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Rising Phoenix Gaming

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Overview

About This Club

Heroic Sci Fi with space Pirates
  1. What's new in this club
  2. After the warning, and with the sealed bulkhead blocking them from getting out that way, Seiya knew that their only way out was the same way the Core had gone. The abomination they'd been fighting wasn't really an issue any more, Not with Sori's warning. He motioned to where the emergency doors had failed to shut following the core's ejection, and gathered his feet beneath him. With an agility few could match he sent himself towards the hole, making careful adjustments so he didn't just go into space, and avoided wrenching his arms as he held them out, taking hold of the edge of the hatch, and flipping himself out and onto the hull of the derelict. The magnets engaged as his feet made contact, and he turned around, in case Ivy needed help getting out, ready with one hand holding on to the hatch, and the other extended.
  3. The saber cut deep but the appendage was not merely flesh but also bone and metal, still the deep cut was enough. Ivy used her strength and her prowse to kick the damaged appendage and her hand to pull and with no sound the tentacle snapped free from the the portion attached to the ship. As the appendage writhed and recoiled, Ivy seized the opportunity to deliver a swift and powerful blow with her saber, severing it completely. The abomination’s twisted form contorting in agony as it struggled to regain control. Seiya continued to press the attack, his energy sword slicing through the creature's defenses with precision. With each strike, the entity seemed to weaken, its once formidable presence diminishing under the relentless assault of the two skilled fighters. Emi watched from a safe distance, her esper abilities helping Ivy and Seiya's attacks where they could. She focused on disrupting the creature's psychic connections, causing it to falter and lose its grip on reality. As Ivy and Seiya fought valiantly against the abomination, a sudden surge of power rippled through the ship, causing the lights to flicker and alarms to blare even louder. The emergency core dump had destabilized the ship's systems, putting them on a countdown to destruction. The walls began to creak and groan under the strain, metal buckling and warping as the entire structure threatened to collapse in on itself. With the imminent threat of the ship tearing itself apart, Ivy and Seiya knew they had to act fast. With a shared nod of understanding, they coordinated their final assault on the abomination, relentless in their determination to bring it down before it was too late. Seiya's energy sword hummed with power as he launched himself at the creature once more, his strikes calculated and precise. Each blow chipped away at the abomination's defenses, causing it to thrash and writhe in pain. Meanwhile, Ivy moved with grace and agility, her movements a deadly dance as she targeted the creature's weakened spots with expert precision. Her saber flashed through the air, leaving trails of darkness in its wake as she fought with all her strength and skill. “Guys, the ship is beginning to drift, the thrusters are not keeping station any more,” Sori’s voice came over their coms. “You need to get out of there before the rift currents grab it. “Wait sensors are picking up something coming up out of the rift, heading straight for us at high velocity. You need to get back to the ship NOW!”
  4. Zero-g and vacuum washed over Ivy like a warm bath. Well, what she imagined a warm bath would feel like, not that she indulged in such crazy planetdweller shenanigans. But it didn't slow her down, didn't impede her. It invigorated her. The Black sang under her skin and she soared more freely than a bird in flight. While Seiya engaged the disgusting aberration directly, Ivy decided on a different tact. She slid gracefully through the engineering department, exchanging her force-blaster for her saber. As she approached one of the anchoring tentacles, the Black escaped her skin, painting her hands, boots, and blade with matte black shadows. Dark grey eyes turned into void-dark pits as she lashed out with saber, fist, and foot in void-cold fury, vacuum providing her stability as if she was standing her ground planetside.
  5. Seiya recovered quickly from the shockwave, gathering his feet beneath him before launching himself at the the abomination that had once been the crew if this ship, Lashing out with his sword while defending himself as best he could in the zero-g. His first slash was to early, carving only empty space, but he adjusted for the second, and took advantage of his own momentum, his slash with his energy sword carving into the hideous creature as he passed it, shifting his body to land on his feet, ready to go again and raising his energy shield.
