The Lucky 13 chapter one

The other player left in the game was one of the remaining guards who escorted the wounded man here and the wild boy. It was the same sailor that provided the beat down to Alistair in preparation as they shaved his head. Intimidation was very much a part of the provost’s style. He was the one who believed he was holding the winning hand pointing the weapon towards the belligerent convict.


“You’re bluffing. Let’s be serious, what makes you think pointing that will stop me?" Alistair boasted.


“It only took one shot by that whore to put you here. I like those odds. Let’s see who is bluffing.”

“That shot put me closer to this” lifting his possession slightly turning her tear stained cheek with a touch of his clawed finger. “This, is what I came here for. I’m not leaving something so succulently delicious behind.”

The trained soldier cinched his weapon as he took careful aim. He was not about back down while he felt in control. Alistair in response pulled his victim in tighter pressing the stainless steel needle against her neck. With a cold stare he looked deep into the eyes of his opponent trying to get a read of intent. Would he take the shot? It was time tip his hand and see what kind of an advantage he could put from his position.



“Ever think of just letting us walk right out of here?”

Now why would I do something like that?" came the shocked reply. "There will be reinforcements here soon enough."

“Others?” Alistair laughed at the audacity of the statement, “Your brethren are on their way to the bridge to try and regain control of this ship. Sad really, they don’t even stand a chance. They are all natural killers you know?The next person to be found at your side may very well be one of the inmates I arrived with. Then where would you be?”

Through the intermittent blasts of the klaxons gunfire could be heard. It was impossible to tell which side they belonged to, only indicating that there was indeed a fight for control. Alistair could already see the uneasiness begin to wash over the man who blocked his escape. The shotgun no longer nestled tightly in position. His focus was divided; the seeds of doubt were laid. Alistair was in control.

((Okay, gotta intervene here, Alistair.))

Tyler's ears perked up after a moment, and he heard Alistair saying something about...was that food? No, wait a sec, that dude was a cannibal. He was talking about a human. Without remorse, Tyler put two rounds in Damia's back, slit her throat pulling the knife back, and drew his other gun to unload both clips into what was left of her. Dropping both clips, Tyler took the time to reload and check his knife. It was a long combat model made to cut through both flesh and barbed wire if need be. He liked it.

Tyler rolled his neck out of almost tradition at this point and looked around. No...no...no...bingo, it was coming from behind him. Now with both guns drawn and ready, Tyler turned and bolted down the corridor until he reached a door...and a very interesting situation inside. Tyler ducked under the Provist trying to stop Alistair and went prone under his legs, both guns trained on Alistair's eyes fast even though he was now upside down, "Wussup big guy? Ready to settle this shit?"

Then, to the guard, "Dude, if he comes this way, don't dick around. Open up, screw the girl. He'll just use her as a meat sheild and kill you anyway."

'And now we wait...' Tyler thought.

“Well, jungle boy here’s just gonna have to get over his trust issues then. We’re already out numbered, I’d prefer not to go in out gunned as well.” Charlie said dryly. Didn’t trust Inali with a gun? These two were either incredibly good actors, or they were really that horny. Both options annoyed her, though for different reasons, but she was inclined to vote for the later, as she held a higher opinion of her ability to read people. And Lord knew she hadn’t seen any open affection between those two considering the last time she’d seen them together he was promising her a whipping and shaved head. She tried to keep it out of her voice as best she could though, as there was no time for it, and were more important things to deal with. Besides, if those two wanted to play secret bed buddies, it wasn’t her business. Not to mention Inali and the Major were the only two sane people in their company she trust to a point. The Major, because he was predictable and had clear cut motives, and Inali, because there was no profit for her in working against those same clear cut motives.

“Glad to see that your high opinion of us hasn’t wavered any over our acquaintance Robby.” Charlie commented sarcastically with a tight smile and hard eyes at his comment that conveyed quite clearly what he thought of them. She supposed she should be grateful he wasn’t calling her prison scum, which was at least a small improvement. Still, one would think not jumping into the mutinous fray would count for something.

At the Major’s orders, she followed after to the armory, that resembled a large gun cabinet at best. Charlie was a mechanic, and so her specialties lied more with wrenches and electrical wiring than guns, but she wasn’t a complete novice either, living in a male dominated family, with boisterous brothers whose pastimes centered around holographic warfare games, and even such classics like paintball. If nothing else, she knew how to shoot, reload, and had decent aim. She took up two of the hand guns first, and shoved a few clips in her pocket, before stealing a sidelong glance at one of the shot guns. Having that much fire power behind her was tempting, but she decided against it. A gun wasn’t much good if it knocked you off your feet in the process. Good aim was one of her only advantages, and a shot gun wouldn’t accent that at all. Now a rifle, that would have been nice.

"Wussup big guy? Ready to settle this shit?"

Alistair smiled in amusement with the approach of Tyler. He couldn’t have called it any better if he had it planed. Even with the amount of firepower pointed his way the giant man remained collected, his mind rifling through scenarios and possible outcomes. There was barely a moment’s hesitation when he replied to the foolish youngster’s inquiry.

“It’s about time you showed up. I was just telling our friend here that you would be the next to show.” Don’t worry, there is no need to point that thing my way for his benefit. He already knows about the others taking the bridge.”


Tyler addressed the guard, "Dude, if he comes this way, don't dick around. Open up, screw the girl. He'll just use her as a meat shield and kill you anyway."

