Faction Samhain's Derelict [Darkwire]

[Darkwire Prophet]

S A M H A I N ' S • D E R E L I C T​

Space traffic in the neglected Genon system barely ever ventured into the system, much less its outer planets. So the story from a drunken smuggler, oft-repeated in many a bar along the Hydian Way, that he found an old warship hiding in the atmosphere of a gas giant was just dismissed as the boast of a verse-addled spacer. It wasn't until a report, retrieved amid the riches and artifacts from a vault on Cato Neimoidia by a raiding group, detailed confirmation of the story that raised the interests of Darkwire.

An old warship, even in a neglected status, would be a great find for the largely-decentralized group of ne'er-do-wells. Acquiring an inexpensive, untraceable starship meant that Darkwire could challenge the Corporate Authorities along the trade lanes directly, instead of having to wait until a target appeared planetside —if it ever did.

>> * --xING! COMM\ \\
<\Darkwire, the opportunity for adventure and treasure awaits!
<\In the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Genon VII there is an ancient warship
<\A derelict, and long-abandoned, we think
<\Normal starships with deflector shields should be able to make the trip down into the thin atmosphere, but seatbelts and breathing masks are advised
<\The ship is sinking slowly, and within a few months will finish sinking below accessible layers of the atmosphere
<\Contact was lost with the forward team sent in to secure the interior
<\A heavy tug has been contracted and will arrive in two days to pull the ship out into orbit
<\Go to the derelict, re-establish contact with the forward team, and wait for the tug to pull it to safety
<\Your reward is anything you can carry off the ship

Spoiler: OOC Notes

This is a straightforward treasure hunt story with some horror elements. A space derelict floating in the upper atmosphere of a gas giant, damaged but not destroyed, will have plenty of spots to explore, unused equipment to find, and secrets to uncover.

There's a closed-up hangar bay to land in if you can get it open, a few holes in the hull big enough to get people inside, or you might even be able to tether your ship to the top of the hull. Just make sure you bring a breathing mask or space suit, most of the ship is exposed to the hostile Type IV atmosphere of the gas giant, and its ancient systems may or may not provide you breathable atmosphere. You don't want to die from being unprepared for a proper adventure.

Oh, and did I mention the horror? Enter the shape of your nemesis:

Spoiler: Click to Reveal

This guy, and his many, many friends like him, will be wandering the ship. How did they get there? What are they doing? Who knows, but they're not interested in answering questions. And you might be a little too busy fending them off to ask...

That's all. Explore the ship, defeat some horrorific monsters, and stay alive.

(And if you're very lucky, you won't meet the monster mother lurking in the shadows.)

 

[Daiya]

A salvage job. It was one of the last things Daiya had expected to pick up, given the location of the job. Not on Denon, or one of the more well-known Corporate worlds, but a place that sounded like a cheap knock-off. Genon, a system she had never heard of, tucked out of the way and infamous for reasons long since faded from history. The name even sounded wrong to her, and so did the idea of a starship caught in the gravity well of a gas giant.

Why was she going on this? Daiya was no engineer nor was she very fond of space. Tawrro, strapped in next to her in the ship's tiny passenger compartment, looked even more out of place. His breath mask looked tiny and inadequate on his massive form, but it was a necessary component for a ship suspended in such an alien atmosphere and even the small form would keep the Wookiee alive. The girl adjusted the fit of her own mask, which she wore with its complementary armor and a pair of gravity boots just in case. Her knees bobbed nervously in place as the teen checked the components of her blaster in her hands. She could watch the ship's approach out the front of the massive transparisteel viewport if she preferred, but watching the massive swirling gasses of Genon VII loom larger and closer struck a strange fear in her that refused to leave.

She took comfort in the fact that it was Brie Jaxx piloting the B-29 freighter they were riding in, and it was her experience that was guiding them on this job. Brie's salvage runs had been something the young shadowrunner knew about, but she had never seen them up close until her friend had contacted her about one that popped up on the CryptNet. It looked more like babysitting an empty starship than anything really dangerous —Brie had suggested the disappearance of the first team was likely because they came to harvest scrap without meaning to follow through— but ever since Daiya caught sight of the gas giant she just couldn't shake the bad feeling from her mind.

It blossomed in her stomach as the derelict came into full view through the window, and now Daiya turned to look. The ship was old, too old, and the girl wondered why anyone would actually want this saved. It looked far too decrepit to stand up to the shiny Corporate warships or the glistening battlecruisers the Confederates or Alliance used to defend their territory. The hull was pockmarked with holes that looked like battle scars, or decay from its years abandoned in a hostile planet's upper atmosphere, and some of them were big enough to see the decks and rooms inside!

"No one's home in there, that's for sure," Daiya remarked, and suddenly she wondered if that was true. She shook her head to clear the thought, and the heavy momentum that followed as her curly, blonde locks swayed reminded the girl to put up her hair. Smoothed back and tied into a rough ponytail, the girl finished checking the seals on her mask and suit as the ship circled to an open spot to land. Her suit's systems were up and running by the time the ship settled down and the landing ramp finally opened.

"You go first, Tawrro," the teen said, urging on the shaggy Wookiee. He looked down at her, a series of growls and barks rolling forth. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't be scared if I was 2 and a half meters walking of walking destruction, too. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."

