The dreams of Blackout
I dreamt that I was searching for the remains of Bizzerk. It was really weird. On the one hand, it seemed like it was me, but when I encountered awesome things I remember thinking to myself (inside the dream) "This is cool. Dan created this!"
I was piloting Virus through the space debris-rocks, when I encountered Steve going in the opposite direction! We communicated briefly, and when I told him my intentions, he said "I have told the sector council about your intentions, and have advised them not to cooperate."
Terrific, I thought to myself, as I zoomed towards the megasphere of planet-states that were collected into the fortified center of Sector One. I was once again wondering why the former crew of Bizzerk was so opposed to its reinstatement, when the floating rocks that occupy all of sector One, (formerly interdimensional-space) started opening fire on me! How clever, I thought, as I dodged and shot back at the automated minni-Inner Defenses. Hiding guns inside those concrete slabs was clever!
Virus had no problem avoiding taking very much damage, and assisted in navigating us into the megasphere (Not exactly a Dyson Sphere, but very similar!) where artificial worlds were connected to an outer shell. The worlds themselves, were more like flat, lumpy teardrops than spheres. They were connected to the shell by the tip of the teardrops. The shell had several small suns in it, but not in the center. In the center was the place where I was to address the Sector Council. Each representative spoke from their artificial world. Somehow I managed to persuade them to give me the reconstructed remains of Bizzerk.
At first, they gave me just a BW. Instantly I knew it, and scolded the council members for trying to decieve me. They were only testing to see if I could recognize the true Bizzerk. The true Bizzerk materialized in front of me... VERY different in appearance, without the Bizzerk Entity, but still Bizzerk. I knew that with this ship, the Bizzerk Entity would come to me to reclaim ownership of its body - the ship.
Virus and I boarded and flew off in search of the Entity again.
Bizzerk was different than I had last remembered. I remembered the glorious huge beast that was unstoppable. During the time I had been away from Sector One, they had switched types of technologies: the large was replaced by the small. They were putting ZAT units into ZZ-R Cars for chrissake! All of the concrete that was scattered all over the place created a new breed of ship-type. Apparently they were designing a new Bizzerk hull when interdimensional space was destroyed, destroying Bizzerk itself. This ship was flattish, but with the typical lumps and modules that was characteristic of Bizzerk.
As I looked around the ship, I could see parts of Bizzerk that I recognized. The ship's computer told me that as much as could be salvaged from the destroyed wreckage of the old ship was put into this one. The things that had been salvaged were like a fingernail to a human body. The entire hull was smaller and followed the weird organic look that I'd seen in so many of the latest technological creations... including the megasphere of planets. I checked with the computer, and it was no help at all in assisting me.
"Who created you?" I demanded.
CLASSIFIED was printed accross the wallscreen.
"What?!" I was shocked. Nothing was classified to me! A Space Seeker is allowed to know everything! "Why is it classified?! Don't you know who I am?"
CLASSIFICATION REASON 25689-18SCHTV: DUE TO THE PROVEN RISK INVOLVED IN TRUSTING CREW OF SUCH MEGAPOWERFUL SHIPS AS BIZZERK, AND DUE TO THE GREAT BETRAYAL, THE MEGASPHERE OF WORLDS HAS DECIDED TO GIVE CREWMEMBERS IMFORMATION VITAL TO THE CURRENT MISSION ONLY. POSITIONS ELIMINATED: SCIENCE OFFICER, ASSISTANT SCIENCE OFFICER, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT. NEW POSITIONS: INTERNAL SECURITY, FIERCE.
YOU ARE:
WELCOME SPACE SEEKER 18. YOUR CURRENT FILE SHOWS YOU AS:
CURIOUS. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
"What the hell is a fierce officer? You mean like Bunk without Skant, right?" I was getting scared as hell from this new Bizzerk. Even the old Bizzerk didn't scare me like this.
F.I.E.R.C.E. Friendly Investigator, Eliminator, Robotic Controller and Enforcer
SPACE SEEKER 18. YOUR CURRENT FILE SHOWS YOU AS: INQUISITIVE, POTENTIAL SECURITY DANGER. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
This sounded like a challenge. Information was not only restricted, but it was dangerous to ask questions! What I really needed at the moment was information. This ship might have been Bizzerk's new body, but it didn't remember Sector One Rule Number One: Never challege a Space Seeker.
