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carbon. Over the billions of years of it's travels it had grown an outer shell, almost a hundred kims thick, of frozen gases. Many megatons of interstellar dust and particles of gas had impacted and stuck to it's surface over the countless eons. It had life, of a fashion. Odd blobs of living helium drifted across it's surface, feeding on each other, and on the abundant chemicals which lay scattered across the terrain. It had been between the galaxies for over a billion years, and was now entering a new one. This one was surrounded by a field of energy that rivaled the surface of a star for it's excitement, but even a sun could not stop it any more. The blobs had been sensing the rising heat for years now, and had all hurriedly burrowed into caves which pockmarked the surface. Then it struck the field.
Geysers of gas suddenly and violently subliming spewed from the leading edge, and these buffeted and eased the passage through the field. When it had passed through, it had lost about eighty mets of it's surface material, the accumulation of six hundred million years worth, and all the helium blobs were evaporated, but it was still moving, a bit slower now, but still phenomenally fast.
Aya was knee-deep in tachyons, which glowed with an ethereal blue light all round her as they flowed from the deeply chilled energy transfer system, illuminating the area briefly, then flickering back into their own realm of space.
She had the outer cover off the energy transfer unit, and was laboriously adjusting a small device inside the unit to ensure it was operating at it's most efficient. A spark flared from the power system to her hand, and dropping the tool, she withdrew her injured finger while swearing in Hablis. She sucked on the burned and blackened tip as she glared angrily at the unmoving robot sitting underneath the layer of tachyon mist. "I wish you could get one of those critters working in here, Jihon." She said, then got back to work.
About ten minutes later, she was sitting on one of the beds in the ship's medical bay, and Idova was carefully examining the electrified digit.
"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" Idova asked, smiling at her.
"Go ahead. Just don't bite it off." Aya replied, jokingly
She slipped Aya's injured finger in her mouth, keeping eye contact, then closed her lips around it. As Aya watched with surprise, a blue glow formed around Idova's lips, and Aya felt a strange tingling sensation through her entire arm for a few seconds, then the glow faded. Idova slowly pulled her head back, and Aya's finger slipped out from between her lips.
"You didn't have to do that." Aya said, gazing at the healthy, pink digit in surprise.
"No, but I like doing that with you." Idova replied seductively.
The Rebel's Cause was preparing for another jump after a fruitless week spent scanning the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the both the Frontier, and any signs of their homes in the Center Worlds. Aya was in her bubble, with her consciousness extended and sensing, ensuring nothing was approaching which could potentially be drawn into the Vortex with them. "I can sense nothing appreciable in the area. Space is clear." She sent down. A surge told her the ship had begun it's build-up to vortex insertion, and she watched the wave of blueness flow over the hull towards her. The blue glowing tachyons flowed over the bubble, and she felt a distinctly erotic feeling as the radiation from their energetic state flowed through her. Just as the ship was about to proceed into the Vortex, she felt a sudden massive weight. "Abort! Abort!" She cried even as she pushed straight down. She flew down the tube, still crying "Abort!", and got slammed against the forward wall as the ship's engines roared against the baffles in reverse, driving it backward from the brink of the Vortex.
A softer lurch told her the tachyon field had dropped away, but the mass was getting larger, and more pronounced. She quickly pushed her way down into the bridge, ignoring the blood welling up from her nose and turned to S'Hara. "There's something out there. Gigantic, and coming at us very fast."
Willem spun to the navigational sensors as S'Hara turned on the tactical systems display. An image formed on the screen of a spheroid, black and glittery, moving very quickly towards them. "It's on an intercept vector." Willem said.
"Evasive action. Full port thrusters, fire." S'Hara ordered. Willem triggered the powerful directed fusion exhaust, and the Rebel's Cause began to slew out of it's original course, but it was moving at too great of an intrinsic forward velocity to shift fully aside.
The gigantic planetoid approached, faster and faster, as the ship's nose slowly began to rotate away from direct impact. "Brace yourselves, we could still hit it. Full shields. Prepare for main fusion engine ignition, max thrust."
