In reply to The Watcher (msg # 270):

Docking Bay

"If only someone here had the power to deflect projectiles," Flux muses into his beer. "Oh, wait, my mistake. If only someone had a reason to deflect the projectiles."

He refills the glass and saunters up to the bridge.

"Prep for takeoff and let's get out of here. We've got a piece of priceless technology in your engine compartment, and I for one can't wait to see what it's worth."

Flux frowns slightly.

"Though if we could convince the girl and the boy scout to tag along, they might be able to unlock the rest of the schematics over time..."

He takes another pull and shrugs.

"Meh. The easy money's already in hand. Punch it?"

In reply to Flux (msg # 271):

The Bridge

"You can help by telling me how to get the lights back on," Captain Blaise says, motioning to the glowing red emergency lights around them. "The real ones."

The commander considers the question for a moment and shrugs.

"That's above my pay grade, sir. Maybe a manual reboot in the engine room would do the trick now that the pulse weapons have been disabled?"

Captain Blaise blinks and shouts at the other crewmen on the bridge.

"Go!"

They hasten to obey, though without gravity their fastest sprint is reduced to an awkward bobbing scramble.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:52, Thu 17 Dec 2015.

In reply to Captain Blaise (msg # 272):

Captain, I will got to Batallion's ship and Rendezvous at our set point.  Are there any additional instructions that I should follow? 

She waits his response and then bolts to Batallion's ship.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 273):

The captain nods grimly.

"Good luck. We'll join you if we can."

He hands Rebecca a small device she recognizes as a biometric scanner along with a small black box. He presses his thumb to the first, takes Rebecca's hand, and presses her thumb against the same area a moment later. It is mercifully solid at that moment, and the device beeps and whirs happily.

"Only you can open this now. Keep it safe from Flux and Batallion," he says. "You'll need the contents later, and I don't quite trust them not to abuse them.."

In reply to Captain Blaise (msg # 274):

She smiles.

factually correct.  Neither do I.

Best fortune Captain.  Horace, thank you and welcome to the crew.  I hope to see you and yours soon.

With that she bolts through a wall to Battalion's ship.

Xander launches Abraxas back into space the moment additional contacts appear on his scanner. Arcs of energy build up along the length of the railgun as he brings it to bear on the incoming missiles.

Let's see if we can even the odds a bit.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Fri 18 Dec 2015.

In reply to Xander (msg # 276):

Battalion ponders the situation.

For about five more seconds.

Yeah, fuck this.  Nothing here worth dying for.

Battalion clicks the intercom system over to speak only with Xander.

Courtesy call smart guy:  You got about a minute and a half before my engines are powered up.

Another twenty seconds until I'm out the airlock, then just ten more seconds of prime 'waving goodbye' time.

If she hurries, the creepy girl will already be here by then, but if not...

Battalion begins the prelaunch countdown.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 277):

Creepy girl redoubles her efforts.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 278):

INSIDE

Rebecca flits, bobs, and hurtles herself toward the docking bay, though she makes no acknowledgement that anyone can hear.


Battalion reaches the end of his countdown, at which point Flux punches the override commands that open the airlock.

When nothing happens, he extends his hand toward the airlock and narrows his eyes.

"Of course the airlock wouldn't have emergency power. That would be convenient, and we can't have that."

Flux clenches his fingers into the palm of his hand, and the airlock doors strain against the powerful localized gravity well that has appeared nearby.

[Gravity Manipulation: 92]

With a groaning squeal followed by the howling torrent of atmosphere escaping into the void of space through the hole he just made, the air lock rends itself in twain.

"You're cleared for takeoff," Flux says, clapping Battalion on the shoulder with a grin and raising a beer in the other hand.

OUTSIDE

Xander directs his attention toward the incoming missiles and pauses to calculate the target lock, then calmly fires a lance of accelerated death at the the nearest threat.

[Rat-ta-tat-tat: 84, hit]

The targeted missile explodes prematurely, leaving five zipping toward the Mastodon.

The AI quickly appraises the battlesuit's pilot of the situation.

"Five to go. I calculate we can disable up to two more missiles before they reach the hull, but in doing so we will miss our window to board the shuttle from the airlock, if your ally's intentions are to be believed."

It it at this moment that a shower of sparks erupts from the exterior of the airlock, and it becomes clear that air is bleeding into space from a gaping hole where the door once stood.

"Correction. We will be boarding the shuttle immediately, from space, or not at all. Course?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 279):

There is a sudden snapping sound and Flux briefly jumps and goes limp.  Rebecca is standing behind him holding a toaster shaped box with a wicked looking probe at the end of it.

Hopefully his new personality when he wakes up will be more... productive.  Well done on getting us out of harms way.  Thank you.

She looks back forlornly on the Mastodon

Be safe captain.  You can do this.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 280):

SHIT ON ME!  Both Battalions at the controls jump when Rebecca appears.  The armed guards immediately point their weapons at the girl, but soon stand down.

Don't EVER sneak up on me like that again!

Battalion takes the beer that Flux clearly no longer needs and drains it.

