Rbz20: Betrayal
General Summary
With the pirate dealt with, the crew turned to the heavy doors of the emergency shelter where the survivors were holed up. A plaque beside the door read "Hydroponics 3". After a moment's hesitation, Benesh stepped forward and rapped loudly on the door. He plugged his suit into the comm panel beside the door, then keyed through his mic, "Survivors on the Fortune's Favor. This is Benesh Von Lawick of the Rubezahl responding to your emergency. It is now safe to open up."
He waited hardly a moment before the door unlocked and parted, revealing a cramped room filled with some dozens of sheltering crew and refugees. He were taken aback for a moment at the size of the group, but he stepped forward anyways, switching to his mic to speakers, "Do not worry. We are getting the situation under control..."
Several scruffy uniformed survivors pushed themselves to the front of the crowd. One of them with captain's strips raised his arms -- one cybernetic and one flesh -- in joy, "Hurray. We are saved!" Benesh exchanged glances with his own crew. There was no way they would cramp all these survivors on their own ship. "You are here to rescue us, right?" The captain added eagerly. His name tag read "BRENNAN".
"Well," Benesh said hesitantly, "We want to make sure you are safe here. And we will make sure your distress is relayed to the authorities. But our ship is rather small for everyone."
"Don't worry. You can just bring me and my crew," the captain insisted, "There aren't that many of us."
Benesh narrowed his eyes, "No, but can take a few of you with us. Crew and refugees."
"Oh, then I volunteer myself, and a few of my crew."
Benesh hesitated, taken aback by the cowardly forwardness, "I don't think that will be appropriate." He turned to a woman who seemed to be the second-in-command, "You there. Get on the intercomm and see how many other survivors are still onboard. We need a tally of all souls." Then he turned to the captain, "Why don't we talk outside."
Hugh -- as the pirate had identified himself, now quite amicable as he laid against the wall -- waved his shotgun-arm-stump at the pair as they walked past him and around a corner, letting out a meek "hello". Out of immediate earshot, Benesh firmly reprimanded the captain on the need to take care of his charge. But the reprimade went right over Captain Brennan's head, and he continued to negotiate with the noble.
As the negotiation / reprimade dragged on, the other members of the crew noticed something strange pop up on their visors -- an anti-tampering alert from the Rubezahl. Perhaps there were still other pirates on the ship. Or perhaps the Fortune was coming apart even faster than they thought. Either way, with Quinn busying himself tending to the injured, Saskia and Reinhard pushed past Huge -- who waved contently with another "hello" -- and the now arguing Benesh and Captain Brennan to investigate. Saskia arrived first, moving like a shadow in the darkened corridor. Even before she reached the airlock, she knew something was wrong as lights flickered erratically along the darkened hallways. When she got closer, she could see a trio of figures crowded around the airlock, one with a plasma torch crudely cutting through the ship's airlock. They were trying to steal their ship! More than that, they weren't pirates, but instead, sported the same colors as the uniformed crew in the shelter. They must have left via a back way while their captain kept them occupied! Knowing she needed to act quickly, Saskia took aim at the torch's gas tank and fired. The single shot from her pistol pierced the tank, which promptly ruptured violently in the hallway, knocking everyone down onto their backs. Reinhard was coming up close behind now and both heard and felt the explosion. Coming around the corner with his weapon drawn, he yelled at the dazed crew through his speakers, and convinced the remaining two to stand down. He then tried to radio Benesh, but something was jamming his signal. More than that, the tank explosion had damaged the structure of the hallway. Air whistled out through several rends -- a minor problem as everyone here was vaccuum suited -- but out of one of the port holes, he and Saskia could see Rubezahl's gangway twisting grotesquely. The struts holding their ship to the Fortune was tearing away from the spin of the larger vessel! Acting quickly, Saskia crawled out through the airlock and tried to throw a line to secure the Rubezahl but to no avail. "Don't worry. I got this," Reinhard yelled into the radio, forgetting for a moment that it was being jammed. But as he started working the airlock, one of the treachery crew overrode the door behind him and slammed an axe into his back. Saskia watched in horror as Reinhard tumbled out of the airlock, arms flailing. He tries to use the thrusters on his suit to stabilize himself. But instead of doing that, the damaged to his suit only caused him to spin even faster out of control! Thinking quickly as Reinhard begins to tumble away into space, Saskia takes her coil of cabling and tossing it at the warrior. While she wasn't able to grapple the Rubezahl with the line earlier, this time, she manages to snag the warrior by his leg, pulling him awkwardly back "down" toward the hull.
Flustered by the obstinance of the Captain and angered by the cowardly display, Benesh nonetheless kept his cool as he pressed through the "negotiations". But something felt off to him. Time was of the essence, but the captain was doing everything he can to stall things out. "Hello." Benesh instantly knew something was about to go wrong. He stepped around to the side of the Captain to keep the both the Captain and the doorway in view, and was not surprised to see the second-in-command stepping out toward them with weapon in hand. Acting quickly, he shoves the Captain into the second and draws his own rifle, firing it above their heads in warning, "Stop right there. Hands up in the air."