Tawrro gave her a sassy comeback with a barking laugh to follow it up, and Daiya gave his hairy bulk a push from behind. "What do you take me for? I can dodge fast if you go down." She grinned up at her longtime companion. "And I'll make sure to avenge you before Brie and I haul jets!"

His strange laugh followed the Wookiee, armed with his automatic shotgun, as he descended the ramp into the darkness of the derelict. Daiya turned on her mask's lights, waiting until she could see him reach the deck of the ship before starting her way down. Her blaster out in front of her, her eyes scanning the area, Daiya couldn't avoid the feeling that something was still very, very wrong here. She hoped it was just something stupid, like the gas ratio on her facemask being misconfigured. The girl stood in Tawrro's shadow when she reached the bottom, waiting until Brie joined them.

"Okay, what do we do now? I don't see anyone coming to greet us, so that means the first team really did leave, right?" Please say yes, Daiya pleaded silently. Anything to relieve this stubborn pit of doom from her stomach. "It just looks like an old, dead spaceship. What would someone want with this?"

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Daiya

A derelict, long-abandoned warship floating in the void. To be precise, floating in the atmosphere of a gas giant. It was guaranteed to be long-abandoned and completely uninhabited, save for salvage teams. The intelligence on this was impeccable. The best and brightest had verified it. Nothing could possibly go awry, if everyone followed proper safety procedures.

Nothing. It was practically a milk run. Elpsis had been on too many treasure hunts to really buy into that. When the freighter dropped out of hyperspace, Elpsis was in her cabin, sitting in a meditative position. In a clear inversion of what was probably expected of the daughter of a billionaire/corporate despot, the room was Spartan. This applied to the ship as a whole. It was a deliberate choice on her part. Regardless, she was chanting quietly. It was her form of prayer. The location was imperfect, for she was in the void and surrounded by metal. Here, she could connect to nature, but it would do.

"You are the Lifeweb - the source of everything. And the Red Lady is a messenger. You are everywhere. Large and small, we're all part of you; we all weave ourselves into the tapestry. We are born, we live, we die, are judged and reborn. I don't ask for power or money. Gold corrupts even the noblest. I beg for bravery, strength and justice. Give me the strength to be brave and just," she said quietly. "To smite the wicked. And to lead my companions through blood and fire." It was her daily ritual. That done, she got up and exited.

Natalie Dorne was behind the controls in the cockpit. "You take me to such delightfully cheery places, Elpsis," she remarked dryly when she saw the redhead enter. "Look at it, a huge piece of junk. Did a scan and picked up some life signs, but they're concentrated around the hangar. Looks quiet so far."
"What are the odds it stays that way?" Elpsis asked rhetorically.
"With our luck, do you have to ask?" the blonde Essionian shrugged. "Though I'm more concerned about salvagers shooting at each other in the hope of winning a great prize on a ghost ship. People are stupid like that."

"It feels wrong," a soft, accented voice spoke from the corridor. It came from a slender Rattaki female called Rhea. She was already kitted out in armour and carried a Force Imbued Blade at her side. She was Elpsis' apprentice, or rather one of them. "This ship. There is something unsettling about it."
Elpsis nodded grimly. "I feel it, too. Be on your guard. Anything that looks hostile gets shot."

"Well, no time like the present. Bringing us in. I'll handle anything techy that comes up. Get us into the system and all. You two slice people who need slicing," Natalie spoke, steering the ship towards a landing area.
Elpsis slipped on her helmet, sealing her suit up. The other crew members did likewise. "Stay close," she instructed Rhea. "And...if you find anything valuable your people can use, nab it for 'em. I don't care."
"I...appreciate that. We'll need every advantage we can get when we return to the homeworld, and burn the oppressors." Firemane would not back that venture. It cost too much. It would lead to horrendous casualties. It was futile. All this was almost certainly true. Elpsis did not care. She had made a sacred vow on the day she had escaped from Tephrike.

"I assume this applies to me, too," Natalie said with a shrug. "Free contractor pay isn't the best. Not that I need permission."
"Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we? Creepy space hulk, and all that."
"Should threats assail us, I shall gladly slay them."
"Same. But no heroics, kay?" Elpsis said with an air of finality. She glanced to the last member of the party. Zhaleh looked and probably felt a bit awkward in her suit. The young Qadiri was unused to space, having grown up in a pre-spaceflight culture before being catapulted into the greater galaxy, its wonders and terrors. "Ready?"
"I shan't let you down, ma'am. I'll admit I'm curious about this...sky-ship. May Kashara cast her light upon us."
"And the Lifeweb surround us. If it comes to fighting, we cast together - fire and ice. Let's go." And with that the group made its way out and into the belly of the vessel.

 

[Xan Deesa]

Bouncing around in derelict wrecks really wasn't Xan's thing. She was a killer and a slicer. Not a spelunker. But she couldn't deny that the potential money for this job was making her rethink her current occupation. Sitting behind the controls of a freighter she was borrowing without permission, she glided through the void of hyperspace towards her target. Luckily she wouldn't be alone on this trip. While getting ready, she found out that someone else wanted in on the action as well and decided to reach out to her. Now she had someone to keep her company while on this job. Flying alone wasn't an issue, she did fly a starfighter, after all, but having someone else on this ship made it miles better.