  6. The explosion sent a shock-wave that slammed Ivy and Seiya back against the bulkhead the Necrosphere would have followed except for the tentacles it extruded to grasp onto the walls of the engine room. Outside the engine room Emi still could see and the blast itself did not penetrate the strange field barring the door.
  7. Ivy purposely didn't think about what Emi said she saw in there. Grotesque and strange, it was a distraction and threat. Avoid it, don't think about it, get the booty, get out. "If the... thing follows the Core, shoot it!" Seiya nodded, his focus unwavering as he listened to the plan unfolding. "I'll cover you," he stated firmly, determination etched on his face. With a swift motion, he adjusted his shield to provide maximum protection for Ivy as she prepared to enter the danger zone. Emi's brow furrowed in concentration as she accessed the ship's systems through her armband, fingers flying across the virtual interface. "I can’t initiate the core dump remotely," she confirmed. "Sorry.” Ivy flashed a confident grin at her teammates before steeling herself for what lay ahead. Clutching her force-blaster tightly, she darted forward, agile and determined. As she reached the reactor controls, the mass of compressed crew members looming nearby sent a shiver down her spine. Ignoring the grotesque sight, she focused on the task at hand. With a quick glance back at Seiya for reassurance,Ivy input the commands for the emergency core dump, her movements swift and precise. The ship rumbled beneath her feet as the system initiated the process, causing alarms to blare and lights to flash erratically. But Ivy remained resolute, knowing that this was their only chance to stop whatever malevolent force had taken hold of the ship. As the core dump progressed, the mass of compacted crew members began to convulse and twitch, emitting a high-pitched shriek that chilled Ivy to the core. She gritted her teeth and stood her ground, ready to defend herself if the grotesque entity decided to attack. Seiya kept a vigilant watch, his shield raised as he scanned their surroundings for any sign of danger. His muscles tensed with anticipation, prepared to act at a moment's notice to protect his team. Emi monitored the situation from a safe distance, her esper abilities reaching out to sense any fluctuations in energy. The ship's systems were straining under the pressure of the emergency reactor ejection. Ivy was halfway back to the Door when the Sphere of crew parts suddenly twisted the connections to the Reactor falling away and appendages like giant legs sprouted from its mass . Seiya's eyes widened as he watched the grotesque entity transform before them. The once compacted crew members now formed a monstrous being with twisted limbs and a pulsating core of energy. It let out an otherworldly screech that reverberated through the chamber, causing the walls to shake. Ivy gritted her teeth, her grip on the force-blaster tightening as she assessed the situation. With a quick glance at Seiya, she knew she wouldn’t make it to the door. It lunged towards Ivy with lightning speed, the wails of the crew echoing through the chamber as it reached out with elongated, twisted limbs. Ivy reacted instinctively, dodging to the side and firing her force-blaster at the abomination. The energy blasts struck the entity, causing it to convulse in pain and emit a deafening screech that reverberated through the metal walls. Seiya leaped forward, his sword slashing through the air as he joined the fight against the monstrous being. Emi's projections danced around the creature, attempting to disrupt its form and weaken its defenses. The ship groaned under the strain of the battle raging in Engineering as alarms blared louder, warning of imminent danger. Ivy and Seiya fought with coordinated precision, their movements fluid and synchronized, but their weapons didn’t seem to faze the monstrosity. Then the ejection sequence completed and with a ship shaking blast the explosive bolts donated and the whole floor of the engineering section was blasted out into space!
  8. Ivy bounced on her toes, psyching herself up for action. The Black was singing under her skin, crooning of swimming between the stars. "No better idea here. Can you dump the core remotely? If not, tell me the layout and what I have to do enact the protocol, and I'll run in there and do it. I can survive the Black - I mean, space. You guys run for the ship and swing back around to pick me up. Might be able to retrieve the Core too." Ivy purposely didn't think about what Emi said she saw in there. Grotesque and strange, it was a distraction and threat. Avoid it, don't think about it, get the booty, get out. "If the... thing follows the Core, shoot it!"
