NationStates Jolt Archive

Across the stars flew the ‘Ayreon’. Once it had been a proud member of the Royal Draconian Spacefleet, but since Azazel’s triumph over the former royal family it had been stuck in orbit over Draconis Nightcrawlis waiting. Like most of the fleet under Azazel’s reign, the ‘Ayreon’ was just used to patrol the Alpha Einherjer system. Unlike those of the spacefleet who were able to escape through the jumpgate, the crew of the ‘Ayreon’ lost all self-control and became mindless soldiers to Azazel.

However, they were no longer the crew of the ‘Ayreon’. Sat in the captain’s chair, now acting as the ships captain was Prince Kurt, former heir to the throne. After a previous visit to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV, which lead to a confrontation with the Sith on Tortuga DN, Kurt came up with a plan to regain his nation. It was actually after a talk with Andrew Masaki, Emperor of Coreworlds that the former heir actually began thinking about it.

The plan was to find the Norns, goddesses who controlled destiny and fate. Problem was that they had left with Yggdrasil and moved to an unknown area within the M66 galaxy. The reason had been Azazel’s attempts to make them describe fate and destiny as he wished it to be, but the Norns refused and of course he threatened them if they continued to defy him. No one knows where they went to but rumour has it that they left clues. Kurt wanted to find these clues so that he could find the Norns, he hoped to become the first person to ever change their minds. Though he knew it would be unlikely, Kurt knew that if he didn’t at least try he would always wonder what might have been. It was a tall order and he needed help outside of The Nordic Marauders and he knew exactly where to go.

“Wes, how far from Yavin IV are we?” the form heir asked.

Wes looked up from the control panel in front of him. “We should be nearing the Yavin system any time soon,” he replied.

Kurt sat forward in the captain’s chair, leaning on his arm. “I hope they don’t think we’re Sith,” he said, half joking about the way the ship actually looked threatening.

In fact the ship had no links to the Sith, instead it was based upon a design used be an old enemy of Draconis Nightcrawlis, the Goa’uld. The Ha’tak motherships were very well designed and having had many battles against them, the Draconians had decided to use the designs but with plenty of alterations. Knowing the history of ships, a lot of people still feared them and often small groups demanded that they be scrapped. Kurt was thankful that the Ha’tak ships were still around.

“We should be within hailing distance within a few minutes,” Wes then told him.

“Good,” he replied, finally relaxing somewhat and sitting back.

The last time the former prince had come to the academy, he had arrived in a stolen wing glider. He suspected it would still be there, if it was then he would give it to Eamonn if it hadn’t already been claimed by someone else. In that case he might have to recover it. Kurt looked forward and saw the Yavin system clearly on screen.

“Would you like me to contact the academy?” Wes asked.

“Go for it,” the former prince said.

Wes tapped into the control panel and a light lit up on the captain’s chair. Kurt knew what to do and stood up.

“This is Prince Kurt of the ‘Ayreon’ requesting permission to land a shuttle,” he then said and waited for a reply.


OOC: No tagging, theres a perfectly good subscription option, use it.
Waiting for a reply from CoreWorlds, all other posts will be ignored.

"Prince Kurt, it is a surprise to see you alive." The traffic controller said, remembering the news blurb about his 'death'. "You may land at the main hangar. Is there anyone specific you wish to meet with?"

'I thought everyone at the academy knew I was alive,' Kurt silently thought to himself before replying, "I am here to speak with Master Soloran and Master Elendil."

The Jedi Masters were waiting when the shuttle landed.

When the shuttle landed, Kurt stepped out with two former members of the Draconian Starfleet stood behind him. Both were of course unarmed.

"It is very good to see you again Master Soloran," Kurt said with a slight bow.

"And with you, Kurt." Master Soloran said. "You won't find the boys here. They have gone on a mission of diplomacy together."

"Ah," Kurt sighed with disappointment. "I was looking forward to seeing Eamonn and his friends again."

"Ah," Kurt sighed with disappointment. "I was looking forward to seeing Eamonn and his friends again."
"You will." Master Soloran smiled. "Now what brings you here?"

"Well we're on a quest to find the Norns and we're in need of Jedi help," Kurt told him. "Thing is all we know is that they're somewhere in the M66 galaxy, somewhere near the colonies I expect. I'll need your guidence."

"Hmm." Master Elendil stroked his chin. "Master Xavier, perhaps you and a couple of apprentices can go along with him? Padawans Zachery and Hailey Konosa are ready for their trials. If they succeed in this mission..."

"Yes, I know." Xavier said. He turned to Kurt. "Is that all right with you?"

"Well I was hoping to bring Eamonn alone," he replied.

"I don't know..." Xavier said. "When is he returning?"

"Should be by the end of the week, depending on how the mission goes." Armas replied.

"Are you willing to wait for him?" Xavier asked Kurt.

Kurt nodded, "I am willing to wait, it will give time to prepare," he said.

"Ok. For now, you can take a guest room." Master Soloran said. "If you want to, you can practice your abilities here at any time."

----------
One week later...

A Jedi diplomatic shuttle landed at the hangar bay. Two boys disembarked the shuttle, Daniel Masaki and Eamonn Jarlath.

"Well, that was a fun week." I said, griping about the failed mission. "I can't believe we didn't succeed in getting the Israelis and Palestinians together! Man, they're hopeless!"

"Yeah well they're like elves and dwarves, they'll never like each other," Eamonn remarked. "Lost cause really."

"Hey, elf within earshot," came a voice from behind them as they walked off.

Eamonn turned around and his eyes widened. "Kurt!" he yelled with excitement and hugged him.

"Hey good to see you too Eam," he replied. "Hey Dan."

"Hey, Kurt!" I grinned. "What's up?"

"Seeking help for a quest I have," Kurt replied. "And you're just the ones I'm looking for."

"What do you need help on?" I asked.

"Finding the Norns," Kurt explained.

