Junkyard

Synopsis
For several years the space station Shrike has hovered above Gielinor as the GDG's chief orbital defensive structure. After salvaging an important HuCDomFor secret from a damaged ship, it is transported to the expansive Mizeln Junkyard in Zell's universe - with the Prodigies, Drauss and Cratus on board...

Plot
Space Station Shrike

Drauss is overseeing the melted hulk of a HuCDomFor ship being dragged in by two glowing tractor beams. Beside him is the captain of the space station Shrike, a tall, grey-haired man with a Middle East complexion.

“Nice work, Karil,” Drauss says.

“Thanks, sir,” Karil replies.

“Karil Hawwad, you’re the best officer in the entire of the GDG. You’re cunning, you’re strategically-minded, and yet you don’t want to become a general. Why?”

“I’m not sure... I just find the Shrike smaller and easier to command. But it’s a challenge at times. And it’s just so much more peaceful in space. It’s freedom for me.”

Drauss watches the smouldering hulk slowly be brought up above a huge hatch. The doors slide open, and the hulk falls in, the doors closing after it.

“I have to say, the men in your turrets are brilliant shots. That HuCDomFor ship was down in seconds.”

“I train them on the waste ejections. Keep space clean.”

“Nice... Come on, let’s go and see what’s inside that hulk in the hangar.

Hangar

Drauss and Karil are looking out over the large hulk of metal suspended from the ceiling by a huge crane. Small robots are swarming over it, cutting holes in it, going inside. Drauss and Karil cross a catwalk to get a closer view. A mechanic walks up to them.

“We found it sir. This is what’s giving off the energy signatures.” The mechanic held up a green tube about the size of a wine bottle. It was humming, loudly.

“Nice work, mechanic. Now, see if you can prise any other secrets out from that ship.”

“Sir,” the mechanic nodded, and she walked off. Drauss and Karil looked over the object.

“It’s some kind of teleporter,” Karil said.

“Are you sure?”

“We’ve had three ships with teleports come along, and they all have teleporters like this. Only that in those ships they were about three metres wide and twenty metres tall. The HuCDomFor must have perfected the technology to this size. Although we have theorised that the size is relative to the transported object.”

“Sorry?” Drauss asks.

“Supposedly, you could make a personal teleport for yourself that would be about as big as that wretched Rune Blast stuff you drink. Given the time they’ve had to perfect it I suppose that this would work for... a tank?” Drauss holds it up to the light.

“I wonder what this dial at the top does?”

“Probably just a range configuration thing. Twist it, nothing should happen.”

Drauss turns the knob to the side. The glow and hum increase slightly, but nothing happens.

“Ah well,” Drauss sighs, laying the teleporter down on a pedestal on the side of the catwalk. Suddenly, the blue illumination of the hangar turns orange.

“Meteor alert. Meteor alert. Brace!” the computer drones. Drauss and Karil grip the handrails. There is a sudden boom and the station rocks slightly, but afterwards nothing happens. The lights go blue again. Suddenly Drauss says:

“Where's the teleporter?”

They look over the edge to see the teleporter plummeting to the ground far below. It hits it, and cracks open. A green substance starts to drift through the air. Suddenly, the station rocks and tilts. The lights go red, and sirens start to flash.

“Code red! Code red!”

Drauss and Karil turn and run up to the bridge. They reach the end of the catwalk, and suddenly the station is rocked so hard they go flying. Then, all the lights go dark.

The Bridge

Drauss and Karil have made their way to the bridge in near total darkness. They arrive, to find that at least here there is power – some of the lights are on. Karil calls out.

“This is Captain Hawwad speaking! Do any of you know what happened?”

“Take a look out the window, sir!” A voice replies. Drauss and Karil look out of the window.

They are in a vast expanse of wreckage, slowly floating around each other. From tiny scraps to gigantic hunks, the remains of ships populate the area. There is a tinge of yellow to the sky, and in the far distance a system of gargantuan rings form the dominant part of the background in the endless graveyard. Drauss rushes over to a radio operator.

“What’ve we got on comms?” Drauss asks.

“Nothing sir – just loads of gibberish.” The radio operator replies.

“Gibberish?”

“There are millions of distress signals, all woven together into a string of nonsense. It sounds a bit like a toddler.”

“I’m not getting you, here.”

“Sir – all we hear is radio ga ga.”

“Radio goo goo?”

“Radio ga ga,” the operator corrects.

“So what happens now?” Drauss asks.

“Well, our teleporter is smashed, so there’s no way we can get out.”

“Actually...” Drauss wonders, “We can!”

“How?” asks Karil, skeptically.

“We’ve just come to a damn big junkyard. As sure as Zell’s an arse there’s a teleporter somewhere nearby.”

Karil is about to say something, but at that moment he sees, out of the window, a bizarre ship heading straight for them.

Characters

 * Drauss
 * Captain Hawwad