Chapter Nine: Year 300, 6th Day

[BackworldTraveller]

The plan is starting to come together. Pranit's shot may not have hit the guy in the lift-shaft, but bits definitely came off his gun! The change in spin obviously didn't help the holder as his shot went wild (again) and the ricochet didn't have the power to penetrate Pranit's calf armour from behind!

Oddly, the lift shaft appears to fill with smog.

Pranit will get on the comm again to speak to the assault force. "Two of you down, your in smoke, again I call on you to give up, no damage will come to you, I give my word as a old member of the Space Guard. Throw your weapons out the hole in the lift and wait for me to come to you.

Pranit takes his hand off the shotgun for a moment to pull down and activate his li/ir goggles. Then tries to focus it in the smog.

Pranit

END check please...you've stuck your head in the riot gas!

[ateno]

Pranit will get on the comm again to speak to the assault force. "Two of you down, your in smoke, again I call on you to give up, no damage will come to you, I give my word as a old member of the Space Guard. Throw your weapons out the hole in the lift and wait for me to come to you.

Pranit takes his hand off the shotgun for a moment to pull down and activate his li/ir goggles. Then tries to focus it in the smog.

Pranit

END check please...you've stuck your head in the riot gas!

I never moved from cover, I am still with cover from the corner, I was hoping to see thru the fog with the LI/IR goggles.

But if Pranit smells the tinge of Riot gas he will stop breathing, put on his combo mask and exhale.

[BackworldTraveller]

Pranit will get on the comm again to speak to the assault force. "Two of you down, your in smoke, again I call on you to give up, no damage will come to you, I give my word as a old member of the Space Guard. Throw your weapons out the hole in the lift and wait for me to come to you.

Pranit takes his hand off the shotgun for a moment to pull down and activate his li/ir goggles. Then tries to focus it in the smog.

Pranit

END check please...you've stuck your head in the riot gas!

I never moved from cover, I am still with cover from the corner, I was hoping to see thru the fog with the LI/IR goggles.

But if Pranit smells the tinge of Riot gas he will stop breathing, put on his combo mask and exhale.

IR Goggles allow you to see the still warm areas where the thermite and wall-cutting explosions were, and the cooling body of the deceased border. The lift shaft is mostly obscured from your end of the room. But the mask goes on fine...I'll assume you put the shotgun down to don it and the goggles this round?

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

She tells Miya in a low voice that Reven is stopping the spin, for now. "Help me cover the outer door. Pranit is on the other side of the lift and I like him, so make sure not to shoot him."

She positions herself so she can cover the crew airlock and maintain a bit of cover for herself. "Is there a way to lock the airlock manually?"

[BackworldTraveller]

From your positions, Miya and you can each cover the air-lock or the lift doors or the hole blasted in the lift-wall. You can see Pranit trying to cover the lift with his shotgun, and don goggles and a face mask. The gas from the lift-shaft seems to be being drawn into the crew-room air-recycler - either that will scrub it or push it about nicely.

Nalani can hear movement in the air-raft hanger.

Indrani is told by the controller There are definitely things being dumped from the airlock...Is that your doing?

Reven is slowing the ship, but it's processing a bit. He thinks one of the manoeuvre thrusters may be miss-aligned.

[cybersavant]

Reven Stiilpahth "Captain, we may have an issue with the maneuver thrusters."

[BackworldTraveller]

The Crew deck seems eerily quiet. Even the noises from the lift-shaft have stopped. The fog of the gas is swirling about the hole but doesn't seem to be spreading. Everyone is back to zero-g.

What's happening guys? Assana calls from behind the closed cabin door.

Indrani is back to floating and holding on to the desk for support. Tiberius is (faintly) cursing the chairs. Captain, I'm told to have an atmosphere leak.

Reven is feeling that he's managed a good spin-up and return to stationary. If only he could see where he was relative to everything else!

Nalani and Arnwulf can hear noises in the bay outside. But they don't seem to be near the door to the pod-bay and she can't make out what they are saying. And then the red pressure-light switches on: Someone has dropped the garage pressure to nil!

[ateno]

Pranit grab his shotgun and moves up to the corner, over the opening and to the corner of the elevator and comes to ready and points around the corner, down into the the lift, ready to fire. Aware of possible booby traps.

[BackworldTraveller]

Nothing in sight - Just the fog of the gas. You can see all the way to the Iris at the Cargo Deck. The Iris between Crew and Passenger deck is open, propped by a pole. And there seems to be a bunch of equipment floating at the far end of the shaft.

[ateno]

Shouts "CLEAR on Deck, going down. Maggie, secure the two deaders."

Heads down the shaft and stops short of the cargo deck and looks out from the top quickly.

*They can't be that far ahead.*

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

She calls out to Assana. "Pranit says the deck is clear. Come on out and help me secure some things."

She enlists help to lock the airlock while making sure someone is watching the lift at all times. "There may still be some on the bridge. Eyes open."

"Zid! What's the status from outside? What's going on?"

She moves about, checking the medical status of all present.

[The Bindoner]

Nalani and Arnwulf can hear noises in the bay outside. But they don't seem to be near the door to the pod-bay and she can't make out what they are saying. And then the red pressure-light switches on: Someone has dropped the garage pressure to nil!

