|
Post by RedBindi on Nov 22, 2007 19:10:24 GMT -5
((I'll be trying to get a post up tonight that explained more of what happened and what else is going on. Don't worry, The Trust will be able to respond and yes the person that did this cleared it with me first.))
|
|
|
Post by RedBindi on Nov 22, 2007 22:44:51 GMT -5
The ghost image appeared again, Vapor noted as he again attempted to track down the problem with the Navigation software. This time though it didn’t disappear as his focus was turned upon it, this time it sped toward the Titan weaving in and out of her weapons range until the blip on the screen rested atop the image of the ship just as he heard the telltale sign of claws upon metal. Sounding the alarm Vapor turned towards Jaxz, the pilot for this shift, and yelled for him to prepare the EMP. Jaxz, however, seemed not to hear him, his gaze fixed upon the view ports in front of him as the red lights of a sentinels underbelly appeared in front of him. The bridge crew watched in horror as the sentinel scurried across the glass and fired a single laser into the cockpit of the ship. In what seemed to be slow motion Vapor watched the red light burn through the Jaxz’s chest. The pilots hands dropped from the steering column as his head slumped forward to rest upon his chest, his body slumped against the restraints holding him in the chair. The Titan continued to hurtle through the tunnels unguided for a short distance before the inevitable occurred, a rise in the surface of the tunnel clipped the foremost hoverpad jarring the entire ship and sent her plummeting the rest of the way to the ground. Inside the ship those crew not strapped in were throw about as the Titan skidded hundreds of meters before coming to a rest against a gentle curve, leaving behind a couple of the bottommost hover pads and some of her hull.
*******
RedBindi drew in a shape intake of breath and looked up at the gang plank above her, the one she had been standing on only a few minutes before. She had been running towards the bridge after hearing the alarm signaling an attack when the Titan lurched abruptly and she was launched over the side of the rail to the deck below. Groaning she started to pick herself up off the deck and look around for the nearest ladder leading to the deck above. The sounds of the Titan settling around her were not encouraging, emergency lights slowly coming to life, crashes resounding throughout the ship as conduits and support beams crashed to the ground, and the rush of cold air around her from breaches in the hull. Finally spotting a ladder on the opposite side of the room RedBindi began to slowly and painfully make her way towards it. The sound of metal giving way caught her attention as the gangplank above her came crashing down, bringing another support beam and several long metal conduits with it. Diving forward she managed to avoid the gangplank, but her world went dark as the rest of the metal landed upon her. Soon the only sounds heard was the dripping of blood and the cold wind of the Real.
*******
Thonemica picked herself up from the floor of her room and dusted her hands off on her shirt. Her sleep had been interrupted after being tossed from her bed and sliding across the floor until flesh met wall with a breathtaking thump. Checking herself over quickly she determined the only injuries seemed to be a few bumps and several places that would be bruising nicely by morning. Making her way across the hall she opened the door to Luminariums room and gasped. Her friend sat upon the ground, face drained of blood and hands gripping a long thin piece of metal impaled in her side.
*******
The crew on the bridge, Vapor, Lovable, Leon, and Zagar, all shivered in the cold air that rushed into the ship. Having been strapped in when the ship crashed their injuries were minor, mostly consisting of bumps and bruises that would heal without any medical care. Lovable unstrapped herself and stood, looking into the shocked faces surrounding her and finally settling her gaze on Jaxz. In a daze she walked forward and closed his eyes before turning to the rest of the crew. “We need… we need to find out what still works and what doesn’t… and we need to find out who needs medical attention. Vapes, you and Leon head towards the back of the ship looking for people as you go. Zagar, stay here with me and lets get to work on these systems.”
*******
Wheeler wiped the blood from his brow as he made his way towards the bridge to find out just what the hell had happened. Grabbing the doorway in front of him he surveyed the section in front of him trying to figure out how to get to the other side, the gangplank he would normally use had fallen to the deck below. As he looked about the room his attention was drawn to the pile of metal to his left, squinting a little he peered into the dim lighting of the room as his eye was caught by what looked like a hand sticking out from the metal. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach he jumped down and rushed over to confirm his fears… one of his crewmates was under there.
*******
Vapor and Leon made their way slowly through the ship, past the sparking wires, over the downed conduits, and through doors that protested being opened. Both men perked up at the sound of metal being moved and someone grunting with effort. Their steps quickened as the approached the doorway in front of them only to hear Wheeler’s voice. “Oh God no… no… Red…” Vapor and Leon quickly jumped down into the room below and rushed to Wheeler’s side, assisting him in uncovering the battered body of their captain. As she was finally freed from the metal on top of her Wheeler reached down, his heart filled with dread, and placed his finger on the side of her neck. A slow beat reached his fingertips, his captain was still alive for now.
*******
Lovable entered the med bay her mind numbed by the sight in front of her and the knowledge, that for now, she was the commanding officer. Luminarium lay in a cot to her right, her eyes squeezed shut in pain and a metal rod protruding from her side. RedBindi lay in another cot towards the back of the room, a blanket pulled over her she lay unnaturally still, trails of blood down her face and arm. Both women were still alive, but needed medical attention no one left aboard could provide. She also wondered about the one crewmember they had yet to find, Despond. Lovable startled as a hand appeared on her shoulder, she hadn’t noticed Wheeler approach her. “Lov… I think the long range communications are still working… with your permission, I’m going to put out a call for help.”
Lovable numbly nodded at him. “Permission granted…”
********
Wheeler sat at the communications station and keyed the comm, praying his message would get through.
“This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting assistance, please respond. We were attacked by an unknown lone sentinel, seems to be a new design. Be careful upon approach it may still be in the area. Our Medical Officer and Engineer are badly injured and needing immediate transport to New Zion for treatment. This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting immediate assistance, someone please respond.” ********
On the Devildog, Eyes0nly slowly pulled off the headset and turned towards Fenshire, extreme concern evident on his face. "Sir... something’s happened..."
The Shadrack was testing out the repairs made on her at New Zion when Jazz noticed an incoming transmission. Calling Deffdog to her side she handed him the headset and replayed the message, a look of shock on her face.
“Captain, you need to hear this.” Neoteny looked up questioningly at his operator, Wanzer. “What is it?”
