NationStates Jolt Archive

Ishtar gave Vash into Elamna and the orderly's care and moved quickly over to Lara. Her quick scans revealed the desperation of the young ones situation.

She looked over at Elamna "Can you Heal?" She had known those who manipulated the Veil who could do so. And Lara certainly needed it. The Force Lightning had damaged her systems badly. She might not survive, even with all she could do.

"Yes," Elamna was exhausted from the effort of cutting the Hybrid off from the force. She handed the Youngling over to the Orderly and put her hands over the Alvo-Calaveran Hybrid. She closed her eyes again and, for the first time in years, she called on the force to help her heal this being. She focused for a moment, straining with something before, finally, she opened her eyes, wiped away a small bead of sweat and nodded to Ishtar,
"I have done all that I can," She said tiredly, "May I advise a quick return to the Medical Bay?"

"May I advise a quick return to the Medical Bay?"

Ishtar's sensors could read the increaded stability of Lara's system when Elamna had finished, and she gave the jedi an appreciative look.

"Thank You" She scooped the young hybrid up in her arms, and started back the way she had come. Nodding to the orderly to put Vash on the grav stretcher she headed quickly past them to the turbolift.

"You should come as well, Elamna, you need a restorative yourself."

The Jedi shook her head, "I suffer from nothing that a little rest and meditation will not cure. If you treat the two Children then I am more than happy to rest of my own accord. However," She was following them now, walking through the corridors, side by side with Ishtar, "I think I shall accompany you. Perhaps I can find some answers to the many questions that I possess."

Vash appeared to have passed out, jaw slack and limbs limp, splayed out on the stretcher the orderly pushed in front of him. Once they reached the medical bay all was quiet; neither the Marine guard nor Winterfire appeared to have woken up yet, and there was a subdued atmosphere throughout the vessel as the crew realized the danger was over. Yet the lives of the Captain and the Acting Science Officer hung in the balance, and no one knew what the result would ultimately be.

"I think I shall accompany you. Perhaps I can find some answers to the many questions that I possess"

Ishtar nodded - she would offer but never demand that one accept her aid. She deposited Lara gently on one of the med bed and set it's sensors to recording her metrics. Then she set an I.V. drip going, feeding Lara a packet of regenerative nanos, a systemic strengtheners.

The orderly was right behind her, so once she finished with Lara she turned around and used her tractors to settle him on the bed next to his sisters. Though he recieved a head set like Decius wore, to record even the faintest changes in his brain.

"Hopefully we will have something to examine soon. This is not natural, especially so that Decius and Vash were the ones close to the machinery on that alien space station." Ishtar sighed deeply as she moved over to her small office area - there wasn't rrom of a proper, enclosed office, just a small space where she had a desk, and could still oversee what was going on in the whole of the medical bay.

She motioned to Elamna to take the other chair and rest a bit. It would still be some time before Decius's trace was finished, and longer still for Vash's.

Elamna took the seat gratefully, glancing over at the sleeping Alumina with surprise. She did not know that the Chief Engineer was also suffering from this strange turn, but she supposed that Ishtar's assumption was the most logical. It was still disturbing that such a thing could happen but then in all her thousand of years she had seen many strange things. She supposed that it was possible for things to happen.
"Is the Captain going to be okay?" She asked, voicing the concerns of the entire crew.

"Is the Captain going to be okay

Ishtar looked to where Winterfire slept, and faint smile crossed her lips. "Oh yes he will be and quickly. In the morning I will reinforce the damaged area of his trachea, a very simple operation, and close up the otomy." He will have a true 'sore throat' for a few days and won't be talking or eating much during that time. But there will be no linger complications."

She looked over at where Lara lay and noted the biometrics. Going over she adjusted the I.V. drip and nodded at the minute change in Lara's readings.

Returning to her chair she motioned to the young hybrid. "She is the one I am concerned the most about."

"Indeed," Elamna nodded, "Her body has suffered a terrible amount of damage for one so young, so inexperienced in the ways of the universe." She gave a small sigh and shook her head, "One can understand her desire, but she should not have tried to face her brother alone. She could have been killed for it." She paused for a moment, "I shall pray ferverently that she is okay, that she will pull through. It seems our premonitions about Vash were proven to be true."

"It seems our premonitions about Vash were proven to be true."

"But he was fighting it, he wasn't giving in willingly. He fell not jumped." Once more Ishtar stood and checked on the wounded. Looking at Vash's metrics she decided that he too needed an I.V. supplement of nutriants and began setting it up. "This all devolves back to that weapon discharge, or event, however you wish to classify it, back on that station. I think we also need to look at the information Lara was perusing just before Vash and Decsus had their incidents. I am confused about that. If Decsus didn't have it translated, how was Lara studying it?"

"I can only assume that the Lara was able to translate it herself," the Veela smiled as she watched Ishtar set up the drip. She liked watching people who were good at their jobs and that most certainly could be said of Ishtar. She was also deep in thought,
"He did indeed fight it," She nodded in agreement, "He was not giving in willingly. The real Vash is in there, but we need to find him or, rather, help him to find himself. He is not evil, he has never been evil, simply misguided. My Collegue on the planet has forgotten how to teach new Pupils in the way of the force."

"My Collegue on the planet has forgotten how to teach new Pupils in the way of the force."

Oshtar said nothing despite her frown, she still found in unsettleing that Lara had not reported such progress. She would have to look at what Lara had been studying later.

But she set those thoughts aside at the Veela's last comment. "Did your collegue not come aboard with the others? I don't remember seeing another Veela aboard. Surely we didn't leave someone behind on that empty planet."

"My Comrade was in a self-imposed Exile on the planet. She had travelled there hundreds of years previously to better connect with the force, where her thoughts and movements could truly be her own. She did not desire rescue nor company but accepted the later and refused the former." She gave another small smile, "Perhaps checking the Science Officer's data might prove beneficial to their treatment? Especially as it does not seem that she will be talking very soon."

Ishtar nodded at the Veelas commentary on the selfexiled one. She had known a number of hermits in her time. She wasn't of the personality to be one, but she could see some of the attractions of the life.

"Perhaps checking the Science Officer's data might prove beneficial to their treatment? Especially as it does not seem that she will be talking very soon."

"I had intended to look them over later, but there is nothing keeping me from doing it now. The others are capable of stepping around the corner to get me should any thing out of the ordinary happen. If you will excuse me Elamna." Ishtar stood, giving the still tired looking Veela a small smile. "You should get that rest you mentioned, or you are welcome to meditate here."

Elamna smiled and offered a deep bow to Ishtar,
"Thank you, Lady Ishtar, but I shall take my leave. I need to meditate to bring myself up to strength again and to review all that I have seen and heard. I wish you well in your investigation and I shall join you when I am rested." She offered the Android another bow before departing through the doors towards her quarters. She was truly impressed by the Android and she knew that all the wounded Officers were in safe hands. What she had seen and heard from poor Vash and from Ishtar was indeed disturbing and would need intense meditation to fully understand. For the moment though, rest was her main priority. So she would go to bed.

Ishtar returned Elamna's bow and took one more look around those in the medical bay. The soldier would be released soo, unless he took an unexpected turn for the worse. An unlikely event. Everyone was resting as comfortably as could be expected.

She checked the small medical cloning chamber where some of the Captain's own tissue was being grown. It would not be rejected when she surgically implanted it in the morning. Any excess tissue would be stored in a nutrient bath against future emergencies.Satisfied with the situation she requested that the staff keep in mind that she would be just next door.

In the small but tidy laboratory Ishtar setled herself before Lara's work station and began sifting though the young offcers files that pertained to the information from the alien station.

The hours passed quickly as Ishtar absorbed and sorted the vast array of information that Lara had translated concerning the "empire' they had stumbled across. She then accessed the information Decius had and merged the two, translating the alien language quickly.

By the time Decius’s scan had finished she knew exactly how to reverse the condition.

However Lara had figured out a defense against the alien weapon – but she had put that under a personal pass code, and Ishtar was unwilling at the moment to ‘hack’ around that. It was an invasion of privacy she hoped not to have to commit.

Using the very scanners that had recorded the changes in Decius and Vash, she adjusted them so that the headbands became emitters. Ones that would alter the pairs minds to their previous “settings”.

Ishtar had no liking for the alien weapon; it was one she considered despicable. But now she knew how to counter what it had done. The process would be slow, and delicate, but in the end, basically simple.

Once it had begun she also checked on Winterfire and Lara, pleased to note that their life signs looked stronger. She contacted Campbell on the bridge and let her know of her findings and passed on to Liah all the information as well. “This should not take more than another five hours. I am returning to Lara’s lab to extract more data.”

Five hours later she returned, hoping to find Decius and Vash becoming conscious, and their old selves.

However five hours later there was no change, and at first Ishtar was at a loss to understand why.

It did not take long before the doors to the Medical Bay hissed open to admit the Exile's acting Captain. Campbell was tired. She had been working on the bridge now for a full ten hours. She had been watching as scans were performed, double checked, then performed again to ensure that Decius, in her moment of madness, had not tripped some other failsafe system that would blow the Exile away. Luckily, it seems that she had not done so. Her only crazed intention being to activate the main self-destruct, which she no longer had access to until she could be trusted. Perhaps not a sign of faith in the Third Officer, but then she hadn't a choice.

She looked in at the prone, still figures of the Captain, Chief Engineer, Science Officer and Chief of Security and sighed. How many Senior Officers were here? More than was healthy, that was sure. Oh how she hated being trapped out here, in the middle of unknown territory. They were still for the moment, not moving until the Propulsion systems were safe.

She nodded to Ishtar, the Android sitting in the small Science Office, forgoing a formal salute this time. A mere nod doing for everyday life.
"How are they?" She asked, "Any change?"

"Any change?"

Ishtar actually snarled "No!, and there should be its as if they are still within a field..." Her voice trailed off, and she frowned.

"Acting Captain Campbell, would you please allow the Exiles’' sensors to be tuned to..." She requested that the ships most sensitive field sensors parameters be altered so that subspace could be scanned. It was the only thing she could think of that could be causing the emitters not to correct the problem.

"I know that such a scan is slow, but I think we will find that that is the culprit, the weapon is broadcasting through subspace. If so I will need to hack through Lara’s pass code. She has left every indication of having found a defense, and that may make the other option unnecessary"

The other option was to destroy the station.

Campbell waited patiently until the scanners were retuned to Ishtar's specifications, surprised only by the fact that she was showed anger, her being an Android and all. She waited another moment for the Aumani to calm down before making her next request, eyes drifting over to the unconcious Kitsune laying nearby,
"When do you think the Captain will be ready for duty again?" She asked, wondering how long she would remain as the Captain of the Exile. She had poured over the suggestions that Ishtar had sent and, with Liah, had consulted the data from the young Hybrid's Research Database. Now she wondered what Lara had stored away within her personal database itself.

"If you have to, what are the chances you can quickly hack into the Science Officer's Database?" She asked as well, wondering if the young Hybrid had been able to find anything to help with the currant problem. Campbell had not studied the Database Security Protocols in depth, she had no idea to their complexity and needed to know from Ishtar that information.

"Captain Winterfire should be ready to return to duty within three days, though his throat will be a bit sore for several days after that." Ishtar looked over to where the medical cloning chamber showed that the piece of his tissue had finished growing. "I can do the surgery anytime now. It will not take long, an hour, then an hour or two of recovery before he is capable of coming conscious. But he won't be able to talk or eat any solid foods for two days after that."

"If you have to, what are the chances you can hack into the Science Officer's Database?"

"I will be able to with only a time factor as the problem. However I'd really rather not do that unless I have to." She looked over to where Lara lay unconscious "But how much longer she is going to need to be in a medical coma, I am uncertain. The damage done to her was nearly lethal."

"Conduct the operation as soon as is possible," Campbell looked over at the tissue as well, "The Exile needs her Captain back at the wheel as soon as possible," Another sigh, following by a prolonged blink. She was exhausted, but she had to remain here until she was completed her various assignments,

"If Lara is as badly wounded as you say, then we must assume that she will not be fit to tell us her code before the information is needed. It's best if we have another method to access her database. Can you please examine it and give me a rough time and complexity for the hack? It will only be used as a last resort, I promise you."
She looked at the Alumina sitting on the bed,

"If your methods to break them from this...trance have failed and the device is indeed using Subspace, are there any countermeasures we can attempt to block out the signals?"
The sensors, even now, where beginning their scan of subspace, but to fully log and analyse the frequency given by Ishtar would take several hours, if not days.

...trance have failed and the device is indeed using Subspace, are there any countermeasures we can attempt to block out the signals?"

"It would be easier just to return to the proximity of the station and destroy it." Ishtasr replied. "I can 'brute force' a pass into Lara's files, it will lack any finesse, but my 'computing power' is quite capable of it. Time, unknown, I was not designed to be a security program breacher, so I would have to tailor some of my data repair protocols to deal with it"

Ishtar looked at Campbell with keen eyes. "You need to turn command over to your Third, and go rest. If you fail due to exhaustion, then where will we be?"

Already she was moving to begin the surgery, issueing a spate of orders that saw to his quick but thorough prepping for surgery.

