Lost in Space (AmiraXTicTacGuy123)

Boros happily took the second glass, shooting it back much like he had the first glass. "I'll give your people one thing, this is a fabulous little beverage. I wish my people had something as potent as this in wine form." He chuckled and set his glass down, satisfied with what he consumed so far. He had already had more than he had initially hoped, but he would happily accept more if she offered. There were few vices he had; drinking was definitely one of them.

"No matter how efficient she may be, I feel my men can make her even better" he boasted, standing and moving to the bench. He sat, taking up significantly more space than her, looking at the map. The ship was vast but clearly designed to make access from one vital sector to another smooth and easy. "Which sectors of the ship are the most valuable? The ones that need to be defended at all cost? The core, obviously. Any others?"

She raised an eyebrow as he guzzled the second glass whole, she wasn’t sure how she could explain to his crew later that she hadn’t drugged him he just drank too much too fast. She traced her finger around the map, “The core is the most important, that is why it is on the underside of the ship and reinforced so well. If an enemy managed to get through our hull and hit our core, well that would the end of this ship and a whatever ships and planetoids are in the area. Hopefully no one would be so stupid as to sign their own life away.”

She pushed hair from her face, sitting next to this man on the bench she couldn’t be sure if his species was oversized or hers was really that small. “The Bridge is also very important, but less so, the ship can be piloted from other parts of the ship. The Main computer is here, in the very center of the ship, if that were destroyed we would lose all ship systems. That has never happened without, basically the rest of the ship already being destroyed. The anomaly caused a glitch in our computer matrix, we can have it in order soon. Our voice activated systems will be back on line soon enough. Um, my crew will have to focus on electrical work because I don’t think your men will fit in our tubing.” She flipped the console over to a log.

“You can keep logs that are stored to your room console, any of your crew men are welcome to keep a log.” She continued to flip, “Or explore our library of literature and music.” She flipped back to her map, tracing her finger across the third deck. “There are training and rec rooms on this floor, a lot of my crew will spend time here on their hours off.”

Boros nodded as she explained the rooms and where they were, following her finger as she traced the map. "I would hope that the very real danger of having a thermonuclear explosion detonate from the center of the ship never becomes an issue" he half-joked, looking at the layout. "At any rate, the area is easily defensible. We have enough people to protect both the bridge and core, no issues. It's the rest of the ship I worry about." He looked over the details of the vessel, calculating where the most entry points were. "If we keep here and here," he said, pointing at spots on the map, "then we can prevent access to the rest of the ship, should something occur."

"Are there multiple rec rooms? I understand that we are trying to integrate our crews, but your men must assume some sort of privacy when they are not working. Most creatures do not willingly accept unknown people into their personal zone." His men likely wouldn't care of their presence and would show off, if anything. But he knew that could be construed as rude.

"As for myself, I will be spending most of my time in my quarters or on the bridge. I do most of my training on my own."

“There are many.” Anora answered simply, she could feel herself growing drowsy but there was a bit of uncertainty left in her keeping her awake. She turned her body towards him, turning her full attention to him, his species such a physically vast difference from hers. She wondered if his flesh were hard like rough stone, she also had to wonder if the females of his species looked much the same.

She did not judge him for training alone, or keeping mostly to his quarters or the bridge, being a leader was often lonely. She could not go down to the mess hall and socialize with the others, playing board games and gossiping about another crewmen was not befitting a captain.

“Lonely place it is in charge. Shouldering the burden of many of ones self. As a youngling I longed to be captain, now that I am, sometimes I long to be with the others.” She gave him a half smile, “We should probably retire until morning.”

The Arkinite laughed and nodded, standing slowly and cautiously to take his leave. "I agree. It is a lonely life that we must live, but we do it because we must. Without a leader, a group falls apart into nothing more than chaotic barbarians. I think we can both agree that this way is much better." With that said, he nodded his head to her and began to walk towards the door, making sure to firmly plant each foot to prevent his potential humiliation. "I will explain the situation further to my men tomorrow. I pray you rest easy."

