My name is Admiral James Creed, and I am the former Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral of the 46th Liberty Navy Strike Force.
So now I have agreed to take on the Admiral role and be 2ic Under Fleet Admiral Romeo Darkbeat and be of assistance to him as he
is new to the Fleet Admiral role, and his rise has been so quick that I think he needs some expertise in this field to help him along.
The Strike Force has moved from strength to strength and has made some truly excellent pilots and Navy Officers in the short time it has been functioning.
As the former Fouder of the Strike Force, I am not oe to just sit back and let the officers do all the work.
I like to be in amongst the action if I can and help out with recruits ad other problems that may arise while I am on duty.
Salt Lake Station H.Q is the home of the Strike Force and is busy undergoing a massive refit, which will take a while and I am hoping it will
be finished as soon as possible.
Today I am going to do a standard Capital ship patrol which will include visiting a few different systems of Liberty territory.
I make my way to the under construction Docking Bay at Level 1 of Salt Lake, and hopefully the other nes Docking Bay will be finished soon.
"There she is" I am referring to my beautiful LABC which for obvious reasons, the name is CLASSIFIED.
Final flight checks are under way for her to be prepared for flight, so I make my way to the bridge to help with the final procedures while the crew are mustered.
With final checks almost complete I make my way to the muster point aboard the ship to welcome all the crew.
"Attention Admiral Creed on deck" .....
"At ease men" I say as the crew relax and listen to our flight plans.
"Crew we will be doing a standard patrol protocol, and all details will be shown o your monitors as we proceed"
"Dismissed ...... Hurraaa"
All the crew rally to their designated positions aboard the ship and prepare for departure.So I make my way to the bridge and prepare myself for the journey.
"Ensign all ahead slow and release grappling clamps"
"Aye ..aye Admiral"
The ship slowly leaves the mooring clamps and makes its way out of the docking bay and has been cleared for departure from Salt Lake.
We slowly pass the defense ring surrounding the Station and come to a Halt ready for cruise engine ignition.
"Ensign please set course for the Texas system"
"Aye.. aye Admiral"
We make our way at full cruise speed to the Texas system and avoid using the Trade Lanes for now just to let the engines become acustomed, seeing as we have not used her for a short while.
"Entering Texas system Sir ..."
The ship slips through the Jump Gate and in no time is in the Texas System, and we make a thorough patrol of most of Texas and find nothing strange.
After a short while I announce to the crew we are to make our way to Omicron Nu, after we have had reports of unknown vessels possibly cloaked within the system.
After a short journey we arrive in Omicron Nu and I inform the crew to go to Amber alert and be ready to adjust to battlestations at any time.
I have not visited Omicron Nu before and it seems to be a very beautiful system, but we keep getting glitches on our monitoring systems and also our radar seems
to have a very limited range to normal, which i find quite disturbing.
"Admiral.... we... seem to be picking up very faint signatures on radar but cannot make them out at all....."
" Crew to battlestation ......battlestations this is not a drill"
The ship is now at full battlestations and ready to fight if needed.
"Ensign... Inform High Command we need immediate assistance and send a full bomber wing to assist"
Radio Operator : "Sir..... our radio has no signal we seem to be being jammed by something"
I now get the feeling we are not alone and it seems that we are going into a very dangerous situation, so I order the crew to about turn and seek the safety of
the nearby jump gate area till we can establish what we are up against.
"Sir...... we seem to have lost operation of engine systems"
This gets more and more dangerous as it goes on, and I am now starting to regret doing this patrol in the first place.
===*Metal Husk has no escape*===
"Ensign can you establish where that ....... voice or transmission came from......"
"Sir ... Admiral .. sir ......we have nothing on visual and we cannot pinpoint anything at all"
The ship is crippled in space and is just drifting at a very slow rate of speed, and I inform the crew to make ready for battlestaions.
All of a sudden a strange thing happens, a large blue sphere shaped light enters the bridge of the ship, as we stare at the sphere I inform the crew to stay calm
and do not do any sudden movements.
"Admiral Sir..... multiple cloaked signatures have been detected close to the ship..... We are surrounded Sir"
The sphere stays where it is for now and the cloaked signatures which have been picked up are still surrounding our ship.
My immediate response to this is to try and communicate with the sphere, but there is no response to this.
