Non-HPU: Beacon of Hope

[Buster]

(Oops. aparently i lost track of somone. >.< )

having blended into the background while higher priorities were being dealt with, and left behind with the bridge crew with still no idea where she's suposed to go when Vanderbelt and Corp went to deal wih other matters, Epsilon has aparently gotten tired of standing off to the side being patent, "I don't supose somone has an extra pair of pants?" she asks in a tone that almost makes it sound like a complaint.

- - - - - - -

Hivemind took the twins up to the meeting room. He shut the door and turned to Kobor. "Talya already told me what happened. You saw a Ghrak. I didn't make the simulation do that. My best guess is interference from an outside force. Talya also told me why you hate them. I can't say I blame you. However..." He pulled out a rather thick folder and set it down on the table. "Your response to this hatred NEEDS to change. Otherwise, what happened on Kerbos and Anjan will pale in comparison to the atrocities that will happen. Odium is made stronger by this hatred, and he can easily use it as a weapon against all of us. He could make your entire team look like Ghrak if we ever encountered another Dracolich. Speaking of which..." He opened the file. In it were pages upon pages of what seemed to be location names. "In case you think I don't understand, that I am asking the near-impossible simply because it's inconvenient, that I can't imagine the horrors you went through, take a look at this list. This is a list of the nations, cultures, species, and even worlds that the Dracolich, Odium's last avatar, burned, corrupted, consumed, or otherwise destroyed. There are thousands of them. Millions, even. And these are just the ones we know about. In case this doesn't convince you what we are dealing with, I personally had to pick up whatever scraps of life were left, if any, from these places and peoples. I've had to watch as entire galaxies worth of systems were devoured by this demon. I still have the video files in my memory stores, if you need further proof."

Hivemind looked Kobor in the eyes. "I don't expect this to be easy. I don't even know if it's possible to fully get rid of this hate. But we have to try."

"so just forgive and forget because there are bigger threats out there, is that it?" Kobor deadpans, his tone flat but begining totake on an edge of hostility. "As if that somehow makes them less of one? Or undoes the people they've killed, and will again?"


> Seriously? you're trying to win him over with statistics? That doesnt even work on humans why would it work here?!
> You don't know the slightst thing about psychology do you...
> Tell me, can the organic part of you just switch off his feelings and process everything logicaly, or is that something only your machine parts can do?
> Any given species is going to have diferent individual motivators, but victory=survival is pretty much a constant. at the root of nearly every organic mind is a desire to win, no matter the cost. which often translates to 'my argument is correct, no matter the facts.'
> It's one of the few things we have in comon with humans on the mental front.
> you need to work around that, not against it.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Yeah," Jenny muttered, taking the opportunity to move towards the citizen, "we're not doing all that well, are we?" She sighed. "If we can't defend the position we need to get him out. Now he cringed a bit. "I... can use my sonic attack to create concussive shockwaves. Aiming over their heads means they'll survive. Ulrich, if Quint and I choose a path and clear it, you think you can get the cit out? Tat, we'd need you to knock out any vehicle threatening. I know you're fast enough and good enough to stop them."
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Corp tapped the Feline on the back of the neck and caught him as he fell. "Think we have the first to develop powers," he said, hoisting the downed over his shoulder with no little effort. "I figure he won't be the last but I hope he's the last right now. Lets go see if others need help."
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"Anything I can do, mr Hive drone," Jaken asked.
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Seena and Doris sat on the bridge, watching the others at work as Andy took the chance to look around the bridge.

[~\Rook/~]

The hive droid walked up, Cyber right next to him. "The captain has informed me that there are sections of the ship that are cut off by debris. We need to clear it out and treat any injured in those sections. MT, Chris, would you mind helping clear the path?"

"I am willing." The mech stated. "However, Chris is the one in control right now."

Rika nodded. "Understood." She then stepped away to tell the treated crewmembers whats going on.

Hivemind gave himself a facepalm as androids, hidden from the simulation, picked Traci up and carried her out of the room. As soon as they left the simulation, her injuries would vanish. "Sorry, Traci. You're out for the rest of the round. You can go to the spectator stands with Angel team through those doors there." He said, pointing to some smaller doors down on the other end of the wall.

"Urgh, I-It's ok.. I didn't know what else to do, so I just.. Gave up. It won't happen again.." She said apologetically before heading down the hallway. She stopped at the doors a moment before turning back suddenly. "I'll definitely be more careful next round, thats for sure!" She called with a bit more enthusiasm.

Traci then headed through the doors and up to the spectator room, where she found a seat slightly away from the others and watched the arena below.

[Hlaoroo]

Tyratea looked over to Cailean and rushed to him. "Please, do not cry. It will wash the salve away." She said, preparing some more of the ointment. As she applied it, she tried to comfort the canine. "Do not worry. If I know Hivemind, and everyone on the ship does, he will do whatever he can to reunite everyone with their families. It will take time, lots of time even. But you will get back home."

"Can he turn back time? Mah family, Da included, was murdered last week. Conall is all Ah hae left naow." he growls, before taking a deep breath and shaking himself.
"Ah'm sorry. Ye cuidnae hae kenned. Ah shuidnae tak it oot on ye." he apologises, letting the healer reapply the salve.

[CyberDragon]

"Can he turn back time? Mah family, Da included, was murdered last week. Conall is all Ah hae left naow." he growls, before taking a deep breath and shaking himself.
"Ah'm sorry. Ye cuidnae hae kenned. Ah shuidnae tak it oot on ye." he apologises, letting the healer reapply the salve.

"It's ok. I'm sorry for your loss." Tyratea finished up with the two and wandered over to Hivemind. Whispering to him, she asked...

"You... don't know how to turn back time, by any chance. Do you?"

"I honestly don't know. It's possible, I suppose. I've never tried."

"Alright. I'll bite. Why haven't you tried this before if you think it's possible?"

"For one thing, the Beacon of Hope would vanish from this timeline. It's a dangerous concept, and I haven't worked out the kind of damage time travel could do."

"If we send them back, we will already be breaching their timeline, causing it to branch. Does it matter where that branch starts?"

"It might. I have to look into it." He turned to the three passengers. "In the meantime, please follow me. We need to get you out of here." With that, he started to lead the group out toward the docks.

------------------------

"so just forgive and forget because there are bigger threats out there, is that it?" Kobor deadpans, his tone flat but begining totake on an edge of hostility. "As if that somehow makes them less of one? Or undoes the people they've killed, and will again?"


> Seriously? you're trying to win him over with statistics? That doesnt even work on humans why would it work here?!
> You don't know the slightst thing about psychology do you...
> Tell me, can the organic part of you just switch off his feelings and process everything logicaly, or is that something only your machine parts can do?
> Any given species is going to have diferent individual motivators, but victory=survival is pretty much a constant. at the root of nearly every organic mind is a desire to win, no matter the cost. which often translates to 'my argument is correct, no matter the facts.'
> It's one of the few things we have in comon with humans on the mental front.
> you need to work around that, not against it.

>Of course not. That was just the first thing I was going to try because it has the lowest chance of scarring him.
>Conditioning, exposure therapy, these things take time and sometimes, if rarely, result in trauma if not done well.
>Very occasionally you get someone who is convinced by facts and numbers. It was worth a first try, but I'm not done yet.