"Coming out of hyperspace in a few minutes." she spoke up as she turned to glance at the woman. "What do you think? Is it haunted? Are there some starweirds hiding in the bowels for us?" she teased with a smirk as she glanced forward once again. They finally came out of hyperspace and Xan studied the gas giant in front of them. "Amazing. I feel unsettled already." she commented as she steered the ship towards the derelict warship. They breached atmosphere and soon enough the ship came into view. "Yeah... definitely haunted." she muttered as she circled around for a place to land. Apparently some other ships were there already, but she kept the sensor decoy running as she neared, hoping that it would throw them off if someone was on the lookout. She quickly managed to spot an opening along a flat part of the ship and touched down, locking the ship into place. "Time to suit up." she quipped as she shut the ship off and got up.

She suited up in a suit capable of keeping them alive and holstered her weapons. She decided to bring her A-180 along in its rifle configuration for this mission. Between the unknown and the other spacers already on the ship, she didn't want to be caught off guard. Luckily she wouldn't need to worry about being misidentified, with her jacket over the armour and some funky neon pictures sprayed on. With everything set, she led the way out of the ship and towards the opening in the hul... which she only realized by then was actually a hole made likely by a turbolaser. She carefully descended and turned on a flashlight strapped to her rifle. "Okay, here we go. Let's hope those other groups are friendly." she spoke with a hushed voice as she glanced around. So far everything seemed clear, but the place was unnerving to say the least. "You getting the creeps as well?" she asked her.

K KAR Daiya Elpsis Kerrigan

 

[Gray Venasir]

"How long till we arrive Shiny?" The small astromech turned it's head towards Gray, and with an annoyed whistle answered the question. 10 minuttes. Then it was not long before they would board the abandoned ship, and take what treasure they could find. That is, if others didn't get there first. The messege about this ship had been broadcast to all Shadowrunners in Darkwire, so there could be competition. Or help, depending on who was there. Luckily, most of the Shadowrunners got along pretty good.

"Hey Ruby, 10 minuttes till we exit hyperspace. We'd better get prepared to board." Ruby Jaxx, a woman Gray had met while they were on a "vacation" on Belazura, had come along with him for this treasure hunt. They had worked well together when they robbed a vendor on the fake beach, and right after, when a fight had broken out on the beach. So once the two of them had learned about this abandoned ship, they had decided to work together.

As they exited hyperspace, the derelict warship came into view. It certainly was something. Big, bulky, and looked like it could once take a punch. Which it probably had, given the damage. Holes were scattered all around the ship, parts of it were missing, and other parts were floating around it. If they tug ship managed to pull it out, it would be a wonder if they ever got it to work again. Lost treassure was probably the only thing this ship was good for. Which, in itself, was good enough.

A few other ships had already arrived, it seemed. Some of them had landed on the hull of the derelict. Not a very good idea in Gray's mind. He'd rather try to look for a landing hangar. He flew his ship around the old warship a few times, before he found something that could work well enough. A docking hatch. "Shiny, get us connected to that hatch. I'll go tell Ruby, and prepare to enter the warship." The droid whistled something inaudible, before beginning to stear their ship towards the docking hatch.

Gray equiped his breathing mask, and made sure it was properly on. "You ready, Ruby?" he asked as he walked over to where she was. "We're entering through a docking hatch, on the lower side of the ship. And keep your blaster ready, in case we meet something."

Ruby Jaxx

 

[Brie Jaxx]

It wasn't often that she had guests on board, and even more seldom a close friend and a gigantic wookiee. Tawrro easily took up space for two humans, maybe even two and a half, but where there was room in the heart there was room aboard her ship. As Tawrro and Daiya took the lead out, Brie finished some things in the cockpit. Taking the white orb shaped helmet from the dashboard, she stood up and put it over her head and sealed it close. She checked the breathing filter hanging by her belt, the indicator glowed green and was all set.

Glancing out to the hallway and the ramp being lowered, she saw and heard how Daiya somewhat anxious urged her big furry guardian to walk down first. As he did, Daiya also left the security of the ship. She seemed to have full focus on what would be greeting them on the outside which gave Brie a little idea. She followed her two friends out, walking down the ramp on careful silent steps, hoping that the younger girl would not notice her. Coming up behind Daiya, she gave her waist a quick and sudden nip on both sides.

''BOO!'' she exclaimed and walked past her with a mischevious smile on her lips. ''Or have they...?''

Darkness. Abandoned places, like this totally amazing shipwreck was all out fun for the blonde teen. Or at least it had been, the worst things that she had ever encountered was thugs, gangs and beasts in the deep scrapyards of the universe. Of course, she didn't know where this journey would take them...

 

[Mliss Roo]

Mliss cackled evilly. Now anyone who knows of this lovely young lady, would now run for their lives and cower in fright. There was this amazing opportunity she had happened to hear about, and she HAD to go. But unfortunately, and for some bizarre reason she didn't understand, she had been banned from public travel in this sector.

"I wonder," She mentally mused briefly"If it had something to do with the baby Sarlacc I brought on it last time..."

She snapped back to reality as the ship landed. Might I add not HER ship. She was forced to stow away on someones ship- who's? She didn't know.

