The Galactic War: Rogue Element ~The Beginning

[Chad32]

Claxter sets coordinates and prepares for Z-Space. One the hangar doors are closed, he starts the jump. <Jumping to Z-Space.> He said, taking one final look at his scanners. Nothing reading. He really hoped that whatever handheld cloaking technology the controllers had, they didn't have larger versions for ships. As the Tyrennian made its way in, he relaxes a bit. The last thing this crew needed was these kind of complications.


<Technically it was his host that was shot, but it was certainly bad.> Ferxal said. He felt partly responsible for the accident, and wondered if he would be reprimanded for it, as it was his job to scout the room out. Firin had the job too, but that didn't really excuse his mistake. As the ship docked, he looked for cables to bind the controller's hands and feet. He didn't really want to start injecting everyone with sedatives, unless that's what his superiors thought was best. Breeyar helps him make sure the knots were tight enough, since his hands were stronger. Presumably the Tyrennian's crew would bring stretchers to put them on. He was feeling a little more at ease since he almost suffocated in his own damaged fighter, though this hadn't been the satisfying raid he was hoping for.

Through a stalk eye, he noticed one Andalite Fighter coming in carelessly. It was either some rookie who didn't know how to fly properly, or some reckless young blade who hadn't learned professionalism.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Firin furrows his brow at Ferxal.  "If you knew anything about us, blue-fur, you'd understand that we've developed symbiotic relationships with our hosts, so much so that we might as well be one person with two minds.  Keslin and Chris have been through events together that you would shudder even to imagine.  One is not whole without the other."


Rythil surges a bit as he sees the other Hork-Bajir.  <Let me take command for awhile.>

<Very well...I need a break from alll of this anyway.>  Firin retreats back into his own mind.

Rythil walks over to the rescued Hork-Bajir and smiles cordially, trying his best to help with the cords.  "That was brave back there, what you did to help us.  I'm happy to have a brother aboard this ship.  I'm Rythil, what's your name?"

[Chad32]

Ferxal made a mental note of what Firin said. Perhaps he would be around long about to see this "symbiotic relationship" for himself.

Breeyar looked at the controller. "It was first time I had choice to do anything. Master keep me in cage for long time. Not even give name. Ferxal save me, so I want to save friends. But I not save many. Ferxal give name Breeyar. I am Breeyar now. Rythil, do you really like Firin? I think you be whole enough without Yeerk in head."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rythil frowns a bit, glancing over at Ferxal.  "I'm sorry we couldn't save more...we wanted to save them all, but there was a heavier resistance than a mere freighter suggested."  He winces as he pulls the cords tight around one of the humans' hands.  "You...don't remember your name from...before?  The one you were given in front of...Father Deep and Mother Sky?"  He hesitates to use the old religious figures of the Hork-Bajir, but it was often deeply ingrained in most Hork-Bajir.  "Breeyar sounds awfully....blue."

He closes his eyes a moment as he tries to put it to words.  "I...I know it's hard to believe.  But each Yeerk is unique.  They're different people...like you and I.  We're both Hork-Bajir, but we're different people with different experiences that define...well, we're the same and different at the same time.  Yeerks are like that too.  I know there are a lot of horrible, bad ones, but there are a few good ones out there that are trying to stop the bad ones.  Firin...he's trying to stop the bad ones.  He needs my help to do that."


<<Keep telling yourself that.>>

<<Go back to thinking, you'd be lost without me and you know it.>>

<<...>>


"He needs my help, and if we stop the bad ones, then the rest of our people can be free from the bad ones too.  We can all live in peace again.  Firin is brilliant...his mind could help us stop the bad Yeerks.  I'm willing to put up with him for that alone, but we are also friends."


<<Keep telling yourself that.>>

<<Shut up, you love me.>>

<<...>>


"He seems a little...well...col d at first, but once you get past that, he's actually nice."  Rythil smiles a bit again.  "He hid the fact that I was a 'seer' from the bad Yeerks, and he helped me to escape.  I owe him a lot."


