RP: LSDF Akahar [Chapter 1.1] - Staring Back Again

Masakaji stared at the medic and simply nodded. He had been out of it for awhile. What was a few more days. He stuck his arm out. "Do it." He said flatly. His mind begun to wonder what forms of pain he was going to endure in the name of lorath science.

Vathr'dal was starting to worry. The boarding crew was taking a long time to return, and every second they took was another second the pirates had to finish with the Akahar. The pilot shifted back and forth in his seat as he waited.

"Guys," Vathr'dal said to the away team,"We've got to go quickly. Grab whatever you've found and let's get back to the Akahar." Hopefully the away team would hear his alert and speed their search up. In the meantime, all Horizon could do was keep the Wayfarer from smashing into the debris floating around the wrecked ship.

Without too much discussion, the large creature wound up accompanying the server. Specifically it grabbed it, and vaulted into the airlock, accompanying the Lorath with the sound of the transmission. It gave them all a blank look, a single eye painted onto the surface of its otherwise blank face. The airlock begun cycling far too fast and some air ex-gassed as a result. Clearly the freespacers understood that this was urgent.

Once outside, on the surface, it practically vaulted across the hull, using its feet in a small track on the hull to speed it, and prevent it from flying out into space.

Mars nodded and followed the freespacer. It seemed like he did not need any help with the server. Or it did not need any help, Mars was not sure really. The Fyunnen woman, flew quietly through the dead ship, reviewing the dreadful scene again, before she found herself outside the shil again.

"Okay we are coming back on board and we have a guest," she commed back to pilot and made her way to the shuttle, opening its back. "It will be a bit crowded." She added making her way to the cockpit and standing there behind the pilot's seat. With that, there should be enough room for the server and the big Freespacer.

"Akahar, this is Mars." She commed back to the ship. "We are on our way back, any update on the situation?"

Merril followed, rather uncomfortably squeezing through the gap to reach the pilot's cabin.

"G'damn! So how are we getting into the action without breaking that server? 'Cause it looks pretty damn heavy!" She asked, resting her M'hyz rifle on the ground like a cane.

"Alright then." The doctor on duty got up from his chair, opened a cupboard and produced an old Zen-Arms 10x25mm submachine gun, and a transparent bottle of pills with a metal cap as his own weapon hung by his side on a strap. "These will give you a kick in the guts, but you'll feel fit as a fiddle afterwards." He placed the SMG down on the bedside table and unscrewed the bottle. "Hold on, take a couple and wash 'em down."

The doctor on duty made another glance to the door nervously, his hand wrapping around the barrel and shaking the weapon slightly as he fetched a bucket and put it beside Shimakage's head. "Now turn your head. The rest will come to you shortly."

It took a few moments, but the foreigner begun to feel uneasy before he felt his innards do a backflip. His body was purging everything that could've possibly had something to do with poisoning him in the first place rather than letting his body ride it out and deal with it. It was a quick and dirty approach to medicine, incorporating the 'everything and the kitchen sink' mentality.

Granted, according to the doctor, he was going to feel fine afterwards.

-

"Trooper Bastion, situation doesn't seem to be getting any better. I estimate 12 enemies on board, four in armour, heard gunfire - ah, hold on." She paused for a moment as she got new intel from the ship. "Keib has personally confirmed that you can scratch one. He's alive, unharmed and looking for survivors. Four Six and Aiesu are safe and he's going after Shimakage."

"Ship to ship, the other ship seems to be on the defensive, and is taking steps to make a tactical retreat even though it still has an Away party on our ship." Perhaps the reasoning for this was that once the away team were done, they'd fly the dead Akahar to a predetermined location and drop it off to get scrapped.

Of course, that would be over Keib's dead body.

Outside of the medbay where Shimakage was staying, someone could be heard banging down on the door, trying to open it in spite of the barricade behind it. He'd tried pushing it open but the locks on the computer wouldn't let him. As the invader kept on trying to boot the sliding door open, he could be heard cursing.

