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For Reference:

Kyree (key ree): anthromorph wolf-like race

Kenseng (ken sang): anthromorph tiger-like race

Arastos (a rest tos): alien starship http://www.sofurry.com/page/248059

Arastos Crew:

Kanolos (ka no loss): male kyree, starship helmsman, mated to Riyla

Riyla (ri la): female kyree, starship captain, mated to Kanolos

Shyla (shy la): female kenseng, starship tactical officer/cook, mated to Yanashi

Yanashi (yana she): female kyree, starship tactical officer/physician, mated to Shyla

Eriras (ear rass): female kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Taylo

Taylo (tay low): male kenseng, starship engineer, mated to Eriras

Lumina (loo men na): holographic female kyree construct, starship supporting A.I.

Keith (key th): male human, human ambassador

Territory Map Diagram: http://www.sofurry.com/page/222716/

Awakening the Giants

Written By: Spudz

War was but an unforgiving adversary, seeking to obliterate all who were unfortunate enough to be swept up in its terrible grasp. Already, the first horrific blows had been cruelly dealt, paving the way toward a horrendous climax set to conclude this brief but no less deadly conflict between powerful opponents.

With an underhanded strategy, the Domain had succeeded in crippling the Federation fleet, while simultaneously carrying out a daring assault upon planet Earth. Yet all that was accomplished was the awakening of two formidable sleeping giants; one possessing a keen and deadly capacity to wage merciless warfare... and the other a sly and cunning opponent, unable to openly oppose its foe... yet equally capable of striking with deadly proficiency at any exposed weakness.

Together these two powers composed a daunting force, waiting for the opportune moment to counterattack with outright determination and vehemence. All that was needed was a cunning strategy, mutual collaboration between allies... and a bit of luck.

"I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack." -Isoroku Yamamoto

*************************

"Hell... we might as well just drag the whole damned mess hall up to the bridge!"

"You know... I did ask if I could carry that. But you had to be stubborn..."

"Now, I can't let you do all of the work, can I?"

Well, she could have. But that was a notion that Eriras never burdened Taylo with. Sure it was common practice for the male to always take on more labor-intensive tasks, always stepping in chivalrously to help his mate in any way possible. However, the female kenseng didn't see things that way.

Eriras was more than capable of handling physical labor herself when the situation deemed the task necessary. This particularly tenacious attitude toward being self-reliant was in part the main reason why she had become an engineer in the first place. Nothing satisfied the kenseng more than to get her hands dirty working on complex machinery, fulfilling an innate drive to understand and apply her intimate knowledge of mechanical knowhow... a passion that had made itself known back when she first disassembled a portable wrist computer as a cub.

This endearing quality of Eriras was a characteristic that Taylo treasured deeply. Her outright curiosity to explore and understand the complex nature of the universe had captivated him back when they first met during their academy days in the fleet. The whole affair had proven to be a cliché love at first sight ordeal, with the two kenseng soon becoming mates not long after advancement into active duty.

In that regard, it was thanks to Eriras that Taylo had become an engineer himself. She had been that key driving force to push him into the field of study, and he was utterly grateful for her persistence on the issue. Never would he have reckoned himself keen on maintaining the slipstream drive of a starship, a sophisticated apparatus capable of punching holes in the fabric of normal space. Yet, experience had shown that the kenseng possessed an inherent knack for the job; Eriras must've known that particular talent of his was there all along.

Taylo's occupation proved to be quite an enjoyable undertaking for the russet-furred kenseng, mainly because he was able to spend his time working alongside his mate. She was a wonderful lover, as well as a skilled but sometimes stubborn colleague... and at the moment that distinct resolve of hers was certainly making itself known in quite the comical fashion.

Eriras was by no means a tall kenseng, since she stood at just over five feet tall with a petite build. At the moment, his mate labored strenuously to carrier a rather large metal food container over her shoulder while her feline tail flicked about wildly in an effort to steady her balance. Adding to the humor of the situation was the fact that Taylo simply held a sizeable thermos under one arm effortlessly and a stack of cups balanced in his other hand. Why she insisted on hauling the heavier of the two burdens was a matter he couldn't quite understand.

Roughly half an hour before, Lumina had asked if the two engineers could bring refreshments up to the bridge. Of course, both kenseng eagerly wanted to know what discussions were transpiring between their human guests and the captain, so the mated pair found themselves quickly gathering up what breakfast foods could be found in the mess hall. Since neither of them was adept at cooking anything palatable for their human guests, let alone for themselves, the resulting haul consisted of mainly cold breakfast snack items.

Add to that a piping hot thermos of coffee, and you had yourself at least a somewhat decent morning meal. The problem was, the only nearby box capable of transporting all of the food at hand was a large crate used for storage in the cargo hold. Not exactly an object designed to be carried by hand.

With a huff of exhaustion, Eriras suddenly dropped the food container to the floor just as the two reached the stairway leading up to the top deck. "I think I underestimated how heavy this damned thing was," she spoke wearily, while woefully eyeing the stairs before her.

"Do you want me to take over carrying it the rest of the way?" Taylo's inquiry was met with momentary silence. While smiling, he carefully placed the coffee thermos and cups onto the deck, before leaning down to take custody of the metal box.

Abruptly, the white striped tail of Taylo's mate batted him lightly across the face, in a show of Eriras's skillful manipulation of her feline physique. The fact that she was capable of maneuvering the appendage willfully with relative ease always baffled him. No matter how hard he tried, the kenseng could never gain any form of control over his own tail, as it instead always flicked about seemingly with a mind of its own.

"I didn't say I was throwing in the towel just yet," Eriras cooed, grinning wickedly. "I'll be damned if I don't lug this piece of crap all the way up there!"

"Well, I suppose I'm not going to sway you on the matter. However, we really should try and arrive on the bridge sometime before midnight."

Taylo's jest was met by a sudden look of feigned indignation from his mate. "Oh... you can be quite cruel."

Steadying herself, Eriras suddenly reached down and again hoisted the bulky container over her shoulder with a grunt. Before Taylo could offer a reply, the white-furred kenseng deftly began to vault up the stairway to the deck above, apparently getting a second wind.

"I have to give her credit," he spoke mirthfully to himself. "When she sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her."

After picking up the thermos and cups once more, Taylo quickly followed his mate's tail up the stairs. Arastos did possess a lift between the ship's three decks. But that particular apparatus was located further aft along the hull, in order to help with moving supplies to and from the cargo hold. In any case, a little exercise never hurt.

It wasn't long before the two kenseng finally reached the doorway leading to the bridge compartment, with Eriras finding herself just a little out of breath. However her expression was one of triumph.

"And you thought I couldn't make it," she chuckled wearily, while turning to smirk at Taylo with the container still awkwardly positioned on her shoulder. "Although... I think I threw my back out in the process."

Her mate shook his head with a grin of his own. "That's why I love you. How about a nice massage to work out those stressed back muscles? After we take care of our human guests, of course."

Eriras offered a sincere smile in reply... oh, that wonderful smile always melted his heart.

"It's a date then," Taylo added, grinning to himself at the thought of working his hands across her beautiful soft white fur. Unfortunately though, duty came first. And at the moment they just so happened to be at war with a formidable enemy, one who had already shown a willingness to fight dirty. His mate's supple fur would have to wait.

They held eye contact for the briefest of moments, Eriras seemingly reading his mind as her expression grew serious. Her feline ears pinned back while a quick rush of fury swept across the kenseng's expression. "We'll repay those bastards for the hell they've caused."

Taylo offered a small nod of agreement. The atrocities that had been committed against his kind were utterly unforgivable. The Domain had struck first, but the Federation undoubtedly was poised to return the favor ruthlessly... and he would make damned sure to be a part of that merciless counterattack. There would most definitely be hell to pay. "I'm counting on it."

Eriras's gaze took on a neutral tone while she sighed deeply, the fury disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. "Come on, let's not keep our friends waiting any longer," the female kenseng breathed jadedly, as she shifted her stance slightly to alter the position of the container against her shoulder. There was no sense getting all worked up now, especially while holding such a heavy burden.

"Alright... but I still owe you that back massage."

His mate allowed herself another smile as she quelled her anger. "I'll hold you to it."

With that, the two kenseng made their way forward once more, causing the large doorway to part open before them and reveal the ship's bridge beyond. Hopefully a little food and coffee might go a long way toward resolving whatever issues were being discussed between the crew and their human guests. It was too bad neither of them were capable of cooking a decent breakfast though.

That unfortunate fact had unexpectedly made itself known roughly a month prior in the form of a nasty fire in the ship's galley. The rest of the crew had been utterly perplexed as to how the mated pair could've caused such a mess, since the two of them were only baking a pizza... a particularly unique food of Earth that had become a favorite meal aboard the ship. Since then, Taylo and Eriras had elected to forgo their own disastrous forays into cooking by instead relying on Shyla's culinary prowess.

The memories of hapless cooking ventures and galley fires were abruptly forgotten though, with both kenseng coming to stand awkwardly just beyond the door's threshold. A deafening silence suddenly hung heavily in the air, unnerving the engineers greatly. However, the greatest discomfort emanated from the many sets of eyes now regarding the pair. Obviously a discussion of grave importance had been transpiring prior to the kensengs' arrival, which their sudden entrance had interrupted rather gracelessly.

