It was obvious that the queen had broken out. Had broken out first then released her servants. From what she gathered the scientist had been the first to go. But if the material used was stronger than glass how did it break out, how strong was it compared to the offspring. She didn’t want to think about it instead she began finding things to make a heating emitter as small device that could produce large amounts off heat. The lab was well supplied and high tech so it shouldn’t take much.

She was vividly impressed with the tech it was well beyond that of her people at least a couple of decade or more ahead, maybe more than that. As she worked she kept an eye out for anything useful. She had noticed from the five workers trying to get into the door had hard shells, like Skeleton bone outside the body. Though her plasma gun would be effective she didn’t have nearly enough ammo for the job. She needed something else, while looking around she comes across what looked to an experimental gun. She wasn’t sure what it did but she took and placed it in the flat space disk, mindful that she did it without the others seeing. Finding the components she needed she easily builds the emitter it was no science award project as it was made in haste. Though she was glad to have brought her tool belt it had the right tools she knew how to use to build them. She made at least three two to be used the other just encase another diversion was needed.


“How are those grenades coming, or do I need to make improvised explosive and smoke bombs.” She asked aloud, while Farin used his wrist computer to hack. She wouldn’t be surprised if he snagged some data along the way.

The gun was well balanced and light appearing to be made of a plastic but much stronger. It had a few setting on it for a narrow beam which had an effective range of about that of a standard pistol or cone which had an effective range of ten meters or so. The power supply would last quite a while too and shouldn't drain before the ordeal had been resolve one way or the other.

The weapon was a sonic gun. Sound was something that the Ashlyn had been vulnerable to sound and the weapon would stun those it hit as it produced a burst of high pitched sound that the Ashen could not hear but only when striking organic matter so a miss could leave a gunman still concealed.

It was a prototype weapon that was being tested with a high degree of success on the captives as the Aschen had few projects that failed miserably once they put their minds to something.

Farin shook his head then joined Gaia in her search when told to look. Heat emitters had been easy to make after all and while she took advantage of the high tech here Farin had amassed a lot of information on the Ashlyn, the Aschen with them did not seem to fuss over what they were doing though as he focused on something.

“They had a Queen and a few drones. They were doing something to the drones and doing research with the Queen. This whole mess started from just five of them. Drones can fertilize the eggs of a Queen and it's obvious that once they escaped they started all this.”

Farin wondered if the Queen escaped before or after the crash but that was not important. He had shared with her what he discovered about the Ashlyn strengths and weaknesses. Smoke dazed them, sound stunned them and the cold made them sluggish or killed them depending on the temperature. Heat and sound attracted them and they were different.

Soldiers used acid, workers had restraining slime, droans had an aphrodisiac and were the ones interested in females from what he gathered … there were notes in the records about something genetic that he could not make sense out of that the Aschen were studying. The Queens were large and laid eggs, lots and lots of them but implanted the eggs in males to provide nourishment for the hatching young. There was something about the Y chromosome the they didn't like or had been vulnerable to.

There was a silver droid that Gaia discovered on stand by mode (similar to R2D2 in appearance) that came come with bees and twerps at they neared. KD147 or Katy for short.

There was a small safe that the Ashen was opening as Gaia asked about those grenades. “Got them.” He opened up the box and some had been taken but most were here. 4 of the new ones and 6 of the standard smoke grenades.

“There are only ten of the twelve here,” the scientists probably had the other two. “Two smoke grenades each, one cyro grenade I'll take the extra one, you found KD, hm, we could use that ...”

Experimentation on a species, she didn’t know how many laws that broke, but it didn’t matter. As Farin gave the run down of the different types it became clear to avoid the soldiers at all cost. Though she might be resistant to it acid would still burn her, or anyone else. “What type of experimentations?” She asked as she put the finishing touches on the heating emitter. Considering the tech used, the heating emitter could produce intense tropical heat for a number of hours before the battery died. The Queen was territorial, as described by Qurrain scientist. They sought out the males as incubators mainly as a food source for the young. Other than that they seemed to just hate males, or saw them as a threat. Why she didn’t care. Looking for anything useful she discovered a droid, Kd147. Or Katy as she approached it activated.

“Interesting.” She said finding the droid to be adorable. It was not the place or the time to do so, so she refrained from more remarks. As the Aschen opened up a box with the grenades; two smoke grenades one cryo each; for everyone. Great they where now lightly armed Gaia with a new pistol, a droid and the grenades. That new gun made her feel safer as it appeared to be a subsonic weapon, though with her hearing it could be a problem; she could pick up sub sonic noise easily. It shouldn’t bother her when she fired the weapon.