“The Titan…”
|
|
suesuki
New Member
Imagination is more important than knowledge
Posts: 7
|
Post by suesuki on Nov 23, 2007 20:29:07 GMT -5
(Sent on behalf of FOSSMAN via Suezuki. Hope you like it)
FOSSMAN sat at his desk going through the various bits of Intel he had gathered over the last week. Stories of a new sentinel were on almost all of them .One piece said that the design was like nothing they had seen before.
He looked at the screen and read the message from Sue .A meeting was to be arranged but with everything going on it might have to wait. He new that she had been sent to new zion after the attack on her ship by an unknown assailant. He looked at the screen and turned it off. Getting up, he made his way to the bridge.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Rage called his name as he passed the communications room, Foss...I have something I think you'll be interested in" FOSSMAN smiled. Rage was a new member of his group. She was only young but very good at her job. She played the message for him. "This is .he..Hov.rcraft Titan. ....qesting assistance.........attacked by .....Sentin.....new design......badly injured..........some..e please respond...."
FOSSMANs' smile faded... He new the ship and the captains name from the brief message from Suesuki. "Should I send a response?" asked Rage FOSSMAN closed his eyes. This wasn't the way he wanted things to happen but now wasn't the time to stay in the shadows seeing as something else seemed to be hiding there too.
"Send a message. Tell them that The Arc will render assistance. Also try and clean the message up . I guess you should also try and contact New Zion. They might not have picked it up" Rage got to work as FOSSMAN left the room and continued to the bridge.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
As he made his way he stopped off at the med bay. Manic looked up " Something I can do for you?"
"Your skills are needed. We have a downed ship and casualties. Get your bay ready just in case and your bag...Oh and wear something warm. I have a feeling its going to get very cold ."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" On the bridge Toto and ASSidd sat playing cards. They didn't look up when he arrived. "Fancy losing your food rations for the week Cap?" said ASSid
"No time. We have a problem. A ship is down and we seem to be the only ship close enough to help ". " Is that wise?" asked ASSidd "Probably not but it had to happen sometime"
"Anyone we know?", said Toto looking up from the cards . "you don't know them. And I only know of them from what Sue said. They were attacked by a Sentinel. The one we've been hearing about "
"So the tin man has come out to play . Do we know if he's still out there?
"Assume he is. Make the ship ready and wake the others. We sent a message to New Zion. If they send someone out before we can help and get away they might not be too happy in letting us go so make sure all weapons are working. Don't want what happened last week to happen again"
"That was an honest mistake..ok...maybe the late night game went on a bit. It wont happen again.....Hey look at that... Gin!"
Toto looked at his cards in disgust.. "I'll wake the others"
Rage's voice came over the intercom. "umm FOSS?. I intercepted a message from a Zion ship. Its on its way .Its about an hour out."
"We have time to help and get away. Lets get going. Thanks Rage"
"Umm .. their is something else. The name of the ship .... its The Shadrack "
"Looks like your gonna get to see Sue sooner than you thought" said ASSidd
The Arc left the ground and headed out. ASSidd looked at the radar screen. "Got the ship..and something else...it keeps fading"
FOSSMAN hit the intercom "Everyone get to your stations. This is not a drill.
|
|
|
Post by Fenny on Nov 23, 2007 21:21:44 GMT -5
It had been quite a week for the crew of the Devildog. When Captain Fenshire had returned on board, his first mate Symmetric had given him a report of how continued repairs had been going, the current morale of the crew and the group of Outpost One refugees on board, and of certain oddities that a number of the crew had witnessed.
Many of the crewmates had mentioned to Symmetric about seeing things... hallucinations. It always happened when they'd least expect it. Everything would be calm, and all of a sudden, the proximity warnings would go off and someone would claim to have seen a sentinel, just outside one of the many view ports. However, when the scanners were checked, nothing ever showed up.
Symmetric had chalked it up to nerves. They'd been out in the Real for over a month, and they were running low on supplies and energy. It wouldn't have been a problem, if there just weren't so many damn mouths to feed...
Fenshire had agreed with his first mate. It was more than likely nerves. However, as a captain that prided himself on gut instincts and feelings, he made sure that everyone was being extra careful in their shifts, making sure that his people watched every nook and cranny of the Real. It wouldn't have been the first time they had been surprise attacked by Sentinels since their exodus from Outpost One.
As luck would have it, since Fenshire's return on board, there were no further incidents. The crew seemed happy... relieved... that their captain was back on board. Perhaps it had just been a hallucination after all.
Upon reaching New Zion, Fenshire had immediately put Adesina to work with recharging the Devildog's reactor. Raddclif, having been a pre-Truce veteran of Zion, had been offloaded and sent immediately to New Zion's medical complex to undergo the painful process of RSI reconfiguration. Symmetric and Disseminated had to report to Zion Command to register as Zion soldiers. Symmetric, having once been a decorated soldier of Zion, had no issue with gaining his acceptance by Command. Actually, when Symmetric had entered the Command Center, many of the operators gave him a cheer, even Tyndall. As for Disseminated... none of the crew were sure how he made it past registration... but the officer in charge of filing his information seemed to give Disseminated a wide berth ever since.
Fenshire, as the highest ranking officer of the Trust, reported directly to Commander Roland upon arrival. He informed Roland of the attack on Outpost One, their journey to New Zion, the loss of Hauk, and of RedBindi's decision to look for Lawliet. After his debriefing with Roland, Fenshire took on the task that he had been dreading... informing Hauk's mother and children of his passing.
It was the hardest thing Fenshire ever had to do. Hauk's mother had cried continuously, and his two children continued to ask where their father was. It was a very emotional time for them all. Fenshire tried his best to tell them how Hauk died as a hero... how his discovery of the Cypherite on board had probably saved not only the Trust fleet, but New Zion as well. Eventually, Fenshire broke down as well, putting his arms around Hauk's family. Hauk had been more than just a ship's operator... he had been Fenshire's best and most trusted friend.
The Devildog gained a few crewmembers during their stop in New Zion. Three redpill operatives had signed up for duty aboard the fast attack class hovercraft: Covenant came aboard as the ship's medical officer, Ricksonol as the ship's engineer, and Eyes0nly as the much needed communications expert. Finally, they had also been assigned a new operator by Zion Command, to fill the void left by Hauk's passing.
