ic Incursion: Blood in the Water

[Gizmo]

Samran-86 gave Paradigm a curt nod while the armed guards who's escorted the Praetorians to the cockpit hurried off to the cargo bay to keep watch over the rest of the refugees. None of them had time for much more as the Communion vessel roared into view, dwarfing the cargo hauler in size, a full complement of needle fighters orbiting around its misshapen bulk. At some point the vessel had clearly been a Khanate warship, it's familiar, angular design and prominent weapons instantly recognizable to the Lor and self-explanatory even to the less informed champions of fallen Delaztri Empire. Now, though, it had been transformed into something far more sinister, smooth silver smothering its surfaces as though poured on, tapering off into sharp, violent points. The space the bridge would have traditionally occupied was instead used for another battery of cannons with irising barrels that looked like miniature versions of the weapon that had torn Lor-Van asunder. With an inescapable sense of a sea creature consumed by parasites the ship neared the Either Ore at full speed without hailing, caring neither to announce its presence nor to hear pleas for mercy.

[Blue Rose]

Tatiana takes the Sword of the Elite from her back.  Just a hilt, when deenergized, larger than any ordinary sword's, but no more difficult to swing by virtue of a weightless blade.  With a thought, a golden energy field surrounds her and she sets to hovering, now sustained by an internal life support system.

 

"Remember," she tells the pilot, "Once the enemy breaks the perimeter, signal us with the landing lights, but stay out of the fight.  The goal is for the Devotion to ride the Either Ore as soon as their FTL drive is available, so have the calculations for the jump ready.  The ship is yours."

 

Perhaps a bit more authoritarian than called for now that she isn't a general, but certain allowances are made for battle manners.  The plan settled, she makes her way out the nearest airlock and poises herself for an ambush.

 

As soon as the landing lights come on, she takes off.  The fighters come first.  They should be easiest to take down.

 

A little positioning, and...

 

She hits a switch on her blade and it begins to hum, sound lost in space, but the Elite hears it just fine, vibration running through the air in her environment field, and through her body.  When the charge is ready, she swings, an eruption of golden energy that once leveled entire platoons bursts forth, consuming the enemy.  She can't close enough to do anything precise, so for an opening shot, pure destructive force is the order of the day.

[Thevshi]

Paradigm had moved back to the far side airlock, as Elite had indicated for her plan. The Naram paragon looked at the Lor who were nearby as she prepared to exit the Either Ore once more for the void of space to face the Communion. "Be ready, should any get past me, it will fall on Kharag and the rest of you to protect the civilians aboard. May your ancestors watch over you."

With that, Paradigm entered the airlock and was soon soaring through the calm void. She saw Elite fly from the Devotion, passing over the cargo ship to attack the Communion by surprise. Speeding after her fellow Praetorian, Paradigm rose up into view of the Communion ships, as she positioned herself to one side of Elite and then swung her open palms together in front of her, sending a massive shockwave through space, which struck two of the needle fighters and the larger Communion ship.

One of the needle fighters was ripped apart by the shockwave, but the other survived. The larger ship suffered little more than superficial damage. Clearly she was going to have to take a more direct approach if she wanted to possibly stop it.

[Gizmo]

Ruined shards of needle ship hull exploded outward at the Praetorians' assault but the simple scale of an entire squadron of fighters against a pair of unassisted individuals proved too much. The remain four ships streaked past, ignoring Paradigm and Elite except to give them a wide berth and headed instead direction for the Either Ore. Within the freighter the thunderous impacts sounded in rapid succession, a syncopated rhythm that shook the entire vessel.

 

A wedge of silver metal erupted from the bulkhead of the hallway just in front of Kharag, throwing the unprepared Lor guards from their feet and sending them colliding with pained grunts into the far wall. A brief roar of decompression was silenced as the tip of the needle ship irised outward like some terrible seedpod, disgorging four humanoid figures of varying species. Each figure was a stilted mockery of life, silver patches covering their flesh and uneven tubes protruding from seemingly random places. With a harsh, electronic scream that emerged simultaneously from four mouths they surged forward to attack! Just outside the engine room more Communion antibodies leapt and crawled out of a pair of ships that had blocked off the hallway entirely with the portion of their bulk that had pierced the freighter and made a beeline for the nearest living target: Seikahi’ino!

