OOC: Espilot, I didn't hear from you in regard to this, but since we agreed on this earlier, I'll go ahead - anything with Zidagar you don't like, I'll edit. Carno, you specifically said that the Acarra did use hyperlinks, so I don't know what you're doing with the "hundred points of light" jumping insystem thing, but this should slow you down considerably.
Tolb
Over the last week, fast, cloaked ships from Poch had been arriving in the Tolb system. These ships carried a strange payload - families and friends of Poch mercenaries and scientists, plus a full cargo of favorite foods,music, literature, arts, and entertainments of various sorts. The 60 refitted Ultra Slow vehicles had been waiting in Tolb for weeks, being fitted with Angel and Zidagar technology.
Mamajama went to greet the newest arrivals. Her ship, the Foster's Revenge , had been fitted with the AngelfirePoint Defense System, thanks to Saraine, and was as capable of defending Poch as it was likely to get. She had designated her Second, Harmon, to use her ship for Poch's defense, in case she didn't return from her upcoming mission. She also had directed Farren, the Earth psychic to return to Earth with some replicated Gadzair psi rifles, whenever her work on Tolb was done, and had messaged UE Admiral that Farren and psi rifles would return.
That evening, in the tradition of Dark Angel haute cuisine, a huge feast was prepared. Poch roast Grivian swimming in shroom sauce, plates piled high with grains and tubers flavored with herbs, and dessert carts overfowing with delicacies arrived in course after course to delight palates and fill bellies. Fruitcake and Cheese Balls, however, were not on the menu.
Mamajama's crew, the Poch mercenaries, USHOV scientists, Zidagar pilots, the Dark Angels, and their families, ate until they could eat no more, and were delicately (or not so delicately) sipping on Saalian Brandy, Poch Bluebell Beer, and other fine Earth and Strand vintages.
At last, Mamajama stood to address the room. The small, dark, Miranu woman climbed on a table, and used her Bridge Voice to carry to the farthest corners of the hall.
"Friends and allies, we have been preparing for tomorrow's venture for weeks. This is our one chance to cut off the Acarrans from their seemingly endless sources of resupply. Our Zidagar and Seraphim allies have cooperated to put Singularity Bombs on the ultra-slow vehicles. These are simply Singularity Beams, which have been completed for weeks now, fed into an endless loop until they create a Singularity, or a Black Hole in layman's terms.
Many of the Ultra-Slows have also been fitted with guidance systems for the Zidagar Anti-Matter missiles, and ESPilot has given us the arming codes for the missiles. The USHOVs are also cloaked with Zidagar or Miranu cloaks. Our goals are twofold: One, provide an inter-hyperspace guidance system for the missiles, which the Zidagar are firing to explode in the middle of an Acarran ship traversing the hyperlinks in subspace; and two, set off the Singularity Bombs to destroy the hyperlinks, and as much of the underlying slipstream subspace as we possibly can."
"At best, the Acarran supply routes will then be replaced by growing Black Holes; at the least, the subspace where they use slipstream technology will be unstable and unsuitable for travel for weeks, if not years. In the grand old tradition of military strategy, we will have cut off the enemy's supply routes." Mamajama paused for a sip of brandy.
"Most of the pilots and key people on the USHOVs will be Poch natives - for some reason, our legendary Poch hard-headedness makes us resistant to the Acarran psi attacks. The worst we've gotten is a bad headache. If the Acarra, in hyperspace, become aware of us, we should still be immune from psionic attack, and able to complete our missions. I will be one of the Poch natives piloting an USHOV - I would not ask you to go into danger that I don't share. You should know that dozens more USHOVs and USHOVcrews are meeting tonight in Poch - they will travel to the northern links to Acarran space."
