Carpathia IV: Episode 287 - Hiss
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
One hour. A whole hour that Aire spent nervously watching the rescue team's avatars make their way through the twisted corridors of the Blood Agony. Still, no matter how difficult it was to watch and wait, it had to be much worse for the ones he watched. Aire gripped his armrests tight when he saw a vashtari dot appear suddenly, coming around the corner, just about ready to spot the team. Though they had the schematics, their personal scanners were frustratingly short-range, hampered by a desire to avoid setting off alarms. Hana's little avatar bounced to her and, for a short time, his avatar and the vashtari dot merged into the same space. Transfixed as he was on the rescue team, he failed to notice what was happening with Sylvar's little dot on the other side of the screen.
Nalma: Captain, Sylvar is on the move. He stopped for a bit at what we believe is Quenya's cell and now both are headed somewhere. There are at least a dozen vashtari surrounding them.
Aire averted his eyes from the dot drama of the rescue team and to the other side, where, indeed, Sylvar's dot was Quenya's cell.
Aire: Baal, send a text alert to the rescue team.
Baal: Sending now, Captain.
Blood Agony
Slowly and carefully, Joust lead his team through the corridors with only half an eye on the map in his tablet. Just enough to make sure they avoided open areas with probable crowds. More importantly was to keep vigilant for anyone who might be nearby to get the jump on them. 28 vashtari so far, dispatched, and he could only hope that their luck would hold and that nobody would find the bodies that they hid afterwards. Joust held up his hand just before a corner, signalling the others to stop, then waved Amenaru and Kit forward to take a sneaky peak around the other side. Joust turned to his team just in time to see Hana bounce away, streaking fast to a narrow hallway, only just wide enough for one person, and not present on his schematic.
The vashtari exiting the hallway only had a moment to register a silent, eye-widened surprise before Hana landed on her head. For just a second, Joust thought that Hana intended to bounce her into a wall and knock her out, but instead he slid his gelatinous body onto her head and down to her shoulders and they toppled to the floor together. The vashtari struggled for a few seconds before going limp. Nobody could make out what was happening through Hana's body, only slightly transparent, but he remained as he was for what felt like minutes. When he finally extricated himself, all that was left of the vashtari victim from the shoulders up was a clean, dry skull.
Amenaru: Erm, for what it's worth, all clear around the corner, Commander.
Joust gave a nod as his only acknowledgement, continuing to stare at the dead vashtari and Hana.
Teek: Holy shit, Hana, I'm glad you're on our side.
Hana: That is going to give me gas later.
Hana's body began to wibble and he looked to be in some sort of discomfort. Joust braced himself for a massive fart, but instead, he ejected two gold trinkets from his body and caught them in his hand. He offered them to Joust.
Hana: I believe you call these "earrings."
Joust took the earrings.
Joust: That they are.
As much as he wanted to throw the earrings to the floor, he pocketed them, lest they inspire a passing vashtari to investigate. Just as he slipped the earrings into his pocket, his tablet gave a faint buzz. He checked it and immediately registered alarm.
Joust: Everyone, we're going to have to speed this up. They're moving Sylvar now and probably Quenya too. Find someplace to put that vashtari and let's go.
Joust sent Shep to take point and direct Amenaru and Kit to check around the corners. Joust's new job was to carefully observe Sylvar's movements and attempt to anticipate where they might go next and prepare for an intercept. A difficult task, for not only was it difficult to guess their destination, but they were still actively avoiding open areas. A diversion around a deep cargo hatch caused the most trouble, but bit by bit, they closed on their target, but time was not on their side. Every minute that passed was another minute they could be discovered, that someone could find one of their discarded bodies, or any other number of things could go wrong.
After several near-misses, they finally converged on their target, with the vashtari procession leading Sylvar and Quenya on one end of a long corridor and the rescue team lurking around the corner at the other end. Kit took a sneaky peak around the bend.
Kit: Quenya is with them and she is handcuffed.
Joust: Options. If we go in with guns blazing right now, we risk hitting them.
Shep: Tactically, waiting until they send some of the guards away would be the best option, but that could take time.
Trex: What's behind all the doors down there?
Joust took another look at his tablet and swiped around at the schematics around the corridor.