The two engineers couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with everyone's attention directed toward them. There were Riyla and Kanolos of course, who were standing together near the captain's console with inquisitive looks. Standing near them were Keith and Lumina's holographic kyree projection, along with another human who had to be a member of the submarine crew they had just rescued. Rounding off the group was President Schrader in his tattered clothing, accompanied by four secret service agents grouped just behind where he stood near the panoramic bridge window. The only individuals not present were the mated tactical officers Shyla and Yanashi.

Panicking, Taylo's eyes darted about the bridge rapidly as he tried to find words in the sudden awkward silence. However, Eriras beat him to the punch.

"Erm... we brought breakfast," the white-furred kenseng spoke tentatively, punctuating her statement by motioning to the food container with a jerk of her head. "I don't suppose anyone is hungry?"

Her words hung in the air for a few moments, until Kanolos suddenly blinked deliberately as he shook his head.

"You know what... I am hungry," he replied bashfully. The pilot patted his stomach with a hand while he eyed the food container in question. "All of this serious talk made me forget I haven't eaten yet today. Just what do you have in there, Eriras?"

The kenseng engineer shrugged, the motion appearing quite awkward as she continued to balance the box over her shoulder. "Honestly, I'm not all that sure. We pretty much just scooped up what snack items we could find."

Kanolos chuckled in response. "Not keen on trying your hand at cooking again, eh?"

The female engineer's feline ears folded flat in embarrassment, as her gaze fell to the deck for a brief moment. "It probably wouldn't be best to start another fire when we have guests aboard," Eriras spoke with discomfiture as she stole a glance at Taylo, who simply nodded in uneasy agreement.

"Ah well...it's not like I can cook worth a damn myself," Kano continued, scratching his pointy ear with a hand. "I have to rely on my better half for that."

Riyla merely rolled her eyes at the fox-furred kyree's words. Kanolos really didn't possess any form of culinary skill whatsoever, illustrated by his inability to so much as boil water. The kyree could pilot starships, and fly circles around anything... but place him in a kitchen, and he became a blundering disaster. At least Kano was well aware of his shortcomings, since he never so much as attempted a foray in the galley of Arastos without his mate on hand to help.

"Thanks for bringing up breakfast," the captain began with an earnest smile. As it turned out, her own stomach was also growling for some sustenance. Furthermore, the notion of breakfast offered a nice reprieve from the intense deliberations just a moment ago, which so far had gone nowhere. "You can go ahead and set the container on the holo map table... since there really is no other place to put it."

Breakfast, as it turned out, was really not all that impressive. The haul from the mess hall only contained several different Federation issue breakfast snack items, along with a few human additions the crew favored. Nonetheless, a bit of food was a welcomed relief to take one's attention off of things... the coffee alone served to clear the mind of cobwebs.

While the Federation crew and Keith partook in their refreshments, the remaining human contingent elected to patiently wait nearby. Taylo noted that no one made a move to join in, which was rather unsettling. "You are all more than welcome to help yourselves," he spoke earnestly, while holding a pastry in hand.

"Please, there is more than enough to go around," Eriras chimed in from alongside her mate. The female kenseng had decided on a strawberry Pop Tart herself, a packaged human food that had quickly caught on as a favorite amongst the crew... although the damned things always left crumbs everywhere.

Still none of the guests made a move to join the Federation crew... that is... until one of the human's stomachs rumbled audibly, causing him to blush while he scratched the back of his head fretfully. The man was clad in solid light brown clothing, with an eagle insignia pinned to his collar. To Taylo's knowledge, this implied the human was captain of a US Navy vessel.

As the kenseng engineer watched, the man visibly steeled himself before he approached Kanolos. The fox-furred kyree was actually caught in quite a comical position, with his muzzle fur mottled in white from the powdered donuts he was currently eating. At that moment, Kano actually had a whole donut crammed into his mouth while the submariner came to stand before him, in turn eliciting a sheepish expression from the pilot as he fought to quickly chew his food.

"Mind if I steal a donut?" the man asked hesitantly, just as Kanolos finished swallowing.

The kyree's wolfish eyes went wide for a moment, while he thumped his chest with a choked cough. "Erm ... sorry about that," Kano stammered. "Sure... here you go." He quickly reached over to pick up the nearby donut box and extended it out toward the human, who gladly accepted the offered food.

"Picked these guys up at a grocery store just north of Jacksonville," the fox-furred kyree continued, plucking another powdered ring-shaped pastry from the box. "That was back when we travelled up from Florida to visit the White House, as a matter of fact."

His comment provoked a raised eyebrow from the President, while Kanolos took an ample sized bite out of the hapless donut held in hand. "Ah... I'm guessing you are referring to a week ago when we first met." Schrader's tone was carefully neutral, as he stepped forward toward the contingent of Federation crew members. However, a smile slowly began working its way across his face. "You know... I really can't remember the last time I had a donut for breakfast."

"No kidding? I have a weakness for 'em myself. Whenever we're planetside I try and grab a box."

The submariner suddenly coughed sheepishly in polite interruption, his hand now holding an empty coffee cup. "I'm sorry to interrupt gentlemen, but do y'all have any cream and sugar? I've never been able to drink coffee without it, really..."

Kano's tail wagged happily as the kyree smiled. "Oh... finally. I thought I was the only soul who couldn't stomach the bitter stuff plain!" He motioned vaguely around the bridge to the other Federation crew present. "How they can drink it black and strong is beyond me."

As Kano talked, Taylo courteously picked up the donut box and handed it over to the President, who accepted it with a slight nod of thanks. With that, the tension on the bridge evaporated completely, while the remaining humans overcame their trepidation and joined in on breakfast.

"I'm sorry to ask," Taylo suddenly spoke a few moments later, after he finished pouring himself a cup of coffee. "...but I never caught your name." His statement was directed at the submariner, who was caught in the middle of adding the sweeteners to his own brew. Quickly the man turned to regard the kenseng with a momentary look of confusion. Obviously, he had not expected Taylo to address him.

"Ah ... my name is Ian." The human cleared his throat awkwardly as he straightened his posture somewhat. "I am captain of the USS Maryland."

Taylo's ears twitched perceptively. "Ah! I'm sorry captain." The engineer extended a hand out, which Ian accepted warmly in a friendly handshake. "My name is Taylo... nice to meet you."

"Likewise my friend."

Ian's gaze sized up the russet-furred kenseng notably, before the captain suddenly grinned. "You know... you would make the perfect mascot for LSU."

His statement momentarily confused the engineer. However, realization soon played across Taylo's muzzle, causing him to chuckle. As it so happened, he had begun to take an interest in the human sport of football... although the kenseng considered himself a newfound Clemson fan. "I suppose I would."

Quickly Eriras introduced herself to the sub captain via another warm handshake, as breakfast was hurriedly wrapped up. Once everyone was reinvigorated, it was time once again to get down to serious business. While no one wanted to address the issue any further, there was a war that needed to be fought.

"Alright... so right now our foremost concern is figuring out what to do with the Maryland," Riyla began, as she came to lean against the captain's console with coffee in hand. "Fixing her won't be all that difficult. Shyla and Yanashi are already evaluating the damage to the stern assembly as I speak."

"But how exactly can we mend the damage while stuck 200 feet underwater?" Ian chimed in with genuine concern. "I'm almost sure the bearings on the propulsion shaft are shot, and if we replace those, the watertight integrity of the sub is compromised."

"Oh, don't worry about that Captain Rubin. We have a solution for that particular problem." Riyla appeared completely confident in her statement, which befuddled her commanding counterpart.

Captain Rubin regarded the black kyree in thoughtful silence for a brief moment, before deciding to forgo the obvious question. "Alright, I guess you'll explain that to me later. Now, if performing the repairs isn't the problem... I can probably say that finding the replacement components will be."

Riyla cocked her head to the side slightly in curiosity, as she allowed Ian to explain.

"If the weapon that struck us was anything like the hellish beam of light I watched decimate a destroyer earlier this morning, then I can safely assume that the sub's screw was turned into Swiss cheese... thanks to our alien friends."

The human captain made a hand gesture of defeat. "The propulsion screw alone is such a finely crafted part that we have no hope of mending it correctly down here on the ocean floor. On top of that, the stern diving planes and rudder are also heavily damaged... the replacement parts alone are just unobtainable."

Riyla simply grinned impishly in response to the human's declaration. As Ian again went silent, the kyree placed her free hand on a hip smugly while shifting her stance, causing the captain's wolfish tail to swirl slightly behind her figure.

"Lemme guess... you've got a solution for that problem as well?" the Maryland's captain ventured dubiously.

"In fact, we do."

Ian fixed the kyree with a curious look. "Alright... you're going to have to explain this one to me."

Riyla's expression grew thoughtful for a moment, while she attempted to drum up a viable explanation. "I suppose you could say the solution to that problem is both simple... and utterly complex. And since I'm not very good at clarifying things, I'll let Lumina do the honors."

While the two captains had discussed the situation, the white kyree hologram of the A.I. construct had remained quietly off to the side. Now with Riyla passing on the reigns of the conversation, Lumina stepped forward as she regarded Ian cordially.