Traditionally, the operator on board a Zion hovercraft is a free-born, and this was no exception. Fresh from "operator boot-camp" was Fuse... a small, wiry eighteen year old freeborn kid, excited to serve aboard his first hovercraft assignment. Serving on the Devildog was like a dream come true for him. During his training, he'd heard stories of some of Zion's greatest operatives, and came to hero-worship most of them. Tales of redpill operations in the Matrix fascinated him, and he wanted to play his own part in it. He wanted to see firsthand the kinds of stories he'd heard about... Ghost and Niobe rescuing Axel at the Mega City Airport, Fenshire finding and taking on an entire Cypherite base on his own, Foxxdie tracking down and finding out Toorima was Veil, Neurophyte blowing away imposter Agents with the killcode imbedded in her head... Fuse wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to rub shoulders with Zion's best, and be able to drop names in conversation like Mave, Neoteny, and Merrit.
Although Fuse was always willing to work, and he'd so far proven himself to be very useful aboard the hovercraft... his personality tended to grate on everyone's nerves... Especially Fenshire and Symmetric. He was constantly asking them for stories, always complimenting them on their work, and generally made himself a hyperactive nuisance. He was a genuine kiss ass... but not the good kind.
It had been a tough week. Unfortunately, it was only going to get worse. The Devildog had just finished recharging when Eyes0nly picked up the distress signal from the Titan. Fenshire immediately got permission from Roland to head out in response to the Titan's distress call, accompanied by the Constellation, one of Zion's transport barges...
******
The two hovercraft came to a stop, the hum of the engines dying down and the glow from the pods slowly fading away. On board the Devildog, Fenshire and Symmetric sat in the cockpit, visually scanning the sides of the tunnel around them. Fuse stood behind them, also looking out at the view... the wreckage of the Titan visible about a half mile down the tunnel.
"Why'd we stop?" the operator asked, in his loud, high-pitched voice.
Fenshire put a finger to his lips to silence the freeborn, then looked at Symmetric. Symmetric turned towards the captain and raised an eyebrow.
"A lone Sentinel, the call said..." Fenshire whispered quietly.
Symmetric nodded. "I can see we're both on the same wavelength."
Fenshire looked back out at the wreckage. "Yeah... it might not have been a hallucination at all..."
The two men sat watching in silence for a few minutes, Fuse looking back and forth between the two of them impatiently. Finally, he spoke up. "Well... what're we doing? Shouldn't we go and save them, sir?"
Fenshire nodded a bit. "Patience... we're waiting."
"For...?"
Symmetric turned to Fuse, cracking a grin. "A nice cup of that engine degreaser. Chop chop, now."
Fuse nodded and smiled wide. "Of course, sir! Right away!"
Symmetric chuckled dryly as the operator sped off into the bowels of the ship. "I wonder how long it'll take for that to wear off...?"
Fenshire didn't respond, he just continued to look out at the wreckage of the Titan ahead. Symmetric put a hand on his captain's shoulder. "You're worried about her?"
The captain sighed, and lowered his head. "You're damn right, I am... I didn't want her to go... I didn't want to leave her alone..."
Symmetric frowned and said nothing, looking back out the cockpit's window. A few more minutes passed before he spoke again. "Well... it looks like we're in the clear. If it knew we were here, it would've attacked by now. Either it's gone totally, or it's hanging around somewhere and we're outside it's scanning range."
Fenshire gave a quick nod, and began to unstrap himself from the pilot's chair. "Yeah... let's get the crew together and get going."
******
"Alright..." Fenshire said, as he looked around at the assembled crew. Symmetric was at his side, facing Adesina, Eyes0nly, Covenant, Ricksonol, and Disseminated. "We're up against a lone Sentinel, as all of you have heard from the Titan's distress call. Wheeler claimed it was a model that has never been seen before. Somehow... that thing took out the Titan. One Sentinel. What we know about Sentinels is that they detect us based on energy levels and sound. From here out... we're going to do this the old fashioned way..."
He looked around at everyone.
"On foot. We need to be careful. We need to be quiet. Diss and Addy... you'll be staying on board with Symmetric. The first sign of trouble, and I want you guys out of here. We can't afford to lose anymore ships in our fleet... not after the beating we've taken getting to New Zion. The rest of you are coming with me. We'll each be armed with an EMP gun, and I want everyone's eyes searching this tunnel's walls. Anything, and I mean anything, that looks even remotely like a Machine gets blasted. Understood?"
The crew nodded and spoke their affirmation.
"Covenant, there's going to be injuries to fix, so make sure you bring whatever equipment with you that you think you'll need. Rick, same goes for you... The Titan's in bad shape, and I need you to help get it running again. When we arrive at the Titan, I want you to get to work on the comms system, Eyes. See if everything's working properly.
...Alright. Let's go and do this. Our flagship needs us."
Immediately, the crew rushed about to make preparations and to gather whatever supplies they needed. After a few minutes, the team that was to go on foot to the Titan headed out, EMP guns at the ready, their eyes scanning everything around them as they walked slowly towards the wreckage.
******
Symmetric sat in the pilot's chair, watching as the team walked off. He sighed and spoke to himself. "Don't go and get yourself killed, Fen... I hope you know what you're doing..."
The first mate jumped suddenly as the door to the cockpit slammed open, Fuse rushing in with a cup in his hand.
"Oh, sorry sir! I didn't mean to startle you! I got your drink!" He said as he handed the cup to Symmetric.
Symmetric chuckled and took a sip of the foul-tasting beverage. "Thanks, kid. A little slow, though... That might cost you..."
Fuse looked worried. "I'm really sorry, sir! I had to scour the entire ship to find some of that. Hey, when I came back, I didn't really see many people... what's going on... hey... where's the captain?" The operator looked out the cockpit's window. "Whoa... is that... why didn't I get invited to go?"
Symmetric smiled over his cup, and spoke sarcastically. "I guess you're too valuable an asset to lose, Fuse."
The operator beamed. "Thank you, sir!"
Symmetric chuckled, taking another sip, and returned to watching the team as they faded off into the distance...
|
|
|
Post by deffdog on Nov 24, 2007 0:28:52 GMT -5
It’s been a few days since the Shadrack had returned with the Trust Fleet to New Zion. The Shadrack has landed in the Devoted Fleet Berthing Area. The Shadrack had not officially registered the craft with the Trust fleet, so was requested to land in its Devoted Berth. It was very empty without the Altamus and the Shadow Elite.
