Sycorax Snare

Sycorax Snare - SciFi Smackdown Round 4

“Depending on how far they’ve drifted, it may already be too late for them to save their ship.” The man sat at the control panel next to his daughter and tapped rapidly, bringing up a view on a separate screen. “If they trigger the matrix surrounding the Snare, the auto response will come into effect and drag them in to the minefield anyway. Damn the Sycorax. Even now, eons after they died out, they still manage to cause havoc.”

“They’re broadcasting several ident codes father. I’m not sure what they are, do you recognise them?”

“They’re broadcasting the signatures of House Naples and House Milan,” Prospero whispered, his face draining of colour. He smiled wanly at his daughter as she rested a concerned hand on his and lifted it to his lips. “I think perhaps my hand has been forced,” he said. “So be it. Send them a signal; let them know they’re in danger. I’ll have to link with Caliban and try and save them.”

Miranda turned and paled noticeably. “Must you father? You know that Sharing put a tremendous strain on your mind the last time.”

“I know, but we cannot let the Snare destroy that ship and if we can use one of the few good things the Sycorax produced to save them, then I must do it.”

Miranda nodded her agreement. “I will monitor things from here.”

Prospero leant over and kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Contact Ariel and get her to help you too.” He sighed. “With that ship carrying who it does, and lives at stake, I must intercede. I hope you do not think less of me after you meet those on board.”

Miranda turned to face her father, a question ready on her lips, but he was already walking away from her, his back ramrod straight, his stride long as he moved toward the tunnels that housed Caliban.

~~

“What the hell is going on here?”

Alonso and Ferdinand turned as the door to the bridge ‘shooshed’ gently open and Duke Antonio of House Milan erupted onto the bridge, his clothes in disarray and hair wild. Alonso’s brother Sebastian and Antonio’s court advisor Gonzalo walked more serenely in behind the blustering duke, Sebastian with a slight smile playing across his lips.

“I thought it only polite to let our guests know of our predicament brother,” noted Sebastian as he moved alongside Ferdinand to look at the displays.

Ferdinand looked at his father; a slight tightness around his eyes was the only outward sign of his father’s annoyance with his brother, the Duke’s tone even as he spoke.

“Good morning Duke Antonio, my apologies for the rude awakening, but we find ourselves temporarily inconvenienced. The engineering bots are working on the trans-light drive as we speak and I’m sure we’ll be underway shortly.”

“And how long would you have let me sleep Alonso? Until your son had flown us into a nearby sun or played dodgems with a nearby comet?”

“My son is probably one of the best pilots I know Antonio. Now I suggest you cool your jets a little and let us concentrate on what’s going on around us.”

“Incoming signal.” Ferdinand interrupted, the two dukes falling silent as they waited for Ferdinand to continue. “Someone is warning us to steer clear of the asteroid field, they’re saying it’s some sort of trap.”

The ship jolted causing the occupants to stagger, forestalling any further argument.

“Son?”

Ferdinand’s hands flashed over the controls. “We’ve been snared in some sort of gravity beam and are being drawn toward the asteroids beyond the main gas giant in the system. It’s an intense gravitational field father. I can’t do anything about it with the engines offline.”