Ship Six

1. Ship Six

   #1

   Darkness
   
   Soldier Number Three, Shine to the technicians and the scientists, sat bolt upright.
   
   A booming creak. A bang. Rattles. Darkness.
   
   The whirring of the servos in Shine's arm could be heard faintly in the echoing vagueness of the nighted cargo cavern. He was wet, drippingly so, but he could feel the warm water chilling already- freezing to his armor.
   
   Was that a shout, echoing somewhere in the vast blank? Creak. Hiss. Darkness.
   
   Buzzing with tinny helmet feedback, and raspy from three centuries of disuse and cryostasis, a barely-audible voice came:
   "What... When is th... Doctor... Kahn?"
   
   Ferroceramic boots clanked on plasteel decking as Shine stood. Stood and then fell, crashing rattlingly against the deck, the roar echoing off into the darkness, bouncing off the sides of vast skyscrapers of crates and boxes, until the entire sightless world seemed to be filled with the sound of the crash.
   
   Again, the rasp: "Doctor Kahn? Ah.. Ahg... Doctor?"
   
   There came a scraping. Shine was crawling along the floor, gauntleted fingers clawing and skittering on smooth plasteel.
   There came a thought to Soldier Number Three: His suit had a light.
   A beam of radiance lit the metal surface of a titanic crate. Rayed onto the side was the label- "Assorted parts- hydrogen ramscoops (type 8, size 2)".
   
   "Where... The lights? What's happening?"
   
   The beam, trembling with the shaking of a nanite-boosted arm, illuminated a row of cylindrical cases- cryo-cases, matte-black and dead, standing in a metal cage on the decking. Soldier Number Three located his immediately- it lay open like a disinterred coffin, from which the walking dead were disgorged. It stood in a water which was cluttering with ice even now. It pooled and dripped on the plasteel surface, and icecicles hung from the edges. Hanging on the interior was extra equipment- was there a light in there?
   A hiss distracted him. Steam began to vent from another one of the metallic coffins. The beam swept to it.
   
   "Are you there? Are you awake?" came Shine's voice, floating to the unresponsive surface of the cryo-case.
   No answer came.

2. Ship Six

   #2

   Proximity Sensor/Automated 9G-451A Tripped
   ...
   ...
   ...
   Accessing main power coupling...charging power cells. Please stand by
   ...
   ...
   ...
   Power Cells at maximum standard charge. All cybernetic systems functional. Begin resuscitation of organic components.
   ...
   ...
   ...
   Organ Stasis deactivated, statis gell cycled out. Activating Organic components...
   
   Deep inside the ferro-ceramic coffin-suit, a needle injected a healthly dose or adrenalin, ephedrine and a cocktail of other drugs into teh dormant heart of Number 7. A pulse of power surged from the cyborgs power cell, jolting the heart into activity, sending the drugs through the dormant flesh. Within minutes, the heart was functioning on its own.
   
   Number 7 stood up with explosive force, ripping free of the gravity constraints and crashing into the far side of the wall. He screamed as his body, dormant for so long in partial stasis burned with fire. The claws of the power suit flexed into fists, only to open again into agonized claws as the phantom pain burned through the organic mind of 7.
   
   Eventually, as drugs were administered to terminate the psychotic state, 7 become rational. The battlecomp reminded him that a proximity alarm was tripped, and he needed to investigate. Still shaking, 7 accessed the computer system with a hardline I/O jack. The AIs were offline, which was disturbing, there were no commands being issued, he didnt even know if the others were active or not. The battlecomp released decision making abilities pending the return of the AI comptrollers.
   
   7 stood, manually reading the code to activate the sensor memory to find what set it off. There was a short visual playback, a creature walked between two rows of colonists in stasis, tripping the proximity alarm. A check of the chronometer revealed the ship was still 175 years from target. The interloper was not human...
   
   There was a faint whine as the capacitor to the power suit's arc cannon powered up from its power cells.

