Last Updated 01 Sep 1999.
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created and maintained by Virtual Insanity. |
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Chapter 2
by Matt Crymble
"--It can't be," Verran exclaimed!
Turning from the 3D image, Verran's fingers moved deftly over the controls as he urged the Carrion towards the object floating within his sensor range. He briefly considered contacting base for help, but if his suspicions were correct, it may be best to check first. Squinting through the Carrion's fore viewport, Verran looked hopefully at the object that was steadily appearing to grow larger.
"The design is right, and it looks intact. Could it be?" He said to himself as he coaxed his old bird carefully in, its ION engines flaring in the depths of silent space.
Checking his sensors for any transmissions or heat sources proved negative, but at this range and with this equipment, that didn't mean anything... yet. Steadily the object grew larger until finally it was huge, though he was still a way away. It was obviously a vessel of some kind, and an old one by the looks of it. But its design didn't look UPF, though it was familiar to Verran.
The ship was coated with some type of non reflective surface making it difficult to see as anything more than an outline in the dim light of deep space. It also had a slow tumble, meaning that Verran had to keep back a few hundred meters. But what he did see enticed thoughts he hadn't had since he was a yearling. He watched the slow cycle of the ship in awe. He was dimly aware of keying the images onto RECORD from his outside viewcams. Behind him in its locked case, the recorder hummed dully. The full cycle of the ship's roll was so interesting to Verran that he couldn't take his eyes off of it. The huge engine struts, the dorsal hull, then the bridge, and.... wait...
"Wait, wait now," Verran said to himself. Keying an image playback on a side screen, he froze the image and enlarged it. On the side of the hull just below the bridge, we scarlet letters keenly visible to his dark eyes. The lettering was somewhat familiar to Verran too, though he hadn't studied his own people's ancient tongue since before pilot training. The name was simple enough, written in the native Yazirian.
[Gri' Nashu]
"Lost Warrior," Verran translated to himself in a hushed whisper. He was standing out of his seat, his face close to the main viewport. After a few minutes of awed silence, Verran's training kicked in. He sat back down at his console and keyed the Carrion's registry database.
"This is some kind of bad joke," he said aloud. Though he didn't want to believe it. In a moment the computer came up with one match. He chose the full data display mode. Along with the text, a 3D rendering that lookedexactly like the vessel outside was included.
[Query: Ship [Gri' Nashu] (Lost Warrior)]
WARNING! THIS VESSEL IS NOT UPF REGISTERED. COMPLIANCE WITH ARTICLE 4
SECTION 10 OF THE PILOT'S HANDBOOK IS REQUIRED. WARNING!
DATA FILE FOLLOWS:
The Gri' Nashu was one of the last colony ships planned for constructed by the Yazirian people when forced to flee their doomed homeworld. Though it was presumed completed, it was never accounted for after the Exodus. (No other data available)
See Secondary File for (presumed) completion dates.
"By the will of the Clans," Verran spoke aloud, "What have I done!"
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