  9. "No idea," was Emi's reply. "But it seems pretty...permeable to me, so I wouldn't put money on it. We're going to want to get a bulkhead between ourselves and this door before we push that button." "Truth be told, I was kinda hoping someone would have a better idea than dumping the core. But if so, make it fast. This thing is powering up in a hurry."
  10. Seiya readied himself for whatever was about to come out, using his shield to cover himself as much as he could, while flattening his body against the wall to present a much smaller profile to be attacked, while positioned in such a way that he could react quickly. "Will this shield hold if that happens and vents the entire engineering section to space?"
  11. "Shit." Emi taps on her armband and a shimmering image appeared in the air over her left shoulder. Shifting in form and color; an eye, a pyramid, a sphere, a starburst, a smiley face...and more, many more. "I need you to go dark and go in there," she says to the strange projection. The color cycling sped up, then with a flash it was gone. Emi closed her eyes then. "Okay, it's in. There's no light," she said, frowning slightly. "There's something in the air near the reactor controls. Some kind of...mass. Globular...oh shit. It...it's got...no, that's a hand. Yeah. The crew. The crew is IN it. The robots too. They've all been...uh...compacted into this mass. The reactor's shut down, but not inactive. It's taking in the energy before it can get to the ship..." Emi scowled more deeply, moving her hands then as if typing or using a touchscreen. "I can't control it. There is an emergency protocol though. Core dump. I think that's the only way to stop it, but it WILL punch a big hole in Engineering and probably wreck the whole compartment."
  12. The quivering walls gave the... whatever it was a sense of enormity, a sense of power. Ivy wasn't adverse to cutting and running when the profit didn't outweigh the danger. But that was when she was on her own. And this... thing could endanger their ship, their way out. She gave the Valna a nod. "Don't know about a trap. Better engaging here than leading it back to the ship. Find cover where you can, but be ready to run if it comes down to it." Ivy sidled up to a bulkhead, slim, wiry frame using anything for a bit of cover and concealment. Shadows seemed to flow beneath her pale skin, making her harder to see under the flickering emergency lighting. She tapped her comm-unit, her voice barely above a whisper. "Something big's waking up in here," she informed Sora on the Hyperlance. "Keep the thrusters hot and be prepared to disengage if things go nova."
  13. "We might make it back to our ship, and we can target this area and blast it." he offered. "Or we can wait, and see what comes out." He'd drawn his sword, and his energy shield hummed into life, revealing better what his intentions were. "I don't think we'd make it back to actually do the first one. This was a trap I think, perhaps not necessarily for us, but just for anyone coming this way."
  14. The knife sliced through the air with a chilling precision, disappearing into the impenetrable darkness beyond. Ivy's heart raced as she watched the weapon vanish into the void, her mind racing with fear and anticipation. A tingling sensation crackled in the air, a pulsating wave of psychic energy that sent shivers down her spine. The silence that enveloped them was suffocating, as if they were trapped in a vacuum of dread. Emi's eyes widened with shock as she analyzed the strange readings from her scans. "This energy field is like nothing I've ever encountered," she whispered, her voice trembling with unease. "It's emitting an otherworldly frequency that defies all logic." Ivy's hand tightened on her force-blaster as she took a hesitant step closer to the mysterious barrier, her senses on high alert. "Who or what could have created such a powerful security measure?" she questioned aloud, her mind frantically searching for answers. "And why is it guarding this part of the ship?" Seiya remained poised and ready, his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond the energy field. He could sense a disturbance in the air, a menacing presence lurking just out of sight. His muscles tensed, prepared to defend his comrades at any moment. As they stood before the impenetrable barrier, a low hum began to reverberate through the corridor. The sound grew louder and more ominous, causing the walls to vibrate with increasing intensity. Emi's esper abilities detected a pattern in the vibrations, signaling an impending activation. "This... this is an activation sequence," Emi stammered, fear creeping into her voice. "Whatever lies on the other side is about to awaken." Ivy braced herself for whatever danger lay ahead, her grip tight on her force-blaster as she exchanged a determined look with Seiya. They were ready for whatever unknown threat was about to be unleashed upon them.
