Characters and story by KobyFennec

Separation

Rick awoke to the sound of the proximity alarm blaring through the ship, emergency lights flashing idly as he raced to the cockpit. The forward view screen was empty when Rick entered, the instruments showing him a grim scenario as a large object continued to descend towards him from above, the ship shaking form the initial impact of the large salvaging claws as they tore into his hull, making escape impossible. Rick pounded the console in frustration, changing the camera view to try and find any identifying markings on the other ship that dwarfed his own, hoping to figure out what they wanted before they could board him. At the same time, Rick activated the communication system but to his dismay, the antenna had already been demolished by the large claws that currently affixed his ship to the other just overhead. Seconds later, the airlock door began to cycle, the intruders wasting no time as they boarded, their large bulky space suits identifying them as reptilian in stature. A small group broke off from the main mass, heading towards the back of the ship while others began searching the forward compartments, a group of three reptilians stepping up to shove large and quite deadly blaster rifles into Rick’s face. Rick let them do as they pleased, having been in similar situations before and knowing that until they found what they were after, he was safe. After only a few minutes, the main group of reptilians had once again left through the airlock though the sounds of their search still rang in Ricks ears. 

The largest of the group in front of him tapped a button beside its neck, a computerized voice translating its speech as it spoke. “Where is the one you picked up from the wreck of the Opterra? We have reason to believe that it is still alive and in your possession. Reply or we will destroy your vessel.” Rick’s heart sank, a new fear washing over him. He thought about telling them he sold the creature, but from the way they had been searching, he knew that wouldn’t work.  Clearing his throat, Rick tried to keep the emotion out of his voice as he replied “That creature? I left it on station until I could figure out what to do with it.” The reptilian seemed to look away a moment, then again tapped its speech controls. “Yes, we confirm your story. Our suggestion to you is cut your losses here and do not try to pursue this matter further. The creature is no longer your responsibility; we will take it from here.” The reptilians then turned and left, the airlock door closing with a quiet click. 

Rick waited in silence, the sudden sound of twisting metal informing him that they had either disengaged their salvage claws, or that he was about to be torn in two. He braced himself against the console, activating the forward cabin’s emergency recycler that would allow him to live should the ship truly be torn to pieces, but a few moments later the proximity alarms finally faded as the large ship pulled away. Running a system diagnostic, Rick was crushed to find that not only did the communications system not work, but the array itself had been completely destroyed. Setting a new course, Rick activated the emergency overdrive system, propelling his battered vessel at speeds not meant to be used under optimal conditions straight back towards the station, no longer worried about losing any pursuers, his only thoughts of beating the reptilians to the station and rescuing Spark before the situation got worse.

Minutes turned into hours as Rick watched the ships readouts, the overdrive system thundering through the ship. Using the size of the other ship as a reference, as well as the knowledge that they had headed off in the wrong direction allowed Rick to estimate the approximate time they would need to calculate his trajectory, change course, and follow him home. Judging by the numbers his ship would be faster, but only just barely leaving him less than 10 minutes from the time he docked until their arrival. Rick checked his distance again, wanting to will his ship faster as the readout still displayed an annoyingly long 23 hours until destination. Checking his fuel reserves for the overdrive unit, Rick figured he would be pushing fumes by the time he reached his destination, but he would get there ahead of his opponent, and that was all that mattered. 

Checking his system again, Rick activated his emergency transponder in the hopes that another ship would transmit his trajectory back to the company, the simple preset message designed to let other ships know that the ship was under emergency operation, main systems offline. Using such a device would insure that no other ship would fly through his trajectory as well as allow him immediate docking at his destination into one of the emergency landing bays. Such systems generally had major fines associated with their use, and the misuse of such devices in civilized space generally landed the user into the penal system. However, the situation justified its use as Rick was now flying deaf, with engines on overload to reach his destination. The overdrive system he had installed was a failsafe device, meant to escape from hostile situations and never intended for prolonged use. It had been granted to him for use on this run for just that purpose, and though the reason for its use was outside the scope of what had been intended, Rick could always validate its use by showing the markings from the salvage claws on the outside of his ship and claiming escape.

The elevator doors opened before them, Spark and Paul stepping towards the landing as 5 large reptilians appeared in the doorway, claws reaching out to grab them. Spark gave a startled yip as she was grabbed, Paul watching in shock as the reptilian landed a powerful blow to his friend’s head, knocking her out cold, her body going limp as pain exploded through his skull as well, the room blurring into darkness. 

