8 (DSV Nautica) AU-945 part 1
Aki felt a little queasy to her stomach. It was time for the Erebus to once again depart to parts unknown. Except this was one area everyone knew about. No one knew what lie inside. Only one enemy was in there. Dragons. Ayr'een appeared similar to dragons. But they were very different. Draconids were, well, Draconids. Ayr'een on the other hand were very different.The average Ayr'een stood 12 feet tall, roughly 4 meters. The most notable difference between the genders were the males horns, and the females wings. Unlike mammalian species, females had no mammary glands. Both genders had no nipples, nor breast masses. They had pectorals, but nothing else noticeable. The biggest difference between them were the feathers. Ayr'een each had their own secondary color, along with shoulder feathers, and a tuft at the end of their tails. Their exact evolution was uncertain, but the best guess was from some ancient ancestor many millions of years ago.The dragons were fierce foes, and the only real threat that the Ayr'een had ever encountered. They could easily overpower even a small ship alone. And they hated company in their galaxy.
De'an was the first elite on the bridge. He was already here, warming the ship up."Captain. Resonance occurs for about one-half cycle in approximately 3 cycles. We have plenty of time."De'an was nervous, as was everyone on board. She would have to calm them down. She could have no mistakes."Good. Visualize entry and plot an FTL route from the center galaxy to the mid-lines."Aki tapped her foot in the captains control chair. She was excited and anxious. Zhi reported all well in engineering. Ka'ya was ready as well. Flare had her team...it was good to go. She sighed and nodded."Move out." She gave the order with an aura of confidence, letting it vibrate throughout the members of her crew. She was pleased at the positive energies she got back. The Erebus navigated away from its orbit, maneuvering past one of the nine dreadnaughts. Those were terrifying beasts. The Erebus itself was 3 kilometers long, but these behemoths sat at 14 km long. Their weapons could punch through the crust of a planet. And they only stayed in orbit around New Ayr.
"Would be great to have one of those..." She muttered and closed her eyes, navigating past frigates and smaller cruisers. There were roughly 300 ships in orbit. 90% of their entire fleet. Yet, it could crush anything it met. Well...almost. The Erebus let a low hum, followed by the warp punch. Roughly 4 hours to the center of the galaxy. Aki began checking the systems one by one, making sure everything was in working order. De'an focused on navigating the cruiser through the FTL fields. Most of the trip was in hushed silence. The calm before the storm hit full on. Aki sighed and contacted Zhi through the link. Reassuring each other that it would be okay.
It wasn't a good quality of her to be this nervous. But even the most veteran captains frowned at the mention of AU-945Aki laid back in her chair. The diagnostics ran. Stars shot off flares. The cosmos turned around them. Completely unfazed by the danger they were about to jump into.Aki, and everyone on the ship, felt it click into place. The resonance had been achieved. Time to jump.
"Cap-""Go."De'an barely waited. They all worked together, initializing the drive. A rumble. One. Two.The Ship suddenly lost all sense of space and time, and gravity. They were hurling through a void so vast and unimaginably large. In 30 seconds they had exited the wormhole, right into hells mouth. The ship let out a shriek and was cast to one side. Aki snapped up, the crew resisting tumbling head over heels, the floor at an odd angle. Aki gave the order to enter FTL."NOW!" The ship grumbled. It didn't budge. A second groan and shriek from stress.A draconid was attacking the ship. And probably had it pinned down. Aki's blood ran cold."Flare!"The protectors had already been in the launch bay. They launched together and bonded their energies across the link. But they were weakened. There would be no triage now. The crew who werent stabilizing the propulsion were busy casting their will powers to assist in the assault.Aki felt her stomach flip. 3 dragons attacking them. They had already hit the engines good. The ship lurched again. There was no time for talking, as Aki ordered the weapons readied and fired.
Flare had her team direct all their energies to her as she engaged the first dragon head on. She body slammed him and began trying her best to dampen his effect on the ship, hoping to draw some attention from the others. His mind was nearly overpowering, but her team was a good one. They channeled all their power to her. Reinforcing her in the defensive. The dragon was having a hard time countering their attempts to break his hold on the ship. She was mere meters from him as she snarled in defiance, suddenly feeling something from the Erebus. The weapons had onlined. The second dragon began hurling through space toward their ranks. With a massive push, the team let a blast of will out, stunning and knocking the first dragon back. The second one was closing too fast. As one unit, they shunted all their power from Flare to Lyn, another protector and the closest to the new threat. He collided with her, lashing out with his symbyote staff. She barely drew her rapier to block the blow, a surge of pain hitting her arm from the transfer of force. She grunted in pain, before falling into unconsciousness. The dragon grinned, but was promptly slammed into by flare, now redirecting the energies at him. A ripple washed through space, as the Erebus let loose a deadly will ribbon.
The will ribbon snaked through
the cold vacuum of space. Hitting the draconid head on. That was all it took to daze him long enough. The others were zooming straight at them. Flares team oriented their boards and flew at the Erebus, boards becoming magnetized and stuck to the hull. Flare grabbed Lyn and held her tight, doing the best she can to protect her. All the protectors hit the deck as the ship charged FTL drives and punched into the tunnel. They were safe for the time being. "Flare...sit tight. We have to fly for awhile.""Yes, captain." Flare flipped over, back to the outer hull, staring into the FTL field. It had always entranced her. It was soothing to watch. The battle had shaken her up, and Lyn was still out. They wouldn't know the extent of the damage to her until she woke up. Flare didn't feel like it was over. It had only just begun.Aki sighed and sat back. They would engage the cloak and then be totally hidden from the galaxy. And they could do their job."Set a course.""Yes, captain."On the undercarriage of the ship, the last of the three Draconids clung to the hull, glaring at the tech. He was just as determined to destroy it as they were to keep it alive.