Eamonn's eyes widened as he stared at the former heir to the throne. "The Norns?" he said, almost gasping. "Are you fucking mad? You'll never find them."

"They'll be found if they want to be found," Kurt then pointed out, "and they have left clues."

Eamonn looked at the ground and shook his head. "You are completely fucking mad," he remarked.

To which Kurt grinned. "You have to be mad in my family,"

"Sometimes I wonder about your language," I said to Eamonn, pretending to rub my ear. "If we can find these Norn, then what do you intend to ask of them?"

"Well we Draconians are not known as having the most foul mouthed kids in the system for nothing you know," Kurt smirked. "When we find them I am going to try and convince them to change my destiny, as your father told me it is my right to become King."

I nodded. It's something Dad would say...

"So when do you expect to leave?" I asked.

"As soon as possible," Kurt replied. "We've been waiting for your return."

Kurt then looked at the two boys. "Since you've only just returned, i expect we won't leave until tomorrow at the earliest," he then added.

"All right." I nodded, heading in for dinner and meditation.

"I need a shower," Eamonn sniffed before heading off.

Kurt teleported himself to the roof of the academy and scouted the immediate area. Nothing out of place, he could see Wes talking to Kiwi over by the shuttle. Since he wondered what it was that they were talking about, he teleported over to them.

"Eamonn back then?" Wes asked.

"Yeah," the prince replied.

"Good, then we can leave tomorrow," he then replied. "Your uncle and I have just finished plotting the first part of the journey."

*********************

The next morning, Kurt and Eamonn were up early and had gone to the dining hall for breakfast.

The next morning

I yawned, as I got out of my bed. I stretched, then began cleaning my face and teeth. Morning breath..bleh. I replaced my night clothes under the pillow, and took out a pair of brown pants and a tunic shirt, as well as a bag of my clothes and refresheries for the trip. I made up my bed, and levitated my silver lightsaber and hooked it to my belt.

The bag over my shoulders, I made way for the mess hall, spotting Kurt and Eamonn as I went.

"Morning Daniel," Kurt smiled. "Ready to go I see."

"Should be fun," Eamonn added.

I grabbed a Terran banana and some bagels, sausage and eggs. "Yup. Lemme finish."

Sure enough, I ate up my morning meal, wiped my lips with a napkin, and got ready to go.

Kurt looked down at his watch, "Time to go," he said, standing up from the table.

He placed his hands on Eamonn and Daniels shoulders before instantly teleporting the three of them to where the shuttle was. Already the others were there waiting for them.

"Hurry on board," Wes told them.

I was in the mess hall, then suddenly, brimstone filled my nostrils and I was at the shuttle. Very disorienting. I shook my head to clear the feeling, and walked onto the shuttle with the other two.

Wes settled down in the pilots seat next to Kiwi as Eamonn and Kurt sat down near the back and belted up for lift off. With them all seated and secure, the shuttle shuddered and began to lift off.

Kurt turned to Daniel and said, "First time teleporting with me is always disorienting, you get used to it eventually."

Soon the shuttle had cleared into space where the 'Ayreon' was waiting for them. The ship was like a huge golden pyramid, like those found in Egypt. It appeared that some of the outer panels could move. A beam from the ship guided them into the docking bay and once safely docked, they climbed out.

"Eamonn, Daniel I welcome you aboard the Ayreon," Kurt said.

Inside the ship was like standing in an Egyptian pyramid, the golden walls were covered with hyrogphlics. Though most people didn't know what they meant. The rest of the ship would look just as similar.

"Wow." I breathed. The hieroglyphics on the walls were impressive. "It's a beautiful ship."

Kurt smiled. "Yes it is," he agreed. "Though it is a Goa'uld design."

"My mother hates the ships because of it," Eamonn muttered.

"But no one would argue against how robust these ships are," Wes pointed out. "Would you like to be shown to your sleeping quarters?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." I had to tear my eyes from the glowing symbols.

"Come on i'll show you to your rooms," Kurt said and headed for the exit.

"Ok." I followed Kurt to my room.

After what seemed like an endless age of corridors that all looked the same, Kurt stopped beside a door and tapped on the panel. The door opened and he led them inside. For sleeping quarters, the room was pretty large with two beds at either end.

"Used to be one of the places wing pilots slept, had it refit into some much more comfortable," Kurt told them. "Hope it's to your liking."

"It's cool." I tossed my bag on the closer bed. "Comfortable, too."

Eamonn silently sat down on the other bed, throwing his bag against the wardrobe.

"Glad you like it," Kurt said. "We should be setting off soon so don't mind the jolt. If you need me I'll be on the Pel'tak."

He then turned and left room, the door closing behind him.

"Never been on one of these ships before," Eamonn admitted.

"Tell you the truth, me neither. And I've seen the insides of a lot of ships." I said.

"Always time for a first," Eamonn remarked. "I wonder who else is going to be on this ship, no one really said anything about anyone else."

He then slid off the bed and knelt down by his bag to unpack.

"Yeah." I took out my clothes and stuffed them carefully in the neaby drawer, then placed the refresheries next to the sink.

When Eamonn was done packing there was a slight jolt and a brief flash.

"I guess that means we've entered hyperspace," Eamonn said. "I'm going to find out where we're headed."

"Ok." I said. "Let's go."

Eamonn nodded and led Daniel out into the corridor. Trying to remember the way they had come, he began walking down the way he thought Kurt had led them from. It wasn't long before something dawned on the young boy.

"Now I know why the Goa'uld made their ships like this," he remarked, still walking in the same direction. "It's to make people get lost, I'm pretty sure we came this way."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Hey, I think you're forgetting something..."

I reached out with the Force, stretching my feelings around the ship. I was quick to find the bridge, as Kurt's Force signature is very strong.

"...we're Jedi." I added with a smirk.

"Well I was trying to find my way without using it," Eamonn replied. He used the force to pinpoint Kurt and smirked. "And we are heading in the right direction."

Without waiting for a reply from Daniel, he carried on walking.