It took me two and a half hours with Virus's help to break into the low-level security information. Even at that, I set off security bells. My new status was "INQUISITIVE, INDEPENDANT OPERATOR, POTENTIAL SECURITY DANGER, POTENTIAL SLASH THREAT". Whatever SLASH was.
Even though I had free access to Level One security now, without Bizzerk's Big Brother watching me, I had only access to public information, and some general ship information such as where the exits were (and only some of them!), the basic controls, and what types of creatures could live aboard the ship. The ship supported all forms of life I had ever heard of. Even the sixty foot tall Origional Garguwakians could inhabit the ship. I hadn't seen any sixty foot tall ceilings in my wanderings, so more information was there, ripe for the pickin's.
Virus advised that we not try to penetrate the security systems further. In the tradition of the Bizzerk, Big Brother Bizzerk had an insane amount of protection - but this time, from its own crew!
The public information included legends. Some of these were classified. There was one legend that told about the last days of the Old Master. After the Great Betrayal, the universe of the Space Seeker changed into hell. The Sector One Council collapsed into petty wars led by different factions following different Space Seekers. Each trying to find out which one had betrayed the truth to the enemy.
A war that might have been won, even with the loss of interdimensional space, was lost due to terrible infighting. Armies led by Space Seekers formed temporary alliances to stop the enemies, then turn on each other. Many Space Seekers fled to other omnispheres. Others fought to gain supreme control of Sector One. A few Space Seekers- old ones that were not in retirement or lost- defended the Sector from those who sought to control it. None lasted until the end except the Old Master.
He was mortally wounded from a metamissle. His only student managed to create some peace in the Sector, and then dissapeared. His name and last known whereabouts was classified.
"Virus, I don't care if Big Brother Bizzerk releases Maiklin! We have to get at that name and last known!" I balled my fist, ready to smash any equipment that might seem to deny access to the information
I needed. Being a Space Seeker requires a lot of smashing sometimes. Virus's smooth voice checked me, "I have that information. The New Master was last located in Muyovamumachi Sector. This craft can take us there much quicker than I can. I don't know how fast, but without its assistance, it would take 12.3 weeks at my fastest speed."
"I don't think Triple B and I could co-exist for that length of time. Let's tell it to earn its name." I walked into the bridge room, and was suddenly struck by a thought. I was on Big Brother Bizzerk's Bridge. Regular hive of B's here. I turned to the wallscreen and anounced, "Hey, Triple B. Take us to Muyovamumachi Sector at your quickest speed!"
I was beeming with pride that I'd actually said Muyovammumachi correctly when the wallscreen lit up.
COURSE SET.TUBE ZONE CLEAN.ACTIVATING ENIGMA DRIVE.ETA : TEN POINT THREE SEVEN MINUTES
SPACE SEEKER 18.YOUR FILE SHOWS YOU AS: MEDDLING, POSSIBLE CREATIVE, INQUISITIVE,SLASH (SECURITY LEAK AND SCIENTIFIC HARBINGER) THREAT. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
I shrugged. Let him be notified, I thought. There wasn't anyone aboard the ship but me. Besides, the only thing I worried about was Dog Day Droids, and Bizzerk wouldn't let one of those aboard. I would go ask Virus about this Fierce Officer. I'll bet he knew something about it. I turned to leave the bridge and nearly lost all control of my bladder. I know I screamed. I'd never seen one before, because they'd never been invented before.
It was a Dog Day XAM.
Actually, when I looked closer (I had no choice. It moved very quickly towards me with blue force-field humanoid arms extended towards me.) it seemed to be a combination of Dog Day Droids, XAM units, new model Seeker Units (new to me, that is.) and strange technology. Accross its chestplate was written "FIERCE:26". It's faceplate was black and shaped like XAM's, but a faintly glowing Seeker Unit face could be seen behind the mask.
I zipped around behind the droid/seeker unit and one of those force arms gave me a quick jab to the head. That quick jab could've been used to punch holes through purple metal, let alone splatter a normal skull. Being a Space Seeker gives me the advantage of an abnormal skull - or brain housing - as the Seeker Units call it. The blow hurt a lot. This sucker was going to be tough as shit to imobilize. I wasn't worried until I noticed the hoop at its side.
It was like a keyring, but instead of keys, it held Space Seeker rings.
Seeker Units were humanoid androids of mass destruction. They could kill an entire planet by releasing the deadly dabsalam that they breathed from their massive space suits. They killed indiscriminately. They never spoke. At least not that I'd heard. Their sole purpose was to kill Space Seekers. As far as I could tell, I was the last Space Seeker around.
