don't fear the reaper

[thespaceopera]

[The First Battle]

[They come shooting out of the great dark. Guns blazing, no warning. The enemy ships are ragtag, mismatched, and cobbled together from spare parts. But that doesn’t make them weak. No-- years and years of scavenging have turned them into raiders, and they carry their scars with pride.

The battle is more aggressive than previous attacks against the Fleet. Nothing deters the raiders because they’re tough, and if they see a wounded ship floundering, they have no problems swooping in and boarding. Those crews will soon learn the meaning of teamwork if they want to bring the attackers down. They infiltrate the Iskaulit as well, just in case people try to hide there. At this point they are very, very used to tracking down women and children for their slave trade.

If asked why they’re doing this, the answer is simple.

Spare parts have to come from somewhere.

Don’t worry. Nothing on your ship, and no one, will go to waste.]


[A Few Hours Later]

[The raiders are too strong and the Fleet is failing. After what seems like an eternity of warfare, static comes in, broadcasted to the fleet at large. Something or someone is hailing them…

The signal is untraceable and the video is complete static, but they tell the Fleet they are here to help. Ships come swooping out of the black and they open fire on the raiders. They number a dozen, maybe more, and the ships look eerily similar to the ones currently used by the Fleet, if not a bit older and battle-hardened. Their shielding and weaponry is much, much better, however-- and most of them have custom paint or other touches on their hulls.

They’re not invincible, however. A few may end up between a rock and a hard place when the raiders surround them.

Some older residents may remember this particular group of ships. They’re obviously helping out now, but there’s nothing stopping Fleeters from firing on their would-be saviors save a complete lack of weaponry. You do have a Security officer on board, don’t you? They’ll defend themselves by seriously injuring your ship, but they won’t destroy it for some reason. Small mercies.

The raiders soon realize they’re outgunned and jump ship, taking their dead with them. The intercepting fleet pulls back, too, and both parties vanish back into the dark as silently and swiftly as they came. There’s a lot of cleanup to do whether your ship is disabled or you’re preparing to tow someone else.

Hopefully, the people who saved you don’t change their minds.]

[Plot info is here! Feel free to make your own toplevels with fighting, barricading, being boarded, saving others, the aftermath, etc. There's lots to do!]

Comments

Allen Walker | OTA

[save_the_souls]

[Boarding Party]

[When the boarding party comes aboard, Allen takes to defending the hallways that lead to the medical bay. He's got his Innocence Cape activated to help him fend off any attacks. And while he's got a strict no-killing rule for himself, that doesn't really stop him from incapacitating them by other means, such as throwing them against walls, shooting ribbons to tie them up, breaking their weapons with his claws, or even breaking some bones. All of this is done at an energy level that clearly shows he's not even using most of his power fighting off all these people. Only when the ship gets hit by another blast does he lose any sort of footing, and even then he's quick to recover.

This is probably the reason why the blood drive is kept on the Blue Fish, okay. If you're looking for a safe zone from all the attacks, the clinic is clearly the place to be. Either help him fight off combatants or check in with him when the area is clear.]

[Aftermath]

[After all is said and done, Allen is one of the ones that manage to get off with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises, mostly from the ship being rocked around so much. If he's shaken up by the attack, he doesn't show it, instead completely throwing himself into helping mode. It's how he copes best, after all.

So at some point, whether you're in the med bay or somewhere else, whether you're horribly injured or just tired, Allen will be coming to check on you. ]

Are you all right?

[Otherwise at this point he'll be responding to anything on his communicator as well, if you wish to check in]

Aftermath

[nugqueen]

[Leliana made her way to the med bay once the fighting was done and her duties fulfilled. She was definitely down playing her injuries for the simple reason that she didn't want Riona or anyone else worrying after her.]

A burn or two here and there, but I seem to be alright.

[She also cradled her wrist close to her, having injured it in a scuffle before killing her opponent, but details.]

