What the hell would these creatures need aphrodisiac for? She didn’t ask about it. Luna couldn’t provide an answer the former agent didn’t already know. Shokushu and many other equally horrendous places to be taught her much about the countless races utilizing some form of aphrodisiac on humans to surprising efficiency. It wouldn’t do her much good to get trapped in that green stuff and find out whether these bugs, those Xagi, were the same as all the other monsters that came before. If worse came to worst, at least Hope seemed to be immune to that sort of thing.

Phoebe felt that splash and weight of slime on her back, but thankfully that was the end of that. Not being anchored to anything allowed her to return fire at the frenzied swarm though it was only in the aftermath she realized being responsible for causing Viryon’s weapon to be dropped in the fray. There was little time to retrieve it with the encroaching horde of bugs.

She may not have been a true marksman either, but the density of that crowd meant she wouldn’t have to make every shot count. The sounds of suffering made her wince, as did Viryon’s tight grip on her arm, though there was no point dwelling on that. Shuffling backwards, Phoebe shielded the reptilian woman while dishing out as much punishment towards their adversaries as she could. With every other shot, however, it became quite apparent that while they weren’t being overwhelmed yet, staying here would be foolish.

Hope offered to take up the rear and Phoebe was quick to accept the offer. “Got it!” She turned around and ushered her friend along, looking back and firing only on occasion. The safety of the others was paramount. Losing either of them to these things was out of the question. As far as resolving this matter went, she had nothing better to offer than Luna at the time. What choice did they have other than to try and set up a defensive perimeter elsewhere? “We’ll take our chances with the brig then. Lead the way!”

Her arm still held onto her comrade’s own as their eyes met before this final retreat. “Alright, Viryon. Stay close and don’t let go. Watch out for the slime; don’t get any of it on you.”

As of that moment, they were only down one weapon. Not too bad, but not great either. The young blonde had been more concerned about being one man down. She didn’t know too much about the Xagi, but could only wonder whether they separated the men from the women on purpose. The real question was how they did that in the first place. Had they lured Kurgan away with some form of pheromone? She thought his sense of smell would be rendered virtually useless in this heavy ozone environment. Whatever happened to him, Phoebe swore herself to make sure he got out of here in one piece somehow. First, she’d have to find him. Until then, she and the others still had to push through whatever they were dealing with now. She hoped the brig wouldn’t be too crowded at this time of day.

These things didn't seem to be Xagi. At leas not the common drones. There were similarities to the slime and their stragety was the same. Using overwhelming numbers to swarm threats and enemies. Whether or not they were an off shot of Xagi or a form of the species that they had not encountered yet was uncertain.

Avoiding shots of slime they withdrew. Luna leading the way. Taking a turn the hall lead down to a blast door. On the ceiling pointing in their direction was a security camera. There was no sigh of Hope given the cover but they could still hear the discharge of her blaster and movement as she backed up. Giving the rest of them a good gap.

Getting to the door they had been met with another problem. It was sealed from the other side. Attempts to open it in a standard fashion had been thwarted.

“What the hell -” Luna cursed. Her mind kicking into gear. Extracting some tools that she never seemed without (save for her undercover work) Luna began to hastily remove an access panel. Exposing wires it was clear she was going to attempt to fry the magnetic locking mechanism.

While she frantically worked Viryon took a more direct approach. Attempting to use brute force to open the door. Then banging and yelling. Hope's shots diminished. They heard her drop or discard the weapon followed by the crunching sound of a blade passing through the exoskeleton of these bugs. On occasion something fleshy was cut, most likely some tentacles being severed.

Phoebe could see Hope's shadow on the floor as she was close to coming around the corner. Various other shadows of these bugs could be seen and they all heard the skittering of the bugs and bursts of slime. They could even see some green jets of the goo hitting the wall at the very end of the corridor were it turned, shots that missed. How much longer could Hope keep this up for?

The doors opened suddenly. Someone or thing on the other side unlocked them. Within the vast circular chamber was a bank of empty cells. In the middle of the room there was a circular desk with various monitors. Most were dark though a few still projected portions of the ship. The brig doubled as a security center. A couple of computers were present along with a single door leading out of the place.

“GET IN!” A large humanoid figure was standing next to a work station. Having heard Viryon it was clear that the large alien checked the camera's feed before opening the door. The alien was scaled, a reptilian being though the red lighting made it difficult to tell the coloration of those scales. He wore simple garments and had a stun baton on one hip with a pair of restraints on the other. Maybe a security officer or perhaps an escaped criminal. The force fields for the cells were off but seeing that they were all empty that wasn't a surprise.

With little option Luna and Viryon didn't think of it much. Rushing into the room just as Hope appeared at the end of the corridor from around the corner. Close behind her there was a wave of these bugs tht just kept coming regardless of how many she cut and slashed. She was nimble twisting and dodging the blasts of slime. This left her open to the jaws of the beasts that her suit shrugged off for the most part.

It look that she might have the slimmest change. Then a tentacle darted out from one of the bugs wrapping around an ankle and jerking her off her feet. She managed to sit up before being covered with a blanket of this red swarm not even a second later.

The doors were beginning to close again after the alien saw what was happening on the camera feed. What side of the door she would be on was her choice of course.

Heading to the brig wasn’t a particularly bad idea until they found the door locked right in front of them. Luna got to work on it right away. Viryon ended up banging against it, yelling all the while. Was she thinking someone locked themself inside? Whichever the case, Phoebe couldn’t think of much more to add to the situation until the door finally opened. She didn’t even catch the being inside at first. The commotion to the rear drew her attention more than whatever success her friends had getting this damn thing open.

Hope rounded the corner while the others retreated into the brig. She brought many a friend which froze the agent’s blood inside her veins. “No fucking way,” Phoebe thought inwardly and immediately took a knee with her weapon raised, hoping to ensure the warrior woman’s safe return. Aiming down the corridor allowed her to terminate one, then another with the pull of a trigger. It didn’t matter. The end results were the same each time. She dropped one, but then the swarm took its place. She might as well be trying to punch holes into an oncoming wave to the same effect.

