Xander snaps out of the interface with a jolt as the crystal skitters to a stop in front of him. Abraxas' manipulator arm gently scoops it up, and the cockpit opens momentarily as he transfers it inside, cradling the gem gently.

Shit... he whispers as the cockpit seals again.

Alright Billy. I'm right behind you. Let's move.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:37, Tue 18 July 2017.

In reply to Xander (msg # 854):

Finding the tablet and the EVA suit shut down Nightmare tries a few phrases she learned from Billy.

Come on you steaming pile of fuck.  Work.  Damnit prick. 

She lets out a primal frustrated grunt as she contemptuously throws the tech on the table.

OK...  I'm getting on that ship.  Holt will point out the weak spot of the ship and, if he can the bridge.  You guys just do a flyby and drop me on the ship.  Keep moving... Remain in the area for 2 hours.

If you see me exiting the ship, drop a flare, and I will come to your location.

If we haven't restored communication by then or you don't see me... bail.  Go to Earth as fast as possible and have Tyndall get in touch with her father.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:38, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 855):

Team Kamikaze

Sarge and Guard B shield their eyes with their forearms as the world above them dissolves into a glorious cascade of smoke and fire. Guards E and F land nearby with muffled WHUMPHs, and Sarge races to help them to their feet.

"Come on," Sarge says, glancing upward for a moment. "There's nothing more we can do here. Gotta catch Laser Fist and his mech -- I'm pretty sure the rest of his team is dead."

Guards B, E, and F nod and fall into place, following Sarge as he advances down the hallway toward the retreating Billy and Abraxas.

(Abraxas has not yet taken its action)

***

Guards G and H stand slack-jawed behind their helmets, watching the darkened corridor and flaming Central Core.

"We..uh...shit. Where are the manual fire suppressors?" one says to the other, who shrugs. "Better call it in, then. That'll eat up our oxygen really quickly if we can't get it contained."

***

Billy carefully carves enough space for Abraxas to join him, avoiding any pipes that look likely to douse him with water or septic fluids. As he does so, he hears a great number of boots clomping around above him -- along with what sounds an awful lot like the back-and-forth of laser fire.

Billy quirks an eyebrow behind his helmet, "Xander, did you get in before that thing blew up?"

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 856):

Team Space Trek

"If you need an on-board computer, I guess I could part with it this once," Kayla says, gingerly unfastening her bracer. "But remember, while we're being jammed you won't be able to use talk to Dynamis remotely. You'll only have the bracer's own processing power to work with."

***

Holt approaches Penny, who is crouched over something in the cargo area.

"Come on," he says, jerking a thumb in the direction of the rest of the ship. "Captain says you're not allowed in here anymore. Let's go."

Penny continues to tinker, and Holt sighs and closes the distance between them. His pace is unhurried, but his strides are long. He reaches out and places a large hand on her shoulder.

"Stop," he rumbles. "Or I'll stop you."

"Fine, fine," Penny grumbles, standing up and slipping her gloves back over her hands. "I just wanted to...hey, lay off!"

This last reaction was in response to Holt putting both hands on her shoulders and spinning her roughly around such that she now faces the doorway.

"Let's go. Walk," he says quietly.

"I'm going, I'm going," she protests. "Just let me get my-"

"No. Now."

"Seriously, Holt, let go of me. If I don't at least retrieve the-"

"MOVE."

Holt shoves Penny none-too-gently toward the doorway, but releases his grip on her shoulders in the process. Penny does a quick heel-turn and vaults toward the area she was working on a moment ago, but her leap never lands -- Holt's fist catches her at the apex of the jump, perfectly knocking the wind out of her body with a single strike and sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Get up," he says impassively.

Penny, gasping for air and unable to speak, points toward the wall where she had been working with increasing agitation, but Holt doesn't so much as turn around. He doesn't notice that the device seems to be rattling slightly...

***

Captain! There are escalating tensions in the-

A series of raised voices can be heard from the direction of the cargo area -- likely a scuffle as Holt attempts to carry out his orders regarding Penny. This is followed by an alarmingly loud explosion.

KABLAM!!

Persephone lists to the side, then rolls upside down. Anyone not strapped into a chair (so, everyone but Kayla and Fiernas) is slammed unceremoniously against the ceiling, even as the normal running lights are replaced with the dim red hue of emergency beacons.

Dead silence permeates the ship for three heartbeats, followed by a creaking sound. Anyone in the cockpit can see a chunk of debris that looks a lot like the outer hull of the cargo area -- and plenty of crates of food and supplies -- floating past in the vacuum of space.

"Is *cough* is everyone ok?" Kayla says, struggling against the controls in an unsuccessful attempt to right the ship.

