January 5th 2973 Earth Calendar -Commercial Stellar Orbit, Alpha Centauri

[jla_legion2]

"...Attention valued passengers. We have completed transition into Realspace and are now awaiting our gate window in the Alpha Centauri system. First and second class passengers may wish to gather in the observation deck for refreshments and a view of the stellar tide. Fourth class passengers must now return to their sleep closets.

Thank you for

Comments

[jla_legion2]

She's not watching.
Eyes closed, Imra has dropped to her knees as she tries to keep everyone in contact.

"Guys! This isn't a hostage situation, we're only meant to think that. Their captive is R.J. Brand. Their employer wants them to kill him and make it looks like an accident furring a terrorist action."

Her brow furrows.

"Lyle, the Engineering crew is unconscious. Someone down there is doing something....."

Her eyes fly open.

"Ringed Moons! Lyle! They're wiring up a quantum explosive to the reactor!"

[jla_legion]

Sprock! No time to regroup, then. He looks around the room and realizes the guy's already gone. Wow. How'd he do that?

I'm guessing, since you're already on your way, that you'd know how to disarm something like that, Lyle? Let us know if you need a distraction. No sense taking the heat all by yourself. We can probably... He takes stock of who's left and corrects himself, We can definitely make a big enough noise up here to give you some space to operate.

He then focuses on the group gathered around him, Meanwhile, unless you guys disagree, we need to make sure the control room is secured. Imra, take a look up there and let us know what you see.

[jla_legion2]

She works to keep the clamor and alarm of all the frightened minds around her out, while keeping the group in contact. It's hard.

Ok.....there's..they're asleep? They're out, but not dreaming.

She focuses...
I think the control crew have been drugged....I think.

[jla_legion]

Rokk has a quartet of the aggressors bound up and hanging from the ceiling, so Garth levels his hands at the next thug, sparks flying...but then the guy is already doing a face-plant into the carpet.

Switching targets, he gets ready to cut loose...and Val has already taken that guy down too.

"Grife..." he remarks, hands dropping to his side as he watches Amor wipe the walls with the remaining three.

"Soooo..what kind of student did you say you were?"

[jla_legion]

OK. Those of us that are left need to head to the control room and take back navigation of this ship. I'm not sure what their end goal is, but I'm pretty sure an exploding starship, crashing into a planet's atmosphere, would make a pretty catastrophic statement.

With that, Rokk signals to the others to follow him and he begins to make his way to the bridge, "Who's with me?"

[clear_thinker]

Yeah, I should be able to disarm the explosive. If you get to the control room, though - I may be able to use a distraction to help me take out whoever they've got guarding it.

He's down the hall now, and into one of the maintenance shafts - avoiding the main elevators as he sneaks towards the engines.

[macchio_man]

Val exhales, taking a look around at the defeated assailants, before responding to Garth.

"I study martial arts of all worlds."

At Rokk's prompt, Val nods.

"Lead the way."

[jla_legion]

"Yeah. I could tell. I don't think I've ever seen anyone with moves like that."

He then looks to the young lady, "We all know what Imra can do..." Then to the Garth guy, "...and my guess is that you've got some kind of ability to control and/or project electricity?"

Rokk begins moving towards the exit, signaling the rest to accompany him as he crouches down slightly and peeks around the corner. Seeing no one, he whispers, "Between us, I think we might actually be able to save this ship, but from here on out were really going to need to work like a team."

He turns back to the group, "Let's move out. Keep us in touch, Imra."

[jla_legion2]

Imra makes her way over to the older Gentleman that seems to be the target of the assailants. His manservent is in the middle of assiting the fellow up from the floor and back into his chair.

"Hi sir." she say aloud with a concerted effort to 'sound' calm.
"We should have this all under control soon."

To the entire room.
"Please, if every one could remain CALM"

..and the cries of panic subside.

To her new friends, I've got the panic under control here. It won't last though. her fatigue can be felt across the telepathic channel she maintains with them.

[jla_legion]

"Yeah, I'm pretty much lighting in a can." Garth retorts with bravado, running along side Rokk and Val. To demonstrate he flips his hand forward and a bright arc of electricity flies forth, shorting out the doors ahead and stopping the automated lockdown they were in the process of completing

[jla_legion]

Almost imperceptibly fast, the robot fires and a diverted taser singes the shoulder of Rokk's shirt, missing his heart thanks to the intervention of his new friend.

"Sprock! They've deactivated the safety controls on that thing. It's deadly!"

He reaches out to find the metal circuits and wiring, only to be dissapointed, "Double-Sprock. The thing's made mostly of ceramics. I can slow it down, but I'm going to need you guys to take it out."

With that he reaches out and grabs the servo-motors and gear housings, warping them slightly. The deadly robot's moves slow down enough to give the team a fighting chance.

[macchio_man]

Val is silent as he twists, dodging the volley of darts with a focused expression on his face.

"They design them that way so that they're useful to control riots, even on Braal."

He's got something in his hand now - one of the tranqs. He caught it as it flew by.

"Take out the eyes, first."

Val hurls the dart back at the droid, aimed at one of it's primary sensors.

[jla_legion]

"Garth...see if you can short the thing out." Beads of sweat form on Rokk's forhead, "...and just so you guys know this thing is incredibly strong and...resisting my control."

He can feel himself struggling against the robot, it's hydraulics and servo-mechanisms pressuring him hard to relent. He can feel the struggle, but he's also impressing himself with the weight he's able to push around when he really puts his mind to it. He wonders how many on Braal ever push themselves this hard.

[jla_legion]

Garth's heart is hammering and adrenaline rushes. It's like when he and his siblings were attacked. He almost freezes, but Val and Rokk keep him moving. No way is he gonna fold in front of these guys. So he bites his tongue and the pain give him some focus.

"R..right!." he replies as he stumbles narrowly away from the next dart volley. It's targeting fortunately appears to have been compromised by Val's riposte and Rokk's power is definitely slowing it down.

Gritting his teeth he forces his focus into a tight area around the droid's head...and he surges.

*POP*the smell of ozone and burnt plastic seeps out of the automoton's head and it's body jerks suddenly. It beings swinging it's limbs in wide arcs, seeking to find targets it cannot see

[macchio_man]

"Yes."

Garth's question may have been rhetorical, but Val sees his opening, and leaps between the flailing arms of the automaton to deliver a crushing kick to an exposed panel.

[jla_legion2]

Down the service shaft Lyle goes. Even in the confines of his hidden route, he can hear and feel the tumult of the ship as it begins to drift. His technical acumen tells him that the ship's stabilizers must be off line. It's a pretty sloppy job of sabotage, an obvious one really. It's as if someone was trying to leave details on purpose. There were quicker and more efficient ways to take down a passenger liner.

He comes to a ceiling duct in the Engine room. From his vantage point, he can see a team of four busy with a black metal sphere a meter in width. They appear to be wiring it to the central reactor. Lyle's background serves to identify the device as a Khund Quantum warhead, a weapon that was banned by the UP for decades now and only found in the most disreputable black markets in the at the corners of known space.

"Get moving." barks one of the four.
He checks a datapad.

"The old man should be dead by now, so hurry up. Our ride isn't going to wait forever."