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="Shadowdancer" data-source="post: 1348151" data-attributes="member: 515">Chapter XIIIDate: 119-993Place: Alief System. The five and a half hours before the inspection team arrives pass by pretty quickly for the crew. Argent remains on the bridge to monitor communications. Darishun helps move the pulse laser into the port cargo lock and then helps Vasilii prepare for inspection until the medical report arrives. Saro spends his time readying the sickbay and studying the report on the hemmorrhagic virus sent by the medical officer on the Wall of Stone. Vargas spends time checking on the jump drives and power plant, and adjusting a few manifolds and lines. Swann, Ian, and Martha manage to complete the external work on the pulse laser after five hours of hard work. They then return inside where Martha immediately goes to check the jump drives and power plants, and undo almost all of Vargas’ adjustments. In nearby space, the cutters work quickly to inspect the relief fleet bound for the Wall of Stone and Alief while the fighters, close escorts, and destroyer escort keep a watchful eye on the fleet. After each ship is inspected, it lights its drives at max power and heads toward its assigned station. At 1500 hours, the comm on the bridge crackles to life. "Cutter Picket Delta to Bray Keaven." "Bray Keaven here, go ahead." "We are coming alongside for inspection in 10 minutes. Please muster the crew in the hallway near the starboard passenger airlock, and have personal identification papers and cargo manifest ready for inspection. All weapons onboard must be declared and remain in staterooms or in the ship's locker. No weapons are to be carried at any time. We will try to expedite the inspection, but the red zone quarantine remains." "Understood, Picket Delta. See you soon." Ten minutes later, with the crew mustered in the corridor near the starboard airlock, an Imperial Navy cutter closes within 100 meters of the Bray Keaven, and four suited figures use thrust packs to cross the space between the cutter and the ship. They expertly jet to a halt and cycle the outside airlock door. First through the airlock is a hulking suit of battle dress with corporal rank insignia carrying a plasma gun! Wordlessly, the hulking figure tromps pass Vargas, who is standing closest to the bridge, and takes up station blocking the entrance to the bridge (and, coincidentally, putting itself in a position to fire down the corridor, through most of the crew, and probably through the drives). The smoky black of a darkened faceplate firmly damps any thoughts of chitchat with Plasma Hulk. "Jeez, plasma guns on a ‘friendly’ interdiction inspection? What's going onhere," Argent thinks. The next figures through the airlock are two Marines in combat armor, with somewhat more sensible arms: gauss carbines. Ian notes approvingly that the gunnery sergeant’s combat armor (Tanaka, by the nameplate) is rather aged and not spit polish sharp, but well maintained. The sergeant’s and private’s faceplates are clear, and the faces appear tired, but alert. Finally, the smallest figure of them all clears the airlock. This suit of armor almost gleams of polish, and the second lieutenant bars appear to be newly applied. Instead of a gauss carbine, the figure carries a naval gauss pistol on its right hip. The faceplate remains darkened, and a tinny male voice squeaks out of the suit’s speakers at loud volume, "Alright. I’m Lieutenant Berisul, Imperial Marines. Let’s do this inspection by the numbers. "Who is in charge of this tub?" the figure adds, his hands on his hips. "I’m the acting captain," replies Argent. "Naval Leftenant Argent, retired." "Alright! Let’s head to the bridge to inspect your ship’s logs. Sergeant, you’re in charge of checking papers and cargo inspections! Execute!" With that, the Marine lieutenant marches towards the bridge. There is a bit of dancing about while the lieutenant tries to squeeze by Plasma Hulk Marine, who apparently couldn't quite move over enough to let the lieutenant easily by. Oddly enough, Plasma Hulk Marine seems to straighten and let Argent by smoothly. Once Argent passes, Plasma Hulk Marine returns to a guard position, and the face plate lightens to reveal a surprisingly attractive female face with an amused smirk that is quickly tamped out. Once the bridge doors shut behind Lt. Berisul and Argent, the sergeant shakes his head ever so slightly and then asks in a conversational tone, "I sincerely hope that your captain doesn’t keep any obscene photos in the computer system. Lt. Berisul will be checking every nook and cranny of your computer system in order to find and inspect them carefully. So, who are you people and what do you have to declare?" Glancing in the direction of the Marine Lieutenant’s retreat, Ian gives a quick grin to Plasma Hulk Marine and steps forward in a crisp ex-Marine like fashion. "Yes. Well, I guess I’ll start: I’m Ian McConnell. Like most of us here I’m just along to help out any way I can. I’m sure I can speak for all of us in offering you our condolences for your recent losses. "Like you, we wish this inspection to go smoothly, and I believe we have everything in order so that we can get on with our mercy mission, and you can get some rest ASAP. "I have the following personal weapons in the ship's locker: One stungun, one cutlass, one combat knife, and one gauss pistol. Here are my papers and the permit for the gauss weapon," concludes Ian. As the gunny scans the papers, his eyes widen briefly, and he snaps to attention followed, after a brief heartbeat, by the other two marines. "Captain McConnell, sir!" he barks. Ian smiles and replies, "At ease, Gunny. I'm retired now." "That’s only because the Corps doesn’t sent you a paycheck now, sir." Ian then adds, conversationally, "True. By the way, do you still have a Mr. Flanagan on board the Wall of Stone, Sergeant? He might be a Second-looey by now, I guess?" Sergeant Tanaka’s face clouds for a moment before he replies, "Not anymore, sir. Gunny Shirigaa spoke very highly of him, sir. Said that he learned a bit more polish and smoothness from his old intel officer in the 5677th than most new second lieutenants, even if they come up from the ranks. Were you in the 5677th, sir?" At Ian’s nod, Tanaka continues, "Lieutenant Flanagan was in Alpha Company, and the plague that hit the Stoney started there, sir. Damn pissant locals. Too stupid to know that bioweps are like nuclear hand grenades, and little else tends to call down as much ortillery from the fleet as a pissant who tries to use them. "But I’m wandering a bit, sir. Perhaps we could chat some more after introductions?"</blockquote>

Verification