The trip back to New Zion after the Titan went on its own was uneventful; it gave Deffdog time for the unsightly task of writing the letters to the families of the lost hovercrafts. 15 Men and women lost their lives and Deffdog wrote a personal letter to each and every one.
As soon as they returned to New Zion, like most of the other Trust Captains, Commander Roland requested a Debriefing. He requested that Maatkare and Pyro, to monitor repairs. Pyro, as the weapons engineer, was looking forward to the weapon upgrades that Command had recently developed, and wanted to oversee their installation. Maatkare as the engineer was the best choice to oversee the repairs to the hull and other systems. Suezuki, Dragonnite, and Hunter were allowed limited leave, but were prepared to leave again at a moments notice. He dropped off the Trust Refugee’s, but 3 petitioned to stay on board, 2 of the trust security force, and one trust engineer who also was an accomplished physician.
Deffdog got barraged with the very unpleasant questions from the Commander, and wanted answers to why 2 hovercrafts were lost. He was not very happy with the loss of any resources, ever since the situation with the overwritten Bane. Deffdog could only respond that thought they were in the right, in coming after him. The commander wanted to question Suezuki, but Deffdog made the excuse that she is still recovering, and that she needs rest. Commander Roland was not enthused, but he backed off, knowing that the Council would not enjoy hearing him, yelling at an injured Captain.
Deffdog headed back to his assigned quarters. They were in the same condition as they were last time, loaded with boxes. He had never been given the time to unpack. He was always sent back out, before he could finish. This was still one of those times; he just went back to his bunk and lied down. With thoughts of what happened to the Altamus and Shadow Elite on his mind. He felt a responsibility for the deaths, and wanted to bring their families some justice. Eventually, Deffdog’s mind relaxed and fell asleep.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deffdog reenters the Shadrack, and begins inspecting repairs. He enters the hatch to the Broadcast Deck to see Jazz typing away at the operator station, and Pyro and Hunter strapped into the broadcast chairs. “What’s going on?” Deffdog said startling Jazz.
“Shit Deff, don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said with a smile. “With the upgrades to the weapons systems, Pyro got a training program, the upgrades changed the interfaces, slightly, so were all requested to train with the program.”
“Ah alright.” Deffdog heads toward the engine room relieved to see the hull damage had been repaired along the way. He entered the engine room, to find Maatkare underneath the engine coil making repairs.
“Hey Boss,” as she rolled out from under the coil and got to her feet.
“How’s the engines?,” Deffdog asks.
“There up in running, those Trust Engineers really did a good job on this engine, even though I hate to admit it,” she responds with a smile.
“How about the rest of the craft? Are we going to be ready to head back out there soon?”
“Were ready now sir, Pyro has been itching to get a test run out of the new guns, I ended up pulling their power so he doesn’t start firing them in the dock.”
“I’ll see if I can get New Zion to let us go out and test the repairs.” Deffdog exits the engine room and makes his way up to the command deck. He entered the command deck to find almost all new equipment. Suezuki was sitting at the Pilots seat, reviewing the buttons and switches, she is a very skilled pilot. She seems to be coping well with what has happened, but she still feels justice and retribution are needed for the lives lost, the same way I feel.
Sue begins to turn her chair and spots me standing in the corner. She looks at me with a smile.
“Gald to see your feeling better Sue. Ready to take the Shadrack out for a test drive?,” Deffdog asks Sue.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, captain”, she responds.
Deffdog takes a seat at the Co Pilot station and pulls out the headset Microphone, and switches on the Radio. “This is the Shadrack to Zion Dock Control. Requesting permission to disembark ahead of schedule to test the new repairs.” Deffdog announces.
“Permission granted, please make your way to Lift 3.” The Dock controller responds.
Deffdog Switches on the intercom, “All Hands were heading out everyone to your stations and prepare for the power down.” Deffdog switches the intercom off and nods to Suezuki to take us out.
The Shadrack begins to hover off the ground, ascending its landing gear. It floats above the Trust Hovercrafts. Deffdog notices that the Devildog was not in its berth. Fenshire must have headed back out to join RedBindi already.
The craft hovers for a few minutes as the gates open for lift 3. As soon as the doors are open wide enough the craft enters and lands on the platform, and begins its power down.
Deffdog looks up the cavern to see the white flashes from the active EMPs, as the craft ascends the cavern. The craft reaches the top of the cavern, and the craft beings its power up sequence. The hover pads return to life, and the craft begins to lift up from the ground. It begins its course to through the EMP fields.
Once out of range of the EMP fields Deffdog orders the testing to commence. Maatkare monitors the engines. Hunter if manning the gun turrets testing the weapons upgrades by firing against the cavern walls, while Pyro monitors the weapons readouts. Dragonnite is manning the copilot station as Deffdog monitors the tests.
Deffdog was had just entered the broadcast deck when Jazz calls her over to the station, with a look of shock on her face. Handing him the headset, Deffdog puts on the extra headset to hear:
“This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting assistance, please respond. We were attacked by an unknown lone sentinel, seems to be a new design. Be careful upon approach it may still be in the area. Our Medical Officer and Engineer are badly injured and needing immediate transport to New Zion for treatment. This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting immediate assistance, someone please respond.”
“Shit, how much we want to bet this is the same sentinel that attacked the Altamus and the Shadow Elite,” Deffdog states with a look of anger on his face. He switches his headset to go to the command deck. “Sue the Titan has been attacked, we think it’s the same Sentinel that took down the Altamus and the Shadow Elite were sending coordinates up to you now, takes us there.”
“With pleasure sir,” She responds with determination in her voice.
Deffdog switches back to the ship wide intercom. “Attention all Hands, we are embarking on a rescue mission, be aware we will most likely encounter the same sentinel that attacked the Altamus and Shadow Elite. Lets bring some retribution for our fallen comrades. Man your stations.”
----------------------------------------------------
A red pill sits at a computer station typing, in an office building east of Yeung Park. Looking through information that Deffdog had thought he deleted from the system. The discovery of 2 downed Devoted Fleet Hovercrafts was too delicious of an opportunity to ignore. It was even better to be able to cripple their communications. He had been able to get a copy of information within the Devoted Mainframe including Deffdog’s access codes and personal encryptions; unfortunately he was too smart to leave his New Zion Mainframe access codes in there, but easy come easy go.
