[IC] Eternal Galaxy: Shards of Starlight - Part I

[Koishi]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

---

"The Guardians? I'm guessing their like protectors of something?" Mima replied as she entered the transport as well.

[Cucoo5]

Venturia
Egale System
Freighter

Crying...
the soft crying of a little girl could be heard in the engine room.
Anankerisa was curled up in a corner, tears flowing down her cheeks.
She held her angel doll close.
She felt trapped.

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Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

"That's the mystery." Nero responded.
"They may be called Guardians...but they're not exactly doing a lot of protecting. Though their secrets are well guarded." The soldier sat down and other patrols started to file into the transport.
"We know virtually nothing about them, what they're real motives are, why they exist, how is it they manage to elude us at every turn..." Nero shook his head.

[Kristia]

Venturia
Egale System
Freighter

Finally reaching the engine room, Mara heard a girl crying "Where are you little one?" she said with a worried tone

The bioroid started searching faster and found the girl on a corner

"Hey.. its ok, come on.." the bioroid said calmly while sitting close to Anankerisa on the corner

[Koishi]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

---

"If all's fair, if you guys start fighting, I ain't joining in." Mima simply replied. "Nor would I rather pick sides."

[Cucoo5]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

"Don't worry, for now we'll just say your a civilian. Besides, the living quarters are quite nice on Excalibur. Of course, me being the Head Defense Coordinator gets some special perks, I'll be able to get you through the system and possible get ya a place to stay while...or if...your memories recover."

"Oh you're the defense coordinator?" A female patrol member chimed in. "Ha! So you're the ringleader of those maniacs top-side!" she started to laugh and then turned to Mima. "Ok so let me tell you the story for this...so 'top-side' refers to the entire defense corridors that run through the ship to the manned turret stations. This guy is basically the strategist for the fleet's defenses and thus coordinates the turret gunners. Aside from that, everyone questions everything this guy does...cause it's crazy up there. Actually...what DO you do, Nero?"

"Everything my job description says I do, why?"

"Pffft- hahahaha oh~! No reason at all!"

"One of these days you people are gonna give the wrong impression of me. Yer just jealous cause I am so AWSOME at keeping us safe."
That final statement by Nero caused a sudden outburst by nearly all of the patrols. Most tried to suppress the laughter while other tried to mask it by seeming to cough.

--------------------

Venturia
Egale System
Freighter

Anankerisa stayed there, eyes transfixed and wide as though she was scared and in a trance. she kept muttering as tears continued to flow.

[Kristia]

Venturia
Egale System
Freighter

Mara just did what she felt right to do
The bioroid took the girl on her arms and started soothing her "Its ok little ana.. just relax.." she said while caressing the girl´s hair

("What could have frightened her to the point of getting into a state of trance?") the white haired thought looking at the engine room, there was nothing appearing on her HUD but even technology couldn´t find everything

[Koishi]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

---

Mima just looked on with a confused look. "Was it supposed to be a joke or something?"

[Cucoo5]

Venturia
Between Egale and Celestora System
Freighter

As a mere whisper Anankerisa continued singing her song in the broken voice of a crying child.

"Free us
Those
Of us
Bound forever
By the accursed fate
of everlasting turning time...
Let this
Galaxy
be set free
from the binds of its eternity..."

---------------------------------

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

"Sorta an inside joke among the crew..." Nero explained.
Then the hatch closed and the transport started to move away from the dock. "Alright, now we'll be at the Delta Division fleet in a few minutes."
The soldier that accompanied Nero was looking at a small display with a furrowed brow. "Strange...I can't open a link to Delta Division...It's like the signal is being jammed."
"Huh? What?" Nero looked at him dumbfounded. "Hold on..." Nero tapped his earpiece. "...oh you have got to be..." He then turned a dial on another device on his belt that was slightly larger than the digital bag. Suddenly, a holographic computer display projected itself in front of him. "Let's find out what's going on..." His hands rapidly started typing various strings of code. Communicator diagnostics, signal scanners, Nero went through the process with practiced hands. "...Yep...the signal is being jammed, and the jammer is near the fleet. Looks like the NGO finally caught up."
"Great, we're in a transport with no escort flying into a fire fight...I shouldn't have woke up today." The soldier grumbled.

