The eerie station almost seemed to be alive... not rife with activity and life, but more like the uneasy feeling of presence in a dark cave, or a thick and black forest. The faint sounds of activity whispering through the place, and the low groan of metal that occasionally echoed through every chamber, did NOTHING to stay her nervousness.

Slipping out into the hall again, she notes absently that the cameras don't... seem to be working. That doesn't necessarily mean anything, but they are least aren't mobile; sneaking past them isn't nearly as difficult. Slipping along, she takes stock; although the main passage towards her ship is blocked off, there are other floors that might have an entrance, and the smaller interconnecting halls between some of the facilities on the station might be usable. Plus there were things like shafts in the floor and ceiling used for cycling oxygen, and conduits used for maintenance and cleaning 'bots to get around. Of course, those might be a little tight.

As she looked around, she heard that noise again, a faint slithering from below. Whatever it was, it wasn't fast... but not slow, either. Not large enough to be a threat, at least, not that she -thinks-... but it was definitely following her. And if it wasn't a physical danger, it might be a supernatural threat still...

Tssssshhh! GAH! A door RIGHT next to her slid open quietly, hesitating at the last inch before opening all the way, then shut smoothly again. That nearly made her jump out of her -scales-...

She nearly jumped in surprise, her body was too tense, like a coil of wire waiting to snap. She managed to melt into the shadows at the door’s hesitation. She didn’t see anyone go in, or out, but that doesn’t mean she was alone.

Her tongue slid out, testing the air as she cautiously crept from the door, her movements slow and her body hugging the wall. She still kept her head and managed to still avoid the cameras.

Pressing her fingers to her lips, she pulled out a short staff to defend herself if necessary. She resisted the urge to growl, the buzz of the computers blocked her ears, and even if her hearing was strong she could hardly use it. Still she tried to pick up what she can from the person… or thing with her. From her flicking tongue, to her straining eyes and ears she waited for the smallest of things to give him away, even if one part of her didn’t want to face the unseen enemy.

Near the door, her body was almost painfully alert. If she had hairs, they would be standing all on end. She could feel a definite presence in this place; this atmosphere and the harassment was making her feel like it was right by her, surrounding her like a suffocating shadow.

It was her tongue that stabilized her. Tasting the air, she picked out something... a smell. A very unusual, a very strange smell that she caught in the air. It was distant... but somewhere near. There was no air current here, and she knew it had to be close. ...It had to be below... moving in the pipes and conduits down there, and as she strains her ears and grips her staff, she can hear it slithering along... coming under her. There must be plenty of material between her and it... so was it attacking? Or was it like a scout, spotting her and keeping track of her? If so... then it wasn't alone...

She could feel her heart speeding up, and she fought to steady her breath. She knew panicking would do no good. She kept herself to the wall, and even as her mind raced her body stayed still.

Where was she? Ah yes, on a floor above the infirmary already, on her way to the main computer. She calculated where it was, and she was pretty near the place.

With a soft sigh she started walking again, taking a route away from the scent, away from the slithering noise. It seemed as if it came from the main control room, which was fortunate for her. She looked at her steps carefully, watching and making sure she didn’t make unnecessary noise.

She could feel her heart speeding up, and she fought to steady her breath. She knew panicking would do no good. She kept herself to the wall, and even as her mind raced her body stayed still.

Where was she? Ah yes, on a floor above the infirmary already, on her way to the main computer. She calculated where it was, and she was pretty near the place.

With a soft sigh she started walking again, taking a route away from the scent, away from the slithering noise. It seemed as if it came from the main control room, which was fortunate for her. She looked at her steps carefully, watching and making sure she didn’t make unnecessary noise.

Creeping along, she made her way slowly through the halls. She was cautious, and rightly so, for this station seemed to be in the grip of something nefarious. Even if she couldn't tell what that thing was, exactly.

Moving along the dark halls sent chills up her back; every noise and groan was a potential enemy or lurking threat, every dark archway an entrance into unknown dangers, and every closed door hiding lurking threats. But even through all this, she found no signs of anything directly, and she managed to reach the stairs leading up the same floor.

Coming into a long hall that circles the main computer, she notes that the power seems to be more operational up here. The panels glow with a faded light, and there's a faint illumination from the ceiling lights interspersed along here. But even as she steps into the hallway, she hears a creaking noise coming from below. Something was following her, moving quickly... and she saw something pale shooting up from the grating below her!

She jumped back, landing lightly, but gritting at the soft clack her boots made when it hit the tiled floors. She turned her attention to the thing that came out, watching its movement.

After a few seconds she twisted her staff, and waited, tongue flicking as she watched the thing. She was torn between waiting and running, but curiosity took ever.

The thing, a ivory-white tentacle tip, wriggled out from below, pushing the grate up and prodding around. Strange... it was like some sort of octopi limb, only it had two hollow pits near the tip of the thing. Very strange... although it had rose quickly, now it simply squirmed around, and started to descend...

Pressure and a pinprick of pain got her attention, and she noticed two more had come up underneath her, wrapping around her ankles! They squeezed around her boots and up along her leg, and were slowly crawling higher, suckers squeezing her scales and tugging on them. It hurt a little, the pain she noticed earlier, and each contraction and expansion crawled the two tentacles up higher as they spiraled up for her thighs...

If no for the reason she’s facing quite a danger, Acandae would have hit her head on the wall. To fall for the oldest trick in the book… really. That was very embarrassing especially for the proud, willful Naga.

With a twist of her fingers, she changed her hold on the staff. It wasn’t much help now that she was captured, but she refused to relinquish her grip, after all she might need it. Pressing her free hand to her lips, she effortlessly pulled out a blade from her second stomach, the second weapon of her arsenal of three. Using the pointed tip as a wedge she drove it down, trying to get her leg free. At the same time her tail lifted, avoiding the tentacles in an effort to keep herself from getting tangled further.

Acandae was held tightly by her ankles, even as the distracting tentacle rose up slightly... and two things happened at once! As Acandae drove the sword down to one of the tentacles, it suddenly jerked away and slid back under, avoiding the deadly blade and freeing one of her legs!

But the problem was the forgotten tentacle in front of her. As the sword stopped, clashing audibly on the floor, the tentacle whipped out and encircled her wrist! She was being attacked in two fronts... her tail rose up high, avoiding the tentacle that held her ankle from trying to grab it, but she was rapidly finding herself in a more and more difficult situation...