Installation 03 by Zero117
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Installation 03 - Part 1
Date: 17 October 2004, 11:02 PM
:Internal System Error:
Shaw Fugikawa Translight Engine failed to initiate
Searching...
Blockage in cross-section 6...
Cannot be repaired
"Sir, heavy plasma damage and debris are interfering with the slipspace drive. I don't think we have what's needed to fix it."
"Damnit," Captain Roberts muttered. His ship, the Phoenix, fresh off the docks three weeks ago, was now drifting crippled through the edge of the Arcturos system. Soon, he thought, it would be dead in the water, along with him and his entire crew.
The covenant flagship Sacred Endeavor swam lazily towards the defenseless human vessel, its plasma lances charged and glowing a menacing red should the human scum try to fight.
"Ra cobera sosart," the elite captain announced to the nameless prophet floating behind him. "Sarcano," the prophet answered dryly, and then floated out of the bridge tired of conversing with the elite. Secretly the elite hated the prophets and their dogma, although he could not let that be known. Thoughts like that could get you killed. So as the prophet floated arrogantly the elite clenched his mandibles and waited for what was next to come.
With the dumping of the NAV and A.I. databases complete in adherence with the Cole protocol, all the captain could do was sit and wait sullenly in the face of his impending doom. All along the view screen all that could be seen was the purple hull of the covenant vessel. A red-hot charged plasma turret drifted by and the powerful glow caused Captain Roberts and the other bridge crew to shield their eyes.
In the floor the first thumps could be felt as the covenant boarding craft impacted the ship and dumped their cargo of troops into it. Roberts felt a silly sense of angst at the unfairness of having control of his brand new ship torn from him. He knew the covenant would not give him the mercy of death, that they had another, more insidious fate for him.
Just then a grunt that had wandered from its battle group came into the open bridge, it could only utter a small sound before the six marines inside shot it down, but the rest of its battle group was entering the bridge. There was a fierce firefight as six marines and the bridge crew was forced to hold off an attack group of three elites, four jackals, and a group of grunts. Plasma shots blazed around the room as the chatter of automatic fire grew louder. The group of marines had forgotten to stagger their fire and four were quickly burned with plasma as they had to reload all at once. A plasma grenade flew across the room and struck a technician in the face. It detonated destroying the tech man and shattering the view screen. A grunt cheered, "I got 'im," and was caught with a pistol round in his methane suit. The methane ignited and the crazed creature ran with fright until it erupted in a ball of flame. Another marine took a charged plasma pistol shot in the face and went down. So far the humans had only managed to take down two jackals and two grunts.
A shimmer behind him caught the captain's attention, but it was too late, the cloaked elite had him around the neck. He heard a hum as the cloaked elite's camouflage switched off and its plasma sword was activated. The remaining marine and bridge crew stopped fighting, not wanting to risk the captain's life. They were escorted off the Phoenix and put into cells aboard the covenant ship Sacred Endeavor. From there they could see the plasma erupt from the ship and turn the Phoenix into a glowing piece of molten slag.
In the ship the covenant came around taking the crew's weapons and killing everyone except the captain, Lieutenant Allan Sanders, The weapons operator, and Corporal Susanne Fletcher, the navigation technician.
A gold armored elite, most likely the captain of the ship, came to Roberts's cell and asked him in perfect English, "Where is the location of our crystal."
The captain spat at the elite, and watched as it hit the plasma wall and sizzled away. He was rewarded with a quick plasma shot on the leg, which caused a fairly serious burn, and a surly laugh from the elite.
The elite turned and yelled something in his language; the elite at the control station pushed some buttons on a control station and a hissing sound filled Roberts' ears. He faintly smelled something and then the world went black as he fell into unconsciousness.
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