RP: 188604 [Skeleton Ensemble] Program 2; Shattered Stones

Hollowpoint seemed more than a little paranoid about Kiver's close examination, seizing up rigidly when the engines revved at her command. Physically, there was nothing special about their voidsuit, but immaterially, it was notable that the woman had turned her mindware off. There was no signal coming from her at all... Well, not unless she used some kind of military-grade undetectable version, anyway...

"There were six other crew members. They are all dead." The statement was made after a long pause, slightly cold. It was difficult to tell if they were still in shock, or if this sort of thing really was just a common occurrence in the realms of the Viridian. They took a moment to examine Six Three before mulling over a specific answer. "The most vulnerable armory is three floors down. Modified single-barrel warding runes with plastic bullets on every fifth corridor junction from that point inwards. The vault itself is eight. No external access... I don't care if you just bash straight through the walls to make a path at this point, through."

"The automata might be the real problem." A prolonged shrug. "Armor penetrating mini-missles and an x-ray laser."

Jack, on the other hand, was already taking Kiver's plan in stride and figuring out exactly how much of a beating the crane-arm could tolerate. Despite not being a weapon, the massive coiled-up oblong thing took up the entire starboard side of the cargo bay they were currently standing in. It could extend to three times that.

~"It could result in a lot of damage to ourselves, but..."~ An internal connection right to the Spacecase, a little cartoon pumpkin icon popping up in her mind's eye. ~"What do you think about just punching right down to the armory? It's only half the arm's length into the interior..."~

Smash and Grab Initialization Protocol:

Kiver's mind went somewhat awash with the minute calculations of hull strengths, and the tiny accelerations and thrusts needed to meet this particular problem of how to punch a crane arm into a semi-military base. From what she knew, the engineering of the Ensemble could handle most impacts with a few crumples, but hitting right on the arm would be best if they braced the hull it was connected to so as to not let the shock transfer through to other areas.

"'e's a do-done thing." Kiver returned to Jack, "Git brace-beams from some stuff 'ere, we c'n shore up'a lotta our big-little babby-home, an' punch right-on fru wi' th' arm onna drift approach, ah reckon. Might bop up th'arm, but arm'sa for boppin' and gitbop'd."

It was plausible that the more she was thinking about something she knew about, the more incoherent she sounded. Then again, she was a type II pilot. Chances were that if Kiver sounded like she knew what she was talking about, but got more incoherent: That was the one thing she actually did know about.

Prison Cells

Gemini stared at the android in the cell across from her, . "Hellooo? Is this thing on? Can you hear me now?" She yelled at the silent Spacer. Finally, she sighed and rolled onto her back. "We're all alone in here, aren't we, my dear? Maybe they'll let us go.." Her eyes moved to the disabled camera in the corner. "I wonder..." She muttered softly. "Let's see if you still work." The bored prisoner stretched and climbed out of the bed.

She tried to pull the bed over to the corner with the camera. Maybe she could at least see what was going on in the rest of the station. Once the bed was in place she would try to rig a way to tap into the feed with her datapad, which she pulled from a pouch in her suit. Good thing they hadn't tried searching her. If this failed her only option was to try shooting the tripod with the energy pistol which was hidden in the leg of her suit.

Prison Sector

Still nothing but the flickering lights and humming environment fans for company, it seemed like Gemini could well be alone. The robotic doll in the other cell was just sitting cross-legged, completely still. Maybe they were another automata that the current warden disagreed with? Or a drone that they didn't want others to gain control of?...

It took a lot of jury-rigging and socket bending, but Gemini was slowly getting a signal through the camera's feed. In most circumstances it looked like the thing was designed to explode with hull-sealing resin, but fortunately for them, that feature seemed to be deactivated along with everything else, as of late. Nothing hooked up to the polysentience, but what it did gain them access to was all of the other security cameras...

And a warning that the silver automata was seconds away from entering the cell block once more, a new prisoner in hand! Some highly cyborgized woman with grey hair. The huge lumbering form was carrying a new laser rifle too, albeit sideways, as it didn't fit their odd bracket-shaped hands. Must have belonged to the new guest. An actual viridian array crew member? Or, perhaps, just another wanderer answering the request for aid?