Tough as they were to beat, I'd killed more than one, and chased away more than that. I hadn't any idea where they came from, or why they hated Space Seekers. At that, I had no idea why the current Sector One government had incorporated them into a XAM unit. It seemed suicidal.
The one facing me (make that "chasing me") had attributes of all three, but emphasized was the XAM's toughness, the Dog Day Droid's bad additude, and the Seeker Unit's desire to kill. Did I mention the Dog Day Droid? They were refered to as Zat units on steroids with the demenor of a marine with a hangover. On top of all of these traits, it had access to all of the automatics in Bizzerk. Where I had to bash through doors and hatches, doors opened for it to allow quicker access to me. The cards were stacked so high in its favor, that it cast a long shadow on me. Every time I turned a corner, it was coming at me. I could see the words "FIERCE:26" written clearly on its chestplate.
Virus managed to contact me via my transmittor inside the Space Seeker helmet I wore, "18?"
That's me: Space Seeker 18, otherwise known as Blackout. Virus was my special one man spacecraft slash artificially intelligent companion. My response was broken by gasps for breath, "I'm going topside. Break into the computer and see if you can help me. We've already got it mad at us, no sense holding back now!"
"Already inside level Eight security. The level you have asked for is level forty nine." Virus's voice paused for a moment and a door opened for me revealing the exterior hull of Bizzerk and strange curving tunnel of blackness that gave off brilliant white light. "Be careful outside. We are traveling at enigma speed."
I was gawking at the black tunnel racing past, emitting a fog-like light. "How fast is that?" I asked as the FIERCE:26 punched me hard in the back, jettisoning me out into space. It leaned out and launched a swarm of micro-missles at me.
Virus's voice came to me, "Unknown." Terrific.
I fired my jetrope at the hull. The clasp caught on to one of the outer main gun barrels of the ship. I fired my rocketboots so that I swung underneath the swarm of needles coming at me. The centripital force hooked me over the top of the ship to almost the very tip of the front. I positracked my boots to the ship while bringing the jetrope's clasp back in to the hilt. The missles were homing back in to me. I could see the FIERCE:26 coming at me from the other side. A laser sword blazed from one force-arm, and a blaster in another. The rear arm was balled into a fist.
I extended the jetrope again, this time at the missles. I turned to the FIERCE:26 and fired a nonstop stream of boga-blasts into the hull in front of it. Then, I whipped the jetrope into a whirling motion, destroying the oncoming missles with the indestructable jetrope cord. From the cloud of boga-blasts and hull bits, FIERCE:26 charged through, unscrached. I backpedaled.
My attention was on the FIERCE:26, not where I was going, so I tripped over the tip of the ship and had to whip the jetrope cord around an antenna-like structure to keep from being lost forever in enigma-space. I called out, "Virus?! What level are you at now?"
In his typical, unhurried voice, Virus responded,"Level thirty eight. Mechanical and automations fully under my control."
FIERCE:26's shape was appearing over the horizon of the lip of the ship. I was still hanging thirty yards by the jetrope. I hollered at Virus, "You probably couldn't fire the forward guns RIGHT NOW, could you?"
Seeker Units never gloated, so it must've been the Dog Day Droid part that caused it to pause a moment before whipping out a portable heavy cannon and pointing it at me. I was ready to let go of the jetrope and be lost forever in enigma-space when Virus said, "Negative on the front guns, but I believe I can assist."
Suddenly the FIERCE:26 was gone.
I had the jetrope pull me back to the ship, all the time expecting the FIERCE:26 to appear around the corner and end my life for good. When I poked my head over the edge of the lip of the ship and looked at the topside, I saw nothing. I stood at the very tip of Bizzerk's hull, looking like a cross between a horizontal hood ornament and a battering ram - with the top of my head pointing to where Bizzerk was speeding towards at enigma speed.
I spent over four minutes looking around, scanning for a cloaked form to appear on the hull. Nothing appeared. Suddenly, we dropped out of enigma-space, and into normal space. I took a step to go back inside when I realized where the FIERCE:26 was. It had been at the very place I had been standing when Virus gained control of the mechanical defenses. The FIERCE:26 was catapulted into enigma-space at warp speed from a device that had shattered many hulls in the past. I had been standing on one of the few parts of Bizzerk that had been salvaged from the origional: the Bizzerk ramming lip.