“Give up the act boy. Don’t you think it would have already happened by now if that was to be the case? We have been posturing like this for ten minutes waiting for you to show.”

Alistair continued to hold position, his only card tight against his chest. He really was in little position to fight after his encounter the bullet and the surgeon. What her was trying to figure out at the moment was just what the boy had to gain from all this? Revenge was sweet but it was a sure way to be air locked off the ship. How did he get his weapons? He was armed to the teeth and at that moment and at the moment a wildcard. How far was he willing to take this?

Now the bluff.

“Did you tear the guard’s throat out before you removed those snazzy pistols from his possession?” Not like you to leave survivors behind, right wild boy?”

That was all the guard needed to hear. Just why was a prisoner carrying a weapon? The burly guard took one step back pressing the shotgun into the felon’s back finger against the trigger.

“Drop the handguns scum! There’s no way a prisoner is armed under the alert. You’re part of this, I know it. Slowly now, There isn’t a hope in hell I miss from this range. Even as fast as you think you are. Just let them fall.”

“Now you’ve done it.” Alistair remarked to Tyler at the guard’s sudden revelation. “Now he’s got both of us in custody. Can you say promotion? I think it’s time you feed him the line. I’m on your side….really. I think he’ll go for it!”

Kendra had always been a light sleeper, the slightest sounds always seeming to wake her up. What she hadn’t expected was to be awoken by the ships’ alarm system, the blaring sound causing her to shoot up from her sleeping position. Her hand shot out to pull her coat from the pillow underneath her head, then going inside one of the pockets to bring out the needle previously meant for Alistair.

A crash sounded to her left, causing the young woman to cautiously move her way towards the sound. If she remembered correctly that had been where Alistair was last position but then again Bolivar could have moved him in the night. Reaching out the grab the curtain she pulled the thin material back. It appeared to Kenny that Alistair had taken a liking to the good doctor. “Scream for me. I want to them to know who’s in control. Don’t worry my dear; you are not to die yet. I have plans for you.”

The switch in the large man’s personality wasn’t really all too hard to believe, though a bit unnerving. After all, how could she fear him when she herself had another face? Unlike him though, Kendra wouldn’t let him see her true colours just yet. Keeping herself a little bit of a mystery wouldn’t bring harm to either of them, well not at the moment at least.

Where she stood the guard with the shotgun couldn’t see her, the curtain got in the way. Slowly she let go of the sheet, letting it fall back into place, as Alistair began talking to the nervous man. This was a wonderful opportunity. Alistair had the poor fool concentrated on him and Kendra knew exactly the right place to jab the sedative filled needle into the man in order to obtain the quickest reaction.

As quietly as she could, which was quite quiet in comparison to the loud alarm that was still going off, she made her way towards the guard. She kept the curtains between her and him; if he caught her it would be much more difficult to knock him out. The only problem would be the short space between the last curtain and the door. She’d have to reveal herself in order to get to him, so to make sure she wouldn’t get herself shot she’d have to be quick.

Unfortunately for her something, or rather someone, decided to roll underneath the guard at that moment. It was the wild boy, the animalistic one. At the site of him she backed herself away from the thin divider between her and the two men with guns on her new "partner".

As the three males exchanged witty comments, the pale woman listen intently. Alistair seemed to be trying to provoke the guard. Killing two birds with one stone. A small smirk pulled at her lips. Maybe there was someone she'd be able to have an intelectual conversation with. “Drop the handguns scum! There’s no way a prisoner is armed under the alert. You’re part of this, I know it. Slowly now, There isn’t a hope in hell I miss from this range. Even as fast as you think you are. Just let them fall.”

“Now you’ve done it. Now he’s got both of us in custody. Can you say promotion? I think it’s time you feed him the line. I’m on your side….really. I think he’ll go for it!” Now here was something she'd be able to work with. Someone, either the guard or animal child, was going to end up with a bullet somewhere on their person. Alistair had set them up to make one fall.

A few possible options played through her head before she made her way towards the wall. There was a slit that she could observe the situation from. There was much potential in the current situations and only a few possible scenarios that would lead to the end, an end that as far as Kendra could see was in Alistair and her own favor.

"Oh fuck you, asshole." Tyler growled. Then, slowly, he dropped his guns...well, no he didn't. He dropped one conveiniently spinning to point at the guard's boot. It missed, obviously, but hit his knee dead on. Without waiting for reaction more than losing his aim, Tyler lunged straight up and headbutted the guard in the groin. Wasn't the most effective way to bring someone down, but Tyler didn't act like an animal for nothing. Hell, he'd ripped a dude's manlyness off once, and that was the closest he'd ever been to being gay. Kept his ass from getting raped though. The look on that giant guy's face was totally worth it.

Tyler pushed off the guy's feet and came up behind him, then rose and grabbed him around the neck, effectively making him a meat sheild, "If I wanted you dead I'd have slit your throat before coming in and thrown a grenade or something to take care of that guy. Point remains, I'm on your side. Another point: you just became my meat sheild. Now shut up before I rip your spine out so you stop squirming."

When he didn't, Tyler put two in each arm, then picked up the fallen gun with his bare foot and holstered the half full one. Then, keeping his hand clawed around the guard's neck, he brought the gun up to his hand and traded off, getting a firm planting of his feet on the ground. Tyler pointed the gun over the guard's shoulder and spoke coldly, "Alistair, I'm not fucking around anymore. You die in ten seconds, max. That meat sheild won't save you, my aim is way better than that. If you want the girl to live, I'll spare your life too, but right now it's all or nothing and you have the choice. Make it."