"Of course not, Kobor." Hivemind replied. "Forgiving them won't undo what they have done. However, neither will flying into a murderous rage any time you see one. You are right. They are dangerous and they have as a group committed inexcusable and horrific acts. But think about it for just a moment. WHY did they do it? What drove them to kill so many people? It was hatred. Odium might not take a physical or visible form in your universe, but its presence is still felt there. It is what drove the Ghrak to kill, and now it tries to drive you to do the same."

------------------------

Corp tapped the Feline on the back of the neck and caught him as he fell. "Think we have the first to develop powers," he said, hoisting the downed over his shoulder with no little effort. "I figure he won't be the last but I hope he's the last right now. Lets go see if others need help."

"The captain told me of some areas that were blocked off. We should go find..." Hivemind froze as someone ran into the room. This person, a silvery husky, looked literally only half there. Hivemind could see right through him, and some of his sensors weren't picking up on the canine at all.

"Please! Please, you have to help my family! They're trapped in our room! My brother's hurt and running out of time!" the transparent husky said, panic in his voice.

"Do... do you need medical treatment yourself?" Hivemind asked, concerned about his see-through-ness.

"What? No, I'm already dead! Please, just... follow me!" with that, he ran off down the hall, stopping at a badly distorted door before running right through it.

"Huh... Uh..." Hivemind couldn't think of what to say to what just happened. "I... guess this counts as the second person to develop powers?"

------------------------

"Urgh, I-It's ok.. I didn't know what else to do, so I just.. Gave up. It won't happen again.." She said apologetically before heading down the hallway. She stopped at the doors a moment before turning back suddenly. "I'll definitely be more careful next round, thats for sure!" She called with a bit more enthusiasm.

Traci then headed through the doors and up to the spectator room, where she found a seat slightly away from the others and watched the arena below.

When she got into the spectator room, she might overhear the members of Angel team talking among themselves.
"They aren't doing too well, are they?" The reptilian engineer commented.
"They aren't doing too poorly either." The not-angel replied.
"Their speedster shows promise!" the lightly armored woman said, apparently not noticing Traci had walked in.
"I think you're biased, Recon."
The woman huffed, crossing her arms. "Just because I'm a speedster does not make me biased."
"No. Being biased makes you biased." The reptile stuck his forked tongue out at her jokingly.
The angel laughed. "Remember how badly our first training session went?"
"Yes, I have the scars to remind me, thank you very much." The engineer rubbed his side indicating where the scar was.
"It didn't help that Titan collapsed the bridge on the civilian." She gave the behemoth in heavy armor a smile. The behemoth said nothing, still focused on the team in the battleground. "Hey. What are you thinking, Titan?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't get a response.
Titan continued to look forward. Recon followed his gaze down to the area and saw she was looking at Jenny. "She does have some pretty good leadership skills and experience, but she hasn't really been a heavy hitter in the fight itself. I think she's holding back, honestly. If that's what you were thinking, then... just keep looking creepy." Titan didn't react. it simply kept looking forward, watching Jenny strategize. "Right! So we agree then."

------------------------

Rika nodded. "Understood." She then stepped away to tell the treated crewmembers whats going on.

"Anything I can do, mr Hive drone," Jaken asked.

"Jaken, if MT and Chris clear away enough debris for you to see past what's left, do you think you can create a portal for us to get past what might remain? That might be faster."

[Welsh Halfwit]

Corp couldn't help but feel a little cold at the sight of Lieutenant Nocturl being both dead and ambulant and he almost shook. "That," he breathed, "is a new one." He caught up mentally with what had been said and followedto the blocked door. He looked to see if the manual system would work but there was no luck there. "I can't trytry a cutting beam without knowing what's on the other side," he complained. "If the transporter system was working I could teleport inside..." He tapped his comm to see if it worked but no-one seemed to reply. He produced one of his carbonised steel blades on his battle rig and started trying to get the blade into the crack. "Maybe I can break the seal..."
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"Of course," Jaken said easily. "I can open them without seeing the location too, you know? On distance only.." His ears flattened and he cringed slightly. "but I can't tell what it would open into. Small gap, room, off the edge of a cliff..."

[Neon Icy Wings]

Tatiana let out a random assortment of annoyed sounds, she didn't like the rollercoaster starting and stopping the training was turning into. She stopped when Jenny started talking plans, "Yeah, no problem. I'll crush them! Gently. Though, honestly I hope what comes after this won't be too annoying."

[Deske]

Ulrich dropped his arms from his fighting stances and stretched. He nodded an agreement to Tatiana's groan of annoyance, "I know how you feel..."

--------

Doctor Vanderbilt stood up, having finished tending to the crewmen on the bridge, "I might have something," he said, digging around in his first aid kit. He pulled out a sealed plastic package labelled "Scrubs" and tossed it towards Epsilon, "Kept them just in case. Glad they came in handy."

--------

Chris nodded their collective head, "We could do that. Where do you need us?"

[CyberDragon]

Corp couldn't help but feel a little cold at the sight of Lieutenant Nocturl being both dead and ambulant and he almost shook. "That," he breathed, "is a new one." He caught up mentally with what had been said and followedto the blocked door. He looked to see if the manual system would work but there was no luck there. "I can't trytry a cutting beam without knowing what's on the other side," he complained. "If the transporter system was working I could teleport inside..." He tapped his comm to see if it worked but no-one seemed to reply. He produced one of his carbonised steel blades on his battle rig and started trying to get the blade into the crack. "Maybe I can break the seal..."

"It's worth a shot." The droid replied. "My heavier units don't look like they'll get here in time, and the mech and our portal generating Celican are on the other side of the ship. And no, he can't just portal over here if he doesn't know where here is. Our 'medical brick' is also occupied with a critical injury, so he can't come." He said, referring to the goliath of a medic that pried the external door off the ship when they found it jammed.

--------------------------

"Of course," Jaken said easily. "I can open them without seeing the location too, you know? On distance only.." His ears flattened and he cringed slightly. "but I can't tell what it would open into. Small gap, room, off the edge of a cliff..."

Chris nodded their collective head, "We could do that. Where do you need us?"

"It seems like we have wounded and a fatality trapped behind a jammed door. It's on the other side of the ship, though. If the security mouse can't get it open, then we need a plan B. You guys are closer than my heavy droids. We should make our way over there as soon as possible." The droid instructed.

--------------------------

"Umm... captain?" Hivemind started. "I... don't know how to say this, but at least one fatality has woken up, leaving their body behind. A silver husky. Had a lieutenant badge on him. He showed up to Corp and me saying he was dead and his family was trapped. Given I could see through him and he proceeded to walk through a solid metal door, I'm inclined to believe him on the being dead part."

[Welsh Halfwit]

After a moment, Corp relented. He'd managed to get the tip of his blade into the gap but the door wasn't going to give before he did. "I'm going to have to risk cutting," he said, taking cutting gear from a nearby wall unit after turning the tumblers to the ascribed security code. "Switching to Thermal," he added, tapping his helmet. "It's not perfect but it gives me a better chance of not hitting them." He pressed the end against the door and started cutting as fast as he was able. It looked like it would take five minutes or so.
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"Well, if we can get a guide," Jaken said hopefully. "Or might Mister MT know where he is?"
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Having made her way to the citizen, Jenny looked around for a defensible position. "Tat, can you see a good defensive position from up there?"