An admirable effort, but it was wasted against the sheer number of hostiles. In the same vein, their luck had to run out sooner or later. The blade yielding heroine got caught up in their midst eventually. When the bugs covered her to the point of concealing her from view, nothing more could be done to recover her at that time. She knew, Phoebe knew, and it pained her to have no choice but to fall back as well. Anything else would result in straight up throwing herself to these entities on a silver platter.

Phoebe abandoned Hope in that corridor, feeling sick to her stomach while scrambling to make it through the closing doors. As they shut behind her, the young blonde felt as though she was about to hurl.

Going for the salvage instead of a hunting trip was her idea. She lost Kurgan and now Hope to whatever these things were. As far as making it out of this closed off room and getting them back was concerned, Phoebe had no clue on how to accomplish that or whether it was possible at all. Everything went downhill so fast; she had trouble keeping herself focused. Some of them were still doing alright. That had to count for something. Succumbing to a panic would only doom that which could still be saved, even if their one chance was with a complete stranger thus far.

Eyes scanned the premises. If the brig had no vents or anything of the sort, those creatures couldn’t get it, but was it really a place where they could stay permanently? Who did they run into? Was he a crew member? What did he know about the specimens outside? And why did the Keltorians claim there were no survivors on board?

Tremors raced through her limbs as she stood, the incessant trembling of a troubled woman, but it was nothing that’d impair her much beyond this point. She took great care not to lean against anything that’d get her stuck due to that green slime on her back. Approaching the others, Phoebe first looked back at the shut door, then towards them, shaking her head as if to emphasize what everyone else already knew.

She couldn’t afford to dwell on it either, nor could anyone else. Inaction would only waste precious time. The large alien’s silhouette wasn’t familiar, not a race she could place easily. Whatever he was, he answered Viryon’s cries at the last moment, and for that he had her gratitude as their gazes met. “Thanks for the save. We couldn’t have held out against them much longer.”

“Few could hope to.” He waved off her thanks as if such things had been normal. All he did was unlock a door for them after being made aware of their presence.

They could still hear the skittering of tiny legs in the hall. Among splattering sounds as slime hit the walls and doors out in that corridor. A look at one of the monitors showed what was happening out there. They got a good look at the things too. They appeared to be dark red ants the size of a house cat. Retractable tendrils poked out of the sides of some of them as they used the appendages now to bang against the door. Well, it was more a splattering sound. The tentacles being fleshy and at times a few got stuck to the door prompting them to use blue slime to free themselves.

“They can't get in.” The saurian suppressed their fears as best as he could. He took each in turn. “Humans? I'm afraid I don't know your species.” He directed the last at Viryon. Turning his focus back to the monitors they could see various sections of the ship. Some of the cameras were down, some places were devoid of anything. An occasional body was seen here and there, those that perished in the crash.

One particular image, a feed from the cargo bay showed them enough of the room to see that one of the walls had been smeared in green slime. Various reptilian creatures were attached to the wall while large numbers of these ants moved about. At times one was free by larger ants, soldiers, that used blue slime and dragged them off screen to a section of the room that was covered by one of the cameras that was out.

Catching their eye would be Kurgan. Brought in by a group of the creatures. Green slime had been smeared on his muzzle and a section of his chest. He was unable to open his mouth and was lucky that the slime hadn't coated both nostrils. One had been covered, he must have turned away from a blast keeping one clear of slime. The ants stuck him to the wall then left.

“This has gotten out of hand. We had a queen aboard. Researching the bio-weapon. Only for all hell to break loose. It not only broke containment but managed to spawn the smaller ones. There isn't a thing I have been able to do about it either. Except for keeping them out of this room.”

He sighed. The bugs outside were beginning to disperse. Intelligent enough to figure out that they weren't getting in. The excitement promoting them in trying in the first place.

“I have plenty of weapons. Even a means of getting rid of them. At least if I were not stuck here. They will settle down in a bit as long as nothing stimulates them again. I take it that you're the rescue party. Well, we have some time to kill. Power will hold for a few hours. When it goes I won't be able to keep them sealed out. So I suppose I can bring you up to speed on them if you'd like.

“Maybe you can help me help you.” He looked to each in turn. “Are any of you claustrophobic?”[ Oh, I have forgotten myself. You my call me Geo.”

As if being haunted by the reptilian menace in her nightmares wasn’t bad enough, Phoebe couldn’t go a week without running into one of them. Of all the scaled species in the galaxy, it had to be Saurians. She hadn’t recognized the type when they first sought refuge in the brig, but now it became ever clearer what kind of people they were dealing with. Swarms of horrifying bugs on one side and the living embodiment of one of her first near death experiences on the other, what a grand adventure that was. Just seeing one of them made her blood boil as much as it nearly made it freeze inside her veins.

It took much to simply choke those emotions down. She’d not encountered one ‘good’ Saurian, whether in reality or in her recent simulator experience, but for the sake of making it out of there with every one of her friends intact, she had to believe this was the one. As of now, being stuck in a room with him turned out to be slightly less aggravating than having to face down the skittering terrors separated from them by, thankfully, quite durable inches of solid steel.

“Phoebe,” the young blonde noted, weapon lowered though she happened to be quite tense even now. Looking at the others, introductions were short though for manner’s sake she did her best to match his forthcoming approach to all this. “These are my friends. Luna and Viryon. We’re no rescue party though. We came here for the ship. The local Keltorians promised salvage rights to those who got to the crash site first. There was no mention of what happened to the crew so we thought-“

It dawned on her Geo may not have known where he wound up although mentioning the locals might’ve given him some clue. If he still didn’t know, she gave a brief remark on the troubles of using modern equipment on the planet. “If you've been calling for help, we haven't caught your signal. Foreign tech is kind of a mess down here so we thought everyone had died in the crash. We detected a single life sign from the outside, but that’s about it. Clearly we’ve assumed wrongly there’d be no one left in here.”

