Luxury-Class Shuttle "Battalion"
Location Unknown

Having escaped S.A.G.E.'s clutches by using (and, likely, damaging) the experimental engines stolen from their Venusian headquarters, our heroes now find themselves in a rather dire predicament.

The viewport continues to show a blur of colors as the shuttle hurtles through space at an impossibly fast velocity, and the crew may move freely about the cockpit now that the shuttle has reached a relatively constant speed. Over the next few minutes, the hull and walls return to their normal steel-grey coloring.

Obvious problems worth solving, listed in no particular order and by no means conclusive in scope or magnitude:

• Spiderweb of cracks in the viewport, which have not gone away and might even still be expanding slowly

• Slagged half of the console, which seems to have disabled all digital displays, scanners, status indicators, and (of course) the phasing device

• Acrid smoke trickling into the cockpit from the console and from the back of the shuttle

• Flux, who is prone, unconscious, and probably dying

• Abbraxis has exhausted its ammunition

• You are completely, utterly lost, and are definitely now on the Most Wanted List of at least one powerful space-faring agency
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Tue 05 Jan 2016.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 1):


SERIOUSLY?! YOU PRESS IT A SECOND TIME?!  AS IF BREAKING IT ONCE WASNT BAD ENOUGH!

she takes a moment and takes a gasp like a fish out of water.

We would have survived this with far less damage if we had done it while phased.  The ship would have not sustained such damage.
She takes another moment to compose herself.

That being said... thank you captain for your deft manuevering of the ship and while it was suboptimal you did deliver us from the SAGE corporation.

What sensors and supplies are available to us?  Flux is in mortal danger and we need to stabilize him.  Additionally we need to set course towards any place where there is the possibility of treatment and allies or neutral parties.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 2):

That's gratitude for you huh?  JJ grunts, we're alive.  You're welcome.

He carefully unbuckles himself and climbs out of the seat.

JJ moves carefully around the ship, first checking Flux's pulse, then moving on to the storage lockers.

In reply to Batallion (msg # 3):

You're alive...

She corrects.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:40, Tue 05 Jan 2016.

Xander begins hailing the main shuttle cabin on multiple frequencies, attempting to find at least one device still in operating condition.

Everybody all right in there?

In reply to Xander (msg # 5):

No.  Flux is dying and the ship is in poor condition to say the least.

She unbuckles and goes to tend as best she can to Flux with no proficiency in healing.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:17, Tue 05 Jan 2016.

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 6):

Cockpit
Batallion notes that Flux still has a pulse and leaves it at that. Rebecca attempts to render first aid and, though unskilled, quickly surmises that Flux, having been made more comfortable, is merely unconscious from the battering and will likely recover in time.

Storage Locker
Batallion rummages around the lockers looking for something.

Abraxis
Xander is, truth be told, a little bit bored due to the lack of anything interesting happening from his vantage point. The streaks and blurs of the starscape sure are pretty, though. Fortunately, he is able to find a band of communication that still functions, and thus he can speak freely with those in the shuttle.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:15, Thu 07 Jan 2016.

Well, first things first. We have to figure out where we are.

Xander consults Abraxas' navigational instruments, trying to make sense of where the shuttle hurtled off to.

In reply to Xander (msg # 8):

Xander is unable to make head or tails of his current bearing, given the speed at which the shuttle is traveling. His GPS instruments (galactic positioning system) were not designed to track something going so quickly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:17, Wed 06 Jan 2016.

Noting the spinning of the stars and the sickening effects of g-forces, Xander manages to use Abraxas' maneuvering thrusters to steady out the shuttle, killing everything but the forward momentum. With the shuttle stabilized, he turns his attention back to his instruments, but unfortunately they still can't get a fix on their position, having never been intended for interplanetary use.

An oversight I'll need to fix later. For now though, nothing more I can do out here...

The shuttle airlock whirs and hisses, opening and closing to admit Xander. He pops off his EVA suit helmet and gloves, clipping them onto his belt. He spares a quick glance around the damaged shuttle, triaging the components with the eyes of an expert. His gaze settles on the cracked viewport.

That's priority number one. Where we are and where we're going won't matter a damn if we all get sucked out into the void when this gives way.

