Darkness Falls

[HunterOrdo]

Mordred sat silently on a small bunker of the shuttle. Skimming over the small datapad in his hands once more. It had been a pleasant trip, although it had its frustrations such as how long it took him to figure out how to turn on the Chiss datapad. It had taken him a long time to figure out how to turn on basic Empire technology.. and the Chiss were not quite the same.

It had taken, to his embarrassment, hours of tampering which included hitting it and smashing it against the bunk. Asking for aid had never crossed his mind as how could he do such a thing? The only others on board was the pilot, whose strange abilities still baffled him. How can a man fly such strange machines? A Chiss soldier and a stormtrooper also occupied the shuttle, but he had not yet spoke to them.. and if he did, he did not bother to remember. It was a strange bunch that had been gathered for this mission, and as the Sith, he had to ensure he was of a higher quality.

The mission was filled with subjects that baffled him. Small little insects called Droch which until recently he had no idea existed, but thankful the Chiss had foresaw such things and gave very detailed information on the.. plague. The Moon was filled with toxic gas, so sealed suits would be required.. at least until the reached the ship and then they could discover if it was clean of the toxic fumes or not.

For the thousandth time, he wondered why he was here. On this ship, on this mission, in the empire. It all.. made little sense to him anymore. First it was a desire for vengeance.. but now his purpose was gone. He did not desire power for powers sake as many of his fellow sith did. He needed something. Something to live for, something to obey, something to be his purpose. Not an Ideal, not a figurehead.. something real.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice that came over the com system, announcing they were entering the Atmosphere and should prepare for drop... Which meant Mordred would have to wear those stuffy suits. Luckily he had spent a few hours trying on the suit.. pushing buttons.. touching wires.. and other experimentation that would seem odd to many, but it was the only way he knew how to figure out the blasted suits. Oh, how he hated Technology.

Grunting Mordred brushed back his long brown hair as he gently placed the mask back on his face. He felt... insecure without it on, and so tended to keep it on at almost all times unless alone. Perhaps it was merely a wall to keep out the thoughts and hide the feelings of loss that had taken hold in the deep reaches of his soul.

It was not a large shuttle, so it did not take him long to reach his destination. The sound of his boots clanking on the metal and the soft sounds of his cape swishing behind him offering a pleasant distraction that made the journey even shorter to him. Gently he tapped the panel on the wall, Another thing that baffled him. How did they do that? The mysteries of the force were easy to understand.. The strange mysterious technology was something that was impossible to grasp.

The door opened to reveal the small loading bay room that would lead to the off ramp. Many lockers surrounded the bland gray room. It was dull.. but he supposed practicality meant more then artistic touch. Even if he did not understand most of what made up the practicality.

Opening a random locker, he found the strange stuffy suits. Of course the others may have armor that protected them without the need for the environmental suit, but he was not one of them. His 'armor' was really just clothe. He was not one of the Sith who wore metal armor because they were impotent and compensating for their weakness.

Slowly, he strapped on the armor as he awaited the others.. whoever they were.

 

[Vayna Akhara]

Taina finished checking over her armour. The heavy, almost square-shaped two meter tall zero-g armour had had its weapon systems altered slightly, to make them more applicable to the current mission. One of the two shoulder-mounted grenade launchers was loaded with poison gas grenades that would kill droch, but have no effect against sealed armour suits such as the expeditionary force was equipped with, the other launcher carrying extremely powerful illuminating flares that would affect the droch and make them easier to deal with. The blaster cannon was still in place, but the proton torpedo launcher on the left gauntlet had been replaced with a plasma projector, the heavy flamethrower being an ideal weapon against horde enemies.

Her normal stormtrooper armour had already been checked over and she was happy that everything was in full working order. The large zero-g suit had a heavy-duty thruster pack on the back which allowed the combined suits to manoeuvre at some speed and with surprising agility - if one was skilled enough. Taia was.

She suited up in the smaller, inner suit of stormtrooper armour, then climbed into the boxy outer armour suit, checking again that everything was interfacing properly and all systems checked out, ensured that thermal imaging and light-intensifier functions were working correctly, that the power-pack was fully charged and fuelled, and that she could move easily. Satisfied, she moved away to the drop ramp. There were two others taking part, a Sith and a Chiss. It surprised her that only three operatives were taking part in sweeping a starship, but there you had it - High Command ordered, and a trooper obeyed. She reached the locker room and spotted one of the other operatives. From his colour, which she could just make out through his face visor, he wasn't Chiss, which made him the Sith.

