[color=lightblue][h2]The Adventures of Nate and Coral[/h2][/color] [img]http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/324/c/a/space_art_by_neoz7-d6uxu8m.png[/img] [h2][color=lightblue]Union/Wo Border, Eastern fringes.[/color][/h2] [h3]A collab between Natsu and Monkey![/h3] What a strange time it was.. Wo disappearances were on the rise and the union government was coming up with some of the most wild excuses ever. one being some sort of space eel. Aside from it being completely idiotic but also unrealistic in this part of space. It didn't matter though as this was the first time an legitimate expedition by federal forces And this expedition was fully underway and even with the excitement of this new frontier, Nate could only stare out of the tiny windows in awe of the emptiness wondering what was next. The emptiness of space... Always the same... or at least that's what Nate expected. Unexpectedly however, he saw the telltale spatial distortion of a ship arriving from an FTL jump. The familiar sight of a distant dot of light rapidly coming closer before dramatically stopping. The newcomer was elegant in its simplicity. A standard array of scientific modules attached to a sleek superstructure looking almost like some sort of fish. Nate didn't need to think about where it came from, knowing spacecraft models was part of his job description... but what was a qulseoc research vessel doing all the way out here? This was indeed the question Nate was going to discover. It took a few moments before the awe of something they've only seen pictures of appear right before their eyes. This [i]was[/i] the border of 'Wo' space after all. As the impressive vessel stopped and sat eerily quiet, Nate could only think it was the calm before the storm. Nate leaned over to the pilot and whispered, "Do not make any aggressive movements. All stop but be casual about it." The pilot nodded and pulled back a large silver lever and with the press of a few keys, their ship ground to a halt. Nate spoke up again, "Alright, run passive scanners and put the point defenses on standby, Do not power them up beyond standby." Again the pilot followed direction to the letter and in mere moments, Nate's ship was as ready as it could be. A simple broadcast was made, "We are not hostile." On the other ship, activity was abound as well. Coral was pleased to see the union ship before her. She had briefly thought her astro-navigator had miscalculated their course. "Overseer, they are broadcasting their non-hostile intent, but they're also powering up weaponry. How do we respond?" "We respond peacefully, I will dictate." Coral considered the style with which she would address the union researchers... judging by their current actions, they were as on edge as she herself was. She cleared her throat and began talking. "Greetings, let us make it known immediately that we ourselves have no hostile intent as well. We have come here to assist in your current investigation. I suggest we discuss the specifics in person." Nate leaned back from the console and glared towards the Qulseoc vessel. He was pleased to know they weren't hostile but trust was something that didn't come easy in the void. "Put our weapons on passive and lower our shields." The pilot gave Nate a stern look, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Nate gave a smug look and shook his head, "Against my better judgement, yes." From the outside, the rescue ship slowly shifted to its right before finally revealing the entirety of its hull. Directly in the center was an airlock that began to light up. Flashing red lights brought attention to what Nate's next message intended, "Come aboard. No tricks or there will be a problem." Nate signalled two of his men to fetch their weapons, standard Mk II pulse rifles.. about as average as anything out there but according to public opinion, "Far more than first responders should ever have." Tell that to the men and women that boarded the ship full of cannibals. Well, technically they weren't cannibals because none were of the same species. Nate's decision reflected this history and the ideology that followed, no surprises. The room attached to the airlock was an emergency medical bay. Two operating tables and automated surgical units were flanked by clunky, gray metal walls with exposed (but shielded) cables. On the ceiling were adjustable examination lighting and various wired devices. And behind all of that was the two automated sentry guns that would overlook the initial meeting. And this meeting was all Nate could think about. He remembered meeting a Qulseoc once, at least it said it was... On the Qulseoc side of things, coral was already making preparations. She was moving into the airlock, flanked by two assistants. despite some complaints about her decision none of them were armed. The crew on the other ship was nervous, so bringing armaments, even of a non-lethal kind, was probably not worth the risk. "Engaging safety clamps" The ship's pilot calmly announced. Coral nodded. "Let's get started on draining the airlock," One assistant input a short clearance code on the airlock controls, and with a low hum the pumps started draining the water out of the enclosed space. Qulseoc ships were generally filled with an enriched