“What does KD do exactly.” It was good to know what everything did especially the droid.

“Apparently, from what I skimmed the Aschen created the Ashlyn. I am unsure as to why but the bugs ended up turning against their creators with a passion. That is one of the reasons they seem to be drawn to Aschen tech, in hope's of finding them I guess.”

Farin relayed this as he peaked over his shoulder but their Aschen ally was busy with the computer so he continued in a low tone of voice that he had been using to share this information. It was likely the Aschen knew that he had acquired this information. He certainly did not seem bothered by the interface that Farin so openly used.

“They thwarted a hive recently. It was a small one but these guys were actually looking for a small colony. Captured a Queen but were running all sorts of tests on the drones they gathered … apparently there were four of them though to what ends I do not know.”

The Aschen soon joined them and doled out grenades. “Ah. KD. It is programmed to assist the scientists and is programmed mainly to run all sorts of scientific tests, keep it's work area sterilized and can effect repairs on most of the downed systems of the ship, mostly those governing anything pertaining to the sciences though of course it is not restricted.

“It is equipped with all manners of tools, an emergency fire retardant, internal and external sensors so it can run diagnostics and it probably has a great deal of programming based off of knowledges and the scientists. It cannot harm sentients though ...” he paused and spoke something in his native language. The droid responded with a series of chirps and whistles.

“As I thought. It classifies the Ashlyn as vermin. They were mere bugs before they were tampered with and while much has been recorded about them no one reclassified them as sentients. Technically by themselves they have no measurable intelligence though in a hive like this, even a small one, they can be quite intelligent.”

`
A small, hive seemed like no big deal, but the few that had managed to start one up in her peoples space had been a lengthy task, but done rather quickly in terms of days. One thing did come to her mind why did the Aschen create the Ashlyn. For what purpose did wish these bugs to have. Though the Aschen did nothing to complain about Farin’s poking around, he focused merely focused on the computer terminal.

“The purpose of the experimentation isn’t the worry right, now, it’s what they did here in this lab, to those four worker drones I’m worried about.” She replied to Farin in a low voice. She looks at the Aschen once more, she wasn’t sure if she could completely trust him. He seemed eager to destroy the Ashlyn, but a tad too trusting of those who wanted to raid his ship. Her instincts were to get off the ship Farin wanted off for the sake of life. She felt there was another agenda here one obviously dealing with the Ashlyn.Gaia didn’t say anything more as the Aschen came over and handed out the grenades. They where almost ready, in time to her hearing was picking up the bugs movement. KD sounded sounded useful, extremely useful. Plus the droid seemed to dislike the bugs. The quarrain woman nodded as the Droid functions where explained. Good I’ll need all the help I can get with this ship, she thought as she began prepping the thermal emitter.

“If you don’t min my asking.. But what was the purpose of the experiments here… and why a live queen. They wouldn’t have been able to reproduce if she was dead or even present.” She commented, wanting to know why the AShlyn where aboard.

“Yeah, it is a little worrisome.” Farin admitted.

For the very reasons she had surmised the Aschen had probably considered them. It probably didn't matter why they were here, now that they were this problem was “their” problem. They could help, get out of the way or hinder him. They could take their chances but they stayed and since accessing files did not hinder him he had not stood in the way or prevented it in the least. Perhaps he wanted them to acquire as much information as possible.

The functions of KD had been explained and a question asked though the Aschen did not try to side step it.

“I do not know for certain. I am in security rather than the sciences though I can speculate to a fairly accurate degree. I have clearance to see most of the documents and orders that pass through the ship. The Queen was sought, alive. The Ashlyn are a huge menace in Ashen space and it was hoped that we could engineer drones to take over the functions of a Queen and disrupt a hive. Usurping the authority of the Queen we had intended to create a small colony then introduce a modified drone into the mix to see if it could destabilize the colony.

“The idea was fairly simple and these drones were genetically modified to produce eggs that they could fertilize themselves. Each had been instilled with a kill switch so to speak if something went wrong and this sample colony that we were going to create would never go above a dozen individuals. Excess members were to be culled.

“But something went wrong … I am unsure what but it did and the drones merged with the Queen's hive. The idea was that the eggs delivered by the drones would create a life form that attacked Ashlyns that were not genetically modified in this way. To simplify, an artificial ant eater with a finite life span but huge appetite. Experimentation wasn't complete though with limited power I cannot broadcast the kill signal though in the long run 202 Ashlyn opposed to 206 really makes no difference at the moment.”

