Prologue
In the empty expanse of the Internet, the backdrop was decorated by many bright burning far-away Websites and Systems. However currently occupying the middle of some of the darkness was a brilliant giant swirl of blue and white light, pulsing.
All of a sudden, a small craft zoomed by the swirl of light. The craft wasn't anything complicated; it was shaped like an arrow with the front section ending in a swirling ball of blue light and electricity. This little craft was just a simple Science Vessel with no real weapons.
All of a sudden there was a bright flash of light behind the Science Vessel and a second ship, this one
much larger, appeared behind it. While the Science Vessel portrayed a sense of peace, this newer ship portrayed a sense of dread. It was all black, the exterior showing many sharp ridges and edges, with the overall design almost resembling that of a dragon. As it neared the smaller ship, dozens of weapons all over its hull began to power up one-by-one.
***
The interior of the larger vessel was just as menacing as the outside - dark lighting, sharp spiked edges to everything, and flashing strobes of light lighting the corridors.
OrcaMorph walked into the command room of the ship known as Serpentera. As he entered, he heard a fellow servant of Lord Yorick call, "Weapons charged and ready, my Lord."
OrcaMorph walked to his post and began taking calls from all sections, avoiding eye-contact the centre of the deck, for at the center sat Lord Yorick on an almost throne-like seat, tubes pumping into his bare, red muscled flesh. The only part of him covered were metal body armor lining his ribcage, mid-section, and legs, and a metal face mask that resembled that of a skeleton.
The tubes pumping vital liquid into Yorick stopped pumping as the reports came in. He stood, the tubes detaching from him instantly - Nutrient time was over.
Yorick let out a loud rumble of a roar as he grabbed his metal Z-shaped staff, the red visor of his metal mask staring out of the front viewpoint at the science vessel passing by near the whirlpool of light. "Richard..." he growled. Then he turned to his men. "Open fire! Target engines, I don't want Richard destroyed - just make sure he doesn't reach that wormhole."
***
Serpentera's ports opened like small mouths on its surface, firing dark red laser beams at the smaller ship.
***
Inside the Science Vessel known as the Eltar IV, sparks flew and explosions could be felt all over as loud alarms alerted the pilot to the damage being done.
The pilot himself had skin almost pure white, his scalp bald, and his hands resembling flippers with three large digits. He was a bold pioneer and scientist known across many sections of the Internet as Richard.
Behind him, a woman known as Estelore, of a more humanoid species, worked other controls. Across from her was a personalized robot with a golden saucer-shaped head, named by Richard as Ellimist.
"Port engine failure!" The panicking robotic voice of Ellimist called out.
"Stabilize it!" Richard called back to his trusted servant. "We must make it that wormhole!"
"Aye, yai yai! Yes, sir! Attempting to repair!"
The ship trembled violently again as another shot directly hit it. A panel on the wall blew apart, starting a fire at the back of cabin. Extinguishing fumes sprayed from the ceiling to exterminate it quickly, before much damage could be done by it.
"Yorick is closing" Estelore stated as she wiped some sweat from her head. Suddenly a new flash on her console caught her attention. "He's hailing us."
Richard looked back at her, surprised, but then turned back to his controls. "It may buy us some time. Put him on."
A giant screen at the front of the room flickered from a star chart to the cold metal face of Yorick. "Richard, I believe you have some Log-In codes of mine."
Richard continued to work his ship as he replied, "They belong to neither you nor I, Yorick. But I do know that the power of these Log-In codes need to be kept as far away from your stinkin' Virus hands as possible."
"Fool! I still have one! I will use the power of that Code to strengthen my forces! You will perish without a chance! Then once I have all six codes, I will use them to rule the Internet and enlarge my Virus Infection!" Yorick clenched his fist.
"I will not allow this ancient power to be twisted and used to conquer more Systems like my own," Richard replied in defiance.
"You were always a fool. So be it. I will cripple your vessel and take them by force." With that, Yorick's face was gone from the screen and the onslaught of weapon fire continued.
The damage to the Eltar IV continued to mount, the struggle beginning to seem hopeless as Richard turned in his seat to his crew. "We need to slow him down. Any suggestions?"
The two sat thinking for awhile before Ellimist spoke up, "Sir, if we eject the main drive sphere and detonate near his ship, it should do moderate to considerable damage."
"We would be limited to thrusters only," retorted Estelore as the ship continued to spew sparks around them. "How are we to get around on the other side?"
"Slowly, but better than not at all," Zordon replied. "Get on it."
Ellimist nodded before turning back to his consol. He stopped for a moment. "We will have to get rather close to Lord Yorick's ship to keep within signal range," he called over the noise of their ship taking damage all around them, more small fires starting up at various locations.
Richard nodded. "I will slow us down a few knots then. Let him catch up a bit."
At that moment, a large impact shook the ship more violently then any other. It all happened in a flash, and time seemed to slow for Richard as he heard the explosion behind him – Estelore's consol.
Richard whipped around, seeing that the impact threw his assistant back hard onto the floor, the console now a charred hole in the wall. He quickly leaped out of his chair and knelt down beside her, already knowing her condition before he even checked.
Dead.
He had no time for tears as Ellimist said, "Forgive me Sir, but I am ready."