"All crew on the bridge please leave apart from my second in command and head of comms please"
Everyone leaves the bridge and we stand close to the sphere, wondering what will happen next......
** FLASH......FLASH...........FLASH...........**
The sphere suddenly surrounds me and both me and the sphere disappear........
I woke up and basically I was in a large transparent type Prison cell, clear perspex and beyond that a rather dimly lit room.
My heart was racing and I had absolutely no idea where I was ......
Back aboard the Admirals ship
"prepare all crew battlestations and keep vigilant and prepare for a possible imminent attack" the second in command said.
Ensign : "Sir..... I detect no cloak signatures at all now"
"Dam it ........ "
The second in command was puzzled aswell as the rest of the crew as to what has happeed to the Admiral.
"All hands....all hands we need to find the Admiral .......I want every inch of the ship searched for any clues or anything as to where the Admiral has gone..."
The crew including all other officers immediately searched the ship to see if there were any signs of the Admiral.
Meanwhile the Admiral
Sitting in the perspex cell the Admiral was feeling very weird, and tride to stand up but he was feeling too weak to do anything.
How on earth the crew of his ship are going to find him and rescue him was running through his mind, and he felt isolated and alone and no clue what was going to happen.
All of a sudden a small door opens within the wall of the large room and he could see the light from the other side, and something was approaching the cell, it looked like a sort of drone type machine.
Then a small opening was made in the perspex cell and a forcefield immeditaely engulfed the Admiral, who could not move a muscle.
The drone entered the cell and had what looked like some water and also what looked like a Navy food ration pack.
The drone left the cell then left the room and both openings disappeared and the forcefield dropped.Admiral Creed was cautious as he approached the food and water.
Picking up the water he sampled it, and found it to be just as it was......water, so he also opened the food ration and immediately ate it and felt a little better from his ordeal.
Meanwhile back at the ship
All of the ship had been searched and there seems to be water rations and food rations missing, which was extremely puzzling to say the least.
"Ensign give me a full diagnostic on the ships status please"
Ensign : "Well ..Sir.... We have no radar at present so we are basically blind in space, and also we have no response from cruise engines but......I can give us impulse engines"
"It seems that the sphere has done damage to the radar controls, so I have a team working on it as we speak Sir"
"Excellent Ensign .... I want the ship to stay at battlestations for now until we can get our eyes back"
Ensign : "Aye ..Sir"
Meanwhile the Admiral
Time had gone by, and there was nothing different about his conditions and there was no activity within the room or any sign of anything happening at the moment.
Suddenly out of the floor of the cell arose a large square block, as he looked it appeared to be a seat for him to sit on ....
So instead of being uncomfortable, he decided to sit down ......
Ensign : "Sir we have full radar capability restored and operational....."
"Excellent ......now let's get our Admiral found and rescued from whatever or who has taken him.......and where ?"
The whole crew wer'e extremely concerned for the Admiral as he is the Second in Command of the 46th Strike Force.
The radar opereators wer'e frantically monitoring the area and also the ship still only had impulse engine capability and was moving very slowly and was vulnerable to attack. The second in command of the ship still had Battlestations in place and all gunnery stations were manned at this time.
An hour had gone by and there was no sign of anything really important apart from a planet which the scanners had picked up and also there was alot of intermitant interference on the radar which has dramatically reduced the Battlecruisers range for the search. As the search continued the ship traversed around the planet that they had encountered on the scanner and had spotted a insertion point which could be used to get to the Planet's surface, but was not accessable to the ship at all.
After another thirty minutes they had cleared the Planet and decided to go deeeper into Omicron NU to see what they could find...........
Back to the Admiral
Admiral Creed sips his water and starts to realise that he is some sort of prisoner, and wishes he could make contact with his captors and try and see exacvtly what they want from him.
As time goes by he paces up and down the cell to at least get some excercise and keep himself in a state of sanity and hopefully in a good physical state for what might lie ahead.
Again.... suddenly an opening appears in the room walls and was slightly larger thatn the last one and it seems that there is a capsule type item floating slightly above the floor and approaching the cell.
James starts to back off as the capsule comes close to the cell and a larger opening becomes present in the cell wall and a forcefield seperates james in the cell from the capsule. James stays where he is and starts to wonder what this capsule is.........
Meanwhile back aboard the ship
There had been no progress in detecting anything else at the moment and the crew wer'e starting to wonder if the Admiral was still even in the system.