<<Try everything.>>

<<You owe me just as much.  Who was it that showed you how stupid the Empire was again?>>

<<...>>

<<That's what I thought.>>

[Chad32]

"I had name when I was young. Master say slaves not deserve names. Most Yeerks let slaves have name, but mine not agree. He punish me so much for thinking of old name. Mother and Father are far away. Parents far away." He stopped talking for a minute as his voice started to crack.

He looked up at Ferxal "What does Breeyar mean?"

<It denotes bravery, and determination, in the face of adversity. We Andalites give our children names in the hopes that they will live up to that name. Incidentally, Ferxal means stoic and wise. For that I strive to maintain emotional control.>

"Both nice names. I do not remember old name. May never remember. I will try find parents, and save them. Maybe they still know old name."

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Aetheas sighs with relief when the transport and fighters finally settle aboard the Tyrennian. With little hesitation, he sets his ARC to play back the moments leading up to the core-nova of the freighter, scrutinizing it in detail. Once the recording has finished, he plays it back again, this time in slow motion.

Was there something there? Something in real space, some distance from the freighter... just a blip, appearing moments before the explosion...

He changes the filters and feedback of the recording and begins to play it back again, but something on the console in front of him catches his attention. Something has emerged from Z-space in this sector. Three somethings, though at this distance, its impossible to tell who or what they are. Mere seconds later, the Tyrennian itself slides into Z-space.

He flips urgently through his displays, trying to see if he can gather more information, but stops when he hits the one showing the transport, eying the vital signs and life readings of the newly captured... liberated? Controllers aboard. So much data to analyze, but it may have to wait.

<Sir,> he begins, turning his main eyes towards Ossanlin, <is it too soon to begin debriefing the boarding party? I'd like to begin putting together a picture of what's just happened.>

[Shenmue654]

Joanne gradually gets her bearings again, noticing that they've managed to get aboard the Tyrennian. She smiles with obvious relief. For her first mission for Captain Blue Deer, this one really wasn't all that bad. Absolutely nothing could be stranger, anyway, than that one mission she had with Myitt to the beach. She never was able to work out whether or not she had hallucinated the entire thing...

Joanne steps tentatively out of the transport, glancing back at the rest of the boarding team. She holds up a finger, looking at Firin. "Do me a favor and never set anythin' on bloody fire when we don' know what it is. That never ****in' ends well!"

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin pauses as he makes his way through the door of the bridge.  He turns a stalk-eye on Claxter and can't help but notice how very quickly he'd plotted the Z-Space navigation.  He'd had no inkling that Claxter was so deft at manipulating Z-Space and the minute calculations required to travel through it safely.  He'd plotted the course nearly as fast as Ennoryma...excellen t.  He turns his main eyes on Aetheas.  Seeing as Claxter didn't need his assistance...

<Well done Prince-Lieutenant.>  He nods to Claxter before shifting his gaze to Aetheas.  <I'm on my way to the hangar now to receive them, Warrior.  As the Prince has calculated his trajectories already, I see no problem with you joining me should you desire.>  He turns back toward the concourse and makes a brisk pace to the hangar.



Rythil wrinkles his eyes a bit as "Breeyar" compliments the Andalite nomenclature, but says nothing on it.  No need to upset his newly-liberated comrade.  He resolves to have a talk with the Hork-Bajir later...maybe reminiscing about the Homeworld would help him remember his true name.

He hears Joanne speak up, and notices Firin's reaction quite solidly.  He glances at the human controller.  "I'm sorry...he seems to be ignoring you.  He can get this way when he makes a mistake.  But, to his credit, a normal Dracon overload wouldn't have been nearly so energetic."

