The Gathering Storm

Part Ten

During the Darlok’s abortive escape from the stellar converter complex, the firing sequence continued its march to oblivion.

Power was shoved into the capacitors megawatts at a time. The air inside crackled. At about the time the commandos ran into the Ithkul ambush, a signal from the central computer told the capacitors to discharge to the firing chamber.

The discharge never happened.

The shapeshifters had completely severed the two parts of the converter. When the power inside the capacitors could not exit, it began to build even higher. It was at this point that Conscience and his comrades’ fortunes changed.

The electrolytic agent inside the Harvester’s capacitors was safe and effective – as long as it was not exposed to air. However, when combined with oxygen and nitrogen, the chemical became extremely volatile. The incredible amounts of energy rippling through the capacitors finally ruptured one, spilling out the now-dangerous contents. The voltage drop between the two plates of the capacitor reached a high enough difference that the air between them was stripped of its electrons, producing a single, fateful spark.

A massive explosion followed, breaking apart other capacitors and starting a chain reaction that would reduce the complex to rubble.

The shock wave from the explosion knocked Conscience’s captors flat on the ground, and the heat wave served to keep them there for a few crucial seconds. When they did finally get up, the Darloks were nowhere to be seen. The Ithkul captain, seeing that he had lost his prey, barked some orders, and his men spread out to find the escaped prisoners.

When they were gone, three forms seemed to grow out of the concrete. With a quick signal, the team faded away, leaving behind the ruined stellar converter. Their primary mission was complete. Now, they had other work to do.