"Stormtrooper Sergeant designation VA-2771-FF," she announced by way of introduction; you never knew with a Sith whether they would be dismissive, arrogant and superior, or what, so the blonde always thought it best to keep things formal, at least at first.

 

[Neo Shark]

Propped up in a corner Phedre startles awake when the hatch into the loading bay suddenly opens. A slight twitch of a helmeted head is the only hint that she has awoken from her light nap. As her eyes slowly focus they are drawn to the movement of a robed individual. It was the Sith she had seen earlier in the passenger cabin when they'd first taken off. He'd been handed a datapad and had immediately begun to fiddle with it. It had seemed he'd known what he was doing so she had not offered help that may have been unwanted. Once the shuttle had settled into its flight path she left to check her equipment.

The check was simple and took little time. An oxygen tank for her suit, her rifle with additional ammo, a med pack, a handful of e-rats, and a satchel full of flares. Donning her armor she paid careful attention to the seals, making sure they were tight. After everything had been taken care of she had wedged herself in a corner out of the way and settled down for a short nap.

Soon after the Sith entered the bay the other member of her team made an appearance. It looked the newer arrival was already prepped for the mission. The kit certainly looked impressive, although the jetpack might be more trouble than its worth in the tight corridors of a ship. Deciding it was time to make her presence known she stood up. Being careful to make enough noise so she wouldn't startle anyone unduly, she made her way over to her companions.

"Stormtrooper Sergeant designation VA-2771-FF,"

Deciding to follow the troopers lead Phedre also introduces herself. "And I am Legionnaire Phedre." The next few minutes would reveal a lot about her soon to be team mates. Herself being slow to trust she would project a pleasant but reserved attitude, meant to ruffle as few feathers as possible while limiting the information they could glean. Despite her immediate, and intense, distrust of anyone unfamiliar she fully intended to work with and help her fellow team members accomplish the mission. She had already learned to work with people she distrusted and as such it was no longer an issue.

 

[HunterOrdo]

"Stormtrooper Sergeant designation VA-2771-FF" Mordred had been ignoring the entrance of the soldier as he was unsure of who they were. He had not even glanced in their direction until he heard the voice. It sounded slightly modified by machines, but it was still feminine and so his hostility fell many levels.

He always had problems with males, but with females he was able to relax more. He turned his eyes to face the soldier.. and they widened at the sight. To him she looked like a giant metal box like robot with weapons everywhere.. he was enthralled. He slowly approached her, looking her suit over marveling at.. whatever it was.

"Science.. is truly amazing." He said in awe as he continued his examination. He had no idea what this suit was or did.. he had no idea what half the weapons, he assumed they were weapons by the hole and intimidating appearance, did. For someone who had seen very little technological things.. period.. who was impressed by datapads and doors that opened by themselves, this was a true marvel.

Reaching out a hand, he paused only for a second. Would she mind? He did not see why not.. so preceded gently raping on the metallic service. "Marvelous." He whispered. He tried to recall her name, but discovered she had not told it. He could use the force to invade her mind and find out.. but that would be rude, and he did hate to be rude to women.

"This is a wonderful suit." He said with a soft tone in his voice. "I would love to know your name sometime.. Sergeant." He added her rank at the end to show that he had been listening. Anyone who could wear such.. strange and marvelous equipment was more then just a number.

He turned his attention to the member of the group, the Chiss. She was a woman as well, and so he started to feel volumes better about the mission. Stepping a few feet back from the Sergeant, he bowed placing his hand on his stomach as his mother had shown him long ago. "Greetings. I am Mordred. It is a pleasure to meet you Phedre, and you, Sergeant." His tone was soft and smooth from years of practice and usage in the royal court of Onderon. His blue eyes were alight with humor and still held a hint of wonder at the sights he had just beheld in the form of the sergeant.

He turned back to his locker and finished strapping the last of the suit on.. and much to his relief he had did it right.. or at least he thought he did it right..

The pilot came on over the com once again. "Landing" He said clearly as the shuttle slowly descended crunching into the hard soil of the moon. Mordred took a look around to ensure everyone was ready before tapping the button that had 'Initiate Airlock Sequence' above it. He, himself, was not quite sure what that did.. but he had seen many do it on the space ships he had been on.

The airlocks activated locking the shuttle door as the ramp slowly lowered into the crust of the moon crunching and sending a small dust cloud into the air. The moon looked like an average moon. It was barren, with no signs of plant life, and had a pale tone to the dirt. The air looked clear, but in truth it held toxins that would kill a man if breathed in for too long. Mordred was not worried about it as he could survive a short while using the force, but still would rather not risk it.