Ensign : "Sir.....Sir..... We have some sort of structure very faint on our scanners and it looks extremely large.....
"All .. crew to increased Battlestations status and prepare all weapons for firing"
Gunnery crews : "Aye ...Sir all ready and awaiting orders"
With the Battlecruiser only able to continue on Impulse speed the ship had been set to an increased Battlestations status and ready for any attack that was to come.
The Battlecruiser inched nearer and nearer the Structure and they could just about make out, that it was a sort of diamond shape with lots of pretuding areas aswell. Due to the size of the structure the Second in Command decided to make a full circle of the structure to determine any threat or possible entry point, but there was always the possibility that the Admiral was not in the structure.
Back to the structure
The capsule had not moved for quite a while but was starting to pulse light from it with a hint of blue colour and the pulses wer'e in a particular pattern which changed regularly.
Suddenly the cell starts to fill with what seemed to be smoke and it seemed to have a very strange aroma to which James was not very keen on, he tried to avoid the smoke by standing on the cube chair, but that did not work. He then started to feel very faint and eventually he dropped to the floor unconcious.
Back aboard the Battlecruiser
After an extensive search of the structure the Battlecruiser had not found anything that resembled an entrance and had also found no sign of defense systems at all.
So the crew had determined that the structure was definately not in use but decided to hang around to try and pinpoint areas of the structure that are weak..........
"Uggggghhhhh..." James moans and tries to stand up, but he feels very weak and seems to feel different in some way, byt cannot seem to imagine why.
The Capsule had disappeared from the cell...... in fact the cell had actually disappeared and James was in the large dimly lit room all alone and there was nothing else around. Suddenly again an opening appeared, it was the exact size capable of a human fitting through it.
James decided to approach the opening, and as he approached it remained open and he decided to leave the room. Upon leaving the room he was in a very brightly lit white corridor with rooms either side, and each room had a window.
As he made his way along the corridor he noticed every room had a cylinder inside filled with a liquid, pipes were connected to the cylinder's and the most alarming thing .....was......what was in the cylinder.
Each cylinder contained what appeared to be a sort of squid or jelly fish type ......thing. James felt a little concerned and continued his walk along the corridor, what concerned him the most was the fact that he had not seen anyone at all.Aother opening appears at the bottom of the corridor he is in, so he walks to it and enters.
Back on the Battlecruiser
The ship had been moored outside the structure for a while now, and there was no sign of entry or activity at all.
"Ensign take us closer to the structure and we can begin a thorough scan"
Ensign : "Aye ...Sir"
The crew began a thorough scan of the structure and spent over three hours continuously scanning over ad over again. Eventually they stopped scanning and the second in command was pondering what to do next.
"Ensign I think it is ti........" The second in command was interupted by Ensign.
Ensign : "Sir....Sir..... something is opening in the structure"
The second in command looked in disbelief as what looked like a docking bay was opening on the structure.
"Ensign ....take us in for a closer look but do NOT enter that docking bay"
The ship moves closer and closer to have a look at the opening. The crew stay vigilante and battlestations is still in place as they approach.
Suddenly the ship starts to jolt......
Ensign : "Sir...... we appear to have been caught by some sort of tractor beam"
The ship was stationary and basically unable to move, which meant the ship and crew were also captors of whoever or whatever must have taken the Admiral........
The tractor beam had the battlecruiser positioned central to the docking bay that had opened.
Ensign : " Sir we are now moving slowly toward the structure......"
"Crew brace yourselves ready for any attack or boarding"
The Battlecruiser steadily made its way towards the structure ........
Meanwhile aboard the structure
Again james walks down a very bright white corridor and as he walks another door opens .... hesitantly he enters the doorway and finds himself in some sort of docking bay and the main door of the bay was open...
James tries to make his way to the centre of the docking bay and see if he can plot a escape.....
BUT... Suddenly he sees his Battlecruiser approaching the docking bay because he was behind a forcefield which kept him safe from the outside. He frantically waves towards the Battlecruiser as it approaches..
Aboard the ship
Ensign : "Sir ... we have a lifesign detected inside the docking bay"
"Scan the bay see if we can determine the identity"
The Ensign scans the docking bay and notifies the second in command that it is Admiral Creed...
"Oh my god thank goodness we have found him"
The Battlecruiser enters the docking bay and is slowly moored into some docking clamps and secured. The docking bay doors close and the forcefield around the Admiral disappears.
