Origins of an Icer

Chapter 11

Hangar of Iron Maiden, 0800am

"C'mon Wren, you said you wanted to practice, you have to get in here and practice!" Akifa chided, smirking as the Icer grumbled and huffed, his braids a puffy and tangled mess as he walked over, zipping up his jumpsuit.

(It's early...)

"Nah ah, outside voice."

"It is fucking early..." Wren growled low, narrowing his eyes as Akifa snorted, giggling softly.

"Relax, it's another practice run, but this way I can also run a scan to see if maybe I can get a look at the ship better. We can see if there really is an engine room or navigation area we can inspect. Want to try it out?" he asked, clicking a bob as the cockpit open, the Aaru revving to life.

"That's brilliant...! That makes the early wakeup call worth it!" Wren smiled brightly, gasping as Akifa stopped him before handing a helmet to him.

"It's not colored or decorated, but you need a helmet to fit you. It's easier than using that out dated air mask," he added, smiling as Wren carefully slid the helmet on, the tinted glass opening to see the bright mismatched blue eyes.

"Better?" Akifa slid on his own helmet before following Wren into the ship, the Icer settling in the chair easier.

"Much, though the voice is weird... microphones?"

"Yes, the helmets are connected with technically a whole server to access all the pilots online, but this is a private server for just us. Ready? Counter is up to 500 rings," Akifa added, pointing to the counter as Wren revved the engine, and pushed the craft out into the void. He tested the joysticks as he felt the craft moving easier as he grinned, flying through the rings easier.

"I took off the speed set control, so you have full power, just please don't drain all of the fuel?" Akifa asked, chuckling as he pulled out his GLASS, bringing up a radar app that connected to the rest of the ship, causing a soft pinging in Wren's ears.

"That's loud..."

"Sorry, it'll only be a couple seconds. It's basically pinging soundwaves off of the Iron Maiden so it can map and make a more accurate reading of the place. Hopefully, we get a better reading." Akifa tapped on the screen, aligning the soundwaves as he furrowed his brow, scanning through the ship. Wren flew through the rings, glancing at the ship as he furrowed his brow.

"Akifa... how close do you think we can get to the ship? If it's got an automatic defense system... how close do you think it'll let us go?"

"Hmm... well the Aaru has its own sensors to keep it from activating automated defense systems. Give it a try, but go from the bottom, that way there's less of a chance for activation," he explained, rerouting the rings to pass underneath the carrier. Wren dipped the craft as they sped through the rings, a flash of red indicating the defenses were right up against each other.

"That's odd... shouldn't there be vents, exhaust fumes? Something to indicate engine exhaust?" Wren asked, glancing up at the belly of the Maiden as he narrowed his eyes, going through the rings with Akifa pulling up a map.

"Nothing... not a damn thing! It's the same damned map from the elevator, like it's purposely bouncing the waves to indicate nothing of interest. So weird... but I do have a series of vents on the map now, connecting from the hangar to the empty areas unmarked on the map. Wanna give it a shot?" he asked, glancing to Wren who spun the craft in a perfect flip before flying back to the hangar.