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(5.20) The Storm
(5.20) The Storm
Azgardian Assault Shuttle
Deep within Reich Space
13th October, 1936
It was Ogon's and Birgr's idea to travel to the world of Weeush in hopes of learning more about how to contact Azgard. According to everything they learned through their travels the Azgardians had simply vanished from the Galaxy. There were roamers of a scholar who has researched the 'Guardians' very deeply. In this nightmare of a Galaxy, Azgardians of lore had become known as Guardians. There were no solid facts about the Azgardians other than that the Guardians vanish from the Galaxy when the light of the Republic had been blown out. Many races have come to believe that the Guardians will return to save the Galaxy and rebuild the Republic. It is a legend that seemed to cross the galaxy and boarders. What has become known as Guardian space, has a running record of being a region of space where no one returns from. With rumors of untold fortunes, technology and loyalty of the Guardians themselves spread through legends. All of the great space empires have sent expeditions in to Guardian space only to have them disappear without a trace. Some expeditions were even a large as thousands of warships strong. Each simply vanished just like the Guardian. This only fueled more rumors of space monsters and black holes in that region of space.
With the flight crew at the controls of the shuttle, both medics on hand, and joined by Ashla and Angel, Ogon and Birgr set out on this adventure. Traveling the first week was test in both patients and ingenuity. With no space lines to aid in navigation, the two pilots and navigator had to hop in and out of hyperspace to ensure that they were on the right heading. Making matters much more worse was the fact that the Shuttle's navigational charts were completely outdated. These factors made what should have been a relatively short trip in to a burdensome, timely journey. The design of the assault shuttle made the longer than normal trip even more unbearable for everyone. With no bathing or cooking facilities within the first few days the cargo area started to have this odor about it. Even though the shuttle was no where near its capacity, still there was no privacy for those traveling. All in all, the first week of straight travel proved to be very much a test on everyone. Though, during this time, Ogon insisted that everyone help learn as much as they could about Weeush and the legends of the Guardians. It helped give everyone focus and limited clashes of nerves.
Passing in to Reich controlled space posed the next major problem. The advanced detection equipment on the shuttle alerted the flight crew of the coming gravity wells used to protect the Reich boarder. And while the shuttle didn't fall victim to the well traps, the pilot and co-pilot still had to navigate through and around them. There were times when it was pretty hairy piloting the shuttle through the gravity fields that were laced with space mines. Once the shuttle passed the boarder zones, then the group had to face off with roaming patrols of Reich warships. Unlike those spotted over Fra, these warships were well built and were formed in to large fleets. These Reich warships hardly posed a problem to the shuttle but still they offered a great deal of detailed intelligence for Ogon. Ogon was able to discover that some of the largest Reich fleets are centered on a few massive warships called Peacemakers. These massive ships were just over a kilometer long and seemed to be the jewel in the Reich Naval Crown. Around these monster ships were well over three dozen supporting capital warships and a larger number of other support ships. The shuttle's sensors were able to get a very good reading on all the ships and rated their capabilities as being on par or maybe slightly ahead of Republic standards during the Jedi Civil War.
While this intelligence was very useful, it was also very distressful for Ogon to learn. The small fleet seen over Fra were almost laughable to Ogon. With some of the intelligence that Ogon had gathered on board the Narshana, the warships encountered by Free Worlds Council were similar to those above Fra. Even the warships seen during the invasion Mearisa were not much better than those noted before. Ogon had noted many of those warships as well. But they did not seem to be in mainstay of the Reich Navy. Already, his mission had yielded some remarkable intelligence. It could have been disastrous had the clever deception by the Reich not been uncovered. It was clear that the Reich wanted everyone to believe that their technology level was much lower than what it really was. He also noted that they were conducting large scale training operations in a number of regions of their space far from spying eyes. Judging by what he was watching during their training operations, Ogon came to the conclusion that these 'newer' ships were recently added and new combat philosophies were being tested and perfected. It gave Ogon a slight sense of hope, as the Reich was not completely ready for war, yet.