Once moored the crew make their way to the ships main air lock area and immediately greet the Admiral back on board.
"Doctor please take the Admiral to the on board infirmary and check him out please"
The ships doctor escorts the Admiral to the infirmary and begins to test him to makle sure he is ok. While the Admiral is being checked over, the battlecruiser is released from the dockig clamps and is assisted out of the docking bay and back outside the structure.
The tractor beam still has hold of the Battlecruiser and it stays stationary for quite some time..
In the infirmary
"Ok ... admiral we are going to do a thorough scan of you in this machine which will determine whether you are fit and well, and will also do a internal scan for all your lifesigns and temperature and pulse."
Admiral : " Ok ..Doctor thats fine"
The Doctor helped Admiral Creed into the scanner and began the scan...
The machine was very complex and had been fitted into most of the ships big enough to house an infirmary, it scanned Admiral Creed thoroughly for about five minutes and the they had to wait for the results to be delivered.
After a while the results of the scan came through and the doctor looked concerned.
The Doctor leaves the room and contacts the second in command to come to the infirmary.
The second in command enters the Doctors office ....
Doctor : "I have called you here because, we have found some sort of entity inside of the Admiral and it seems to be something that can possibly threaten his life."
The Doctor showed the scans to the second in command...
"Doctor .. what on earth are we going to do"
Doctor : "Well I am going to need to do some research on this, so i suggest we keep the Admiral sedated for now"
"Ok Doctor let me know when you get anything"
The second in command puts the ship down to yellow alert and informs them, they are not going anywhere just yet and will stay where the structure is for now.
Meanwhile the Doctor has spent quite some time trying to delve into archives of alien origins and mostly the nomads.
He delved deep ito the archives and managed to find some extensive information which has been recordede over the years on medical databases, and also military information alongside.
The Doctor manages to compile a very very big piece of information and is eager to show the second in command.......
The history of the Nomads is veiled and remains a puzzle for anyone who has studied them, fought them, or even attempted to understand them.
The Nomads are an enigma, an entity as threatening as it is so little understood.
Nobody truly knows how or why the Nomads came to be, though there have been many theories among academics in recent years. Proof of the existence of extra-terrestrial sentient lifeforms was found a relatively long time ago when mankind arrived in the Sirius Sector; they discovered that Sirius was once inhabited by a very powerful alien species commonly referred to as the Daam K'Vosh. As it expanded throughout the systems mankind eventually found the Nomads. Although it was not the only first contact with the Nomads in history of humanity, it was the first time that humans in Sirius had made contact with an alien species.
However, long before the first meeting between Nomads and humans, before the sleeper ships arrived in the Sirius Sector, and before mankind rose back into the stars, the Nomads were already there. They were merely dormant, waiting for their time to come. The question of who put them there and why were they there still exists today. The Daam K'Vosh created them ultimately for a purpose unknown; there is no theory that successfully proves or disproves what the intentions of the Daam K'Vosh were. Originally believed only to be guardians of the ancient race, it appears that the Daam K'Vosh had also left the Nomads a chance to learn and evolve independently. To aid them, their creators left markers that would act as lighthouses in the cosmic storm to guide them to safe shores, perhaps hoping the Nomads might one day lay claim to their own land and create themselves a place and a life of their own; no one knows whether that life or land will be within the Sirius Sector or away in some unknown location. Each marker left behind was supposed be a guide to different evolutionary steps the Nomads would take to reach their full potential and claim the destiny their creators intended for them, whatever that may be.
However things did not go as planned.
