The story continues on Theev.
The dinner at the Rose Pavilion over, the party head back to the ship. Time is short and with the location of Miria Silverhand now known the party need to take advantage if they can.
Considering the approach they will take, Lady Nitrane starts looking for non-lethal weapons. Given it is the middle of the night Silent contacts Davon who agrees to provide what weaponry he can. Some time late a tranq rifle, sonic pistol and assorted flashbang and tranq grenades are delivered to the ship. Some tactics are discussed also: hit Miria first with a flashbang and then follow up with a tranq grenade. If necessary Silent can use the tranq rifle and Nitrane can use the sonic weapon.
Suiting up, everyone is wearing the advanced boarding vacc suits that have stood them in good stead so far. In addition to the non-lethal weapons the party are also carrying a variety of laser pistols, laser rifles, arc swords and the like. One can never be too careful.
Leaving before dawn they head out and arrive just before first light with the intent of performing a scouting run, with an option to proceed or back out depending on how things work out. Sparrow waits with the air/raft a kilometer or so from the known location of Miria Silverhand ready to move should the need arise.
The three remaining party members head towards the large assemblage of downed ships that makes up a warren of hiding places. They see nobody as they approach but are certain that they are being watched.
Just at the entrance to the complex jumble of ships that Miria calls home, Silent holds up a fit to halt, and a figure in battle armour appears in front of them. Turning off the advanced camouflage that helped him blend into the surroundings, the figure gestures to Silent that the target is 30 yards ahead, up one level but remain silent. The figure departs without uttering a word. The party surmise that it is one of Admiral Darokyn's men.
Slaid checks for anything that may be recording their arrival, but the darkness hinders him. Is that a small mirror up in the corner though? Or just an exposed end of a piece of metal? Wordlessly, Silent takes the lead.
Unter peeks over the lip of the ladder well and sees a very dimly lit area. Formerly staterooms they have been pulled down for scrap leaving rubbish and rubble, and some pools of dirty water. He emerges quietly and takes a position from where he can cover the door at the far end. Nitrane climbs next, taking a similarly tactical position. Then Slaid.
Crossing over from side to side to maximise fields of vision, and talking only in whispers over suit-based intercoms, the party approach the door. Silent lies prone and trains his tranq rifle on the door. Slaid take a position adjacent to a wall, readying a grenade. Nitrane takes a position just next to the door and then hits the small open button that has been recently wired in.
The door opens. Nitrane, Slaid and Unter enter silently. The corridor here is just as dark as before. There are doors this time to left and right - staterooms perhaps? And at the end another iris door which is closed. Unter takes up a prone position on the floor, training his gun on the end door. Nitrane opens the first stateroom door which Slaid covers her. The room contains only the junk left over from when the valuable contents were removed.
Lady Nitrane moves to the next door. But then...
Immediately the deafeningly loud blasts of an autocannon on full automatic fire fill the corridor as the end iris valve opens. Nitrane and Unter are hit. Slaid, around the corner, is not.
The dark corridor is filled with smoke from the firing of the gun.
Unter squeezes a shot into the smoky darkness and rolls to one side.
Nitrane's trauma kit, recently installed, injects serums into her to give her a burst of endurance. She fires the sonic pistol through the doorway, hoping to hit something.
Slaid throws a flashbang grenade, but in the darkness and smoke misjudges and it bounces halfway back to the party. Nobody is affected by it due to their suits.
Unter fires again into the darkness. No firing is coming from the autocannon. This seems odd.
Nitrane decides that while the corridor is free of high velocity lead bullets she should approach at speed. As she arrives at the door she sees in the darkness a form sitting behind the gun. The head looks up, noticing her, and the world turns white from an explosion that knocks Lady Nitrane from her feet.
Ears ringing, even in the armour, the party look in to the room. The explosion has ripped the body apart and damaged the autocannon. Belongings, bedding and rubbish have been thrown about. Assuming that this was a ruse they immediately look for other exits, and get Sparrow to fly over the Scrapyard looking to see if Miria is fleeing.
