The team was in the shuttle bay of the private Nepleslian research vessel SS Spark, which was adrift in orbit over a partially-habitable machine world in a distant star system called Tr'Pocka. As they emerged from the shuttle they had discovered evidence that a firefight had broken out on the ship for reasons thus far unknown. The shuttle bay had lost atmospheric containment and internal gravity.
Cassie drifted towards a large interior hatchway, pressing her armored hands on the door's controls, which didn't respond. She started looking around for an emergency release, which she found. Soon she was slowly opening the hatch by turning a large bar in a keyhole-like slot. The air from the other side explosively puffed out with a large hiss sound and brief cloud of fog but only more a moment. Thankfully there was another hatch beyond which allowed them to use this as an impromptu airlock into the ship's interior passageways. "Ready," Cassie told the other team members.
After checking that the rest of the hanger was secure, Sanda took up a position beside the door as Cassie opened it. She waved the other team members through before asking Cassie, "Should we leave someone to guard the shuttle with Beryl?"
Yayoi nodded her her head and followed Cassie, and Sanda all the while keeping her eyes on the look out for danger, a habit she picked up on Hanako's world. She'd took her position opposite Sanda and held her Rifle ready. Once Sanda waved them threw she waited before she followed. "might be wise" She replied, Once more she found herself impressed with Sanda.
"She'll be alright," Cassie said. "Beryl, if things get sketch just take the shuttle back out into space." Cassie noticed there was a ton of communications interference. "Did you copy?""
"Copy, be prepared to leave if needed," Beryl replied through alien static.
Cassie, with her rifle slung over her shoulder, started cranking the hatch door closed on the shuttle side, making sure it had a good seal. Then she started working on the interior one.
Yayoi continued moving forward as she took in everything around her.
Sanda took a moment to pause and attach her bayonet to her sub. The 16 inch blade gave Sanda extra reach if it came to close quarters combat.
Zanven was on his way to the gym as he continued to pour over mission details while walking. He was unable to immediately react when the order was given due to an issue with his previous "save data". But now that it was fixed he was just waiting for orders as usual. He did message the captain and inform him of the backup data being up to date and that he was cleared for active duty once more. He rushed back to suit up and once he was ready he was in the co pilot chair for the mission. Once everybody was off he continued to get the live feed as he listened for additional orders. He heard some talk about guarding the shuttle and for the first time since the mission started Zanven acknowledged as he brought a rifle up and stepped out into the hangar bay. "Brax here, I will keep an eye on our shuttle. Be safe out there everyone." He said as he continued to watch the area.
The team walked through the now secure internal hatchway and into the main corridor. It was clear from the amount of smoke billowing from various bulkheads and interior areas of the ship that a sizable firefight had occurred on board some time earlier. They saw several Nepleslian corpses, and even some burnt-out armor, strewn around. A few crates and assorted equipment were also damaged from various impacts and blast. There were several bodies missing the head. There was no trace of anybody living so far, at least not inside of the ship.
Cassie approached one of the rooms that looked like it had been the galley. There was still evidence of a firefight, but no bodies. Her eyes scanned the room; all she saw was some scorched food and some overturned tables. "What the heck happened here?" she asked out loud. "These Nepleslians got killed by melee weapons," she added, trying to scratch her head but just bouncing her glove off her helmet with a dull metallic thunk.
Sanda's weapon was up sweeping the room. She wasn't disturbed by the corpses. She had seen them before. She stooped next to one and examined the wounds to the body before gently closing the eyes of the dead man. She checked the man's pockets for some form of ID.
Yayoi crouched down to one of the bodies while closing the eyes of one of the dead she turned her attention to their injuries she hoped to see if she could discover what killed them.
Sanda discovered that the man was apparently a private military contractor for a company called Nepleslian Frontier Acquisitions and his name was Robert Ghent, of Funky City Nepleslia, and he had a level 3 clearance on the ship with this ID card. He was armed with two handguns, and an automatic shotgun which had been emptied. He was dressed in military fatigues and had been killed by something that had inflicted severe slash damage. It didn't look like he had died that long ago.