3. Ship Six

   #3

   The coffin-like case continued to vent steam as it had open only the slightest fraction. There was no verbal answer. But the whirs and clicks of machines could be heard coming from within. 277 had been dry cryo-ed. All organic material was encased within and did not require a liquid freeze to preserve it. Within the oragnic canister nanos surged through the thick amniotic gel, administuring small electric pulses to the encased nervous systems. The gel gradually thinned into it's natural liquid state as the internal heat regulator clicked on.The brain stirred back to life.
   
   Confusion.
   
   The cryo-case lid ceased to vent steam. The lid rose up and to the side. Revealing it's occupant. Concealed entirely by the ferro-ceramic suit, the smaller 277 began to show signs of activity. Within the suit, where the joints met there was the faint crackling of electricty. Small blue sparks. Systems powered up. Any frost melted away, pooling beneath 277.
   
   Screams in the dark.
   
   277 sat up right. It looked to Soldier 3. Beneath the helmet came the sounds of a readout being displayed. Soldier 3 had been identified as a 'Friendly'. With little wasted effort, 277 removed it's self from the cryo-case and now stood before Soldier 3. The newly awakened cyborg was shorter than the others. It reached up to remove the helmet but halted. Hands lowered once more to it's sides.

4. Ship Six

   #4

   Shine leaned on his elbow against one of the crates, facing 277. His flashlight beam moved to the glittering visor of the other cyborg's helmet.
   
   "Morning, sleepyhead. There aren't any lights. It seems that..."
   
   A great roar interrupted him- Soldier Number 7 was awake, it seemed.

5. Ship Six

   #5

   ALERT!
   
   Infared and Motion sensors tripped multiple times in various regions of the ship causes, unknown, investigate.
   
   ..activating Unit 1
   
   ..dumping liquids
   
   ..re-heating..
   
   ..simtulating heart rate
   
   ..activating central nervous core..
   
   ..data-link established..
   
   ..Unit 1 Statis: Aware
   
   One awoke slower than other cyborgs in the squad because of the many organic part he still retained. He had most of the advantages of a normal cyborg but was limited to stable atomspheres without the power armor he wore. One's light blinked on and stepped out of his cryo-coffin, greeted with the sight of 2, 3 , and the whire of 7's arc cannon. One was deployed with a light weight plasma carbine no bigger than a large pistol, he kept holstered at his side as he stepped. Any threat was not in the immediate vincity. He couldn't hear the drum of the huge ships engines a great many things seemed to be amiss.
   
   "Looks like duty found a way to worm back into our second lives." He said with only a hint of accent.

6. Ship Six

   #6

   277 looked from Soldier 3 to the other active unit. A brief sensor sweep followed by internal readout. Soldier 7 was also a 'friendly'.
   Beneath the helmet there came a shuffling clicking sound. 277 was accessing vision filters.
   The voice that came from beneath the helmet almost sounded human, one of the best computerized vocal systems in action.
   "Lower your beam" A woman's voice. A hand was held up, trying to block the light shining into her visor. With lowlight filters on, the beam was interferring with visual readout.

7. Ship Six

   #7

   Soldier Number Three lowered the light, as asked.
   
   "Anybody else awake? I count 1, 2, myself, and 7... Where are the lights?"
   
   David.
   
   "What was that?," Shine said, whirling around. "Anybody hear that?"
   
   David? David.
   
   "Who said that? Do any of you hear that?"
   
   David.
   
   Soldier Number Three shook his head violently.

8. Ship Six

   #8

   Power Modem: ON
   
   Full Function: 100%
   
   ...Motion Detectors picked up non-freindly...
   
   Programming:100%
   
   TRX-13:Aware
   
   Soldier 4 came on calmly, as the liquid that surrounded him went down into small holes at the bottom of the case and heat came on in his suit. Shade's visor switched to infered and the color of his viosor changed to a luminous green showing what was on, the lid in which held him in squelled as the pressure went down and fell making a large noice as it hit the floor. TRX-13 stepped out and recognized allies. He turned towards them and removed from a holster at his side his rifle, he held it his hands as he looked around staying silent as he clicked the saftey off. He looked around and turned his back on them as he only picked up friendlies. One thing, he knew. The non-friendly would be here soon and they would have to move soon. They couldn't stay here.

