The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - WW LXXVII: The Metamorphs of Wolf-562-e

Nerwen · 06-18-2010, 02:49 AM

End Game

Commander Inziladun found Rikae on the bridge, gazing out through the main viewscreen at the tiny, distant points of light that speckled the black depths of space.

The Commander cleared his throat. "Rikae."

Rikae said nothing, merely edged away from him, towards the door.

"As I am still in command of this ship–"

That was too much for the boy. "In command of what? A whole lot of dead people?"

Inziladun winced. "Rikae, the way I see things, the humans aboard are doomed if the Android survives. So what do we do? Give up? I'd rather go down fighting."

A calculating expression came into the boy's eyes. "Hm. I'm not even sure whose side I'm supposed to be on, anymore... Kill myself? But that seals the Android's victory, and I'm not technically on the Android's side. Plus, he killed poor Shasta. There's no way for me to win."

The Commander frowned. "What... oh, I see. You're hoping that if you pose as the Traitor, I'll let you live. Clever. But there's one little hitch. You're not the Traitor, Rikae, I..." he swallowed and looked away, "I am."

Rikae remained silent and continued slowly backing away.

"Rikae, I've been working against this ship, it's true. But now we face a common enemy. It seems clear to me that if the Android is not stopped we both will die. We may die anyway. Who knows what the result will be if we attack the Android? But as I said, I'd prefer to go down fighting than placidly surrender to that mechanical menace. Are you with me?"

"...if I were to guess now, Inzil," said Rikae coldly, "I'd think you were the Android..."

"Are you the Assassin?"

Rikae automatically clutched at his head. "You... you know I can't answer that."

"I'll take that for a yes. Who did you hunt?"

"Loslote. Izzy. You. But I have my knife, now, Commander." A long, wickedly sharp blade flashed into the boy's hand. "If you try to kill me, you die."

Inziladun sighed. "You don't trust me, do you? Well, I don't blame you. I think we're at an impass until Winty appears."

"Did someone say my name?" asked the Weapons Maintenance Technician as he strolled onto the bridge.

"Wintywinty? What do you say you are?" asked Rikae.

"The Android, of course," said Winty, smiling. "And now, I have an announcement to make. I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the–"

"What in Space are you talking about, you weird android?" Inziladun demanded. "I've seen things like that on a regular basis."

"Sorry," Winty slapped himself in the forehead, "software glitch. What I meant to say is:
I have an implanted explosive device. It will be activated if I "die". That's right, my friends: If you kill me, I'll take at least one of you down with me."

Inziladun shot him.

The energy bolt took off half the cyborg's head. Wintywinty reeled and flailed, but managed to keep his feet, though his movements had a jerky, spastic quality.

"One– more– to- go!" His speech sounded flatter and more metallic, but a mad grin stretched across what was left of his face.

Inziladun said, "My gun's out of power. I did what I could. Rikae, if you leave him alive won't he kill whoever's left anyway? That's why I say go down fighting. Even if I die that way."

"Hey– Rikae–" said the Android. "If– you– attack– Zil– then– noone– will– survive. That– sounds– much– cooler." His hand struck apparently random keys on a control panel beside him.

Neither Rikae nor the Commander noticed the small panel that started flashing the words, "Self-destruct Armed".

"As long as you go down," said Inziladun.

Rikae looked from one to the other.

"So– Rikae– what's– it– gonna– be? Will– you– allow– the– traitor– of– the– empire– to– win?!? Or– will– you– die– valiantly– taking– down– both– the– traitor– and– Rogue– Android?" Wintywinty laughed wildly.

Inziladun said, "Who can say whether the bucket o'bolts is telling the truth anyway?"

"Actually, wintywinty - if I attack Zil, he dies and you win. Nah, not that cool," said the Assassin.

"You– could– always– kill– me– at– Night," said the Android. "Your– gun– works– on–me– too." Again his fingers tapped the control panel.

"Sneaky, sneaky mechanical monster," Zil commented, almost approvingly.

"Terran Intelligence never said a word about this– nice try, Winty." With a look of icy determination on his young face, Rikae took a deep breath, walked up to the laughing, staggering wintywinty, and plunged his knife into the Android's exposed brain.