He left her quarters and made his way to his own, closing the door behind him and stripping off his undersuit. His body ached, finally free for the first time in what felt like ages. A rough day could easily take a toll on a captain, and he was no different. He dropped onto the bed heavily, hardly noticing the fact that it was much smaller than a man of his size required. He closed his eyes and within moments fell asleep.

He woke up early the following morning, sitting up and staring out of the window into space. So much had happened in a short time span, and it was hard to process. The rest had been nice, welcome. He stretched thoroughly, putting his undersuit back on after he finished. He made his way to the mess hall, hoping some of his crew would be there eating their morning meal before getting to work salvaging the now abandoned ship.

Anora smiled at the Lord Boros exited her bed chambers, she swore for a moment she had seen him stagger on his feet. She climbed into her own bed, relaxing into the firm cot mattress. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was out for the night.

The Next Day

Captain B’Lanna entered the bridge after attending a small breakfast in her own quarters, she was wearing her bridge uniform, a rather tight fitting grey coverall, that zipped up to just under the chin often though she left it half unzipped exposing her undershirt. She kept her hair up when she was working, today in two small buns just on top of her head, leaving a few stray hairs to frame around her face. Her hand was still clutching a small cup, the odor from the cup was strong. It was a tea of sorts that many of the Yamors partook in to wake up or stay away, Anora stuck her nose to the cup sucking the smell of the strange orange liquid. It was one of her absolute favorite beverages.

“Captain on the Bridge.” Was announced and Anora walked to her seat.

“As you were.” She waved her hand dismissively, sinking into her seat and taking another long drink. “Status report?” She asked, and all of the ships system status were relayed to her as she listened. Satisfied with the progress she moved to look at her own console, “Since scanners are back online, do a sweep every twenty minutes. We don’t want to get caught by surprise.”

“Aye Captain.” Lt Joli answered, “Something is coming up on our scanner, a ship. It appears to be some sort of fright vessel, class D weapons, reinforced haul, I would say inferior shield strength.”

“Pull it up on the view screen.” The screen showed a ship, that seemed to be heading straight for the two ships. It looked like some sort of ship that dealt in salvage, “Hail them.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, putting down her drink and waiting for the video link to be started.

A strange alien species answered the call, “This is Captain B’Lanna of the Yamor Empire. Please cease your current course.”

“I have already completely scans on your vessel, you are in no shape for a space battle. I suggest you stand down.”

Anora took a deep breath, “Cease your current course, now.” She said in a firmer voice.

The Alien laughed, ending the signal and immediately opening fire to the Yamor ship. The ship jumped, but it was obviously just a warning ship.

“Shields are holding.” Lt Joli relayed.

“Fantastic.” Captain groaned, “I guess we should wake our guests.” She pressed the communicator on her badge, relaying it directly into Lord Boro’s quarters. “Lord Boros, please report to the bridge.”

Boros had hardly taken a step out into the hallway before he felt the ship rock. Already..? the captain thought to himself, sighing audibly and shaking his head. He wasn't surprised when the intercom came across for him. "Lord Boros, please report to the bridge.” There was no need to reply; he was already on his way. If another pirate vessel thought that it was going to board and loot what it pleased on a wounded ship, then he and his men would be quick to defend.

He made his way to the lift he had been shown the day before, riding it to the bridge. He walked to the Yamur captain, his face etched with irritation and borderline anger. "Who dares fire upon our ship?" he demanded to know, his eye fixated on B'Lanna. "They do not know who they are disturbing lest they have a death wish." His chest heaved with his heavy breathing, his strength being fed by his agitation. "Hail their ship again, I will not let them insult us!"

A tap on his shoulder turned his attention, and he huffed heavily at Artyi, who had made his way to the bridge after Boros. "Lord please, control your temper. You aren't wearing your suit." The Arkinite closed his eye and sighed, shaking his head. His breathing slowed and his body relaxed, both his skin suit and the second in command visibly relieved. When Boros was finished, he turned back to B'Lanna, still clearly aggravated, but significantly less aggressive.

