[Mission 3] Silica Animus

[GoldenThrone]

As agreed, Kharos dispatches a gun cutter, with crew, in support of your endeavor to destroy the seemingly sentient ship. Once you have completed the objectives and evacuated the ship, Kharos will open fire on it and destroy it permanently.

On board the cutter, yourself, Achmedes, and Aleksandre, now in a void suit, prepare to board the Animus ship.

"We can't dock," the cutter's pilot announces. "The ship won't recognize our calls."

"We will void jump!" Achmedes replies. The cutter aligns itself to the main cargo doors and opens its boarding hatch. The jump is simple, and Aleksandre opens the main cargo bay from the outside with little problem.

Inside the cargo bay is a scene of mayhem. There is rubble and debris everywhere, though none of it is significant enough to provide cover. Most of it is simple rubbish, some scraps of clothing and a few discarded weapons. Most of the rubbish appears to be ship components, and many of the walls and floor panels have been pulled aside and internal components ripped out, apparently haphazardly. You see a computer terminal near a closed door. On the wall near the closed door is a smear of brown, dried blood. Upon closer examination other smears of blood are visible.

OOC- rather than make you trek through the entire ship, below is a list of places you can easily visit, though some are out of the way of your objectives. Just post which one you want to head to and I will handle the rest. You may, of course, interact with the environment as you see fit. You may select any destination you like, they do not have to be traveled to in order.

Destinations:
Main hold (where you currently are)
Supplementary hold alpha
Supplementary hold beta
Internal Hold
Infirmary
Command deck
Main Reactor
Backup Reactor
Gun deck
void shield actuator
life support control
engine control

[Legendary]

"Be cautious. I would jack in but an entity would sense us if this is techno heresy of the highest degree. We search the holds first for any signs of heresy. Stay close, move together."

Palus directed them through the main hold first, with the plan of searching Alpha, then Beta the the internal hold.

[GoldenThrone]

"My lords," Aleksandre speaks over the shared vox, just a little timidly, "it may be prudent to make our first destination the life support controls."

Achmedes halts in his tracks. "The Explorator has a point, Brother Maframe. A single penetrating hit will render our armour no longer sealed. Though we have the ability to effect repairs, we cannot know what or how many wait for us further into the vessel."

OOC- the supplementary holds are attached to the main, so searching them can be handled easily. The internal hold is the high security cargi hold and is in the core of the ship. It represents a significant detour away from the primary objectives. Just so you are aware.

[Legendary]

"Yes, forgive me. I often forget my needs are less than one not blessed by the Omnissiah. Let us travel to life support first, then we shall establish from there."

Can you give me an entry exit sort of run through of the ship?

[GoldenThrone]

OOC- what is connected-

Technically the only chambers that are directly connected are the main cargo hold and the supplementary cargo holds. All other areas are connected by corridors to each other.

A rough idea of proximity:

The Infirmary, Internal Hold, and Command Deck are close together, but far from your current position.

Life support is near the Backup Reactor, which is close to you in the direction opposite the Command Deck.

Engines, Void Shields, and Main reactor are all close together, past the Backup Reactor.

The Gun Deck, owing to the size of the guns involved, is below the reactor, and easily reached from there or the void shield actuator. It is not, however, terribly close to those locations (in order to isolate the damage of a misfire).

Would you like me to continue the journey to Life Support?

[Legendary]

Yes

[GoldenThrone]

Roll an Awareness test. Do not forget the +20 from your helm and organs.

[Legendary]

21. How could I forget, that adds to my DC not roll

[GoldenThrone]

Before going to life support, you check the adjoining supplementary cargo holds. Alpha is in much the same condition as the main hold, with small debris, rubble, and what looks like intentional damage. There is also myriad bloodstains.

Supplementary hold beta is different. The garbage and small rubble is present, but stacked like cordwood are bodies, hundreds of them. They line the walls of the hold, five stacks deep and piled 7 or 8 bodies high. They have been organizee according to size, by an intelligent force.

(OOC- roll Scrutiny if you wish to know more about the bodies)

[Legendary]

Scrutiny 48.

[GoldenThrone]

The corpses all died of asphyxiation. They are stacked according to age, with the youngest, and it looks like the most fit specimens towards the door. From there the bodies are organized by circumference of appendages.

[Legendary]

"It has categorised them. Machines must have order. Come, to life support."

[GoldenThrone]

Roll Awareness

[Legendary]

23

[GoldenThrone]

At first navigating the corridors towards life support is easy. Then, suddenly Achmedes stops and readies his flamer.

Then you hear it too. Scuttling, like dozens if metal claws on the ships decking.

[Legendary]

I ready my flamer as well. I ready actions for when things get real.

[GoldenThrone]

Almost as soon as it has started the scuttling noise fades. Whatever it was bypassed you entirely. At least, it left no noise or other evidence of its staying behind.

The rest of the trip to life support is eerily silent. When you arrive at life support Aleksandre looks at you. "I will need to access the machine spirits to get life support flowing again, my lord." You realize he is asking permission, mindful of your earlier comments.

[Legendary]

"Please continue explorator. Be mindful of any influence you feel in your mind."

[GoldenThrone]

Aleksandre, who has been holding up quite well in spite of the horror he has already been witness to, plugs his MIU into the life support terminal. He is very focussed for a number of minutes.

Eventually you hear a distant rumble. Its the recirculation fans coming to life. After a moment there us a slight breeze as atmosphere re-enters the vessel. Aleksandre disconnects his MIU, and with a shudder he murmurs, "It wants me..."

[Legendary]

"Fear not. We will destroy this heresy and all it touches."

Using hand signals, Palus directed his small team to the backup reactor.

"Search the area, terminate enemies, permanently damage the reactor. They cannot be allowed to regain power once we sabotage the ship."

Enter fire for effect mode.

[GoldenThrone]

OOC- Squad mode activated. Cohesion remaining: 2

IC-
"As you say, Brother," Achmedes' bolter is ready in one hand.

Moving quickly and sacrificing silence (because lets face it, 2000kg of ceramite on metal decking just can't be quiet), the team headed for the backup reactor.

Upon arriving, they discovered the passage was sealed.

"It's an emergency blast door, to seal off the reactors in case of catastrophic failure, or in the event of boarding or similar circumstances," Aleksandre explained. "In a few moments I can have this open."

Make an Awareness Test.

[Legendary]

8.  Do I think I could get it open faster than he could? I do have a servo arm.

[GoldenThrone]

Opening speed would be a toss-up. Its not a strength thing; your servo arm wont do a whole lot. It is actually an extended tech-use.

IC- you hear a distant, rythmic metallic clash, like something large and heavy moving in slow, deliberate steps.

[Legendary]

"Something is coming" said Palus over vox. He prepared his bolter, finger on the selector.

[GoldenThrone]

The corridor is approximately 60 meters long, and if the thing that is coming appears at the end of the corridor, that is the closest it can be. There is little rubble around with which to create cover, though with some time wall panels could probably be ripped out and made makeshift.

Achmedes steadied himself with his bolter. (OOC- declaring Overwatch with semi-auto fire) "What is our plan brother? Do we await the arrival of this new threat?"

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