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Origin "Repeat. This is Colonizer 436 to Agena, do you read me?" The crew member cursed as only static gave a response. Could they really be marooned? The asteroid didn't hit them that hard, did it? The oxygen supply was running thin; they had to find a planet, any planet. But they had lost long-range sensors. He then switched from the standard Terran subspace band to a general band; he certainly hoped there were no pirate Clippers around. "To any ship that can hear me! We had a hyper-space mis-jump! Our fuel and oxygen tanks were damaged by asteroids! Does any one read?" He then heard a bizarre click as a response, then only static. He furrowed his brow. Then the door to the comm room opened. "We got a big dot on the radar! They aren't responding to hail--" -KARRAAAGH- The crew member saw a terrific crimson bolt tear through the bulkhead, his feet were swept from under him, and he flew into space. As his lungs filled with vacuum, he saw a terrible, massive glowing red vessel descend on his ship.... Stupid to die like this. Stupid stupid stupid........... "Slow down, captain K'rach'chec! What did your hybrid cruiser disable?" "A Terran colony ship, loaded with slush deuterium! We also captured over 30 live subjects!" "You mean-" "Yes! The Terrans have enough resources to manufacture deuterium!" "Impossible! We strip-mined it all in the third war! There is no way the Lesser Vez'Kal could power hyperspace-capable vessels!" "Sir, our race has been trapped on Trugati prime do to lack of deuterium for over 300 years! The Terrans could have found other worlds!" "Very well, then. Send the UFO to our Military science department." "And, sir? The vessel was terribly primitive compared to ours. We should have no problem wresting their resources from the Lesser Vez'Kal when the time comes" "How long did the battle take?" "Two seconds. They had sent a general distress call, giving away their position. We then severely damaged it with a pair of seeker drones, and then well, it didn't last long against our fusion beam" "I've heard enough. You just earned yourself a promotion, Colonel K'Rach'chec" "... And General autopsy indicates no evolutionary growth science the year 0 A.W., sir" "The military science department has had the last six months to study the vessel and its crew! And that's all you have?" "No sir, I think this little discovery we made about the children Vez'Kal will aid our glorious race of the Xez'Koan in the most critical way, the Terrans use an ingenious Tez'Kal shunt technique to jump into hyperspace; this technology can be developed into a Meinzer'Ka'zxa deuterium generator" The second Xez'Koan scientist then cut in. "We have already built a prototype, and have transported the blue prints to our industrial sites. As we speak, the first prototype, weighing over 50 tons has already yielded over 3000 units of fuel! We are also very close to completing a shipboard operations model!" "This is incredible. Collect enough fuel to power our armada, and then I will order a full scouting, then resource raid against the Terrans." And so the great war began....
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