water solution that promoted mental acuity and agile energetic movement. Despite that however, it was still water, a substance most other races would rather not have their ship flooded with. Coral followed the instructions to the letter... stop breathing through the gills, start breathing through the lungs... She heard the coughing of one of her assistants... She would have to chastise him later for skipping out on land walking courses. They now stood in the dry air. The processed oxygen felt rather cold to coral's mucous skin, she shivered for a moment... how could anyone stand this dryness? The pilot spoke again. "clamps engaged. Airlock secured, you are cleared to go overseer." The Qulseoc steeled her mind for what was ahead, then she nodded to her assistant to open the airlock. The large bulkhead slowly slid aside revealing a comparatively simplistic airlock opening on the other side. Slowly but steadily, the Qulseoc waddled past the threshold, the bulkhead sliding back shut behind them. There was a brief nervous silence, then the airlock opened, and they stared down the barrels of a set of guns. Coral was the first to speak. "Greetings... as you can see, we came unarmed, I see you decided not to give the same courtesy on your end... I guess that is to be expected." She looked at her assistant. They were shivering like she was, but she guessed that wasn't just the stark air on their skin. "Now that I stand before you... can we finally get the distrust out of the way and focus on what I came here for? That being advising you on your current investigation." Her tone carried a mix of mild frustration, calm decisiveness, and just the faintest hint of nervous fear. Her reddish-yellow coloration however... suggested fear was currently her dominant emotion Nate showed no emotion but inside is was pure relief, and intrigue. Beside him, one of his comrades turned away, taking his weapon with him. Nate was quick to dismiss the other in a show of good will. The moment between them to some would be like an eternity before Nate would reply. You'd say it was that good old sizing' one up before acting. "So yeah, no worries here. but how exactly did you find out about the investigation? And more so, where we were heading?" He was patient on the outside but inside, all he could think about was the investigation and how this new arrival could be used to his benefit. Coral pondered the human's questions internally. She extended a tentacle to one of her assistants, who handed her a simple data-slate, and made a 3d projection of everything she would share with the federal investigators right now. Sure, she could be totally honest, but she wasn't about to just admit her presence here was somewhat clandestine Before Nate were a collection of logged extranet pages ranging from crackpot news sites analyzing the 'wo wreck' to page upon page of discussion about the union's official investigation into the matter. " There are a lot of people out there who have made it their life's calling to investigate this region of space and the strange going-ons that happen here. I am amongst them. In fact I have made it my life's work to break through the veil of secrecy that surrounds this region of space... Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to offer my assistance to your government. There were some bureaucratic hitches along the way, but I was eventually directed here to join up with you." The Qulseoc took a deep breath, the entire explanation had been one breathless string of words. She wasn't used to breathing through the same bodily cavity she talked through. "Now then, I heard something about a virus of some sort being uncovered by your investigation? I've discussed this with my resident cybersecurity expert and he's jumping to join forces with your own code [b]monkeys[/b]." Coral gestured to the assistant to her left, who nodded silently. He clutched an advanced data-slate in his tentacles, standard equipment for any Qulseoc that worked with computers as his primary vocation. Coral took another deep breath... How did barrier talk for so long without pause? she would have to take some courses in speaking without gills when she got back to horve. For the first time in a long while, Nate was feeling a sense of hope. There wasn't a lot of time though as every second the ships were more susceptible to detection. "So I take it you do not normally breathe in air like most races.. We have bathing tubs for you and your entourage." He paused for a moment and then bore a smile, "Just don't use all the hot water." And with a snicker, the remaining union officer holstered his gun and motioned to Corals assistant. There was indeed much to discuss for something as potent as the Wo virus. What devious bastard thought that up... When Nate began to welcome Coral deeper into the ship, he paused briefly for a simple question, "Is your ship tagging along? for safety's sake id rather not bring the infected devices aboard your vessel." There was another short pause as Nate took a deep breath, "A shame really as your ships computing power is ten fold what we have.. Disconnecting a computer core really can put a hamper on research." The Qulseoc let out a collective sigh of relief. "Well, Qulseoc are somewhat amphibian, but moving on dry