The Crumble of Hope
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:25 pm
Based on true events.
The Cookie Crumble, named after the rock hard cookies of the Zoltans, had lived up to the qualities her name implied. The ship captain philosophized: "You can crumble a cookie, but can you crumble a single cookie crumble?” Although she was a crumble of the once mighty Federation, her intergalactic crew were proud of her and they felt her durability reflected the combined strength of cooperation between species. “Weak as xeno. Strong as friend!” was the battle cry of the crew. The outline of the galactic future were shaped in the heads of the crew as the ship passed through hostile sectors untouched by the hostilities it encountered.
The crew were dedicated to their task and had drilled their skills to unsurpassed levels. They encouraged each other to improve for the greater good of not just the ship, but for the future of the galaxy. The fruit of their efforts would take them one step closer to their common goal of a pan-galactic peace treaty. Together they had already outlined a Galactic Declaration of Xeno Rights to be presented to the Federation leadership upon contact with the remains of the fleet in the next sector. Only by accepting the declaration and then mass broadcasting it into deep space, the leadership would be granted access to the vital information the Cookie Crumble carried – a devious plot imagined by the young zoltan Susan. The crew were just as fierce as idealists as they were warriors.
The bird of peace boosted an impressive laser armament that could cripple any ship in one barrage. Once the enemy ship was pacified, the boarders would teleport in and oversee the remote disarmament of their weapons systems by the engi Swampson, while Maxim would use his telepathic slug abilities to communicate to the enemy crew their peaceful intents. Only if the enemy crew would oppose the boarders, the rocks Wilkinson and Markel would use their impressive strenght to lock down big chunks of the enemy crew, while the mantis Pomeroy and Xemu would use their ninja skills to slice and dice anyone left hiding on the ship with hostile intents. Casualities would be kept to a minimum and lethal actions would only be carried out if attacked first by the enemy crew.
As Charlie plotted the ships new course through the Rock home worlds into the pilot drive, the sensors suddenly picked up the signature of a small ship that was fast closing in on the ship, but not in the regular straight approach. From experience this type of flight behavior indicated to Charlie that it was an AI scout ship because of its extreme speed and maneuverability. He then received a telepathic message from Maxim who could confirmed his suspicions: “Mindlesssss ssssship.” Fortunately the very size of these ships usually meant that their constructors had sacrificed shield generators in place of engines and armaments, thus the Cookie Crumbles lasers should make short work of the ships systems in no time. The AI ship was equipped and programmed for harass, but the Cookie Crumble was outfitted for anti-harass. She had outsmarted and outgunned countless of these ships in the past. Charlie brushed off his shoulder and laid his hands on the pilot pad.
Even though the crew were confident in their ship and their abilities, there was always a tense moment before the the first shots were fired. As the first blasts would rupture the silence, the crew would cry “Weak as xeno. Strong as friend!” back at the noise. They also fought a sonic battle for peace. As the first barrage flied passed the AI ship, a total miss, Charlie had a bad feeling about the ensuing fight. The ships ion armament had almost taken down the Crumbles shields and a ion bomb was about to cripple the weapons room. This ship was unlike any other they had encountered. It was as if the AI ship was determined to dodge all their shots at hopes and dreams, never to let them pass through its cold, precise programming. Was this to be the future of the galaxy: a mindless mass of individuals that only obliged one simple conviction - to ensure their own survival no matter the cost to the many?
Hectic screams and sounds of explosions were heard over the intercom. A pair of heavy lasers had targeted the Crumbles support systems as the shields were finally down. Crews rushed to repair the systems, only to be greeted by another barrage. Fires broke out and the oxygen was fast depleting. Still the crew kept focus on their battle stations. Not for long. The ships other systems was rapidly ionized, and followed by another barrage of lasers the Crumble turned into a a sitting duck and the crew found themselves amidst rubble and fire. One by one they decided to leave their battle stations to participate in the repair effort, but the fires and incoming hits started to take its toll. The screams of their mantis comrades in agony sent cold shivers down the spines of the crew; they had never before heard them express pain. They were the toughest, but even this fight had become too tough for them.