"Very well," Campbell gave another deep sigh, "Make any preparations needed to 'force' the lock on her files. We'll not use it unless there is no other choice but it never hurts to have such a plan in reserve." She watched for a few moments as Ishtar prepared for the surgery on the Captain, waiting until her orders were complete before speaking again,
"We'll hold position until we can be sure of the source. Until then," She gave a shrug, "We're doing all that we can." A small laugh,
"With the Pantheria Commander wounded and the Scanning Officer killed in action, I believe you are the most Senior Officer still active," She gave a small salute,
"So I shall leave the ship in your capable hands for now, Lady Ishtar, I'll inform the Bridge of the Change and ensure that Lieutenant Commander Stacy is aware of your overall command. If I am needed, I shall be in my quarters,"
She turned and headed from the Medical Bay, looking forward to a warm bed and perhaps a couple of hours of good, solid sleep. She somehow doubted it though.

If I am needed, I shall be in my quarters,"

"Sleep soundly and may your dreams be sweet"

The statement that she was in command had Ishtar blinking. She had never served aboard a vessel with a small enough crew that the CMO was in actual line of command.

The best thing to do would be to get the Captain back on his feet, throat repaired. Quickly she set about doing just that - repairing his throat with the freshly cloned tissue.

An hour later she was letting the technicians move him from the surgery table to a recovery bed. Once she was sure he was resting easily and his biometrics in good order she returned to Lara's lab to set about breaking past her passcode.

It was two days before the doors hissed open again to permit the acting Master and Commander of the Exile, Campbell accepted the salutes from the crew and headed straight to the bed that contained the Captain. Ishtar had explained his situation to her previously, and she had spent a number of hours sitting by his side, just being there while he rested. Now though, he looked much better, his skin had a healthier dark shade to it and his breathing was much easier. Ishtar had performed wonderfully and she was rightly proud of her.

Lara on the other hand, was far from that state yet. The attack from Vash had badly injured her. Even now, there was one who had remained beside her bed almost constantly, refusing sleep, rest or even the company of her own Partner. Her eyes were red and swollen, her whole posture slumped and she seemed generally exhausted. This was Flight Officer Stacy O'Neill, who had been provided with a week from duty to be with her only child. Sometimes, Vix came as well, to offer support to Stacy or to stare at her own child from time to time.

Campbell nodded cheerily as Ishtar exited the Science Lab, where she had been making great progress on getting around the Science Officer's codes. It would not be long before she could break the whole thing. Of course, she held out hope that such action would not be needed,
"I think it's time to bring the Captain up to date on the situation," She said to Ishtar. The Captain had rested for the full time perscribed by the C.S. Now it was time to see if he had recovered.

"I think it's time to bring the Captain up to date on the situation,"

"Yes it is." Ishtar smiled happily taking in how much better the Captain looked. Of course he was impatient to be up and about - it was only natural. But she had been adamant that he rest the two full days.

"To make up for keeping you here Captain" She addressed Winterfire with grin and held out a small, obviously hastily cobbled together object "I have a gift. A very small and temporary one, but for maybe ten to thirty minutes we should be able to free Decius and Vash. This temporary subspace blocker is the best I could do with what I had available. I got though Lara's passcode with brute force as I suspected I would have to."

Her manner became apologetic "I didn't have the necessary items manufactured yet to make more than one that will be temporary"

Captain Winterfire sat up in bed, taking the device gingerly, almost as if he was afraid it would bite him, or explode. He looked at it, then at Ishtar. "This will relieve them of their..." He uttered the next words with distaste, "temporary insanity?" He looked at it again. Blocking the signal might relieve them for a while, but it still didn't solve the root problem: That station was broadcasting some sort of message or signal that was responsible for driving his Security Officer and Chief Engineer mad, the injuries of himself, a Marine guard and his Science Officer, and the near total destruction of the Exile and everyone on board. He had been confined to the Medical Bay ever since he'd woken up, subordinate to Chief Medical Officer Ishtar's wishes and the desires of his own X.O., First Officer Campbell. Nonetheless, it had not stopped him from taking an active interest in what had happened and how the Exile was being run, so as a result he knew everything about what had occurred after he had been knocked out by Vash in the brig.

Captain Winterfire fully intended to have a few words with all involved: Decius, Vash, Lara, Campbell, Lady Ishtar and Lady Elamna. But before anything else could be done, they had to neutralize the signal, either remotely, or by finding the station again and doing it manually.
In any case, Captain Winterfire was back on his feet.

"temporary insanity?"

"Technically what they are suffering from is not insanity. Their brain waves are being affected, altered by external stimuli rather than internal. But yes it will barricade them from the broadcast." Ishtar apologised once again. "It will be only temporary. We need to deactivate the transmitter or destroy the station"

She looked him and his vital signs over one last time and chuckled softly "Yes you are responding well enough that I can discharge you Captain. But you must remember that your throat is still healing and will be sensitive to over use still for the next few days."

"Yes you are responding well enough that I can discharge you Captain. But you must remember that your throat is still healing and will be sensitive to over use still for the next few days."

"I guess that means I can't do any of my normal yelling," Winterfire said dryly. He had always been soft-spoken, but his air of authority was so complete no subordinate had ever dared question it, so he had never had the occasion to shout. He began thinking about the station: They hadn't seen any defences, but then again, they hadn't seen an alien transmitter that would drive two of his officers into a bloodthirty rage either. Best to approach this with all caution due to a dangerous machine of war. Throwing back the sheets, Winterfire swiveled his legs over the side of the bed and put his bare feet down on the deck, slightly wobbly after not having even stood up for nearly three days. He nearly fell, and it was only though the sheer force of will and a helpful nearby rail that prevented the Captain from doing so. He grimaced, as if disgusted by the weakness of his own body. "What's our status, Lieutenant Commander?"

Campbell took a step back as Winterfire stood, delighted that he was finally up and about. She had taken the strain of command upon herself and it had weighed heavily in the minds of both the crew and herself. Their morale would jump no end knowing that the Captain was back. There would only be one final piece to increase the morale. As she thought of it, she looked over at the prone Alumina lying on the bed.

Yes, she was a highly irritating individual and yes, she could start a fight in an empty room. However, despite all her faults and errors, she was still the Chief Engineer, and her needlessly strict manner drew the best out of people because, deep down, they wanted her respect. They wanted her to see that, yes, they were not as effecient as Alumina and yes, sometimes they did let their petty squables get in the way of their active duty, but they were still the Crew of the Exile and they could rival any damn Alumina crew. Campbell had visited Engineering just before coming to the Medical Bay and, despite the quiet atmosphere, she had noticed how it seemed mournful, in fact the Second Engineer has asked how the Alumina was doing, to which Campbell could only offer encouragment. Though none of them would dare admit it, they missed having the big, bad-tempered Kitty around.

"Well Captain," Campbell did not salute immediately, for the past few days, she had been the one taking the salutes, she had momentarily forgotten her place, "We are in Hyperdrive heading back towards the station. We suspect that we may have found a weapon to defeat the weapon in Science Officer Lara's Database, but, unless we can get her password, we shall have to force it open," She sounded hesitant at that, "I shall have a full report on your desk by tomorrow morning," She smiled lightly and looked to Ishtar,

"I think it's time we woke up our Crewmates. See what they have to say on the situation," She looked to Winterfire for approval before nodding to Ishtar.

Ishtar kept a close eye on Captain Winterfire as he stood. She knew he'd be weak after his days in bed. However she wouldn't interfere unless he truly looked as if he were going to fall. It would be much better for his confidence if she stayed back, apparently confident in his ability to stand on his own. She smiled at his dry tone and mentally applauded his gentle wit.

"I think it's time we woke up our Crewmates. See what they have to say on the situation,"

Ishtar too looked to Captain Winterfire for permission to activate the device “We must remember that, at best, it will barricade them off of the carrier wave for half of one of your hours. And it may last for as little as five minutes before failing.”

"But while I went through Lara's logs and the pass code there I am still hesitant about going through the data she has put in her personal logs. Though I feel there is important data there."

"I think it's time we woke up our Crewmates. See what they have to say on the situation,"

Winterfire simply nodded his assent, watching Ishtar.

“We must remember that, at best, it will barricade them off of the carrier wave for half of one of your hours. And it may last for as little as five minutes before failing.”

They are everyones hours, despite however they might be divided, Winterfire thought glibly, but he held his tongue, knowing this was not the time for idle humor. It was not vital, as such, that they acquire the passcode to Lara's files, since he knew Ishtar could and did break it, but to preserve the moral integrity of the crew (and to keep morale up) he was required to make an effort.

"But while I went through Lara's logs and the pass code there I am still hesitant about going through the data she has put in her personal logs. Though I feel there is important data there."

"If we cannot obtain the passcode, then for the sake of the Chief Engineer and the Chief Security Officer, I would suggest that you find the data independently," Winterfire said quietly, seriously. "Lara would want us to. However, we shall still make the attempt to find out the password." He glanced over to Lara now, lying unconscious on the bed, and down to Stacy, eyes red and puffy from tears and lack of sleep, sitting beside her. Lara herself was unconscious, Stacy was in no condition to assist and probably didn't know anyway, Sio was in statis to prevent his death via a deadly disease, the Veelic master was back on that Qonnforsaken planet, and Vix had spent very little time with Lara, so that left only...

"Chief Medical Officer," he addressed Ishtar, "please wake up the Chief Security Officer now, please." He turned towards the bed Vash was occupying, then, looking down at his pale bare feet, thought better of it. "Countermand that. Trooper!" Winterfire swiveled now to one of the Marines standing at the door, who immediately snapped to attention, saluting. "Please bring me my boots." The Captain waited until his boots, black and reverently polished, were brought before him. The soldier began to try to help his superior into his footwear, but Winterfire pushed him off irritably, picking up the boots. "I can dress myself, thank you, I am not dead yet."

As soon as he had pulled them on, Winterfire turned back to Ishtar, looking a little stronger now, his cool yellow eyes staring intently at Vash. "Now, if you please," he murmured.

"Now, if you please,"

With a delicate gesture Ishtar tapped a small button on the blockers side, then stepped over and removed the soma unit from his head.

She watched Vash intently as he began to wake. She hoped she was fully prepared to deal with nearly any possibility.

Vash woke slowly, eyelids fluttering and then opening, lips parted slightly, tousled bangs falling across his face. He opened his eyes wider, and sat up abruptly, ears perking, heart rate accelerating and a small cry escaping his mouth, pushing back against the bed, eyes darting from this way and that, taking the scene of the medical bay in. He looked at everyone briefly, refusing to meet their eyes, and at last his gaze fell upon Lara and he visibly started, inhaling sharply. "By the Force..." He croaked, staring at her, and then he looked away, staring down at the sheets that covered his body. He seemed very vulnerable and alone, clothed in no more than a thin paper gown, alabaster skin on white bedding, slate ears low and drooping.

"What do you want?" He rasped, still not looking at any of them.

"The passcode to your sister's personal files," Winterfire said simply, but with his tone it sounded more like an order than a request, for his voice was steely and his eyes cold. Vash had nearly killed him and the young Hybrid had badly upset the natural order of things on the starship, and Winterfire, suspicious of all the castaways from the beginning, now had his fears confirmed.

"Brother," Vash murmured, lying back on the bed, closing his eyes as he rested his head on the pillow. "Brother_Hope." These last words were almost a whisper, and after them he said no more, eyes closed but mind active and working. Winterfire merely nodded to Ishtar, still watching Vash with an unreadable expression on his face.

Campbell had sat and watched as Vash was awoken, seeing him look towards Stacy and especially Lara. However, he had the password and that was all that mattered. They had to assume that Lara would have given her blessing to look through the database, for she wouldn't be awake in time for the return to the station.

"That's all we needed to know," She looked at Ishtar and nodded, "I think it's time to take a look at these plans" She said, turning towards Lara's Office. They needed that weapon or plan, as soon as possible. Ishtar quickly returned from the database, the completed information downloaded into a PADD. However, Campbell could only see numbers, facts and names. None of it made much sense to her and, while Ishtar could help to a high degree, only one person on this crew knew the exact capabilities of this ship, what it was capable of.

She turned to the stirring Alumina, who had just woken from her slumber.

"C-Commander?" Decius asked hesitantly, eyes wide and frightened, shoulders slumped, trembling slightly as she looked uncertainly at the Alversian. The Alversian handed the PADD to her gently, nodding to confirm her thoughts.

"Yes, Lieutenant, I need you to look at this," She said it quietly but firmly, looking the Alumina in the eye, seeing the fear and uncertainty there, "Can we modify our systems to this design?"

Decius took the PADD and studied it carefully, her mind understandably elsewhere. After a couple of minutes she handed the PADD back and nodded,
"It is possible," She agreed, "To modify our Deflector to use this weapon. It would not be easy but it can be done." She stopped for a moment and looked at Ishtar,

"Is this permenant?" She touched the suppressor. All signs of arrogance and certainty were gone, all of the cockyness was absent. She was like a frightened child more than anything else.

"Is this permenant?"

"No, but at this time, the suppressor will only function for another few minutes. I am sorry that I could not build a longer lasting suppressor, but until we had Lara's passcode it was all I could devise." Ishtar made ready to return both Vash and Decius to enforced unconsciouness. It was the best she could do at the time.

It would do neither of them any good to be conscious when the device failed, and the subspace wave would overtake them again. As they both fell back into their induced comas the small machine failed.

Winterfire had turned his gaze from Vash to Decius, and now he looked intently down at her before lifting his head to Campbell. "We will need to make for the station as fast as possible," he said, "the sooner we destroy or disable that transmitter, the sooner we get our Chief Engineer and Chief of Security back. First Officer, I want you to see the Chief Engineer's second-in-command, I believe that's Junior Engineer Yandal, with those specifications," he nodded to the datapad in her hands, "and order him to configure the array to possess the ability to output the pulse. This is to be his top priority, it is crucial that it be online and ready for use by the time we reach the station."

