Part 8: Finale
McKay and Zelenka are working in the generator room of the Novara with sparks flying around them when Paul Sully’s voice crackles over the radio.
Paul Sully: How’s that installation going boys?
McKay: I’m working as fast as I can, alright?! It’s worse because Radek here keeps getting things wrong. Zelenka replies in Czech
Back on the Bridge, Paul Sully stumbles back to his seat, and swears under his breath
Samantha Wiley: Is it almost ready?
Paul Sully: It’s not looking good, if only the Admiral could get here faster…
Terrance Bradley: Captain, we’re detecting several more 'Kavash cruisers entering orbit!
Samantha Wiley: Shit.
Samantha Wiley: Status of our shields, Commander?
Paul Sully: They’re gone, another hit and we’re goners! Suddenly the shuddering stops and the look out the window to see the Centurion blocking the Novara with their shield
Samantha Wiley: She sighs a deep sigh of gratitude Thanks, Callum.
Callum Sully: Anytime, just get Rodney to hurry up with that shield!
Terrance Bradley: Captain, we’re picking up Admiral King in system, he’s… Before he could finish King’s ship jumps in next to them.
Admiral King: Here she is, Captain.
Samantha Wiley: It’s good to see ya, Admiral.
Paul Sully: Great timing sir!
Paul Sully: Seriously, what is it with you Admirals and great timing today?
Admiral King: I’m deploying the device, um… what exactly does it do?
Callum Sully: You’ll see.
King fires the device at the furthest firing ship. The firing ceases, and strange lights bounce off of the shields. In a matter of seconds, the shield is depleted, and the Hull is cracked open, sending a shock wave through the nearest 2 ships to it, and they blew up instantaneously.
McKay: Wow…
Samantha Wiley: I think it worked better than you expected, McKay?
McKay: Well, I never actually saw it work on a active shield before, we only had the one we were storing on Manhattan, and it’s shields died years ago…
Callum Sully: Just be careful how many of those things you fire King, we only have about 29 shots left now.
Samantha Wiley: Let’s work our way into the atmosphere then, Lieutenant Terrance, target the nearest cruiser and fire.
Terrance Bradley: Aye aye, Captain.
McKay: Oh, Paul, we have the, um, the Armor installed into the Novara’s systems.
Samantha Wiley: Perfect, activate the Ablative armor!
All of a sudden the Novara was being covered by a weird looking, thick armor, it covered the entire ship, protecting them from enemy fire.
Terrance Bradley: Incoming torpedo! Boom It… bounced off our armor, and exploding upon contact with a asteroid.
Samantha Wiley: ETA till we enter the atmosphere?
Terrance Bradley: Two minutes.
Man: A voice crackles over from the Centurion I’ve picked up Admiral Fullen’s life signs on the planet!
Callum Sully: Great, try to beam him up! Crap.
Samantha Wiley: I’ve detected it too. There is a deposit of Makarsite on the planet, it’s blocking all transporters.
Callum Sully: Looks like it’s a fight to the surface then. See you then, Sully out.
Samantha Wiley: Understood, let’s do it.
Terrance Bradley: 98 Kilometers till we reach the surface!
Terrance Bradley: 97.5.
Samantha Wiley: Can we go any faster?
McKay: No
Samantha Wiley: Damn.
Zelenka: The engines were damaged before we managed to get the armour working, and we’re already over taxing them going this fast.
Ten minutes later
Terrance Bradley: Captain, the surface is in viewing range.
Samantha Wiley: Onscreen.
Terrance Bradley: It’s 26 Kilometers away, ma’am.
Terrance Bradley: The ship shudders hardly Shit, Captain we’ve just lost all propulsion! We’re freefalling!
Paul Sully: Fire up afterburners!
Terrance Bradley: They’re not working!
Paul Sully: Crap.
Samantha Wiley: Admiral Sully! We’re in freefall!
Callum Sully: Okay, I’m on my way, get as much of the crew that is not needed to help me land her into as big a group as possible, so the the Centurion can beam them to safety… I should only need you Paul, Sam, and Terrance.
Samantha Wiley: Paul, go round up the crew, we don’t have much time!
Moments later, Paige Maybourne, Callum Sully, and two of the Rapscallion were standing in the Bridge.
Samantha Wiley: Welcome to the bridge, Admiral.
Callum Sully: No time, no time.
Terrance Bradley: The helm is yours.
He gets up, allowing the Admiral sit down.