Called to his duty as a healer, Quinn had busied himself tending to the wounded. And there was plenty of duty to fulfill here within the hydroponic greenery. So he paid little attention Benesh's bickering with the Captain, nor to Saskia and Reinhard tending to some business with the ship. The refugees, in turn, were grateful, and Quinn built an easy rapport with them. They confided him in the story of their escape and the sacred relic which was taken by the pirates. More than that, they mentioned that they were transporting a colony module -- it was a self-contained habitation block that could be dropped onto a planet. In a pinch, it could be used a lifeboat while they awaited rescue. Unfortunately, it was stowed in the rear cargo holds, which had torn free from the Fortune during the battle. Quinn assured them that it should be a simple task to retrieve it and tow it back using the Rubezahl. The crowd of refugees around him murmured hopefully just as a single gunshot crackled through the air.
As the negotiation / reprimade dragged on, the other members of the crew noticed something strange pop up on their visors -- an anti-tampering alert from the Rubezahl. Perhaps there were still other pirates on the ship. Or perhaps the Fortune was coming apart even faster than they thought. Either way, with Quinn busying himself tending to the injured, Saskia and Reinhard pushed past Huge -- who waved contently with another "hello" -- and the now arguing Benesh and Captain Brennan to investigate. Saskia arrived first, moving like a shadow in the darkened corridor. Even before she reached the airlock, she knew something was wrong as lights flickered erratically along the darkened hallways. When she got closer, she could see a trio of figures crowded around the airlock, one with a plasma torch crudely cutting through the ship's airlock. They were trying to steal their ship! More than that, they weren't pirates, but instead, sported the same colors as the uniformed crew in the shelter. They must have left via a back way while their captain kept them occupied! Knowing she needed to act quickly, Saskia took aim at the torch's gas tank and fired. The single shot from her pistol pierced the tank, which promptly ruptured violently in the hallway, knocking everyone down onto their backs. Reinhard was coming up close behind now and both heard and felt the explosion. Coming around the corner with his weapon drawn, he yelled at the dazed crew through his speakers, and convinced the remaining two to stand down. He then tried to radio Benesh, but something was jamming his signal. More than that, the tank explosion had damaged the structure of the hallway. Air whistled out through several rends -- a minor problem as everyone here was vaccuum suited -- but out of one of the port holes, he and Saskia could see Rubezahl's gangway twisting grotesquely. The struts holding their ship to the Fortune was tearing away from the spin of the larger vessel! Acting quickly, Saskia crawled out through the airlock and tried to throw a line to secure the Rubezahl but to no avail. "Don't worry. I got this," Reinhard yelled into the radio, forgetting for a moment that it was being jammed. But as he started working the airlock, one of the treachery crew overrode the door behind him and slammed an axe into his back. Saskia watched in horror as Reinhard tumbled out of the airlock, arms flailing. He tries to use the thrusters on his suit to stabilize himself. But instead of doing that, the damaged to his suit only caused him to spin even faster out of control! Thinking quickly as Reinhard begins to tumble away into space, Saskia takes her coil of cabling and tossing it at the warrior. While she wasn't able to grapple the Rubezahl with the line earlier, this time, she manages to snag the warrior by his leg, pulling him awkwardly back "down" toward the hull.
Flustered by the obstinance of the Captain and angered by the cowardly display, Benesh nonetheless kept his cool as he pressed through the "negotiations". But something felt off to him. Time was of the essence, but the captain was doing everything he can to stall things out. "Hello." Benesh instantly knew something was about to go wrong. He stepped around to the side of the Captain to keep the both the Captain and the doorway in view, and was not surprised to see the second-in-command stepping out toward them with weapon in hand. Acting quickly, he shoves the Captain into the second and draws his own rifle, firing it above their heads in warning, "Stop right there. Hands up in the air."
Called to his duty as a healer, Quinn had busied himself tending to the wounded. And there was plenty of duty to fulfill here within the hydroponic greenery. So he paid little attention Benesh's bickering with the Captain, nor to Saskia and Reinhard tending to some business with the ship. The refugees, in turn, were grateful, and Quinn built an easy rapport with them. They confided him in the story of their escape and the sacred relic which was taken by the pirates. More than that, they mentioned that they were transporting a colony module -- it was a self-contained habitation block that could be dropped onto a planet. In a pinch, it could be used a lifeboat while they awaited rescue. Unfortunately, it was stowed in the rear cargo holds, which had torn free from the Fortune during the battle. Quinn assured them that it should be a simple task to retrieve it and tow it back using the Rubezahl. The crowd of refugees around him murmured hopefully just as a single gunshot crackled through the air.
Report Date
19 Mar 2022
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