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Posts: 1674
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Rick Rapture studied his broadsword closely running his fingers across the etchings along the blade. This weapon was forged for him by the monks of Magmas Prime. They had named it Durendal and engraved that name in their language upon the blade. No other weapon smiths in the galaxy could duplicate their intricate process of creating alloys and molding them into various lengths and sharpness. It was the finest sword Rick had ever had the pleasure to own and he had tested its mettle in battle on numerous occasions.
“Durendal” he whispered as he sheathed the sword in the scabbard now buckled around his waist.
Coyote’s electronic voice reverberated throughout the ship “Captain please buckle up, we are entering Vrsabha’s Asteroid Field.”
Rick took the robot’s advice and buckled himself down to his reading chair which was in turn bolted to the floor of his quarters. The ship rocked back and forth despite Coyote’s proficient piloting abilities. Shortly they were through the asteroids and breaking Vrsabha’s atmosphere. The Dark Revelation’s internal temperature rose more than two hundred degrees in less than two seconds. Luckily the life-support systems kicked in immediately regulating the temperature to more acceptable levels.
Landing thirty yards from the Sanctuary helped ensure they would not be noticed by anyone already there. Rick hoped they weren’t too late to stop Hawk. He shuddered to think of the damage that could be done by the SOTA if it fell into the wrong hands.
Exiting the ship Rick ordered his robotic companion “Canine mode.”
The robot morphed, for lack of a better term, into a four legged metallic version of its namesake. In this form it was stealthier and its sensors even more acute than in normal mode allowing Coyote to detect enemies from a much greater range. This ability alone is what made the decision for Rick because on Vrsabha nothing was ever as peaceful as it appeared to be. And if he was to have the advantage he would need to be able to track his enemies’ movements.
The two walked slowly across the overgrown surface heading in the direction of the Sanctuary. The underbrush threatened to tangle them up in its vines but Rick slashed them away with Durendal. Coyote continuously monitored their surroundings looking for any signs of trouble. Something picked up on his sensors which gave the robot pause.
“Sir, there seems to be a cloaked star cruiser nearby.”
“Which direction?” Rick asked.
“Due north” the robot pointed with its snout as if it were a hunting dog picking up a scent.
“Alright lets go” Rick decided and the two of them changed course.
Near the supposed location of the ship Rick tried his best to discern its shape but could not penetrate the cloaking field. The spot appeared completely empty save for the grass underneath the ships landing gear; it was pressed flat against the ground by some invisible force. Coyote circled the Shadow Hawk searching for a way in. The robot eventually found the hatch and was able to force it opened.
Now the interior corridor of the ship could be seen as if it were floating in the air by itself. Rick entered cautiously and took a look around. It was oddly quiet as if Hawk had left no one behind to guard it. Though that in itself was not unusual for Rick had just done the same thing leaving Dark Revelation empty but not unguarded. His own ships security system was more than a match for most would be hijackers.
A loud explosion sounded from the other end of the hall with a flash giving away the position of a gun. Rick dodged to the right as the bullet struck the wall behind him. Coyote charged forward on all fours tackling the shooter to the ground. The gun skittered away clanking on the steel floor. The pilot, Yarkoon struggled to throw the metallic canine off of him but to no avail.
“Where is Skylar Blu?” Rick demanded of the downed man.
“Don’t matter none” Yarkoon struggled to speak with a metallic paw on his neck “Hawk’s going to have the weapon soon and then the whole galaxy will bow before him.”
“Well no one’s bowing yet and until then I’m going to do my best to stop him” Rick responded before asking again “now where is the princess?”
When Yarkoon refused to answer Coyote reached down and tore some flesh off his arm with his steel teeth. The pilot screamed in pain and began crying. He thought about refusing again but the wild look on the robot’s face told him it would be unwise to do so.
“Cargo hold” he said between screams.
Rick turned and ran back the way he had just come and ducked into the darkened room that Yarkoon indicated with trembling fingers. He came up short as he saw the beautiful blue haired girl curled up in the fetal position on the floor. Seeing Skylar Blu’s battered body pushed Rick to the verge of tears. He moved over to her taking off his leather duster. Then he wrapped her naked body in it and gently lifted her up in his arms.
“You came for me” she whispered into his ear before losing consciousness.
Rick whistled for Coyote to follow him and he left the ship carefully. He watched his steps trying to be as smooth as possible in his movements so as not to cause Skylar any more pain than was necessary. He stroked her hair softly as he headed back in the direction of his own ship. It took more time than Rick planned to make their way back to Dark Revelation.
He placed the unconscious body of Skylar Blu in his own bed, the only one on the ship, and then he got some medical supplies from a closet and treated her wounds as best as he was able. Once he was finished he covered her in a wool blanket to help keep her warm.
“Monitor her vitals and inform me if her condition worsens” the Captain ordered Coyote “I’m going to the Sanctuary alone. Guard her with your life.”
It took Rick Rapture forty minutes to make his way to the Sanctuary. He found the dismembered body of a man underneath a tree which he could only assume was one of Hawk’s men. Then he trotted down the hill toward where he remembered the entrance to the Sanctuary to be. Drawing his sword, Rick walked inside ready to be attacked at any moment. Once inside he saw the rotting corpses of several ADF members.
“Those must be the remains of the team that was sent in to retrieve the SOTA after my team was recalled” Rick thought out loud “why didn’t the Council tell me that they tried to retrieve the weapon?”
Other than the dead bodies the building looked almost exactly the same as it had last time he was here. Except now various fungi grew over every surface. Looking into the hallway on the other side he noted the locations of the traps. It surprised him that he retained all the booby trap locations in the recesses of his brain. That would definitely make it easier for him to explore the Sanctuary and avoid harm.
Now he stepped over the first pressure plate and noted that it had already been depressed by something. It would appear one of Hawk’s crew had triggered the trap. But since there was no body whoever stepped on the plate must’ve also avoided the dangers of said trap. Rick moved down to the T junction careful to avoid the other plates. Then he looked right and left trying to penetrate the darkness with his gaze.
There was no indication of which way Hawk might’ve went but Rick knew the location of the SOTA within the Sanctuary so he turned and went right. He came to a large chamber containing a bubbling pool of acid at its center. There were pits every three feet around the outer ring of the room each containing sharp spikes at the bottom. He had only done this once before but remembered the dangers all too well.
The designers of this building had only given two choices for navigating this room. Either swim through the acid or leap over the spiked pits around the room. The acid was out of the question so it had to be the spikes. One false move and he’d be done for. Skewered like a shish kebab waiting for some predatory animal to come by and have him for dinner.
Rick surmised that the cybernetic organisms that lived here long ago were probably made of a dense metal that could survive a quick swim through acid. He also figured their legs could probably hurtle the pits with ease as well. Which meant the traps were a means to keep animals and humans from getting to the weapon and using it for their own purposes, because once inside how would he be able to get the SOTA out?
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) SNOOCHIE POOPY PANTS!