Callum Sully: Paige, you take navigation, Rapscallion, get down to engineering, see if you can fire them up. Terrance, I need you to take the co-pilot seat, Paul, take weapons, blast any trees/rock/rubble etc, out of the way and Sam, I need you to overlook engine progress from here.
Samantha Wiley: Roger.
She sits down in her seat, pulls up a console in her armrest, and looks at the engine readings
Callum Sully: I’m going to have to manually take this baby in. Without killing us, or anyone on the planet. And preferably not damaging the ship too much…
Paul Sully: No Pressure then?
Callum Sully: Callum’s chuckle is dry Thanks for that bit of humor there Paul, but I need absolute concentration here.
Samantha Wiley: The Rapscallion has just entered Main engineering.
Samantha Wiley: He reports that he’s working on getting the engine online, but it’s heavily damaged.
Callum Sully: Callum enters several commands into his console. We’re coming in too fast… Paige, how much more airspace do we have?
Paige Maybourne: 15k, and declining more and more rapidly.
Samantha Wiley: Are you sure you can land this thing, in one piece?
Callum Sully: Land it? Yes. In one peice? Well, that’s something completely different.
Samantha Wiley: Engineering reports progress, but not enough!
Callum Sully: Tell him to try and slow the speed if he can
Callum Sully: Frick, Frick, Frick, Frick, Frick, Frick, Frick, Frick! Too fast, too fast!
Terrance Bradley: Our hull is burning up!
Callum Sully: Paul, blasting would be good right about now.
Paul Sully: Roger.
Paige Maybourne: 5k!!
Samantha Wiley: All hands brace for impact!
beep
Callum Sully: Please don’t say-
Samantha Wiley: Engineering reports engines online! Only maneuvering thrusters.
Callum Sully: Firing maneuvering thrusters… dammit, not slow enough!
Paige Maybourne: Impact in, 5.
Paige Maybourne: 3
Samantha grabs her seat tightly.
Callum Sully: Everyone hold on tight!
Paige Maybourne: 1!
Samantha Wiley: Ughh…
Samantha’s eyes, open, she was laying on the floor of the bridge, Paul’s face staring into hers as he helps her up.
Paige Maybourne: Errgggh…
Callum stirs and looks around to see Paul helping Samantha up.
Callum Sully: Everyone report.
Samantha Wiley: I feel like I broke a few bones but I’m alright.
Paul Sully: I’m good.
Callum Sully: Terrance? Rapscallion?
Rapscallion Engineers: Ssssshhh…
Samantha Wiley: Uh oh.
Laying on the floor was a still Terrance
Samantha checks for a pulse…
Samantha Wiley: He’s… dead.
Samantha Wiley: Callum… cough You do know now you owe me a new ship?
Callum Sully: Callum chuckles Hey, I got you down here alive didn’t I?
She laughs and helps up other crew members on the bridge.
Samantha Wiley: Where did you detect Eric’s lifesigns?
Callum Sully: Uhhh, they were just… checks a portable nav-map he saw on the floor near Paige Ah.
Samantha Wiley: What?
Callum Sully: I’m now picking up two lifesigns…
Samantha Wiley: Two?
Callum Sully: Right in front of us.
Samantha Wiley: Can we get the viewscreen online?
Paul Sully: Negative, there’s no power to any of the ships systems.
Samantha Wiley: Shit. We’ll just have to go out and look ourselves. There should be a airlock around here somewhere… Ah, here. She opens the airlock
A gust of hot arid air floats into the bridge and flushes over everybody’s faces.
Samantha Wiley: How can the Dom’Kavash stand that?
She jumps out of the airlock and onto the surface.
Paul Sully: coughs I have no idea, but it’s better than in here that’s for certain… It smells of… death… in here… * he avoids looking at Terrance as he climbs out the airlock.*
Samantha Wiley: Callum, can you lead us to the lifesigns?
Callum and Paige follow suit as a small fighter approached them. It landed and Cal’Kosh and Nom’val departed from it.
Callum Sully: I don’t need to lead us to them, they’re coming to us…
Silence
Just then a 'Kavash came around the corner, Eric in his grip, a pistol to his head
Callum Sully: Crap.
K’Yal: Make one move and he’s dead.
Samantha Wiley: Let him go, K’Yal.
K’Yal: Never.
Cal’Kosh and Nom’val both start hissing at the sight of K’Yal
K’Yal: Why the hell are you 'Kavash helping them?!