"Ah, ok." I said. "But I still think it's a bit shorter when you use the Force..."

Eamonn just shrugged and continued walking. Eventually they did find the Pel'tak. Walking inside, they found the prince lounging lazily in the captains chair. The Pel'tak was darker in colour to the rest of the ship, in front of Kurt they could see a couple of people at the controls. On the screen at the front, there was nothing but a bright blue blur.

"Hey guys," Kurt said.

Eamonn walked over and leaned on the back of the chair. "Where abouts we headed?" he asked.

"We're having a quick stopover in Tortuga DN," Kurt explained.

"Cool." I said. Back to where it all began...

"It's easier to pick up the rest of the gang from there since its near the jumpgate," Kurt explained. "From there we head off into the unknown, I just hope we don't have to go to Hmiel DN."

Eamonn shivered uneasily at the mention of the colony.

"What's up, Eamonn?" I noticed his apprehension at the mention of Hmiel DN.

"Hmiel DN is not the sort of place any normal person would wish to go," Eamonn said, staring up at the screen. "There was an accident thre that left radioactive patches all over the planet, you have to wear special equipment to go planetside and you are still far from safe."

Kurt looked over at Daniel. "Theres alot of nasty things there, too many oppertunites to get killed," he added.

"Ok, maybe a little too much information here." I quipped, leaning back on the wall. "Nope, don't need that much."

A sly grin crossed Kurt's face. "Not scared are you?" he asked.

"Scared? Why would I be scared?" I asked, bravely.

Kurt laughed. "You just said it was too much information now you're acting all so brave," he remarked and leaned over. "When it comes to Hmiel DN, there is never too much information and if the Norns say we have to go there then we have to, it is our fate."

Eamonn looked over at Daniel. "You want to go somewhere else?" he asked. "We found out where we're going now."

"Ok, ok. We go where we need to go." I said. "Just...don't get us in trouble we can't handle."

'Course, I'm not afraid of anything.

Then an ancient, gravelly voice chuckled. You will be. You will be...

Crap...

OOC: You got Asguard/Goa'uld spaceships. I got Jack O'Neill's little buddy here, lol. :p

OOC: Heh :D

IC:

"Have fun, stay out of the bar," Kurt grinned at them.

"Oh no I hope not," Eamonn said, suddenly realising that a certain someone was on board and very likely drinking heavily in the bar.

"Hehe. Now what?" I asked.

"I think we have a God on board," Eamonn said, shaking his head.

Double take. "A what?!"

"He said a God," Kurt told him. He was still sat in the captains chair watching them.

"Thor is a close friend of Kurt's," Eamonn explained.

"Ah. Thor. I would like to meet him." I said.

OOC: Aww, don't tell me...

They heard Kurt laughing again.

"Well he'd probably challange you to a drinking contest," Eamonn warned. "Takes alot to get him drunk."

"Eh, I don't drink." I said. "Too underage by our standards."

"You're joking right?" Kurt asked as he walked up to them. He had a huge grin on his face. "You really have to put up with a minimum age for drinking? That is really shitty."

"Yeah." I said, rubbing the back of my head. "My dad always rants about how there's nothing worse than a drunk Jedi. 'Course, sometimes I sneak drinks from state receptions, but then, I was always careful to hold it. Just don't tell him, 'k?"

Kurt put his arm on Daniel's shoulders. "Well your father's wrong, a drunk God is far worse then a drunk Jedi," he joked and gave Eamonn a stern look. "We promise your father won't hear that from our lips."

"Well you can get drunk if you wish, I'm going for a training session," Eamonn said.

Eamonn headed off for the training rooms, just as Kurt had told him one was very different to the others. The training room he had headed for was in fact a holodeck. Outside the door, Eamonn tapped into the control panel and selected a list of scenarios. Putting safety on he selected Hmiel DM, knowing the Norns they were very likely to send them there at some point. He would use the time between now and arriving at Tortuga DN to get in some practice with the terrain.

Once the scenario was loaded and ready, the door slid open and he entered. All he found was a grey room with nothing in it. Only when he said, “Run,” did the room finally come to life. It was exactly like being in Hmiel DN, only in the holodeck it was safe to be there. Whilst Eamonn went about his training session, the others would be able to come in and join him.

“Computer, change to the Ulvter scenario,” he called out.

The area changed and he was outside the former colony capital.

"Hey, thanks, Kurt." I grinned. "Lead the way."

"Come right this way," Kurt said, stepping through the doors.

He led the young Jedi to one of the lower decks and walked through a door into a room that was unlike the rest of the ship. This room was more like a tavern, somewhat dark lit only by torches with a fireplace at one end. They appeared to be lit by real fire, but one couldn't really tell. At the opposite end of the room to where the door was, was the bar itself. There was only one patron at the bar, a large man who had his back to them. Leaning against him was a large war hammer that appeared to glow.

Kurt stepped inside and looked at Daniel. "Coming?" he asked before heading over to the bar.

"Yeah." I nodded, and walked with him.

Kurt sat down on one of the stools and ordered two tankards of ale.

Thor looked around. "Hail blue one," he said.

"Hey Thor," Kurt replied. "I want you to meet Daniel, a friend of Eamonn's."

Thor held up his right hand to shake Daniels hand. "Thor is mighty pleased to meet you young one," he greeted.

I shook his hand. "Yeah, you too, Thor."

Thor shook his hand, squeezing quite hard.

"Why are Jedi kids always such skinny runts," he then asked.

Kurt shook his head and tried not to laugh.

Oww... When Thor finished squeezing, I had to use the Force to heal it. Wouldn't want my sword arm to be ruined. I burned in embarassment at the "skinny runt" comment, but laughed all the same.

"You should eat more ox, put meat on those bones," Thor told him.

At the same moment, a roasted ox was promptly placed in front of the God. He tore off a leg and passed it to Daniel. "Here," he said.

Kurt leaned over and said, "Told you that you should stay away from the bar," he whispered in the boys ear and laughed.

