CHAPTER 65

Chapter 65

Sol 169 26h 45m

Andrea sits in the captain's chair, chatting with Hoshi and Iliza, while the others patter about on the ship. "Andrea incoming hologram from Earth Command, I believe it's That Barclay guy again." states Hoshi. Andrea groans and rolls her eyes. "Put it through." A hologram of Professor Barclay appears in front of Andrea. "What is it now Professor?" asks Andrea. "You're still on course for my asteroid! I told you guys to change your course!" demands the Professor. "Look I am sorry, but I follow the captain's orders and we are just making a pit stop there. If you have a problem with that you can speak to him about it." replies Andrea. Andrea "FINE, FINE, FINE. But I am warning you all now if you don't change your course you will regret this." snarls the professor. Andrea looks to Hoshi, who flips a switch and the professor vanishes.

The professor was transferred to the gym where Jack has been working out. Jack was in the middle of polishing off a bottle of Jack Daniels when the Professor appears in front of him. "This is how you spend your time?" asks the professor. "What the fuck to do want?" asks Jack. "I told you to change course, you are not authorized to be on my asteroid." demands the professor. "Fuck off, and it's my rock. How many times do I have to keep reminding you of that. I thought my lawyers would explain all this to you." replies Jack. "This is your last warning Jack if you land on my rock you will regret it. So help me Go…." starts the professor, Jack taps a button his wrist pad and the professor vanishes. "Fucking tool" mumbles Jack as he tosses the empty bottle into a garbage can by the door.

Professor Barclay steps off the holographic communication platform. He screams out. "DAMN IT!! Ahhhhhhhh!" he screams out as he turns his frustration on his desk. "That fucking little twerp is gonna pay!" Barclay stops he sits at his computer for a moment and begins typing  a away, once he is done he returns to the hologram platform. Professor Barclay appears in engineering. "Dr. Kenwick?" asks Barclay, Colleen is startled by his sudden appearance. "Geez you scared the shit out of me." replies Colleen as she clutches her chest. "I'm sorry about that, but this is important." replies Barclay. "Professor Barclay, how can I help you?" "You need to change course. There is an injunction placed on that Rock, now no matter what Jack says It's important that you listen to me." states Barclay, there is a pause. "Why is it so important that he returns there? What is it about this rock that is so important?" asks Barclay. Colleen gulps and pauses. 'I believe he forgot something personally important to him and it's really not that much out of the way, I assure Barclay everything will be fine and we will be back on course." replies Colleen. "Yes, Yes, fine whatever... DAMN IT! It's not about the race. I demand you change course immediately, I would hate to see bad things come to you and your crew." replies Barclay. Colleen pauses again, she gives Barclay a look of suspicion and curiosity. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN? What are you referring to bad things?" asks Colleen as she steps closer to Barclay. "I.. I… Just mean…. There will be legal repercussions, and other penalties that may cost you more than you like in the long run.. That's all I must be going." states Barclay, his hologram vanishes.

Colleen enters the lounge. "Has anyone seen Jack today?" she asks as she walks over to the table where, Mark, Josh, and Ben are sitting eating lunch. "Nope, haven't seen him again today, I think he's still down hiding in the gym." replies Josh as he stirs his soup with a spoon. Colleen walks off. "Where ya going?" asks Josh. Colleen stops turns around and says "To go get the captain." "What the hell for? He's useless in the state he's in." hollers Josh as Colleen exits.

Colleen reaches the gym door, she presses the enter button, as the door opens a glass bottle can be heard scraping the door as it slides open. Jack aggressively pounds away at a punching bag alone in the gym, Colleen enters, she looks down as she kicks a empty beer can and shakes her head as she scans the floor which is littered with beer cans and liqour bottles. Colleen approaches Jack who stops pounding on the punching bag and reaches over to a stool and grabs a bottle of vodka from the seat, he takes a sip and returns to the bag. Colleen takes hold of the punching bag and looks at Jack who is sweating like a pig. "How you doing Jack?" she asks as she scrunches her nose tightly as the awful alcohol sweat was rather ripe on Jack. "I'm good, Why? What's up?" asks Jack. "Are you really though?" asks Colleen as she hold back from gagging. Jack rolls his eyes "Seriously, what?" asks Jack "Nothing… I mean well, you're a fuckin wreck! You stink, you're drunk as fuck and a complete… Ugh" Colleen rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms angrily.

"Is that all you wanted? To come down here and insult me and question by abilities?" snaps Jack. "Actually no, A Professor Barclay has been messaging nonstop the last few days." replies Colleen. "Yea I told him to fuck off. Is that it? Cuz you can go away now!" snaps Jack. "You're not falling back down the rabbit hole now are ya?" asks Colleen. This just digs into Jack, he feels it as if she has stuck him in the ribs. "What? the rabbit hole?" questions Jack, Colleen picks up a bottle and shakes it at him. "Oh that no, look I'm fine." replies Jack. "Bullshit Jack, you haven't been around for several days now, you're hiding down here getting drunk, so explain to me how in any way does that make you ok?" replies Colleen.