Joust: More cells, it seems. Their brig is quite vast. There are several toilets and showers closer to the end. Probably for the guards rather than the prisoners.
Amenaru's ears pricked and he pawed at Tuomas.
Amenaru: You've been practicing with Quenya right? Do you think she can use her water ability with her hands cuffed?
Tuomas: I'm certain she could. I've seen her practice using just her fingers. I know I could use my fire like that and she told me her father even used water with one arm before.
Joust: Our best bet is for Quenya and Sylvar to know we're here so they can duck out of our attacks. Even better if she can start a water blast at the same time we jump in. How do we do that?
Amenaru sighed and took one last peek around the corner.
Amenaru: They're almost here. I know what to do. Just wait for a signal. I'll give you a nod and a hiss when it's time.
Out of time and out of options, Joust let Amenaru go without explanation.
Joust: Okay, do it. Everyone get ready.
Mikado and Teek got their scythes ready while everyone else raised their guns to their chests. Amenaru then unleashed his plan, and he casually strolled out into the middle of the corridor junction as though he owned the place. Right away, the fancy vashtari leading the procession held up her fist, signalling the others to stop.
Amenaru: Meow! Meow!
Elara: What the hell is that?
Amenaru: Meow!
Amenaru made sure to look Quenya straight in the eye as he walked out. As expected, she was stunned, but he could see that she was doing something with her fingers behind her back. Amenaru laid himself on the floor and hiked up his rear leg and commenced to licking himself.
Elara: Does anyone know what the hell that thing is?
This was taking more time than Amenaru expected. He was relieved to hear Kit's faint whisper from the corner.
Kit: I'll go too.
Kit hopped out from around the corner, sniffing the floor as he went, until he finally reached Amenaru and then started sniffing him.
Elara: Who let all this vermin on the ship? Anyway, it doesn't matter. Shoot...
Before the fancy vashtari could finish, Quenya gave a tiny, quick nod to Amenaru and he relayed to the rescue team.
Amenaru: Hiss!
A few minutes earlier
Quenya kept her head down in solemn procession with the guards with Sylvar staggering along by her side. They didn't seem in any particular hurry, which was good for Sylvar, since their slow pace was about has fast as he could go. The only bright spot so far was that they didn't seem to know anything of her water abilities and she wondered how she could use that to her advantage. If it were just her, it would be simpler. Douse them, find a place to hide, try to sneak to a shuttle. Bringing along Sylvar made things considerably more complicated, but she would rather die than live with the knowledge that she left him.
While she mulled, a tingle shot up her spine. There was water, lots of it, nearby. Not like the pipes that ran alongside her cell, but a large tank of it, like they were near a shower area or something. This might be her only chance and there was a high likelihood that Sylvar would get knocked out with her water attack no matter how careful she was, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. The water source came closer and closer until she heard a strange noise.
Amenaru: Meow! Meow!
Elara: What the hell is that?
Looking up with a jerk, Quenya spotted a floofy, tortise shell cat casually walking at the corridor junction. She knew that cat, so well, in fact, that she thought she must be hallucinating. What would Amenaru be doing here and looking like that? Quenya silently took quick glances to her left and right. All were entirely transfixed on Amenaru and ignoring her. She started maneuvering her fingers, building up some water pressure below. She could go faster if she had full use of her arms, but this was her signal and she had to take it. The cat looked her directly in the eye and meowed again.
Amenaru: Meow!
The cat laid on the floor and, with its hind leg hiked straight up into the air, started licking itself. Quenya had less and less doubt that this was Amenaru rather than a hallucination. She continued building up pressure in the water tanks and prepared to burst them through the shower doors, but it was taking time, agonizing, precious time. While she labored, a blonde and white bunny with a bent ear hopped out from around the corner, sniffing the ground. Definitely not a hallucination. She was almost ready.
Elara: Who let all this vermin on the ship?
The time was now. Quenya looked Amenaru straight on and gave as much of a nod as she dared.
Elara: Anyway, it doesn't matter. Shoot...
Amenaru: Hiss!
Amenaru hissed and Quenya twisted her wrists and fingers around in her handcuffs as much as she could. Before Elara could finish her sentence, torrents of water burst through the shower room doors and knocked her entire guard procession, including her, off their feet.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
