The Province Of Terrans 2

A Starshatter adventure

Jan 24, 2025

(Art source unknown)

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Index: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16

Chapter 3

To ghost a ghost

“Gut and skill are oft what draws Lady Luck to us, dear friends!” – said Northstone with a smile and raised his pint – “Glory to those who laid down their lives so that we can sit here, safe and prosperous, drink and food aplenty.”

Before the man continued, he projected another set of holo-slides.

“Would you imagine where any of us space explorers be, had those before us not sacrificed and took risks, so that we could learn more? I say to you, truly, our mag-boots are locked upon the shoulder armor of giants!”

The video he ran showed first his sensor perspective. Just as he mentioned, Northstone pulled the wool over the ghost-ships’ mechanical eyes. In order to produce attractive and realistic sensory output, he did indeed overcharge his magnificently engineered sensor array with power drawn from other systems.

“As I gently etched my way forward, watching a wing worth of Ghost-ships rushing at the fake targets, I had to be weary of system overheat. Plasma cable overcharge was also a potentially ship-crippling malfunction, thus I made every conceivable effort to avoid it.”

There were enough pilots, captains, and starship crewmates present. They knew exactly what Northstone was talking about, for many of their vessels had suffered similar trouble during one or another system tasking operation. With bated breaths, they watched the Spacer’s holo-vids noting that he did indeed wait till the very last possible moment before accelerating his craft.

“Ah, you see, once I’ve flown into their view and on full speed, they would know that it was all a trick. But... these spectral monstrosities were too hungry, eager to devour yet another explorer’s soul.” – Northstone said that with a happy smile on his chiseled face, noting with a kind gesture encompassing the entire venue – “We humans have an ancient saying ‘Greed is the delicacy of fools.’”

Swirling energies shrouded the multitude of Ghost-ships and their main drives became twice as hot. Enraged that they have been swindled in such a spectacular manner, and wasted so much of their valuable fuel chasing after empty space, they attempted to catch up. In stark contrast, the Spacer would only run his engines for a short time.

Speed and space he had aplenty!

However, as Northstone had told and shown his audience, FSS Bird Of Hope was close to dangerous overheat. Thus, he was unable to make use of his specialist shield generator and, for the most part, his sensor array was set on its lowest energy setting.

“Going into the derelict warship’s anomaly shield, I did hope there weren’t anymore Ghost-ships lurking about. My main heatsink was tasked to its limits, therefore it would’ve been silly of me to cause potentially irreparable system damage by pushing it further. When I swung around the first anomaly and saw this ship, friends, let me tell you, I cursed mentally.”

Before he continued with his tale, the Spacer made sure to show everyone another and rather detailed set of holo-slides. There, those with good memory and an eye for detail were aghast since they immediately recognized it.

‘Twas the very same Ghost-ship that now rested inside Northstone Firehand’s private hangar bay!

“The moment I dodged the first blast of death rays, I understood that this thing was different. Pilotage aside, it navigated around the anomalies in quite the similar manner as myself, even skirting their edges, risking damage to get me. There and then, I knew that I had to find a way to defeat it or... I wouldn’t leave the derelict alive.”

Onlookers noticed a grim smirk on Northstone’s face, while he took a short pause to wet his throat. Jenn, ever the gracious hostess, offered her famed guest quite the delectable-looking sammich. The aroma of sautéed veggies, ham, salami, freshly baked bread, and cheeses spread across The Roundabout like a tsunami. Those without food but with drinks made sure to correct their error, and orders swarmed the bartenders.

The Raidin’ Bikar sammich was a mighty opponent, and it did take the Spacer a couple of minutes to defeat.

“That ship needed no sensors to avoid the anomalies. I could’ve used mine at their full output, but decided not to and flew by feeling. Experienced in the way of exploration, I learned from many honorable captains and wise navigators.” – said the spacer, gifting a nearby alien pilot with a gracious nod – “Knowledge helped me notice visual and minute radiation tell tale signs, which translated into immediate, swift course corrections!”

They all witnessed, however, how Bird Of Hope sustained a glancing hit. The full ray barrage which Northstone’s sensors overlayed for them on the holo-vid would’ve been deadly especially without a shield to protect the starship. Hit at the left wing’s mid section Bird Of Hope lost one of her main laser weapons, yet for the most part her hull was intact and systems, operational.

“It chased me and I? I evaded its beams and two other anomalies, but barely. My ship had just lost one of her heavy guns, but the heatsink was only seconds away from cycling into full operational mode. Death rays, however, were not its only way of onslaught...”

Sentients who’ve had others tell them horror tales of possession and ghostly mental attacks or experienced these themselves, shuddered. Weapon fire, even from a vessel commanded by Unlife wraiths was one thing, the tendrils of vile wraiths worming inside your very soul, entirely another.