Callum Sully: Let him go, or you’ll be blasted where you stand!
K’Yal: Kill me and he dies as well.
Cal’Kosh: Remember K’Yal, thousands of years ago, in a different galaxy, far away from here.
K’Yal: Cal’Kosh?
Cal’Kosh: That’s right brother. It’s time I had my revenge, don’t you think? He draws a pistol. Nom’val does the same. You see, my creations are so much more than yours ever were.
K’Yal: Don’t you dare get close to me, Cal’Kosh. I’m not afraid to kill you and this human.
Callum Sully: Don’t do it Cal’kosh. he turns to K’Yal Your armies have fallen, you have lost your fleets, you are the last of your kind, give it up.
K’Yal: While I live, the Empire does too.
The Renegade edges forward
K’Yal: Don’t test me, Cal’Kosh!
Cal’Kosh: Well, we will soon put an end to that then. he shoots, and Nom’val follows suit. K’Yal’s finger falls on the trigger as he is shot by the two bullets.
The gun in K’Yal’s hand goes off, drilling a large hole in Eric’s head, Eric screams just before dying.
Samantha & Callum (Unison): NOOO!!!
Callum runs up to K’Yal’s body.
Callum Sully: YOU! thump BASTERD! another thump is heard
Callum Sully: YOU! CRACK KILLED! crack ERIC! smash
Cal’kosh is killed by Callum, smashing his head in, and Nom’val is shot by Samantha before he can react.
Samantha Wiley: He’s… dead.
She sits down, her eyes drifting off into space
Paul stands there, his eyes unbelieving, Paige’s eyes start to well up and Callum stands there, purple blood dripping from his hands.
Meanwhile on Alpine Outpost, Troi, out of nowhere, starts crying.
Samantha Wiley: Samantha turned her head to Callum No-… Now what?
Callum Sully: Now? Well, we give him and Terrance memorial services, Paul takes command at Alpine, then we all go back to our daily lives.
Callum Sully: Callum steps up to the microphone and stares out at the mix of clothes and uniforms, the tears and the mournful faces, and starts his speech We recently fought a battle, and a war. We won the battle, and won the war, but we lost valuable people in the process. He reads out a long list of 236 names before reaching the bottom. And last, but certainly not least, Terrance Bradley and Eric Fullen. I hold myself completely responsible for Terrance’s death, I was the one who ordered he stay on board of the Novara to help with the final descent, and it was me who couldn’t slow the ship down enough. Me who killed him. Not the Rapscallion who couldn’t get the engines working. Not Captain Samantha Wiley or the recently promoted, Admiral Paul Sully, who helped in the descent, and were in charge of the Novara, but me. And Eric Fullen, a hero in his own right. He allowed the Kavash formerly known as K’Yal to take him instead of Captain Wiley when he knew full well what would probably be at stake. We have a toast in remembrance to these 238 GM Men and Women who died to preserve the future for our children, and our children’s children, and our children’s children’s children. To them! Raises a glass from a table beside him
No one notices a hooded stranger lean over the casket and touch Eric’s left hand with an object he swiftly replaces back into the fodls of his cloak
Samantha then steps forward to the mic.
Samantha Wiley: I know I haven’t known Eric for very long, but he’s been a inspiration for me ever since I joined the Militia. I truly believe he will be missed; he was the greatest person to command Alpine Outpost and the Militia itself in over a hundred years. Terrance, I knew him for years, greatest helmsman I’ve ever had. I don’t think I could ever replace him, no one could. For what it’s worth, Eric and Terrance were heroes of the battlefield, of a war that ravaged the world we know today, if it wasn’t for them, we would all be dead right now, or slaves to the Empire. I am honored to have fought beside them, and to even know them. Troi is one of the luckiest women in the sector to have Eric, and now, he’s gone. I’m so sorry for your loss, Troi. We’re all here to help you through your loss. She steps down from the mic, as she returns to her seat, a tear dropped out of her eye, rolling down into nothing.
Idk about you guys, but making this final piece for this part, was very emotional, I felt like I was killing off a part of me because I’ve been using that character ever since I started the GM series (Beginnings) in June/July this year. I hope you enjoyed, more will be coming soon, we’re currently working on Vanguard (which has 3 parts to it as of this post) I will post it when it comes close to it’s finale. Thanks for reading this far, :).
-Shadow Viper aka. Maelstrom, Kainz, ect.