As the planetoid spun closer, the ship's turn angle increased, and then it's back suddenly glowed with a hellish blue-white light as it's main engines fired, pushing it at 1.8 gravities away from the area of impact. The surface still approached, speeding beneath the hull, until it was only mets distant, then the ship's altitude began to gain, and it began to pull away. Within a second, it was over. The Rebel's Cause shut down it's engines again, and sensors recorded the planetoid, oddly glowing where the ship's drive flame had passed over it's surface, slowly receding.
Jihon beeped an alert. "Sensor scans indicate large concentrations of aggregated carbon deposits. Indications are that at least 30% of this carbon may have become high density crystal. As the object is now receding at velocity in excess of 80,000 kims, a decision should be made within the next thirty seconds as to possible actions."
"I think we should go rock-hunting." Said S'Hara.
"An asteroid made of diamond? What an interesting idea. How old is it, Jihon?" Aya said, dabbing at her nose with a cloth.
"Checking sensor scans. Estimate about 10 - 12 billion cycles. Very old."
"Jihon, how long would you estimate this thing has been drifting for. Where would it have originated from, any ideas?"
S'Hara interrupted with "Before you do that, let's get closer, otherwise this conversation will become academic."
Willem nodded and triggered the attitude and main thrusters. The ship completed it's turn and began to chase the planetoid.
"Estimates are between 10 and 12 billion cycles, as previously advised. Origination point is unknown and impossible to triangulate due to the age of the object."
Two hours later, they had approached to within six hundred kims of the planetoid's surface.
"Sensors indicate an odd reaction from the frozen gases on the surface to our cadmium-zinc fusion exhaust. Possibility is that the elements are Transuranic. Caution is advised, radiation is extreme on the surface. Do you want to land?" Jihon reported.
"How high?" Willem asked.
"Scans indicate in excess of 500 rads."
S'Hara pursed her lips and said "I think we should land and mine for some of the diamonds. After such a long time they become ultra pure and very high grade. They would be great trade goods for the Center Worlds."
"Willem, locate the largest and flattest part of the surface closest to the largest deposit of diamonds." She requested.
Willem consulted with the sensors, then indicated a large circular feature about thirty kims in diameter. "Looks like a smaller asteroid hit here a while ago, and only about a hundred mets down we've got a fairly high reading of carbon. Shall we descend?"
"Of course, as long as you think you can handle it, Willem." S'Hara said with a wily look in her eyes.
"I think I can, but you'd better strap down in case I make a mistake."
"Mistake, you? Never." S'Hara replied.
"Jihon, secure the ship for landing. Reconfigure hull for gravity descent, and prime the landing thrusters." Willem said as he manipulated his console.
"All stations report pressure bulkheads closed and sealed. Outer hull configuring from interstellar to gravity. Landing thrusters fueled and primed. All systems confirm green." Jihon reported after a short pause.
"Beginning descent." Willem reported, as the tug of reverse thrust became apparent to the crew.
The ship b
egan to slowly drift downwards on an invisible tail of fire. As it approached to within five hundred mets of the surface, it hovered, and Jihon completed a second set of sensor readings. "No change in any status." He reported. The ship continued to descend.
"Coming up on a hundred mets." Willem reported.
Idova suddenly sat bolt upright, and shouted "Danger! Get out!" Even as the ship's main engines kicked in.
"Red Alert. Imminent explosion on surface. Main engines are cycling for maximum thrust. Red Alert." Jihon reported as the main engines throttled up to their 1.8g maximum.
Beneath them, the fusion flame had properly touched the surface, and in doing so, had caused some volatile gases to ignite under the multimillion degree heat of it's blast. The ship rose on a column of fire, then was engulfed by a wave of superheated gas burning and igniting under extreme conditions.