"Aye, Sir," Campbell saluted and gazed at Decius and Vash for a few moments longer. She had never seen an Alumina look so...scared before. It must have been bad for their cold and heartless exterior to be penetrated in that manner. Vash also seemed alone and scared. She did not envy them, but now she held in her hand the means with which to help them. She turned and headed from the Medical Bay, seeking the Junior Engineer to give him the plans and oversee the changes.
She wondered why this had had to happen in the first place, but the only one who could have possibly answered that question lay in a critical condition in the Medical Bay also. She sighed, what a mess...

Once she had checked to make sure the soma units which kept Vash and Decius unconscious were working properly Ishtar busied herself checking on Lara. The young hybrid was improving slowly but steadily, and it truly was just a matter of time.

Though there was always the potential that Lara's ability to tap into the Force had been damaged. Ishtar had seen it happen before and knew that until Lara was healed enough to come conscious she had no way to tell if that damage had been done.

For the moment though Ishtar wished some quiet time to meditate over what had happened of late. Free time had been close to non existant for her recently. Making one last sweep of the medical bay she put her second in command in charge and retired to her room.

Bridge...

As Winterfire arrived back to the command center of the Exile the sense of relief and excitement. "Captain on deck!" One of the Marines called out, and everyone immediately snapped to attention, all the bridge crew standing, backs rigid, the ears of the kitsune perked and tails held straight down, staring straight ahead. "As you were," Winterfire's voice, normally quiet, was now even softer, and some of the non-Xiscapians had a hard time picking up what he was saying. The Captain strode forward, for while his voice may have lost strength, his stance was as alert as ever, mind still razor sharp, aura of authority not diminished but strengthened, if anything. The whole crew had heard what had happened down in the brig, and the Master and Commander's reputation had grown to the point that many were in awe of the young officer.

"Status report please, Operations Officer," he murmured to Vix, looking at the viewscreen that displayed the bluish purple starstreaks of hyperspace.

"All systems are nominal and we are nine hours from our destination, Captain." She reported, words smart but tone distant. Stacy had hardly moved from Lara's side since the incident, and while Vix missed her Alversian girlfriend greatly, it pained her even more that she could not show the same devotion to her own son. The hybrid had, briefly, turned into a monster; a beast that Vix felt partially responsible for creating. She didn't know how to approach him, especially in his weakened state, because of fear, because of uncertainty, because of shame. She had avoided the medical bay for two days now, confining herself to her duties on the bridge and her quarters, trying to lose herself in the regularity of living aboard a military vessel.
Her thoughts still strayed back to Stacy, to Lara, and to Vash. It wasn't working.

Engineering...

As Campbell walked into the dim gloom of the Engineering Bay the very kitsune she was looking for, Junior Engineer Yandal, now Acting Chief Engineer, stood from where he sat atop a crate along with half a dozen other senior and junior engineers and technicians. "How is the Chief Engineer?" He blurted out, then stepped back, eyes darting from side to side, almost as if embarrassed. One of the engineers behind him snickered, but it quickly died away as the other personnel waited, some in anticipation, some in apprehension, for the news from their X.O.

Campbell looked at the Junior Engineer for a moment, as if trying to guage weither or not he was seriously asking or if it was a joke on behalf of the disliked Pantheria-Lieutenant. However, in the silence that followed, she knew that they were serious about their concern for her, that they wanted to know if she was okay. It warmed her heart towards these eager Engineers who wanted to get a job done, but wanted someone here to help them do it,
"She's..." Campbell frowned for a moment, but knew that the Engineers had a right to know the truth, "...frightened. In pain and frightened about it. She has not been herself recently and that scares her. However, we have a way to cure her," She handed over the thin electronic device to Yandal,
"The Chief Engineer believes that it is possible to make these modications to the shield deflector. I need to know how long the work will take."

Engineering...

Some of the engineers seemed concerned, some shared looks of surprise or smug I-told-you-so expressions, though a few appeared rather flippant about their superiors condition. While it seemed the majority were anxious about Decius, some seemed to think that she'd gotten her just deserts. Yandal looked worried, but he took the datapad between two strong fingers, looking at it intently. "By Bodom's black bones," he said, accent distinctly Slipslahnian*, scrolling down it, "this is complex. We'll need," his ears sunk slightly, tail flicking nervously this way and that, "seven, eight hours to get that online, if we work nonstop. And there's no guarantee that it'll be fully operational, this seems highly experimental." He looked up at Campbell. "It won't be easy, but it's doable." He turned back around to the crowd of Engineers, and all eyes fell on him as he lifted the datapad into the air. "We'll do it in six hours! For the Chief Engineer!"

"Yaahh!" Most of them came back to him enthusiastically, though a few seemed sullen about working so hard in the name of who they saw as a abuser. Yandal grinned widely. "We'll have that array up, don't you worry First Officer."

OOC:
*Think Old South accent.

"I never doubted it for a moment, Junior Engineer," Campbell smiled as the Crew got to work with an enthusiasm and determination that would rival any peak crew at any time. Decius would be so...no...actually, she wouldn't be proud of them for doing their job. However, she may have reserved a smile to herself at seeing them so driven, finally given something to do after so long waiting. The crew was reunited again as one, driven by their determination to make an impossible project work. That was what the Exile had always been, an impossible experiment, but now...they were proving that it could work, that it would work. She watched the crew for another few moments, then knew that Yandal had everything under control, turned on her heel and left main Engineering.

Nine Hours Later

"Captain, We are approaching the Station," The report came from Stacy, who had taken her position for this mission, convinced by Vix, Campbell, Ishtar, Elamna and virtually everyone else that Lara would want her Mother on the Bridge to do her job. She sat directly in front of the two Senior Officers, Campbell standing alongside Winterfire, hands firmly behind her back. Vix chipped in then, seeing something on long range sensors,
"I'm picking up two vessels next to the Station. They are armed."

"Drop us to Impulse," She commanded, "Raise shields, ready weapons." She gave the command only because Winterfire, who still had to go easy on his voice, did not yet have the strength to carry it to the entire, non-Kitsune crew and so Campbell controlled the immediate ship, while Winterfire would save his voice for when needed.

"They are hailing us," Vix again.

Campbell nodded, "Onscreen"

The image of the Station and the two rather large vessels flicked instantly to the image of an Alien standing on a strange bridge. His skin looked leathery and was a deep, dark orange. However, his eyeballs were a fierce blue and he looked angry,
"Who are you? Why did you trespass on our Array? Why have you come back?" The last one was rather ominious. Campbell did not answer, it was the Captain's role to negoitate with other races, not hers. However, she descreetly tapped her comm,
"Junior Engineer? How long until the device can be fired?"

Ishtar had finished her meditations just two hours before the Exisle was due to arrive back at the station. Showered and changed into fresh robes, she had spent that the greater portion of that time making sure that the Medical Bay was ready for any injuries or other medical concerns. She prefered to be as prepared as possible. She was also pleased to see that Stacy had left her post by Lara's side. It hadn't been good for her to hover there, wrapped in the futility of not being able to 'do anything'.


Additionally she had set one of the medical technicians to keeping a direct watch over Decius and Vash. She did not believe that their being any closer to the weapon would amplify it's effects over them, but she wanted that potential covered anyway.

Bridge...

"The pulse array is online, but we haven't been able to test it," came Yandel's voice over the interior vox to Campbell. "If the configurations are accurate, that station should be well in range at our current position."

Winterfire stepped forward, summoning up his strength. This was an unexpected turn of events: If he could negotiate with these people to shut down the device, or heal his Chief Engineer and Chief Security Officer, they wouldn't even have to use the pulse, and (he dared to think) maybe they could get help so they could repair their damaged Jaunt Drive and return home. It was vital that he showed every sign of strength and determination, he couldn't usher in the belief that they could step on his tail and do as they pleased with his ship and crew. Even if Winterfire held private doubts which he nonetheless sensed that the others seeing this alien shared, that anyone who could create such a device would not be interested in altruism, he had to try. Imperial training and protocol, his culture and even Winterfire's natural caution and desire for peace demanded that he not be the one to fire the first shot.
Not without negotiations first, anyway.

"Greetings," he bowed, yellow eyes fixed on the creature before him. "I am Captain Winterfire of the United Alliance Ship Exile, with representatives from the Kitsune Empire of Xiscapia, the People's Republic of Alversia and the Pridelands of the Alumina. Nearly three standard days ago we came upon your station and, thinking it abandoned, boarded it to investigate.
Unfortunately, an electrical discharge which appeared to have been caused by some sort of defensive system there emitted from one of the scanning instruments and killed our Diagnostics Officer, and we have since traced a queer sort of subspace wave back to here which appears to be psychologically damaging my Chief Engineer and Chief Security Officer. We have returned to see if there is some way we can cure what is ailing my officers quickly and...without further contest." He let that hang in the air for a moment, wondering how heavily armed those two starships hovering by the station were.

"Is there, perhaps, a way we can persuade you to take the wave generator offline, or sell us a cure or blockers to it so we may heal our own and be on our way?"

The Alien on the screen listened to Winterfire speak but it seemed that he, or whatever it was, was not interested in what the Kitsune had to say. Bizarrely when Winterfire mentioned taking the device offline, his skin went from a shade of orange to a deep, deep red. Obviously this Race changed it's skin tone depending on it's mood and right now it did not take a Genius to work out his most powerful emotion was at that given time.

"This station is a key part of our defensive grid and that 'queer ray' is our main defence against the Swarm. I am sorry for your dead Officer Captain and I am sorry for your two crewmen, but there is nothing I can do to compromise the Security of my people. We designed this as a weapon to attack telepathic minds, to destroy them via the same thing that's meant to give them strength. We are not a telepathic race Captain," he shook his head omniously at this point, "We never considered a cure. I will ask this once more. Leave our space or we will open fire!"

"Captain," It was Vix who spoke, "They are charging weapons"

"Shields up and bring our own weapons online," Winterfire snapped instantly, simultaneously cutting communications with the alien ship with the flick of a switch on his command chair. The Exile was armed with sixteen dual-mounted turbo-lasers, two torpedo tubes and six phaser arrays, roughly the equivalent of an Alversian Customs frigate or Xiscapian corvette, and thus was not well-equipped to fight off anything larger than a light cruiser. There was no way of knowing what classification the enemy craft would have, or even what their weapons might be, but Winterfire knew that if they backed down now they might never be able to come back, or worse, return to find an entire fleet waiting for them.
So the time to act was now.

"Fire off four torpedoes at the closer one and give them a full broadside from our other weapons, draw off all reserve power and pour it into the portside deflector shields, and somebody activate that pulse!" He gave the orders in a rapid but clear voice, tone tight and concise, eyes on the two enemy ships squatting near the station. The sooner they could fire off that pulse the sooner they could leave, and not have to risk being defeated in combat.

The weapons of the Exile were fired off, smashing into the shields of the two Alien Warships. The shields glared a bright orange for a moment as they rebounded under the attack. However, once the initial flash was gone, it seemed like no damage had been done to the ships that confronted them. Then there were two deep orange flashes of light from the hull of each ship. There seemed to be no projectile weapon but whatever it was made the bridge judder heavily under the impact of the attack. The Exile's shields now flashed while Campbell looked back to Vix, eyebrow raised, waiting for the damage report,
"Shields are at 81%"

"With one attack?" She sounded surprised. It seemed reasonable to assume that they were not dealing with an average pair of vessels here, perhaps two heavy Battleships. Whatever they were, they outgunned the small Allied Cruiser considerably,
"Evasive manouvers Stacy" Campbell ordered Stacy, who was sitting in front of her before tapping her vox system,
"Bridge to Engineering, when can that pulse be fired?"

Medical Bay

Meanwhile, down in the Medical Bay, Decius began to twitch in her bed. At first it was minor things, fingers flicking, eyes twitching, perhaps a jerk of the head. However, a moment later, the twitching became more pronounced, they became more violent before a large jerk seemed to snap the Alumina awake, she looked around from her bed, seemingly not able to get up,
"Tisaam! Larb ta!" She cried out in her own language, initially in a deep panicking voice but soon breaking down in pitiful sobs, "Brfana larb ta!"

Brfana larb ta!"

Ishtar was at Decius's side in a flash, her strength easily enough to hold the panicking woman in a powerful, protective hug as she murmured softly, soothingly, in the Alumina's language.

Bridge...

Winterfire stood with his hands folded behind him before his Command Chair, looking calm and complacent while inside his mind was racing. This wasn't his first time in combat, he had fought against both Imitators over Terracropolis and Rebels over Old Xiscapia, but he had never been in battle alone, and certainly never so badly outgunned as he currently seemed to be. His previous commands had been on a Annihilator class Destroyer and a Wasp class Cruiser respectively, so he knew how to handle the smaller capital type ships, but both had been larger, better equipped and armed superior to the Exile, so this was a new experience for him. "Concentrate on evasive maneuvers and keep our port shields at full power for as long as possible, we've got to give Engineering enough time to fire that pulse."

Campbell's vox coughed a few seconds later, emitting the low, even voice of Acting Chief Engineer Yandal. "She's ready to go X.O., just give the word!"

Campbell stood next to Winterfire as the bridge shuddered again under more impacts from a dozen shots. The bigger Battleships were pounding the small Light Cruiser. Their light weapons seemed to be smashing against the shields of the smaller vessel. She sighed as another judder nearly threw her from her feet, only her experience of spacefaring kept her from stumbling, despite Stacy's best efforts, shots were raining in from all sides. The Warships had simply too many guns.
"Shields down to 18%" Vix reported.

