The Return of Ryleous Arkane-The Wanderer of the Orion Belt

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

The Return of Ryleous Arkane - The Wanderer of the Orion Belt:

My journey through the Orion and Canis sectors... The remains of a crumbling Empire.

Foreword

For many, the wilds of the Galactic Center of the Milky Way Galaxy are hazardous, treacherous and deadly to all visitors, to both mankind and even alien alike. You never know what to expect or imagine what you will find in this incredible sector of space within the very center of our home, the Milky Way Galaxy. This is not so much because of the hostile invasion force of the United Dom' Forces of whom have overtaken many Dom'Kavash systems mind you, of which we will regain for our Dom'Kavash friends one day... But also, of the awesome tidal gravitational forces found here due to the presence of black holes and other gravitational anomalies. Things that mankind will spend the next hundred years researching are harbingers of incredible dimensions and gateways, of not only space, but time itself. I found this to be forever true one fateful day when an incredible journey for once, instead of me finding it, IT found me. The official story from the Silver Arrows Command says that I was killed in action almost a year ago in combat against the United Dom' Occupation Forces, but this is merely a cover story since they could not find any wreckage or trace of my disappearance or death for that matter... It was assumed I was dead, thus listed officially as KIA, “killed in action”.

So as it was, apparently a freak gravitational anomaly near the black hole of the Inner Core system next to the Dom'Kavash Galactic Hypergate sent me to previously unknown sectors of our galaxy, to things I or mankind itself have never witnessed and have left me changed, something perhaps no longer... Entirely human. Perhaps though, I have just been around the Dom'Kavash too long back at the SACS (Silver Arrows Core Station) base, haha! It is only by a miracle perhaps that I am still alive and somehow... I found my way back home to known space in spite of all these months out in deep, previously unexplored space. I later found out that at least 9 months worth of time has passed while I was transported, thankfully unscathed across the galaxy... Perhaps this was some strange sort of limbo or just merely time dilation, honestly I don't know what happened. All I remember is waking up in space I did not recognize initially much less my ships sensors giving me any nearby known stellar readings. For once, I was truly lost in space with only a general idea of where I was thanks to ancient stellar charts from the Dom'Kavash. That may be truly the only thing that saved me and helped me find my way back home aside from fortune smiling upon me those days... So thus, my adventure begins.

CHAPTER ONE

07/07/3011 A.D. - SACS, Weth system, Inner Core sector

My journey began months ago at the SACS Core Station in the Weth system in the Inner Core sector of where I was investigating with the help of our Dom'Kavash liaisons, a fluctuation in plasma power output and gravity near the black hole with one of the Dimensional gates in the Inner Core system. Me being the ever curious explorer and taking my privilege of the rank of Rear-Admiral to personally investigate this occurrence without SAC oversight, I flew to the Inner Core sector with minimal resistance from the United Dom' Forces fleets. Along the way I informed the Fleet Admiral of my mission and in spite of his caution, I continued on ahead.



07/08/3011 A.D. - Dom'Kavash Galactic Hypergates/Black Hole Gravitational Anomaly, Inner Core system, Inner Core Sector

Upon arrival at the Inner Core system, I immediately notice a strange glow from one the Dom'Kavash Galactic Hypergates. As I close near to the anomaly I notice activity on long-range scans and my klaxon horns go off like a siren, I was picking up hostile targets nearby, who were also apparently analyzing the anomaly! Immediately I get out of autopilot, power up the weapons systems and grab my ship controls for dog fighting... The star-like streams of the projectiles is unmistakable to me... Dom'Setek ships. Great, I say to myself, what the hell are they doing here??? This system is usually vacant of United Dom faction ships and bases... Just what I need right now, with no backup to boot... After lining up and assuming attack position I spot on the scanner about 5 ships, a whole squadron of light fighters and a Dom'Setek ship of which at first glance I thought was a gunship staying out of the battle... But later I would only deduce it was not just a gunship, but instead an apparent prototype Dom'Setek ship that possessed some new technology they were apparently experimenting with. As I tore through the Dom' Setek fighters, I took out 2 of them pretty quick after only a few minutes of dog fighting surprisingly. Afterwards the 3rd ship got some pretty good shots in at me and took out my shields but I quickly flanked the Setek ship and took him down while strafing the fighter. With only one fighter left, I again noticed the "gunship" and it was just still sitting there in space next to the Hypergate, still conducting whatever it was doing... Finally with the Dom'Setek fighter alone and without wingman, the dogfight was quick and easily I dispatched him with a charged volley of alternating fire.



