Carpathia IV: Episode 78 - Sneaking Around
Space, Savea Pirate Ship
Reylen led the way while the others followed with Joust bringing up the rear, skittering along the ceiling. Though Reylen kept a close watch on his scanner, he still carefully checked around each corner to see if anyone was there.
Amenaru: Doesn't your scanner tell you if someone is around the corner?
Reylen shrugged one shoulder and peeked around another corner.
Reylen: Eh, maybe 60% of the time? This ship leaks energy all over the place and it interferes with pretty much everything.
Amenaru looked all around him and the inside very much resembled the outside of the ship. Holes everywhere, in the walls and ceiling. Exposed conduits. Damaged wiring. Access panels hung open drunkenly with power relays missing inside. He took out his own scanner and started examining the systems. Indeed, just like Reylen said, he found it difficult to get clear readings through all the interference.
Amenaru: If I ran operations on the Shadowdancer half this bad, I'd be out on my ass in no time. I'm not reading any bioneural circuitry. I thought tokki ships used that.
Reylen: This type of ship predates the bioneural circuitry. These were retired over a hundred years ago. The next generation had the same configuration with upgraded circuitry.
Amenaru: At least it's something I'm familiar with.
The group continued on, slowly inching their way through the corridors with Reylen methodically checking every intersection and now with Amenaru waving his scanner around, trying to make sense of the dilapidated systems. As they waited while Reylen checked yet another intersection, everyone scrambled to hide when one of the doors right next to Joust started to creak open.
From within emerged a sleepy tokki, eyes shut, in the middle of a yawn, and scratching his ass. While the others hid, Joust sprung to action, swinging down from the ceiling and kicking the sleepy tokki back into the room from whence he came. After a brief, noisy scuffle, there was a flash of light and then silence. Concerned, the others rushed to the door just in time for Joust to appear with his sidearm in hand.
Joust: I stunned him. He'll be out for a few hours.
Sorchae: That was close. Are those his quarters or something?
Joust took a quick glance back at the room.
Joust: Nope. Toilet.
About the same time, the smell hit Amenaru's nose.
Amenaru: Gah! Stank!
Joust: Actually, Reylen, I do have a question. Is that a security camera in there?
Reylen stepped forward and poked his head inside the toilet room.
Reylen: Yes, it is. Not to worry, though. Most don't work and my jammer takes out any of the ones that do.
Joust: Do the cells have these cameras?
Reylen: Definitely. The one in Kit's cell should be turned on right now. I was able to get a peek into system yesterday and that's how I know where he is. They are keeping tabs on him.
Joust rubbed his hands together and his face cracked open into a delirious grin, like some kind of evil mastermind with a terribly naughty new thought.
Joust: Hee hee hee. I just had a wonderful idea. Nalma, you know this sort of ship, right?
Nalma: The layout, yes. Our enclave used to have one of these, but it was the newer sort with the bioneural circuitry. The systems in this would be simple enough to figure out, though.
Joust: And you know where recordings are kept?
Nalma: Yeah, it's not far from here. Why?
Joust: Okay, that settles it. Nalma, lead me to where the recordings are kept. Reylen, continue leading the others to Kit. Give me a ping when you find him.
Reylen, Sorchae, Amenaru, and Teek continued on their way as before, carefully checking around each corner for Saveas and now keeping a close eye on the doors that they passed along the way. Amenaru kept scanning as they went, speaking more to himself than to the rest of them.
Amenaru: It's really not a bad design. It's just that these all these couplings are so badly corroded it reduces the efficiency of the entire system. It looks like they have energy boosters near some of the couplings to supplement some of the power that's lost.
After several more minutes creeping along, Reylen turned to them.
Reylen: Okay, we're clear to the bulkhead door. Let's go!
Finally, a brisk pace down a long corridor with no intersections until they reached a solid wall with a heavy, hinged door. It protruded at least five centimeters from the wall itself, denoting its prodigious thickness, and had a wheel on the front like something one might find on an old submarine. Above the door, a red dome light shone brightly.
Reylen: This is one of the main bulkhead doors. It's not really doing any good, what with the hole in the wall over there.
Reylen pointed to a hole in the wall three meters away and about as big as a person's head with little bits of cable dangling out of it.
Reylen: It's both mechanically and electronically sealed and has to remain closed or an alarm will go off. Help me with the wheel?
Reylen gripped the wheel and started to turn, but it did not budge. Amenaru tucked his scanner into his utility belt and tried to help, moving the wheel only in short, jerky movements. Finally, Sorchae joined in and the wheel began to move more freely. Once it cleared the initial few centimeters, it spun open easily.
Reylen: Now the hard part. If I can't shut off the electronic seal from this side, it's a long walk up three decks and back down again.
Reylen leaned in close to the keypad and tapped at the digits carefully. The light over the door turned blue, which everyone took as a good sign, but the door only creaked and wobbled. The light turned back to red.
Reylen: Crap.
Reylen punched in the code again with the same results.
Amenaru: Can't we fix it?
Reylen: Unfortunately, the access panel is on the other side. We'll have to go around.
While Amenaru and Reylen examined the door, Teek was off to the side, scanning the hole in the wall.
Teek: If you can tell me how to fix it, I can get through this hole.
Amenaru: What? How? It's barely bigger than your head.
Teek: That's enough.
Sorchae slapped her hand with her fist and rushed over to Teek.
Sorchae: That's right! Komodo can dislocate their bones at will. He can fit into any hole that's bigger than his head! Amenaru, Reylen, come and help!
Amenaru glanced at Reylen and shrugged. Not knowing what would happen next, they ran to Teek as the doctor instructed while she kneeled and grabbed his feet.
Sorchae: I'll take his feet. You guys get his waist and chest.