Scanning the screens revealed Kurgan was fine, for the moment. Covered in slime, but alive. Hope might’ve been well on her way to the same area he and those other Saurians were being kept in, awaiting a similar fate. As for what they were doing with the survivors, Phoebe had no clue. Those who got dragged off screen weren’t exactly coming back. She closed her eyes at the thought of what they weren’t seeing and feared the worst, and honestly preferred not to know if she was to have a clear enough head to intervene before it was too late.

She thought it best to cover the basics and figure out what they were dealing with beyond introductions and there being plenty of bugs outside. Luna could deal with all the science talk, if any came up. All the former agent needed to know was what came next.

First, however, she retrieved and unwrapped one of her jaw breaker candies, popping it into her mouth to soothe some of her pleasantly tingling bundles of nerves. She had a feeling they’d be engaged in conversation for a short while and lapping away at one of those things was preferable to needing one in the middle of far more precarious situations later. Questions still remained though and since he offered to explain a few things, Phoebe didn’t hesitate to ask. “So, what are those things really and how do you intend to get rid of them? I’m not claustrophobic but I’ve had a bad streak of helping people and winding up in all the wrong places lately.”

A simple gesture was meant to bring his attention to the screens, showing a sheer innumerable amount of those ant like creatures. “What’s a ship of Saurians doing with a queen of those things anyway? Just your run-of-the-mill bio-weapons research?”

Even the simulation contained a Saurian scientist, but all the things here didn’t exactly add up to them winding up here purely by chance. Someone must’ve been after them and for all she knew they could be dealing with criminals that’d be even more trouble those bugs had been dealt with. “We’ve seen the marks on your ship. That scorching indicates you’ve taken fire, probably the reason you’ve crashed in the first place. You can give us a quick run-down of recent events while you bring us up to speed about those creatures right outside your door.”

Geo had no clue as to the planet they were on. He could guess seeing that humans showed up. That resort world … yes, as Phoebe mentioned the native species he knew exactly where he was.

“I'm assuming that you are actually human.” He heard about some sort of masking technology where all individuals appeared as your species, a nonthreatening one or those you found desirable. He didn't know exactly how it worked. Nor would he ever afford to take a vacation to the expensive world. Had he not crashed here he would have never set foot on it.

He listened as much as he supplied some rudimentary information. “I'm not a scientist. Security. But that queen out there fell under my briefing more or less. I believe that slime scrambles with accurate sensor readings. Again, I'm no egghead but overheard them talking about it. Pretty much the green stuff is sticky, the blue counters it. I don't know what the other stuff does.

“For years, the bugs, the Ashlyn, have been making a mess of our colonies. Many were destroyed. The scourge keeps getting closer to our home world so we've been trying to figure out a way to eradicate them. From what our scientists have determined there bio-weapons. Sent from someone or something out beyond the edge of the galaxy.

“In swarms they amass intellect. Alone though is another matter. We managed to capture a queen. The plan was to introduce a virus into them. I'm not sure of the particulars. Some wanted to shorten their lifespans, others to make the queens sterile and so on. It's all beyond my pay grade.

“On the way back we were attacked by an unknown vessel. Someone that didn't want us examining the bugs? Pirates? I can't say. I was down here when the queen broke containment. By the time they secured it again in all the chaos of the ship attack no one found the crew unfortunate enough to be implanted with eggs. The eggs hatch extremely quickly. Before long we were overrun and the queen was freed again.”

He paused. “The survivors all end up in the cargo bay. Implanted. Then used as food from the hatching eggs. Well, the males are implanted. I think the females are only food. Stored in the hanger until the swarm gets hungry enough to feed. I can't tell you why this is different. It's only what I observed. There's probably a ton of notes in the labs.”

Walking to the storage room he unsealed it showing a large array of weapons. Riot shields, grenades, stun batons, manacles, blasters and a huge assortment of other weapons. He pointed at a section of wall at the back.

“There's a crawl space back there. Between the walls of each compartment to work on wiring and other components. The one in security is sealed from the other side. To stop from escaping out that way. This door is locked too. An extra layer of security. With all the weapons it's easy to get the panel open despite it being locked. However, I'm too large to fit. Our techs are much smaller. There are several races of my species here each with their own qualities.

“Sections of the ship, even inside the walls, can be cut off through force fields. I can operate them from here. One of my most effective weapons have been cut off. It needs repairs but I can't fix the power supply from here. Engineering. Once I get the juice fixed I can use the knock out gas to flood the ship. And yes. The gas works against them. It's what we used against the queen.

“The other alternative is waiting in here until the last of the power I rerouted from other systems ends. We'd loose the locks to the door and it would just be a matter of time before the doors are breached if we're not rescued. Communications are out too but from what you tell me they'd be useless. I've noticed that the ship still functions so I'm guessing whatever technology dampener this world has still lets yo operate things out to a small range.”

Geo had a good deal of information. He wasn't just some lumbering brute. Perhaps his species were bright. He could be an exemption too. In any case he had put some thought into things. It must have been frustrating to know that he couldn't implement the simplest of solutions he had access to. Granted with the damage to the ship it was doubtful that they could get all the ship but with any luck they could get enough of it.

Geo had his with about him at least. The situation certainly wasn’t looking great. Phoebe confirmed they were humans except for Viryon who was .. something else. She spared him the details about that and why, if the Keltorians’ masking tech worked all the way out here, he’d not be a Saurian in her eyes.

Saurians were a nightmare come to life to the petite blonde though he may have been an exception. She met members of his kind who were nothing but mercenaries for the most part, employed by slavers and similarly vile individuals or organizations. Those reptiles weren’t far from their employers in terms of character. The species at their core may very well be more civilized in the grand scheme of things, but she’d endured too many scarring examples to view them in a positive light.

Yet the news was as disturbing as those distant memories, if not even more so. Probably worse. A lot worse, actually. Survivors of the crash met a fate hardly conceivable to the new arrivals. The words he spoke conjured images best forgotten in short order. Females are only food. Phoebe didn’t need to find out why. What mattered was that it put a limit on how much time they had to rescue Hope. The males, including Kurgan, might just have more time depending on how long it took those eggs to hatch.

