Isn't Life Strange
By: Heidi
"Lady Niko" Reckel
Chapter X
"Tied to the tracks and the train's just coming
Strapped to the wing with the engine running
You say that this wasn't in your plan
And don't mess around with the demolition man..."
Demolition Man, The Police
The fleet had been given its orders, and was moving through hyperspace towards the Granna system, hoping to intercept
the Queen of the Crown and her fleet before they could invade.
The waiting was the longest.
Neither Ranger could sleep very well knowing that one of their own had been so twisted and anguished....
Doc paced the decks of the ship nervously. There was a good three hours left in the jump to Granna, and he'd already
done all the things he had to. His implant was fully charged, his interceptor was primed and ready to go and still he had time to
kill. He was too worked up to sit down and work on teaching his tweakers any new tricks and had to settle for pacing his cabin
and the hallway of the battlecruiser.
All he could see when he closed his eyes was Niko, or whatever the Queen had turned her into. What had the Queen
done to her, he wondered over and over.
He walked to a computer terminal. Roj, the Laredo's AI Unit. The brown eyeball floated as the AI waited for instructions.
"Hey, Roj, any idea where Captain Foxx might be?" Doc asked.
The eyeball bobbed. "Yes. Captain Foxx is in the ship's chapel."
Before setting off in that direction, he said, "Thanks, Roj."
The ship's chapel he pondered as he walked down the corridor, I didn't know he was religious, but then again, with
what we've been through and how he's been taking this...
Zach was sitting in one of the pews in the back of the chapel with a faraway expression on his face.
Doc stepped into the chapel feeling uneasy, "Been a long time," he said to himself.
Doc approached where Zach was sitting and slid in next to him, "Captain?"
Zachary looked up. "Doc, I didn't think you'd be here."
"Neither did I," Doc said looking around. "But it's good to have some backup, if you get my meaning," Doc smiled
weakly.
Zach nodded, and answered, "Yeah, Doc, I know what you mean..."
They both sat there for a moment in silence with Doc not knowing what to say and Zachary lost in thought.
"Zach," Doc said. "I know you're worried."
Zach didn't answer, just kept looking up at the altar.
Doc was silent again, trying to come up with something to say. The silence that filled the chapel was oppressing. "Wish I
knew what to say," he said to himself, fidgeting in his seat. "There's got to be something of Niko left," he said finally. "At least
she's still alive... And maybe whatever happened to her can be reversed."
Zachary looked up. Everything in his face and eyes reflected someone who knew too well what the Queen could do. "I
don't think so, Doc. She's alive, all right - physically. Anything else has been killed and just filled up with the Queen."
Doc was afraid that that may well be the case, but he didn't want to admit it. "Don't be too certain, Captain."
After another moment's pause, Doc said with worry filling his voice, "Captain... Zach, maybe we should go for a walk too
much ah, time pondering something like this is not good.
"I'd say lets get some fresh air, but--" he said shrugging and spreading his hands.
"No, Doc. I'm staying right here and praying. I've been doing a lot of that over the past two years... trying to think of why
everything happened the way it has.
"Go for a walk if you want, Doc. I'm praying for whatever is left of Niko."
Doc remained. He was silent and frustrated, and growing more and more worried about his captain.
"Hate to say it, Zach," said Doc after another long pause. "But I have trouble believing in a deity that gives a damn about
us in the long term."
"I just see it differently than you, and I don't preach at you," he said facing Doc.
"I'm sorry, Zach," Doc said, feeling a little foolish for his outburst.
"Sometimes, faith is all you have left."
Doc nodded, remembering his mother once saying something similar when he was younger. "Then, have faith that there is
still something of Niko left and that she's not totally that Kraya person..." he stated, shifting his weight.
Zach looked up at the altar again, not really seeing it, "Yes, I'm hoping there's something left."
"Does it help? Praying, I mean?"
Zachary sighed. "I don't know, but it was all I could do when Kidd pulled my ship out of hyperspace.
"Besides, it helps me to focus.... like Niko does"
Doc stood to leave, and as he walked out he glanced back at the candles that stood before the statue of the virgin mother.
He paused perhaps out of habit that pulled at him from his childhood or perhaps out of the slim belief that it might help. He
walked over and lit one of the candles, "Yes, I hope there is something left."
He would have said more, but the PA system chimed to life and a voice said, "Captain Foxx and Ranger Hartford, please
report to the briefing room. Captain Foxx and Ranger Hartford, please report to the briefing room.