Ogon also noted that the Reich had taken a common Republic technology to a different level. He spotted large and small spaceborn robotic combat units. Some were nearly twice as large as a Republic All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE). Others were not much larger than a small walker and still some were slightly smaller than Ogon's own battle armor. He was not sure if they were manned or not, though Ogon did have his ideas that they were. The Reich also relied heavily on spaceborn fighters and assault shuttles as well as holding their larger ships back from the fight. During a day while the pilots and navigator were plotting the next slip in to hyperspace, Ogon was able to observe, from a safe distance, a training operation. The fighters and robots seemed to work hand and hand while attacking 'enemy' ships. Once the robots reached the enemy ships, they landed on the ships and the fighters flew close cover. While on the enemy ships, the robots would fire their weapons at weak points in the hauls and point defense of the enemy ships. Once openings were made, the assault shuttles would zip in at high speeds dropping off boarding parties. Some of the smaller robots would join the boarding parties while the larger ones would move on to the next ship to attack. The information did offer a new idea of how the Reich was planning to fights its next major battles.
It was then that Ogon saw something he couldn't believe, a ship larger than the Peacemaker. It was some kind of carrier for fighters and combat robots. While Ogon were not able to discover a Reich name for the ship, he did name it the Death Carrier. It was nearly three hundred meters longer than the Peacemaker and carried thousands robots and fighters. Ogon surmised that the Death Carrier most likely carried ground troops as well to support planet side invasions. He was able to learn that there were four basic type of Reich fleet make up. The first which the galaxy was more common to was made up of older and less advanced ships. These fleets Ogon called S&M Fleets because of their intended smoke and mirror displays. The S&M Fleets could be between fifty to two hundred ships strong. The second fleet that Ogon recorded, he named S&D Fleets for their observed missions of searching and destroying enemy ships. These fleet were made up of a number of both older and new ships. None of the S&D fleets held any of the latest naval technology. The third type of fleets were MB Fleets or Main Battle Fleets. These fleets were centered on the latest technology and a small number of Peacemakers. The last fleet, Ogon called CSF Fleet or Carrier Strike Force Fleet. These massive fleets had two to three Death Carriers and between one or two dozen Peacemakers. Ogon noted two separate CSF Fleets. The Communication Officer had picked up some traffic about something called a wolf pack. Ogon was unable to discover any information about it. With all that they learned about the Reich Navy, it was soon realized that any fight against the Reich would be a very difficult struggle.
At the end of the first week, much had been learned about the Reich and her navy. The beginning of the second week brought the group closer to Reich home worlds. Through the communication network, the group was able to hear Reich propaganda in full swing. There were no opposing voices, just the opinions of the Reich leadership and the promise of defending the human race from all threats. They heard children's educational programing teaching of the superior qualities of the human race over all other races. They heard normal nightly programming framing the Reich and humans as rightful rulers over the Core. There were even shows that depicted grateful alien races welcoming Reich soldiers as they brought law and order to the lawless worlds of the Colonies. One thing that Ogon noted was that there was only one language spoken and that was basic. Even on board casts that were intended for the few alien races within the Core Worlds, these broad casts were in basic. Ogon heard the news of the invasion of Mearisa and noted that the Reich framed it as the Reich stepping in to defend the helpless population of the world from slave hoarding pirates and vile Jedi. Nothing was mentioned about any burning cloud attacks or mass murders which Ogon knew happened on Mearisa. He did see lots of people waving Reich flags as Reich soldiers marched in to the capital. Even saw children dressed as slaves rushing the soldiers with flowers. Ogon had heard the truth of the brutality of the Reich assault on the world.
Ogon actually started to enjoy a show called 'Brighter Days, Darker Nights'. This show was about a group of Reich soldiers who had left the Reich in search of adventure. The small group landed on a world where they found themselves becoming noble defenders of the helpless population. Soon the solders found themselves fighting monsters and evil aliens as they protected a mixture of humans and friendly alien. The undertone of the story seemed to suggest that the writers were softening the news of a coming war in to the colony worlds while expressing the need for the Reich to go there. And by doing so, the citizens would support further Reich expansion in to the Colonies. The nightly stories were very well written and the characters were built in such a way to flow with the scrips but not enough to become lost within it. One thing that Ogon noted was that regardless of how much the Reich spent on warships and other items of war. It was clear that they spent much more on ensuring that the average citizen felt happy with the Reich and its leadership. There were reports and shows about how fellow citizens helped the future of the Reich. The focus of all the propaganda was to ensure that everyone knew that the Human Race had a bright and hopeful future. A future that was reachable through the Reich Leadership. Propaganda was a powerful weapon that the Reich had already mastered. Another reason why the coming war would be even harder.