"Obviously the captain's statement didn't help explain things," she began, coming to stand before the human skipper. Her words were met with an exaggerated eye roll from Riyla. "Basically the solution to your problem is sub atomic particle manipulation... or essentially matter compilation and decompilation."

Lumina's kyree hologram gestured toward the cup of coffee Ian had grasped in his hand. "We use a device called a sub atomic matter compiler to create materials and simple objects aboard this ship... that cup being one such item."

Slowly Ian lifted the cup in question to eye level, while he scrutinized the plastic-like material it was comprised of. "So... are we talking like Star Trek replicator technology here?"

In reply Lumina offered a cheeky grin. "Almost... really, Star Trek practically got the idea spot on compared to the technology we have. Although in reality we cannot produce fully cooked meals or complex assembled equipment... just the core bio ingredients and materials."

In fact, the concept behind the compilation apparatus had first been perfected roughly two decades ago. Using a barrage of heat energy, the device propelled a given atomic structure of a material into a hyper excited state, wherein the atomic assembly was all but completely decompiled. Once this state was achieved, the sub atomic particles of the exploded substance were then systematically rearranged to form new atoms and molecules, with the machine building a new material from the ground up. Once the desired atomic makeup was achieved, the energy injected into the material was purged, causing the substance to take shape and form as it rapidly cooled down to room temperature. There was some net energy loss during the transformation process, but that disparity was supplemented by the ship's plasma core.

In order to make this process possible, the starship possessed a large storage tank filled with a dense liquid metal alloy. When a material was created, the replication mechanism drew on this reservoir of matter to decompile and then build the desired substance... whether bio matter or not. In that regard, some Federation crew found the notion unnerving that the food they ate originated as a dense metallic alloy at one point or another. But, that fact couldn't be helped since the technology eliminated the need for starships to carry large quantities of food supplies and water.

As Captain Rubin carefully mulled over Lumina's words, a holographic projection materialized alongside the white-furred kyree with a photo real depiction of the Maryland's propulsion screw. "We can reproduce the prop for your sub," the construct continued with a nod of confidence. "All we have to do is scan the damaged screw into the ship's computer, and then simply duplicate a wholly new prop for your boat. Hell... we can even make some slight modifications to reduce the acoustical resonance, which I'm sure you might appreciate."

Ian continued to stand silently for the briefest of moments, before the human shook his head with an astonished whistle. "Ok... I'm officially impressed. It was one thing to see such innovations in fictional TV shows... quite another to hold it in your hand." The skipper slowly pivoted the coffee cup about in his grasp, as if the object was a prized diamond. "If only we had this technology aboard the Maryland... we could stay submerged for years at a time. Although, the crew would probably go stir crazy in the meantime."

"I can attest personally to that," Riyla replied, her cheeky grin matching Lumina's. "Sometimes this starship can feel like a prison... and I just need to find an excuse to come down planetside for a change in scenery."

The kyree's statement suddenly provoked a question from her human counterpart as a thought occurred to him. "So... you have actually been down to the planet's surface before? How exactly is that possible?" Ian motioned with an outstretched hand toward Riyla's physique. "I mean, you don't exactly blend in well with the locals... obviously whatever technique you use was good enough to get Kano there into the White House."

The Secret Service personnel present shifted uncomfortably where they stood silently behind the President. Even though these aliens possessed technology far beyond the human realm of understanding, there was still a sense of defeat that came with Kanolos's blatant breach of their security umbrella. There was no worse feeling to the agents than to know their primary charge had been completely exposed to a foreign element, whether friendly or not.

"Uh... well... we can show you the technology regarding that later," Riyla continued. The kyree motioned to Lumina's hologram for emphasis. "Suffice it to say that the technique utilizes similar technology to that of Lumina's projection matrix, which is overlaid around our physical forms to project a wholly new appearance... in this case that of a typical human."

"Unbelievable..." It was just one mind-boggling thing after another for Ian. However, the skipper quickly composed himself. He was not here to interview these valiant aliens... he was here because his country was at war. And at the moment, the sole weapon under Captain Rubin's command just so happened to be that of a strategic weapon platform. "In any case... I can appease my curiosity later. Back to the problem at hand."

Ian took to folding his arms loosely across the chest, while he refocused his attention on a matter far more dangerous than the prospect of tearing his sub apart underwater. "So the standing question remains... is there any feasible strategic use for the nuclear arsenal aboard my boat?"

It had been the heated topic of debate prior to Taylo and Eriras entering with breakfast, phrased through a simple question. Just how effective would a tactical nuclear strike be on the Domain armada? The issue itself was a dire and foreboding subject to discuss. Yet, there really was no alternative counter attack strategy the humans could muster at the moment. The problem was the consequences of using such a devastating weapon.

In response to Ian's posed question, President Schrader came forward to rejoin the conversation. "If anything, we should at least attempt an attack using the weapons. I see no foreseeable alternative... humanity really has run out of cards to play."

"Well, like I said before," Kanolos spoke, taking up the conversation thread as he sat atop the captain's console dash. "...if the Domain capital starships have their shields raised prior to a nuclear blast, the resulting damage would be marginal at best." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "If we decided to launch the Maryland's ballistic missiles, we would have to try catching the enemy with their defenses down."

"There is another problem in that respect," Ian chimed in dispassionately. "If I were to conduct a tactical missile launch, there is little doubt my sub would be lit up like a Christmas tree on holiday for any hostile vessels to come and use as target practice."

The skipper's concerns were certainly not unfounded. In order for an Ohio class missile sub to launch her complement of 24 Trident SLBMs, the boat first had to rise to a launch depth of roughly 150 feet... not exactly a prime location for such a vulnerable ship to be. Furthermore, the act of launching was by no means a quiet process, with each missile exiting the hull in a burst of pressurized steam. If the hostile aliens were capable of detecting the vessel while she was at her quietest, there was no telling how fast they would be all over the Maryland once she started lobbing nukes skyward.

Captain Rubin eyed the President with a meaningful expression. "I would prefer a plan where my ship and her crew don't get blasted to hell and back... again."

Schrader began to reply, before Lumina cut him off. "There is one more troubling concern if nukes are set off in low Earth orbit." At that moment, the familiar holographic display of the planet again materialized into view beside the A.I.'s kyree figure, with the Domain armada clearly shown orbiting about the terra firma as distinct clusters of red dots.

"I've been running simulations on possible methods of employing the use of nukes," Lumina continued, while everyone turned their attention to the display. "There is another potentially deadly side effect to a nuclear detonation... that being one hell of an EMP."

It took a moment for Ian to recall his days back in naval academy, to when he had been introduced to a relatively unknown approach of ICBM strategic warfare... multiple high-altitude concurrent nuclear detonations with the sole intent to generate a massive electromagnetic pulse. The concept was a wholly different tactic in endgame strategy, since the resulting effect was nothing like that seen in a convention surface application.

Starfish Prime... it was the poster child experiment of high-altitude nuclear explosions. Ian remembered the details of the test quite vividly from a Cold War history class. Performed on July 9th 1962, the experiment was conducted across a remote series of Pacific islands at an altitude of roughly 250 miles. The resulting EMP generated by the detonation had been far larger than initially expected, shorting out electronic equipment on the Hawaiian Islands some 900 miles away. Explosions on the planet's surface also generated an EMP. But any electrical equipment affected by such a powerful wave of gamma particles was usually destroyed physically by the ensuing shockwave.

Had the relatively small explosive yield of Starfish Prime been detonated over the United States where the Earth's magnetic field was greater, a good portion of the country would've suddenly been thrust back into the Dark Ages. The prospect was definitely troubling, and had certainly shocked Captain Rubin when he first learned of this new destructive power.

"Damn... I had forgotten about EMP," the skipper replied dismally. He quickly relayed his knowledge on Starfish Prime while the others listened in stunned silence. Obviously the alien crew, excluding Lumina, had no understanding of this second form of nuclear fallout. "...and Starfish was only a 1.44 kiloton yield weapon. The warheads on the Maryland's armaments are about 475 kilotons per MIRV."

Alongside Lumina, the holographic display of Earth suddenly had a small pinpoint explosion appear in the midst of a cluster of Domain starships, while the A.I. again took up the conversation. "Exactly... the resulting impact to the planet's magnetic field would be detrimental. If the entire complement of the Maryland's arsenal was detonated in an effort to cripple the drala warships, the subsequent barrage of EMPs would cripple the planet."

The lone pinpoint explosion was joined by a slew of others spread out across low orbit around Earth. Slowly, transparent spherical fields expanded out from the detonation origins, each rapidly consuming the space around the various blast sources. Where two opposing pulses collided, a bright contour flared into focus and slowly spread outward in all directions, in much the same fashion as two ripples on a surface of water colliding.

"The immediate region below the nuclear detonations will experience the full brunt of the EMP pulse barrage," Lumina added with an even tone, her gaze focused mainly on President Schrader. At that moment the EMP pulses began to destabilize the planet's magnetic field, resulting in ripples appearing all across the holo projection. "Along with the fields generated by the direct blasts, echo effects will also materialize and effect regions across all portions of Earth... the event will be catastrophic."