* * * *
"All right, people, we have to make this net as tight as possible. We don't know if this bioweapon reproduces, so we can't
afford to let any fighters get through to hit the surface." Zach stood at the front of the briefing room, explaining the strategy that
the BETA fighters were to use against the Crown fighters.
Some of the fresh faced pilots didn't look to be much older than his son, "little" Zach.
"But, Captain Fox, how hard can it be to stop a bunch of fighters piloted by androids?" One of the young pilots spoke up.
"That's the problem. We don't know for certain that the Crown fighters are piloted by androids. And, we're outnumbered
by a large margin. If even one fighter getting close enough to deploy the bioweapon could devastate Granna --And starve a
large portion of the League. You have to remember, that killing Crown fighters isn't the problem... Stopping them is." Zach
answered.
He showed them a clip of the bioweapon and Kraya's threats to emphasize the point.
The point was made.
"If those Crown fighters are piloted by androids, then they are programmed to suicide. If they are Dathians or Solari
pilots, it still won't matter. The Queen inspires fanatical loyalty in those troops," Zach said
somberly after shutting off the viewer.
"This is going to be impossible," whispered one of the pilots. "We can destroy the fighters, but how do we know we
destroyed the weapon?"
"We won't," Zach answered, overhearing the pilot's whispered remark. "That why it's imperative that no fighters break our
line. We hope that the bioweapon has to be deployed deep inside atmosphere, and that it will burn up upon entry into the
atmosphere. Do you have any questions?"
The pilot flushed red at being overheard, and shook his head. There were none.
"All right. Good luck, and watch your backs out there."
As Zach dismissed the pilots, the Public Address system chimed to life once more, "Attention! We will be dropping out of
hyperspace at the Granna system in ten minutes time. All hands to their stations!"
The announcement was repeated twice more before the PA system shut off.
"That's it everyone, to your fighters." Zach said, and the pilots quickly moved out of the briefing room.
The Laredo and her escorts made a crash translation from hyperspace, flinging the alert fighters even before the navigation
systems had time to stabilize. Individual spacecraft spread out into their global defense grid and plunged toward Granna at flank
speed, scanning for traces of hostile forces.
* * * *
It wasn't good. The line was holding, but the League forces had to cover Granna's entire globe against flankers, while the
Crown took advantage of this, trying to drive a concentrated spearhead through one single point. Walsh had no point but to
draw in the net, spreading the fighters even thinner, in order to stop the main Crown force. He prayed the gamble would not go
sour on him...
Out on the battle line, Zach and Doc were each in charge of a fighter squadron, and were each other's back-up. No
matter how much they wanted to, Doc and Zach weren't going to bail on the main fight until they were sure that things had
swung decisively their way...
* * * *
Inside the Queen's Super Destroyer, Kraya stood ready at the weapons control panel of the Queen's Flagship, which was
staying well behind the battle lines, and watched the battle through non-seeing eyes. Her hand rested at her waist, as if searching
for something that was no longer there.
* * * *
The League interceptor squadrons fought with an intensity bordering on the demonic, driven by the stakes of this
engagement. The kill ratio was strongly in the League's favor, and climbing, but the Crown third wave was massing for a
decisive breakthrough attack. Zach and Doc fought the Crown fighters off each other's wings, waiting, hoping for a break in the
Crown lines to get through to one of the destroyers.
The third wave of fighters crashed into the depleted line, forcing them back into the upper atmosphere... and the Crown
warships plunged a lance of long-range missiles through the hole.
"Blue Squadron! Break off attack and go after those missiles!" Zach called.
* * * *
As the Crown fighters launched another barrage of missiles, Kraya stood on the bridge of the Queen's flagship, watching
the battle with a neutral expression on her face. Inside however, she was full of conflicting emotions. She wanted the Queen to
win the battle and teach those weaklings of the League of Planets a lesson... Or, at least Kraya thought she did, and that scared
her. Why did she think of Kraya as being someone else? She was Kraya.... Wasn't she?
Kraya watched as the League forces ruthlessly went after the missiles, and felt like those doomed missiles broken into a
thousand pieces, never to be whole again. She cast a covert, worried glance at her mistress. Should she tell her mistress about
these feelings she was having? No! That would mean she was weak, and she wasn't weak! Not since her mistress had purifiedher, and had made her Kraya Dal'Jesset. With a burst of ferocity, she squashed that niggling voice of doubt, and turned her
attention back to the battle being fought for the planet in front of her.
