Dark Haven 2 - Chapter 8

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crunn
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Dark Haven 2 - Chapter 8

Post by crunn » Sun, 15. Aug 04, 12:56

Chapter 01 (Survivors)
Chapter 02 (Excursions)
Chapter 03 (No Place Like Home)
Chapter 04 (Rising)
Chapter 05 (Politics)
Chapter 06 (Seepage)
Chapter 07 (Getting Back)

------------------------------------------

DARK HAVEN 2

Chapter 8 (Set Up)


Home of Light

TerraCorp Headquarters, Docking-bay


Illandas steps out of his ship and walks through the customs area.
The guard on the door watches the Admiral approach.

"Admiral, you are expected. Go straight through."

"Thank you." Illandas proceeds through, passing a number of civilians.

'Mmm, fragrant.
Like fresh open air.
Nicely decorated, plants. I wonder if that's hygienic.'

The Admiral steps into the waiting elevator.
The doors close and it automatically starts up to the top floor.
Fifteen sezuras later the doors open and Illandas is a little surprised by the organised hive of activity before him.
Station employees synchronised, entering and exiting doorways along the corridor. PDP's in hand, clicking almost rhythmically.
It could not have been choreographed better.

"Thisss way Admiral." An elderly Teladi male beckons him forward.

As Illandas steps out of the elevator a sudden stillness comes over the corridor leaving only himself and the Teladi.
He follows his guide.

The Teladi stops near the end of the corridor.
"In here. He isss waiting."

The Admiral nods a thank you but the Teladi has already disappeared into the room opposite.
Illandas is now alone in the silence.

As he approaches, the door opens to reveal the room in darkness.
He steps in and the door closes.

"Beautiful, isn't it.
The stillness."

The voice comes from a figure stood across the room with his back to the door.
the entire back wall is one huge observation window. The view is clear across the sector. Tiny ships, no more than specs move slowly about their business. The planet hangs still in the distance.

"Lights." Kyle commands as he turns.

As the lights come up the observation window looses its transparency until it is indistinguishable from any other wall.

Illandas now sees Brennan's face, a little older than when they met before, perhaps more serene.

"Nice trick with the wall, Commander Brennan."

Brennan walks towards the desk. The Admiral follows suit.

"Not really, when you know how it's done."

"Nice to see you again Commander."

"Likewise.
But please, just Brennan. I'm not military, not anymore."

They both sit.

"So Admiral, what urgent matter brings you here?"

"I'm here to secure a contract for Jump Drives. I'll be outfitting most of the fleet with them.
How many, how fast can you supply them?
Would there be a bulk order discount?"

"I'm sure we can supply enough, and as soon as you need them.
I can give you fifteen percent discount on orders of five or more Jump Drives, the same with Transporter Devices."

"Thank you, Brennan, that is most appreciated."

A moment of silence.

'I get the impression that is not really why he is here.'

Another moment of silence.

'Reluctant.
Perhaps some subtle prompting will do the trick.
Need to word this just right.'
"Come now Admiral, anyone in our sales and buying departments could have handled this."

Illandas looks at Brennan. A worried look embeds itself in the Admirals face.

'What is he not telling me?...
They want my help.
What is it, the Xenon again?'

Illandas finally speaks. "It's a warning."

Brennan leans back in his chair, hands clasped, and he throws a puzzled inquisitive stare across the desk.

"There is a new alien race on the move.
They have been causing some trouble near Teladi Way.
They are powerful."

'And you want me to kick their butts.' Thinks Kyle.

'And we want you to help us deal with them.' Thinks Illandas.
"I have some video footage of them I think you should see.
I'll need to call it up from my TP. If you'll allow me?" He motions his hand towards the console on the desk.

Kyle nods.

Illandas inserts his PDP and begins the file transfer.

'Not this time.' Brennan thinks.
'In what, twenty years I've been here, I've bailed them out too many times.
Four major incidents with the Xenon, dozens of smaller incidents.
How many Pirate Cartels?...
Over the years, between myself and my pilots, I must have been responsible for the destruction of tens of thousands of Xenon and Pirates.'

'I'm retired from that life.
It is long past time they learned to stand on their own.
So no, not this time.'

*Beep*
"That's it."

Brennan presses a button then swirls his chair to face the back wall.
The light begins to dim. The wall looses its opaqueness, but this time it is the video record of the old Xenon defeat.

They watch in silence.

The battle at Dark Haven follows... Then ends.

The lights and wall return.

Brennan thinks to himself. 'The allied fleet handled themselves reasonably well, they were simply overpowered.'
"Like you say, 'Powerful'."

"We believe the gate was destroyed. But I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of them."

'Here it comes, can you help us.'
Brennan sits back upright.

"I'm telling you this just incase.
You might want to increase defences around your stations."

"Thank you for letting me see this and for the warning."
'Is that it?
Is he not going to ask?
Maybe he thinks I don't have any ships. I did sell them all years ago.
Though I have a few hidden away, ships of my own design.'

'There, I think that should do it.'
"And thank you for your time. I'd better get back."
Illandas leaves.


'Ahh Kyle, you are getting slow.
He did ask, I just missed it.
The fear in his eyes, the tension in his voice, his body language.
He is sly, this one.
Not like Ornov, he was direct if nothing else.'

'Still, not this time.
They did well enough.
They don't need my help, the Split and Paranid, absolutely.
But not me.'

