell was not moving, but he was breathing, which gave Aire some relief. Teren took this opportunity to fire, but Ksenva teleported away again, this time right next to Kit's station.
Ksenva felt this would be a good time to gloat.
Ksenva: Ha! You should... BWAH!
It was not a good time. Kit sprang from his chair and tackled Ksenva to the ground, savagely punching and kicking her. Teren tried to aim at Ksenva, but could not get a clear shot at her. With Ksenva momentarily occupied, Artemis and Sorchae rushed to Adell's side.
Sorchae: Tamati, go to Amenaru.
Amenaru: Kit!
Amenaru leaned forward, intending to go help Kit but recoiled immediately from a sharp pain in his arm. Tamati put a hand on Amenaru's shoulder and began to scan.
Tamati: Hold still.
Satisfied that Adell was in capable hands, Aire stood, ready to rush to Kit's aid. Before he could do that, however, Ksenva pulled a long, wavy dagger from her garter and plunged it into Kit's side.
Amenaru: No!
Ksenva pushed Kit off of her, giving Teren a clean shot, from which she teleported away once again. This time, from her new vantage, she thrust out her hand toward Teren, sending him flying into the back wall. He slumped to the deck, unconscious. Ksenva teleported again, but this time, she did not reappear on the bridge.
Artemis left Adell's side, deciding that Kit was in far greater need. Thankfully, he was still alive when he reached Kit and he immediately put his hands down on the area where the dagger protruded from his body.
Artemis: I can keep him alive for a little bit, but I need someone to get this dagger out of him!
Tamati obliged, leaving Amenaru behind while the ship began to shudder. Soon after, the bridge received a transmission from Engineering.
Minnie: Bridge, some sort of foreign object keeps materializing and de-materializing inside the engine core! Safety systems are failing!
Aire looked to Amenaru, who was already standing and trying to wobble his way to his console.
Aire: Amenaru, see if you can help from your console. Minnie, keep the comm to Engineering open.
Amenaru: I'll do my best.
Amenaru had only just reached his console when Ksenva reappeared on the bridge. Right away, she fell to her knees with blood dribbling from her mouth and eyes.
Amenaru: Core is going critical!
Ksenva: I will do whatever it takes to destroy you.
Aire: Engineering, eject the core!
This time it was Ramei's voice over the comm.
Ramei: Ramei here. She already did.
The ship rapidly began to calm once again, giving Tamati the opportunity to carefully pull the sword from Kit's body. Artemis followed by sealing the wound.
Ksenva grimaced, her attempt to destroy the Sentinel having failed again.
Ksenva: Whatever it takes.
Ksenva tapped one of her skull shoulderpads and spoke, communicating with her own ship.
Ksenva: Initiate self-destruct!
Ksenva slumped on the deck as everyone turned their attention to the Vashta ship, still in the viewscreen.
Nalma: Reading a massive energy spike in the Vastha ship! Detonation in five seconds!
Aire: Teek, get us out of here!
Teek didn't even have enough time to turn the ship around before the Vastha ship detonated. In its place, and growing rapidly, was a black hole. Teek struggled with the controls, keeping the nose pointed away from the black hole, but they were still being pulled in.
Aire: Minnie, I need quantum speed, now!
Minnie: We ejected the quantum core. Induction is the best I can give you.
Time was rapidly running out as the dome above the bridge began to crack and buckle under the stress. Teek gave a quick scan of his console and turned to Amenaru.
Teek: Amenaru, we still have a quantum plasma blast in the port nacelle cannon. Can you transfer it back to the engines?
Amenaru quickly glanced down and tapped at his keypad.
Amenaru: I can, but you have to use it the instant I transfer or it will just dissipate into space.
Teek: Let me know when you're ready. Everyone, hold on!
Amenaru concentrated, fighting through the pain as he worked to get the energy transfer set up.
Amenaru: Ready!
Teek readied his hand over his controls.
Teek: On my mark! 3... 2... 1... Mark!
Both Teek and Amenaru hit their respective controls at the same time and the Sentinel lurched forward, sending everyone not seated staggering backward. Moments later, the ship was flying straight and clean once again.
Teek: We've cleared the black hole.
Nalma: The singularity is beginning to dissipate. It wasn't big enough to sustain itself. Damn, even their engines are weapons.
With the danger passed, Amenaru jumped from his chair and rushed to Kit.
Aire: We can analyze our battle later. First, we need to give everyone medical attention and assess damage. Minnie, how long until we have quantum?
Minnie: I have to recalculate quantum field parameters, given our ship's new configuration. About ten minutes.
Aire: That short?
Minnie: The Sentinel is designed for quick swap to the backup core. It's nearly ready. We'll be good for Q6 when we're done.
Aire: Excellent. Can you send up Ramei as soon as you can spare him? We're a bit short-handed up here.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
Jenova87
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
