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Once again, just some mild language. No other disclaimers.

Into the Horizon: Arrival and Battle

Bane slowly began to stir. As he opened his eyes, nothing but darkness and a blinding headache greeted him. He couldn't remember where he was or what had happened. As he sat up, the smell of burning electronics brought the story back to him. He then heard the sound of Ron and Scott beginning to stir and was relieved that they were ok. As everybody slowly got back to their previous stations, the full impact of their current situation became clear. They had no idea where, or when, they were. Even if they could restore power to the shuttle's systems, it was a short-range shuttle. Meaning it had minimal shielding, no weapons, and no previsions aside from ration packs. Scott managed to get his tablet back online as he had shut it off before the first reactor went critical. He then proceeded to hard wire it into the now lifeless shuttle. He then began to read off their current condition.

"Well, its bad but it could be worse. The hull is in one piece, although there are some stress cracks but I think it will hold. The primary generator is shot, even if I had parts for it, which I don't, but if I did I'm not sure I could fix it. The backup generator is currently at 25%, I should be able to restore backup power to full but that generator has a limited lifespan. It was not designed to run the entire shuttle for long. Oh and we can forget about propulsion, all engines are fried from the EMP blast. I can, however, get partial sensors back online so at least we will be able to get a better idea of where we are."

As Scott started to work in the back of the small shuttle on his goals, Ron began to assist Bane in his effort to get the burned control panel to an operational status. The three worked quietly on their jobs, nobody wanted to admit what had happened or what they had done. They should be dead; it was their jobs to die at their posts if necessary. They had failed to do that, although they were very aware that there was no stopping what had occurred. Bane thought more of his comrades had escaped the doomed Titan he had seen numerous escape pods being launched, but he didn't know how many survived the blast. Most of the escape pods were not equipped with shields of any kind. The EMP blast had probably fried all escape pods because they were not shielded like the shuttles backup generator. Suddenly Bane felt air begin to move as full power was restored to the backup systems. Meaning that life support had been brought to full power as well as sensors and gravity plating. There was no restoring shields as the emitters had been cooked.

"Ron I've got power at 100% from the remaining generator. But could you see if you can power down as much as possible to stretch our power as far as possible. I've gerry rigged the system and I have no idea how long it will last."

" I'll try Scott, but the control systems are shot to hell. Even if we had propulsion I'm not sure if we could actually go anywhere."

Then Bane asked the question that all three were thinking

"Well, now what? The Titans gone, we have no clue where we are, and we have no way of defending ourselves if necessary."

"I...I don't know" responded Ron.

Bane added, "all we can do is activate our emergency beacon and hope to hell somebody see's it."

There was a short discussion of the possible consequences of shouting to the empty space around them with a beacon, but all knew that death would surly come if they did nothing. They once again sat in silence. Ron was able to get the control panel and readout screens back online by taking parts from the now dead navigation system. However, none of them could believe what the sensors told them. According to the navigation records and star charts available to them they had not changed position. They were supposed to be right beside the now destroyed Titan. But it wasn't there, no debris, no escape pods, no nothing. The only thing visible was empty space. Then another screen told them something equally impossible. According to the shuttles onboard computer they had been sent into the past. But they all knew time travel wasn't possible, at least it had never been done. Although it had been attempted several times by the space commands science division.

"Guys we have a big problem, reported Bane. If the computer is correct about this date, then we have just arrived towards the end of the last intergalactic war."

This comment was met by blank expressions from his friends.

"This means that our three species are currently at war. We'll be killed for traitors by whichever species finds us because of the other two of us being in the same shuttle."

This realization was reinforced as a wolf controlled Tiberius class warship suddenly dropped out of warp in front of the drifting shuttle. Great, thought Scott, I survive a ship being blown to hell only to be blown to hell. The view screen sprang to life as the shuttle was contacted by the now present warship. It was a standard greeting followed by the usual you are our prisoners which was then followed by the Capitan saying something to Bane about being a traitor to his brothers. Thankfully, Ron cut off the transmission.

"If I'm going to be killed so be it, but I don't want to be talked to death."

This brought laugher from the other two. Suddenly the ship was shook as a tractor beam attached itself to the hull. Bane knew that there was nothing to be done. Even if he had weapons, that ship was one of the best ever built. Although it was discontinued after the war, it was fully capable of destroying anything Space Command could come up with then or now.

"Gentleman, said Bane, it has been a pleasure."

"Don't count us off yet, said Ron, there is a human battle curser and a fox war bird entering the system, and they are heading directly for the wolf battle ship.

As the three ships engaged in battle, Scott was shocked to see that neither the fox, or wolf ship was very interested in the human ship. Which was all the better because as they fought it out the humans had began docking the shuttle. After it was secured, the shuttles systems read that it had gone to high warp. Although warp was no longer used in modern ships, it was almost as fast as slip drive.

