The Verentti Chronicles - Chapter 1
I wrote this story a few days before the Califur'08 conbook deadline on the suggestion of a friend. Well i am happy to say it was accepted, so now here it is for all of you. So please do not distribute, change, modify, etc, etc. These characters are based of concepts in my oen mind,.. and Ratchet is not the video game character, just a same name.(which i haven't manage to change yet) Lastly i do hope to continue the series, i just need time to write. So Enjoy!
In the engine room the sirens blared, red lights flashed from various consoles while the deck plates vibrated roughly. Ratchet scrambled to the console in hopes of discovering the problem, his eyes scanned the gauges, knobs and blinking lights. His eyes focused on the panel, while his fingers quickly turned dials and toggled switches.
"Ratchet, what the hell is happening down there?" a voice boomed over the rooms intercom. "It's nothing Captain. Just a minor setback" Ratchet called out--his eyes never leaving the panel. A second siren sounded, as behind him a pipe burst letting a quick jet of steam escape.
"Ah ha!" Ratchet thought to himself as he ran from the panel to the back of the engine room, hopping to the ladder that led down to the lower engine decks. Gripping the side bars with his paws and putting his feet to either side, he slid down the ladder. As his head lowered pass the first engine deck, a wave of sparks flew overhead. Ratchet slid down past the second deck. Once he reached the third he closed his grip and came to a quick halt. He quickly jumped from the ladder and scurried across the room and dodged around an assortment of different equipment.
"Come on baby. Just hold on," he said as he moved through an open hatchway, "Ratchet is here for ya." Ratchet came to a dead stop before a large machine that took up half the room, and reached up through the ceiling into the deck above. Pistons moved in and out while electricity flew between conductors. The machine was the Flux Core. Though not a main power producer for the ships systems, its purpose was to hold and maintain the airship's power reserves in a stable state.
Ratchet scanned it over. He pulled out a wrench, hopped up and with a quick paw grabbed a pipe on the side of the Core. He swung around to a small ledge on the giant machine. His paws were a blur of motion as he scrambled to correct the problem. He pulled more tools from his belt, his tail whipping around giving him a much needed third paw as he quickly worked to fix the malfunction. Ratchet knew he didn't have long. If the Flux Core shut down while the airship was in flight the secondary systems would fail, causing the ship to plummet--or even worse, explode in a fiery ball of steam and shrapnel.
The sirens stopped wailing and the red warning lights blinked off as main lights flickered back on and pressure gauges returned to normal. Ratchet took a rag from the pocket of his overalls, wiped his furry forehead, and crawled down carefully from the Flux Core to replace the tools in his belt.
"Ratchet, Report!" the Captain's voice sounded again.
"Like I said Captain, it was nothing, just a minor malfunction with the Flux Core," Ratchet replied as he walked towards the stairs to the flight deck.
The doors of the bridge opened, the captain turned in his chair and looked to the doorway. "Why is it every time there is a ship-threatening problem on this ship, you say it's just a minor problem?"
Ratchet stepped out from the passage and smirked, "Because, nothing is too big for me to handle, and thus everything is minor."
Standing before the hatchway was a Rat, his furs a light grey with the tell tale spots of engine stains and cuts. His eyes beamed bright red, and his ears both came to a rounded point. His paw fingers were long and thin, caked in the grime of the dirty engines. The furless tail that poked out a hole in his suit waved behind him--long, slender and flexible. Ratchet wore simple clothing; dark blue, jumpsuit style overalls, with more pockets than one would care to count. Each one held a tool or gizmo of some variety. Around his waist and slung over one shoulder, like a suspender crossing over his chest, was a utility belt, filled to bursting with more tools. His clothing was well stained with the greases and oils from years of engine work and repairs.
The Captain smirked, "So you say, and always seem to prove. Go take a break. You deserve it."
"Righty-O' Captain," Ratchet spoke, as he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from a pocket and tossed it to the Captain. "Here's a list of items I need to do some minor repairs to the ship: transformers, fuses, energy conductors and such. Next stop we need to pick those items up".
Catching the wad of paper, the Captain un-crumpled it and quickly looked over it. "Alright, I'll look it over and see what we can scrounge up." With that Ratchet turned back through the hatchway, and headed off closing the door behind him.
The Captain turned his chair back to face the forward window. The Captain was a tall short-furred Black Panther with deep blue eyes and a silver ring pierced through his left ear. Quickly reading over the wrinkled paper again, he placed it in his pocket. The Captain stood up and adjusted his shirt -- a white, sleeveless linen covered by a brown, multi-pocketed vest. The pants he wore, a leathery brown shade, ruffled lightly as he walked towards the wheel station situated under the windows.
"Jayne, how's our course heading?" The Captain asked the slender rabbit standing at the wheel.
"Course is stable, on a North East heading; we should reach the Vera Plateau settlement in 2 hours, Captain." the golden furred rabbit confirmed.
"Good, though try to step up the speed if you could, our cargo is needed there, and there is a higher risk we will attract raiders the closer we get." The Captain replied in a concerned tone. Turning on his heel he headed towards the top deck.
The Captain walked out into the warm sunlight. The ship's lifter coils cracked and popped, from the underside of the ship, with the polarized electrical charge that kept the vessel aloft. He surveyed the distance around his airship as it soared over the mountains. In the distance he could see the Vera Plateau, it was close, but the mountains hid many raiders, and he could feel a trap nearby.
"Captain! Raiders spotted, starboard side!" a voice called out from further ahead the deck.
The Captain looked to the starboard side, and sure enough, swiftly approaching was another airship. There were no identifying marks, but only a raider would head straight towards another vessel at such a high speed.
"All hands, ready battle stations!" the Captain called out, "All hands at the ready. Prime the bolt launchers and load the cannons."
A menagerie of people ran, scurried and dashed up from all over the ship. All of them moved to cannons of varying types, some long and slender, while others short and stout. Some crew turned cranks and pulled levers, while others loaded the stout cannons.
The raiders' vessel maneuvered quickly and matched pace with its prey. Its cannons were armed and aimed ready. The raider Captain, a tall ferret, called over "Slow your vessel, and prepare to be boarded. We will take that cargo of yours, or else we will blow you to the canyon floor!"
The Captain looked over his crew, ready and able, then to the raiders' vessel. He then called out, "Increase speed and fire on the raider!" With a cacophonous eruption his airship's stout cannons started to fire on the raider vessel, while bolts of blue lightning surged out from the slender ones. Wood and metal flew everywhere from the raiders' vessel as the cannons tore holes through it.
The raider vessel returned fire at its captain's command. Its armaments were a reasonable match, but its crews aim was not. Although there was damage, it wasn't nearly as bad as that suffered by the raiders' vessel. So far the raider vessel was on the losing side of the battle.
"Repeat fire!" the Captain called out again and another volley of shots ripped through the raider vessel. Wood splinters and chunks of metal fell from the ship. Blue arcs of lightning crossed the gap, one bolt striking a transformer causing fiery explosions to rage across the underside of the vessel. Some of the lifter coils were sheared off the hull as the wave of fire passed them by. The raider vessel's speed slowed suddenly as it lurched heavily to and fro, and began to sink towards the canyon floor. Hollers and screams were heard as it plummeted, but the Captain did not take pity.
"Good firing, men! Now let's get to the Vera Plateau before another raider decides to take a crack at us," the Captain bellowed as the airship sailed off towards the plateau.