The night watch was normally taken by Yngling, the Co-Pilot. However Yngling had to wake Jahdai up. Jahdia walked up to the flight deck as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Whats wrong?”
Yngling looked back at the sleepy Pilot, “I don't know. The NavCom kicked us out of hyperspace, claiming we are in a gravity well. But the other sensors are not picking anything up. I just don't know what is going on with this thing.”
“Did you run a diagnostic” Jahdia asked as he sat down in the pilot's chair. He started to look over the sensors and readings.
“Yeah it was the first thing I did when I couldn't identify any Gravity Wells in the area.” Yngling said calmly as he switched the command controls from his station to the pilot's station. “Damnest thing I have ever seen Sir. Maybe we finally pushed the shuttle past her limit?” It was a conversation that they had had a number of times. The Shuttle was long over due for her maintenance. The issue had been attempted to be raised but other things had gotten in the way. The Flight crew simply did their best to get the shuttle flying.
“Strange” Jahdia said almost as confused as his Co-Pilot. He noted that they were moving, “are we at zero momentum, right?” Some sensors were recording movement while others weren't.
The Co-pilot nodded, “Of course. I am not going to pilot us in to a black hole or something” he joked as he ensured the engines were shut down.
“Look at the air speed indicator” the pilot said tapping the gauge and added, “something not right here.” Jahdia started to look even closer at all the sensors.
“What, wait, there is no air. How is that measuring anything?” He said looking out across the vast space around them. “It has to be messing up. Look at those readings!” Concern was starting to fill his voice. Even for all of his experience, this was beyond him.
“Either Loki is playing his games on us. OR our systems must be messing up” Jahdia explained checking over gauges and sensors. “Look at the MagDec. Not a single magnetic field around us but look at our planet side compass” the pilot said getting annoyed with the situation. The planet side compass was spinning in multiple directions. “Okay, we clearly have a issue with the on board computer. Lets shut everything down and reboot. Hopefully that will clear up the problem.”
The Co-Pilot nodded, “Yes Sir.” Yngling starting to power down the Flight Computer.
As the Co-Pilot was following his detailed plan to power down the Flight Computer, Jahdia reached in to a large pocket next to him and pulled out a small book. Twisting and leaning around the pilot's chair he took aim with his book. He moved till he had a clear shot of the Navigator, Volund and Comm Officer, Eydis. He tossed the book, hitting Eydis first and it then bounced off of Volund, “Wake up you two. We have a problem.” With a shock, the two started to stir and get up. The pilot turned back to his duties to help shut down the flight system.
Both Volund and Eydis took their stations on the flight deck, “Whats wrong Ace?” Eydis asked as she tried to wake up. She used the pilot's common nickname out of habit. Her voice was labored but waking up.
Not turning back from his task, “I am not completely sure. The systems are not reacting right. I think it might be a bug of some kind. So I am going to try to reboot everything to clear it.” He said while looking everything over. A in flight reboot was something risky but he couldn't see another way out of the problem that their computer was in. Just as he was ready to start the act of shutting down the computer, he paused.
“Hey! There is interference over my com-channels” everyone heard Ogon say. “Damnit, I am missing my show!”
The pilot waved his hand for everyone to stop. “Ogon's suit is separate from everything else here. If he is having problems too, than the problem can not be with our systems.” The Pilot explained.
“What is that!” cried Volund as he pointed out the main window.
Everyone looked up and saw something in the distance. For security reasons, they have been flying without the ship's active sensors or the targeting systems on line. What ever it was, it was outside of their passive sensor range. “Bring up targeting and ping it” the pilot ordered.