His puppet the Mercenary Program enters the office, that old Assassin Sentinel program has certainly shown its worth. “Oh I guess I should thank you for taking down those 2 Devoted Hovercrafts. I was able to obtain some great information on your target.”
The program returns a confused look. “I didn’t attack any hovercrafts sir. I have been monitoring the Shadrack till it entered New Zion.”
The man looked back with a strange look, “But… if you didn’t then who or what did?”
|
|
L.Lawliet
Junior Member
The First L, Deduction artist, Investigator
Posts: 90
|
Post by L.Lawliet on Nov 24, 2007 9:59:25 GMT -5
((Just to let you know, the vendetta is Zell's ship now and if you haven't noticed, he left. I'll have to ask him whether or not he wants himself and his ship to be involved in this but i doubt he'll say yes. If the intention of you bringing the vendetta into this was to allow Lovable to carry on searching for Lawliet, he'll probably pick her up from New Zion because he's involved in the search as well.))
|
|
|
Post by Fenny on Nov 24, 2007 10:15:31 GMT -5
((Removed it.))
|
|
|
Post by Lovable on Nov 24, 2007 11:28:02 GMT -5
((That was my bad. I told Fen it was Law's ship >.<))
|
|
L.Lawliet
Junior Member
The First L, Deduction artist, Investigator
Posts: 90
|
Post by L.Lawliet on Nov 24, 2007 12:15:46 GMT -5
((That's ok. I suppose it is my ship but i let Zell use it. My main point was that Zell is in posession of it so it wouldn't be available at New Zion for Fenshire to take. I'm not having a go at him or anything. He couldn't possibly know ))
|
|
|
Post by RedBindi on Nov 25, 2007 11:06:44 GMT -5
((Another post by Shadow_Watcher on DN1))
Darkness and silence.
These things bore no relevant data to the mind of a machine, and yet to a human being they created an atmospheric shift toward the realm of the horrific - For all their careful preparations, the team from the Devildog had managed to magnify another problem by reducing another - true, their lack of sound made their locations difficult to pinpoint, but it only served to increase their fear.
Even Fenshire feared - not for himself, of course, but for one dear to him. Ultimately, his precise location mattered little to the programming of the Sentinel - it knew where he was likely headed, and had marked the heat source deduced as belonging to RedBindi some time ago...
Knowing the beginning and ending locations of the rescue party in question, it was simple enough to patrol that route just beyond the ambient light - apparently, they refused to use anything brighter than personal flashlights, and so the visibility could be estimated at a reasonable distance, beyond which would be the perfect range for further ghost-like activities. Theoretically, all of this had an efficient purpose... Theoretically.
Each step for the team was torturous, with the flashlights illuminating lengthening darkness and jagged debris (some of which now clearly belonged to the Titan) casting foreboding images of wicked claws and plating as the eerily silent shadowplay continued. Once, they ran into the claws of a sentinel arm jutting out from underneath a pile of concrete and steel - at first, they thought it might have been the enemy, lying in wait for them, but further inspection proved that the arm was from an earlier battle, and had partially-rusted some time ago.
Between flooring that threatened to cave-in revealing drops of hundreds of feet down into long-forgotten access shafts, and debris that broke the unnatural silence suddenly when it dislodged from the ceiling to fall quite close to them... it seemed as though the tunnel itself was trying to kill them - the danger all around, but invisible.
Normally, Fenshire would've chalked these things up to mere distractions, pointless hallucinations... but he wasn't taking any chances, after dismissing such events earlier.
Something moved in the darkness - a wave of blackness that swept through the darkness ahead, visible only for an instant as the meager light shined along sinuous coils of darkened steel... Quickly, one of the EMP guns was brought to bear, its light illuminating a pile of junk that looked nothing like the image in the darkness had suggested. Had there been anything, or not...?
Still, they managed to reach the main body of the Titan without anyone seeing... much of anything. Unfortunately, no one could decide whether this was an omen of good luck, or extraordinarily bad.
|
|
|
Post by Fenny on Nov 25, 2007 14:02:10 GMT -5
"Sorry, sir..." Ricksonol said, as he lowered his EMP gun. "I thought I saw..."
Fenshire turned back and put his hand on the engineer's shoulder. "It's okay, Rick. You followed orders."
The team waited for a few minutes, keeping still and looking around at their surroundings. After what seemed like an eternity to them, Fenshire nodded and looked at the others.
"Let's keep going. I doubt the Sentinel is still around... however, I don't want to take any chances."
Covenant glanced up at the top of the tunnel, which was shrouded in darkness. "Yeah... I agree. If it were still around, that blast from Rick's gun would've brought it right to us."
The team continued to move slowly, silently. Every crunch of rock or metal underneath their boots seemed to echo around the tunnel, and from their perspective, made it sound like they were an approaching army of thousands of men. After another ten minutes of walking, they finally approached the wreckage of the Titan.
Fenshire held up a hand to stop the troop, and they stood outside, collectively surveying the damage around them. Fenshire moved back alongside Ricksonol. "Rick... what do you think? Think we'll be able to get her up in the air again?"
Ricksonol looked at the wreckage and sighed. "Well... assuming the engine's not totally destroyed, I may be able to divert some extra power to the remaining undamaged pods... She'll fly, but don't expect any tricks out of her, Captain."
"Enough to get her to New Zion?"
The engineer nodded slightly. "Yeah... that freefall though..."
"If we have to repair her outside the tunnel into Zion so she can make the fall, so be it. At least we can get her away from here, right?"
Ricksonol smiled. "Absolutely. Assuming that engine is still intact."
Fenshire clasped him on the shoulder. "Good. Get it to it."
As Ricksonol rushed off into the interior of the wreckage, the captain turned back to the rest of his crew. "Eyes, get to the comms unit and survey the damages. Make any repairs as you see fit, then send off a message to Zion Command. Let them know we've arrived and are preparing to move the Titan."
"Yes, sir," Eyes0nly responded, moving off towards the wreckage. Fenshire reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Captain?"
