"Hey, come on Doc!" called the chief flight engineer as Mu floated through the hanger towards the Strike. Chief Petty Officer Murdoch was one of the few survivors of the Earth Alliance contingent at Morgenroete's Heliopolis facility. The stocky NCO was floating next to the Strike's open hatch.
"What's wrong?" Mu asked as he caught himself against the hatch.
"Well the kid's still in there," Murdoch explained. "The doctor's gone in and now he's blocking the hatch."
"Oh?" The pilot stuck his head into the tunnel-like entrance to the cockpit. "What's happening in there?" he called, unable to see much past Thomas' shoulders, although hints of aquamarine in the poorly lit compartment made it clear that Kira was still in the pilot's seat.
"We're just admiring the dancing girls," Thomas shot back sarcastically. "You should make this scene sometime, it's really something."
Murdoch choked back a laugh at the surprised look on Mu's face and there was a nervouc giggle from inside that suggested that Kira was probably less restrained. A moment later, the helmet of Kira's flight suit was thrust back past the doctor's shoulder and Mu caught it.
"Make yourself useful," Thomas advised. "Put that away for him, would you?"
Mu backed up a moment and Thomas followed him out of the Strike a moment later, towing a subdued looking Kira. The boy's violet eyes looked dull and he appeared exhausted. "Hey, kid," Murdoch asked in a worried voice. "Are you alright?"
"Hm," Kira nodded, his own voice faint.
"I'm presribing some food and a bit of rest," Thomas advised drily. "Fortunately, nothing that should require raiding the pharmaceutical cabinet in the medical bay." He patted Kira's shoulder with one scarred hand. "Unfortunately, the food'll have to come from the military rations aboard - if you can call that food."
"It's... not bad..." Kira objected mildly.
Thomas sniffed derisively, hiding a smirk at having directed Kira's attention away from the scarcely completed battle.
January 27th, C.E. 71
Artemis, LaGrange Point Three
The Archangel backed slowly into Artemis, passing through a deactivated pannel of the fabled 'Umbrella' - actually a lightwave belt believed to be proof against anything short of nuclear weapons. Or human stupidity, Thoams mused as he glanced out of a porthole at the defenses and spared a moment to consider the history of 'impregnable' fortresses.
Artemis itself was an asteroid several miles long, with the base buried inside and a quite astonishing array of devices mounted on the outside. The 'harbour', so to speak, was a cylindrical hole lined with metal, large enough for even the broad-winged Archangel to fit easily within, despite the shape of another warship berthed ahead of it.
No sooner had clamps fixed onto the white-hulled ship, anchoring it in place, than other shapes began to move out from hatches and behind fortuitously placed cover. Within instants, Thomas could see armed men in space suits and craft that evidently filled a similar role to Mu's Mobile Armor, all not so discreetly aiming their weapons at the Archangel.
With a grimace, he pushed away from the porthole. Evidently matters would not go as smoothly here as had been hoped for.
Only moments later, spacesuited soldiers entered the ship through several airlocks, much to the surprise of the crew and civilians aboard.
"What is this?" Flay asked, as she and dozens of others watched scenes of outside the ship on a screen in the mess hall. "What's going on, Sai?" Behind the couple, Kira stared wide-eyed at the screen.
"Okay!" came a shout from the door. "Freeze!"
Everyone looked around and saw a squad of soldiers aiming automatic rifles in their direction. "Don't move!" the apparent leader shouted through his open visor.
A similar scene played out on the bridge, with spacesuited soldiers pointing their guns at the half-strength bridgecrew.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded, only to have a rifle muzzle directed uncompromisingly towards her face.
"Commander Biddulph," Natarle protested. "I request that you give us an explanation for this! We've..."
"I'm just blockading the ship's controls and fire control systems as a security measure," the Eurasian officer replied. He'd first boarded the Archangel to verify her identity and then to direct her into Artemis's waiting arms... arms that now seemed rather less welcoming. In all that time, he'd never shown himself to be other than a stuffed shirt.
"Blockading?" Natarle exclaimed. "But the way you're...!" She looked utterly shocked as her step forward provoked one of the soldiers to move closer, his rifle close enough that if he fired she'd probably be killed just by the muzzle flash, never mind the bullet.
"Your ship is not registered, and so naturally we have no identification code for it," Biddulph told her. "Given the circumstances, we did permit you to enter port but unfortunately we have not yet recognised you as an ally."
"But...!" Under the cover of Natarle's protest, Maria eyed Biddulph's smug expression warily. The Atlantic Federation, who had constructed the Archangel and the G-series, had been rivals of the Eurasian Federation for decades, until the conflict against the PLANTs had brought them together under the banner of the Earth Alliance. Doubtless, the commandr of the station was drooling at the thought of obtaining the cutting-edge military technology aboard the Archangel... and since no one on Earth knew where they were, it was only too possible that the ship - and crew - could convienently vanish to hide the theft.