"Uh, that's kinda...big." I said. So big that I had to whip out my lightsaber and cut it down to a size that I much prefer, and took a bite. "Mmm. Good anyways."

Thor raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No wonder you are just skin and bones," he remarked, tearing off another leg and took a bite out of it. He washed it down with a tankard of ale. "Need to build up your strength to deal with the Norns."

I smiled, as I took another bite. "As an ancient Jedi Master once said, 'Size matters not'."

"What was he, a midget?" Thor said with a mouthful of meat that he then washed down with ale.

Kurt smirked to himself and said nothing.

I had to laugh. You don't know the half of it...

I filled up with as much ox leg as I could take. "Hey Kurt, you know where Eamonn is?"

"He's on the holodeck," Kurt told him. "You want to go and find him?"

Thor meanwhile let out a long belch.

I made a face at Thor's huge burp. "Yeah, fast."

Kurt drank the last of his ale and stood up. "Let's go then," he said and began to walk toward the door.

Eamonn crouched down and readied his lightsaber. He’d hidden behind some creates as a pack of mutated dogs approached. Sooner or later they would sense he was there and would attack.

“Man Kurt programmed this hard,” he said to himself before peering over the top of the crates.

The furless dogs were much closer to him, but they weren’t looking in his direction. Looked like he wouldn’t need his lightsaber after all. Instead he took out an ion grenade and threw it at the dogs. After it exploded, Eamonn peered over the creates and saw it was a job well done. With that danger out of the way, he carried on towards the next location.


Meanwhile, Kurt had led Daniel to the training rooms.

"Looks good." I said, admiring the training rooms. "Which one is Eamonn in?"

"This one," Kurt said, pointing to a door that said occupied on it. "First we're going to have to arm ourselves, what would you like?"

"Lightsaber, blaster, and concussion grenades." I said.

"Right, as soon as you step through the door you'll have those weapons on you," Kurt said, tapping into the control panel. The door opened and it was like suddenly it was a portal into another world. Kurt stepped through and waited for Daniel.

They were now in what looked to be a long abandoned city. All around them was overgrowth and buildings that were in sevre disrepair. Unfortunately there was no sign of Eamonn, only the corpses of dead mutated dogs nearby.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Night of the Living Dead?" I joked.

"Something like that," Kurt smirked. "He went down that way come on."

Kurt then made his way over to an alleyway between two buildings.

I followed, preparing my weapons for anything nasty to pop out.

Kurt stopped walking beside an open door, he held up his hand to make sure Daniel stayed where he was. The former heir to the throne stood and listened for a moment before holding up his lightsaber. Silently giving Daniel a gesture to follow him, Kurt turned and stepped inside the door. The room was empty.

"Looks like we just missed him," Kurt muttered. "Using the force to find him would be pointless."

"Yeah." I said. "What now?"

"We use the senses we are left with," Kurt told him. "I programmed it that way so I can keep those senses up."

Kurt looked around the room, but there was no other way out. That was when they heard gun fire.

"Sounds like he found a stalker," he then said and ran out the building.

I followed Kurt, readying my blaster for trouble. "A stalker?"

"They're human, artifact hunters on Hmiel kind of live archeologists. They usually work alone and are pretty well armed," Kurt explained as he led Daniel down the alleyway and out into the fields behind the buildings just in time to see Eamonn deliver the final blow to a stalker. "And it looks like Eam has his own arse covered."

The stalker Eamonn had been fighting against slumped to the ground and the young boy knelt down by the body.

"Eamonn." I said. "What's up so far?"

Eamonn looked up. "Didn't spend long with Thor then," he smirked.

He then took a piece of paper from the dead stalker and unfolded it. There was nothing on there that he could understand, the were only smudged scribbles.

"Just a few dead ends looking for an artifact a collector wants me to find," he then said, standing up.

"Ok, Indiana Jones, let's look for more clues." I smirked.

Eamonn rolled his eyes. "If I was Indiana Jones then we would be getting shot at by Nazi's right about now," he remarked. "Well this stalker wasn't a clue, he was just in the way. I'm on my way to Ulvter Central Station."

Kurt smirked to himself.

"OK." I nodded.

"This way," Eamonn said. The young boy continued to walk down an over grown path that lead to a bridge crossing the river. "Just keep you eyes peeled, anything can pop out at us and someone didn't bother programming in an ability to use the force."

He glared at Kurt, to which the prince laughed. "Well it is a long journey from Yavin to Tortuga, I have to do something to keep my sanity," he shrugged. "Doesn't hurt for you two to not use the force once in a while."

"I guess..." It could be useful, as i've heard of things that block the Force...

"Like while in hyperspace I can't use teleportation or I'll end up being splattered all over the place," Kurt said.

The old bridge creaked and moaned beneath their feet. The river was shallow and on the opposite bank there was a small camp of about four stalkers sat around a fire. They looked up as the trio approached the otherside.

Eamonn not all stalkers will attack you like that one did," the prince then told him.

"Really?" he asked.

Kurt nodded and waved to the stalkers, they waved back.

"Hmm. It's like a saying we have: 'Not all demons are evil, just arrogant." I said, waving back with Kurt. "So where is it said this artifact is?"

"Not sure actually, I'm trying to find out where it is," Eamonn admitted. "Actually is kind of good practice for what we're doing."

"So the next clue is at the station?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah it is," he nodded. "I suppose you already know what it is since since you programmed this."

The prince shook his head. "It's completely randomised," he said.

"Ah. Randomness." I said. "I like that in a game."

"This is no game Daniel, this is a training sim," Kurt replied.

The trio made it off the bridge and were finally on the other side.

"The stations that way," the prince then mentioned, pointing the way that the path led.

I stepped off the rickety bridge, and I moved towards the path with the other two. "So far, so good."

"That'll change," Kurt muttered as the path headed into a forest. "Wait a sec, I don't like this."