"Contact the Devildog. Let Symm know we've gotten here safely and that it looks like the Sentinel threat is no longer here. Also, go into the Titan's navigational systems and send the Constellation the coordinates that the Titan was heading for. They'll be continuing the mission to locate Lawliet."
Eyes0nly nodded, moving off into the wreckage after Ricksonol. Fenshire turned to Covenant and nodded grimly. "Okay, doc... you're with me. We'll head to the Titan's medical bay. That's where the injured and the de..." He paused, lowering his head. "That's where the injured would be."
The two men cautiously moved into the Titan, walking up the entry ramp that had fallen open during the crash. Shining their flashlights at the bulkheads surrounding them, they saw fallen pipes, torn cables, and scalding hot steam shooting out of a few hydraulic lines. Eventually, they reached the door to the medical bay, which was hanging off one of it's hinges. Inside they could hear groans of pain, and sobbing.
As they entered, they saw a grizzly sight. Most of the crew of the Titan were injured, nursing a variety of scrapes and bruises. There was a body off to one side of the room, a blanket pulled over it, blood staining it where the body's chest was. Luminarium was laying on a bed, unconcious.. a large piece of metal sticking out of her side, Thonemica frantically trying to keep pressure on the wound, tears leaving wet tracks down her dirt covered face. Towards the back of the room was a massive hole in the ceiling, where a collision with the tunnel wall ripped it open, exposing the medical bay to the outside world. On a cot below it lay RedBindi... unconcious and bruised, blood trailing down her face and arm. Wheeler and Lovable stood over her, and as Fenshire and Covenant entered the room, the freeborn operator ran to them.
"Oh, Fen! It happened so suddenly... the thing came out of nowhere, it didn't show on our readings, and it just...." Wheeler collapsed into a fit of sobs.
Fenshire put his arms around the man, patting him on the back. The captain turned towards Covenant. "Well.. see what you can do, doc." He looked up towards Lovable as the medical officer rushed over towards Luminarium, who seemed to have the greatest wound so far.
Lovable nodded and sighed, sadly. "Jaxz didn't make it.. and we're still missing people. Despond's one of them."
Fenshire set Wheeler down against a bulkhead, and walked over to Lovable, embracing her. He then looked over at RedBindi's still form, her chest rising slightly with each breath. "Oh, sweetheart..."
He moved slowly over towards the captain of the Titan, taking her hand with his, and brushing away some of her hair and blood with his other. "I shouldn't have left you..."
Lovable approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It seems like she was just knocked out... Covenant may want to look her over, though. None of us really have much medical experience..."
Fenshire nodded and wiped his eyes. He turned to look up at Lovable. "Lov... the HvCFT Constellation came with us... a transport barge. Eyes is sending all navigational information from the Titan to it. I know you're worried about Law... you can continue the search for him in it."
Lovable cast a worried glance towards RedBindi. "But Fen... the Titan..."
Fenshire turned back to RedBindi, stroking her face. "The Titan is in good hands. Go. It's an order. Get our man back."
He looked down at RedBindi, no longer caring what was going on around him. In this moment, all that mattered to him was her. He lowered his head against hers, closing his eyes.
Suddenly, he felt her hand squeeze his slightly, and heard her whisper weakly. "My Captain..."
Fenshire opened his eyes, and saw her looking at him, smiling slightly. He returned her smile. "You don't have to worry about a thing now, love... I'm here. I'm here..."
She reached her good hand up to his face, pulling his head down towards her. "I knew you would be..."
Fenshire closed his eyes and leaned towards RedBindi, his lips brushing hers.
RedBindi's eyes widened in terror.
|
|
|
Post by Despond on Nov 25, 2007 16:04:52 GMT -5
Despond wondered whether he had woken up. Though he was pretty sure he had opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness around him. What the hell had just happened? From his room he had heard several clangs and then an alarm, denoting the arrival of sentinels. He had leapt out of his bed, which had turned out to be a bad idea; it was at that moment the Titan had veered off-course and apparently crashed.
He could tell they weren’t moving, at least.
It took a few seconds for the pain to set in. He couldn’t scream. Hell, he could barely even breathe. His chest had surely been ripped apart. Despond writhed around in place for a moment, attempting to stand up, or walk, or move at all. He managed to ignore his pain enough for a moment to realize his feet were not touching the ground, and he felt down his torso slowly. To his horror, he felt something besides flesh.
Despond had been impaled through the chest with a long piece of metal.
It was possibly a pole. He doubted it was a Sentinel tentacle, as the object was perfectly smooth. He tried moving it. The effort was futile. He couldn’t move it vertically either way, only from side to side, which caused his pain to double and made Despond come close to passing out again from it. The pole was likely wedged in between two pieces of wreckage at both ends, meaning Despond was going nowhere unless the pole somehow broke or was cut into pieces.
Something began running down his chest. Shaking, he moved his hand back down and realized it was his own blood; the pole had been plugging his wounds, and moving it had made more room for blood to flow out. Desperately, he tried to cry out, but it was no use. It hurt too much to do anything.
If no one found him, Despond would slowly, agonizingly bleed to death.
|
|
suesuki
New Member
Imagination is more important than knowledge
Posts: 7
|
Post by suesuki on Nov 25, 2007 18:27:08 GMT -5
Suezuki checks the coordinates and changes course. The feelings that she was trying to suppress come to the fore. Her ship was down . Her crew dead..or worse.
This was revenge
She was pushing the new engines as hard as she could when Maatkares voice comes over the intercom. "Sue the engines cant take this kind of punishment slow her down or I'll have to shut her down "
Dragonnite put his hand on Sues shoulder. She shot him a glance. " you want to get us there in one piece Sue. Slow her down" Sue dropped her gaze and slowed the ship down. " Thank you",said Dragonnite " I need a break. Take over will you?" " Sure Sue, no problem" ///////////////////////////////////////////
She gets up from her seat and leaves the bridge. Her head is pounding she needs this so much that it hurts...some kind of focus but to what end. If she finds the Sentinel what would she do. Use the ship against it?. What about her friends on board?. She leans against a bulk head her mind spinning...faces flashing before her eyes...the pain in her stomache...the sound of metel grinding against the tunnel walls...all memories... Silence...She looks at her hands...the tremor ,not so bad now. She takes a deep breath and moves down the corridoor.she climbs down the ladder and makes her way to the communications room to see Jazz. Just as she gets there Jazz comes out holding a slip of paper. She looked at Sue and gave a small smile.. " You ok Sue?"