'I see now that they have the courage to do whatever it takes. Ornov has proven that.
They just need a push, and this alien race seems to be that push.
I won't interfere.'


...


Argon Fleet Command


Illandas tip-toes along the corridor towards his office looking feverishly around.
'Where is he?
He'll not get me this time.'
The Admiral stops abruptly, eyes wide. 'What was that?' He turns sharply around.

A secretary exits a door further down the corridor, looks very suspiciously at the Admiral, then proceeds to the elevator.

'Not the one.
He'll not get me this time.'
Illandas silently reaches the door to his office. One last look around. Nothing.
'Where is he?
where is Reammus?
Maybe he's not here.'

Illandas opens the door.
"Ahhhhh!!!!" He is met, nose to nose, with Commander Reammus.

"Ah Admiral, I have put some papers on your desk for you to sign.
The meeting went well I trust?"

"Reammus, must you, every time we meet?"

"Sir?"

"Never mind.
Yes, I think it went well."

Reammus leaves, Illandas sits, the door closes.

'There is nothing else for it, I'm going to have to put a tracking device on him.'

The communications panel flashes, the admiral presses the button and Ulasze appears.

"Illandas, I have been over the data on the Xenon and alien weapons."

"Anything?"

"So far just more questions.
However, there is something very curious about the Xenon Beam.
Energy weapons dissipate over distance. Beam weapons don't, well not noticeably.
The power of the beam at the Xenon end and the power of the beam at the Argon One end do not match.
There doesn't seem to be any dissipation but The Argon One only took half the damage that it should have. I have no explanation, I will have to study this further."

"This is good news surely?"

"Perhaps, but I think we should know where the other half of the energy went. It's not like the Xenon to produce faulty weapons.
The reason I called is that those EMP artillery weapons which the small black ships fired at the Discoverer reminded me of something one of our juniors came up with a few jazuras ago.
A weapon.
He nicknamed it the Squash Mine Launcher, which is partly why the project was terminated. The weapon was sure to be deemed illegal.
A long-range artillery weapon which launched explosive shells. The shells were of similar design to Squash Mines. Smaller, more stable, less destructive, but similar enough to risk legal problems."

"How far in was the project before it was terminated?"

"It was complete. A prototype was built and tested. The tests were successful. Then the plans were put in high security and the prototype destroyed."

"I'll get you those plans. Check they are all in order then have the original designer supervise their building.
I want lots of them.
I'll deal with any legal issues."

"Yes sir."

"One other thing, do you have a small tracking device? Like a pen or button, something inconspicuous?"

"Yes, what's it for?"

"Oh, nothing. I might stop by later and pick it up."

The communication ends, the screen returns to the AFC logo.

'I don't like that logo spinning all the time. *clicky clicky* There that's better.'
The logo is stationary.

'So... off to the secure records room... oh dear.
I bet he is in the corridor waiting...'

...

Illandas reaches the secure records room with out incident.
'He's inside, he's sitting there waiting.'

The Admiral enters the appropriate codes and steps in.
'What! No Reammus.
Maybe he's in the walls, watching. Ever watching.'

The door closes and he sits.
He quickly finds the research files and the one he is looking for and transfers them to a PDP.

'I wonder what else is in here?'

He reads through bits and pieces of several until he reaches one named "Black Project Zero"
Illandas is motionless for some moments, his eyes glaze.
"No, not even if they take Argon Prime.
Never that."

...

The Admiral arrives back at the research lab and hands the PDP to Ulasze.

"Thank you, I'll get on this right away.
I have the tracker you asked about."
Ulasze takes a tiny metal sphere from his top pocket.

"My, that is small."

"Two millilitre diameter.
You can hide it inside a pen or whatever you like. It has a range of three Kilometres.
You can use this PDP to keep track." He hands the Admiral a PDP.
"The frequency and activation codes are all there.
Might I ask..."

Illandas Smiles "No, you'd think me crazy."
'Am I?'
Last edited by crunn on Thu, 9. Sep 04, 19:58, edited 2 times in total.

KiwiNZ
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Post by KiwiNZ » Mon, 16. Aug 04, 20:06

I like the dialogue between Brennan and Illander, or more precisely their thoughts. Also very funny with Reammus :lol:

Very good read!

Looking forward to the next chapter! :thumb_up:

toxic_shadow
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Post by toxic_shadow » Tue, 24. Aug 04, 23:49

Another exelent chapter! looking forward for when you complete the next one! :D
Last edited by toxic_shadow on Sat, 28. Aug 04, 16:23, edited 1 time in total.

MitchellBaldwin
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Great job

Post by MitchellBaldwin » Fri, 27. Aug 04, 17:34

Excellent story - do keep it up!
Mitchell

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crunn
Posts: 1833
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Post by crunn » Fri, 27. Aug 04, 20:46

Thanks Folks 8)

xxl_and
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Waiting for chapter 9 ...

Post by xxl_and » Sat, 28. Aug 04, 13:35

I can't wait for the follow-up.

mippy
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Post by mippy » Sun, 29. Aug 04, 02:37

I just found your story here. so I copied it to word so I can read it later when I have time and I'm not online. I rather enjoyed the first one.
A proud Goner!

It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to speak up and remove all doubt.

http://www.tildruin-mindseye.co.uk/innocent.html

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