A Matter of Honor

[Gerald Tarrant]

I just had a random thought about a crossover I wanted to do, it will be brief. As I'm writing it, I think it's very entertaining; unfortunately, I have this nagging suspicion that I'm not nearly as clever as I'd like to believe. Also I don't think my knowledge of the particular charachters in the crossover is perfect, especially since the lore of the respective charachters is constantly in revision <shrug>. If you see errors let me know, although right off the start I'm pretty sure my ship dimensions are wrong.




<Ship Log>
<Cryo Event: Awakening>
<Contact Detected>
<Query: Range>
<Range Estimate: 30 Million Standard Length Units>
<Query: Time of Detection>
<.12 standard previously>
<Statement: Contact is close>
<Confirmed>
<Query: How did contact approach so closely without prior detection>
<Unknown>
<Imperative: Speculate>
<Probabilistic Assessment: 89% FTL event, 9% Active Cloaking Technology, 1% Low emissions, Sensor/Computer Degradation probability less than .1%>
<Query: Reasoning>
<Probability reasoning follows. FTL event: recordings indicate large energy surge prior to detection, most consistent with FTL event. Extreme distance from Stellar Bodies also suggests FTL>
<Active Cloaking: Energy surge frequencies inconsistent with catalogued cloaking technologies>
<Imperative: Pause Analysis>
<Holding>
<Query: Frequencies are inconsistent with known cloaking>
<Confirmed>
<Query: Known Cloak inconsistent with current vessel>
<Confirmed>
<Query: Reasoning behind high probability of cloak>
<Twelve contacts have involved previously unknown cloaking methods. Several species libraries contain references to methods which have not been encountered previously>
<Imperative: Resume Previous analysis>
<Low Emissions: Sensor Logs do not contain energy readings below contact tresh-hold, suggests low probability of emissions control technology>
<Imperative: Pause>
<Imperative: Clarify>
<Observation of Target observed no events consistent with reactor/power core startup sequences>
<Current Power Levels exceed known emissions control techniques>
<Query: Probability of contact possessing highly advanced emissions control capabilities>
<Standard Species Development Index suggest such a technology level has a probality of less than 1%.>
<Current contact emissions levels inconsistent with such a scenario.>
<Imperative: Resume Analysis>
<Computer/Sensor Degradation: System interconnection suggests additional errors would be present in system.>
<Query: Target in database>
<Negative>
<Query: Ship characteristics>
<Ship dimensions (estimated) following:
Beam: 112 Standard Units
Length: 60 Standard Units
Volume: Estimated as 10200 Standard Units Cubed>
<Query: Dimensions are estimated>
<Passive scanning incapable of finer measurement>
<Ambient light insufficient to refine determination>
<Current etimatet projected accuracy is within .2 Standard units>
<Imperative: Continue analysis>
<Extrapolated ship image displayed to data screen>
<Ship hull composition by element (based off absorption spectra:
Ferrous 70%
....
<Imperative: Pause>
<Imperative: Store hull data in contact log>
<Imperative: Skip hull analysis, continue with ship structure>
<Image displayed>
<Imperative: Speculate as to reason behind twin sponsons>
<Unknown, four likely conclusions:
1) Aesthetic/Decorative (q.v. Helori Raptor class)
2) Weapon or equipment pods requiring isolation from main ship body
3) Tactical concerns, angle for close ranged attacks
4) Structural, multirole ship wings permit atmospheric entry
Insufficient data to assess probabilities>
<Imperative: Plot Minimum Power interception course>
<Course Plotted>
<Imperative: Engage>
<Imperative: Record Log Entry>
<Unknown ship configuration encountered. Approaching for evaluation purposes. Standard self destruct protocols engaged. Evaluation to follow>
<Imperative: End log and transmit, append all current observations>

[Gerald Tarrant]

6 standard hours left in his shift and Mo'tak was mind-numbingly bored, which wasn't much of a surprise. The sector was sparsely populated for a reason. Most systems were full of gas giants. with thin useless asteroid belts. The Empire's expansion had stopped here not for any opposition, but because there was nothing worth expanding into. The bureaucrats that administered the empire were not poets, nor were they imaginative, and so the area was officially dubbed the Empty Region.

Patrols into the region were almost universally boring. A mildly lucky crew would find a smuggler to shake down for bribes. A truly lucky crew would find unlicensed slavers, those encounters always ended in violence, with rewards and honor to the patrol crews. But either there were few slavers and smugglers out here, or they had found new methods to avoid the occasional patrols, because those encounters were truly rare. All of which meant that the greatest danger a patrol faced was monotony. Bored crews were dangerous crews as discipline started to slide "accidents" would become more common.

5 standard hours and 58 minutes left in his shift. Joy. Maybe for his next rumination he could dwell on the economic impact of the Imperial system when compared with more open polities. Or if the captain wasn't watching, he could pull up something foreign to read? He was currently reading some of the works of "To'Keen". He'd plowed through the works the author published during his lifetime and had found them to be truly worthy reading. His own peoples epics emphasized the worthiness of honorable deeds, but tended to gloss over the costs. The Tale of the Ring included its own epic battles and wars, but loss was a very real part of the tale as well, lost sons, fathers, brothers, and traveling companions. In contrast the tale of The Unforgettable made no mention of these losses. The Unforgettable and his 165 companions fought the battle of the mountain passes, and then the Unforgettable and his 158 companions freed the plains towns from the Despot, and then the Unforgettable and his 157 companions and so on and so forth. The stories of mingled loss and triumph resonated with him more fully then a simple recounting of an endless string of victories. He'd started reading the mythology of the world, and found it more remote and sterile, but still resonant. His reading was interrupted by the captain.

"You're not reading more of those effete 'foreign' stories are you? Anything that's not from the Blood Epics or tales of the Unforgettable is not for a real warrior! I wonder at what sort of hearts beat in you chest. If I didn't know about the service you gave in the war, I wouldn't think you could act with any sort of honor."

Fortunately he was saved from the rest of the tirade by the opening of the bridge doors, and a small form darting onto the command deck.

"Mo'tak!!" Bellowed the captain. "Your vermin pet is befouling the command deck again. Control your beast or so help me I'll burn a hole through the fool thing."

"I must protest Captain. Several other crew members have pets on board. And they are often more disruptive then mine, Chief Gor'la's Razor-Thorn has chewed through wiring cables at least 6 times during this patrol."

"That's not the point and you know it! The other crewers at least have proper pets. Gor'la's beast has fangs and a spiked hide. They'la's has thick talons, but your beast is...." At this point a deep frown and look of deepest disgust crossed the captains face. "Soft and ...." As unlikely as it seemed the captain looked even more disgusted "Fuzzy." The crew laughed appreciatively and began to mock Mo'tak, when once again circumstances conspired to save him.

"Captain" called security officer Frote. "Hull sensors just registered a collision, and what looks to be a breach, in the port cargo bay."

"We'll have this discussion another time Mo'tak. For now just get this 'Rat' off my bridge!! Get a repair team down to that hangar, let's keep this rust bucket intact."

Too softly to be heard in the bustle of the bridge Mo'tak answered "It's actually pronounced 'Cat'."

In another part of the ship something neither cat, nor Imperial citizen prowled the ship trying to ascertain the nature of her crew. Soon enough it would determine whether or not these crew could be called a prey species.