The Intrepid: Episode 1 (Pilot) The Walls Have Eyes!

[Universe]

“Alpha scan the pipe”

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

"Ugh, still?" the orca huffed, peering over the three of them towards about where the horse and the broken into container was, the equine occasionally dipping around a container in his mad attempt to pull open the panel on the wall.

"What about the other wolf?" the bull asked, "we know the sergeant left, but what about the other fella that was standing here when we arrived? He said he would wait here for you three."

"We actually didn't see where that other wolf went."

Dorian scratched his head. Multiple possibilities went through his head... he knew he might need to act on one.

"Strange thing, I don't know if I even got his name when I asked."

Dorian looked at Heep.

"Heep, I just had a thought. Before Startail gets too much into his search, maybe we should ask him about the wolf. As in, behavior from before we arrived."

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

"We actually didn't see where that other wolf went."

Dorian scratched his head. Multiple possibilities went through his head... he knew he might need to act on one.

"Strange thing, I don't know if I even got his name when I asked."

Dorian looked at Heep.

"Heep, I just had a thought. Before Startail gets too much into his search, maybe we should ask him about the wolf. As in, behavior from before we arrived."

Heep shrugs.
"I don't think he was up to anything, if that's what you mean. He probably just got sent elsewhere when security arrived."
The wolf probably just got sent off to other work when security arrived. Seeing as that traitor officer tried to send them off, it's most likely he said the same to the wolf.

 

[Silverthunder]

The horrible screech rang in Marius's ears and was strong enough to make his brain vibrate.

"Okay! Alright!" his voice cracked. "That's cool! I'm out!"

The shifting, straining cables provided an opportunity to untangle himself for the most part and he weighed his options.
If he returned to the deck, he would lose Mambi's trail in the bowels of the ship, and risked being locked up again. Who would believe him? No, he would have to make his way back up to the service tunnels and hope for the best.

As soon as Marius climbed back up into the vent the cables holding the infected monster to the wall snapped! Part of the panels ripped off the wall, some trailing behind it as it charged madly at the duck, reaching through to grab him but missing by mere inches!

It roared in frustration, trying to squeeze its bulky upgraded construction frame through the small tunnel. Realizing it was a futile attempt the beast began trying to rip the metal parts away with disturbing speed and destructive efficiency! Maybe he wasn't so safe in the vent after all...

Regardless, Marius had a head start, and it would take time for it to do enough damage to make it through, and even then, it might have further difficulty getting through the narrow tunnels.

The tunnel behind him as he crawled became eerily silent... as the beast went quiet...

Just a little bit further, and he could see a red blinking glow up ahead, followed by the faint sound of whispers.

 

[Silverthunder]

"We actually didn't see where that other wolf went."

Dorian scratched his head. Multiple possibilities went through his head... he knew he might need to act on one.

"Strange thing, I don't know if I even got his name when I asked."

Dorian looked at Heep.

"Heep, I just had a thought. Before Startail gets too much into his search, maybe we should ask him about the wolf. As in, behavior from before we arrived."

Heep shrugs.
"I don't think he was up to anything, if that's what you mean. He probably just got sent elsewhere when security arrived."
The wolf probably just got sent off to other work when security arrived. Seeing as that traitor officer tried to send them off, it's most likely he said the same to the wolf.

Dorian was right... the wolf had never actually given his name when asked, he virtually ignored the question in his aloof demeanor. It wasn't entirely unlike Heep's own way of displaying his thoughts and feelings. Must have been a cultural thing.

"Maybe... you're probably right. The sergeant probably ordered him back to his section or something when he left," the bull agreed with Heep.

"Rikiti not get name either," the rat confirmed, "he here before me me."

The orca was coming back, a disheartened and defeated Startail in front of him as he escorted the horse along. He joined the group, albeit meekly.

"Should I write this fella up for vandalism? He was using a fire extinguisher to smash a panel on the wall..." the whale said, glaring at the horse.