The newly made treasure hunter was desperate- FAR too desperate for her own liking but that was how the dice rolled. Wait- that;s not the saying... Oh well. Now she had to disembark the ship without the kind yet unknowing owners noticing her. And if they did? An evil glint came to her eye that would make a Hutt shudder- then, there would have to be some compromises. Author- nope, Kriff. Treasure hunter. Yes- treasure hunter compromises.

Mliss grinned as she returned Sheela to her bag and her pen back behind her ear. She had been hiding in a conveniently placed cupboard near the top of the room. She had been lounging the whole trip, thinking of story ideas. She wasn't completely able to hear who was outside while she was wrapped up in her wonderful imagination.

Now, as the voices faded, she dramatically kicked open one of the doors and peeked out. If there was any way to see who the owner of the ship was- she missed it. A pretty much ordinary ship. Rolling out with AMAZING grace to land flat on her face, and she grinned as her yellow jumper muffled most of the noise.

"The treasure hunter had heard rumours of this place being haunted," She whispered to herself as she kept close to the ground, exciting the inner workings of the ship."She hoped so- if not, this was a HUGE waste of her precious time." Mliss nodded in agreement with her treasure hunter as she got to the ramp. Pressing herself to the side of the inside of the ship, she looked out in curiosity in whom's ship she had stowed away on.

She almost laughed when she saw a girl around her age, an older blond, and a Wookie.

What an assortment, what an assortment indeed. The treasure hunter was rather amused to find. The treasure hunter's real name was unknown, but the others- Who are on indefinite leave- called her Kurt, due to her tendencies. Wait- that's a boys name.

Mliss let out an author inspired curse without thinking, then pursed her lips as she realized it was a rather LOUD author curse. DEFINITELY loud enough for the others to hear. She let out a sheepish laugh- Cala would be ashamed of her.

 

[Deryn Kaaldos]

​

Parked just a few dozen meters away from the warship was a long, boat-like light freighter with a dull coat of paint that bled a bit too well into the darkness of space. It was currently unmanned but the pilot wasn't too far away. Pulling along the fleshy chord he had sent out, Deryn "Scarbrand" Kaaldos grappled himself toward the vessel. His feet magnetized onto the side of the ship, providing him steady footing as he crawled into the hull of the ship. He was a good distance away from the rest of the scavengers, around 120 meters below them relative to the ship, according to the beat of their hearts. There was also a wookie, it seemed.

He guessed it was best they grouped up. He's faced dozens of blasters, mercenaries, soldiers and even Jedi, and yet this place gives him the creeps. He could feel a presence waddling about in his body, but he cannot determine where did they come from nor what was he picking up. All he knew was the they were not alone here and that made him all the more eager to group up with the rest. He quickly made his way to the nearest lift shaft. Of course, it was closed but it was nothing that a bit of Gen'Dai muscle couldn't solve. Reeling back his fist, he punched a hole right in the middle of the two lift doors, giving him a hold to pry the doors open.

Looking down, he saw that the lift had crashed onto the base floor of the hull, causing enough damage to actually rip through, creating another hole into the vast emptiness of space. Though, that would mean that the plates would have been already aged enough to not be able to take the force of a lift crash. It was either that there was a problem with the lift lines, or something caused a disturbance to make them give out. The tingling feeling was there again. He pushed it to the back of his skull, trying to focus on the matter at hand.

He clambered up the shaft, his feet magnetized to the wall. The sound of his metal soles clanking against the walls resounded through the shaft. It made him feel alone even though he certainly wasn't. The noise of his movements could be heard from the position of Daiya and her accomplices. He clambered up the shaft with long, wide steps, almost a jog, until he finally made it up. Now it was time to open another door.

His fist entered made an entrance into the scene before he pried the doors open, revealing himself. He gave them all a salute in greeting.

Brie Jaxx | Mliss Roo | Gray Venasir | Xan Deesa | Elpsis Kerrigan | Daiya ​

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby snorted herself awake when Gray's voice came over the comm. A hand rose to rub her eyes, smearing some of the days-old eye make-up she had on. Well, she figured she better wake up and get ready.

She'd been eager to tag along with Gray Venasir , the guy had bought her a bikini back on Belazura. Said bikini never actually had been worn, but Ruby kept it safe just in case. In fact, it was still neatly wrapped in tissue and tucked away inside the shopping bag. Though, she'd never admit it, it was now a treasured possession. It was probably the only nice thing she'd ever received.

It helped a lot that Gray also had a ship, and it was nice to have a place to crash for a little while.

Sitting up, she stretched her arms and shoulders for a moment before putting on a hoodie and then a jacket and then a breathing mask. She also had a belt with a blaster, and a rucksack, currently empty in order to stash all these treasures she was about to find.


“Yeah, I'm ready,” she said as Gray came to check on her. And she followed him to their destination, a docking hatch that would allow them inside the broken down ship. Her gloved hand went down to the blaster holstered on her belt, and she grabbed it just in case.

“Alright,” she nodded, trying to stay alert despite the lingering fog of sleep. “This better be good.”

 

[Marimax Mortui]

Haunted ships and ghost stories didn't faze the dark-skinned Mando. In fact, he cast them aside as myths and legends born to scare children and those faint of hearts. He had to admit though, he had witnessed some strange and bizarre activities in his time, but ghost stories and haunted ships; no way! What he did believe, when the news reached his ears, that an abandoned and derelict ship slowly drifting downward into gases that could strangle one to death was entirely believable. He wasn't much into treasure hunting, but credits where credits.