Sparks flicked up the blade and up the Assassin's arm. For a moment nothing happened. Then wintywinty blew apart. Rikae was thrown across the bridge.

Inziladun ran to him.

The boy was bleeding and unconcious, but– to the Commander's relief– still breathing.

Then the lights started flashing. "Five minutes until detonation... five minutes until detonation...."

The Android, Inziladun realized in horror, had set off the ship's auto-destruct sequence. There was no time to lose. He scooped the half-dead boy in his arms and raced for the escape pod bay.

As he settled Rikae in one of the pod's life-support systems, the boy stirred, "Hotdog..." he whispered.

"Rikae, the ship's about to blow, I can't go back just for–" Then Inziladun realized he would have to return to the ship anyway, to send out a distress signal. "–I'll be right back."

Inziladun sprinted to the Communications Room. The flashing lights and the mechanical voice counting down the minutes were distracting, but he was able to make the last few connections needed to get the system up and running.

"This is Commander Inziladun of the TGS Lothlórien. May day... May day..."

After a tense minute Captain Nilpaurion Felagund of the Nargothrond answered the call. Inziladun outlined the Metamorph plot (leaving out his own part in it, naturally) then gave Captain Felagund the approximate coordinates in which he could expect to pick them up.

Then he ran for his life.

"Thirty seconds until detonation... Thirty seconds until detonation...."

Something gripped his leg. Looking down, he saw wintywinty's skeletal hand clutched around his ankle. The android had not been wholly destroyed in the explosion. Its flesh was gone, but the torso and part of the head of its metal "skeleton" had survived, and somehow it had managed to drag itself after him.

Commander Inziladun screamed, but he could not get free of that vice-like grasp.

Then, a yellow-brown shape streaked through the air. Ensign Guardian's dog locked its jaws around the Android's neck-vertebrae, worrying at them until its sharp teeth cut through the wires that conveyed signals from the artificial brain.

Wintywinty's hand relaxed.

"Good dog!" said Inziladun.

Together they raced for the pod.

Inziladun sealed the door and frantically steered the small craft away from the looming bulk of the doomed starship. He was only just in time.

A series of explosions tore through the Lothlórien, bathing the pod's cockpit in blinding light.

When Inziladun finally opened his eyes, there was nothing left of the ship, just the eternal night of outer space.

He sat there dazed for a while, absently patting the dog's head, before going to check on Rikae. The boy had lapsed into a coma. Inziladun did not know what more to do for him, and could only hope that he would make it.

After that, the Commander retired to the pod's small galley, to pour himself a good stiff glass of Aldebaranian whisky– and to ponder all the strange and terrible events.

He, it seemed, had been given a chance to redeem himself, and Earth was safe again– for now.

The Crew

Living
Commander Inziladun –First Officer. (Reformed Traitor.)
Rikae –"Cabin Boy" (a thirteen-year-old stowaway). (Assassin.)
The Dog.

Dead
Doctor Morsul –Medical Officer and Captain McNerwen. –shot by Traitor on Night One.
Ensign Blind Guardian– Tactical Officer. –Died in convulsions (Telepath).
Eomer –Security Officer. –Thrown out the airlock (Bounty Hunter).
Lieutenant Sally –Navigator. –Torn to pieces (Metamorph).
Chief Petty Officer Keeper of Dol Guldur –Quartermaster. –Killed by exploding console (Ordinary).
Wilwa –Android Technician, Second Class. –Force-fed own muffins (Metamorph).
Master Chief Petty Officer Loslote –Chief Engineer. –Beaten to death with iso-spanner (Defender).
Ensign Pitchwife –Communications Officer/Interpreter. –Kicked to death (Ordinary).
Lieutenant Paranoia –Second Officer. –Blew own head off with flame-pistol (Ordinary).
Isabellkya –Sensor Technician, First Class. –Poisoned (Ordinary)
Shasta –Engineering Technician. –Thrown into Stardrive Reactor (Metamorph).
wintywinty –Weapons Maintenance Technician. –Self-destructed (Rogue Android).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

THE END.

