---THE FALL---

ARCTURUS MEDICAL CENTER
PLANET XYBER XVII, MANOS SYSTEM
0036 HOURS, JANUARY 3, 2136 A.D.

“I don’t understand it. How could so many people become afflicted in so little time?
“It’s baffling, sir. We’re hoping to find out in short order. One of my aides has recently taken a blood sample to see what we can find.”
“Sir! The lab results are back. Come see!”

About 5 minutes later, they were in the specimen lab.

“Well, what is it?”
“It’s a virus, sir. Apparently, it’s been dormant for years on this planet.”
“Well, what set off its alarm clock?”
“You know that massive solar flare that Manos had about a month ago?”
“Yeah, didn’t it, like, cause a geomagnetic disturbance that knocked our electricity out for a few days?”
“It turns out it gave that virus the necessary energy it needed to become active.”
“Well, now to the all-important question: what does the virus do?”
“It’s not pretty. I think you’d all better sit down for this one.”

They went to a simulation room to see exactly what they were dealing with.

“This virus is normally not harmful to humans. While it will cause some illness, it eventually passes in 2 or 3 days.”
“Okay…so what makes it so deadly, then?”
“The virus becomes a ravenous parasite if psychic energies are introduced into the mix. It feeds off the extra energy the neurons in psychically-adept beings produce to attack the nervous system. Within hours, it multiplies rapidly and the attack on the nervous system intensifies.”
“My goodness...”
“There's more, sir. It's expected to cause death in five to ten years after exposure.”
“Are you serious? Is there anything we can do?”
“I’m sorry. It’s terminal. And because it’s a virus, it can’t exactly be cured.”

With that in mind, Aranoch and the others informed the rest of the Xybanians of the predicament they were in. As a final farewell to what they had created, they created a final message should anyone find their way to their refuge and final resting place.

True to the physician’s words, by 2150 A.D., the Xybanians were all but extinct. Upon their death, the knowledge of Xyber XVII and its wonders died with them, and the planet faded into obscurity.

Over the next 400 years, mankind eventually made their way to the stars and greatly advanced their technology. Around the time the Xybanians became afflicted with what is now known as the Nexus Virus, the human race on Earth had encountered the fearsome and warmongering Voinians, hell-bent on snuffing Humanity out of existence. Humanity eventually managed to fight to a stalemate, and on Pax station in the Dogovor system, a “cease-fire” was more or less agreed upon. It would only be by chance that one day in 2546 A.D. would alter humanity’s destiny forever…

---AN UNWANTED VACATION---

CLIPPER MAURITIUS
HIGH ORBIT ABOVE PLANET XYBER XVII, MANOS SYSTEM
1215 HOURS, MAY 27, 2546 A.D.

“Steve?”
“Yeah, Rich?”
“I’m gonna go off-shift. Fly the bird for me, would you?”
“Yeah, no problem, boss.”

Richard, Pilot of the Clipper-class vessel, Mauritius, was needing a break. With 19 tons of medical supplies bound for Dune in the Arrakis system, the Mauritius needed to be in constant motion. Having accepted a rush delivery from Eganiss in the Scardon system, Richard and his crew had to make it to their final destination by June 10.

That gave them a little more than two weeks to reach their destination, or 14 hyperjumps. Since Clipper-class vessels can only do 4 hyperjumps on a full tank of gas, that meant they really needed to reach their destination in about 10 jumps. Richard, in the ship’s galley, was enjoying a macchiato, until…

(KA-THOOOM!)

“Argh! Steve, what was that?”
“We’re under attack! A pirate Argosy snuck in and is putting its turrets to bear against us!”
“Man the Proton-Bolt cannons. We’re going to make mincemeat outta this guy.”

The Mauritius had an ace up its sleeve: it had recently purchased a full set of four (count ‘em) Proton-Bolt cannons, and a Proton Turret. This was some serious firepower that they were bringing to bear against the Argosy. It was certainly going to be in for a fight, however: Argosies mounted a pair of Laser Turrets, and they had much thicker armor. Richard knew that this was gonna be one tough nut to crack.

“Bring her around, Mr. Lesley. Steve, man the proton turret. Jackson, prepare all cannons for firing.”
“Aye sir, wing-mounted cannons on standby.”

The Holo-screen flickered on, revealing a craggy man who looked like a parrot and eye patch would be great additions to his - ahem - distinguished features.

“Mauritius. This is the captain of the Blackfury. Surrender now, or face annihilation.”
“Sorry, buddy,” Richard replied, flatly, “but I got a deadline to keep. And I’m not afraid of some lowlife scum like you.”
“Harr, you’ll regret ever openin’ that sorry trap of a mouth!”

The ships clashed. A furious salvo of Proton Bolts collided with the Blackfury’s shields and, eventually, armor. The Mauritius, being just slightly more maneuverable, took little damage from the lumbering vessel. Richard and his crew hammered the larger Blackfury until the “disabled” reading flashed on the screen. Richard and his crew always liked the old adage, “Do unto others what they do unto you,” and, in this case, that meant earning a little “side money” for their inconvenience.

“Alright, boys, let’s see what we can dredge from this sorry excuse of a ship.”

Richard and Steve docked with the Blackfury, passing through the dark corridors of the ship. The smell of the corridors meant that the crew was comprised of some chain-smokers. It was enough to make the two gag, but they held their breath and pressed on. Eventually, they reached the bridge, and found the crew dead (or just about), including the surly captain with a foot-long piece of steel gouged square between his eyes. If he ever thought a puny Clipper would do nothing to his mighty Argosy, he sure wasn’t thinking that anymore. Come to think of it, he wasn’t thinking anything right now. at all.

“Hmm. 53,276 credits. Not bad; admittedly, a little more cash would’ve been nice, but I’m not fussy about it.”
“And I siphoned all the gas out. We’re now topped out at 4 hyperjumps.”
“All right, Steve. Shall we?”
“Shall we?”

They disconnected and brought the Mauritius’ guns to bear and finished off the Blackfury. The ship let off a few small explosions, going from the engines, to the crew quarters, eventually to the bridge, and then the rest of the ship was consumed in a cloud of expanding flame.

“YEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha!”
“Man, I never get tired of that. I always love that feeling.”
“Amen, Richard, A-men.”

However, their problems were only just beginning…

(ka-THUNK!)

“…What was that?”

(WHAM!)

“Sir, some of the shrapnel has collided with the Mauritius! I can’t keep her controlled! We’re going down!”
“Hang on boys! Looks like we’ll be taking an unwanted vacation! Keep your seats and tray tables in the upright and locked position, and brace for impact!”

The Mauritius went plummeting down, down, down towards the planet’s surface. All Richard and his crew could do was hold on and ride out the hellish landing…

---END TRANSMISSION---

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One chapter closes...and another opens.

Characters ©  warlordmike Me