  15. Seiya was already keyed up. He disliked leaving the others on the ship as he wasn't too confident they could repel a serious threat. Now, as they stood with an energy barrier barring their path, he scowled. If this is the Shikara then it's new. I doubt they'd have left things so clean. Nor could they have managed to discover where we went so quickly." His keen senses had picked up no trace of his hated enemy, which was good in its way, but still left far too many questions regarding this ship and how it came to be as it was. There was little he could do at the moment, so he simply stood, alert and ready for anything.
  16. "Stellar slag!" Ivy cursed as she flicked on the flashlight on the underside of her force-blaster, casting red light across the ceiling above them. Her eyes flitted from the barely discernible force field to the darkness beyond it. The situation was growing eerie. Eerie and profit rarely went together. "That field speaks of intent." Ivy pursed her lips as she looked for any projectors for the energy field. "Emi, can you tell of this is a secondary safety feature or something set up by a third party?" She licked her lips and ran a hand through her short, white hair. "And is it keeping the vacuum out of the rest of the ship or keeping it in inside engineering?" If they was already somebody on board looking for salvage - created by themselves or others - Ivy would have expected to see some manner of their presence, at least something that would warn scavengers of secondary boarders. This was something else, and Ivy didn't know what. While she would have preferred a big Valna soldier at her side, if they brought the field down, they would be revealing their presence, if they hadn't already. Ivy plucked knife from her belt at the small of her back and gave it a light flick, tossing it at the energy field, to see what effect the field would have, and potentially an idea of the atmospheric condition beyond it. If it was just vacuum beyond the field, that wouldn't impede her, though it would her allies, but it would give her an opportunity to skulk about with a lower chance of detection.
  17. Seiya's footsteps echoed loudly in the dimly lit corridors of the frigate as he joined Ivy and Emi on their way to the escape pods. The silence around them was almost suffocating, broken only by the occasional flickering of emergency lights that cast eerie shadows on the walls. As they approached the area where the escape pods were housed, Ivy motioned for Emi to scan for any signs of recent activity. The tension in the air grew as Emi's brow furrowed in concentration while studying her readings. "There doesn't seem to be any indication that these pods were used recently," she reported, her voice barely above a whisper. "No signs of forced entry or emergency launches." Ivy stepped closer to one of the pods, running her fingers along its smooth surface. "If there was a mutiny or some sort of conflict on board, you'd think at least someone would have tried to escape," she mused, her voice filled with disbelief. "This is all too clean, too quiet." Seiya remained vigilant, his senses alert for any potential threats lurking in the shadows. He noticed a reinforced door recessed on the forward bulkhead of the pod bay and pointed it out to the others. Emi quickly called up the ship schematics and spoke as data flowed into her consciousness, “That’s the battle droid bay and...” She paused and closed her eyes in concentration before continuing, “I'm not getting any feedback from the droids." Ivy tilted her head, considering this new information. "So, no signs of life, no signs of struggle, and now apparently no signs of the battle droids either," she muttered sarcastically. Emi's unease continued to grow as they delved deeper into the mystery of the derelict frigate. Seiya's grip tightened on his blaster as he scanned their surroundings warily. "If there are no signs of the battle droids, then where could they have gone?" he questioned, a hint of concern in his voice. Emi continued to analyze the data streaming in from her scans. "It's possible that they were activated and somehow managed to make their way off the ship," she suggested, her brow furrowed in concentration. "But that would mean someone or something must have accessed the control systems." Ivy's gaze swept over the dark corridors of the frigate. "Let's go check engineering," she said firmly. The group made their way towards the engineering section, each step echoing in the eerie silence that enveloped the ship. Ivy took point, her pistol held at the ready as they navigated through the dimly lit passageways. As they approached the entrance to engineering, Emi's scans showed signs of recent power surges in the area. "There's definitely been some activity here," she reported, her voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. "The power surge could have been caused by a number of things, but it's definitely worth investigating." She glanced around before continuing, "We'll have to set up a temporary airlock to venture into the vacuum beyond this bulkhead." Ivy nodded grimly, preparing to breach the bulkhead leading into engineering. She motioned for Seiya to stand guard while Emi worked on setting up the airlock. Once the plastic airlock was in place, Ivy and Seiya opened the door, expecting the pressure to equalize. To their surprise, nothing happened - instead, there was a faintly visible energy field covering the open doorway. Beyond it lay darkness and unknown dangers waiting to be uncovered.