He owned a ship, which was good. What was bad, he had no crew; salvage or treasure seekers. Grudgingly, he had to hire a few hands to assist him, but the split profits would be in his favor. He also factored in that others would be seeking out this 'ghost' ship as well, and though most were aligned with his own organization; there could be a few stragglers, or pirates, betting on their luck to cash in on the findings. So those that he employed had to handle themselves in a skirmish.

After a few searches of the floating shipwreck, Marimax settled on breach in the ship's hull. They would have to wear tethered environmental suits connecting them to both ships and protective breathable masks once inside, which suited him fine. He didn't want to be docked inside that thing. Ghost stories or haunted ships or not, that metal monstrosity made his flesh ripple.

"Alright boys, you know the deal," he said to his makeshift crew, "We sweep the areas first, planting tracking devices in those rooms that hold promise. Remember, once we complete the offloading process everyone get the kark out of there. If you get left behind, sorry about your bad luck. Let's move out!"

 

[Daiya]

Her scream was loud, amplified by the mask which kept her breathing in the thin atmosphere of the gas giant. The sound didn't echo, couldn't echo despite its volume, but it shook her, mind and body, nonetheless. The girl jumped, aided by her suit's reflexes and the slightly lower gravity, and found herself suspended above the deck for longer than she expected. Her arms flailed as her legs scrambled for purchase, and when she touched down a moment or two later than she should have, Daiya fell to her knees.

The young shadowrunner whipped around as best she could, adrenaline running high within her. She brought up her hand, squeezing her finger to shoot at her attacker. If she was fast enough, if her aim was true enough, Daiya wouldn't die a horrible death on a forgotten gas giant in the middle of nowhere.

If her blaster had been in her hand.

Daiya's finger squeezed on nothing, her hand empty. She looked mortified, before the familiar shape of Brie came into focus in front of her. The other girl was smiling, a troublesome smile, and the teen's mind sputtered as much as her words did. "You...I...Brie, you madwoman! Don't scare me like that!"

Her limbs shook and her breath came in spurts, as Daiya tried to keep from laughing and make it all worse. She couldn't hold back an aporetic laugh, fighting against her breath and will to resound several times. Just as it seemed like she was incapacitated for a while, a hairy, Wookiee hand reached down to pick her up. Tawrro handed Daiya her blaster, and she took it, complete and regaining control of herself. He hid a clever smirk then uttered a low growl at her, and though the teen shot her guardian a willful look, she holstered the weapon anyway.

"Looks like we're not the only ones to pick up the job," Daiya said, recovered at last, noting the arrival of other ships and their crews disembarking. A few of them, including someone in a dazzling suit that seemed to brighten the dark space, looked far more professional than their motley trio. That bolstered the teen's courage, which had become a rather flighty thing with the derelict's sense of foreboding, the eerie sounds of its vacant interior, and Brie's naughty prank. "Think they're here to work with us or compete?"

"Or to spy on us!" The young shadowrunner cried, raising an arm to point at the figure coming down the ramp of Brie's ship. Her hand moved back to her blaster, but she kept it holstered for once, watching Tawrro as he maneuvered between them to stand close to the apparent stowaway. "Were you there the whole time coming here? Who are you? What are you doing on Brie's ship?"

Brie Jaxx Elpsis Kerrigan Mliss Roo Deryn Kaaldos Xan Deesa​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Daiya , Brie Jaxx , Mliss Roo , Deryn Kaaldos , Xan Deesa

The hangar was apparently packed with all manners of people. Elpsis did legitimately not see Deryn's greeting. She was physically blind and reliant on the Force to see. This had its advantages, such as the ability to see through walls since they appeared translucent. But it also meant that she could not see faces, determine facial expressions or most gestures. Broadly speaking, she saw blurry shapes and their auras. She took notice of a Wookiee with what looked like a huge shotgun and a feisty young girl, who seemed to be having a confrontation with a crew member. Or what apparently wasn't a crew member. Oh, goodie, I've run into me from a couple years ago, Elpsis thought. Wisely, she did not say that.

Zhaleh and Rhea followed in her wake, scanning the area ahead of them. Both were armed and armoured. Rhea carried a shotgun, while Zhaleh had her assault rifle. Neither had their weapons trained on anyone, though that would change if a threat arose in some form. Neither the young desert elf nor the Rattaki felt comfortable in the void, but they knew their duty. Eerie sounds came from inside the ship.

"I see we're a full house. Name's Elpsis." She quite deliberately left out the Kerrigan-Alcori part. "So since we all want to go into the creepy ship for some reason, we can work together, we can argue about stuff or pointlessly fight and be all worse off for it. I'm gonna head inside. Any of y'all want to link up, cool." She glanced to her blonde companion. "Natalie."
The human had ignored the commotion and was fiddling with an archaic terminal. There were sparks, then she stepped away. The ship's systems were pretty stale and so there was little she could glean from it. "Got us some schematics."
"Right," Elpsis remarked. It was good to have a co-worker with initiative but sometimes you wanted to order them to do stuff, even if they were going to do it anyway.
"No guarantees as to from when they are. Before you walk into a hole, do warn us. Not all of us can use float through hard vacuum Leia Poppins style."
"Who's Leia Poppins?" Zhaleh asked, genuinely confused. These sky people were a strange lot, after all.
"Leia Organa," Rhea corrected. "A Jedi. No story I know of mentions her floating in the void." Clearly Tephriki education had some gaps. There was a palpable note of disdain when she mentioned the 'Jedi' part. She shook her head. "Let's take what we need and go." Perhaps it was just the general discomfort she felt when in the void, though she would not admit that, but something did not feel right about the ship.