Finally, after the last explosion of the Dom'Setek fighter, I came to a standoff with the Dom'Setek mystery ship and came to a stop there in space, looking at the ship. I then attempted to hail them as a token of mercy to attempt communication and find out exactly what their intentions were... What a mistake and waste of time that was, it proved to be the last time I would see known space at that point. After my hail, the Dom'Setek ship began to move, rotate slightly from it's position and fired some type of beam directly at the Dom'Kavash Power Relay to the Galactic Hypergate that was experiencing the anomalies that were detected from the long-range scans back in Weth. The resulting cascade of power and gravity was incredible, my sensors recording it went off the scale at that point and I witnessed an incredible blinding bright flash of light from the Hypergate! After that, I lost consciousness and everything went black...



CHAPTER TWO

??/??/???? A.D. - Somewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy!

At this point, I can only assume hours passed back in the Inner Core, Altair and the Sirius sectors before I again regained consciousness. Later I would only conclude possibly there was time dilation during my travel across the galaxy, as even light takes time to cross a galaxy… As I finally came to and regained consciousness, I notice my flight recorder has only recorded about several hours passing from the events I had just witnessed. I quickly try to collect my thoughts and remember what just happened and more importantly... Where the hell am I now!?!? Quickly I scan around the cockpit and realize to my horror... I am no longer in the familiar dusty space with the many bright nebulas and black hole of the Inner Core. Instead now, I am looking at mostly black, empty space... From what I guess is roughly several million miles away, I see a nebula I've seen in the past before, only this time, it's much, much closer and in far more grand detail! I finally calm myself and realize at least I know where I'm at in the galaxy... Somehow someway... The resulting event the Dom'Setek ship apparently created an incredible event horizon of a temporary wormhole that spit me out near of all places, near the Orion Nebula!

Quickly I call up the Dom'Kavash stellar charts from my ship computer's database and pull up details on what the Dom's call the "Klar'gaa Domain", or to what I will eventually christen as a SAC designation, “The Orion Sector”. Within light years away are the Orion Belt stars, Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka, of which are listed on the Dom'Kavash stellar charts as former Kavash outpost systems, however long since abandoned... BUT! If their jumpgate systems are still there in place, I might find a way back home through their jumpgate network! Quickly I bring up the long-range scanner and begin probing near the nebula for signs of any Dom'Kavash structures, bases or objects nearby... To my despair, it was of no avail. Dear Lord... *sigh* What am I going to do now? I don't have any kind of hyperdrive or light speed capable engines on this ship, the trip flying back to even Sol itself would take longer than I could even possibly survive at best estimates and with my emergency rations and life-support systems lifespan... My only hope is to get closer to the nebula, do more scans and pray the Dom'Kavash left something behind that I could use or find... It's my only hope! As I pull up my nav computer and set flight direction, I set a course for the nebula at best speed. I decide at this point it will take hours before I get close enough even at this speed so I figure I might as well hibernate a bit and set the ship computer to awake me when I get within close proximity of the nebula and to sound at any detection of any structure, object or vessel of human or Dom'Kavash origin, as well as any gravimetrical anomalies, like jumpholes. With the ship’s nav computer instructions set, I initiated sleep mode with autopilot enabled and full cpu control of the ship. Now, I must sleep… And wait.



CHAPTER THREE

??/??/???? A.D. – Near the Orion Nebula, Orion Sector, the ruins of the Dom’Kavash Empire

Finally... About roughly a day later, I am awakened by the ship's computer to a life-form detection as I close within intermediate range of the Orion Nebula... FINALLY! Something! As I close in the computer detects something of organic origin!!! YES, it's gotta be Dom'Kavash... Sure enough as I close in for a visual... it's a Dom'Kavash satellite!!! YAHOO! I never thought I'd be so happy just to see a Dom'Kavash satellite in my life for as many times I passed them in the Altair sector, but for once, I never saw something so beautiful! Haha! With that, I immediately assumed manual controls and set the long-range scanner again to find any other Dom'Kavash structures within range to attempt to find something else. My only thought at this point was to find a Dom'Kavash jumpgate and pray it was still functioning! Hell, at this point I'll even take my chances with a semi-stable jumphole!

