Character: Verroel
NPC: Kfuez (Corsair guard), Oraegrengouz, Sosazue (Junior Engineer)
Location: Engineering
System: Jumpspace
The tool hunting party decide that the safest route is not down the central
stairs, but rather the floor iris valve in the starboard-aft corner of the upper
deck. This route will drop them down next to the starboard maneuver drive in
engineering. The corsair guard goes first and keeps close watch while Verroel
and the others climb down.
"Where's your toolbox," Verroel asks Sosazue.
"Up front, just to the right of the monitor board." She gestures to the left.
The group hustles over to where she indicated, but they quickly learn that it
isn't there.
"It was right here. I swear it."
Verroel is absolutely on edge. He's sniffing and listening, but stays relaxed as
best he can to present a good leadership image. When the toolbox is not where
it was expected he growls softly.
"Is there anything else down here that we can use to break into the armory
besides what is in your toolbox? It would save a wild goose chase."
Sosazue keeps looking around, as if hoping that the tool box will magically
appear. "No, there's nothing else that will do it. We need to find it."
"It's ok," Kfuez says to calm her down. "We can search the rest of this level of
Engineering. There's only two ways in or out that we have to worry about: the
iris valve in the floor where we just came in and the one over there." He points
to the one that leads to the corridor that runs from sick bay to the crew
lounge. "We can leave someone to guard each hatch while Sosazue searches for the
tool box with an escort."
Verroel growls for a moment and then relaxes. He wags his tail. "Stay calm; stay
focused." He looks at the others as he takes back control of the situation. He
thinks of his own experience with iris valves. "Kfuez, go ahead and guard the
lower iris valve. Try to put something heavy over it to trigger the safety
protocols. And if they're overridden, they'll get a nasty surprise.
Oraegrengouz, guard this door here. I'll go with Sosazue. Now move out."
The other two males exchange glances with each other after Verroel's last
sentence, then go to their respective portals.
Meanwhile, he looks at Sosazue. "Is your tool box distinctive in appearance?"
"Of course it is," she replies, paws on hips. "Don't all engineers personalize
their toolboxes?"
Verroel stops to think about that one, briefly trying to recall what he did
with his.
She doesn't wait for an answer. She walks past him, shimmies between the outer
caps of the magnetic turbine housing, and then ducks under the cross-lateral
stabilizer. Verroel follows. He's interested, of course, in the engines from a
professional stand point but keeps his senses focused on the possibility of a
lurking threat.
She continues on to the engineer's maneuver drive monitoring station and stops
to check around it, giving time to Verroel to catch up.
Suddenly, she says, "There it is," and proceeds aftward, past the plasma conduit
sensor tubes, and then the nozzle alignment plate. She picks it up, turns
around, and holds it up for Verroel to see. He starts to wag his tail.
Her smile vanishes, and her eyes go wide in alarm.
Seeing her exhibit alarm, he doesn't hesitate but ducks, turns around, and
brings his gun up to fire.
Six meters away stands one of the aliens, blocking the way Verroel and Sosazue
just came from. It's roughly two meters tall. Hard to tell with the crab-like
legs. Its large pincers are held in front of its chest in a defensive posture.
Leathery wings are retracted. Its body is grey with mottled pink patches. What
appears to be a head is a knobby structure with about a dozen antennae sticking
out.
The air between Verroel and the alien shimmers, and there's a buzzing sound in
his ears. Verroel realizes the alien is trying to do something with his mind. He
shakes his head, then smacks it with his paw. The pain helps to clear things up
enough to concentrate on the task at hand.
In the meantime, the alien is closer. Verroel quickly fires a single five-round
burst. Three bullets strike the alien: one in the front left leg, one in the
right front leg, and one in the abdomen. The front legs buckle, and a black
ichor leaks from the abdomen wound. The shimmer is gone, and the buzzing sound
fades away, replaced by some gurgling. The creature is still upright, waving its
claws around, blocking the exit.
Verroel doesn't have the luxury of trying to communicate with the creature.
Perhaps they were really tragically misunderstood and the entire situation was a
misunderstanding, but that was not where he was at the moment. Just before he
fires off another five-round burst, he calls out to Sosazue, "Get ready to run
for it!"
Four bullets hit the beast in the chest. It slumps over to its right, resting
upon the port maneuver drive. It's still, unmoving.
As Verroel, still crouching, growls under his breath in triumph, Sosazue rushes
past him, bumping him with the tool box. He snaps at her a bit as she brushes
past, a little for bumping him, but more to prod her along. He's back to his
feet when she sidesteps past the lifeless alien and rushes to catch up to her.
