Raptor One – Chapter 74
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The flight back to ISS – Tenacity was very simple and smooth even though I forgot to hail the colony about my departure, but Sigma did it for me.
Landing on the small hangar bay I get myself back into the bridge and start aligning the ship with the station before letting Sigma take care of the rest.
I groan and slump back into my captain chair, the six primal wolfs getting comfy around me.
I sigh while keeping my eyes closed, what was that dream? I know this universe is vastly different than the one I lived in, this universe is mysterious, dangerous, full of enemies and hazards, but what I found myself into did not seem dreamlike at all, it seemed very real, to top it off I did not have time to mourn Lemi at all...
“Sigma...” I growl out, my voice low and sad.
“*Yes?*”
“Check memory packet UY01 to UY010.” I growl out with a sigh and get silent.
“*Understood... I’ll miss her too, White...*”
I just shut up and mourn, letting my tears flow while my pack get merry on the Recreation room.
Time pass fast as I mourn the loss of Sem’ya, family, the pack did find my absence strange, and when the time to dock the ship came, even tried to enter, but I just locked off the bridge and worked with low spirit, the ship soon landing on the station.
“*Receiving data.. Complete. Spice cargo already reached the station and is now being prepared to be transported into the ship... Crate with requested resources is on the way, analysis say that the ship will be fully loaded in two long cycles.*”
I grunt to acknowledge her words while I work on the system map, updating most of the old data with the station databank, that done I just wait while researching on my tricorder, trying to focus the sadness into something.
Time pass as I research, nothing useful coming to mind while the subjects being wasted, so I decide to look back into my old research, space.
The knowledge about the emptiness of space and how it works somehow soothe my emotions a little and flash insights into how I conducted myself in space until now.
Taking all the ship logs from when I became captain until now I found out so many errors and incidents I could correct, incidents that should not happen with proper knowledge, something I find very curious about.
Some looking give me the answer.
Most of the basic space ship protocols are plainly ignored, why? They are deemed redundant knowledge.
“*What got your interest, White?*”
“I found out a lot of non redundant knowledge on the redundant knowledge.” I growl out and sigh.
“*Which is?*”
“Gravity generation, atmosphere level in different situations, parts placement, even inertial dampening knowledge.” I growl out a list of knowledge deemed redundant.
“*Let me connect to your tricorder... Huh... You do have credit, many of these knowledge can save resources, energy and lives.*”
“What do you think about implementing some of the knowledge? Many of the factors deemed can be simply ignored with the current medical technology.” I ask Sigma.
“*I’ll start implementing the safety factors into the data, about the thruster and inertial dampening, I'll start calculating about it, some of the updates will have the need of updating some of the ship modules.*”
I nod before going silent due to the knocks on the bridge door.
Taking a deep breath, I find my mind back to normal, mourning, even for loved ones is hard for me even on my last life, where emotions are almost superficial.
With a few sweeps of my finger the door light turns from red to green and it opens soon after, Zu and the boys coming inside, a clear face of worry.
“Privet, how can I help?” My growling voice back to normal.
“We know you where mourning just now.” Su’ra say and nod.
I look at the other two and they also nod, Zu coming to me and sitting on my lap, giving me a hug.
“How did you guys know?” I ask, I'm very bad at expressing emotions besides happy and angry.
“You always make sure to join us when not training or working.” Zu reply to my question and tighten the hug.
“We know how you work from inside out, Captain.” Su’zu reply with a smile.
I just sigh. “Then you guys know I'm already done with mourning, how’s the cargo going?” I ask back.
“Oh? Did someone say cargo?” I her the peppy voice of Li’luk and see her and her sister coming inside.
“I did not even mention the name of the being, and here she is in her mighty peppy voice...” I say in sarcasm, my growling giving the sarcasm a even more noticeable tune.
“Heh, I know you did not say it to annoy me, but it did work...” Li’luk say, her eyes twitching a little.
“Izvinyayus' Li’luk, I'm still understanding how my growling voice affect my choice of words.” I say and sigh.
Li’luk just nod, still grumpy.
“Don’t worry, Captain, we understand, about the cargo loading, the station crew are having a hard time with it, so we took it into our hands, they are loaded and ready, the amount of cargo is surprisingly low, not even half the ship’s cargo was loaded.” Li’lak say and rolls her eyes at her sister.
Li’luk huffs at her sister before talking.
“Ship’s ready to depart.” Li’luk say clearly wanting to bicker with her sister.
I just chuckle and wave Sigma for details.
“*Ship sealed, waypoint added, Station hail for undocking complete, Calculating burn factor using new knowledge...*”
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“Seat up, we can chat and work after we are on the way.” I say and start the undocking process, the Su brothers already on their stations helping me.
“Starting ship components check!” Li’luk say.
“Final check on energy factor.” Li’lak also say.
“Radar check for obstructions complete.” Zu also respond.
“Undocking complete.” Su’ra reply.