 

Meanwhile, in the vacuum of space, the warship turned its attention on the two women defiantly standing between it and its wounded prey. The weapons dotting the hull of the cruiser opened fire simultaneously, filling the void with green streaks of deadly energy. The attack was coordinated with computer precision, closing of avenues of escape and attempting to herd the heroes toward the blasts of the heavier cannons.

[GooseInduced]

Sei had sat there, unaware of the ships arrival as she helped Ana. Her explanation of the task hitting home and making it easy for the hunter to help out. Using the knife to cut through the outer layer as if it were the hide of an animal, she was making quick work of the box. Leaving the exposed parts in a small pile as she hummed a melody her mother sang to her as a child. She forgot all about the chaos they were running from.

At least until the ships began puncturing the hull. The entire vessel tilted and groaned with the force, making it clear to everyone that they had finally been caught. Sei's easy going expression hardened in an instant, the reptilian huntress rising her to feet. "Ana should work quickly." The components were forgotten on the ground as she turned toward the door, bow in hand. She could see them already. Strange, silver skinned abominations. They reminded her of some mutation of a child's doll. Or even....

Sei shook the thought away. The similarities had to be coincidence. The tales of what happened to her species home were just that. Stories. Embellished with silver skinned monsters that came out of stars that fell through the air...

Golden eyes narrowed, the archer reaching back over her shoulder. Left side of the quiver, closest to her shoulder, small ridge of the end of the arrow, that's the one. She drew the arrow in one swift motion, bringing her bow up, seating the arrow and knocking it in an action that seemed less practiced and more second nature. She went down on one knee, making her body lower, steadier, more predatory.Her back was straight, her shoulders squared, body sideways to her target, left arm completely straight, the arrow draw back to her chin. On an inhale she tightened her shoulders, locking in her posture. Her gazed fixed on her target, the creature in the lead, and for a split second their gazes met. She was a breath away from loosing the arrow but it didn't feel right. Something would have gone wrong. She holds for just another heartbeat, waiting for the perfect moment and then-

Sei let the arrow loose. Her bow sprang back and sent the arrow true to it's target. The hollowed shaft of the arrow splintered upon impact, exploding with a compressed force that sends tendrils of thick, translucent yellow gel out like some bizarre party favor. The tendrils hardened and immobilized the antibody, anchoring it to the spot as Sei made a satisfied noise her throat, smirking.

Edited December 17, 2014 by GooseInduced

[RobRX]

"Hahaha." Kharag chuckled, as the Communion antibodies appeared and began threatening the ship and it's occupant. This is what he was waiting for, a chance to finally tap back into the violent, primal side after two thousand years of stasis. Kharag screamed, briefly beating his chest, before starting to laugh again. "Know that now is the time for bloodshed! A shame you souless monsters can never understand the joys of it! Prepare to know my wrath."

 

Of course, the situation wasn't so simple, as he had to make sure the Lor weren't unarmed. He wasn't particularly eager to protect them and would have rather lept into action but letting them fall prey to the communion wasn't something he would allow. Not today. A plan had to be devised.

 

Generally, this wasn't how Kharag used his powers.

 

His psionic powers had been trained to be used in a way generally uncommon to his species; telepathy.  Combined with a fighting style aimed to turn one's thought against itself. However, such powers amounted to absolutely nothing against the Communion, forcing Kharag to turn to a form of psychic discipline he had rarely trained himself in; psychokinesis. Rather than leap into the action and begin taking down each antibody one by one, he thought he could attempt to simply unleash a burst of force that would selectively hit each of them and leave the Lor unarmed. Assuming a different stance, he focused and waved his arms in the air a full force, creating multiple shockwaves, each aimed at a different antibody. "This one is for my people.! And this one for the Empire! AND THIS ONE! BECAUSE! YOU HONORLESS FIENDS SICKENS ME! The ship shook and three out of four of the antibodies found themselves tossed aside and ripped to pieces.

 

"HAHAHA!" The alien laughed, despite now being completely exposed to a counter-attack.