Just in case, Tyler kicked the shotgun behind him and the guard from its fallen position. If need be, he could jump back, drop, and have it ready in two seconds flat. Just like always, just like he liked it, only three words mattered right now.

All or nothing.

“Point remains; I'm on your side.”

“He’s right, part of the mutiny? Pffft. He’s way too emotionally unbalanced to pull off a manoeuvre of such finesse. Tst, tsk you can’t fight your nature can you boy, always a screw up.”

Alistair shook his head from side to side indicating his displeasure as he spoke. It was an odd sensation not having those long fine hairs brush across as he did so. He was getting to the boy and it was time to keep up the assault. His opponent clearly wasn’t thinking straight that much was evident in his speech. Vengeance had clouded his mind and he had become fixated on Alistair as he straightened up the wounded sailor in front of him.

“Another point: you just became my meat shield.” Speaking harshly to the one person he needed to convince of his innocence. “Now shut up before I rip your spine out so you stop squirming."

Why do you think you were not included in any of our little chats lap dog? You can’t be trusted! You claim to be on this sailor’s side yet you use him as a meat shield. To what end. For me? I’m flattered.

Alistair spoke in a calm cool manner. Emotion within ran high but the only weapon he possessed at the moment was his words. He chose his words carefully, they were articulated with purpose. Not only to penetrate deep and whip the youthful whelp into frenzy but to portray to the provost just how mentally unhinged the wild thing really was.

The fight in the barracks, you were but the means to get me beside this lovely creature. To hold her close to me as I do now. I am curious where did you get those fancy guns?

"Alistair, I'm not fucking around anymore. You die in ten seconds, max. That meat shield won't save you, my aim is way better than that. If you want the girl to live, I'll spare your life too, but right now it's all or nothing and you have the choice. Make it."

The decision would be relatively easy to make given the lop-sided advantage that the boy possessed. Still, Alistair was cunning and composed enough to the very end going calculating the odds trying to determine some way he could come out on top. The option of releasing the doctor after all this work left a bitter aftertaste in his mind. It all seemed such a waste after all the careful planning. He had been bested and the wildling had proven he was in fact alpha dog.

The reluctant giant released his hostage and raised his arms up high in the air exposing his softer underbelly towards the dominant male. He opened his hand slowly releasing the IV needle he once grasped turning his barren palms outward in submission. Alistair could only watch as the traumatized physician scurried past the gun wielding obstacle and made her way through the exit. She will be remembered as the one who got away.

“The man with a plan. You seem to have an answer for everything. One question though, Aren’t you forgetting one important thing?”

“THIS!”

Kenny squealed plunging the syringe of sedative deep into the crazy convict’s thigh.

Blending into her environment had always been a handy skill of hers’. In fact, that had been the reason why Kendra had been able to accomplish so much of her “inhumane” work. No one who had entered the room to stop Alistair from capturing poor Doc. Bolivar had noticed her. It had seemed that everyone had forgotten the frail looking inmate that accompanied the giant man into the room earlier.

Adrenaline rushed through her. Alistair was proving the stupid child, placing him exactly where he wanted him and Kendra knew how to anticipate the moves. They would have been one hell of a duo if they had met before being sentenced to the ice prison.

"Alistair, I'm not fucking around anymore. You die in ten seconds, max. That meat shield won't save you, my aim is way better than that. If you want the girl to live, I'll spare your life too, but right now it's all or nothing and you have the choice. Make it."

That was it, the moment she’d been waiting for. Kendra knew what Alistair had up his sleeve. She knew how he would act towards the situation and it just excited her more. The pale woman wasn’t one for brawls, there would be no possible way for her to take on any of the men in the room, but she was good at placing a situation in her favor. Their favor to be exact.

“The man with a plan. You seem to have an answer for everything. One question though, Aren’t you forgetting one important thing?”

And there was the cue. “This!” She all but shouted. Moving as fast as her legs could take her, Kendra ran through the curtains. Time seemed to slow down as she almost slid into him. There was a main artery in the leg that would cause the sedative to work its way more quickly through Tyler’s body but the amount of time just didn’t allow her that kind of accuracy.

She felt the skin give as the needle sunk its way into the young boy’s flesh. Her thumb pressed down, releasing the liquid rapidly into his body. It felt kind of nice to once again break the barrier of skin and know that soon this person would be defenseless. Though she would have enjoyed using him as a possible test subject, it was Alistair that would ultimately determine Tyler’s fate.

Petty Officer First Class Edwin Dole gritted his teeth in pain. His crotch burned with pain, from where the little freak had headbutted him and the fingers clutching his throat or the bullets in his arms, weren't doing him any good. Then the bastard had the balls to claim being on his side. Bullshit. Just like all the other fucktards that damn dogface officer had brought aboard, the freak was running wild and murdering his shipmates. Hell, he probably killed Able Sailor Jackson to get the second of the pistols he had been carrying. White hot rage was building, overpowering the fear and uncertainty that had driven his earlier actions. He wasn't going out like this.