The shuttle had landed a short walk away from the downed ship, so it would only be a short trip to arrive there. Mordred motioned to the door "After you."

 

[Vayna Akhara]

Taia was somewhat surprised at the Sith's examination of her suit; he was acting as if he'd never seen anything like it before. Now that's unusual - most of the Sith I've encountered are knowledgeable about technology, and arrogant about that fact, not to mention usually ranting about how the Force is greater than any technological achievements. But there isn't any arrogance in this one - strange. Still, gotta admit it's a nice change from the usual - it'll make this mission a lot easier to stand, anyway.

She watched him approach the other member of the team, the Chiss soldier, and was surprised that he dealt with her the same way. This is the most ... unusual Sith I've ever encountered. I wonder how far he'll go in the order? She waited as he opened the airlock to reveal the toxic planet beyond. She switched to image intensifying mode to check the nearby surroundings, but she saw nothing.

"My armour is the heaviest - I'll take point. Keep an eye out to all sides. When we reach the ship we'll see if there's an entrance available; if not, I can use the laser cutters in the gauntlets to cut a way inside."

She switched on the lights alongside the head of the outer armoured shell, and swung from side to side, checking that the lights successfully illuminated the surroundings. Satisfied that she could light the way, and see any lurking droch swarms at some distance, she stepped forward and began marching towards the fallen spaceship, pivoting from side to side as she did so to sweep the area for any sign of hostile organisms. Nothing showed itself as they advanced to the ship and they reached the side airlock without incident. The door stayed shut, no lights on, no power available. "Let's see if we can open it using external power ... "

She extended a probe from the side of her arm and pushed it into a socket inside the door panel. The lights over the door lit up and the door slid open. Taia's sidelights showed nothing beyond, and she fired a flare down the corridor, the bright light illuminating everything in a brilliant glare.

 

[Neo Shark]

The Siths actions were curious. A curteous greating was the last thing she expected from one of the feared Sith. Phedre didn't like unexpected things, things that were unexpected usually ended badly in her experience. Now on her guard she followed the two on the short trip to the crashed ship. It didn't take long for the party to reach it.

With the door open and the way clear it was now time to decide how they'd handle clearing the ship. "How do we want to do this? Personally, I think getting seperated is a bad idea. Clearing our objectives systematically is the best option in my opinion. If you guys agree I think we should have the Sergeant take point with Mordred in the rear. I don't know about the rest of you but I have a satchel full of flares, so I'd be easily able to help out either side from the middle. Anyone have any thoughts on this, or any other ideas?"

While delivering her short speach, over the com channel they'd switched to earlier, Phedre scanned the surrounding area outside the ship. Rather than use a flare to illuminate the surroundings she instead relied on the low-light enhancing abilities of her helmet. Waiting patiently for a response, she slowly twirls a flare in either hand.

 

[DeathToll]

The trinity, full circle. Brilliant minds rise. Dynasties fall. Like all those with the ability to see that glint of divinity reincarnate, foolishly believing themselves within reach; their very worlds of gifted dominion come crashing down around them. Even as they think, even as they fight; all their schemes carry not the will to cage the ambition, the beast, unleashed upon that palace constructed - now die, a lost dream to the pages of time. This too will be lost to memory. Has it yet? Will time still see its print marked upon those who read it, who experience it as their very own stories of growing structures; towering into the clouds of dreams yet unfullfilled? Only those who look down upon us from above can tell such things. For here, no man tells of tails. Here, only an empty ship await. Not empty. For those within still linger with their histories aging and wilting to the sands. They will be discovered, irrelevent pawns in the greater span of ideals. Yet ideals corrupted are those best fueled with ambition disolusioned, lost to the tunnel devoid of ending light...

The fairly plain entrance seemed small enough, the entire of the ship had nearly been consumed by the earth that welcomed it. Yet behind closed doors, the massive intestines of a corrupted system flickered; half dead, half still suffering in life. Like any body in death, fearing its death; the ship's interior doors, in nearly every location but specific ones, were locked tight. It might become clear that some purpose must be behind the specificity of which doors were now only left open. One pile of bodies, deep within the ship past open doors, look available for purpose in finding. Or perhaps purpose in accessibility? Something hide deep beneath them.