Though initially suspect of this Saurian’s operation and how it came about, Phoebe now found herself facing the possibility of losing her friends, or some of them, all over again. The alternative came down to putting herself at risk in what appeared to be plenty of tight spots.

Some interesting things became available in the storage room Geo showed them. Those tech heavy armaments in particular were likely going to be worthless on this world, but a couple items such as those grenades were bound to be useful in the long run.

“So, theoretically .. If I were to try and get that power supply operational, those force fields will keep me from running into unpleasant surprises, correct?” She went over it inside her head. At least matters were being more straightforward than some of her adventures in the past. “Can you survey all the areas between here and where I’d have to go or is there no guarantee I won’t be running into those .. What did you call them again? Ashlyn? They’re not a huge problem in small numbers, but I’d prefer not to get overrun.”

As far as she knew from the information he provided, they couldn’t exactly rely on comms either. Not much of a tech herself, fixing up power supplies should still be feasible. Luna could be of use in that regard, but it’d force her to step out of the brig’s relative safety. She wouldn’t want to risk it without the agent’s explicit desire to accompany her. Needless to say, Phoebe would’ve been more comfortable having Luna stay here and keep an eye on the tech side of things. After all, this guy was just security and a complete Saurian stranger at that. Viryon might be wanting to help as well, but this would be the safest place for her to be, too.

“I’ve already decided. I’m going, but I need specifics. Tell me what to do, where and how to get there.” Phoebe turned to the others, determined albeit far from confident when it came to dealing with the situation if things went south. Still, there was no backing out of this, and the proposed plan was the best they had to free the others unscathed. “I can’t sit around and wait for help while Kurgan gets devoured by those things. The same goes for Hope. I convinced everyone to come here, and I’ll do my best to get you all out in one piece.”

“I have power for the force fields. Turning them off and on is a cinch from here. At the conjunctions nearest here they are on preventing the bugs from closing in on that same point and discovering a way in. I lack cameras in that access way. So I cannot tell you what is where.

“I need power to deploy the gas. With it most of our problems go away.” Geo explained. “There wouldn't be any bugs, Ashlyn, near here. Most are located near the cargo area but many are spread throughout the ruins of the ship. I can pull of schematics marking a route to engineering. Once there you can reroute or restore power as necessary. I'm still getting enough power to run most of the simple security features. Nothing stronger than those force fields. Though to conserve power I only have key ones active at the time. Sealing off what I can to limit their spread.”

“So what you're saying is that you don't know how many are between us and our objective.”

“That is correct.”

“Well, opening up areas a section at a time would at least limit the amount of the Ashlyn in each section. Best bet is to get out of that crawl space as soon as possible. Easier to fight in the ship. If I tinker with coms we could relay which fields to turn off and on. Closing them behind us as we advance.” Luna looked at her. “What? I'm going. Who else is going to fix this shit? The problem could be as simple as flipping a few switches or the crash could have caused extensive damage requiring a huge fix. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Fixing complicated things isn't in either of you two skill sets and Geo is to big to fit so that leaves me.

“I suppose we could use coms and I could walk you through it. But is there's a problem with coms or you miss describing something vital things might not get fixed. It's easier if I'm looking at a problem.”

“What about me?” Viryon asked. Her skill set well out of league here. Frankly, she was better off staying put if they trusted Geo. If not, well they could leave here in the crawl space close by. With the protection of those fields and in an area that Geo couldn't access. Of course they didn't have to let Geo in on the fact that they were going to leave Viryon in the access way.

Geo pulled up the schematics of the ship. At least what they were when the vessel was intact. Pointing out problem areas he showed them where the bulk of the Ashlyn were and were the engineering section was. Luna viewed it though she lacked a tactical mind she could easily see what route to take.


“Either we can go this way and get out near the labs if we don't follow the access way all the way to engineering. No telling what trouble we'd find in those tight spaces. Or here near the barracks. Anything on the cameras regarding these areas?”

“A lot of the cameras in the science sections have been destroyed. Ground zero so to speak with the queen. I can't say what condition it is now in. The barracks have moderate activity. That's where they got numerous males from so they check it from time to time. I managed to lock down a couple of sections where I noticed survivors. There's an armory there too. I unsealed it in case anyone got to it. Small arms mostly. Nothing as good as you'd find here. Stunners and the like for dealing with pirates.

“To preserve what power I have I have few active fields.”

Luna thought upon that. Then looked at the cameras. “I have some tools with me. I might be able to boost my sensor. If we get one of the dead ones in the hall I can configure it better to detect them. That might help in avoiding them. Gives me a better base line in what we're looking for anyway. It will eat into the time we have but I think I can up my sensors a bit in less than an hour. Most likely half that. Scan that bug and hone in on it. It would be better if we had a living one but I'm sure a dead one would accomplish what we need in the short term. Something that will give us a better heads up at least.

“Why haven't they left the ship yet?”

Viryon answered before Geo. Perhaps it had been her earlier nature. What she was prior to becoming a Chimera. “Oh lots of reasons. It not being a native habitat. Better conditions inside the ship. An aversion to light perhaps. Replicating the numbers to deal with predators. Lots of reasons that we could speculate. Does it matter? Simple terms if I'm following. Something is broken. It needs to be fixed. Gas the bugs. Save Kurgan and Hope.”

She ticked off all the points. Simplifying things. “So what should I do to help?” She'd be disappointed if not involved but wouldn't object knowing that she's out of her element. Viryon knew it was worse being in the way while plundering through things. Oddly she was fine of this and accepted hat she couldn't participate all of the time.

This didn't make her feel useless. She took it in stride working on things to be of better use the next time around rather than complaining about things.

“I have access to the PA system. In the event of an emergency I can activate it to alert the crew. There's one on the bridge too and most rooms have an internal com system so that one can contact various departments without the need of a personal device. Frankly, all communication is done in the ship with them. Our personal devices are for just that.”