"What are we talking about in terms of effect?" Schrader inquired hesitantly, while he continued to watch the holographic display with a perplexed expression.

Lumina fixed the human leader with a foreboding gaze. "The event would be similar to a massive solar storm. In effect, the charged particles from the explosions would be accelerated by the planet's magnetic field and would generate massive amounts of electrical energy. Any region subjected to a strong EMP pulse would have all electronic devices and equipment short out... permanently."

Captain Rubin sighed. "In 1989, a big solar storm knocked out the electrical grid for most of Quebec for about 9 hours before they could restore power to it. If memory serves, something similar happened in the 1800s, except that telegraph lines from Europe to the Americas sparked and shocked the operators working them."

The A.I. held up a finger. "Power plants and supporting grid infrastructure." She raised a second finger. "All communication networks, such as phone and fiber optic systems." A third finger. "All forms of transportation, including cars, trains, and aircraft," She raised a fourth digit. "Grocery stores, medical facilities... anything that a typical individual needs to survive in a modern civilization. The very fabric of society will come unraveled, leading to death and suffering."

"Basically, the United States, among other developed nations, would be thrown back to a pre-industrialized state," Captain Rubin added, his gaze empty. "Don't forget that all the utility systems across the globe rely on electrical energy. Water wouldn't be pumped to homes, there'd be no sewage being treated, no gas... and nuclear plants rely on power to keep their cooling systems running. After about a week, we'd have a couple hundred Chernobyl level accidents across the globe."

The skipper looked down at his two hands bleakly, as if weighing his morals. "No offense, but I'm not going to live with that hanging over my head."

President Schrader visibly sized up Ian with a shrewd look. "You say that, yet you are captain of a strategic missile submarine... whose sole purpose is to fight a nuclear war."

"Yes, my role is to deal overwhelming damage to an enemy and remove their capacity to wage war. However, this isn't such a case. We would be doing more harm than good."

"Obviously that option is out of the question," Riyla spoke grimly, interrupting as she rejoined the conversation. "There is just too much risk associated with nuclear weapons." The black-furred kyree thoughtfully folded her arms across the chest. If the Maryland's primary weapon was of no use, then they needed to find another role for the human sub. The tactical advantage of being located planetside when the enemy was focused outwardly with their defense was just too crucial to ignore... there had to be something the humans could do...

"So... what can my sub actually do to help fight this war?" Ian's words hung in the air as a silence descended upon the group.

No one could think of any viable solution to the problem. How could they possibly use such a strategic weapon, when the collateral damage was just too high to be acceptable? The use of nukes had always been an endgame scenario for humanity, with the resulting destruction presumed to extinguish all civilized life on the planet... and it seemed that this particular situation was no different.

While the discussion had carried on, Taylo remained silent off to the side of the bridge. The kenseng stood with a hand stroking the underside of his tiger-like muzzle in deep thought, while he slowly hashed out a plan that had suddenly come together in his head. The strategy was by no means conventional, and completely against Federation regulation. Yet there was really no better solution to the problem at hand... might as well give the idea a try.

In the lengthening silence, Taylo stepped forward and grabbed the attention of all present. "I might have an idea... although it isn't exactly allowed under Federation doctrine."

Captain Rubin smiled a bit. "Some would argue that we've already crossed that bridge at this point, haven't we?"

"Go ahead," Riyla replied, motioning with a hand to proceed. "We might have to bend the rules a little on this one in any case."

"Why not swap out the nuclear warhead on the missiles and replace the weapons with Federation issue strategic arms? We could keep the missile boosters as is, so that the Maryland can still launch."

That statement elicited a few raised eyebrows.

Riyla's wolfish ears twitched keenly, her gaze becoming contemplative while the kyree mulled over Taylo's idea. Certainly, removing the nukes from the equation altogether was probably the best solution. But the strategy of strapping Federation technology onto an alien weapon, not to mention a race that was pre-warp, was a blatant violation of Federation Axis policy. The repercussions of such an act could be detrimental, since the technology was far more advanced than the human race was capable of achieving. But then again, the directive was a blanket principle. It was impossible to predict how a new technology might influence a given race. So the basic idea was to simply deny introduction of any concept or idea to a foreign power, and forgo the risk altogether.

Federation regulations aside, this was a desperate time... which required desperate measures as the humans liked to say. Surely the fleet would understand Riyla's decision to splice technology onto the human weapons. The idea really was the only workable solution the group had come up with. Not to mention, Captain Rubin seemed like the perfect individual to trust with such deadly armaments. The question now was how would they accomplish this feat?

As the others watched, the black-furred kyree nodded slightly with approval, before she spoke. "I see no other alternative at this point." Riyla turned her attention to Taylo inquisitively. "How do you propose we proceed?"

The engineer's gaze grew thoughtful, while he mentally ran through how he could perform what amounted to a full weapon overhaul of the human SLBMs. "First we would have to remove the nuclear warheads from the missile booster assembly... and thoroughly scan one to see how the device is built internally."

"Would that require removing the entire SLBM from the Maryland's vertical launch tube?"

Taylo considered the captain's words for a brief moment, as his feline tail flicked about vigorously. "I don't know until I get a good look at how much space I have to work with. Best guess is that I will indeed have to remove the weapon entirely." He took a sip of his coffee while he continued to assess the task at hand. "Once I know what dimensions I have to work with, we can begin fabricating a wholly new armament to fit within the same confines that the nuclear warheads were built into... one that won't retain the same collateral damage as a nuke."

"How long do you think it would take to build and install this new weapon on all 24 missiles?" Riyla inquired in curiosity, her tone laced with a hint of optimism.

"With Eriras and Lumina helping... probably three days. If I enlist some help from the Maryland's crew, we might be able to finish sooner."

At that moment, Captain Rubin elected to interject. "Removing the nukes from the equation is all well and good. But if I launch, it will still leave the Maryland open to counterattack. Also, it will take some time for the missiles to reach orbit." The skipper's attention fell on Taylo, while the kenseng folded his arms across the chest loosely with coffee cup still in hand. "I reckon that the Domain starships will detect the incoming projectiles and take action to either destroy or evade the missiles."

"Ah... but that is where I come into the picture," Lumina chimed in, a grin splayed across her wolfish muzzle. "I will make sure that the Maryland is safe and that the weapons reach their targets without our enemy being any the wiser."

The A.I. chose not to elaborate on just how she would accomplish that particular deed, leaving Captain Rubin to draw his own conclusions. There was probably a good reason why she had chosen to keep that information to herself... so the skipper pushed the notion aside for the moment. "Alright... if that is not a concern, I'm all for upgrading my boat so that I can give a little personal payback to our dear friends in orbit."

"Ok, then let's proceed with that course of action," Riyla proclaimed contentedly, assuming her leadership role. The kyree continued to rub the side of her muzzle pensively while she began working out a battle plan. "I already have Shyla and Yana tasked with fixing the sub's screw and stern planes... Captain Rubin... I suppose you could assign some of your crew to help with the matter."

"I can give you as many personnel as you need."

"Good... Shyla and Yana can work with you to coordinate that." Riyla turned her attention to the two kenseng engineers. "I'll leave the task of swapping out the warheads in your capable hands. Again, I'm sure the sub crew can offer assistance with labor as well." Both kenseng acknowledged the captain's instruction with a nod of the head, while Ian quickly began putting together a roster of his crew that could lend a hand.

At that moment Keith cleared his throat. "I figure I can work as Lumina's assistant. Since she is going to be so busy performing several tasks at once, I can help by acting as a second pair of hands for her." He punctuated his statement by raising both his arms in front of his body like a doctor having just sterilized for surgery.

"That is an excellent idea," Riyla replied with a sincere smile. "She is going to play a crucial part in this battle plan... so any extra help she has will be good."

"I'd like to offer my help as well..."

The one who had spoken was no less than President Schrader himself, catching the others off guard as he had almost been forgotten. "I've been useless since this whole mess began... I want to help in any way I can."

Both Kano and Riyla blinked deliberately in incredulity. This was the President of the United States, a figurehead that ran an entire country... and he wanted to get his hands dirty?! The man before them was certainly not the same demoralized politician that had first come aboard a day ago. His change in demeanor was definitely welcomed.

"I'd be dumb not to accept your help Mr. President," Riyla spoke with a warm smile. The commanding kyree motioned over toward Taylo and Eriras. "You can help them with the SLBMs if you'd like." She made sure to watch her words carefully; so that it didn't sound like she was placing him under her engineers' command... he was still arguably the most powerful man on planet Earth after all.

"Alright, then that is the undertaking I will assist with."

Schrader had always been privy to the destructive force of the nuclear arsenal at his command. Yet, all of the information he retained stemmed from briefings and documentation. Actually getting to see the weapons of mass destruction up close and personal was both intriguing and horrifying at the same time. If memory served him, a typical SLBM was by no means a sturdy weapon to be jostling around... and retained a tendency to blow up if not properly handled...

It was quickly decided that the four secret service agents would accompany Schrader on the missile warhead change out. There was just no way they were going to let him out of sight, no matter how friendly their newfound friends were. Besides, changing out 24 warheads in three days was no small feat. The Federation crew was going to need all the help they could get on that particular task.

