Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3195771" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 414: Stardust“None of them are alive, sir,” the Sergeant said as he turned back to face Jyren.    He was left to stare at the side of Jyren’s face, though, as it was hard to take in the entire view of the relatively small hangar of the Stardust. While a couple of shuttles were still sitting off to the side like was to be expected, the rest of the hangar was a mess...crates, parts, random objects that didn’t seem to be anything at all, and bodies were everywhere.    [You should have said something.] Jyren sent over the link to Marix, who was on the other side on the hangar, kneeling next to one of the larger collections of bodies.    He caught sight of her looking over her shoulder to him, but couldn’t make out any details of her expression. The fact that the only response he got was a simple annoyance was enough, though.    As one of the other marines stepped over to where Jyren, the Sergeant, and Tobias stood, it was the Sergeant(who’s name Jyren hadn’t caught, somehow), who turned to the other and asked, “What’s the count?”    “Twenty four of the crew and six Vong,” the other marine answered.    Jyren nodded upon hearing this. It sounded about right for the number of crew that would be in the hangar of a ship this size. But there was an obvious question that needed asking...however, Jyren didn’t have a chance to ask it.    It was Tobias who asked it, finally speaking up for the first time since they’d set down on the ship, “How long ago did...did this happen?”    “The blood is fresh,” Marix cut in, halfway to them by now and not doing anything to hide her voice...and so the unnerving statement was heard very easily by everyone in the hangar. Not that it mattered to her, “The warriors are moving very quickly. They did more than just kill everyone here, they tore it apart except for those two shuttles.”    [They are looking for something, Jyren.]    It was easy to understand why the second part was kept to the link and only there.    Trying to put pieces together and make sense of things, he glanced over to the turbolift tubes which looked to still be operable...though a comm panel next to it was completely smashed. Jyren sighed and then realized all eyes were on him, including those of the marines who had finished checking bodies and looking for anything helpful. He was in command here...they were waiting.    “We need to get in contact with the bridge,” Jyren said, stating the obvious, “I doubt the Vong would have used the lifts to go up the decks so they’re likely either in the tubes themselves and climbing the things or taking the ducts and ventilation chambers between the decks.”    It was the marine Sergeant who nodded to that, “The bridge is four decks up.”“Then lets check the turbolifts and get moving,” Jyren’s answer was quick, and as they started moving that direction, he said, “Leave five behind to guard Loki and watch our backs. Once we get to the bridge and figure out the situation, we’ll see what needs to be done with protecting the rest of the crew.”    [This doesn’t make sense.] he sent over the link. [The Vong don’t do this.]    [They’re looking for something.] Marix repeated herself in the same tone.    Thankfully, three of the four turbolifts were operational. The fourth had its door jammed and was likely the way many of the Vong were moving between the decks considering the odd damage to it. But as priorities had already been set, this was simply noted as they divided up amongst the other lifts and headed up to the bridge.    [Why here?] he was continuing the previous train of thought. [What could they possibly be looking for?]    Marix had no answer for that.    The ride in the turbolift was a short one, and in a few moments the door slid open to reveal the simple corridors that looked like most every other ship in the galaxy. Except that there were suddenly blaster rifles aimed at them.    “Hold your fire!” Jyren called out instinctively upon seeing the weapons and noting the marines with him(and Marix) beginning to raise their own weapons.    They stood face to face with a group of four other fleet marines, all wearing similar uniforms but with a patch on their shoulders that identified them as being attached to the Stardust. Upon realizing they were not looking into the face of Vong warriors, the four marines, who’s faces looked panicked, managed to slightly lower their weapons.    One of them managed to find her voice, “W-who are you?”    “We’re from the Araddon,” Jyren answered quickly, while trying to step out of the cramped turbolift. “We’re here to help where we can. Can you take us to the bridge?”    The woman nodded, then looked to a Duros to her side, “Take them quickly, Private. Return to us as soon as you can.”    “Thank you,” Jyren nodded to her as the Duros Private led the way down the corridors and through more than one heavily guarded areas that looked to be made of makeshift barricades. As they made it quickly through the corridors and towards the bridge, Jyren managed to get the marine with them to explain what was going on.    