-------
A high cold whistle sounded over the ship's 1MC as Lun took the Mic in hand.
"Comrades, this is the Captain. It is an honour to speak with you today, and I am honoured to be sailing with you on the maiden patrol of the motherland's greatest achievement."
Silence.
"Once again, we will play our dangerous game, a game of chess against a new adversary, Great Justice."
Could it be deliberate?
"Forty years ago our parents and grandpaerent played this game, and played it well."
It had to be....
"But now, the game is different. We have an advantage. It reminds me of those glorious days when the whole system trembled at the sight of our rockets. Now, they will tremble at the sight of nothing"
"Does she know?" a voice whispered.
"The order is, engage the cloaking device."
"That has to be deliberate," another whisper answered.
"Communications. EMCON to Strict," said Mackie, managing to hold a straight face in the Pilot's seat. "Sensor arrays to LPI mode. Engineering. Secure main engines and Activate auxiliary impeller drive."
Turbines spooled down to silence. Bright lights dimmed to grey. The whine of generators dropped to a gentle humm.
"Comrades, Great Justice does not know our full potential. They will do everything in their power to test us, but they will only prove their own embarrasment. We will leave their fleet behind. We will pass through their system patrols and their sensor nets, and park in orbit of Kandor City and listen to their rock and roll, while we conduct missile drills. Enh?"
Titters answered.
"And when we are done, the only trace we will leave behind is our laughter, while we sail to Venus, where the sun is warm, and so is the ahm, companionship."
Now, giggles.
Mackie swallowed a lump. "Auxiliary drives coming online, Captain,"
"A great day comrades, we shall sail into history!"
A voice piped up from the engineers panel, a bright young Sammie ensign who decided to catch the reference. "Soyuz Nerushimi, Respublik...svobo...dnik....."
Glares answered as it died to silence.
He shrunk into his uniform. "But you were...doing the Red October thing?"
Lun's eyes zoomed "What Red October thing thing?"
"....never mind."
The view through the windows hazed over, distorting into a sheared reflection of the spacecraft itself. "Cloaking device engaged," Mackie said.
A stunned silence marked their progress, broken only by the occasional click of a switch and whispers of regret that nobody'd bothered to record it.
---
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
A high cold whistle sounded over the ship's 1MC as Lun took the Mic in hand.
"Comrades, this is the Captain. It is an honour to speak with you today, and I am honoured to be sailing with you on the maiden patrol of the motherland's greatest achievement."
Silence.
"Once again, we will play our dangerous game, a game of chess against a new adversary, Great Justice."
Could it be deliberate?
"Forty years ago our parents and grandpaerent played this game, and played it well."
It had to be....
"But now, the game is different. We have an advantage. It reminds me of those glorious days when the whole system trembled at the sight of our rockets. Now, they will tremble at the sight of nothing"
"Does she know?" a voice whispered.
"The order is, engage the cloaking device."
"That has to be deliberate," another whisper answered.
"Communications. EMCON to Strict," said Mackie, managing to hold a straight face in the Pilot's seat. "Sensor arrays to LPI mode. Engineering. Secure main engines and Activate auxiliary impeller drive."
Turbines spooled down to silence. Bright lights dimmed to grey. The whine of generators dropped to a gentle humm.
"Comrades, Great Justice does not know our full potential. They will do everything in their power to test us, but they will only prove their own embarrasment. We will leave their fleet behind. We will pass through their system patrols and their sensor nets, and park in orbit of Kandor City and listen to their rock and roll, while we conduct missile drills. Enh?"
Titters answered.
"And when we are done, the only trace we will leave behind is our laughter, while we sail to Venus, where the sun is warm, and so is the ahm, companionship."
Now, giggles.
Mackie swallowed a lump. "Auxiliary drives coming online, Captain,"
"A great day comrades, we shall sail into history!"
A voice piped up from the engineers panel, a bright young Sammie ensign who decided to catch the reference. "Soyuz Nerushimi, Respublik...svobo...dnik....."
Glares answered as it died to silence.
He shrunk into his uniform. "But you were...doing the Red October thing?"
Lun's eyes zoomed "What Red October thing thing?"
"....never mind."
The view through the windows hazed over, distorting into a sheared reflection of the spacecraft itself. "Cloaking device engaged," Mackie said.
A stunned silence marked their progress, broken only by the occasional click of a switch and whispers of regret that nobody'd bothered to record it.
---
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?