"I thought the Lorath were too busy with their head up their ass to worry about an invasion. Why's this shit lock-"

A small team had worked in concert. A spotter, a strategist and a trigger-woman (in the loosest sense imaginable). Four Six was able to spot the pirate and Keib was able to confirm this fact and determine what to do with it by pointing the trigger-woman in the right direction.

BAM! BAM! - thud - BAM!. A small series of footfalls could be heard outside before a more polite knock on the door could be heard by Shimikage.

"Nice shooting," A compliment paid save for the stray shot that went into the wall. "Vithr, how's the patient?" Keib's voice could be heard asking the duo in the medbay before he switched over to an intercom and said: "Bridge, make that two. Status update on the armours, please." He requested.

"Two are heading towards you via the stairs, get your patient and run. The other two are holding the Hangar." The bridge crew responded.

"Also, where the fuck is Hakahn?" Keib's voice broke its joviality as another thought crossed his mind now that he had time to breathe and weigh his options as he planned an exit strategy. They were on Deck 3 - same deck as the Primary Armoury. Unfortunately there were hostiles identified in the Armoury.

If they were persistent, Keib's weapons would be turned on him, but it was a risk he was willing to juggle since they were all locked down already.

"He appears to be in his office, still. He's been quiet." The bridge responded.

Keib wondered just why he'd be in his office as he laid his hand down on a palm scanner to open the door to the medbay. "Tell him to pipe up and remind me that he's alive." The scanner chirped happily and opened for him, and he was greeted by a barricade including a couch, a coffee table, and a bed.

"Oh come on now, this shit's expensive and I don't think centcom's going to let us have another if its damaged again. They'll just write it off as another Spaghetti problem." Keib broke the tension as he dislodged the bed and made a way out while the women watched the corridors for incoming. "Move."

Whatever was rising in Shimakage's stomach finally came into the bucket. Vithr wrinkled his nose a little before responding. "Be with you in a sec." Now identified and given a name by the narrative, he seemed to have some semblance of importance in the grander scheme of things.

-

With all three of the away team, plus pilot, plus Server and its protector; a cramped ride was to be had back to the mother Akahar. Unfortunately, in the place where the Wayfarer was sitting, there was an unwelcome guest sticking out like a sore thumb in its original parking spot - though, some of the skeleton crew on the ship were able to disable it from flying the only way they knew how.

The invader's shuttle was in pieces. So many smouldering pieces and a black mark on the ground to mark its passage. Not even Keib and Greg and an infinite amount of time could put it back together, just like they did with those silly jigsaw puzzles they liked the dabble with every other weekend.

Meanwhile, the two power armours mentioned by the Bridge crew were no longer in the hangar - it seemed as though they'd gotten restless, or didn't want to deal with an incoming threat.

So now there were four of them somewhere aboard the Akahar, three plus one patient unsuitably equipped for the situation before them and a skeleton crew in lockdown within the ship to protect them from the invaders.

As the Wayfarer was on its way back to Akahar, Mars was on the comms. Normally if she was back home, she would probably handle the borders. "Okay I want you go the in touch with Al'rish, Gough and Yar'mak bridge!" She radioed with a frown on her face. "Tell them to make their way to the bridge, if we loose bridge it would be trouble. Also I want one of your who seems to have least work to do to have a gun ready. We will be back on board really soon."

As the shuttle was making its way back into the hangar through the atmospheric forcefield, Mars could see the crashed enemy shuttle. "Okay Vatrh'dal set it out nicely. Then give me scan for life-signs surrounding us. Merril, Mist get your guns ready!" Mars herself looked back. Making her way through the shuttle was troublesome. The server was in the way. But there was room above the server. Then she noticed the armours in the hangar. "Bloody PAs! Vathr open the back doors for us." She added and made her way in the back.