"This is a military facility," Biddulph continued. "I'd like you to at least understand that. Now, I would like the officers to come with me. You shall explain the situation to us."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"What's wrong?" Mu asked as he caught himself against the hatch.
"Well the kid's still in there," Murdoch explained. "The doctor's gone in and now he's blocking the hatch."
"Oh?" The pilot stuck his head into the tunnel-like entrance to the cockpit. "What's happening in there?" he called, unable to see much past Thomas' shoulders, although hints of aquamarine in the poorly lit compartment made it clear that Kira was still in the pilot's seat.
"We're just admiring the dancing girls," Thomas shot back sarcastically. "You should make this scene sometime, it's really something."
Murdoch choked back a laugh at the surprised look on Mu's face and there was a nervouc giggle from inside that suggested that Kira was probably less restrained. A moment later, the helmet of Kira's flight suit was thrust back past the doctor's shoulder and Mu caught it.
"Make yourself useful," Thomas advised. "Put that away for him, would you?"
Mu backed up a moment and Thomas followed him out of the Strike a moment later, towing a subdued looking Kira. The boy's violet eyes looked dull and he appeared exhausted. "Hey, kid," Murdoch asked in a worried voice. "Are you alright?"
"Hm," Kira nodded, his own voice faint.
"I'm presribing some food and a bit of rest," Thomas advised drily. "Fortunately, nothing that should require raiding the pharmaceutical cabinet in the medical bay." He patted Kira's shoulder with one scarred hand. "Unfortunately, the food'll have to come from the military rations aboard - if you can call that food."
"It's... not bad..." Kira objected mildly.
Thomas sniffed derisively, hiding a smirk at having directed Kira's attention away from the scarcely completed battle.
January 27th, C.E. 71
Artemis, LaGrange Point Three
The Archangel backed slowly into Artemis, passing through a deactivated pannel of the fabled 'Umbrella' - actually a lightwave belt believed to be proof against anything short of nuclear weapons. Or human stupidity, Thoams mused as he glanced out of a porthole at the defenses and spared a moment to consider the history of 'impregnable' fortresses.
Artemis itself was an asteroid several miles long, with the base buried inside and a quite astonishing array of devices mounted on the outside. The 'harbour', so to speak, was a cylindrical hole lined with metal, large enough for even the broad-winged Archangel to fit easily within, despite the shape of another warship berthed ahead of it.
No sooner had clamps fixed onto the white-hulled ship, anchoring it in place, than other shapes began to move out from hatches and behind fortuitously placed cover. Within instants, Thomas could see armed men in space suits and craft that evidently filled a similar role to Mu's Mobile Armor, all not so discreetly aiming their weapons at the Archangel.
With a grimace, he pushed away from the porthole. Evidently matters would not go as smoothly here as had been hoped for.
Only moments later, spacesuited soldiers entered the ship through several airlocks, much to the surprise of the crew and civilians aboard.
"What is this?" Flay asked, as she and dozens of others watched scenes of outside the ship on a screen in the mess hall. "What's going on, Sai?" Behind the couple, Kira stared wide-eyed at the screen.
"Okay!" came a shout from the door. "Freeze!"
Everyone looked around and saw a squad of soldiers aiming automatic rifles in their direction. "Don't move!" the apparent leader shouted through his open visor.
A similar scene played out on the bridge, with spacesuited soldiers pointing their guns at the half-strength bridgecrew.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded, only to have a rifle muzzle directed uncompromisingly towards her face.
"Commander Biddulph," Natarle protested. "I request that you give us an explanation for this! We've..."
"I'm just blockading the ship's controls and fire control systems as a security measure," the Eurasian officer replied. He'd first boarded the Archangel to verify her identity and then to direct her into Artemis's waiting arms... arms that now seemed rather less welcoming. In all that time, he'd never shown himself to be other than a stuffed shirt.
"Blockading?" Natarle exclaimed. "But the way you're...!" She looked utterly shocked as her step forward provoked one of the soldiers to move closer, his rifle close enough that if he fired she'd probably be killed just by the muzzle flash, never mind the bullet.
"Your ship is not registered, and so naturally we have no identification code for it," Biddulph told her. "Given the circumstances, we did permit you to enter port but unfortunately we have not yet recognised you as an ally."
"But...!" Under the cover of Natarle's protest, Maria eyed Biddulph's smug expression warily. The Atlantic Federation, who had constructed the Archangel and the G-series, had been rivals of the Eurasian Federation for decades, until the conflict against the PLANTs had brought them together under the banner of the Earth Alliance. Doubtless, the commandr of the station was drooling at the thought of obtaining the cutting-edge military technology aboard the Archangel... and since no one on Earth knew where they were, it was only too possible that the ship - and crew - could convienently vanish to hide the theft.
"This is a military facility," Biddulph continued. "I'd like you to at least understand that. Now, I would like the officers to come with me. You shall explain the situation to us."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.