I sighed from exhaustion and went inside. It was time to find the New Master.
I was piloting Virus through the space debris-rocks, when I encountered Steve going in the opposite direction! We communicated briefly, and when I told him my intentions, he said "I have told the sector council about your intentions, and have advised them not to cooperate."
Terrific, I thought to myself, as I zoomed towards the megasphere of planet-states that were collected into the fortified center of Sector One. I was once again wondering why the former crew of Bizzerk was so opposed to its reinstatement, when the floating rocks that occupy all of sector One, (formerly interdimensional-space) started opening fire on me! How clever, I thought, as I dodged and shot back at the automated minni-Inner Defenses. Hiding guns inside those concrete slabs was clever!
Virus had no problem avoiding taking very much damage, and assisted in navigating us into the megasphere (Not exactly a Dyson Sphere, but very similar!) where artificial worlds were connected to an outer shell. The worlds themselves, were more like flat, lumpy teardrops than spheres. They were connected to the shell by the tip of the teardrops. The shell had several small suns in it, but not in the center. In the center was the place where I was to address the Sector Council. Each representative spoke from their artificial world. Somehow I managed to persuade them to give me the reconstructed remains of Bizzerk.
At first, they gave me just a BW. Instantly I knew it, and scolded the council members for trying to decieve me. They were only testing to see if I could recognize the true Bizzerk. The true Bizzerk materialized in front of me... VERY different in appearance, without the Bizzerk Entity, but still Bizzerk. I knew that with this ship, the Bizzerk Entity would come to me to reclaim ownership of its body - the ship.
Virus and I boarded and flew off in search of the Entity again.
Bizzerk was different than I had last remembered. I remembered the glorious huge beast that was unstoppable. During the time I had been away from Sector One, they had switched types of technologies: the large was replaced by the small. They were putting ZAT units into ZZ-R Cars for chrissake! All of the concrete that was scattered all over the place created a new breed of ship-type. Apparently they were designing a new Bizzerk hull when interdimensional space was destroyed, destroying Bizzerk itself. This ship was flattish, but with the typical lumps and modules that was characteristic of Bizzerk.
As I looked around the ship, I could see parts of Bizzerk that I recognized. The ship's computer told me that as much as could be salvaged from the destroyed wreckage of the old ship was put into this one. The things that had been salvaged were like a fingernail to a human body. The entire hull was smaller and followed the weird organic look that I'd seen in so many of the latest technological creations... including the megasphere of planets. I checked with the computer, and it was no help at all in assisting me.
"Who created you?" I demanded.
CLASSIFIED was printed accross the wallscreen.
"What?!" I was shocked. Nothing was classified to me! A Space Seeker is allowed to know everything! "Why is it classified?! Don't you know who I am?"
CLASSIFICATION REASON 25689-18SCHTV: DUE TO THE PROVEN RISK INVOLVED IN TRUSTING CREW OF SUCH MEGAPOWERFUL SHIPS AS BIZZERK, AND DUE TO THE GREAT BETRAYAL, THE MEGASPHERE OF WORLDS HAS DECIDED TO GIVE CREWMEMBERS IMFORMATION VITAL TO THE CURRENT MISSION ONLY. POSITIONS ELIMINATED: SCIENCE OFFICER, ASSISTANT SCIENCE OFFICER, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT. NEW POSITIONS: INTERNAL SECURITY, FIERCE.
YOU ARE:
WELCOME SPACE SEEKER 18. YOUR CURRENT FILE SHOWS YOU AS:
CURIOUS. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
"What the hell is a fierce officer? You mean like Bunk without Skant, right?" I was getting scared as hell from this new Bizzerk. Even the old Bizzerk didn't scare me like this.
F.I.E.R.C.E. Friendly Investigator, Eliminator, Robotic Controller and Enforcer
SPACE SEEKER 18. YOUR CURRENT FILE SHOWS YOU AS: INQUISITIVE, POTENTIAL SECURITY DANGER. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
This sounded like a challenge. Information was not only restricted, but it was dangerous to ask questions! What I really needed at the moment was information. This ship might have been Bizzerk's new body, but it didn't remember Sector One Rule Number One: Never challege a Space Seeker.
It took me two and a half hours with Virus's help to break into the low-level security information. Even at that, I set off security bells. My new status was "INQUISITIVE, INDEPENDANT OPERATOR, POTENTIAL SECURITY DANGER, POTENTIAL SLASH THREAT". Whatever SLASH was.