  18. "You're the computer witch," Ivy drawled. "Keep your Sorium Sorcery online in case any ornery Mecharoids decide to be 'interesting'." She kept moving in the direction of the escape pods, her steps brisk but light, shadows still clinging to her, her pistol held up to her shoulder and ready. "And I know you said the pods are still here. I want to see if anyone even tried for them or made it on without launching."
  19. "The escape pods are still in their berths," Emi insists. "I just said that. What's really interesting is that Engineering's in vacuum. That'd only happen in two cases. If there was a serious hull breach and no one left to do a patch, or if the air was intentionally vented. And usually you don't have Engineering vacuum adjacent, I figure. It's a critical location." "That plus the drive being cycled down instead of just busted says to me that something big and bad went down. Maybe a mutiny attempt? Some kind of exotic energy-based lifeform took up residence in the drive?" She shrugs. "Or a trap, sure...but usually you need life, or other ships to pull that off. Unless it's a robot trap. Could be one of those. That'd be interesting to see."
  20. Seiya answered quickly. "Yes, nothing showing up further out of the ordinary than what we're already dealing with." he unstrapped himself and rose. "I'll come over then to help, but we still need to be on guard. This whole thing reeks of some sort of trap to me."
  21. This wasn't the first derelict ship Ivy had ever boarded, not by any means. But the lack of any signs of battle or boarding or bodies made the frigate feel uncanny. "We were never meant to be the only ones searching the ship, Emi," Ivy explained. "Meant to see if we can figure out what happened. Or if it's a trap." Her grey eyes narrowed as she looked up and down the passageway, the shadows from the flickering emergency lights seeming to cling to her pale skin. "No bodies. So far. Delaron made autonomous battle droids, if I recall. Unpredictable ones. Can't imagine they'd let them pilot a frigate without blood and bone oversight. Minimum life support. Must've been at least some meat crew." Ivy tapped her comm-unit, contacting the Hyperlance. "No bodies, yet, no signs of a fight, either. Going to check the escape pods first. Get the umbilical ready. Gonna need more than two to go over the frigate. Everything still look clear, out there?"
  22. Seiya maintained his own quiet vigil. He wasn't as concerned with other ships showing up, but he also had the sensors he could use tuned up as much as possible. He did know of things that could survive the vacuum of space and take whatever shape he wished. To that end he was also monitoring their external camera feeds as well, making sure they weren't boarded. To him, this was starting to smell like a trap, but he didn't know how it was possible. They'd disabled any trackers, and no one but those on the ship knew their heading. Still, a derelict frigate had to be investigated, but they had to leave someone on the ship in case of emergency.
