Here 'tis, ya har har,

I'm a crusty old sea dog, ya har har,

me mates! Hard to port, a chapter of ye

starboard bow, ya har har!





Chapter Fourteen: HyperSpace



HyperSpace is a funny thing, it really is. It was discovered about 34567 B.C. The Czm brought it to our galaxy from...where ever they came from. Initially it was crude device, requiring massive HyperSpace generator ships to fire a beam to create a rift in to the HyperSpace dimension. A ancient species that ruled the galaxy about that time waged war aginst the ambitious Czm, using there own, albiet crude, method of faster than light travel. The ancient species managed to capture a few Czm HyperSpace generator ships. Once the Czm had been beaten into there corner of the galaxy. The ancient race modified the technology, spreading it to the lesser species and creating a galactic economy that ushered in the current age.

HyperSpace itself is a sort of sub universe. It is void, filled with anti-energy, creating massive energy storms that can last for millenia at a time. The HyperSpace dimension is smaller than our own, so every mile crossed in the HyperSpace dimension equals ten thousand miles crossed in our own. It also negates all forms of time dialation. However, in a unfortunate twist, the massive energy storms that rage through HyperSpace make it sometimes impossible to cross it. (Unless one is fortunate enough to own a A-space drive, for more on A-Space drives see 'A fools guide to Everything' by Joe Nulithen)



"What?! Blast it out of the sky, then!" Seraph hissed, pounding her fist on the terminal, as blue chaos of HyperSpace stained the color of the cockpit.

"That's impossible." A chirpy voice sounded.

"Shut up, Tymen." Seraph snapped.

"I didn't say anything..." Seraph inquisitivly, turned around.

"Juiso?"

"Nope."

"Then who?"

"I did." The voice said again. Seraph turned around, quicker this time, to see the sound was comming from a screen that bared a familiar face on it.

"Kazooie." Seraph whispered.

"Yup."

"But...how, you're dead?" Tymen scratched his head.

"I am? How unfortunate...however, I am not him, persay, I am the original Kazooie's personality, stored in the Penultimate's data. I'm exactly like him in every aspect, well, except I'm a computer, and, as a computer, I have acces to all of the Penultimate's data and sensory devices." The digital Kazooie frowned a moment at his physical manifestation's demise, and then explained himself.

"Fine then, why can't we fire at the fighter?"

"Because, numbskull," the image of Kazooie's face was replaced by a wireframe image of the Penultimate and the tumbling Knn fighter caught in it's wake.

"If we tried to fire the weapons, it'd start a HyperSpace storm that would annihilate us!" Seraph clenched her fist, realizing her options had been starved.

"However, we could extend the boarding plank, and kill the pilots, so the fighter would be of no threat once we leave HyperSpace." Kazooie postulated, a image of the boarding plank appearing.

"Alright, let's do it, to weapons!" They all left the cockpit, trusting the autopilot to guide them safely through the torrent that is HyperSpace.

"Uh, guys, there is something you should know!" The digital Kazooie shouted after them.

"What?" Seraph snapped, not wanting to delay things.

"Tyio and Ducky are in the hangar area. Ducky has been mortally wounded and is bleeding to death. She may already be dead, however, as her heart has stopped." Kazooie stated, displaying security cam footage.

"They...made it?" Tymen asked, amazed.

"Yes, but Ducky won't if you don't get down there NOW!"



The three of them scampered down the ladder to the hangar, quickly seeing Ducky in Tyio's arms, and a blood stained floor.

"Ducky! Tyio!" Seraph shouted as they ran. The latter and Juiso hefted Ducky up to the medical bay, while Tymen checked to see if Tyio was injured.

"You okay?" Tyio still crouched, his teeth clenched.

"I'm fine." Tyio began to rise, then Tymen noticed his right arm, the one he was clasping, was twisted and mangled.

"Hey, that looks like it's broken, you need to get to the medical bay!" Tymen offered his support, but Tymen rebuked him, pushing him off, and began to walk away, saying,

"I'm FINE."



Ducky lay on the hover strecher that Kazooie had summoned while they were below.

"She's not breathing." Juiso informed the computer.

"Applying static force." Ducky's body jumped, as energy coursed through her.

"Re-applying." Again it happened, and suddenly the whine of the heart monitor turned into rough beats.

The screen with Kazooie on it came barreling down the hall torward the crisis.

"I've made ready the backup healing vat, the droid can put her in there right away." Kaz informed.

They payed the digital representation no mind, as the bulky droid grabbed the formless Ducky, attaching a oxygen mask and placing her in the vat as the cylindar slid up and filled with the greenish liquid.

Everyone paused, waiting for the medical droid to offer some analyasis.

