Chapter 3: Encounter

[Midnightmoon]

"Ugh! Hungin..." Lee turned off the comm, ".... Fine then, I'll just get back to not fixing stuff." He stomped over to a pad next to the door and yanked the cover off with a pop. Mumbling angrily he started to tear out and refit wires and nobs, ignoring the occational spark, mindlessly working. He was just picking up he cover again whe he realised that the thing was working again. "At least I got something done..."

[Kauria]

(OOC: Rebels! )

"It's slightly smaller than us, and armed. Not one of the same ships from before," Rucha reported, reading the streams of information the computer could provide. "I can't identify the weapons they've got — seems more your area of expertise, but the good news is that they're not attacking. They might be waiting for reinforcements, might just not recognize us yet." Rucha looked up at Ariaka. "Should we jump, or stay to bluff or fight?"

[Nohiki]

OOC: Don't get your hopes up, this RP isn't about happy gettogethers ;P

"I am done running. Whoever they are, they better not try anything funny." said the android, turning the broadcast on. "Unknown ship, identify yourselves!" she said to the microphone with the most authoritative voice she could do.
"Croatoan? Oh my god is that you? This is Revolution, please help us, the Unity is pursuing us!" was the reply. This is no good. That ship is about to fall apart. Saving them is secondary, we need information. thought Ariaka with coldness she didn't like, but she knew her reasoning was correct. "Calm down Captain! Can you give us coordinates of your final destination? We are on approach and will provide cover fire for you." Ariaka said to the mic. "Roger that, sending coord... dear lord, it's too *static*..." In the moment, the ship that used to pursue them jumped in only few meters away from Croatoan and it's cannons annihilated the other rebel ship. However, there was smile on Ariaka's face for several reasons. "I need you to completely trust me right now. We can finish this once and for all. It will look like a bad idea, but we'll be fine." she said to Rucha and instructed the drones she prepared earlier to take positions around the Unity, using only maneuvering thrusters for propulsion. It was the only way for the enemy ship not to detect their approach. At the same time, the enemy ship started to turn towards the Croatoan and an input box popped in on Rucha's and Ariaka's consoles. It spelled 'Enter self-destruct code'. Ariaka handed Rucha a note, telling her to enter it.

[Midnightmoon]

Lee had started up fixing another -which he actually found easy once he had started reconizing things- when his pad blipped a message. Looking at the screen he froze and his mouth just gasped wordlessly for a few seconds. The he burst into action and activated the comm again, "Activating self-destruct?! What the hell are you doing?!"

[Nohiki]

Ariaka watched the Unity reaching firing position. "I can't enter both codes myself but i can block the warp, so you have no choice. Enter the code, NOW!" said Ariaka, actually just waiting to jump out the second it was required, but hoping Rucha wouldn't resist. After all, Ariaka haven't let them down since they awoke. She was the reason they didn't die on Zenith in the first place. She looked at the enemy ship again, careful not to trigger the warp until it was absolutely necessary. This opportunity to destroy the enemy ship as one time. She also received the coordinates from the other rebel ship, and even though the last digit was missing, that made them only 9 jumps tops from finding answers.

[Zetherus]

The commando was rudely shut out when the android turned and walked out shutting the blast doors behind it. A few moments later he started to get a signal from another ship nearby. It was close, so close he could hear the conversations over the intruding ship's intercoms. He thought it was necessary to jam it's signal before he got out of range and he did so. He heard the enemy ship prepare to fire before it went all quiet over it's comms when the signal was used. "That will make them think twice before destroying this vessel." He laughed evilly before he realized the whole shuttle sector went offline temporarily for a brief time period when the enemy cruiser tried to deflect it.

The airlock then hummed as these solid metal round clamps locked the door from opening even if it was rigged to open. He turned around to face the airlock for the worst the android had promised him but it didn't happen. "I'm not going to wait for the power to turn on so I can get vacuumed out." He turned back to the Croatoan entrance and charged. He stabbed both of his heavy hands under the door creating a lift position. He began to lift the door and successfully broke the seals holding it in place making the door limp to his command. He heavily pulled up on the door making it slam into the ceiling and rushed through. He ran over to his D.M.E Cannon and grabbed it in the process of making it phase from sight. The commando then vanished within the ships depths once again to go looking for the recovering mercenary this time instead of destroying the vessel.

[Kauria]

"Got it," Rucha said, gray fingers copying Ariaka's code into the box as quickly as she could.

[Nohiki]

A radio signal went from the bridge, making it's way through the ship and surrounding space. Of course, nothing happened to Croatoan. The cylinders Ariaka mounted on the drones were nukes from their own self destruct, and those were now placed on stealth drones all around the enemy ship. "Cover your eyes!" said Ariaka as the radio signal reached the nukes, making the enemy ship vanish in balls of white light. Croatoan shook as the shock wave hit it. To her surpirse, Ariaka still saw the enemy on sensors, along with radiological alarm. "Umm, we gotta get outta here, their reactor is overloading!" she said and started counting down the warp. The second they vanished, the enemy ship was torn apart from the inside. "Who is awesome?" asked Ariaka, checking the screens for damage.

