[center][b][u]Post #4: Siren’s Song[/u][/b][/center]

[hider][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/rCaCC2Z.jpg?1[/img][/center]
[center][i]The Deep Space Mining Controller Ship[/i] Torr[/center][/hider]

[b]Deep Space Mining Controller Ship [i]Torr[/i]
Supernova Remnant-Alpha (SR-Alpha)[/b]

“What’s the status of the point matrix shields?” Barked Commander Nym Orym-Bialaer.

The radiological warning alarms on the bridge of the colossal [i]Torr[/i] were beeping in ‘precautionary’ mode, signaling to the crew that radiation levels were nearing action stage. It was over this beeping that the shields specialist had to raise her voice.

“Energy spectrum is fluctuating sporadically. The atomic shield matrices is meandering through safe ranges, and then falling at erratic intervals.” The shields specialist turned to look at her commander. Her lupine eyes showed fear. 

“If we don’t stabilize the energy input into the matrix, we’ll be annihilated by the radiation, sir.”

Nym’s canines clacked together in grim frustration. Ever since the [i]Torr[/i] had arrived in SR-Alpha, on the heels of the VUR’s historic prospecting expedition, chaos had reigned. The harsh conditions of the supernova remnant were picking apart the ships that had departed to uncover the wondrous riches held within the star’s ethereal corpse. Waves of deadly radiation of nearly every spectrum bombarded the fleet constantly, acting like the waters of some angry sea, eating away at the sandy monuments of Valeth engineering. 

Seven ships had already been lost, their crews cooked alive within the fleshy confines of their own fur. While the Valeth vessels were equipped with advanced, responsive shielding, never before had any such system been tested to the rigors experienced within SR-Alpha. The new capital ships of the 5th Fleet fared better than their merchant counterparts, having been recently constructed with the most cutting-edge shielding technology known to the VUR. Yet, even the navy struggled in this place of beautiful perdition.

The [i]Torr[/i] was a large vessel, with nearly the bulk of a small station. She had been commissioned for the sole purpose of establishing forward operating bases for deep space mining. Built with the combined capital of the wealthiest private space conglomerate in all of the VUR, the [i]Torr[/i] was an engineering marvel. It was deployed only to the most lucrative and promising regions of space, and following the findings of the prospecting expedition, SR-Alpha was a veritable treasure trove. So much so, that the very real danger of losing the [i]Torr[/i]—not to mention the rest of the expedition fleet—was a worthwhile risk for the shareholders to take.  At the moment, none of that mattered at all to Commander Nym Orym-Bialaer.

A sudden flash of inspiration came over the aged Valeth, and his amber eyes widened in an almost child-like aura of hope. He spun on his heels, his tail whipping behind him, until he faced another of his bridge crew. 

“Give me a full sensor buoy cloud! Set the hold-range at one klick from our center mass.”

As he spoke, Nym stalked across the bridge. His clawed hands clapped down on the shoulders of the technician that was working feverishly at his control panel to comply with his commander’s orders. In mere seconds, a light shudder, accompanied by faint pop-hisses, echoed through the hull. Looking up, Nym watched through the bridge screen as hundreds of individual sensor buoys hurtled outward from the [i]Torr[/i], moving away like a cloud of protective insects hovering around their host. 

“Buoy cloud deployed, sir!”

“Very good. Set the buoys’ sensor axes to project outward from the [i]Torr[/i], and have them feed their radiological readings to the shield controller module. Make the shield matrix adjust preemptively in conjunction with this data.”

The technician that launched the buoys cracked an expectant, though still nervous, grin as he caught on to what his commanding officer was trying to achieve. 

“Parameters set, sir. It will take a few moments for the shields to initially respond to the new inputs.”

An unusual silence fell across the bridge of the [i]Torr[/i]. Harried Valeth eyes peered around them, as if they could somehow see the ship that encompassed them working to save itself from utter destruction. Nym himself did the same. His ears were pricked upward, listening to the incessant beep of the radiological alarm, the faint hum of the tachyon core, and the communal breath of hundreds of his crew. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the beep of the alarm suddenly ceased. Crew members turned to their consoles in stunned and relieved surprise. 

“The shield matrix energy spectrum is stabilizing, Commander!” The shielding specialist called. “We’ve returned to normal energy compensation rates, and radiation is dropping.”

Nym nodded and sighed, his head hanging between his shoulders in exhausted relief. “Very well. Hail Captain Esta-Athobus of the VRS [i]Venture Star[/i]. We need to get this tactic disseminated to the rest of the fleet as soon as possible."