He stopped walking and listened. All they could hear was the wind in the trees, nothing else was heard but Kurt stayed still. He closed his eyes and continued to listen.

"There is a large pack of mutated dogs up ahead," he said at last.

"So sue me if I'm wrong." I said, and readied my blaster and concussion grenades for action.

Kurt grinned as he opened his eyes. "We don't sue for petty things," he joked and brought out a zat'ni'katel. "Just keep your eyes peeled and your ears open."

The prince then stepped forward into the forest, Eamonn followed him with his lightsaber in hand waiting.

A flash in the bushes...I held up my blaster, but the shape is gone.

"There's something there." I said.

"You sure?" Kurt asked. "I didn't see anything."

Both the prince and Eamonn looked around, they couldn't see anything.

"Trust me." I said. "Something's out there."

I scanned the forest with my eyes. There! "Over there."

I pointed towards another bunch of bushes. "Look closely."

Kurt looked closer and raised his zat'ni'katel just as a mutated dog lept from the bushes. Two shots and it fell to the ground dead.

"Good work Daniel," Kurt congradulated him. "There will be more, keep alert."

"All right." I said, continuing on down the path.

It was only a couple more steps before they came across the pack of dogs he had sensed. Unfortunately they were horribally out numbered.

"Ok," Kurt gulped. "Something tells me that five hundred mutated dogs is a bug."

The dogs began making their way over to the trio, some jumping over the others to get to them.

"Oh shit," Eamonn swore.

"Crap." I cursed, as I blasted laser shots at the mutated dogs. "Are you sure that it's just a glitch?!"

We had to think of something, fast, or we're dog food.

"Pretty sure," Kurt nodded. "Computer, debug."

The world around them froze. Right in front of them hundreds of mutated dogs had already begun leaping at them and were suspended in midair, a close call one could say.

"Well it's not as if they could hurt us, safety is one," the prince then told him. "Judging by the bug we'd fucked if we tried carrying on with them and it'll take ages to set right. So we could do away with the mutated dogs alltogether since they're not all that difficult compared to some of the other nasties around."

"There's more out there?" I asked. "Damn."

"Yep, so what do you say, get rid of the dogs?" Kurt asked.

"Fuck yeah," Eamonn said, he could see the jaws of one mutated dog not far from him. It was a very unsetling sight even if they weren't real, they sure looked real though.

"Yeah. Get rid of 'em. Make 'em...go away." I said, making shooing motions.

"Computer, unload file 000240481_Mutated_Dogs," Kurt announced.

The dogs vanished from view and Eamonn breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Ready to carry on again?" Kurt asked the others.

Eamonn nodded.

"They're gone?" I asked. I checked around. "Yup. They're gone. We carry on."

"There are said to be many packs of mutated dogs in the Ulvter area, guess I or the program itself may have got the numbers wrong somewhere," Kurt admitted.

The forest would stretch on until they arrived at the train depot. There they could see several long abandoned trains waiting eternally for passengers that will never come. There was also an eiree quiet to the place, no birds singing, the wind had died down and the trains didn't creak or move.

"What do you think Daniel?" Kurt asked.

"Creepy." I said, and shuddered.

"If you think it is creepy now, just wait until you go there yourself," he grinned. "Should the fates wish us to go there."

"Knowing them they will," Eamonn scowled.

"Well," I shrugged. "Nothing else to do but go forward."

I walked ahead, watching the train for any sign of movement.

"Train depot's are always atractive to nasties," Kurt warned. "Last time I came here the holodeck threw a group of six stalkers at me."

"You've been here before?" Eamonn asked.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Of course Eam, I'm not exactly going to leave such a good place unexplored," he explained.

A train creaked.

I raised my blaster at the sound, and then sighed, as it was just the train creaking. Boy, I'm gettin paranoid...

Kurt looked around before climbing up on top of one of the old carriages. From the he could scout the area. Eamonn looked up at him.

"Nothing but a couple of zombies," the prince said and leapt down.

"Good." With my other hand, I took my lightsaber off my belt. "Good way to kill 'em."

"Right this way then," Kurt said, holding his arm out.

Eamonn began walking the way that Kurt was pointing. "I hope they're not like the stories say they are," he said.

Kurt smirked.

Things are still creepy, but I followed Eamonn to keep him from getting attacked from behind.

Kurt walked off after them. Soon the zombies were in visual range, they had been seen by the zombies, but the two zombies just stared at them. Kurt drew his lightsaber and prepared himself.

"Well, what are they waiting for?" I asked.

"Their orders, these aren't your run of the mill brain eating zombies," Kurt explained. "They're humans, taken under control by telepathic creatures. When they see a victim they send a telepathic message to the telepath and await their orders. It is currently seculating about us and of course if this were on the real Hmiel then we would attack the zombies right away but instead I can explain them to you here."

One of the zombies picked a long bar up from the ground and began to make its way over to them.

"Evidently this telepath doesn't wish for us to come any closer,"

My silver blade ignited, awaiting the enemy.

"And if this was real, I'd begin with telekinesis." I muttered.

"If this was real I'd teleport their heads off," Kurt laughed as he and Eamonn ignited their lightsabers. "This will be short work."

Both zombies were heading towards them now, both armed with metal bars. As the first one was close, Kurt leapt at him and began to attack. The other zombie was not far behind.

I took on the second zombie, lightsaber flashing and cutting into the metal pipe, then I moved to decapitate it.

Quickly both zombies lay decapitaded on the ground. Kurt put his lightsaber away and grinned.

"I just wonder what this telepath may be hiding," he said and turned to Eamonn. "Still up for working for that collecter?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

There was a quiet rumbleling sound that was very close to them.

"What now?!" I asked, as the low rumbling began, approaching seems like.

"Sorry that was my stomach," Kurt apoligised. "I've lost track of time so I don't know how long we've been in here."

"Hehe. I suppose we should get some dinner?" I asked. "Let's log off and see how much time we have left before reaching our destination."