“I began to traverse the last anomaly on my path, while all of a sudden, I was unsure of its outlines. To my horror, this thing appeared to have moved either on its own or upon command. While option one was unsettling to say the least, the very thought that there was someone or something still in control, made my skin crawl. Nothing, however, could’ve prepared me for what I witnessed then...”

To accentuate, Northstone projected a detailed holo-slide and outlined a few visual cues, all of which to the horror of many. This patch of warped space, and oh, it did appear that the very nature of reality had suffered greatly, was briefly “populated” by a number of phantasms. These, unnatural and shroud in vile Unlife energies, were responsible for changing the anomaly’s position.

For a sliver of a star-second, there were their abysmal to behold shapes and visages for all to see. In the next frame of the holo-slides there was nothing! Those in the know, System Operators of skill, capable of analyzing such images, they could not find even the tell tale visual cues of an anomaly.

“Friends, many of you know that we Spacers are humble folk.” – began Northstone and waved as a multitude of aliens joined their smiles and soft chuckles into a wholesome choir which, for a time, distracted people from the horrors which they had just witnessed.

“Jokes aside, to boast of feats possible only thanks to Lady Luck’s most gracious touch, it is not quite our way. Thus, when I tell you that my trusty Bird Of Hope somehow flew herself through that anomaly, it is not something I say in jest. No!, maintaining my pilot’s concentration by the skin of my teeth while the wraiths’ claws cleaved at my mind and their foul cerebrations mauled my soul, that starcraft of mine... she helped me.”

“For but a single star-second did my focus waver! I, emboldened by Vinson, a great friend and excellent Morale Officer, cut my very spirit into them and repelled their onslaught. Then and there, I should’ve flown straight through that anomaly, yet my ship made a course correction of minute, but life-saving measure. My fellow navigators would say ‘tis be the pilot’s best luck...”

“Ast’la this was! So sayeth the Dzenta’rii Seekers and they who have long scoured unknown depths were wise of these things.” – boldly stated an alien man of awe-inspiring gravitas.

Clad in the fine white dress uniform with gold epaulets of a major of the Terran Colonial Navy’s most elite starfighter squadrons, the White Guards, the emblem of which shone under holo-lights, many a guest immediately recognized him. Unorthodox for a noble Dzenta’rii short, human-style hairdo, but a few practical accessories adorning his persona, nevertheless his pale white hair and black eyes with golden irises alone would’ve gained him attention aplenty.

Northstone quickly approached him and proceeded to vigorously shake the alien’s hand – “Narin, my star blood! Jenn told me she had a surprise tale teller after me, but I hadn’t even imagined ‘twas you!”

Narin of the House of Lorat’za was perhaps one of the most famous Dzenta’rii in this part of Terran Minarchy space. These days, only the legendary Captain Anit’za Morat’za could dare compare his own merit-gained renown against Narin’s.

“My dear friend,” – answered Narin with a graceful bow – “I assure you, once your story is told till it’s satisfying end, guests of The Roundabout shan’t find my battle tale dreary!”

The two looked at each other smiling and to many an onlooker, it would appear that their grins not only shone with happiness but also relief. It was a short pause and, unwilling to delay anymore, Northstone Firehand returned to his storyteller’s chair, leaving Narin with a bottle of prized Bulgarian vintage.

“Now, where was I? Ah...” – the Spacer finished his pint and reached for another before he continued – “My dear starcraft, she evaded that anomaly and I, finally having repelled the wraiths’ ghostly assault, reached for my gunnery controls. At the same star-second when the main heatsink cycled back into maximum operational mode, I charged all of my particle-beam point defense arrays and shields.”

Northstone’s fingers, playfully leveled up, danced a dance which all space pilots and gunnery officers knew well. That was the jig of flipping switches, directing energy flows, and focusing various starship weaponry onto a target. Such was the Spacer’s legerity that many a sentient, and especially those of the same profession, they smilingly nodded and gasped.

Another set of holo-slides projected for their pleasure, Northstone continued his tale – “This Ghost-ship, oh, it did not fail to notice my intent! With swift moves did this wraith-controlled craft change distance and enabled yet another barrage of death rays. Verily, my ship just having flown around an anomaly, this attack would’ve damaged me significantly. Yet since I focused most of my shield energy aft, Bird Of Hope remained untouched, as my point defense emitters, all of them, unleashed their particle-beams.”

There appeared yet another of his holo-vids and this one, oh, it was beautiful to behold. The Spacer made sure to perform a specific dogfighting maneuver, which, both in its speed and timely execution, nearly caught the Ghost-ship off guard. Bird Of Hope delivered a withering barrage of her own and the Terran-made particle-beam emitters unleashed their cyan-green beams.

