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Zapp · 03-29-2009, 04:01 AM,

"We can't hide forever," Jess said after a few minutes' silence. "We can run and run, but eventually our legs will fall from under us. We turn and fight, or..."

He paused, thinking. "We give them what they want. Think about it. Would they keep chasing if the artifact was back in their hands? Obviously if we tried to give it to them outright they'd kill us, but dumping it somewhere..."

Nickels dropped his head in his hands. This was too much. Just too damn much.

"We were on Malta. Is anywhere really safe?"

Leo · 03-30-2009, 03:37 AM,

"Space is full of disease brother..." I said looking to Jess. "...no where is safe as long as we posess this...and no where is safe if we give it to them. We don't know what this artifact does...let me explain..."

I explained everything. From Edision Trent, to the Nomad invasion that was classified by Liberty and that we knew because of our research. We explained what the artifact did that he had in his posession, and why it was so important that we held on to this one for dear life. Who knew what another active artifact could do...

"...it may accidently open a gate to another universe somewhere, maybe where the Nomad's creators went, and if they came here and saw what we did, what do you think they would do Jess? They wouldn't be too happy with us, and would stop us out faster than we could blink. This artifact..." I said holding it up. "...is not safe in anyone's hands. It has to be destroyed, which is what we are going to do...I know what dad said, but we're not going there.

"We're going to the uncharted systems of the Nomads...where no one dares go...there...we will find our answer."

Leo · 06-09-2009, 02:46 PM,

We flew in silence for a little while. Jess was right though, if Malta wasn't safe, what place was safe? Sirius was corrupt to it's very core, from it's governments to it's criminal elements. These people had their hand in everything. We couldn't hide anywhere. They knew the hiding places, and they knew the rules, but they didn't know the Nomad systems, and with any luck, we could find someplace to hide there, maybe even to find a place to destroy the artifact.

"Hole incoming. You ready Jess?"

"No. But we don't have much choice."

"I agree...here we go...entering jumphole in 5...

4...

3...

2...

1..."

Zapp · 07-07-2009, 07:46 PM,

Omicron 90

The brightness of the system required that they activate the polarized blinders on their cockpit shields to be able to see. Radiation alarms were ringing left and right, and they both set a random course. It was as good as any, considering that they had no idea where the next jump hole was... or if there even was one.

We could die in this God-forsaken system... Nickles thought to himself, trying hard not to hyperventilate.

They went on in silence for a few minutes, then...

"Jess, you see that?" crackled over his comm line, and after a moment he saw it. Like a lone island in the midst of a rolling sea, a Liberty Cruiser sat at attention next to a jump hole. It was odd, not only out of place but almost... sinister. Despite the brightness of the system, the ship seemed to be enveloped in shadows, as if it emitted an aura. And somehow, it beckoned. Whispers started crawling around the back of Jess' mind, and by the faster breathing he heard over the comm line, Josh was hearing much the same. Then, an automated hail was sent...

This is the LNS Tundra to approaching ships, you are cleared to dock.

Without even a word between them, they both began maneuvering to the docking ports.

Leo · 07-18-2009, 12:08 AM,

Without notice, the box with the artifact exploded open and the artifact floated out, hovering just behind my seat. The sudden movement brought me out of whatever it was that was happening to me. I pulled back on the throttle but the ships tractor locked on to my ship and began pulling it despite the full reverse of my engines.

"Jess! Damnit! Jessie! Reverse full engines!!" I screamed over the comms. He must have heard me because he too reverse engines. I got my first real look of the cruiser as he backed up enough to get a full view. The entire aft end of the ship was completely taken over by what looked like a Nomad.

This is the LNS Tundra to Freelancer vessels. Please cease engine control of your vessels and prepare to be towed into dock.

The sound of the voice almost put me back into a daze but I faught it and continued to hold the engines in full reverse, slowly I was pulling away from the monstrosity. The ships weapons systems were powering up according to the ships scanners but I continued to hold the thruster in full reverse.

"What the bloody hell happened?!" I heard Jess say over comms.

"F***ing Nomad bastards are trying to take us over. Keep your engines in full reverse, divert all spare power to your forward shields, the cruiser is powering weapons. We're getting away from it's tractor beam. Just hold it down."

The cruiser launched its first volley of ammo at us and damn near killed our shields completely. Just as it fired however, we both broke free of the tractor beam and launched to cruise almost instantly. As we did so, the cruiser fired up it's cruise engines, the eerie blue smoke eminating from it's now Nomad infrastructure.