[Legotron123]

As soon as Hivemind paused the simulation, Quint dropped down to the ground and immediately started digging through the suits files, mutter under his breath as he walked towards the nearest droid. ”Let us see, Kenesis Cannon, no, Ichigan Buster, no, Sougan Blade, no, ah here it is, Biological Disrupter. You were actually pretty close on the name, Kolt.”
Nailed it.
”Let us see here, temporarily dampens electrical signals to and from the affected part of the body, designed to non lethally disable opponents, oh there it is, ‘in the event you hit an ally with the Biological Disrupter, activate your gloves defibrillator mode and set the voltage to zero. This will activate a specialized setting designed specifically for this purpose, which you can use to reactivate the disability body part.’ Okay then, now I need to find the defibrillator mode.”

—MEANWHILE—

”Wait what?” Liz responded in shock, while Lewis did his third facepalm in five minutes and muttered something about wanting this universe to make sense. ”You mean Lieutenant Nocturl is a ghost now? She went silent for a moment, as a few of the bridge crew turned to look at her and the droid in shock. ”.......Okay? Tell me if more show up? I’m honestly not sure how to respond to that. The Academy didn’t exactly have courses on what to do if one of your crew turns into a undead spirit.”

[~\Rook/~]

When Traci got into the spectator room, she might overhear the members of Angel team talking among themselves.
"They aren't doing too well, are they?" The reptilian engineer commented.
"They aren't doing too poorly either." The not-angel replied.
"Their speedster shows promise!" the lightly armored woman said, apparently not noticing Traci had walked in.
"I think you're biased, Recon."
The woman huffed, crossing her arms. "Just because I'm a speedster does not make me biased."
"No. Being biased makes you biased." The reptile stuck his forked tongue out at her jokingly.
The angel laughed. "Remember how badly our first training session went?"
"Yes, I have the scars to remind me, thank you very much." The engineer rubbed his side indicating where the scar was.
"It didn't help that Titan collapsed the bridge on the civilian." She gave the behemoth in heavy armor a smile. The behemoth said nothing, still focused on the team in the battleground. "Hey. What are you thinking, Titan?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't get a response.
Titan continued to look forward. Recon followed his gaze down to the area and saw she was looking at Jenny. "She does have some pretty good leadership skills and experience, but she hasn't really been a heavy hitter in the fight itself. I think she's holding back, honestly. If that's what you were thinking, then... just keep looking creepy." Titan didn't react. it simply kept looking forward, watching Jenny strategize. "Right! So we agree then."

Traci kept quiet, not wanting to disturb their conversation. Although, the comment about herself from the other speedster made her curl her tail lightly with appreciation.

[CyberDragon]

After a moment, Corp relented. He'd managed to get the tip of his blade into the gap but the door wasn't going to give before he did. "I'm going to have to risk cutting," he said, taking cutting gear from a nearby wall unit after turning the tumblers to the ascribed security code. "Switching to Thermal," he added, tapping his helmet. "It's not perfect but it gives me a better chance of not hitting them." He pressed the end against the door and started cutting as fast as he was able. It looked like it would take five minutes or so.

Before he did that, Hivemind banged on the door. "Lieutenant Nocturl?" he called.

The ghost peeked his head through the door. "Yeah, what is it you need? Can't you get the door open?"

"No. Corp is going to try to cut through. Make sure all of your family members are out of the way."

"Understood." The husky vanished once again through the door.

-----------------------------

"Well, if we can get a guide," Jaken said hopefully. "Or might Mister MT know where he is?"

"Maybe... MT? Do you know how to get to Lieutenant Nocturl and his family's house?" Hivemind asked.

"I have a map of the ship. However, I am not fully aware of what parts of the ship are blocked or damaged." Chris, I'm putting a map up on our HUD. It shows the shortest rout to Lieutenant Nocturl's residence.

-----------------------------

”Wait what?” Liz responded in shock, while Lewis did his third facepalm in five minutes and muttered something about wanting this universe to make sense. ”You mean Lieutenant Nocturl is a ghost now? She went silent for a moment, as a few of the bridge crew turned to look at her and the droid in shock. ”.......Okay? Tell me if more show up? I’m honestly not sure how to respond to that. The Academy didn’t exactly have courses on what to do if one of your crew turns into a undead spirit.”

"Uh... You mean like her?" He pointed behind the captain to a woman sitting up and clutching her head, seemingly not yet aware that her body didn't sit up with her.

-----------------------------

As soon as Hivemind paused the simulation, Quint dropped down to the ground and immediately started digging through the suits files, mutter under his breath as he walked towards the nearest droid. ”Let us see, Kenesis Cannon, no, Ichigan Buster, no, Sougan Blade, no, ah here it is, Biological Disrupter. You were actually pretty close on the name, Kolt.”
Nailed it.
”Let us see here, temporarily dampens electrical signals to and from the affected part of the body, designed to non lethally disable opponents, oh there it is, ‘in the event you hit an ally with the Biological Disrupter, activate your gloves defibrillator mode and set the voltage to zero. This will activate a specialized setting designed specifically for this purpose, which you can use to reactivate the disability body part.’ Okay then, now I need to find the defibrillator mode.”

"Kol is in the infirmary. You can find the defibrillator mode as we walk there." Hivemind led Kolt out and down the hall to the infirmary.

-----------------------------

Traci kept quiet, not wanting to disturb their conversation. Although, the comment about herself from the other speedster made her curl her tail lightly with appreciation.

Recon turned around as she spoke and noticed Traci sitting there. "Oh!" Then everything went crazy. Or, at least, she did. In less than the time it takes to blink, Recon was suddenly next to Traci. "HiI'mRecon.YoumustbethespeedsterrecruitHivemindmentionedearlier.Thisismyteam,wellnotreallyit'sarchangel'steam.He'stheguywiththeawesomewings. ThesnakelizardguyHey!SorryVaraniannotsnakelizardbutyoukindalooklikealizardthoughanywaywecallhimGadgeteerespecially'causeIcan't pronouncehisreallnameHEY!andthelastone,thebigoneinheavyarmor,that'sTitan.Shedoesn'tsaymuch,infacthedoesn'tsayanythingandnoonereallyknowsanythingaboutitbut Recon! Take a breath!"

Recon took a deep breath and slowed down a bit. "Sorry. Let me try that again." She held out a hand. "I'm Recon! Nice to meet you!"

[Deske]

Colorado followed Hiveminds finger and turned to face the new ghost, "Oh cool, he's going to have a friend now. That's good. Very good, actually."

------------

Do you have a plasma cutter? If we can tune the burn to cut and melt we could create "doorways" through any rubble that wouldn't collapse. Would keep us from slowing down too much.

[Buster]

Doctor Vanderbilt stood up, having finished tending to the crewmen on the bridge, "I might have something," he said, digging around in his first aid kit. He pulled out a sealed plastic package labelled "Scrubs" and tossed it towards Epsilon, "Kept them just in case. Glad they came in handy."

"Thank you." Epsilon stated with a nod, albeit with a tone as flat as always, before quickly dressing as best she could with limited useof one arm.

"Uh... You mean like her?" He pointed behind the captain to a woman sitting up and clutching her head, seemingly not yet aware that her body didn't sit up with her.

Colorado followed Hiveminds finger and turned to face the new ghost, "Oh cool, he's going to have a friend now. That's good. Very good, actually."

Noticing where the others were looking and quickly cycling optical modes when something looked off, she chimes it with "Actually, I'm still seeing a weak heartbat and minimal brain activity... Astral projection maybe?"