Viryon's non blinking eyes lit up at this. “Oh, could it be turned on in certain sections only? Maybe we could lure them away.” She only hissed in glee when Geo confirmed that they could. With the caveat that the PA system could be damaged in various sections. He knew that it worked from here having used it to try to get survivors to secure the sections they were in. In many cases it didn't help.

“So how should we do this?” Luna had little field experience. Most of what she had was involved in working on machines. Helping set something up or studying something that couldn't easily be relocated.

For once, Phoebe loathed not having Hope with them. Most of what worked as of late came down to luck more than anything, it seemed, and she couldn’t exactly shake that impression the more dangerous situations fate thrust her into. Perhaps she was losing her touch. Whichever the case, there was no point dwelling on that now. Simulators were one thing, reality another entirely. It wouldn’t have been so bad if others didn’t depend on her, or wound up here because of the blonde pilot. Now, they had another mess to clean up and not that much time to make it happen.

All the more reason to act quickly, but even Phoebe had to admit it’d be reckless to dive right into action. She looked over to Luna, giving the woman’s proposal some thought. “Alright .. First things first, we’ll drag one of the dead Ashlyn in here and have Luna work her magic from there. Since the ship’s seen better days, there’s no telling whether we can follow the ship’s schematic all the way down to engineering. A potential detour could have us run into loads of bugs if surveillance is out in the area. I’d prefer to avoid such surprises if it can be helped.”

Doing so put the captives at greater risk of expiring before help arrived, but she only had so much manpower against such frightening numbers on the Ashlyn’s side. Best to ensure they were beating the odds or evening them out at the very least. She only prayed Kurgan and Hope had that sort of time.

Eyes wandered from one of her female companions to the next. “While Luna does her best to make that happen, Viryon and I will be equipping ourselves for the trip ahead.” She meant to leave her with Geo before, but one couldn’t argue that more hands could come in handy in a gunfight. What’s more, Viryon’s nature allowed for a different perspective on matters. It wouldn’t be the first time she came up with ways of doing things highlighting solutions others often overlooked. It was either that or simply her rationalizing that she wouldn’t be leaving Viryon alone with this Saurian, no matter what.

Scanning the schematic once again, Phoebe traced a path from the brig to what she believed to be the most sensible option. “I’m thinking we should give the barracks a try instead of aiming for a straight shot at engineering. Not for the armory and its contents, but the Saurians there. The surviving males can escort us to our destination and secure our rear in the process. I’m sure they’d be eager to assist once we tell them there’s a solution to their problem. While there’s some activity over there as Geo mentioned, I believe it’s worth the trouble.”

The lab itself was out of the question. Sure, those creatures gathered everyone they could get in the hangar bay, but she didn’t fancy the idea of bursting into the place where this whole outbreak began. For all she knew it could be a mess overrun with bugs. At least with those locked down sections in place they could be sure not to find any of the usual suspects among them. Given the wealth of gear here, it wouldn’t take much to deliver a handful of small arms to them, thus equipping them with something better than stunners and the like.

“We’ve got Viryon’s idea on using the PA system to lure them away, too, if we’re concerned about the number of Ashlyn roaming the area.” While the swarm showed some intelligence setting up that ambush earlier, it didn’t appear refined enough to recognize a pattern of the sort if they were to repeat the usage of such a system. They might adapt to it in the long run, but it could still be quite useful as an emergency measure.

“It’s not a big leap to engineering from there. With or without backup, it doesn’t look too bad. In short, we’ll try to open up areas a section at a time, like Luna’s suggested, then close them as we advance. Once we get to that power supply, we’ll fix it back up. The gas can be deployed when that’s done.” The ’plan’ was more than a little rough around the edges, but simplicity had a certain appeal in the sense that they weren’t too dependent on minute details playing into their hands from start to finish.

Ensuring that the coast was clear with the cameras they procured a specimen. Geo dragging the bug by one of those tentacles. Taking care of the green slime strewn about. Even though it had been safe to do so there was a collective sigh once everyone was back inside the security room. Luna wasted no time in getting to work as Phoebe and Viryon set about gathering supplies.

After a few minutes Luna was finished. Either she'd pick up the bugs or not with the detailed scans she made. But it may help in the long run. She delayed a few more than called Phoebe over. Hands behind her back Luna was looking at something intently on the carapace of the bug.

Once Phoebe looked to see what was so interesting she felt a slap on her back. Right over the glob of green slime. But Luna's hand wasn't stuck in place. Rolling against her in small circles then drawing a way. There was a bit of confusion before Phoebe saw that Luna's hand was smeared with a cyan colored slime.

Luna glanced about. Her idea not planned through winding up with her wiping her hand off on her pant leg. “I milked some slime out of the tentacle. Figured that we shouldn't take a chance with your back covered and tight spaces. We have nothing to put it in but I don't think I could get much more out of it other than a single dose. Something to keep in mind on the go if we kill any more of them. It's quick to get out like tugging on a cow's udder.”

Of course if they were overwhelmed it wouldn't matter much. It was good to know that someone stuck could get free and wouldn't need to be abandoned.

Leaving her and Viryon to get the last of their supplies set up Luna added in the channel to her com so they could stay in touch with Geo.

It was slow going in that crawl space. Viryon didn't seem too bothered by it. She moved at a quick pace though the humans slowed her down. Tiny claws making it easy for her to scramble. Luna was by far the slowest. Consulting her sensors often. She called back to Geo telling him which fields to bring down and put back up once they passed that section. They didn't have to worry about things coming at them from behind and the few bugs they came across were easily dealt with given the early warnings they had and the fact they were in limited numbers. Workers navigating the vents as best as they could. Many learning to weave in and out of them to get around force fields in areas that weren't as secure. All means of getting into security had been cut off but there were a few other areas they couldn't get to just yet.

Exiting the ventilation system was a delight. At least they weren't so cramped. In the open now Luna had them stop periodically as her sensor detected a few Ashlyn in the vents. The bugs passed by provided they didn't draw attention to themselves.