At the end of the maneuver drive "corridor," Sosazue comes to a stop with a
gasp. Verroel edges past her and puts himself between her and the outer caps of
the magnetic turbine housing. Peering out, he sees Oraegrengouz slouched down on
the deck, leaning against the bulkhead to the left of the iris valve, which is
open. Two proboscises lead from a second alien to Oragrengouz's head, a blank
stare on his face.
Bastards! Now this was just unacceptable as Oragrengouz was part of his
pack. As far as Verroel can tell, the alien hasn't spotted him yet.
Knowing that Oragrengouz might already be dead or lost to the alien, Verroel
jumps out from behind cover and lets fly another full volley from his gun.
All five rounds hit the torso of the alien, spilling black ichor. It keels over.
"Close the iris valve and then get the hell out!" he yells to Sosazue.
She runs over to the iris panel and keys it closed. She shouts, "There are more
of them coming down the corridor." The valve closes. "I'll lock it, but I don't
know how long it'll last." She then runs back to the ladder that leads to the
top deck.
Verroel shoulders his rifle and starts dragging Oragrengouz toward the ladder
heading back to safety. He calls on the comm link to the others. "Oragrengouz
is injured by the aliens. Kfuez, get over here and cover me while I drag him.
Dharla, open the hatch and rig a rope to pull Oragrengouz to safety. We leave
no wolf behind."
He bumps into Sosazue. As he's about to growl at her for clumsiness, she blurts
out, "Quick! Kfuez needs your help!"
Verroel growls in frustration this time. He drops Oragrengouz and unslings his
rifle. "Grab Oragrengouz and watch our tails."
She replies, "I can't drag him and my toolbox." Verroel notes that she's
using two paws to carry her toolbox.
"Then stay here and watch the iris valve in case the aliens get through."
With that, he rushes around the corner. Kfuez is crouched on the deck, grimacing
in pain, trying to shield his head. One of the aliens, whose back is to
Verroel, is almost upon him. Two of the probosces dangle in the air in Verroel's
direction and start changing before his eyes. They darken to a reddish-violet
color and become rigid, with some form of carapace forming along the last meter
of their length.
Verroel opens fire on the alien. Four out of five bullets strike the alien in
the back and it falls over. It's still twitching, but its limbs are limp.
Kfuez appears to be ok. He slowly removes his hands from his head and shakes it,
trying to clear his mind.
Verroel motions Sosazue forward. "Get up and open the armory. That's the first
thing we need done." As he speaks, he steps forward and offers a paw to Kfuez.
"We leave no wolf behind. Help me go back and get Oragrengouz. He was attacked."
Kfuez accepts the paw and uses it to steady himself as he stands up. He nods.
"Yeah, sure thing. Thanks."
Sosazue scoots past them and starts climbing up the ladder. The toolbox appears
to be heavy. Her ascent is slow.
Verroel and Kfuez head back to Oragrengouz with their rifles ready. When they
round the corner, they discover that Oragrengouz isn't where Verroel set him
down. Instead, he's walking to the iris valve that Sosazue shut and locked to
keep the aliens out.
Verroel growls. "Damn, he's been influenced. We have no time to mess with this."
He purposefully strides up behind Oragrengouz and uses his rifle to butt him in
the back of the head. Oragrengouz collapses in a heap. Kfuez rushes over and
helps Verroel drag him back to the ladder.
Once there, they look up to see a rope being lowered down. Kfuez makes a harness
out of the rope and wraps up Oragrengouz good and tight. He's then slowly
lifted up with Kfuez directly underneath to help with the load.
After Oragrengouz is out of sight, Kfuez looks over to the iris valve. He
shouts, "Hurry Verroel! The iris is opening!"
Verroel scrambles up the ladder without looking back. He hears something like
darts pinging off the ceiling as he climbs into the upper deck of the ship. The
iris valve is sealed and manually locked behind him.
Sosazue gets to work on the iris controls. She announces that she's disengaging
the electronic controls so that the aliens can't get in manually or
electronically. "It'll take an iris valve opener or a plasma torch to get
through it now," she says with satisfaction.
When asked about Oragrengouz, Verroel relates what he saw.
"We better put him into a cryopod," Dr. Gvekhs says, "until we can be sure he's
no longer under their control."
Verroel agrees.
Character: Verroel
NPC: Kfuez (Corsair guard), Sosazue (Junior Engineer), Dr. Gvekhs,
Dharla, Uerro (previously unnamed corsair), Dzo (previously unnamed crewman)
Location: Bridge
System: Jumpspace
Dr. Gvekhs and a crewman load Oragrengouz into one of the cryostasis pods while
Sosazue gets to work on opening the ship's locker. Kfuez updates Dharla on what
happened down in Engineering. Verroel keeps an ear on their conversation while
he watches Sosazue work.