 

[Xan Deesa]

As Xan led the way, she was on high alert. The sounds of ships docking to the derelict vessel echoed through the quiet halls while the winds from outside wailed around them every now and then. She glanced around before reaching a junction. She studied the junction and pondered over the directions. The signs indicated that the hangar was to the left but the command center apparently was to the right. She checked her personav and dropped a pin just in case she needed to go back. She was about to go to the command center when she heard the echoes of a commotion coming from the hangar's direction. Raising an eyebrow, she turned to head that way but threw one last glance in the direction of the other way.

She walked but stopped as she spun around to do a double take. "Wait... what?" she muttered as she leaned in, though nothing was there. Her rifle was raised and the flashlight lit up the hallway, but nothing was there. The hairs on the back of her neck was standing straight up as her instincts were warning her that she definitely saw something. But apparently she was mistaken. "Kriffing shadows..." she muttered as she pressed on towards the hangar, though she threw an occasional glance over her shoulder every now and then as she walked just to make sure. There were some metallic thumps echoing from somewhere as well but it didn't sound like it was coming at her so she was not too bothered by it.

After a bit of walking and dropping location pins she reached the hangar where there was a wonderful meeting of people taking place. She didn't know any of the others, but two figures stood out. The two girls she met at the swoop race. Nonchalantly she approached as she rested her rifle against her shoulder. "What the hell, guys! Why wasn't I invited?!" she called out as she neared the group. "What's up, kiddo. Long time no see." she quipped as she gave the kid a salute before looking up at the others. "Let me guess... all after the loot, right?" she asked them simply.

Daiya Mliss Roo Brie Jaxx K KAR Elpsis Kerrigan Marimax Mortui Ruby Jaxx Gray Venasir Deryn Kaaldos

 

[Brie Jaxx]

The aghast screech of utter surprise from Daiya , and the sight of her literally jumping and soaring for a moment due to the lower gravity, elicited an amused laugh from the older teen. Subduing the laugh into a prolonged chuckle and giggle while Daiya gathered emotions, she could not help but to flash her and Tawrro a sweet toothy smile with the giggles. Daiya would hopefully know that she meant no harm by it, but Brie would probably have needed to dodge or block the younger teen if she had a blaster in her hand. For a short moment, the fact that they was aboard a dark, cold and for most people creepy derelict ship, was of less concern in favour of the old art of jumpscaring your friends and be amused of their reaction. This was actually her first time doing it, not counting droids. Needless to say, it was hard to find friends to do it on in the scrapyards of the galaxy.

At least, Tawrro seemed to share her amusement of Daiya getting a little rocked around.

''Sorry, Daiya! I just couldn't resist!'' she managed to say in between giggles. ''You should have seen your face! And the jump! Even Tawrro was amused - look!'' she continued and gradually faded out the giggles, with a gloved hand motioning at the tall furry wookiee that accompanied them.

The typical teen fooling around in amusement was brought to a halt by the sudden appearance of a stranger ( Mliss Roo ) in yellow standing on the ramp. Daiya called her out, and Brie and Tawrro looked up at another girl standing before them. Her ship was not a big one, but yet this stowaway had found a place to hide. Curiously, they all awaited the girls response.

A response that might have to wait, due to the eery noise of clanking metal that resounded through the hangar. Derelict ships that had been out of power was known to occacionally give away noises, it was only natural and Brie knew that. That was why she did not react much to it, except for a glance up the ceiling high above them and one behind them. Now it was Brie's turn to jump, not half as much as Daiya though, to the sight of a heavily armored figure ( Deryn Kaaldos ) cramming himself through a door and saluted them. So, he... or it, was friendly?

A moment afterwards, another ship landed and a group of women, one ( Elpsis Kerrigan ) in dazzling silvery armor exited and approached them.

How many could know of this place, anyway?!

Many, apparently, as a recogniseable woman ( Xan Deesa ) just a couple of years older than she and Daiya was, approached the lot. One with a very characteristic color to her hair. One who Brie had worked with once before, and also kind of looked up to.

''Hi, Xan. Yeah, looks like it!'' she greeted the older girl with a cautious smile, before another thought struck her. ''None of us could carry it all, and by what I've seen and read about this place, there's a lot of it here... So, no need to fight for it, right?'' she continued, pointing out what was obvious to her, preceeding any crazy idea that some of them might have.

 

[Gray Venasir]

The hatch connected, and the door from Gray's ship, the Noble Nightingale opened. But the docking door on the derelict was not so cooperative, remaining shut. "Don't suppose you have a handy lightsaber on you?" Gray jokingly asked Ruby, before walking up to the door. Grabbing onto one of the door panels, Gray pulled as hard as he could. Even though it felt like it moved, it still remained shut. "I think I have a blow-torch in the cargo bay we can use to get this open."