[Chad32]

<Thank you, my Prince.> Claxter said. He kind of impressed himself with the ease he had taken to the role of pilot. Of course he had been running through the calculations beforehand, as he expected they'd be jumping soon after everyone was back aboard. The only thing left were the actual commands and keystrokes, and computers did this kind of thing even faster than Andalites. Maybe when everything settled a bit, he'd have time to speak with Ferxal. It wasn't csomething he wanted to do, but he felt the need to get it out of the way.


Ferxal exited the craft, and waited for Prince Ossanlin to come and get their report. Breeyar stood behind him, somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to do now.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin makes his way through the halls and ramp-wells of the Tyrennian, trusting Aetheas to follow if he wants to.  When he reaches the hangar, he notes the fighter pilots tending their ships in the bays and makes his way to the landed transport.  They'd managed to rescue a few controllers, most of them were already bound.  He nods to Serid as the security Warriors come to collect the controllers and move them to the Tyrennian's morph-proof brig.  He also nods to Keshin whom had actually done what he'd said he would.

<Reports if you please.>



Serid glances up as Prince Ossanlin approaches.  <Prince.  We encountered heavy resistance, but everyone save Keslin made it back without significant injury.>

[Chad32]

<Sir, I managed to convince a Yeerk to accept a quick death, and this former slave has helped our cause.> Ferxal said. <He was previously disallowed to have a name, so I have named him Breeyar.> As he said it, it just occurred to him that Ossanlin may not like the idea of a non Andalite having an Andalite name. It's not as if there was protocol for this kind of thing, though. Breeyar himself didn't say anything, and didn't make eye contact with the Prince. <Perhaps the other Yeerks will be open to the same ultimatum.>

<If I may, I would like to ask about Chris' current state. I feel partially responsible for him getting wounded, as it was my job to secure the area.>

[Shenmue654]

"Still a ****in' horrid idea," Joanne said to Rythil. "If you gotta improvise a gun, make sure ya know the make an' model before takin' your shot. 'Specially with these alien weapons. But you're right about mos' Dracons, anyway...they don' usually blow the hull open when ya set 'em off."

Not long afterward, Ossanlin slowly came into the hangar bay to greet them. Joanne noticed Ossanlin's nod of affirmation. <Oh good, Bluebutt noticed we didn' kill nobody. Now maybe he'll get off our ruddy ass.>

<One mission unscathed isn't going to win his trust. We'll need several more if we plan to successfully upload the Tyrennian's schematics to Salem.>

<You're gonna do that?!>

<...if I find that it turns a profit for us that is worth more than working for the Andalite idealist. We'll see...>

Keshin shifts back into control and states, "All of us are present and accounted for, but the ship we boarded was no ordinary transport. The Dracons onboard could blow a hole in the hull, and as you know the entire crew was cloaked. You did not intend to, Ossanlin, but you very nearly sent us on a suicide mission. We all survived intact because of quick thinking on the squad leader, Serid's, part."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Rythil furrows his brow and shakes his head a bit before speaking to Keshin again.  "He has conjectured that you did not present a better option.  I'm sorry, if I don't convey his thoughts from time to time, he gets cranky."

<<You are such an odd grenlat.>>

<<Takes one to know one.>>

Rythil glances up at the blue-fur and his expression becomes one of stoicism.  Clearly an attempt at hiding his true emotions toward the Andalite and the rest of his kind.  "It was a suicide mission.  But I suppose you didn't know that."  His voice carries a hint of disbelief.  "Still we did not return empty-handed.  We procured one of the Imperial's personal shield devices.  Firin will be digging into that when we have time to collect ourselves.  We may be able to glean some useful information, perhaps even replicate the device given the proper materials."  Rythil purposely doesn't mention the other suped-up Dracon Firin had grabbed.