Mars grabbed hold of handles on the ceiling and hoisted herself up, she then made her way using those above the server, using just the strength of her arms to hold her up. "Bridge start up a audio message over the ship. Tell those shitheads to throw down their weapons, tell them their ship was destroyed and they have no way back. Either death or giving up. It might get their attention and buy us some time and who knows, they might actually do that." She commed to the bridge.

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER...

Out in the hallway, Four-Six had paused at the corner. Her ears tilted forward, her tail touching the wall, she listened hard to the sounds around it. Beneath her uniform, her chest rose and fell silently; her nostrils flared, just so.

To Keib, it felt like the picture of perfect awareness.

Finally, and with liquid smoothness, the small helashio slipped around the edge and moved with her firearm to the next corner to repeat the entire process.

Keib hung further back with Aiesu to watch their rear and get signals from their forward observer. He had been fiddling with the AI-Scope that he'd fitted onto the rifle he'd given her, and had managed to get it almost calibrated; it just needed a test fire. "Four, see anything?" He asked with telepathy, looking towards her and watching for a signal.

The response, a flash of her white eyes, and a quick nod gave him all the information he needed.

One more. Keib gave a nod of confirmation back, and shuffled forward with his slip-ons quietly across the deck with Aiesu carrying the rifle.

"I thought the Lorath were too busy with their head up their ass to worry about an invasion!" The mercenary banging on the door to the primary medbay was yelling as he looked at the door, having exhausted the options on the keypad. He seemed to be a Nepleslian in his 30's, having grown accustomed to his way of life and finding that most of the problems in his life could be solved with violence. He tried to boot the door again.

Keib saw the tension in Four's shoulders and the depth of her crouch, and knew it for what it was; a brief, minor prelude, exactly as it had been before she had placed the knife in someone's throat.

"Why's this shit lock-" Then the white thing darted out around the corner and forward, and Keib heard three gunshots and a thud.

Keib then looked out around the corner to observe the handiwork that was done by his ward. It could've been called a work of art - the only things marking the invader's passage was two red flourishes of blood on the wall where his head was a moment ago, trailing thick droplets slowly.

But there was a third bullet that'd hit the wall. He sniffed the air and looked down at the rifle that was in his and Aiesu's hands. He grimaced at Aiesu. "Finger -off- trigger while I'm working. Thank goodness I had it set to Semi." On the positive, the calibration for the AI-Scope seemed to be adequate.

On the negative, Four was crouched down against the wall, glaring back. Keib would probably have been crouching down, too; Four had just nearly been winged by friendly fire.

"Nice shooting..." Keib dryly commented to Aiesu as he grabbed the rifle from her hands and crossed the floor towards the door, giving it three hard knocks. "Vithr, how's the patient?"

-------------------------------------

"Finally, some action!" Merril snarled, sliding over the server like a child would over a bannister. She landed on the other side nimbly, bringing her rifle to the fore as soon as she recovered. With an almost gleeful tinge to her tone, she asked, "Yo, Mars! Is this shoot to kill or cripple? My trigger finger's itchin' here!"

Mist made sure to have an standard round loaded up in his M-Cel and had a knife pulled before he made his way around the server.

"I vote for murder. They came to our house looking to kill us they can expect the same."

The Lmanel's pause to converse was only so that he could find a good spot to get away from the shuttles door. He didn't want to be the obvious person to shoot at after all.

Mars smiled under her helmet and but when she spoke up her voice was strong and direct. "I do not really care," Was the reply as readied her rifle. "Cripple them, kill them as long as none of the crew gets hurt do whatever you want. The Akahar and its crew are our priority is that clear? No glory hunting, there is no glory to be had on this ship anyway."

Keib was watching his forward observer as he made minute adjustments of the physical sort to the rifle he'd passed to Aiesu. The AI Scope wasn't fully calibrated, and test firing it was simply out of the question. The bullet could attract unwelcome attention beneath the red emergency lighting. "Stay still. You've been shaking since I found you." Keib requested when his hands slipped off of the scope, trying to tape it down properly.