"Fuck you" shouted the sailor, reaching over his shoulder to grab Tyler's wrist in both ham-like hand and heaved, bringing the scrawny wild boy up and over his body. Dark patches of blood spread quickly across the somewhat white sleeves of the duty shirt, as a pain filled scream torn from his lungs The the convict's waist passed over his shoulder, the brawny sailor let go, throwing his tormentor towards the giant. At that point, the weak knee gave out in a loud snap of bones breaking, sending him to the floor. His throat burned, as those claws torn off from his windpipe, leaving bloody gouges in his skin and already purpleing bruises. For a moment, he lay there gasping, one hand on his battered throat, before wiggling around and spotting his weapon. With a shout, he kicking with his good leg and lunged for the fallen shotgun.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

“Please” said Rogers, as he picked up a box of shells and started filling the multiple pockets of his pants with ammunition. True, there were only around dozen inmates, not all of whom were idiots, verses over a hundred sailors and Provost bullyboys but they had proved to be formidable. He had to give them credit and respect enough to go in, with enough ammo to take out a force four times their size. He could, will a little editing, collect a few more inmates and this time, he’d have a few to tell them what would happen if they went against him.

“Your going in first” continued the officer, as he checked the powercell for his pulselaser, “I’ll be right behind you, in case you think it might be a good idea, to throw in with the rest of your miserable company. I plan to put these rabid dogs down, don’t think I wont do the same to you, if you catch the same sickness. Hell, you might even consider it a favor.”

A savage grin spread over his face, like that of a predator keep to long from the hunt. He was finally going to see a little action and on one of the worst days of his life, too boot. Not one to chain that beast, he caressed the grip of the shotgun, and took off for the bow of the vessel, where the bridge was located. He didn’t slow down, until he reached crude barricade where the sailors and provosts where gathered. In the corridor before them, lay five bodies, thickening blood from their wounds making the deck slippery.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Behind the FMS Triumph, in the twisting vortex of beamspace left by the old warrior, three slight and slim craft began to close on her. They were Ternakian commerce raiders, not heavily armed and would have been unable to go up against even the old destroyer but that wasn’t what they were made for. Each had a special airlock attached to the bow, which would lock on the hull of a vessel and cut a hole into it. They were also packed with between fifty and seventy warriors, ready to slaughter humans.

What a fortunate change in circumstances! He was fully counting on Kenny’s interaction in the situation. What he had not anticipated was the amount of fight still left within the sailor as the savage mutt was tossed his way. Alistair reacted quickly to his newly found favor lunging forward in an attempt to pin the drugged victim as he rolled across the floor. He had to act quickly, there was little chance Tyler wouldn’t put up a fight until his last breath.

“Send me those shackles.” He bellowed immediately forcing his weight down upon the prone target while removing the boy’s weapons with his free hand. The drugs were fast acting and would make the task much easier, but he wasn’t leaving anything to chance. This flea bitten dog had more lives than a cat. The calculating cannibal wanted nothing more than to finish this dispute right here once and for all. Alistair noted how easy it would be just to plunge the serrated knife he now held into the base of the mutt’s skull. To take the life in such a manner would make him no better than the pissant who was determined to claim his.

“Fuck you” the giant spat grinding his teeth in disgust as he tossed the combat knife to the corner “As much as I relish the thought I won’t stoop to your level.”

It was at that point he heard the jingle of the restraints as they slid across the floor coming to rest near his. Grabbing the irons he went to work securing the restraints into place. Looking up from his work, Alistair was greeted with a weak bloodied smirk from the provost that had opposed him. The battered sailor still clutched the shotgun within his hand although he no longer pointed it his way.

“It wasn’t supposed to go like this you know.” Alistair replied with a smile of his own.

“I know…” came the weak response. “…I know.”

“Of course, ever the gentlemen.” Charlie said with a sneering smile. Had she joined up with the merry little band of rapists and murderers on their mutinous campaign? No, she’d risked her ass, sneak out behind them, and quite possible saved his. If she hadn’t gotten there and warned him first, who was to say one of those crazy freaks wouldn’t have come in and shot his room up while he was sound asleep after a rousing night of booty call? Oh yeah, and she was the one with the moral issues? Ha!

“If I’d wanted to kill you, I could have easily done so when I’d come to warn you all hell was about to break loose. And here you are, alive, so shut up, get your panties out of a bunch, and focus on the ones with guns pointed at you. You’re supposed to be the one with the brilliant, federation trained, military mind, if you’re watching two places at once in combat, you’re gonna get shot.” She said with acid and shoved the clip in more aggressively than necessary. She was tired of his ‘so superior than thou’ bravado he’d been oozing off since the moment they’d met, and if he said one more thinly veiled comment that called her scum, trash, or expendable, she was pretty sure she was going to deck him; commander or not. She was majorly pissed off as she headed (in front) to the bow of the vessel. She’d never killed anyone in her entire life, never even shot someone with a real gun, but she knew two tag team rapists, whom had made in no unclear terms they thought she was going to be next. She might not enjoy the idea of killing, but she was pissed off enough right now she’d enjoy shooting those twisted bastards in the legs and watch them be the ones in pain for once.

Alistair squatted trying to get a read on the soldier. He had lost an enormous amount of blood and by the grimace upon his face he was in a great deal of pain to boot. The giant man could relate as the added amount of pressure placed upon the wound was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable once again. It wasn’t until Kenny came over and pried the shotgun from the sailor’s weakened grasp did he breath a sigh of relief.

“See what you can do for his pain Kenny. Then, gather a few essentials you figure will come in handy while I tie up the loose ends over here. We’ve got to get moving, this put me behind schedule. Places to be, things to do.”

