Please let me know which version you prefere though.
" I have sailed to many lands,
Now I make my final journey.
On the bow I stand, West is
Where I go. Through the night
crawl. Steel my heart, calculate
and pray..."
- Iron Maiden
Ghost of the Navigatort
Prologue:
The Prototype
“Yeah, I remember that ship” Warchild said as he took a long pull on the bottle of space fuel and lit a cigarette. He blew the smoke away from the person sitting in front of him and sank back into the shadows of the booth. “I was just a kid back then, but I remember the stories. I figured they were just rumors and tales the pirates spread throughout the sectors.”
Warchild glanced around the dimly lit cantina, not really looking for anyone person, but more looking at everyone in the room and noting where they were in a glance.
The figure sitting in front of him was an Argon female. She was wearing the lose fitting clothes of the people that scavenge the galaxy looking for rare artifacts and bits of junk that they think are priceless. She looked to be a strong woman though. Compact, but steel toned muscles played under the loose clothing. She looked and carried herself like she could fare rather well in a fight…both in hand to hand combat and in a fighter.
“So what can you tell me about the Scorpion? There’s no registry in the archives at Antigone Memorial, and the military has no record of it either.” She stated quietly as she tried to see the expressions on Warchild’s face. The shadows of the bar seemed to try to keep him shrouded in darkness even as he shifted in the seat.
“What makes you think I know anything about a defunct starship?” he asked her in a slightly amused voice.
“Look…” she said, her voice stating to rise as Warchild held up a hand indicating he wanted her to settle down. “Look, I’ve been around. I’ve been searching for information on this ship and every time…” Her voice started to rise again as Warchild once more motioned her to calm down. “…every time I ask someone if they know where I can get information, they tell me to find Warchild. So here I am in this godforsaken pirate base looking for someone that seems to be a ghost. I asked the bartender where I could find information about Warchild or the Scorpion corvette and he points me to you…so…do you know where I can find either one?” She asked finishing her tirade looking more aggravated by the moment.
Warchild took another sip from his bottle and blew a smoke ring.
“Which did you want?” He smiled from the darkness. “The Scorpion or Warchild?”
She looked at him and knew he had a smile on his face even though she couldn’t see it. She knew he had to know something about Warchild or the Scorpion or both.
“Fine.” She said as she pulled out her cred card. “How much?” She asked.
“I’ll make a special price for you…especially since you appear to be competent…fifteen hundred credits, and the information for both is yours” He grinned. The credits were transferred quickly with only a small ‘bleep’ indicating the transaction was complete.
“You have your money…now where can I find this Warchild, and the information about the Scorpion” She asked curtly.
“As for Warchild…You’ve found him. I’ve been watching you for a while now. I followed you from Danna’s Chance, to Atreus Clouds, to Nyana’s Hideout, and finally here in Loomankstrats.” Warchild grinned, “You do get around don’t you?”
“I’ll tell you what I know.” He said before she could start the retort that he knew was coming. She sat back and raised an eyebrow indicating for him to continue neither really knowing nor caring if he’s noticed.
“First, I’ll give you an explanation, I think I owe you that much.” He started. “The moment that one of my people heard you were looking for me and or information about the Scorpion, I was onto you. Most people that are looking for information about the Scorpion are desperate sorts, but you…you don’t mark me as desperate…I can see that your one of the scavengers that seek the bits of trinkets left here and there…but not desperate. Why do you want this information so badly you are willing to risk your life for by coming to the Anarchy Base?” He asked trying to figure out if the woman was really after the Scorpion.
“Well, there have been rumors about the ship being advanced…using technology from an alien source…and there was something else….something called Stealth Skin, what ever that is. Obviously the Scorpion would be worth a lot if it could be found intact, especially if the devices haven’t been damaged too badly.” She said candidly. “Do you know anything about it?”
“ I know about it…more than I want. This is how the story goes…,” he said taking another pull on the cigarette and squeezed off the glowing tip with his fingers into the ashtray sitting between them.