"Sorry..." Startail replied quietly, "and... I don't know the wolf's name either. He got here before me, but I reported the malfunction... I didn't get his name."

 

[Silverthunder]

“Alpha scan the pipe”

The pipe wasn't supposed to be an access tunnel, especially not under the brig. Part of it was expanded and re-arranged as the attackers burrowed their way through the ship, careful not to actually damage the electronic or critical components. It snaked beneath the deck, disappearing towards the more mid section of the ship towards some of the cargo areas.

By that point, the two officers had hopped in, crawling along to follow the path while a few others were getting ahold of a police drone bot to follow them just in case, and others were scrambling to find out where other entry points might be in the tunnel to search it further, at the behest of Black Fang.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Dorian was right... the wolf had never actually given his name when asked, he virtually ignored the question in his aloof demeanor. It wasn't entirely unlike Heep's own way of displaying his thoughts and feelings. Must have been a cultural thing.

"Maybe... you're probably right. The sergeant probably ordered him back to his section or something when he left," the bull agreed with Heep.

"Rikiti not get name either," the rat confirmed, "he here before me me."

The orca was coming back, a disheartened and defeated Startail in front of him as he escorted the horse along. He joined the group, albeit meekly.

"Should I write this fella up for vandalism? He was using a fire extinguisher to smash a panel on the wall..." the whale said, glaring at the horse.

"Sorry..." Startail replied quietly, "and... I don't know the wolf's name either. He got here before me, but I reported the malfunction... I didn't get his name."

"When we get back to our section commander, I'll include the bit about the wolf in my report. It might wind up being nothing."

Dorian scratched his head. There wasn't that much left to this situation, but the fact of the wolf being even quieter than Heep was suddenly concerned him... was it really time to report the situation to Spit? Actually, maybe there was one more thing to address.

"One thing before we go back... I want to double-check this panel Startail was hitting, at least make sure it's going to hold up. Rikiti, Heep, if you can think of anything else we should do down here before we report, now's the time."

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

"When we get back to our section commander, I'll include the bit about the wolf in my report. It might wind up being nothing."

Dorian scratched his head. There wasn't that much left to this situation, but the fact of the wolf being even quieter than Heep was suddenly concerned him... was it really time to report the situation to Spit? Actually, maybe there was one more thing to address.

"One thing before we go back... I want to double-check this panel Startail was hitting, at least make sure it's going to hold up. Rikiti, Heep, if you can think of anything else we should do down here before we report, now's the time."

Heep shakes his head in negative. Their assigned task has been completed, and that's that. With the lockdown on, there's no chance to go around and investigate the bots or hunt that traitor officer, either.

 

[Universe]

The pipe wasn't supposed to be an access tunnel, especially not under the brig. Part of it was expanded and re-arranged as the attackers burrowed their way through the ship, careful not to actually damage the electronic or critical components. It snaked beneath the deck, disappearing towards the more mid section of the ship towards some of the cargo areas.

By that point, the two officers had hopped in, crawling along to follow the path while a few others were getting ahold of a police drone bot to follow them just in case, and others were scrambling to find out where other entry points might be in the tunnel to search it further, at the behest of Black Fang.

“Hmmm I’ve seen ship damage and this is somehow worse” *I said in celestial*

 

[Marius Merganser]

As soon as Marius climbed back up into the vent the cables holding the infected monster to the wall snapped! Part of the panels ripped off the wall, some trailing behind it as it charged madly at the duck, reaching through to grab him but missing by mere inches!

It roared in frustration, trying to squeeze its bulky upgraded construction frame through the small tunnel. Realizing it was a futile attempt the beast began trying to rip the metal parts away with disturbing speed and destructive efficiency! Maybe he wasn't so safe in the vent after all...

Regardless, Marius had a head start, and it would take time for it to do enough damage to make it through, and even then, it might have further difficulty getting through the narrow tunnels.

The tunnel behind him as he crawled became eerily silent... as the beast went quiet...

Just a little bit further, and he could see a red blinking glow up ahead, followed by the faint sound of whispers.