  23. “And do you want me to dock or do you want to jump?” Sori injected. After a brief discussion it was decided that Ivy and Emi would go over by jumping, everyone else would remain on alert and ready to act if things went south. While Ivy and Emi prepared themselves Sori maneuvered the ship closer to the derelict and Seiya stayed on fire control keeping the guns warm and ready. In a short time all was ready and the two boarders entered the airlock and waited for the red light. Emi and Ivy exchanged a brief glance before the light above the airlock door blinked from green to red. The door slid open and with a synchronized nod, they deactivated their magnetic boots and stepped out into the vacuum of space. The distant stars cast a soft glow on the battered hull of the Delaron frigate as they made their way towards it. As they approached, Ivy couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that crept up her spine. The silence of space enveloped them. Emi's fingers danced over her wrist console, scanning for any signs of life aboard the derelict ship. They made contact with the frigates hull and Emi activated the outer airlock door, after a minute it slid open and the entered. The control panel inside indicated atmosphere on the other side of the inner door but Emi still picked up zero lifesigns. Once they activated the inner lock the outer door slid shut and atmosphere began to fill the lock.They stood warily watching the door lights. The red light blinked three times before turning green, signaling that the airlock was pressurized and ready to open. Ivy and Emi exchanged a quick glance,as with a hiss, the airlock door slid open, revealing the dark interior of the Delaron frigate. Ivy led the way, her blaster held at the ready as she cautiously stepped into the ship, her boots echoing against the metal floors. The corridor stretched out before them, dimly lit by emergency lights flickering overhead. The air was stale and musty, a lingering sense of abandonment hanging in the atmosphere. Emi followed closely behind, her hand brushing against the wall for support as they made their way deeper into the frigate. The silence was unsettling, broken only by the soft hum of distant machinery. As they passed empty crew quarters and deserted control rooms, a sense of unease settled in the pit of Emi's stomach. They finally came to a control panel and Emi stopped to run some scans. “Ships on minimum life support, and station keeping. Main drive is off line, but it was shut down not disabled. All the life pods are still on board.” She and Ivy looked at each other. “Engineering and the holds are in vacuum, the rest of the ship is intact.” Emi shook her head, “This thing is too big for just the two of us to search.”
  24. "No lifesigns." He thought. there was a chance at salvage to be sure, which could of course help them restock their diminishing warchest. But the location of the derelict was its own problem. He remained seated at his console, watching his scanners and weapon controls, lest anything come at them. While he normally would have gone over, Sori hadn't waited, or indicated she needed help. He did key up a quick comm to her though. "Do you want backup on this, or should i remain on the ship here?" He would let her make the call. He happened to think it was best he go along with her, but could make a case for not doing so just as easily.
  25. Emi shook her head at Seiya’s question, “Nothing but low power readings.” Sori glanced around not sure if she should approach the derelict. No one gave her direction except for Ivy so she maneuvered the ship closer. “Whoa” Emi exclaimed as her reading showed her more knowledge fro closer scans, “That isn’t freighter, it’s a Delaron frigate! Hull ID is 239A19. No lifesigns.” Emi slid to another console and began typing, “I’ll check the data banks see if there is anything about this ship in there.” The derelict frigate
  26. "Almost think they tried to dam the wormhole," Ivy said tersely, as she unstrapped herself from her seat and stood. "Just to stop us." It had been a long while since she had travelled through the wormhole. Even long since she gone in through one of the Rifts. Navigate the wormhole poorly, and instead of coming out of one of the stable Rifts, you could come out... anywhere in the galaxy. And maybe not even there. In incredibly rare and unique circumstances, it was possible to find your way into the wormhole without entering it through the Keshite or Eriadi Rifts. … Out of the blue and into the Black You pay for this, but they give you that And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the Black We can go back, there, into the Black There is so much more you didn't see Take the wheel, luv, and follow me... The ancient song whispered in her thoughts as Ivy stalked towards one of the airlocks, checking her force-blaster and saber, the pack strapped to her thigh holding her clandestine tools. The Black between the stars was inside her, it couldn't harm her, wouldn't harm one of its own. She was only wearing a PDS, but that wasn't a problem. For her. "Good shooting, Seiya," Ivy said over comms as she waited for the first door into the airlock to cycle open. "Get us in close, Sori, and let's see if there's anyone left aboard to talk. If not, well, it would be wasteful just letting the salvage to sit there."
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