The Crumble were by now consumed by destruction and rampant fires. Fortunately one of the lasers they had managed to bring back online had scored a direct hit to the AI's weapons system and bought them some time. Charlie reported from the commando central on the ships bridge that most systems were down and that they were left with no other option then to jump out of there if they were to survive. This was a fight they no longer could win. The crew couldn't believe what they just heard, but they had no time to reflect. All the crew were commanded to turn their repair efforts to the bridge and the engine room. It was imperative to charge the FTL and jump out of the battle. The future of the galaxy was the priority, not a fight with some mindless mass of metal.
As the crew completed the repairs they sighed in relief. The FTL shot forward. They shook hands and laughed as they waited for the jump. This fight was over. Suddenly a device materialized itself in the room. An ion bomb! Charlie screamed from the cockpit that the FTL charge had stopped just seconds away from completion. The scanners also indicated that the scout ship had the weapon system online again. He shouted to everyone to brace themselves as they continued to repair and fight fires.
One of the shots hit the engine room. The room was left in an eerie silence after the sonic boom had dissipated. Maxim immediately told the crew in the MedBay: “Ssssscharlie no more. Wilkinsssson no more.” They hastened to complete the repairs and Susan quickly powered up the medbots. Maybe they could revive some of the fallen men in the engine room? The relief was short lived, as a blast ruptured through the MedBay. As Susan came back to her senses she found herself bruised and covered by slime and nanobots. Suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed her and carried her out of the room that had now caught fire. Markel was still alive. He ran back in to stomp the fire. Susan saw as the great creature were consumed by flames. Then another blast light up the room. It was more ablaze than ever, but miraculously Markel appeared from the flames in one piece.
They decided to get to the commando central on the ships bridge to try broadcast their declaration before the ship was destroyed. Another blast threw Susan forward as they ran through the corridors. As she got up unharmed a scatter of pebbles behind her confirmed to her that Markel had taken the brunt of the blast. When she reached the commando central she wasted no time. Did the communications module still work? It looked like it was in one piece, but it lacked power. Susan laid her hands on the module and channeled her last energy to power up the unit. As she crouched over the control pad while tapping the broadcast button, the ship started to disintegrate. A single cookie crumble can indeed crumble.
Only time will show if the broadcast ever succeeded in bringing it's message of hope to a crumbled galaxy.
The Cookie Crumble, named after the rock hard cookies of the Zoltans, had lived up to the qualities her name implied. The ship captain philosophized: "You can crumble a cookie, but can you crumble a single cookie crumble?” Although she was a crumble of the once mighty Federation, her intergalactic crew were proud of her and they felt her durability reflected the combined strength of cooperation between species. “Weak as xeno. Strong as friend!” was the battle cry of the crew. The outline of the galactic future were shaped in the heads of the crew as the ship passed through hostile sectors untouched by the hostilities it encountered.
The crew were dedicated to their task and had drilled their skills to unsurpassed levels. They encouraged each other to improve for the greater good of not just the ship, but for the future of the galaxy. The fruit of their efforts would take them one step closer to their common goal of a pan-galactic peace treaty. Together they had already outlined a Galactic Declaration of Xeno Rights to be presented to the Federation leadership upon contact with the remains of the fleet in the next sector. Only by accepting the declaration and then mass broadcasting it into deep space, the leadership would be granted access to the vital information the Cookie Crumble carried – a devious plot imagined by the young zoltan Susan. The crew were just as fierce as idealists as they were warriors.
The bird of peace boosted an impressive laser armament that could cripple any ship in one barrage. Once the enemy ship was pacified, the boarders would teleport in and oversee the remote disarmament of their weapons systems by the engi Swampson, while Maxim would use his telepathic slug abilities to communicate to the enemy crew their peaceful intents. Only if the enemy crew would oppose the boarders, the rocks Wilkinson and Markel would use their impressive strenght to lock down big chunks of the enemy crew, while the mantis Pomeroy and Xemu would use their ninja skills to slice and dice anyone left hiding on the ship with hostile intents. Casualities would be kept to a minimum and lethal actions would only be carried out if attacked first by the enemy crew.