Edited December 18, 2014 by RobRX

[Heritage]

Seeing the tall reptillian alien seated on the floor, calmly stripping off the insulation with the knife, oddly made Ana feel homesick; the whole thing looked so innocent, like a child at school working on an art project. Nostalgia for Earth always struck her out of left field like that.

But then suddenly something struck the hull; the impact rattled the entire ship, sending Ana's tools clattering to the deck. She dropped to a crouch and quickly scooped them up, ready to keep going; but then she happened to look up and catch a look at the metalic things heading for engineering and her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," she whispered hoarsely as she rapidly began to jam the newly-stripped couplers into place.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Heritage

[Blue Rose]

In space, the Elite watches as the remaining fighters pass her by, but there's nothing for that now.  Time for soft targets to hobble a space ship.  That's always a wise endeavor.

 

The enemy ship opens with a flurry of laser fire, trying to herd their target, but she doesn't fall for it.  Her shields can take a couple glancing blows, so she charges right through, trading a hit to close the distance as she sets foot on the hull.  She plays a few buttons on her blade almost as if it were a piano, than flips her blade upside-down, directing it to the ship as a plasma cutter bursts out, gouging metal.  But hull ruptures are not her goal.  Just a happy accident as she dashes for the nearest set of maneuvering thrusters, aiming to cripple them in a single thrust.

[Thevshi]

Like Elite, Paradigm glanced back briefly at the Communion fighters that streaked past the pair, aiming directly for the Either Ore. The distances were too close for the Naram paragon to try to pursue the fighters and stop a few more before they boarded the merchant ship. For the moment things were in the hands of Kharag and the Lor security personnel, at least until the larger warship was dealt with.

Turning back toward the large ship, Paradigm dodged its initial volley of laser fire, flying straight towards the weapons that had been added in place of what once had apparently been a bridge for the race that originally built the vessel. Flying right up between the added weapons, she delivered a shattering blow which smashed out a section of the modified hull, the impact shuddering along the outer hull around the former bridge as well, causing a bit of damage to larger sections. But the main objective had been accomplished, as she had created an opening to the interior of the ship…

[Gizmo]

Kharag's unrestrained telekinetic assault caused tubes to rupture and what was left of bones to pop from sockets, sending the Communion antibodies menacing the injured Lor toppling to the deck of the Either Ore in even more misshapen heaps. The ancient warrior had very consciously left nothing in reserve for defense and whether the remaining shrieking drone recognized that or would have charged him head on regardless was moot. The antibody tackled Kharag with strength well beyond what its organic shell would have suggested, shoving him against a bulkhead and battering away at him with clawed hands, silver liquid dripping from the corner of its mouth as it continued to scream in his face. Those screams were echoes by less alien cries of horror from the direction of the cargo bay!

The antibodies that had come aboard with the one Sei had immobilized didn't give a moment's thought to their fallen ally but instead surged ahead to surround the archer. She dodged the first swing but the other two connected with powerful electric shocks that surged through her suit and into her flesh, wracking the Kahi'iru with convulsing spasms. The remaining four took advantage of her preoccupation to rush past her into the engineering room, quickly surrounding Ana as she tried to complete repair on the FTL drive. Moving like limbs controlled by a single consciousness they slashed at her with cybernetic talons, grimy, rusty things that promised a painful end if they had their way.

Outside the warship backed away slightly as Paradigm opened a hole in its hull, almost as though it was recoiling in surprise or pain. It's plan became clear as it reoriented the main cannon the paragon had slipped past to point directly at her and unleashed a torrent of energy that would have torn a lesser being down to their atoms instantly.

[GooseInduced]

Sei's victory at her arrow's contact was short lived. The archer having little time to celebrate before the antibodies surrounded her. She managed to dodge the first hit, stepping back just enough for the attack to hit only air.  Only moments later the others made contact. The electrical jolt making her sharp teeth clench and a growl vibrate in her throat. She very nearly fell to a knee, but the archer managed to push through. Panting, 

 

A bow wasn't suited for this kind of combat. Too many enemies, not enough room to dodge. The nature of her bow had in it in her off hand and the archer twisted, flicking it back to its stowable shape and clipping it to her back. As she came back around, her dagger was already in her main hand. In one movement the huntress stepped up, burying it to the hilt within the chest of the antibody.

