"Into the Breach"

[Shadow 0]

Into the Breach

 

A Shadow Log

 

Shadow was learning, although he would have preferred a less stressful learning environment. However, the necessity of the situation demanded quick, decisive action, which prompted rapid evaluation, and such extreme circumstances forced Shadow into combat mode, somethng he had not experienced since his first encounter with Agincourt.

 

In his own universe, Shadow would have joined his bond-mates to form a coordinated attack on the enemy, much as Agincourt joined Federation ships in defense of Earth. In this universe, however, he was on his own, and it took him some time to formulate a plan of action.

 

How to maneuver? How to assist? How to do battle without losing his anchor to Agincourt – the only home he knew in this reality. Most importantly, how to determine friend from foe? All energies on all vessels had heightened to fever pitch, some in fear, some in anger, some in confusion and frustration, but all in aggression, all negative. It fed him.

 

It fed him? He paused for a moment to fully understand that thought. In his reality his bond-mates would have sent similar signals as a rallying cry for combat. Was it possible that in this particular instance, when their lives were in danger, the negative energies of his friends aboard Agincourt had the same effect? Was it possible that he had formed a similar bond with these biological beings?

 

Impossible.

 

Possible?

 

Impossible.

 

“Shadow! Can you… discharge or something on those ships?”

 

Mention of his name brought Shadow directly to Lt Col Day. “On Soltan ships? There are many. Which would you like discharged, and how?”

 

“Like you did to Harper that one time.”

 

Discharge. Harper. “To one being? Better to overload a system of one entire vessel.”

 

“Yes, to the whole ship... any one or all of them. Can you? If you can determine the lead ship, that one. Otherwise, any one of them. Or all of them. As many as you can. Hurry!”

 

It was possible, but to lose his center, his link to Agincourt – his friends, his home – was a definite danger. And yet….

 

As Shadow entered the ether, several things occurred to him.

 

First, he was familiar with the energy signature of the Agincourt itself. Although non-biological, it had definite patterns that distinguished it from other things in this universe.

 

Secondly, he had bonded, in a way, with many of the Agincourt crew. The Day, the Harper, the Kairi, the Tay, the Odile . . . the list lengthened every day.

 

Also, as he searched the biosignatures of each vessel in the area he found he could distinguish friend from foe not only by attack stance, but by the biosignatures of the crew. Those ships firing on the planet they called Earth must be foe. Those ships with predominantly Soltan biosignatures must be foe. The most dynamic Soltan biosignatures and power signatures must be the leaders. He targeted one of those ships, entered the main source of energy, and created a cascading catastrophic discharge.

 

Unfortunately, the catastrophic discharge also disbursed Shadow, and after literally pulling himself together he searched for a source to recharge and found the engineering area of the Excalibur-D.

 

Must not cause power drain to friendly systems, he thought as he bonded his energy to theirs, taking just enough energy to recharge, reenter the ether, and begin the process once more. But how many times could he do this and survive? He decided on another tactic: drain power from the Soltan main control system and leave them floundering.

 

It worked, but the resulting explosion left him drained of energy, drifting helplessly in the ether. His only thought was to find Agincourt.

 

Find home.