Methodically Alistair gathered the discarded weapons from the comatose felon. The belt and holsters were hastily removed while he held the recovered blade against the base of the kid’s skull once more. He had half a mind to leave the kid butt ass naked in the middle of the infirmary in return for his troubles. Even the few remaining clips he found were added to collection as they prepared to move towards their next destination. He turned to the slumping guard as he approached the door

“I would leave you with a firearm to protect yourself but chances are you would pass out long before the kid awakes. That would only arm the little bastard once again to carry out his revenge. I hope you understand. I think your guest will be far more interested in catching up with me to take any further interest in you anyways. Give my regards to the Major if you should see him.”

With that the gangly giant and the frail young toothpick that had aided him left the small operating room. The door was pulled shut and tied off tightly to prevent an easy escape from the inside. As an added measure to buy the pair some time he piled as much equipment as possible in front of the door before preparing his final countermeasure. He would never have considered its use until he had questioned the skillful biological doctor stashing a portable tank with the other items she collected. Covering his mouth and nose with a wet rag he quickly cracked the valve of any canister he could find on his way to the infirmary exit. Once safely at the door he closed it behind. The combination of pure oxygen, chlorophorm, and various other gases would provide a hostile environment to anyone who wished to navigate through it.

The two unlikey partners were ready to carry out their pursuit of freedom.

For reason that were probably perfectly rational and reasonable sending the feral boy off on his own just didn't sound like a good idea to Inali. Her opinion wouldn't be taken into account though, and they didn't have time to listen to her reasoning. It was a better idea to keep quiet. If the kid wound up doing more harm than good then her point was proven without having to be vocalized.

As she followed the Major Inali's heart fluttered. Not do to some silly girlish emotion or attachment, though for any other woman this could have been an acceptable reason. No, her heart was doing back-flips because she knew she was about to get her hands on one of her favorite things in the whole wide universe. A gun. Her view on that day kept switching, for once again her mood was being improved exponentially by yet another vice.

It didn't matter to Inali what kind of gun they had. Hell, the damned thing could have shot out rubber bullets and been coated in faux fur. The the fact of the matter remained that it was a gun, and thus she'd take an immediate liking to it. As anticipated, the little closet of sorts didn't seem to house any snipers. This made sense, there wasn't much room in the ship to be a decent sniper, but she would have enjoyed trying. Shoving a few clips into her bra Inali didn't waste time in her selection and instead followed Charlie and the Major.

Upon having her weapon Inali's ability to make bratty comments seemed to leave her body. Commands, once more, sounded like they were underwater, and the world slowed down. More than happy to let the Major and Charlie take the lead Inali stayed behind, her gun in hand, making deliberate and slow movements behind them. The enemy would be distracted by the pair, giving Inali perfect leverage. Staying behind also allowed Inali to see how the two fought.

“Something tells me now isn't the time for sass.” Inali said flatly, her voice in a near monotone as she almost materialized behind the pair. Her eyes swept over the five dead bodies, her nose scrunching up at the smell slightly but other than that there was no significant reaction. “Supposed to be dead?” Inali asked, her sentences shortened in order to save time as she motioned to the corpses with her gun. If she wasn't already in “combat mode” she'd have gone over to inspect them. However, she didn't want to give up her place at the back of the group. Unconsciously she cast a glance behind her shoulder, a sort of paranoia setting in.

"Think so" said Rogers, answering Inali's question, as he turned from shooting Charlotte a glare to peer over the barricade. He didn't have much use for her claims on what he could and couldn't do. He was an officer in the army, he was suppose to watch two places at once in combat. The enemy was to be watched of course but he also needed to watch those under his command, so that he could order them to a better spot or make sure they don't do anything stupid, like firing on civilians. Oh sure, he could leave watching the troops to the sergeants but he'd rather do it himself. Made lying to his superiors easier, should something go wrong.

Out in the corridor, one of the bodies stirred and moaned. The naval rating, one of the first to arrive at command of the alarms, tried to get on his knees. One of the space squids leaped out to drag his shipmate away, as a Lieutenant ordered him to get back and grabbed the wounded man under the armpits. Without warning, two shots rang out from the busted hatchway, spraying both men with number 2 buckshot. The wounded and now dead man slumped down to the deck, new wounds first spraying abut only only oozing blood. His savior was thrown back and down on the deck, clutching at his face and neck, a horrid gurgling coming from his ruined throat. Now the dead numbered six, not including those on the bridge.

"Fuck" spat Robert.

Suddenly the ship lurched wildly, throwing everyone off their feet and down onto to the metal deck plating. A shotgun went off but luckily it was pointed up and any friendly fire casualties were spared. As the shaking and shudders started to wan, the ship lurched again, like it was being struck by a hammer. Then came the crazed vibrations came a third time. Like leeches attaching themselves to a host, the Tanakian vessels had stabbed those special airlocks into the hull of the FMS Triumph and were now cutting their way inside. A new alarm started to sound, as the sailors and Provosts outside of the bridge got to their feet. The ships computers had figured out what was going on and were now rattling off decks in the bow, midsection and aft of the vessel.

'What do we do" cried the naval Lieutenant, his face a mix of anger, fear and confusion.

"We take that bridge" shouted Rogers, "Have your men us their pistols to lay down covering fire into the hatch."

