World Tree MUSH

    Two days prior:

    "--de Black, repeat, Code Black. Something's come aboard, it's... it's killing us. Help us! HELP UUUUUUS!"

    Justina frowns a bit, "Origin of distress signal? Any other CEF Ships in range?" she asks, staring at the holographic 'window' showing the starfield beyond. <Origin has been established coming from Dark Space between Alpha Triangulai and Gamma Theta Parvonis... no other ships are in range at this time. We are likely the only vessel to have recieved the call this far out.> replies Minerva levely. <Shall I put a call out for assistance from our contacts? It has been some time since you spoke to Miss Lar'osa.>

    "Do it. Set course for the nearest safe pickup point and direct anyone who responds to those coordinates. Prep Sebastian for deployment." replies Justina with a pensive look back at the distress recording, hitting to replay it one more time.

    "Something's come aboard, it's killing us. Help us! HELP UUUUUUS!"

    Currently:

    It took a day to get to the pickup point, then another to transit to the source of the distress signal... the CEFS Sanctuary emerges from Linespace, to a view of utter carnage on a cosmic scale. Twelve vessels of various configurations hang lifelessly in the void, only one showing any kind of life, a huge gash in the dorsal hull just below the bridge module sparking as atmosphere continues to slowly seep out like a slowly bleeding wound.

    <Alright, we've emerged from Linespace. Minerva is performing a wide-area scan of the area, and the Sanctuary will be staying well back from any of the derelicts. We have a shuttle for you to make your way over to the ship. My Ur-Doll will teleport over once you're closer, using the shuttle as a relay.> says Justina, as the shuttlebay opens its outer doors, a forcefield flickering as it maintains atmospheric intergrity.

    EARLIER: 

    "Master, we're getting a message. It's from Justina." Mary Contrary, Morrigan's faithful shinki companion and familiar pipes up.
    "Oh huh. Been a while! Put it through. ... Oh that sounds spooky. I'm in."

    NOW:

    Morrigan is on the shuttle, her usual black and gold cultist robes replaced with a form fitting space suit, with Mary Contrary perched on her shoulder in the shuttle.
    "So like. I wonder what got on board and started absolutely murdering the crap out of everyone." She says way too brightly.

    EARLIER:

    Endee Seventy-Seven beeps and bloops a message to Talia while she's working on the swoop bike's engines. "Oh? It's been a while since we heard from Justina. Put it through." She says.

    The mission does sound spooky. She'll take the job.

    NOW:

    Talia's swapped out her Jedi tunic and leggings for an equally form-fitting space suit. Seriously, these things really flatter the figure.

    "I get the feeling we'll find out, 'Agent Parton'." Talia says deadpan.

    She has a bad feeling about this one.

    The Shuttle drifts through the void. This far out from any stars, the hulks hang like oily shadows against the backdrop of glittering pinpoints. As the shuttle comes in to dock against one of the airlocks, the teleporter relay spools up, and Justina's signal shifts from the distant Sanctuary, to inside the airlock. <Cycling the airlock... not much power left in here. Make sure your helmets are on and the seals are secure.> comes the comm line. <I'm only reading intermittent lifesigns. Some of the crew may still be alive somewhere.>

    Once everyone's secured their gear, and entered the airlock, the slender combat Doll cycles the mechanism, and opens the inner door while closing the outer one, revealing a pitch black interior. The emergency power is even offline, not even the dull red of emergency lights greets the group.

Talia is already making sure her helmet seals are secured and nods to Endee, who beeps an affirmative. "We're ready." She says to Justina, before entering the airlock with her tools, blaster, and lightsaber. She is careful to enter the interior. Endee and Talia turn on glow-lamps, sweeping the hallway as Endee beeps something.

    "If the emergency power's off, something's definitely wrong. Justina, can you upload a layout of the ship to Endee's memory banks?"

    There's a soft hiss as Morrigan locks her helmet into place and seals it when told to do so. But then the Warlock frowns.
    "Or it might not be the crew at all." She muses while cracking her fingers and gearing up to fling some eldritch blasts.
    When the doors open into pitch blackness, Morrigan blinks her eyes once, twice, three times, the eldritch green glow of her gaze flickering slightly as she adjusts her eyes, able to see in perfect darkness as easily as day, she doesn't need a lamp but cautiously steps out with Talia.
    "Shoot one of those maps over to Mary, as well if you've got it."

    Justina doesn't say anything, but Endee gets a data package ping. So does Mary if she needs a map too. The ship is divided into three sections, and ten decks. The airlock is in the 'Midship' section. The bridge is up on deck 1 of the midship section. Engineering is on deck 6 in the Aftship section, and there's a few pings of lifesigns in the crew area on deck 4 in the Foreship section.