"I am staying still," Aiesu replied through clenched teeth now. Even her hands, so tightly that some of the loose items on the gun like the sling swivels were rattling gently in a chitter of plastic and metal.

"Look at your hands." Keib nodded down towards them, expression severe as he moved his bandaged hands away from hers.

"What about them?" cerise eyes dropped. She made the observation - her knuckles were white and the tips of her fingers bruised from the squeezing. "That's not good. No, no. That's... Haaaah-" she trailed to catch her breath, already losing herself mid-sentence. "Nono. Not good at all, is it?" Keib shook his head at her in reply.

Since he didn't answer, she didn't feel the need to even attempt to explain herself. "Calm yourself." Keib told her in a hushed voice and foreign tongue as he watched Four-Six disappear around a corner.

"I am trying." she grumbled quietly, the wretched clicking of her serrated teeth slowing now - and slower still, the rattling grew quieter. Keib sighed a sigh of relief and looked ahead to his forward observer and asked her a question over telepathy: "Four, see anything?" He was greeted with a curt nod from the helashio. He looked over to Aiesu and nodded, whispering. "Alright, forward, slowly. Back her up." He relinquished his hands from the scoped rifle, letting Aiesu have full control of the weapon.

It was eerie. The way her eyes didn't leave him - yet her aim was still controlled - sweeping with the barrel to get an idea of what was happening outside of her peripheral as she advanced, unable to see the helashio creeping up behind the invader.

• BAM! BAM!

Keib was anticipating that noise and his hand wrapped around his pistol, gripping it tighter like a coiling serpent. He did keep his finger against the guard and off of the trigger. He stood out of concealment and watched the invader's body fall to the floor, his passage marked by two red roses of blood on the wall.

• BAM!

And then there was something to ruin the perfect picture painted by the Helashio. Keib froze as he eyed his ward and the bullet hole in the wall of his ship. He unfroze and grimaced as his eyes traced the bullet's trajectory had started from Aiesu's barrel. A plume of smoke dispersed into the air and the sound of a brass casing could be heard falling to the floor near Aiesu's feet.

Aiesu lowered her barrel, eyeing it for a moment before tilting her head. She couldn't recall actually pulling the trigger. She could hear the rhythmic jingle of the sling swivels again. She was holding the weapon as though it was trying to wriggle out of her grip, until it slowed down and stopped after the smoke and dust had cleared.

Keib grabbed her right index finger and peeled it off of the trigger, tucking it next to her middle finger and he sighed at her.

"If I hold it like that, I can't shoot it." Aiesu squinted.

"Exactly, Mel'an." Keib whispered to her as he relinquished her of the rifle and peeled the sling from her shoulder and inadvertently let his hands go through her hair as the sling cleared her head. He crossed the corridor and walking to the door, giving it three firm knocks. "Vithr, how's the patient?" He asked the door.

"Mel'an...?" Aiesu echoed back to herself, trying to remember where she'd heard it.

"Glory?"

Merril cackled loudly, moving quickly from shuttle to hall-access door. A quick peer down the hall, she signaled that it was clear for the moment.

"I'm not in it for the glory. I'm in it for the fun!"

In all seriousness, the wildcat licked her chops in anticipation. She really, really wanted to break somebody's arm. Good stress relief, and rightful reward for intruders who think they can take her ship!

The robot remained largely silent as it ghosted out of the shuttle. It looked around a bit, and then finally spoke. "This unit is currently unarmed" it says. "Perhaps this unit could aid you with the rapid construction and transport of tactical barriers? By which we mean we could carry heavy metal plates for you to duck behind and use as cover"

"C'mon," Keib walked over to Shimakage as he snapped his fingers. Vithr put the bucket of the foreigner's vomit down and helped the foreigner up to his feet, "Up and at 'em!" Keib's tone was far from condescending in typical Lorath fashion, coming off as more of a supportive figure. Shortly after the nausea rolled over Shimakage, an uneasy calm began to pervade his mind, sharpen his instinct and quell the aftertaste pervading his mouth. Whatever Vithr made him swallow purged the contents of his stomach along with the sickness and left a present behind - so to speak.