And thus, everyone found themselves with a job to perform. What had once been two wholly separate military units, and a certain political figurehead, now came together as one fluid team, ready to work together to reach a common goal. Now it was time to get their hands dirty.

"Kano and I will work to draw up a battle plan and monitor the Domain's movements," Riyla continued confidently, her pointy ears perking up slightly as the kyree became more animated. There were still a lot of finer points that needed to be hammered out... but for now the two ship crews could begin work on their given assignments. "The preliminary goal is to be battle ready in three days. Let's get a move on!"

With that, the congregation dispersed, as everyone except Riyla and Kanolos moved to exit the bridge and follow Taylo. However, just as Captain Rubin crossed the door's threshold, the human abruptly turned to regard the mated kyree with a contemplative expression.

"You know... you never did tell me how we're going to perform all of this extensive maintenance and repair while 200 feet underwater," the skipper inquired with a raised eyebrow.

His question provoked a cheeky grin from both Federation crew members, before Kano replied with a chuckle. "Oh... we've got the perfect solution... you'll see..."

*************************

It was an order unheard of in the submarine profession... something that no sailor ever expected to do while in the Silent Service. Just what in the hell was the captain thinking?!

The crew member eyed the sealed hatch before him with an uneasy look. At the moment, he stood awkwardly on the ladder leading up to the USS Maryland's aft access point, with the door before him being the only metal separating him from the outside of the sub's hull. Normally the sailor would have no qualms about opening the hatch to allow fresh air to cascade into the submarine compartment, since sunlight was always a welcomed respite from being cooped up inside a metal tube for several months on end. However, in this case they just so happened to be 200 feet underwater.

Not only was the sailor supposed to open the hatch and compromise the watertight integrity of the submarine compartment, he had actually been instructed to climb up out of the opened access point to assess the damage to the stern planes and propulsion screw. How in God's name was he supposed to accomplish that?! The captain had confidently assured his crew that it was perfectly safe to open the hatch; yet, he chose not to elaborate how this was possible with a smug grin.

And so the crew member found himself with a hand on the hatch release, while he turned his attention down to regard his counterpart below on the ladder. "Are you sure this is safe?" he asked incredulously.

The other submariner simply shrugged indecisively, obviously not as concerned about the matter as his colleague. "If the captain says it's safe... then it is."

"Hmph... I wish I had your confidence."

Uttering those words, the sailor gave a tug on the access point release, causing the hatch door to part with the surrounding hull while uttering a metallic hiss. At once both men braced themselves for a torrent of cascading water... yet only a refreshing burst of breathable air rushed inward to welcome the crew.

Air? Down here at 200 feet? How was that possible?!

Slowly the Maryland crew members climbed up the hatch ladder, while both gaped in awed silence to their surroundings. The world that they soon emerged into was nothing ever witnessed on Earth before...a realm that defied the laws of physics in nothing less than a spectacular fashion. It was a scene that absolutely took the breath away.

Surrounding the sub on all sides was that of a brilliant translucent blue aura, which appeared at first glance to box the vessel's hull in on all sides. The dark murky water of the surrounding ocean was clearly visible along the outer perimeter of this bizarre field, giving the odd discomfiture of vertigo for the two humans. It was as if someone had upended a fish tank and placed the container on top of the submarine... although the water was confined outside in an awkwardly backwards fashion.

At that moment, the sailors took notice of four distinctly large poles jutting out from the seafloor surrounding the Maryland. It was at these four locations that the transparent field came together at right angles, forming the corners of the box encompassing the ship. Obviously these posts, which hummed softy in the artificial atmosphere, were the mechanisms generating the strange shield.

"Truly a work of modern engineering..."

The unexpected voice from behind nearly caused the men to fall off the side of the sub's deck. Thankfully the Maryland was no longer listing to her port side, since the aliens had corrected that problem swiftly after the earlier meeting had broken up... yet her bow was still buried in the soot of the seafloor with the stern angled upward at a notable angle, which did little to help with one's balance.

After making sure not to fall off of the deck, both men reeled around to come face to face with a creature not of their world. The alien's presence simply left the humans speechless in sudden terror.

Her appearance was that of a formidable tiger, sporting fur of a deep crimson red while distinct black stripes were patterned across the alien's figure in the same manner as her four-legged cousins of Earth. The kenseng's form was distinguishingly feminine, causing her human counterparts to gawk awkwardly for a brief moment while they took in her features.

Suddenly the alien grinned mischievously, flashing her fangs as she crossed her arms across the chest before she spoke. "It sure is comforting to know that several hundred feet of water is being held back by a thin layer of transparent energy, eh? Always boggles my mind to see such a sight."

Instinctively, the humans took a step back from Shyla, their expressions one of fear and uncertainty. While both men had seen Kano's picture on the evening news, actually meeting one of these intimidating aliens face to face still proved to be quite a terrifying ordeal. She certainly had quite the predatory air, which did little to help ease the idea that they might make a tasty meal.

Shyla's grin vanished as she took notice of the humans' fear. "Please... I am friendly. There is no need to be afraid of me." The crimson-furred kenseng uncrossed her arms, before she placed a hand on her hip contemptuously. "It's not like I find humans delicious anyway... too much bone and not enough meat." The looks of horror her comment evoked caused Shyla's feline muzzle to part slightly in a thin smirk. Perhaps that joke had not been in good taste... both figuratively and literally. "Oh... come on... I was just kidding."

"Ah, you must be Shyla... I was warned about you." The comment originated from a newcomer to the Maryland's deck, as a head now poked up out of the opened sub hatch to regard the three individuals. Slowly Captain Rubin made his way up onto the top of the hull, before he came to stand before Shyla. "Taylo warned me about your wicked sense of humor."

"Did he now?"

"Nothing wrong with a little witty humor every now and then," Ian replied with a grin of his own. "Always nice to lighten the mood." The skipper extended his hand out toward Shyla, which the kenseng happily accepted in a warm handshake. "Nice to make your acquaintance."

Once formal greetings were exchanged, Captain Rubin allowed himself a good look at his surrounding, whistling softly at the sight before him. "When Kano said you had a solution to our underwater predicament," Ian continued in awe. "...I never expected something like this." Carefully the skipper walked over to the side of the sub deck and peered down to the seafloor below. To his observation, the energy field terminated a few feet above the soot, meaning that a portion of the sub's bow was still submerged in water. It was also noteworthy how the bottom surface of the shield contoured perfectly around the shape of the Maryland just forward of the conning tower, providing ample workspace for the group working to replace SLBM warheads, and the contingent assigned to the stern damage. "The last time I saw anything close to this, I was at an aquarium and had to pay good money for it..."

"It still amazes me every time we employ these portable shield emitters," Shyla spoke, shaking her head in reverence. "The emitters are designed to deploy in defensive applications, such as when a starship is downed in enemy territory." The kenseng pointed out toward one of the nearby poles. "It's basic geometry with these devices. You position them around a location you wish to protect and then link each mechanism together to form the corners of the shield's shape. The more emitters... the more contours the field has."

Ian scratched his head while he contemplated the many possible applications such a technology had. Obviously one such use was creating an artificial atmosphere underwater. However, the whole idea just felt... unsafe. "Doesn't it seem... well... dangerous to trust in such a seemingly fragile shield to protect our wellbeing? I mean... if it failed, we'd be dead before anyone knew what happened."

"Oh trust me, this system is perfectly safe. The shield is designed to withstand direct fire from quite an array of formidable weapons... so several hundred feet of water is well within the safety margins." Shyla held up a finger to emphasis the point she was about to make. "In any case, it is always prudent to have redundancy built in. If you look closely, there is a completely separate shield enclosing the first." The humans followed her finger out toward an emitter, where another mechanism was just barely visible outside the first.

"In the event that one field fails, the second will still provide protection in an emergency," Shyla continued confidently.

"Oh... well, that puts my mind at ease." At that moment, Ian looked up expecting to see Arastos hovering just over his head in the murky water. However, there was no ship to be seen. Startled, the skipper looked around hurriedly... until he noticed a particularly large shadow cast in the water along the Maryland's port side.

The Federation starship was large by human standards, standing at roughly 140 meters long from bow to stern. By comparison, the Maryland stood at a respectably long 170 meters in length. The alien starship retained quite a unique profile, with four massive engine nacelles mounted in a quad-pod configuration along the aft hull and a rather large cannon affixed to the underside of the bow structure. To Ian's vantage point, the vague outline of the vessel was barely visible through the translucent shield barrier and the murky ocean water beyond.

Shyla seemed to read Captain Rubin's mind as she followed his gaze out to the dark outline of her ship. "Arastos was too close to the water surface when we were docked to the Maryland. So Captain Riyla elected to move the starship alongside the sub for the time being. We didn't want to risk a stray hostile ship stumbling across our little party out here."

"Makes sense," Ian replied with a slight nod. "...nothing worse than to have the enemy catch us with our pants down."

Shyla uttered a laugh at the absurd imagine that popped into her head at his words. "I would have to agree wholeheartedly."

