Luckily by this point Tepha had reconfigured the sensors to account for the "blue shift" so to speak and once the squid was off the hull she took a look around to get their bearings once again.


15:49, Today: Tepha Pezal rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  sensors/int.

After that bump Ledo considered things and tapped the comms for general internal communications.

"Ahhh...this is the captain speaking. Apologies for the turbulence, we had a close encounter of the octopod kind. Things should be clear from hear on out but I recommend keeping yourself seated and secure until we give the all clear."

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 33):

And I was really looking forward to the Silver in a bikini/Giant Squid knife fight too.  Oh well. Have to settle for this...

The scanner shifts a little as you fiddle with the resolution Tepha.  But it pops up pretty clear after a fidget of the knobs or two.

The scanner pings the air hatch.  It also pings three small vessels floating around it.  Looks like baby Tia's maybe?  What do you call them?  Subs?

They seem to have pinged you back because they are heading for ya'll.

---

BB, as everyone else in the hallway pitches off their feet, you observe several things.

First, Hava doesn't lose her balance.  Accidentally.  She sees Silver move to adjust her weight to the sway of the ship and launches herself into her, knocking the surprised gun moll over.  Hava does lose her own feet.

You also see Ansley, just a moment before it happens, flip a hand signal to Hava, instigating the whole thing.

You also see her grab at something under her shirt as Nero pinwheels his arms and pulls on her shoulder, sending them both bouncing down the hallway.

And what is it Ansley pulled out of her shirt?  It's a C19 Enemy Repressive AncilliarieS Explosive or a C19 ERASE.  It's a little thicker than a sheet of paper, as long as a sheet of paper, and probably capable of putting a hole in the hull, depending on how close you guys are currently to the hull.

It's also live.  She managed to press the button starting the countdown before Nero brought her Jack-and-Jilling with him.

BB sprang into action bolting down the hallway and scooping up the slip before Ansley or Hava could recover. Bolting as fast as she could she slapped the explosive slip onto her pistol and then headed for the airlock. She tossed the explosive pistol bundle in and slapped the panel to cycle the airlock.

Hopefully just by leaving the outer airlock door open the currents would sweep in and her pistol would get swept out into open waters as the ship moved. She stayed by the airlock, hand hovering over the outer airlock panel ready to close the outer door when their "package" had left the ship.

Silver catches sight of the explosive swiftly departing. She thought for a second she should follow BB just in case everyone was in on it but seeing her run towards the airlock she had to trust the ex-marine knew what she was doing. If she was in on the terrorist plot BB could have easily slapped that thing onto someplace far more damaging. That explosive had the punch to get through one airlock door but not two.

Instead Silver was hauling out her weapons, pulling a knife with one hand and her rifle in the other.

"Alright you stupid fucking terrorists. Anyone so much as moves a muscle and you're getting cut in half. I'm not a cop. I'm not security. I will shoot your ass dead and dump you for the sharks to feed on."

Nero was confused. He didn't know what was going on or why BB had suddenly taken off but the woman in the power armor didn't seem to be kidding so he froze, lying motionless on the ground like a dead fish.

Ledo tapped the comms to signal Silver.

"I need you in the turret. Looks like the OLF launched subs to stop us."

"Well those fucking girl band popstars just tried to blow a hole in the ship with some explosives. Someone's got to come here and help me search them and get them to the brig?"

"Can we have the security team do it?"

"You mean their security? I think that marine you worked with is fine but the rest of them are probably lining the ship with explosives as we speak."

"Fuck fuck fuck! Alright we'll draft BB then. Rig, report up to the lounge and collect the rest of the band members. Help Silver process them and throw the entire band in the brig. Make sure to search them, no more explosives!

He steadied the course as he dialed over to BB's comm.

"BB? You copy?"

"I'm a bit busy flushing an explosive charge out of the airlock. Don't slow the ship down."

"Uh...copy that. I'm assuming you're not part of the terrorists if you're helping us out. We're going to round up the entire band and throw them in the brig but there is also a group of OLF boats out here that are looking pretty hostile. Can you fire a ship's turret? Or barring that can you head back to the lounge and relieve Silver so she can hop in our turret?"

"Oh I can use a turret just fine. Just feed me directions on where to go and what to shoot, Captain."

"Roger that."

Ledo leaned back and considered BB's words. It was nice to have another soldier on board. Silver was great at what she does but her style didn't exactly mesh very well with what Ledo was looking for out of a crew. Maybe when this was all settled he could offer BB a job.

That was assuming they survived their current mission.

"Copy that, Captain. Heading up."

Rig pulled out his pistol, double checked it, and then jogged towards the lounge where their passengers were clustered/hanging on to whatever they could for dear life.

When he got there it didn't take a genius to figure out which of the group were part of a girl pop band. He kept the pistol down but had his eyes locked and ready on them.

"Alright ladies, we'd like you to come with us. Captain's prepared a room for you and your friends and we'd like to keep you all together."

The two wannabe radicals spout a lot of nonsense on their way to the brig Silver.  But they don't try anything.

The other three members of the Pawny Paws and their management shake their heads as they walk by you to the brig Rig.