"If you receive contact from them, you tell them that attempting to assault The Dominator of the Universe will end unpleasantly." He clenched his teeth and turned back to Artyi. "And you tell our men to prepare for a fight. If they so much as look at the ship in a disrespectful way, I want the crew dead and the captain brought to me." He paused, glancing at the Yamur captain. "Us." Artyi nodded and headed off to the crew's quarters, an emotion akin to excitement in his eye.

Anora rose from her seat as Boro’s entered the bridge, normally her crew would have announced his presence but she could tell by their expression that none of them know how to address the alien. She also noticed his immediate almost rage, she couldn’t tell if it were directed at her or not but she felt her body stiffen. It wasn’t long before one of his crew men seemed to pacify him a bit but B’lana hardly felt relieved.

“I have no intention of waiting passively by while they raid your ship.” The captain said calmly, acting as if she were not alarmed by his sudden rage. “We will send in away team, if you want to put your hands on the captain, you can go yourself. Joli, you have the bridge.” She said looking over at her second in command, “Have two security officers meet me on the transport pad.”

She looked over at the Arkinite, “Are you and your men coming?” She asked, “I need to change.” She walked off the bridge to her own quarters. She changed into an armor, it was made of a flexible martial with large porous holes all over. As she moved light seemed to shift through her, reflexed off the surface of her suit. She strapped on a phasor and a stick like weapon.

She headed for the transport pad, she suspected the Arkinites would not be far behind they didn’t seem to far from a fight ever. Part of her was just curious on how the aliens fight since they had bragged about their combat skills.

Boros waited until B'Lanna had left, glancing over at her second in command before making his own exit. He returned to his room, applying his own armor set. The Pylon-5 armor consisted of 5 pieces; one fit snug onto each arm and leg and then one piece connected to his chest. Each piece was a small disc that would expand to be a form fitting golden layer of protection. It couldn't be worn for long, but Boros had yet to find something that offered the same level of power amplification as well as protection. When the final piece was in place, he set out to the transport pad.

B'Lanna had arrived first, as well as Artyi and a few members of his crew. The two guards from earlier, Gryn and Malph, stood in the same armor as before, only this time without their helmets. Their wild hair was freely flowing down their backs, and their eyes were wide in excitement. A newer member of Boros' men, a young Arkinite adult named Ekko was also with them, shifting his weight from one leg to the other impatiently. He had yet to experience his first raid with the others, and he was eager to prove himself.

Artyi snapped to attention, as did the others. "We are prepared to fight, my lord." Boros nodded, turning his attention to the female captain. "We will wait until you and your crew are ready. Be cautious on the Spear; she sustained heavy damages during the anomaly. There could be serious hazards on board her carcass." Ekko stepped forward, handing a small laser dagger to Boros. The Lord stashed it in its sheath that rested on his right bicep. Ekko then stepped to Captain B'Lanna, offering another dagger to her.

"The men and I didn't know if you normally kept them on your person during battle, so we figured we ought to offer you one before we got into it." The two other guards and Artyi grunted and nodded in agreement, thumping their chests. It was a symbol of tentative respect; the Arkinite crew didn't like the Yamur, but they didn't like whoever was attacking their beloved ship even more. For now, they would fight alongside them. When it was over, they would care little about them once more.

Anora watched the men carefully, she had never felt an energy like their species had getting ready for battle. The Yamor treated battle as a necessary evil for survival, yes, they took pride in the art of their fighting but not the kill. Two of her security officers joined them, Yinz and Hena, they were taller than their Capitan and looked as if they had a bit more muscle mass. Their armor was different, still porous but didn’t shift in the light like Captain B’Lana.

One of the men approached her, she noticed he looked younger than the others she accepted the dagger, attaching it to her belt. She didn’t know if it would be a dishonor for her not to accept it, and she appreciated the gesture even if she knew the men doubted her people. “Thank you.” She bowed her head a bit in appreciation before turning her attention to her security officers.