"I AIN'T FUCKIN HIDING DOWN HERE! NOW BACK THE FUCK OFF!" snaps Jack, slightly slurring his words as he backs away from the punching bag. "WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME." replies Colleen. "Excuse me?! Are you seriously challenging me? I won't hold back. You'll regret it." Says Jack in disbelief, he shakes his head, Colleen smirks ,"Pffttt, Please, You don't want to do this, I won't hold back." "So what you want to be captain or something?" asks Jack. "Well I want someone to be captain. You… well now I am definitely having second thoughts about." states Colleen as she strolls to the center of the floor. "Is that fuckin so, you think you can replace me? This is my ship!" snaps Jack, he grabs a nearly empty bottle of vodka from the floor, he takes a shot and tosses it against the wall breaking it. "Property is a perception Jack, this may very well have been your ship once but now, this ship is our ship and well…" says Colleen as she raises her arms and shrugs. Jack walks over to the combat wall and grabs two kendo sticks before following Colleen into the middle of the floor. "You sure you wanna do this?" asks Jack as he sticks the sticks under his armpits and cracks his knuckles. "Oh yea I'm ready to give you a good beat down." smiles Colleen.

Jack tosses the stick at Colleen, Jack takes an aggressive overhand pose, while Colleen places the stick behind her back and begins moving forward. Jack pulls back the stick over his right arm ready for a full downward strike, Colleen speeds up her pace to a jog, as she closes in she drops under his strike and slides past him and into a roll, as she comes out of the roll she does a leg sweep hitting Jack in the back of the knee making him buckle forward. Colleen stands behind him, he looks back at her from on his hands and knees. Colleen takes a stance while she stares down upon Jack. Jack looks up at her, he smiles and gets to his feet.  Jack dusts himself off and turns to face her once more, Colleen spinning the kendo stick in her hand advances, Jack backs up and blocks her strikes, Colleen moves into twist the blade from Jack's hand, but he blocks it, as he does Colleen punches him square in the nose, Jack stumbles backwards as his face explodes in blood. "FUCK!" he screams out in pain, Colleen smiles.

Jack clutches his nose, it is bloody, he growls quietly and stares down his opponent. "Oh its fuckin ON!" Jack slices his blade down to his side with force. Colleen stands smirking at him. Jack resets, he focuses, and glares at Colleen. He bolts forward swinging widely, Colleen summersaults backwards striking Jack hard under the chin causing him to fly backwards landing solid on his back knocking the wind out of him. As Jack gasps for breath Harp passes the gym carrying scraps to the cargo bay, he stops to watch for a moment. Jack groans as he rolls onto his stomach, Colleen closes in. "Why are you being such a bitch Jack? You can't even keep shit together and nothing has even happened yet!" says Colleen. "Fuck you, I am keeping it together." says Jack as he stands, in a quick motion Jack swings his blade around catching Colleen in the cheek. Jack draws blood, Jack smiles as Colleen wipes the blood from her cheek with her finger then licks it. "Proof enough?" Smirks Jack. "You caught me slipping, it won't happen again, now are we doing this or what?"

Harp drops his load and runs to the lounge. "Dr. Kenwick and the Captain are FIGHTING!" he screams repeatedly all the way up to the lounge, everyone stops what they were doing and stares at Harp who's keeled over hands on his knees gasping for breath. Hoshi contacts the bridge to let Iliza and Andrea know what is going on before bolting out of her seat and down to the gym. The crew fills the hallway just outside the dojo, falling all over one another to get a view from the doorway. When they arrive Jack is swinging wildly at Colleen, although it's not completely apparent to everyone Jack's moves are not on point as his intoxication has left him slightly off balance, while Colleen is deflecting and dodging Jack's attack with ease.  Jack moves into to strike, when Colleen, pushes the blade up tight, she spins and hooks her boot into Jack's ankle and elbows him in the back pushing him forward and tripping him at the same time. Jack stumbles as he fails to regain his balance and falls flat on his face.

The crew crumples to the ground, some laughing others cringing, distracting the combatants for a moment. Jack looks up from the floor and glares at his crew , he gets back to his feet once more. "You seem to be spending at. The all stand and file into the room, lining up around the edge. Jack and Colleen turn their attention back to each other. Jack looks Colleen's stance up and down, he twists his forward left ankle to point at her, he lowers his hips and points his blade at Colleen. Colleen meanwhile takes a wide forward attack stance, she raises her kendo stick directly above her head she bolts forward, Jack stands tall, holding his blade straight up, he is unsure of her attack, he focuses on her feet. Colleen leaps into the air, Jack raises his blade and crosses it across his body above his head and braces for impact, but she floats over and behind him, she hits the ground and rolls, and throws her blade, Jack spins around and blocks the kendo stick coming dead on between his eyes.

Colleen charges and raises up and knees Jack in stomach, he falls back, winded, crumpled on the ground clutching his abdomen, he rolls over and gets to his hands and knees. While Jack regains his composure and gets to his feet, Colleen walks over to the wall and retrieves a staff, she returns to the center of the combat zone. "So, Jack tell how does hiding down here away from your crew make you a good captain?" asks Colleen. Jack picks up her kendo stick and now armed with two sticks he decides to charge, Jack strikes with both blades at the same time, Colleen blocks as she backs up. Jack's anger strikes, as he pushes forward. "Im not hiding, there's nothing for me to do right now, and I like my space." replies Jack as he continues to strike with both sticks, Colleen uses a staff and blocks everything, she twists and spins her stick and whacks Jack's knuckles on each hand forcing him to drop both blades, she then spins the stick and raises it up in an uppercut fashion striking Jack in the chin knocking him down flat on his back. "Lies!" replies Colleen as she stands over Jack.

