Upon exiting the wormhole the ship quickly tumbles down below the Plutonian platform built for the wormhole and right off the Joint Galactic Wormhole Organization radars. As they descend into oblivion inside the pilots cabin chaos ensues. Razzo, Dre, Ostikous and Dengrad all frantically try to stabilize the ship hitting various controls. Finally one of them hits the right button and the ship's thrusters turn on to stabilize them.
“What a thrill we should do that more often!” - exclaims Razzo.
“I rather not that was stressful” - mumbles Dre in return.
Dengrad asks the room: “So now what?”
Razzo walks through the passageway to take a look at the rest of the crew. Despite the visible weariness etched on their faces, the crew members share a silent understanding forged through the shared experience. At this point they’ve already gone through quite a few different situations together, they’ve gotten to the point that they can rest side by side when they have a moment of peace. The camaraderie transcends the differences in species and background as can be seen with some of the Zenvas huddling up with Kreeg, Chorion sits next to Jata relaxing against the cold walls of the central cabin. As the immediate threat subsides, the crew members exchange nods and gestures of acknowledgment. Razzo turns back towards the pilot’s cabin after being assured that everyone was good. They set a trajectory towards the inner planets of the solar system. Most of the trip is peaceful as everyone takes time to have a much needed rest. The only communication that occurs is the occasional check on the radars from Razzo to Dre. They continue to show nothing until after the ship passes the interior asteroid field.
“Dre how are the radars looking right now?”
Dre turns back around to look at the radar readings.
“Hmm that’s odd” - replies Dre.
“What is it?” - asks Razzo.
Dre modifies the parameters on the radar and applies a few scans to confirm the suspicion.
“Okay so the radar is picking up something at the edge of our field of orbit. But I don’t think it’s the Suman hunters because it’s coming from the orbit of the inner planets which are closer to the star. Those planets being Earth and Mars” - explains Dre.
“And it’s just one ship?” - asks Razzo
“Yes, even when I tried to extend the reach of the radar to pick up any other movement, all it found was this one ship. What should we do?”
Everyone in the room looks towards Razzo as they continue to move in the direction of the ship. The inexperienced captain stares back at all of them the same way hoping one of them would speak first to offer a suggestion.
“I think that’s a question for you captain” - clarifies Ostikous.
Razzo nods his head: “Okay yeah you’re right it just might be. So I say let’s keep moving in the direction of the ship and then try to identify it when we’re closer. Does that sound good to everyone?”
There’s a slightly uneasy expression on Dre’s face that leads to counterpoint: “What if we fly away from it and catch up to planets by following their orbit?”
“But that will increase the duration of the flight tremendously. No, let's do it this way and see what happens. I don’t want to be flying any longer than I have to!” - replies Razzo.
No one says another word as they get to their seats and settle in for the journey. The ship slows down slightly as it passes over the asteroid field, one that is still slightly moving from the previous chaos that had ensued within it. The crew watches from the glass at the marvel and in the far distance several planets begin to be made out more clearly although in brief sights as the sun lights up the surrounding area. The calmness to see it from a distance subdues everyone in the cabin to slouch into their chairs as if nothing matters. The relaxation doesn’t remain in the cabin for long as Dre is finally able to analyze the radar data upon finishing the journey across the asteroid field.
“I was able to do some math and calculate the proportions of this ship and it’s absolutely massive!” - says Dre, snapping everyone else out of their daydream.
“Okay but how massive? Are we talking double the size of this ship, triple?” - asks Razzo
“Well look, our ship is about 350 meters long, now the ship that's coming our way is closer to 350 kilometers long. That’s about a thousand times bigger!” - stresses Dre.
Dengrad nods: “Yes the carrier class ships are able to transport whole civilizations across the galaxy and can sustain life on the ship as a planet in itself. They are incredibly tough and durable and typically can only be destroyed from inside”.
“Yes, the only issues for this type of ship is that they’re extremely slow and immobile, but typically the hunters that are on this ship protect it in close combat” - adds Dre.
Razzo asks: “How many hunters are we talking here?”
“I don’t know anywhere between a hundred and a thousand hunters?” - replies Dre
“So we can’t fight them?” - asks Ostikous
Dre shakes its head: “No, probably not a good idea”.
“What’s the ship's trajectory?” - asks Razzo
Dre looks carefully before answering: “It appears as though it’s going from Earth to Mars”.
Ostikous lets out a whistle: “I didn’t realize humans had such advanced technology! Well let’s align our trajectories and intercept them”.
“I don’t think we have any ships that big. We don't use our resources like that, but let's approach and find out I guess” - says Razzo.
Dre sets the trajectory to align with the ship and intercept it between Earth and Mars. Once the pathway is set Razzo gets to it to carefully control the ship. Doubt begins to creep further into Razzo’s mind as they get closer to the metal giant. Dre continues trying to identify the ship's origins and which system it comes from, Ostikous fidgets with some of his energy weapons and continues to daydream, while Dengrad stands by the window and stoically stares out into the endless void. It’s not too long after this that Dre is finally able to identify the class of the ship.
