In deep space, the Trixian Royal shuttle was travelling to latest system in its search for a new world that the wayward race of women could claim and refound their Hegemony. However even at the speed they were travelling, the crew found themselves stuck on the ship for a couple of weeks. Now the Royal Shuttle was not without it luxuries and there were definitely worse ships to be stuck on, but nothing...absolutely nothing...could substitute for feeling the grass on a new world in between your toes. Or breathing in clean air.

It was these thoughts that was passing through her highness's head right now, even as she lay there in bed bored. Her handmaidens were up in the cockpit doing whatever it was they needed to do to ensure that the shuttle continued on its mission. She lay there in her white dress that was held up with spaghetti strings. It was a very comfortable dress once she wore often when she didn't expect to perform any official duties. The dress was complimented with a blue bow on front and one in her hair. She was experimenting with some exotic pearls in her hair, as well as matching earrings and a a necklace to see how they looked. Still that could only entertain her for so long...

Enru, the pilot of the Royal shuttle noticed something on radio, "An, we are getting an distress signal from a ship nearby. It appears to be a Trixian ship."

An blinked. There was no Trixian ships scheduled to be in this part of space, "Right bring us closer to its position so we can take a look. But be careful, I don't want us to set off a trap."

Heading toward the signal they discovered earlier everything appeared to be fine safe for the oddity of finding a ship of their race all the way out here, the lack of light in this system made it difficult to confirm what laid before them visually before the actual sensors picked up on an object of fantastic proportions.

It was a metallic bulk of sorts, stretching itself for dozens of miles from one end to the other, the length easily dwarfing its width and height by comparison. The shape of it allowed for speculation, despite the fact that for whatever reason entire sections were missing or appeared to have been torn off leaving only the framework behind it appeared to be a ship, or rather the remnants of a once prideful conquerer of the stars, now an obscure reminder of its long forgotten terror amidst the darkness of space. Strange, circular protrusions the size of entire destroyer class vessels in the form of cannons hollowed out in the middle at either side of the hulk implied its usage in the field of war, although any structural inquiry on its condition would reveal that it was far past its prime.

Surface scans were entirely possible and told them of several hull breaches and instabilities within, making major sections of the outer hull uninhabitable though if they tried to go deeper something prevented them from receiving any definite results. There were no irregulations on any of their own control panels that gave a hint as to what was causing this faulty behaviour, nothing seemed out of the ordinary safe for the scans that couldn't turn up anything.

Once they drew closer it was unlike anything they had ever seen, the structure and physical makeup were so distinctively alien it was questionable whether its makers were still alive today.

As to the source of the distress signal, the ship in question was in fact Trixian, larger than the shuttle they were in by at least tenfold it appeared to be halfway buried in the hulk's surface, the colors of its former royal affiliation somewhat paled over time. Any scans except those conducted on the outer surface wouldn't tell them anything, the hull had suffered only minor scratches at best and aside from their lack of knowledge about the crew's condition onboard nothing seemed to be amiss thus far.

Upon closer inspection the hulk it was attached to was comprised of not only the main craft at its center, but also of countless smaller ships on the surface much like the one they were interested in, ranging from frigates to tiny shuttles, almost each of varying origin. How they got there was left unanswered, although the sheer amount of them made it difficult to discern just which portion of the ship was part of the original. Still, none of their instruments showed anything out of the ordinary.

For all Enru and An knew at that point the hulk was devoid of life, aimlessly drifting through space while moving at an almost unnoticeable speed it resembled no threat at this stage which certainly should allow them to investigate further.

The shuttle turned to head in the direction of the distress signal, Enru increasing speed to ensure they get to the ship as quickly as possible. Even as she moved to intercept, An immediately went to the Princess's quarters to inform her of the news. "Your Highness, we have received a distress signal from a what believe is a Trixian ship. From what we can tell it predates the invasion of our homeworld."

We must investigate it at once, replies the Trixian royal. All ready the pink haired beauty was getting up and heading for the bridge. An hated how quick the Princess reacted to things but in this case she was right. "Enru has already plotted a course and we are in route, Your Highness."

After a while massive bulk of metal appeared on the view screen, it one of the largest unnatural things that Octavia had ever seen. The ship seemed to be heavily damaged and looked like that entire sections of the ship was missing. Further inspection that the sections had been ripped off the frame suggesting however it got here, the hulk had gotten here violently.