"You're scared shitless! Plain and simple, you're terrified we are all going to die except you and you're afraid of getting any closer to us because of the pain you will have to cope with. Which is wrong  Jack! A captain must be seen, heard, must be there to lead by example and well you're hiding here not very captain like." replies Colleen. "Well ya'll seem to know exactly where I am how I'm doing, it's not a big ship… I'm not scared, I'm just bored and I just want some alone time." says Jack as he leans down and picks up his kendo sticks. "Bullshit, as soon as the kid came aboard you began to distance yourself. Its all real now more than even at the start line, and I don’t think you can handle it. I am sorry Jack I put you in this place and I shouldn't have." states Coleen. "Whatever man, what more do you want from me? There's literally nothing for me to do right now, you want me to sit on the bridge doing nothing all day? How bout I stand around in engineering and watch you work all day. Like what? I'm just not feeling sociable is all." replies Jack as he takes a stance. "You're the captain. Act like it, and yea if you did those things it would show us all that you're not slobbering drunk, broken and hiding, and that you care about us and this mission." replies Colleen. "Whatever." groans Jack carelessly. Colleen in a swift move turns her staff into a spear and drives it square between Jack's eyes. Jack collapses unconscious.

Colleen storms out of the room while the others rush over to Jack. Colleen roars in frustration in the hallway. Colleen returns to her suite, while Jack remains laid out on the matt. Jack slowly comes too and looks up as his crew is crowded around him. "Whooo dat…. Whoooo dare?" groans Jack. Harp and Ben help Jack to his feet, he is very dizzy. "I think we should bring him to the med bay for a checkup." says Kim as they lead Jack out of the gym. "I think we should dump him in a shower first, fuck he stinks.!" says Harp. Jack is still wobbly as he is walked to the med bay, he tries to rub his forehead. "What the fuck…" he groans as he feels a large bump between his eyes.

Sol 169 27h 12m

 Dr. Nafostowicz is rubbing a medical device over Jack's head when he sits up. "What the hell happened?" asks Jack as he rubs his forehead. Jack's forehead is still red. "Stop moving, you got hit on the head" says the doc as she pulls Jack back to a laying position. "Oh yea! I remember now, fuckin Colleen." replies Jack as he shakes his head. "Well from what I hear you had it comin." replies Dr. Nafostowicz. "Fuck I got get my ass to the bridge is this going to take long?" asks Jack."You sure? You should really hit the shower first. Besides, from what I hear you've been avoiding the bridge for a few days now." replies the doc, Jack smells himself and cringes Dr. Nafostowicz is right. "Not you too." groans Jack. "Well a Captain's role is more than just commanding the troops and being boss, but being the a leader, being there someone to look up to someone to be a role model, someone to believe in and when the captain is MIA it's hard to stay motivated if the captain doesn't seem to care." replies the doc. "Alright, Alright I get it." groans Jack as he sits up once more.

"I'm not done lay still." replies Dr. Nafostowicz. "I feel fine, once we are back in FTL I'll come back ok?" asks Jack as he climbs of the med bay bed. Dr. Nafostowicz groans, shakes her head and motions helplessly for Jack to go. "HEY SHOWER FIRST!" yells the doc as Jack exits the med bay. The med bay door closes behind Jack, he pauses, he takes a deep breath and his own scent nearly knocks him out. 'Ugh, gross.' he thinks to himself and decides he had better head to his quarters and shower before he shows up on the bridge.

Sol 169 28h 11m

Jack climbs out of the shower, he wipes himself down then wraps the towel around his waist as he enters his bedroom area. A Hologram of Professor Barclay appears. "Captain! I see that you're still on course for the Asteroid." says Barclay in his annoying tone. a Smile creeps into the corner of Jack's mouth. "May I remind you that you're cease and desist order applies to you as well, you are not allowed to land on that asteroid!" snaps the professor. "Fine I won't land on the rock I'll just orbit it. Is that all?" says Jack as he pulls his IVA suit from the drawer. "NO! You will regret this I swear to god!" snaps The professor, Jack grabs his wristpad and disconnects the hologram. Jack shakes his head and gets dressed.

Sol 169 28h 31m

Jack reaches the bridge, he pauses to take a moment to check himself. He smells his pits and his breath. Jack's breath still stunk of booze but the rest of him was well acceptable. Jack enters the bridge, everyone turns around as Hoshi announces him. "Captain on the bridge."  Jack walks in and goes directly to his chair. Hoshi, Mal, Iliza, Ben and Andrea stare at Jack and hold back the laughter the best they can. What Jack doesn't realize is in his haste to abandon the med bay his wound had not been completely treated, he has a large red lump the size of a toonie dead between his eyes. "Status report?" asks Jack. "We are just about to exit FTL at the Ahooie asteroid sir" states Iliza, grinning through her teeth. "What's so funny?" asks Jack, he turns and looks around the bridge to see everyone smirking. "All systems running normally captain." adds Hoshi. "Very good." replies Jack.  The Road Runner exits FTL 1,000km from Ahooie, a very large blue asteroid. "So what the hell are you all smiling about?" asks Jack. "Ah well Captain…" starts Mal. Hoshi elbows him in the kidney. "Shhhhh." says Hoshi. "Captain it's nothing we were all just thinking about how a wee little girl that's barely 5ft tall kicked your ass." smiles Hoshi.

"Whatever." snarls Jack he shakes his head and turns back to the command chair, he presses the intercom button on the arm of his chair. "Mal, Harp, Mark, Walker, Josh, Ben, and Hoshi you are all with me, I want you in EVA suites and I want you in the lower cargo hold, we will be landing on the asteroid to collect the blue metal on the surface." states the Captain over the intercom. Jack turns to Hoshi and Mal "Hoshi and Mal I want you in your robo suits." says the captain. "Aye Cap." smile Mal as he gives Jack the thumbs up.