When they barged in, the thing just immediately pointed towards a cell, ordering the newcommer inside, barely even taking notice of Gemini's actions at all.

For a machine, well... There was something very disorganized and frantic going on inside that head. The world's most terrifying overworked waitress, towering over normal mortals and bristling with anti-PA guns.

Skeleton Cargo Bay

Hollowpoint looked truly baffled by what Kiver was saying, but all four of the mini-junkers took this distraction as an excuse to jump down onto the deck, and hoist upright one of the prefab phantasm hulls between them. Within moments, long durandium strips were being heat-sawed free from the hulk, and immediately relayed back to the skeleton for use.

The shady viridian soldier just held up their hands like they should say something, at first... Then quickly just gave up, and actually gave them a hand arranging it onto the crane-arm. For a compact little fellow, they sure were strong. Must be nepleslian augmentation.

"You are our dearly respected jousting champion, madame." One of the crabs looked up at the pilot now, even as the others wobbled about comically with those huge liberated panels. "Just inform us how you would desire it all affixed, by jove!"

Prison Cells

The new arrival walked back into the cage, with deep irritation. Though every instinct told her to take back her weapon and destroy the automaton, experience told her she'd need more than one shot, and reason that she'd never get a second; which was why she'd surrendered it in the first place. A glance back to take stock of the new accommodations helped her remain calm, she'd seen more secure cells before. She held up her hands to show them empty, though still on guard in case her escort might try to subdue her by some method that could give her an opening. It did not come to pass.

She lowered her hands as the cell was shut, and stopped to review what she'd seen on the way. "Not much like the welcome that I was expecting," she observed, for no one in particular. "I'll have to have words with whoever had so much confidence in me."

Prison Cells

A smile lit up her face as she starting picking up a signal from the camera on her datapad. It vanished when she learned she could have been blown up by tampering with the camera. “We should have known they would rig something like that.” She muttered. The feed showed that the guard was coming back but there wasn’t much she could do if he decided to look. With her bed pulled over and the camera practically dismantled she could only be up to one thing. She just kind of froze and tried not to draw attention. After the automata was gone she let out a sigh of relief.

She didn’t react to the new prisoner, just kept flipping through the different camera feeds hoping she could determine what happened here. Obviously, someone beat her to the punch and had already hit the network hard. Maybe she could learn more about whoever decided to hack the station first. She probably wouldn’t be able to complete her mission now but maybe she would at least go back with something. “Sigh. Epic fail Gemini.” A voice from the cell diagonally across from her drew her attention. “Another guest? This joint is hoppin’ today. What are you in for, pal? Gemini Six One at your cervix.” She said with a laugh at her terrible pun. “Seriously, though, have you seen this place? Total shithole amirite?"

She glanced back at her datapad. “That big gun our well-armed jailer had, is that yours? Might come in handy if you want to check out early.” Gemini said slowly. She wasn’t quite so trusting that she would discuss the options for escape at her disposal. Whether or not she trusted this new person would depend entirely on what they said now.

Prison Cells

Ziggy was startled at being addressed, but soon decided there wasn't much reason to hurry. First, she tried to get a look at where the voice was coming from, dividing her attention between her surroundings and video playback. When that didn't work--or at least, she found she couldn't get a good view--she decided to answer her interrogator. "Would you believe I'm trespassing? No, I wouldn't either. It seems my assessment of the situation here would be redundant.

"That would be my rifle, yes. It's not much use in a pinch like this, I'm very sorry to say. How about you?" Ziggy wasn't sure who to trust either, but she was starting to sense a pattern... Regardless, she knelt down to observe the jamming tripod between the cells, rubbing her left wrist as she gave it a visual inspection.

Git Bop'd:

Kiver started shuffling around through the hull of the Skeleton. Pointing out different points in the decks in which she'd worked out the ship would crumple on impact. Giving the general gist of the instructions with a series of near incoherent onomatopoeic sound effects ("Klak-Clang Wroaaannnggg" being her exact terminology) as though that should explain absolutely everything.

Shoring up the weaknesses in the frame seemed to involve a whole lot of cross-beams being put in place in walkways, making it near impossible for the ship to be moved around in while standing upright. But, with the metal scraps in place, Kiver gave a little enthusiastic nod of approval. This would work! Probably not a good thing for her to have utterly failed to explain that to anyone else on board. Clambering up to her little nest in the top cockpit, Kiver snagged a hand around the controls and almost violently jerked the Skeleton Ensemble out of its position in dock.