Surface scans were entirely possible and told them of several hull breaches and instabilities within, making major sections of the outer hull uninhabitable though if they tried to go deeper something prevented them from receiving any definite results. There were no irregulations on any of their own control panels that gave a hint as to what was causing this faulty behaviour, nothing seemed out of the ordinary safe for the scans that couldn't turn up anything.

"I am beginning scans now. There is nothing that really unusual. It looks like that due to damage to the ship, that its outer hull is uninhabitable." states the blonde Handmaiden.

Then why we are getting a Trixian distress signal? questioned Octavia.

"I am not sure, Your Highness." replied Enru. "Though from I not getting any readings from my deep scans. The hull maybe too thick to penetrate that far. Wait I am getting something."

On screen, a Trixian ship appeared. One the size of at least of a small warship, though it looked like it was half buried in the hull of the massive ship. It was clearly painted in the royal colors though they had weather time very well. As Enru zoomed the view back, it seemed that the there were dozens of ships in similar state. "There is where the distress signal is coming from."

Then bring us down there. If there is even one chance to rescue a single Trixian we will have to take it. The Princess hoped that there would be more than just a single Trixian on board though how they were going to get them all on her shuttle she did not know. With luck the Princess hoped she would also find one of her missing sisters.

As the trio was approaching the hulk it made sense that a majority of the crew had survived unless they ran out of supplies, the Trixian craft might've been well equipped but it'd be near impossible to sustain themselves from the invasion of their homeworld until the very day of its discovery in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps if they scavenged the colossal ship they were attached to or took whatever they could from other wrecks it wasn't unlikely there were in fact survivors waiting to be picked up. Then again, the only signal they received was the Trixian distress signal despite the quantity of ships at present, some of them in far better condition. Everything else fell silent long before Octavia's arrival in the system, it seemed, for reasons that went unexplained.

All of a sudden a mighty tremor rippled through the shuttle, an unknown force tugging on the craft much like a tractor beam would, but if that was the case then their sensors would've picked up on it straight away. It threatened to send them flying off their chairs and feet as if they just plunged into a jar and were attempting to fly through a layer of thick goo.

It slowed their advance in any direction they chose safe for their now inevitable destination, their own hull was howling in agony as something had taken hold of their shuttle, drawing them toward the black mass ahead of them. They stopped moving closer to the Trixian ship and were gradually being pulled on, heading toward another portion of the hulk and while they were still able to maneuver, it did them little good. Whatever was forcing them in that direction was unaffected by their thrusters, they couldn't break free of this alien reign effectively robbing them of their every control which sent them tumbling to their doom.

Only now did the warnings appear on screen, indicating a course set for collision roughly half a mile off their original path and while it seemed that they weren't accelerating at this point, the pace they were forced to endure would be on the brink of life and death. Chances were they shattered on impact, their fuel could ignite through the metal surrounding it, growing hotter by the second as metal screeched on metal, many things could go wrong and if they were left to fate the outcome could be catastrophic. They had the option to turn the ship in an attempt to raise their chances as best as they could, possibly sacrifice the storage compartments or engines in order to save the bridge when they collided with the metallic mass. Whatever they settled on had to be done soon, time was a luxury they didn't have as the colossal frame of the hulk drew closer.

The source of this force eluded them even now, nothing showed up on their displays that pointed to any sort of energy signature as though it was themselves who guided their ship that way.

As the shuttle approached the gigantic the hulk, An could only wondered how the crew would have survived for so long. Surely a pre-invasion craft would have expended all its foodstuffs and water by now. There might be other supplies else where on the other ships that were on the hull put that simply raised more questions than it answered. If supplies could be salvaged from the other ships, then surely at least some of the crew survived. And if those crew survived why was only the Trixian ship able to send out its distress signal. Was it because the ship had the most powerful signaling device and everybody chose to use the Trixians. Seemed odd that only the Trixians would be broadcasting a distress signal, it would make more sense that at least a couple of other would be as well.

"I do not like this, Your Highness." says An. "I think this might be..." Suddenly the entire ship jerked as if it was hit by something. Both Octavia and An were thrown out of their chairs, leaving only Enru, the blonde handmaiden still at the controls.


