Reunited, the crew began assessing the damage to the various ships along with Menoth’s men. Quinn finally near completion of her nano-swarm killer just needed to iron out some kinks to work out, like repairing organic damage to the host body. Once completed, she administered the serum to each of the three meat popsicles with the help of the colony ship’s resident doctor.
Back on the battlecruiser, it was clear that most of the power relays were shot, and major parts of the hull would need to be repaired or replaced. Pleased with claiming the dreadnought as his own Menoth was willing to provide additional repairs.
Notes: Vehicles are built the same way as background characters, selecting a power level and applying relevant templates. Larger vehicles, like the colony ship, and battlecruiser string these together, creating different sections of a larger vehicle. This allows vehicles to scale to virtually any size. If it seems weird that the same rules work for people and vehicles, it’s important to remember that in a game of super heroes, some people can lob tanks., so some things scale a bit differently
The heroes worked with the captain and medical officer to outline changes to the battle cruiser so that it would be a better fit for the colonists. They were never a military operation and some of the more spartan sections of the ship would need to be updated.
It was around this time that Michael devised a plan to incorporate the Radoum refugees into the ship’s crew. The only complication(s), the refugees came from a race that once invaded Earth, and had held Quinn captive almost all her life. Even as exiles from their own people the refugees were warriors, their biology allows them to rend metal and rock with shovel like hands reinforced with naturally growing titanium spurs.
The problems from Michael’s plan were almost immediate. language and cultural differences exacerbating tensions and fears already present in the colonists. However, Michael did his best to find some middle ground. It was as everyone have gathered for a cultural sharing event, AKA a fighting tournament that a contingent Ar’dysis completed a fold into the local space and began broadcasting a message:
“This station is now under our control. Resistance will be met with the detonation of bombs already within the structure. Submit to the Thaden Guard, any insurgent habitats will be jettisoned.”
Image Source https://evandahm.tumblr.com/post/9464581311/artifice-inks
Four Observer ships, along with hive like ship. Based on the sensor modules there is no question that the Ar’dysis Observer ship’s would pick up any energy signatures for shuttle craft. To avoid detection, the heroes devise a plan to fairy a force field generator from the disabled battle cruiser to the space station. Quinn would use her wrench to generate a force field around the generator, while Michael who can survive in space transports her back to the station. Otis decided to hitch a ride.
Moving through access tunnels and cargo halls, the team avoid the Thaden Guard. Reaching the station central reactor, Michael and Quinn setup the force field generator. Unfortunately, when they activate the force field they learn to that this was not some sphere that englobes a structure but rather a shield made by opening a portal into hyperspace.
(Would you like to know more?)
Activating the shield alerted the invading forces that there was an effort to save the station. It also jarred Shift awake, as the hyperspace portal triggered his extra-dimensional senses like a fracturing in his mind. Explaining who he was to a confused nurse, Shift was taken to the helm to meet the captain and be brought up to speed on the events that had transpired.
The Ar’dysis offer a final warning as the largest ship opens like a pine cone, strike fighters deploying from its hive. One of the fleet’s Overseers releases a lone warrior into space, seemingly unassisted, before the support ships cloak.
As Shift talks to the captain and the other members of the senior crew still on the battle cruiser, the heroes on the space station split up, with Michael and Otis heading to the communications room, Quinn staying behind to try and leverage the shield generator in some other way.
In the communications room the pair identify a communications signal riding under the stations normal chatter. While they can block any communication to the troops and bombs on the station, the explosives still have fail safes in case of tampering.
Now patched in with the rest of the heroes communications, Shift tells them he may be able to teleport the bombs out of the ship but isn’t sure if he is fast enough. Able to slow the explosion, Otis suggests teleporting the bombs onto the enemy ships. However, Shift rejects the suggestion fearing people might die. Together the two heroes push the limits of their powers to teleport the bombs to unoccupied space before it’s too late.
To be continued…