Crane arm fully extending at her giving a firm mental nuzzle to the wireless connection to the little ship's command protocols, there was an almost horrible moment as the ship jerked in sudden acceleration... And a sudden spin to its orientation. Maybe the first recognisable noise to come out of Kiver's mouthhole was broadcast out over the ship's little network in short order, and that unfortunate word was "Brace!"

The whole ship seemed to crash upwards a little, sending just about anything not bolted down launching up towards the ceiling. A heavy crash of metal on metal, and a shrieking of the crane's frame as it punched deep into the hull of the Viridian station. Indeed, the whole station would shudder from the impact, pitching those imprisoned this way and that...

Shifting back into a normal position, and almost demurely clutching her hands together in her lap. Kiver gave a little satisfied sigh, like this whole thing was a guilty pleasure of some sort.

"They got... Bop'd."

Prison Cells

Though she hadn't been expecting it, Ziggy was suddenly very glad she'd not been standing up when... whatever it was... shook the station. She braced herself against the bars and floor, and with a few swift clicks, detached her left hand, pulled it out on its cord to a good length, then flung it between the bars, into the corridor, where it--she?--finger-walked to the ECM device, at the end of a black cable.

"Well, I certainly hope the answer is yes, because I suspect we're under some pressure, here." Her hand climbed onto the device, searched around, grabbed a hold, and was retracted with surprising force back to Ziggy's cell, by way of her grappling line. Once it arrived with a clatter, and she snapped her hand back her wrist, she reached through to grab the device and investigate it for some use or useful parts.

A Fly On The Wall

Gemini's access to the security system gave them a unique perspective of the commotion as it happened, with some kind of giant reinforced steel arm crashing through the ceiling of the outer hull. The arm carried straight through the floor, and once again, tearing at the station's innards until finally ceasing it's charge down inside of a densely packed munitions room. On the junction of every corridor surrounding the chaos, pressure locks automatically triggered, slamming closed a series of air sealed bulkheads and keeping the now vacuum-packed areas completely sealed off.

The thunderous shuddering of the entire structure was not lost on the large automata, who was down the corridor inside of a small, dark storage room with three human-sized bags settled inside. They immediately ditched the laser rifle onto the floor, locked the chamber hatch, and then stomped off towards the source of the calamity. It didn't seem like there was movement on any of the other levels, so they really must have been the only one left alive.

Just before logging off, Gemini stumbled upon one other obscure feature. Despite the fact they could not access the main storage systems, there did turn out to be one extra cache that they could still access; Previous logons to the security system. The entries included full identity codes, which could well be pulled up on the polysentience if they cared enough to try...

Go Go Gadget Grapple Arm!

The saucer-shaped ECM transmitter was heavy and pretty stable on top of the tripod, but the sudden violent shaking of the station gave Ziggy just the jolt that they needed to topple it. Most of the system was a bit useless to her given it's simplicity, but she managed to deactivate it without any problems. Not only did Gemini now have free range in access to the Port Hope polysentience, but Ziggy had a pretty high-tier multi-use transmitter in her hands.

Bootleg Treasure Trove

Living up to the rumors of Viridian's wanton destructive behavior, Hollowpoint did a little skip and hopped about at sheer glee over the whole escapade. "I... erm, know it was my own station, but... That was fun!"

Jack, on the other hand, just seemed both impressed that the skeleton had stood up to such an action, and that the normally sullen and reserved Kiver had pulled it off so effortlessly. One of the drones plopped itself on her shoulder, squawking jubilantly. "Reminds me of my younger years, by my gracious makers... I knew you had it in you!"

It wasn't exactly what you'd call a majestic entry, but the interior of the crane-arm actually had enough room to crawl around inside, now that the huge memory metal springs were stretched out to their full length. This allowed the entire crew to climb right down into the depths of the facility without even retracting it, and into the punctured weapons room.