Several hours later my patience was rewarded, the ship's scanners detect several more organic structures just on the far side of the Orion Nebula! As I close in, I quickly verify another Dom'Kavash satellite, a Dom'Kavash Outpost Station and YES!!! A Dom'Kavash JUMPGATE! THANK YOU my awesome Dom'Kavash friends! The structures appeared to be rather derelict and in disarray but the jumpgate still gave energy readings that it was active and operational! This is it! Hopefully I can take this back to known Dom'Kavash space and find my way back to the SACS to tell them what happened... As I proceeded with docking procedures with the Dom'Kavash jumpgate, I close my eyes and say a prayer in hopes that I will get home soon...

As a bright flash of light from the end of the jumpgate disappears, I realize from my nav computer I am now near what is known to mankind, as the Alnitak system, the first of the Orion Belt stars! The very bright glow of Alnitak even at nearly half a light year away is rather blinding I quickly notice. The nav computer beckons me again at another nearby Dom'Kavash satellite within several million miles out, so I follow the Kavash's "trail of breadcrumbs" so to speak, to find yet another jumpgate to what I assume will be a gate to the Alnilam system, the next in Orion's Belt. For what seemed like a week, I traveled Dom'Kavash jumpgates from the Alnilam system to the Mintaka system to eventually, I saw the solar system of the incredible red supergiant Betelgeuse! This star makes the red giant of Omega-11 look like a tiny red speck in comparison! The gravity well of that sun was intense and I almost got caught in it's gravity well on the way to the next Dom'Kavash gate. The last system in the Orion sector was another massive and very very bright star known to us as Rigel, a blue supergiant, the brightest star in the Orion constellation. I definitely had to utilize my shade and light dimming functions of my cockpit and helmet in the Rigel system as it was incredibly bright! The flares of Rigel were incredible and reached out for millions of miles. I have never seen such an active flare sun like that, now I know why the Kavash left here...



CHAPTER FOUR

??/??/???? A.D. - Yet another new sector of Dom'Kavash space, but yet more ruins? The Canis Sector?

From there I can only assume I ended up in another sector somewhere else, as I arrived out of the gate from the Rigel system I could no longer get any stellar positioning other than distance from the galaxy core. The system I arrived in, again the Dom'Kavash structures nearby were old, in disarray and quickly I noticed... There was no Dom'Kavash jumpgate behind me!!! That last jump appeared to be one-way much to my surprise and dismay. As before, I assumed manual controls and made my way to what was a welcome change at least, working Dom'Kavash trade lanes! The apparently abandoned Dom'Kavash system I was in was like the rest, very unfamiliar and apparently, long abandoned by the Kavash, perhaps eons ago. At the least, thanks to the help of the Dom'Kavash's programming routines, my ship computer was actually starting to get some data back from the Dom'Kavash structures and gave me the names of the systems and gates as I passed through each of them... The first system was called Banysia! While there was more than one gate of the system, I assumed that either way would take me closer to hopefully Dom'Kavash Empire space, so onward I continued. The next system was Belay, then Kinak, Keltur and finally Assris... As all the systems before in my long journey... Derelict and abandoned... Former systems and the glory of what was the expanse and reach of the Dom'Kavash Empire at it's zenith apparently. As I came to the jumpgate in Assris, my ship's computer did not give me a reading of the exiting jumpgate out of the system at this point... Great! I thought... A dead end perhaps??? Or yet another sector... Little would I realize later back home, the very systems I just traveled across were none other than the Dom'Kavash abandoned systems of what would be christened, the Canis sector, after the largest star in the sector and ever recorded by man called, “VY Canis Majoris”, just light years away. With a deep breath and exhale, I hit the nav computer command to dock with the jumpgate and pass through to hopefully somewhere closer to home. My only real thankful thought at this point is... So far, I have not run into anything either the Dom'Kavash left behind(like Nomads for starters) or anything they have forgotten to tell us about that might pose a problem for my survival! Also, I didn't run into any United Dom' forces during my entire journey so far from the Orion sector through the Canis sector... That was at least a big sigh of relief as well, I'm sure everyone back home will be happy to know that at least... Assuming I do get home, before I run out of time.

03/28/3012 A.D. - The long journey at an end! Arrival in the Inner Core Sector, roughly 9 months later...