Richard breathed in and sat back in the pilot chair, turning back around to face the front. "Do it!" he commanded.
***
On the outside of the Eltar IV, three joints unlatched, letting the swirling blue sphere fall from the front of the ship. It drifted past the ship and toward Serpentera as Yorick, now impatient, looked on from inside.
"What is he doing?" Yorick pondered, seated in his throne.
From behind him, a warrior cladded in thick gold armor stepped forward. The creature itself looked like a mangy blue rat on two very powerful legs, its eyes red as pure rage. He was Yorick's Commanding General and was feared throughout the Internet as AlothAssassin, a most feared ruthless warrior.
"They won't have any engines but their thrusters," AlothAssassin growled with a sneer. "I thought this guy was wise."
Yorick did not reply, but watched as the orb got closer...and closer...and... Suddenly it hit him. He stood in a sudden panic. "All stop! Now!"
But it was too late. Ellimist detonated the sphere and watched intently as the resulting explosion expanded into a gigantic shockwave that did great damage to the enemy ship.
"Aye yai yai! We are too close to the explosion!" The robot called out.
The Eltar IV was flung forward violently by the dissipating shockwave, but fortunately it was a jolt forward toward the wormhole. However, with the damage that the Eltar IV had already taken, the further damage to their ship was catastrophic. Richard was lurched forward, right into an exploding consol.
Ellimist pulled himself up, his visual sensor erratic and the damage to his outer layer was moderate but he was still mobile at the least. After a moment to collect and repair some vital systems, his attention turned to Richard who was a rasping heap on the deck floor.
Ellimist turned him over in a panic, scanning him with his bio-sensors. Slowly Richard opened his eyes. "Sir, you are critically injured. We need to treat you..." Ellimist began but was cut off.
"No," Richard managed to wheeze. "Too late for that. We prepared for this, remember. Let us hope that the equipment for Project Sustainment is not too damaged."
"But Sir!" Ellimist pleaded. "We haven't even tested it! If you die, all the knowledge of the Log-In Codes die with you!"
Richard nodded. "That is why I prepared this project. Now quickly, Ellimist, while there is still time!"
***
Yorick's ship hung in space like a damaged beast, deep wounds upon its surface. On the command deck, AlothAssassin pulled his Lord from the floor in time only to see the Eltar IV enter the wormhole.
"After them!" Yorick cried in rage. No sooner had he yelled those words that the wormhole lit up in a flash and was suddenly gone, leaving Yorick's ship all by itself. "What happened?!" He demanded, slamming his fist on the arm of his command chair.
"They destroyed the entry to the phenomenon, my Lord" replied OrcaMorph after quickly checking over some readouts.
Yorick said nothing, but sat back down lowering his head and silently fuming with anger. AlothAssassin stepped before him. "Orders, M'Lord?" He asked.
Yorick looked up at him, his skin now almost glowing red with his rage. "Orders?" He repeated in a hushed tone before standing and promptly slamming his staff to the metal floor with all his strength. "I want every ship in every quadrant to stop what they are doing and begin sweeping the Internet until they find Richard! And when they do, he shall pay for what he has done! Now get to it!"
Everyone and everything on the ship simply snapped to life as Yorick sat back in his chair and continued to brood. If it was the last thing he did, he would destroy Richard and obtain the other five Log-In codes, and he didn't care what Websites or Computer Systems stood in his way.
***
With a bright flash of light, the Eltar 4 emerged from the now-useless wormhole back into open space, far from their own section of the Internet.
On board, Ellimist hurriedly walked into the medical room and continued to connect the dying Richard to the equipment that would preserve him for eternity. That is, if it worked.
"Just so you know, Sir, " Ellimist turned toward Richard from a readout on a computer console. "This has a 75.8 percent chance of failure."
Richard simply sighed and continued trying to stay alive long enough to try. "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice, old friend," He wheezed. "And for the last time, call me Richard. Your model has served me more than enough to dispense with the formality of Sir."
Ellimist turned back to him and nodded down at his master who lay dying on the metal slab table, wires now connected all over his temple and skull. "Aye Sir...I mean, Richard."
"Did you destroy entry to the wormhole?" Richard wheezed. Ellimist nodded as he worked away on various panels, some in desperate need of repair after that last attack.
He made a few last calculations before finally speaking, "It's ready, Richard."
Richard turned his head and settled to an upright position with a deep, solemn breath before replying, "Do it."
Ellimist hesitated for a moment, taking a second to look at his creator one last time before activating the process. The device came to life and the screens began to scroll too fast to be read by human eyes as the last essence that was Richard was quickly taken from his body and changed from biology electronic energy to data patterns.
Richard's body jolted with a last jerk of life before going still. Biologically, Richard was dead.
The screens were erratic, trying to compute all the data as Ellimist rushed from console to console on the curved wall to guide the process along, correct any problems and simply hope for the best. Suddenly the room was silent and dark as the entire power system cut out.
Then, with a jolt of unexpected life, the screens flickered back on, alarms sounding and data still streaming until finally one read "
Transfer Complete".
Ellimist stood back from the screen and waited, hoping the process had indeed worked. Finally a digital pattern formed on one of the screens. The scrolling data began to group and before long it formed a face; Richard's face.
