Chapter 09 - The Space Between
Recap & Disposition
Team Space Trek
Persephone, severely damaged by an internal munitions explosion, has limped its way into Venusian orbit. Its communications remain jammed by an unknown but doggedly persistent source -- a problem that has remained ever since their encounter with the strange chitinous vessel that followed them into the Sol sector.
Kayla, captain of the vessel, has activated its adaptive armor to cloak the shuttle from unwanted attention. Though low on supplies and carrying a critically wounded crewman, she is unwilling to risk the violent response she expects to receive should Persephone fail to respond to Venusian hails while approaching port. Venus is controlled by SAGE forces, and they do not take intrusion lightly.
She is standing in the cockpit, waist deep in wiring and electric panels that once constituted the shuttle's communications system. A silhouette of the system is being projected in the air above her from her bracer, courtesy of the increasingly enigmatic AI Dynamis.
Rebecca and Fiernas do what they can to help, though some of their time is spend trying to figure out how to avoid having their status as fugitives from SAGE detected once the ship does manage to dock.
The remaining crew consists of:
*Gestalt -- former (?) Honcho of the AoS
* Susan Darling -- heiress, had been kidnapped for ransom by the AoS
* Wendy Tyndall -- daughter of the UN Speaker, also kidnapped for ransom by the AoS
* Holt -- auger and former AoS agent who has been in a coma for days
* Penny -- former IDA agent who has been dead for days
* The Cyberpups -- Fiernas's beloved dogs
"What a mess," Kayla gripes, crouching down to connect an exposed wire to a nearby circuit board. "It might be easier to disarm a missile, tie a white flag to it, and shoot it at the nearest port."
***
Team Kamikaze
The rest of the team is in no better shape. Alone, outnumbered, and outgunned aboard Faust's flagship, Goethe, as it lords over the shattered asteroid that once served as the IDA's Near-Earth Hub, Billy and Xander are poring over their remaining options. Presumably, Viceroy is somewhere outside, still doing battle with drones from the newly mobilized Factory.
They stand, battered and bruised, before a gaping chasm set just below the ship's ruined Central Core. The rest of their away team -- Durst, Timon, and Muse -- were lost during an explosion caused by Muse's valiant final stand. Though the Central Core was successfully destroyed, and the ship's AI successfully disabled, it cost all three of them their lives.
An important-looking crystal was flung from the explosion, and now rests in one of Xander's many pockets.
Abraxas has sustained significant damage, and will not be able to function properly without a prolonged stint in a maintenance bay. Still, Xander is convinced he can at least get the legs moving again with just the parts on hand.
The only problem is time -- and it's a pressing one. Emergency lighting has been the order of the day ever since Goethe lost its AI, and the ship has been noticeably listing for a while now.
Somewhere above, the sounds of a prolonged firefight and dozens of heavy boots can be heard. Team Kamikaze may not be the only unauthorized guests visiting Faust's flagship today...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:28, Fri 28 July 2017.