Even though I had free access to Level One security now, without Bizzerk's Big Brother watching me, I had only access to public information, and some general ship information such as where the exits were (and only some of them!), the basic controls, and what types of creatures could live aboard the ship. The ship supported all forms of life I had ever heard of. Even the sixty foot tall Origional Garguwakians could inhabit the ship. I hadn't seen any sixty foot tall ceilings in my wanderings, so more information was there, ripe for the pickin's.
Virus advised that we not try to penetrate the security systems further. In the tradition of the Bizzerk, Big Brother Bizzerk had an insane amount of protection - but this time, from its own crew!
The public information included legends. Some of these were classified. There was one legend that told about the last days of the Old Master. After the Great Betrayal, the universe of the Space Seeker changed into hell. The Sector One Council collapsed into petty wars led by different factions following different Space Seekers. Each trying to find out which one had betrayed the truth to the enemy.
A war that might have been won, even with the loss of interdimensional space, was lost due to terrible infighting. Armies led by Space Seekers formed temporary alliances to stop the enemies, then turn on each other. Many Space Seekers fled to other omnispheres. Others fought to gain supreme control of Sector One. A few Space Seekers- old ones that were not in retirement or lost- defended the Sector from those who sought to control it. None lasted until the end except the Old Master.
He was mortally wounded from a metamissle. His only student managed to create some peace in the Sector, and then dissapeared. His name and last known whereabouts was classified.
"Virus, I don't care if Big Brother Bizzerk releases Maiklin! We have to get at that name and last known!" I balled my fist, ready to smash any equipment that might seem to deny access to the information
I needed. Being a Space Seeker requires a lot of smashing sometimes. Virus's smooth voice checked me, "I have that information. The New Master was last located in Muyovamumachi Sector. This craft can take us there much quicker than I can. I don't know how fast, but without its assistance, it would take 12.3 weeks at my fastest speed."
"I don't think Triple B and I could co-exist for that length of time. Let's tell it to earn its name." I walked into the bridge room, and was suddenly struck by a thought. I was on Big Brother Bizzerk's Bridge. Regular hive of B's here. I turned to the wallscreen and anounced, "Hey, Triple B. Take us to Muyovamumachi Sector at your quickest speed!"
I was beeming with pride that I'd actually said Muyovammumachi correctly when the wallscreen lit up.
COURSE SET.TUBE ZONE CLEAN.ACTIVATING ENIGMA DRIVE.ETA : TEN POINT THREE SEVEN MINUTES
SPACE SEEKER 18.YOUR FILE SHOWS YOU AS: MEDDLING, POSSIBLE CREATIVE, INQUISITIVE,SLASH (SECURITY LEAK AND SCIENTIFIC HARBINGER) THREAT. THE FIERCE OFFICER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
I shrugged. Let him be notified, I thought. There wasn't anyone aboard the ship but me. Besides, the only thing I worried about was Dog Day Droids, and Bizzerk wouldn't let one of those aboard. I would go ask Virus about this Fierce Officer. I'll bet he knew something about it. I turned to leave the bridge and nearly lost all control of my bladder. I know I screamed. I'd never seen one before, because they'd never been invented before.
It was a Dog Day XAM.
Actually, when I looked closer (I had no choice. It moved very quickly towards me with blue force-field humanoid arms extended towards me.) it seemed to be a combination of Dog Day Droids, XAM units, new model Seeker Units (new to me, that is.) and strange technology. Accross its chestplate was written "FIERCE:26". It's faceplate was black and shaped like XAM's, but a faintly glowing Seeker Unit face could be seen behind the mask.
I zipped around behind the droid/seeker unit and one of those force arms gave me a quick jab to the head. That quick jab could've been used to punch holes through purple metal, let alone splatter a normal skull. Being a Space Seeker gives me the advantage of an abnormal skull - or brain housing - as the Seeker Units call it. The blow hurt a lot. This sucker was going to be tough as shit to imobilize. I wasn't worried until I noticed the hoop at its side.
It was like a keyring, but instead of keys, it held Space Seeker rings.
Seeker Units were humanoid androids of mass destruction. They could kill an entire planet by releasing the deadly dabsalam that they breathed from their massive space suits. They killed indiscriminately. They never spoke. At least not that I'd heard. Their sole purpose was to kill Space Seekers. As far as I could tell, I was the last Space Seeker around.