"Did we know she was a terrorist?"

"Well she did read a lotta books.  That's why I never read."

"I'm starting to think I'm not gonna make my pedicure appointment."

Parket pings you Ledo.  "What about us?  You want us in brig too?  I wouldn't blame ya."

BB, you find the turrent just fine.  A voice pops up, maybe one of the crew members you haven't seen yet.

You should be set for firing.  You're familiar with this kind of system?  Feeding the target comm to you now.

Three blips pop up.  None of them large, but if they are subs, it would seem reasonable to expect torpedos.

Silver shook her head at Parket and the rest of the security team.

"Not unless you want to make sure they don't do anything stupid. Well...stupider."

Carefully at gunpoint Silver had Rig strip the women down to their underwear to make sure they didn't have any more hidden surprises tucked away somewhere before sealing them into the brig.

"Uh copy that. Yes I have been trained on standard laser gunnery. Let's see here..."

She flipped through the setting systems quickly customizing the turret for her particular reflexes and doing a few test spins to make sure the sensitivity was correct. The turret was definitely an older model and while it didn't have the enhanced tactical or electronics that she was used to, ultimately it was a point and shoot weapon.

"Captain are we firing first or are we waiting to get a read on them?"

"What are the chances that three tourist craft just happen to be lurking outside of the airlock of a critical pumping station moving in attack position?"

BB snorted.

"Roger that, turret is green. Engaging."

She lined the targeting reticle up, double checked the setting and then opened fire with the beam turret.

OOC:
08:44, Today: BB Nova rolled 3 using 1d6+1.  beam laser damage.
08:41, Today: BB Nova rolled 13 using 2d6+2.  beam turret gunnery.

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 42):

One of the Pawny Paws looks at you Rig.  "Normally I'd charge you for this."

---

The laser slices into one of the subs.

Ohhhh. You cut their propulsion.  Nice. says mystery crewman to you BB.

The subs launch a round of torpedoes.  They aren't large enough vessels to carry the good stuff.  But Tia shakes as most of them slam into her side.

Fritz pops up a holo screen for you Rig.  The armor lapped up most of the damage.  There will be some welding in your immediate future.  But other than tossing about, Tia is holding up fine.

The two subs that can still maneuver take a pincer formation:  one skimming the ocean floor and one going up high.

BB didn't respond although she smirked a little.

Yeah. I know. It's what I was trained to do. she thought as she lined up her next shot.

Two targets remaining. She twisted the turret to track the one going high as the one going low was out of her field of fire. She lined up her shot and then pulled the trigger.

She scores a 10 for 2 damage

13:28, Today: BB Nova rolled 2 using 1d6+1.  damage.

13:27, Today: BB Nova rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  beam turret gunnery.

In reply to BB Nova (msg # 44):

BB, you manage to score a bit on the sub going high.  There's a nice little show as it slices into the plastic of the sub.  It apparently wasn't made for laser fire.   It seems to be takin on water.

Tepha, you can 'see' the one that went low.  It scoots under Tia.  It seems to be going for the airlock.

Ledo, the target is in sight.  You can push forward if you want and try to link up to the drop off point.  But you'll have to ram that sub BB crippled earlier.

Rig, another round of torpedoes hit.  The armor didn't quite carry through.  You have a rupture in one of the air vents.  Water's leaking in.

So to summarize:

The low sub is trying to dock with you.  They probably mean to board.

Ledo can make a pilot check to dock with the pumping station.  But he will need to ram the crippled sub to do it. Otherwise, you will need to take two turns to go around it.

There is a hole in the hull (got a really good roll on my damage).  Not a huge one.  But Rig will need to get on it before you try to leave orbit.

Ledo decides that slow and steady wins the race. He maneuvers around the damaged sub while rotating the ship 180 degrees around so that the "docking" sub is now in line with BB's turret instead of their cargo airlock.

If the sub pilot is good enough to stick with them through their barrel roll he'll message BB and Silver to be prepped for a boarding action. He thought about alerting the security team but at this point he wanted them focused on their drop off. The last thing he needed was for a wayward grenade to annihilate the security force and then the fate of the whole dome would be dumped onto his crew.

Rig does what he can to patch the hole so they won't drown but he figured that he would have to wait for them to be out of the water before he could really make them spaceworthy again.


15:03, Today: Gary 'Rig' Rigan rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  mechanics/edu check for repairs.

BB sat there as the world spun around her as the ship barrel rolled. If she got the chance for a shot she would take it on the last sub.


15:04, Today: BB Nova rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  turret/laser
15:04, Today: BB Nova rolled 2 using 1d6+1.  damage.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 46):

Saw through that plot point about the security team, didja?

Let's have dueling Piloting rolls please.  Ledo Pilot/Int.  This is to see who outmanuevers who sub-wise.  So no terrible effects unless you roll a 2.  Thanks

BB, you wait, finger on the trigger....

We'll see how Ledo does before that shot goes off

---

The patch isn't great Rig.  But then you knew that.  The water is still leaking instead of pouring.  But as you pointed out:  at least now you guys won't drown.