"Yes Sir"

Tyler lay on the floor, annoyed as hell. He opened his eyes, maneuvered his hand to reach his wrist, then pulled out a small reinforcement wire in one of his new wristbands and picked the locks on the shackles keeping his hands down. Working quickly, he shook them off after a few minutes and stood, then walked over to the guard and promtly kicked him in the groin so hard the organs there exploded inside the skin. Without hesitation or remorse, Tyler retrieved the knife Alistair had thrown and came back. He then planted the blade in the guard's chest, not where it would kill him, but where it would hurt like hell. To make sure his words got through, Tyler jammed his thumb into the man's throat so no air could escape, "You brought this upon yourself, asshole. I fucking had him, and you forced him away from me. Not saying you deserve this. But hey, life's a bitch when you piss me off."

Still like something inhuman, Tyler drew the blade up and dissembowled the man, still keeping his thumb on his throat so the bastard died quietly. Standing and stretching, he reached down and stabbed the spot where the bitch stuck him with the needle. A mix of scar tissue from an old cut and Tyler's last second twist to avoid it getting too deep kept him from just lying down. If Alistair had decided to kill him, he'd just have reached up and tore his fucking throat out. Even so, the liquid needed to be purged, and excess blood flow would do just that.

Tyler felt the pain full force, but it barely fased him. It normally never did anyway.

When Tyler made it to the next armory, about sixty feet in the opposite direction of Alistair's course, he felt the impacts. Thankfully, he knew how to stay low and stable so he didn't lose much. Tyler knew those bangs, though. He knew what they meant. Halfway through his trip to the last prison his escort was attacked by pirates who used similar devices. This was a boarding party, a well trained one too.

Tyler stocked up on pistol ammo and two of the weapons, along with a shotgun just in case and a concussive grenade to keep things from going all to hell. He only had two full reloads for the shotgun, but that was just a last ditch effort. Tyler slung the large, unweildy weapon over his shoulder and took off down the hallway towards where he felt the nearest impact. It'd been a longtime skill of his to feel a lot through his feet. At this point, he could feel the vibrations of a small dog on solid ground. The metallic, conductive nature of the ship just doubled, if not more, his ability to sense things.

As he rounded a corner, he saw it: cutting torches burning through the hull, in a roughly human/Tarnakian shaped hole. 'Well,' Tyler thought, 'no time to be dickin' around. My guess is that they have fifty plus, otherwise they'd never take on a battleship no matter how old it is. If they're smart, it'll be a hundred plus per. But wait...no, I don't know a single ship big enough to avoid all defenses and get through like that, especially this close to a hard point. For something like this...I'm guessing sixty-ish, give or take about five. Okay, plan time. Could throw the 'nade, but that would just stun them. I don't have enough ammo to take on a whole freaking platoon of these things, especially if they ARE that tough...oh, now that's evil...I like it.'

Tyler broke off and found the nearest crew quarters, then ran inside, thankfully empty, and started snooping around. He found his target in about thirty seconds: an old bottle of moonshine. It was even in a glass container. Tyler ripped a piece of his shirt off and shoved one end into the bottle, then closed it and tied the cap with string from a shoelace. That done, he pulled out a bullet and yanked off the lead, then shoved the other end of the cloth into it, though there was not much. Before doing more work, he ran back to the almost finished cut.

Tyler smiled, then brought up his combat knife and stabbed the cap on the bullet. The gunpowder flared and the cloth lit. "Okay ladies," Tyler growled, holding it up to throw with his right hand and the barrel of his shotgun with the left, "Time to burn."

((Sorry I couldn't post earlier. Had a funneral to go to. But damn guys, give me a chance to post before you godmod. Just so we're clear, I'm not starting shit again. That's just pointless I'm sure. Still, at least I didn't godmod back this time -_- ))

Time crept by at a sloth like pace. This was the way things usually went when Inali found herself in some sort of dangerous situation. She could only suppose this was her mind's way of helping her cope. However, it didn't help that her body moved at the same snail like pace as the rest of the world. The gunshots that sounded in the other hall were simply slow but purposeful thuds that left a piercing ring in her ears. She was forgetting something, but what?

The ship shifted, and with a horrible force knocked her and the other down. Inali's body crashed against the wall, and for a moment she slid a length down. She could have sworn she'd heard another gunshot, but seeing as she wasn't the one being shot, she hadn't paid it much mind. Absently her thumb rubbed against her gun. She was forgetting something, something important. Her head throbbed as she rummaged through her memory.

”We take that bridge.”

Inali heard the Major shout. She wasn't sure what else he'd said, or what had been asked before that. However, it most certainly helped spark her memory. The bridge! Of course! That fucking bridge!

Alistair was going to take the bridge, this was probably his doing. While he may have been safe and sound in the hospital wing, she was more than sure that if they failed, he'd get up to actively pursue his plan B. And, from the looks of things, the bridge might not be able to be held. Inali cursed under breath and pushed herself into a standing position. She didn't like the idea of turning back on Alistair again, it left a bad taste in her mouth. However, with the imposing threat of enemy ships it was the right thing to do.

Damn the right thing. It was getting to be quite annoying. If she continued on being such a goody goody the behavior was going to stick.

“Major!” Inali grabbed the man's shirt, yanking him around to face her for a minute. “There's something, about Alistair.” For a moment her knees became weak, she felt as if she couldn't speak and her tongue swelled. The idea of ratting out Alistair made her feel queasy, and for a moment she wanted to turn back and run. To find her friend and help him with his plan, if it could be executed properly she wouldn't have to deal with the Major. He'd most likely be dead or mortally wounded. And it wasn't like the government would hate her any more than they already did. However, a resilient grumbling in the back of her head told her to do otherwise, an she reluctantly followed the orders of the voice that sounded so very far away.