The pilot tosses a small bag down onto the floor near the console, and extracts a large tube that does not look dissimilar to toothpaste, as well as a small stylus. With a delicate touch, he applies the paste to the spiderwebbed cracks, leaving filaments of a grayish sludge. After all the the cracks had been painted over, he touches the stylus to the edge of the pattern. With a flash and a slight acrid smell, the tool discharges electricity into the windshield. Almost immediately, the paste turns clear, leaving only the ghost of an image where the cracks used to be.

[Repair: Success]

That ought to hold it until we can land and make proper repairs. Xander frowns. That's of course assuming no further damage. But at these speeds, even a small piece of rock could...Sophia could you-

Xander is interrupted by a series of dull clangs, and then suddenly the outline of of Abraxas looms to fill the viewport as the mech cradles the front of the shuttle protectively.

You read my mind, he said with a faint smile, turning to the rest of the crew. There. We should be protected from any unexpected...speed bumps...and that viewport isn't in any danger of cracking. Now, let's see what's left of our instrumention and nav computer.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:37, Wed 06 Jan 2016.

In reply to Xander (msg # 10):

JJ waves toward the controlls.

Knock yourself out.

He continues to rummage through the ship's supplies.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 9):

Rebecca (literally) appears next to Xander for once without her doll.

Flux is unconscious but stable.  Percy is tending to him (the doll is standing over Flux).

Unless you can repair the sensors we are limited to Abraxis' suite.  If we slow down to the point where Abraxis' instruments work we may be able to orient ourselves to coast in the correct direction at the maximum detectable speed.  Though we need to do this as soon as possible because the longer we wait the further off course we may stray.

Xander examines the shuttle's slagged control panel. Hmm. The read outs are all fried, but there's a chance the equipment itself is still working. Let me give this a shot...

He walks over to the main console, fishing around for a plug. Extracting a wire from his pouch, he plugs one into the console jack, and the other directly into his head.

[Interface with Machine: Success]

Xander's body slumps backward into the pilot's chair.

In reply to Xander (msg # 13):

*fidgets impatiently*

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 14):

Xander's body doesn't move at all, except for a very shallow breathing.

After a few silent, tense minutes, a sudden voice crackles over the internal ship speakers. The voice is unxpectedly female, with a high British accent vaguely tinged with bemusement.

Well then you lot, it looks like you're in luck. While the engines, consoles, phasing device, and plasma drives are all broken, the computer and navigation equipment is all still intact. If frustratingly slow. Alexander is currently attempting to pull the coordinates Captain Blaise encrypted from the navigation computer. If the Captain is to be taken at his word, that way leads to allies and repair facilities.

Something you can't quite put your finger on seems to separate this voice from any other personal assistant you've ever heard. Even the newly released Siri Omega doesn't sound quite so...human.

Of course, I suppose you could decide to gun straight for the Ares mining facilities, but I don't fancy your chances there. Whatever decision you make, however, I advise you make it quickly. As Miss Rebecca rightly pointed out, we are traveling quite quickly. Nearly fifty times the speed of any conventional drive, to be more exact. Our course corrections must be deliberate, precise, and timely.

The voice falls silent for a moment.

Alexander's vote, incidentally, is Blaise's rendezvous point. As is mine, for that matter. So that's two in favor, the voice concluded primly.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 21:45, Wed 06 Jan 2016.

In reply to Xander (msg # 16):

Where exactly is the rendezvous point?  Are we able to receive repairs or medical attention there?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:52, Wed 06 Jan 2016.

Oddly enough, a point of space about halfway between the orbital paths of Earth and Mars, the voice replied. I don't know about medical attention, but the Captain did refer to repair capabilities. I should assume any sufficiently large installation would have at least basic medical facilities. I don't know any more than you. All we have are the coordinates.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Wed 06 Jan 2016.

In reply to Xander (msg # 18):

Then yes I agree s is the best course. Make it three for the rendezvous point. Do I assume the second in this is Abraxis?

In reply to Rebecca Taylor (msg # 19):

Can't anyone be normal?

JJ pokes his head out from the storage locker for a moment.

Meet up with Blaise, do it fast.  Gotcha.  He pauses.  Can you handle the ship yourself then?

If I never have to get behind those controls again, it'll be too soon.

JJ withdraws a space suit and three tanks from the locker.  He quickly begins to stuff his arms and legs into it and cradles the three tanks as if they were golden eggs.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Thu 07 Jan 2016.