Marius paused to catch his breath, trying to peer through the darkness behind him, half expecting the mechanical monstrosity to burst through the floor at any second. But when nothing happened, he lowered himself onto his belly and began to shimmy his body silently along the floor like a professional spelunker. He continued to move toward the sounds, hoping to hear what the whispers were saying, but not get close enough to tip them off to his presence.

This just wasn't his day. He should have been sitting in the pilot's seat, plotting courses on state of the art navigation systems, and preparing for the historic voyage. And now he was crawling through the ship's dark innards, looking for a colleague kidnapped by robots with a hole in his uniform while a security detail was probably searching for him to throw him back in the brig.

 

[Silverthunder]

Marius paused to catch his breath, trying to peer through the darkness behind him, half expecting the mechanical monstrosity to burst through the floor at any second. But when nothing happened, he lowered himself onto his belly and began to shimmy his body silently along the floor like a professional spelunker. He continued to move toward the sounds, hoping to hear what the whispers were saying, but not get close enough to tip them off to his presence.

This just wasn't his day. He should have been sitting in the pilot's seat, plotting courses on state of the art navigation systems, and preparing for the historic voyage. And now he was crawling through the ship's dark innards, looking for a colleague kidnapped by robots with a hole in his uniform while a security detail was probably searching for him to throw him back in the brig.

"... an interrogation now?" came a quiet sultry femanen voice, arrogant and sarcastic, but amused in tone. "You shouldn't ask so many questions. All you need to know, is that I have a terminal plugged in to the ship. Once he's done, I flip a switch, and my beefy metal boy forgets everything and goes back to work. He's quite polite, no one will suspect him, not even himself."

There was a pause from the voice ahead as the red blinking light went out. "Not at all silly, no weapons. They're very strict here... but he's all I need. I hear anyone starting to catch on... that's right... now you get it. That's why he's plugged in right now... he he... I'll take care of the living side of things, don't you worry. It'll take nothing less than an armor piercing round to slow him down, and I plan to just have him strangle people in their sleep anyway. Just do your job..."

"That wasn't me! Some stupid ugly spiders got riled up when I plugged him in, probably noticed the virus. I'm done talking anyway." she finished up her conversation and quickly moved, whoever it was. Marius wasn't able to get a good look at her, but the voice was fairly distinct... less she changed it somehow, if it was in fact a she.

The sound of a hatch opening and closing squeaked from where Marius had heard the voice.

 

[Silverthunder]

"When we get back to our section commander, I'll include the bit about the wolf in my report. It might wind up being nothing."

Dorian scratched his head. There wasn't that much left to this situation, but the fact of the wolf being even quieter than Heep was suddenly concerned him... was it really time to report the situation to Spit? Actually, maybe there was one more thing to address.

"One thing before we go back... I want to double-check this panel Startail was hitting, at least make sure it's going to hold up. Rikiti, Heep, if you can think of anything else we should do down here before we report, now's the time."

Heep shakes his head in negative. Their assigned task has been completed, and that's that. With the lockdown on, there's no chance to go around and investigate the bots or hunt that traitor officer, either.

Rikiti shakes his head no as well as the officers examined their EVAs as updates flashed, they were fixed on whatever was being reported, looking quite disturbed in fact.

"Alright, go ahead..." The bull replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "We'll watch you from here, don't deviate, scan's starting now. You don't want your biosignature showing up where you're not reported to be. You can get in a lot of trouble for that."

The whale reached out and grabbed the Horse by the shoulder to stop him from following them. "Eh, not you... you don't need to check on the panel..."

 

[Silverthunder]

“Hmmm I’ve seen ship damage and this is somehow worse” *I said in celestial*

"Sir," Black Fang interjected, "let's allow our men to handle the situation. Why don't we retire to the command cneter where we can monitor the situation more appropriately."

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Rikiti shakes his head no as well as the officers examined their EVAs as updates flashed, they were fixed on whatever was being reported, looking quite disturbed in fact.

