It's been several days after the Raid on the Buchenwald.  As expected, Core and Command have accepted Five Days Darkness's resignation and allowed him to keep the captaincy of the Enterprise.  With the Enterprise under repair, he and Lyla  have made the most of their spare time.  They've made a LOT out of their spare time.

But business has to come eventually, and when it does, the mood on the Enterprise is sober.  They take off from the Last Refuge as a skeleton crew, nothing in the hangar but Lyla's Benisuzume and the tin-can jumpship Odysseus, freshly slathered with paint and duct tape.  The crew of around eight hundred has been reduced to 50.

Lyla's in the hangar, tending to the Benisuzume, when XO Chambers approaches Lyla  and gives her a snappy salute.

"Lyla Raines,"  She says, "We're deploying out towards unknown space in five minutes.  Is the Benisuzume up to your standards?"

Lyla knows the plan, of course; she and Five Days Darkness have discussed it at length in private.  The Abyssal prison ship Pyongyang was discovered by Journeys just a day earlier.  The plan:  the Enterprise jumps halfway towards the Pyongyang and drops her off with the Odysseus.  The Odysseus makes the secondary jump, dropping her off just outside of the Pyongyang's sensors.  Then she docks with the Pyongyang, infiltrates, and- well- saves Swan Dragon, a Lesser Elemental Dragon of Fire.

Sure.  Easy.  Right.

There's not much else to go on.  Journeys couldn't get too close, but from what pictures he could take they could tell the Pyongyang has a different structure from the Buchenwald.  The floor plan isn't the same.
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:53, Sun 06 Nov 2016.

The several days have been a warm welcome, especially now that Lyla has had something to do with her spare time instead of stressing about her purpose and if she was doing enough to fulfill her role. It has left her refreshed, and filled with joy, which she has been trying to contain when bumping into outsiders.

The new mission had pumped her full of adrenaline, even before it had started. Despite having gone it through with Five Days Darkness, it was still when put to paper all too simple and lacking in detail. It was hard to prepare for the unknown. When she managed to get in terms with the fact that all the possible prepping had already been done, it was just about waiting. In which she was never too good at.

"XO Chambers," Lyla responds with a salute not quite as snappy as hers, naturally.

It would've been a mission in itself for Lyla to be as official and disciplined as Chambers. Or as perceptive. During her stay on the Enterprise she'd been mostly avoiding contact with all people, but especially Chambers just to await possible awkward moments.

"Of course, she seems to be in fine shape, as expected. The mods were implemented as requested? Besides I'm more worried about our paper model over there," she inclines her head towards Odysseys, while absentmindedly patting the side of Benisuzume.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:28, Sun 06 Nov 2016.

"Well, Pandora Bay has done a shit job of making another Odysseus-class, so you're stuck with it."  Chambers sighs as she look sat the crappy vessel, "Yeah, as far as I can tell they've all been added but I haven't had the time to personally inspect your ship.  I've been busy since the Captain has been so secluded lately."

Chambers sighs and rubs her forehead, "Damn, this ship is hard to run."

"I trust your crew, so I'm sure the mods are in good shape. I can run a quick diagnostics check even after we leave, before heading out. That way if something doesn't work, then I'll know not to rely on it," she nods with a confident tone.

"Well, his vacation of once in five years is now over, so you'll be cut some slack soon enough. Besides I've heard that you've been doing a great job, so no wonder the captain puts his faith in you in running the ship," Lyla pulls out her cigarettes as usual before a flight and offers them to Chambers."a smoke?"

Lyla makes a mental note to later remind Five Days Darkness not to neglect his crew, or at least Chambers.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

"Hey, thanks for the kind word and kinder offer, but I actually prefer cigars."  Chambers grins at her, "Very appreciated, though.  I know tobacco's pretty rare on the Refuge nowadays.  Still, running this old gal isn't as stressful as what you're about to go through.  Want me to pull you some strings?  I can get anything you need waiting for you when you get home."