“Solar sails deployed at 100%.” Su’zu respond.
“*Locations on system map calculations complete, Burn waypoints added for vector sling... Gravity drive deactivated. Dampeners boosted to 150%.*”
“Move out, and get ready for high stress burn.” I say to the Su brothers.
“Yes Captain!” Su’ra and Su’zu reply in sync, following the waypoints as best as they can.
“*Acting error at 40%, Adjusting waypoints burn factor.*”
“Feeling the force? You both can do better.” I chuckle while relaxed on my Captain chair despite the increasing G forces the ship is generating by thrusting forward.
I hear the low growl from both brothers as they redouble their attention despite the high stress they are under.
I watch as the ship pass each waypoint with precise burn vectors and soon we are watching space as the ship is thrown off the planet gravity well and into deep in system space, the G forces dropping fast as we finish our task.
I give a look at the system map, looking at our forward factor we will hit the gravity well of the gas giant Beta stratta III where we will adjust our burn factor and sling ourselves into the barren rock Beta Stratta II, from there we will sling us into the asteroid belt where the Main system station is located, close to Beta Stratta I.
“Sigma if we follow the waypoints how much time we will have as off time?” I ask Sigma.
“*The ship finished it’s route out of Beta Stratta IV and into III due to closeness, the total travel time back to main base is 9 long cycle, each vector burn having 3 long cycle of down time.*”
“Wait, seriously?” Su’ra ask back, his brother looking my way dumbfounded.
“Hey, hey! Captain! How did you do that?” Li’luk ask me too, looks like she’s back to her peppy mood.
“That’s a good question, this way we reduce the supply maintenance up to 75%, that’s a lot.” Li’lak nod while looking at her station and me.
“I got some data that was deemed redundant due to current technology and decided to reimplement it back into use, we do need Sigma to speed up this process to a reasonable time however.” I say while chuckling.
They all nod in acknowledgement, Su’ra however seem to still have questions.
“Why was it deemed unnecessary?” Su’ra ask me.
“It’s a old skill from the forgotten cartographer, also known as navigators, they where tasked with making efficient waypoints, but the coming of AI’s and better tech made the profession, and it’s knowledge redundant.” I reply to Su’ra, the entire crew listening.
“It’s so useful, why would they leave it?” Li’lak ask me for more details.
I shrug before saying. “Dunno, nowadays, most of the thrusters are FTL capable, that means they can just waste extra energy to get to it’s destiny faster than wasting time in space.” I say and shake my head. “This also comes with downsides, besides the massive use of fuel, there’s also the problem of crew loyalty and coherence, you know, almost no onboard time and all that.” I finish my words and shrug.
“Now that you say it, we did have problems like that when we had a FTL drive on the ship.” Zu say while nodding and look back at me. “I’m happy we found you, or we wouldn’t be together as a pack right now.” Zu say with a smile and the others nod.
“I’m more amazed by the fact you guys adapted to my way of doing things, like the no bullet talk close to me, and other things, heck, I'm surprised you all got used to my bullshit until now.” I say with a chuckle before sighing and shaking my head.
“Hahaha! That’s nothing compared to your good side.” Li’luk reply and the others nod.
“Not to mention your deep understanding of all of us.” Su’ra reply and nod.
“Heh, you know how to get us ticking.” Su’zu also reply with a laugh.
“Not to mention your knowledge of how to piss anyone off.” Li’lak reply with a chuckle.
I give her a ‘no kidding’ look before chuckling too.
“Let’s get moving, we already wasted 1 medium cycle talking, I want to complete the new multi purpose military augments, I also got a hint of a new augment for all of us that should be easy to implement and very useful in many ways.” I say while moving out of the bridge.
“Sure, what’s the new toy?” Li’luk ask me.
“A old human tech known as rig augmentation.” I say before jumping down into the lower deck and heading into the empty cargo module for training, I'll need the space.
I sigh as I walk to the very end of the ship’s cargo module, almost all of the ship scream ‘simple’ and ‘human made’, which I don’t like, when I get some more credits and make my pack better prepared, I'll remake as much of the ship as I can.
Reminds me that I also need to start making my new augment too.
But training first.
“Sigma, start synched simulation mode.” I say while getting out of my bulky power armor.
“*Understood, sending sensorial data packet of augmented body... Starting body reaction synch... Simulation start.*”
I groan as I feel the difference in weight and specially the difference on my hands, a look at my hands show me that the augment will take over the ‘flesh’ from my elbow down while keeping my wings functional, the cybernetic feeling as I move my hands is very different because my nanites simulate real flesh to a fault.
I try to get used to the different feelings coming from my chest, legs and arms due to all the auxiliary equipment it have and it’s direct connection to my mind, something I'm not used to despite being used to it in a psionic way.
I give my hands and legs a shake before following the standard position of the ‘Panzer ablenkung’ codex while learning their thinking factor, I manage to grasp it almost easily due to it’s resemblance to ‘Panzer kunst’, so I start to practice it’s first stance, ‘in sight deflection’.