- - - - - - - - -

>Of course not. That was just the first thing I was going to try because it has the lowest chance of scarring him.
>Conditioning, exposure therapy, these things take time and sometimes, if rarely, result in trauma if not done well.
>Very occasionally you get someone who is convinced by facts and numbers. It was worth a first try, but I'm not done yet.

"Of course not, Kobor." Hivemind replied. "Forgiving them won't undo what they have done. However, neither will flying into a murderous rage any time you see one. You are right. They are dangerous and they have as a group committed inexcusable and horrific acts. But think about it for just a moment. WHY did they do it? What drove them to kill so many people? It was hatred. Odium might not take a physical or visible form in your universe, but its presence is still felt there. It is what drove the Ghrak to kill, and now it tries to drive you to do the same."

"If talya hadn't locked out the targeting computer-"
"I locked it because the target wasnt really there!" Talya snaps cutting him off angrily when he tries to shift the blame.
"Regardless, vigilance is nececary, and hesitating to pull the trigger gets people killed. They're as invasive as we are, but aparently they never learned from the war. Never changed." Kobor states sounding perfectly certain in his justification while simultaneously sidestepping Hiveminds question entirely.

>this is why I prefer being a computer; it is much easier when you can just archive the routines you dont need right now. listening to this is going to give me a headache, I'm going into recharge mode.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"We HAVE to get through," Corp said with added urgency as the cutter fought its' way through the metal of the door. He could feel desperation now, the cold fear of failure pulling at him as a clear, thin, line down the frame. It burned at him and churned his stomach.
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Jaken followed MT/Chris on their way through the ship, casting the widest portal he'd ever cast to get MT through a fallen section. He whined at the effort.
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"Right," Jenny said, "of course. Quint's helping out Kol." She looked around. "Ulrich, you see the tall building down to the SouthWest? That seems more defensible. Take him there. We'll cover you and clear the way as best we're able but the key thing is don't stop. Keep going, yeah?"

[Deske]

Chris gently guided MT around unstable structures, a bit amazed at how lithe the mech could be,l. Some required a bit more force if they could be moved safely and yet other required portals when they would have been too time consuming to deconstruct. "Don't strain yourself, we're almost there. Just down the hallway and to the left." They made their way around a corner and down the hall, finally finding Corp cutting through the door

---------

Ulrich nodded, "Wait what do you mean by clear a path? Because I could always just,-" he lifted a hand up, forming a platform under himself. Dragging his thumb and index fingers apart, he created walls as well. "Honestly given how tall this room is, we could just stay in the air until you all remove everyone from play."

[Welsh Halfwit]

"You do that and they'll adapt," Jenny advised. "The air'll be thick with aerial firepower or missiles. We have buildings here, let's make use. If we go through a section, we force the others to follow us. We control some of the direction they'll come from, rather than being surrounded. But take to the air if needed. Plan B never hurts."
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"Stand back, Mister Mouse," Jaken called as they approached the door. Corp was just about halfway through the cutting now and had corralled a corpsman medic to attend when the door gave way.
Not knowing why, Corp pulled back slightly. "It has to be something weird," he muttered as Jaken breached the door with a portal that made Corp blink behind the visor.
Jaken hopped through. "You're a ghost," he said to Nocturl, "Sorry but... cool!"

[Deske]

"That is a good point and though I think you are underestimating how much damage these can take, I will defer to your judgement." He looked at the shallow sea of chargers and various enemies, "I would warn you not to get mobbed by them, but I am sure you already know." He grinned and snapped his fingers, summoning an oddly comfortable hard-light chair. He sat back into it whilst waiting for the battle to resume.

----------

So if I stay hooked up to you long enough do we do some sort of mind merge?

[Neon Icy Wings]

Tatiana shrugged, "Honestly the only downside to ground based defenses would be the Chargers. Everything else is best avoided for as long as possible, no need for unneeded taxation of your hard light barriers. Kinda like why I'm not cracking my armor to take these obstacles down. I'm waiting for the surprises."

She gave a sigh and sat on the ground, "Honestly I would have preferred being torn apart by Lycan. But I'm not saying bop that might jinx us."

[~\Rook/~]

Recon turned around as she spoke and noticed Traci sitting there. "Oh!" Then everything went crazy. Or, at least, she did. In less than the time it takes to blink, Recon was suddenly next to Traci. "HiI'mRecon.YoumustbethespeedsterrecruitHivemindmentionedearlier.Thisismyteam,wellnotreallyit'sarchangel'steam.He'stheguywiththeawesomewings. ThesnakelizardguyHey!SorryVaraniannotsnakelizardbutyoukindalooklikealizardthoughanywaywecallhimGadgeteerespecially'causeIcan't pronouncehisreallnameHEY!andthelastone,thebigoneinheavyarmor,that'sTitan.Shedoesn'tsaymuch,infacthedoesn'tsayanythingandnoonereallyknowsanythingaboutitbut Recon! Take a breath!"

Recon took a deep breath and slowed down a bit. "Sorry. Let me try that again." She held out a hand. "I'm Recon! Nice to meet you!"

Traci smiled widely and shook the offered hand. Recon's excited-ness didn't seem to phase her, nor did the speed she talked. "Oh I know who you all are! I'm Traci Shwarte, It's an honor to meet you! You and your team have been my idols since I was a kitten!" She replied happily, her tail now curling freely and a slight purr to her words. "You guys were fantastic on your last mission! I sneaked a peek at the post-mission report when I worked at the C.I.D, and-" She cut herself off when she realised a hive drone was in the room. "Ah, sorry, couldn't help myself.. But boy, you guys did that mission perfectly! What was it like?" She continued, not realising she hadn't let go of Recon's hand.

[CyberDragon]

"If talya hadn't locked out the targeting computer-"
"I locked it because the target wasnt really there!" Talya snaps cutting him off angrily when he tries to shift the blame.
"Regardless, vigilance is nececary, and hesitating to pull the trigger gets people killed. They're as invasive as we are, but aparently they never learned from the war. Never changed." Kobor states sounding perfectly certain in his justification while simultaneously sidestepping Hiveminds question entirely.

>this is why I prefer being a computer; it is much easier when you can just archive the routines you dont need right now. listening to this is going to give me a headache, I'm going into recharge mode.

"And what exactly were you expecting them to learn, Kobor? What lessens were you expecting them to get out of this? The Kaal learned to not feed on and take over sentient beings because that was what started the war in the first place. What was there in that war against the kaal for them to learn? That fighting causes massive loss of life? They were already loosing their lives beforehand. What they learned is to not trust anyone." Hivemind argued. "To them, anyone could be Kaal because Kaal can be anyone. I'm willing to bet they think you are still on their world, eating their brains and stealing their bodies, and they use sympathizers to prove it. When you have an enemy that can't be determined by sight, anyone could be one of them. The hateful hold up the sympathizers and say the only way they could not hate the enemy is if they are one of them. This proves to the hateful that their enemy is still alive and, in the case of the Kaal, still taking over their bodies. The war never ended for them, did it? What were you expecting them to do when you tried to make peace while sporting intelligence the Kaal stole from the Grhak?"

-------------------------------

"We HAVE to get through," Corp said with added urgency as the cutter fought its' way through the metal of the door. He could feel desperation now, the cold fear of failure pulling at him as a clear, thin, line down the frame. It burned at him and churned his stomach.