Shelves upon shelves of fist-sized YE 30 autocannon rounds decked the central point, toppled by the sudden disturbance of the giant hand. Probably for the best to count one's lucky stars that they had not gone off. Around that, dozens of what looked like star army mini-missiles, except with odd new brass casings. Makeshift grenades? The least numerous, but certainly the most intriguing, were racks of what looked like NAM Hypolathes. Even more modified than the one that Hollowpoint was holding, several of them had huge extended batteries at the stocks, and what looked like chunky x-ray projector lamps affixed above akin to scopes.

Prison Cell

Even though Gemini could see the arm coming, the shaking upset her balance on the bed and she fell backward. Luckily she fell back onto the mattress with an alarmed squeal. She dropped her datapad leaving it dangling from the makeshift wired connection she had rigged up. Slowly she sat up and took a few deep breaths. "You're locked up too and that's good enough for us, fool." She replied.

"We saw it all. Terminus took his mighty arm and rendered justice." Gemini said, slapping her hand against the wall for emphasis. She climbed back up on the bed after retrieving her datapad. The local Polysentience connection came back and she sighed happily. "Did you do that, or was it the mysterious ship that just rammed us? We're thankful regardless." Her voice seemed to suddenly change completely as if someone else was speaking with her mouth. Whereas before she sounded high-pitched and happy, now she seemed cold and distant with a deeper pitch.

Her fingers tapped deftly at the datapad. She checked the files for any harmful code, then plugged the device in behind her right ear and downloaded everything she could get from the security cameras. That included the identity codes for the previous logins she stumbled upon. She unceremoniously pulled the connection to the datapad. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have this whole station under my control." Her mindware established a connection to the Polysentience, putting up her customized defensive programs. She was essentially untouchable unless she wanted to be touched.

Gemini bombarded the system's security with a DDoS attack, sending waves of advertisements for everything from porn to Nepleslian political ads. While the system was busy handling that she scanned for holes in security and exploited them, sending in viruses disguised as helpful anti-malware. When the software activated, the viruses woke up and spread throughout the system, attempting to take control and lock everyone else out but her.

"Yes, me; though I appreciate the inertia." Ziggy held on to the transmitter. If her fellow cellmate began to cackle maniacally, she could always turn the jamming back on, she supposed. Meanwhile, she focused on her own, independent escape plan, broadcasting a message on a frequency she expected to be picked up by all starships in range, but not by personal comms, or others likely to be in use on the station itself. She dictated a voice message at the same time she composed one in text.

"This is Truthfinder Double-Oh 8559-1237 reporting from the Viridian Array asteroid facility PH-417b. This station is occupied by a heavily-armed, non-communicative automaton with a mandate to detain and capture any visitors. It appears to be working alone. I have been disarmed and placed in a prison cell, just as have others before me. The facility is under attack, and its controllers' agenda is unknown. I request assistance."

Her text message read as follows:
Truthfinder 00-8559-1237 reporting from PH-417b. I have been captured by a rogue toaster; it does not communicate. I am in contact with another captive called Gemini Six-One. There have been others. PH-417b is presently under attack, I request assistance from any starships within range. Present coordinates: -63.2/74.09/-9.35.

Prison Sector

Horizon Five Zero; "They deserve it."
Vector Eight Six; "Attacked by themselves more like? Drugs and guns don't mix."
Orion Two Seven; "Who are they again? Those shady capitalists on Port Hope's dead stones?"

What Truthfinder received in immediate response was a mixture of disbelief and anti-Viridian Array troll messages. Apparently they weren't massively popular with the locals in this area of space. Perhaps the Double-Oh could still gain assistance from further afield, but it would take time at this rate...

From Gemini's perspective, on the other hand, their calls did create a rather more immediate response. The automata had reversed direction and was heading back to the prison blocks in earnest, visible on the camera system to have their weapons raised the entire time. The locks on the doors were typical nepleslian solid state, and annoyingly not electronic or hooked up to the system as a whole...

More data. It seemed like a lot of the programs were fragmented even before the hacker got her mitts into it. They could correlate a bit more of the numbers from the security system now, however, confirming that there were supposed to be four crew members on board. Three of them were deceased and their mindware signals were located inside the storage room with the three human-sized bags. The fourth had sustained horrific injuries working for the IWL several years ago, and were now so heavily cyborgized that they instead resembled a towering machine.