As the trio advanced they were coming up to an intersection. One way lead off closer to the barracks and a force field before that section. Scorch marks on the walls lined with blue, green and cyan patches of slime were near here. Clear signs of a battle though there were no bodies, either bug or saurian.

Here their plan ran into their first snag.

“I'm picking up a dozen of them near the barracks. I'm guessing they might be attempting to get past the field. Most are clustered in one spot. Not moving all that much. Engineering is down that corridor. I'm picking up some of them in that direction. Moving a lot.”

“And straight ahead?”

“About the same number. Think the armory is in that direction. And the mess hall.” Luna stared down that way for a moment, certainly thinking about something. “I think they can come up on us from behind now. It's been a while since the last force field. If we take the ones out at the barracks we can get back up but that might draw the others here unless we can divert them. Use the PA? Think we should back up to hide someplace out of the way so we can try to clear some of them out of here. We might be able to get to the mess hall before running into the bugs down that way. Yup, but we have to be quick about it.” She confirmed after a look to the sensor. So far it had kept them out of trouble.

Everyone prepared for the inevitable departure. With the green ooze on Phoebe’s back neutralized and Ashlyn detection hardware in tow, things were going rather well. Aside from the whole time being of the essence business and the looming sense of dread that every moment spent carefully maneuvering the ship could cost more and more lives, that is. She could hardly fathom how the Saurian stayed so calm, considering how many more crew members were at risk over one or two strangers he’d only just met. But, they were his only shot at containing this and they knew it, too. Geo, owing to his tremendous size, had no choice but to stay with them by radio alone as the trio began to make their way through those confining metal crawl spaces.

Progress was slow, but steady. At times, the former agent grimaced inwardly at the discomfort shooting through her knees as the group advanced across the hard steel ground. Every time they stopped at Luna’s behest the woman’s heart rate began to spike. Being found in here would’ve been a nightmare. Another nightmare on top of many, to be sure, but what fight could be had in here stacked the odds against them from the start.

All the more reason to be relieved came when they finally reached some open ground. Hallways, really, but far less confining than what they’d endured without incident thus far, and it marked the first step towards completing their objective. Now, all they had to do was make their way to the final destination, as if that was going to be any easier.

Signs of battle marked the area around an intersection. The lack of bodies didn’t get her thinking beyond the assumption that, perhaps, the Ashlyn recycled the dead for nutrients and the Saurians who engaged them became captives alongside the others. Maybe they were the survivors Geo mentioned, or some actually made it to the armory. There certainly was a bit of activity in every direction from here. Admittedly, what confused Phoebe to an extent were the bugs lingering near the engineering section. Were survivors there? Was it the warmth of still functioning machinery they were after? Or were they intelligent enough to figure out how those force fields were powered in the first place?

All the more reason to consider linking up with the Saurians in the barracks first in case they ran into surprises or the bugs returned in greater numbers later. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem to deal with the situation at hand as their quick-witted companion came up with a solution virtually as soon as the issue presented itself. Standing around with their backs more or less vulnerable given the lack of force fields, Phoebe nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good. We’ll do that then. No time to waste.” Weapon at the ready, the petite blonde checked it more out of a nervous habit than necessity. Who would’ve thought she was getting antsy like this nowadays? She might’ve really been losing her touch. The thought brought some amusement despite the pressure though Phoebe held firm against the tide of uncertainties with an expression of unwavering resolve when facing the others. “We’ll make our way to the mess hall, attempt to clear the surrounding area with the help of the PA system and then make our move on the Ashlyn that are at the barracks unless those follow the same diversion as the others.”

Luna took a deep breath. Then checking her weapons, her sensor then finally contacting Geo. The large saurian had been calm under pressure. Not that he could deal with the situation on his own. Perhaps his kind were more reserved. Buying time until the force field drained. If he had been like other saurian types he might have chosen then to go out in a blaze of glory.

Hm. Maybe that was what he was doing. Building up his nerve only for them to come along when they did. Thus another option made itself available. Should they fail he could go back to these plans she speculated.

Viryon copied the others as they checked weapons. Clearly out of her element.

“I can see you three on the cameras. Hold one moment. Alright, that's a pretty bad spot. No matter which route you take are bugs. You're going to the mess hall. I'll turn on the PA system in this sector. It might pull them in the direction of the barracks. Once they've moved you can make a dash to the mess provided this works.”

A short while later they could hear Geo's voice over the PA down one of the halls. He was speaking in his native dialect, maybe coordinating something with the survivors or ensuring that they stayed in place for the moment given the traffic that was about to head their way.

Luna watched her sensor. Getting them to back track a little so they were out of sight she watched the results. “The ones near engineering didn't budge at all. More have entered the area out of vents going in the direction of the barracks. About half the ones left from the mess hall area. I think that's the best we can hope for.”

Making a dash back to where they had been they had six Ashlyn workers to deal with. Catching them flat footed so to speak they made short work out of them. Though the discharging of their weapons alerted the Ashlyn they couldn't get to them before they reached the mess hall.

Farther down the hall was the locked armory. What the Ashlyn were doing in this particular hall had been unknown. Probably going to and from areas rather than clustering around a point. The mess hall was unlocked allowing them to get inside and lock it behind them. At first glance it looked as if there was a battle that raged her. Plenty of scorch marks and slime. Still wet seeing how recent the crash was. Mostly the green stuff though Phoebe could see areas were blue slime had been used.

Chairs and tables had been turned over and there were many half finished meals on the upright tables. Plenty of wasted food on the floor too. There were a few adjoining rooms too. Two lead into restrooms. Another the kitchen. Clearly the bugs had been here though there was no reason for them to return, save for searching for them. With a quick look around the disaster Phoebe saw that the destruction knocked out the cameras here.

She almost missed it. Seeing that it was virtually motionless. A saurian, smaller than Geo but still a good deal taller than she, had been sitting in silence at the far end of the room. He looked up from a datapad he was reading. His gaze was rather dull as if struggling with what they were seeing. The being wasn't security. Nor was it dressed in any particular fashion that indicated a station.