[Koishi]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

---

"I think I agree." Mima grumbled.

[Kristia]

Venturia
Between Egale and Celestora System
Freighter

Mara just kept soothing the little one while the ship went through space ("Looks like we will go to Celestora system then") she thought while caressing the girl´s hair

"You will like Celestora, it is a peaceful part of the galaxy and most of the planets in it have good weather, probably a warm summer to enjoy a beach or a calm winter to relax on the white coated forests" the bioroid said and had an idea that may distract the girl from what frightened her.

Moving carefully her left arm, the white haired´s arm brace showed a small holographic screen, it started showing pictures of the Celestora system´s planets, some populated and others mostly farm like, and so the images kept on going about diferent sceneries

[bookdragon2000]

Venturia
Sol Inceneron
Planet Werban's atmosphere

Nhiome was glad to be flying again, the short trip on land had been exhausting. He was not used to such "strong" gravity that other humans were used to. He had spent most of his life after the first ship in near Zero-G. His ships had just enough artificial gravity for him to keep track of up and down. Even though he tried to exercise regularly to fix this, he still found it exhausting to be on a planet, he only managed to maintain enough finesse to board most other ships and his own he could handle, he even built his bases on isolated moons that had lower gravity, on average he estimated he was used to only approximately 1N of gravity, only about a tenth of earth's if he remembered correctly. The hauling of the goods had been tiring, at least transferring things around on his ship and other ships were made less tedious by the weaker gravity.

He was about to set the ship on autopilot when the radar beeped again. But it was the short-range radar and the direction was from outside the planet, this was strange, how did anything sneak past the long-range radar. He took a closer look at saw 4 distinct fighters, they must have been the one he had detected near the warp gate. He cursed, how could he have forgotten? For him to be able to detect them, they must have been able to detect him and get a lock on him. They also probably adjusted their shields so they could slip past the radar. He needed to work on the stealth capabilities of his ships, he had thought relying on his own planning would be enough, and so far it had, but this occasion showed him how wrong he was. They blocked his way, and besides, with the lock on him, he wouldn't be able to escape, unless he used "that" bullet. It was valuable and one of his most advanced creations, but since it was against multiple fighters, it might have some added side effects.

He ran to the corridor in the middle of his ship and manually and much more quickly than the machine could have, chose and loaded the special shells in the middle gun. He returned to the cockpit and aimed the gun at the squadron, he had already entered the outer atmosphere and they turned to face him. Just then he noticed that they looked different from the strike fighters. He stopped short of shooting the bullet and instead turned side-on to the fighters. Another difference between his ship and those other fighters, their guns usually pointed forward, while his was orientated front and back, to make use of his entire armory, or send a "broadside" he had to turn like this. But then he usually raced through the other ships, blasting to the left and right, so the set-up made sense to him. He then sent a message with his special transmitter towards them.

" What do you want? Did you follow me here from the warp gate? Don't make a move, I could easily fly circles around you and with a press of a button, I could disable many of your systems. " He neglected to mention that his bullet would also affect his own systems too, rather than leave a loophole that an enemy may discover and exploit, he chose to make it so that it would affect everything. But this times to danger outweighed the risks, 4 ships were hard to stand up against, considering they were mavericks which he suspected from the design of the ships, especially when they were expecting him, his primary weapon was surprise, but he did have a few secondary weapons.