Chris gently guided MT around unstable structures, a bit amazed at how lithe the mech could be,l. Some required a bit more force if they could be moved safely and yet other required portals when they would have been too time consuming to deconstruct. "Don't strain yourself, we're almost there. Just down the hallway and to the left." They made their way around a corner and down the hall, finally finding Corp cutting through the door

"Stand back, Mister Mouse," Jaken called as they approached the door. Corp was just about halfway through the cutting now and had corralled a corpsman medic to attend when the door gave way.
Not knowing why, Corp pulled back slightly. "It has to be something weird," he muttered as Jaken breached the door with a portal that made Corp blink behind the visor.
Jaken hopped through. "You're a ghost," he said to Nocturl, "Sorry but... cool!"

Three people, not including the ghost, were there in the room. One, another male husky, was bleeding badly against a wall. A second one, older this time, seemed to have both legs broken. Finally, an older female was sobbing next to a heavy fallen piece of debris, under which a silver-furred arm stuck out limply.

"Mom! Please don't look at me! Look at me instead!" the ghost tried to tell the older husky. He turned to the others as they entered. "Over there! Get my brother first! I can feel him fading away!" He shouted at the group. Several medics ran through to assist him.

So if I stay hooked up to you long enough do we do some sort of mind merge?

This is unlikely, but I don't think we should test this... He noticed the ghost. why is the Lieutenant only showing up on a tenth of my sensors?

-------------------------------

Traci smiled widely and shook the offered hand. Recon's excited-ness didn't seem to phase her, nor did the speed she talked. "Oh I know who you all are! I'm Traci Shwarte, It's an honor to meet you! You and your team have been my idols since I was a kitten!" She replied happily, her tail now curling freely and a slight purr to her words. "You guys were fantastic on your last mission! I sneaked a peek at the post-mission report when I worked at the C.I.D, and-" She cut herself off when she realised a hive drone was in the room. "Ah, sorry, couldn't help myself.. But boy, you guys did that mission perfectly! What was it like?" She continued, not realising she hadn't let go of Recon's hand.

The hive drone waved a hand, indicating he didn't care that she sneaked a peek at the report.

"Honestly, it went sort of how this match is going now."
"Lots of bad guys, lots of bullets, a mega-carrier..."
"All to protect a guy I'd rather eat than save."
"He was pretty annoying. Arrogant too."

-------------------------------

Noticing where the others were looking and quickly cycling optical modes when something looked off, she chimes it with "Actually, I'm still seeing a weak heartbat and minimal brain activity... Astral projection maybe?"

"She's... Fades-In-Shadows, where are you? Where did you... oh. duh." He turned to the darkest, shadowiest part of the room, and sure enough he could see the glisten of two eyes in the darkness. "Fades, you and the doctor get on it! We don't want to loose anyone else!"

The reptile creature stepped out of the darkness and started to repeat the process he did with the Captain.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Corp sighed heavily as the medics got to work. Then he did something few had seen in public. He removed his helmet, showing fully the puckered scar down the side of his face and the tired nature in his eyes before he crossed to kneel in front of the mother. "Mrs Nocturl," he said with a heavy, sombre, tone, "I am sorry for your loss but I need to take you out from here now." He knew her argument, if she was capable of formulating one right now, and answered it gently. "Don't worry, we won't leave him here, I promise you that. We do our best to..." he swallowed, "to save everyone and we don't leave anyone behind but they need to work now, Mrs Nocturl. We need to let them do their jobs. Come on." With that he put an arm around the older Husky and gently stood her up, letting her lean on him as much as she needed. He glanced to MT and, then, the debris as he passed by. "Be gentle," he said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaken was already pulling at the lighter pieces of Debris.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Can...can I do anything, Ca...Captain," Seena said, sitting up as best she could.

[Deske]

Chris sized up the door frame before squeezing the two in there using some clever contorting and began moving the larger pieces of debris.

------------

Colorado watched fades do their thing and shrugged, "Can't compete with magic."

[Buster]

"All the more reason to keep those things out of civilized space." Kobor practically growled the words as he spoke, turning to leave as if the conversation were over, ignoring the fact that Talya was still laying on the floor next to hivemind powered down and hivemind no doubt had more to say.

[~\Rook/~]

"Honestly, it went sort of how this match is going now."
"Lots of bad guys, lots of bullets, a mega-carrier..."
"All to protect a guy I'd rather eat than save."
"He was pretty annoying. Arrogant too."

Traci nodded knowingly. "Mmm, I've dealt with people like that.. It can get really tiring very quickly, can't it? " She said simply, tilting her head. "..But dealing with so many targets, it- Well, I didn't know what to do down there, let alone in a serious situation. How did you work around that, Recon?" She asked honestly, rubbing the back of her head mid-sentence.

-----

Rika helped the medics as best as she could without being in the way, giving a little advice too.

[CyberDragon]

Corp sighed heavily as the medics got to work. Then he did something few had seen in public. He removed his helmet, showing fully the puckered scar down the side of his face and the tired nature in his eyes before he crossed to kneel in front of the mother. "Mrs Nocturl," he said with a heavy, sombre, tone, "I am sorry for your loss but I need to take you out from here now." He knew her argument, if she was capable of formulating one right now, and answered it gently. "Don't worry, we won't leave him here, I promise you that. We do our best to..." he swallowed, "to save everyone and we don't leave anyone behind but they need to work now, Mrs Nocturl. We need to let them do their jobs. Come on." With that he put an arm around the older Husky and gently stood her up, letting her lean on him as much as she needed. He glanced to MT and, then, the debris as he passed by. "Be gentle," he said.

"Loss? I'm right here!" Nocturl protested. "I'm dead, not lost!" The ghost followed Corp and his mother out. "Come on, mom. Look at me. Or through me. Either way. I will always be with you in spirit!"
His mom let out a half-sob laugh. "O-Only you would joke about your own death." She choked.
"Well... so did the universe."

------------------------------------

Chris sized up the door frame before squeezing the two in there using some clever contorting and began moving the larger pieces of debris.

MT became highly confused when the two of them pulled a safe, an anvil, a flowerpot, and a random 16 ton weight out of the debris covering Nocturl's body. ...what...? was all he could think of to say about this situation.

------------------------------------

Colorado watched fades do their thing and shrugged, "Can't compete with magic."

"Yes you can. Get over here." The lizard man snapped. "My spells only restore blood and cure physical wounds. They don't treat infection, compound fractures, or massive internal bleeding. All of which she has."

------------------------------------

"All the more reason to keep those things out of civilized space." Kobor practically growled the words as he spoke, turning to leave as if the conversation were over, ignoring the fact that Talya was still laying on the floor next to hivemind powered down and hivemind no doubt had more to say.

Kobor would find the door sealed shut. Hivemind wasn't done yet.
"All the more reason to change your approach to this as well, Kobor. Their violent actions against you and everyone who gets close to the Kaal isn't inherent in them. It was learned because it's what saved their species from being your species's food. Just as it was learned, it can be unlearned. You can't possibly eliminate the threat by going feral and attacking them whenever you see them. This only increases their hatred of you and fuels the destructive fire. Right now, it is fueled by finding sympathizers, accusing them of being Kaal, and executing them. If you want to stop the destruction, there are only two ways to do so. Through violence, or through protection. Talya said that 'for every one that was willing to move on, ten weren't.' This means that there is a chunk of Grhak that want no part in the violence against you. If even one out of eleven Grhak don't want to fight, and you choose the violent route of killing all Grhak you see, then for every eleven Grhak you kill preemptively one of them will have been an innocent life on your hands, and more fuel for the Grhak to use against you. The only option that works is through protection. Find sympathizers, even Grhak ones, and protect them. Keep them out of view and away from the hostile Grhak. When they run out of witches to burn, they will think there are no more witches. You keep the Grhak sympathizers safe until they have the numbers and allies behind them to enact change. It's a long-term effort, but the only way to stop the violence is to STOP the violence. That is what Champions do." The door unlocked. "Think about what it is you really want. Do you want revenge? Or do you want to end their violence? Think about it hard."