"Ah, my bad. Never really gotten used to those, or rather never had a suitable occasion for them," she folds the cigarette case away into a pocket.

"Hey, it's just me, myself and I. No crew to look after for. But yeah, keep up the fort so I have somewhere to return to. And I never say no to some Vodka as a welcome back gift, one way or another I can use it to sterilize something," she jests after a moment of pondering, because there was not really anything she'd need.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:32, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

"Well, I just so happen to know the captain of the transport Rat-King.  Whole ship's a potato farm,"  She drums her fingers against her arm, "I mean, they don't distill, but how hard can it be?  I'll ask the engineers.  Enterprise-brand vodka, just for you, alright?"  She holds the grin, "Of course I'll have to sample it myself first."

She pats the Benisuzume, "Best of luck out there, girls.  If you need help trigger the emergency button on the Odysseus and we'll make a hot extraction.  Rest assured we're not going to leave you hanging."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:36, Mon 07 Nov 2016.

Lyla gives a grateful nod.

"Sample all you want. Better be sure its up to par," she lets a small chuckle escape her lips. "Thanks, I'll remember that. And here's to hoping I won't need that button."

She puffs out some smoke, before dropping her cigarette and stepping on it. Her mind was a mess, but that's how it was always. It'd get better once things would start happening. Her helmet under her arm, she readies herself to jump into to Benisuzume to do the said diagnostics before moving anywhere.

"Alright, heading back upstairs.  Best of luck!"  She salutes Lyla and then hurries back to the bridge.

"TWO MINUTES TO JUMP."

That's her cue.

"FIVE.
FOUR.
THREE.
TWO.

ONE..."

Lyla's insides turn outside and her outsides inside and then the Odysseus flares its engines, shooting out of the hangar.  Lyla's up next, joining the Odysseus out into a black field with the faintest light generated by dying stars.

"This is Five Days Darkness.  Dock with the Odysseus when you're ready and it'll punch up the jump drive.  Happy hunting, Blue Fox.  I'm rooting for you."

The vast emptiness is not that comforting to face, but the darker the easier to blend in. Kind of. It had always been hard to be the darker shade of black than the space in itself. Lyla flips some switches, checking to see that everything works just fine, while getting adjusted to the feeling. Everything seemed to be running just fine on Benisuzume, as was expected.

"Thanks. I'll be bringing trophies to gawk at and a friend to greet," she smirks and steers clear next to Odysseys.

Lyla breathes in and out, then pushes a button to dock with Odysseys.

"Roger that.  Five Days Darkness out."

Lyla docks with the Odysseus and the ship thrums with power.  Then she can feel the hiss of propulsion gasses rock the Benisuzume and -

Her stomach lurches again.  She finds herself in a startlingly beautiful nebula, all purples and greens and blues stretching out in every direction.  It's not cloudy like one would expect from a TV show, but rather looks like she's found herself in the middle of a rainbow.

And, in the center, a cancerous black ship, a lone black hole against the beautiful background.  Her sensors wink on, showing a ship that looks like a sharp wedge studded with tumor-like growths.

Her sensors register the Pyongyang's active devices making a sensor sweep!

Pyongyang Awareness Check:
10, 7, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 3, 3 & 3
*47 + Awareness 10 + AB 10 = 67
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:04, Tue 08 Nov 2016.

((Stealth check
9, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 5 & 1
Float 9-9
25+25+15+10 = 75 vs 67))

Lyla was expecting the sight of a ship most foul, but the rainbow that greets her surprises her pleasantly. At least for a while. Then the violent beep pushes through and makes her focus once again far from being pleased. It would seem they've amped up their sensors since their last encounter with her...or it was a lucky shot in to the nebula.

There is a blue shade of a caste mark on her forehead, when she adjusts the ships settings and combines her essence with it, drowning both ships into shadows that mimic the surrounding colours. With the cover given by the nebula, she lurks closer.