[Blue Rose]

The Elite places her faith in her comrade's ability to survive the warship's attentions.  Right now, she's buying time.  Time that will be put to good use.

 

On the hull, she takes a knee before her chosen maneuvering thruster, examining the structure.  This hull is thick, the damage she can do is limited, and time is tight.

 

This thruster seems to be a fairly straightforward chemical combustion thruster.  Simple, primitive, reliable.  But not without a weakness.

 

She drives her plasma cutter of a sword into the side of the small engine, boring a hole trough the nozzle.  If they try this thruster now, the thrust will scatter and the fuel won't ignite properly.

 

One down, she travels down the hull for the next thruster.

[RobRX]

Kharag grunted as the mechanical monstrosities tossed him aside. Focusing, he managed to shrug off the overall dizziness he was feeling at the moment, having been tossed against a thick metallic bulkhead. Despite his armored skin, he had felt that one and the antibodies assault. In order to better protect himself, the alien warrior changed stance and focused his powers differently. Through focused control of his body and psionic abilities, he hardened his skin, muscle and bone. His body would become like his thoughts; focused, hardened and impenetrable. An extra measure of protection against his foes, he hoped.

 

The antibody scream at him again, making screeching metallic sounds. As it moved toward him, Kharag changed position, moving like the flow of thoughts. Defensive and impenetrable one moment, free flowing the next....and focused again the next moment. His left leg sweeped the Communion antibody off it's balance. In the few instants it took for the creature to topple over, Kharag landed a punch right into it's stomach. As it fell to the ground, it was swiftly finished off.

 

The alien chuckled, before it turned into a laughter. "This is what it feels to be alive again!" In his mind, however, he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of sadness at the creature's fate. There was nothing glorious in breaking helpless victims of the Communion. They were puppets of meat and metal, innocent victims.

Edited January 2, 2015 by RobRX

[Heritage]

Ana screamed in agony as the foul creatures ripped right through her armor, but what was worse than the pain was the realization that if she died before completing the repairs, she'd effectively doomed every living thing onboard.

No, not like this! I don't have time to die right now!

With tremendous willpower, she shut her eyes and visualized all the antibodies frozen solid; there was an anguished cry, and then an explosion of cold shot outwards from her body, stabbing into the abominations on all sides. The effort left her winded but far from out of the fight.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Heritage

[Thevshi]

The cascade of energy tore at Paradgim, but the enhancement process she had been subjected to over two thousand years ago had made her far more resilient that she appeared. The young Naram resisted the attack, holding one arm up in front of her face for a moment before the attack passed, and she was still hovering in place in front of the large Communion ship, singed slightly, but otherwise unhurt.

Focusing back on the location she had attacked earlier, Paradigm flew forward towards the breech she had made, making her way into the interior of the converted ship into what had once been the bridge. Inside she found the inner workings of the weapons the Communion had mounted there, but none of the antibodies that is used as its foot soldiers. Provided an opportunity, the Praetorian flew over to one of the weapons, grabbing ahold of the portion of it that extended into the former bridge, as she then ripped it completely free of the superstructure and pulling it free of its power couplings, rendering it completely useless.

[Gizmo]

Frozen solid with jagged icicles trailing backward from their mutilated forms, the antibodies surrounding Ana ground to a halt, creating a makeshift wall of flesh and metal and ice in a semicircle around the engineer. Through the cracks in that barrier she could see one of the monstrous automatons still attacking Sei succumb to the outer edges of the attack while the sole remaining creature continues to flail single mindedly at the archer, seemingly oblivious to the fate of its brethren. Whether because of the chill from the cryokinetic's blast or simply Seikahi'ino's own combat skill, the attack went wide, the advantage of numbers having suddenly swung in the favour of the two women.