"Alright Iliza this is what you're here for take us down nice and gently." commands the Captain as he takes a seat. "Aye captain." replies Iliza as she pilots the ship down to the surface of the asteroid. Iliza scans the surface looking for a flat spot big enough for the ship. The ship stops and hovers. "Captain!" states Iliza as she taps away at her control panel, the main view screen changes, and shows the flag and plaque Jack had left behind during his first visit. "NICE!" smiles Jack. The ship lowers near the plaque. "Very good, keep the engine running this shouldn't take long." says Jack as he stands and heads for the door. "Ipirq you are in command." says Jack as he motions for Ben, Hoshi and Mal to follow.

Suddenly a hologram of Professor Barclay appears in front of Jack on the Bridge. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ON MY ASTEROID!" growls the hologram. "You're asteroid? I don't see your name on it. I do however see my name on it." smiles Jack as he points to the plaque on the video screen. "You are going to regret this! I swear to god!" yells Professor Barclay. "I don't think I will, and there isn't much you can really do about it." smiles Jack. Jack then walks through the hologram. "Hey! I'm talking to you. You are not to touch a thing on my asteroid! You do realize there is a cease and desist order If I can't go there neither can you!" says Barclay as he reappears in the hallway and follows Jack and his team. "Look Brocli, this is my asteroid, I have a plaque and a video record of my discovery.  And yes there is a cease and desist order on ,YOUR little campaign to my asteroid. Now if you don't mind I have work to do." states Jack as he taps away on his wristpad. "Mark my words this isn…." Professor Barclay vanishes mid sentence. "There that should get rid of that moron." says Jack as they continue on.

"What's his deal?" asks Mal as they enter the cargo hold. "Oh that Jackass, he is trying to claim the asteroid for himself, he thinks he can get rich off it, which he can but it's mine now." says Jack as he walks over to a locker filled with EVA suits. "Well suit up, there's no time to lose." states Jack as he tosses Ben a helmet.

Sol 169 28h 45m

Jack presses the airlock door, it hisses and slowly lowers. Ben, robot Mal and Hoshi, Josh, Harp, Mark and Walker stand on the door while Jack sits in a loading dock forklift with a large wooden crate attached. "K guys we got 15 minutes, you all know what you are looking for, I want this crate filled, so everyone spread out." Commands Jack as the door thuds to the ground. Everyone scatters while Jack unloads the forklift he drops the crate  on the ground in what would be the center of the grid they are scavenging from, Jack then returns to the loading door and retrieves another crate before beginning a wide circle stopping at each of the crew who are each carrying large 5 gallon pails.

Floating cameras follow each crewman around as well. Each of the crew are having their own discussions with their cameras. Harp for instance is retelling the story of how Jack had come to him and asked him to join the crew, while Josh is just complaining, that he thought all he would have to do is fuck around and drink like Jack did during his first attempt. Walker is repeating the lines from the first moon landing, Mal is providing a scientific analysis of the asteroid, the speed in which it is moving and so on. Jack is zipping around on the forklift with the 2nd empty crate stopping at his helpers and getting them to dump their pales in the crate, all the while shit talking Professor Barclay and rubbing in the fact that he is on the asteroid and there is nothing he can do about it.

It doesn't take long for the team to fill up 3 crates along with 2 5 gallon pales each. As they complete loading the raw material, Andrea and the rest of the group enters the cargo bay in full EVA suits. Dr. Kenwick is carrying a plaque. "Hey guys I thought we could go out there take a few quick photos and place this plaque by your plaque." smiles Colleen. "Jack is surprised and happy. "Hell ya!" Jack and his team set aside their materials and gather on the docking pad with the rest of the crew.

Colleen hands Jack the plaque which is not just an engraving but has a digital pad encased within with a small yet powerful solar panel. The pad includes basic details of the crew, the ship and the time that they landed on the rock. Jack is impressed as his homemade plaque looks as though it had been battered together using a nail and a rock on a flattened piece of steel. The crew gathers around Jack's original plaque, Harp directs the cameras to take up their positions as the group kneels in front of the plaque. The group takes a few photos when suddenly they are interrupted. 'Beep ,Beep, Beep, Beep.'. "Ah… Captain… We've got a problem." states Mal. "What is it?" asks Jack. "It appears we have company, a ship has just dropped out of FTL about 250,000km from the asteroid." replies Mal. "BACK TO THE SHIP" screams Jack.

Sol 169 29h 33m

The Crew scatters bolting towards their designated position. "Road Runner initiate Defensive posture." commands the captain to the ship as he heads to the bridge. "Everyone to battle stations." says Jack. "Mal, report have you been able to identify the ship out there?" asks Jack as they reach the bridge. "It's a Reaper ship Cap." anxiously replies Mal. "Iliza Get us out of here, Hoshi I want you to get a message out to the UIA." commands the Captain. "ALL HANDS THIS IS THE CAPTAIN. PREPARE FOR BATTLE. THE INCOMING SHIP HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A REAPER SHIP." states the captain over the intercom. Jack turns the comlink to engineering. "Kenwick! How fast can we get into FTL?" asks Jack. "About 3 minutes Captain, we need to be out of range of the asteroid's gravitational field to create a warp bubble." replies Colleen. "Well get ready." states the captain. "Aye captain."