“Aye, Sir” the Co-Pilot said as he went to activate the weapon systems on the shuttle. The targeting sweep would give them away once it was fully on line. However the Pilot wanted to confirm what his eyes were telling him. The center screen lit up and they all saw a Reich destroyer nearly two hundred thousand kilometers away. It rolled to the starboard nearly halfway then rolled all the way over to its port side as it moved. The four watched the strange movements of the craft as it darted up then down in space as its confusing movements continued. The targeting systems were indicating that the ship was at full thrust but still moving radically against the motion it should be traveling. As the flight crew looked to each other, all bore the same look of confusion.
“What the hell is going on” Jahdia said.
With the sounds of confusion on the flight deck and his show so rudely interrupted, Captain Ogon made his way for the flight deck. Ogon could feel something wrong but couldn't put his finger on it. Even with the help of his trusted and beloved suite, he had trouble walking. Everything seemed so much out of balance that it actually effected his ability to walk and see straight. As he cleared the last few steps towards the flight deck, Ogon froze in his tracks. Volund and Eydis, whose stations face the rear, turned from the targeting screen to see Ogon standing half up the short step ladder to the flight deck. They both looked with confusion at their recognized commander, the look in their eyes told of their own lost confusion. Eydis spoke something to Ogon, but her soft voice fell on deaf ears as Ogon was incapable of comprehending anything for that short moment. Never in his life had he ever witnessed anything like what he is seeing right now. Never in his life had he ever looked in to something that drew out primal fears from a life he hardly remembered now. Ogon just stood there looking out beyond the windows of the shuttle and in to what could only be the impossible.
Before the shuttle, Ogon could see the storm raging. The massive clouds of dark and light energies were clashing and releasing their wrath on the area. He could not see the ship on the targeting screen as all he could see was the storm before them. Across his eyes flashed the bluish light of lighting as pure white light filled the flight deck. He could see the swirling clouds shifting and moving along the perimeter of the storm. He couldn't see the top or the bottom of the storm but he knew that the shuttle would soon be caught within its grasps shortly. What got him the most was the entire storm was fueled by the Force and its imbalance. Once more another lighting flashed in his eyes causing Ogon to blink and in that moment snapping him from his state of shock. “Turn us around!” Ogon ordered. Both the pilots turned to look at Ogon with a confused look on their faces. It wasn't a hard reach for Ogon to conclude that they couldn't see the storm bearing down on the shuttle. “TURN US AROUND!” he yelled walking up everyone else in the shuttle.
Both pilots replied as they turned to their controls and started to thrust the shuttle in to a turn. Ogon watched the storm shift as the shuttle moved along the edge of the storm. He could feel the pull of the storm on the shuttle. It was if the storm itself was willing the force to draw the shuttle in to it. As the shuttle was making its last turn to return the way it came, Ogon saw an arm of the storm which had been growing beyond the shuttles location. Even before Ogon could issue the warning, the shuttle was caught in the arm of the storm. The shuttle jerked upward violently and then dropped so hard that Eydis was thrown from her chair and in to the bulkhead above her. Her head sprayed blood over Ogon's faceplate as he caught her from hitting the deck once more. The shuttle's engines screamed out as the pilot pushed the shuttle against the forces that now were shaking the shuttle. Another violent shutter of the shuttle sent Ogon and an unconscious Eydis toppling backwards on to the cargo deck. Ogon held Eydis so that she was not harmed as they landed. He heard everyone screaming their alarms to the situation. He looked to one of the medics who was not rudely awaken. He handed Eydis over to the medic and started to get back up once more.
Across Ogon's eyes he saw the bluish light filling the Flight Deck and he heard the crackling of energy in his ears. There was a bright light from the flight deck that illuminated the entire cargo deck. The Shuttle shook once more but this time Ogon was ready for it. He held on tightly to the bulkhead as he moved back up the small ladder. He saw the three members of the flight crew hunched over their stations as smoke filled the flight deck. Even though his sensors was alerting him to the leak, the movement of the smoke also indicated what threat was happening next. The lighting must have punched a hole in the bulkhead above the Flight Deck. Now air was being vented in to space. Without thinking too much about it, Ogon grabbed a repair plate and followed the smoke. Within seconds he found the hole and placed the plate over it. Pulling the lead off the plate he hooked it to the bulkhead and then activated the plate. Two small, bright flares followed the edges of the plate and welded it in place and sealed the hole.