"Analaysis complete: cardiac arrest, left lung collapsed, severe loss of blood, estimated healing time, one day." The medical droid intoned, then hovered over to the second vat.

"Analaysis: Unit: BlackSheep, healing is 75% complete, activating reGrow armor."

"What's he talking about?" Tymen asked, almost to himself. Kazooie's flat screen swivled around to face him.

"ReGrow, a corporation existing on Grnome, is a highly advanced healing system, using blank cells and mutating them to the injureds needs. It functions better than a healing vat, but the robotic armor that engulfs the recipient makes it far more practical, since the injured can still function while being healed." Kazooie smiled, and, had he a body, he would have probably acted quite proud, with all the information he now had in him. Mere moments after his speech concluded, the glass of the vat fell down, the liquid being reabsorbed, BlackSheep strode out, her body covered in elaborate, glistining plates of metal.

"Well, welcome back to the land of the living, BlackSheep." She remained silent, the robotic eyes she used while her real ones were being healed scanned the room. Everyone was anxious, and a little afraid, after all, being partially robot now, she was stronger than all of them.

"Hello, it is good to be back." Her voice came out grainy and metallic, but the sentiment was enough. Seraph patted her on the back, and Tymen gave her a hug, Juiso remaining back in the shadows. When she saw Tyio walk by, she ran up and embraced him, unaware of her new strength or his injury.

"You saved my life, Tyio, I am grateful!" Not what BlackSheep would have normally said, it was just the way the voice device let out her meaning.

"Ahhh, aahhhh!" Tyio squirmed in pain, until BlackSheep sheepishly(haha) released him, her gears whirring, as she realized her own strength.

"Uh, sorry." Tyio grasped his arm, wenching, and hobbled into his quarters.

"Just a handshake will do next time!" Not wanting to waste any time, Seraph stormed into the hall.

"Enough idle chit-chat, Tymen, Juiso, with me, BlackSheep, fly the ship, I don't strust the reincarnated bag of bolts with it." Seraph looked up at Kazooie's screen.

"Humph!" He moved away, as dignantly as he could.



Hustling through the metal passage ways, they donned armor and began selecting there weapons.

"Two blaster pistols, and a shotblaster." Seraph holstered the guns at her waist, holding the shotblaster.

Tymen picked up two, uzi like guns.

"Dual vulcan guns." He said, striking his best pose whilst holding them. Juiso then twirled his staff around, it leaving a streak of red energy.

"Magma staff."

Seraph looked over them, then said into her armored mask.

"Open first air-lock door."

"Roger." BlackSheep's grainy voice was heard over the comm. Then, the elaborate doorway opened, steam hissing from the hydraulics loudly. Then they all strode into the tight room that was the air-lock, there armor covered boots making a plesant resonating sound.

"Close first air-lock door." Once they where inside, the door closed again, with just as loud a hiss as before.

"Okay, now, extend boarding plank." BlackSheep replied nervously, a thing easier said than done,

"Okay." She began aiming the extention of the boarding blank, it had to his the tumbling fighter at just the right time or the fighter would rip off the plank and they'd go tumbling into the torrentious hyperspace.

She carefully watched the wireframe image of the fighter, fingering the activation button...

"Don't screw this up, BlackSheep." Seraph snapped. As this was said, a loud SSSTHUNK could be heard, as the boarding plank shot out and hyposealed to the fighter.

"Boarding plank extended." BlackSheep said, with a sigh of relief.

"Okay, now, open second air-lock door." Silently, the second door opened, and with a thunder crack, all the air fled into space, and the three of them began to drift.

"Quick, everyone, activate the magnitisim in your boots!" Seraph ordered, and they fell to the bulk head with a humming sound of magnitism. Then they began the trecherous trek across the thin strip of metal, as the maelstrom of hyperspace wailed on outside.

After five, agonizing minutes, they finally arrived at the air-hatch of the Knn fighter.

"Okay, I'll go in first, you two, after me..." Seraph commanded, fingering the air-hatch switch with her glove...



"Now!" She yanked on it, and charged in, the other two quickly behind, as the air-hatch closed rapidly behind them. They found themselves in the tight room sperated from the cockpit, but the door opened, alerted to there presnece.

"Go, go go!" Seraph shouted, charging into the cockpit, as they took a strategic formation.

"Okay, you two, turn around so we can see you!" The two black Knn chair swivled around to reveal.

Two rabbits?

"What? Carrotians....what are you doing here? Traitors, you must have surrendered to the Knn!" Seraph snapped. The one on the left stood up.

"I assure you, my good lady, that's not the case, we are working under-cover in the Knn army."

"Oh really, then just who are you then?"

"This is my friend, Slayer, also known as Louie, and I am known as Kovu."



Up next, Chapter Fiveteen: The Planet of Fire and Glass, ya har har.