Apparently, the group of Vong warriors was a deck below, and the marines had already retreated to try to set up some kind of defense for the bridge. They had taken as many of the rest of the crew up with them, but a great deal had been left behind in the chaos...and were likely dead or soon to be dead. The remaining personnel had been handed weapons and were either preparing to assist in the defense of the bridge or taking up stations in places where others had been forced to leave for whatever reason.    From the sounds of things, it was a sort of controlled chaos...ready to explode at any second.    And then they reached the bridge.    Unlike the large bridge of a Star Destroyer, the Stardust had a bridge of roughly half the size, with stations along the walls and a series of consoles spread out in a half circle near the viewports in the front. There were also twice as many people there than was normal, and adding Jyren, Marix, Tobias, and five extra marines didn’t help how cramped it was.    The Duros that had led them there said something to a crewman without any rank insignia on his uniform, and then turned and nodded to the group before leaving and heading back to his post on the front line, as it were. Even in large red eyes that many found hard to see any emotion in, Jyren could tell the Duros was ready to die. Expecting to die. And it was a courage that Jyren had to admire.    But there wasn’t much time to, as soon after the marine had left, a man roughly Jyren’s age and wearing the markings of a New Republic Navy Captain turned and greeted them with a nod, “If you’re here to help, we need more guns protecting this bridge.”    Jyren looked to the marines with him, and two of them nodded and headed off the bridge to see what they could do. He then walked over to the man in charge and kept his voice as low as was possible considering the fact that the bridge was dealing with the battle outside and inside at the same time, “Sir, I need to know the situation here. This isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen from the Vong.”    “No, its not,” came the quick response as the Stardust’s Captain looked over a tactical display of the battle outside. A quick glance showed Jyren that the fight was moving very close to them.    Obviously, this man was preoccupied with other things and not up for conversation. However, Jyren’s mind was racing as he tried to make sense of everything, “It looks like they’re searching for something.”    That got the Captain’s attention. When he reaction was noticed, he just allowed himself a short nod. The man also was intelligent enough to not wait for the next question, “We were equipped with a prototype device to try and counteract the Vong War Coordinators at Ithor...it worked. But now...”    “...now its not, and the Vong are after it,” Jyren finished for him, starting to understand.     But he had no chance to ask anymore questions or gain more information. From the consoles in front of them, one of the crewmen called out, “Captain! The large Vong ship has broken through the line and is headed straight for that ring.”    At that, eyes went from the tactical display to the viewport. It was easy to see the Araddon firing away in the distance with a collection of various shapes returning fire. And out of it, from what was the back line of the Vong’s formation, came a ship...it was large, nearly the size of a Star Destroyer, and while it was still firing red-orange shots to her side at the New Republic fleet, it was suddenly bolting past the fight at a speed that seemed terrifying for a ship its size.    And something came through the Force then, too.    Suddenly, Jyren saw the Vong ship plow past the Stardust and the other defenses that were sent back to catch it. The turbolaser fire seemed to do nothing to the ship’s rocky hull as it shot past, straight for the Gateway. In a matter of seconds, it simply slammed right into the Gateway, tearing it apart and, as a testament to the strong craftsmanship of the huge Gateway, destroying the Vong ship along with it...but...    ...but it was gone, and more Vong ships came through, ignoring the battle and heading straight for the open hyperspace route into Alraxian space.    “Evacuate the ship,” the words escaped Jyren before his eyes even returned to the reality of the moment.    The Stardust’s Captain turned to regard him with a look of shock, “I will not abandon my—“    ”The turbolifts are clear for the moment. Get all the data you can, destroy that prototype, and get everyone off of this ship before the Vong get what they want and kill us all in the process,” Jyren’s voice was as harsh as Marix’s could be when she was giving orders. But when the Captain attempted to protest again, Jyren cut him off a second time, “There are more things on the line than a prototype, Captain.”    That seemed to get through. The man stood up straight, nodding slightly, but then asked an important question, “That Vong ship will get through.”    “No it won’t,” Jyren answered that without really answering it, “That’s my problem. You have more important things to do. Get these people out of here before you can’t.”    Truthfully, Jyren had cheated. He had used the Force to push his point, allowing it to resonate with is voice and tell the man no information at all while convincing him to do what Jyren suddenly knew had to be done. It was probably not a good thing to manipulate people like that, but there wasn’t a choice and there wasn’t time.     It wasn’t long before the ship’s Captain gave the order to evacuate, and the bridge crew headed out.</blockquote>

Verification