"Alright, go ahead..." The bull replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "We'll watch you from here, don't deviate, scan's starting now. You don't want your biosignature showing up where you're not reported to be. You can get in a lot of trouble for that."

The whale reached out and grabbed the Horse by the shoulder to stop him from following them. "Eh, not you... you don't need to check on the panel..."

Well, there was no arguing with that. Dorian had no plans to run off anyways.

He went to investigate the panel Startail had been smashing. How much damage had actually been done? Would this be a quick fix? Would a fix even be necessary at the moment?

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

Rikiti shakes his head no as well as the officers examined their EVAs as updates flashed, they were fixed on whatever was being reported, looking quite disturbed in fact.

"Alright, go ahead..." The bull replied, not taking his eyes off the screen. "We'll watch you from here, don't deviate, scan's starting now. You don't want your biosignature showing up where you're not reported to be. You can get in a lot of trouble for that."

The whale reached out and grabbed the Horse by the shoulder to stop him from following them. "Eh, not you... you don't need to check on the panel..."

Heep waits patiently, then realizes something. Oh, whoops.
He offers the wrench he took back to Rikiti.

 

[Universe]

"Sir," Black Fang interjected, "let's allow our men to handle the situation. Why don't we retire to the command cneter where we can monitor the situation more appropriately."

“Fine”

 

[Mambi]

The drones began going nuts again! Riling up like an anthill exploding once more, clambering over one another in a mad frenzy, chittering excitedly and pilling around Mambi, their cold, thick, and heavy metallic forms threatening to even crush him with their weight, albeit unintentionally. But, they never got that far, calming down for a brief moment as the blue screen across the open space began to flash again.

The planet popped up again, before a word accompanied it this time, "THIS" was all it said.

As they attempted to communicate, a large group arrived through one of the side tunnels up above, adding to the already significant volume of the horde. The spider bots arriving were carrying thermos sized containers in their mandibles containers with a biohazard symbol emblazoned on the top! At least two dozen mechanoids carried the potentially deadly biohazardous containers, all piling in to the space!

Ohhhh, I see...a planet...and you're delivering...ooooo...

<the cat looked at the planet in the display as his heart fell. Those canisters could only be one thing, bad news, and he was guessing pretty confidently that planet wasn't their home they were delivering it to! Obviously he wasn't going to be a part of this, but still, breathing, being alive, these things were important to him too, and those bots didn't look like the "take no for an answer" type of being. The sheer brute simplicity of the message on the screen indicated that. He had to stall for time until he had a plan! Taking a deep breath, he tries to relax a bit as he tries to distract them and buy any time any way he can>

O-ok guys, that is a very nice planet, yes! Totally lively and looks like a pretty place and kinda spiderbot free so I'm guessing it's not your home planet, eh? Looks like a nice vacation spot, so I don't know what you expect me to do here aside from give you tips on maybe a better more deserted spot to drop your stuff off at, but really now, this kitty's got a soft spot for things that scream, including and especially myself, so maybe we can...

<as the bots chatter menacingly, the cat starts to panic and tries harder> Woah there, ok, ok...clearly you know about my "little secret" so no need to play dumb. <he makes quotes with his claws in the air> B-but you gotta know that I can't just be shown a photo and say "go there", I need to know where it is...to feel it out in space in my mind...and space is huge so it takes focus, and it's really hard to focus when you're thinking you're gonna get attacked by spiderbots!!! Maybe if I chilled a bit first in my safe spiderbot-free quarters first? Yeah, after relaxing with some hot cocoa, some soothing 'nip tea, and a soak in a spa tub...I'm sure I'd be able to focus and help ya no problem!

<he giggles sheepishly as he weakly jokes> Ummm, so if one of you could direct me there, I'll get started right away. <gulp> N-nice meeting you?

 

[TrixieFox]

"Oh ha ha ha! A squierral that can't climb! Ironic! never heard that before..." the warden groused as Trixie she helped him up out of the chasm, just as Marius hurried on through the dark crawlspace, disappearing in the mazelike interior.