Nobody finds another exit. Slaid gathers up the possessions, trying to see if there are any recent entries on a personal computer pad. The computer contains the codes to Miria's ship, and there is a clear indication that the location to Ferrik is in the ships computer. Unter collects the body and noticing the helmet, cracks it open. People peer in. It kind of looks like Miria, but with the explosion damage it's not definitively possible to say that it's her.
With the body collected up in a sack, and all possessions gathered up, the party head out. Sparrow reports that with the gunfire and explosion there are dozens of people fleeing the scrapyard. None appear to have a silver arm, but a simple disguise like wearing a coat would hide it from sight.
Jumping down after the body sack the party splash through the cargo hangar lake, and out into the early morning daylight just as Sparrow lands the air/raft next to them. The body and possessions are thrown into a crate that was brought in case they needed to being Miria into the spaceport unseen.
The party make their way back to the ship as quickly as possible without drawing attention to themselves. There they quickly prepare to leave, but not before a small sample of tissue is sent to Davon for analysis. There is no time to ensure that it gets to the intended party though.
Nitrane heads to the medbay while Sparrow requests that the hangar doors be opened. He takes off, clipping a door on the way out. They head to orbit.
Slaid has a better look at the computer that was retrieved. As the ship heads to orbit it becomes clear that the next step has to be to get aboard Miria's ship and retrieve the jump locations from the ship's computer. A course is set to the Skull, and landing permission is granted.
Sparrow lands the ship, and while Unter is being treated in the medbay a plan of attack starts to be formed.
To be continued...
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What follows is a transcript of the video and voice recordings taken from the computer and helmet of the person suspected to be Miria Silverhand. No voice analysis has been performed on the voice recordings to determine if the voice heard is in fact that of Miria Silverhand.
Camera 1: Three figures are seen approaching. Each wears heavy armour, all identical. No insignia is visible. Each has what looks like sacks of grenades on their waists. Many guns are visible. They approach stealthily but are too arrogant to skulk or hide. One holds up a hand in a military gesture indicating a halt. Another figure emerges and seems to communicate something using military gestures. The fourth figure leaves. The original three proceed in.
Voice recording: Female: "Krud. That's Darokyn's scout. Double Krud. Looks like Darokyn's making his move". Sounds of movement, effort, as if putting on armour and dragging something heavy.
Camera 2: The three figures enter the cargo area. With military precision they split up to avoid booby traps. They meet at the foot of the ladder.
Voice recording: Heavy breathing. Sound of a medical injector. Female voice: "Darling Ferrik I hope you get this. I think they are coming for me. That imperial scumbag has found where I am. Hoping to scare them off. If not I'll take them with me. I love you."
Camera 3: One rises up the ladder and pauses for a moment. He then creeps to a position with good arcs of fire. He wields a gun. The other two rise up the ladder, One produces a strange looking pistol and the other produces a grenade and primes it. They take up positions like a well drilled unit, covering each other and preparing to enter the next door.
<FROM THIS POINT THE RECORDINGS ARE LOCATED ONLY ON HELMET COMPUTER. PERSONAL COMPUTER HAS BEEN TURNED OFF>
Voice recording: Heavy breathing. Small click - perhaps a safety being turned off and firing mechanism primed.
Helmet camera: view of closed iris valve. Head moving around. Looking at switch in hand. Looking at firing mechanism on an old rusty gun.
Voice recording: Sounds of metal scraping on the other side of the iris valce. Female voice: "Krud it" click, then very loud gunfire. Female voice yelling.
Helmet camera. Iris valve opens. Gun firing through hole as it opens. Smoke fills the corridor. Nothing can be seen clearly. Figures moving about. A flash.
Voice recording: Female" Holy Krud ... <incomprehensible>... see a damned thing... <incomprehensible> .. damned piece of shit... small bang.
Helmet camera. One figure suddenly looms out of the smoke.
Voice recording: Female: ."NOOO!" Loud explosion.
Helmet camera: <RECORDING ENDS>
Voice recording: <RECORDING ENDS>
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