“He plans on blowing this ship up if he can't take the bridge. And, from the looks of things, this fucker is going to go up in flames.”



"That stuttering retard" Rogers half said half asked, staring at Inali for a long second, as the wheels in his head turned. At first, he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that the simple minded baboon, was behind the attempt to take over the ship. It was more far more likely, that the little weasel he had picked out was the mastermind. Then again, she had proved to be intelligent, so why would she try to pin this on someone that wasn't capable of pulling this kinda job off, unless it was the truth?

Second, he wanted to know just how she knew that and that sneaking feeling that she had been sent to kill him that evening, returned. Was his life spared only because she had taken a few sips of his beloved Jungle Bite and gotten horny? If so, then that was one damn fine escape from the judgment of eternity. However, those wheels ground to a halt, as they trued to work out how telling him of the plan was a way to see him dead. Now was not the time to puzzle this out, now was the time to stop that bastard he had underestimated.

"Lieutenant" called Robert, turning away from the convict and grabbing the naval officer, "Change in plans. Have your sailors lay down covering fire and my Provosts sneak up to the door. Once they had at least ten men ready, stop firing and they'll storm the bridge."

"Where are you going" demanded the younger man, fear in his eyes.

"To take keep this old boat in one piece" growled the army officer, "Inali and Charlotte, your still with me. I doubt he's suicidal, so the son of a bitch will need a way off the ship. The escape pods will be locked, unless the computer picks up an overload or the bridge orders an evac, so he'll need the damn transport. Come on, we're heading for the hanger."

Fuming, he turned his back to the barricade, blocking out the sound of gunfire and started running down the passageway again. His hands gripped the stock of the shotgun, in the same manner in which he wanted to grip Alistair's neck. His rage was blinding, blotting out everything. He couldn't tell if his two female convicts were following or simply disappeared into the vastness of the ship's interior. Hell, he didn't notice the huge humanoid shape that suddenly appeared before him, until it was already swinging the blade on it's weapon at him.

It was luck and outdated equipment that saved Rogers from a upward swing, that would have opened him from groin to chest. As he brought the shotgun down to block the strike, the gravity generator went offline. The blow that would have cut through weapon and welder, instead flung the muscled human up and away, until his head struck the ceiling. The large Tanakian was overbalanced by the strike and in the now zero gravity environment, was sent slowly spinning head over heels, howling in a harsh tongue.

As his head smashed against metal, the Major's vision was filled with a hundred starbusts. The shotgun went flying from his hands, barrel bent and useless. Behind the spinning foe, four more of the alien boarders struggled to gain a stable position and bring their weapons to bare.

They had been making good time and had almost made it to the hangar bay when a violent tremor shook the vessel as if they had stuck something midflight. The shock of the impact was enough to send Alistair stumbling against the wall as he fought to keep his legs under him. At that point he was more determined on keeping his bearings and temporarily lost track of the much smaller companion that had traversed the hallways by his side. Shortly after the impact a secondary set of sirens began to wail in protest. This was not good at all Alistair thought pushing forward despite the temporary setback. Reaching the doorway he peered into the vast open space of the hangar deck and spotted his target.


”There” he assured his running mate pointing towards the shuttle they had arrived in hours before. “That’s our ticket out of here.”

He had no sooner uttered the words and was about to make his move when he noticed it. Hot sparks of molten dropping from the ceiling of the hangar had caught his attention.It seemed someone was attempting to board the HSM Triumph and using a plasma cutter to gain access to this montrous can of sardines. A large chunk of metal plate crashed to the deck as several large armored warriors began to pour through the rough opening. He could only assume they were Tarnakians, the ugly sons of bitches the Major had thrown up on the holo-projector as he was tussling with the wildling. He would love to have known more about them, the Major’s speech would have been a tremendous help there. Shame he had a much different agenda to accomplish. He wasn’t counting on this change in dynamics. Yet another complication, the shuttle was his only way off this death trap and he had no choice but to push forward. He was running out of time.

“SHIT! Alistair cursed as the alien menace spilled forth.

He had barely got the words out of his mouth when his orientation shifted once again. His feet were no longer firmly planted upon the decking as he now found himself floating weightless above it. The alien invaders that had found their way aboard seemed to be experiencing a similar encounter with the change in gravity, fighting hard to achieve their balance in the unfamiliar environment. Firing a weapon accurately would be nearly impossible under the current circumstances. The recoil from any weapon’s fire would only prove to compound the problem.

“Kenny, We’ve got to get to that shuttle before any of those ugly bastards get their bearings. That, and the fact the other cons on the bridge are going to blow the ship if they think they will loose it, doesn't give us much time. I don’t like the odds but if we make it to that ramp our chances for survival increase drastically. We’re dead if we just sit here!”

With the animal child out of the way the next activity on their checklist was so get off the godforsaken ship. The duo was making their way down the hall when the ship gave a violent shake. Seeing as how a giant like Alistair couldn't keep his balance from the impact, it was no surprise that the frail biologist ended flat on her butt. The sirens went off seconds later.

Kendra didn't have much time before her companion began making his way down the hallway once more. Ignoring the slight pain her rear end was giving her in protest, she started at a run just to stay in pace with the larger man.

"There, that's out ticket out of here." The cannibal announced. His hand was pointing to one of the smaller shuttles, the ones used for emergency evacuations.