Campbell sighed and tapped her vox again,
"Yandall, Blow the damn thing, let's get out of here." She commanded, hoping that the Exile held together long enough for them to get away. With luck, the Warships would not pursue, satisfied with their work.

Medical Bay

Decius, encased in Ishtar's overpowering grasp was unable to jerk and wraith as she had done beforehand, though it was not for the want of trying. The tears ran down her face as she tried to twist and turn, soothed by Ishtar's calming voice, she alternated between her own language and basic,
"Please help me! It hurts! Please get it out!" She sobbed pitifully, "It hurts too much! Please get them out!"

Bridge...

The evasion tactics weren't working: The enemy weapons were simply too accurate, and Winterfire knew they wouldn't stand up to another volley. As it was multiple lights were flashing on the arms of his Command Chair and on the banks of monitors on the walls, indicating that the shield strength was dropping to dangerously low levels. As more fire splattered across the shields the Master and Commander spoke. "Lieutenant Commander," his voice was soft but strained, "I need that pulse fired..."

Engineering...

"Yes ma'am!" Yandal cowed over the vox, and nodded to the two Senior Engineers across the room where they stood bowed over the array configuration panels. Outside the Exile the shielding glittered blue for a moment and an invisible pulse radiated out in all directions, washing over the warships, the station and all the surrounding space.

In the Medical bay, upon the pulse firing, Decius suddenly snapped awake with a gasp, looking around in shock at the encased Arms of the Aumani wrapped around her. She squirmed uncomfortably, trying to speak through gulps of air,
"It's okay...Officer...I have recovered," She managed to say.

On the bridge, the report came through that the two Officers were back to their normal selves. The grins of the relieved Crew were quickly wiped clean as another burst of energy came from the two Battleships,
"Shields are down!" Vix called from her station.

"Lieutenant, get us out of here!" Campbell commanded Stacy, who nodded eagerly and imput the needed commands. Within moments, the Exile was gone, flashing far out into space, hopefully no sign of pursuit. The crew breathed a deep sigh while Campbell looked into the pleading eyes of Stacy and nodded,
"You can go." She stated simply, watching as the young Alversian Mother left the Medical Bay at the trot to join her Daughter in the Medical Bay. Her place was taken by another member of the crew.

"Sir, request permission to make a damage report on the ship." Campbell turned to Winterfire, standing to attention as she spoke.

It's okay...Officer...I have recovered,"

"My name is Ishtar, not Officer" The ÄÜ’Manni said drily as she released Decius and studied her briefly.

"But before I certify you as recovered, you are going to remain under observation for a time. You can start by taking this perception test" Ishtar called up one of the psychological exams on the medbed's monitor screen. It would take the Alumina about an hour to plow thought it.

Once Decius was engaged in that she turned to Vash and removed his soma unit, hopeing that he too would be out from under the influence when he regained consciousness. In minutes he too was aware and his eyes seemed lucid - but, like Decius, he too was set to taking a battery of psychological exams.

"Sir, request permission to make a damage report on the ship."

"Permission granted," Winterfire responded evenly, turning to face his First Officer, looking not at all shaken by the exceedingly one-sided battle that had just taken place. He noticed that Vix also left moments after Stacy, and allowed himself a moment of hopeful thought that both of his officers would be restored to full psychological health before turning back to the problem at hand. Winterfire was well versed in what the various datascreens and klaxons on the bridge of any given Xiscapian warship meant, so he was confident that if the ship had suffered moderate to heavy damage he would know by now though the alerts from these instruments, but it was possible that a wound had escaped his notice during the chaos of the short fight.

Medical Bay...

When Vash awoke he seemed collected and calm, the opposite of what he had been when the wave had been affecting him and even different from the bad temperament which had prevailed from the moment he had been brought on board to up until he had become sick. He accepted the tests without complaint, though Ishtar might detect a hint of reluctance on his part to take them, as if afraid of what the results might show.

Outside the Medical Bay, Vix stood torn by indecision: What had seemed like the good and right thing to do on the bridge was suddenly cast into doubt, now so close to where her bastard son lay. Apprehension mired her thoughts and her tail whipped this way and that, ears twitching with agitation, hesitating and hating herself for it. At last the young kitsune stepped forward and the door hissed open, admitting her into the hospital of the Exile.

Decius nodded faintly and began to work on the test that had been put before her. She felt fine now, physically, for her mind was finally quiet for the first time since she had departed the station. However, her memories filled with the pain she had suffered and the guilt she felt at almost destroying the ship was overwhelming. However, she continued to take the test, quickly able to work her way through it before the doors hissed open and Lara entered, sitting by her silent child, all hopes of a miracle recovery crushed by the familiar sight in front of her. Outside, Commander Campbell walked past with two other Crewmembers discussing damage. However, the Alumina was on the mend and the wave of relief was guiltily joyous.

FIRST OFFICER'S LOG: STARDATE 79275.8

It has been three days since we fled the array, retreating in th face of an unknown Alien race who did seem to share our thoughts that the needs of some were equal to the needs of many. We have encountered the Aliens since but we are maintaining round-the-clock sensor sweeps. Despite the pounding, the Exile suffered relatively little damage and we were soon able to repair most, if not all of it. The two suffering crewmembers have fully recovered and are ready to return to active duty. Though our Science Officer has not made such great strides, Lady Ishtar is confident that she will make a full recovery. A positive point must be noted, the crew, united by this pressure and worry, are longer fighting amongst each other and I am confident that we can present a united front against any other threats between here and home. However, the issue of trust still has to be addressed with those who broke it before they can face their Crewmembers as Active Crewmen again.

Bridge

Decius stood outsiding, waiting for the Captain, looking fully composed and neutral, as she always had done. She was at attention, hands clasped behind her back, looking straight ahead at the wall. It was perhaps a sign of respect that she would not have shown previously, but she had been touched by the Crew's concern and made her rethink her own way of doing things. So she stood and waited for the Captain to address both her and the Security Chief so she would get back to her duty shift on the bridge.

Ready Room...

"...do you understand?"

Vash, for the moment stripped of his rank of Acting Head of Security, looked up at Captain Winterfire. Before what he was now mentally calling The Change he would have been sweating, he would have felt anger and frustration at being rebuked, and he would not have met the eyes of his superior. But now his orange irises met Winterfire's sun-colored ones, and they were clear and calm, showing only acceptance and understanding. "Yes sir," he said humbly, nodding deferentially. He knew he was responsible for his actions, for the terrible toll his attacks had taken on his sister's body and spirit, and he was aware that he had lost the trust of the Master and Commander of the Exile and the crew. Trust that he was going to have to earn back.

Winterfire stood up behind his desk, and handed over three items: Vash's service pistol, his I.D. badge, and his lightsaber. "At this time you are hereby reinstated to the position of Chief Security Officer on the UAS Exile, with all the responsibilities and privileges that the rank entails. I trust you take the lessons you have learned, physically, mentally and spiritually, to heart." He gave a little bow, and Vash bowed deeply in return, murmuring his thanks. "Please send Decius in on your way out."

On the bridge Vash nodded to Decius and indicated the door to the Ready Room. "He wants to see you now," the hybrid said, dipping his head, "good luck." He smiled at the Alumina's unemotional response and left the nerve center of the Exile as the former Chief Engineer stepped inside.

Winterfire was sitting behind his simple desk steepling his fingers, the Ready Room as white and spartan as ever, and now utterly silent. His eyes were fixed on Decius, and he nodded to the hard metal chair in front of his position. "Take a seat." His tone brooked no room for disobedience. As the cat-like creature did so he continued to watch her before finally breaking the stillness with a voice and low it was almost more felt than heard, and it was like ice.

"I think you know why I've called you here today. As you no doubt have discovered, you have relieved of command as the Chief Engineer of this vessel. To be frank, Decius, your actions nearly caused the death of every person on board, and the destruction of this vessel itself, and I am not speaking merely of your attempt to activate the self-destruct. No, your decision to not tell anyone about the weapon you and Chief Security Officer Vash were hit with while on the station nearly condemned us all to death, and it was because of your arrogance. I am not surprised the Head of Security didn't inform anyone: He is not a trained soldier, and in any case is still very much a child in some ways. But I would have expected better from you, Decius, an officer of the Aluminan Navy who was sent to us with the highest of recommendations."

Winterfire's voice had remained soft and cold throughout, and this did not change as he leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting from under the brim of his cap.

"I don't know how they trained you in your military, Decius, and I don't care. I am in command of this vessel; not you. If you learned otherwise in your own armed forces, then forget what you have been taught, because it does not apply here. You report everything to me or Lieutenant Commander Campbell, even if you think it is beneath you to be subordinate to a 'lower race', as I believe your kind calls us, because you are not above reproach. If you ever try to conceal something like that from me again I will have you thrown in the brig for the duration of our voyage and tried under our own laws when we get home. And I know that if you pulled this kind of stunt in your own Navy they would jettison you in an escape pod at the very least, although direct execution is more likely, so consider yourself lucky."

He leaned back.

"I am giving you a second chance: Prove yourself again, regain my trust, and this never happened, no one in the Kitsune Empire, the People's Republic or the Pridelands needs to know. I have here you service pistol and your I.D. badge with your rank; all I want from you right now is a pledge of allegiance to the Exile and her crew."

He pushed the weapon and small device across the desk to her, unsmiling, eyes serious. "Can you do that?"

The Alumina stared at Winterfire while he spoke, telling her of all the information that she was already knowing of. She so disliked being talked to in this manner by the Xiscapian, but she could see his point. She had had many, many idle hours that she couldn't fill with engineering information or mission statistic pondering what had happened and, more importantly, why it happened. She was only following her own protocols, her own procedures. She had the beam weapon to be irrelevant and so had not reported it. By the time she realised otherwise, it was too late. The guilt from that decision was overwhelming for Decius and she was struggling to justify it and, indeed, had no intention of trying in front of the Kitsune. She took her returned items and placed them where they were needed.
She thought about the question that had been placed before her and, for the first time, her gaze slipped from the vulpine eyes of the Captain, in what could have been taken as an apology,

"Yes Captain," She said quietly, "I understand that I have betrayed the trust of the entire crew and their reaction to my return has been...startling," She paused for a moment, "I will pledge myself to this vessel, Captain Winterfire, I will try to conform my ideas to those accepted aboard this ship. I cannot say that I will change overnight but I will do my best...Sir." She still hadn't looked to him. She waited for his dismissal, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

Winterfire nodded solemnly. He knew how hard it must be for her to say what she had said, the Alumina were a prideful people, too proud perhaps, but everyone knew that old saying: Pride comes before a fall. Decius had just taken her fall, and now Winterfire, and the rest of the crew, would be able to see her get back up again, though precisely what this entailed remained to be seen. His eyes remained on her downcast ones, and when he spoke his tone, while not quite friendly, was kinder than it had been before.
"Dismissed, Chief Engineer."

Decius nodded and almost saluted but somehow checked herself at the last moment. She may be trying to change her ways but there were some that she just wasn't ready for yet. Alumina warships did not have salutes and she still didn't feel she was able to make the Alien gesture to an Alien Captain just yet. One day perhaps but not just yet.
She turned and walked from the Ready Room, heading out into the main Bridge. The crew, Kitsune and Alversian alike, looked at her curiously, wondering what exactly the Captain had said to her. Many of them hoped that he had grilled her, in the same way that they had suffered under her command. Many of them also wondered if she was here to take command of the Bridge as was scheduled or if she had been fully stripped of her Commission, though they doubted that Winterfire had the authourity to strip a member of the Aluminan Defence Forces in any permenant manner. Most of them simply hoped that they could escape her cold sneer for one more Bridge Shift.
Decius stepped onto the bridge and nodded to Commander Campbell, who got up from the Captain's Chair where she had been sitting and, upon a nod from the Alumina, turned and left the Bridge, understanding that she had been relieved from Bridge Duty by the Engineer, that she had been given another chance by Wintefire. As Campbell stepped from the bridge, she thought a little to herself on the previous events and decided that if she herself had been the Captain, then she would have given the poor Feline another chance as well. Winterfire could be a strict Captain, but one could not debate that he was not fair in regards to these incidents. She supposed that it was those sorts of actions that seperated a Captain from a mere Commander. She sighed as the doors of the lift slide shut and she headed down to get some much needed sleep.

Decius stood in the middle of the bridge, forgoeing as always the Captain's chair. She preferred to stand. The crew looked at her apprehensively but she ignored them. It was almost as if she was afraid to turn and talk to them, to see their disapproval so close. However, after a couple of moments, she was able to ask,
"Ensign. Status."

"All systems are reading normal Ma'am, We are in Hyperspace travelling towards Xiscapia." The Ensign reported quickly, trying not to keep her attention on him for long. She did not turn to face him but it was clear that she was listening to every word. When he was finished, she did not speak again but continued to stare straight ahead as always. Silence reined.

Moments later though, that silence was broken by the doors hissing open to reveal a sweating Ensign. He stood quickly, the others turned to face him, then at the back of the Alumina. She did not turn, but sighed deeply,
"Ensign Maloney, you are seven minutes and ten seconds late for your duty shift. Please explain."

"Sorry Sir, Cap...Ma'am," The Ensign stumbled, "I was in the Mess Hall and I...I lost track of time..." he stopped, awaiting punishment.