" Fine thanks. Just needed a break. Anything happening with you?" Jazz folded the piece of paper and said "Nope...nothing ...just have to go see Deffdog" "whats on the paper?" "Nothing just a message I picked up..I'd better get it to Deff, you know what he's like " " I'm on my way to see him I can take it if you like ?"
" uh..ok..saves me a trip". Jazz hands Sue the folded paper and heads back into her room.
Sues carries on until she gets to Deffs quarters. She takes a deep breath and knocks. " Come in". Sue opens the door and steps in. Deff is sitting behind his desk looking at the readouts for the new weapons. He looks up. " I thought I left you flying this ship?" " I..I needed a breath of fresh air..Dragonnite is at the helm. I'll go back in a minute"
" You ok?" says Deff " Yeah...just being back on a ship feels abit..strange but I'm fine , really".
Deffdog looks at the paper in her hand. "Is that for me?" "Oh,yeah, Jazz asked me to give it to you. She says she picked up a messege and thought you should read it right away" She hands him the note and makes for the door. " Sue. Do you know of a ship called The Arc?" She stops dead. Her heart speeding up. " Yes.. Yes I do..Why do you ask?" " Well it seems that they are offering us assistance with The Titan . And the captain has asked to speak to you...."
Sue turns to face Deffdog, her hands shaking slightly. " The captains name is FOSSMAN", she smiles , slightly,"I had know idea he was out here..."
" Hmm...Well you will forgive me for not jumping to his offer of assistants. With everything thats gone on out here its hard to know who is friend or foe. Which is why im going to ask him to stand down and let us take care of our own. As for his request to talk to you,I'll have to tell him that is'nt possible at this moment in time due to the curcumstances "
"But...He's...."
"Sorry Sue, we have to get to The Titan and we dont need distractions. Now you can either go to your quarters or, do what you do best. Piloting this ship. The choice is yours"
Sue looked at Deffdog. The trembling in her hands had gone. She saluted him. "yes sir, I'll be on the bridge"
Deffdog smiled and hit the intercom "Jazz...I have a message for you to send.." ////////////////////////////////////////////////
Sue closes the door to Deffdogs quarters and heads for the bridge. Questions run through her mind. What was he doing out here?. Did he have anything to do with the Sentinel?. She dissmissed this thought knowing him as she did , but , being so close and not being able to see him or hear him....was that fair?..She thought of Redbindi and the frienship she and the rest of The Trust had offered her and the remaining members of The Devoted. This was the mission and she would carry it out to the best of her abilities.
///////////////////////////////////////////////
The bridge door opened and Dragonnite looked round to see sue making her way to the chair he occupied. "hmm . I'm guessing you want your seat back?, He said with a smile. She smiled back. "Its where I belong" she replied taking over the controls and checking the radar.
|
|
|
Post by Covenant on Nov 26, 2007 3:31:31 GMT -5
Covenant had maneuvered through the crowded sick bay as he took in the scene around him, the flickering, failing lights casting a nightmarish pallor over the crew’s wounded, stunned faces. Reaching Luminarium and Thonemica, he swung his knapsack to the ground. “Is she conscious?” He reached around Thonemica to touch Luminarium's neck and feel her pulse.
Thonemica was dazed and trembling with distress. “I don’t . . . she’s not moving . . . "
Covenant looked firmly into Thonemica’s red-rimmed eyes, speaking quickly but evenly to convey a confidence he wasn’t necessarily feeling. “Listen, you and I are going to do everything we can to help her. Excellent job keeping pressure on this wound -- I just need you to stay calm and keep doing exactly what you’re doing. Can you do that for me?”
She took a shallow little breath and nodded. “Okay.”
“She needs surgery, so we have to get her back as soon as possible. In the meantime, we need to keep her from going into shock.” Covenant was pulling his outer layer over his head, rolling it into a loose ball, and gingerly sliding it under Luminarium’s calves to elevate her feet. He leaned over Luminarium’s pallid face and gently tapped her cheeks. “Can you hear me? Luminarium?”
She groaned, her eyes barely opening. She grimaced weakly as she tried to turn her head to look around.
“Good girl,” Covenant said. He split his first two fingers into an authoritative V and pointed at his eyes. “Look at me, Loom, stay right here. We’re going to get you home, but I need you to focus, okay? You have to stay awake.” She blinked and tried to swallow as she nodded feebly. Covenant dug into his knapsack and pulled out a small syringe. He pulled the cover off of the needle and tapped it before carefully turning over Luminarium’s arm and sliding the syringe into her old pod interface socket between her wrist and elbow. “I’m giving you something to help with the pain, but you have to stay with us. Listen to Thonemica, she’s going to tell you all about the welcome-home party they're throwing for us when we get back to New Zion.”
Thonemica and Covenant exchanged a glance. She was biting her lip, her brow creased with confusion and concern. “You can do this,” said Covenant as he leveled his eyes with hers.
“That’s right,” Thonemica said with a little more conviction in her voice. She looked down at Luminarium with a comforting smile. “A huge party . . .” Covenant began to move away, looking around the room and trying to prioritize the next crewmembers while simultaneously attempting to locate the captain. As he turned, Covenant saw that Fenshire was leaning over RedBindi, their lips just touching. “Fenshire! We need a med-evac now . . .”
“. . . Holy – !!!”
|
|
|
Post by Neoteny on Nov 26, 2007 19:41:33 GMT -5
((I will be working on the following part, but I'm pretty bogged down with writing assignments for school so it might be a few days...))
The Saltpillar had finally caught up with the Trust fleet when Lawliet disappeared from the crew of the Titan. Neoteny knew there was nothing he could do to stop the Titan from going after him... But it just didn't feel right. He'd expressed that much.
So as the Titan dispersed to track down Lawliet, the Saltpillar continued on to New Zion, as per orders. They were finally nearing the end of their approach and Neoteny simply tried to put the situation out of his head - the Titan and her crew were capable, even if he thought their goal was unnecessary. They'd be fine.