"We are caught in something," Enru shouts, "I can't fight it. It simply too powerful four our shuttle." Already the ship was being pulled to the massive hull. The engines struggled as the ship sounded like it was going to break into at least two pieces. "We are going down. Everyone should assume crash positions." The blonde handmaidnen would do she could to try to resist that to try to save the ship from distruction. The other Trixian ship had crashed through the hull of the giant hulk, but the shuttle was clearly not built out of the same material and it would be ripped to
shreds if Enru could not make the landing. The other two Trixians would have to hope that the blonde handmaiden skills were up to the task or this would be the end of all three of them.


The ship seemed to be pulled towards an empty portion of the hull of the hulk. Fortunately for the royal shuttle it did not appear to be accelerating as it made its doomed descent to the hulk,; unfortunately for the Trixians inside the shuttle, it appeared that the crash would be just as deadly anyways. Enru spun the ship around in hopes to get the cockpit would farthest away from the impact. It would mean that the engines would be the most likely be damaged instead, but it would better for the crew inside. Already Enru was purging as much fuel as possible to try to minimize the chance of fire, since that would kill the Trixians as any crash would have.

"Hang on, we are going in!!!"

Within seconds they closed the distance between themselves and the hulk, just enough time to make the necessary adjustments as to how they planned on staying in one piece, hoping the engines would take the brunt of the impact.

The shuttle collided with the hull shortly after their final action, sending another shockwave through the comparably weak ship as a near defeaning yet dull thump filled the cockpit that shook its passengers with the force of their impact, tearing part of the protrusion above the rear end straight off as the metal screamed in response to this assault. Instead of being ripped to shreds, however, they penetrated the outer hull there, shattering a rather thin layer of the alien vessel that appeared to have corroded, slowing their advance ever so slightly. The layer beyond that wasn't spacious enough for this to have much of a positive effect, it was one of the standard corridors which weren't as thick, but just as deadly as they punctured through another.

The first impact had forced their craft to turn slightly, making the careful maneuvering of Enru even more difficult if she managed to stay in her chair after the initial collision. It wasn't enough, a violent explosion trembled through their surroundings as something quite literally carved into one of their fuel reserves, the heat of metal cutting metal set it ablaze almost instantaneously though thankfully there wasn't enough left to cause significant damage leaving the other chambers unscathed. Artificial gravity within the hulk set in roughly at the same time, they were almost leveled safe for the slight tilt toward their rear end although that was a mere inconvenience compared to the condition of their ship.

They were shaken comparably gently as a metallic thunk signaled that they came to a halt, the rugged surface of each wall left subtle scars on the shuttle along the way as they would undoubtedly notice the sound of metal as it strained against the weight of their own ship. Aside from that they were mostly intact, none of the vital system had suffered beyond repair thanks to their quick and proper judgement. A brief lighting lit up the cockpit as one of the circuits finally gave in, blowing out in response to the immense pressure on its respective system. Repairs would certainly take a while, perhaps several hours up to an entire day once they discovered and fixed any damage that didn't show up on their panels, the analysis being faulty due to having suffered from the collision itself.

They got lucky.

Halfway buried unlike the other Trixian ship which appeared more attached rather than stuck, only their nose protruded into space, the indifferent silence of the unknown lingering in the air. Surprisingly enough they weren't drawn toward the center of the hulk anymore, rather they were kept in place as the alien force influenced them without mercy, never letting up in intensity. It didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon.

Whilst the vaccuum surrounded the outer hull and therefore their nose, near their rear were perfectly sealed off passageways that seemed to stretch themselves forever in which the air was breathable. Their sensors didn't work properly regardless of their situation, but being this close to the hulk they were able to pick up the low levels of oxygen here, high enough to survive, but not enough to completely eliminate the risk of passing out by accident. It gave no hint as to whether the air was clean in terms of smell, just that it would keep them alive if they decided to leave their shuttle or were forced to do so. In addition there appeared to be artificial gravity, nothing unusual on an everyday cruiser, but here it was just another question left unanswered.

No lifesigns could be detected within range either, the trio could only search halfway through the outer hull toward the other Trixian ship yet failed to plunge any further into the center of the massive bulk. Furthermore they were lacking activity in their surroundings of any kind, nobody else was near and dead silence seemed to reign here above all.

Way too quickly the shuttle was pulled into the hulk, as Enru hands remained gripped on the controls. An fingers were rapidly moving as fast as she could make them go as did everything she could to reduce the chance of an explosition.