Before she could make her way towards the small craft she noticed that Alistair's attention was focused on something else. Something, or someone, was trying to cut a doorway through the thick metal of the ship's hull. When the entrance was finished, a chunk of metal fell, and not even a minute later the ugly form of a Tarnakian made it's way through. It was quite different seeing the creatures in person rather than in pictures. A bit of adrenaline coursed through her. If she was able to capture one of them then she could study their aging process, their internal structure, their way of repairing their bodies, the possibilities just went on and on. Taking a deep breath it took her a bit to realise that the current situation was neither the time nor the place for such thoughts.

And then floating. It was one of those times when you realise that you should have appreciated something more. Well, for Kenny that thing would be the gravity. Floating was not as much fun as children believe it to be. In fact, it was horrible. Moving would be a problem and to stay in place she had to anchor herself down. On the plus side the Tarnakians seemed to be having the same type of problem, so their weapons wouldn't cause the two much anxiety.

“Kenny, We’ve got to get to that shuttle before any of those ugly bastards get their bearings. That, and the fact the other cons on the bridge are going to blow the ship if they think they will loose it, doesn't give us much time. I don’t like the odds but if we make it to that ramp our chances for survival increase drastically. We’re dead if we just sit here!”

"Well I'm not a fan of dying Alistair so I think we should move our asses and get to that damned ramp." There was no way in heaven or hell that the young woman would stand around and wait for death. Hell, if it came down to it she would abandon her current companion and go the distance by herself if any trouble arose.

Inali watched as the Major cast her a scrutinizing gaze. It was clear that he was wondering whether or not she was telling the truth. Inali didn’t blame him. If she were him she wouldn’t been too keen on trusting herself either. Inali’s brow furrowed. That thought sounded rather awkward. No matter, she didn’t have time to think of the sentence structure of her inner most thoughts.

After the exchange with the Lieutenant the Major had made it clear that she and Charlie were still going along with him, and she didn’t waste time standing around and instead followed him. She didn’t make haste to run too fast. She didn’t need to, she had a gun; A long range weapon. She didn’t need to be anywhere close to her target so long as they were in her range. Habitually she made a habit of lagging behind if only slightly.
Sometimes, the brain registers things long before the body does. Other times the body registers things before the brain can get a real grasp on it. Unfortunately, the latter was not true in Inali’s case as she saw the Tarnakian coming up. She wanted to yell out and warn the Major, but it had taken her long enough to force her body to halt let alone make a sound. She managed to let out a bit of a yell, but it didn’t sound so much like a warning as it did a yelp of surprise.

She had attempted to raise her weapon at the creature and try to send a bullet flying to its head. Inali at least had put in the effort, however, when the gravity switched off the shot and its target both flew very much off course. Inali, being light in both weight and mass, was sent floating upwards whilst trying to keep a grip on her gun which seemed intent on escaping her grip.

“Oh course the fucking gravity gets turned off!” She snarled in frustration, attempting to keep herself from doing a summersault of sorts in zero-G. “Because that isn’t unconvincing in any way.” The previous statement was muttered under her breath as she managed to push herself closer to the floor with the help of a wall. In the event that the gravity got turned back on Inali sure as hell didn’t want to be floating feet above the ground. Sure, zero-G is all fun and games till someone breaks a rib.

Rogers floated near the ceiling, trying to get his vision focus. His head felt worse then the time he had drunk two whole bottles of Jungle Bite (he was damn lucky the stuff hadn't killed him and doubly lucky he had been drinking with a platoon medic) and also they couldn't see it, the hair on the back of his head was sticky with blood. The foe had landed a good blow, might have even (more then likely) given him a concussion, as he couldn't remember smashing the back of his skull against the metal bowels of the ship. Closing his eyes and shaking his head several times seemed to help the problem, that was until he reopened his eyes.

Down below, one of the Tanakians was pointing a weapon at him. The hulking humanoid had ripped a panel from the wall and was holding onto an insulated conduit, while hefting the carbine at the floating male human (after all, its males who do the fighting. The female humans were plainly his play things. The big fella hadn't seen Inali fire her weapon because of the rather broad back of his squad leader). With what might have been a grin, the alien pulled the trigger, sending a bright beam of green energy towards the frail human.

Robert flinched slightly, as the air crackled near his face and a hole was burned into the ceiling. His lips twisted into a snarl, as he fumbled with the laser pistol at his belt. As the weapon came free, a second shot from the alien's weapon slammed into the ceiling, on the other side of his head. Not wasting the time it would take to aim, he thumbed the power level back to full and started shooting from the hip, ignoring if his companions help or not. Searing red rained down, striking the metal panels of the corridor's deck, as often as they did the flesh or weapons of the boarders. Howls of pain reached his ears, as his shots blasted apart arm muscle or took off toes. It was lucky that pulselasers didn't have recoil, or else he would have been slammed against the ceiling more times then would have been good for his back and skull.

"Come on" shouted the Major, as the Tanakains swirled in balls of pain, only one of their number dead and that was from friendly fire. The first alien had taken a round the back of it's head, as one of the human's shots had hit the arm of another, causing it's finger to twitch, as it raised it's weapon to fire at him.

Rotating painfully slowly, Rogers aimed himself face towards the deck and pushed off the ceiling with his feet. Gripping the laser in his right hand, the left was held out to stop his nose from smashing into the floor and upon touchdown, was used like an oar to propel his body down the corridor, like his was some sort of Terran otter swimming in a river.