“It appears to be an A tier carrier but origins are still unknown” - announces Dre.
Razzo tries to think about the information and draws a blank for a while before realizing: “We need to alter our course immediately!”
“What are you talking about?” - asks Ostikous with a confused look.
Razzo doesn’t wait and throttles the control yoke downwards, sending the ship into a nosedive several planes below where it just had been. The momentum of the plunge causes chaos to break out in the cabin as many of the crew members hit the walls or tumble to the ground.
Dre yells: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?”
The robot fights to get itself back up before trying to wrestle with Razzo over the controls of the spaceship. Unlike their first tussle with the controls when they were back on Earth this time Dre has become more acquainted with Razzo’s tendencies. As Dre tackles Razzo allowing Ostikous to reach over to the controls and stabilize the ship. Razzo pushes off Dre and tries to get to the controls again but Dengrad pounces and body slams the human against the far wall of the cabin. As Razzo takes a moment to get up, Ostikous is finally able to stabilize the ship fully. A couple of the creatures from the main cabin take a peek to see what’s going on but upon seeing Razzo’s stern expression they decide it’s best not to ask any questions and pop their heads out of the cabin.
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Dre goes up to Razzo and grabs him by his shoulders: “WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?”
Razzo shakes off the expression on his face and answers: “I don’t know what got into me but I sensed danger and jumped into action, almost as if it was on instinct…”
“Why did you get a feeling of danger?” - asks Dengrad after catching his breath.
Razzo takes a moment to focus but there’s a sort of daze present in his eyes: “I’m not sure give me a minute to think…”
The three of Ostikous, Dengrad and Dre merely stare at the captain as he collects and puts himself back together. It doesn’t take long before Razzo fully comes back around to the moment.
“We don’t have any carrier class ships on Earth. At least none that I’ve ever heard of, maybe there were some on other continents? But I doubt it, that most likely is a Minerau carrier unless the Automatons that have remained dormant all these years have such sophisticated ships?”
Dre shakes its head: “No none that I’m aware of either, it most likely is part of the Minerau fleet. Good thing you took the dive then we were almost in range of their radar!”
“Wait, wouldn't they just be able to pick us up from afar the same way we found them?” - asks Ostikous.
Dre shakes its head again: “No, most likely not because we are like a spec to them and their radar will pick us up when we’re closer to them but not from a distance. The only reason we were able to find them is because of the sheer size of the ship”.
“So what’s the game plan then?” - asks Dengrad.
Razzo speaks up confidently: “We wait for the carrier to pass along its trajectory towards Mars and then we continue on our pathway towards Earth”.
Dre stares blankly at the human: “Why are we necessarily going to Earth when Mars is closer? I get you want to go home but does that make much sense?”
“Look if we go to Mars we’re just going to face the carrier when it gets there and at that point we might as well face it in the open void than on a planet. Might as well let them bring on the hundreds of hunters that could be on that carrier” - Razzo says dismissively.
Dre turns around swiftly and goes back to its seat where it sits down and sulks. Razzo stares at the robot for a split second before getting up himself and going to sit down next to Dre and grab a hold of the ship's controls. Dengrad and Ostikous exchange a glance of uncomfortableness that is felt throughout the cool room. Neither of them decide to weigh in one way or another so they too go ahead and take their places. A long silence takes the room hostage as no one wants to have another conflict. Each member faces their own internal conflict to decide whether the decision that the captain took was the right one or not. Razzo on the other hand is unfazed by the silence as he is simply determined to finish the trip and get himself home. The ship continues to descend into the void, but this time more gradually. As they begin to bottom out, Razzo adjusts the ship’s trajectory towards Earth.
“How long until the carrier passes and we can ascend to Earth?” - asks Razzo.
“Probably 30 minutes…” - replies Dre without any emotion in its tone.
“Okay kill the engines we’ll wait here for a bit till it passes and then fly up” - the captain informs everyone before killing the engines.
Once the engines are killed the ship begins to float with the momentum carrying it forward. The crew takes a moment to relax and look around at the different stars visible to them. The milky way gives sight to a beautiful majestic display of the universe. Occasional nebulae add a splash of vibrant color to the cosmic panorama. Wisps of gas and dust, illuminated by the energetic radiation of nearby stars, create ethereal clouds that glow in hues of red, blue, and green. These celestial clouds become celestial paintings, splashed across the vast canvas of the universe. Stars shift positions, and the vastness of the cosmos becomes a mesmerizing panorama that evolves with each passing moment. The view from the spaceship is a reminder of the infinitude and beauty of the universe, a visual journey through the cosmic wonders that stir the imagination and evoke a profound sense of wonder. Time speeds up and passes by quickly with each crew member watching the display unfold before them. A couple crew members from the central cabin come and go to look at the display without saying much. Finally upon the completion of the 30 minutes Dre signals to Razzo that they can proceed by pointing to the clock and nodding its head. Razzo nods back at the Automaton and jump starts the engine after Dre points to the correct switch. Dre turns on the navigator and a visual for their trajectory lights up. Razzo continues with the smooth sailing by taking a very gentle incline so it almost doesn’t feel like their changing planes. During this time the silence in the cabin becomes almost untenable for Ostikous and he decides to break the ice.