Soon the Trixian craft collided with bone jarring force. Any screams the trio of Trixians made were lost as the sound of the impact drowned the women out. Octavia was sure that the end would come quickly but was shocked the collision continued for what seemed to go on through enterity. The ship seemed to being pulled down into the massive hull as the shuttle crashed through the outer hull. For a moment there was hope that the shuttle would survive the impact relatively intact, but then the sound of screaming metal dashed all hopes. Some part of the massive ship was much tougher than the outer hull and it had punched through the royal shuttle.

It was then that the ship finally came to a stop if only for moment as if every thing was going to be all right. Then there was a sudden explosion as the fuel reserves have gone up. It was fortunate that most of its contents had been dumped moments before the collision as it would have surely destroyed the shuttle other wise. Still it was jarring enough to make the women wonder if they would die in a giant fireball. Eventually it became clear that the ship was going to survive and the trio of Trixians would live for at least another day. Though it was unlikely they would get the shuttle work again anytime soon from all the damage it received.

Eventually the ship came to a stop as it finally rested pinned against the inner walls of the hulk. One last metallic thunk made it seem like the Trixians ordeal was finally over. The panel near by An, the brunette handmaiden, soon blew out lighting up the cockpit in sparks. It wrecked most of the controls on the shuttle as one by one went offline. Ironically it was An was the first to check on the others, considering what they had gone through. "Is everyone okay. I am okay." Slowly Enru and Octavia also replied letting everyone know at once that none of the three Trixians were hurt in the crash. "Good, Enru we need to see what going on outside. I'll check on the condition of the shuttle. Your Highness I recommend that you stay in your chair for the moment as we try to figure out what happened."

Octavia could only look around as she tried to figure what had happened, the ship was buried in debris as only the noise was not visible. Perhaps the noise still sticking out of the hulk, the princess had no idea. The young royal could tell it would take alot of work to get the shuttle free of the hulk if there was anyway to do so.

"It appears that shuttle is in horrible shape, we suffered major damage." says An. "Its going to take a long while before we can get the shuttle up and working again."

The blonde handmaiden had more to report. "It looks we are mostly inside the giant hulk. The debris seems to form a perfect seal and is keeping the vaccum out of the hulk. There is low levels of oxygen but we should be okay if we want to explore the hulk. We would just need to keep an eye on on each other." The handmaiden looked back down at her sensors. "We seem to have gravity that is near Trixian standard."

Well we are going to have to find parts to repair our ship at least, we will need to head out and see what is on this hulk and why we were pulled to it. For once the handmaidens did not protest Octavia's plan, it was either scavange for parts or be pepared to stay here for eternity. And there was still the question of the other Trixian ship.

Exploration was going to prove rather difficult from where they were at the time unless they somehow managed to survey the landscape during the crash and measure approximate distances to other ships being stuck in similar circumstances. Other than the Trixian ship they didn't have a lot to go on and their sensors, while working, weren't reaching as far and as accurate thanks to whatever was interfering with their systems. Perhaps if they reached it they could take spare parts from there as it seemed they were most likely to replace their own, but considering their situation it could be wiser to just ditch the shuttle and take the larger vessel instead.

For the time being their ship was a wreck, it could fly with major repairs on their part but even then they were essentially stuck without discovering a way to escape the unseen energy field. Their sensors couldn't pick up on it, nothing indicated it was there in the first place weren't it for their unfortunate disaster. The distress signal fell silent as well, either the system responsible for picking it up went offline or they weren't transmitting anymore for whatever reason, meaning it could've been nothing but a trap.

The tunnel they could enter safely was as dark as the void outside the hulk, without flares or flashlights they weren't going to get far. In reality it had been used for maintenance near the outer hull, a means of getting around the outer rim without too much of a hassle these tunnels stretched themselves for miles, the ceiling tall enough to house entire buildings, it seemed. To them it mattered little, it was convenient to be at the bottom with the artificial gravity in place and aside from the occasional pile of debris there wasn't much else to be found.

Here and there were old shells for the hulk's various weapon systems, barely recognisable as such as they laid scattered all over with countless other, unidentifiable gears which might be the highlight of their first steps, but otherwise not worth noting. Time had taken its toll here, rendering most if not all spare parts they might've scavenged from nearby unusable, but then again the Trixian ship wasn't too far away, most likely the nearest craft of all that could supply them with both goods and information on their former crew.