"Andrea, I want you to coordinate defensive fire with Harp, Josh, Mark, and Walker." states the captain. "Aye Captain." "The Reapers rarely ever attack alone, MAL I I need you to scan for more ships, Are you able to scan for ships that are in FTL?" asks Jack. "Thanks to these new sensors Yes!" replies Mal. "Good, there's more out there, I need you to find them and determine their location and their trajectory and send their coordinates to Andrea's control panel." replies Jack. "Aye Captain." replies Mal once more. "Put the pursuing ship on the main screen." commands the captain to Mal, Mal places the image on the screen, "Andrea I want you guys to arm our heaviest weapons, when Mal gives you those coordinates I want you to launch at least two warheads per ship." commands the Captain. "Aye Captain." replies Andrea. "What do you want me to do?" asks Ben. "I want you to arm the crew, check in with engineering and the Med bay. You will go where you are needed." replies Jack. "Aye sir" a disappointed Ben replies.

Jack pauses, he stares at the screen for a moment, he then stands up and walks towards the screen. "Mal enlarge image." commands Jack. Mal complies the image of the ship gets larger. "That's an Earth ship.." curiously states the captain as he stares on, "That's not so unusual, The Reapers scavenge ships all the time." replies Mal. "Enlarge the image again." states the captain. The image enlarges. "Ah… Look that ship is in near perfect condition, all that spear and metal crap is add on, that's not a real Reaper ship, can you scan the interior for life signs?" asks the captain. "Aye" replies Mal. "I wonder why it hasn't attacked yet?" asks the captain, "Maybe they're waiting till back up arrives" replies Iliza. "Or, they have no intention of attacking, maybe they're only here to intimidate us." replies the captain as he heads back to his chair. "Colleen, I want you to prep that landmine. It has a remote control that can turn on and off the mine?" asks Jack over the intercom. "Aye captain, and yes it does… WHY?" asks Colleen. "We are going to plant it in orbit of this asteroid, my guess is those ships are here for the mine, so if they want it they can get stuck here." states the captain. Jack turns to Hoshi. "Contact the UIA tell them there are 3 Reaper ships at this location." Iliza attempts to interrupt."Captain." Hoshi replies "Aye Captain." Jack smiles. "Prepare to take off, Andrea combat status?" asks Jack. "Captain, yo. Hello? Cap" says Iliza in a slightly annoyed tone. "Everyone is in position, they are just beyond range, and they are moving slowly." States Andrea.

"CAPTAIN There's a giant black COCK floating across the screen!" hollers a frustrated Iliza as she looks back at Jack and points to the view screen. Jack and everyone on the bridge becomes silent, they all  turn their attention to the view screen. The so called Reaper ship has begun moving in."Captain the Reaper ship has sped up and is closing in!" states a frustrated Iliza. "ALL HANDS BATTLE STATIONS! Colleen, give me some good news." yells the captain over the intercom. "Yes, Captain ready to teleport the mine now, we are a go." replies Colleen loudly. "Read to Drop the mine!" states Colleen over the intercom. "Andrea Status?" asks the captain as he watches the Reaper ship close. "Captain their weapons are not armed, but they are increasing in speed." replies Andrea as she maintains her focus on her monitor. "Good." replies the captain. "What now?" asks Mal. "At this point, we prepare for battle!" replies the captain. "Are you sure that's wise captain?" asks Mal.

"Hoshi have you sent that message?" asks Jack. "Aye captain, they have deployed ships to this location." replies Hoshi. "Good, Iliza lift off, once you get high enough I want you to to straight, stay close to the rock, once you get past it, drop down, and go under it and back track, see if we can get behind this ship, then we will pop up behind it and take out its rear engines then we will only have two to worry about." states the captain. "BELAY THAT ORDER ILIZA! Plot an open course and get us into FTL!" commands Andrea. "What the hell do you think you are doing!" snaps Jack as he turns his attention to Andrea. "What the hell do you think you are doing? There is no reason to engage them and risk our ship and crew, we have an opportunity to get out of here unscathed I say we take it!" commands Andrea. "You're not in command it's not up to you!" argues Jack. "She's right Jack." states Mal.

 Jack bites his lip, he shakes his head in disappointment and frustration. Jack groans. "FINE! You heard her Iliza Get us out of here." Jack turns on the intercom. "Colleen prepare to drop the mine on my mark." "AYE CAPTAIN!" replies Colleen over the intercom. The Road Runner lifts off, it slowly rises up off the floor of the asteroid. "Hold on guys an gals!" yells Iliza before he presses the throttle to full. The ship jolts forth knocking everyone off balance, The ship lunges forward with great force. "COLLEEN NOW!" hollers Jack, there is a pause as Jack listens waiting for Colleen to report back. "The mine has been deployed." reports Colleen. "Alright Iliza get us back in FTL ASAP." states Jack as he strokes his scruffy moustache and goatee which has been growing wild for days now. Jack watches on as the Road Runner soars along the surface of the asteroid.

'BEEP' 'BEEP' "Proximity alert! the pursuing ship is now closing in!" states Hoshi. "Colleen how long before we can arm the mine?" asks Jack. "At least another 15 seconds before we are out of range." replies Colleen. "CAPTAIN! the pursuing ship is arming weapons" states Andrea. "DAMN it~ You all shoulda listened to me in the first place. Iliza evasive maneuvers!" snaps Jack. "Andrea you get a shot you take it!" snaps Jack as he sits nervously in his captain's chair. "INCOMING!" screams Andrea. The pursuing ship has begun firing on the Road Runner, however Iliza is weaving the ship around several pillars, hills  and what not avoiding the incoming fire. "If you can speed this ship up, drop down and spin around maybe we can catch the ship when in follows, Andrea be ready to it hit it with everything you got." commands Jack. "The other two ships have dropped out of FTL and are now on a intercept course ETA 1 minute 35 seconds." states Mal. "ALL STATIONS be prepared we are engaging the enemy!" states Jack over the intercom. "What are the armaments on your shuttle Iliza?" asks Jack Iliza. "Well it’s a race ship, minimal armaments mainly for shooting down asteroids and what not why?" asks Iliza.