[Cucoo5]

Venturia
Sol Inceneron
Planet Werban's atmosphere

"HmhmhmhahahaHAHAHA~ Oh you are just adorable!" Ember responded as she leaned back. "My dear, take a good look again between your ship and ours. You're in atmosphere, darling, not in space. You might be quick, but you're not in your element. Thrusters can only do so much~" She then smiled wryly. "Plus if you were thinking about using electronic warfare... you might have wanted to not tell us then."
"Ember...if it's a electronic net..."
"I know..." She went through her mind. "An electronic net in atmosphere can mean certain death for a fighter...We'll have to be quicker than him if he decides to decline..." She then switched back to Nhiome. "Besides, we're not here to hurt you, darling. We're here to make you an offer. Surely you've heard of the Black Roses?" Ember adjusted herself again. "You have skills...You're young and have some experience, you could become a legend with us. What do you say?"

--------------------------------------

Venturia
Between Egale and Celestora System
Freighter

Anankerisa merely watched the images with a blank stare and continued to mouth words like "Free us from this place" and "Save us from this place." The pendant she wore seemed to have a slight golden glow even though the crystal was red.

--------------------------------------

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon
In the Sky

Nero chuckled at Mima's response. "Likewise. Anyway, no big deal. They'll send a fighter escort and we'll be fine...we'll be totally fine."
The final statement seemed to carry a certain uncertainty to it. He looked about everyone on board. "Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all."

[Kristia]

Venturia
Between Egale and Celestora System
Freighter

Now that the girl was atleast calm, Mara started checking on her ("So far it must be an emotional trauma, probably from the mess that ocurred on the planet back there") she thought and then noticed the low glow on the pendant

"Say.. what is that pendant you got there? is it yours?" the bioroid asked calmly and pointing to the pendant of the little one

[Cucoo5]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------~~Chapter 1 | Guardians of Helios~~---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We'll have a visual of the situation as soon as we clear that cloud bank."
"Bout time we get to see some real action!"
"Like we haven't seen anything during some of our missions."
"Pfft, this is the major league now!"
"Seriously, why are you so excited?"
The hunters were chattering as they all flew towards the clouds that blocked their view of what was to come. Aion had taken point with the transport in the center of the formation. He was listening to the conversation, but his mind was focused.

When they finally made it through the clouds, the sight that greeted them was something none of them were expecting.
Joe was the first to speak. "No way...that's...that's a Beta Class Battle Cruiser! It's...!" The scene was that of pure chaos. A swarm of fighters, a Beta Class falling to earth, and a mass of cannon fire lighting up the evening sky. "Impossible..."
Aion opened scans on the cruiser and a report was displayed on his overhead display. "It's a Delta Division cruiser alright...Fighting to its last breath it seems. It's taken on heavy damage...no shields, systems almost gone altogether...she's crippled."
"A Beta...a freakin' Beta...taken down?!?" Joe was in disbelief.
"It's not down yet. There's some Zetas and Omegas keeping her in the fight. Alright, we need to get this transport to a safe point and then we can join the fray. Hunters! Move!" In a sudden burst, Eclipse Blade accelerated to sub-hypersonic speeds. The armor plates shifted to accommodate the sheer speed that the fighter was traveling. He was aiming to clear a path. "Joe, on my wing! Gold Squad, take the left, we'll take the right. Violet squadron upper and lower areas. Everyone else, stay tight on the transport! Let's open a hole!"

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Venturia
Conlustrare System
Beta Division Flagship

Suria, an Irian and commander of the Beta Division, was standing at the helm of her ship. The fleet of Beta division kept formation as they traveled through Conlustrare. "So far things have been quiet here." She mused to herself. Her fox tail flicked slightly. "I wonder how that old man, Sullivan, is doin?" She looked down to her communications officer. "Still no response from Delta Division?"
"Yes, ma'am. Nothing yet."
"Alright...Hopefully the old fool is still alive. Ha! Wouldn't that be ironic? Commander Sullivan goes down in some random skirmish...pffft." She mused to herself.

---------------------------------------

Venturia
Between Egale and Celestora System
Freighter

Anankerisa quickly grabbed the pendent and held it tight. She glanced at Mara with what seemed to be anger, but so brief it was barely noticeable as she quickly returned to her saddened stare.

[Koishi]

Venturia
Helios System
Planet: Duon

---

Mima looked at him straight in the face. "You're lying. It's very easy to tell."