At that moment, a smaller object could be seen separating from the silhouette of Arastos. As the three humans looked on, the new shape made its way toward the outer perimeter of the shield barrier... until abruptly passing straight through the field effortlessly to the shock of the onlookers. And thus, Ian found himself gazing upon yet another example of the Federation's technological prowess.

Floating smoothly in the artificial atmosphere was that of some type of platform-like mechanism, which consisted of a square bucket base and a handrail mounted around the outer perimeter at roughly chest height. In essence, the apparatus was that of a cherry picker bucket minus the supporting arm assembly and hydraulic infrastructure. This observation was evidenced by the individual currently standing within the handrail's confines.

Sporting a grey fur pattern similar to her wolf cousins of Earth, Yanashi stood conspicuously at the control panel of the levitating work platform, her expression demure. To Captain Rubin's scrutiny, the entire bucket mechanism was surrounded by the same translucent blue aura that currently supported the atmosphere around the USS Maryland. That would certainly explain how the kyree was able to traverse the open water between the two vessels... and perhaps how the platform was capable of passing through the shield barrier without compromising its integrity.

Yanashi appeared at first glance to be quite shy, since the grey-furred kyree made an effort to avoid eye contact with Ian. The skipper briefly remembered the detail that Shyla and Yanashi were a mated couple from the earlier discussion, which brought to mind several interesting questions. It seemed that the alien races' ideologies, when it came to sexual preference and copulation, were far more tolerant than human society. Perhaps humanity could learn from its new stellar neighbor about acceptance in that regard. That is, if they managed to win this war.

"Is Lumina ready to begin?" Shyla asked her mate inquisitively, while she clasped her hands together in a show of eagerness to tackle the task at hand.

Yanashi's wolfish ears flattened against her head timidly as she spoke. "She should be ready any moment now." The kyree didn't enjoy the attention she was receiving from the three curious humans.

Carefully, Yana worked the control panel of the hovering platform to slowly ease the mechanism down onto the deck of the submarine, keeping her golden eyes pinned to the console as she did so. Simultaneously, she disengaged the protective shielding, causing the transparent blue field around the bucket to fizzle out of view with a perceptible whamp.

Once the lifting platform was stationary, Shyla moved over to open the bucket's access door, before she turned toward the three nearby humans. "After you..."

Captain Rubin was the first to snap out of his thoughts, as he shook his head briefly. "Ah... this should help with the repair work quite nicely." The skipper rubbed a hand through his hair while he eyed the lift. "I'm sure this sucker has plenty of uses on a starship."

"Without a doubt," was Shyla simple reply.

Quickly all three humans and the kenseng piled into the bucket's confines to join Yana. While the lifting platform was designed to hold six individuals, the space was still relatively cramped for the five of them. Ian found himself butted up against the supple crimson fur of Shyla, which he didn't mind all that much. It was delightfully soft to the touch.

When the platform's door was again secured shut, Yanashi activated the lift's magnetic cushion, creating a repulsive gravitational force along the underside of the bucket. Gradually, the platform and its passengers lifted off the sub's deck to float smoothly several feet above, before the kyree worked the controls to move them toward the Maryland's stern.

You know..." Ian began, while he looked over the side of the handrail to the sub hull passing by below. "This has got to be the most outlandish thing I have ever done." He regarded Shyla, who simply grinned wickedly back at him. "Here I am 200 feet underwater... and yet I'm actually suspended in midair on a futuristic cherry picker. Who'd have thought?"

Yanashi offered no reply, as she silently continued to guide the bucket with her attention glued to the console. However, Shyla laughed mirthfully. "It can really mess with your sense of balance if you look straight up. Yana here actually fell flat on her muzzle earlier when we first set the emitters up." The kenseng's words caused her mate to blush furiously under the fur, while Yana's ears splayed back in embarrassment.

"It just hit me so suddenly," the grey kyree replied meekly.

Yanashi again went silent as she carefully maneuvered the hovering platform over the rear of the sub, bringing the stern assembly into view. Since the Ohio class submarine still had her bow buried in the seafloor soot, the stern planes and propulsion screw currently pointed upward at a five degree angle. Thus, there was ample room for Yanashi to move the lift in close to assess the damage at hand. Meanwhile, Captain Rubin whistled in disbelief as he got his first glimpse at just how close his sub had come to a watery grave.

Judging by the damage sustained, the weapon shot had originated from above and behind at about a 45 degree angle, with the initial point of impact occurring along the outer diameter of the propulsion screw. Two of the seven blades comprising the propeller were missing a good chuck of the exterior edge, which no doubt led to extreme vibration as the screw's weight distribution became asymmetrical. This vibration probably translated along the dive shaft, and thus caused the shaft bearings to seize up. However, the real damage was just forward of the propeller, where the plasma pulse had impacted along the bottom rudder plane.

It was as if a high explosive had been detonated against the bottom control surface, resulting in a gaping scar. Effectively, almost the entire bottom rudder surface of the submarine was just simply gone, which explained why the controls had not responded. Undoubtedly the internal steering components linking the rudder surface to the control room were shot to all hell as well.

Luck had sided with the Maryland fortunately, since the hostile weapon shot had completely missed the sub's hull altogether... although there were some superficial depressions and grooves from the rudder's fragmentation. Furthermore, the two horizontal diving planes appeared to be unscathed. While externally this was so, there was most likely some internal damage that had caused the planes to jam... the group had their work cut out for them.

"I don't want to know what would've happened had that impact occurred just a few more feet forward," Ian breathed, shaking his head in shock. "I probably wouldn't be standing here right now."

Yanashi cautiously parked the hovering platform just a mere two feet from the damaged prop of the submarine, allowing Captain Rubin to reach out and touch the screw with an extended hand.

The craftsmanship that went into building such a fine polished work of metallic art was always mindboggling. The final screw had to be absolutely perfect, or else it was not fit for the Silent Service. Hell, the Navy went to great lengths to keep these props classified, lest a foreign power reproduce the design's quiet attributes...and now they were about to replicate one, supposedly without any difficulty whatsoever.

Ian turned his attention to Shyla. "So... how exactly do we duplicate this?"

"Well... the first step is obviously to remove the damaged prop from your sub." The kenseng motioned over in the general direction of Arastos. "Once that is done, we need to move it to my ship's cargo hold, where we will scan its features into the computer mainframe for replication."

"So all it takes to build a new object is one scan of what you want to reproduce?"

Shyla mulled over his statement for a brief moment, while her feline tail flicked about within the cramped confines of the platform bucket. "If you want to replicate an exact copy of something... then yes." She held up a finger. "However, for items such as foodstuffs, we typically scan a number of samples when adding a new specimen to the database. The computer can analyze the genetic diversity of the various scans, and produce distinctly unique food materials when prompted. That way, you do not taste the same exact potato each time you replicate one."

The kenseng shrugged nonchalantly. "It is not a perfect technology," she added. "I'll take the homegrown stuff any day over reproduced ingredients. But when in the vacuum of space, your options are limited."

Ian stroked his chin thoughtfully as he absorbed Shyla's words. It made sense to add in a little genetic diversity when dealing with reproduced food ingredients... as they said, variety was the spice of life.

"Intriguing to say the least," Captain Rubin responded, thoroughly captivated by the idea. However, now was not the time to dwell on insignificant matters. He again turned to regard the sub's damaged prop. "So... how are we going to get this sucker off of my boat?"

"That is where I come in."

Ian and the other two Maryland crew members quickly spun around toward the source of the new voice, to find three floating robotic units hovering just a few feet away from them. Each robot was roughly the size of a typical human, except that their design was that of a boxy frame with two dexterous humanoid arms attached on each shoulder. Various cameras, lights, and sensors appeared all across the units' construction... but what really caught Ian's eye was a multitude of arm attachments stored neatly within the hollow chest structure.

Captain Rubin concluded that these robots were used for maintenance purposes. The idea made sense, given that robotic units didn't require life-support to venture outside a starship hull to perform maintenance on exterior components. In order to carry out varying tasks, he suspected that each unit could simply interchange arm attachments depending on the job required, with each removable limb serving a unique purpose. All that was needed was some type of central control infrastructure to coordinate matters, and the Federation crew already had the perfect individual for that role.

"Say hello to my personal robot army," Lumina's voice resounded impishly from the center unit of the three. "They are my arms and legs when it comes to matters of maintenance and general starship upkeep."

"I suppose that answers my question," Ian replied with a chuckle. "Having you here will certainly speed things up."

"I aim to please."

The skipper rubbed his hands together in a show of readiness. "Alright, let's get started shall we? We're burning daylight here."

All three robotic units raised an arm in a salute. "Aye aye, captain."

*************************

Keith eyed the maze of containers around him with a dubious look, the sheer number of metal boxes overwhelming the hapless human as he tried to remember the instructions he had been given.

The cargo hold of Arastos was rather large given the starship's size, with labyrinths of containers piled high in towering stacks that one could literally get lost within. Bright light strips along the upper walls and ceiling bathed the spacious compartment in brilliant light, in an effort to help crew members navigate the confusing maze in search of needed items. It was like strolling through a clustered warehouse brimming with medical supplies, weapons, furniture, clothing, communications equipment... anything and everything a starship might need during deep space patrol could be found here. Although at the moment, Keith was unable to locate the specific container he sought.