The arrival of humanity changed everything
Nomad Anatomy and Physiology
To begin to understand the Nomads we must first look back to the very first specimen created, the Nomad progenitor. In order to understand that, though, we must also understand what the Daam K’Vosh were capable of. Based solely on the technological feats their civilization was capable of, one could say that they were indeed masters of the baryonic world; the ability to manipulate matter at its most basic level to perform what would only be described as magic by today’s standards. From this knowledge, it would lend itself to the understanding that the Daam K’Vosh also understood the underlying mechanics of life. The ability to forge life from the matter of the heavens around them would signify their mastery of the universe
Towards the end of 800 A.S; when Nomads were actively seeking to adapt human technology
to their needs they found a way to blend human and Nomad DNA to create a hybrid being: neither human nor nomad, but something new with the abilities of both. Research in this field had begun much earlier in 790 A.S. in Rheinland by researchers and technicians under Nomad control; however it was not until 800 A.S. that the first successful subject was made. Their plans were interrupted by the arrival of the Order, who managed to destroy both the research facilities and the hybrid, though not without great cost. Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the project. Secret archives in Rheinland held encrypted copies of the process, as well as alien equipment which had been used for it. At the request of the Advisors it was to be relocated to the Alaska system and then beyond the rim to be continued in what was believed to be a far more secure location. Events took a turn for the worst, however, and from an angle they could not have foreseen when the transports were caught in a swift and daring ambush laid by a group of Lane Hackers known as the Hellfire Legion. The Hackers took the contents of the seized transports back to their home in the Vespucci system for further study.
When the Dyson Sphere collapsed, the Nomads had lost not only the Mindshare and the majority of their fleets, but also the last ties to much of their precious technology.
For years after the Nomad downfall, the Legion experimented with the captured technology and processes, eventually culminating in the creation of a hybrid, which called itself Taurvi, its true human name now forgotten.
When they sensed the strange telepathic emissions of Taurvi as the hybrid attempted to communicate, the Nomads sent their most fearful weapon to investigate: Harbinger. The hope was that, upon re-capturing the technology lost to the Legion, the Advisors could continue their earlier experiments.
Neither human nor Nomad yet, the Hybrids are unique and specialized. Once were humans of flesh and bone they were transformed into sometimes grotesque hybrid of two species.
Also of note is Nomad/Human-technology hybrids. While the main focus of news media is on infestation of humans such as the Wilde, there have been documented cases of Nomads adapting human technology to their purposes, in essence "infecting" it. One such example is the Wrath of Wesley Richter, which was infected by a Nomad Power Cell. Replacing the traditional fuel source of H-Fuel, the ship can run indefinitely. While not able to take control, the Power Cell does exhibit a massive influence on both the ship and its surroundings, going so far as to bend Wesley to its will at times (ie - making him "addicted" to his ships presence as a form of protection). Many question why such an infestation would take place, and while
none have an obvious answer, it has been theorized that it could be a move to better understand humanity, or experimenting with turning their technology against them.
Another notable example is the LNS Tundra, a Liberty Cruiser that was lost in the deep reaches of the Alaska system. Eye-witnesses that have been on board and survived have told of a glowing blue substance covering the interior, which led them to believe that the ship itself was infected. Copies of the scanner logs of the Tundra show that it was absorbed inside a Nomad Battleship by some sort of osmosis, which selectively allowed the Cruiser to pass inside. It has been theorized that such allowed the "Superior Nomad Brain" to bring the main computer of the Tundra itself into the Mindshare, though such is wild conjecture by armchair intellectuals.
-------
The hybrids aren’t what would be called a pure Nomad, nor are they infested humans. The process of hybridization is a long, complex and potentially dangerous one. People say that only the most dedicated, only the true followers of the Nomads (in other words, orthodox members of the Cult) have a chance of survival, though actual records show contradictory results.
While Taurvi wasn’t exactly normal, he was the first documented case of the hybridization process in records available to humankind. The Hellfire Legion was the only group that had sufficient knowledge regarding the actual method of conducting the process, and thus under the orders of the late Denelo Mori, the second successful hybrid—and first human-made—was created.
The records from the Hellfire Legion show that there is a lot of specialized equipment needed to conduct the conversion. While all the equipment can be acquired through conventional means (involving trading or piracy), the key to the conversion is an artifact known as the Nomad Power Cell. While the exact role of the power cell is unknown, it has been proved that these artifacts hold key information that directs the actual conversion, similar to how a computer uses scripts to function. The equipment, items, commodities that have top priority to conduct a conversion successfully includes a Nomad Power Cell, a specific set of artifacts (each relating to a different aspect of the Nomads’ lives, for example one artifact would symbolize a map of Sirius, other would symbolize the mindshare, another would symbolize Nomad history, etc.), cardamine found in its rare, liquid state, and last but not at all least, a Nomad vessel.