As I finally left through what dawned on me was a Dom'Kavash Hypergate into another sector, I finally get some galactic positional coordinates and my usual nav beacons of the Dom'Kavash show up on the long-range scanner! YES, YESSSSSS!!! I made it home! I was back in the Inner Core sector, in the Sorror system! But to my perception of time, instead of what seemed like over a weeks worth of time had passed, instead my ship's time calculations immediately updated from the Dom'Kavash's satellites and gave me a shocking revelation! I found I was gone for not weeks, but instead, FOR 9 MONTHS! Over 9 months had passed since I disappeared from the Inner Core sector back near the black hole in the Inner Core system! At this point I was in awe of my journey and experience and immediately laid in a course at best speed to get back to the SACS in the Weth system to tell them what had just recently happened, from my point of view.



CHAPTER FIVE

03/29/3012 A.D. - HOME! Mirtrakk Battlestation/SACS, Weth system, Inner Core sector

After traveling through the Inner Core systems, I finally arrive in the Weth system. I jumped a little in my cockpit with the Fleet Admiral hailing me immediately telling me that I should be dead and welcomed me back! They had picked me up on the long-range scans and even sent some escorts as I came into the Weth system’s trade lane and initiated docking procedures. I told him, “Sir, have I a story to tell you!” As I arrived at the SACS compartment onboard the Mirtrakk Battlestation, I was greeted with elation by the mob of Silver Arrows flight crew and the Fleet Admiral Sam Thomas himself with a hug and a warm greeting welcoming me back from the grave! My noble Shroud VHF ship and myself had just explored two new sectors of our galaxy that mankind had never seen up close and verified the location of old Dom'Kavash outposts and abandoned systems, of some that are still able to be traveled to, namely in the Canis sector. The incredible event that occurred in the Inner Core system months ago apparently also either destroyed or transported the lone, mysterious Dom'Setek vessel elsewhere in the galaxy, hopefully to never be heard from again from verification of reports from the SACS and the Dom'Kavash.

As I settle back into my old chair at my old office at the SACS, I begin writing my report of this incredible journey and return back home to the SAC, to begin our charting and planning expeditions to the Canis sector and someday, back to the Orion sector. In the meantime, I will finally eat some real food, sleep in a actual bed and enjoy some creature comforts.... Soon I will return to the Sirius sector and take a nice vacation from the Silver Arrows for an extended furlough, to appreciate my friends and family I haven't seen in what was now nearly a year ago and tell them that I am still alive and well, with one hell of a story to tell of things that no man has ever seen.

The official story of my return now is that a freak celestial event caused by the Dom’Setek in the Inner Core system catapulted me through time and space to a previously undiscovered sector of our galaxy and in the process, I rediscovered ancient abandoned Dom'Kavash stations, outposts and jumpgate networks. Only by the irony of discovering the remains and ruins of the Dom'Kavash Empire by accident was I spared a miserable fate in deep space. Nothing was said, published in the inter-media networks or discussed of the involvement of the Dom'Setek, their mysterious new ship or the incident altogether, as that data is now classified by the Silver Arrows Command, Dom'Kavash Empire and the Order's High Command and known as the “Dom’Setek Wormhole Event”. Further internal investigations by the Silver Arrows and Dom'Kavash Empire are ongoing after I submitted my de-briefing report and flight log.



Attention Silver Arrows Command, this is Rear Admiral Ryleous Arkane, callsign "ORION" reporting in for duty! The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated! It's good to be home, back in the fold and besides...

We have new sectors to explore!


Rear-Admiral Ryleous Arkane, callsign "ORION"




Enclosed is a map locating some of the stars in my journey. For reference, “sCMA” is VY Canis Majoris, the largest star in the Canis sector, the Orion Nebula and Orion Belt stars are in the Orion Sector, the Sun is of course, in the far end of the Sol Sector, close to the Orion sector.

[Michael]

I wonder what North America is doing with that nebula, but well...


Welcome back arround mate

Very intersting story by what I've seen, but I'll finish reading it later as I gtg now

[Guest]

WB! (oficially ) ... full forum access now

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

YES, I've noticed, glad to read all the old posts and definitely the newer posts, thanks again Forlon!

[Guest]

Chapter 3 = true inspiration, the most readable part.
Overall there is a bit too much pathos sometimes, but anyway thanks for another good story!

Oh and welcome back to inhabited space!