As they looked out of the front window of their now captivate ship, they were shocked to find that the crew was inter species. Fox, Wolves, Humans, and Dragons. Bane had read stories of the now extinct Dragon species, they had ended as the sun in their solar system went supernova. Some had escaped, but not enough for the species to continue. However in this time the Dragon species was very much alive. Suddenly the side hatch of their ship was forced open by an external release and three deadly looking dragons came to extract the trio from their haven. They were lead out of the room and down numerous hallways. Bane had read a great deal about the human warships of this era. Although their weapons were outclassed by both Fox and Wolf ships, their shields and superstructures were second to none. The ship offered no luxuries found on modern, or rather future, ships. The entire inside of the ship seemed to be painted in a dull gray color. Support beams were visible, and the deck plating was magnetic in nature. Bane had been so lost in his fascination with the ship that he hadn't noticed entering the large briefing room. A large circular table filled the center of the room. It, like everything else aboard the ship, was made of metal. The chairs were bolted to the floor and were like wise metal. There was no windows in this room, and Bane suspected there were few in the ship itself. Probably for structural purposes, he mused to himself. As they took their seats, Scott gasped as he watched a tall muscular human walk into the room. The figure closely resembled one of his long dead ancestors. The new arrival took a seat across from Scott, Ron, and Bane. He then introduced himself as Max, he was the commander of this vessel.

"You three have created quite a stir among the Wolves and Fox. A Human, Wolf, and Fox in the same shuttle as equals is unheard of, even in the Terrain empire. I have many questions for the two of you, but first let me tell you what I know. I know that you three are not from around here. We've had time to glance at your shuttle, and some of the technology in it simply doesn't exist. We've never even seen gravity plating like what's in it before. Not to mention the primary generator, I am told it is crystal based, but that technology also doesn't exist."

Bane sat still trying to decide what to do. Ron and Scott remained quiet as Bane still outranked both of them, and in this situation, they decided to defer to his judgment. Bane weighed out his options. If they told the truth then he would risk changing the timeline. If he didn't they would probably be tortured for the information they held as prisoners of war. Their very presence had changed things, and as Max had already said, the crew was examining the shuttlecraft. He wasn't sure how much they could actually use from it, but he knew they would certainly try.

"Capitan, began Bane, I will tell you everything. But I'm afraid you won't believe us as I'm not sure we even believe it."

"Try me"

"My name is Bane; I am the chief tactical officer of the Terrain Flagship Titan. The Fox is Ron and the Human is Scott. They are team leaders of damage control teams. We come from some point in the future, but we are not sure exactly where. We were dispatched to examine an anomaly that had already destroyed a wolf science ship. As we approached it, exotic particles reacted negatively with our crystal power core, causing it to explode. We managed to make it to a shuttlecraft, but were pushed though the very thing that destroyed our ship. We woke up here and the rest you know."

Max sat back in his chair. He was unsure of exactly what to make of this story. On one hand, most of the technology in the shuttle did not exist yet in the form it was in. On the other hand, there was no way to verify exactly what they were saying. The three stuck him as close friends as Ron and Scott was both looking at Bane for guidance and strength in this now bizarre situation.

"Gentleman," began Max, "I believe you."

Bane couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't believe it, but Max appeared to. As the four individuals sat and watched at each other waiting for somebody to speak, the ship was suddenly shook violently. Setting off the ships red alert alarm. A fox then ran into the room and spoke with the Capitan. Max then turned to the trio and spoke.

"It looks like the two other ships want you as well, you three are just popular today."

"Sir," began Bane, "I think I can assist you in this battle."

"How, asked Max"

"I know both of those ships very well. It was my job to know the various kinds of ships available past and present, and how to disable them. If you permit me too, I think I can get them off of our case."

"Why would you do that," asked Max.

"Because like it or not we are here. Our very presence has altered the timeline. As much as I dislike the idea of going into battle against the most formidable wolf warship ever built, I like the idea of being destroyed by said ship without a fight even less."

Max then sprang into action. He disliked the idea of having three strangers at key systems during battle, but he was short handed. And without them he didn't figure his ship had a snowballs chance in hell.

"You three follow me to the bridge. Bane you will take tactical, Scott, Ron you will take damage control stations."

As the four made it to the bridge, each took his station as ordered. Yet another blast from the Wolf's main guns shook the outclassed human ship. Max knew it was hopeless, but perhaps these three strange individuals could give him an edge. Bane began taking shots at the Wolf warship attempting to weaken its shield enough to get a warhead though, Ron was trying against all hope to reinforce the shields, and Scott was attempting to maximize the primary reactors power output. The Fox war bird was shooting at the human ship, but it had been badly damaged by the wolf battle ship. The human ship was actually using a very primitive, but very powerful version of the antimatter cannons that adorned the Titan. Bane knew that they could potentially produce even more power than they currently were with a little extra assistance from Scott. Bane pushed this thought out of his mind as a control panel for the propulsion exploded killing the human crewmember that was using it. Scott suddenly let out a long string of curses as a primary power junction was destroyed, melted by a massive power surge. This junction provided power to the ships antimatter cannons. Without it power couldn't constantly recharge them as they were designed. They had a backup supply of power, but it was limited. Ron suddenly shook his head and turned towards Max.

"Capitan, the shields are at 50%. We cannot keep taking hits like this for much longer."