But right as Gray turned to go and get it, the door began creacking, and slowly slid open. Gray looked at Ruby with a surprised expression. "You didn't do anything, right? Or maybe the ship is just old and malfunctioning?" But it wouldn't do them any good just standing there and wondering about it. They were on a time limit, both from the ship being sucked in by the gravity, and from the others who came to try and get a piece of the loot. So Gray tightly grabbed his blaster, and lead the way inside the ship.

They entered into an empty hallway. It was almost completly dark, with only some of the ceiling lights emiting a flickering light. Gray turned on the flash-light on his blaster, and used it to shine down the hall. Empty, all the way. At least they had found a place on the ship with no other looters. "Let's stick together. I've got a bad feeling about this ship."

Gray made his way down the hallway, trying to look for clues as to where there could be any good loot. But as he reached the end of the hallway, where it split into a junction, he made an eerie discovery. The wall was splattered with dried blood. And on the floor laid what remained of two corpses. Gray knelt down to check in them. After a moment, he looked up. "Guess we know what heppened to the previous team that was sent here."

Ruby Jaxx

 

[Marimax Mortui]

The big man entered first, quickly bringing his trusty rifle Rapture from around his back where it normally rested until called upon. Unsure of the situation and the numerous intentions from the crews of the gathering of ships arrayed about the wrecked ship, he wasn't taking any chances in a firefight. Switching on the rifle's under mounted flashlight, the big man swept the room carefully observing his surroundings. There was something off about all this, but the potential for a big payday was simply to hard to let slip by.

Satisfied, he contacted the others through the comlinks attached to each crewmember's wrist after removing the environmental suit. The room possessed an eerie chill, even though he wore light armor and heavy, warm clothes that were slightly bulky but not restricting. One by the one his hired crew emerged through the maw of the ship, each one shedding their own suits.

"Listen up," Marimax began, "We split into three teams of four planting the tracking devices. Without a concrete layout of the place, we move cautiously. Maintain professional distances from other crews, we're here to make creds, not enemies. Move out."

Marimax's team waited back, allowing the two other teams to venture forth, before heading out themselves. One team went left, the other right and Marimax's team went down another hole created in the floor. The drop wasn't deep, but it was colder and darker and disallowed a return upward. The light beams barely penetrated the swallowing darkness, forcing him to switched to the rifle's nightvision scope; ordering the others to keep their beams pointed down and behind them. Leading the way, they filtered into a massive room; with red flickering lights whose illumination desperately held back the encroaching darkness.

"This is a medical bay," a crew member chimed in.

Looking around, it was indeed a medical bay. But it had been ransacked, left to relive memories of past, better days. "Hey Boss," another crew member piped in, "Might want to take a peek at this." Marimax walked over to the crewmember who was standing by a wall, staring at it with a mixture of confusion and horror etched on his face. When he looked at the wall, he noticed it right away. "Claw marks," Marimax whispered. The claw marks upon the wall were long and deep, but what intrigued him was these walls were made of durasteel; not easily gouged.

"Hey Captain," a voice from another team rang out through the comlink, "There is something in....." The words were cut abruptly short, followed by screams, blaster fire, and sounds not made by human vocal chords. Marimax tried to reconnect with the team, but to no avail. Then he tried the other team, no response. Marimax looked at the remaining three members, feeling what they were feeling. They needed to get off this ship, because it wasn't haunted; it was infested.

 

[Deryn Kaaldos]

​

He watched as they all had their greetings. They seemed to be rather off-put by his unexpected entrance into the scene though this was nothing new to him per se. Patting himself off from the dust within the shaft, he would introduce himself as well. "Name is Kaaldos. Bounty Hunter looking to score some bounty in the ship. Now, if you hadn't noticed." He took a deep breath - not that he needed to - as he looked further into the ship's interior. He could hear the echoes of footsteps, claws scraping, but it was all out of place and depth. The lack of overall atmosphere besides from the toxic air must be interfering with his ability to hear vast distances. "We aren't alone here."

Then he heard blaster fire. He heard screams and in the mostly quiet ship to human ears, these would reach the other's aural capacity rather well. "Something just died." He remarked as he looks to the others. Deryn suddenly wasn't feeling up to this. Deryn was never one for horror movies, especially with their eerie sounds echoing inside his sensitive ears. This place only magnified that fear, especially with how it rendered his hearing near useless. Still, Deryn wasn't going to back down from this - too prideful for that and too confident in his ability to slap and shoot whatever scared him to death, too excited to be overcome with fear.

"Okay." He looked around, seeing the Wookie with the little girl. ( Daiya ) "Uh, mind if I tag along with you two? In this place, we don't want any lost children, do we?" He feigned and chuckled. Deryn would hold his Light Repeater tight to his chest as he looked about. So he was guessing a Force-User with that dazzling armor, a Slicer by the look of her, and an nondescript human girl. A variety of sorts, but he wasn't particularly hopeful. "I don't really care for whatever fuck-all we can find here. Just curious, but I'll take what interests me if there is any.

Daiya || Brie Jaxx || Elpsis Kerrigan || Xan Deesa​

Spoiler: Voice Claim

Steve Buscemi

​

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

“Ha,” Ruby said, trying hard not to roll her eyes when Gray jested about having a lightsaber. She stood with hands in pockets, she'd let Gray do the hard work and get the hatch open.