9. Ship Six

   #9

   movement...
   
   Soldiers... awake... noise...
   
   shapes...
   
   Blurred shapes moving... bumps...
   
   Hisssss....
   
   Depressure of stasis chamber... Opening of coffin door. yes.
   
   --
   
   Soldier 9 raised himself to push open the chamber, but due to lack of activity for so long, his muscles faltered, and the soldier collapsed, falling out of the chamber and sprawling onto the floor, where he remained motionless for a good minute.
   Finally, the Soldier rose himself to hands and knees, and the other soldiers would hear a sound similar to a dry wretching coming from beneath his mask. This wretching continued for several seconds, body shivering beneath the coffinsuit, before the soldier managed to push himself up and lean against the nearest container. Finally, Enigmas gaze peered over the room. His own flashlight was not activated, but he could see enough from the other soldiers lights. Enigma motioned to speak, but all that came from his throat was a ghastly rasping, which caused him to cough violently, collapsing once more to his knees an shuddering.

10. Ship Six

    #10

    TRX-13 walked calmly over to Enigma and put his arm under the arm of Enigma and lifted him up.
    "Lean on me."
    He said as he held him up. He looked around and held his rifle with one hand while holding Enigma with the other.
    "We better move."
    He swtched his visor from infered to regular view, he had picked up nothing else other then the soldiers. He activated his Combat-Mode and his body instantly became tense as his body would react to any combat automatically.

11. Ship Six

    #11

    Shine raised his head, and swept his beam to the right, down the aisle of cryo-cases.
    "Ah. Voiceless, you too? It seems like everybody's awake too early."
    
    David, can you hear me?
    
    "Wha- ch.. ****!" he interjected explosively. The others paused in surprise. "Ne-nevermind. Where are the goddamn lights?!" He slammed a metal-clad fist against the face of the crate, scarring the dull finish and revealing duller metal underneath.

12. Ship Six

    #12

    277 studied Soldier 3 before glancing at the others. Another sensor sweep. Mostly organics. She turned back to face Soldier 3 after he slammed his fist into a nearby crate.
    "Do you wish to alert the intruders of our presence?"

13. Ship Six

    #13

    Shade shook his head and repeated himself more loudly.
    "We must get moving, intruders will be here soon."
    He said as he looked around.

14. Ship Six

    #14

    One lowered his light, "Sorry he stepped over to a small locker marked one, all the Soldiers were equiped with weapons constantly even in cryo sleep as a just in case. Being mostly flesh One had armor seperate from himself as the flesh had to be in contact with the liquid to preseved. He opened the locker by inserting his hand into a slot the a small self contained lock scanned, recognized, and opened the locker. One pulled out pieces of armor and equiped them on his person. He had a flash back of himself pulling on a wet-suit and saying, "For queen and country."
    
    One shoke his head and plopped his helmet on, there was a smlight buzz as the helmet jacked into his senses through his data-uplink. He felt a sensation of eggs being cracked open and poured over him. His visual sense blinked them resumed in a complete 360 degrees view. The armor was dull grey with a thin black band around his helmet. That improved his sense of hearing and smell. Most of One's body was organic but his brain was mainly cybernetic as it had been blown out, with some portions left over such as memory and parts devoted to menatl imaging or imagination.
    
    One holstered his Plasma Carbine, and pulled out an armband that was recognizable as a MAS Sword. "Is this everyone, things.. something not human, has inffected the ship the computer tells me but parts of it are corrupted I can't figure much out right now."

15. Ship Six

    #15

    7 stood as motionless as a statue, the only sound being the constant low whine of the arc cannon as the capacitors retained the massive charge required to power the weapon. His eyes, now a collection of crystal lenses, photoelectric sensors, and other optical sensors stared blankly at the wall as it processed its data packet.
    
    "Primary action, activate all cyborgs." he said in a synthetic voice the came from somewhere within his chest. The arc cannon hissed softly as the capacitors bled off charge, creating an odd tesla coil effect as arcs of soft blue light, ionized gas from the capacitor, arcs in gentle loops and whorls from the end of the cannon barrel.
    