Attire was casual. It wore a white smock and was unarmed as far as they could tell. “I had thought my peers were trying something stupid,” it was a he. His galactic basic sounded a bit rusty. He had to struggle to speak searching for the right words and structure of his statements.

“Now you've agitated them. I assume you have a plan? Or is this a salvage gone bad? Just what are you?” He looked beyond the pair of humans to the chimera with them. Humans near all species knew about given their universal appeal. While there were plenty of saurians out there they tended to vary.

Viryon answered with a shrug after a look to Phoebe. “I don't know. I barely recall my lineage.”

The saurian waved off the answer looking back to the humans. “Do tell me you aren't salvagers.”

A perfect diversion was not meant to be. Some Ashlyn still lingered in the area, but that’s nothing their weapons couldn’t solve. Hitting them became easier despite the pressure bearing down on the female trio. It helped they weren’t dealing with an entire swarm though those numbers were certainly not waiting around once their weapons discharged. Phoebe didn’t either as she ushered the others along to the mess hall, breathing yet another sigh of relief once the doors shut and locked behind them.

Taking in their surroundings revealed things hadn’t been much better around here recently. Further signs of battle. Knocked out cameras. Yeah, that didn’t look too great. “Seems like they were caught by surprise in here, too,” the former agent mused quietly before heading deeper in, examining matters a bit more closely. The eerie silence echoed with her every resounding footstep. Subconsciously, Phoebe grimaced at the thought of being in here when all hell broke loose. At least whatever Saurians were in here hadn’t gone down without a fight. Not that it helped them any. Such large targets were hard to miss and probably far more ideal prey than humans or her other companions.

She froze at the sight of one particular sight, however, instinctively raising her weapon to train it on the next target though stopped once she recognized what it was. Another Saurian. Smaller, perhaps just someone going about his day off if she were to judge him by his clothes. He obviously hadn’t heard Geo over the PA system seeing as it was active in another area at the time. As much as his presence startled her, it put her mind at ease to know there weren’t any bugs hiding out in the off chance Luna’s scanner had missed them.

There was some confusion on Viryon, as always, though by now Phoebe would’ve figured someone dealt with similarly exotic reptilian aliens before. She never quite explained the whole chimera ordeal to the girl either, by virtue of it being somewhat difficult to grasp. Right now, that was beside the point.

“Would be lying if I said we aren’t,” the blonde responded bluntly, if not with a tinge of amusement. “But, that’s before we encountered those bugs and found out there were survivors. That and, well, two of our own were captured before we made it to a safe spot. Now, we’re the rescue team unless something goes horribly wrong or someone better comes along to salvage the ship, I suppose.”

She made a gesture towards the now shut entrance, indicating the way they came. Simpler terms were probably better for this one so she gave him a quick rundown of what’s transpired recently. “We met someone called Geo, back at the brig. According to him, this ship’s got some kind of gas that can be released to deal with your infestation. He said he needs power to do that which is why we’re headed to engineering to fix it back up; assuming it can be fixed after the crash.” The fair skinned pilot gave a shrug. “That’s basically the whole plan. If you can’t help us with that, you might as well just stay put. We’ll handle it as quickly as we can.”

Seeing that the barracks were being swarmed it may not be a great idea to reach out to the Saurians for help after all. It’d likely be quicker to try for engineering on their own unless those creatures could be diverted again. Either way, they had to get back out there eventually, or find an alternate route which Phoebe was scanning for by the second. If neither Luna, Geo nor the male survivor had one on hand, things were going to get spicy. Would the kitchen have anything?

“I see ...” the Saurian reflected on her words. Steepling his fingers as he thought over her presence and what everything meant. It was odd that the doors weren't locked prior to them doing so. Chances were that the Ashlyn didn't return to rooms that they previously checked seeing that it was clear that they already had been here. Or perhaps by locking the door it would tip off the fact that someone had been here.

As Phoebe pondered that she got an answer that didn't make too much sense given that the ship had crashed a few hours ago. “I came back for nourishment nearly to be wrapped up with this mess. I heard the blaster fire and there must be bodies out there. I can only assume that those bugs will clearly figure out where you have run off too. I guess break time's over.”

He glanced to the closed door. As if on cue they could hear skittering out there. Far more Ashlyn were now out there. Coupled with the doors being hit by those tentacles as some attempted to pound their way in. Phoebe could hear buttons being depressed as a tentacle worked over the control panel for the door. A buzzard bleated out a failure at each sequence. Were they attempting to open the doors that way or was it by chance that they hit the control buttons? Giving the frequency she determined that it was deliberate rather just wayward strikes here and there. Fortunately whatever they did from this side kept them locked out.

Odd that the doors could even be sealed in the mess hall though Luna was a wiz at the technical side of things and had to have done something to keep them sealed.

“Geo? Oh the security chief. I assumed he was still alive. He made things difficult for me with all the force fields. I had to go through considerable effort to get out of my room. Most important areas I have been kept out. Needless to say I've worked up quite the appetite with all the work I accomplished.” He sighed and looked at the remainder of his food. “Suffice it to say I won't have time to finish. Follow me.”

He lead them to the kitchen, which was a mess though by the looks of it things were more one sided here. Plenty of slime and no scorch marks. Food that was being prepared prior to the crash had decorated the floor. Ovens were still on and there was a sea of pots, pans and utensils to maneuver through.

Coming to a wall the saurian removed a metal panel revealing a sizable hole that they could step through to the adjacent room. Once they were out of the kitchen he sealed up the wall before them. He then pointed to the ceiling where a circle was cut out leading to an upper deck. Boosting them up he pulled up the rear. Jumping and catching himself on the lip he climbed through with little effort. Once through he stuck a piece of metal in place, took out a tool and welded a sheet of metal in place. The plasma torch was about the size of a pen and incredibly hot. It could be used as a close range weapon in a pinch though the length of that jet of flame was beneath a foot. Probably half that.