Eventually Shimakage found himself on his feet, feeling more or less better than he was before - only by comparison. Vithr passed him a Paragon Infantry Machine Pistol and gave him a pat on the back. Satisfied, Keib turned around, "See anything?" He asked his scout, who was at the entrance.

Quick and sharp, Four-Six said, "Yes, Mister Keib. Something is coming, Mister Keib."

Keib mumbled to himself. "Should've been out of here two minutes ago."

What Four Six was seeing and hearing was the sounds of heavy footsteps, heavy durandium footsteps accompanied by the sounds of whirring servos from behind a corner.

Although she must have already known how much ammunition was in her weapon, Four-Six checked her magazine anyway. Keib could hear the magazine clicking and clacked his teeth together. He looked over to Four Six and motioned for her to get the hell out of dodge as he had Shimakage and Vithr in tow, heading back towards the door.

"Aiesu, you too." He whispered and growled as she passed her. "Hurry." The first thing he did was scurry towards the armoury. That was the safest place he and the others could be. "Bridge. I need an update - fast." He whispered into his earpiece.

"There's one heading right towards you from the-"

"I know." He growled into the microphone. "Any bogeys in our direction of travel?"

"Yes. One Demon power armour at the Armoury, trying to get it open - failing."
Vithr clicked his tongue in distaste, able to hear the news as he stayed close to Keib: "We ain't fightin' that." He observed despondently.

Keib and company then rounded a corner and saw something that made him smile. "Open hatch D3-64 for us." Keib replied as he waited near the maintenance hatch on the wall. A crawlspace meant for engineers to repair frayed wires or broken piping. They'd all been locked down since the invasion started, but most of the time they were open for the right personnel.

"What do you have in mind, Mister Keib?" Four drifted closer, hovering at the perimeter with her gun firmly in both hands.

"Why," Keib grinned as he watched the locks unbolt and the lights on the hatch turn green. He grasped the handles and gave them a leftwards rotation before pulling the hatch open. "We're going to go in right under them."

"Shit, they'd see us with a sensor suite." Vithr observed dryly.

"Not if they're trying to get the armoury open." Keib retorted as he stood aside and swept his arm into the hatch. "Ladies first."

The uniform that Four-Six wore did not have a holster; she checked the safety, and tucked the machine pistol into the back of her pants, to one side of her tail, instead. Then she pulled herself in and began forward on hands and knees.

The tunnel was narrow, but Four, as small as she was, fit easily with no problem. With the room that she had, she was even able to stop once she had gotten a little ways, turn, and watch the others.

"Please watch your head, Mister Keib."

Keib was the third to last person in, ducking down and walking on the balls of his feet before lying down to fit inside the space. Most of the engineers who were aboard the Akahar were New Tur'Lista or Llmanel who aspected into smaller, slimmer breeds - so they had no problems with moving through the ship.

However, ahead of Keib, Vithr had aspected with a slightly larger animal, and found himself hugging the walls with his sub machine gun on safety with the magazine removed. "Some plan." He groaned as he kept on moving, knowing that it was better than facing a power armour head on.

Aiesu and Shimakage were the last ones in.

"Someone shut the door behind us!" Keib turned around and raised his voice from the middle of the queue. "Radio silence from here on in - otherwise they'll spot us, shoot through the walls and we're dead."

The durandium steps were getting closer.

-

The Away Team had come home, but the welcome mat had been defaced - and the offending vessel was turned into durandium confetti. The atmosphere in the hangar was tense.

"Away Team, Keib's gone radio silent." The Bridge relayed to Bastion, Merril, Shrie'keng and the newcomer. "If I am to guess, he's hiding with the others." She responded. "In other news, we have a vermin infestation. I'll highlight all known positions - they've knocked out cameras, but the passive sensors aboard the ship can pick up when a power armour is running."

