The Galactic Map

Interlude 2

Contact! Captain Olgof relaxed. The final salvo of beholders had deployed and both of the enemies were illuminated. He had a few minutes before the drone racks would recycle, and then another 10 before the tide pulsed and they were pulled away from real space again. He was sure that he remained invisible to the two ships he could see. One looked to be from the water world of Mulgore - not a place he had visited, but he know of their profile and their favour for defense. The other he did not know at all, large for sure, and somehow more fearsome that the other.

He glanced at the clock, moving his hands in the VR display to instruct the heart to overpower attack nano, and also the drive of the two attack drones he was launching.

"Which target, Sir", came a quiet voice from his junior on weapons. "Hmm, I think both at the Mulgore", he moved hands again, igniting the drive, and powering everything else into it. "And Gurro, get us over toward the sun, inside the unscanned region only". Gurro was even older than the captain, about 200 years on their home planet, a veteran of many combats in space, and many before probably. There was no response, so Olgaf glanced over to the helm and saw that Gurro was following his command. It would be disrespectful for a captain to question a more senior helmsman, so Olgof kept silent, and watched as the tide washed in and the screens blanked out.

He got up then, stretched and dived into the shallow pool that lead to the core of the ship. The young female on weapons stayed glued to her console, but Gurro soon joined him. The captain let the senior flounder past, heading for the deeper end of the pool. Olgof grinned, his single tusk showing and followed the senior. "Any chance we can hit them them?" His voice resounded in the communal pool, as he knew it would. A hush descended from the reaches of the ship heart. All except for the deep theomancy that kept up around the Heart. "Aye Sir, in 3 washes we should hit. But I think that other ship is the danger. The Mulgore should dip out soon enough, and the strangers will get their tear, not us."

Olgof knew all this, and didn't think he would have let everyone else know, but then again, Gurro was a canny old crewman and knew ship moral better than the captain. "Probably right, so when we next emerge we will target them. Maybe help the Mulgore out of a tricky spot eh?". Then the captain dived deep, hooting a sign of privacy and swimming to a niche for a micro-sleep before the real combat began.

He rose from a blurred dream of fish in bright sunlight, slowly, layers of real light awakening him to the urgent sonic's of the RipTide alarm. A matron held him, she stirred, pushing him away, her larger bulk descending from the niche into the depths,flashing him a smile full of tusk and whiskers. He couldn't help but smile back before flicking himself out of the niche, rising up to the command deck, where the unshielded habitat lay. When he floundered out of the pool Gurro was already at quarters, as was the female on weapons. "Did you bathe Hirt?" he queried. She turned towards him, stern and frightened at the same time, full of duty "Sadly not captain, but I have studied the archives and I know something of the alien ship now."

The captain hunched, showing his gratitude, and asked for the information to be shown on his display. As he scanned, the weapons officer recited her summary. "It is an ancient ship, first out of the Coiral Sector, possibly Enoris III, but that is not confirmed. They have been the victor of 5 previous engagements with our fleet over the last 112 years. In all cases they defeated members of the shoal using overpowered drones and a canny ability to detect movement in system." As she finished the sonic's started their unheard reverberations warning of the approaching tide.

The captain cleared his console. "All stations to the ready, we face an ancient of the deep, hardened and of old heart. Prepare for combat. Swim strong and swim deep." Olgof slouched back towards the ancient Gurro, and in a husky whisper said "Just give me the nod and we will dip out of this one, our heart is strong and I will not lose this ship and crew to an ancient monster." Olgof looked at him, and perhaps for the first time, curled his lip with agreement and respect.

The sonic's stopped, their absents louder than any sound. For it is the nature of the deep to hear constant echoes, and for silence to be alien. Olgof could not help but hunch further into his shallow command pool. Instinct driving him towards water. No sooner had the console cleared than claxons started to blare out and a damage display lit up. The entire underside of their ship had been stripped bare, their move had taken them through a minefield, and armour, and cargo hold had been eaten by alien nano, their deep habitat was exposed. It would be next. Not only that but a new beholder had bloomed and they were illuminated!

"Captain, incoming, five drones, intercept course and mine spread, all from the ancient." said Gurro. "I detect more mines around us and the female deep is in peril from aggressor nano within the hull". The captain rolled over, he had plenty of time to decide what to do, and he wanted Gurro to make himself entirely clear. "You do know that we almost have this system, you do know that we are an elder ship with deep heart, and a store of combat mass, a ship of veteran battles. A ship with history." Gurro bowed his head, "Aye captain, I know, and I know this has been a fine string of victories and that this could be another, but I also know that the ancient out there seeded this mine field, has destroyed most of our combat mass, and almost killed our crewmated." He bowed deeper, "Captain you asked me to give you the nod, and I say we dip out."

Olgof turned away, his race barely felt anger, having conquered the oceans and the land of their worlds many millennia ago, having understood mysteries, and undergone transformations many times. Olgof knew the pride of his race, and the personal pride of his record. He also knew Gurro, ancient Gurro who said so little had just told him to run when Gurro would rather remain silent. Olgof hit the single red paddle in the centre of his console, and turned away, bumping the young female off the gunnery console and driving her under him into the pool. He laughed, "We are running", he trumpeted into the deep depths, "running to safety!".

He whispered now, playfully, "so find yourself a mate before I catch you!" And he flipped himself towards the youngster as she sprang away - it was and old game, as old as the ocean, and the tide of space washed in, and his ship dropped out of the system to the welcome safety of the galactic.