    Soldier 7 moved with mechanical efficiency as he faced the control terminal for the closest cyborg who had not yet awakened. The cyborg, more machine than man extended his right hand, a thick silver I/O jack extended from it like an obscene organ as he plugged it into the computer terminal.

16. Ship Six

    #16

    4 looked around himself and put Enigma against a crate as he took a position on the edge of where everyone else was and knelt on one leg in a sentry position looking out into the shadows with infered in case any iontruder came this way. He switched sfatey off his rifle and waited patiently. TRX-13 stood up getting nothing and started to make a perimeter around their area seeing that nothing was coming.
    "Nothing."
    He said to everyone, but he knew that wouldn't be true for long. The intruders would find them, they had taken the ship, and it was only a matter of time before they came here.

17. Ship Six

    #17

    277 approached the nearest data port. Reaching up under the the neck of the suit she removed a serious or cords, plugging them into the panel.Accessing what she could of the ships controls she proceeded to scan the ship. Checking doors and locating all active organics. For now the doors leading into this cargo room were still closed and locked. But ship sensors had located several unknowns heading in their direction. She unplugged from the data port, the wires returning to their place. The mteal plate was closed over the wires, concealing them once more.
    
    Who sent you?
    
    277 ignored the ghost voice. Turning her attention to the others. "So who of us is the leader of our little bunch?"
    
    Who sent YOU!
    
    While waiting for a reply, 277 began to remove the ferro-creamic suit. It would only hinder her movements. She started with her arms first. She undid the latches and straps. Sliding the armor guantlet off, cold grey steel like metal was revealed. But there was no mistake, steel was no where near as strong as the metal her body was made of. Those scientists had done some of their best work with her. Her cybernetic form was a thing a mechanical perfection. After discarding the guantlets were removed she tested her joints. Tiny cervos and sensors relayed commands from her brain to her synthetic limbs the way her brain use to send electrical signals to her muscles.

18. Ship Six

    #18

    He looked over at 277 and nodded as he walked over to her, he stayed silent for a while watching her before speaking.
    "Perimeter clear. We better get moving or the unknowns will come. I have already picked up from my motion centers that a unit of un-friendly moving our way. They will reach us in approxmately 10 minutes and three seconds."
    He said as he ran the numbers off in his cybernetic brain. He came over to Soldier 7 and nodded then he walked over to the metal doors and put in the code access to open it; it came open with a whirring of sound and he knelt looking out into the corridor. He put his rifle up and held it ready to fire when he put on his visor in infered looking out.

19. Ship Six

    #19

    "I suggest we leave our ferro suits in our cryo-cases and relock them. Let's not give the intruders any idea that we are awake and moving." 277 finished removing the ferro suit with ease. 277 was entirely made out of tantalum carbide graphite. Though humanoid and femine the heavily resembled an android drawn by some of the finest artists back beofre some of them were even born. A metal woman, stremline and lethal. Her ferro suit was arranged in the cryo case. She closed and locked the case, setting it to refreeze. There was no telling that it had been opened recently.
    277 looked to the others, her smooth head catching just a bit of the light. Luckily she had a matte finish. Nothing worse than being shiny.
    "Ship schematics places an access point about 5 yards behind the approaching targets."" Pointing up to a small crawl space." I can fit through there and drop in behind them. Pincer move." She looked to Shine, without waiting for orders she climbed up quickly to the crawl space. Though she was robotic, her movements were fluid, like an animals. Silently she slid through into the crawl space.

20. Ship Six

    #20

    He nodded and hand motioned to 7 to come with him, he walked out into the corridor silently as he started making his way down the corridor, he stopped and crouched on the right wall kneeling and waiting for the inturders to come down this way. He put his scope on and waited more. If this plan worked the enemy.

21. Ship Six

    #21

    "...Thais..." 7 said, removing the I/O jack from the sleeping cyborgs port. The system to revive the remaining cyborgs had been initiated. They would all soon be active. He retracted the datajack back into its ceramic lined collar in his forearm.
    