Or... the doors would magically open by themselves.

“Uh, what – maybe?” she said, squinting through the now open door. Maybe the doors were malfunctioning, as Gray said, Ruby didn't think about it for too much longer. She followed him inside, she, too, with blaster in hand.

Their footsteps echoed, and their shadows flickered along with the lights. Ruby lit up a small light rod and held it in her free hand. She gave Gray a small nod as he mentioned sticking together. Of course, she could have taken her chances going down one of the hallways alone, but this place was mad creepy – she'd stay with him alright.

As they reached the end of the hallways, where it split, their flashlights illuminated something grim. Blood. Then, as her eyes continued down towards there floor, there were corpses. She suppressed a shiver, trying not to show any weakness in front of her companion.

“Ugh, gross.”

Her eyes went back and forth between their options, left and right. There was no way of knowing which way would be best, which way would lead them to riches and loot. But she knew that she wanted to get as far away from the dead bodies as possible. So, the easy choice was to the right.

“Wanna go that way?” she asked, shining her light rod down the corridor. It was just as dark as the others, the shadows giving away nothing yet.

Gray Venasir​

 

[Daiya]

As more of the strangers assembled, announcing their names and intentions, it seemed to the girl as if they were all amassed for similar purposes. With the off-putting vibes she had gotten from the ship as they approached —which hadn't gone away!— she was grateful for the additional people. There was safety in numbers. Still, Daiya couldn't help but feel like they were about to repeat the fate of the first venture all over again, and she wasn't entirely convinced they had simply been overly-opportunistic scavengers.

From somewhere else in the ship, the familiar harmony of high-pitched blaster shots resounded, followed by a chorus of haunted screams. The sound traveled in an eerie manner through the thin atmosphere of the exposed hangar bay, all at once seeming to come from one side or the other. A chill shot down her spine as a dread gripped her innards, wrapping itself around her core. The girl held on tightly to her blaster, the volume of her breathing increasing. She focused on Tawrro, keeping his solid form in her sights, grounding herself on the very untenable deck upon which they stood.

"Something?" she asked, knowing the answer already somehow. Daiya was becoming more certain of the first team's fate now. Setting her jaw, the girl turned first to Tawrro, then to Brie, "We need to be ready for anything. Whatever is on this ship with us, it doesn't seem to like company."

She glanced at Xan and Kaaldos who just joined them. Beyond, Elpsis and her team were already at work gaining access to the ship beyond them. The large size of the derelict —several hundred meters when she had dared to take a look— meant that they had a lot of ground to cover, but there was too much danger to split their party too much. She tried not to grind too much at Kaaldos' remark about children, the patronizing man might still be useful. Like if someone needed to go first in a scary room...

"We should all tag along together for now," Daiya said, turning back to the crew already breaching the interior of the ship. Tawrro growled something to their stowaway and she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, including you. It'll be worse if you stay here, just stick close and stay out of trouble."

"Ready?" the teen asked as she looked over at Brie, her confidence restored now. She gave a single nod to Brie and herself, starting over towards Elpsis and the rest of the ship. It still gave her the creeps just to be here, but maybe with all their wits and firepower, they stood a chance of making it through.

Brie Jaxx Elpsis Kerrigan Mliss Roo Deryn Kaaldos Xan Deesa​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Daiya Brie Jaxx Mliss Roo Xan Deesa Deryn Kaaldos

"Works. Stay alert. See anything that looks hostile, shoot it," Elpsis said laconically. Who allowed her to give orders? No one, but she was a Kerrigan and thus being bossy was a requirement, one imagined.
"New Young Flames, ma'am?" Zhaleh her asked quietly, with a side-glance in the direction of Daiya and Brie. Her tone was dry and she spoke in her native Qadiri language. Elpsis grunted something. Now was not the time for levity. "Ready to head out, ma'am."
"Go join Nat."

So the band of misfits started moving its way inside. Flashlights provided a measure of illumination, but nonetheless it was rather dark. Elpsis used the Force to see, so the darkness was not really a problem for her. Shadows flickered across the walls. Here and there, red emergency lights flickered, but by and large power seemed to have gone out.

Elpsis and her group moved methodically in a manner that implied some form of military training. Rifle or pistols in hand, they checked every corridor or room they passed. Natalie had equipped a lifeform scanner to check for signs of life. Her other hand held a revolver. On occasion, there were still blips on the radar, so to speak, but these vanished as soon as they manifested. "I have a member of the forward team," Zhaleh declared after a while. The corpse of a Twi'lek lay on the floor. A badly mutilated corpse.
"I think that's her, too," Rhea opined, illuminating some guts. "There is a head here...and that's it. Should've brought Ghosttalker to chat with them," she muttered the last bit to herself.
Red lights flared on Natalie's contacts. "Multiple contacts closing in our position from...," she broke off. Raising her Revolver, she squeezed the trigger, firing rounds in quick succession. A creature fell through a hole in ceiling above them, landing on the ground with a hard thud. A ball of flame manifested in Elpsis' hand. Then they came. From virtually everywhere. Driven by primal hunger and pure ferocity. The abominations saw a corridor filled with good meat and they would not let the buffet go to waste.