NationStates Jolt Archive

Ithiquan paced around his command throne, his armoured fingers clenching and unclenching rhythmically, each step made his staff wince, he was not a happy man. One of four Kukulcan Cruisers of the Jacara City State that had snuck through into the Sol system, making use of the heavy space traffic to hide themselves.
Chalmecatl was the only ship that had not made a good haul in booty and slaves, the others had all preyed on the vast shipping lanes and filled their holds, but by a matter of bad luck, Ithiquan's ship had always been last to the haul, and now he was feeling the pressure, and through him ,the rest of his crew.

"Damn the gods for their mistreatment.."

Commander Ithiquan shot with venom at the holosphere displaying known space.

"May they burn in their own flaming spit, for leaving us the only destitute ship.. all these riches around us, and NOTHING.."

The Commander quietly seethed, his micro pickups tickering away as they adapted to the changing blood pressure and agitated muscle. Around him the command staff raised eyebrows and glanced nervously at the two Sun Priests in their ritual garb, standing passive as they always do in their alcove.

Outside, the four cruisers travelled in a loose, widespread formation, the greens of the Jacara Cit State glimmering, briefly, on of the Chalmecatl's sensor arrays swung on automatic and focused on a spot in space that had perked its interest, a dead spot, a part of space blacker than the void, roughly circular..

Commander Ithequan was part way through the next stage of his rant, when the warning tones trilled from the sensor alcove, bringing everything to a stop, even Hotlec, the senior of the sun priests, who was silently planning the flaying of the Commander for his blaspheming, turned.

"Warlord, we are picking up a large drifting object in sequence 43, 23, 12 of Holocluster 12.."

Ithiquan looked up to the glowing orb above the command deck, and sure enough, a little symbol flickered into being, denoting the sensor contact.
The Commanders eyes narrowed, his holds were empty, his crew restless, and he himself would probably be sacrificed to make up for his shame of returning empty handed. In short, he had nothing to lose.

"Helm, bring us about and take us in, Communications,.. inform the rest of the fleet we are doing some deep space.."

The Commander smiled

" some deep space training exercise."

Almost gently, her green battle plumes glowing, the Chalmecatl turned and pointed towards the strange, dead sphere.
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/totalrandom/ships.jpg

The huge, orbicular vessel was grand in both size and stature, seemingly composed of a million segmented plates of black iron, engraved with arcane runes and symbols which smouldered a molten red where starlight fell upon them. Huge cannons forged in the likeness of snarling wolves and demonic maws emerged from dozens of apertures all over the vessel, and it retained a powerful presence despite its battle-damaged exterior.

Yet for all its glitter, picked out against the harsh white light of a flaring star where it sat becalmed in depthless void, it looked old and worn. Where once the baroque globe had sallied forth wreathed in dark majesty, now it was scarred and weary, its hull riven with torn gantries, loose pipes and the black flecks of meteorite craters. Where a gaping hole revealed the bleak interior for all to see, though, a dim red glow could be observed, and the activity of the drones that swarmed over its pock-marked surface like flies seemed to suggest that the slumbering monster still functioned.

A worthy prize indeed, for the one who had the strength of will to claim it, one could be forgiven for thinking. But the Reaper of Souls harboured a dark secret...

Ithiquan eyed the main floating holosphere, his eyes narrowed behind the armoured faceplate of his helmet, here and there details were picked out by the sensors, highlighted and detailed with pictogram script popping up next to them.

The Commander's brows rose as he noted the weaponry, and the sizeable running total of the combined eruptor output*

"Sensors, are our deep scans picking up anything?"

Several of the River Caste who sat at their consoles started reeling off data to the Mountain Caste member who sat behind them on a command throne, whom then in turn swivelled and gave a formal report to the Commander. Of course this could all have been done in micro seconds through the synaptic optical feeds, but they were not at war readiness, and certain formalities had to be observed.

"Honoured Commander of the Jaguar Caste, Warrior Lord of the City of Jacara, observations have noted no significant heat traces,"

Between each sentence the Mountain Caste operator touched his forehead respectfully

"there are virtually no power waves being detected, other than small pinpoints, possible drones, and a vast cloud of desiccated organic carbons wreath its form."

Ithiquan nodded with each statement, there were more, but already the important ones had been fed to him, no power, the thing was dead in space, no heat, nothing living onboard, and the clouds of carbons, there had obviously been one hell of a fight. Respectfully the Commander uttered a small prayer to the warrior god.
After a few moments silence, he turns his head to a woman garbed in shimmering robes stitched with freshwater pearls, her eyes bound by a band of snow white moth wings.

"Honoured priestess of the Moon Caste, is there anything supernatural within?"

Delicately the woman tilts her head to the captain, a small smile lifting her lips as she senses his slight shudder.

"There is nothing now, but faint traces linger of darker powers, "

Ithiquan grunted and waved his hand to get the witch woman off his bridge, anyone that was as close to the gods as the priests, were in his books, dangerous to be around.

"Helm, take us in closer, I want a full warrior band ready to board, and yes, that includes the Snake Caste."

The Captains lips curled in derision at the oh so necessary evil of the Snake Caste, those who work out side the bonds of honour.

With a gliding motion, the large warship swung about and pointed her blade like form at the floating wreck, and closed the distance, while in her belly, warriors donned their armour and flight suits.