Most dominant among all, however, was the smell here. A foul stench of sorts seemed to radiate off the walls that were riddled with air vents in periodic gaps, the air possibly sucked toward them as their rupturing of the hull forced some of it out of this portion of the hulk. It was mildly sickening at best, having similarities to standing amidst a rotting swamp but they might just be lucky they were stranded on the outside and didn't have to head deeper just yet. Whatever their next move would be, they were right in the assumption that scavenging for parts was the smartest thing to do.

Their arrival didn't pass entirely unnoticed, after all.

Emru continued to try to scan the giant hulk that the shuttle crashed into, "No I am not getting any further readings on the hulk. It is like we are being jammed by something, I am afraid we are not going to find anything by staying here, Your Highness."

An sighed. "Damage to the shuttle is also pretty severe. We might be able to repair it, but its going to take a long period of time and we will need a lot parts to repair the ship." She stood up. "Even if we could get the shuttle repaired, our engines are not strong enough to enable us to escape this hulk. I think we are going to have to get the other Trixian vessel working if we are going to escape."

Octavia only nodded her head, Fine, we will do what we must to survive. We'll have to abandon this vessel and see if the other ship will be capable of getting off this hulk. Enru locate how close we are to the other craft.

Enru immediately checked an instrument panel, "I am afraid that the distress signal has gone silent. Without it and the amount of interference from the hulk, I am afraid I can't locate it exact position. We are just going to head in the general direction of the vessel."

The brunette handmaiden spoke up, "I am afraid we have no choice but try to find our way, Princess please stay close to us as we move through the hulk. I do not know what awaits us down there." The Princess nodded as the handmaiden gathered their weapons. Son the three Trixians made their way to one of the few airlocks that led to a tunnel that they could climb into.

As the hatch was open, the first thing the trio noticed was the foul stench that seemed to waffe through the tunnel. As they struggled with the smell it became the the tunnel was huge both in height and depth. It looked even giants would be able to move through this area without any difficulty and that there was no end to the tunnel. Hopefully it would take the trio to the Trixian vessel so they could see what kind of shape it was in, and maybe find out what happen to the crew that crashed here so long ago.

One thing was certain by looking around, the hulk's parts were scattered all over the hallway. The Trixians could not make heads or tails of the debris and it looked like most were bad shape. It was the first sign that the hulk might be an ancient vessel, perhaps one that had floating here since the fall of time. That meant that anything they would find useful would only be found on the other ships that had crashed on the hulk. So that just meant it was even more important to find that Trixian vessel.

Unknowingly they'd been discovered, the impact of the shuttle enough to alarm the entire hulk of their presence as the organisms that dwelled in its depths swarmed in on the source. Their instinct was to hunt, to squeeze through vents and tight corridors if the path before them was covered in debris or sealed shut by the heavy gates which didn't fuction any longer, anything necessary to reach their destination and although their advance was swift it'd take them a while to move through the vast number of halls and chambers. At this point it came natural to them, having done this for centuries and consuming the Trixians would be mere part of their routine. Rarely having the opportunity to feast on fresh meat these newcomers made them blind with their desire to feed.

The Trixians would be unaware of this, traveling through the tunnel in hopes of ending up near the royal vessel. Sigils of long forgotten nature adorned the walls in varying shades of yellow and ochre partially coroded and covered in a strange muck with what appeared to be text or mere embellishments below, their shape curvaceous and elegant though the hulk was abandoned long ago and therefore its beauty and craftsmanship had been ruined over time making any attempts to decypher any of it improbable if not plain impossible. These symbols were nearly as immense as the surface they were placed on, reaching toward the ceiling and accompanying their entire trip.

Traversing here there hadn't been any junctions or doors, leading them straight forward and if they didn't count a portion of this strange decoration collapsing nearby and smashing into the ground then nothing occured for several long minutes.

Gradually the smell grew worse, more intense and nothing short of giving them a slight headache as they pressed on and whilst the corridor would be pitch black if not for their portable light sources they soon came across a slick organic growth where it seemed to be the strongest. The entire floor was covered in the deeply violet tissue, stretching out in veins across the walls which ended in subtly glowing peaks. If one were to watch closely they seemed to grow further even then though other than radiating the stench throughout the area the growth didn't seem to be harmful, in fact it was easier to breathe here as oxygen levels increased though the price for additional air was its very own odor.