With nimbleness nigh impossible for things of flesh and blood did the Ghost-ship attempt to evade. However, that barrage that Northstone had plotted and then so timely unleashed, it caught the enemy flying into a glove-like trap. Unless this ancient starfighter could teleport its way out of danger, it would be impossible to escape unscathed. Hit by most of the beams which ripped its energy shield asunder, the Ghost-ship’s hull became heavily scarred.

Localized plasma discharges arched across the damaged ancient craft. Fires flared for a second or two, before smothered by some system, died out. All things natural for a starship just hit by enemy fire and having survived it for one or another reason. There was something else, however, unsettling to behold.

Ichorous brown liquid oozed through the ragged hull...

“Here!” – boomed Northstone’s voice and he pointed at another detailed holo-slide – “Four of my beams struck the target and, void of powerful shielding, that would’ve been it. Now, dear guests, look and see what happened next.”

Before the eyes of stunned onlookers ghostly hands and wriggling fingers began forging the damaged hull back into shape! More, those with keen eye for detail, they noticed that this accursed vessel was literally covered in eyes. Dozens of toothy mouths, all wide open, sucked whatever gaseous matter or debris they could as the Ghost-ship moved.

“It abruptly stopped, this menace of mine.” – said the Spacer and displayed one last holo-video of the foul creation – “You can see it veering off, aiming to reach the tomb ship I used as a sling. Quite possibly, it would then proceed to feed off of its hull and perhaps, even its zombified crew.”

There was a few star-seconds long silence, broken by Jenn – “Ticks!”

“Indeed, these Ghost-ships are just like ticks, and why I labeled them as such in my ship’s log.”

Northstone Firehand switched the perspective, showing a much closer view of the horror-laden derelict warship. From this range, the olden vessel was even more scary to behold. Gaps in its hull were aglow in the flicker of powerful energy discharges. Armor-plating of bone-like metal and bulbous, gray colored energy shields protected it from harm. The damage, accrued over who knows how many tens of thousands of years, gave the craft a distinct, nightmare-inducing look.

‘Twas a living corpse, yet still very much capable of murder.

One of the giant weapon spires dotting its entire shape glistened, and thick, lightning-like bolts shot at Northstone’s craft. Having had reactivated his wondrous sensor and with an ample forewarning, the Spacer made only a minute course correction, dodging that attack.

“Friends, as you can see, there are ways to evade even beam fire. Only those imbibing in ludicrous debunker holo-flicks actually believe these to be sure hitters. Like in this case, especially with a good scanning array and experienced pilot behind the controls, a starship could realistically dodge multiple such attacks and suffer no damage.”

“I say this foul behemoth has nothing on you, dear friend!” – Narin praised Northstone’s flying ability and then pointed at his own face with a smirk – “I’ve dodged more beams that I can remember but... all in my starfighter.”

“For sure, it helps to be in a nimble craft.” – said Northstone and nodded in agreement – “Now, what say you dear guests? How and where did I dock with the derelict warship?”

Indeed, my dear reader, you are now going to decide how and where. However, make sure to remember that FSS Bird Of Hope lost one of her main laser cannons.

(One) I had prudently preserved the bulk of my fuel. Therefore, and with a huge grin on my face, I flew at the derelict warship with my best speed. Handily, I used my scanner input to dodge any incoming beam or energy bolt attacks. There was a small hangar bay I saw on my optics, its gates tore open by ancient warfare, which I chose to dock my starcraft at. Of course, I needed to save all shield power saved to rip through the dock’s protective field. It was that or I’d turn into one very flat fly when I smashed into it.

(Two) That weapon spire did not look all too “healthy”. I scanned and approached it with my shields overcharged, ready to attack. Combining the firepower of my remaining quad laser cannon mount and half the missile launcher’s munitions, I blew a large hole in its base. Its structural integrity already weakened by multiple olden weapon hits, severed, the spire slowly floated away into the depths of space. I, meanwhile, successfully landed my ship among the ruins and proceeded to breach the derelict on foot.

(Three) Instead of wasting precious fuel and ammo or time fighting a costly battle and potentially further damaging Bird Of Hope, I relied on my scanning array and shields. With the utmost of focus I engaged in electronic warfare, interrupting the Spire’s automated targeting. To land inside an enemy warship’s hangar is and always was a crazy move; traps, automated turrets, and all that. I played it safe and as soon as my starcraft neared one of the jagged hull breaches, I navigated my way inside, shields set at full strength.

(*_*_*)

Dear reader, please do not forget to post your pick in the comments below, and elaborate upon why you think our protagonist should do so.