"Iliza, I want you in your shuttle, Mal I want you to take control of the Mazonian shuttle, Ben and Josh I want you two to take our two shuttles." states Jack. "Are you kidding? Those shuttles don’t have enough fire power to take down a ship, and the shields on those things three hits and BOOM!" states Andrea as she uses her hands to give a visual representation of the shuttle exploding. "Four shuttles might be able to take down one ship, or at least prevent all three from coming after the Road Runner all at once. This might give us the chance to get out of this clean." states Jack. "That's suicide!" replies Hoshi. "Captain, If I may, we are about to circle back to the mine in about a minute, if we can increase our speed enough I can arm the mine just as we pass it, now if we initiate the emergency shut down just before we do we should have enough speed to glide past and out of range, leaving the 3 ships in the dust at our backs. But we have to initiate the shutdown immediately so it won't effect our systems." states Colleen over the intercom. "We can do that in the time needed?" asks Jack. "Mal can." replies Colleen. "Make it so." replies Jack.

Mal initiates shut down and one by one The Road Runner goes dark as the systems shut down. "We are coming back over the top. SHIT!" screams Iliza as she nearly flies right into one of the two Reaper ships, but she manages to duck underneath bouncing off the surface of the rock. "FULL THROTTLE ILIZA!" shouts Mal before he vanishes. "Initiating The Mine in 10" states Colleen before the comes go dead. Iliza punches the throttle and directs the ship up right towards the rear of the two pursuing ships. Then everything goes dark. Jack and the crew of the Road Runner all stand silent, listening as they glide underneath the two ships. "How are we suppose to know when we are clear of the mine?" asks Jack.

Sol 170 00h 47m

Jack looks at his dead wristpad and thinks for a moment before asking. "If this doesn't work we're screwed right? Cuz my wristpad is fried and I think so is my IVA suit." There is a long silence, "Captain how long is this suppose to last?" asks Iliza. "I don’t know how fast were we going at the time of shutdown?" asks Jack. "Ummm…" replies Iliza "Ummm?" chuckles Jack. "Ummm? That’s not good." adds Jack. "Look I pushed the throttle to full that lasted about 5 seconds before shut down, there's no way of knowing." replies Iliza. "Well it musta worked, we must have disabled those ships" adds Hoshi. "What makes you so sure?" asks Andrea. "We're still alive and not being shot at." shrugs Hoshi with a smile. "Great." replies Jack. Suddenly power begins to return to the Road Runner. "Iliza on the ball, be ready to get us the fuck out of here the second the engines are back on." states Jack. "Colleen what's the word?" asks Jack over the intercom. "I have initiated full boot start, engines are primed it should be a minute or so before we are a go." replies Colleen over the intercom.

Jack climbs out of his chair points to Andrea "Andrea may I speak to you in the hall, privately." Jack asks Andrea as he heads to the exit. Jack stands at the exit and waits for Andrea, he then motions for her to exit first. Once in the hall Jack slowly passes down the hall for a moment then stops, he gets in Andrea's face and points while he angrily confronts her. "DON'T You ever go against my command in front of the crew ever again, I swear to fucking god I will toss you in a life boat and dump you into space and let the UIA find you. This is my fucking ship, and you are not in command here." "HEY! FUCK YOU! I was doing what I thought was right.!" snaps Andrea back. "NO! What you did was undermine my authority, do it again I will shoot you myself and dump you off the fucking ship! You got an issue with a command you speak to me in private YOU FUCKING GOT THAT?" asks Jack aggressively. "Fuck you Jack! I'm here to help with our real mission which is to rescue Zap, not for you to go off half cocked starting shit with everyone you come across!" replies Andrea. "You want off this ship, then keep it up, but while you are aboard my ship I am the captain, if you have an opinion you bring it to me privately you don't undermine my authority on the bridge. Is that clear?" growls Jack. "Fine I understand" frowns Andrea as she crosses her arms and stares at Jack. "Is that it?" she asks. "YEA It is now get the fuck off my bridge and go find something to do!" snaps Jack as he returns to the bridge. "Captain preparing to return to FTL." states Iliza. "Very good!" says Jack as he returns to his chair.

Sol 171 02h 40m

"Captain we are receiving a communication from Space X, should I put it through to your quarters?" asks Hoshi over the comlink. "Yes, thank you." replies Jack. A hologram of Annie Wong appears. "Well, Jack it seems that you have been creating waves back here on earth. Professor Barclay has managed to convince the courts that you have illegally removed material from Ahooie asteroid. A UIA ship has been sent to meet you at the first checkpoint to conduct a full inspection. They are to confiscate any materials you obtained from the asteroid. If they find anything they also have authorization to impound your ship, so whatever you collected down there you should dump immediately" states Annie. "AH FUCK what a fucking dickwad!" replies Jack. "EXCUSE ME?!" replies Annie. "Oh not you, look I will deal with it." replies Jack. "Have you spoken with Dr. Kenwick we may need another engineer, one that has experience created a new warp core from Corilith, we have material similar to it and we have a plan to build a new core that will increase our speed and duration in FTL." adds Jack. "I will speak to her next thank you and Jack, Keep to the course no more side show shit ok." replies Annie. "Have the UIA captured those three ships at Ahooie?" asks Jack. "Yes they impounded the ships and arrested the crew, they are not reapers. They are being held while a full investigation is conducted on whether or not they have committed any crimes under the guise of being Reapers." replies Annie. "Can you check their communications to see if they have been in contact with anyone on earth?" asks Jack. "Am I looking at anyone specifically?" asks Annie. "Yea Professor Barclay." replies Jack. "Will do." replies Annie before she disappears.