    She drifted in his mind, her hair long and golden like wheat in the sun, the bright sun. She was in trouble, what sort he didnt know but she had called him for help, and he intended to respond regardless of what these other walking buckets of meat and bolts decided. He shifted his weight and moved to follow #4, the floorplates groaning under his impressive weight.
    
    The thought of removing the coffin-suit was short lived as the battle-comp deleted it from active memory, the shell would remain. He felt the heat build as power again flooded from the power cells into the capacitor of the arc cannon. He raised the weapon to shoulder level, pointed towards the door. He could stand like this for hours, servo motors locked in position, alone with the hum of the capacitor and the near fever-like dreams of her.

22. Ship Six

    #22

    An idea came to TRX-13 as it flashed thrugh his mind, he was out in a meadow holding a little girl and swinging her around, her golden hair flowing out as the little girl laughed and laughed, her shining blue eyes happy. He remembered saying something to her and then the memory was gone and #4 was pulled harshly back to dark reality as he looked out into the darkness in the corridor his rifle ready and he alert

23. Ship Six

    #23

    9 rested against that crate for some time, first regaining his bearings with the world, and then studying the others - who had risen much faster than himself. He had always thought that his death would be the release of his service to the world. Now they had found a way to keep him on even after that.
    
    Eventually, he rose from the crate and Headed to his storage.
    
    Daggers... Yes.
    
    Within his container, a single-strap bandolier hung, on the strap, five weighted daggers were sheathed securely. Much better than those noisy guns. 9 Picked out this bandolier and strapped it securely around his torso.
    
    I know how to use these.
    
    Nodding softly to himself, Enigma turned and made his way to a wall. Out of the direct brightness of the other cyborgs light, subject 9 all but melded into the shadow, disappearing from sight.
    Beneath the opaque full-face helm, Enigmas eyes closed, and he listened.

24. Ship Six

    #24

    "Whoa, slow down," said Shine, holding his palms up. "All halt, people, you're moving too fast for me. What are you talking about? Intruders? I don't have a jack-in like you comp-heads."
    Nobody listened. He beamed a message over command radio.
    "All halt, battleroid units. Now this is how it's going to go:
    The lights are out, and apparently, there's some sort of intruder in the ship. There's no sign of Doctor Kahn or the technicians. Before we were frozen, I was authorized to take command in case of emergencies, and this seems to qualify as an emergency to me."

25. Ship Six

    #25

    From the darkness, Enigmas gaze turned to Shine, and his head tilted slightly to the side. He was correct, of course - they should confirm the situation before making assumptions. In response to Shines words, 9 stepped out from the darkness and leant back against a crate, folding arms in front of him and waiting - Even if he could speak, he wasnt going to offer any suggestions. Leave that part up to the others.

26. Ship Six

    #26

    "Thais needs help...follow the sparrow." 7 said crypticly, as if the words were the incantation of a spell, or the latin chant of liturgy. 7 could hear the rustle of wings in his mind, Thais trailing away from him in fear, her wardens missing, possibly gone rogue. Discretion.
    
    Instead of blasting the door with the arc cannon, he jammed the I/O jack into the door controller, accessing the control systems. He held the arc cannon ready to slag anything alive on the other side of the door.

27. Ship Six

    #27

    One stopped in midstep, he took a position near one of the coffins as 7 opened the door, he covered him with his carbine while listening to 3 speak. "Well if you have any bright ideas chap, now would be a good time to spill 'em."
    
    The Plasma Carbine glowed along the maw as the solid fuel cells were burned into the gases inside chambers that would combine and spew burning bolts of inquenchable fire. He had a large caliber auto pistol of a back up.

28. Ship Six

    #28

    4 looked down and took the order. He raised slightly and backed up going into the door and into where everyone else. He walked over to Shine and nodded to him.
    "Nothing has made it down the corridor yet, sir. 7 is guarding it at this moment."
    He nodded to him and turned around to look at the door once more

29. Ship Six

    #29

    277 halted in the crawl space. Reaching up she adjusted a few wires, lowering the volume on her com-radio. She felt the urge to turn the unit off but decided against it. She continued to move slowly, coming to the vent she eased her noise sensor to it. AE her ear, if you could call it an ear. 277 waited above the corridor that lead to the others. She would be the first to spot the intruders.