06-18-2010, 02:49 AM	#459
Nerwen Wisest of the Noldor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: ˙˙˙ssɐןƃ ƃuıʞooן ǝɥʇ ɥƃnoɹɥʇ Posts: 6,694	End Game Commander Inziladun found Rikae on the bridge, gazing out through the main viewscreen at the tiny, distant points of light that speckled the black depths of space. The Commander cleared his throat. "Rikae." Rikae said nothing, merely edged away from him, towards the door. "As I am still in command of this ship–" That was too much for the boy. "In command of what? A whole lot of dead people?" Inziladun winced. "Rikae, the way I see things, the humans aboard are doomed if the Android survives. So what do we do? Give up? I'd rather go down fighting." A calculating expression came into the boy's eyes. "Hm. I'm not even sure whose side I'm supposed to be on, anymore... Kill myself? But that seals the Android's victory, and I'm not technically on the Android's side. Plus, he killed poor Shasta. There's no way for me to win." The Commander frowned. "What... oh, I see. You're hoping that if you pose as the Traitor, I'll let you live. Clever. But there's one little hitch. You're not the Traitor, Rikae, I..." he swallowed and looked away, "I am." Rikae remained silent and continued slowly backing away. "Rikae, I've been working against this ship, it's true. But now we face a common enemy. It seems clear to me that if the Android is not stopped we both will die. We may die anyway. Who knows what the result will be if we attack the Android? But as I said, I'd prefer to go down fighting than placidly surrender to that mechanical menace. Are you with me?" "...if I were to guess now, Inzil," said Rikae coldly, "I'd think you were the Android..." "Are you the Assassin?" Rikae automatically clutched at his head. "You... you know I can't answer that." "I'll take that for a yes. Who did you hunt?" "Loslote. Izzy. You. But I have my knife, now, Commander." A long, wickedly sharp blade flashed into the boy's hand. "If you try to kill me, you die." Inziladun sighed. "You don't trust me, do you? Well, I don't blame you. I think we're at an impass until Winty appears." "Did someone say my name?" asked the Weapons Maintenance Technician as he strolled onto the bridge. "Wintywinty? What do you say you are?" asked Rikae. "The Android, of course," said Winty, smiling. "And now, I have an announcement to make. I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the–" "What in Space are you talking about, you weird android?" Inziladun demanded. "I've seen things like that on a regular basis." "Sorry," Winty slapped himself in the forehead, "software glitch. What I meant to say is: I have an implanted explosive device. It will be activated if I "die". That's right, my friends: If you kill me, I'll take at least one of you down with me." Inziladun shot him. The energy bolt took off half the cyborg's head. Wintywinty reeled and flailed, but managed to keep his feet, though his movements had a jerky, spastic quality. "One– more– to- go!" His speech sounded flatter and more metallic, but a mad grin stretched across what was left of his face. Inziladun said, "My gun's out of power. I did what I could. Rikae, if you leave him alive won't he kill whoever's left anyway? That's why I say go down fighting. Even if I die that way." "Hey– Rikae–" said the Android. "If– you– attack– Zil– then– noone– will– survive. That– sounds– much– cooler." His hand struck apparently random keys on a control panel beside him. Neither Rikae nor the Commander noticed the small panel that started flashing the words, "Self-destruct Armed". "As long as you go down," said Inziladun. Rikae looked from one to the other. "So– Rikae– what's– it– gonna– be? Will– you– allow– the– traitor– of– the– empire– to– win?!? Or– will– you– die– valiantly– taking– down– both– the– traitor– and– Rogue– Android?" Wintywinty laughed wildly. Inziladun said, "Who can say whether the bucket o'bolts is telling the truth anyway?" "Actually, wintywinty - if I attack Zil, he dies and you win. Nah, not that cool," said the Assassin. "You– could– always– kill– me– at– Night," said the Android. "Your– gun– works– on–me– too." Again his fingers tapped the control panel. "Sneaky, sneaky mechanical monster," Zil commented, almost approvingly. "Terran Intelligence never said a word about this– nice try, Winty." With a look of icy determination on his young face, Rikae took a