Bane then added, "I just cannot seem to break though the wolf's shields, but if I destroy the fox battleship then the shockwave might disrupt the shields long enough for me to get a shot off. I'm not sure how much longer I can use the cannons before I lose all power to them," he added as an afterthought.

"Yes Bane," said Ron, "lets blow up the really big ships and take us with them" he said in almost a mocking tone.

Max then considered his options. He knew that no help was coming, as his ship was the only one in this area. If things continued as they were at the moment then they were dead. He didn't like it, but it was the best and only option.

"Bane, blow the fox ship."

Bane then immediately took aim with every weapon the human ship had. He knew that he would only get one shot at this because the antimatter cannons were almost tapped out. He would have to take them offline to recharge in a bit. He opened up fire on the fox ship taking them by surprise, until now he had focused everything on the wolves and they didn't consider themselves in any danger. Their intent was to let the two ships fight it out and then clame the prize. The damage he inflicted combined with the previous damage infected by the wolves was enough to blow the central reactor. The shockwave crashed into the wolves shields, which held until he hit it with the remaining charges from the cannons as well as all of the missiles at his disposal. The result was a destroyed wolf ship. Then, the combined shockwaves crashed into the human ship. It felt like it was shaking apart, but the shields protected the small ship from the brunt of the waves. Bane was quite pleased with himself, he had won the day. Bridge officers and crew members began running off a list of damages. Max ordered a formal report, then asked the trio to join him in his office. This was a room attached to the Bridge of the ship. It was for the Capitan to use for official duties which did not require his presence on the bridge. As Bane entered the room, he once again was struck by the simplicity of the room and its adornments. A simple metal desk sat at the far end of the small room. The left wall was filled with windows, and the right wall was filled with photo's which had been bolted to the wall. As everyone took seats by the windows, Max was the first one to speak.

"I want to thank all of you for your help in this battle. We would have never made it without your assistance. But I'm sure you all have questions for me as you were never given a chance to speak before our little problem arose."

Scott was the first to speak.

"Max, can you tell us what's going on here. Why are you fighting with the Wolves and Fox?"

"That, replied Max, is a very long story. The short version is that it all started twelve years ago when an attack was launched against a disputed earth colony on in the Vega system. The wolves thought that they had rights to the planet and instead of waiting for a diplomatic discussion simply destroyed it from space. Earth then declared war on the Wolves. The Fox responded by declaring war on both us and the Wolves. They had always hated the Wolves for obvious reasons, but they figured that taking earth territory would give them valuable resources with which to fight the wolves with. The Dragons came to our aid, but I'm afraid they have so many internal problems at the moment that its impossible for them to really assist us much in the way of resources. They can, however, provide us with soldiers, which helps a lot."

"Well, Ron began, where we come from the Fox, Wolves, and Humans are all allies. But I'm afraid that there isn't much info on how that came to be. The records were lost long ago."

"That explains why the three of you can be in a room and not want to kill each other."

Max sat and thought as the three strange guests in front of him talked about random things that he really had no interest in. He hoped that they would continue to aid them in battle. The information they carried could tilt the war in the humans favor. They had the Wolves and Fox in shields. However, the Fox had speed, and the Wolves had weapons so formidable that even the highly advanced shields of his ship, the Siberia, couldn't withstand them for long. As the three sat and talked, a sergeant entered the small office and delivered a ships status report on a data pad.

Something was bothering Ron about this entire event. Time travel aside, there was something about the ship that was so familiar. He began to take notice of the sergeant who had walked in. The man was a Fox, which surprised him, but he looked familiar. Ron then placed a name with the face. He was Randy, an ancestor of his that he read about in some of his family history. He recalled that he had served on the Earth ship Siberia, which was where they were, but he had died in a battle that took place on this very date. It was then that the full impact of there presence hit him. By just arriving as they had the entire course of history had been changed. The man was supposed to die, but yet he lived. He had no idea of the impact of this, but he hoped it wouldn't change him too much. As the now identified man left, Ron was tempted to introduce himself, but decided against it as he didn't want to do more damage than necessary.

"Capitan, began Scott, there is something that's bothering me. You are at war, yet there are crewmembers present from the very factions you are fighting against."

"Well, not all of the Wolves and Fox agree with the war. In fact some of the worlds populated by said factions came to our side for the war. We are far outnumbered by both factions individually, but combined we are outnumbered and outclassed. We need all the help we can get. We have vessels manned by all fox, some all wolves, and some mixed. This is a mixed ship, and I welcome it. I have nothing against either of them."

Max trailed off after this last though. He sat in silent remembrance of all the destruction brought by this war. Some days he secretly wished for death so he didn't have to witness any more worlds burned by the various factions. Ships lost, lives destroyed, not to mention what the race for the heaviest armed ship had done. Subspace weapons had been deployed by the Wolves, and the result was entire solar systems destroyed. They had only been used a few times because of their effect, but those few had hurt. It hurt everyone involved. He then realized that his guests were silently watching him with concerned faces. He reassured them that all was well. He would have to find places for them to sleep. He thought it best to assign all three to one room. The rooms were designed for two, but it would be better than having them with a regular crewmember. He still did not trust them, but he needed them. However, they did saved his ass, which did buy them some credit in his eyes.