Sanda turned to Yayoi and asked. "Blade, is this the kind of wounds Rixx give?" Yayoi being the authority on the subject since she had fought the disgusting creatures for over 2 years on Hanako's world.
"Yes," Cassie said. "But if it's Rixxikor, where's all the shit? Why haven't they eaten the bodies?"
Zanven began to scan the hangar, looking for something that may have been missed from the first sweep. There was nothing out of the ordinary...ordinance and some food stuffs when something felt...off...
Zanven's eyes caught a glimpse of some movement on the ceiling near a ventilation system.
"the fuck." He caught something move near the vent on the ceiling. It was the same door the away team moved through earlier and he immediately pointed his rifle up as the bright LED light bathed the area around the vent in heavy light. There was an ominous feeling causing the adrenaline to start pumping.
Yayoi glanced over to Sanda then back to the wounds "yes it looks Rixxikor to me, but Cassie's right, why haven't the bugs-" She got distracted by the light and glanced over "see something?' she asked hoping beyond hope that they werent too late, or that what she'd seen on hanako's world wasnt here.
Suddenly Zanven was pushed off his feet by a hulking mass of metal and glowing mist, a vaguely humanoid construct made of thousands of shifting machine parts. Blades burst from its sides and stabbed at him with incredible speed.
"shit! Contac.." he was in open radio chatter, his feed being transmitted to the bridge and to Beryl as the blades shot forth, stabbing at the man at an incredible speed. He rolled to the side before somersaulting backwards towards the shuttle. He felt the blood pumping as he breathed in sharply. He dropped the rifle and was about to tell Beryl to leave when he heard the rounds being shot. A blade grazed against the helmet and he gasped but immediately moved towards his rifle. "Beryl get the hell out of here!" Zanven said as he immediately grabbed his side arm with his off hand and fired a few rounds.
Yayoi stood up swiftly and powered her rifle, and prepared herself for combat.
"Contact. Resurgence we have enemy contact." Sanda radioed the ship as she was moving. Talking did nothing to slow down her rapid movement as she raised her weapon and began shooting.
"Shit, am I supposed to just go?" Beryl said. That's what Cassie had told her, but she didn't feel right just abandoning a teammate in trouble. "Damn," she said, grabbing her NSP and shooting the thing on Zanven until she saw another one of them coming at her and she slammed the door controls and rushed to the cockpit, launching into space. "I'm so sorry Zanven," she said, not feeling right about it even though those were her orders.
Yayoi spoke "yes go! we can't afford to allowing whatever the hell this is to get in the shuttle. She followed after Sanda as she too began shooting at the floating blades. She didn't want the creature getting to the ship either which if it had intelligence it might be able to.
he heard the apology and emptied his magazine before holstering his sidearm. Was this fucking insane...yes, but he was there now and as the shuttle pulled out he backed towards the door of the away team as he shot at the blades being fired back at him. "Good thing I got that backup straightened out.." He said as he tried to focus, he could do this in a fighter...it was time he showed what the training he took was worth.
The creatures in the shuttle nimbly maneuvered in microgravity and were all over him, attacking with stabbing blades and trying to fuse with his armor, which was starting to cause errors it its systems. It was like touching them was spreading a computer virus to his armor suit.
Cassie ran back to the airlock and started cranking the hatch open as fast as she could so that Sanda and Yayoi could get back into the shuttle bay to help Zanven.
Yayoi waited while trying to control her impatience at the fact that her comrad was trapped
Seeing the errors popping up in his HUD he knew there was likely little time left. He prepped to throw some ordinance. The door behind him swung open and in a moment he 3knew that there was reprieve. "Watch out, their messing with my suit. Tossing a grenade!" He said as he said a small warning and pushed for the door while throwing the grenade as hard as he could before detonating it between the two creatures.
