Space Bunnies!

Chapter 45: War!

"I didn't think it would take so long." Holloway chimed. His face was resting deeply in his palm, which was followed by a yawn; he looked at the chronometer integrated into his chair, 0646; he'd pulled an all-nighter; Trinity was rerouted to several less severe, but more 'you're in the area so you might as well handle it.' Operations in the system. Who was he to argue with a flag officer? That mission and various other setbacks, and then they were back on the route to Omeocoon... a few years later. "You know what, David? You take this one; I'll be in my quarters." The Captain stood up and prepared to escape the bridge briskly. But sure enough, the ship's speakers emitted a triad of beeps, proximity alert. Holloway didn't skip a beat. He bounced over to the security station, not even showing annoyance, "Report." He ordered Andrews, and the Earthling Bunny quickly moved to manipulate the console; from here, they had access to Trinity's array of sophisticated sensors; this was the best station to view any proximity alert. "I'm reading a ship on a parallel course with us... and it looks like they're being pursued, Sir."

"The Bhakti system is still off limits; there should be no ships in or out." The bunny added. Holloway arched an eyebrow and gripped the back of Andrews' headrest. As if bracing himself for turbulence. "The vessel pursuing the lead ship has a DP signature. Sir, they both have DP signatures." Andrews continued, most peculiar, the CO rubbed his chin. He was paused. "Let's take a look at those ships." The crew simultaneously performed scans of their respective departments and delivered reports as the condition called for it.

Lieutenant Commander Sharma delivered something relating to the class of the first ship; any engineer worth their bars or chevrons could identify that old thing, "The lead is a Skyline Interplanetary Industrial Concern; model XLJ-Eight... those are the most common yachts aboard all DP ships; you have one, Sir. Very charming, this one is pearl white with blue stripes." That one was easy; those things were commonly referred to informally as 'hockey pucks.' By the ones who used them, "I can't identify the other ship; I've never seen the configuration," Sharma said; Holloway didn't like this. Their journey had taken them two years to complete; with all the setbacks and 'side quests,' their ship had undoubtedly taken an unexpected spiral on their maiden voyage. Holloway was more than just 'annoyed' now, and it began to etch on his face, and he would not be stopped by two straggling ships pissing about in space. He moved back toward his chair. "Hail the pursuing DP ship."

"Aye, Sir," Andrews articulated, but the second before he could engage the communications array, there was another audible signal. "Sir? My apologies— it seems like they're hailing us." Andrews sounded startled, almost like he'd been punched in the stomach unexpectedly. The science officer also furrowed her eyebrows, but the Captain couldn't see it from where her station was. "Wait? We hailed them when they hailed us? Doesn't that mean they owe us a coke or something?"

Commander Sharma chortled from her station all the way across the bridge but stifled it quickly when the Captain himself did not laugh. Holloway's expression remained stern as he glanced at the viewscreen, where two unidentified ships continued their parallel course with the Trinity and the aforementioned planet. "Accept their hail. Let's see what they want." Holloway commanded, taking his seat once again. Andrews quickly initiated the communication link as soon as the Captain settled in.

The viewscreen flickered, revealing a figure on the DP ship's bridge, a Dena'vi, like the chief engineer. The entire bridge crew turned their chairs to face the viewer, and they were supposed to be the only ones out there— so it was understandable when the crew wanted to see who was disturbing the peace. "This is Captain Holloway of the USS Trinity. Identify yourselves and state your business. This sector is off limits." The Captain was direct. He knew there were supposed to be no other DP ships out here. As the flagship's Captain, he had access to records containing information for almost every mission that every ship conducted across the entire sector, including classified operations. There were over 300 ships, and this vessel was certainly not part of the manifest for Omeocoon; he wasn't even sure what class of ship that thing was. It was compact and uncomfortable looking, but in theory, it bore all the lines and markings of a Dynamic Patrol ship.

On the other end, the DP 'officer' seemed to briefly assess Holloway before responding. "Captain Yar, on an exploration assignment. Our mission is peaceful, and we mean no harm. We've been monitoring your ship since the Garon system; we were ordered to meet you here." Lie, "The vessel in front of us is a pirate ship; we've been in pursuit since the beginning of sector four." So far, the act was good; the uniform was accurate for this 'Yar' and his crew.

Holloway leaned forward in his chair, his irritation and suspicion elegantly hidden behind a shade of charm. "Captain Yar, we are on a specific mission, and our route is classified. Divert your course and continue with your business elsewhere immediately. You haven't tried to contact these individuals..? Erm... disable their ship, perhaps? Those little yachts tend to be fragile. One shot from the forward weapons array would disable them without harming the occupants."

Yar's expression hardened. "Holloway, there's more at play here than your classified route. We require your assistance; we don't have enough weapons or power to destroy that ship. But the Trinity does."

The tension on the bridge escalated as the two Captains exchanged firm glares through the viewscreen. Holloway hesitated before finally relenting, "Now, hold on. Why on Mars would you need to destroy the ship? It doesn't seem to be doing any harm."

"Pirates always harm. They have valuable merchandise, and we cannot allow them to keep it!"

While Yar tried to make his case known, Holloway made an adequate effort to examine the bridge of their small 'exploration' ship for any signs of unusual activity but kept it subtle. So far, it seemed to fit the description of a DP ship, but for some reason, Yar rubbed him the wrong way— now there was an Admiral back at the academy that said, 'Do not covet thy neighbor's starship.' He'd been told that when he was a young Ensign, and it stuck with him. But he certainly had to covet this one; it looked stunningly new; he could tell even from here the Trinity now had its share of scrapes and bruises from various missions; this thing was clean as a whistle and seemed to have many bells and whistles that matched its impressiveness. His eyes stopped scanning. And then, without skipping a beat, he focused on Yar again. "We'll lock a tractor beam on them and tow them into our shuttle bay."

"Wha—a..?" Yar started, but Holloway interrupted. He threw a silencing hand in the air, "Captain, we'll keep you updated, but it's best to report to Admiral Chriswell back in sector two. I'm sure someone's looking for you. Please stand by; we'll take it from here. Holloway out." He pressed a button on the armrest of his chair, cutting the signal back to the two ships playing cat and mouse. Immediately, the XO looked over at his Captain, confused. "Sir? Is something wrong?" His undeniable sense of empathy came from his original origins as man's best friend. He could already tell when the Captain was worried; he could smell it from a light year away.

"Yes, something is very wrong. No Chiptonians are serving in the Dynamic Patrol."