With a pained groan, one of the Lor guards knocked about by the impact of the needleships began to regain her senses, blearily taking in the grim aftermath of Kharag's desperate brawl. "Nnh... what-- what happened?" she muttered as she struggled and failed to get to her feet on the first attempt. The Praetorian didn't have to be an expert in Lor biology to guess that with her head injury the guard was probably best off staying awake but still for the time being. Any advice he might have given was interrupted by the sound of weapons fire from the cargo bay, resounding throughout the ship. "The refugees!"

Outside, the weapon Paradigm had torn loose floated with strange serenity into the void of space, passing harmlessly by Elite as she continued to harass the warship from its exterior. The vessel bucked in flight like a wounded animal, trying to train its remaining weapons on the swordswoman but simultaneously attempting to violently shake the Naram out of its bridge. Evidently it had not expected to face borders of its own!

[GooseInduced]

Sei knew what her Cryokinetic mechanic was capable of. The icy blast didn't surprise her, though it did make her shiver from it. The archer didn't have time to complain about the cold, she was just grateful for the warmth of her protective suit.

With a step and a turn, Sei's sizable frame moved with grace. She pulled the dagger from the chest of one enemy, easily outmaneuvered the attack from the other and brought home another slice and stab of her blade.

[RobRX]

For all his boasting about feeling alive, the reality was that Kharag wasn't such in good shape, having been tossed around by these Communion antibodies without having properly protected himself, yet another mistake born of arrogant. That said, he didn't really have much time to reflect on it, not that self-reflection was his strong suit to begin with. There were still antibodies which awaited their judgment, not to mention he knew the Praetorians would endlessly nag him if he left the survivors to die. Furthermore, it was a rescue mission, after all.

 

'Well, he who dares the deeds, earn.' Kharag thought to himself as he foolishly rushed into more action, running at full speed to the closest antibody. Coming to a stop, Kharag rolled and got up, assuming a combat stance once more. Pushing himself further, he sent his fist crashing against yet another antibody, this one rolling with the blow, 'answering' to him with the usual reaction an antibody has when confronted with organic life. Which is to say feral screeching followed by attempted murder.

[Heritage]

Ana could feel her blood trickling down her ribs and into her armor; typically, she was more concerned about the electronics shorting out than her own injuries. At least she'd taken care if the antibodies nearest her, so she could return to her work.

But the sounds of conflict made her wince; clearly the rest of the ship was still in danger. With considerable effort, she called out to her reptilian companion."Sei, help the others take down the rest of these bastards; I can seal the doorway off until you get back."

Once she was gone, the cryokinetic filled the portal with a foot-thick wall of ice, leaving only a narrow hole through it for communication and air flow. To herself as much as the other techs still present, she said "Right, let's get back to work..."

[Thevshi]

Paradigm watched with satisfaction as she tore loose the powerful weapons that had been placed in what had once been the bridge of this vessel. She was able to adjust for the sudden change in the warship’s course, as it began trying to shake her loose, reacting as if it felt the injury itself. Given the nature of the Communion, Paradigm was not at all surprised by its reaction, and was ready for it.

Remaining in place inside the former bridge, the Naram turned towards the interior of the vessel, swinging her hands together in front of her with tremendous force, just as she had against some of the needle ships out in the void. This time the shockwave blasted through the interior walls of the warship, completely disintegrating the nearest walls. The next series of walls buckled and were blasted backward by the force, creating something of a cascade of shattered walls and destruction. But more than the damage to the interior hull, was the damage the shockwave called to internal systems that had been hidden inside the walls.

A major power conduit, which had powered the weapons she had previously torn out, was ruptured by the shockwave, creating a cascade of energy that ripped through other systems and conduits. A series of explosions erupted among the destruction caused by Paradigm’s shockwave, creating further damage to both interior walls that had just managed to resist the shockwave and other internal systems.

The first wave of internal explosions had just reached the Naram, but they by that point they were weak enough that her formidable resilience protected her from harm. But as more power conduits began to rupture and the cascade continued along the main conduit she had damaged, she realized it could quickly become too dangerous inside.

So she turned and flew back out into the void, exiting the former bridge just as the main conduit released an explosive energy cascade back along the former path to the weapons that were no longer there. Turning to look back at the warship as she moved back close toward the Either Ore, Paradigm saw the hull buckle outward along the length of the vessel as the compromised energy conduit detonated more systems along its length, ripping apart the insides of the warship as the chain reaction reached back towards the vessel’s main power core.