"Unfortunately, we haven't had time to figure out how to navigate the slipstream subspace levels ourselves; the best Zidagar scientists have been able to do is to figure a way to make slipstreams unstable. In the future, if any survive, perhaps we can complete this
promising field of hyperspace travel research. However, as we know from millenia of tragic history, it is not necessary to understand something in order to destroy it. That is our goal. We will destroy or disable the hyperlinks to Acarran space. The Acarrans will be
cut off in the Milky Way, and will have to fight only with what they have brought with them as of now. Hopefully, our Shamtul allies will aid in the fight to rid us of the Acarra."
"We don't know if the USHOVs will survive after detonating the Singularity Bombs in the hyperlinks. This may be your last night with your loved ones. I'll stop pounding your ears, and you should use the time to enjoy each other, and say your goodbyes. Good night."
To thunderous applause, Mamajama stepped down from the table. She retired to a suite with her family and crew to set some final items of estate and fleet business in order. She also said goodbye to Raven. The two old friends were at peace now, the old quarrel finally laid to rest. All over the hall, people slipped into dark, quiet rooms, to enjoy some last sweet hours with the ones they loved, and were ready to die protecting.
The next morning, the USHOVS shoved off. In the cloudy purple dawn, the strange, clunky-looking freighters flashed briefly in the sky, then disappeared into hyperspace to carry out their mission.
Three days later. Hyperspace systems connecting Kade, Dirach, DSN 1273, Diudir, Querid, DSN2143, DSN-7294 , Hrekka, DSN2322, Notai, DSN7962, Leslor, U2172, U2661 systems to Acarran space
Most of the 60 USHOVs had reached their destination hyperspace connections. The Miranu and Zidagar cloaks had stood the vehicles in good stead on their journeys to their respective systems. When the Acarra had noticed the slow, clumsy freighters, the lack of any obvious missile or armor systems had made the mighty Acarra, in their arrogance, dismiss the "harmless" traders and research vehicles. Only fifteen had been casually destroyed by bored Acarran scouts. The rest, according to a pre-arranged timetable, were ready to complete their mission. The Zidagar ships, faster and better cloaked, had for the most part reached their destinations through the Acarran blockade.
"Beware of arrogance, for it will always jump up and bite you in the butt," muttered Mamajama, putt-putting her way across the Dirach system under the distracted surveillance of an Acarran scout.
The faster Zidagar ships, bearing armed anti-matter missiles, were poised a system away from each USHOV, ready to deliver their payload of missiles into hyperspace. Their goal: materialize the missiles inside Acarran ships in hyperspace.
Hyperspace, Dirach to Girach system
Mamajama, on board the USHOV 1QB , dubbed the Queen Bee by its crew, watched the luminous, achingly bright fibers of hyperspace twine around the ship. Sensors had detected a large Acarran vessel, slipstreaming in. The Queen Bee fixed on two anti-matter missiles, just fired by a Zidagar vessel, aiming them to materialize inside the bridge of the Acarran ship Armageddon.
Then, Mamajama let out a breath. "Better do it now, before they detect and destroy us," she muttered. "Goodbye, my friends...see you on the other side," she said. Smiling, she activated the controls for the Singularity Bomb. The Singularity Beam, now in a tight
feedback loop, quickly roared a black hole into existence. The USHOV attempted to propel the black hole out and "down" into subspace - however, the thing quickly grew out of control. Within seconds, the USHOV, the hyperlink, Mamajama, crew, and the Acarran vessel vanished into the event horizon of the growing Singularity. Subspace levels used for slipstreaming quickly grew unstable, the majority of them vanishing into the event horizon as well.
These events were repeated in all other systems and hyperlink jump points used by the Acarra. The Acarra lost dozens of ships that were in transit in the links, ships and crews spiralling helplessly down into the Singularity wastelands. Many also were surprised by an anti-matter missile suddenly, terribly, blooming where a bridge officer had been. The Zidagar, too, had completed their missions.
Now the Acarra would have to survive in the Milky Way with only what they had brought with them. In less time than it takes to read this post, the Acarra were cut off.
(This message has been edited by mamajama (edited 05-06-2002).)