Dim light filled his blurry vision as Paul awoke, the pain in his head throbbing as he tried to figure out where he was and what had happened. Memories flooded back as his mind caught up to recent events, Paul jumping to his feet only to fall back down as vertigo set in from the sudden movement. Looking around from his position on the ground, Paul could identify boxes and cages in the dim light. The smell of the room began to creep into his consciousness then, causing him to nearly gag as he leaned against a cage to once again try and regain his footing. 

A sudden movement from inside the cage made Paul step back a pace, the creature inside huddled at the far corner of the cage with a look of pure terror in its eyes. Paul looked closer, realization of where he was sinking in as he looked over the male Kintessian, the creature clothed in only a few scraps of dirty cloth, its fur a dingy unwashed brown with lighter coloring over his chest. The Kit bared its teeth at Paul, though it seemed unable to make any sounds. Paul sighed, noticing the telltale scars from the procedure, knowing what this one had gone through from what Spark had told him. Looking around now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, Paul was able to see over 3 dozen cages littering the large cargo bay. One of the cages in particular caught his attention, the form of the still unconscious Spark locked inside.

Paul made his way over to the cage where Spark was imprisoned, first examining the lock then reaching inside through the bars to examine his friend. After assuring himself that she was in no immediate danger, Paul began looking for a way to free his friend. Smashing the lock would cause too much noise, and the housing on the electronic lock seemed too secure to be removed without the proper tools. A small motion beside him caught his eye, Paul looking down to see Spark starting to regain consciousness. Paul knelt down next to the cage, leaning in close and whispering “Spark, wake up. Spark, I need your help here.” 

Familiar and dreadful smells filled her nose as Spark awoke, the dim light casting a dark shadow a few inches away from her. Reacting on instinct, Spark lunged at the form, swiping with her claws only to impact the side of the cage in which she was being held, her low growl of anger replaced with a hiss of pain at impacting the solid bars that trapped her. Paul pulled himself back from the cage as Spark lunged at him, surprised that she would attack him like that. Returning to the side of the cage, Paul again whispered “Spark, you need to stay quiet. Spark, do you know who I am?” Spark looked up, her eyes clearing as the familiar voice broke through the fog her mind was in. “Paul? Where am I?” Paul gritted his teeth, looking around to make sure she hadn’t been heard then whispered “I don’t know. You are in a cage in a cargo hold somewhere; I was dumped in the corner and woke up a few minutes before you did. I don’t know who put us here but the sooner we get out of here, and the quieter we do so, the better.”

Spark sat up and shook her head, paw resting on the spot where she was hit. Lowering her voice Spark whispered back with a fearful tone in her voice “Paul, I know this place. This smells like the ship that took me from my home. Paul, we have to get out of here. I don’t know what they will do to either of us, but I know it won’t be good. I would rather die than go through that pain again.” Paul nodded, looking again at the lock. “What can you do with this? I can’t seem to get the thing to open.” Spark moved over slowly, looking at the lock a moment before slipping a claw into the housing. Moments later a soft click sounded and the front panel fell into Paul’s hands, the inner circuits visible in the dim light. Paul then described the device as he saw it to Spark, who instructed him how to connect the wires inside the simple device to allow the lock to be bypassed. After what seemed like an eternity but in reality only took a few minutes the door was open and Spark was free. Paul replaced the lock’s cover, clicking it gently into place and closing the door again to seal the now empty cage. 

Spark then led the way to a small airlock, the escape pod inside looking old and neglected. Working fast, Spark took apart the panel and bypassed the sensor that would tell the beings in the cockpit that the pod was being brought online. Once finished with that task, she began the slow process of starting up the old pod, getting the life support systems online and checking the critical systems. Using the pod’s computer, Spark was able to tell that they were already in flight away from the station, had been for a long while too. From the readings she received from the little ships computer there were only 3 locations within range of the pod’s resources where they could escape to, and of those three only one that would be a sure bet before their captors discovered them missing and started searching for them. Spark set the destination into the pod’s computer, then motioned for Paul to enter before climbing out to work once more with the controls of the pod. Once finished, Spark pressed the launch button, leaping through the open hatch as it closed behind her, nearly catching the tip of her tail as she fell against Paul in the small space. A few moments later, the hatch on the outside of the ship opened at her request, those in the cockpit unaware as the pod disengaged from its housing and rolled out into space, the small thrusters firing a short burst to clear the ship before Spark cut them off completely, letting the large ship disappear into the distance before firing the engine to take them to their destination and with any luck, safety.