“The Scorpion was never a registered ship.” He began, taking another sip from the bottle of space fuel. “It was a prototype corvette unlike anything that had been seen before. Far more advanced than any other ship that was made. The Boron and the Argon worked on it for a couple jazuras before it was complete, but the planning wasn’t complete until they had that alien ship…the one they codenamed The X-Shuttle.” The woman’s expression changed to intent wonder as he spoke, his voice not lifting enough to carry beyond their table. “When the ship was built, they still had the plans onboard for everything that was on it. They didn’t want to take the chance that someone might steal the plans and get hold of the classified material. The corvette was never named, officially, as they didn’t want to attract attention to it. Very few people actually knew that it was being built, and the ones that did just thought it to be another ship. No…this ship was very unique.” He continued as he took another swig of the harsh liquid. “The maiden voyage was also to be the corvettes shakedown cruise as well. The engines were never tested let alone anything else. For all anyone knew, it could stall right there in the dock. Well…it didn’t. It made it out of the dock, and when they were ready, they engaged the jump drive. They were headed to Kingdom End in the Boron sectors…it never made it.”
“Everyone knows that story...” The woman started as Warchild held his hand up gesturing for her to listen.
“You haven’t heard this.” He said, “Five years later, an Argon corvette jumped through the West gate in Danna’s Chance. I was there…I saw it myself. At that time I belonged to Clan Scorpion out of Haktiva’s Faith. When it jumped through the gate, we thought it was the beginning of a bold and daring attack on the Danna’s Chance Base. Even as I boosted the thrusters on my fighter, I was looking at the gate waiting for the rest of the capital ships and fighters to jump through, but they never came. I fired a volley at her and dove waiting for the corvette to return fire…but nothing came. No retaliation, no radio chatter bleed over, not even a request for help… nothing…the comms were dead. It was bloody eerie. I decided that we should board the corvette and capture it. It was just floating there listing farther and farther into the sector. When we got inside…” he took a long pull on the bottle. “There wasn’t a single soul on board. There wasn’t even any dust on the controls…it was as if they all jumped into the escape pods and left…but the escape pods were still there. I took the ship for myself and founded my own clan. I’m not going to tell you what was actually on-board that ship…but it was far more advanced than anything you’re ever going to see…even today.” He finished as he drained what was left in the bottle and set it back on the table and motioned for the server to bring him another.
“So you have the Scorpion?” The woman asked unbelieving.
“I never said that I have it…only that I had it.” He stated sharply.
The woman could see that she struck a nerve and thought that a little push would yield more information. He couldn’t possibly have the ship…and if he did, why hasn’t it been seen it since?
“Let me guess.” She smiled sarcastically “You lost it gambling?”
“Woman…I had the ship for five years. It was the flagship of Scorpion Cartel.” He stated flatly, as the young woman seemed to turn pale.
“Ah…so you’ve heard of Scorpion Cartel then I take it” He said coolly at her obvious reaction. Clearly, the woman now knew whom she was dealing with. He was the leader of the Scorpion Cartel Clan. They had been the bloodthirstiest pirate faction in the known galaxy. Where every the pirates attacked, there were never many survivors if any. It was also rumored that Scorpion Cartel was responsible for the kidnapping of 400 passengers aboard a passenger liner bound for Light Water, but it was never proven. Not to mention countless raids and attacks on merchant shipping throughout the galaxy. No, she wasn’t dealing with an amateur or someone that was reliving old glory mizuras. He was the nightmare that was wanted throughout the galaxy.
“Five years after I had claimed the ship, there was a battle between Scorpion Cartel and Acid Cloud Clan. I’d become very uncomfortable aboard the Scorpion, so much though that I began flying a heavy fighter again. My lieutenants thought it was more the drink that was making me uncomfortable and irritable when I was aboard her…but it wasn’t that. It was something chilling about the Corvette, like it had a mind of its own and its own plans…like those damned bloody Xenon…but different . When we’d gotten to Split Fire, the Acid Cloud clan had already gotten there. They had a destroyer with them and about 90 fighters in all. We had only the Scorpion and 150 fighters, medium and heavy class. We’d decimated most of the fighters in the first few minutes, but taking down the destroyer was another story. The destroyer had hung back from the fighting picking off a few of our fighters that strayed too close. When it was time to take out the destroyer, we attacked all at once. We lost 100 fighters in the first five stazuras, and it didn’t look good. My ship had been badly damaged and I was about to bail out when the Scorpion ripple fired all of her missiles at the destroyer.” He continued as the server set down the drink and deducted the credits from his cred card. He opened the drink and took a long pull on the bottle.