* * * *
Back out in the battle, a group of fighters peeled away to go after the rockets.
"Blue wing, let's go!" Blue leader called out, pulling his interceptor away, and diving towards the planet. "Blue Two, you're
with me. Blue Three and Four, straight up the middle. Blue Five and Six, go for the far end. Remember, we can't let any of
these missiles reach the surface."
Zach called out, "Gold Squad! Cover for them! Keep those fighters off their backs!"
"Understood, Green Leader," Gold Leader answered, moving to go cover the other squad. He looked up and saw a
Crown Fighter trying to sneak up behind one of his squad members. "Gold Four, watch out, you've got a bogey on your tail!"
"Copy, Gold Leader. I can't shake him." Gold Four responded, pulling his fighter up and in to a loop.
"I'm on my way, Gold Four," Gold Four's wingman put in, doing a barrel roll to the right and moving his fighter into
position behind the Crown Fighter. About two seconds later, he had a lock on the fighter, and fired his lasers. The Crown
Fighter exploded in a ball of flame as Gold Three calmly made another barrel roll to the right.
"Thanks, Gold Three," Gold Four replied, coming out of his loop.
"Good work, Gold three, now let's keep those Crown Fighters off Blue Squad's tail," Gold Leader said.
"Copy, Gold Leader."
The squad members moved to engage the Crown Fighters in a fast and furious dog-fight.
While the Laredo dove into close-combat range and caught nearly half with her point defense, the remainder went through
Blue Squadron. Another fifty percent was taken out, but there was nothing left between the last dozen and the surface... When
Granna's Air Militia finally made their presence felt. Walsh had managed to get advanced interceptor missiles delivered to the
surface for the GAM's outmoded aircraft. The mere dozen leakers were handled well by over fifty aircraft firing up to four
missiles apiece.
* * * *
Doc had been keeping a close watch on the biggest of the Destroyers which had been staying well back out of the
fighting, and which was now pulling away from the rest of the Crown Fleet. "Zach, unless I miss my guess, that's where Niko is.
Granna is clear, let's do it!"
"Right, Doc. Let's go for it!" Zach answered, and brought his fighter about.
The two interceptors sped away from the battle line, and after the fleeing Crown Destroyer. Doc punched a button on his
console, and the two interceptors suddenly disappeared from the League and Crown radar screens. It didn't matter, though.
They were still being chased by a group of Crown fighters. Zach gritted his teeth. Good. if they were following his and Doc's
interceptors, they weren't near the planet.
A squad of League interceptors broke off their attack, and began pursuing the Crown Fighters, not willing to allow them
to escape.
* * * *
Inside the Crown Destroyer, the Queen was fuming. It was obvious now that she wasn't going to win the battle at Granna.
The missile containing the ultimate weapon - the toxin - was still aboard her ship. While the League was busy with her
ships, she could still launch it.
Three Crown frigates suddenly wheeled and plunged at the Laredo, battering at her shields and point defense. Aboard her
flagship, the Queen waited for the hole her tactical officer had promised her...
The Queen glanced at the monitors next to her chair... It appeared that two League Interceptors had broken through her
fleet. Hmmm...they didn't appear to be attacking - more like distracting the fighters...or were they?
She turned to her pupil, Kraya, and said, "Take out those two League Interceptors, now!"
Kraya turned to the weapons firing control board in front of her, eager to do her Mistress' bidding. But, as she stared at
the glowing blips on the monitor, she paused. She didn't move for a long moment. Finally, she hit the button for the tractor
beam.
"I will bring them here, Mistress. Two humans, after all, would be perfect to enhance your power."
The Queen was...disturbed by this display of initiative. But perhaps, her training was taking better hold than she thought.
She glared at Kraya. She would have to work on her pupil's conditioning more. This sudden display of free will was disturbing...
The Queen motioned to her guards, "Go to the launch bay and bring those humans here. I want them to witness the
destruction of their flagship.
"Yes, Mistress."
She gestured to the two Slaverlords behind her. She had their bodies in the hold of this ship - no need to hide them, and
waste their power.
"Take them with you."
* * * *
Outside, Doc and Zach were caught by the tractor beam and pulled towards the Crown Destroyer's' launch bay....
______________________________________________________
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