Beneath their soles it made wet, squishy noises, elicited with each step they took though nothing lashed out at them. Perhaps it was nature claiming what it could out here in this hostile environment, needing the stench to expand though they didn't have much spare time to investigate and figure it all out.

It took them a while to proceed, the substance nearly stuck to their footwear as it became stickier the further they went though what they witnessed next would be well worth their effort. Another growth sat here in the shape of a closed water lily blossom yet easily being the size of Octavia herself, auburn in color it seemed dormant though it radiated a faint blue shimmer through thin strands that hang loosely on its sides and protruded from the thick portion of its main body. It was beautiful in a sense, lighting up the space nearby on its own though that wasn't what'd matter to the Trixians.

Beside the flower something had ruptured the wall, something metallic and whilst it laid covered in organic matter its colors and physical makeup were more than apparant. They'd seen it from space before, the reason they were here in the first place; the Trixian ship.

The only way inside appeared to be a single open hatch though they'd have to get close to the flower in order to enter, not only that but they needed each other's help seeing how the lower ledge was at least nine feet above the ground, if they wanted to enter at all. Only a small portion of the craft protruded into this hallway, however, meaning that the main bulk of this ship was stuck in a layer beyond theirs closer to the vacuum of space. There was no telling if they could survive there while trying to find another entrance, they would have to puncture the wall or find another way around first in order to get there.

The decision was theirs to make; keep searching or take their chances, but in the meantime something had reached their own shuttle. Rummaging through the cockpit, checking their quarters for any life signs it registered their bodily heat, but it was fading. Some of their rations were left behind, the storage compartments giving in easily to its brute strength as it began to nourish on what little there was, though soon its brethren would follow and this meal would only keep them occupied for so long.

The trio of Trixians continued to move down the hallway attempting to find their way to the other royal vessel. The shuttle had no hope of escape the gravity of the massive hulk, but the other vessel just might have the power to get away. Just judging by the way the ship had aged showed the females they did not want to stay here. The ship was once a beautiful and well crafted, but now age had ruined the ship. THere appeared to be some sort of text and symbols at one point on the archways but they had faded away.

Fortunately for the pink haired princess and her handmaidens there was no way to get lost. There was no doors to explore nor were there any junctions to confuse the trio. The only route was to move forward further towards the crash site of the other Trixian vessel.

It was then that the women smelled something awful, somehow that was growing more intense as they moved forward. Octavia was beginning to feel a slight headache though her handmaidens show no sign of it as they focused on keeping her highness safe. It was then Enru gasped as they came across some sort violet tissue that covered the corridor. The stench here was almost unbearable though the Trixians were finding it much easier to breath here than the rest of corridor the trio had traversed so far.

"Uhhhh, it smells so awful." says Enru. Beneath the Trixians each step made wet, unnaturally squishy sound. "The sooner we push through it the sooner we will be beyond this." replied An, "Just stay alert and make sure nothing threatens the Princess."

Despite the brunette handmaidens comments, it was slow going to move to through the sticky floor. Only their shoes kept them from feeling whatever was covering the organic floor the Trixians were walking on. Octavia was about ready to order the women back to the ship when some light caught her eye. The Trixians moved closer as they found an auburn lily blossum that seemed to be lighting up the room. It was easily the size of one of the Trixian as glowed a faint blue from itself and the strands that hung loosely from its sides.

And with the light, it became clear the Trixians were near their goal, jammed halfway through the wall was the Trixian vessel they were looking for. They just had to figure out where how to get to it and how to get into the hatch that was half buried into the wall.

"An give me a hand, I need to see if I can see if I can access the hatch." says Enru. An had her doubts buts she moved to help the blonde handmaiden as she tried to climb up to the ledge near the closed flower. Octavia watched from next the flower unaware that she was in any danger.

Luckily the hatch was actually open, merely from their perspective they couldn't get a good look at it until Enru took the initiative and utilized An for support. It'd save them valuable time, but on the other hand something about it didn't seem right.