It takes Sosazue half an hour, but she finally succeeds. Inside are several
suits of cloth armor, assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, assorted ammo, a
couple cases of grenades, and a rocket launcher along with a case of four
rockets.
At this point Gvekhs and the crewman have returned to the Bridge. Gvekhs says,
"Oragrengouz is stable. Saw some weird vital signs before he went into deep
sleep. Have to run them through the med computer when this is all done." He
peeks over at the locker. "Good job, Sosazue."
"Thanks!"
Verroel congratulates Sosazue as well, and smiles with the additional praise.
He says to the group, "The medical changes may provide some clue as to how the
aliens are controlling and affecting us, but we need to overwhelm them before
we are all worn down."
He looks around the room to see who's wearing armor. All of the corsairs are
set, that leaves him and the rest of the crew. "We'd better get suited up in
that cloth armor. We'll need it."
While Verroel and the crew are getting suited up, he says, "We'll move on them
directly. Dharla, Kfeuz, that wolf," he points to the corsair he doesn't have a
name for, "and I will arm to the teeth with assault rifles, grenades, and
handguns. The rest of you staying behind should take handguns for self-defense
and hold the bridge." He looks about. "Can anyone use the rocket launcher? We
can use it in the open expanse of the cargo hold as a blast weapon if the
aliens fortify themselves."
Dharla and the corsairs exchange looks. She says, "You want to use a rocket
launcher inside a ship? In jumpspace? Are you mad?"
Verroel snaps his jaws. "Of course we're not going to fire the rocket launcher
inside the ship while there is still hope of winning conventionally. If it comes
to it would you rather die cleanly by breaching the hull and destroying the
ship or have your minds ripped from you and controlled by these aliens?"
With his tail hanging limply, Kfuez says, "Well, when you put it that way..."
Satisfied that they're seeing his logic, Verroel continues, "If we are faced
with dying, or worse than dying, we'll use whatever weapons we have at hand and
go out standing proud and unbroken. I will not live as a mind ripped thrall of
these aliens."
Kfuez says, "In that case, Uerro and I are both capable of using the rocket
launcher. So what's your plan?"
Verroel considers his forces and their choices. "We'll split up and go down the
port and starboard turret accesses. That will bypass the middle deck and get us
into flanking positions in the cargo bay. The G-carrier hangar will be cramped,
so I'm assuming that the aliens will be in the main bay or more likely aft in
the special cargo section or the engineering section. Dharla, you'll lead the
starboard team and I'll lead the port. You'll take Kfuez and one rocket
launcher. Use it if we're going to lose. I'll take Uerro and you..." he points
to the remaining crew wolf. "What is your name so I can honor you for your
bravery?"
He unconsciously puffs up his chest. "Dzo."
"Well met, Dzo. We'll take the port access. If you use grenades in the main
cargo bay, use them sparingly. We may all be in the blast radius.
"When we burst out, my group will pivot aft and face the special cargo bay.
Dharla, you'll clear the forward section and the main air lock." He pauses to
consider alternate scenarios. "If the aliens are not in the cargo bay or retreat
and hole up in engineering, then we'll split up again and my team will work
directly down the iris valve into engineering."
Verroel turns to Sosazue and Gvekhs. "Barricade the entrances into the bridge
and monitor comms. Stay armed as I may call on you as final reinforcements.
We'll go out fighting with our teeth in their throats rather than be hunted down
one at a time."
He looks around, noting stern nods of approval, even from Dharla.
"Questions?"
Kfuez asks, "And if the aliens aren't in the special cargo bay, where will your
pack go? Will you circle back to help Dharla and me?"
"Of course," Verroel replies. "Anyone else with a question? No? Then let's get
to it."
Character: Verroel
NPC: Kfuez (Corsair guard), Sosazue (Junior Engineer), Dr. Gvekhs,
Dharla, Uerro (corsair), Dzo (crewman)
Location: Bridge
System: Jumpspace
After everyone is suited and gone over the plan a few times, the assault teams
form up and head to their respective shafts. Verroel, Uerro, and Dzo head to the
port turret shaft while Dharla and Kfuez go starboard. Once both teams are in
position—relayed via comms—they try to open their respective iris
valves, but they appear to be locked from the other side.
Once they realize that both teams are stuck, Verroel contacts Sosazue on the
bridge about their predicament.
"They changed the lock codes. I'll need some time to find an override."