Can I be of help here?

[save_the_souls]

Maybe after I get a look at that wrist.

[Yeah, don't think he doesn't see how she's holding that wrist. He gestures at her to sit down so he can get a better look]

I got some burn ointment too, to help.

[nugqueen]

This?

[She tries to physically wave it off and then winces]

It is fine.. but a minor thing.

[A minor thing that hurts a lot. It's probably sprained or broken. Still, she takes a seat so that he can inspect it and the burns, since there doesn't seem to be any getting out of it.]

[save_the_souls]

Minor things can lead to major things, if you don't take care of them.

[He smiles at her as he kneels down to take a look at it, using his normal hand to gently feel around the injury]

Hmmm...looks like you might have sprained or broken it. [He straightens up] I'll grab you some bandage wrap and ice.

[nugqueen]

[She realizes there's just no winning with this one. Unfortunately, with ships like these, word could spread and well - Sokka could very well talk just as much as he could shove food in his mouth, if he ever found out. That would mean the Warden would surely hear of her injured state. Would blackmail work? No, too easy. He's probably already prepared countermeasures. And yet...]

Just- do not inform Riona of my injury. Or the Captain.

[See? She's being a good little patient and letting you fix her wrist.]

Aftermath

[geonomy]

[God, the Blue Fish is a mess. Dread curls in Clay's stomach, along with the adrenaline from the battle that just got finished; are they okay? Is Allen okay? Dammit, he should've tried to keep an eye on the ship more, should've -

Should'ves aren't going to do anything. Instead, he drifts the Vanquish closer as he grabs his comm device to call Allen, doing his best to keep his voice steady.]

Allen! Are you okay?!

[save_the_souls]

[ Allen had been so busy treating his own crew and checking on his ship that he hadn't even had time to use the communicator. It even takes a second for him to realize his communicator is ringing before he pulls it out of his pocket and turns it on.

Which the moment he hears Clay's voice? It's a relief. Without the radar on the blue fish, Allen didn't have any idea how the Vanquish or any other ship fared ]

Clay, I'm here. Are you okay!?

[geonomy]

[Oh, thank the stars. There's a sigh as Clay leans back against his pilot's chair and lets out a long sigh of relief, his free hand dragging through his hair for a second before he gets back to Allen.]

I'm fine! Our ship didn't take much damage. But yours...

[save_the_souls]

[He breathes a sigh of relief about the Vanquish. Thank God. He didn't want anything to happen to them either.

But at the mention of his ship...]

Ah...yeah. We couldn't- [dodge. fly. but he cuts himself off] We didn't...fare as well. Almost half the crew's hurt and a lot of our systems are offline.

[geonomy]

And you don't have a pilot.

[Which is probably part of the reason they took so much damage. He's not blind; even though he and the other ships tried to take the heat off of them, the ones that didn't have a pilot were basically sitting ducks for the enemy fire.

But, again, less should'ves, more thinking about what he can do now.]

And without one, you guys can't keep moving... Since our ship's fine, I can probably hook you guys up to us. Does that sound okay?

[He doubts the Marsiva would let them leave other ships behind, but he doesn't want to risk it.]

[save_the_souls]

... Yeah. That.

[There's an awkward pause on his end after that. He doesn't blame Clay, he knows it's not his fault and neither of them could've predicted this happening. Clay had a crew to look after too. He knows that.

But after having his ship, his home, thrashed and so many of his crew hurt? After having to treat so many injuries of people he saw as family? Well...it was hard not to have some part of him feel a little bitter, even if it's irrational or petty or wrong.]

Y-Yeah, sure. Thanks. I can talk to Sokka and see what we can do.

[geonomy]

Okay!

[He claps his hands together once, then leans forward in his chair again to work on getting the Vanquish into position.]

I'll go outside the ship and hook it up once it's in position. If you guys need more help, Hermione's made some potions that work really well. She can give you some back up while I do that.

boarding party.