There are 2 likely casualties, Captain.

"No..." Kayla breathes. "Who, D?"

The viewscreen zooms into the stream of debris, revealing two human-shaped forms among the wreckage outside: Holt and Penny, neither of whom are wearing EVA suits, and both of whom look very still indeed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:43, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 858):

We are venting atmosphere from the breached hull at a rapid rate. Repairs are recommended at an exceedingly high priority.

In reply to Dynamis (msg # 859):

Kayla disengages the engines, releases the steering column entirely, unsnaps her harness, and "falls" to the ceiling (which, in the inverted ship, is now the floor). She fumbles for her tool belt, reclaims the bracer from Rebecca, and stumbles over to the equipment lockers.

"All crew, seal yourselves in whatever room you're in until you hear otherwise," she commands as she slips into her EVA suit. "If you have access to an EVA suit, put it on. But don't leave the safety of a sealed room to find one. I'm heading out to try to plug the hole. If any of you are better mechanics than you've let on, you're welcome to join me. But otherwise that stay-in-place order stands."

The bracer displays a wireframe of the ship, with markings for the damaged areas.

"Shit, D," she breathes quietly as she moves toward the cargo bay. "This is...really bad."

Yes. Let me show you where to begin.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:33, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to Kayla Wallin (msg # 860):

Gestalt picks himself up from the ceiling/floor of the cockpit and watches Kayla as she gears up.

"I don't really do repairs," he stammers, looking over at Fiernas and Rebecca. "And I'm sure the rescued hostages don't, either."

Dynamis confirms this by showing Darling and Tyndall on the screen -- both have made it to the sleeping area, and they are currently sheltering in place while petting Fiernas's nervous-looking dogs.

In the distance, the strange-looking ship begins to pull away.

In reply to Gestalt (msg # 861):

SHIT INCOMING!

Nightmare's expletive comes simultaneous with Dynamis as she braces for impact an instant before the explosion rocks the ship.  As the team falls to the ceiling she actually doesn't try to catch herself, instead phasing through the ceiling to the outside in her EVA suit.  Her boosters kick to life, she stabilizes herself and she makes a beeline towards Holt.

/ooc: where is Penny in relation to Holt

Percy floats by the cockpit looking very cold and miserable.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 862):

Rebecca manages to join the debris field with her quick thinking, and soon finds herself not far from Holt and Penny (and a box of dehydrated meat-like products). With a little effort, she could probably grab them both...though she'd have to phase them into the ship one at a time once she manages to catch back up to it.

Not far away, Persephone spins and lists like a wounded thing, bleeding speed as its stabilizers attempt to bring the ship under control.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:44, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 863):

She grabs both people, flying them back and phasing them into the Persephone one at a time.  Holt first.  Then Penny.  She surprises Gestalt with her vitriol as she drops Penny off....

If you're not dead, you may wish that you were when I get back.

She then zips back to the debris field to salvage as much food as she can.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 864):

Team Space Trek

While Rebecca burns her suit's energy traveling back and forth to gather supplies and tether them to the outside of the ship, Gestalt and Fiernas are left with the task of deciding what to do with Holt and Penny.

The pair are lying still on the floor of the cockpit after having been exposed to the vacuum of space unprotected for several minutes. Neither are breathing, both look rather swollen, and ice coats their tongues and eyelids.

Gestalt tosses a heated thermal blanket over them, but looks doubtful.

"I've seen guys get spaced before -- even big guys," he says. "If you can grab them after 15, maybe 30 seconds, you can sometimes save them. Unless they took a big gulp of air before going out, of course. Pressure'll tear your lungs apart if you do that."

Gestalt shudders.

"And without a big gulp of air, you can't exactly hold your breathe. Death from asphyxiation in less than 2 minutes. Our suits used to clock 90 seconds, and would ping folks as dead if they reached 0 on that timer after an accidental spacing."

A few more minutes pass by. The two still forms regain their regular proportions under the cockpit of Persephone's normalized pressure...but none of their liveliness.

"That'll be us pretty soon, if Kayla can't fix the leak," he shivers, then he raises an eyebrow and crouches down near the pair.

"I'll be damned," he says softly. "I think Holt might be breathing!"

Gestalt finds a piece of metal and holds it near the large man's nose and mouth, and is delightful to see a very faint mist appear upon it. The same test is performed for Penny, but there is no sign of breath to be found.

"Hang in there, big guy," he says, drawing the thermal blanket more closely around the unresponsive man. "We're doing our best."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:24, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to Gestalt (msg # 865):

As Nightmare phases back in with a load of jerky she looks at the vent

Kayla, anything you can do to patch that hole?

/ooc rolled and used karma for phasing.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 866):

With wireless communications down, Rebecca cannot actually speak to Kayla at the moment.