“So what are we going to do when we get to Earth?”
Razzo answers with a straight face: “I’m going to go back to helping the Tardigrade and help rid my planet of the Minerau…”
Ostikous asks with a confused expression on his face: “But what about the rest of us and get us home to our systems?” (valid question)
Razzo thinks for a moment: “I guess you guys can just pick a new captain after you drop me off, no point in fighting a battle that’s not yours”.
This comment does not go over very well with the robot that helped appoint him as the captain. Dre was already on the edge as it very much did not want to return to Earth given how the first go around went. Now that the captain is also planning on ditching the Automaton Dre flips out.
“That’s not how it works! We don’t just ditch our captain and go about our merry way!” - exclaims Dre in frustration.
“What’s the big deal, what's going on with you?”
Dre flings its arms up in frustration: “We didn’t vote for you to be captain just so you could ditch us when it felt it was a good time for you! We wanted you as captain so we could follow you! So whether you like it or not we’re coming with you, and you should have talked with us about deciding to go to Earth!”
Razzo rolls his eyes: “Okay I hear all that but you don’t have to be so whiny about it. Fine you’ll come with me and once we push back the Minerau out of Earth we’ll get back to getting everyone else back home, now does that sound good to everyone?”
Dre, Ostikous, and Dengrad all nod their heads in agreement.
Razzo nods back: “Okay good I’m glad we’re all on the same page, and I already explained why we’re going back to Earth and I figured once we’re here it just makes sense to make the most out of the opportunity!”
“So shouldn’t we then intercept the carrier and fight it?” - asks Ostikous.
Dre shakes its head: “That wouldn’t serve us well, we don't stand a chance against it”.
“And we stand a chance on Earth against the Minerau?” - asks Dengrad with an expression that can only be assumed as disbelief.
Dengrad continues staring at Razzo after the statement with Dre and Ostikous turning their heads to stare at the captain as well. It takes a few moments for Razzo to think up something clever and finally it hits him.
“We will stand a chance because we will have the element of surprise!”
The three of Dre, Ostikous, and Dengrad facepalm at the same time. But before they can offer up a rebuttal the ship's navigator pings an alarm. While the crew was chatting Razzo failed to adjust the trajectory and angle the ship more aligned with Earth. The ship's ping was to inform the crew that at the current trajectory instead of reaching the Earth they would instead miss it and fly directly into the sun. The only way to avoid it now would be to raise the angle of the ship quite steeply. This time the crew straps themselves in and gets ready for the climb back up. Once everyone’s ready for it Razzo yanks the control yoke onto himself, propelling the ship to quickly cut through multiple planes above it and ascend towards Earth. The commotion that the steep incline causes can be heard in the main cabin as various creatures yell out from the change in the gravity field and the momentum that causes them to fall back. As they get closer to Earth they begin to slow down. They find themselves on the side that’s facing the moon and away from the sun. At this point they face the east Asia portion of the continent and Razzo decides to wait until nightfall in Europe before making their move. Once again the crew is left to play the waiting game, watching as the Earth slowly rotates around and new regions enter the dead of the night. As the continents light up they wait for Europe to fully show lit up. The lights aren’t what they used to be as many areas in Europe are facing the Minerau invasion and as such avoiding drawing too much attention to themselves. Nonetheless big cities still have the infrastructure to have electricity and energy flow to certain areas giving whatever is left of the area the ability to light up. Razzo starts up the thrusters of the ship once again. The captain slowly aligns the ship between the Earth and the Moon. As the moon shifts into position the ship takes off covering much ground quickly. The dark silver colors of the ship help it blend in with the stars in the night sky. It doesn’t take long before the ship enters the atmosphere. Razzo signals to Ostikous and Dengrad to get to the gun stations just in case and be ready on the communicators to open fire if need be. Razzo hasn’t forgotten about the Minerau ship holding the airspace hostage and neither has Dre. Dre looks through the various data trying to identify the best way to fly through the airspace undetected. The robot figures out that the best way to achieve such a feat would be to make the ship as silent as possible.
“Kill the thrusters” - says Dre upon finishing its analysis.
“Why?” - asks Razzo.
“Because you wanted to have the element of surprise…”
Razzo nods his head: “Okay killing thrusters”.
“Plus this way the Earth’s gravity can do most of the heavy lifting” - adds Dre.
As the thrusters are killed the crew sits in darkness as they watch the ship plunge through the atmosphere. The ship is pulled slowly at first and gains momentum as the planet pulls it in. Razzo continues to carefully try to control the ship but it becomes ever more difficult without the thrusters. Before they know it they reach the white clouds that mask the metallic body and darkness all around them. As the ship swoops down through the night sky they glide their way past the clouds and they emerge to see the Minerau ship floating above Rome.
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