------------------------------------

Traci nodded knowingly. "Mmm, I've dealt with people like that.. It can get really tiring very quickly, can't it? " She said simply, tilting her head. "..But dealing with so many targets, it- Well, I didn't know what to do down there, let alone in a serious situation. How did you work around that, Recon?" She asked honestly, rubbing the back of her head mid-sentence.

"I rely on my team. Titan especially." She said enthusiastically. "Though my armor's cloaking and blink devices help too. I think there are some in the armory if you wanted to try them next round."

------------------------------------

Rika helped the medics as best as she could without being in the way, giving a little advice too.

"Rika, I think the medics have the brother handled." Hivemind said as the brother started to wake up. "You should move on to the father."

[Deske]

Doctor Vanderbilt knelt down beside the injured crewman, "That's a very specific definition of the word physical. Technically these are all physical, just not visible. Makes me wonder if there are any abstract medical sciences." He opened his medical bag and retrieved a pill and a bag of saline solution, which he combined and let sit. Next he withdrew a scalpel and got to work, "Honestly I wish I had something for internal bleeding but coagulants don't differentiate between blood close to where it's supposed to be and blood where it's not supposed to be." pulled a needle out of his bag and filled it with a powder. He scanned her body with his eye, shifting through the variety of filters until he found the major problems that required immediate attention. A carefully maneuvered injection using the powder filled needle would serve as a means to stop the internal bleeding quicker. The compound fracture would have to wait until he inserted the IV into her arm and unclamped the tube. He almost hung it on the lizards staff, but that would be rude.

[Legotron123]

As Quint followed Hivemind to the infirmary, he dug through the various settings in their suit, trying to find the defibrillator settings. ”Diesel Impact, Fire Splash, Meteor Break, I have no idea what any of these even are. They sound like finisher moves from this one show Kolt likes called Super Squadron.”
I’m pretty Meteor Break IS a finisher from Super Squadron.
”Wait, really?”
Yeah, it was one of the Mecha finishers. The five Defenders pool their energy to form this big ball of energy that Union King then punches into the enemy.
”Huh.” Quint muttered, confused as to why someone like Mythos would name something after an attack from one of Kolt’s shows. ”We’ll have to ask him about it later. In the meantime, I still need to find the defibrillator setting.”

—MEANWHILE—

While the Hivemind and the lizard wizard focused on helping Ensign Foster avoid becoming a ghost, Liz walked over to some of the bridge crew who were working on getting the various essentials up and running. ”How long until the holograms are up and running?” She asked the wolf and jaguar working on one of the consoles.
”Almost got it. Hey Theo, can you hand that circuit board? The wolf asked, sticking his hand out for his friend to put the aforementioned object in. Once he had it, he pulled his arm back and started working on the projector. ”Just put this here, solder these two together, connect these wires, aaaaaaand there we go!” Lights popped up on the projector, and a holographic image of the Steelhaven appeared in the middle of the bridge.
Liz was well aware of the damage her ship had taken, but seeing it in such vivid detail caused her to freeze for a few seconds. Some sections were missing perfectly spherical chunks, others were twisted and warped out of shape, and some parts looked like some kind of massive beast had torn at them. All in all, it was an absolute mess, and anyone who even glanced at it could tell that there was no hope of fixing it.

[~\Rook/~]

"I rely on my team. Titan especially." She said enthusiastically. "Though my armor's cloaking and blink devices help too. I think there are some in the armory if you wanted to try them next round."

Oooohh, of course! I kinda thought that blink was one of your powers though.. But uh, I wouldn't want to use the same things you do, that wouldn't make me unique y'know?" She said, still smiling widely. "But maybe I should try something similar.." She added, thinking through some ideas.

-----

"Rika, I think the medics have the brother handled." Hivemind said as the brother started to wake up. "You should move on to the father."

"Hm? Oh, right.." Rika said flatly, moving over to the older male before starting on his broken legs..

[Hlaoroo]

"In the meantime, please follow me. We need to get you out of here." With that, he started to lead the group out toward the docks.

The dogs collect what little stuff they have, which doesn't take long, before following the pair, Cailean keeping an eye on Sarah, ready to follow his guard's orders if need be.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"Huh," Corp said, suddenly feeling a little more cheer than normal, "should have figured. You were always a perfectionist. Figures the universe lets you attend your own funeral, Nocturl." He frowned slightly at the unexpected joke and continued heading for the way out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeva, having swallowd the capsule some minutes before, was looking over a motorised wheelchair she'd just found. It had been in for calibration but it looked about... done. The console hummed into life and failed to explode so she moved onto the next one. It had no power but Keeva reckoned she could fix one up given a few minutes. She started assembling the bits she needed, cannibalising those beyond repair if need be.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jaken moved from door to door, opening portals through the metal and allowing the trapped out and the medics in.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wonder what powers I'd get," Andy said aloud as the hyperactive six year old buzzed around the bridge.
"Not patience," his mother guessed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah grabbed only her most essential things - Gun, personal shield and medical pack. She also grabbed a four pack of Brown ale which she put in a small pack before escorting the boys to safety.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"As happy as I am to be here, Hive," Hannabelle said, putting down the knitting she'd been trying to make with holographic needles, "are you sure you don't need a triage nurse? I've fixed plenty of my own wounds."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Buster]

"I don't recall the fuselage jack-knifing back on itself when I first saw this ship from the outside." Epsilon commented unhelpfully when the image was displayed, still standing off to the side. "I take it it's not suposed to do that."

- - - - -

"Really." Kobor stated flatly, "And how exactly would you know how their 'society' functions, if it does at all, when the only contact anyone's had with them in centuries have been firefights? Centuries I might add that during which our efforts toards containment, and it IS containment not revenge, as much as you might want to dress it up to serve your own arguments, have worked perfectly."

[CyberDragon]

"Really." Kobor stated flatly, "And how exactly would you know how their 'society' functions, if it does at all, when the only contact anyone's had with them in centuries have been firefights? Centuries I might add that during which our efforts toards containment, and it IS containment not revenge, as much as you might want to dress it up to serve your own arguments, have worked perfectly."

"Perfectly, you say. Tell me, how many people have died in the name of this 'containment'? How many Ghrakkal have been shot down for the sake of keeping them in one area? How many people defending the border have been killed in those firefights? Exactly what is the real cost of this strategy you say works perfectly? And how long do you expect it to 'work'? Until they finally break through the containment? Until someone on your side decides their 'container' could be smaller?" Hivemind questioned.

------------------------------

"Huh," Corp said, suddenly feeling a little more cheer than normal, "should have figured. You were always a perfectionist. Figures the universe lets you attend your own funeral, Nocturl." He frowned slightly at the unexpected joke and continued heading for the way out.

"WAITwaitwaitwait... wait. Was that a joke?" Nocturl hovered upside-down looking Corp in the face with a big shark-grin on his ghostly face. "YOU Just told a joke? YOU, Mr. Never-Smile? Did the world end, or was it just me?"