Several anxious minutes pass.
"Got it! Opening now."
The iris opens but the way out is blocked by a crate.
Verroel comms Dharla, "There's a crate blocking our way into the cargo hold."
"Us too," she replies.
"I can't see over it." To the others with him, he says, "Give me a paw." They
push on it, but it doesn't budge.
Dzo says, "We should be able to move it. I'm guessing they stacked other crates
around this one."
"No luck here either."
Dejected, the cargo hold assault force returns to the bridge to reconsider
their attack plan.
Character: Verroel
NPC: Kfuez (Corsair guard), Sosazue (Junior Engineer), Dr. Gvekhs,
Dharla, Uerro (corsair), Dzo (crewman)
Location: Various parts of the ship
System: Jumpspace
Dejected, the assault team returns to the bridge.
Uerro asks, "Should we try the main stairs?"
Kfuez replies, "They'll be expecting it."
"What about the iris valve outside of the g-carrier garage?"
"We could, but because we'd be climbing down a ladder, we'd be at a
disadvantage. We'd have to peek down through the opening and throw a grenade or
two to buy us some time."
Dzo says, "But that would make for a good diversion, no? Make it seem like we're
coming down the ladder. After the explosions, the main force comes in through
the front door."
"Or do the reverse," Uerro says. "Make them think we're coming in through the
main door and surprise them with the garage ladder."
Kfuez nods, then looks over to Verroel. "Do you want to weigh in on this?"
Verroel growls for a moment and then shakes his fur. "We'd be suicidal to go
down the ladder, so that is the way we will go: bold. With the way they are
barricaded in the hold, we'll need to take more risks with the ship and the
weapons we use. As much as it's dangerous, we may need to use the missile launch
to wreak havoc at the main entrance. Grenades, a missile fired to minimize
actual damage, and then multiple automatic weapons in the front. Do we have a
way to make smoke? That would confuse things at the main entrance and disguise
for a bit that we are not attacking at that point."
"Hold on. Let me check." Dzo hurries into the ship's locker. He calls out, "I
found a few." He emerges with four smoke grenades.
"So how do you want to do this?" Kfuez asks. "Do you want the ladder or the
main entrance?"
Verroel growls as he considers their options. "I'll take the ladder. We'll run a
double feint. Smoke and a grenade down the ladder and shouting, gunfire. Then
we do the same at the front door assuming they haven't blocked it as well. If
they have then we fire a missile at it and breach it."
Nervous glances are exchanged all around. There's even some whimpering, but
Verroel is quick to clamp it down.
"Look, it may severely damage the ship, but we will all suffer a fate worse than
death if these things win. After a few seconds to draw their attention we'll go
down the ladder. I will go first."
The attacking party heads down to the middle deck. Verroel and Uerro split off
and head to the forward iris valve at the end of the stateroom corridor. Darla,
Dzo, and Kfuez continue their way down the stairs. Once everyone radios that
they're in position, Verroel launches the assault.
Character: Verroel
NPC: Kfuez (Corsair guard), Sosazue (Junior Engineer), Gvekhs, Dharla,
Uerro (corsair), Dzo (crewman)
Location: Various parts of the ship
System: Unknown
First, Verroel lobs the smoke grenade. Once the smoke reaches the ceiling, he
chucks the grenade. Uerro shuts the iris valve. The rumble of the grenade is
heard. Uerro opens the iris valve, and a cloud of smoke wafts in with the smell
of something foul burning.
Verroel says, "Now we fire off a few shots and the others—"
He's interrupted by a gut wrenching pain and a spate of dizziness mixed with a
pounding headache. The look on Uerro's face says that he's experiencing the
same thing. It's a feeling Verroel's had before back in his corsair days when
desperate captains sought to escape Imperial navy patrols: misjump. He howls as
the wrenching feel of misjump rips through him and his packmates.
But since they're already in jumpspace, that means...
Sosazue's voice over the comm confirms it. "We're out of jump—" An alarm
sounds. "Proximity alarm! We're headed for a rock. Impact in 12 minutes!"
Verroel considers their options and makes a quick decision. Perhaps these
creatures can't exist in normal space, but if they hit a rock then it wouldn't
matter. "Dump grenades and seal the portals. These things may not survive in
N-space. All pack report in and head back to the bridge."
Verroel follows his own commands by tossing in another grenade as far into the
smokey space as possible and then slams the valve shut.
Verroel runs back to the bridge. "Uerro, guard the passages up to our deck from
below just in case."
Uerro barks in acknowledgement of the order.