deep breath, walked up to the laughing, staggering wintywinty, and plunged his knife into the Android's exposed brain. Sparks flicked up the blade and up the Assassin's arm. For a moment nothing happened. Then wintywinty blew apart. Rikae was thrown across the bridge. Inziladun ran to him. The boy was bleeding and unconcious, but– to the Commander's relief– still breathing. Then the lights started flashing. "Five minutes until detonation... five minutes until detonation...." The Android, Inziladun realized in horror, had set off the ship's auto-destruct sequence. There was no time to lose. He scooped the half-dead boy in his arms and raced for the escape pod bay. As he settled Rikae in one of the pod's life-support systems, the boy stirred, "Hotdog..." he whispered. "Rikae, the ship's about to blow, I can't go back just for–" Then Inziladun realized he would have to return to the ship anyway, to send out a distress signal. "–I'll be right back." Inziladun sprinted to the Communications Room. The flashing lights and the mechanical voice counting down the minutes were distracting, but he was able to make the last few connections needed to get the system up and running. "This is Commander Inziladun of the TGS Lothlórien. May day... May day..." After a tense minute Captain Nilpaurion Felagund of the Nargothrond answered the call. Inziladun outlined the Metamorph plot (leaving out his own part in it, naturally) then gave Captain Felagund the approximate coordinates in which he could expect to pick them up. Then he ran for his life. "Thirty seconds until detonation... Thirty seconds until detonation...." Something gripped his leg. Looking down, he saw wintywinty's skeletal hand clutched around his ankle. The android had not been wholly destroyed in the explosion. Its flesh was gone, but the torso and part of the head of its metal "skeleton" had survived, and somehow it had managed to drag itself after him. Commander Inziladun screamed, but he could not get free of that vice-like grasp. Then, a yellow-brown shape streaked through the air. Ensign Guardian's dog locked its jaws around the Android's neck-vertebrae, worrying at them until its sharp teeth cut through the wires that conveyed signals from the artificial brain. Wintywinty's hand relaxed. "Good dog!" said Inziladun. Together they raced for the pod. Inziladun sealed the door and frantically steered the small craft away from the looming bulk of the doomed starship. He was only just in time. A series of explosions tore through the Lothlórien, bathing the pod's cockpit in blinding light. When Inziladun finally opened his eyes, there was nothing left of the ship, just the eternal night of outer space. He sat there dazed for a while, absently patting the dog's head, before going to check on Rikae. The boy had lapsed into a coma. Inziladun did not know what more to do for him, and could only hope that he would make it. After that, the Commander retired to the pod's small galley, to pour himself a good stiff glass of Aldebaranian whisky– and to ponder all the strange and terrible events. He, it seemed, had been given a chance to redeem himself, and Earth was safe again– for now. The Crew Living Commander Inziladun –First Officer. (Reformed Traitor.) Rikae –"Cabin Boy" (a thirteen-year-old stowaway). (Assassin.) The Dog. Dead Doctor Morsul –Medical Officer and Captain McNerwen. –shot by Traitor on Night One. Ensign Blind Guardian– Tactical Officer. –Died in convulsions (Telepath). Eomer –Security Officer. –Thrown out the airlock (Bounty Hunter). Lieutenant Sally –Navigator. –Torn to pieces (Metamorph). Chief Petty Officer Keeper of Dol Guldur –Quartermaster. –Killed by exploding console (Ordinary). Wilwa –Android Technician, Second Class. –Force-fed own muffins (Metamorph). Master Chief Petty Officer Loslote –Chief Engineer. –Beaten to death with iso-spanner (Defender). Ensign Pitchwife –Communications Officer/Interpreter. –Kicked to death (Ordinary). Lieutenant Paranoia –Second Officer. –Blew own head off with flame-pistol (Ordinary). Isabellkya –Sensor Technician, First Class. –Poisoned (Ordinary) Shasta –Engineering Technician. –Thrown into Stardrive Reactor (Metamorph). wintywinty –Weapons Maintenance Technician. –Self-destructed (Rogue Android). ~~~~~~~~~~* THE END. __________________ "Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning." –Elmo. Last edited by Nerwen; 06-18-2010 at 10:29 PM.