The loud series of thuds that echoed throughout her quarters ripped Rein
from her dreams in a most unceremonious fashion. Letting out a ragged exhale,
she pushed herself up into a seated position and glanced around groggily. The
knocking sounded once more, louder this time, “I am on my way, thank you
Tec,” she called aloud. Her head throbbed and her eyes screamed at her, though
it was what she deserved for being in a state of exhaustion and teasing her body
with mere minutes of much needed sleep. Running one hand through her hair, Rein
used the other to peal away the sweat soaked sheet from her body. The air flow
systems were on the fritz again, and it was all the crew could do to not melt
into puddles at various locations around the ship.

Swinging her legs around and letting her feet touch lightly on the floor, Rein
shivered. At least the stone floors retained some level of coolness despite the
stifling air. Rising from the bed, she strode to the tall mirror and wash basin
on the opposite wall of her cabin. Catching a glimpse of herself made Rein
start. She was a lithe human, barely having seen her third decade, but the
frazzled hair on her head and the dark circles under eyes made her look ages
older. Stripping from her slept-in uniform, she quickly washed her face in the
tepid water sitting within the basin. Drying her face with a hand towel she
moved to her wardrobe and selected a fresh uniform. Dark blue, nearly black,
slacks and matching jacket fitted over a black undershirt gave her a more formal
appearance.

Sitting back on the edge of the bed, Rein pulled on fresh socks and stamped her
feet into her polished, black boots. When she stood this time, she had regained
her composure. Scooping up the silver pocket watch on the nightstand by her bed,
she clicked it open, smirking instantly at the time shown. She had asked for a
quarter of an hour of rest, the time showed it was nearly into the fourth
quarter of the hour. The smirk did not last though, it never did. Rein’s crew
cared as much for their Captain as they did for the ship itself. The Shield
would not implode if Rein slept in; it hadn’t happened before and wouldn’t
happen period if her crew had anything to say about it. The Shield’s crew was
careful, methodical, and always got the job done. That had been some of the main
selling points in their newest contract. Thinking back on that, Rein couldn’t
help but wonder if the hassle was really worth the gold put up for this
expedition. She was reminded in the back of her mind of the meeting with the
gnomes some four months prior.

A long lost research vessel of the Gnomes had been discovered by one of the
Gnomish trading ships that traversed the aetherspace. The vessel in question had
been lost for nearly half a century, and as sudden as it has disappeared it had
shown up deep in the aether, out by the Void. Its location was an issue with the
Gnomes, the risk in trying to haul the ship in was high, and they collectively
did not want to lose more ships trying to reclaim what ever cargo was onboard.
Thus Rein and The Shield had been given the contract, as they had done countless
salvage jobs for the Gnomes in the past. This time, there was a catch to the
job. In exchange for a copious amount of gold, Rein had been forced to agree to
let the Gnomes refit her entire cargo bay. In fact, half of The Shield’s hold
was now a makeshift lab of their newest, albeit temporary, crew member.

Professor Fiktic Pickleton, or as the crew referred to him, ‘Mr. Pickle’,
was some old renowned Gnome scientist. To the crew this meant he was just an old
Gnome who was louder and crazier than his brethren. The Professor had been one
of the original designers for the research vessel, and knew better than most
what kind of work the ship had been doing, something the Gnomes were very quiet
about. Rein hadn’t complained too much when she took the deal, business had
been slow over the past year and the Gnomes were paying good gold that would go
towards repairs and upgrades to The Shield.

Snapping the watch closed and stuffing it into a pocket, Rein checked herself
over in the cabin’s mirror once last time before stepping to the hatch leading
to the hall outside. Stepping out into the hall, she rubbed at her neck, nodding
to the burly Igasho that awaited her. Tec was tall, thick, and hairy as an ox,
but he was by far the gentlest soul Rein had ever met. She couldn’t remember
ever seeing him angered, despite his race’s ferocity when roused to such a
state. He had been with her the longest out of all of her crew; he had helped
raise this ship with her from the very first day. Tec stiffened into attention,
giving Rein a salute she returned with a smile. “Captain, Lieutenant Gray say
we reach location within the hour,” Tec said, his words slow and deep.