“Genetically altering the, genetically altered. Smart. Plus a kill switch to go off. Anything necessarily important you conviently didn’t mention twenty minutes ago” Gaia said rubbing her temples as her head tails twitched in what could be assumed anger. She was didn’t like it and would have liked to have known sooner than later. Especially that kill switch if they generated enough power they could hit the kill switch and use the heating emitters to attract and kill those not affected.

Farin’s idea was starting to look more valid, trustworthy, and realistic. The fact was it was a lot more difficult to pull off. Not like they where already on an impossible mission. “From what it sounds like the drones are still loyal to the queen. In fact you’re scientist gave them the ability to mass produce faster.”

Gaia eye dart to the vents her hearing up the scutter sounds of the Ashlyn. They haven’t decided to attack yet. At least for now. “We don’t have much time before they decide to attack, or figure out what wwe are up to.” She said checking her pistol. The gun was high quality and unique in design, obviously well advance It had slight neon glow indicating it was thermal based and had consider amount of fire power. Though Gaia herself wish she had her full armor, she didn’t risk it do to the tech easily being discernible.

(changed Farin's color so it wouldn't be confused with Luna)

Only four of them had the kill switches and so they would do no good. Those hatched by the drones, had it taken route, would be on burrowed time. Essentially a genetic flaw that would snuff their lives out.

In a way it had been undoing some of what they had. But her question was taken as a serious one. “Perhaps, though if I have forgotten already then I would be unaware of what I forgot until I remembered.”

“So, the Queen. No kill switch?”

“None. And no, from what I have gathered the whole reason why it hasn't worked was that little had been done. The drones still recognize their Queen but cannot reproduce themselves hence all the female bodies. They are treating them as having no value and the modification was to allow them to implant their eggs whether the host was male or female. As of now only men are viable candidates. If we calculated the drones into matters, even given their usual duties, we would have been overrun already.”

“Come in!” The crackle of static in her ear had been low, near silent. The voice feminine belonging to Luna. There was something in the water, something that was not quite right or she had been at the extreme range of her communicator earrings though given how soft the volume was it was tough to hear. Fortunately it was still possible and while she missed a word here and there it was relatively simple for her to plug up those holes.

“Abort the mission. I repeat abort. We have three ships inbound, suspect Ashlyn. Repeat suspect Ashlyn. They are ignoring our hails and on an intercept with the planet. ETA just over thirty minutes.”

Gaia shook her head in distress as.” No use crying over it now.” She stated briskly nodding to each to them as she plugs in the com.”Farin you’re in charge of getting the power on, I’ll Heating emitters will go off in a few moments. While that’s happening… Ummm.” She stopped not knowing the Aschens name, it completely slipped her mind. There was no time in asking now.” You take care of knocking those things out and keeping Farin safe.. I’ll take the engine room and get running.”

She said sternly, ready to take a stance against the Ashlyn it was then her Earrings buzzed. Usually her hearing was good enough to pick it up, but something gargled in her ear, it was Luna she could tell by the voice but the message was scrambled. She must be to far down to get a clear message. Either way she paid attention to the message as best she could.

“ I repeat… We have… ships inbound, suspect... They are ignoring… intercept with the planet…. Minutes!” Really, just really; it was like the coms decided that it was going to break up at the important parts and leave the rest. Well she wasn’t stupid, the ships could easily be ADD, Pirate, or the Ashlyn. Either way time was running out. There was no time in her book, if the Ashlyn was coming there was little chance of escape, they would comb the area but water and land. They had to get off the planet by then. If only she knew how much time they had.

“We’ll worry about kill switches and weather or not they can lay eggs in women later.” She said turning her attention back to them. Her tone full of urgency as if something just warned of a dooming fate; if she could she would get of this alive, with the other two in toe. She might keep the drone after everything was said and done. Growling something in her tongue she nods for the others to go, though she motions for KD to follow her. She needed directions to the engine room, and plausible assistance in turning it on.

Names were not important it seemed to the Aschen. If it were important he would have supplied it though it had not been important to the task at hand. Farin nodded at his task though he was still as nervous as hell.

Getting power back up was his job and then Mr Security could knock them out. The heat emitters would be placed in key areas and while he figured the best place to reroute power once it was back up would have been the secondary bridge if Aschen ships had them.

The engines would be the trickiest as far as he was thinking. If the Ashlyn were there it would make getting the engines online tricky. Not his problem, he had to focus on his role and had to trust in the plan.

Farin needed a quick map and the Ashen pulled one up. It was a fairly large ship, probably the reason why they saw so few of the bugs to date. The ship did have a secondary bridge. “Could we reroute power through here?”