As investigation would reveal, the sounds of a half working ship instill an eerie haunt; involuntarily purposed, seemingly with intension to unnerve. Yet behind the ship's own noises, a slight scurrying might be heard for a brief moment; then lost for a time, as the noise drift away and spread. The noise, too far to be seen even through detecting devices. At points, even blast doors had been slammed shut. Certain walls had been purposed with a led mixture to enforce their capabilities. What dealings and projects once happen under knife and scope may only be guessed at. Though hints are always left behind. Yet in this case, the question linger on 'left behind or still in use?' The ships systems would indicate the former, though suggestions and gut wrenching warnings call from crawling skin. Secrets hide, not to be easily found over short notice. Time would tell, dare doomed repetition intercede with a coming knowledge. Not yet. Not yet...

Darkness whispers. Faulty panels spark tauntingly. Locked doors guide and impede both, toying with the game of life and death. Has this toll payed its debt's price? If so, where are the fruits of that labor? ...Within.

 

[Vayna Akhara]

"Agreed. We do this methodically, seal every door after we use it, clear each area then move on, sealing it again behind us. Start with this corridor, then head towards the Bridge. Clear each corridor we come to, then sweep the side rooms one by one. We move spaced out at two meter intervals, room permitting - that gives you room to act if or when we, or more likely I get jumped. Right, we start with this corridor."

The flare she'd popped down the length of the corridor still burnt brightly, and the stormtrooper slowly advanced along its length, panning her lights from side to side to check every possible niche and corner for any sign of the dangerous insect droch, senses on high alert and weapons primed. Nothing; the corridor was empty, nothing living and no where they could be hiding. All the doors off were sealed tight, and they reached the end of the corridor without incident. The long corridor cut right across the width of the ship, turning left at its end to run alongside the hull for about seven meters and end with a door on the left.

"Okay, we use this corridor to divide the ship up; we start clearing forward of here, then when we're done, we work backwards from here." Taia faced the door, gauntlets raised and pointed at the door. "Here goes the first room."

 

[HunterOrdo]

Mordreds attention was grabbed by the bright stick that let off a bright orange glow. How could such a small stick create so much light! Even his lightsaber could not make that much light. Technology.. Marvelous.

Mordred blinked, They were to close doors after they entered them? Why? If doors were all sealed, and the Droch could somehow get past those to get behind them, what would the use be of another locked door? He was no soldier, nor did he even know what logs were or where to find them, but he did not think insects could open doors in the first place.

She was the soldier, so he would follow her lead. He found it amusing that the sergeant still did not tell him her name. The Chiss was a reserved one, although he was not sure why. Did she fear he would slay her for angering him? While many other sith would do that, he had no desire to kill women.

He took up the rear as ordered, but if she somehow feared insects being able to open doors then he would be in a dangerous position. Point was always the most dangerous position, but rear was the second. It was probably best that it be organized like this since much of his force abilities would hit his two partners if they were in front of him.

He did not look in the corners use lights or those stick things. He instead reached out with the force touching all the corners and spaces of the hallway trying to feel the life force that ran through all creatures.

 

[Vayna Akhara]

The door cranked open, and Taia's lights illuminated the darkened room beyond. She made no move to enter, checking every nook and cranny of the room for any sign of movement, covering the area with the nozzle of her flamethrower, in case a droch swarm revealed itself.

By sealing the doors after them, they would hopefully prevent the insects from getting round behind them to repopulate areas they'd previously cleared, so that once a room had been swept for droch, they wouldn't have to do it again - and again - and again. But for that to be the case each and every room had to be cleared methodically and meticulously, to ensure no survivors managed to escape to breed again. Otherwise they could never be certain they'd cleared the ship - there would always be the possibility that some of the droch had got round behind them to start things all over again.

A thought occurred to her, and she toggled her comlink to contact Mordred. "Are you able to use the Force to sense the droch? If so, are there any nearby?"

 

[DeathToll]

The room was dark, yet light spilled in to reveal a storage space that connected to two other rooms and the next hallway over. Containers and lockers were bent open, some still intact, and a center installment of four storage cylinders were pilled straight ahead. The ships secrets might begin to reveal as somoe of the cylinders had worn away or possibly melted open corners. What good were containers that did not completely contain?

Should an extremely thorough inspection be done, even looking behind storage units or shifting items flush against the walls, more holes would be found in the very walls. What could this mean?

The center of the ceiling looked darker, shadowed strangly; and if any approached the interior of the space or felt it to be there, they would find a group of ten small youthful Droch huddled together that would quickly scurry away then down the side wall and towards a man-made hole in the wall; hidden, yet revealed. It would seem that the suits worn by this group was making it initially difficult for the Droch to identify its food source and would avoid the light with a nervous energy. It would not last.