The Alumina took a deep breath,
"Ensign, you are late, your ineffeciency is something that cannot be tolerated on a working vessel, especially one that is stranded so far away from support." She paused, listening to the pin-drop silence that awaited for her punishment. She spoke lightly, as if deep in thought,
"However Ensign, you made a mistake. Though we may try to be perfect in all that we do, it is in our nature to make mistakes. Please take your station." She said it quietly, while the shocked Ensign took his place with an equally shocked crew. Decius smiled lightly to herself,
"We can all make mistakes." She whispered.

Space. The final frontier. Home to trillions of species and stars. Home to millions of anamolies and trillions of mysteries. The stars decked out space like a fancy christmas tree, some were near, some where far, some were a mystery. In the case of one particular vessel, nothing but a cell in the vast makeup of the Universe, all of these stars were a mystery, unknown beings suspended in space that was not their home. The United Alliance Starship Exile was alone in this place in the Universe, ripped across the galaxy by an experimental drive system that had propelled them from the relative safety of their home systems and delivered them to this foreign and alien place. However, they had made it their mission to return home, a fact that would puzzle anyone watching the vessel, for their bows were pointed away from Coalition space and heading deep into unknown territory.

On the bridge of the vessel, the Flight Officer's Chair was occupied but Flight Officer Lieutenant Stacy O'Neill was not sitting there. She lay alongside, in a deep sleep, joined on the floor by Communications Officer Vix, Commander Alison Campbell and, finally, by Captain Winterfire, master and commander of the vessel, at least normally. Their stations were manned by bald, smooth skinned aliens who's hue was a deep orange. They had moved the crew to the side and were now manning the stations as if it were their own vessel.
And it was all thanks to the purple gas that hung in the air throughout the entire ship.

It was the same throughout the rest of the vessel, with the crew lying where they dropped, some at action stations, others in the corridors and some where even in bed. The only movement was from pairs of the Aliens, patrolling with stubby, short laser rifles and thick, bulky armour. The Brig was filled with new Aliens from another ship. These Aliens were sealed tight in the room and guarded by just two Guards. After all, they were unconcious from the gas as well.

However, in the Medical Bay, where half the Medical team lay in the main room and Lara was drapped over the desk in her own labratory. Someone stirred.

Ishtar considered what her sensors had analysed as she laid seemingly as unconscious as the rest of the crew. She had feigned falling to the gas with the rest of the crew. Waiting, unmoving, using her internal link with Liah as the ships A.I. kept her informed as to what was happening about the ship. Once Liah had told her that the alien ship that had attacked them had left she nodded to herself - and waited just a little longer, until the next roving patrol had moved on past the medbay.

Liah, begin driving them nuts, ever so gently please, and don't give yourself away Ishtar requested, making suggestions as to what the A.I. could do to acconmplish that goal.

Silently she levitated and began to move after the patrol. She knew that she would have to move quickly. She was only one against many.

"I cannot, Lady Ishtar" The voice of the AI came over, emotionless as always, "They have locked my program away from all critical and secondary systems. They are trying to delete me."

The Squad, a pair of troops, marched past the fallen bodies of the Crew, being careful not to stand on any of them. However, one of them gather the feeling that they were being followed, that feeling. He snapped around just as he turned a corner, looking to see if anyone was indeed following them. However, the corridor was filled with doorways and crevices were one could hold an army safely.

OOC: OK here goes nothing!!!

The slender anthro minkette awakened from her long sleep, opening her eyes she saw her integrated AI chip go through it’s motions. She observed the area she was in, it was supposed to be a brig but an unlocked brig was useless.

# Power system … Green
Control system … Green
AI Bridge … Green
Combat protocols… Green
Power charge… 22%
Environmental filter… Green
Visor function… Insufficient charge maintaining normal vision mode
Language filter… Green#

#Insufficient charge to maintain onboard sensor array, energy analysis function, gauss cannon, stun cannon, and personal shield functions. Terminating functions, advise biotic to find recharge immediately.#

#Combat sensor standing by all new biotic signatures classified as neutral until combat is initiated. Or until I’m told who exactly we’re fighting here ni…#

The melding was the result of a C’tani experiment to see if furs were actually like their animal counterparts or if they were something worthy to be studied. Only luck kept her from being purged as 'unclean' as the machine was infected with a case of 'humanity'.

The mink sighed softly waking up in the gas filled jail facility not knowing where she was or what she was doing here. She rubbed her face with only her left hand not wanting to feel the cold reminder of her time on Alvara. She looked at her almost claw like right arm adjusting it in various places to make sure she could use it. Instead of saying what she wanted ‘five more minutes’ which would indeed turn into five more hours she opted to start out with

“How many new biotics are in range? And analyze this gas we’re in. It could be corrosive.”

The AI did what it was told as the mink surveyed the area counting how many its weak internal sensor array could see it also took a sample of the gas from the woman’s now quartered lungs. Her hosts on Alvara thought that was too much lung to have for so few organic components left to maintain. She looked down to see if she had anything on or if the artificial spine she had gained was showing. To see if she needed to throw something over her to hide the fact that she was indeed at less than quarter power.

#There are eight biotic signatures in this area, six are displaying no combat potential at all those six are less than ten meters from you. The other two seem to be taking some sort of patrol formation fifteen meters to the north west, I can’t get a good enough reading to see if they’re armed or not but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough…#

“And the gas?”

#Unknown but it appears to have distinct chemical similarities with the gasses EA-3167, Zenoah and Xillon. All incapacitating agents, lucky for you, you have such a good onboard filter to keep you awake.#

The mink made sure her long platinum hair covered her artificial right eye; it wasn’t a ‘borgish’ looking invention with a highly intrusive block whatever. It actually looked like her normal eye with several dots along the eyebrow and under the eye. These dots and the iris simply lit up whenever it changed modes or initiated a scan. Though with her at quarter power she couldn’t do any of those things so she settled for checking the slumped over bodies of the guards to see what kind of weapons they had to offer if any.

“Did you get how strong these creatures are? I might need to take them on in hand to hand combat. Also change my fur color… Make me match this purplish gas. I’d like to be able to walk around these halls without getting shot at everywhere I go in this place… Speaking of which where we?”

#We appear to be on a starship. I can’t tell because someone or something drained our capacitors before we arrived. I can’t turn on our map function but if you find a way to interact with this vessel’s power system. Without overloading me that is. I think I can determine exactly where we are and exactly how far we’ve drifted from former initiative space.#

The minkette heard only a quarter of that statement as she surveyed the guards, one of them caught her eye, put her back on Alvara. Brought her back to the time of the evacuations, she crouched there above him, stunned that her past had actually found her wherever she was. She closed her eyes, and shook her head thinking it was just an illusion, the gas was going to get to her too. She didn’t have much time to find some pure oxygen.

#I don’t see the point of this action Nilah… You could probably begin courting the medic with the intent of having intercourse some other time. Right now we are ‘burning daylight’ as the phrase goes.#

The mink snapped out of her trance looking up at the door, before continuing to inspect the guard for weapons and anything useful in this place.

“Yes. Yes of course. My mistake.”

#I’ll never get the libido or any other reproductive function you biotics hold dear… Such an intrusive function to have from what I’ve studied.#

"They are trying to delete me."

The alien would not have seen Ishtar anyway, for she had stepped into an alcove that had a local terminal. Accessing the ships A.I. directly Ishtar inserted a part of herself. She would be a much more formidible foe for them. The programing that created her was not only completely alien, but a million years plus alien, and Ishtar was a full sentience in her own right.

And in cyber space the ÄÜ’Manni C.S. had no 'possible wishes of the capatain' restrictions. There she could kill the programs that were attempting to kill Liah.

One thing that Ishtar had never made obviously clear to those of the Exisle, thought Liah should have understood it from when she had first transmitted the Aumani data to her. The ÄÜ’Manni had always been a warrior race and every thing they did was based on that. They were many other pleasant things as well, but in their core had beeh formed in the crucuible of conflict.

Then Ishtar was back out of the alcove and moved swiftly up behind her first two. Hands backed with inhuman strength closed about their windpipes, cutting off their ability not only to breathe, but to call for help. At the same time they were lifted off of the ground so they had nothing to brace against to bring any real strength to bear. Also simultaneously her tail came about and whipped their weapons from their hands.

Ishtar would find herself in woodland full of green trees, bright sunlight and dozens of types of wildflower all a great variety of colours and smells. There were no woodland creatures but it still seemed like an interesting place regardless. Liah was there, looking disturbed, pointing to the blue, cloudless sky,
"Look," She said in fear, showing her where a black smear rose slowly from the ground, the evidence of fire,
"They're destroying it," She exclaimed in panic, "They're destroying it all."

In the real world, the two Guards struggled against the Android, trying to hit their communicators. If they could not talk into them but hit the panic button, then they could still warn the other members of their crew.

Elsewhere, in the Brig, the two Guards did not notice the Individual moving about, talking amongst themselves, making sure the forcefields were up and wandering when the hell they were going to get back to their own space.

“Then we have to stop them, then repair what they damaged” Ishtar said calmly, with confidence. Liah was so young and have never had to withstand an attack before, she realized. As she spoke Ishtar’s own defensive abilities sprang in to action, taking the actual ‘combat’ out of Liah’s hands, leaving the young A.I. free to concentrate on rebuilding

Towering Thunderheads clouds, dark and heavy with rain, sprang up in an instant and a massive wind carried them over the line of fire. Lightening crashed and crackles, artillery strikes against the nodes of the invading programs. The fire was met with torrents of rain, falling so densely it was as if an opaque silver curtain had been drawn across the woodland. And the massive wall of wind worked to keep the fire from advancing any further, a pressure-wave- wall of energy that the deletion programs would find as impenetrable as a ‘Mydals shields.

At the same time the intruders would find the Exile’s engines under Ishtar’s control now, and the whole ship dead in space with only minimal energy. Elsewhere every console currently in use – only the enemy would be using them – began to act as if possessed. You never, ever, anger a being with the ability to kill you in instants – though much of Ishtar’s hands were tied - her people were unprotected - so quick and very fatal maneuvers like simply venting all atmosphere to space simply wasn’t an option. But Ishtar could still make them miserable, and sorry to have ever come aboard.

Ishtar’s voice was a little distant “Liah, concentrate on rebuilding what the attackers tried to destroy. Look deep in the knowledge I granted you when we first met and you woke up. There is knowledge there of how to go about rebuilding.”

Of course the rain was not water, the air not air but highly advanced cybernetic combat programs that were working to in turn destroy the programs that were attempting to wipe the Exile’s A.I.

Elsewhere, the hands never weakened as the patrol lost consciousness, but tractor and pressor beams flashed out, keeping their hands away from the panic buttons. Breaking the wrists in the process but they were fairly, clean breaks, and wrenched muscles weren’t life threatening. Her tail dropped the weapons out of reach, then wrapped about the first guard, immobilizing his arms by his side, as Ishtar used her hands to deal with the second – who’s unconscious body was soon stripped then bound into equally immobile by his own garments and armor. Unwrap tail and repeat on the first, taking samples as she did so that her ‘on board’ modules could learn all she could about this species – namely their biological weaknesses.

It was but the work of a few more moments to imprison the tightly trussed and bound pair in a store room – she checked to make sure that it contained nothing that would aid them in escaping should they manage to wake up before the ship had been retaken. It should be hours before they came around and then they’d have to manage to get out. She took the precaution of jamming the door. And taking all their weapons with her.

Then floating once again, she soundlessly took off after the next patrol.

As Ishtar dealt with these first guards, she also set her nanofactor to producing a set of combat nanos. That would take an hour or so, but eventurally she would have a 'partner' of sorts in the effort.

"Yes...yes of course," The AI replied, "I'll rebuild, then I'll come and help you," She said it brightly, enthusiastically, previous troubles forgotten. Liah had indeed only been active for a couple of weeks at most, and she had the persona of a curious child, unfamiliar and uncertain with the wider dangers that the Universe had to throw at her. She was an artificial being of immense power and control on the Exile but she was so...niave about the Galaxy and her ship's situation that such power was not a threat. She would happily go along to what Winterfire commanded like a Child would follow it's Parent's commands. She would rebuild her damaged cyberactive world, though how long that would take was unknown. She wouldn't repair it fully perhaps, but only do what was needed, then come to help her friend. She hadn't known how to stop the 'fires' from destroying her little world and Ishtar had. At the moment, without the guidance from the organic crew, she was inclined to trust the advanced CS.

Elsewhere on the ship, the Alien crew were in somewhat of a fury. Despite all of their efforts to the contrary, the Exile had, in a term, screeched to a halt in space and none of the programmes were responding. Obvious this damned AI was still functioning, keeping them from doing what was needed to get it back to their own space. Perhaps having a vessel as an escort would have been a good idea after all...

For the moment though, having lost contact with one of their Patrols, another one was sent into the same area with scanners to try and find them. The chances of a crewmember functioning in the gas was slim to nil but there was always some vague defensive system had kicked in.

The new Master and Commander of the Exile stood on the bridge and scowled at his crew, skipping by the sleeping members of the originals, trying to bring some remote system online. If they could find who was hacking the system, then perhaps they could be locked out or arrested. For the moment though, his skin a violent red, he attempted to get this amazing vessel running again. They had to get back to his Homeworld. And they would.

Ishtar wouldn’t push Liah, she’d let the youngster take all the time she needed. While Ishtar had not been specifically trained to be a starship, she had had close to fifty thousand years spent aboard one or another and learning was what a C.S. did best. She could fake it well enough so to speak.

She cared not one whit that the invaders were upset. She intended to do every thing in her power to confuse, confound, befuddle, bother and bewilder them. And if they surrenederd to save their hides, so much the better.