"Wait! Stop!" he shouted out after the bird, holding out his hand to stop him. "Gah!! You gotta be kidding me! What kind'a idiot runs after a horde of drones like that!?"

He clenched his paws into fists trying to figure out the next best course of action, but clearly he thought going back would be ideal.

Trix: I woulda gone after them too if it hadn't been that a climb less squirrel needed help... no offense

 

[Silverthunder]

Ohhhh, I see...a planet...and you're delivering...ooooo...

<the cat looked at the planet in the display as his heart fell. Those canisters could only be one thing, bad news, and he was guessing pretty confidently that planet wasn't their home they were delivering it to! Obviously he wasn't going to be a part of this, but still, breathing, being alive, these things were important to him too, and those bots didn't look like the "take no for an answer" type of being. The sheer brute simplicity of the message on the screen indicated that. He had to stall for time until he had a plan! Taking a deep breath, he tries to relax a bit as he tries to distract them and buy any time any way he can>

O-ok guys, that is a very nice planet, yes! Totally lively and looks like a pretty place and kinda spiderbot free so I'm guessing it's not your home planet, eh? Looks like a nice vacation spot, so I don't know what you expect me to do here aside from give you tips on maybe a better more deserted spot to drop your stuff off at, but really now, this kitty's got a soft spot for things that scream, including and especially myself, so maybe we can...

<as the bots chatter menacingly, the cat starts to panic and tries harder> Woah there, ok, ok...clearly you know about my "little secret" so no need to play dumb. <he makes quotes with his claws in the air> B-but you gotta know that I can't just be shown a photo and say "go there", I need to know where it is...to feel it out in space in my mind...and space is huge so it takes focus, and it's really hard to focus when you're thinking you're gonna get attacked by spiderbots!!! Maybe if I chilled a bit first in my safe spiderbot-free quarters first? Yeah, after relaxing with some hot cocoa, some soothing 'nip tea, and a soak in a spa tub...I'm sure I'd be able to focus and help ya no problem!

<he giggles sheepishly as he weakly jokes> Ummm, so if one of you could direct me there, I'll get started right away. <gulp> N-nice meeting you?

They didn't like that...

The bots exploded in a cacophonous frenzy once more, so close to accomplishing their objective, yet denied far more quickly. A bunch of them grabbed and pulled on his legs while others snapped at his arms to try and pull him to the wall, or force him to make the gesture to open one of his portals. Perhaps they weren't as coordinated as a drone swarm should be on this particular matter.

All they knew to do was to flash another planet on the screen, another barren rock by the looks of it. The word THIS flashed on the screen repeatedly once more as the chittering died down and Mambi was forced by the bots to look towards it again.

The drones carrying the biohazard containers seemed to be getting antsy as well, one even dropping theirs! Fortunately, the storage devices appeared quite sturdy.

 

[Silverthunder]

Well, there was no arguing with that. Dorian had no plans to run off anyways.

He went to investigate the panel Startail had been smashing. How much damage had actually been done? Would this be a quick fix? Would a fix even be necessary at the moment?

Heep waits patiently, then realizes something. Oh, whoops.
He offers the wrench he took back to Rikiti.

Rikiti perked up as Heep offered the wrench back, then furrowed his brow and snatched it back with a slight growl, glaring at the wolf for a brief moment as he watched Dorian examine the panel.

For whatever reason, Heep just couldn't get the unmistakable scent of the slug rabbit out of his nose though. Must have been infuriating.

The damage to the panel itself was unremarkable, something the three of them had likely seen before when an unexperienced cadet or ensign didn't know how to access a door or panel and thought it was stuck, resorting to crowbars and jacks to pry it open like a child trying to pull off a stuck lid on a jar, instead of admitting defeat and calling for an engineer to help.

"It not so bad," Rikiti concluded as he stood behind Dorian, "but how little spider bots close it behind them?"