Nodding, Rein turned and headed towards the stairwell leading down to the
bridge, Tec following close behind. “And the Professor?” she asked over her
shoulder. The Igasho grunted, his footfalls thudding as he kept pace, “Mr.
Pickle not leave cargo hold still, keep urging we go faster but not give much
trouble.” A slight brush across her mind made Rein hold back the reply she had
half-formed. Placing a hand on the railing that ran the length of the hall to
steady herself, Rein waited. The brush turned into a strong mental presence as
Gray brought her into the mental link with the rest of the ship.

“Rise and shine Captain.”

“Can it Gray, status?”

“Everything is good to go, no ships within scan range, no baddies, just a lot
of open space and only us to fill it.”

“Professor?”

Rein was met with an empty silence, which caused a scowl to cross her features.
She turned, angling down a fork in the hallway that took her away from the
bridge. “You know I dislike when anyone stays out of the link, Lieutenant,”
she snapped over the mental connection. “He’s in his little world again
Captain, hasn’t answered since before you took your leave,” Gray replied.
Smirk sticking to her features, Rein stalked down the hallway, taking the steps
down into the crew quarters and aiming towards the rear of the ship. She passed
through the crew lounge, the aslaran twins Nurresh and Surresh sat playing at
chess. They made to rise when they spied her with Tec in tow, but she waved them
off, sending them right back to their game as she quickened her pace.

Entering the hold, Rein was met with a cluttered mess of paper and boxes
holding more papers. Every piece having some scratching scrawl of text hastily
wrote across it. The few aetherholds that were left had been moved to the far
back of the cargo bay, their bulbous shapes taking irregular form and
contrasting with the rest of the bay. The vast majority of the remaining space
was taken up by a myriad of tables and shelves containing all sorts of
materials. A lot of it was beyond Rein’s imagination, proof that only a Gnome
could understand or use it. Schooling her features, she suppressed the slight
feeling of anger at seeing a part of her ship made to look like this. A slight
ruckus from a stack of papers and boxes drew her attention, the bald, splotchy
head of the Professor just barely sticking out.

Rein stood before it, arms crossed over her chest and a scowl still present on
her face. Every so often the Professor would make some exclamation before his
voice dropped back into a low murmur. Clearing her throat, loudly, Rein waited
for him to notice her, her foot tapping the steel grating of the floor
impatiently. After about the third throat clearing, he finally looked up, the
goggle-like spectacles around his face sitting askew as he peered up at her.
“Ahhh, Captain Captain, how good of you to come visit me. Umm Umm,” his
words came out in a spill, almost tripping over each other to get out of his
mouth at times. Rein smirked, she’d been doing that a lot since she woke up,
“Yes Professor, it is so good to see you enjoying the use of MY hold,” the
emphasis on ownership wasn’t hidden at all in her reply.

The jab was lost on the Professor though; there was a great deal that the gnome
did not seem to catch. With the greeting, as much of one as it could be called,
exchanged he went right back to his papers. Rein rolled her eyes, her hands
dropping to her sides and balling into fists before Tec made a sound behind her.
Exhaling she shot the Igasho a look, that quickly faded into a wry smile.
“Professor, we are nearing the ship’s location, if you would accompany me to
the bridge you can…. Oversee the salvage,” she said, having to almost force
the last part out through clenched teeth. Only the thought of all those gold
sovereigns in the strongbox beneath her bed kept her from lashing out at the
small man. Instead Rein schooled her features, trying to banish any look of
anger or contempt. It really wasn’t the gnomes fault, he had been nothing but
polite the entire trip. It was his own oddities, and the length of the journey
that was grating on her own nerves.

Mention of the prize they sought seemed to shake Mr. Pickle out of his trance.
He stood up, wiping ink stained hands on his equally stained trousers before
straightening his goggles. “Why of course Captain, lead the way!” he
exclaimed, unearthing himself from the mess that had him surrounded. Rolling her
eyes, Rein turned and made a motion to Tec, the burly Igasho making his way
ahead of them. The path to the bridge was a short walk, having to merely pass
through the crew quarters which emptied out right into the empathic station. The
empathy grid itself was little more than a mass of arteries, which extended from
floor-to-ceiling, to wall-to-wall. Hanging from the middle of the grid was a
harness, in which Gray, one of the other human crew members, sat in. An
undulating current of energy sparked through the tendrils of the grid, light
flaring briefly before settling down. A dull hum echoed softly throughout the
station, and sparks of energy erupted every so often as Gray interacted with the
grid.