As Charlie plotted the ships new course through the Rock home worlds into the pilot drive, the sensors suddenly picked up the signature of a small ship that was fast closing in on the ship, but not in the regular straight approach. From experience this type of flight behavior indicated to Charlie that it was an AI scout ship because of its extreme speed and maneuverability. He then received a telepathic message from Maxim who could confirmed his suspicions: “Mindlesssss ssssship.” Fortunately the very size of these ships usually meant that their constructors had sacrificed shield generators in place of engines and armaments, thus the Cookie Crumbles lasers should make short work of the ships systems in no time. The AI ship was equipped and programmed for harass, but the Cookie Crumble was outfitted for anti-harass. She had outsmarted and outgunned countless of these ships in the past. Charlie brushed off his shoulder and laid his hands on the pilot pad.
Even though the crew were confident in their ship and their abilities, there was always a tense moment before the the first shots were fired. As the first blasts would rupture the silence, the crew would cry “Weak as xeno. Strong as friend!” back at the noise. They also fought a sonic battle for peace. As the first barrage flied passed the AI ship, a total miss, Charlie had a bad feeling about the ensuing fight. The ships ion armament had almost taken down the Crumbles shields and a ion bomb was about to cripple the weapons room. This ship was unlike any other they had encountered. It was as if the AI ship was determined to dodge all their shots at hopes and dreams, never to let them pass through its cold, precise programming. Was this to be the future of the galaxy: a mindless mass of individuals that only obliged one simple conviction - to ensure their own survival no matter the cost to the many?
Hectic screams and sounds of explosions were heard over the intercom. A pair of heavy lasers had targeted the Crumbles support systems as the shields were finally down. Crews rushed to repair the systems, only to be greeted by another barrage. Fires broke out and the oxygen was fast depleting. Still the crew kept focus on their battle stations. Not for long. The ships other systems was rapidly ionized, and followed by another barrage of lasers the Crumble turned into a a sitting duck and the crew found themselves amidst rubble and fire. One by one they decided to leave their battle stations to participate in the repair effort, but the fires and incoming hits started to take its toll. The screams of their mantis comrades in agony sent cold shivers down the spines of the crew; they had never before heard them express pain. They were the toughest, but even this fight had become too tough for them.
The Crumble were by now consumed by destruction and rampant fires. Fortunately one of the lasers they had managed to bring back online had scored a direct hit to the AI's weapons system and bought them some time. Charlie reported from the commando central on the ships bridge that most systems were down and that they were left with no other option then to jump out of there if they were to survive. This was a fight they no longer could win. The crew couldn't believe what they just heard, but they had no time to reflect. All the crew were commanded to turn their repair efforts to the bridge and the engine room. It was imperative to charge the FTL and jump out of the battle. The future of the galaxy was the priority, not a fight with some mindless mass of metal.
As the crew completed the repairs they sighed in relief. The FTL shot forward. They shook hands and laughed as they waited for the jump. This fight was over. Suddenly a device materialized itself in the room. An ion bomb! Charlie screamed from the cockpit that the FTL charge had stopped just seconds away from completion. The scanners also indicated that the scout ship had the weapon system online again. He shouted to everyone to brace themselves as they continued to repair and fight fires.
One of the shots hit the engine room. The room was left in an eerie silence after the sonic boom had dissipated. Maxim immediately told the crew in the MedBay: “Ssssscharlie no more. Wilkinsssson no more.” They hastened to complete the repairs and Susan quickly powered up the medbots. Maybe they could revive some of the fallen men in the engine room? The relief was short lived, as a blast ruptured through the MedBay. As Susan came back to her senses she found herself bruised and covered by slime and nanobots. Suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed her and carried her out of the room that had now caught fire. Markel was still alive. He ran back in to stomp the fire. Susan saw as the great creature were consumed by flames. Then another blast light up the room. It was more ablaze than ever, but miraculously Markel appeared from the flames in one piece.
They decided to get to the commando central on the ships bridge to try broadcast their declaration before the ship was destroyed. Another blast threw Susan forward as they ran through the corridors. As she got up unharmed a scatter of pebbles behind her confirmed to her that Markel had taken the brunt of the blast. When she reached the commando central she wasted no time. Did the communications module still work? It looked like it was in one piece, but it lacked power. Susan laid her hands on the module and channeled her last energy to power up the unit. As she crouched over the control pad while tapping the broadcast button, the ship started to disintegrate. A single cookie crumble can indeed crumble.
Only time will show if the broadcast ever succeeded in bringing it's message of hope to a crumbled galaxy.