30. Ship Six

    #30

    "Alright. First of all, #4, #2, #7, stay where you are. 7, if anything tries to pass through that door, you'll know it. 4, stay on watch. 2, wait until I give you orders. Most likely, you'll still be going along the vent. But I'm not sure, yet."
    Shine pointed towards 9 and 1.
    "You and you. Fill me in. What's going on here, and what's this about an intruder? I take it you two are plugged in." Shine mentally grumbled, wondering why the damn techs never bothered to give him any jack-ins.
    
    David.
    
    "Sh-Ahg!," spat Shine. "Uh, nevermind that. What woke us up? If it was the AIs, why haven't they manifested yet? They've got holograms, don't they? And-where-are-the-****ing-lights?!" The last sentence was punctuated with palm-smacks against the metal crate. The surrounding crate-towers rang with the reverberations.
    
    David, come back to me in one piece, okay? I don't want you to die out there.
    
    "What?" whispered Shine, under his breath. Only #2, with her bionic ears, would be likely to hear it.

31. Meanwhile...

    #31

    Tschamak-Aschzra-Kumchrapux came before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators. He bowed to his knees (or his first set, for the Szchra possessed stroke legs), removed his helmet, and dipped covered two of his four eyes with his hands. He sat in this fashion for over ten minutes, as we would judge time, though for Szchra it was indeed a great length, and the pressure of being before the High Cogitators made Kumchrapux's perception quite too long.
    But it was a sacred pause.
    
    Finally, one of the Cogitators spoke.
    "Be welcome before us, our child."
    An attendant stepped forward, dressed all in black, with a visor of a black glass-like substance over his eyes, signifying him as one blessedly able to use his own voice before the Cogitators. He said:
    "This one would beg of the Sacred and Holy High Ones- shall this one speak for the visitor, or another?"
    
    There was another sacred pause.
    A second Cogitator spoke.
    "It shall please us that the visitor shall speak his own voice before us. We believe that this new destiny that is unfolding is worthy of his own speech."
    The attendant dipped it's head in acceptance.
    
    There was a sacred pause.
    A Cogitator said:
    "The visitor now will speak. Let him stand before us, and be blessed by the privelige of speaking his voice before us."
    Tschamak stood, but averted his gaze. It is not healthy for normal mortals to look too long upon the shining light of those who have true understanding.
    
    There was a sacred pause.
    "This one is only a lowly swarm-leader. He is not worthy of speaking before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators, those who possess the shining light of true understanding of the Universe. This one..." Tschamak paused, and glanced up. "This one shall relate this tale to the best of his knowledge.
    "The swarm of this one is composed of three great commandships, four battleships and innumerable swarms of deathships and fighters. This one's many lesser ones have been trained for planetary conquest. We have struck many victories against the Hated Ones, the below-worthless, honorless, strengthless, void-minded sons of the Other Great Fleet.
    "This one and this one's swarm had been in pursuit after a swarm of the Hated Ones, whom said ones had damaged greatly, and said ones had destroyed the heart of a hated enemy commandship. The Hated Ones had undertaken to use the Space Beyond Spaces and transferred where we could not follow. This one and this one's swarm had not been able to attach an observation-drone to the hated enemy fleet.
    "At this time, this one recieved a message from a lesser one, the command-leader of one of the swarm's commandships, the Swift and Proud Justice, had detected the remnants of warp-wake in the Space Beyond Spaces. However, this lesser one did come to understand that it was unlike a warp-wake of the ships of the Hated Ones, and together, this one and this lesser one surmised that it would be prudent to attempt to capture the unknown vessel, for it may have been that the Hated Ones had discovered a new form of travel. This one had believed that the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators would wish this new form of travel to be brought to the hands of the Holy Great Fleet..."
    
    There was an interruption.
    A Cogitator spoke.
    "The child shall not presume to know what it is that we wish in our Infinite Understanding."
    
    Tschamak kneeled immediately and covered two eyes. This shame and regreat could not be born- he would destroy himself, so that none would need to understand his disgrace.
    