Here goes nothing, he begins to pilot the ship out the convenient hole.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:55, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 281):

I didn't sneak up on you.  I Snuck up on Flux.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 282):

INSIDE

Flux is out like a light, and does not seem likely to stir any time soon. Battalion punches a few controls on the panel (to Rebecca's eyes, seemingly chosen at random), and the shuttle shudders fitfully before lurching toward the hole in the airlock.

Incidentally, all boarders who were not properly secured are sucked out into the void of space, making good on Battalion's threats (even if accidentally).

OUTSIDE

Xander becomes aware of a new ship in the local space -- a shuttle that looks a lot like Battalion's. A handful of men in strange uniforms drift nearby, prone and if not yet lifeless, soon to be just that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:29, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 283):

Whoops.

Xander swears under his breath as he sees the floating bodies. Unless Flux decides to start being useful, there's not a whole hell of a lot we can do here.

Alright J.J., let's do this.

Abraxas' engines flare to life as Xander kicks the mech into a lazy spiral. The battlesuit grabs onto the shuttle, magnets firing and joints locking in a jury-rigged docking embrace.

Okay, Abraxas' main drive and maneuvering thrusters are slaved to the shuttle controls. Let's get out of here. Captain Blaise, best of luck. I hope we meet again.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 18:00, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to Xander (msg # 285):

Rebecca scowls but holds her peace at the jettisoned bodies.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 286):

If the Mastodon has a reply, it is lost amid the cacophonous explosions that rattle the majestic ship as five missiles bury into its hull. The strange ship accompanying them ignores Battalion's shuttle utterly, instead locking onto a portion of the Mastodon and holding fast.

OOC: The capital ships do not appear to have noticed your shuttle. Your next course of action is up to you!

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 287):

Ok then.  Drive like we stole something...

JJ pilots the ship as quickly as he can in the direction opposite that from which the missiles originated.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 288):

We did.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 289):

The engines flare to life, and a rumble courses through the framework of the vessel as it gathers speed. For the moment, everything appears normal, and your speed is no faster than the shuttle is accustomed to traveling.

There are two big red buttons wired into the console that have yet to be used.

The first is the phasing matrix, which will -- when Rebecca is attached to the adjacent hookup -- render the entire shuttle "phased" for a brief period of time. Captain Blaise said there were a maximum of two uses of this device, and it has yet to be tested in a live environment.

The second is the connected to a horizontal throttle lever, and will activate the experimental engine drive when the button is pressed and the lever is thrown. Nobody really knows what will happen at that point, but ostensibly the result will move the shuttle forward very, very quickly.

As the shuttle accelerates away from the Mastodon and the carnage around it, the comms squark to life with Dr. Pryor's voice.

"Unidentified shuttle, you are in possession of classified materials. Set a course for the Dichotomy or prepare to be vaporized."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Mon 21 Dec 2015.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 290):

Fuck, Hell, damn, shit, crap, fetus, crap and fuck!

JJ jams the controls and pushes the engines as hard as he can push them.

A duplicate in thick overalls and a thicker mustache appears.  He looks intently at a panel then starts banging random parts of the wall with a wrench.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 290):

Rebecca grabs the comm when she hears his voice

Hello again, Dr. Pryor.

Rebecca says voice dripping in sarcasm.

Dr. Taylor here again... You have ended all call to negotiation as well as sacrificed your integrity as a proclaimed scientist.  It has been a severe displeasure to speak to you again and know that if I ever see you it will not be pleasant.  Oh and let me ask you... how does it feel to be outsmarted by a 10 year old?

While she waits for his sputtering rebuke she turns her evil smile on Battalion.

Punch it.

He gapes for a brief second at the girls change in demeanor.

Please.  I'll man the ghost chair, let me know if we need to phase.

If Dr. Pryor responds she will sing bad pop songs over him until he stops.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 292):

"Outsmarted?" Dr. Pryor retorts, though his response is partially drowned out by Rebecca's eerily warbled rendition of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time. "I think not. Goodbye, Miss Taylor."

Battalion's screen flares to life as the closest capital ship releases four Wasps, which scream toward the shuttle with conviction.

A glance at the controls shows that the shuttle is going as fast as it can go under its normal power, and though it's certainly not slow... it's not a starfighter, either. Given enough time, the Wasps will close to firing distance before fuel becomes an issue for anyone involved.

On the bright side, I do not believe the capital ship can reliably target a vessel this small, Xander's AI informs him. Else why bother with small-scale combat?"

OOC: As a reminder, your shuttle doesn't have guns (an oversight you may wish to rectify another time), but Abraxas does. You have 3 rounds to prepare for ship-to-ship combat, barring anything changing. On the 4th round, you will be in rage of Wasp weapons, and they in range of Abraxas's.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:00, Tue 22 Dec 2015.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 293):

Flux continues to drool fitfully on the steel floor of the cockpit, though he has stopped convulsing. His eyes are closed, but the eyelids are twitching like a man who is trying to wake up from a nightmare.

OOC: It is worth noting that Flux is very, very badly hurt. He has about 10 health left, and has not had time to heal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:04, Tue 22 Dec 2015.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 293):

JJ grits his teeth as his knuckles go white on the steering column.

Mr. Wizard, you got enough firepower in that suit to get us clear?