Ossanlin nods to Rythil, and doesn't push the issue further.  <Very well, I'll leave it in your hands then, but I expect regular status reports on your research.>

He shifts his main eyes to Keshin.  <A good plan only lasts up until the battle starts.  It is obvious that the freighter was protecting something.  The goal had been to secure the ship and strip it of all usefuls.  Unfortunately that didn't happen, but we cannot allow the unexpected to derail our faculties.>  He doesn't acknowledge the truth in Keshin's statement.  The safest option would've been to pull everyone out at the first sign of energy-shielded special operatives, but Ossanlin had very dearly wanted to know what the ship was hiding.

<In any case, I appreciate your honesty, and your obedience.  I must still keep you cordoned to specific portions of the ship, but I will release some of your computer privileges.  I mean these for research purposes only, and I might suggest that you access the database regarding morphing, specifically nothlitism.  You must be absolutely certain it's what you want before we go any further.>

Ossanlin turns his gaze to Serid and nods appreciatively.  <Good work, Command Warrior.  You may have the rest of your shift for rest and leisure.>  He scans the entire group.  <That goes for all of you.  Rest up and take some time off.  I may ask you to take up duties soon, those of you whom are interested at any rate.>

Ossanlin moves his gaze to Ferxal.  <He's undergoing treatment...the medical controllers are doing everything they can.  I assure you that the other Imperials will be given the same options.  Serid will keep you updated.>



Serid eye-smiles a bit at Keshin's compliment.  It had truly been a team effort, in fact he hadn't really felt that he'd done anything special, but perhaps he had handled himself as a proper forces commander should.  He tail-salutes Ossanlin at his dismissal and turns to the group.  <Thank you all for your assistance today.  I will personally make certain that each of you is debriefed on Commander Keslin's condition as soon as I have any pertinent information.>  He glances his main eyes back at Ossanlin.


Ossanlin tail-salutes and begins to make his way back up to the bridge.  They needed to find some place out of the way, untraveled.  Somewhere to build some sort of bare-bones outfitting dock for the Tyrennian.  She wouldn't stay space-worthy and serviceable long enough without one.

[Chad32]

<Thank you sir.> Ferxal said. At least he wasn't dead yet. That was something. He returns the tail salute, and begins walking back towards the dome. As he reenters the blessed patch of Homeworld, he starts relaxing fully. That had been some ordeal.

Breeyar followed Ferxal to the dome, and started walking around and taking it all in. As he wandered, he tasted the water, and took a little bark from a tree. It certainly wasn't bad. After a bit, he started using a branch to do pull ups. His master had always used off time to either rest or train, and he really didn't think of much else to do. He didn't want to rest, because now he could actually use his body. He wasn't stuck in a cage anymore.

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Aetheas follows Ossanlin to the shuttle bay. Before his eyes, his ARC plays and replays the moments before the destruction of the freighter as seen by the Tyrennian's sensors, and each time the sequence reaches its end, Aetheas applies another filter and plays it again. He's only half-listening to the reports of the away team; he notes, with some interest, the 'rescued' Controllers that have been brought aboard.

New filter. Playback. Rewind further. Zoom. Tweak angle. Block x-ray emissions. Amplify gamma. Overlay known background radiation. Playback. Stop. Zoom. Nothing. Reset playback. New filter.

He'll have to see if he can glean some information from the new arrivals.

With a moment's hesitation, he mimics Ossanlin's tail-salute to the returned crew and turns to follow the Captain. With a sigh, he shuts off his ARC's projections. This analysis will have to wait for a time when he can concentrate.

<Captain,> he voices hesitantly, <the mission... the team...> He struggles to find his words. <They were moments from being caught in the blast, and I saw nothing. I noticed no energy surge, no anomalies that suggested that the freighter's core was about to breach. There was no pattern, nothing one would expect to precede such an event normally, and if they'd been... If they'd been a few moments slower in leaving, I don't know what I could have done... what I should have done...> He looks at Ossanlin uncertainly. He's babbling, which is unlike him, but he can't seem to find the words to ask the question... the hundreds of questions... that are bouncing around his skull...