Which is likely a good thing, seeing as she is currently attempting to do precisely what Rebecca is inquiring about.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:08, Wed 19 July 2017.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 867):

Once Nightmare is done collecting food she will assist Kayla in any way she can.  Its amazing how helpful phasing hands can be when performing repairs in tight places.

/ooc Having just installed an outlet that the previous owners placed inexplicably close to the wall I can attest to this.

Xander shakes his head, not that Billy can see the gesture. Negative. There's nothing to control anymore. The ship's systems are all fried. And we've got two mooks headed our way. I...think it's just the two of us now.

I think they can catch up to us faster than we can run, and I'm on my last legs here. Do we try to get the drop on them, or did you have something else in mind?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Wed 19 July 2017.

"I was gonna suggest picking me up cutting our way though the ship in a beeline to the bridge, but if you didn't rock the boat I think we might have some new friends upstairs."

In reply to Billy Laser Fist (msg # 870):

Team Space Trek

Kayla and Rebecca work together to plug the hole and weld it shut. It's exhausting work, but soon the deed is done.

Kayla slumps down in the cargo bay, staring at their handiwork and recovering her strength as the adrenaline surge wears off.

"Hopefully that'll hold until we can make port," she says, wearily hauling herself to her feet. "But that other ship's long gone, and we need to resupply badly."

She begins walking toward the cockpit.

"If Holt or Penny survived, we'll need to find a hospital, too."

***

They return to the cockpit to find Holt covered in a thermal blanket and Penny covered in a tarp. Gestalt looks up at them as they enter, mixed expressions on his face.

"They, uh...well, Holt's still breathing. Slowly. Kinda. But Penny's not. And I don't know what to do with either one."

Kayla hops back into the pilot's seat and begins to bring Persephone back to its proper orientation with slow and steady movements.

"I don't know what to do with them either," she says after a moment. "I'm not a medic, and the only first aid I know for vacuum exposure is 'get back inside and to a medic ASAP'. Which isn't very helpful."

Kayla flicks on the internal comms as the ship's emergency lighting is replaced by normal luminescence.

"There's been an accident, but we've repaired the damage. You can stop sheltering in place. And if anyone's a doctor, now's a great time to speak up."

Nobody responds to this last part, and Kayla sighs.

"Typical. Ok D, where's the nearest port with a full range of facilities?"

That would be Venus, Captain. But aren't we Wanted by the SAGE forces that control it?

"Probably," she replies, setting course for Venus. "But we don't have much of a choice, do we? We lost a ton of supplies, despite what Rebecca recovered. Plus...Holt needs a doctor. Let's get moving."

The engines flare to life once more, and Persephone begins limping toward Venusian airspace as quickly as its hobbled chassis can manage.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 871):

Kayla frowns as a thought occurs to her.

"Do, uh, do we have any MONEY to spend on things like supplies and life-saving care and starship repairs?"

In reply to Kayla Wallin (msg # 872):

Nightmare will give CPR and emergency medical aid both Penny and Holt.  This time starting with Penny... until they get better or she reaches the end of her capacity, or she calls time of death.

In reply to Nightmare (msg # 873):

Despite Rebecca's efforts, Penny cannot be revived. Holt continues to breathe slowly, but does not regain consciousness.

I'd say Muse rocked the boat for us. Quickly, get on Abraxas' back and try to hold on. What direction are we going? Still the bridge? Keep in mind that this is going to probably fuck up everything between Point A and Point B, and very possibly us too. If we have friends upstairs, they'd better make a move soon.

[Ready action to unload a Railgun magazine and then engage thrusters in whichever direction Billy indicates.]

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 874):

Nightmare calmly calls time of death, records it in her datapad, and walks away with no emotion whatsoever.  When Kayla asks about Money Nightmare says

I have some saved up from a bounty on 'the controller' and my IDA wages.  If it exceeds my ability to pay then perhaps Darling's familial connections will be able to help?

/ooc there was something else I was going to do.  I'll try to see if I can remember later, found this half written in post.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:00, Fri 21 July 2017.

Fiernas isn't the best with a welding torch, but he gamely pitches in to help salvage supplies and repair the ship, only after ensuring that Leo and Phillip and safe - if uncomfortable - in the still-pressurized crew quarters.

He crouches over Holt and Penny, doing a brisk check of their bodies. "They aren't horses, and this isn't Valbone, but hey..."  He trails off, practiced veterinary hands working quickly.

In reply to Fiernas Holm (msg # 877):

There is little to be done for Penny -- the exposure was too long, and her resilience too human. Holt, however, does benefit from Fiernas's care. He does not awaken, but he seems more stable afterward.