"Are you sure I'm in the right section?" the confused human spoke aloud, even though no one else was in the cargo hold at that particular moment... at least, not in a physical sense.

"You are quite close, actually."

Lumina's voice emanated from a small communication device affixed to Keith's wrist, much like a typical watch. Taylo had suggested he wear it to help keep in contact with the A.I. construct no matter where he was. Thus far, the little gadget was proving incredibly helpful, since Lumina had him running all sorts of errands. In that regard, her latest request had brought Keith down to the starship's cargo hold.

What he was looking for was a certain metal container holding antigravity lifts of some sort or another. Keith didn't know how the mechanisms worked. However, Lumina had said that they were needed to lift the missile warheads out of the Maryland's vertical launch tubes. To perform such a heavy and delicate task was no small order, so the human reasoned that whatever he was looking for was rather large and cumbersome.

"Just two more crate stacks ahead of you and you're there," Lumina continued, her voice giving the odd sensation that she was standing right next to Keith. "The container should have a label inscribed on its surface."

"Alrighty then..."

Slowly Keith made his way forward, while carefully scrutinizing each crate label he came across. It was lucky on his part that he was capable of speaking and reading Federation Basic, the crew's native dialect. While the process of acquiring the language had been almost instantaneous through technological means, the resulting headache that came as an aftereffect had made the experience quite dreadful for him. It was a procedure he never wanted to repeat.

Coming to a stop, the human eyed the large container before him in befuddlement. The tag stuck to the metal surface simply read "Power Relay Modules." Obviously, this was not the crate Keith sought. Turning about, he observed each nearby box... only to find miscellaneous starship parts, a container of emergency rations... and oddly enough, a barrel filled with exotic bathing soaps.

Lumina seemed to read Keith's mind. "Riyla and Kano like to take long baths together when time permits... it's a guilty pleasure for them." Keith could almost visualize the construct's hologram smirking impishly. Her voice was laced with mischief. "They typically mate afterward."

Her blunt words caused Keith to abruptly freeze with a hand holding the barrel's lid half ajar, as he instinctively turned to the sound of the A.I.'s voice... only to again remember that she was not in holographic form. "You watch the crew... have se-... mate?!" Abruptly the human's eyes darted about, realizing he might not be alone. Thankfully, however, he was the only individual in the hold.

"I do have eyes all over this starship," Lumina replied matter-of-factly, although Keith could still sense the construct's evil grin as her voice spoke. "It's sort of hard not to watch." She paused briefly, as if weighing her words carefully. "At first, I paid them no mind when the crew got intimate. However, I found that over time I couldn't help but let my curiosity get the better of me."

Keith still hadn't gotten over his initial shock of Lumina's revelation. Sure, all kyree and kenseng mated in much the same fashion as their four-legged cousins of Earth. Yet, to have her confirm this fact still surprised him for some odd reason. The thought brought up a slew of new questions for the human, all of which he could never personally ask the crew about.

"Do they know you're watching them mate?" Keith inquired curiously, his face a study of awkwardness.

"I figure they do on some level. I've actually interrupted Riyla and Kano in the act before, back when I didn't know it was impolite."

Keith's face twisted in discomfort at her words. "Oh... that must've been quite unpleasant."

"The captain ripped my vocal and holographic processing chips out of the ship's computer matrix," Lumina replied with embarrassment. "She wasn't very happy."

"I'll bet. I'd be mad too."

"I don't know why I watch with such rapt fascination now." The A.I.'s tone became perplexed, as she appeared unable to explain her actions. "Is it bad that I sometimes wonder what it would feel like to experience a mating?"

Keith moved to stand upright, while turning his attention to the communicator. "Of course not. Sex is an unbelievably powerful driving force of life. All living creatures experience the urge to mate, me included... it is nothing you should feel ashamed about."

A lengthy silence ensued, which was uncharacteristic of Lumina. Her cognitive processes were magnitudes faster than that of a living being. For the construct, her silence of only a few lengthy seconds translated to roughly an hour of quiet deliberation in her conscious realm of reality.

"I wonder how life would be, had I been born into a flesh and blood existence," Lumina finally replied, breaking her intense contemplation. "What would it be like to experience touch through real hands... enjoy the taste of delicious food... smell all of the pleasant, and even unpleasant smells the world has to offer?"

The A.I.'s deep reflection gave Keith pause. She was certainly a unique individual, whose predicament was nothing like anything the human had seen before. Lumina was a being of immense potential, able to weave her consciousness across vast realms of electronic infrastructure. And yet, she was also a prisoner of her electronic form, unable to experience the true pleasures of life. It was incredibly heartrending.

"You'd still be the same mischievous kyree that I have come to know and love," Keith replied simply, blushing a little as he realized what he had just said. "Perhaps, once this conflict is over, I can help you experience some of the finer things in life." He cleared his throat anxiously before venturing a question. "Is there anything fun or exciting that you've wanted to try? Anything at all..."

Again Lumina went silent, before she offered a tentative reply. "Well... I've always had this fascination with a good sunrise over a planet's surface. Always stunningly beautiful to watch."

Keith nodded to himself, regaining his confidence. "Alright... how about we load you up into a removable computer module, and we go enjoy a sunrise together? Wherever you want to go... I'm sure the crew won't mind if their A.I. takes a little vacation once this mess is over."

"Ok... it's a date then."

Lumina's voice was again full of her natural energy and vigor, causing Keith to smile warmly. He really did enjoy seeing her cheer up.

At that moment, Keith caught sight of a particular container placed high on the stack of crates he found himself next to. He could barely make out the words "Microgravity Lift." That seemed promising.

"Good, I look forward to our little date," Keith replied happily, while he slowly and carefully began to climb the mountain of containers. "A little fresh air always does one good, and you're no exception to that notion."

"I've never left the ship since I was born. This will prove to be quite the experience for me."

Keith finally reached the container of interest, which was nearly the size of a large briefcase. "All the better," he spoke with a grin. The human carefully rotated the box about, making sure to keep his balance steady so as not to fall off the stack of crates. "Now then... would this be the container you wanted me to get?"

"That'd be the one," Lumina replied cheerfully.

Cautiously, Keith popped the latch on the briefcase-like container, before slowly opening the lid to take a peek inside. What he found was not what the human had expected.

Housed inside a layer of protective cushion were four rectangular instruments, each about the size of a common brick. To Keith's observation, one side of each device contained a sort of rubbery surface, of which he had no idea what for. Also contained within the box was a large datapad.

Again Lumina appeared to read his mind. "Each of those mechanisms adheres to the surface of an object to be lifted. Then a gravitational field is created by said device that counteracts the planet's gravitational pull to produce a 0G environment. The gravity field is conformed to the object's dimensions using that interface datapad there."

"And these small little things can lift an entire SLBM?"

"Actually you only need one to do that," Lumina replied straightforwardly. "We usually apply two devices just for safety's sake."

Keith couldn't help but look flabbergasted as he scrutinized the relatively small gadgets cradled in the box. He supposed it was best to simply discard his outdated notion of concrete physics. There really was no limit to what technology could accomplish, given the advanced nature of the Federation. "I'd definitely like to see these little bad boys in action."

"Well then, let's not keep Taylo and Eriras waiting any longer. I've already let them know you're on the way."

Warily Keith made his way back down the stack of crates, holding the briefcase under an arm carefully as he did so. Once his feet were again planted firmly on the cargo hold deck, the human swiftly looked around in sudden confusion.

"Take the path to your left... two rows down... then another left," Lumina spoke playfully. Keith could clearly picture a mischievous grin splayed across her holographic kyree muzzle.

"Thanks... nice having a GPS strapped to my wrist. I should take you on my next road trip."

Lumina offered a mirthful chuckle in response. "I think I can safely say I'm better than that pathetic recorded voice that constantly shouts at you from the dash of the car."

Keith quickly wormed his way through the labyrinth of containers, before emerging out to the open central area of the hold. It was here that the starship's gravity lift was located along the deck, which was the very same mechanism used to return the ISS crew to Earth roughly a week ago. At the moment, the large entryway was open, revealing the murky ocean water outside the hull. Only a translucent barrier shield maintained the compartment's watertight integrity.

"Mind if I try my hand at driving?" Keith asked with a cheeky grin, as he made his way over to a waiting hover platform, which was the same type of lift Yana had operated earlier.

"As long as you don't crash it into a wall like Taylo did his first time."

Promptly, Keith entered the platform lift while placing the small container next to the control console. "I won't... not when I have my own personal GPS to help me..."

*************************

The bridge was an absolute disaster.

All across the compartment empty coffee cups, discarded food wrappers, datapads and the remnants of a quick dinner littered the floor and workstation consoles. It was as if a tornado had swept through and strewn about whatever wasn't bolted down to the deck.

The lights were dimmed down to a low hue, almost casting the compartment into complete darkness. However, various holographic displays hung suspended in midair all across the helm console area, bathing the immediate vicinity in an eerie glow of light. Enemy tactical data, ship crew manifests, weapon specs, inventories... every single bit of data that was remotely useful was displayed across these various screens in a collage of overwhelming information that flowed from one bulkhead to the other. At the moment though, the bridge's two occupants had no use for the holographic displays.