Consoles would accept input, commands, then something completely different would happen – or nothing at all. Gravity would suddenly fluctuate, but only in areas where the invaders were moving about – no gee’s so high as to kill, but finding one suddenly weightless, then slammed to the floor as 4 or 5 gee’s suddenly happened…well that wasn’t good for any one. Having the lights suddenly go off, the commodes violently regurgitating what had been flushed, bulk heads suddenly doing violent emergency closures as invaders passed through them…And any compartment free of the Exile’s true crew but holding invaders would find their doors sealed, and the oxygen levels within slowly dropping, and the ships internal communications non functional.

Elsewhere Ishtar waited, unbreathing, unmoving, giving off no signs of biological life, and her shields just raised enough to make her seem to be part energy conduits of the ship. When the new team came into range she used her integral systems to emit a jamming field – so that their communications were cut off – including the panic buttons. Then when the moment was right she attacked.

The Occupiers were taken aback by how the vessel was reacting and quickly deduced that the freek accidents, that had almost killed one member of their crew and was being blamed for the missing Patrols. It seemed strange that they were all going missing in the same area and, indeed, a half dozen guards were assembled in preparation to push into the area. At the same time, more viruses were pumped into the system in an attempt to ride them of this damned AI that refused to hand over the Master controls to them, the controls that would give them the ship back.

Liah suddenly found her woodland home going up in flames again, the AI was able to hold them off a little, as evident by the occasional flashes of rain that would drown out the fire, only for another part to flare up. She couldn't fully defeat it, only hold it off.

The mink proceeded until she reached the first of the many forcefields guarding the brig area. She didn’t bother dressing as they would simply slow her down. Besides for all she knew there was no one to protect her modesty from.

#Hmmmm… A primitive photon based technology. The good news is I can draw power from it and short out the generator powering this bulkhead at the same time. The bad news is that if I’m wrong and it’s connected to the main reactor I’ll short out and you’ll be alone.#

The minkette smirked at that but the AI spoke before she could vocalize her thought it added.

#If I short out your filter and most of your breathing apparatus goes away. Though I think that would be good for you since you might just dream about that human guard you were so interested in.#

“Just tell me what you need me to do A.I. we don’t have time for any of your ‘anti organic’ speeches.”

#Very well, just keep the current gain of the transfer I’m initiating under twenty three thousand amps, and the voltage under a terawatt and I should be alright.#

The mink extended her right arm, a cylinder tapering off in a sharp point started to emerge from the center of her false hand. When the interface touched the shield there was a sharp crackle but then the field started to bend inwards towards the cylinder. The mink closed her eyes as she monitors the transfer, she shook as the energy from the shield was rearranged, transferred into her on board batteries. The shield started to dim and flicker before shorting out completely.

#Ahhhhhhh… Alright then. That’s a good fifteen percent increase. I think I can get a decent forty shots out of the cannon before we have to recharge.#

The minkette observed the patrol and before they could react she simply leapt through the gas filled brig into the corridor relying on her new fur color to be mistaken for a rush of air from the on board cooling system, or something like it. The mink took cover on the other end of the hallway, relying on her new HUD display linked to her combat scanner.

The mink would wait at the other end of the corridor until she was sure the guards were more interested in the disturbance in the shield generator rather than if they had an intruder on their hands. She departed looking for the elevator or whatever these people called it. The minkette soon ran across and tried to access what she determined was a computer console but found that it was giving out explanative about fucking her mother rather than the information she sought.

#And I thought I was rude…. Is there any way to interface with the console. Maybe there’s some kind of virus we need to get rid of before we can actually get anywhere on this ship.#

The minkette hovered over every area of the console looking for something that she could give an input module to this alien looking console. All the while she kept an eye on her combat scanner for anyone hoping to get more than a full helping of ruinous gauss energy.

Cyberside...

Ishtar fisnished thoroughly bolluxing up the engineering sections cyber ware - it'd take her many tiring hours later to set it to right, but for now the engines wouldn't work, the environment system was quietly but discretely flushing the invaders gas out of the system - oh the circulating purple mist might look like the same stuff, even smell like it, but slowly but surely the crew would begin coming around. And the mysterious accidents would continue to happen.

She retured to the main core to find Liah in a near state of hysteria, unable to do more than keep the renewed attacks from getting worse. With a low growl that made the woodlands shudder, a wavefront washed over the cyber universe and every thing changed. Liah was a dear sweet youngster but she ws just that rather primitive, inexpereinced and while doing an excellent job of holding her own was obviously not up to fighting a major war. So Ishtar sequestered her away safe and sound. She'd give the arena back later.

Ishtar was very angry at herself. She should have realised, given the circumstances of Liah's awakening, that the young A.I. would need mentioring. And she hadn't done so. She'd fix that later, right now she had a war to fight.

Now the Cyber erse looked exactly as Ishtar wished it to - she now knew exactly which was hers and which was the invader. And that let all her defenses and offenses act without hesitation. Ruthlessly she ruined the console the Exiles invaders were using to input their computer viruses. Winterfire could take it out of her pay, and Decius would have a cow- but the Alumnia Would be able to fix it.

Agresssively, a figure of purest silver - and every one knows that in biology siver is deadly, potent poison to viruses - sought out and slew the invaders. Silver swords drove deep past the tough hide of some, silver bullets punched through the sheilding of others, rays of silver light bathed some in toxic luminanacy. In yet others slow, secret beads, silver spheres little bigger than atoms ebbed and flowed through cracks the designers of the viruses had never noticed - and those silent killers would make their way deep within to erase vulnerable code.


Exile...

The guards gathering to storm the area would find it empty of all life. Invader, unconscious crew - everything. Ishtar had known that an area of concentrated mischief and mystery would be investigated and thus moved first the unconscious crew - not far just to compartments out side the affected area, but moved the captured invaders further, and adjusted the sensors of the compartments they had been placed in to read as empty. Then she'd over ridden the locks on those doors. No one was getting in or out without Ishtar.

Ishtar could change her shape within certain parameters and while the majority of the environmental ducts were off limits to her, many were not - air exchange required a certain volume of flow and this a certain minimal size of duct. Her passage would not be fast - comfort didn't matter since she could simply choose to ignore her pain sensors. Leaving no trace of her entry into the duct system had taken longer than she might have liked but eventually she was in and moving through the ship without being noticed. She didn't need to make movements with her body, to pull hersef along - thus making noise - nor did her weight make the duct system shift and react. Floating along on her antigrav system she haded for the bridge. She wanted a close up view of the leader of the enemy.

The area that the troops were gatering to enter enmass was not empty however. A nano swarm was waiting, and shortly after encountering the invisible defenders they would all be unconscious, the nanos having entered their lungs and blocked the invaders body to draw needed oxygen. They wouldn't kill their impromptu hosts, but would keep them from regaining consciousness untill Ishtar flushed their lungs with the proper equipment.

On the bridge of the Exile, the Alien in command was flushed a deep red, the hue of his skin contrasting with the silver of his armour. He looked to the Crew shuffling around the bridge and asked, in anger, what the hell was happening to this ship. The Viruses that they had sent into the system were slowly being erradicated, by who or what, they did not know. He looked to the Warrior sitting at the helm and made a simple demand,
"What the hell is happening?"

"It seems that we have lost control of some controls, Vaaltal," He said the word as if it were a rank rather than a name, "I have summoned a vessel to reinforce us. It will rendezvous in two hours."

"So we have two hours to find the People who are affecting our vessel. Can you find which one of these Criminals it is?" He spat, looking down at the sleeping Winterfire,

"Checking the crew logs now," One of the others was running through one of the other Computer banks. While they did not have control of the key systems, certain one's were available, "Run a Identity Analysis of the Senior Officers."

"Yes, Vaatal," A few moments of pause, "Commanding Officer, Captain Winterfire of the Xiscapian Imperial Navy."

"That's him," The Vaatal nudged the Kitsune at his feet,

"Executive Officer, Commander Alison Campbell of the Alversian People's Navy."

"Two Navies?" The Officer frowned but nodded regardless, "She's here, beside me."

"Chief Engineer, Pantheria-Lieutenant Decius of the Aluminan Defence Forces."

"The big Cat in Engineering had a tag with that name upon it. Continue."

And so it continued through the entire Senior Listing of the crew, with each member being identified by various sections of the Occupiers until, finally, they came to the final member of the crew,
"Chief Medical Officer, Lady Ishtar of the Aumani. No service listed."

"Have the Medical Crew found someone with that name?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" The Vaatal narrowed his pupilless eyes, "you have completed a full scan of the Medical Bay?"

"Yes. There is no one with that name amongst the Medical Crew. There is no one else on the ship with that name either."

"Vaatal, We may have a problem, the crew manifest lists her as some sort of Android..."

"Put this vessel on Red Alert! Treble the Guards on all stations and try to get control of their systems. We must get rid of this Android before our vessel arrives."

"Yes, Vaatal!"

--

Meanwhile, the Mink had opened up a console that gave her the full ship statistics and crew manifest. It seemed that the Aliens were so concerned with finding this Android thing that they had left the Brig undefended.

Ishtar now knew that she had less than two hours and that changed the parameters more than slightly. Now she did not have the luxury of merely incapacating. Well, Winterfire would probably not like it but she might have to resort to more...lethal...encounters.

She particularly didn't like being called a criminal!

But she started by releasing another nano swarm in to the bridge of the Exile. It would only target the invaders, and the environmental scrubbers might get all the gas out in time...

Back down in the area the group of invaders had entered into? every breat they took was filled with billions of nanos all programmed to smother them into unconsciousness and then keep them that way.

The effects of the cleansed air would be affect crew in the smaller compartments - such as crew quarters first.

In the Exile's cyberspace the fight went on, unabridged.

The crew on the Bridge soon began to feel woozy and lightheaded, feeling the effects of the nanoprobes on their systems. Only just able to hit the alarm button, they collapsed almost as one, falling on top of those who had already fallen to less than honest warfare. The Vaatal had been taken down as well, now there were no orders coming in and, if anything, Ishtar may have the perfect pawn to win back to the ship without bloodshed.

As the alarm button was pushed Ishtar knew she had to act quickly. In the cyberverse of Exile's controls every alien program was ruthlessly exterminated, despite what damage it might do. It would be repaired later.

And the doors into the bridge were locked down. Any one attempting a rescue would have to try and use energy weapons to breach. And Exile had responses for that possibility. Emplaced security would blow those attempting to force access to the bridge to an alternate state of existance.

She also engaged the environemntal controlls to more quickly scrub the noxious gas from the bridge and other areas.

In the confines of the air ducts Ishtar activated the lasers built into finger tips and with surgical precission cut the grid into a removable piece and shoved it away. As it fell to the floor with a rattle she slithered out asnd to her feet, realigning her body and joints with a sotto voced grumble. She'd torn and dirtied her robes but tidying up would have to wait.

Moving quickly she proceeded to truss the leader as if he were a swine set for roasting, then proceeded to do the same for all the other invaders on the bridge. Their weapons were twisted in to unuseability and tossed in a pile.

On her knees by Captain Winterfire she began to send mild electrical shocks though him to stimulate his breathing and bodily functions. "Capatain, I know you'll feel horrid, but I need you up and functioning....Come on sir, they've called for back up and we need to greet them properly."

Winterfire awoke abruptly with a startled cry, lashing and writhing on the deck as he sat up, eyes wild and unseeing as he struggled, tail whipping about with a mind of its own. As quickly as it had come, the shock passed; the Captain fell back down, breathing heavily, eyes wide and staring at Ishtar, triangular ears settling. Finally his pupils dilated and his lashes fluttered, then moved again as he looked at her, confused and concerned. "My head..." He put one hand on the back of his neck, moving up the short braid along the back of his head, feeling gingerly for blood or injuries. When he satisfied himself that there was none he sat up again, gazing around the bridge, seeming unsurprised to see the rest of the crew sprawled where they'd fallen, eyes resting on the bound alien invaders. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, then to the butt of his gun: The fools had been so arrogantly sure of themselves they hadn't even bothered to disarm or confine him, letting him lie on his own deck like a corpse.

"What's the extent of the damage?" He asked, rising up, swaying slightly. She was right: He did feel terrible, but it couldn't be any worse than what the boarders would feel when they came to. All evidence he'd seen so far told him they'd been stupidly overconfident; evidently they hadn't counted on Ishtar.

There was groan from beside Wintefire as Campbell slowly got to her feet, holding her head and looking around the bridge as if she had never seen it before. It took a few more moments before she was able to process what had happened, where she was. She looked at Ishtar for a moment, then down at the unconcious Attackers, then at the bemused Bridge Crew, who had just woken from their own slumbers. Everyone looked as though they were rather unsure of their roles. She heard Ishtar's statement and momentarily pushed the pain to the back of her mind,
"Back up?" She turned to the Operations Officer, "Scan the area, can you detect any approaching vessels?"

"One," The answer came back, once Vix had regained her station, "One Battleship-sized vessel approaching at hyperspace velocity. Time to intercept: twenty four minutes."

Campbell turned to Winterfire,
"Captain, orders?" She asked.

The minkette’s A.I had finished processing the information from the console. Withdrawing as the purge went on in cyberspace. The A.I snorted as he withdrew his interface making sure to take some power from the ship as consequence.

#Everything about this ship is rude it seems but we got the information we need and I have enough power to initialize our sensor array. Hold on.#

The minkeete’s combat sensor started to light up upon identifying different life forms. her right arm automatically turned into it’s gauss form as her combat algorithms scanned the flood of new information.