“*Sending enemy packet.*”
At Sigma words one human enemy appear, a super soldier human wielding both ranged and melee equipment, I take my stance and he prepare to shoot.
I fumble around when he finally shoots but due to my experience in combat I barely manage to deflect the attack, my arms forced out of deflection stance and the kickback almost making me hit my power armor.
I sigh and walk forward again, retaking the stance, I got some very good knowledge right now.
“Again!” My words come with a growl of defiance and the super soldier shoots his high powered pistol again.
I barely manage to deflect the pistol shot again, but this time I kept my ground, I grin at the success of learning a lot more about ‘In sight deflection’, I'm almost done with the first stance.
“Come on tovarishch!” I grin as the super soldier get his rifle out, a burst comes my way, I manage to deflect two bullets and watch as he third comes in slow motion, trying to pass by my guard, but a slight adjustment allow me to deflect the last bullet with no kickback whatsoever.
my grin widen due to the breakthrough In Panzer ablenkung, the super soldier throwing his rifle out and charging with a pistol and knife in hand, the sweep of his knife is almost completely deflected thus slowing him down enough to take distance with no damage, but I'm met with a pistol bullet to the face, of which I deflect easily.
The super soldier comes with another charge, a swipe of his knife aimed at my waist, of which I deflect with my leg, the bullet also going wide as I deflect it with my hand, making him jump back as I calmly resume my current standard stance.
I’m mostly comfortable with the new combat technique already, so I decide to start the second and last defensive combat technique, ‘Reactive deflection’.
“Is that all you have tovarishch? I have fought worse, do you best.” I say and give a feral grin.
“*Taunt detected, entering phase 2-A, berserk mode.*”
My feral grin grows wide, my ears perk up twitching in response as I feel the circuits on my eyes flare up, the super soldier already somewhat slow motions becomes slower as my Gamma core ignite into processing mode as the super soldier seen to activate some type of active augment, my hearing picking him up in different locations around me in sequence, a speed booster augment.
I hear a pistol shot from two different position and angles, but with my acute sense of hearing I manage to know and feel the angle, thus deflecting both shots, before I can resume my stance the super soldier shoots three more times from different directions, I just sigh as I move and deflect all three projectiles with both hands and legs, seeing that this is going nowhere the super soldier starts a flurry of knife sweeps while moving around me at high speed so we engage in a all out combat.
We exchange blows, while deflecting the attacks of each other, at the start of the all out engagement I was very tense while deflecting and countering his knifes while in different unbalanced positions, forcing me into a dance of sorts as I swirl, move and rotate to the rhythm of the engagement, but as the engagement goes on I get into a trance like state, the knowledge and understanding flowing almost with no issue into me while we engage in a mortal combat, that’s when I understand that this art is not for defense, but for attack, and when I least expect, I arrive into a breakthrough and stop.
My enemy disappear as I pant for air, the breakthrough I got was partial, I know it, it can be better, but the sensation, the knowledge is there, a finger length out of reach...
“*Arrival at next waypoint juncture complete. Prepare for next gravity sling... White, you are requested at the Captain’s Bridge.*”
I hear Sigma while panting for air, each pant leaving a resounding growling noise, like a feral beast out for blood, my own voice clear to me to how bad it is now, I’ll need to train someone into diplomacy.
I right myself and take a deep breath before walking back to my power armor and suiting up.
“Sigma, how much time before reaching.” I ask out.
“*2 small cycles.*”
I nod before walking back to the bridge, the six primal wolfs that where hidden close to me all along following me.
Arriving at the Captains bridge I see that everyone is there already in their harness and preparing the ship for another high stress maneuver.
Sitting on the Captain chair and locking my boots in place I look at Zu, lovely appearance, mellow voice, easy to approach feeling with a big sister feeling combined, perfectionist, a trait that many diplomats like yet brave, making her unyielding in her believes and tasks, all in all, a perfect diplomat candidate.
“Zu.” I call her out.
“Yes love?” Zu reply, looking back at me from her console.
“As of now, you are the Diplomat of the pack.” I say while giving some extra calculations and sending it to the Su brothers.
“Why? You are the pack leader, you should be the head.” Zu ask me while tilting her head.
“Hear my voice and call, my growl and feral countenance, and most of all, my way of life, neither logical, nor instinctual, I am the worst example of diplomacy at it’s finest, so I lead, you talk, rodzher?” I say accentuating everything glaringly bad in me for diplomacy.
“*1 small cycle.*”
“I... See... Rodzher.” Zu understand my point and take the role willingly.
“Now get us the sensor data to our boys so we won’t crash.” I reply with a smile, it looks feral, but Zu don’t seen revulsed by it.
“On it Captain!” Zu reply with a smile and resume working on her console.
I just relax and watch as we start our second gravity sling...