“Once it's back on beyond the auxiliary power yes. I can run back up security through there two put unless I do so from the primary security station I stand the risk of being overridden by the security chief. From there I can essentially override his control over the system.”

They were pretty much all set though KD began tweeting and beeping. There was a digital read out that translated it's words. At first it was in the Aschen script but changed to Galactic basic so that all in question could read it.

THE OFFICES OF SURESH HAVE THOSE KILL SWITCH CODES. TWO OF THE DRONES HAVE EXPERIENCED UNFORSEEN CHANGES. DOCTOR SURESH DID NOT WAIT AND BEGAN WORK ON HALF THE DRONES.

SIDE EFFECT DATA UNKNOWN. DOCTOR SURESH DID NOT GRANT ME SUCH KNOWLEDGE.

“Where is Suresh office located; as well as the quickest route the engine room?” She asked as she and the droid headed to their objective. It didn’t matter if the kill switch was no longer surfice, but she could at least stop them from escaping to space if they found a way, or learned how to swim. Her mental clock was only guessing at how much time was left, she wished she had clear audibility of what was said. Hitting the stud she tries to contact Luna while she finds out about this Dr. Suresh. “This ADD Agent Gaia, my mission has taken the turn for worse. The ship is comprised with Ashlyn forces; I am currently stuck on the ship till further notice.”

She finished transmitting as she rounded the corner clear. Good. The last thing she needed was to run into a pack of Ashlyn, especially soldiers. No need in rushing, she was hunting and being hunted by hundreds of Ashlyn. “Okay take it slow Gaia. Terra will guide you through.” She said to her-self as she goes silent, each step despite the heels was inaudible. She could hear movement the vents lots of it she checked the mental timer on the first emitter the one in the lab had gone off by now, so that gave six minutes to plant the next one. ..

“His office is near here, his quarters down in level three,” the Aschen explained. But the hunt for it may have been a waste of time. The trick was getting the Ashlyn to get out of sensitive areas so that they had a chance.

More beeps from KD as it wobbled in place back and forth the domed head swirling about so that Gaia could read the display with ease.

I CAN REMOTELY ACCESS ANYTHING ON HIS COMPUTERS FROM ANY OTHER ON THE STATION. THE SHIP'S AI LIKES ME.

Whatever that had meant. It was unlikely that these were true feelings in an organic sense. Perhaps it was because the two machines had to interface together a lot and a degree of compatibility on the levels of getting along was necessary so that they both could do their assigned tasks.

“Then just get that power back up. Nothing has changed,” unless, but he kept that to himself, his attention going to the vents when hearing additional scurrying. “Lets go. The Ashlyn will feel the temperature change well before we do.”

With that they would brake up, KD following her after that request was place in.

“Ven... ship destroyed … others still approaching. We lost all but … Ash … ships ...” Luna was braking up a great deal now. It was likely that her craft was moving further away from the planet for whatever reason. Perhaps the Ashlyn had been on a different approach vector that would take Luna out of range for a bit.

She would have to come back for the office when everything was clear, she thought as she and Katy moved off to the engine room, she didn’t wuiet know how to address the drone saying the AI liked KD. Gaia was still mauling over, there’s a fucking AI. Really.. For their brains the Aschen seemed to be absent minded genius. Still the Quarrian had a job to do and she would do it. She needed the quickest route she could take and asked KD to point the way. Hopefully the Queen would not be in the engine room. If she was well, the colony might find itself short of queen. As she listened for Captains Luna’s transmission, she cursed as she could barely hear anything let alone get a clear mission. If this was what one called baptism by fire, it burned. It burned good.

Rounding a corner she focused on the task at hand. The emitter had gone of, and it showed. The vents where alive with noise, hundreds of drones marching to the new heat signature. At least something seemed to be going right. Using her stealth and low lights of the ship, Gaia skin darkened to the slight darkness making it harder for her to be seen, though her outfit’s color scheme would stand out a bit.

“Okay KD Which corridor do I take now?” She asked as she heard something moving an Ashlyn soldier. Shit… she thought as it stopped a looked at her. It had seen her easily enough. By instinct she popped of a smoke grenade, letting it get by the smoke was the safest; no hostil;e move she could make. No need in making things hard for the Aschen and Farin, till she was out of those. Hopefully any more around the corner would become dazed as well.

It was good thing Quarrains could filter out most toxins like smoke, didn’t mean she should breathe it in though. Holding her breath she pressed forward, loosing the soldier and any other drone as KD gave her the route to take.