Part of the Crew, Part of the Ship

[Einbeck]

10th April, 834 AS, Sigma-15
Several hours after passing by Hammersee

Valhalla's defence was a disaster. The Wild Hunt turned, in just a matter of hours, from a proud, revitalized, movement, into a mere shadow of its self; across Thuringia, into Frankfurt and even Sigma-15 lay wrecks as testament to the ferocity of the battle. On a first glance, it seemed like their purpose had been accomplished, with the Kolleda suffering significant damage, but the unforgiving reality was the opposite.

The "clash of titans" was done, largely, by smaller ships such as gunboats and bombers, which did indeed allow the battleship and cruisers to maintain longer ranges during the first exchanges and even well after the battle had begun in full, with a window of time being prepared to escape as it became increasingly obvious that no complete victory would be achievable. It was this escape that put a swift end to any plans within Rheinland as both the Einbeck and the Schiller came under the combined fire of multiple ships, ranging by class, but still sufficient in number to cause major damage to several sections. On that day, history was not kind to them. Still, the relative chaos that followed in the wake of the Kolleda receiving the order to fire the weapon meant that neither the Rheinlanders nor The Wild took the risk of engaging and being wiped out by the subsequent pulse.

As the dust settled, one large effort was made to break into Frankfurt and beyond while there was still time, with the majority of the snubcraft sent onto one last mission to delay the main force. It worked, if briefly, and allowed the now-cloaked warships to escape in relative safety to Frankfurt. Here, however, they couldn't do the same, they had to battle whatever force would appear to try and stop them.

Perhaps by luck, perhaps by mere coincidence, still, only the odd corporate convoy buzzed far-away into the distance, keeping clear of the Westerwald. It seemed, for a time, as if all of Frankfurt's defence forces went to Thuringia -- unbeknownst to them, this was the exact reality; only Schwerin's light fighter patrols could now catch up and alert the rest. But despite this, there was no time for sitting idly by, and the retreating ships made haste towards Sigma-15, diverting whatever power there could be diverted from weapon systems and shields towards the cloaking veils.

It took a whole day to reach past Hammersee, in Sigma-15, to finally allow the overworked crews some rest. Amongst them was even the Captain of the Einbeck, planning to write down what had taken place...

"This is Meyer, writing a report on post-combat action in Rheinland space during the defence of Valhalla Shipyard. It is the 10th of April 834 A.S., and we are currently retreating into the Sigmas.

If indeed there exists a God out there, he has not been kind to us these past days. We departed with the Schiller, the Einbeck, five gunship drones and some thirty fighters and bombers spread across, on the first hours of the 8th. It is now the 10th and we have only one operational drone and a mere seven fighters left to spare for scouting runs after detaching a distraction force to buy ourselves some additional time. Half the Schiller's front and mid sections are missing and the engine of the Einbeck has suffered so many hits that, only since our entry in Sigma-15, it has stopped working three times. The crews have it even worse, with casualty rates going into the forty-fifty percents.

We have badly miscalculated the numbers the Military and MND scrambled together, so much so that the Alsace ambush seems like child's play. Fortunate or otherwise, it does not yet seem like the Direktor has understood that von Strauss works hand-in-hand alongside us, but perhaps still she will figure out and come crashing down on Stulingen.

The fleet passed Hammersee only a few hours ago, we could see the planet from afar. It is a miracle that no patrols have stumbled upon us, but it is expected as this patch of space is so far away from the usual traffic. On our current trajectory and speed, we'll rendezvous some 20 clicks from the entry point to Sigma-17 tomorrow at around this hour. Once there, we shall, at last, understand in full what options this remnant of a fleet still has as far as getting back safely goes."

[SurnFei-DaVir]

(11-04-834AS) Sigma Border Worlds, Sigma-15 system

A Voidform. Veiled, silent in thought. They trailed the Wild fleet, not too far behind. Knowing that it would not die with the loss of its form, the Guardian had but one objective. Any pursuers would be disrupted and held back. Its thoughts were kept below the dim communing of the Enlightened, so as to not draw their focus. The Einbeck had been proven worthy to watch over and protect. So it remained with this purpose, hidden both from mind and from sight.

What had been witnessed in Thuringia had already been shared with the hive; the gathering, the battle, the subsequent retreat of most Light-guided forces. The Siris that now watched over them had also shared the final moments of the Kolleda in those visions. From afar, the pulse that erupted from its shell before it buckled.

It pondered the sense of… alienated connection to the device aboard the Rheinland vessel. It was aware of something of their origin that was used in the making of the weapon. The Mainshare could sense that presence, but not how it was manipulated to cause so much harm. Valhalla was surely lost, the echo of its destruction could be felt as the strange device’s blast wave hit. The Suhl nearby also would not remain dormant after such an event, but none of them had remained around to observe. There was too much danger. Time would be better spent protecting the remnants of the Enlightened forces.