It was only a few moments before the power core was breached, and the back half of the warship vanished in a massive explosion, the forward half listing off to the side, floating dead in space as a number of small explosions continued inside it. Satisfied that there was no more threat from the warship, Paradigm turned back to the Either Ore, focusing on the nearest airlock to get back aboard to help with any boarders that might be left.

[Gizmo]

The antibody Kharag had attacked responded in kind along with one of its twisted siblings, swiping with uneven talons coated in corrosion and rot. The alien warrior was bloodied but not beaten, maintaining enough of his wits to avoid the clumsily aggressive blows even as his vision swam. The cacophony of screams and pleas for mercy told him that the refugees in the cargo bay, sadly, lacked his combat conditioning. Kharag spotted at least three of the guards who had originally greeted him when he boarded the Either Ore lying prone on the cold metal floor next to broken energy rifles and pools of blood. As he watched the remaining two antibodies continued to focus on the civilians, one grabbing a lean, purple skinned woman by the throat and tossing her bodily against the far wall while the second sank its disgusting teeth into the shoulder of a Lor boy no more than twelve years old.

[GooseInduced]

Sei barely had time to watch the antibody crumple to the floor when Ana asked her to leave. The reptilian archer looked at her and seeing that she was hurt too badly Sei nodded in agreement. "Work quickly Ana." Sei took off after that, drawing her bow again as her long legs carried her down the hall. She had to hunch slightly not to hit her head and it was distracting. Still, she kept her eyes out, drawing two arrows from her quiver and knocking them both. These things weren't fighting fare, so neither was she. Not any more.

Sei had just about given up on seeing more enemies, when the hallway deposited into the cargo bay and the chaos there filled her senses. Golden eyes were wide as they surveyed the scene and the harsh scream of a child sprung her into action. Two enemies, two arrows, one shot.... It would be difficult but it was one she had made before. One was stalking toward another wall and the other was sinking it's disgusting teeth into the child.

Without further hesitation she loosed the arrows, both seeming to fly straight and true to their targets. One arrow pierced through the antibody hunched over the child. The other didn't hit home. The antibody had been on the move, and with two targets, Sei hadn't quiet judged her aim correctly. The arrow hit, but it had moved enough for the arrow to glance off of one of it's metal plates instead of sinking into flesh. The archer let out a curse, or rather a string of sounds and chirps that to anyone else would sound like garbled noises. To Seika, it was something about how it's mother had done some rather inappropriate mating.

[RobRX]

Despite being quite battered, Kharag was still more than capable of taking care of these disgusting biomechanical monstrosities. He bared his teeth at one of the creatures, before grabbing it by the throat and lifting it. He snarled and groaned as he tightened his grip and with a metallic snap, the creature's neck broke. Using the broken body of the antibody as an improvised weapon, he tried to bludgeon the other one into pieces, but the other antibody endured the blow.

[Heritage]

Once Sei was gone and the portal sealed, Ana was able to breathe a sigh of relief...which really hurt! To slow down the blood loss and reduce any swelling, she cryo'd herself some 'ice patches'; what would have felt like freezing daggers to anyone else was like a cool soothing balm to the young Terran.

"Okay," she said, some of the edge out of her voice as she addressed the other techs. "No more pain, no more distractions; now we just have the work." The pale engineer eagerly returned to her task, softly singing Brittany Spears' 'Toxic' to herself as she worked, tools, parts and fingers flying in an elegant dance.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Heritage

[Thevshi]

It only took Paradigm a few brief moments to reach one of the Either Ore’s airlocks. However, even she had to wait for the airlock to cycle, at least if she did not want to smash through the hull of the vessel and risk exposing those nearby to the vacuum of space. So the Naram waited until she had been cycled through airlock, coming back out in the corridor beyond. Not wishing to waste further time trying to find where she might be needed, she decided to take a few brief moments and learn what the situation was.

So Paradigm turned to the nearest Lor still on their feet. "We are clear of any other external threat for the moment. What is the status of the boarders? Is there anywhere that is not yet secure?"