Past the opening were several metres of crawl space, barely enough for them to fit and just as pitch black as the remainder of the hulk if it weren't for the flower nearby. It seemed to be an emergency exit or maintenance tunnel of sorts by the looks of it. The same organic growth found below their feet was an ever present organism even up here, possibly tightening the narrow passage even more though they should be able to make it through without many difficulties. For some reason the metallic lid one would expect to find here responsible for keeping the hatch shut had been somehow torn from its hinges and was nowhere to be found, once again leaving room for interpretation.

It offered hope among other things, that the crew might've tried to get out this way, but that didn't rule out forced entry from the outside entirely. There were scratches near the frame that seemed too subtle to be caused by them crashing through the hull of the hulk, supporting that sentiment yet there'd be no way to prove it.

As far as the light would reveal the hatch seemed to end further down in another, larger chamber without its own light source and yet another missing shutter. All Enru could see from her position would be a few cylinder shaped, transparent glass tubes that reached from the floor to the ceiling, filled with withered outlines that could've resembled plants that died a long time ago when their supply of light and nutrients ran out. One of these tubes appeared to be shattered, but aside from that nothing stood out. Undoubtedly they were near the botany section of the ship, designed to uphold a steady supply of food over long journeys which fortunately meant they were near the crew quarters and not far from the bridge either. That is, if they knew the blueprints of this craft.

While the handmaidens were kept busy Octavia made a grave mistake. The flower was sentient and combined with the growth beneath their soles it constantly analyzed the situation until the timing was perfect. Without warning it suddenly opened up, instead of flower petals it revealed hundreds upon hundreds of tiny feelers covered in a slick fluid that all seemed to move on their own and a series of thick tentacles which erupted from the center of the plant before they lunged at the princess.

Within the blink of an eye they latched onto her ankles and waist, yanking on the former with inhuman strength as they forced her to fall forward, if she wasn't careful she might've landed on her chin though the growth proved softer than expected, reducing the pain. The tentacles didn't have the ability to care about such details, they simply pulled her in at a swift pace that by the time the other two could react, her lower body had already been sucked into the bulk of the plant and submerged in feelers that slithered upon her skin. At the same time the petals pressed close again, attempting to fully shelter her from the females that were potentially armed and dangerous. Not giving them a clear sight on the third of the group could essentially prevent them from attacking it if they desired to free her safely and in one piece.

It almost felt like a fleshy prison was swallowing her, trying to pull her in deeper whilst making no attempt to prevent the handmaidens from interfering. The substance cascaded onto her face and torso in thin, sticky strands, her lower body already fully covered in the fluid as the feelers pressed into every crevice they could find within her clothes. Her hands were still free, but that might not do her any good in struggling against the overpowering force tugging her down. If they were going to act they had to do it quickly, there was no telling what would await their highness if she fully disappeared into the flower.

"Hey, it looks like the hatch is open." says Enru. The blonde handmaiden would not have to spend time trying to force the hatch open or worse having to cut her way through.

Still the brunette handmaiden was not happy with what she saw. In the opening there was only space enough to crawl in and it was impossible to see in there for the moment. It seemed to be more like a maintenance tunnel or even an escape hatch. In the hatch she can see some of the same organic growth that covered the floor all in the hatch and crawl spacing making it look even tighter than it was already was. Worse it seemed the hatch had been torn from the hinges showing that something had destroyed the airtight seal it once had with great force. No this was dangerous thought An.

Worse the was scratches all over the area near the frame. The scratches only seemed to be on the very tip of the surface. It certainly could be caused by the ship crashing into the hulk. "None of this looks right," says An. "I think we are going to have to be very cautious, because none of this is making any sense."

Still Enru could see farther down into the ship than An could, "Well I can see a large chamber inside the ship. It looks it might be the botany section of the ship. I can see plants under glass though they look they had died out a long time ago." That would make sense if the crew abandoned the ship or worse died. That would mean the plants would have not gotten any nutrients or light and literally starved to death. "This must have been a planetary survey ship! That would mean the bridge has to be nearby and the crew quarters. I bet we can find all the answers we need from there and at least see what kinda of shape the ship is in."

Octavia continued to watch as her handmaidens continued to work on the ship that was stuck in the hull of the hulk. As she watched she was initially how much brighter it was getting in the room. The Princess had felt a chill go up her spine as she felt like something had snuck up behind her. The Trixian royal turned her head to look behind her but could only see out of the corner of her eye that the flower had begun to bloom.