    There was a sacred pause.
    The first Cogitator said:
    "Let the visitor be comforted. To him we offer our absolution of disgrace, that he might tell us of all that he has witnessed."
    
    There was another sacred pause.
    Tschamak rose slowly.
    "This one's shame is absolved. There is no regret." He continued with his story.
    "This one and this one's swarm did go after the unknown warp-wake, and said ones overtook it greatly, for this vessel was a slow one.
    "We came upon it, and dispatched observation-drones to understand this thing. It was a strange ship, and at first said ones thought that perhaps it was only an asteroid that said ones had mistaken. But in due time, said ones discovered that it was a great irregular asteroid, of the kind sometimes found orbiting as moons, which had been converted into a crude spacecraft.
    "The asteroid-ship was made with unadvanced, worthless, crude, and ancient technology. This ship's drive was slow and large, a great, massive, huge thing which had been constructed into a large crater. The attitude jets were similarly huge. There was little in the way of outer surface, but this one's penetrating-sights revealed that it was deeply tunneled.
    "Deathships were sent to the surface, and this one's swarm undertook to discover a region of outer mechanisms.
    "This one's lesser ones did undertake to open the crude airlock. Within, when closed, it was discovered by said ones that the atmosphere within the asteroid-vessel was similar to that of our Holy Great Fleet, though too heavy and warm.
    "Within the vessel, there were many tunnels. Many fighting-groups became lost. We dispatched many fighting-groups therein, and eventually came across a wondrous sight, wherefore this one stands now before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators.
    "It was a great chamber, and said one's penetrating-sights revealed many more akin to it. This chamber was filled to the very walls with hemicylindrical cases embedded in much technology of crude and unrefined make. This one believes that it bore resemblance to ancient technologies of the Hated Past which the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators keep in the Museums of Former Disgrace.
    "Within, lesser ones of the fighting groups did percieve a strange thing- these things are... difficult to describe, very indeed. They are not even like the Hated Ones, though they do seem to be like we Szchra in certain ways. They were frozen in a kind of stasis, like the archaic traveling methods. The fighting-groups did undertake to remove some from their sleep, though in the process, these specimens did die. After other undertakings, the fighting-groups and understanders therein discovered how to awaken the beings within without death, though the beings were stricken with a strange malady.
    "They are bipedal and have two arms. However, they possess no stroke legs. Their ability to leap is most likely worthless. Their outer integument is soft and easy to remove and break. In some places, they are covered in coatings of tiny fibers which protrude from this integument. Their facial structures are very flat and they have no snouts. They have only two eyes, but they also possess a large, complicated structure between them, which we believe is the nasal organ. The organ which functions like a Szchra tympanic membrane is also complicated and protrusive. Their mouths are small and full of blunt, square teeth. The understanders believe that this suggests that they are herbivores, but these ones also noted certain characteristics that suggest omnivorous qualities. They have no tails. Each hand and foot has five digits. Their sexual organs are pronounced, especially on males.
    "This one's lesser ones have overtaken to awaken some and dissect them to better understand their biology. These ones also have gathered a multitude and set them to work to determine their worth as slaves.
    "That is all this one has too report. This one is very perplexed- did not the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators percieve that there were only Szchra in the Universe, of many Fleets?"
    
    After this very long (especially for a Szchra) speech, there was observed an equally long sacred pause.
    Finally, a Cogitator spoke.
    "We did percieve this, and we have not percieved wrongly. These new beings are not from this Universe; they come from another Universe where our sight cannot penetrate. It is good, we think, that the child has undertaken to awaken these sleeping beings. This destiny seems great, and its unfolding will be a great boon to our Holy Great Fleet. No Hated One shall ever possess the secret of these beings. They shall be ours alone."
    
    Another Cogitator spoke.
    "Go, child. Continue the work, and be blessed by great understanding."
    
    Tschamak rose, and donned his helm, and backed out of the chamber of Sacred and Holy High Cogitators.
    
    There was work to be done on Ship Six.