------------------------------

The dogs collect what little stuff they have, which doesn't take long, before following the pair, Cailean keeping an eye on Sarah, ready to follow his guard's orders if need be.

Sarah grabbed only her most essential things - Gun, personal shield and medical pack. She also grabbed a four pack of Brown ale which she put in a small pack before escorting the boys to safety.

As they stepped out onto the dock, Hivemind turned to Sarah. "I should tell you, the only people allowed to carry firearms on this ship are our security forces. Since you were forced into this situation against your will and without being given a chance to understand what was happening though, I'll tell you what. I will hold on to the firearm for now. I will give you a series of physical and psychological tests to make sure you are safe to have it in your possession. When you pass, you can have it back. I realize this might sound unfair, but we have never had a shooting before in this ship and I don't want to take any risks on that front."

------------------------------

Doctor Vanderbilt knelt down beside the injured crewman, "That's a very specific definition of the word physical. Technically these are all physical, just not visible. Makes me wonder if there are any abstract medical sciences." He opened his medical bag and retrieved a pill and a bag of saline solution, which he combined and let sit. Next he withdrew a scalpel and got to work, "Honestly I wish I had something for internal bleeding but coagulants don't differentiate between blood close to where it's supposed to be and blood where it's not supposed to be." pulled a needle out of his bag and filled it with a powder. He scanned her body with his eye, shifting through the variety of filters until he found the major problems that required immediate attention. A carefully maneuvered injection using the powder filled needle would serve as a means to stop the internal bleeding quicker. The compound fracture would have to wait until he inserted the IV into her arm and unclamped the tube. He almost hung it on the lizards staff, but that would be rude.

Fades held the bag up, not commenting on his misuse of the word physical. Apparently something was mistranslated.

------------------------------

While the Hivemind and the lizard wizard focused on helping Ensign Foster avoid becoming a ghost, Liz walked over to some of the bridge crew who were working on getting the various essentials up and running. ”How long until the holograms are up and running?” She asked the wolf and jaguar working on one of the consoles.
”Almost got it. Hey Theo, can you hand that circuit board? The wolf asked, sticking his hand out for his friend to put the aforementioned object in. Once he had it, he pulled his arm back and started working on the projector. ”Just put this here, solder these two together, connect these wires, aaaaaaand there we go!” Lights popped up on the projector, and a holographic image of the Steelhaven appeared in the middle of the bridge.
Liz was well aware of the damage her ship had taken, but seeing it in such vivid detail caused her to freeze for a few seconds. Some sections were missing perfectly spherical chunks, others were twisted and warped out of shape, and some parts looked like some kind of massive beast had torn at them. All in all, it was an absolute mess, and anyone who even glanced at it could tell that there was no hope of fixing it.

"I'm sorry about your ship, Captain. I will try what I can to fix what I can, but..." He shook his head.

Keeva, having swallowd the capsule some minutes before, was looking over a motorised wheelchair she'd just found. It had been in for calibration but it looked about... done. The console hummed into life and failed to explode so she moved onto the next one. It had no power but Keeva reckoned she could fix one up given a few minutes. She started assembling the bits she needed, cannibalising those beyond repair if need be.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wonder what powers I'd get," Andy said aloud as the hyperactive six year old buzzed around the bridge.
"Not patience," his mother guessed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't recall the fuselage jack-knifing back on itself when I first saw this ship from the outside." Epsilon commented unhelpfully when the image was displayed, still standing off to the side. "I take it it's not suposed to do that."

"Captain, we really should start filing people out of here." He turned to the group as another droid walked in. "Everyone who can walk and isn't helping someone who can't, follow that me right there. I will take you to the docks where you will go through the super tests before being welcomed aboard the Beacon of Hope. It's a big ship with a layout that deliberately makes no sense, so I'll help you find your way around."

------------------------------

Oooohh, of course! I kinda thought that blink was one of your powers though.. But uh, I wouldn't want to use the same things you do, that wouldn't make me unique y'know?" She said, still smiling widely. "But maybe I should try something similar.." She added, thinking through some ideas.

"Hmm... Well, the cloak wouldn't have helped you there, but Blink definitely would have. Armor Lock is only for heavy armor... Oh! Maybe you could try the jump pack! It makes you jump higher and even can boost you midair so it's like you jump twice!" Recon suggested. "That would have sent you right over their heads and to the other end of the arena before they could think."

------------------------------

"Hm? Oh, right.." Rika said flatly, moving over to the older male before starting on his broken legs..

Hivemind noticed that Rika wasn't as talkative as normal. "Hey... Rika. Are you alright?"

------------------------------

Oh... eww... That's... that's unfortunate... MT thought to Chris as the two finished pulling the debris off of Nocturl. I... might be feeling sick.

[Welsh Halfwit]

"We're not... having a moment here, Nocturl," Corp grunted, spotting a couple of security officers wandering dazed in the passage ahead of them. "Sanchez! Wallmer! Take this lady and head for the main docking port." He thumbed to Lieutenant Nocturl. "Ignore him as much as you can. Tell anyone you meet the same. No, not the 'ignore him' part, the docking port bit. Go with them," he advised Mrs Nocturl, "You'll be safe with them." Finally he turned towards the ghost. "Your job may be done for now but mine's still ongoing."
------------------------------------------------------------
The other engineers had joined in the effort and, via splicing and patching, there were now four active 'wheelchairs' in the engineering bay. Keeva picked up one of the people she'd teleported from space and sat them in a chair as they continued to shake under the thermal blanket. The female still couldn't feel her fingers.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"We'll take assistance, if possible," Doris said, indicating herself and Ensign Seena.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Ah'm a Royal protection agent," Sarah declared. "Turnin' over me weapon'll wi'oot making sure mah charges're safe first'll get me canned, like? Booted out o' service." She considered. "Near as ah c'n figger, though, no-one's said ah canne dae this." She disengaged the power pack and put it into a different pouch to her firearm. "That'll have tae do until ah see this ship ye say yer from."

[Legotron123]

”Kirin Bazooka, Big Wild Cannon, Mogura Drill, Dodeka Dynamite Stream, why can I not find the defibrillator?”
Um, I think I might know.
”Really? Do tell.”
There’s two tabs at the top of the screen. One labeled “Offensive Capabilities,” the other “Support Capabilites.” We’re looking through the offensive one right now....
”And the defibrillator would be in the support tab. Right. So we have just been wasting time. That sounds about right.” Quint said, flipping over to the support tab to find the defibrillator right on top. He watched as blue lights lit up on his suit’s gloves, then turned dimmer as he lowered the power setting, before suddenly turning orange when it reached zero. ”Okay, we got it working. We should be ready to help Kol now.”

—MEANWHILE—

Liz took in a deep breath as she looked over the image of her ruined ship. ”Just... give me a second.” She said, her breathing uneven as she thought of all the memories she’d had on this ship, that she now had to abandon. Eventually she broke out of her reflecting and tapped a few buttons on the projector, which highlighted several areas of the ship in red. ”These areas all have obstructions that you’ll need to get rid of if you want to avoid navigating the ship like it’s some kind of multileveled corn maze.”

