KINDLING
STARDATE 08.02.24
OMEGA REGENESIS
Captain Hafnyr entered the large, engineering room which housed the Subspace Regenerator on the Modular Pallet attached to the rear end of the Kindling. The Captain of the Kindling was a short being, standing only four feet tall. To everyone, he appeared to be a humanoid plant, complete with a stem for a body, branches and stalks for arms and legs, and an assortment of leaves growing outward. But to those intimately familiar with the physiology of the Scions of Scon, they knew his body was under a constant, extremely slow, process of evolution. Captain Hafnyr immediately saw the two beings who summoned him to this section of the ship. His First Officer and Chief Engineer were examining a panel on the lower level of the Subspace Regenerator. The Subspace Regenerator was a massive device which stood three levels high. They both quickly turned to face the Captain and came to attention.
“What is it, Grimm?” Captain Hafnyr asked his Chief Engineer.
Grimm was an unusual being who possessed the ability to shapeshift into many different things. His form was amorphous. At the moment, he looked a black blob of rubber with tire tracks running all over his body. Grimm typically moved in a slow, steady fashion, unless there was some sort of emergency.
“I had to shut down the Subspace Regenerator,” Grimm answered in a deep voice. “It was overheating and will require at least three days to cool down. We’ve been running it day and night non-stop. We’re also going to need more Durasythe, Thermoporium, and Substance-869.”
After replying to the Captain, Grimm reached over and tore a chunk of rock from a nearby wall and consumed it with his body.
Captain Hafnyr shifted his gaze from his Chief Engineer to his First Officer, expecting her to continue the conversation. She was a tall, frail, humanoid bat, pure white in color save for various parts of her body that melted into pink. When she spoke, it was in a soft, confident voice which was soothing to hear.
“There are three planets close by, Captain, where we can collect the resources we require,” Vesper advised. “The first and second planet can be reached within two days, while the third planet is four days away due to its distance. This should give the Subspace Regenerator sufficent time to cool down while we collect the necessary resources to keep it powered.”
Captain Hafnyr nodded in approval. But he knew his First Officer well. There was something else bothering Vesper. “Very good. We will proceed to the planets at maximum warp, collect the resources we need, and then resume repairing the Subspace Chasm in this region of space. But I sense you have something more to add…?”
Vesper’s look turned serious and grave. “Yes, Captain. A ship has detected us. It entered this area through one of the Subspace Rifts created by the Subspace Ragnarok. We have identified the vessel, Captain. It is one of the Ramoreen. They are on an intercept course.”
Captain Hafnyr went quiet. This complicated matters. “Time to intercept?”
“THIRTY THREE MINUTES.”