“Angel! Ashla! Get up here now!” Ogon said as he backed down the step ladder. He knew he could pilot the shuttle but that meant getting out of his suite. Something he was unwilling to do and it would take too long.
Angel was the first to reach the Flight Deck. She leaped over the chairs as the shuttle shook more. She started to remove the pilot from his seat. “This one is still alive” she said passing the pilot back to Ogon.
Ashla reached the Flight Deck next, “What is going on?” Ashla was holding on to the back of the co-pilots chair as a new shuttering from the shuttle occurred. The sounds of stressed metals filled the shuttle.
Angel looked out the window and pointed, “You can't see that?”
“Angel she wont be able to see it” Ogon explained.
“See what” Ashla said confused.
“Say no more. Co-Pilot chair please” Angel said while nodding and taking the pilot's chair. Angel grabbed the straps and secured herself to the chair.
Ashla reached up and pulled the Co-Pilot from his chair, “This one is a goner” she reported as she handed the body back to Ogon. She also took the straps and secured herself in the Co-Pilot's chair.
The shuttle still shook violently as both Angel and Ashla got to their bearings and took control of the shuttle. Ogon checked the Navigator/Engineer. The Navigation station seemed to have exploded right in Volund's face. There was a large piece of metal lodged in his neck and the station was covered with blood. Ogon shook his head as he knew that Volund was dead. Still the lighting fleshed across the front of the shuttle as bright white light filled the cockpit. Ogon had mixed feelings as Angel reacted to the light and lighting by covering her eyes and Ashla didn't. The cockpit was a mess with consoles blow out and other gauges acting as if they were malfunctioning. Angel fought hard against the controls as Ashla helped. Angel explained what she saw for Ashla's benefit and was not over heard by Birgr or the two medics. She explained the storm and how it was affecting the shuttle. Sadly only Ogon and Angel could see the storm. As another violent jolt sent the shuttle shifting positions once more a shower of sparks erupted along the spin of the cargo deck. The showers were a colorful and harmless show, but told the story of the beating the shuttle was taking. Angel retracted the wings to give them more strength and attempted to us the shields to protect the shuttle from the lighting.
A blast of lighting raced across the cargo deck ripped from the starboard side across through the port bulkhead. Ogon watched helpless as Birgr was caught in the middle of the forked lighting bolt. That was till the Medic Eir leaped up knocked Birgr from his feet. Her action saved him, but placed herself right in the line of the lighting bolt. Her screams of agony filled the cargo deck and was echoed by Kelda, the crew chief. Both were cut in half by the large lighting bolt that nearly filled the cargo deck. Ogon saw the lighting rip through the Cargo Deck and depart the shuttle.
“WHAT IS GOING ON!” Birgr yelled. He couldn't understand why the shuttle was shaking or why the young medic is now dead at his feet. His mind raced for answers that simply did not come.
Not having time to morn the losses, “We don't have time for answers. We need to repair holes. Trust me!” Ogon explained then tossed a pair of repair plates to Birgr, “There” he yelled as he pointed to a hole in the deck. “And by the Speeder hangers” Ogon leaped from the ladder with a pair of repair plates heading for other holes in the bulkhead. “Angel, get us out of here!” Ogon yield as another shower of sparks filled the Cargo Deck and the lights went out. Ogon turned on the lights on his armor so that everyone could see what they were doing.
“Almost Ogon!” Angel replied as she fought the controls of the shuttle. It was taking all of her skill as a pilot and a Jedi to keep the shuttle from being ripped apart. The drain on her was taking its toll as she drew in the force to enhance her skills and speed. More than once Ashla could see the focus and the strain on Angel. Her eyes focused on the movement of the storm and the paths of lighting within it. What worried Angel the most was the swirling waves of clouds that were drawing the shuttle deeper in to the storm. With the shuttle's engines well past red lining, it was simply a losing battle. She could feel the force around her in its most violent state ever. She felt the Navigation station erupt once more filling the Flight Deck with more sparks, “Ashla kill everything. Give me as much power to the engines as possible.”