[CyberDragon]

"We're not... having a moment here, Nocturl," Corp grunted, spotting a couple of security officers wandering dazed in the passage ahead of them. "Sanchez! Wallmer! Take this lady and head for the main docking port." He thumbed to Lieutenant Nocturl. "Ignore him as much as you can. Tell anyone you meet the same. No, not the 'ignore him' part, the docking port bit. Go with them," he advised Mrs Nocturl, "You'll be safe with them." Finally he turned towards the ghost. "Your job may be done for now but mine's still ongoing."

"I suppose dying warrants one day off." Nocturl joked. "But I need to check on the rest of my family. I'll catch up in a minute." With that Nocturl glided back to the room.

"Are my brother and dad alright?" He asked the medics. "And what's that lump of goo over there... oh. Oof... Well... well there's yer problem. Heh... Guess it's going to be closed casket then." He said, still maintaining his humor, though it seemed he was having some difficulty.

--------------------------

The other engineers had joined in the effort and, via splicing and patching, there were now four active 'wheelchairs' in the engineering bay. Keeva picked up one of the people she'd teleported from space and sat them in a chair as they continued to shake under the thermal blanket. The female still couldn't feel her fingers.

Hivemind had droids and medics on standby to lead everyone who was ready out to the dock.

--------------------------

"We'll take assistance, if possible," Doris said, indicating herself and Ensign Seena.

Hivemind brought in two more droids which moved to help the two up. A third droid brought in some wheelchairs, which the first two set Doris and Seena into. The two droids pushed the wheelchairs out, down the hallways and paths and out onto the docks.

--------------------------

"Ah'm a Royal protection agent," Sarah declared. "Turnin' over me weapon'll wi'oot making sure mah charges're safe first'll get me canned, like? Booted out o' service." She considered. "Near as ah c'n figger, though, no-one's said ah canne dae this." She disengaged the power pack and put it into a different pouch to her firearm. "That'll have tae do until ah see this ship ye say yer from."

"The ship? The ship is all around you. Take a look." Hivemind gestured to the enclosed hanger they were in now that they had stepped out of the Steelhaven. "And be that as it may, the gun must be put on any non-lethal setting it may have before you can enter past the outer 50 mile layer of defensive fortifications. If you need to know about the ship before doing so, there is an information booth over here." He led the three over to a counter behind some reinforced glass-like material. An avian alien sat in the chair behind the counter. As the group approached the desk, he stood up. "Hivemind! Thank you again for the job. It really means so much to me. Anyway, was there anything you needed?"

"Yes, this one here," He gestured to Sarah. "Sorry... I don't think I ever got your name. Anyway, she needs to see if the ship is secure enough for the people she's protecting. Can you bring up that information?"

"Sure thing." He tapped a screen and the information appeared on another screen on the group's side of the glass. On it was information about the famed ship security. It told first of the fifty miles Hivemind mentioned of defensive fortifications. It talked about the security droids that patrol the ship, the turrets that spring up if a threat is detected, the deliberately confusing layout thanks to the portal doors, the extensive monitoring of public space, Hivemind's ability to react to a threat within nanoseconds of the threat being detected, as well as external defenses such as the hornet missiles. Even life-sign monitors in homes that send a signal if and only if a health issue like a heart attack is detected. To top it all off, the page practically bragged about the capabilities of the Champions, an elite intergalactic security force consisting of almost entirely people with superhuman abilities or talents. It was very clear Hivemind took security seriously, and that anyone who wanted to attack someone on this ship would have some serious difficulty.

--------------------------

"As happy as I am to be here, Hive," Hannabelle said, putting down the knitting she'd been trying to make with holographic needles, "are you sure you don't need a triage nurse? I've fixed plenty of my own wounds."

"I don't know... It defeats the purpose of you being in a safe house if you leave it. On the other hand, security is tight throughout the Beacon. Fine, you can assist in basic treatment of minor wounds, and you aren't allowed to step onto the Steelhaven. I can't protect you as effectively in the wrecked ship."

--------------------------

”Kirin Bazooka, Big Wild Cannon, Mogura Drill, Dodeka Dynamite Stream, why can I not find the defibrillator?”
Um, I think I might know.
”Really? Do tell.”
There’s two tabs at the top of the screen. One labeled “Offensive Capabilities,” the other “Support Capabilites.” We’re looking through the offensive one right now....
”And the defibrillator would be in the support tab. Right. So we have just been wasting time. That sounds about right.” Quint said, flipping over to the support tab to find the defibrillator right on top. He watched as blue lights lit up on his suit’s gloves, then turned dimmer as he lowered the power setting, before suddenly turning orange when it reached zero. ”Okay, we got it working. We should be ready to help Kol now.”

"Great." Hivemind said, a little annoyed. "Then do it. She's through here." He led Quint and Kolt into Kol's room.

--------------------------

Liz took in a deep breath as she looked over the image of her ruined ship. ”Just... give me a second.” She said, her breathing uneven as she thought of all the memories she’d had on this ship, that she now had to abandon. Eventually she broke out of her reflecting and tapped a few buttons on the projector, which highlighted several areas of the ship in red. ”These areas all have obstructions that you’ll need to get rid of if you want to avoid navigating the ship like it’s some kind of multileveled corn maze.”

"Thank you, Captain. I will be sure to get all of our muscle on moving that stuff. And... Captain. I will do what I can for the Steelhaven. It may look hopeless, but hope is what we provide here. It may seem impossible, but I don't know the meaning of the word." His tone turned a little joking, but still serious. "I was at my brother's funeral when he suddenly woke up and turned into a dragon demigod. I don't accept the concept of impossible anymore."

[Deske]

Doctor Vanderbilt chuckled at Hiveminds joke, "See that's just the kind of dark humor we like on the medical side of things. Really helps to clear the air when you can make jokes and laugh about death." He stood up after having used the same solution to set his patients leg that he had used on practically every other broken bone outside of his medical bay. It would quickly bind to the bone that was left.

-----------

Wait can you even feel sick? Also, not with me in here. I don't need latent feelings of vomit just because you don't like death.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Andy led the way for the group from the bridge whether they liked it or not, racing ahead like a parkour expert, taking to the walls when the floor wasn't available due to people on it. Little could stop the young Squirrel, not even his mothers' calls to be careful and he vaulted the latest obstacle, a Fox-man, landed on the other side and kept going for the hull.
"What was that," Jaken asked a Hivemind drone after he felt the fur on his head part and saw the group coming.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah took it in and made sure she kept a grip on the boy's handpaws. One each.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Big ship," Keeva understated as her group emerged into the artificial light.

[Legotron123]

Quint gave a quick nod to Hivemind as he moved to wake up Kol.
Bet you twenty of whatever their equivalent to mâle is that she attacks us out of instinct when she wakes up. Kolt said, somehow managing managing to convey a cheshire grin with just his voice.
”One, I have no need for money, and two, I am not taking that bet. It would be significantly more surprising if her reaction to getting woken up by an electric shock was not to attack whatever shocked her.” Quint replied as he placed two of his fingers onto Kol’s forehead, delivering a jolt of electricity to restart her system.

—MEANWHILE—

”I’m sorry, could you repeat that? It sounded like you said your dead brother came back to life as a demigod.” Lewis said, a rather confused look on his face. A quick glance around the room would reveal he wasn’t the only one, as several of the crew who had over heard Hivemind were looking at him with either a confused or curious look on their face. ”Which, if you did, I wouldn’t be surprised, the multiple revelations of the past five minutes have left me kinda numb to that sort of thing, but I would like an explanation for how a dead person turns into a draconian demigod.”