***
It wasn't long until the fleet arrived at New Zion. The entrance was less than grand - nothing compared to the splendor of the Old Zion's gate. There were no command posts with all-seeing gun turrets here, and there was no APU squad waiting to make sure machines couldn't follow Zion hovercraft into the city. All had been replaced with a simple EMP minefield and an active EMP dead drop.
And while he appreciated it in theory, it was no fun trip to make. As they approached the tunnel, Wanzer switched communications channels to Zion Control and affirmed permissions to land in New Zion. Neoteny eased his hand back on the throttle, slowing down as they cleared the vast minefield and approached the vertical tunnel lined with active EMP devices.
"Ready, Wanzer?"
"You got it, Captain," he nodded, and with a flip of a silver kill switch, every one of the Saltpillar's systems shut down, and it fell into a rapid descent through the crackling charges of the active EMPs.
"Alright... We'd better start systems back up now. We're nearly through and I don't want to hit rock bottom just yet."
"Re-activating systems..." Wanzer grinned and flipped the same kill switch back to its previous position before he started tagging some of the various blinking green and red buttons throughout the console of the ship, ensuring the stability of the craft's hoverpads and reactor systems.
"Hey Cap, I think you should hear this message," he grinned and passed the headset over to Neoteny.
A voice rang through the earpiece in only a few moments - "Welcome home, Saltpillar."
"Ain't it a beaut."
***
Neoteny exited his hovercraft with a wave of relief covered by what had now become his routinely grim disposition. Wanzer ducked out of the exit hatchway and stood to his left; Microcoulomb did the same and stood to his right.
"Feels good to breathe the air," Wanzer remarked, as a crew of New Zion engineers marched towards them.
"Here to take care of my little girl?"
"That we are, Captain Neoteny."
"Alright. Her hull's had a bit of damage from some of the fights we've gotten into, and the reactor and support systems need a recharge and a little fixing up. Mind the blade on the bottom of the ship, that's functioning as intended. Two of the hoverpads - the two tail edge ones - have incurred severe damage, and will need recalibration. If you folks could find it in your hearts to double check all of our computing systems and mechanical onboard, it'd also be much appreciated. Oh, and unless you're looking for a horror show, I don't recommend you open the Cargo Hold. Call a medic for that and tell them to bring a strong stomach."
"Uh... sure," the engineer nodded and signaled for the rest of his group to head aboard the ship.
"Well, then..." Neoteny said, flattening out his red sweater before clapping one hand upon Wanzer's shoulder, "You should get out and see your family, Wanzer. Update ‘em on your heroic goings on, and make sure to say anything important. I've no intention of stopping our work once we're done with the situation at hand."
"Neither do I," he grinned and stepped off towards the city commons.
"Coul..." Neoteny started, "It might be a good idea for you to come to command with me. They'll want to officially add your name to the roster."
"Alright."
***
Neoteny was unimpressed when he arrived at the New Zion command center. Maybe it was because he expected something closer to the command center of the Zion that had been lost, or maybe it was because it made him remember the Zion that had been lost. Either way, he arrived in the lobby looking gruff, with both hands stuffed in his pockets, he felt as if he should be chomping down on a cigar.
The command technician at the grand white desk before him looked up and smiled, "Appointment?"
"Captain Neoteny of the Saltpillar here to meet with Commander Roland. Microcoulomb of the Saltpillar here for Zion operative officialization."
She tapped her floating, holographic screen a few times before replying, "Alright, you're both cleared. Captain Neoteny, Commander Roland is waiting for you behind the door to your right. Microcoulomb, if you'll just follow me through the door to your left..."
***
In a way, Lock's death was a godsend. Neoteny was certain that Lock never would have approved of the way Neoteny was using one of "his" hovercraft to target Cypherite ships. It would have been far too much of a risk in his book. That was the reason he had fully charged the ships before departing Old Zion - for the possibility that they would not be permitted back.
However, Commander Roland seemed to understand all too well, perhaps as a result of the Cypherite attack in concurrence with the Machine onslaught that had brought about the destruction of Old Zion. In either way, their work had been... well, not greenlighted, as they were given no support, but it had been recognized, and it had not been cause for reprimand, and that was as good as he'd expected.
He couldn't help but grin a bit as he approached the Saltpillar once more, a crew of medics hauling away stretchers with white cloth draped over what he assumed were the Cypherites who had been saved temporarily, only to be tortured to death.
Well, that'll reduce our occupancy. He thought.
As he approached the entrance hatch, he met up with the chief engineer again, who greeted him with a salute.
Neoteny saluted in response, "I take it everything went alright."
The engineer nodded nervously, "Yeah, everything's fine and fixed up... But... Uhm... What's the deal with the bodies?"
"Cypherites. We save the ones who talk."
The man just scratched his head with a worried expression, "Alright, then... The rest of your crew is already onboard and you're good to go at anytime. Good luck, and Godspeed out there."
"Thanks," he replied, and left the engineers and medics behind as he climbed into the craft through the hatch and moved into the command deck where Microcoulomb and Wanzer were already seated, looking worried.
"What's wrong?" Neoteny asked, sitting at the helm and taking note of the flashing red blip near the communications console.
"Captain, you need to hear this." Neoteny looked up questioningly at his operator, Wanzer. "What is it?"
"The Titan..." he gulped and turned over the headset, "They've been downed in the tunnels."
"Goddammit! I knew that kid was gonna get ‘em in trouble, I knew it. Stupid motherfucker running off on his own..." he paced back and forth before he issued the order, "Alright, prepare the ship for takeoff in the mean time and get clearance for exit through Control - we're going to need that crane ready to pull us up through the dead drop when we head out to get whatever downed the Titan. I hope you said all of your goodbyes, ‘cause chances are we won't be back anytime soon."
"Gotcha, Cap. Prepping for takeoff now, we are clear with Zion Control."
"Good. Play the message..."
The buzz of feedback and scratching of a rough recording echoed in his ear.
"This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting assistance, please respond. We were attacked by an unknown lone sentinel, seems to be a new design. Be careful upon approach it may still be in the area. Our Medical Officer and Engineer are badly injured and needing immediate transport to New Zion for treatment. This is the Hovercraft Titan requesting immediate assistance, someone please respond."
"This is the Saltpillar responding, we've just finished repair and resupply in New Zion and are en route to your location. We'll be there as soon as we can, but in the mean time, don't die. God knows we've seen enough of that already..."
|
|