Before the Princess could even begin to move tentacles reached out and wrapped around her ankles and waist. The Princess screamed as she felt her legs literally be yanked out from under her as she fell to the floor. The Trixian royal was stunned for a moment as the air was knocked out of her, and that was all the tentacles needed. With a quick pulls, they pulled the pink haired woman's body into the flower until her lower half of her body was into the bluk of the plant. Already the petals attempted to close to seal of the Trixian royal from any help the handmaidens could provide her. The Princess struggled to regain her senses before it was too late and she was swallowed whole by the alien plant.

"Princess!!!" Enru took her pistol out and aimed at the plant but her weapon was knocked aside by the brunette.

"What are you doing?" says An. "If you shoot at the plant you may hit the Princess." Already the Princess was being sprayed with some sort of
across her face and torso, no doubt her lower body was covered in the stuff. "We have to climb down and pull her free." Already she could se the Princess struggling to hold on to fleshy ground to keep from being swallowed. Quickly the handmaidens began to climb down to assist Her Highness. They just had to hope they could reach her in time before the pink haired beauty was pulled completely into the glowing flower...

The plant itself was a mere fraction of the organism it belonged to, the growth they were walking on could be considered its skin though none of that mattered at the time. Octavia was slowly being swallowed, unaffected by the strange liquid which merely seemed to serve as a lubricant of sorts as her waistline passed the opening that led further inside the fleshy passage. Beings such as the Trixian were immune to the decomposing effect of the thick fluid and were left unharmed, but that didn't prevent the flower from attempting to digest her further down the line.

Glowing tendrils reached out for the two intruders trying to save the third, wrapping about their wrists and ankles, but the appendages were too weak to confine them because that's not how it usually fed on its victims. Even the petals would be comparably easy to overcome, the princess herself managed to part them slightly as her arm broke free, but it wasn't enough to fight the suction. Only when An and Enru held onto her and pulled would they be able to fight it.

Deeper inside an inhuman death was waiting for someone like the princess, a chamber that imprisoned its prey and forced unto them a slow and painful demise before absorbing their essence to grow further. Thankfully she wouldn't suffer such a fate, the strength of her handmaidens enough to easily remove her from the alien lifeform. Considering its hostility it may be wise to destroy it, but chances were the oxygen would fade along with it.

The smaller, glowing appendages weren't threatening though with the removal of their dear princess the handmaidens were faced with imminent danger. Thicker, more durable tentacles that restrained the royal with all their might moments before simply gave up on holding onto her, a pair of them darting for each of the other two women instead. Its reach was limited and it wasn't strong enough for a frontal attack, it even considered the possibility of letting them go, but that idea wasn't entirely beneficial to its instinct to feed and expand.

In the meantime their shuttle was cleansed of anything edible, the lurking creature had consumed it all and instead picked up their trail now that its initial urges were taken care of, making its way through the hatch they'd gone through toward the other vessel although it was still a fair distance off.

Octavia struggled to maintain her position thought it was a losing battle. All the Trixian Princess could do was to simply delay the inevitable as more and more of her was being pulled into the flower. She was absolutely coated in the strange liquid but so far it had no noticeable affect on the pink haired royal. Still was not up to her waist in the flower and if the creature was left to grab her on the own, it would eventually swallow Octavia if she did not get help. Fortunately for the Princess, the handmaidens were almost upon her and were already reaching down to grab her.

In an instant, tentacles reached out and grabbed An and Enru. However, the tentacles were really only designed to pull one humanoid into the flower's deadly trap not three. The two handmaidens simply ignored the glowing tentacles that were wrapped around their wrists and ankles as they attempted to pull Her Highness free. Slowly Octavia was able to get one hand free and then another hand free as she tried to add her own strength to the effort.

Slowly but surely more of the Princess was pulled free of the flower and certain death. Though she was coated in the strange liquid her body did not seem to be any worse for the wear. At this range, An finally felt comfortable enough that she wouldn't hit the Princess. The handmaiden pulled her pistol and prepared to shoot the flower to death. "No don't," shouted Enru, "It's probably providing oxygen for us to breathe."

Already the flower seemed to realize it was not going to keep the Princess if it did not chance its tactics. Almost at once the larger tentacles reached out and attempted to grab the two handmaidens. Enru felt she had no choice and let go of the princess as she attempted to pull herself away from the larger appendages. An however was not going to let go of her Highness and she attempted to use the opportunity to pull her free.