Champions (Volume 1)

Champions Ch11 - Invading

Champions

Ch11 - Invading

"What goes up..."

I swear, it was way too quiet on the ship. I could hear a pin drop from the other side of the hall. We were making progress, though I fear we'll hit a brick wall. I had taken off and packed the environment suit.

"Savvy, is there anything coming in from SM?" I asked quietly. I feared breaking that silence would drag the entire Tirid crew down on top of us. Savvy's response light blinked twice, meaning 'no.'

Now we were just taking a random path, but there would have to be something like an elevator in the control room.

We found a large door, likely to an Atrium or Bridge. Maybe a fighter dock. Grace and I looked at each other and opened the doors.

It was a recreation room full of unarmed Tirid.

I raised my weapon, just in case any of them were armed. Grace had her staff ready.

"Savvy, translate please." I ordered. The entire room looked at me, now that I was speaking.

"Keep your hands in the air and do as we say. You won't like what happens if you don't."

Savvy translated to a bunch of clicking and whistles. The Tirid actually looked pretty worried afterwards. But they slowly put their hands (or equivalent) in the air for all to see.

"You." I pointed sternly to an alien to my right, "What is the name of this ship?" I asked. I never took my eyes off the entire crowd, but I kept my main focus on this one in particular.

It made clicked and whistled, which Savvy translated to, "You will burn in the forges, fueling the Golden Age." I turned my weapon on him, showing him who has the advantage here, and he answered again.

"TFS Chorus, idiot." Savvy answered. (In the alien's words, obviously.) He was lucky I had morals and didn't turn him to ash right then and there. My eyes were on him, though.

"We need directions to the control room. Anyone who gives them to me will be guaranteed safe passage of Chorus." I said sternly.

The Tirid looked among each other. One appeared to be reaching for something in their pocket, so I turned a little more toward him (her?). Instead of pulling out a weapon, it was a small stick. Could be a grenade, but it didn't look it. Nothing like the ones we pulled off the guard.

The Tirid tossed it to Grace, who caught it, sticking it in her pocket. I waved him out of the room, allowing him to make his choice on escape or warning the ship. I just realized how stupid my move was.

Grace and I moved back out of the room, making sure to lock the doors behind us. They had plenty of food and weren't cut off from water, they'll live.

"Savvy, can you tell us what this is?" I asked, holding the AI next to the stick Grace held.

"This is a transmitter, Tirid design." Savvy answered, "I suggest that you get rid of it."

"Or, you could find out the positions of everything receiving the signal. Could that help us find the Control Room?" I suggested. I knew my suggestion was a thing of science-fiction, but hey, it has to work.

"Sure thing." Savvy responded. Wow, that actually worked.

It took her a minute to find everything, but she spoke soon enough. "You have patrols moving in on your position from both sides. The target room is fourteen floors up. Stairwells are located here and elevators here. Pick." Savvy reported, bringing up a map with red blips for aliens and green for the stairwell/elevator.