Jihon began a status report as the ship was buffeted by the tenuous but high velocity gases streaming past. "Fusion flame has ignited volatile gases present on surface. Sensors have indicated imminent explosion probable. Vessel is in moderate danger. Stabilization systems have activated. All propulsive systems are green light and active."
"Secondary explosion occurring. Brace for impact."
A sudden violent shock from the aft quarter of the ship threw them all around in their chairs, then Jihon
Geysers of gas suddenly and violently subliming spewed from the leading edge, and these buffeted and eased the passage through the field. When it had passed through, it had lost about eighty mets of it's surface material, the accumulation of six hundred million years worth, and all the helium blobs were evaporated, but it was still moving, a bit slower now, but still phenomenally fast.
Aya was knee-deep in tachyons, which glowed with an ethereal blue light all round her as they flowed from the deeply chilled energy transfer system, illuminating the area briefly, then flickering back into their own realm of space.
She had the outer cover off the energy transfer unit, and was laboriously adjusting a small device inside the unit to ensure it was operating at it's most efficient. A spark flared from the power system to her hand, and dropping the tool, she withdrew her injured finger while swearing in Hablis. She sucked on the burned and blackened tip as she glared angrily at the unmoving robot sitting underneath the layer of tachyon mist. "I wish you could get one of those critters working in here, Jihon." She said, then got back to work.
About ten minutes later, she was sitting on one of the beds in the ship's medical bay, and Idova was carefully examining the electrified digit.
"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" Idova asked, smiling at her.
"Go ahead. Just don't bite it off." Aya replied, jokingly
She slipped Aya's injured finger in her mouth, keeping eye contact, then closed her lips around it. As Aya watched with surprise, a blue glow formed around Idova's lips, and Aya felt a strange tingling sensation through her entire arm for a few seconds, then the glow faded. Idova slowly pulled her head back, and Aya's finger slipped out from between her lips.
"You didn't have to do that." Aya said, gazing at the healthy, pink digit in surprise.
"No, but I like doing that with you." Idova replied seductively.
The Rebel's Cause was preparing for another jump after a fruitless week spent scanning the surrounding area in an attempt to locate the both the Frontier, and any signs of their homes in the Center Worlds. Aya was in her bubble, with her consciousness extended and sensing, ensuring nothing was approaching which could potentially be drawn into the Vortex with them. "I can sense nothing appreciable in the area. Space is clear." She sent down. A surge told her the ship had begun it's build-up to vortex insertion, and she watched the wave of blueness flow over the hull towards her. The blue glowing tachyons flowed over the bubble, and she felt a distinctly erotic feeling as the radiation from their energetic state flowed through her. Just as the ship was about to proceed into the Vortex, she felt a sudden massive weight. "Abort! Abort!" She cried even as she pushed straight down. She flew down the tube, still crying "Abort!", and got slammed against the forward wall as the ship's engines roared against the baffles in reverse, driving it backward from the brink of the Vortex.
A softer lurch told her the tachyon field had dropped away, but the mass was getting larger, and more pronounced. She quickly pushed her way down into the bridge, ignoring the blood welling up from her nose and turned to S'Hara. "There's something out there. Gigantic, and coming at us very fast."
Willem spun to the navigational sensors as S'Hara turned on the tactical systems display. An image formed on the screen of a spheroid, black and glittery, moving very quickly towards them. "It's on an intercept vector." Willem said.
"Evasive action. Full port thrusters, fire." S'Hara ordered. Willem triggered the powerful directed fusion exhaust, and the Rebel's Cause began to slew out of it's original course, but it was moving at too great of an intrinsic forward velocity to shift fully aside.
The gigantic planetoid approached, faster and faster, as the ship's nose slowly began to rotate away from direct impact. "Brace yourselves, we could still hit it. Full shields. Prepare for main fusion engine ignition, max thrust."