The minds within the Voidform did not have an easy path ahead. The Siris had taken extensive damage from the conflict, and wouldn't be able to contain any threat for any extended period. Yet their purpose to watch over and guard these shells remained the most prominent of their purposes within the Sigmas. The gathering retreat would take time, and the efforts would need to be focused correctly so as to not fall short, or risk unnecessary losses.

[Einbeck]

18th April, 834 AS, Sigma-17

Almost two weeks had passed since the events in Thuringia -- yet the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was still out of sight for the stranded fleet. The thoughts persisted -- what if, just beyond scanner range, a patrol is being scrambled? What if the Corsairs, The Core or even The Order know of their situation? What, then?

There was no time to answer these questions. There was no time to wait. They had to press on, and so they did, though plans were changed by none other than Meyer himself, choosing patience over blindly charging into Omicron Theta and facing near-certain death. It was these very plans that he sat down to write, both for the future and as another entry log into the Donau's archives.

"It is now the 18th of April. Eight days have passed since the last entry, but I can, with confidence, state that matters have drastically improved, at least insofar as our situation allows. The Donau's engine has been repaired with scavenged parts from a GMG convoy intercepted just south of Planet Kurile; for now all seems well on the Einbeck, but as a precautionary measure we've moved both it and the Schiller some 15 clicks from the anomaly to Sigma-15. The attack on the GMG does, however, mean that we'll soon have more prying eyes around.

That brings me to the second point of this entry log, namely the retreat's fate. After consulting with the rest of the crew, we have decided against entering Omicron Theta with haste, instead choosing to "wait out" whatever hostiles may lurk on the other end. While it is with certainty not the ideal solution, this will allow greater flexibility should patrols begin to roam the Sigmas and Theta in search for us. Unfortunately this is not a very wise option in the long term, as it will cost our movement time, resources and most importantly, the precious support of capital-sized assets. We shall yet see how matters develop from this point onwards.

For now, at least, we can find solace in the fact that contact has been reestablished both by us and the voidforms near with the units on Lichtenfelde, and that both the Schiller and Einbeck "only" have to deal with the damage to the hull sections and the loss of some service personnel. Perhaps it will be wise to send a request for the deployment of some one-two squadrons of fighters over to our location once the next week rolls around, but still for now it is much too dangerous.

With these points mentioned, I am concluding the entry log; another shall follow once we figure an opportune time for calling extra support in to rendezvous with us. Meyer, out."

Nevertheless, even as Meyer's entry log painted a bleak picture, he overlooked the constant buzz of activity from their counterparts -- the Nomads themselves. While The Wild aboard the Schiller and the Einbeck were working around the clock, scavenging what few parts could be brought in by the remaining raid ships for use in repairing the hull sections still attached to the main body, the voidforms near, under command of one 'Guardian' Siris -- as the Einbeck had christened it many cycles before -- were moving back and forth through Theta and Delta and then into the Sigmas, in hopes of attempting to crush any tries by The Order or Corsairs to rally a strike force nearby. In spite of this, The Wild Hunt was well aware of the need for human vessels to secure the future of the stranded ships rather than the need for voidforms, at large owing to the fact that the former could carry over components and materiel.

[SurnFei-DaVir]

(19-04-834AS) Sigma Border Worlds, Sigma-17 system

In the passing solar cycles of the Sigmas, there had been little cause for movement. Most of the fleet had sustained heavy damage, but that did not cause them to falter. Leading up to the eventual move into the seascape of Sigma-17, the voidform had broken its cloaking veil twice, on the account of two small bomber wings. The shells’ heading indicated that they would run into the remnants of the fleet, and the Siris took the opportunity to dispose of both wings.

Now though, it was almost a certainty the fleet they guarded was aware of their presence. The minds listened to the hum of the Enlightened, the knowledge of their intent drew a swift action to call out a distraction. Navigators, predators and Mindnodes struck in places that they would be seen, but far from the route that they would be traversing. There was also a call for scouting observers, to locate sizable hostile opposition in and around Omicrons.

The Siris repositioned to the fleet’s new location and dropped its veil for what would be the last time, the graceful lines and curves of the lesser purifier now visible in the light of the three suns. Its thoughts once more fluttered back to the Kolleda, the energy that was felt. There was a bit of concern that Lightless had managed to manipulate something of their Creators into something that destroys. The Advisors and Dreamers must be shared this knowledge, but that was a song for another time. For now, their focus remained on the task at hand: Guarding the Enlightened.

“Those that would seek Us from the seascape known as Frankfurt remain within Their protection. Intent to hunt was made, yet They since have become cleansed by the intent We remained for. We sung for aid from Our own, some Lightmind forms purpose shifts to disrupt those Cursed shells of deeper seas. This effort continues, while reduced in focus for what shall come from Our Trinity into the seascape of Zeta.”

