Carpathia IV: Episode 280 - Ambush
Space, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Aire paced the bridge, occasionally glancing out the window at the planet below. It had already been four hours since they arrived at the Melosh system to evacuate miners and collect the silmarite and he wasn't keen to stay any longer than he had to.
Aire: Commander, how much longer?
Joust responded quickly, his voice echoing out through the comm system.
Joust: We're loading the last batch of silmarite in the runabout now. We should have this wrapped up in about an hour.
Aire: Speed that up if you can. The planet is distorting our sensors even more now than when we arrived. If any Vashta ships try to sneak up on us, we're going to have a hard time detecting them.
Joust: Understood, Captain. We'll speed this up.
Surface, Melosh 3
Joust closed his communicator and, with an exasperated sigh, glanced around at the organized chaos around him and all the people, both miners and Shadowdancer crew, rushing both themselves and carts full of silmarite into the shuttles and runabouts. A critically important substance essential for powering their ships, and a material that the tokki neither have nor use. Run out, and the Carpathian fleet is dead in the water. With the need for silmarite and the sensor distorions, he understood Aire's urgency. He wasn't lying about the time he gave, but had to come up with ideas fast to speed things up.
Joust: Double time! Double time, people! Captain wants all this finished quickly!
The group paused while Joust spoke, slowed, really, for they did not come to a complete stop, With several nods all around, the rushing accelerated to a frantic pace.
Minnie: Commander, we still have one more cart over the hill that needs fetching.
Joust: Right, send someone to get it now. They should get back here by the time we've finished loading what we have now.
Minnie: I'll get someone on it right away.
Minnie gave a quick turn and a fast pass through the crowd.
Minnie: Sylvar!
Sylvar, one of the few without his hands full, stopped mid-stoop. Abandoning the crate he was about to pick up, he ran to Minnie.
Sylvar: Chief!
Minnie: There's one more minecart over the hill. Take the truck and tow it back here. Take someone with you.
Quenya: I'll go, Chief!
Minnie: Take Quenya, then, and go.
Sylvar: On it, Chief!
Sylvar and Quenya ran to the mine truck and took it over the hill while Joust reconcentrated on the loading.
Joust: Minnie, since there's only one more batch coming, we're done sorting out here. You're in charge of organizing inside the runabout. Ramei, you're on the two shuttles.
Ramei: Got it, Commander.
Minnie and Ramei took their new positions while Hana bounded by with a collection of silmarite contained within him.
Joust: Hana, that stuff is toxic. I know I keep asking, but is it really okay to carry it around like that? It makes me nervous.
Hana: Our bodies protect us better than yours.
Joust: If you say so, but if you start feeling funny, let us know immediately.
Hana swayed side to side, looking a bit annoyed.
Hana: Yes, yes. I will be fine.
Hana bounced off, slower and more laboriously than usual, with the silmarite still in his body. While Joust watched, transfixed on how differently Hana moved, Sorchae snuck up behind him, unintentionally startling him.
Sorchae: He's right, Joust. Hana's body does protect him from the toxins somehow.
Joust: Oh! Doctor, you startled me.
Sorchae: Sorry about that. I suppose it's unsurprising for a species that's able to travel into space without protection. Don't give it another thought. I've been monitoring him. He seems to know what he's doing.
Joust: Thanks, Doctor. That'll get my mind off of it at least. Is everyone keeping healthy?
Sorchae: Just some minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises, which isn't surprising considering the breakneck pace we're moving.
Joust: That's good. Let me know if you see any egregious safety problems. A serious injury will only slow us down.
Sorchae: I'll keep my eye out. For now, looks like Amenaru has a cut on his hand.
Without awaiting a response, Sorchae rushed off, leaving Joust alone again. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a minecart left unattended.
Joust: Hey, we got an unattended cart over here!
Right away, several spacehands materialized from all over and covered the cart like a swarm of bees. Joust took stock of the rest of the operation and all seemed to be well until a concussive thud reverberated through the air. At first, he thought one of the heavy minecarts must have overturned, but a quick glance to his side, over the same hill he sent Quenya and Sylvar earlier, a smoke cloud had just begun to make its way into the sky. Joust spread his wings and shouted out.
Joust: Shep, get the other truck and meet me over there!
Shep responded, already in a blistering sprint.
Shep: Already on my way!
Joust gave his wings a mighty flap and rocketed in the direction of the smoke.
As he approached, Joust could see the source of the fire more and more clearly. It was the truck that Quenya and Sylvar took before. Alongside was the silmarite minecart tipped over on its side. With renewed urgency, Joust adjusted the angle of attack of his wings and flew so fast that he could barely keep his eyes open. Just before hitting the ground, he swooped up near the truck and landed on his feet, using his momentum to carry him into a sprint.
Joust skidded to a stop at the truck or, at least, as near as he dared, for the flames were too hot to get inside. His initial scan was heartening, for he could see no bodies inside and his scanner revealed no biological signs. He'd have to wait for Shep with a fire extinguisher to get closer. Fortunately, this was coming quickly, as his truck was already close, bounding over the lumpy dirt road with terrifying speed.
Shep's truck skidded to a halt and it was then that Joust noticed that Sorchae had accompanied him. Shep exploded from the front door with a fire extinguisher in his hand and immediately set to putting out the fire with Sorchae following close behind with a scanner of her own.
Sorchae: No biosigns here, living or otherwise.
Joust: If they're not here, then where are they?
Shep: I'll scan the area.
Shep threw down his fire extinguisher with only a few flickers of flame now waving about the derelict truck. Before he could start scanning, however, they heard a woosh of engines and a black, sinister runabout rise from the trees. Shep dropped his scanner and took out his gun instead. Three of his shots landed without result on the runabout before it gunned the engines and blasted away.
Joust: Joust to Shadowdancer!!!
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Baal: Captain, I'm reading a runabout coming off the surface. It's not one of ours.
Aire's ears twitched and there was a pause. A short one, for before he could ask what it was, Baal answered his question.
Baal: It's Vashta!
Aire: Arm weapons and target that ship!
Nalma: Arming weapons!
Joust: Joust to Shadowdancer!!!
Aire: We have a Vashta runabout on our scope. What's going...
Joust: I know! We think that Quenya and Sylvar are on it! It was an ambush!
Aire: Stand down weapons! Tractor beam, now! Teek, pursuit course.
Teek: Pursuit course, yes, Captain.
It was already too late. The moment the Vashta runabout cleared the atmosphere, their engines lit up and then it was gone, warping away to an unknown destination, though one that Aire had a guess.
Aire: Nalma, track that warp trail. Joust, forget the silmarite and get everyone back here now!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