As the planetoid spun closer, the ship's turn angle increased, and then it's back suddenly glowed with a hellish blue-white light as it's main engines fired, pushing it at 1.8 gravities away from the area of impact. The surface still approached, speeding beneath the hull, until it was only mets distant, then the ship's altitude began to gain, and it began to pull away. Within a second, it was over. The Rebel's Cause shut down it's engines again, and sensors recorded the planetoid, oddly glowing where the ship's drive flame had passed over it's surface, slowly receding.
Jihon beeped an alert. "Sensor scans indicate large concentrations of aggregated carbon deposits. Indications are that at least 30% of this carbon may have become high density crystal. As the object is now receding at velocity in excess of 80,000 kims, a decision should be made within the next thirty seconds as to possible actions."
"I think we should go rock-hunting." Said S'Hara.
"An asteroid made of diamond? What an interesting idea. How old is it, Jihon?" Aya said, dabbing at her nose with a cloth.
"Checking sensor scans. Estimate about 10 - 12 billion cycles. Very old."
"Jihon, how long would you estimate this thing has been drifting for. Where would it have originated from, any ideas?"
S'Hara interrupted with "Before you do that, let's get closer, otherwise this conversation will become academic."
Willem nodded and triggered the attitude and main thrusters. The ship completed it's turn and began to chase the planetoid.
"Estimates are between 10 and 12 billion cycles, as previously advised. Origination point is unknown and impossible to triangulate due to the age of the object."
Two hours later, they had approached to within six hundred kims of the planetoid's surface.
"Sensors indicate an odd reaction from the frozen gases on the surface to our cadmium-zinc fusion exhaust. Possibility is that the elements are Transuranic. Caution is advised, radiation is extreme on the surface. Do you want to land?" Jihon reported.
"How high?" Willem asked.
"Scans indicate in excess of 500 rads."
S'Hara pursed her lips and said "I think we should land and mine for some of the diamonds. After such a long time they become ultra pure and very high grade. They would be great trade goods for the Center Worlds."
"Willem, locate the largest and flattest part of the surface closest to the largest deposit of diamonds." She requested.
Willem consulted with the sensors, then indicated a large circular feature about thirty kims in diameter. "Looks like a smaller asteroid hit here a while ago, and only about a hundred mets down we've got a fairly high reading of carbon. Shall we descend?"
"Of course, as long as you think you can handle it, Willem." S'Hara said with a wily look in her eyes.
"I think I can, but you'd better strap down in case I make a mistake."
"Mistake, you? Never." S'Hara replied.
"Jihon, secure the ship for landing. Reconfigure hull for gravity descent, and prime the landing thrusters." Willem said as he manipulated his console.
"All stations report pressure bulkheads closed and sealed. Outer hull configuring from interstellar to gravity. Landing thrusters fueled and primed. All systems confirm green." Jihon reported after a short pause.
"Beginning descent." Willem reported, as the tug of reverse thrust became apparent to the crew.
The ship b
egan to slowly drift downwards on an invisible tail of fire. As it approached to within five hundred mets of the surface, it hovered, and Jihon completed a second set of sensor readings. "No change in any status." He reported. The ship continued to descend.
"Coming up on a hundred mets." Willem reported.
Idova suddenly sat bolt upright, and shouted "Danger! Get out!" Even as the ship's main engines kicked in.
"Red Alert. Imminent explosion on surface. Main engines are cycling for maximum thrust. Red Alert." Jihon reported as the main engines throttled up to their 1.8g maximum.
Beneath them, the fusion flame had properly touched the surface, and in doing so, had caused some volatile gases to ignite under the multimillion degree heat of it's blast. The ship rose on a column of fire, then was engulfed by a wave of superheated gas burning and igniting under extreme conditions.
Jihon began a status report as the ship was buffeted by the tenuous but high velocity gases streaming past. "Fusion flame has ignited volatile gases present on surface. Sensors have indicated imminent explosion probable. Vessel is in moderate danger. Stabilization systems have activated. All propulsive systems are green light and active."
"Secondary explosion occurring. Brace for impact."
A sudden violent shock from the aft quarter of the ship threw them all around in their chairs, then Jihon
Center Worlds - Spark