Amenaru wrapped his arms around Teek's chest while Reylen took his waist.
Teek: Okay, give me a minute.
The muscles in Teek's head pulsed for a moment and then his horns folded back neatly behind his head. Next, he wriggled his body and after a few sickening crack noises, his shoulders drooped lifelessly to his side.
Teek: Put me in.
Carefully, they lifted Teek and slowly inserted him into the hole in the wall. Amenaru pushed Teek's shoulders in so that they would fit.
Teek: Nobody on the other side. Keep pushing.
As they pushed Teek through, he dislocated his hips and tail, causing them to fall flat so that the rest of him might slide through. With nobody on the other side to catch him, Teek flopped to the deck on the other side.
Teek: Okay, give me a minute to reassemble myself. Get ready with those instructions!
Nobody could see what was happening, but they could hear it, Teek shuffling around on the ground and the cracking sound of bones slipping back into position. Reylen studied his scanner while Amenaru looked to Sorchae in amazement.
Amenaru: I had no idea komodo could do that.
Sorchae: I'm not surprised. Most komodo go their whole lives without needing to do that.
From the other side of the wall, the cracking and shuffling stopped.
Teek: Okay, tell me what to do.
Reylen: Can you find the access panel to the left of the door?
Teek: Found it.
A click and a creak told Reylen that Teek opened the panel.
Reylen: Do you see a set of slots for control chips?
Teek: Five rows of six slots each.
Reylen: You should find a red chip in row four, column three. Pull it out.
Teek: Got it.
Reylen: Put it in row one, in the slot just to the left of the green chip. That should override the control panel and open the door.
Seconds later, there was a clank and a hiss. The massive door seemed to drop slightly as it gradually screeched open. On the other side stood Teek with a satisfied grin on his face.
Sorchae: I hope nobody heard that.
Reylen: We should hurry just in case.
Reylen quickly stepped through the door with the others and stopped for a moment at the access panel, returning the chip to its original position to close the door.
If anyone heard the door, either nobody cared or investigated after the rescue team was long gone. Reylen returned to his previous plan, moving forward slowly and carefully peeking around every corner. Amenaru continued scanning the systems.
Reylen: One more tricky spot to pass, the galley. There shouldn't be anyone there at this time of day, but you never know.
The galley was clear enough before they even got there, with a wide gap in the hallway that opened up to the inside, at least 20 meters long. If someone was there, it would be impossible to simply sneak by.
Reylen: Not good. I can hear noises. If it's just one or two, we can stun them and stuff them into a closet or something.
Reylen poked his head around the corner and immediately recoiled, pressing his back against the wall. By this time, they were more than close enough to hear several tokki, loudly talking and laughing about something.
Reylen: Six are in there. There's no way we're sneaking past. What's worse, I can hear their conversation. Rhalma is on board. He must have arrived not long before you did. He must be planning to move Kit sooner than I thought.
Teek: We should hurry, then. Can't we go around?
Reylen: It's not a long way, but it would take us through some of the more heavily populated areas.
Sorchae: Too many to stun.
While Reylen, Sorchae, and Teek discussed their increasingly poor options, Amenaru focused on one of the nearby conduit junctions.
Amenaru: Do the relays on this ship ever burn out or catch fire or anything?
Reylen: Not common, but not unusual either. We have to jump on those quickly in case it causes a cascade failure.
Amenaru: Good. It seems this conduit connects to a power distribution node on the other side of the galley. I can use the power cell in my disruptor pistol to send a surge and blow it out. That should clear out the galley, don't you think?
Reylen: Let's do it.
Sorchae: Teek and I will keep watch.
Amenaru opened several of his utility belt pouches and took out several tools, one of which he gave to Reylen.
Amenaru: You can use this to clean some of the corrosion from the junction. I'll take apart my disruptor.
Reylen pointed his tool at the junction while Amenaru carefully disassembled his disruptor.
Amenaru: How's it going over there?
Reylen: Not well. I won't be able to increase the power flow much.
Amenaru removed the power cell from his disruptor.
Amenaru: It'll have to do, then. I'll need some leads to hook this up to the power booster.
Reylen: I'll pull some of the tabs from an old relay.
Reylen opened one of the access panels and began pulling out some of the relays. Finally, he found one in which the tabs were already pulling apart and began to finish the job.
Reylen: This one isn't being used for anything important.
Reylen popped the tabs and handed two of them to Amenaru. As he wrapped the tabs around the cell contacts and then used his plasma tool to weld it to the power booster on the conduit.
Amenaru: I'll set this to discharge in ten seconds. Tell them to get ready to run once the galley clears out.
Reylen: Right-o.
Amenaru gathered up the remains of his disruptor, jamming all the parts haphazardly inside and shoving the mess back into his utility belt. Finally, he pointed his scanner at his power surge contraption and tapped the buttons.
Amenaru: It's set. Get ready.
Ten seconds isn't much time, but it felt like minutes to them, waiting for an explosion and the chance to run past. After intense waiting with sweaty palms and hearts pounding, the cell discharged and, as expected, the distribution node at the opposite end of the galley exploded. Some of the tokki jumped out of their chairs. One, who had been leaning back in his, tumbled to the floor.
After the one who fell scrambled to their feet, they all looked gormlessly at each other for several seconds before finally rushing from the galley to tend to the explosion. Reylen urged the rescue team on with an excited whisper.
Reylen: Go, go go!
Each sprinted past the galley, the last obstacle they expected to face before heading to the holding cells. In fact, their next obstacle was quite unexpected indeed, starting off with Sorchae coming to a sudden halt and gawking at her communicator.
Sorchae: Stop! Stop!
Unmistakable in the urgency of her tone, the others whipped around to see what the problem was.
Sorchae: I just got a message from Joust. Rhalma is with Kit.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