The two opposing doors were locked tight, leading to two other rooms; the third doorway straight ahead, leading to the hallway. Though, a light speckle of red color the floor just before the door leading left. Inside await a horrific sight, maybe even felt as a wavering presence soon to be snuffed. A Chiss male suited in a dull orange, a shattered faceplate of splintered clear plastic, and blood stains all over him - sat on the floor with his cranked head propped against the wall. His eyes dried of staining tears and a miniscule pulsating movement through the left side of his throat. The room would look to have sustained a recless battle, everything scrapped and no longer carrying even a hint of what it one looked like. The man had not the strength to even groan in his sustained agony, though still barely there; still tragically holding on. He did not expect to be found. In fact, he had hoped he wasn't...

 

[HunterOrdo]

Mordred had been enjoying the sights examining the walls and panels trying to find what did what. The flickering lights, locked doors.. it was all wondrous to the technology ignorant sith. He knew they were being watched. He was an experienced survivor having lived on Dxun almost all his life, but he sensed no serious threat to them.

Mordred was snapped out of his observations when the sergeant questioned him on his ability with the force. He looked at the back of her suit and responded easily "Could I use the force in that way? Yes. Just like you could tell me your name." He stopped and spread out his focus to the hallway before him.

He sensed a few small flickers of life.. it was not a great amount. Normally a person felt like a wellspring of life. This seemed more like a few tiny specs. He closed his eyes to aid in his probing.. and thats when he felt it. There was a large life force, most likely one of the crew members. It was weak which meant he was wounded or dying.

"There is a few weak points of life. Maybe a very few Droch, but." He paused to make sure his wording was correct "There is another life form. Most likely a Chiss." He said. As far as he was concerned, he was here for the Logs. He did not care about the Droch or the crew members, so he would let the Sergeant and their own Chiss decide their fates.

 

[Neo Shark]

As they began clearing rooms the party fell into a routine. The sergeant would stand in front of the door with her weapons pointed at it. Phedre was the one that opened the door and immediately tossed a flare inside. If nothing happened, the Sergeant would enter with Phedre right behind her. Watching their backs is the Sith. As a result, the party left a series of locked rooms behind with a flare in each. The flares would last a while, but unfortunately Phedre's supply of them wouldn't. ((taking a little initiative here, if anyone has a problem with it go ahead and slip me a pm pls))

As they made their way through the ship the Sergeant prompted the Sith to take a more proactive role. It didn't take long for him to detect signs of life. Phedre perked up at the mention of a potential survivor. The survivor could provide valuable information on the current status of the ship and the events leading up to the crash. "I think we should investigate the crew member, they could provide us with valuable information. Where are they?" Pulling up the ship schematic in her HUD she quickly reviewed their progress. Cleared areas were marked in a light pink, while the rest of the ship remained an ominous gray.

((how many rooms you think we've cleared? A dozen or so?))

 

[HunterOrdo]

((None I think. Most of the rooms are sealed shut. I wanted to wait for Vayna to post again, but I will go ahead. ))

Mordred looked at the back of the Chiss who had momentarily broken the ominous silence. She was a quiet one Mordred had decided. He did not know why, but knew enough not to ask. Well, that and he did not truly want to know. Peoples past were not his interest.

Where were they?.. Did they not have technology that did this? Well, since she asked.. he reached out with his mind once more trying to locate the man. It was not too hard.. since he was literally dead ahead.

Mordred considered how to word it right without offending anyone. If they were men, he would merely walked to the man.. but "He is dead ahead. If you enter the room and look to the left, he should be right there. If you wish to question him, I would suggest you move quickly. His life force is fading." He said, although from the tone of his voice, one could tell how much the life of this individual mattered to him. The dying Chiss life was not even worth taking away as far as Mordred was concerned.

"After you, my sergeant." Mordred spoke through the com link.. at least that is what he thought it was called? With a smooth almost teasing tone. She would tell him her name someday.

 

[Vayna Akhara]

Taia repressed an urge to shake her head in wonderment. A polite Sith - she still found it a bit hard to take, but since she could hear the question in his voice, even if he didn't say it openly ... "Sergeant Taia Vaan is my name, though I only use it off-duty. And Sergeant Phedre is right; the crewman may have information that may help us complete the mission more quickly. Cover me."