"Bloody hell, not even five minutes into Nomad space and we're already being chased..." I said to myself.

Zapp · 07-21-2009, 12:56 AM,

Things weren't going too good. Five minutes after narrowly escaping the Tundra's "siren's call", with it still in hot pursuit, they ran across a lone Nomad fighter. It had a weird transponder name, Scout-[Tundra].

Stop.

The thought shook Nickel's mind, and hearing his brother's bit-off curse told him that he heard it too. He managed to just barely stop himself before his hand disabled cruise. They kept flying onward, the Nomad fighter right next to them. It didn't seem to have a cruise disruptor...

Stop. You have something we need.

The thoughts seemed somewhat... too human for a normal Nomad. As if a human was behind the sendings, though that was impossible.

Stop. We will not harm you.

"Yeah right, you alien freak..." came from Josh's ship.

Then they were out of cruise. Two train cruise disruptors slammed into their ships, and both brothers cursed. While the Nomad fighter had been ordering them to stop, the Tundra had been taking advantage of "formation" cruise speed... and inching closer to them without them realizing it. It was right behind them, turrets tracking both of their ships.

Instead of any verbals demands, a mental shrieking came from the Tundra, and everything went black...

... And they woke up on the floor of the Tundra's cramped launch deck, the walls and ceiling glowing blue, and covered in some weird substance. In front of them was a man with a gun, flanked by two beings that they took for Nomads. The man spoke.

"Give me the artifact, and you can go free. Resist, and die."

Nickels was at a loss for words. He looked over to Josh...

Leo · 04-04-2010, 01:37 AM,

"Why do you want it?" Nails asked. "Why is it so important to you?" Nails eyed the force field to their right, the one that led into open space and then to his hip where his blaster still hung. A shipbay force field, a human one anyway, would allow any material through it as long as it was not biological. A case and fire from a blaster would pass right through it.

"Irrevelant" said the man. "Give it to me now and you will live."

"I doubt that." Nails replied. "You'll keep us as your slaves, human in appearance, but Nomad in mind. I think not. This artifact is far too precious to be allowed to fall into your hands. I'll destroy it first."

"That would be inadvisable." said the man as Nails got up to run, he stopped mid stride and stood there. "Give me the artifact now." The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Nails turned around, fighting the will of the Nomad that was clearly controlling the man. "Now, Joshua."

My entire life I have spent studying the ruins of your creators. The meaning behind them, why they left you behind. This isn't what you were supposed to be come I don't believe. Humanity changed your outlook, warped your view of the universe. Nails projected, hoping it could hear.

"You came to our home." it replied speaking aloud. "Give me the artifact, I won't ask again."

Josh stood there staring at the man and closed his eyes, he took one step towards the man then turned quickly and flung the artifact through the field and drew his weapon, focusing all his will on the one task.

"No!!!" screamed the man.

My entire life I have spent studying the ruins of your creators. I hoped that this artifact would unlock what they knew...that it would show us things...but mankind is far too corrupted by your presence to be trusted with such knowledge, so no one will have it...not even us.

Josh drew the blaster and fired at the artifact just as it passed through the field. It struck the case and shattered the artifact inside, triggering an explosion just on the other side of the field. The light was so bright the the Nomads shrunk back at the light and the man shielded his eyes, falling back as well.

"NOW JESS! GO!"

The two clambered up their ladders on their ships and shut the canopys. The man screamed in a rage as the two immediately activated the reverse thrust and flew out the back of the ship quickly. The Tundra turned and aimed it's weapons at the two small fighters...

Zapp · 04-11-2010, 04:36 AM,

The fighter-craft were much more maneuverable than the behemoth of a capital ship. While the Tundra was quick for a cruiser-class ship, it couldn't turn fast enough to get a precise weapons lock. Purple Nomad bolts flew harmlessly into space as the brothers pulled a string of hairpin turns, barely making range from the Tundra before it got a positive bead on them.

Soon, they were away from the monster; it did not pursue.

"Nails, we did it!" cried Nickels in exultation. They had escaped, and gotten rid of the thing that had hounded them across Sirius. "Think they'll chase us?"

"I dunno. Think the Nomads are a spiteful kind? We'd better keep our guard up still." He didn't sound convinced that the danger was clear yet, though they were heading back to human space. Perhaps that would reveal new dangers with new faces? Whatever the case, Nails' tone sobered Nickels up.

"Yeah, guess you're right. I'm just... tired. And you know how exciting it is when it seems that it's..." He trailed off.

Yeah. I know."

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