Rick awoke with a start, running to the cockpit to check on the systems. It had been hours since he had encountered the reptilians, having managed to get a bit of sleep while the ship blasted its way through space. The readout on the main panel was grim, 3 hours until destination, hull integrity at 47% and falling. The damage sustained by the salvage claws, along with the speed at which he was pushing the damaged craft was literally tearing the ship apart. Rerouting power from non essential systems, Rick was able to reinforce the magnetic plating that covered the ship enough to reach destination, but the ship would be scrap when it arrived, the engines already beginning to melt down from the overdrive system pushing them so hard for so long. Rick busied himself for the next 2 hours gathering up all the items he wanted to take with him, packing two small bags for himself and one for Spark. He then placed the bags in the cockpit, taking a seat and readying for docking. 

The console in front of him beeped a warning, the engines roaring as the overdrive system shut down. Rick watched as the engines fused themselves into a useless lump of twisted metal, their final task complete. Using his maneuvering thrusters Rick guided the wreck away from the station before disengaging the escape pod. The cockpit separated from the main body of the ship, explosive bolts freeing the covert escape pod from its housing. Using the pods small thrusters, Rick guided it into the station, a crew already moving to intercept and tow in his jettisoned hull. Upon arriving in station Rick was met at the door by the company director, the look on his face enough to cause Rick to stop. The director spoke calmly, but his expression was grim. “She isn’t here, Rick. I’m sorry but they got here before your distress beacon reached us.” Rick slumped against the wall, looking up at the director “Who was it? I’m going to get her back, I just need a ship.” The director sighed and looked out at the remains of Rick’s ship. “Yes, I believe you do, but there is more to it than that. You see, they not only took your daughter but another child as well. The federation is already looking for their ship, but what we know is surprisingly little. At first glance they appear to belong to the Alon’Tor racial group of reptilians, but after speaking with a representative of the group we discovered they are actually part of a deep space collective of nomadic reptilians, outside the reach of normal federation member groups. They have been spotted a few times on the outer rim, from what I understand you have connections out there. Usually, I would not hesitate to ground a pilot like you until this blew over, especially coming back with such a wrecked ship but this situation is different. I am therefore ordering you to take one of my personal ships to go after these beings. Your orders are to find their location and then wait for federation support. I will tell you right now the ship you will be flying will be unarmed, and though it is fast it will not last long in a fight so please don’t do anything foolish. I’d like my property returned in one piece. Now then, if you agree to these terms, I will have the port authority start work on repairing your vessel for when you return. I’m sure you will have a lot of work to catch up on by that time.”

Rick stared at the director, not sure how to respond to that statement. “Sir, with all due respect my main concern is in the retrieval of my daughter. Should the opportunity arise I will take action but I see the logic in what you are suggesting. I will find them, that is certain but if they hurt Spark…” Rick trailed off then, unable to even consider that possibility. The director nodded, motioning for a technician to start work on the pod. “Rick, I know we will see each other again, take care of yourself and god willing return with good news. Your ship is in hangar 7 sublevel 2, I have it fueled and waiting for you to arrive.” 

Rick arrived at the hangar, climbing aboard the small ship and checking the supplies. The personal cabin held enough food for a month long trip, the setup similar to that of his old ship aside from the sonic shower in the corner where his usual unit resided. Small comforts aside, Rick set about checking the medical supplies. Having assured himself that he had covered every possible need, Rick signaled the station for clearance and flew out, setting a course for the outer rim. Looking down at the console, Rick was surprised to find that the small ship came equipped with a jump drive, a special engine that allowed the ship to use navigational buoys placed strategically throughout federation space to travel at much higher speeds than most other vessels. The devices were not cheap, and their use was only valuable within the federation but on a trip such as this it would cut down his travel time by days, allowing him to reach his destination in just under 32 hours. Rick activated the drive, the ship accelerating along the buoy line towards the outskirts of federation territory and the one place Rick had not wanted to ever return to.