As soon as Cassie had the airlock door open Sanda began to fire at the creature closest to Zan. Her cyberntic targeting allowed he to make pinpoint shots.
Once the doors were open Yayoi gunned her gun's firing at the creature so fast she was certain that her gun would shatter.
Delmira would fire on the same target as Sanda having appeared next to her fellow soldier. Her aether beam saber rifle spitting out shots at her target.
As the creatures were hit, chunks of damaged material would fall off them in chunks only for new material to surge up to those places and replace them with new material. The constant motion of their shiny and minicule machine parts almost gave them a liquid-like appearance. Under the increased fire from the away team, they retreated for the moment into the vents. Another pushed past the team and went into the ship's interior, attempting to drag Cassie along into the ship. Cassie started screaming as she was grabbed by the neck unexpectedly. She fired her wrist cannons into the thing repeatedly trying to get it off.
Zanven fell into the airlock and brought his rifle up, only to be knocked over as one of the creatures barreled through the door towards the interior. On his back he saw the creature attempting to drag Cassie off. "Fuck!" He muttered and rolled and started to shoot until his magazine was empty. Zanven was aiming for the arm that had Cassie.
Sanda activated her bayonet's Aether blade and slashed at the arm gripping Cassie.
Delmira turned and powered her aether saber rifles blade and stabbed at the creature her shoulder mounted shotgun popped up to aim at the creature.
Yayoi activated her hidden blades and began using them to slash at the creature"get your fucking hands off her you damned piece of crap!" She said with more righteous anger she'd ever felt
Damaged, the creature dropped Cassie down the passageway and dove into an access hatch which led into a maintenance tunnel.
Sanda was right behind the thing but couldn't follow it safely into the maintenance tunnel. She blasted at it with her sub until the thing was out of sight. Bitting back a curse that the thing got away before she could kill it she swung back around to the group. "Alright people, regroup and stay frosty."
Delmira fired her shotgun when the beast dropped Cassie. She moved just past Cassie and proved cover for Sanda with her Aether saber rifle.
Yayoi dove to grab Cassie and held her close as she watched for the creature.
Zanven stood up and reloaded before turning back towards the hangar and once it was deemed clear he closed the door once more before moving to regroup with the team. He eyed them as the creature got away...he was mad they couldn't stop it then, but...he was at least glad that Cassie was saved. "Thanks for the save..." he said as he was quickly going through subroutines in his armor, the damage was enough to damage some life support systems.
Sanda glanced at Zan and Cassie but mostly she was focused on her surroundings. "You two ok?" She asked. She tired to update the Resurgence but was having trouble getting through.
Cassie rapidly pulled the last of the discarded parts of the creature off her neck like it was a bunch of cockroaches, cursing and whimpering and checking her neck. "I think that thing messed up my armor's computer, I'm not getting any communications or telemetry from the Resurgence anymore," she said.
But it wasn't just Cassie. They were cut off.
Hearing that Cassie was now having issues after the attack Zan was running diagnostics, soon he was getting the same errors as he sighed. "Glad you are OK Cassie, and yeah Sanda I will be fine, just minor damage to the armor, but I have nothing in communications either."
"Any idea what the Infierno fresco those things were?" Sanda asked. Her motion tracker was set to max and she had both her sub and her shoulder weapons scanning her surroundings. She wished that Koyama was there. She'd know what the hell those things were. Or even Mochi.
Delmira's ears twitched inside of there armored sheaths on her helmet the short neko was using her armors external audio to listen for sounds of the creatures while remaining vigilant. Her leg mounted mini missiles popped into ready position and her shotgun was scanning around.
"Never seen anything like it," Cassie replied to Sanda. "Some kind of AI robot constructs, maybe?"
END JP
OOC: JP by Wes, Ajax, Charaa, Cowboy, Zanven Brax