“Okay, you have it” Ashla said as her fingers started to shut down system after system. “What about shields?” For all of Angel's skill, it was Ashla's speed at the controls that really helped. Each time Angel called for something, Ashla was there to support it. They made a prefect team in a nightmare of a storm.
“They are useless to us” Angel said as she jerked the shuttle in to a left turn barrel roll. A bluish light flashed near the rear of the cargo deck, “SORRY!” Angel yield behind her to the Cargo Deck. She heard both Birgr and Ogon screaming to each other so she knew that were still alive.
“Angel, you said that this is like a big storm that is drawing us deeper” Ashla asked as Angel nodded, “Why can't we just ride a wave for a bit building speed and then sling shot us through the top of this storm?”
Angel looked at Ashla with a smile, “We can do that” she and added. “Okay lets make sure the engines won't blow up.” she said searching the storm for the right cloud. “There! That one turns upward before diving deeper in to the storm.” She explained as she pulled the engine throttle back and let them cool a bit.
Ashla couldn't see what Angel was talking about but the affects on the shuttle were very real and therefore were something to be concerned about. Ashla watched the heat on the four massive engines. They were taking a beating but cooling off fast. “Heats dropping off fast Angel.”
Angel nodded as she turned the shuttle to enter the Force driven current. “Hang on back there, its going to get allot more bumpy!” she yelled behind her. Angel was happy that the shuttle was as small as it was so that she could still maneuver through this massive storm. Any larger and the shuttle would have been ripped apart.
Birgr turned to Ogon, “As if it could get any more worse?” Both continued to seal up holes along the bulkhead. Sadly, they were faced with a new threat. Cracks were starting for form along the bulkhead. If the shuttle didn't get clear soon, they would be ripped apart.
Despite all of Angel's skill the shuttle was still shuttering and shacking violently. Ormarr handed more repair plates to Ogon and Birgr. Lucky for everyone, the cargo deck was completely empty. This made it easier to find and repair the holes and cracks. The last lighting, Ogon tried to use his lightsaber to control or deflect the bolt. Ogon learned from that mistake, as the bolt blasted him across the cargo deck and nearly ruined his lightsaber. While he was getting up, Ogon was able to note that the lighting bolts that were cutting through the shuttle were part of larger lighting bolts that were hundreds of kilometers long. The three remaining members in the cargo deck continued to seal the holes and cracks with limited light. With the shuttle shuttering and jolting violently, the sounds of the shuttle's engines straining under the stresses of the storm caused a new level of concern. The violent shaking only seemed to get worse as repairs had to take a second seat to just holding on for dear life. Then without warning, it all came to a sudden stop. For a long moment, Ogon and Birgr looked at each other in disbelief.
“Ogon! Birgr! You two might want to see this” Angel said from the flight deck.
Ogon and Birgr both reached the Flight Deck as Angel turned to greet both with a smile. Birgr looked confused but Ogon saw it. “I know this sounds strange but, Ogon, you can see it. Its beautiful.” Angel explained. For Angel and Ogon, the top of the storm was filled with color and stretched for as far as the eyes could see.
Once more he found a new reason to fear this galaxy they were in. They had breached the top layers of the storm and were now high above the storm. From this position, They could see the real scope and magnitude of the Storm. Ogon could see a bright light from somewhere within the storm. His suit's sensor told him what he was already guessing. That the bight light that seemed so small compared to the storm was the sun of a solar system which was nearly engulfed within the storm its self. “Its that large” Ogon said in disbelief of the size of the storm. “My.......my.....” he was nearly speechless over what he was seeing. All Ogon could think about was if the planets were inhabited and if they suffered the effects of the storms as well. Questions he really was ready to search for the answers of. “I need a complete status report Angel. Please” Ogon said as he turned to leave the Flight Deck.
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