32. Ship Six

    #32

    "Working on it, there is alot of strange coding that's been implemented into the ship's programming. The A.I. are gone I can't find any trace, their just gone. No traces of deletion but looks like they've retreated deep within the coding, their hiding from something. What the devil is this?"
    
    There was long pause, "I've got some video footage from a camera in the cryo holds.. Oh god damn't!" One jerked the jack out and removed his helmet. "Those sons of bitches. He jacked the jack back into his helmet and played it on the wal, the camera footage played reveiling horrid alien soldiers trying to reanimate the humans in cryo stasis rather cruely. "Lock and load." he muttered.

33. Ship Six

    #33

    Number 4 watched the video and sneered as it played itself out. He touched his rifle quietly and went to do his orders, he went outside and into the corridor where he knelt and waited to see if any of the enemy came their way. He wanted to get back at those horrid aliens in any way he could, and the first thing he was going to do was smash their heads and cut them to pieces with his precious rifle.

34. Ship Six

    #34

    "What?" whispered Shine, under his breath. Only #2, with her bionic ears, would be likely to hear it.

    
    
    
    277 lifted her head, hearing the faint question. She took an internal note that his sanity was to be considered questionable. The scanned through her programming.
    
    Should the leader be deemed unfit, unit should be replaced.
    
    It wasnt something anybody wanted to do. But when it became necessary....she would see to it that he was replaced by a more fit commander. 277 had no intentions , however, on being the replacement.

35. Ship Six

    #35

    4 looked down the hall and shook his head as he came into the crate room. Damn those aliens! He had seen video-vids of fictional stories of aliens, but this isn't what he thought it would be, nor would he ever had thought that he would see one. People wouldn't be able to comprehend what an alien looked like for several reasons, one, alien lifeform affected by diffrent climate, differnt stages of evolution(if there was any), differnce in gravity, difference in planet. But when he saw these, it rocked his senses.

36. Follow the sparrow...

    #36

    There was a sudden photostrobic flash, which blitzed the area with light for several seconds, and making the photosensitive visors of the battleroids blacken in reaction, protecting what was left of human eyes.
    
    "Well. There were some lights," he said, and then, as a loud, shrill chirp rang down from above, "What the hell is it now?!"
    
    With a flicker of holographic light, clearly traced in a beam from a far-away projector, came down a yellow sparrow, which landed on the armored shoulder of Soldier Number 7, chirping sunnily. It seemed the projector had trouble with size; for a moment, it was as large as an eagle, and then nearly invisible, and then returned to normal size.
    
    "I'm getting damn tired of this. Number 7, can you explain that?" said Shine irritably, gesturing towards the sparrow. His arm swept through the edge of the holo-beam, blotting out a small portion of the bird for a few seconds.

37. Ship Six

    #37

    XX-012 activated. His cryopod opened with a hiss. He couldn't see, and he panicked. He hit the ground as he stumbled forward. He was suffering from confusion brought on by the hibernation. He remembered there being others. Maybe they could help him. "Hello? Anyone? Hello?" He was crawling. Even if they did answer, he probably would be unable to realise they had.

38. Ship Six

    #38

    One stood aghast at the images of the aliens, he moved a little slowly, "God their ugly brutes." He pulled the jack from the his helemt and place it back on head. "Primary objective: protection of the colonists. primary objective: protection of the ship. Primary objective successful colonization of an Earth like planet. All three are threatened, our goals seem to be laid out rather well."
    
    He looked at the hologram, "I think that might be one of the of holograms, but first we need to resecure the primary cyro chamber from the aliens, you agree three?"

39. Ship Six

    #39

    "Follow the sparrow." 7 said without inflection. It was a mantra inside of his armored head, follow the sparrow...
    
    He shifted his weight, moving to face the same direction as the small bird, now stable in size.
    
    "Fly Sparrow, and I will follow." 7 said as his coffin suit groaned under the weight of armor plating, servo motors, and energy cells.

40. Ship Six

    #40

    Shade whirled around to see what it was and pointed his rifle at the sparrow, he kept it like that for a moment before lowering it and titlting his head. Follow the sparrow? He shrugged. Oh well, it would give him something to do

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