She stepped up to the door, increased the power to her lights and opened the door, flamethrower pointed ahead ready for use. Nothing moved, no threat materialised. She moved forward a pace and checked again. Still nothing, no sign of life, save for the crewman lying motionless on the floor, a Chiss. Taia waved Phedre forward.

"He's more likely to speak to you." She moved away and stood nearby, looking round to check for signs of threatening movement.

 

[DeathToll]

The crewman perked up at the intrusion to his tomb, more fearful of their presence and in potential danger than the weapons poined at him. He already knew he was dying, those things, that man. If only they hadn't come! Now the cycle would renew. Now the incidious schemes would resurface.

His body twitched with a jolt, seemingly pumped with a surge of electricity at the sight of the opening doors and flamethrower wielding soldier. He could not move from this spot, barely propped up against the wall; he was no danger to them, not himself. But he feared for them. He failed to lift a cautioning arm as they looked away from him, leaving him in darkness before illuminating him once again in their sights. His eyes were bloodshot and wide, a hyper-imposed and revisited sense of impending fear and pain. With this resergeance of movement and physical exertion, the remaining blood in his body and half eaten organs shuttered with an awakening to what lie within.

"n-no! wha... w-wha... you mustn't be he-eee-AAAH!!!"

After attempting warning, his pain became too much to bear; his stress in action hastening his own end. They were on the move.

"PLE-EE... please don't... W-WAIT! the floors are cold..."

His neck pulsed again as his frantic body was tensed in this near-rigamortis. Pulsed? It throbbed, it ...moved.

 

[Neo Shark]

Phedre was right behind Sergeant Vaan as she entered the room. A flare in either hand she was ready to pop them at a moments notice. However, all that appeared to occupy the rooms was the lone Chiss crew member. She begins moving towards him before the Sergeant has a chance to speak. When she hears him attempt to speak the first feeling of alarm trickles into her mind. It isn't until he begins to twitch that she becomes truly alarmed.

Fearing the worst she begins to slowly creep towards him. As a feeling of dread consumes her she pops one of the flares in her hand. Only a couple of feet away from him the harsh light of the flare illuminates him fully, revealing his ravaged body.

 

[HunterOrdo]

"Taia Vaan" Mordred repeated softly rolling the name around.. "Taia." He said again. They might not care, but he felt like he had won a personal victory. He had gotten her name!

His momentarily elation was stopped when the flares were popped and light illuminated the crew member. The patched and scarred orange suit covered a small blue man with what looked like something pulsing under his skin. Mordred felt his chin lift and his eyes lower. Worm.

That was all he saw. A weak little rodent that had taken too long to die. How revolting he was, as he yelled out to him. He would dare to speak to his betters... vile creature. Mordred did not care what they did with this.. man. Just that they did it quick. His stench was considerable.

 

[Vayna Akhara]

As the Chiss survivor began twitching and struggling, Taia knew instinctively what was happening to him. "He must be colonised by the droch already! You'd better get back - they may be trying to burrow their way out to get at us!"

She levelled her flamethrower at the fallen crewman and waited for the other woman to get out of the line of fire, so to speak. At the same time she increased the illuminating power of her pack-mounted lights in case other droch revealed themselves and prepped a flare in the shoulder-mounted grenade launcher.

 

[DeathToll]

"N-No! You'll just... Chkckl..ckl..."

The man choked on what clealy apeared to be dome-shaped objects in his throat. A newly forming stream of blood began to seap from his nostril, as his left foot spasmed left repeatedly. He had something to say, but couldn't get it out; he couldn't stay in control of what ate at his thoughts... literally.

As this group stay focused and facing this Chiss survivor, not for long, some shuffling scurriedalong the cieling behind them; but nothing directed at them, though that might be so easily assumed or understood. This place was infested, and there were many holes in their strategies thus far. In fact, there were physical holes as they were moving from room to room. It was a question of if they had seen those holes, as that's where this next huddled mass crawled into behind some storage units. There was no telling how many rooms in the ship were comprimized and what the structural integrity of the walls were actually like until properly assessed.

This party had moved through one small cluster of rooms, with many more to go; and this was just the beginning. This crewmember was what they sought, and soon what they came for might seek them out instead. The computer's logs would tell much, correctly recorded as designated by the chain of command. The damage to the ship would soon be seen as self inflicted and sabatoged, as insects such as these were not known to burrow through ship's hulls nor number in these swells without outside influence and assistance. The Droch were breeding, as evident in this Chiss crewmember; though not only in this crewmember. What made these conditions for the Droch, and why a seeming habitat made from the ashes of this ship? The answers await.