Verroel continues talking as he climbs the stairs. "First we need to see if the
controls work. I can fly a ship's boat, maybe enough to avoid a rock. Do we
have a pilot aboard?"
"Dzo here. I was one of the backup pilots before this mess started."
"Good! Get to the bridge."
"Almost there."
Everyone but Uerro and Kfuez, who elected to stay with him to guard the stairs,
is now on the bridge.
Dzo is sitting in the pilot's chair. "I'm still locked out of the controls."
"Ten minutes to impact," Sosazue says.
"How do we get helm control back?" Gvekhs asks.
"We'll have to get down to Engineering." She turns to Verroel. "Where we were
when we were attacked."
Verroel realizes that she means the workstation between the thrust collars on
the maneuver drives.
Verroel growls and lays his ears back." Sosazue come with me. We'll hustle back
to the engineering station via the aft ladder. I'll ride shotgun while you
unlock the controls."
She barks a quick acknowledgement and takes off for the aft ladder.
Character: Verroel
NPC: Sosazue (Junior Engineer)
Location: Engineering
System: Unknown
Once they reach the aft ladder, Verroel insists on going first. He slides down
the ladder. Sosazue follows. As soon as she hits the deck, Verroel leads the
way. He passes the monitor board and takes a position at the outer caps of the
magnetic turbine housing. Sosazue disappears between them, and Verroel stands
guard.
Seconds later, shots ring out. Verroel quickly realizes that they came from the
direction that Sosazue just went.
Verroel growls as he draws his weapon and heads toward Sosazue. He shimmies past
the magnetic turbine housing and spots her lying on the deck just past the
cross-lateral stabilizer. She's facing away from him, towards the port housing.
Verroel crouches and moves forward slowly knowing that there is a foe down here
somewhere. He moves to where he can check the likely location of the gunfire as
well as check on her status.
Before he can reach Sosazue, he spots a pair of legs, vargr legs, standing in
front of the engineering console, facing out towards his position. Verroel
realizes from his position that if he proceeds any further he'll become visible
and certainly shot. However, he also realizes that he can shoot the legs of this
vargr, or he can dive forward, shooting at this vargr higher up on his body
(hopefully), although it means exposing himself.
He fires a three-round burst at the vargr's legs. Two of the bullets strike the
vargr in the left leg, and he falls. He doesn't cry out from either the wounds
or the fall. Unable to stand, the vargr brings his weapon to bear on Verroel.
Even from this distance, Verroel can tell that his pupils are fully dilated,
but he can't tell if there's still a vargr mind behind those eyes or something
alien.
Without mercy, Verroel snarls and dumps a five-round burst into the possessed
creature who is no longer vargr. All five rounds find their way into his torso,
and he slumps to the deck, lifeless.
Verroel glances at Sosazue. "Hang in there packmate, I have to save us all
first."
He goes to the console to remove the bridge lockout. Amazingly enough, the
console itself isn't locked. Apparently, this thought didn't occur to the
aliens, or perhaps the engineer-host was incapable of that level of thought.
Regardless, it takes Verroel no time at all to cycle through the menus to locate
the bridge lockout command and disable it.
"Bridge, you're clear!"
Dzo replies, "Ok. Brace yourself, everyone. This is going to be rough."
"Give me five heartbeats to strap in Sosazue. She was shot."
"Can't. Sorry."
Verroel goes to Sosazue and turns her over. Several slugs are embedded in her
cloth armor. She moans and appears to be coming to.
The engines ramp up to full power in a matter of seconds, the sound quickly
growing to a roar and drowning out all other sounds.
Not seeing any way to secure Sosazue, Verroel grabs her and sits at the
engineering console with her on his lap. He quickly buckles the two of them in.
Verroel barely hears Dzo shout over the comm, "We're not going to make it!"
If he can get the safety limits turned off, Dzo might be able to pull more power
from other systems. But with Sosazue on his lap, he can't access the console.
Thinking quickly, he nips her on her arm.
That does the trick. She bolts awake with a series of pain cries, first from the
nip, then with the sudden jerk jostling her injuries.
Verroel shouts to her, "Turn off the safeties! We need more power!"
She takes a few seconds to realize her situation and then leans forward to work
the panel.
Alarms are blaring, but something must've worked as the roar from the engines
becomes insufferable. Verroel drops his ears as close to his head as he can, but
it's still too loud. He howls with the pain. Sosazue goes limp on his lap.
There's a terrible vibration building in the ship. Support beams whine. The
vibration grows into a tremor and then a violent wrenching sound is heard.
Before he's rendered unconscious, Verroel manages a thought: "We've crashed."
Next: Arrival at Voenggaks