"Yeah, I'm starving," Kurt said. "Computer, save and exit sim."

The world flickered and disappeared. All that was around them was the seemingly empty room.

"Kurt you are always hungry," Eamonn pointed out.

"I have high metabolism," he protested, folding his arms in a mock pout. "So the tavern room or the dining room?"

"Eh, dining room." I said.

Kurt grinned, "Knew you'd say that," he said, leading them out of the holodeck. "Don't worry Thor has so far never eaten in there."

"Thankfully," Eamonn remarked. "He eats like a pig."

The dining room was a deck above the holodeck. In it, there was just one cenralised table with two dozen chair around it. Kurt instatly took the largest chair at the head of the table as the other two sat down.

"Just order whatever you want," he told them.

"Hmm. I think I'll have some fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a Coke." I said.

"Just pizza and mead," Eamonn said.

"I'll be right back," Kurt said, getting up. He then left through another door.

Eamonn sat back in his chair and waited. "I hope this journey won't take long," he said.

"Yeah. But experience tells me that there's always a surprise, the unexpected, waiting around a corner." I said, leaning back slightly.

"Pirates probably," Eamonn sighed. "Theres lots of them in the area."

"A common threat." I sighed. "Nothing that can be done about 'em but to kick their asses."

Eamonn nodded. "We kick pirate arse at any oppertunity," he replied. "Know where's Kurt got to?"

Kurt! Where's our chow! I yelled with the Force. "Dunno."

Gee have a little patience, came an angry reply in Daniels head.

"Guess he got sidetracked," Eamonn replied.

"I hope not, cause I'm hungry." I said.

The door opened and Kurt wandered back in. "It'll be a couple of minutes," he said, sitting back down and putting his feet up on the table.

"Good." I said, ready to eat.

"It'll appear on the table in front of you," Kurt said, just as three tankards appeared on the table in front of them. "Going to what you two were talking about while I was out of the room, ever dealt with pirates?"

"Well, there was that raid a year ago or so, then there was the time when we managed to take down Chudda once and for all." I ticked off the experience with my fingers. "And finally, there's ambushing 'em with my dad. Much more fun than fishing."

"There's a notorious one that goes between M66 galaxy and the Alpha Einherjer system, goes by the name Captain Darkholme," Kurt said, taking a sip from his tankard. "Course since my grandfather really hates him he's become a sort of hero in the colonies."

"So you want to bring him on our side or something?" I asked.

"Somehow I think he already is," Kurt said.

A rogue smile crossed my face. "Don't tell me Han Solo's come back from the grave!"

Kurt shook his head. "It's all these reports that he only attacks Azazel's ships," he mentioned, "Passenger ships can safely go past him, people have said that when the ship is really close you can see the people on the bridge and Darkholme smiles and waves to them."

"A nice pirate..." Doesn't really jive, though. "So are we going to meet him anytime soon?" I asked, sipping my drink.

"We could if we spent enough time hanging around taverns on Tortuga," Eamonn said just before their food appeared.

"Well he might still think this ships under my grandfathers orders," Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah. We'll have to figure out some way of making sure he doesn't run or fight before we talk with him." I said.

"Well if we meet him in a tavern he'll never get away from me," Kurt smirked before digging into the huge pile of lasagna in front of him. "With my agility and my teleportation he'll never get away."

"Unless he teleports too," Eamonn pointed out with a mouthful of pizza.

"Unlikely," the prince remarked.

"Plus we have telekinesis to help out if needed." I said, chomping on a wing.

"I heard some bounty hunter went to try and get him and everyone in the tavern drew the weapons the moment he threatened Darkholme," Eamonn told them. "Still I think they'd choose their rightful ruler over a pirate anyday though."

"I hope, or it'll get messy," Kurt sighed. "WHat do you think Dan?"

"Any way we could do this with minimal bloodshed would be great." I said, chewing on a drumstick. "After all, civil war would be bad, for everyone."

Kurt sighed, civil war was a very unsettling thought. "I'm still worried about what would happen should my grandfather discover the colonies," he said before gulping down his drink.

"I don't want anything like those Dark Jedi's again," Eamonn muttered.

"Whatever happens, you know that I'll stick with you." I said, eating the last of the chicken. "So will my Dad. He'll send a fleet if he has to."

"I know," Kurt nodded. "We still have two of your ships patrolling the jumpgate area just in case."

"Cool." I said. "Are we there yet?"

Kurt shook his head. "Takes a little longer using these ships then what you are used to," he explained.

Eamonn let out a burp as he finished off his pizza.

"Ok." I said, downing the mashed potatoes and the Coke with it.

"Don't think we should return to the holodeck for at least another hour," Kurt said. Having finished his meal he placed the fork on the plate and cracked his knuckles. "So what do you two want to do in the meantime?"

Eamonn shrugged and said, "Dunno."

"Eh. I like holochess or something if there's nothing else to do." I said.

"Could do," Kurt said. "I'm shite at any kind of chess though."

"Could always learn." I shrugged. "You do have a chess board somewhere, do you?"

Kurt ran a hand through his hair. "To be honest I don't think so," he admitted.

"Awww...." I said. "Might as well get some rest then."

OOC: Can you please get to the next part of the story? It seems to be stalling here.

OOC: was plaaning to have them arrive in the next few posts anyway.

"Would be good to get some sleep," Kurt said, standing up from the table. "If you sleep long enough, we should be there by the time we wake up."

OOC: Then get to it! lol.

IC:
"All right. G'night, then." I said, then headed back through the winding corridors to my dorm room. Once there, I took off my shirt, placed it on a chair, and then fell on the bed. Soon enough, I was asleep.

Eamonn went back to the room he and Daniel were sharing. He flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes, he fell asleep almost immediately. Kurt however didn't go back his quarters, he instead went back to the Pel'tac. Wes looked up as he entered.

"How much longer?" the prince asked as he settled down in the captains chair.

"Not much longer," Wes told him.