 

[Silverthunder]

Trix: I woulda gone after them too if it hadn't been that a climb less squirrel needed help... no offense

The warden glared at her.

"Thanks for clarifying the climb-less squirrel part... so how did an officer end up in the brig of all places hu?" he said with a sarcastic smirk, climbing through the vent after her to follow. "What, you mouth off to the wrong boss, or'd you pick a fight with someone?"

 

[TrixieFox]

The warden glared at her.

"Thanks for clarifying the climb-less squirrel part... so how did an officer end up in the brig of all places hu?" he said with a sarcastic smirk, climbing through the vent after her to follow. "What, you mouth off to the wrong boss, or'd you pick a fight with someone?"

Trix: *Shrugs...* Meh... not everyone can handle my personality... but... you ask another question like that Im putting you back in that mess *she said pointing at the wire tangles* Smart alec

 

[Silverthunder]

“Fine”

The command center was of course, still buzzing with activity. In the middle of the room, the holographic display had changed, now showing a handful of tiny red dots across the ship.

"Sir, we conducted a sensor sweep, and officers have accounted for all but a few of the crew. We have some missing." She said, pointing to the display and the red dots. "These are unknown persons. There are as many missing persons as unknown individuals on the ship, we believe there are no stowaways, and no one has been killed yet."

"Killed!?" Another officer, an otter exclaimed incredulously, "Maybe use the word... terminated? Or... flatlined? Maybe cold... in this context."

"Major Senemen, by the way. Armorer, and apparently, third highest ranking officer behind you and Lieutenant Commander Fang," the otter stated. "For now that is."

Aside from that... the unaccounted for individuals for the most part simply looked like people not following directions and remaining where they should... except for a handful, of people deep in the ship's interior who showed up as unknown. Five to be exact. One alone seemed to be the furthest away.

The sensor scan also showed the rat and the synth had a long ways to go before they reached any of them.

 

[The_Happiest_Husky]

Rikiti perked up as Heep offered the wrench back, then furrowed his brow and snatched it back with a slight growl, glaring at the wolf for a brief moment as he watched Dorian examine the panel.

For whatever reason, Heep just couldn't get the unmistakable scent of the slug rabbit out of his nose though. Must have been infuriating.

The damage to the panel itself was unremarkable, something the three of them had likely seen before when an unexperienced cadet or ensign didn't know how to access a door or panel and thought it was stuck, resorting to crowbars and jacks to pry it open like a child trying to pull off a stuck lid on a jar, instead of admitting defeat and calling for an engineer to help.

"It not so bad," Rikiti concluded as he stood behind Dorian, "but how little spider bots close it behind them?"

Heh, Heep is liking this engineer more and more. A strange one, but with an entertaining attitude. Now, though, there's a scent worth investigating.
Heep steps around Dorian and sniffs the panel.
"That officer's scent is here. He could have done it."

 

[Universe]

The command center was of course, still buzzing with activity. In the middle of the room, the holographic display had changed, now showing a handful of tiny red dots across the ship.

"Sir, we conducted a sensor sweep, and officers have accounted for all but a few of the crew. We have some missing." She said, pointing to the display and the red dots. "These are unknown persons. There are as many missing persons as unknown individuals on the ship, we believe there are no stowaways, and no one has been killed yet."

"Killed!?" Another officer, an otter exclaimed incredulously, "Maybe use the word... terminated? Or... flatlined? Maybe cold... in this context."

"Major Senemen, by the way. Armorer, and apparently, third highest ranking officer behind you and Lieutenant Commander Fang," the otter stated. "For now that is."

Aside from that... the unaccounted for individuals for the most part simply looked like people not following directions and remaining where they should... except for a handful, of people deep in the ship's interior who showed up as unknown. Five to be exact. One alone seemed to be the furthest away.

The sensor scan also showed the rat and the synth had a long ways to go before they reached any of them.

“I don’t like this” *I sighed and started to fall down as my leg injury is acting up again* “ow darn leg injury”