Raptor One – Chapter 83
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The return back to the ship was simple and easy, the disturbing vision of purple blood and meat chunks everywhere on he moon along with two other lunar bases overrun, the destroyed places painted in red and purple as what was left of it slowly crumbles down, and to think they where close to being overrun before we came and solved the problem before it spiraled out of control...
As I was docking on the descended elevator ramp I received a call from ISCF – Flying fortress.
“Privet, what how can I help?” I say as I accept the call.
“Hello there Captain, I just called to announce about a shuttle coming your way for a second decontamination crew.” The Lastree Admiral say.
“Second decontamination crew? I have checked and we are clearly clean.” I say with confusion.
“Yes, that is clear, but I want insurance, so I dispatched a medic along with a decontamination crew your way to make sure, mercenaries don’t like giving the hospital a visit.” The Lastree Admiral reply.
“Well, rodzher, you are welcome on my ship, just be clear that your shuttle are going to block my hangar bay and lock further docking and undocking, they are invited to search all the crew and ship.” I say with a chuckle.
Just like that I end the transmission and resume docking VCW – Selket, something that I got very good at compared to my first time docking when I leaved my dying planet...
I wonder how everyone is doing, I remember they where rescued before the planet death, so they must have managed to recover the laser transmitter and sent a rescue request wish got answered...
Wonder who rescued the population, we where few but we where strong and only a big ship could rescue the entire population...
If that’s the case, then we can narrow the search to the three factions, the toasters don’t usually have biological facilities on their ship so they are out, the terrans would help destroy the planet with xenos in it, so that’s two out of four...
That leaves the Lastree and the Shattered Empire.
The Lastree dreadnoughts are clearly very compact and armed to the teeth, they don’t do colonization and normally don’t have troop transport ships, so they are out by technology doctrine.
That leaves the Shattered Empire, their nobles love to make Capital ships while the emperor itself used a Dreadnought class, their fleet consist mostly of big ships, most of then being civilian colonization ships or civilian mega liners, I’m about 75% sure I can find the Transfurs on their territory as they also expand into neutral territory while adhering to the neutral rules...
“Heeey! White! You there?” Zu yell my name from the outside.
I sigh and cease my thoughts before opening my cockpit and leaving, Selket was already separated from the drop module and is now resting in her dock port inside the hangar bay, a glance gives out the nasty cut on the engine armor plates and the left leg armor plate, luckily the damage was reserved to the top fourth layer of steel plating, so just replacing it will work.
“Da?” I ask Zu after looking her way as she was silent while I was giving my mech a look.
“I thought you had some accident inside Selket, what made you take so long to get out?” Zu ask me with worry in her face.
“Niet, no accident, just thinking out logical way to narrow down where my family is.” I say with a sigh as I lean on Selket, I need to wash out the guts out of her later.
“So you got a lead? Come lets go, we can talk more on the recreation room.” Zu say and smile while extending her hand my way.
“I’m almost certain it’s the empire that rescued the transfurs, and niet, I won’t leave the hangar bay right now, izvinyayus’ Zu.” I say and shake my head.
“Why?” Zu’s returning smile becomes a frown as she ask me.
“I’m waiting for the decontamination crew to dock so we can leave for that... Agricultural station.” I say while tilting my head.
“Why does they want to come here? Haven’t we cleared the protocol?” Zu say with a now visible frown.
“Da, that’s correct, but it’s me they are afraid, as a Adeptus Medicalis and a Spec Ops Captain, they see my infection as a very bad situation to happen.” I say with a nod.
“That’s not a needed situation, we all know you are the last one to fall, and you failing is not even a thought between the pack.” Zu say with a sigh.
“Da, I know, but they have no idea that I'm basically a slime made of nanites, that’s something I don’t like to share.” I say with a soft sigh.
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“Okay... I-” Zu stops talking as the hangar bay docking alarm resounds and looks at me.
“Go my love, we can talk later.” I say with a chuckle and Zu leaves, the bulkhead door closing, allowing the hangar bay to depressurize.
I watch as the ship docking ramp lower down while still leaning on Selket, after the ramp lowered completely I watched while chuckling as the pilot of the shuttle tries to dock the shuttle into the lowered ramp.
I keep watching while laughing as the guy or girl kill himself out just to dock on the ramp, and after almost fifteen minutes he finaly managed to dock and the ramp starts moving up again.
After the ramp moved back to place quickly, the hangar bay pressurized again and I kept looking while laughing as the crew of the shuttle walks down their shuttle, a female lastree pilot looking very grumpy as I laugh myself out.
“Are you the Captain? Why the heck did you make this unholy docking bay?” The female Lastree pilot ask me, and I struggle not to laugh more.
“*Huff**Huff* Izvinyayus’, but you have it better than me when I needed to first dock on Tenacity.” I say with a feral grin.
“Seriously?” She say giving me a dumbfounded look.
“Da, I just finished repair on Selket that day and had not much breath time left before freezing in space with hypoxia, but Tenacity came with her crew and saved me, the problem was that the dock was just a big cargo ramp at the time, so imagine the headache I had when I had to fit Selket inside AND not break anything in the process WHILE being my first time at space flight.” I give some imagination cookies for the crew as I right myself.
“Captain Alex Silver, Codename Omega, close friends call me ‘White’ due to my clan heritage.” I say and extend my hand.
Each one give me a handshake before they start doing their jobs, the decontamination crew started dealing with the guts on my Viking while the medics started giving me a diagnosis for Erchius infection, but what came as a surprise was the beeping of their medical equipment as the alarm sign appeared.