[steeledskin]

[ -- it's a rare quiet moment during the raid. or maybe quiet is the wrong word, because sansa can hear the clunks and grunts of battle deeper in the ship. but ser allen is guarding the med bay, and her brother had seen her delivered safely there. and, for the time being, no raiders are in the immediate vicinity.

she's sitting, stone-stiff, on the floor beside one of the counters. sansa cradles one of her arms -- favouring it, although they haven't yet had a moment of peace long enough to discuss an injury. ]

Ser Allen. [ her voice shakes. gripping the counter's edge with her good hand, sansa pulls herself onto her feet. despite the myriad differences, she can't help but feel like she's back in the tower during the battle of the blackwater. her stomach churns. ] What happens if they break through?

[save_the_souls]

[Allen was taking this quieter moment to catch his breath. He still had a long way to go before his stamina wore out on his powers, but it was good to pace himself.

When she speaks, he glances over at her. It's easy to notice her cradling her arm, and he feels bad that he hasn't had a chance to treat it- it must hurt a lot.

He does his best to be reassuring.]

They won't break through. I think they're just raiders, so eventually they'll realise this is more trouble than it's worth.

[steeledskin]

her lip curls. sansa does little to hide her disbelief. ]

Beg pardon, ser, you are formidable. [ she's been catching glimpses of him in the hallway. ] But please don't tell me lies. Not now. There's always a chance we might be defeated.

[ even the best and truest heroes fall prey to monsters. sometimes. ]

[save_the_souls]

[He makes a slight huff]

I'm not lying.

[And least, he doesn't intend to lie. He takes another breath before he admits]

I haven't really thought that far ahead yet.

[steeledskin]

[ doubts causes her frown to deepen. sansa is worried that should the situation worsen, she'll be forced to take matters into her own hands. wretched though she was, at least cersei had provided cold mercy in the shape of the king's headsman. should the siege have broken and should stannis's troops find them...

gently, she adjusts a piece of loose hair. touches the golden pin holding it in place. nyssa never intended the poison to be used in such a capacity, she's certain of it, but it's the only plan sansa manages to make. ]

-- Is it the ship they want? [ or us? ]

[save_the_souls]

[....]

[Allen could pretend he doesn't know what they were after, but the problem was, he's seen too much. Been through too much. It had been easy for him to guess what these people wanted if they were willing to come aboard the ship with a still living crew. To pretend otherwise would be lying.]

I think they want anything they can use or sell.

Aftermath

[dancingmd]

[As things go, sick bay doesn't seem as destroyed as other parts of the ship - no doubt thanks to Allen's efforts, but still there's work to be done here as there is everywhere, especially in tending to their injured crewmates. But as Beverly moves between one bed and the next, dispensing medication and bandages, it's clear not all is well with her either: her breathing is shallow and she holds herself stiff, wincing if she turns in a certain direction.

She gives Allen a tight smile.]

I'll be fine.

[Liar.]

[save_the_souls]

Liar.

[There's no bite to his words, instead there's at tired fondness. He knows how she feels, he'd probably be doing the exact same thing if he was in her shoes. That didn't change that she needed to be treated though]

Come on, sit down. It's good to be a patient sometimes.

[dancingmd]

[There's a moment where Beverly considers arguing with Allen but really... she's just too tired and in too much pain for that. So she sits as instructed.

(But even if she's cooperating, that won't stop her from a little self-diagnosis).]

I think I have a couple of cracked ribs.

[save_the_souls]

[Yeah he appreciates that since he's pretty tired too. He'll walk over and start to examine her.]

I wouldn't be surprised...it wasn't at all a smooth ride.

[dancingmd]

[She sucks in a sharp breath as he begins the examination.]

No. And our visitors certainly didn't help matters.

[save_the_souls]

No, they certainly did not...

[Feeling along her ribs, as gently as he can]

And I think you might be right about the ribs. I can feel it now.