“Captain we’re coming up on it now, should be within view,” Gray said as
the group entered. Rein nodded and took the spiraling stairs that lead upwards
into the command platform. The egg shaped ‘chair’ was grafted into the metal
grating of the floor of the upper deck. As with the empathic grid, a low hum
pervaded the deck, and the glistening gems on the outside of the chair
occasionally sparked with energy. Seated within the chair, was Karri, the third
human of the crew. She was young, barely more than a girl but she had fast
become an exceptional pilot. Rein didn’t trust the controls of The Shield to
any one else but her. She had taught the youth everything she knew, and the girl
seemed to come up with her own tricks quit easily.

Glancing out the large reinforced ‘windows’ Rein could just barely see the
outline of a dark shape as they slowly closed the distance. “Is this it?”
she asked Karri, who nodded in response. “Aye Ma’am, nothing else on the
scanners for a good distance. And this is right where they told us it would
be,” Karri stated, her hands deftly moving the controls of the chair, guiding
the ship in close. “Well, let’s not take any chances, Tec, you and the twins
get on the turrets and keep your eyes pealed,” Rein barked, warranting a
salute from Tec as he lumbered for the bow gun. Nurresh and Surresh called out
their acknowledgement as they made their way to the port and starboard side
guns. “Expand the scope, lets get some light on this thing,” Rein ordered,
as a slight vibration rippled through the hull. Illuminating orbs around the
outer hull thrummed as they came alive, bathing the outside space with a soft
light.

THE FAR REACH was quite visible on the hull of the drifting hulk as The Shield
moved in. Rein glanced down at the Professor, who seemed awestruck, like someone
seeing a ghost of some long dead relative. “Well, Professor?” she asked,
studying him as he stared out at the wreckage. “Why yes… yes Captain, that
is the Reach alright,” he said, licking his lips and scrubbing his pudgy hands
on his coat. “To think it has been so many decades that she’s been lost…
and to have found her at last,” he continued, sniffling quietly and rubbing at
his nose. To the gnome it was an ancient treasure, something Rein could respect
given the crew’s own treasure hunting nature. The ship itself seemed in good
status, but The Shield was not built to haul something so large. Rein relayed
this much to the Professor, and he nodded in response. “We took that into
account, it is the aetherholds we are after. If anything of worth remained on
board, it would be within them.”

The plan was quite simple, a few careful orders were given out, and soon Tec
was angling his gun along the lower portion of the gnome ship. “Low power
shots only Tec, nice and easy,” Rein said over the ships link. Tec
acknowledged, and a slight vibration shook the deck as a bolt of energy struck
the Reach, cutting a wide arc in her hull. A few moments later, another bolt
struck the hull, slowly cutting open the section where the cargo bay would be.
Minutes later, Tec powered down his gun, awaiting further orders as Rein turned
to Karri. “Extend the ram, come in â€"slow-, we just want to hook the hull,
not blow right through the ship,” she warned, to which Karri gave her a look
that said she knew what she was about. A slight shift made Rein lean back as The
Shield edged forward, closing the gap with the Reach. She reached out and took
hold of the railing on the deck, a moment before the two ships collided.

The Professor went stumbling, his stubby arms pin-wheeling before Rein
reached out to catch him and steady the gnome. “Careful,” she warned as the
grinding of the hull pierced the air. “Alright Karri, back us off!” Rein
snapped, a breath before the girl did just that, easing the ship backwards as a
teeth jarring noise echoed loudly through the hull. As The Shield pulled off,
the minced section of the Reach’s hull came with it. Breaking free, it slowly
floated off into the aether. Rein watched as on cue the Reach’s aetherholds
began to slide out of the wide opening, the bindings to the interior having long
since decayed. Five of the bulbous containers floated out of the hull, though
one seemed to fall to pieces the moment it rolled free. Rein winced, and so did
the Professor as the container split open, spilling its miniscule contents out
into aetherspace.

“Karri, start scooping the others up, no sense in worrying over one. Four is
good enough by any standards,” Rein called out, despite the simpering noises
of the gnome at her side. This stage of the collection had to go slowly, Karri
making sure she didn’t damage the containers more than they already were in
the process. Yet the girl was good with the controls, and slowly but surely she
got the first, and then the second in. “Almost there Professor, then you can
go down and have a look. We both can,” Rein corrected. The words were barely
out of her mouth before Gray’s cry echoed loudly across the ships
communication, “Dragon Incoming! Ten o’clock high.” Rein’s gaze swept
instinctively out across the aether, spying the lumbering beast just within
range. “Karri, hurry!” she enthused, as the girl was just getting the third
container into The Shield, one left to go.