“It's a roundabout route but my torch can't cut into the armory otherwise we could have made our way to engineering that way. This level contains officer chambers for the most part. We can cut through the floor and get into engineering once we get to the chief engineers room. There's a lift in his room that descends into engineering. In event of an emergency when he's off duty it was meant to be a quick means of getting there. I doubt the lift is intact or has power to it. I had no idea what the plan was. The PA system is out on this level and I was tapped in my room for most of this. I've been busy cutting through walls and floors tying to get off the ship. The outer hull is too thick to cut through and I kept running into those force fields downstairs thwarting my escape attempts.

“You said there were others? They're probably in the cargo hold if not dead. I witnessed heavy traffic in that area. It seems to be where they are taking people. So Geo wants to flood the ship with that gas? That won't work. Not entirely. It will take a long while for it to fill sections that the system isn't set up in.

“The labs, cargo bay, air locks and brig along with those halls adjacent to the hull itself. It's meant to ward off pirates that board or things going wrong in the labs. With the force fields, however, we could trap those that are unaffected. I am a bit worried that their queen may have disabled the system in the cargo hold. If that's the case there will be no hope for your friends unless you have an army I don't know about.”

He allowed them to digest that. “They are quiet a few of them at engineering. Attempting to get in. One of the areas sealed off by the fields had you approached down stairs. Up here there are a lot of bugs. Many are trying to get into the engineering officers room, which I assume is sealed. They probably have the same idea in getting into the engineering section for whatever reason. I can cut us a way in but don't know what's in all the rooms between us and there. Likely bugs looking for ways to get around or find a bypass. They like the vents. They're probably be too small for them on this level. Little need for the larger ones down below that assists getting to one piece of equipment or another.

“So unless there are any volunteers to attempt drawing away the ones in the hall we'd have to take our chances with what we find in the rooms.”

Introductions took a back seat to more urgent matters. They’d still have time for pleasantries as soon as this living nightmare blew over. Aside from not fully understanding what he meant by ‘coming back’ for nourishment and all he accomplished thus far, there was little time to dwell on the Saurian’s activities with more company pouring into the hallway outside. Listening to those button presses gave Phoebe the creeps. Yeah, those beasts had a bit more of an intellect to them than anticipated. No doubt whatever business they had trying to get into engineering was as important as theirs. Thankfully, they got out of there quickly. She’d not have wanted to stick around much longer, even if the mess hall doors remained shut during all this, which in itself was probably Luna’s doing.

After making their way out through a hole in the kitchen, welding it shut then climbing through another opening in the ceiling, they had some time for an actual exchange in the relative peace of their new hideout. The news wasn’t quite as pleasing as such temporary shelter. Geo certainly had a plan, but turns out it wasn’t quite the ultimate means to an end. There were a bunch of potential pitfalls along the way. It could work, but that didn’t mean that it would.

Nothing bothered her more. Everything appeared to have been rather straightforward from the start. To think this couldn’t go their way outside of screwing up on their way to engineering or any vital repairs to the power supply invited many a troubled thought into her head. Still, that wouldn’t keep her from trying and bottle up those emotions for everyone’s sake. “I’m not giving up on my friends even if some bug ‘queen’ messed with the system. We’ll figure this out one way or another.”

“As for running into more of those things, that’s not necessarily a problem. We’ve modified a scanner to better detect the Ashlyn.” Credit where credit was due. Luna deserved all the praise for that one. It already proved its usefulness many times over.

That left them with a choice regardless, for they had two alternate routes now. Phoebe viewed this proposed departure from the original plan more detrimental to their rescue efforts. Cutting through each room would take time, and if they detected a high number of bugs then finding a way around that took even longer. If it could even be done, that is. Who really knew what state Hope, Kurgan or any of the other Saurians were in by the time they even managed to enter the engineering section?

A hand briefly drifted to where Phoebe’s attire covered up that unique anchor piercing of hers. It’s not like that octopus could be anywhere, anytime. Aegir likely had other things to worry about. Slithering about with all due care made it unlikely for him to ever wind up in a busy place like this. Not that it was even a guarantee the device worked down here. While it allowed for instant communication over great distances, the specifics eluded her. Standard tech seemed out of the question. Something more advanced, perhaps, or infused with those unfathomable psychic powers of his in some fashion. She couldn’t be sure. It’s been a while since they talked about it. Nevertheless, not something nor someone to depend on in a situation where time was too short to wait for the man.

What knowledge he might’ve had on the Ashlyn could’ve been useful, but ultimately they had enough to go on already. Working things out under the circumstances was another matter that couldn’t be resolved remotely. It was on them to counter those bugs and not rely on the ancient telepath when the going gets tough.

A deep exhale flowed from those tender lips. Time to make a decision then. They were back to standing around pondering their next move while others were on the brink of an untimely demise. That, Phoebe could abide. She’d often get into trouble over trying to help others, especially in the recent past, but these weren’t people that’d betray her outright. There were those among the captives she genuinely cared about. At that point, there wasn’t much point asking what went through that pretty little blonde head of hers.

“We’ve got to get into engineering. There’s no way around that.” If they were going to get anything done, it’d be down there. Exchanging looks with the others, one could see the same old conviction etched into the former agent’s expression as she continued in short order. “You guys do the math. What are the odds cutting through those walls and dealing with loads of bugs is quicker than me drawing away the ones in the hall?”

Arms crossed, gently hefting that small bosom, the young woman was quick to emphasize what she thought on the matter. “Clock’s ticking. The more we delay, the more likely we won’t be seeing Kurgan and Hope again, not to mention what’s left of the crew. I’ll volunteer if that means we’ll get to distributing that gas a bit sooner.”

Whatever came after, flooding certain sections and whatnot with those force fields, could be figured out from there. Phoebe may have no part in that depending on how lucky she got in the end, but it was better than dragging their feet taking the longer and thus less reassuring route when it came to freeing their friends from those vile creatures. If women were nothing but food, Hope’s life ran on borrowed time and those luck funds of hers had to run out eventually.