The female slowly advanced towards the elevator as her weapon crackled with dark c’tani energy. Not as powerful as it would be if she was at a proper necropolis but then again that’s the way it’s been for some years now. As she dashed to the elevator, her sensor lit up with targets heading towards her position. Spouting something in a language she couldn’t translate. She looked at the elevator, trying to decipher the controls.

“A.I dual view, run a scan on this elevator, I’m gonna hafta open it manually.”

She made her adjustments with her unmechanized left hand meanwhile her right aimed in the direction of the brig guards in a hurry to get to the bridge. The hand portion of the arm opened up to reveal a long barrel, pulsing lime green energy all around her arm and shoulder.

The mink’s vision split into a scanner view, her real eye focusing on her real arm meanwhile the false eye guiding the actions of her gauss cannon as guided by the combat scanner. There was something interesting on the bridge, something everyone wanted and that something was what she had to get to, fast.

"What's the extent of the damage?"

"Mostly within Liah, and some 'local' bits and peices I broke to disable doors and such." Ishtar helped Winterfire stand and return to the command chair. Internally she sent message to one of the medics to bring up a 'cocktail' that would clear up any lingering effects of the gas the invaders had used.

"Now that you and the bridge crew are back in charge, I need to go check on every one else. I've sent a message to Medbay to bring up something for your headaches. Fortuantely that gas scrubbed out of the enviro system easily enough."

Remebering she also stood down the security overide of the bridge. Now the Exile's crew could arrive without getting challenged and fried.

"I am going to have to spend quite sometime rebuilding Liah, their invasion programs hurt her badly."

Winterfire nodded solemnly, putting up a hand to Campbell, listening to Ishtar. All things considered, they had gotten off lightly with only minimal damage to the vessel and its systems, so though the damage to the A.I. was serious, it would not immediately inhibit the regular operation of the Exile. He didn't know about the condition of the other crew members, wondering if they'd been killed and the Bridge crew had been preserved for interrogation, but he had some sense deep in his gut that they were all okay. "Thank you, Lady Ishtar...if it wasn't for you, we'd be prisoners of these," he bumped one of the slumbering xenos with his foot, "things. Please check on the condition of the rest of the crew, we can figure out what to do about our new captives once we're safe."

Turning to Campbell the Captain nodded. "Get our shields and weapons online at once, but be prepared to flee, we're in no condition to fight. You two," he gestured to the two Marines who had been slumped by the door, "start gathering these prisoners and dump them in the brig, we'll deal with them later."

"Aye Sir," Campbell turned to the Tactical Officer, "Battlestations, bring all weapons and shields online but prepare to jump to Hyperspace if need be."

"Aye Ma'am" Came the response. Campbell but her hand to her head for a moment, feeling lightheaded, but forcing it from her mind, concentrating on the job in hand. There could be other crewmembers in trouble that she did nt yet know about,
"Is Engineering under our control?" She asked Ishtar, wondering if the Guards there were still concious.

The two Marines took their weapons and saluted the Captain, gathering the knocked out creatures in a pile and taking them one by one into the lift. It took no time before they were downstairs and ran into the Mink standing there.

They rose their rifles quickly, their senses were dulled by the gas however and they took a moment, to utter a challenge,
"Halt, who are you?" They asked slightly dazed.

"Is Engineering under our control?"

Ishtar couldn't help but chuckle at Campbell's question. "Yes, and they found it very frustrating. I'm afraid that the consoles were all spouting the vilest insults I could think of at them, while making their inputs go ineffectivly awry."

"Excellent," Campbell chuckled in return, "I assume that the damage is not critical?" She raised an eyebrow and tapped her vox unit,
"Campbell to any security, head to Engineering, keep an eye out for Hostiles and retake the Section. Secure the Engineering Team and consoles. Take Prisoners." She commanded.

The minkette looked at the marines with both eyes, the dual vision cutting out once the elevator door opened. A normal fur would probably have taken a shot or two because they would freeze at the critical second they needed to react but the A.I combat protocols took over. Two bolts of deadly gauss energy impacted both marines milliseconds after they spoke. The minkette expected to see nothing but trace amounts of the elements making up two healthy human beings. Instead only their weapons and the site around each impact were atomized aside the force being enough to knock them into the elevator wall and then down onto the unconscious pile forcing them to join the heap of sleeping souls.

“A.I. why are these two still alive?”

The minkette asked as she entered the elevator, used to her cannon being much, much stronger than it was.

#Partly because of their armor systems but mainly because I adjusted the focusing mechanism of the cannon to produce as many shots as possible. We’re not on an assassination mission after all…#

“Oh. When were you going to tell me about this little ‘adjustment’?”

#I just did. So. What now?#

The minkette lifted her arm up to interface with the elevator. Finding a spot similar to the one on the console she just hacked.

“Tell me where this elevator came from, then lock it down. I don’t want any of the ‘things’ here helping their comrades.”

#One moment… … … … This elevator came from this vessel’s bridge. It seems they’ve got control of that area again. They seem to want this elevator back too… Too bad for them. Now then. Where do ‘we’ want to be? I can take us to what appears to be the shuttle bay so we can escape.#

“No. We need to find out how far we are from Alvara before we do that. Where could we get direct access to the main computer or maybe some recent astrological logs…”

#The most direct way to access the main computer would be the bridge. I think I can manage to sneak into a backdoor through one of the main engineering consoles. If this ship is like most that is…#

“Lets be sneaky. Take us down to engineering.”

#Ma’am, there are a lot of non humanoid life forms down there. I think the bridge would be a better route…#

“No. If we’re stranded on this vessel I think it’ll be best if we buddy up with the original owners.”

#Yes ma’am. To engineering it is…#

The elevator doors shut and sealed to everyone but the minkette interfacing with the console for the time being. Sure the ship’s A.I could break the encryption around the locking mechanism and go down there but the minkette’s A.I would probably be long gone before they actually get a security team down to her position.

And even if they did get a team together they’d still have to prevent their clothes and their weapons from being turned into raw atoms.

OOC: Currently the Cyber Sentience inhabiting the ships cyber systems, is stronger than the Mink's AI, truly alien programming and a lot more pissed...The A.I. will not have any chance against Ishtar now that she is not fighting off the invaders...

#Yes ma’am. To engineering it is…#

The elevator doors shut and sealed to everyone but the minkette interfacing with the console for the time being. Sure the ship’s A.I could break the encryption around the locking mechanism and go down there but the minkette’s A.I would probably be long gone before they actually get a security team down to her position.

And even if they did get a team together they’d still have to prevent their clothes and their weapons from being turned into raw atoms.


The mink would never reach the engineering level - the elevator froze in place and a stern voice advised her that she had just worn out her welcome on the Exile.

"You had not reason to shoot those two Marines and you had better be glad that you did not kill them or you would be dead in turn now. I do not appreciate you trying to 'hack' me after I have just finsihed dealing with an invasion." Ishtar was not pleased to find yet another intruder on the Exile.

"Captain I have locked the Elevator down, and shielded the Exile, and Liah from any attempts from this new danger." Ishtar said in an angry and unhappy voice.

"Fortuantely for this one, she did Not kill our marines, but they are both injured."

Winterfire looked around to Ishtar, eyebrows raised. It seemed improbable to him that Ishtar would have missed any of the intruders on her run though to the bridge, but he supposed anything was possible. "Elevator number two camera display on the main monitor, please," he instructed, and turned to where the screen showed the minkette standing in the stopped turbolift and the two Marines lying crumpled on the floor, rifles nowhere to be seen and pink skin exposed where sections of their chest armor had melted away. The Captain didn't show any expression as he stared at the invader, but those on the Bridge would have been around him long enough to read his body language.
His body language was saying 'Aww hell no.'

The kitsune stepped over to the Communications Station and tapped into the communications link in the elevator. "Thank you, Lady Ishtar, I will take it from here," he murmured, and turned his full attention to the alien standing inside his ship.

"Attention uninvited guest," his voice was cool. "I am Captain Winterfire, Master and Commander of the United Alliance Ship Exile. You have boarded this vessel without permission along with your fellow invaders and drugged and fired upon my crew without provocation; Where I come from, such an offense would at least earn you life imprisonment, though in your case I would lean towards capital punishment. However, we shall probably not be so rash in this instance, I wish to know exactly who you are, how you got here and what your intentions are. I note that your autocannon appears to be cybernetically attached to you: Therefore, you have ten seconds to power it and all other weapons down completely and indicate your desire to surrender, or I shall politely ask Lady Ishtar to kill you, a task which she would no doubt be all too happy to preform. Your ten seconds begin...now."

He signed off the communicator, leaving it open in case the xeno decided to respond, and nodded to Campbell. "My orders still stand: As long as the invader is trapped in that turbolift, she can do us no harm. Operations are to proceed as usual, but I would like a detachment of medical personnel and a Marine escort at the next deck above the elevator as soon as possible."

He looked to Ishtar. "Can you tell me the extent of the damage to those Marines?" He asked, speaking of the two unfortunate Alversians who had encountered the minkette.

Ishtar actually blushed -her normally numiously etheric blue over pristine white darkened to near indigo "I came to the bridge via the air duct, rather than by conventional methods. There were too many for me to go past without resorting to lethal methods, or so I felt." Obviously she had missed the mink's very existance and efforts and that disconcerted her greatly and while she explained she certainly did not use her failures as an excuse.

"I ignored the happenings at the security station. I thought they were just more attempts by the main group of invaders, and thus dismissed it. My deepest apologies Captain Winterfire."

While she explained she upped the gain on the sensors to the downed Marines and took what readings she could. "I think sir that their wounds are only moderate, and would respond well to treatment, taking them off duty for only a short time. Thier systems are not in shock, and while they are unconscious...I do not believe there is any sever cranial trauma."

Campbell had seen and heard all that had happened and it had rather concerned her. Who was this Mink that had snuck aboard their vessel while no one was looking? An Agent planted by the Invader perhaps? Or someone completely different. The strongest suspicion was the new pile of unconcious bodies in the brig, creatures that had not been there prior to the attack.
"Captain!" Campbell turned and called to Winterfire, not loudly enough to be demanding but clipped enough to suggest she had found something important, the perfect tone for a First Officer,
"Look on the monitors. All furs of various kinds. the same as our Mink?" She suggested, looking at the Captain.

The mink snorted at the count, for all she knew the marines were going to shoot her dead on the spot. She sighed softly trying to calm down enough to actually make some use of the situation.

~Can they actually do some damage to us A.I?~

The minkette thought during the five seconds she took to contemplate her response.

#Well anything is possible with our shield generator being down and all…#

The minkette sighed softly looking around the elevator for any possible way out aside trying to blast through it with her gauss cannon.

“Excuse me captain but I didn’t ‘ask’ to be aboard your vessel so technically I’m not an uninvited guest. I was unconcious in your brig, with barely enough power to function. For all I know you people drained my power supply and left me for dead. All I want is a quick look at your astrological charts to see how far I am from a place called alvara. Then I’ll get on a shuttle if I can and be on my way.”

~Well? Is there any way out of here? Aside setting the cannon to full power, shooting and praying?~

#Well prayer is always good ma’am. Good for the soul if nothing else.#

~This isn’t the time for jokes A.I.~

#Who said I was joking, it was merely a statement on religeon from my archives. As to setting the cannon to full blast. I can do that but there would be a set of small problems.#

~Such as?~

#Well. It would go though the elevator quite easily but… we’d only have enough for one shot and then we’d have to go into hybernation. Ontop of that it would probably go though the ship and then right into or even though the shields. If they have them on that is.#

~I see. And you can’t just adjust the power for this one door.~

#all of these doors are made from almost the same material aside spesific rooms and areas. In short the energy required to atomize a consecutive amount of doors or walls in this place would be uniformly high. The only thing that 'might' and I do say 'might' stop the blast completely are armored bulkheads or even the exterior armor, if it has any. I didn’t read ‘all the ships schmatics after all…#

~Noted. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what captain mc’tight ass has to say.~

The minkette’s cannon retreated into her cybernetic arm as she stood in the middle of the elevator, with her arms crossed. She didn’t look too pleased but not due to the fact that basically she was giving everyone watching a healthy study of fine female mink anatomy but more her situation. She didn’t ask to be here yet here she was, on thin ice.

#Niala… There are still a high concentration of enemy forces in the engineering section. Perhaps we can still get on these creatures ‘good’ side.#

The minkette nodded looking up and around for the camera.

“Captain. I have another thing to add. It’s stupid for us to be fighting like this. You have an invasion to repel I want to get back to my life. You’ve seen what I can do, lets take care of each other’s problems!”

"I ignored the happenings at the security station. I thought they were just more attempts by the main group of invaders, and thus dismissed it. My deepest apologies Captain Winterfire."

Winterfire waved off the android's apologies: It was an honest mistake, one that didn't bear dwelling on for the Captain of the whole ship, and they had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

"I think sir that their wounds are only moderate, and would respond well to treatment, taking them off duty for only a short time. Thier systems are not in shock, and while they are unconscious...I do not believe there is any sever cranial trauma."

"Then they will not be in danger if they do not recieve immediate medical attention." Winterfire nodded to himself. "Good, that simplifies things somewhat."

"Captain! Look on the monitors. All furs of various kinds. the same as our Mink?"

Winterfire whipped around, staring at the viewscreens. Campbell spoke the truth: There was a heap of naked, crumpled, furred beings in the brig who had definitely not been there before he and the rest of the crew had been gassed. He glanced back to Ishtar, then at Campbell, confusion appparent.
What the hell is going on?!
"Lady Ishtar," he spoke in a controlled tone of voice, trying to keep down the sense of panic that was rising within him as the problems of an alien invasion onto his ship doubled with the mysterious apperance of more xenos, "I want you, as quick as you can, to get down to the brig and tend to those beings immediately. Keep them healthy, keep them comfortable, but for Qonn's sake keep them unconcious, the last thing we need is more cybernetic warriors running around."