The chrome-shelled person opened the chamber doors once more and gave them both a distinctly discouraged glance, their metal-antlered helm still as silent as ever. Slowing to a halt once more at the very center, one claw eventually lowered from a combat stance and routed out a long multi-strand cable which seemed to run all the way up into the back of their skull.

A quick glance to the multi-colored code breaker in one cell, and then to the taller cyborg lady in the other. They evidently chose the latter, cautiously walking forward and holding the cable out. For whatever reason, it seemed the mysterious figure wanted to connect manually...

Antibody Hollowpoint Five Seven. That was their name, according to Gemini's security access logs.

Ziggy hadn't been expecting to hear any response on her meagre receiving equipment, and was impressed by how much power the locals were investing into announcing their own uselessness to the stars and rocks. She did not find it very helpful, though it would be fun to take note of the attitudes shown, if she survived.

When her hulking captor returned to the cells, Ziggy anticipated a hopeless fight, given that her only weapons of use left for it were a small batch of hurling blades. The offer to talk was surprising. Perhaps the attack on the station had changed its priorities? That was not a good sign, but this did not make it less of a relief.

She pocketed the blades she'd drawn as she walked out of cover, looking calmer than she felt; and attached the cable to her communicator, connecting through her personal area network. "You have my undivided attention."

Gripping a handle that was firmly in place on the Ensemble the Genesculptor held on as the arm tore into their destination. Well, this isn’t what I had in mind, but at least we’re in. He had to at least praise the lateral thinking of Kiver for this part, no one would really see that coming. They’d definitely hear it when it happened, but no one would guess that they’d tear their own door open.


Six Three climbed down into the Weapons Vault and looked around before turning to their emissary. Looking around the storage locker he took in the sight of the grenades, auto-cannon rounds, weapons and then finally the Hypolathes. Reaching for one of the latter to inspect closer since exact nature escaped from afar. The feel of this place had begun to set in him, and it bothered the Genesculptor a bit. Anything that could have been made into a weapon, had been done so. Failing that, they got as close as they could disregarding the original use of the implement; the idea felt wrong to him. Here he was, a ‘spacer of science, a ‘spacer of creation, a ‘spacer of second chances in a den where sudden moves might cost you your future. Taking a breath, he sighed, Debate philosophy later. Possibly with Jack. Now is the time for action. Hefting the Hypolathe to show Hollowpoint, “Mind if I take this with us? Might find some use one way or another.”

Kiver Clamber and Pilfer:

"'m a puhlot. Ah flies." Kiver said to the drone as it landed on her shoulder, shifting in position to open the hatch down to the access shaft to the guts of the ship. Moving past their new pickup from the station she just nodded. That was fun. Piloting was so fun you guys? Everyone should be flying.

"Fliesin' means ya gotta know howta safebop. Safebop meanin' y'kin bop gud." She addressed the Viridian Arrayer.

Crawling down from the cockpit, Kiver pushed through to the cargo bay and its hollow arm the arm. Moving like a little spider, with a loping four limbed sprawl as gravity went wonky and unwonky from ship transferring to station. Overlapping artificial gravity or otherwise. One of her little drones poking ahead to keep from running into gnarled metal, the pilot tottered to her feet in the armory. A few looks around, and she started to... Aggressively loot the place.

The more stuff the better, right? There was dangerous stuff, right? All this would help? Yes, yes, yes. The little pilot's arms started to get filled increasingly with more and more guns and ammunition, until she started to resemble more of an armory with legs. No thought at all given to the actual practicalities of this mess.

"So whurr we goin' now?"

Prison Sector

"Cannot talk. Name is Hollowpoint. All of my communication systems were hacked, including both mindware and audio." The machine-person communicated to Ziggy down the wire, text only. "Apologies for my actions, but the enemy is impersonating a spacer. Impersonating me. Perhaps you can see how this leaves me confused who to trust. Their cronies just bust a hole into the other end of the facility, however, so... I guess they are not after freeing you."

"You can go now, but I want to offer you both a deal. Perhaps you can relay this message to your friend over there. The enemy is probably trying to gain access to the computer core. The failsafe is designed to recognize freespacer DNA if all of the crew are dead, so the enemy might not even be the same species." Hoping to break up any continuing feelings of animosity, they opened the manual lock on the door without a second thought, finally allowing the cyborg woman back into the open. "In plain terms, I need you to help me capture or kill the infiltrator. This factory station is completely filled with quality starship components so I can, of course, arrange a reasonable payment for this service."