    The lifesign sensor readings also show very faint readings /all over/ the ship.

    <I am inclined to agree... We move together. Where do you suggest we check first? Engineering to get the power back up, or the crew area to check if there are survivors?> asks Justina, her own lamps coming on, as her crossbows unfold from their mountings on the shoulders of the Doll.

    The boxy droid messages Justina with thanks before going over data. A holographic projection is provided with a line from the team's current position leading into engineering. Talia nods primly. "Engineering is our vote, I suppose." She says. "Better we get the power going first before we search the vessel.

    Mary gets a map! She holds up her hands and spreads them to form a visual hologram of what Justina provides her with, for Morrigan's benefit. Morrigan traces her finger over the hologram thoughtfully.
    "Yeah but the question is what wakes up if we turn on the power?" The Warlock mutters thoughtfully. "But if you wanna turn on the lights I'm okay with that too."

    Engineering it is.

    It's slow going, maneuvering through a ship with no power, no lights, and potential threats all around... but make it down to the engineering area they do. Justina's Doll grabs the door, the strain of servo motors echoing in the empty corridors as she pries open the door.

    The main reactor is cold, the batteries are drained, and there's something with balefully glowing orange eyes staring directly at the group from under the main console.

    Talia glances upwards as they enter the engineering deck, and she slowly reaches for her lightsaber. "Don't. Move." She says, staring at the orange eyes. "I think we found what happened to the ship."

    Into the engineering deck and Morrigan halts when she sees the glowing eyes under the console.
    "Oh. Oh we're not getting close to that button-pressy-thing now are we?" She mutters, locking eyes with the pair under the console.
    "I'm gonna do something potentially dumb." Morrigan whispers into her comms to Talia and Justina as she locks onto those eyes.
    She reaches out with her mind.
    . o O ( Hellooooooo. We mean you nooooo haaaaarm. ) She mentally projects to the creature.
    . o O ( Unless you mean to harm us, first, then we totally mean you lots of nasty harm and it won't be pleasant. )
    Pause.
    . o O ( So can we turn on the ship's power without you doing anything hasty~? )

    The owner of those eyes steps out... and uncovers an archaic looking lantern. The soft glow of what looks like an old world oil lamp illuminates a green scaled head, and a loose brown robe... while glinting off the rough hewn metal of a knife in its other hand.

    The thing doesn't say anything, and whether it hears Morrigan's telepathic message or not, it doesn't seem to react.

    It just slowly walks toward the group, its tiny feet making a soft tapping sound as it moves.

    Talia blinks. That's an awfully rustic looking lantern. She takes note of the knife and glances at Endee. "Go." THe droid wheels over towards the generator and she begins to work her magic, so to speak, trying to get the power back on while Talia remains stone still as a statue. Perhaps its vision is based on movement.

    That... That is not what Morrigan expected when the little green thing emerges and unhoods its lantern.
    "... Oh." She says at first, blinking. Then she tilts her head.
    "... Wh..."
    This is when a look of stricken panic appears on Mary Contrary's face as she pulls up another hologram.
    A hologram identical to the knife-wielding creature and a quick Gubble search.
    Gubble is a search engine for experts.
    "Oh..." Morrigan says after a quick read.
    She places her hand on Talia's shoulder and a hand on Justina's Doll... Takes a breath...
    "Run."
    That's the only warning the other two get before the Warlock wheels around on her heels and breaks out into a dead sprint away from the Tonberry, Mary Contrary holding onto Morrigan's shoulder and riding for dear life.

    <I am inclined to agree.> announces Justina as Morrigan wheels about to run for it. <Something moving with that kind of purpose should not be underestimated.> she adds, gesturing for Talia and Endee to go, while she backs up slowly to bring up the rear.

    <Captain, Away team. My scans have just pinged every single ship coming back online... I suggest you return immediately.> comes Minerva over the comms, crackling as power starts to come back online throughout the ship, and with a sudden lurch, it comes under thrust.

    Endee and Talia take Morrigan's advice. Especially with Mary doing that Gubble search. It's enough reason for her to run like hell, and her droid follows suit with her wheels peeling loudly. Something about that creature gives off a massive, threatening aura.

    So like.
    Morrigan is running.
    She's running hard and she's running fast.
    "What?" She asks. "What do you mean they all came back online?"
    Yeah no she's booking it.

    Boots clank down the corridors, up a deck, across the deck to the next way back up... and then as a pause in the footfalls comes.