Jack contacts the bridge. "Mal I need you to transport all that material we collected from the asteroid and place it on board the Mazonia shuttle. Once we drop out near check point one I will need you to pilot the ship under cloak away from the Road Runner. Can you set all that up?" asks Jack. "Aye Sir, I will get on that immediately." replies Mal. "Very good." replies Jack before turning off the comlink.

Sol 178h 25h 50m

"All hands this is the captain, we have reached checkpoint 1, stow away all gear and prepare for docking. Good work everyone. Once we have docked you all have 4 hours for R and R while the ship is resupplied and given a full checkup and diagnostic scan." states Captain Riker over the intercom. "Si can you get a current location on The Road Runner?" asks the Captain as he walks over to Si's station. "Aye Captain." Si taps away at his console for a moment. "Sir they are about 12hours behind us. They are currently 420 light years from our destination." replies Si. "Very good thank you very much." replies the captain as he pats Si on the shoulder and returns to his captain's chair.

"Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman, we are here on the Docks of the Grande TruNorth Entertainment and recreational Space Facility waiting for the Crew of the Wasi who has arrived first at Check point one of the Grande Galactic Race." States Caroline Barnout. She stands in front of the Wasi airlock with the camera. "They lead the pack of 967 remaining racers by a 4 hours. The 2nd place ship The Weston Group Ship Named Titan Captained By Kory Diop is expected to arrive in just over 4 hours from now." states Caroline. "Unfortunately The Road Runner still lags behind the lead pack in 200th place with an expected arrival in 12hours from now." The crowd around The Wasi airlock erupts in a roar and cheers as the airlock door opens. "Oh look, the crew is just about to disembark now." States Caroline as she turns her attention to the airlock, she is at the front of the crowd, she steps up even closer to the door, mic in hand ready to interview the captain.

The captain leads his crew off the Wasi with his arms up waving and smiling at all the fans that have gathered around. Caroline moves in, Captain Riker steps off to the side to talk with her. "Captain how are you feeling knowing that you are not only in first place at the first check point but that you have a healthy lead over your competitors?" Asks Caroline. "It feels good, but the race has only just begun, there is still a long way to go before we reach the finish line." replies the Captain. "How long will you and your crew remain in port for?" asks Caroline. "Well it's mandatory to stay 1 hour but with a 4 hour lead I've decided to give the crew a few extra hours on base to enjoy the comforts that the facility has to offer. As you know after the 3rd check point the following 5 following checkpoints will connecting with much smaller more mobile stations, that will be just beyond hostile territory." states The Captain. "Now if you don't mind I must meet the Dock sergeant regarding our resupply, I'm sure my first officer Cobb can answer all of your questions." smiles Riker as he walks away. The Captain walks off and Caroline turns her attention to Commander Cobb who approaches her from behind Mr Riker.

Sol 178 26h 00m

Barry sits alone monitoring the ship's systems, when suddenly two Terran Bounty hunter ships drop out of FTL directly behind the Green Meanie. 'BEEP!, BEEP!' the proximity alert goes off. Barry receives an incoming transmission. "We are the Comra Collective, you are harboring wanted criminals, surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded." states a menacing voice over the comlink. "EVERYBODY UP! Get your asses to battle stations NOW!" screams Barry over the intercom. Sirens and red flashing lights gets everyone's attention as they rush to their designated battle stations. "Barry, what the fuck is going on?" asks Frankie as she and Amy are the first to arrive on the bridge. "We got company, and they are asking us to surrender." replies Barry as he points to the view screen. There are now 4 small war ships surrounding the Green Meanie. "Well shit!" says Amy as she sits at the tactical station and begins arming all weapons. "Plans? Ideas? Options?" asks Barry. "Just one but you ain't gonna like it." states Frankie.

Frankie takes the main Controls. "Hey ya fuckin idiots.. Buckle up this is going down!!" screams Frankie as she shuts down all non essential systems including artificial gravity. The ship feels drops, to the crew it feels as though the ship is one massive elevator dropping 550meters per second. As the ship drops Frankie initiates cloaking device before slamming on the brake and slamming the ship into reverse. Everyone slams against the floor as though they were just hit by an oncoming transit bus.  "Jesus fucking christ Are you TRYING TO KILL US ALL!" screams Barry in pain as he tries to pick himself off the floor. "I told you to buckle the fuck up now didn't I?" responds Frankie. "Look we aren't out of this yet." States Frankie. "How long before we can return to FTL?" asks Frankie. "About another 40 minutes or so" replies Barry. "Fuck! Well I hope this cloaking device is as good as it's suppose to be or else we will have to take on those ships." replies Frankie.

Frankie then angles the Ship so that is drops lower then off to the left as if to circle around the ships. "Alright everyone, looks like we are floating on a prayer at this point." says Frankie as she lets go of the controls and leans back. "That's it?" asks Amy. "Nothing else to do but wait unless those ships head our way." replies Frankie calmly. "Do you think it was wise for them to see the cloaking device?" asks Damion who up till now has gone unnoticed in the back of the room. "Probably not, but what difference does it make at this point.?" asks Frankie. "What? Are you kidding me? If they realize we have a cloaking device they will continue to hunt us relentlessly." replies Damion. Frankie stands up and turns around. "Look out there, how far these bounty hunters have already gone to catch us, they aren't alone either, there is a price on our heads at least 10,000 credits each of us if not more." states Frankie. "That's quite the bounty. And consider those that we killed probably have bounty hunter friends that will make this personal. Nothing has changed even if they now know we have a cloaking device. They will come for us. We might be able to leverage the cloaking point if things get to the point where they might just try and destroy the ship but otherwise we will be hunted relentlessly from here on out." states Amy. Damion groans and drops his head.