“Yinz and Hena, while we are over on their ship, I would like you to do a site to site transport to the enemy ship, upload any navigation maps of this sector of space to our ship. Keep an open com link.” She instructed, she walked over to the transport panel, “Everyone step on the transporter.” She made some adjustments to the setting before heading over to the transport herself. She pressed her com badge which initiated the transport back to their ship.

Upon arrival she didn’t immediately see any of the marauders but knew they were probably going for the most valuable items first, she looked over at Yinz and with a nod her crew men transported against. She turned to Lord Boros, this was his ship and his honor she was not going to step on his feet to protect it even if it were destroyed by the anomaly.

“Well this is your ship.” She pulled the stick from her belt, hitting it against the wall it expanded into a spear type weapon. “I yield to your authority.”

When the transport had finished, Boros took a sharp breath. The Spear had seen better days, for the anomaly had clearly taken its toll. Wires hung from exposed control panels and large jagged pieces of sheet metal had fallen from the walls and ceiling. "Aye, this is my ship. But she won't be the same, not without her crew." He turned to Artyi, who nodded solemnly. This fight was going to be a catharsis for all of them. It was a shame that the rest of the crewmen wouldn't be able to experience it as well. "If I had to guess, they're going to raid the upper decks first, mainly the bridge and the higher quarters. It won't be a long trip."

He began to walk down the corridor, confident in his stride. He made little effort to conceal himself or hide his approach, and the Arkinites following did the same. The ship was built much differently than the Yamor ship, the hallways wide and tall. Much of the engineering was exposed, the crew opting to keep it open for speedy repairs. Every footstep would send echoes down the hall, booming as they cascaded through vents and doorways. The raiding party could be heard, whooping and hollering as they ripped apart what was once Boros' pride and joy. The man's body began to radiate rage the way it had before.

"I hope you're ready B'Lanna. My men and I will be too occupied to protect you if it comes to that." He said this seriously, not intending disrespect. They came to a set of heavy metal doors. The panel that would normally open them was destroyed, the keypad missing and sparks flying from the exposed wiring. Boros released an annoyed sigh before he forced his fingers between the doors, grunting as he forced them apart with a metal screech. On the other side was the bridge, massive, open, and ransacked. There were a number of the alien marauders running about, most of which had yet to spot them.

“We are just going to charge in there?” Anora questioned, and realized the answer immediately. She should have suspected as much, they relied on their brutish strength heavily, they wouldn’t need strategy. She stepped over the debris, examining the engineering as they walked by open consoles. Hopefully they wouldn’t start trying to pull panels off her ship, she definitely needed them to feel less chaotic. They came to steel doors, he made some comment about her being ready. She avoided rolling her eyes, only barely, “Of course I’m ready.” She would have to argue her point later.

She watched as he pulled the door apart with his bare hands, she would remind herself of that the next time she felt a flare of rage directed at him. She looked at their enemy, ignorant of their arrival, how idiotic their species must be. She knew the Arkinites would take this opportunity to charge, she let her teal eyes scan the bridge to decide the best target, she noticed one of them appeared to have some sort of badge ranking. She than recognized him as the captain from earlier.

She examined the ceiling, seeing a piece of wiring hanging, she took a few paces back and ran for it, grabbing hold of the wiring with one arm, using the end of her spear to anchor herself on the other side of the bridge. She let go of the wire, holding onto the staff with both hands as she hung over the other ships captain. She let go with both hands, falling directly on top of him and pinning him down. He was larger and grabbed hold of her wrist, in attempt to flip her over, but quickly pulled his hand back, screaming in pain. His hand red, with enlarged boils where it had come in contact with her suit. B’lanna yanked a piece of wire from a console, and used it to pin the captains arms back, tying his arms together and to the base of the console above.

“Wait here.” She said with a wicked smile. She stood up and yanked her spear from the wall, just as a communication came through her badge from Yinz.

“Captain, we have secured the data.”

“Okay, secure supplies from their cargo bay and report back to the ship.” She pressed her com badge.