Act 3: The Beginning.
Chapter 21: The Gathering Of Minds

S'Gar and the rest of the armada's elite fighter had spread across to their stationed ships to teach their fellow fighter pilots the skills they had learned with the historical fighters. Actually, they did not learn anything but relearned lost skills, determination and imagination. Essential morale boosting techniques to make the harden flyers much more at ease with their jobs.

With the addition of the new ship to the armada and the sharing of its booty to the others, morale was on the way up across the fleet. For the next 48 hours, S'Gar and the Aramada's Elite Fighter Corp. would teach and practice on simulators, as the rest of the armada prepared for the next mission against the Orions.

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"Men, I have gathered you all here today for a mission of the utmost importance.", Hepzedah explained. "It maybe that we may not return from this one, but it is a mission that has to completed by those who are willing to take on its responsibilities and risks. Anyone not willing to go on this mission is willing to state their wish during any moment of this briefing."

The Historical Fighters Group all sat at their desks without argument, nod nodding in agreement to her statement.

"Let continue on with this briefing so we can start this mission.", Manfred stated out loud.

"Alright gentlefurs. Let us begin.", Hepzedah started.

"On December 10th, 2483, the World you know as Earth would destroyed by an Orion Sabotage Spy in Earth's Scientific Community during the first test run of an Orion's Rift. Once activated an the Orion's rift would last several million years. But these rifts are to be created with a minimal set of materials and contained in a gravi-magnetic bubble. If too much material is used or the bubble too weak, the resulting supernova reaction will envelop the Earth and the resulting shockwave destroy the Sun. This is precisely what happened on December 10th, 2483. The question is how to prevent it from happening.", Hepzedah explains.

"Do we have any information to which assist us with this task?", Leone Hawker asked.

"For the past 3 years we searched Earth right up to the point of the event, and have placed recorders in various places. It is well documented as to when, where and how it happened, who was involved when it happened, and we can even speculate as to why it happened. Sit back and enjoy the last few moments Earth had.", Hepzedah said.

The holographic display starts to play its movie, a short old grey raccoon in a lab-coat yells out orders to his assistants in the control room, with Dryxon being the whipping boy of the group. Everyone's focus was with the images of various screens and of the control's rooms holodisplay, which showed the iron sphere floating on magnetic waves before ignition. But there was nothing recognizable within the holodisplay that would give a hint as to its size.

The experiment continued, with the iron sphere being shrunk by nearly half.

"What is that?", Edward Mannock say, pointing to a distortion on the lower left of the movie.

"HoloDisplay, freeze image.", Hapzedah explained, then adding, "What is what?"

"That.", as he points to the lower left of the screen from his position. Others, including Hepzedah gather behind Edward to get his perspective.

"It looks like a door...", Albert Ball said.

"Cant be...", Hepzedah says.

"Why not?", Albert says.

"An Orion's Rift that huge can only work in space- not on a planet's gravity well, let alone on it!", Hepzedah stated.

"OK, now that we know how it happened. How do we stop it?", Manfred says.

"Holodisplay- off.", Hepzedah says, "We have 3 fronts to attack on. First, the Orion freighter that brought over the plans and the parts of the device. Though most of the device was built with Terrain Technologies, the plans to put it together was not. Capture the Orion that handed over those plans, and give them one of our corrected plans and we stop it from being built incorrectly."

"What are the other two fronts?", James McCudden asks.

"The other two plans are to take over the lab during the explosion before the experiment begins, and then I'll apply the corrections needed. Lastly, that Orion freighter that brought over the Orion Saboteur can not go home. Study your notes for weak points to attack. We start in 2 days.", Hepzedah explains as she starts to walk out of the room. "I trust you can answer your own questions.", She adds as she opens the door before stepping out and leaving. With the slam of the door, she is gone.

"Look at the size of that thing...", Frank Luke saids as he looks at his notes.

"It is bigger than the Titanic.", Albert says.

"So? Just attack it like a giant zeppelin.", Edward stated.

"Even our Zeppelins were armed. This is not going to be easy.", Oswald Boelcke added to the facts.

"Lets put out heads together on this...", Maxx Immelmann says.

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"This is the final meeting this crew is going to have.", Captain Lasivelle says to the gathered group in front of her in one of the larger cargo bay rooms the ship has.

"In 48 hours we will fly the Wraith into Orion Space and try to get within their planet's orbit. There we will begin preparation for a chrono-dimensional escape, while at the same time, the engineer crew will put the ship's three Orion Rift Reactors on Run-away mode while the bridge crew will put the ship onto a collision course with their homeworld.", Captain Lasivelle explains.

The crew agrees with the orders while much of them goes over their own packages that were given to them.

"Secondary Bridge Crew will be in the secondary bridge in case we get attacked and maintain collision course to the last possible minute. Medical and auxiliary medical crews will be on stand by at each station. But no one will be manning the weapons sections. Wozingen, is the ship ready?", Captain Lasivelle asks.

"Its ready, Ma'am.", the black kangaroo says.

"Alright then- I'm not going to answer questions. You all have the next 6 hours to read over your instructions to this mission and to get your personal businesses in order. The Ayogatlam will be waiting to receive your private and personal storage cubes. Speak to no one of this mission, don't even verify fact if they tell you of them. You have your orders.", Captain Lasivelle stated before she starts to walk out of the cargo.

Chief Engineer Wozingen along with the ships other first officers walks to where the Captain was and starts to explain his part of the mission. Each other officer does the same to their specialized crews.

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A bloody finger of a glove presses on a console of a desk. For a second, it beeps in response.

"Medical.", a voice answers from the console.

"Have Dr. Nimativ come to me office.", Norzal stated in a grim tone, "Tell him to bring his little black bag while he's at it."

"He'll be on his way.", the voice on the console says.

Norzal steps away from his desk and takes off his bloodied gloves and keeps them held in his paws as he approaches the unconscious body that was limply held in place by its restraints. The doctor comes in to the office from a side entrance few knew about.

"What medical assistance do you need?", Dr. Nimativ asks.

"I require none at the moment. But my guest here is going to require your attention.", Norzal says as he steps away from a tied up, badly beaten and unconscious Zyekmal.

The doctor walked to Zyekmal, and visually examined him. "You should tone down your interviewing techniques."

"Orions don't have that right. Especially with me.", Norzal stated.

"Zyekmal, an Orion?", Dr. Nimativ asks as he run a miniature medical scanner on him. "Cant be, my scanner shows that he's one of us- right down to the DNA."

"He's an Orion Spy. A captured terrain who was nuero programmed to be one of us, and to report to them about our activities.", Norzal says.

"And he was head of the Terrain Council along with you and the others? How can that be?", Dr. Nimativ asks.

"Them damned Orions, you know how sneaky they can be.", Norzal says, "Take him to your magic workshop, but show him no preferential treatment. In fact, give him enough to keep him alive. I need to ask more questions later on."

"Aye-aye sir.", the doctor says. Tapping a few commands on his com board, "One of my trusted medical crews will be by to pick him up."

"Make it fast. He's beginning to stink up my room.", Norzal says.

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