They say that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and the first hybridization was no exception. When the depths of the unknown are plumbed, no amount of preparation, models, second-guessing, or assumptions can accurately predict what will happen. Hybridization involves a human body that is changed and adapted to be a perfect fit for the Nomad ship chosen for the occasion. There have been a lot of assumptions that any Nomad ship will do, however that is incorrect. Just like a Nomad in its free state chooses the ship, the hybrid and ship choose each other- survival of the fittest. During the process of hybridization, a lot of different events take place. The human’s body changes in a variety of ways. For example, muscle mass increases, the bone density increases just like the size of the brain. The skin changes from normal to a much thicker, self regenerating layer using solar energy (much like how the pure bred Nomads prefer to bask in the atmosphere of stars since it has a healing effect), and while the intelligence of the human increases incrementally, the ability to speak normally becomes restricted in using phrases to express themselves. Instead, telepathic communication becomes the staple method of communication with other hybrids and purebreds. Hybridization is potentially lethal, since if the body doesn’t adapt to the changes that occur to the body in less than 20 minutes (approximately), the chances of the blood vessels exploding under the pressure coupled with the chance of vital organs rupturing is very high indeed, all of which results in instant death. Once the initial conversion is over, the human falls into a comatose state as its body is changed and adapted to the interior of the Nomad ship that will be occupied. The advantages of the conversion process involve the hybrids retaining almost all the abilities of the purebred, while still managing to retain some of their humanity.
According to certain rumors and myths, it is impossible for a hybrid to leave their ship once they are fitted in. This is incorrect. While it is dangerous to leave the safety of the chosen partner (Nomad ship) for the hybrids, they can indeed leave the ship to traverse alone, to work alone, or to influence others to do their bidding
Telepathy, shape shifting capabilities, and dependence on the natural solar energy generators formed their culture over the thousands of years before they were put into stasis by their creators. All of the knowledge they inherited from their previous incarnations, however, has carried over into their current manifestation.
Artistically they have distinctive architecture style seen in elemental patterns and overall composition, where simple triangular and circular shapes are dominant across a given structure's patterns and even physical forms, a sharp contrast to common human "squares". With the coming of the third cycle, their shape shifting capabilities made them creators of themselves, causing a cultural revolution which had a large impact on society. It is both the tool and the form of art. Colors, shapes, and forms, not only they were shaping their bodies to the tasks but also it became a form of individual expression.
They are moderate adapters and often modify themselves in order to adapt to surrounding environment instead of changing it to suit them. One such example are their ship forms that they use to travel through open space.
The global telepathic grid, Mindshare, is the incredibly sophisticated network that connects neural systems of each entity into one hyper structure. The network itself is so complex it requires a number of highly advanced systems such as the 'Nammu' Mindnode, one of their vast array of biological forms. For years, house military forces were secretly experimenting with Nomad nervous systems trying to apply them first to powerful machines, and then even to human volunteers, but none of those ever succeeded. Leading scientists in neuro-psychology and xeno-biology hypothesized that the Mindshare could be sentient as well, which isn't far from truth. The sentience of the Mindshare is created by the Advisors that maintain its integrity, and it acts as a gatekeeper to guard the information against tampering. Morphs are incapable of full Mindshare connection, though, unless a more powerful Nomad is nearby.
In general, the Nomads are irreligious in human terms, they have no deities to worship, except perhaps their creators. Some of their actions might look ceremonial to a human observer, however, for example: guarding the graveyard in Omicron Alpha. In truth, however, they are
guarding the jumphole to their territories, and the graveyard just happens to be in the same place.
They have evolved further, and increased their intellectual capabilities with the personal experience shared by the collective, as well as through studies of the vast heritage their creators have left and the memories of their great predecessors. They are very protective of that information and will not let anyone get close to it. The Daam K'Vosh left behind countless of artifacts for the Nomads to find and use to accomplish their own goals, and possibly follow their creators once they are ready.
The restart was not a punishment but instead the Daam K'Vosh attempted to make their creation better, one that could survive on it's own. For what true purpose they had created the Nomads we do not know, nor does memory of the predecessors hold that knowledge.
The Nomads still believe that one moment their creators will return and are constantly preparing for it while at the same time trying to find traces to where Daam K'Vosh have gone.
They also have a sense of family, but in unusual way. They consider entire collective to be a large family, bonds that tie to each other are very strong in their society. The Nomads are very compassionate beings despite it being virtually impossible to see from the outside, yet the Mindshare only increases that sense. Certain emotions they have are shared among the rest, when one feels anger all those nearby feel the same.