Kanolos lay asleep in the helm chair of his workstation, with the seat reclined back to allow the fox-furred kyree to rest his head against the chair's headrest. Meanwhile, Riyla lay comfortably in her mate's lap, her head nuzzled up warmly against Kano's while her feet hung over the armrest. The captain's black tail lay curled up around Kano's waist, as both mates slept soundly in the quiet of the darkened bridge.

For the two kyree, the previous day had proven mentally draining. Both had labored intensely to build a viable battle plan for the coming skirmish, until they just could not fight off sleep any longer. Along the console dash, a simple holographic clock read 02:34am... they had been at it for over 14 hours straight.

Neither kyree had retained the will or strength to crawl back to their quarters just aft of the bridge, instead electing to simply cuddle up together in Kano's chair for a few sorely needed hours of rest. There was certainly no trouble falling asleep. Kano, at least, had maintained enough awareness to set an alarm for 7:00am before being overcome.

Only the soft snoring of two weary kyree could be heard in the quiet of the bridge; that is, until the situation took a sudden turn. At that moment, a new window abruptly popped up above the helm console dash, with a screen indicating an incoming transmission.

Due to the intense workload that Lumina currently had, the A.I. had decided to implement a standalone algorithm for any subspace communications that might be directed toward Arastos. Due to the close proximity of hostile starships, the standard procedure for communications was to first ping a general area with a weak energy pulse, which was designed to resemble stellar background noise and thus avoid an enemy's attention.

Once a ship was alerted to an incoming transmission via this weak pulse, a subspace connection was then made on a rotating carrier wave to best camouflage the pattern. Most of the time this strategy worked; although, a wary hostile could possibly pick up the feed and backtrack the link to the source. In light of that fact, Lumina had chosen a wholly different approach to establish a connection. She already had access to the Domain battle network... why not make use of it?

When the low energy pulse was detected by the starship's sensors, the standalone program written by Lumina immediately kicked into action. At once, the communication equipment aboard an orbiting Domain capital vessel was accessed and isolated from the surrounding grid. When this was accomplished, a slipstream connected was fed out toward the source of the pulse, thus linking up with a distant Federation starship. The connection was then patched down securely to Arastos, where a holographic display appeared on the bridge.

All of this occurred without any assistance from Lumina, who was still preoccupied with other tasks. The construct had been thorough in how the program was written, as the communication link was constantly shuffled about various drala vessels, to lessen the chance of being discovered. The downside to this autonomy was that the subspace link automatically established a visual feed, in effect presenting the sleeping forms of Kanolos and Riyla to the individual on the other end of the connection.

The kyree regarding the mated couple was certainly a sight to behold. Her muzzle already showing a splash of greying fur, Commander Ja'laski was a seasoned veteran of starship command, well versed in fleet tactics and warfare. Her fur was of a soft creamy tan, while her wolfish features were marred by the absence of her right ear. The admiral never had explained to her peers what had caused her injury, since she preferred to keep her history a personal matter. While not intentional, the scar certainly gave her an intimidating appearance, which she didn't mind all that much.

Ja'laski was known for her warm personality, and how quickly she could toss it aside to assume a commanding demeanor. She was one that could make friends with anyone, while also retaining her professional stature when the situation warranted it. Until recently, the kyree had been in charge of a small starship tactical battle group, which was still quite a prominent position within the Axis fleet. Now though, she retained a far more significant rank ... that being commander of the Federation counterattack fleet.

For a brief moment, Commander Ja'laski studied the two sleeping kyree depicted on her visual screen in confusion. Obviously, this appeared to be a bad time... but she had to get down to business.

Awkwardly, the elder kyree on the bridge display brought a hand up to utter a polite cough, which elicited a stirring of motion from Kanolos. Again she coughed, a little louder this time... and finally Kano came back to the waking world as his golden eyes opened slowly.

There was a short-lived instant of bewilderment, while the pilot sluggishly surveyed his surroundings to locate the source of the noise that had woken him... and then his eyes settled squarely on Commander Ja'laski.

Kanolos uttered a bark of surprise as he suddenly recognized the kyree regarding him from the display. Her mate's surprise quickly jarred Riyla awake as well, with the captain's eyes shooting open in shock.

In a mass of flailing limbs, the black-furred figure of Riyla unexpectedly fell out of Kano's lap, to end up with her butt planted on the deck floor and paws hanging over the chair's armrest. Kano, for his part, could only watch helplessly as she landed with a startled yelp.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Ja'laski spoke politely from the screen, while Riyla still lay in a tangled heap on the deck. The commander waited patiently as Kanolos hurriedly reached down to pull his mate to her paws. "I had forgotten that your ship is on Earth time, captain. I apologize for that."

Riyla finally managed to shake the sleep from her eyes, as she came to stand at attention alongside Kano. "I'm sorry for my unprofessional attire, commander," she replied sheepishly. The two of them were only dressed in simple work clothing, while Commander Ja'laski was sporting her full formal apparel. "I wasn't expecting any transmissions tonight... this morning." The black kyree's ears pinned back against her head as she realized what time it was.

"Don't worry about it. At this point I could care less. You've certainly had your hands full down there." Commander Ja'laski placed a hand under her muzzle meditatively, as her expression turned malevolent. "The fleet has reorganized since the Domain's cowardly attack. We are still formulating the battle plan, and I wanted to personally work with your ship concerning that. Your position planetside offers me a good tactical advantage."

The Commander's words brought smiles to both Riyla and Kano. The prospect of friendly help was welcomed news to say the least. Finally, the counteroffensive was set to begin.

"Well for starters, we've picked up another friendly vessel while down here," Riyla began with a roguish grin, her sleepiness no longer clouding her awareness. "Mind if I bring you up to speed on what has happened first?"

Ja'laski's expression took on a curious look, while she leaned back in her chair, affording a better view of the starship bridge behind her. "Please fill me in captain." The elder kyree punctuated her statement by making a motion to proceed with a hand.

"It seems that our human friends have a little more fight in them than we originally thought..."

*************************

While the contingent of Federation and human allies worked to formulate their plan, a sinister agent enacted its deadly art against the Domain. Unknown to all except for a now dead Russian scientist, a malicious bio weapon had begun to rapidly spread throughout the drala fleet.

The Zaire strain of Ebola was considered to be the most lethal variant of the deadly virus, with a fatality rate of roughly 85 to 90 percent in all human cases documented to date. The key fatal quality of this wicked pathogen revolved around hemorrhagic fever, where the body's blood cells were damaged and destroyed. The resulting cause of dead was thus attributed to hypovolemic shock, as massive internal bleeding rapidly consumed a victim.

However, while Ebola was considered one of the deadliest viral pathogens known to mankind, transmission of the virus was relatively difficult. In order for it to be spread between living hosts, a transfer of bodily fluid had to occur. If proper isolation conditions were maintained, a Zaire outbreak could easily be averted. Thus, most epidemic cases originated in locales with poor hospital conditions, where practices of reusing needles were commonplace.

This innate transmission difficulty was the primary reason more cases of Ebola didn't exist worldwide. Understandably, if one was to use such a deadly virus as a bio weapon, certain modifications needed to be made in order to counteract this weakness.

The particular experimental strain housed within the Russian research facility had in fact been engineered with that very goal in mind. Through a meticulous trial and error process, the Zaire strain had been altered to enhance its deadly potency. Namely, the pathogen was rebuilt to specifically target the host's lungs. The idea was to infuse the exhaled air with small virus particles, thus giving the strain the ability to spread via aerosol conditions by also enhancing its capacity to survive outside the body longer.

Furthermore, the pathogen's capabilities to break down the cells of a host were slowed down considerably. In effect, this caused an individual to become contagious long before the virus began to rapidly degrade the body. Consequently the Ebola strain was given more time to spread and infect a target populous.

The true deadly potential of the manmade Zaire strain had horrified the Russian scientists upon its creation several decades ago. It was clearly understood that this sinister weapon was far more lethal than that of a common nuke. Thankfully, political and military figureheads had also seen the evil nature of the virus. The right decision had therefore been made to carefully store it away... never to be used in times of war.

Yet, fate could be a cruel mistress. The ill-omened attack by the Domain on the research facility had unwittingly undone all of the protective measures put in place to isolate the terrible monster within. Now a horrendous series of events was set in motion, eventually leading to untold loss of life at the hands of an invisible killer.

Number 12, the doomed drala infantryman fated as the harbinger of death, had been unable to report the incident involving the human scientist to his superiors. How could he? The soldier had been hurriedly corralled back onto a crowded transport, to fly off toward another human military stronghold before he could make a formal report.

Consequently, not a single individual around him had any notion that they themselves were fated to die. Already, the remnants of the liquid substance splashed across 12's face had begun to evaporate; emitting Ebola virus pathogens into the surrounding air to infect any hapless soldiers nearby. Soon each infected host would move on to new locations, further spreading the weapon in an unstoppable cascade effect... eventually reaching up to the Domain starships in orbit.

Already the virus cells were beginning to take hold within Number 12's body, with the pathogen finding the anatomy of his kind especially vulnerable to infection in another twist of fate. Unknown to him, the drala would be the first of many unfortunate victims... the first casualty of humanity's greatest weapon.