Two hours later, the ship dropped out of hyperspace and made its way to Tortuga DN, the planet growing larger on screen. Kurt headed off to the docking bay to prepare to land via the shuttle.

Eamonn rolled over and woke up. He yawned away the last remanants of sleep and sat up. From his bed it looked as though Daniel was still asleep. Since he felt as though he'd had plenty of sleep, Eamonn figured he had been asleep for a couple of hours or so and he decided to get up. Ever so silenty, as to not wake Daniel, he creapt out of the room and went to look for Kurt. Passing through corridor that had windows to the outside, he could clearly see that they were now in orbit over Tortuga DN. He knew exactly where to go and found Kurt getting the shuttle ready.

"Daniel up?" the prince asked.

Eamonn shook his head.

"Well get what you need from your room and come back here with him," Kurt then told him. "We should be good to go then."

The young boy nodded and headed back.

"Hey, Daniel! Wake up!" Eamonn shook my sleeping body.

"mmmm...don't wanna...zzzzzz..." I kept on snoring away.

"Hmph." Eamonn looked around for something to wake his sleeping friend, and smirked. He poured some water and used TK to splash it on my face.

"HEY--Glub--Cut it out!" I yelped in surprise as cold and wet forced me awake.

"We gotta go, now. We're over Tortuga DN." He said, trying not to laugh.

"Ok, ok." I grabbed a towel, dried myself off and then put my shirt back on. Soon, I had my bag packed with a couple items I'm and ready to go.

Eamonn headed back to the shuttle with a wide grin on his face. Kurt instantly noticed it when he made it to the docking bay.

"What are you grinning about?" he asked.

"Ask Daniel," the boy replied before climbing aboard the shuttle.

"Don't ask." I muttered, still a bit wet, as I hopped in after Eamonn.

Kurt laughed as he headed inside after them. He settled down in the co-pilots seat alongside Wes. The docking bay doors opened and the shuttle lifted off. Heading through the bay doors, the planet spread out below them, Wes piloted the shuttle down to the colony. Eamonn was always relieved when the shuttle landed as he always feared being attacked by pirates. Kurt didn't bother waiting for Wes to open the shuttle doors and teleported himself outside.

I disembarked with Eamonn, setting foot for the second time on a planet where once before, I had a major turning point in my life. Now, it is peaceful and quiet, just the way I like it.

"So where are we heading?" Eamonn asked, he yawned as he walked up to Kurt.

"Up to the governers palace," he replied. "Need to speak with Lady Rasputin."

The prince then lead them out into the main square. Everything was calm and quiet as the afternoon sun shone above them. Some of the locals cheered the prince as they walked through, Kurt waved back at them.

"Lady Rasputin, eh? Odd name..." I said. "Don't think I met her, even the last time I was here..."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you did," he replied. "Your father certainly met her."

They could see the governers palace on the hills over looking the colony. Since it was built, the colony had only grown a fraction. The residents whom were mostly scientists prefered to keep the lush jungle unspoilt.

"Hmm. Nice place." I said with characteristic understatement. "I see why someone would like to live here."

"And it'll stay this way," Kurt said, before his expression began to look cold and angry. "Unless of course my grandfather works out what the jumpgate is. He's too stupid with modern tech though."

"He won't get here," Wes promised.

Kurt looked up, there were nearly at the governers palace and they could see the guards moving about.

I walked with the others, seeing the guards around. "Who's going to ring the doorbell?"

The other three gave Daniel a strange stare as they arrived at the palace steps. The doors at the top opened and they saw Lady Rasputin walk out.

"Good to see you have returned safely your majesty," she said.

Kurt smiled. "As I always do Lady Rasputin," he smirked.

Even she managed a smile at that. "Come inside and make yourselves at home," she then said and turned to go back inside.

Coming inside, I could definitely see how nice it is to live in such a house. I know, because I'm royalty as well, and I know what it's like to be rich. 'Course, that's tempered by reality. Every royal kid should get doses of reality inside them, so that they don't get spoiled.

Kurt picked up that thought by accident. Nothing closer to reality then what I've been through Daniel he said telepathically.

The governess lead them into a large sitting room with a roaring fire at the far end. Closer to where they were stood were several fully stocked bookcases.

"Make yourselves comfortable," she told them. "I have some other buisness to attend to."

Yeah. Same with me. I walked up to take a look at the books, careful not to touch them. There are some familiar classics, as well as books that are probably so heavy, it'll be impossible to read. And then there are some that seem to do with politics...

After my father was ki... was overthrown I spents months living in dingy places Kurt told him. Worst place I stayed in was Caer Chan Caddug, and by the way you can read the books.

Wes took a book and sat down in a chair in front of the fire. Eamonn wasn't into books and just sat down.

"I was expecting the others to be here before us," Kurt said.

"Heh. I can't believe Oliver Twist made it this far." I chuckled, and sat down to read that book.

"Why? It is a classic after all," Wes said, looking over the top of the book he was reading.

Kurt was pacing around much to Eamonn's annoyance.

"Kurt why can't you just sit down?" he asked.

Kurt shook his head. "There is something not right here," he said. "Quatre and the others should have shown up when we arrived."

"You sure they aren't just late, traffic jam or something?" I said, but something about his voice made me look up from the 'pickpocket scene'.

"Traffic in space? No fucking chance," Kurt replied. "There were on their way here when we left for the academy and we waited about a week for you two to return."

The prince placed his hands behind his head, this was very worrying for him.

"Perhaps they are not aware of our arrival," Wes pointed out.

I put down my book, dog-earing the page. "Now that's interesting. A week should be more than enough time to get here."

Kurt continued to pace around. "They should be here, they'd have been told when the 'Ayreon' came out of hyperspace."

At that moment the door to the room opened and a dark haired man stepped inside, next to him was a blond boy of about Kurt's age.

"Quatre!" Kurt yelled and leapt at his friend, hugging him. "Man I am so glad to see you."

"It is good to see that you are alive your majesty," the man said. "I feared that you had fallen into Azazel's hands once again."