Infiltration Nomads
One of the more unique morphologies of the Nomads, the Infiltration Form (known as an incubus) adapts biological characteristics that are relatively similar to those of known organisms within human databases. This is particularly pertinent, considering the environment in which it will live and the adaptations that are necessary to perform these roles. Although this form is much smaller than the space-based Nomads, it is inherently more complex; thankfully, certain analogies can be drawn between the Infestation Form and known anatomical structures. An Infiltrator is typically introduced to a host through the oral cavity, where a blastocyst-like colony of Progenitor cells is inserted. This travels into the gut before burrowing through the dorsal wall and into the inter-organ space of the abdominal cavity; the trauma is only sealed after the gestation period has elapsed and the Infiltrator adapted to the host’s physiology.
We may start by observing distinct tissue structures that comprise an Infiltration Nomad.
One will first see the epidermis, a structure of similar consistency to that found in the previous section yet oriented to serve as an integrative medium between the Nomad and its human host. A large density of signaling molecules cover its surface, taking on homologous structures to interact with the host’s tissues; key functions center around mimicking the glycoproteins and histocompatibility complexes of the host, as well as subduing potential immune responses until a complete assimilation is accomplished. Branches between the Infiltrator and the host’s cardio-pulmonary, nervous, endocrine, and lymphatic systems are established; after this point, the Infiltrator is as much a part of the human host as his/her own organs are.
Beneath the epidermis is a dense mesodermal layer. This is the primary site of metabolic function for the Infiltrator; remnants of what would have been a Thermaltrophic Complex become vestigial, in turn being replaced by protein components that are suited to heterotrophic functions. Food ingested by the host can be metabolized by the Infiltrator, yielding greater quantities of nutrients than the host’s enteric can normally absorb. Solid, structural features are replaced by a specialized hydro-static skeleton that combines muscular mechanisms with fluid pressure to allow movement, but also maintain flexibility to accommodate the relative sizes of a host’s cavity.
The third and final layer is the endodermis, a true coelom within the Infiltrator. Originating at the mouth and ending within the caudal region, it is this space that the main interactions between the Infiltrator and the host’s systems occur. Foods consumed by the host will pass through this layer to be processed by the Infiltrator itself, and distinct arterial and venous passages channel blood from the circulatory system to be chemically-modified to better serve its needs. It is also in the endodermal layer that new Infiltrator forms are gestated from Progenitor cells; these typically remain in a large ‘blastocyst’ stage for ease of implantation into a new host.
Control over a host is exercised through an intimate connection between the Infiltrator and the nervous system. Fine, dendritic links reach as far as the brain itself to form synapses with the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes; it is also common for nerve endings from the Infiltrator to suffuse the optic nerve, and high activity from these can occasionally create the ‘glowing eyes’ phenomenon. Direct motor control of a host is accomplished through nerves that override the host’s cerebellum, and afferent/efferent pathways within the dorsal and ventral regions of the spinal cord. Chemical stimulation through secretions from the Infiltrator, as well as manipulation of endocrine organs, can reinforce this control over a human host.
The Doctor calls for the second in command to come immediately to his office.
Doctor : " I have managed to find this information, it is very disturbing and complex and I think we have found out what is inside the Admiral."
"It appears to be a Nomad Infiltrator entity"............
"So Doctor this seems very informative and very complex"
Doctor : " Well ...Sir, it is and by what I can see this particular type of Nomad uses a human host and basically takes over"
The situation is now very alarming and the second in command is in consultation with the Doctor to see what the next steps are, regarding the safety of the admiral. So the Doctor is suggesting that he tries to remove the entity, to try to save the Admirals life.
But the second in command is showing some concern about the Admiral's safety if this entity is to be removed.
"We need to be sure that the Admiral's safety is of paramount importance and, we must only do this if you are confident it can be done."
The Doctor reassures the second in command and stresses that the procedure, is dangerous, but he is confident that he can accomplish it successfully. So for now the second in command reassures the crew that Admiral Creed is safe and is in the infirmary under a precautionary measure.
The Doctor has alot of preparation to do, and needs to get things moving as quickly as possible and makes sure he has two nurses available to assist.
Meanwhile the ship is still held by the tractor beam and the second in command is a bit concerned that they will not escape the clutches of the beam.