    Tp Tp Tp Tp.

    The sound of a dozen tiny feet walking menacingly comes from AHEAD of the group. A green head peeks around the corner up ahead, and the glint of a knife peeks out a moment later.

    "I get the feeling we can call this a bust!" Talia says as they run like hell. The presence of MORE of these things is enough reason for her to consider calling this a failure and leaving. Endee is bleeping a blue streak right now.

    The sound of footsteps up ahead... Is a very bad thing.
    No sooner than that head peeks around the corner with those glowing eyes, Morrigan comes to a screeching halt.
    "Oh. Oh crap."
    That's a lot of them.
    Morrigan has faced a lot in her lifetime. Demons, devils, undead, abominations, abberations...
    She does not want to deal with these.
    "Uhhhhh... UHHHHHHH. Which way?" She asks as Mary pulls up the map hologram again.
    "... Not that way." She ultimately decides in the face of the multiple Tonberry things.
    Yeah no not that way.
    "Maybe we can hook around this deck--?" she suggests tracing a quick course on the map to try and find an alternate route back to the shuttle.

    Justina grabs Morrigan and just picks her straight up, angling around a corner away from the oncoming group of little green men. She shifts her weight, and takes the next corner as sharp as she can. <Minerva, the shuttle's a no-go. We need an emergency ripchord out of here.> she says over comms, angling one shoulder to take a door clean out of its tracks, sending the two halves skidding along the corridor, and bowling over another group of the little menaces. <Now would be a good time.>

    It takes only a few seconds for the teleport to yank Endee and Talia away, then Mary and Morrigan, but those few seconds have the Tonberries approaching ever closer, their silent menace bearing down on the group.

    Talia has rarely experienced a teleport before. It's not exactly technology that's common in her galaxy, if it's even possible she's never seen it done successfully if at all.

    With the creatures approaching menacingly, cornering the team, Talia and Endee steel themselves for the worst. The Jedi goes for her lightsaber and Endee opens up a panel to reveal a small muzzle, blasting away at the creatures with red blaster bolts.

    The teleport works, zapping Talia and Endee first and bringing them back to Justina's ship. By the time they're reformed, Endee is cursing a blue streak and screaming electronically in panic before she registers they're safe. Talia meanwhile handles it more gracefully, for the moment.

    "Blast, that was nasty. Glad it's over." Endee beeps an affirmative.

    "Awawawawa!"
    That's the sound of Morrigan being picked right up by Justina's Doll. But as she's hoisted the Warlock fires a few wild blasts of eldritch energy at the little blighters as the Doll shoulder bashes through a door.
    "Cripes they're EVERYWHERE." Morrigan yelps before--
    Ah there's the teleport beacon.
    They should be saved?
    Right?
    Right...?
    Morrigan lays face down unmoving. Mary pokes her a few times, then checks her vitals.
    "Master passed out from terror." She announces. 
    Oops.

    Justina's Doll reforms a few moments later, several gashes cut into the legs and arms... and a dead Tonberry skewered through by a curved cleaver blade on the Doll's arm. <Not quite over yet. Those ships are coming this way and our Radial Drive is still recharging.> The Doll forms another blade, and stabs through the head, to make sure she gets the kill, before the doll goes rigid, turning to automatics.

    "Minerva, get us out of here as soon as the drive comes back up... for now, angle the shields, and shoot ANYTHING that comes out of those ships." the elf says as her soul returns to her organic body.

    "What do you need us to do?" Talia says, as she goes to pick up Morrigan princess-style. She'll bring the warlock to the medbay, if only because she's at a loss for options. Endee meanwhile blasts the tonberry's corpse a few times before stowing her blaster, spitting out insults in droid speak.

    <Get Miss Lar'osa to medbay, then follow the glowing panels. Manual targetting of the beam emitter isn't going to help, but a second pair of eyes to prioitize targets would help immensely. Anything that looks like an escape pod, or something that can hold those creatures through the void, must take priority.> comes Minerva's response.

    Talia picks up Morrigan... Who remains limp for a beat before she comes back around. 
    "... My hero?"
    But then she hops out of Talia's arms.
    "Wait they know how to use escape pods?!"
    "Game over, man! Game over!" Mary Contrary squeals as Morrigan gives the little shinki a gentle shake to try and calm her.
    It doesn't work.

    Talia mock-pouts. "No kiss?" But at least Morrigan doesn't need to be in sickbay for the night. She grabs a panel and begins to paint targets, just long enough for the drive to recharge anyways. Of all the bloody times for that to crap out on us, right?