Quietness of New York system channel suddenly interrupted by heavily damaged message. Statics were all over it but one word was so so understandable. It was "Colossus". Signal was too week and disappear almost at the same moment when it appear. However the radars started to pick up strange ion activity not too far from Jersey debris field. When you approaching this sector you see ship, dreadnought class vessel. In 5k each direction from it scanners detect heavy ion field, as closer to dreadnought as stronger. Straight near ship activity is so strong that you see lightning flashing around ship. Dreadnought itself don't sent any signals. No damage can be noticed from outside. Communication channel status is unable. Scanning fail because of heavy ion activity. Ship looks completely abandoned...
//Heya, peoples! This is my first try to make story this way so don't judge too strictly. Everyone who could possibly hear that message or pick that ion activity and wonder what is going on are welcome to join. You have full freedom of action withing confines that i gonna set. Make sure you read Colossus description. Communications between characters, teaming and everything like that are allowed. Have fun! Your opinion you can leave on my feedback.
Field grown up. Entered Jersey debris field in several spots. Ion activity incredibly high. And in the middle of it standing ship. Silent and calm, "Colossus" look like a sleeping demon that waiting to be awaken. Lightnings that flashing around bridge shows that ship might be source of ion field that continue to grow.
All attempts to scan ship continue to fail due to heavy ion activity. Nothing can be found out from outside as it seems...
"Well yeah, it seems they're gone, and we survived with just a tiny hull breach.", Vlad stood up from his console and grabbed a beer. "Alright, well done, as every time. Get us closer into that debris field, I don't want to attract more attention then necessary.", another man, sitting on a chair in the middle of the bridge ordered to hide the Scylla. As always, sooner or later, they got caught pirating. Exchanged some fire with the Liberty Navy, then ran off and hide.
They floated through the debris, waiting for the situation to cool down and return to a safe dock.
Suddenly some lights flashed on a console, indicating that the sensors picked up something.
Vlad put his beer aside and investigated the strange signals. "Boss, there is some kind of strange radiation around here, and I'm sure it's not our leaking reactor core."
The other man went over to Vlad, taking a closer look at the sensors reading. "Never have seen anything like that before. Where does it come from?" "Not sure, the interference is pretty strong, makes it hard to locate the source. Maybe I could..."
Before he could end his sentence, the helmsman interrupted him, pointing on the big screen in front of the bridge.
Vlad and the other one turned around. "Oh crap...turn around, and get the hell out of here!", he shouted while staring at the big dreadnought with flashing lights around it that just appeared in front of them. "Wait...", Vlad said, "it's not doing anything. And those lights don't come from that ship. I cannot even scan that ship, too much ion activity." "Actually it looks pretty dead...abandoned. Helm, get us closer, so we can see the ship's name. Maybe our database has some information... and try to hail them."
The Scylla went closer, just close enough to read the painted name on the hull, but keeping enough distance to not get into contact with the strange radiation.
Vlad went over the ship with a short range scanner. "They do not respond...but I have found the name...it's the Colossus."
Exspes stood up and lighted a cigar: "Timothy Hawk...", he spoke to himself, considering if he should try to board that ship to find out what happened or if he just should leave and don't ask further questions.
Silvers Falchion sat away from the two ships, but hers is clearly seen. the Light fighter snakes its way to becoming in range of both ships. suddenly looming over the light fighter is a Spatial. both ships remain on the end of ships scanners range, and away from any weapon range of fire. both ships remain silent the whole time.
Timothy... it is you..
the other ship making no sound, besides hovering next to the Falchion.
"There is 'nother ship around here.", Vlad pointed at a tiny dot on a sensors display that indicated that a something small was at the very end of their scanner range. "Nothing big, though. Isn't a threat I guess." "Those lights really attract some rubbernecks. Whatever we're going to do, we shall do it fast before something bigger arrives. This might a be a unique chance to acquire intel about the Navy. Preconditioned the computer systems are still working. Also, I'm pretty curious what the hell happened over there. Or has someone seen that before?", Exspes asked the crewmen around and after all negated his question, he stood up and moved towards the lift to the lower decks. "Vlad, you stay here and get us in docking range. Call Igor, he shall meet me at the airlock with some ruthless men. Just in case it's a trap."
The Scylla slowly drifted towards the 'dead' ship, shields, weapons and almost everything else where shut down, so the ion activity could not harm the ship's systems. Exspes and his team were waiting in armored suits and heavily armed near the airlock. He had no idea what he could find over there. He knew that it is risky, but we was just too curious.
Darkness... Silence... Emptiness... Colossus seem to be empty. Lights system broken. From time to time bridge being illuminated by flash of lightning from outside. Timothy was sitting in his commander seat. Holding his sword in one hand and closing his eyes by another.
"Guests?", Timothy put his hand away from eyes. No one around, looks like he talking to himself.
"If they try to dock, let them in. It might be interesting to see who came after all. Just don't let them take control of Colossus and provide me with information of their movements."
Timothy stand up from seat and walk closer to window. Looking on lightnings that flashing around.
"So, it begins.", he standing there for a while then turn back to his seat and return to the same pose as he was before...
the two lone ships remain at the edge of the scanner range, however, the Spatial's tag can be seen carrying the SolarR tag while the light fighter has none. heavy scanner and comms activity can be detected between both ships as the remain at their locationl. both ships carry a pattern of staying close to each other, the larger one looking to be guarding the light fighter.
-[Scanning Rogue Class Ship]-
-[Scanning Naval Class Ship]-
-[Twin Ship Isolation Setup Complet]-
Darkness. Suddenly crude lights. A welding apparatus.
A few moments later the bulkhead was open; Exspes and his team entered a big, dark room that was now slightly illuminated by their flashlights. "Must be a cargo bay or so.", said Exspes and nodded to his team that they shall proceed. "The lights came from the bridge, I assume that's the best place to find out the hell happened here.", he took out a communication device. "Vlad, get us a engineering team here and send it to the machine room. The light aren't working. Actually, nothing seems to work here."
He put the device away and grabbed his gun. "Let's move, guys."
For minutes they wandered around the ghostship, through endless dark corridors when they finally saw the flashing lights they've seen from the outside. "Must be the bridge here...", Exspes said and slowly moved closer. Igor stopped and pointed in the middle of the room. "Boss, I think there is someone."
Expses took a closer look and now he also saw the figure that looked like if it would have a sword in one hand.
Clutching their guns, the men moved closer to the commanding officer's seat...with a haunting voice Exspes said: "Timothy... what is this here?"
Vlad sat on the Scylla's bridge and watched the by now three vessels. One of them came approached the Colossus with the docked rogue ship. "Here they come... let us look like a piece of jump. They're gonna scan us, shut everything down, so it looks disabled.", he yelled in the room.
He opened a communication programm on a terminal and sent a short message to Exspes, while the other ship was docking with the Colossus. "Whatever they're gonna try, they are outnumbered... send more people to that ship, they shall track the 'visitors' but remain hidden.", he yelled again.