Nālani checks Arnwolf's suit, preparing it for vacuum. She leaves the helmet for now, in case she needs to breathe for him again, and checks her weapons.

while working on the suit she opens her comm to the crew channel and quietly (avoiding attracting attention from outside) reports: Boarders in the hangar. Air vented, I assume they have opened the door. Arnwolf is desperately ill, I cannot leave him.

[joertexas]

Indrani is told by the controller There are definitely things being dumped from the airlock...Is that your doing?

"Negative. I believe the raiders are trying to abandon ship." Indrani pulls herself back to her terminal. "Reven, give us gravity, but slowly. We don't want to hurt anyone." She checks to see if any cameras are still working.

[cybersavant]

Reven Stiilpahth quickly works to comply with orders. "Aye Captain. What's happening up there?"

[joertexas]

Reven Stiilpahth quickly works to comply with orders. "Aye Captain. What's happening up there?"

"I don't know yet," Indrani replies. "I need you to stay where you are until I find out. There's probably a mine outside your door, anyway."

[BackworldTraveller]

Pranit
The descent down the ladder (Down slowly re-appears) reveals the extent of the battle and damage. You haven't looked in on the bridge-deck, but the bottom of the shaft rapidly fills with expended cartridges falling like rain. The hatch to the lower-shaft is jammed open with a pole (you recognise the type from your own boarding operations). The door to the Bridge looks to be open. The door to the Passenger Deck is shut. That to the freezer deck is also jammed open with a pole; the door to the vehicle deck closed and the air-indicator lights by it broken. The hatch, just beyond that, to the remainder of the shaft, is also closed. Peering into the freezer deck shows the main area is unoccupied, and the side-doors closed. You can't see the passenger lift from inside the crew-lift shaft.

Noor
Miya is carefully covering the air-lock from under the table. She claims to be fine but there is definitely red on her suit. Of the two borders, neither have a pulse. Assana recoils as she sees the carnage brought about by the gunfight - and (turning rather pale) retreats into the stateroom's fresher where the sound of retching can be heard. Ulrika appears, carrying her comms unit before her and muttering commentary as she films the aftermath. The only fatality seems to be the coffeepot! she mumbles - somehow ignoring the two bodies on the floor in her description. She gets a whiff of the remainder of the gas and coughs her way towards Noor. Noor notes the boarders shotgun, lying in the corner by Indrani's cabin.

Miya notes The air-lock is re-pressurising

Maggie
With gravity returned, it's safe to come out. The crew area outside the stateroom door is a mess - a burned hole in the floor, hull-plates scattered willy-nilly and bullet marks on the walls - a broken gun appears to be pointing out of a hole in the lift-shaft wall. Various coughing and retching sounds can be heard.

The Drivers
No sign of them coming out!

Indrani and Tiberius
Tiberius, on hearing that Pranit is descending the lift-shaft, warns him that he's coming and opens the door into the shaft from the passenger deck - peering gingerly in.

An air-raft has left your ship states the controller. Can you confirm that your crew are NOT on that craft? and in the background you can hear Ooh! It looks like they are trying to run!

Nālani & Arnwulf
Arnwulf's suit isn't airtight, and isn't going to be made so easily. The slow settling as the gravity returns again causes Arnwulf's breathing to falter. (A proper first aid kit would be good - and a surgeon). The moving about goes quiet as the atmosphere outside evacuates.

Reven
A gentle return to acceleration and you can relax! Now what is that shuffling from outside your door?

[joertexas]

An air-raft has left your ship states the controller. Can you confirm that your crew are NOT on that craft? and in the background you can hear Ooh! It looks like they are trying to run!

"I'm not certain, but they are probably the criminals. Either way, please detain them. They are probably armed and armored, so use caution." Indrani switches the conversation to her personal comm, and then she moves toward the lift shaft to see what's left of her ship.

She selects Pranit's channel. "Pranit, there's an antipersonnel mine in the lift shaft. It might be rigged for remote detonation, so be careful."

JR

[Monsieur Rose]

Noor

She winces as Assana rushes off. "Sorry. It's a bit much, I know."

"Hey, Maggie. Are you hurt?" She points to the shotgun on the floor. "Can you handle the shotgun? We need to keep an eye on the lift and the airlock."

"This may only be a pause, Ulrika, be careful." Miya's warning underlines her point. "Can you see or hear if anyone is inside?"

"Crap! Arnwulf. Nālani? Are you still there? How is he? Where are you guys now?"

[ateno]

She selects Pranit's channel. "Pranit, there's an antipersonnel mine in the lift shaft. It might be rigged for remote detonation, so be careful."

"Aye Ma'am, I'll watch for it. You see anything outside.

I know they stole my Air Car, but Pranit does not.

[joertexas]

She selects Pranit's channel. "Pranit, there's an antipersonnel mine in the lift shaft. It might be rigged for remote detonation, so be careful."

"Aye Ma'am, I'll watch for it. You see anything outside.

I know they stole my Air Car, but Pranit does not.

"Emergency Services is inbound, and they reported seeing an air raft leave us," Indrani replies. "I need a weapon, and I'll go check the bridge."