“What’s wrong?” I ask surprised.
“You are infected, get ready.” A medic say to me before talking to another beside him.
Not believing I did another self analysis, my D.C.O.K sprung into action as it’s many appendages start scanning myself...
“Nothing? Why did their equipment spring the alarm then?” I say to myself, looking at the alarmed medics.
“A- Are you... Adeptus Medicalis...?” A medic stutter while asking me.
“Da?” I say while tilting my head and continue. “I am at the early stages of apprenticeship, but I do have the Adeptus Medicalis Learning Codex and mastered the basics.” I say while placing a finger on my mask while talking in thought.
The medics look at each other before bowing to me. “We are extremely sorry!” I hear one of the bowing medics say.
“Yes! We did not know you where Adeptus Medicalis!” Another say.
“Ha! Compared to us, you are on the road to the pinnacle of medicine, and to put insult to the job you are as good with mechanics as you are with medicine... Damn dirty mongers...” I hear another medic say after a laugh.
“Hey, keep your mouth, and we do need the quote on quote 'Dirty mongers', as you know, they keep the goddamn ships running!” A female medic say as she looks away at my now serious mood.
“As Adeptus Medicalis and part of the Adeptus Mechanicus machine cult, I see your words as insult, as I myself take care of the ship you are dirtying right now, it’s plates, nerves and blood, even it’s reinforced skeleton was kept and remodeled by me, and to top it off, as a dedicated healer with the vow of healing, hearing you hurts, and even makes me do some unhealth care to you...” I say while looking seriously pissed at the guy that spewed shit out of his mouth.
The entire medical team got very nervous at my words before both the girl and guy grabbed the head of the offender and bowed again.
“We are sorry! Can we leave? We are done with this facade.” The entire team say as they bow.
“Da, sure, just remember to check yourself for neurotoxins when you leave.” I say with a feral grin making the group jump out of their skin for a second before they know that I'm kidding.
I sigh as I watch the medical team return to their shuttle, the decontamination team...
I give a look and see that they have barely managed to finish the decontamination of Selket and are now leaving back to their shuttle.
I wave goodbye before shrugging and leaving to the bridge before the entire hangar bay depressurize.
As I get inside the bridge I see the entire pack there, even my primal wolfs are beside my chair waiting for me.
“Privet tovarishcham, got anything new for me?” I ask as I walk to my chair and sit there.
“We where thinking... Did you get taller? Besides that? Nothing new, just awaiting command.” Zu reply back.
“Hangar bay clear..” Li’lak say.
“Hangar bay pressure rising again.” Li’luk also reply.
“Got contact... We are clear to move out.” Zu say with a nod.
“Su’zu, plot course to Achmea Gamma Ic.” I say while checking my credit balance.
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Status->
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Name- (Alex 'Omega' Silver)
Energy- (343\400)/ State - (Ok)(S)
Credits- (244.250[C]|5.000[MC])
HP- (50/50[H])|(50/50[T])|(50/50[L.A])|(50/50[R.A])|(50/50[L.L])|(50/50[R.L])
Roll- (?)(14)(15)(19)[(+12)<-A]|[D[4]->(+12)](20)(17)(13)(13)
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Huh, as full of information as always, 244k space credits and 5k station credits, with that I can get the ship modules rearranged and even make the hydroponics module...
“Course for Achmea Gamma Ic complete, that’s one big space station right there.” Su’zu reply with a comment.
“Su’ra, try not to hit another ship as we leave orbit, please.” I say while looking at Su’ra.
“Understood Captain.” Su’ra say with a nod and start maneuvering the ship, looks like he trained a lot as she easily place Tenacity in tight angles while not hitting a single ship in the process.
After a while of maneuvering and burst of engine thrusters we are free from the gravity of the moon and on course to Achmea Gamma Ic.
“We are in inter space Captain.” Su’ra say and look at Su’zu.
I nod. “Rodzher, Su’zu, you know the process, get us slinging from III to Ic.” I say and Su’zu nod.
“On it Captain... Let’s see if we can make a slinging course... That’s a no Captain, the planets are too far apart to conserve energy, we have to burn all the way.” Su’zu say after working on her console and look back to me, waiting instructions.
“Rodzher, give me the energy cost to get to Ic.” I say with a nod.
“Sure...” Su’zu say and get back to work. “It is... 18 units of energy... That is, if we use the planet gravity to do a first sling directly to Ic, if not it’s 27 units of energy.” Su’zu reply and look back to me.
“That’s a steep price right there, each unit is 100 resources rounded, so that makes it 2700 units of energy resources... Da, use the planet to sling us to Ic, Zu, get me the orbital report of the planet, don’t want to hit something at high speed, the ship will survive but it’s bad for our health and the ship integrity.” I say with a chuckle.
“On it.” Zu say and start looking the planet orbit for dangers... “We got some minor asteroids all over the orbit along with ship debris, nothing major, just need to have the maneuvering thrusters ready.” Zu say and get back to watching the ship’s sensor data.
“That’s going to cost a extra 3 units for the maneuver.” Su’zu say while looking at me.
“Da, get to it then, I'm counting on you, prices for energy aren’t that cool unlike Beta Stratta.” I say with a nod.
“Plot course adjusted, waypoint set, danger nodes located... danger nodes direction tracking complete, sling course set, it’s your turn Su’ra.” Su’zu say and look at Su’ra as she relax on her chair.
“On it.” Su’ra say as Tenacity speeds of into the planet orbit weaving through asteroids and ship debris before boosting off into deep space.
Destination? Achmea Gamma Ic, Gaia Station.