A new voice sprung up across the radio to the Away Team. "Like my handiwork?" A gruff fyuunen female voice could be heard. Bastion would recognise it immediately as Al'ris. "See you later. Killing." Her voice then cut off abruptly.

"...Anyway." The Bridge picked up where Al'ris dropped off, "I'm reporting a high concentration heading towards the armoury. They're trying to get it open. Its where Keib is heading too."

"There're three more down in the engine bay, but we've boxed them in." One of the other brige bunnies chimed in. "Want us to release them back into the ship and see if they walk into you and your guns?"

"Oh, and there's a group of four, plus one armour down in the Livestock storage. They're either lost, hungry, or horny." A groan could be heard from the line. "Nepleslians." One of the bridge crew rattled off dismissively.

"The rest are wandering the halls, and its hard to get a bead on them since they've shot out the cameras there."

The little digital, watchful eyes now blind in the hallways sparked, and delivered static to Bridge and Captain alike. The Away Team had a plethora of possibilities, and a few wandering unknowns.

With her rifle ready Mars exited the shuttle and looked around, barrel of her weaponry, checking every nook and cranny. She was listening to the report and was deciding where to go. Engineering sounded important, but the enemy there was boxed in. The ones around livestock were not important right now. If pirates would got into the armoury it would be much worse.

"We will head towards the armoury, give me a way that gets me into back of the enemy," Mars replied in a minute. "Keep those near engine bay locked up, we will deal with them later. Better keep them trapped, also close the ventilation in that part, let's choke those bastards. Hopefully some of them won't have suits. Keep the ones in livestock monitored, tell me if anything changes." Mars sighed.

"Okay this what we do," she then said to Merril, Shrie'keng and the Freespacer. "We are going to get into armoury. It is besieged by enemy right now, we get there hit them in the back. We are going to annihilate them. It will probably also help us link up with XO and his team. Merril, have as much fun as you want, but I want you to be professional. No silly business."

Her head then turned towards the Freespacer. "Your server will be safer in the shuttle. You can stay with it or come and help us fight." Mars said and unholstered her Hand cannon revolver, offering it to the hulking freespacer. "Take this for self-protection and try to not shoot anything lorath. Oh and how should we call you?"

Masakaji knew that the experience was going to be horrible. But he did not realize it was going to that intense for so long. And the fact that the XO had to get him on his feet was not helping his pride at the moment. But who needs pride anyways, he shall be an outcast where ever he goes.

He looked at the machine pistol for a moment and slapped himself several times to focus. He needed to get himself together. He followed the others out of the medical lab towards where ever they were going. He looked back every so often to make sure there wasn't trouble behind them. Then he looked where everyone was cramming themselves into.

"A maintenance tunnel??" Masakaji thought to himself. But he knew better then to question a superior officer without all of the facts of any plan. So he reluctantly crammed himself in last. He manipulated the controls to shut the door to the tunnel. His knees were to his chest once that task was done, machine pistol pointed towards the door. As little good that will do if it happens to be an armored foe.

"Wait a sec," called out Vathr'dal before the others left, "Do you want me to come with you or stay with the server? The only weapon I've got is this Arbitrator." He didn't want to be a hindrance on Mars' battle strategy, but he could really have cared less for which he did. All he was concerned with was getting the intruders off of the Akahar.

Horizon unholsterred his pistol as he waited for Mars to reply. He knew he was going to need it, however this went.

"Well, quit stalling and let's go already! They aren't gonna wait for us like a nice little present!" Merril growled, taking the lead of the party and walking down the hallway ready. Her choice of words to describe the situation was curious, but given her prior comment, not that strange. She waited at the turn for Bastion, checking down the tunnels.

Mars turned back to young pilot. She wondered if it would be wise to take him, but if he wanted to go it was not her place to tell him no. Well it was, but it would not be right. "Come with us if you want, but be careful. Oh and do not forget to lock the shuttle very well, we do not want them to steal it."