Voyage 3: Sketchy Notes vers. (pt. 3)
Scene 8
Chaos Roll... 4 Interrupt! NPC Action: Develop Dreams.
As Molly lands on board the docking bay of the Triakiee Zephyr, she scans the chamber carefully for arms and powered fighters. She is desperately glad for Austin still outside the ship with Particle Projectors aimed point blank over the power core.
V'Emhan waddles furiously to the hangar to meet her with a pair of Ak'Htari guards. Another Ak'Hrari medic drags Braki along. He is pale, unconscious, with scars and fresh cybernetics implanted in his head.
Molly grits her teeth angrily as she sees her former crewmate's condition. How did she end up caught up with these people?
Mo: "Oh, Braki, the state of you..."
Ve: "You have no idea what you have done, and who you have crossed."
Mo: "I know I kicked your arse in less than a fair fight, and your crew surrendered unconditionally, which means your ass is mine if I want it,"
V'Emhan glimpses at his Ak'Htari guard. He gives the impression that the guards are more to keep him to his word than to protect them.
Ve: "There are still protocols to be followed."
Mo: "If you cared about protocols, my man there would not be full of holes and implants. But I will follow them up to the point where you start giving me any grief."
Ve: "What do you want?"
Mo: "Information. I want any libraries related to the work of the Qath Research Combine on this ship. I want to know what was so important C'Alhoon and two other good crew died trying to suss out your goals."
Ve: "Impossible!"
Mo: "So was taking on a state-of-the-Art frigate with an explorer, but here we are on a tub with busted guns and no drive. You should have negotiated rather that shooting."
Ve: "We are too close to having outsiders interfere."
Mo: "Close to what, now?"
Ve: "The Enkindlers. Mastering their worldshaping technology. Learning where they went. Replicating their ships. We know more about the Enkindlers than anyone else in the galaxy by an order of magnitude."
Mo: "Bully for you. You're clever archaeologists."
Ve: "You don't understand with our combined work we have mapped the last known configuration of their society. Trade routes, colonies, shipyards. We are this close to solving the puzzle and finally gaining access to libraries, necropoli, laboratories..."
V'Emhan pauses, realizing he's been goaded into giving up too much.
Mo: "So if this were to get out, along with the data in C'Alhoon's notes, and information on their psionic tech, there would be a gold rush, and you'd have to compete with a hundred other outfits to find the choice spots on the map?"
Ve: "You can't!"
Mo: "It seems to me that I can. Once I have smeared your secret all over the Quantum net, I will be free to live my life. Maybe get in on the digging myself."
Ve: "Cross us, and you will know no peace."
Mo: "You're a pack of liars and murderers who sent me and mine to their deaths to test us out, before you turned us into your blind scouts. I have a price on my head. I know no peace now. If there are hundreds clamoring for what passes for a head in that gas bag of yours, you won't have time to harass me. Now hand it over before we leave you W.O.O instead of stranded. And I'll be taking some antimatter to fuel me up. And ay whiskey on this boat of yours. Do that, and I will let you go free."
Rolling Morale at a penalty for V'Emhan... 9. Looks like he is finally over his ego,
Sighing, V'Emhan gestures to the Ak'htari crew. The medic loads Braki on board the Intrepid, while a Trassi crewman fetches a data core. Molly takes the time to look it over for data bombs and viruses before she leaves.
Oracle:
- Is the library the real deal? 75... bang on. Yes.
- Is the data trapped? 55 No... and really?! Remote Event: Recruit Outside
Once she is satisfied, Molly supevises the loading of several tons of precious fuel-grade antimatter into her ship. Then she lifes off and flies out of the docking bay, signalling to Austin her intent to dock at Ur'Agil.
Chaos Factor 🔻4
Scene 9
The woman with the shaven head wept as she felt the Eye on her, but she gave herself up... what else could she do. Her hands twitching like a marionette she opened the commlink. The man who answered was sweaty. His face slicked with blood. Somewhere behind him, someone was weeping.
Vo: "I need you again, Sebastian."
Se: "What may I do for you?"
An image of Molly appears in front of him.
Vo: "Practice your arts on this one."
The madman's mouth twitched into an unstable smile.
Scene 10
Chaos Roll... 2 Interrupt! PC Positive: Carry Prison
Braki sat up suddenly gasping., hissing, and spitting. Mollynturned in her chair to face him.
Mo: "Easy, Braki... You're safe."
Br: Molly... you came for me."
Mo: "'Course. Right now, you're the only friend I've got. Charging off to do Mighty battles battles with Qath shitehawks is the least I could do. But maybe next time, don't go praising my name and Enkindler stuff so damn close together. "
Br: "You are the best human I've ever met."
Mo: "Don't go tryin' to turn my head, Braki Skiee: you owe me a big one,
Br: "They probed my brain. Ravaged my memories looking for details.... Not just Taxu, but things I'd seen before..."
Mo: "You don't need to talk about it..."
Br: "I must, because it is urgent. When I was connected to rheir probes I could interface a little. I saw many things I wasn't meant to see. Including a route information for a for a ship. A prison ship full of beings that have been silently abducted by the Qath Research Combine for work on a distant site, the most important one. Some of my old brotehrs in arms were aboard... perhaps that's why my mind locked on to it."
Mo: "Do you know its destination?"
Br: "Far across Alliance space. But their cargo forces them to go entirely around it and through the edge of the Frontier. They have weeks to go."
Mo: "I just sent a transmission that is going to ruin these bastards... and force them to hang onto everything they've got left with a powerful will."
Br: "You do not shy away from danger, Captain."
Mo: "No... and this could be the best way to make sure they haven't got much left to hit me with. ...And I suppose it is the right thing to do."
Br: "Leaving your crew was clearly a mistake, Captain. You are a Chrysalid."
Mo: "Thank you, Braki. Welcome back aboard. Not get some damned rest. Doctor's orders."
Chaos Factor 🔻3
Scene 11
Chaos Roll... 4
On the docking bay of Ur'Agil station, the Intrepid lands next to the Aurora. Molly carries a bottle of whiskey slung on her hip as she walks to where Austin stands checking the status of his ship.
He looks up and bites his lip apprehensively as she approaches.
Au: "Molly, I... made a bad impression back there. When you talked about wandering the stars with the right crew... I got caught up in the romance of it I guess."
Au: "Mr. Jenkins was so impressed with how much we brought back that the reward was huge. Even 10% was worth another ship. So I bought the Aurora off of him as fast as I could so I could back you up. He called it even."
Au: "I guess I couldn't let you go off to get yourself killed thinking I was some kind of weasel..."
Molly springs on Austin and kisses him passionately.
Mo: "You did a damn fine job, flyboy." Molly wraps her arms around him.
Au: "If you are still looking for the right crew..."
Mo: "Oh, you're coming with me. That ship is half mine."
Austin tries to say something, but she silences him with another kiss.
Mo: "Just say yes, Commodore."
Au: "Yes, Commodore."
Mo: "Now, I need tosee Braki to the infirmary. But once that's done I need you t report to the Intrepid. I've been wandering space for seven months and haven't had a good man since."
She presses the whiskey bottle to Austin's chest, then twists playfully away from him with a wink. As she walks away, swaying her hips, he can hear her say.
Mo: "This is Commodore Molly Hyaline of the Intrpid. I have a wounded Ubul in my ship and he needs medical attention, in a hurry."