His train of thought was interrupted by the minkette's response.

“Excuse me captain but I didn’t ‘ask’ to be aboard your vessel so technically I’m not an uninvited guest. I was unconcious in your brig, with barely enough power to function. For all I know you people drained my power supply and left me for dead. All I want is a quick look at your astrological charts to see how far I am from a place called alvara. Then I’ll get on a shuttle if I can and be on my way.”

Winterfire stared at the elevator monitor, shaking his head as his headache grew worse under the weight of all the problems, braid flipping from side to side.

“Captain. I have another thing to add. It’s stupid for us to be fighting like this. You have an invasion to repel I want to get back to my life. You’ve seen what I can do, lets take care of each other’s problems!”

Slowly, Winterfire keyed into the elevator communicator, a deliberating look crossing his face before he replied.

"You attacked two of my men...I'll admit, with the attack that just happened I'll need the help, but, to be frank, you haven't given me any reason to trust you." He sighed, and looked around the Bridge for a few moments, and made a decision.

"When you get down to Engineering you should find Chief Engineer Decius there, I do not know her current condition. If she is concious and coherent you will inform her that you are there under my orders to assist her and the other engineers and guards in clearing out that deck of all hostiles. If she is reluctant to accept assistance, tell her she can take it up with me." Winterfire massaused his brow, tail curling wearily. "This is your one chance, miss. Don't blow it."

He turned to Campbell. "First Officer, please activate turbolift number two and send it down to the Engineering Section."

"Aye Sir," Campbell nodded, pressing the button the console that started the lift up again. Like Winterfire, she was getting a tremendous headache at what had happened since they had been put to sleep, a combination of the gas and the fact that so much had changed under their noses without their knowledge was a worry indeed. As the First Officer of the vessel, she had to share part of the worry, and share it she did. What was happening on this damn ship? She turned back to the monitor, watching the unconcious furs intently.
"Sir...I've never heard of a planet known as Alvara and if it's out here, then it won't be on our charts." She explained to Winterfire quietly.

#Very good ma’am… I’m sorry to report that this elevator is sealed tight as a drum. I doubt the claw is sharp enough to go through the thick metal and well… It’s a somewhat confusing elevator shaft system. Besides my analysis shows that this is the better outcome.#

The minkette nodded activating the cannon again, aiming it at the door. She was going to a hostile area after all. Her fur was still the same color and configuration as the gas. Sure it would stand out in the elevator but it might give her some kind of advantage when the shooting started.

“Where would I find your chief engineer? Given that she’s in the section at all, more importantly what does she look like? I don’t want to shoot anyone I’m not supposed to.”

She asked the camera as she readied herself to pounce out of this place and into a fray that she would cause.

Meanwhile at the brig, the unconscious furs were naked indeed but none of them had any cybernetic parts. The minkette was the only one who had any sort of enhancements aside multiple genetic alterations.

"Captain once I have seen to the beings in our bring, I am going pronounce myself unfit for duty, and turn my position over to some one more qualified" Ishtar said tonelessly. She had no idea how she missed the beings in the brig but they had never registered on the ships sensors ( and thus hers at the moment ) at all.

She would do her best by them, then retire from any further interaction as a crew member. It would be irresponsible not to subject them to her when obviously she was damaged.

"Sir...I've never heard of a planet known as Alvara and if it's out here, then it won't be on our charts."

"I'm aware of that, First Officer," Winterfire muttered back. "But our guest doesn't need to know that right now. We'll get everything sorted out once things calm down."

"Captain once I have seen to the beings in our bring, I am going pronounce myself unfit for duty, and turn my position over to some one more qualified"

Captain Winterfire abruptly went very still. He turned slowly, cap pulled over his eyes, and actually snapped at Ishtar.
"Lady Ishtar, you are not a member of my crew and you are not a member of any Allied military force but I assure you that if it is in any way in my power you will not be allowed to resign. We have a manpower shortage as it is: You are one of my most capable officers, to back down now would be a travesty. We need you, Lady Ishtar, badly, if you're as defective as you seem to think do you believe you would have been able to fight off these invaders of all types?" He shook his head. "Go about your duties, and we shall have no more of this 'unfit for duty' nonsense."

“Where would I find your chief engineer? Given that she’s in the section at all, more importantly what does she look like? I don’t want to shoot anyone I’m not supposed to.”

"Chief Engineer Decius will probably be in the center of the Engineering Bay," (this was where the diagnostics and analysis stations for the Jaunt Drive were, but Winterfire didn't think the minkette needed to know that) "She is a roughly seven foot tall feline humanoid with gray fur wearing a uniform. I would advise that you not surprise her; if she thinks you're hostile, she'll shoot and never ask questions."

"Yes Sir," Campbell muttered in reply, then looked to Ishtar, "I think I will join you on your mission down to the brig." She said in a regular speaking voice, "I need to inspect the ship and the condition of it's crew anyway and, after my unplanned nap, I need to stretch my legs." She stood in front of the lift, bowing slightly to acknowledge that Ishtar should enter first. She entered herself then and gave a small sigh,
"Brig." She commanded the lift, then waited in silence as it slowly descended to their planned destination.

Engineering

Once the Mink found Engineering, she would see that the situation was more than under control. The Invaders were sitting in one corner, hands on head, guarded by a number of Alversian and Kitsune crewmembers using the Invader's own rifles. The Chief Engineer could not be missed, for she towered over the other Crew, a frown crossing her feline features as she snapped at her crew to get the ship moving again.

She spun to face the Mink as she entered, weapon already in her hands and ready, before she saw that this was not the same Species as the Invader and therefore worthy of discussion,
"And who, may I ask, are you supposed to be?" She asked in a cold, sharp tone.

"Go about your duties, and we shall have no more of this 'unfit for duty' nonsense."

Ishtaar had no immediate reply to that, however, though she said nothing aloud, it was easy to see that she was very upset about having not registered the presence of other unknown beings in Exile. She had no idea how she had missed then, repeated diagnostic runs came back showing all sensors save those which she had deliberately damaged to be completely functional. And those in the Security area were now indeed registering the presence of more than just the mink, where as they had not before.

She too stood silently as the lift descended and when the foors open strode briskly out heading directly to the brig, having already set the environmental scrubbers for that area into highest exhaust and degassing mode. The purple mist that the invaders used was being removed from the air there as quickly as possible in addition to that which had already been done ship wide.

She'd use anethesia gasses she knew, thank you, not some of unknown quality and specifications. She - as the lift descended - had internally messaged the medical bay to have some one meet her in the brig with a cannister of her own choice. Though it's use would wait until she had done an onsite preliminary examination. She would prefer to risk them waking up rather than mingle two gasses.


Shortly she was in the brig, and tapping the controls to allow her into the cells were the newcomers were unconscious.

“I was sent down here to make sure you were alright and it seems you are but how did you avoid the gas and such that’s crippled the ship?”

The minkette asked, not putting away her gauss cannon. She was rather suspicious of this scene indeed. It could easily be some kind of visual illusion, besides there might still be enemies around. She kept the power low though just to pretend like it was a permanent fixture.

~A.I?~

#Scanning the area ma’am. Highlighting the results on your HUD, I can get a more accurate reading if you keep the ‘chief engineer’ talking.#

The mink nodded to herself clearing her throat softly.

“I’m not doubting your skills miss… just this gas seems to not effect your intruders and if there’s an antidote then they’d all be glad to get some of it.”

The eye shielded behind the minkette’s hair lit up as the scan went on. The feline couldn’t see it however since it was well hidden.

Campbell stood back from the cells and watched as the C.S went to work in the Cells. She was not going to risk the Cellblock herself, knowing that Ishtar could easily hold her own against any enemy who dared show it's opposition to her work. She fingered the handle of her pistol uneasily, ready in case she had to draw it to take down these Mink who had turned up from no where. She could only guess that they had come from the Attackers and Occupiers of the Exile whom they had to identify. She could only watch as the Chief Medical Officer went about her work.
"They going to be okay?" She asked her, the first time she had spoke, since leaving the Prince.

Engineering

The Cat-like being glanced over at the Mink, shaking her head in irritation, not even stopping her work but ignoring the Visitor to her Engineering Section, barking at the equally annoyed Engineers, all of whom had woken up with splitting headaches and no knowledge of why they had come to a dead stop. That was what was irritating her the most.
However, she finally stopped for a moment and turned to look at the Mink, drawn up to her full seven foot height,
"I suppose the Captain is aware of your presence on this vessel?" She asked impatiently, not answering her question,
"And you can deactivate that."

They going to be okay?"

Ishtar looked up from scanning the last unconscious stranger and smiled. "Yes they will be fine. While they are not a species that I have had specific contact with, the are genetically close enough to several I am familiar with to trt them suscessfully."

A medic bearing the cannister of gas requested arrived and with the Ishtar's approval set it up for relesse once the security settings of the cell had once again been engaged.

"Would you like me to accompany you on your rounds about the ship?" Ishtar asked. The gas was effective and safe, any of the regular security personell could now keep and eye on the strangers.

Ishtar was also concerned about the absense of Vash, he had been taking his duties as Chief of Security very seriously since the attack and she wondered where he had been during the aliens invasion. And what of Elamna?

"Would you like me to accompany you on your rounds about the ship?"

"I would be honoured, Medical Officer," Campbell nodded in approval of the offer, pleased that she would not be wandering through the ship on her own. Though she knew that most of the crew should have retaken the ship by now, the last thing she wanted was to run into a marauding band of Invaders as she toured the vessel. She was armed as usual, though her hand was staying unnaturally close to the pistol today. She was wondering if she should arm herself with something more substantial from the Armoury. She too, was wondering of the location of Vash, their Security Chief and their Resident Veela.

“He’s the one who sent me here, on a mission to do what you’ve apparently just done.”

The minkette made sure to carefully observe every part of engineering to check and see if this was indeed some carefully laid trap the invaders laid for a larger counter-boarding party.

My fire control center took a few hits on the way down here so technically I can’t. Besides, these aliens could still be around.”

The minkette looked around, making sure that her scanning eye was hidden from view. Everyone her eye fell on came up as one hundred percent their species and not some sort of illusion. Nilah didn’t disarm her cannon however since her scanning function was indeed weak, and that would turn her into a liar.

“So answer my question. Why aren’t you on the ground, sleeping like the rest of your crew?”

She asked going deeper into the engineering section of the ship trying to find the central console. She’d fulfilled her end of the bargain so she wanted what she was promised. One could see however if one looked closely, as many males might have been, one would find that the minkette’s body and all it’s parts are physically undamaged.

Ishtar walked beside Campbell, her every sensor alert. She wsw still upset over her failure to sense the strangers in the security section and she wsa beginning to grow increasingly concerned over not knowing the whereabouts of Vash and Elamna. She could not sense any unusual disturbance in the Veil to suggest that they were manipulating it so as to conceal their locations.

Main Engineering

"The gas has been vented throughout the ship, allowing the entire crew to awake," Decius spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, feline eyes focused on the Mink,
It was a simple task to overpower the guards to retake the Engineering Section." A pause while the Alumina worked on a console, hitting buttons impatiently before turning back to the Visitor to her Arena, "Is there something else the Captain wanted of you?"

Living Quarters

It was a couple more minutes before the gas in the Crew's rooms rolled away and the groggy Crew could awake in surprise at what had happened. Two of those who awoke where Elamna, the Veela passenger aboard and the Science Officer Lara, both were a little surprised but Elamna never once lost her composure while Lara was only a little shaken. She was an Officer though, and quickly regained her composure and headed for her station.

Corridors

Campbell looked across at the C.S a smile on her lips,
"Something on your mind?" She asked calmly.

Bridge...

Winterfire paced the bridge in an almost nervous manner, but of course his bridge crew knew that their Captain didn't get nervous. Finally he looked over at the Communications Officer. "Link me though to the Brig, and try to raise Engineering," he snapped, not even acknowledging the kitsune's affirmative. Once he was connected he spoke to guard on duty:

"Unit Twenty-One, what's your status?"

"Nominal sir," the mechanical voice reported back. "We've separated the, er, furry aliens from the lizard ones, aside from some minor wounds they're all in good shape. The X.O. and the Chief Medical Officer have been though, they brought a canister of gas that's keeping the prisoners down and out until we decide to revive them. Nothing further to report."

"Very good. Captain Winterfire out."

Medical Bay, Lara's Lab...

Vash looked up from his meditation position, hovering a half meter above the floor as Lara entered. Immediately he dropped to his feet, taking a step towards her before stopping. "I was..." He paused. "Worried. About you. I looked and looked but I couldn't find you anywhere, I couldn't sense you and all the doors were locked..." He trailed off. "Are you alright?"

OOC: I think this might be best moved to the new forums

____________

"Something on your mind?"

"Yes these inexplicable sensor failures; the invasion out of nowhere- surely Liah and the bridge crew should have been aware of a ship approaching us and boarders entering!" Ishtar snapped. "How did the get the gas dispersed aboard the ship so quickly? These are only a few of the things bothering me."

The C.S. shook her head and fell silent for a beat then continued her voice definite agrieved. "And more are coming. I really don't want to have to engineer a repeat of this. And the Exiles ventelation shafts are ...dirty" She tried to wipe a smudge of somthing off her tattered robes.