This is a Chain story passed between @zakludick and @therneau. Each writer authors a post based on the events of previous episodes and carries on the story.

There is very little collusion between the writers as it is challenging to discover and develop a story by attuning the writing to the partner's plot, style, and presentation.

Last Time on Space Lore ZT

Read the previous chapter if you missed it. If you are brand new the entire series can be found at the bottom of this post!
Log 18 by @therneau

Space Lore Log SLZT #19

The Queen screeched in rage as her envoy drone was eliminated. She could do nothing to direct her forces on the fleeing fused vessel. Right now, they would do as they were last directed. For a while, they had been instructed with contingencies when losing contact for longer than a few minutes.

Her focus turned to her own vessel as she modified more drones to increase the speed of her travel and begin the sequence that would allow her ship to follow the other in a jump sequence.

No doubt this... new AI... It would jump more than once.

"Prepare for space jumps!" Freyai shouted. A half a dozen being moved to comply but there were one or two that did not. She was trying to figure out whether or not some of them would refuse her, the potential for mutiny was high. Others might only be stunned and unprepared.

Space travel was often patient and planned long in advance, all movements plotted out and communicated to a crew such as the Pathfinder. A number of things had happened in a short amount of time and this might be unsettling.

She decided to take the initiative and grabbed the comms. "All crew, this is Captain Freyai speaking. Right now the situation is as follows." She noticed from the corner of her eye that Ingth was among those that had not moved. "Our shield are currently being assaulted by an foreign and unknown drone attack. There are thousands of them, shot here from another vessel carrying who knows how many. This entity seems to be controlled by an Artificial Intelligence once dorment on Vorcia III."

She paused. "Little is known about this AI, but it seems to want to destroy us and the other vessel we have agreed to fuse with. Prepare for Space Jumps. This is necessary to ensure we get away and lose the trail and survive. We can pick up the pieces afterward. You have your orders."

She closed the comms and turned, looking straight at the Chief Engineer. Ingth could not hold her look for more than a second. All resistance and thoughts of betrayal were melted away.

With perspective given the wary Chief as well as any other aboard the ship that doubted her, there would be no more hesitation.

No-one besides herself and Aujuk knew of the ochophial. There might be those driven mad by its value, seeking to destroy their closest friends in order to obtain it and ultimately, insane wealth.

Not everyone wanted the substance for money. Like herself.

She pushed the thought from her logical brain, it floated around in the other conciousness. It was connected to days spent on a far away planet, serene waves lapping at the shore of the island where the Temple was located.

Meanwhile she focussed her attention to the task at hand. Quickly, her comms lit up with notifications that the ship was being readied for the Space Jumps. She knew that she would not be the one to do any of the work here.

It would be up to that AI on the other vessel. The sacred ochophila guided that one. It was not merely a logical hope that this advanced AI would be better at this task than anyone aboard the Pathfinder, but her conviction led her to believe that this would indeed work.

Meanwhile, aboard the Lazarus

"They are ready." J5 said. "Engage."

Thorne felt as though his insides had shrunk to the size of a pip. This was the first feeling he always got when they were about to jump. He preferred to be sedated for these things and now they were about to do multiple jumps in a row. "Great." he grunted.

On the display before him, he watched the shield status intently. Those bugs were trying to get through and should be shaken off during the first jump. They also needed the shield stable in order to survive the jump.

There was a brief flicker and the shields stabilized. "Diverting power to shields and Jump Drives." J5 informed them.

"Drives?" Allan shouted over the whining noise that had begun to drown out everything else. "We have more than one?"

"Mine and the one aboard the Pathfinder." J5 replied.

"Uh... ours you mean?" Thorne asked.

"... yes... ours Thorne." J5 responded. "Now is not the time to debate ownership of things. Biological life and their hangups!" The robot's face display seemed to roll its eyes.

Thorne could not focus on that anymore.

He felt sick. His stomach and his nervous system revolted against him and he shut his eyes tightly. There was a flash of white that he could see clearly through his eyelids.

"First jump." J5 said.

There was a lurch and there seemed to be a momentary delay between conciousness and when Thorne's senses caught up with the jump.

"Second jump."

I hate this.

There was another lurch. He opened his eyes briefly and the stars where still streaking in his vision. They had hopped close to something bright and ominous. It's coming right for us!

The Pathfinder had better amenities installed for organic life to deal with the hazards of Space Jumps. The bridge's viewports were dimmed and though many of the species were in a sort of dormant state while they performed a jump and most humans just sat there and cringed and moaned, Captain Freyai was very much awake.

The Auk'ilit had been a space-faring species for millennia. They had adapted to its rigors. What was before her now, chilled her blood.

The AI had jumped them right before the path of an oncoming mega comet!

It was rushing towards them at such a speed, the sensors on the ship was blaring warnings of temperature and collision.

"Third jump." The human cyborg intoned simultaneously with the AI aboard the other vessel.

Then they were gone.

Darkness.

"Fourth jump."

More darkness.

"Fifth jump."

Searing light, close to a star.

"Sixth jump."

There was stillness. Freyai could see nothing out of the viewport at all. External lighting had been switched off as well as most internal lighting.

"Status report." Freyai whispered.

"All drones seem to have been lost in the jumps. Most were destroyed by the comet on jump 2." Aujuk replied.

"Where are we now?"

"I am uncertain." The cyborg said. "The sensors indicate that we have landed on solid rock."

Log SLZT #19 completed!

Hahaha! I am leaving it just like that!

The keyboard is passed on to @therneau to add in SLZT Log #20 of the story!

by @zakludick	by @therneau
SLZT#1	SLZT#2
SLZT#3	SLZT#4
SLZT#5	SLZT#6
SLZT#7	SLZT#8
SLZT#9	SLZT#10
SLZT#11	SLZT#12
SLZT#13	SLZT#14
SLZT #15	SLZT #16
SLZT #17	SLZT #18
YOU ARE HERE #19	NEXT UP! #20

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