land is sluggish and uncomfortable... yeah, some water to rest in every now and again would be lovely." She was quite impressed with how considerate the union investigator was now that the veil of distrust had been torn away from their meeting. She looked back to the airlock. "Yes, we will be tagging along. I've brought all sorts of science equipment and it would be a shame to just leave it behind." Coral's computer assistant perked up at the mention of the virus. "If I may interject... I've discussed the matter with the overseer on the way here and have assembled a closed loop machine to use as a testing environment. I've checked the entire machine and am certain that a virus would, at worst, lock the testing environment up without contaminating any outside devices." The Qulseoc techie had a vibrant excitement to his voice, he was quite obviously as excited as coral was to start work on the investigation proper. "With your permission, I'll start moving and assembling the testing environment here... Should take about half an hour to move the parts in through the airlock." Aboard the tiny ship, it wasn't long before the majority of things were unloaded and setup. With the two technicians working towards the "Virus" and Nate with Coral preparing to begin their investigation, it was seemingly all clear. Nate ordered the ship ahead and with them the Qulseoc ship followed. Time went by slowly as the crews prepared to interact with their roles. From nowhere it seemed, the intense thought and focus was broken when the Con officer spoke up, "Hey boss, you got a message.. On a strange encrypted channel." It would be a familiar font to Coral, familiar to her as the one who invited her here in the first place, Horus. Nate leaned in to read the message, "Hey, This is strange. I've tried to contact command a number of times now to no avail. I figured the signal was just taking its time.. How long has this message been in transit?" The con officer replied near instantly, "Ten minutes." Ten minutes is a very short time in the void.. a short distance that just didn't sit well with Nate. He turned to Coral and gave a piqued brow before turning back to the screen. "Lets see." ---Attention, "By now you've been introduced to Coral, representative of the Qulseoc. I am pleased that she was so prompt in finding your ship and helping with the investigation. I am pleased that you have travelled out so far into uncharted space to solve this mystery that has eluded most people in the civilized galaxy. There is information I'd like to pass on and that is the location of what we believe to be a short range SOS from a Union standard escape craft. This will be the easiest place to start your search. My group has assured me that there is no current sightings of 'Wo' in the area but one can never be too careful. We make one request that you leave any weapons powered down as it could be a potential provocation of aggression with a race as elusive as these 'Wo' The coordinates are as follows," Nate sharpened his gaze at the message as the coordinates followed. It wasn't very far at all but he found it odd that they couldn't detect the distress signal. This group definitely had some powerful equipment to detect that signal from that far. I mean, if they were close enough to detect it with a ship, why didn't they go themselves? Though the biggest question Nate had wasn't quite held in, "Who the hell is 'Horus' and how did he know where we were going?" Coral had set herself up on Nate's ship to coordinate her assistant's assembly of the equipment they brought. The announcement of an incoming message caught her attention as well, and the familiar font and sender confirmed she had apparently been followed here by her mysterious benefactor. The mention of an escape pod piqued her interest. Coral was just about to waddle off to her assistants to have the scope of the operation adjusted when Nate exclaimed something that made her turn yellow with worry. Before now she could simply get along with the white lie that the union's government sent her, Perhaps it was time she came clean as well. "your government was rather dismissive of my assistance. It was this Horus who organized my meeting with you... I don't know who he is or what his agenda is, all I know is that he seems to have an interest in seeing the truth about the Wo and this virus uncovered." Coral took another deep breath, this time not due to lack of air, but due to the sense of relief telling the truth gave her. She wondered how Nate would react to this confession, nevertheless there were more pressing matters to attend to right now. " Assistant, tell our navigator to start disengaging the airlock. This investigation has turned into a search and rescue. We'll leave the retrieval of the pod to Nate's crew." The assistant nodded and started talking back and forth through a comm-link. After a moment, he looked back up to Coral. "Our ship sensors are indeed picking up an artificial object at the provided coordinates overseer. We are picking up a distress signal on repeat, patching through now." The assistant fiddled around with his tools, and a female voice sounded through the ship's comms system "This is Union officer Bri getti requesting any assistance. We are currently without guidance