Ledo began his barrel roll trying to get the enemy sub lined up with their top turret.

OOC:

14:54, Today: Ledo Typhin rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  pilot/int.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 50):

The sub pilot must have been so shocked by the sudden roll he panicked.  The sub scapes across the ocean floor before coming to rest mere meters before BB's gun turrents.

After all that, I'm the one who rolls a 2

You bring Tia into position Ledo, and sync up the airlock.  The securtiy team feeds in override code into the lock and force it to cycle open.  Within moments, they are out of your ship and heading into the pumping station.  You can hear gunfire almost instantly.

You have delivered your payload.

Let me know what Ledo wants to do next.  Then we can wrap this one up.  Thanks

Ledo's finger hovers over the airlock control, an inch away from sealing the Tia up. He withdrew his hand and turned to Tepha.

"You know, let's wait. Just in case the security force fails their mission and we have to be the big heroes that save the day...again."

Tepha raised an eyebrow at him from the co-pilot's station.

"And to make sure we're not responsible for anything too extreme?"

Ledo kept a grim look on his face, silently warning her to stop that line of dialogue. The OLF obviously had grand plans put into place long before their little virus came into play and in the grand scheme of things all it had done was sow confusion among the dome security forces and buy the OLF some time. As long as their plan failed and the dome was saved Ledo felt confident that their guilt would be absolved.

"I'm going to go back and see to our passengers. You stay here and watch the sensors."


She had touched a nerve and he wanted to put some space between the two of them before he said something he might regret later on.

Nero was outside of the brig, frantically punching at the panel trying to find the release mechanism. He hadn't seen Ansley pull out the explosive and had figured that the crew was just being paranoid by locking up the Pansy Paws.

The one control he had discovered that he could use without the ship's passcodes was the communicator so in between trying to guess the controls he was sending reassuring messages to his newfound love.

"Ansley, don't worry, I'll get you out of here. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. I know it was just a joke, you didn't mean any of that stuff about the OLF. I'll...I'll get you out of here, I promise!"

Rig continues to hold the ship together, Silver waits armored up to act as the cavalry in case the security team needs backup while Tepha and BB keep their eyes open for any other targets.

This left Ledo a brief moment of respite to go back and take inventory of the passengers they had picked up and make sure that nobody was blowing the ship up or bleeding out on their cafeteria table.

In reply to Ledo Typhin (msg # 54):

One of the Paws sighs.  "Ans?  I know you're a radical crazy slutmuffin.  But can you do us a solid here and shut lover boy there up?  He's really wearing on my nerves."

Ansley stands and walks over to the door.  She looks at you Nero.  "You are the dumbest asshole I've ever had the misfortune to con.  Go die fish eater."

She turns, walks back to the spot on the wall she was leaning against, and goes back to leaning.

---

Uhm...Teph? Fritz sounds a little hesitant as he speaks up Tepha.  He must have overheard you and Ledo's little exchange.

I don't mean to throw this out there.  But...here.  It's just easier to show you.

He plays back video feed from the door outside the brig.  It's just a couple of minutes ago.  You see and hear the exchange between the guy standing outside the door and the radical who tried to blow up the ship.

I feel a little bad for the guy.  I mean...I did have to keep changing the brig door codes cos he got close to guessing them twice.  But I don't think he's a radical.  Anyway.  I don't think he's trying to get her out cos he's a compatriot.  But I figured I should tell someone.  And I thought you might be a better choice than say Silver.

I'm listening in to the security team's audio by the way.  They seem to be proceeding without any difficulties.

---

Some of Parket's people have scrapes and cuts.  But they're soldiers.  Nothing they can't handle.

The only real injury was the rich guy who got shot back in the hotel.  He's still in the Medbay.  Surgery seems to be proceeding and the Autodoc is giving him an 82.89% chance of recovery.

His wife is seated by the bay door, watching.  She smiles up at you Ledo.

"I'm glad you came by.  I wanted to thank you and your people.  My Henrik would have died if it wasn't for you.  If you'll allow me, I'll call up to the highport.  You and your ship can dock there.  We'll cover any of your expenses for repairs.  Refuel.  If you're looking for transport work, I can put in a good word for you too."

There's a loud beep from the Medbay. She wheels around, staring inside it, until she can see on the readouts that everything is still fine.  She must love her husband.  She's obviously a wreck.

"Something else..." she mutters.  Then she reaches up and takes off her earrings.  Even to your eye, you can tell these are nice pieces.  Jade carved into teardrop shapes, hanging off small emeralds hung in silver loops.  "These should cover our passage and everything else.  I don't know what's going to happen with the banks.  I would imagine it will take weeks to get everything up and running again.  But this is what I have on hand.  So thank you."

Nero backs up a few feet from the viciousness of Ansley's reply. It was so abrupt (for him) that he couldn't even wrap his head around what had just happened. He just stared in disbelief until Tepha came and brought him to the spare guest room and laid him down.

"It's been a long day, get some rest."

Nero just nodded, still dumb founded by Ansley's reply. He sat there lying in the dark staring up at the ceiling trying to process everything.