Armory

The featureless black faceplate of the speckle-suited spacer seemed to recoil backwards for a moment as Genesculptor hefted the odd rifle upwards, apparently pretty paranoid about being anywhere near the barrel end.

"You can take it, just be bloody careful!" The response was more than a little snippy. "The lower barrel is a nanomachine projector. It can spray to eat through metal, and form swords and stuff. The upper one is a x-ray scanner. Fire the two together and it goes through armor plate like butter."

Were they holding their tongue? What was butter? Despite the fact they were wielding one, it was pretty strange that Hollowpoint had so little trust in the tool. It was as if they were confused what kind of situation it was even designed for. Moreover, as a scientist, Six Three would recognize the concept of Bremsstrahlung, with the weapon functioning as a particle projector that could send a radiation pulse through armor, not actually penetrating it...

"Let's get to it then, shall we?" A shrug. Kiver's new petticoat of high caliber death was not inspiring them with a great deal of confidence, perhaps especially due to the fact that one of Jack's crab bots was having a good chuckle over it. "The hall outside has a defense turret. Downstairs, two more, and then a room which has a laser grid to cut up people trying to get into the main vault. Then we are in."

As concerned as she was for what was happening elsewhere on the station, Ziggy still paused for a few seconds before responding in any way. "I have a good deal less assurance of your innocence here than I'd like, but it seems we don't have the luxury of pressing that matter right now."

She stepped out of her cell, just enough to get eyes on Gemini. "Oi, there. The Hollowpoint here wants us to catch someone else, also using the name Hollowpoint; sounds like the one leading the expedition to smash holes in the station. It seems better than staying locked up in here, to me. Have you got eyes on them, by chance?"

Continuing her conversation with Hollowpoint, she sent, "Are you saying they need to kill you to activate the failsafe, or does the system not know you're alive? I'd appreciate it if we could capture the accused while they're still breathing, but I haven't come equipped with good tech for that."

Prison Cells

The Codespinner raised an eyebrow. "Did this Hollowpoint guy mention the three dead people in the storage room?" She said, gesturing to the room. There's a Hollowpoint on the crew, and it's indeed very heavy metal, but how do we know this is the right one?" Gemini exhaled slowly and pursed her lips. "Someone fried the local network. We can try to get a look at the invaders, but I haven't seen any external cameras still active."

The wheels in her head were turning. This was a perfect opportunity to get herself into that computer core. She could still complete her mission. The only problem was the large cyborg and possibly the other prisoner. Maybe she could somehow trick the system into believing it was dead. Even if Hollowpoint was a Greenie, she didn't want to kill anyone if she could help it. Should she try to make a deal with the cyborg in exchange for the information she needed? Not yet, she decided.

"Okay. Tell it to let me out of here and I will help." She said solemnity. It wasn't a lie, she did plan on assisting with the removal of the intruder Hollowpoint if the cyborg was telling the truth about the situation. Then she would find a way to disable this cyborg, and her fellow prisoner if necessary. Gemini was determined to get that data.

"'E's deaf, not mute, I think, but alright." Ziggy passed along another message to Hollowpoint. "Gemini Six-One over there will volunteer if released, not that I know how she intends to help. She did recently express a desire to take over your station." She decided the corpses weren't worth asking about, and bent down to follow up on the distress call she'd sent previously, with the transmitter she grappled.

It didn't feel right to leave them in suspense, so she tried sort of a scattershot message to give them closure, broadcasting bluntly, with none of her earlier caution. "I must cancel my earlier request. It is too late, we are all doomed. Alternatively, everything is under control, and there are no problems. Thank for you the assistance, I treasure it. Enjoy the view."

Antagonistic, maybe, but Ziggy felt it was past time to leave the region, in any case. If no one was interested in rescuing her, she doubted they'd be more receptive to her as a hitchhiker. There was another way. In the worst case, she could let Hollowpoint and Hollowpoint face off with each other, while she looked into convincing whoever was still on the ship to take her away... lest she charge them with some sort of Nepleslian parking violation.