“The salvo damaged the destroyer enough so that the fighters could get in close and fire their own missiles. Before we could get in close and do any real damage, the destroyer fired what looked like her entire compliment of missiles at the Scorpion. Dalhart Von was a smart Captain. He fired on the incoming missiles and got a good portion of them, but the ones that got through damaged her pretty good. We thought the Scorpion was done right there…but she managed to make it through. A few of the fighters made it through the flak fire and launched a few hornet missiles and the destroyer lit up the sky.” He took another pull on the bottle, pushed the un-smoked cigarette into the ashtray, and lit another.
“The last thing that Dalhart had said was that he was bringing the Scorpion into Danna’s Chance for a refit, and then onto New Income to get more ordinance.
They engaged the jump drive, but…it was different…there were little explosions all over the hull of the Scorpion and what looked like lightning when the jump portal opened. It looked like the Scorpion was fighting the jump portal, and the portal looked more like a black hole than anything else… that’s the last we ever saw of the Scorpion.” He finished as the hair on the back of his neck began to bristle with the memory.
The woman sat in silence as she reached for her untouched drink in front of her, taking in everything that he’d said so far.
“Like I said before…” He added, “The Scorpion didn’t want to be found the first time…and I don’t believe anyone is ready to find it now…not for a long time.”
“What do you think happened to the Scorpion?” She asked, wondering why she even asked the question as it passed her lips.
He looked at her intently. Studied her face as he began to speak.
“Honestly, I really don’t know. For all I know it was exploding as it was making the jump to Dana’s Chance. As far as anyone knows, it could be spread across the better part of the galaxy. I’ve had a play looking for it for five jazuras…I’m done with it…if its found… the mate who finds it will have a wealth of knowledge from it. The truth be known…I think it was that experimental jump drive…looked nothing like anything I’d ever seen before.” He stated as he motioned for someone near the hatchway of the cantina. Now if you’ll excuse me Miss…I have other…obligations requiring my attention.
Two men stood behind her as she started to protest.
“These men will escort you to your ship and see that you make it out of the sector unharmed. I suggest that you head towards Boron territory and avoid New Income. The Pirates there are rather jumpy these days with the Khaak incursions as of late…good day.” He finished as the two men escorted her out of the cantina and to her ship.
All the memories of the Scorpion came back. The feel of the ship…and most of all…the eerie feelings he’d gotten from her.
Deep down he knew that someone would find the Scorpion and have the sense to dismantle the ship and dissect it piece by piece…that’s what a smart person would do. Put the bloody thing out of its misery, he thought as he rose from the booth and headed for the door.
The dank darkness of the cantina started to make him feel uncomfortable…and he didn’t like the feeling uncomfortable. Still…he wondered what had happened to the people onboard the Scorpion those years ago…no one vanishes without a trace. Go into hiding for a while yes, but no one ever disappears completely he thought. I’m living proof of that.
Warchild made his way through the hatchway of the cantina and headed towards the docking platform and to his fighter. He climbed into the fighter and sat for a moment as the engines warmed up. “Hello Warchild” The computer greeted him as the artificial intelligence went through a diagnostic of the ship.” Are you ready to depart the station?” The computer asked in a feminine voice. Warchild donned the headset and lowered the mic a little to speak into it.
“Set course for….” He trailed off for a moment lost in a thought as the computer asked once again for a course before departing.
“Set course for Omicron Lyrae.” He stated flatly.
Time to disappear for a while, he thought to himself. All this Scorpion nonsense coming up again…I don’t care for it. The past is the past, he thought.
The Barracuda slowly backed out of the docking cage and headed towards the dock doors as the computer navigated through the station.
As the station doors opened into space, the heavy fighter slid though the opening gracefully. Warchild liked this ship…felt like home…felt safe.
The fighter headed towards the South gate and after a few moments the Jump drive engaged and I the fighter was gone leaving only trace trails that faded after a few moments.
A few moments later, the pirate stations klaxons blared throughout the station as a Khaak Cluster appeared on the gravidar and split into pieces that came alive.
Well...thats the Second Prologue
I hope you liked it.
Like I said before, let me know which one works better...I think this one...but...its a toss up... just looking for a little approval
Cheers
)