"They're right, this is going to make resupplying difficult." Adds Barry.  "It won't matter if we take this group out either more will come." replies Barry. "Then what?" groans Damion. "We complete our mission, we buy out our bounties and prey that settles shit with most people out there." replies Barry. "Great that's what I wanted is to waste my cut on paying off some bounty hunters." groans Damion as he turns and exits the bridge. Samera bumps into Damion as she, Sameen and Root enter the bridge. "Hayley says there's good news and bad news. What would you like first.?" asks Samera as she flops down in a seat next to Frankie. "Bad news?" asks Barry. " Ok, it will be about another half hour before we can jump into FTL and she thinks we will have to drop the cloak to do it." Samera explains. Barry leans forward rubbing his bald head with both his hands before asking. "What's the good news?" Samera smiles. "The bounty hunter ships have no idea where we are and because of cloak." Samera shrugs as she pulls an orange from her pocket.

"Fuck if we can't jump under cloak they will be able to track our jump point and possibly follow us." groans Barry as he gets up and begins pacing around the bridge stressfully. "Well it could be worse." smiles Samera while peeling her orange. "Yeah well, that's not comforting... Wait. Turn us around Frankie get us as far away from those ships as possible." commands Barry. "Why? we won't be that much further away from them if they detect us entering FTL." argues Frankie. "No but at least they will send the word the direction we are traveling will be the opposite direction we actually need to be going. Look for a gas giant or maybe even a nebula we can lose them in, then we turn and go back the way we came." replies Barry. "But that will put us further behind schedule and what if we run out of supplies or some shit?" pipes in Amy. "Would you rather every time we jump out of FTL there will be a pack of bounty hunters waiting for us, our best option is to make them think we are going the opposite direction that we will actually be going." replies Barry. "Yea but then if we can't lose them at the next jump then what?" asks Frankie. "I think I can come up with a plan by then to ensure that doesn't happen." smiles Barry who's gears are now going.

Sol 179 08h 01m

The Road Runner 2 exits FTL 1000 km from Check point 1. The base is busy as many of the ships that are just ahead of the Road Runner are still on the dock. "ALL HANDS THIS IS THE CAPTAIN SPEAKING!" hollers the captain over the intercom. "We will be docking shortly. I need all of you at your stations, we will be resupplying, a inspector will be inspecting engineering as expected as well as we will be taking on two temporary crew to assist in the forging of the new core." states the captain over the comlink. "Hoshi, what is Mal's status?" asks Jack. "Captain the Mazonia shuttle has detached, the cloak is holding, Mal will be taking up position at our rendezvous coordinates as planned sir." replies Hoshi. "Good I want you to monitor that location as well as all communications from the patrolling ships if it looks like he has been detected we may have to get creative." replies Jack. "Aye Sir." replies Hoshi. "Ben take command of the loading dock make sure everything is on board, we are only staying as long as we can we need to catch up to the Wasi." replies Jack. "It'll be done before the inspection is complete Cap" replies Ben as he heads off the bridge.

Once the Road Runner has docked and powered down, Jack, Andrea, Ben, Colleen, and the red shirts exit out of the loading dock where they are met by Baylana, The Dock Commander, the reporter Caroline Barnout and another Omeski female, Her markings are more leopard print in style then Baylana's Cheetah print. The female is about the same height and build as Baylana and appears even to be about the same age. The Omeski immediately sticks out her hand and excitedly introduces herself to the captain and the others. "Hi I'm Shay, I am a UIA Metallurgist, I have been asked to help you with a very exciting project. I have all my equipment ready to go." she states as she turns and points to a over packed forklift. Jack turns to Ben. "My first officer Ben will help you load everything up and when he can he will get you settled." says Jack before turning his attention to Baylana. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asks cheerfully as they embrace. "Annie told me you needed a engineer with experience forging Corilith, and I have experience with that so I said I would love to help, but you have to get me back on the Wasi by the time we reach the 3rd checkpoint or it will affect my own commission." smiles Baylana. "Why did you tell me you were coming aboard during our last chat?" asks Jack. "I wanted it to be a surprise… SURPRISE!" smiles Baylana. "I missed you." Jack whispers before releasing her.

"Sorry to break up the reunion captain but as you can see we are very busy here and I have other ships to attend to so if you can show me to engineering." states a thin tall gray bald humanoid with large googly eyes holding a clip board. "Ah yes my apologies, this is my Chief engineer Dr. Kenwick." says Jack as he turns to Dr. Kenwick. "Pleased to meet you Dr. Kenwick your reputation proceeds you. I am 'Danicins I will be your inspector." politely states the being as he expends his own hand. Dr. Kenwick leads the inspector away. Ben meets with the dock commander as Jack, Andrea and Baylana meet with the reporter. "I'm here With the Crew of the Road Runner which has just docked and is now currently sitting in 121st place overall. You had quite the start and had some side stuff going on. Can you tell us how you are all holding up?" asks Caroline. "Well it's definitely been more exciting than I expected but hey that's life." smiles Jack. "Do you believe that you can still win?" asks Caroline. "Oh Hell YA! this is only the first check point don't count us out yet!" says Jack as he smiles at the camera and flashes double finger guns.