[Kauria]

"Holy geez, you are!" Rucha peeled her fingers off her face and punched at the air in triumph. "That was the coolest thing I've ever not seen, including everything from before the stasis chamber." She let herself fall back in the chair.
"Though," she said, voice becoming more serious, "it would have been better without losing the first people who could have really told us who we were — are. Is the ship okay?"

[Nohiki]

Ariaka shared the information about the received coordinates. "That means we only have up to 8 jumps now to get to what I presume to be our - I suppose - base. wouldn't go there until we fix this thing though. Chances are high enough for it to be discovered or already leveled to worry me." she shared her worries. "About us, we're mostly here. If we were in atmosphere we would have been toast because of the shock wave, but the only medium it can transmit through in space are the particles released in the blast, and there aren't many. Biggest damage was caused by the EMP and radiation. Not a lethal level, don't worry. The computers are kinda off but nothing that can't be fixed." she imitated a sigh of relief. "With that ship gone, they lost track of us, so go get some sleep while i fetch the others still awake and force them to their beds. We more than earned it, all of us." the android smiled and went to check on the Shis and Tal'Set.

[Zetherus]

Tal'set has been laying in the stasis pod for a few hours now not knowing what's going on outside. He did have a dream of Zenith before the destruction and saw a similar giant humanoid that looked like the one he fought earlier on the Croatoan guarding the entrance to the defense tower. When he looked behind him, he saw an endless city further then the eye could see with thousands of clustered buildings that reached above the clouds. He took a step forward then stopped to realize that when he looked down he was a child again. When he was about to look up at the sky, following one of the biggest cluster of buildings with his eyes, a fire ball the shape of a pillar crashed into the shiny concrete floor in front of him instantly transforming into a three legged cyborg like creature that started to fire upon the people in the city killing them. It then turned and started to Shoot at him before the commando jumped in front of the energy shot and charged the thing grabbing it and ripping it in half in front of Tal'set. The commando ordered the child to retreat into the defense center as he made the D.M.E Cannon appear from the projector on his shoulder and started to fire dark matter projectiles at the enemies appearing everywhere. As Tal'set ran into the giant diamond doors of the defense center hundreds of different commandos of shapes and sizes started to run to the courtyard to fight the Vok invasion. A Anero'nolmi wearing a high grade uniform with medals all over his chest ran up to the boy with a pistol in his right hand. "Come with me son its not safe out there right now." He said calmly and grabbed his hand then hurried him to a elevator. When the both of them were descending down the shaft a window started to reveal immense ships that had the names "Arc of Atlantis" and "Arc of Valence" written in gibberish from what he thought then darkness.

He felt his heart pumping like someone was ripping his heart out and started to feel a serious pain that started to ascend in his chest. The health sensors in the stasis pod started to alert the med bay for health dangers.

OCC: Tal'set might be going through cardiac arrest. Thought I'd give you something to do Morty.

[Awesomoman]

Lance woke up when the ship started shaking. "What the? Computer, link with the main screen and show me whats going on." His visual went black and in seconds the main screen of the ship appeared. There was a giant white light that would have blinded Lance had he stared at it long enough. Instead he shut is eyes and commanded it to switch back to normal. His vision was blurred and his eyes hurt but the pain left now that the explosion was gone. You didn't have to be an expert to tell what the blast was, he pressed his helmet turning the comlink on. "What the hell who just nuked what?"

[Nohiki]

Ariaka laughed. "Good morning, i thought you went to winter hibernation. Me and Rucha just killed the big mo fo that has been following us. Also, we have a giant guy of Tal's species as prisoner who infiltrated us on Zenith. They slammed in your door." she said while making her way to the stasis chamber. When she arrived, her eyes fell upon the room designation tag, which spelled 'Stasis chamber 1'. "Hm, interesting." she said and walked in. "How's the patient?"

[Awesomoman]

"What? Come on there is no way I would have slept through-" Lance opened the door and saw the huge dent. "....Seems I'm failing at my head of security job. Perhaps i should meet this big guy and make sure he doesn't dent anymore doors."

[Kauria]

Rucha fell backwards onto her bed, then rolled face-down into the pillow. She had no idea until now exactly how tired she was. Had she slept at all since the stasis chamber?
Maybe?
In any case, it was apparent that she needed to build up some stamina before she tried going that long without rest again.
Rucha turned her head and sighed. As tired as she was, she couldn't relax quite yet.
The Ceretai sat up again and opened her bag, looking for additional sets of clothes. Although jumbled from her constant rummaging, she found proper underclothes, another outfit almost exactly like what she was wearing, a jumpsuit, and a bundle of cloth with a note pinned to it.
She changed into the clean jumpsuit and wadded her old clothes in the corner. Rucha knew they had some sort of laundry system, but she couldn't remember a thing about what she was supposed to do with the clothes. Starting to repack, she picked up the note.

Rucha,
For the love of all that is holy, don't put this on until we get there. 
It's the last one I've got for you and you'll need it in one piece.

Rucha stared at the bundle, then back to the note. She shrugged, put it with the rest, slumped into bed, and started to snore.