"Ensign we need to find a way of escaping the clutches of this tractor beam"
Ensign : " Aye ..Sir"
The crew start to make preparations to make an escape and all gunnery crews are at station and the second in command orders battlestaions yet again.
The Ensign informs the second in command that, there might be a way of releasing the ship from the tractor beam. There seems to be a special signal coming from the structure, which is controlling the beam.
The Ensign starts his work to try and copy the signal and work out a way to break the beam. The second in command informs the Ensign to carry on his work and wait for his command to release the ship.
Meanwhile at the Infirmary, the Doctor is preparing Admiral Creed for the operation and he is confident that it can be done after he has delved further into the databases and has found a procedure which may help him remove the entity.
The complex way that the Nomad entity has latched itself to Admiral Creed means that he needs to be precise and do each procedure in a set way.
Meanwhile on the bridge of the battlecruiser the Ensign has managed to duplicate the signal and is confident he can get the battlecruiser released from the clutches of the structure.
The second in command returns to the infirmary to see what is happening. The Doctor explains that he will start the procedure within the next few minutes and make preparations.
So now it is time to do the procedure......
Doctor : " Ok let's start and sedate the Admiral deeper and make sure we do not anger the entity....."
The Admiral is deeper sedated and the procedure is started .....
Firstly the need to try and make sure the entity is relaxed and not startled in any way, so they check to see if it is sedated aswell, and thankfully it so happens that it is and should make the procedure easier.
They commence by using stimulation lasers, which are used to move muscle mass which has been damaged in accidents. Each part of the entity will need the lasers trained on it simultaneously so that the medical crew can remove the entity as quickly as possible.
Each laser is very carefully adjusted and aimed at the relative parts of the entity that need the stimulation. Once the lasers are activated each part of the medical team has to be ready to extract the entity, because once stimulated it should try to make its escape from the aural cavity and hopefully they can restrain the entity before it knows what is going on.
Once the entity has been stimulated and extracted it will be seized by a containment unit so the entity can be researched.
Doctor : " Ok .. team we are ready and hopefully this procedure will work....."
Everything is ready to proceed and also the crew on the bridge of the battlecruiser are ready to break away from the forcefield and hopefully escape.
Doctor : "Three..two...one.... execute"
All the stimulation lasers are activated and the entity starts to release itself from the Admiral.... which the Doctor can see on the monitoring system. the entity seems to not want to be removed from the Admiral so the intensity of the lasers are increased a bit more. After 5 mins the entity is fighting back and is not being cooperative in any way, but the Doctor increases the intensity once again.
Little by little the entity is losing its control of the Admiral and the edical team are very excited.....but again the entity is fighting back.
"We must incease the intensity, but we then have a possibility of losing the Admiral......but I am confident we can succeed"
Again the Doctro inceasesd the stimulation lasers and eventually the entity releases itself and escapes from the aural cavity straight into the containment unit.
Doctor : " Excellent..... lets keep this entity enclosed ... now get the Admiral stabilised"
As the medical crew get the entity stabilised the bridge crew initiate the tractor beam signal and the battlecruiser is released from the tractor beam.
As the battlecruiser tries to slip away, Cloaked signatures are detected on the ship scanners.
" All hands prepare for attack..... Engineering .. give me all you have regarding cruise engines we are getting out of here.."
The Battlecruiser increases speed with all power and is departing the structure. As the Battlecruiser gets under way a bright light engulfs the infirmary and especially the Containment unit .... it then disappears, but also the entity has disappeared.
"All hands prepare for a bumpy ride home and keep your eyes and ears peeled for attack"
With the entity gone and the Battlecruiser at full cruise speed they make their way with all speed to exit Omicron NU and get the Admiral to safety. The cloaked ships appear to be not gaining on the ship but moving in the opposite direction and actually leaving the structure.
Meanwhile the Admiral is in a stable condition and is not showing any signs of relapse. The second in command relaxes battlestations and informs the crew to stay at amber alert, just in case.
After some time they reach the final stage of exiting the Omicron NU system .....
As they approach the Jump Gate the Admiral shows signs of wakeing and slowly opens his eyes briefly and smiles at the nurse at his bedside.
The second in command informs the crew of the entity and what happened to the Admiral, and that is safe from harm and all the crew cheer and shout knowing that they have redeemed themselves and saved the life of the 46th Admiarl James Creed and made sure that the ship and crew are finally going home after their ordeal..........