Black dragons were fast, faster than a lot of ships at times, and The Reach was
already at the disadvantage by being stationary. As it closed, Rein urged Karri
on once more, the girl angling the ship around to come in line with the final
container. “Captain-,” Gray’s warning was cut off as the port side gun
shot a blazing arc of energy outwards, slamming into the dragon as it hit the
range barrier. Rein could see the immense creature shudder and seem to freeze in
shock. That was when Rein saw the second, bigger dragon split off from behind
the first, continuing to close the distance on The Shield. “Karr-,” Rein
started, before being cut off. “GOT IT!” the girl called, yanking the
controls down and towards starboard, sending The Shield into a downward spiral.
The first dragon was just now shaking off the effects of the shocking bolt,
slowly beginning to move after its companion. Rein didn’t intend for them to
stick around and have it out with either, “Forcefield Up!” she barked as
they pealed away from the chasing dragons, making their way away from them. If
they could stretch the distance far enough, they would likely give up and look
for slower prey.

That of course all depended on the dragons letting them go, which obviously
they did not want to. As they veered away, the lead dragon sheered through The
Shield’s forcefield, lancing through the outer hull that caused the
algontherine entity to screech profusely. Waves of energy shuddered across the
ship, healing the hull as Gray scrambled below the command deck at his controls.
“Surresh, shockwave!” Rein called out, the aslaran’s gun erupting with
energy as a ‘ball’ of crackling energy formed behind the ship, directly in
the path of the chasing dragon. Just in time as both creatures flew into it, the
jolting force of the shockwave stopping them dead in their tracks. “Karri, get
us the Nil out of here!”

It was half an hour later when The Shield finally made its way back towards the
center of the aetherways, leaving the Void behind. No more encounters, and the
dragons hadn’t been seen since the near miss. It was only no that Rein let out
a long exhale of breath she’d held in since they began their escape. “Gray,
how is my ship?” The question was met by a list of matters, for the most part
minor messes throughout the ship caused by the attack. Tec and the Surresh would
see to that, while the other aslaran was already making for the cargo hold to
get the containers squared away. “Professor, how about we go see what there is
to see?” Rein asked after the gnome, who holding onto the railing with a
white-knuckle grip. At her question, he looked up, stammered something before
regaining his composure.

“Oh… of course, lets,” the gnome said with a furious bobbing of his head.
Rein lead the way, issuing a few short orders to Karri and Gray in passing. The
Gnomes had fashioned a secondary cargo bay below the main one, which was where
the containers were to be stored, it was there that Rein and the Professor
headed to. The lighting in this portion of the ship was faulty, and was of
course out as they arrived. “I’m sure Nurresh brought a few lanterns,”
Rein said off-handedly as she wrenched open the latch of the door, pushing it
aside. A putrid odor washed out as the door was opened, causing both human and
gnome to gag. It smelled of rot and decay, of which Rein commented on. “What
were they carrying, Taint in a can?” As she sealed the door behind them, the
Professor scurried off into the dim light, muttering about getting into one of
the containers. Smirking, Rein turned to follow quickly, calling out for Nurresh
in the process- Where was that man?

A yelp and a crash snapped her attention to one of the containers, the one the
gnome had ran off to. Rounding the container, she called aloud, “Wha-“ her
words dying in her mouth as she saw the cause for the cry. The entire side of
the container was torn open, and within were rows of large, grime covered eggs,
each as big as Tec, if not bigger. Rein immediately noticed that one of the eggs
lay in pieces, its contents gone to who knew where. “Nurresh!?” Rein called
out, her normally stern voice cracking slightly. “Professor, I think we
shoul-,” once more her words were stolen from her as a loud, audible crack
resounded throughout the hold as one of the large eggs split from top to bottom.
Rein could do nothing but stare as chunks of the hard shell fell to the ground
around it, and the mammoth, bug-like head erupted out. Her blood chilled as its
myriad of eye stalks turned and found her, a warbling cry echoing out of its
clicking mandibles.

The scream that came from Rein was drowned quickly by the answering cries of
more than a dozen of the creatures as all around her the eggs began to hatch and
burst apart, more of the gigantic bugs breaking free of their shells. As the one
before her stepped from the confines of the container, Rein suddenly thought,
comically almost, that no amount of gold was worth what she had just gotten
herself and her crew into. The thought faded from her mind as the faint light
within the hold winked out, and then there was nothing to do but scream…