These thoughts were shared with the Enlightened, among others of wise caution. The purifier’s glow pulsed steadily, the controlling minds directing the distractions across deeper Omicrons and maintaining some focus within Iota. There was now the waiting game to endure, while the Wild fleet’s preparations for the breach into Theta progressed gradually.

[Einbeck]

25th April, 834 AS, Omicron Theta

The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive. This was the only thought that resonated in the minds of the Einbeck's crew as it departed, after so much deliberation, into Omicron Theta. The remnants were now the shadow of a shadow; only the Schiller and an assortment of smaller craft were left behind, in Sigma-17, in relative safety. The voidforms were by now gone, departed into Zeta and Iota, ahead of the planned assault by Nomads at the behest of the K'Hara Elders. They had done their part, for now, and could leave the Wild Hunt to its own schemes.

But these latter details made little -- if any -- difference; Meyer, only some days prior, had chosen to split the fleet in two, yet again, in a game that was to play out in Omicron Theta. He hurried his crew one last time to the their stations and gave the order to jump through, eventually posting not all that far from Planet Pygar; it was there that they would prepare to stage a distraction, allowing the Schiller the slip through and into Theta on its own. It was a simple, crude, but brilliant plan, one that would only work thanks to The Order's lackluster involvement in the Theta system up to this point, and even in Rheinland, leaving Wild ships free to roam around and cause further chaos in the graveyard that the system had become.

There also laid the hope that these efforts would coincide with the breakout of their brethren from Omega-58, of the legendary ships of old, of "ghost ships", though none, much less Meyer, count on this affair to materialize at the clap of hands.

[Einbeck]

29th April, 834 AS, Omicron Delta

A cloudy afternoon. An empty sea-side, waves crashing into the beach as far as the eye could see. Lingering thoughts and emotions, one of apprehension, of discernment, of uncertainty. These dominated the minds of those aboard the Schiller, in the Omicron Delta system, as the battleship came to a crawl yet again, not far off from Vaitupu itself. An arduous trek they had embarked upon, from Rheinland itself and now coming back around to the very place they had departed from. But all was not well. The landscape present within confines of the minds of those aboard, reminding them of their past, of simpler times, but still also of their current status, of Enlightened Beings, of One Mind, with One Goal and One Purpose, was a grand display of the Hunt's current status, gazing into the distance towards a gathering storm.

The thoughts drifted, focused now on the meeting with a special guest in the Omicron Delta system, with the LNS Tundra. Meyer and his brothers-in-arms spent several hours expanding onto the the Einbeck's, but Schiller's past, on the rekindling of the Wild Hunt. But above these, one notion took upon a role of greater importance -- the Schiller lent an offer to the Tundra, to become the flagship carrier of a reformed force of Enlightened within Liberty, the Independent Worlds and within the Crayter Republic. They would, in remembrance of Division Nine's old elements, carry the banner of "Black Division", representing the Infiltrators of The Wild Hunt outside of Rheinland itself; a banner that, by all intents, they planned to transform into one that the regional forces would grow to fear, though not due to their mettle in battle, but due to their cunningness and adaptability. The offer was accepted, in the end, a vision displaying Inverness and the fragility of the status quo there being crafted to let the Tundra know in full that the time to act would be now.

And yet again, attention changed, now directed at the Schiller itself, but also at the Einbeck, both vessels posted at the Complex in Delta. In the few days since the Wild had managed to enter Theta, and then with a diversion, further to Lichtenfelde, the Wild Hunt resorted to cruder methods of repairing the stricken hulls, and none much pleasant for any captured still present. Much alike the process used for the Scorpion drones, the Hunt, here, used bodies, dead or alive, mending them into the very structure of the vessels. It was the beginning of a slow process, one that couldn't truthfully be completed at the Complex, but it was a sure-fire way to become masters of their own kind of matterweave -- the kind that causes pain beyond comprehension.

This sadistic 'ritual' would carry on throughout the night and well into the next day; captured Rheinland Military personnel, unfortunate pilots from nearby patrols of the Core, Zoners, and even the standing crew, from Meyer and his closest partners from so-long ago, all would see themselves become a part of the crew and a part of the ship through this excruciatingly painful process. At the very same time, the Complex's engineers worked around the hour to replace whatever remnants of human technology there were with ancient designs of hybridized weaponry, much less energy-consuming and much more efficient in affairs of warfare, but also to repair the sections damaged in Thuringia weeks before with new ones and with the matterweave. The result was a monstrosity beyond what the Wild Hunt had created before; both the Schiller and the Einbeck were on their path to no longer be simple, rumoured 'ghost ships', but a united mind with one goal only: causing eternal torment to their nemesis, Humanity, and through which spoke none yet also all.

And so the final chapter would begin for both, as they were paraded from the Complex and into the depths of Omicron Delta, hoping to capture yet more souls to serve the cause.