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Thanks Cresthen, glad you enjoyed it man! And it's good to be back... I know Forlon will welcome the help on the administrative side of the SA while Sam is still gone for the time being.

[Guest]

.. just a suggestion, on swat ... copy there starting part ...

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Hmmmm, alright I'll try adding the foreward and chapter one Forlon.

[Snake]

Hmmm... THE STORY WONT FINISH!!!!! x_x Welcome back Orion!

[Seqan]

Welcome back, Admiral. You should find us all just as nucking futs as when you left.

[Trinity]

WB Orion

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Thanks guys, good to be back in the saddle again, had fun chatting and helping out Forlon last night. Got to talk to Fud a bit on Teamspeak, hopefully I'll see him on the server more in the future as well.

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Well folks... I can't find a image to describe the level of facepalming I'm having to deal with right now. Seems my return will be unfortunately short-lived until further notice...

I tried to turn on my computer this morning only to have it do nothing but beep and flash on for a split second every time I press my power button on my computer... When it actually does decide to power on, it stays on roughly around 5-10 mins or so before it just randomly powers off completely without warning.

This is also after I spent about 2 hours Monday night with a soldering iron, solder and the stupid computer case's power button thinking the cheap POS switch on it was fubaring on me.(and cursing up a storm that would embarrass a sailor) Well, come to find out it's not the power button at all short-circuiting on me after testing the motherboard connections with a screwdriver,(jumpering the power switch progs on the motherboard) but instead, it's either my motherboard or power source. I'm going to have to find some old computer parts I have and pull apart my computer to try to diagnose which component is failing on me. The good news is at least, I have a brand spanking new PSU I bought recently thinking the power source was going out on me so hooray for that at least... If it's my motherboard well... *fumes* I'm going to have to resort to eBay to get a new AMD socket 754 board, which thankfully I've already scouted out some hopeful prospects if necessary.

Man... Now I know how old Dodge and Ford owners feel like...

Basically what I'm trying to say folks, it might be a while longer before I log back into the server again, no thanks to this hunk of silicon and aluminum I call I computer. Sorry guys!

[Guest]

Best you can do is buy some "low mainstream" parts and compose new PC. With todays prices it will be cheap and still many times faster as any old machine. ... as I know very well when year back upgraded my 10 year old PC.

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

As much as I would love to do so Forlon, I've got a guitar amp head in the shop right now with no idea how much that is going to run me... If I had put aside my income tax refund money for an overhaul several months ago,(like I wanted to unfortunately, the money went to other needs sadly) I'd already had ordered the necessary parts from Newegg, rebuilt the computer and not have to deal with this incessant BS from my old hardware.

If I cannot find and isolate the failure soon, I unfortunately may have no other option though.

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Just an update for anyone who cares... (me at least) I've got a new motherboard on the way, hopefully it will be here by this weekend as it's literally coming in on the "slow boat from China". Hopefully this Gigabyte board will last longer than the POS Biostar I was using before it died on me.

To top things off this past week (you guys will love this) the blower fan unit for my A/C system in my house is flaking out on me and won't blow air at all while on cold. The thing that infuriates me the most is that the fan actually works and blows air with it on heat. *FUMES* So today I'm headed to the A/C parts and supplies store here in town to buy a new blower fan unit... Thankfully, my parent's neighbor who is a A/C repair serviceman is coming to my house after work to replace the units for me to get my A/C working again.(before it REALLY starts cooking here temperature wise in a few months here in the southern US)

Here's to praying nothing else will flake out on me, period. Between my guitar amp, my computer and now this, my nerves are getting rattled pretty good.

[Guest]

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

Well, I just learned my lesson on why I'll never buy anything from China again if I can help it...

New motherboard is DOA.

TIME 4 HULK SMASH!!!!!1@

*IS FURIOUS*

...And now I just played russian roulette again for another motherboard on Ebay, this one's here in the US at least... *sigh* Another week of waiting it seems...

[Guest]

hope second one will be OK. sometimes it is simply badluck

[Trinity]

and sometimes ppl just screw you around

[Ryleous Arkane (SA_ORION)]

..AND NOW, I'm back. For reals... Dammit. Hooray for no re-formatting of hard drive necessary, my new motherboard has the same exact chipset as the old one and it seems to be working without any serious issues.

I'll be seeing you guys on the server again soon.

[Guest]

[Seqan]

Knock on wood.... *knocks*

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