Kurt stepped back from Quatre. "Darkholme?" he growled.

The man nodded.

"Darkholme?" I asked.

"Darkholme the pirate," Kurt growled. "What the fuck are you doing here."

Quatre placed a hand on the princes chest. "Cool it Kurt, we do need someone who knows their way around M66," he said.

"And we do have a common enemy," Captain Darkholme said.

Eamonn and Wes were silently watching.

"Ok, I'm confused." I said. "What's going on here?"

"I am acting as your guide through the deepest part of this galaxy where few dare to venture," Captain Darkholme explained. "Lady Rasputin reccomended me."

"And the rest of us accepted," Quatre said. "We need him and if he tries anything we can over power him."

Kurt scowled. "Fine," he growled, glaring at the pirate.

No love lost between 'em, eh? I sent to Eamonn. Know anything of their history?

As far as I know this is the first time they've met, Eamonn replied. Captain Darkholme is a pirate remember, pirates are all the same no matter what we said about him during dinner.

"You try anything and I will crush your brain and you will die a slow agonising death," Kurt threatened.

Captain Darkholme just shrugged his shoulders. "Lady Rasputin has already threatened to phase my brain through my skull," he said.

"Kurt." I sent him a warning glance.

Kurt looked over at Daniel, "What?" he asked.

Captain Darkholme was grinning.

"You don't torture for torture's sake, even if you wish for you enemy's death." I said, seriously. "That is the mark of darkness."

"But as for you, Captain Darkholme. I would not hesitate to throw you out of an airlock myself if you betray us." I added calmly, as if talking about the weather. "You understand me clearly?"

"If he deserves it I will," Kurt growled, glaring at the pirate.

Captain Darkholme raised his eyebrow at Daniel. "Interesting company you keep these days your majesty," he said. "Jedi's in training. You do not have to worry about me betraying you."

"Very well." I said. "How soon can we head to our destination?"

"If it were only that simple boy," Captain Darkholme said, scratching the stubble on his chin. "From what I have been told, you are looking for clues." He looked directly at Kurt. "Don't suppose you have a starting point yet then?"

"No," Kurt scowled, he then looked at the others as if to ask them if they had any clues yet.

"Well in that case I say we start with that abandoned 5CN colony," the pirate then suggested.

Kurt looked over at Quatre, who just nodded at him. "Fine," the prince said.

"Well, there's a starting point, at least." I shrugged, and put back the book on the shelf.

"I heard the space-station there is haunted," Eamonn mentioned.

"All the more fun then," Captain Darkholme said as he left the room.

"Can we leave him there?" Kurt asked as he followed the others back to the shuttle.

I chuckled. "Nah. He's too useful to die...for now."

Then I turned around, to Eamonn. "Did you just say haunted? Cool!"

"Yeah it is," Eamonn said as they left the governers palace. "Apparently it makes System Shock 2 look tame."

They were soon on board the shuttle preparing for take off. There were now a few more people onboard then when they landed.

As we got on, I wondered about the haunted station. I hoped it won't contain Xenomorphs or some other nasty alien creature, but then, I've been watching too many holoflicks, so I just shook my head at the thought.

Kurt and Wes were of course in the front piloting the shuttle as it lifted off. Eamonn said nothing and just glared at Captain Darkholme, he didn't like the idea of a pirate being with them even if he was often celebrated as a hero in the colonies. Soon the shuttle was safely back in the ships docking bay, Wes lead Captain Darkholme off to show him his quarters, before he did so, Kurt whispered something in his ear and Wes nodded.

I headed into my dorm, and laid on the bed, still wondering what could be next.

Kurt headed for the Pel'tac while Eamonn went back to their Quarters. "Should be awhile before we go back into hyperspace," he told Daniel. "Then I'm told its an hour to the abandoned space-station."

"Cool." I said. "You know, I think we'd better start preparing for anything. Let's go back into that holodeck and train."

"Sure why not," Eamonn said. He then headed for the door. "Don't think we can carry on that one without Kurt, want to try something different?"

"Sure. Which one?" I pulled up a list of scenarios.

"I don't know," Eamonn said looking at the various scenarios. "There sure are alot based on killing Azazel though. I think we should keep clear of those ones."

"Yeah." I rolled my eyes. "Someone is going to have to tell Kurt that revenge is not a good idea."

"I think he expects that Azazel will die by his hand," Eamonn said. "But that's entirely up to the Norns like you and Tak'a-Tamen."

Eamonn scrolled through more of the scenarios. "Vampire's in Caer Chan Caddug sounds good,"

"Vampires?" I raised an eyebrow. "Be sure to program our powers in. We won't be able to be fast enough to handle them otherwise."

Eamonn checked everything about the scenario. "Yep powers are included," he said. "Good to kick vamp arse."

"Hehe. Ready when you are." I said, as I unbuckled my lightsaber.

Eamonn stepped through into the dull grey room that was the holodeck. He waited for Daniel to go inside before turning the sim on. They down found themselves in the dark.

"Should have remembered it would be this dark in Caer Chan Caddug," Eamonn said with a laugh and turned on a torch.

The light hit against what looked like cave walls.

I pulled out a glowrod and lit it. "Yeah, dark and gloomy, this place is. You know bloodsuckers."

"The Nordic Mauraders had their base down here before switching it to this ship," Eamonn explained as they followed the tunnel down into the darkness. "It was the only place in Draconis Nightcrawlis that Azazel didn't know about."

The soon encountered a door, Eamonn prepared his lightsaber. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Cut through or blast it down with TK. Decisions, decisions." I said, my lightsaber ready to ignite at a moment's notice.

"Actually I was thinking more of being prepared for what might be on the other side," Eamonn said, he tried the handle and found it unlocked. "See, now just get ready."

He didn't wait for Daniel to get ready and instead kicked open the door. At first nothing happened. Just as Eamonn thought the coast was clear a vampire jumped out at Daniel.