and the pods fuel reserves are low. Please respond, we need assistance." The assistant gestured that he had something to add to his report. "The ship's captain is reporting interference on long-range scanners. Given our other provided information, we have reason to believe this to be a targeted jamming signal." Things only got more confusing from there as the two ships closed in on the lonely escape pod. There was no life detected as the pod lazily spiraled into a small dust pocket. It was even more odd how cloudy it seemed to get, almost as if they had passed into a nebula of sorts. Nate didn't like it one bit and those feelings were confirmed when a small silvery disk zipped past the Qulseoc ship. Nate was the first to notice the electromagnetic surges striking the hull of the Qulseoc vessel. Any signs of power seemed to disappear in an instant as flickering lights went black. Coral would be forced to watch as the craft she rode in on sat helpless. There wasn't any peace for the Rescue ship either when a similar disk darted by. Strangely it did not discharge upon the hull, confusing the crew in every way. Sadly this quiet panic ended with a roar. Alarms sounded as a sound of bashing metal tore through the ship. One of the pilots pointed at the Qulseoc ship. An huge harpoon like bolt had literally skewered the down the middle with what looked like a giant chain attached to it. What the hell could've done that Nate thought. Armor like theirs pierced with seemingly ease. Then it truly began when the ships instruments began reading a heavy gravity signature directly above them A looming shadow overtook both ships as a new arrival had quite literally de-cloaked on top of them. It was massive and rough, distinctly off at random points as if multiple ships had been sewn together over the years. Its hull was nearly black as night and when the first gun turret came into view, the gun was wide enough to shoot a full size fighter from it. "Well hello there." A gruff voice stated. It was somewhat jolly, upbeat and yet seriously calm. "I never really thought this would work." It was as the sound of tearing metal erupted from the airlock. Nate ordered the men to gather their guns but the rush of gas grenades disoriented them long enough that a group of very well dressed soldiers wearing equally well made gas masks. swept the ship. Two men breached the bridge and shouted to drop any weapons, which Nate's crew quickly complied. It left Nate being the only one holding a weapon. "Great job.." He said softly to his comrades before dropping his gun. The lead man smiled and stepped further in. "Well well what do we have here." He said smugly. From his coat came a small silver sphere that he then tossed to the floor. The man who appeared as a hologram was the epitome of tall dark and handsome but this man had a far more devious side. "Please pardon my friends here but it's not every day we are lucky enough to catch two at once and oh my what a treat this is." The male gave a broad toothy grin before speaking once more. "Do you even realize how much Qulseoc females go for on the market? I mean what luck!" "Fuck." Was all Nate could muster before the man spoke again. "But where are my manners! My name is Captain Lars of the 'Lady Fortune'. Coral, is it? You'd know me as Horus. I appreciate the generous gift you Union folks have delivered. Nate turned to Coral, "I cannot believe this." He said with a sarcastic look. "I cannot believe we fell for this." And with a gentle shake of the head and a soft smile he muttered, "Damn Pirates." Coral meanwhile, had dropped to the ground in a panic the moment the shooting had started. She had seen how her ship was completely disabled and briefly tried to call them for a damage report. But the de-cloaking pirate ship and subsequent boarding had put a stop to that. When the armed men breached the bridge, all she could do was stammer. "What is this? who are these people? why are they attacking us?!" Her present assistants were much of the same. She looked back up to see who she assumed to be the leader of the attackers monologue. The market? Did he mean... slavery? The mere thought horrified her, as did considering the possible reasons why she would apparently be worth so much. "You can't do this, we're just scientist and investigators!" Coral tried to make herself look large and intimidating, but even pushed up to her full length, she was pathetically short and lean compared to the pirates. She simply did not understand why anyone would be so greedy and shortsighted to live a life of piracy, let alone attack peaceful science transports. She thought back briefly to her mentor. An old and wizened Qulseoc that had always warned her for the barbarism of outsiders. How she could slap herself for not listening to her right now. She looked at the pirates once more. "What are you gonna do to us?" She asked fearfully. The man grinned and was soothing with his words, or as well as he could be. "It's not really what I'm going to do but rather what the buyer will do. I've heard that some drug up female Qulseoc and have their way. Who knows but.." His seemingly polite, albeit mildly vulgar expressions turned to a furrowed brow flanked by a devilish grin. "Don't be upset though, its just business."