Tough as they were to beat, I'd killed more than one, and chased away more than that. I hadn't any idea where they came from, or why they hated Space Seekers. At that, I had no idea why the current Sector One government had incorporated them into a XAM unit. It seemed suicidal.
The one facing me (make that "chasing me") had attributes of all three, but emphasized was the XAM's toughness, the Dog Day Droid's bad additude, and the Seeker Unit's desire to kill. Did I mention the Dog Day Droid? They were refered to as Zat units on steroids with the demenor of a marine with a hangover. On top of all of these traits, it had access to all of the automatics in Bizzerk. Where I had to bash through doors and hatches, doors opened for it to allow quicker access to me. The cards were stacked so high in its favor, that it cast a long shadow on me. Every time I turned a corner, it was coming at me. I could see the words "FIERCE:26" written clearly on its chestplate.
Virus managed to contact me via my transmittor inside the Space Seeker helmet I wore, "18?"
That's me: Space Seeker 18, otherwise known as Blackout. Virus was my special one man spacecraft slash artificially intelligent companion. My response was broken by gasps for breath, "I'm going topside. Break into the computer and see if you can help me. We've already got it mad at us, no sense holding back now!"
"Already inside level Eight security. The level you have asked for is level forty nine." Virus's voice paused for a moment and a door opened for me revealing the exterior hull of Bizzerk and strange curving tunnel of blackness that gave off brilliant white light. "Be careful outside. We are traveling at enigma speed."
I was gawking at the black tunnel racing past, emitting a fog-like light. "How fast is that?" I asked as the FIERCE:26 punched me hard in the back, jettisoning me out into space. It leaned out and launched a swarm of micro-missles at me.
Virus's voice came to me, "Unknown." Terrific.
I fired my jetrope at the hull. The clasp caught on to one of the outer main gun barrels of the ship. I fired my rocketboots so that I swung underneath the swarm of needles coming at me. The centripital force hooked me over the top of the ship to almost the very tip of the front. I positracked my boots to the ship while bringing the jetrope's clasp back in to the hilt. The missles were homing back in to me. I could see the FIERCE:26 coming at me from the other side. A laser sword blazed from one force-arm, and a blaster in another. The rear arm was balled into a fist.
I extended the jetrope again, this time at the missles. I turned to the FIERCE:26 and fired a nonstop stream of boga-blasts into the hull in front of it. Then, I whipped the jetrope into a whirling motion, destroying the oncoming missles with the indestructable jetrope cord. From the cloud of boga-blasts and hull bits, FIERCE:26 charged through, unscrached. I backpedaled.
My attention was on the FIERCE:26, not where I was going, so I tripped over the tip of the ship and had to whip the jetrope cord around an antenna-like structure to keep from being lost forever in enigma-space. I called out, "Virus?! What level are you at now?"
In his typical, unhurried voice, Virus responded,"Level thirty eight. Mechanical and automations fully under my control."
FIERCE:26's shape was appearing over the horizon of the lip of the ship. I was still hanging thirty yards by the jetrope. I hollered at Virus, "You probably couldn't fire the forward guns RIGHT NOW, could you?"
Seeker Units never gloated, so it must've been the Dog Day Droid part that caused it to pause a moment before whipping out a portable heavy cannon and pointing it at me. I was ready to let go of the jetrope and be lost forever in enigma-space when Virus said, "Negative on the front guns, but I believe I can assist."
Suddenly the FIERCE:26 was gone.
I had the jetrope pull me back to the ship, all the time expecting the FIERCE:26 to appear around the corner and end my life for good. When I poked my head over the edge of the lip of the ship and looked at the topside, I saw nothing. I stood at the very tip of Bizzerk's hull, looking like a cross between a horizontal hood ornament and a battering ram - with the top of my head pointing to where Bizzerk was speeding towards at enigma speed.
I spent over four minutes looking around, scanning for a cloaked form to appear on the hull. Nothing appeared. Suddenly, we dropped out of enigma-space, and into normal space. I took a step to go back inside when I realized where the FIERCE:26 was. It had been at the very place I had been standing when Virus gained control of the mechanical defenses. The FIERCE:26 was catapulted into enigma-space at warp speed from a device that had shattered many hulls in the past. I had been standing on one of the few parts of Bizzerk that had been salvaged from the origional: the Bizzerk ramming lip.
I sighed from exhaustion and went inside. It was time to find the New Master.