USS Dark Fire (IC)

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1120

Major K’alena:​

“Anything that can be used? Any new tech?” The Major called out as MacPherson scanned the corridor. “If Xenobiology or The Weapons division can use it, tag it and transport it.”

Yito:​

“Cmdr, I think this subject has a secondary lifeform inside. It might be like a Trill. Both are deceased. Transport to Xenobiology?”

Reeves:​

“Captain, dual biological lifeform being transported to Xenobiology. Status deceased… safety concerns high.”

“No hostiles encountered since landing bay. Firefight heard at distance. Moving in that direction to provided rescue and recovery.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Lt. Sol & Ensign Cook​

Lt. Sol tagged the crates of weapons, and they shimmered away in a clean blue transporter beam. He turned—just in time to see Ensign Cook slap her own tag onto a cluster of ancient bottles.

They vanished.

Sol growled, low and reptilian. “Why did you do that.”

Cook gave him a wicked little smile. “I think they might be important.”

Sol didn’t dignify that with a response. He tapped his comm badge.“Major, I’m entering the damaged trader vessel. Searching for xenobiology.”

He gripped the warped outer hatch and, with casual brutality, peeled it off the hull like the lid of a stubborn can. Metal screamed. Cook winced.

“Remind me to ask you to open my stuck pickle jar,” she muttered.

Sol paused halfway through the opening. “Was that a sexual comment.”

“No… but it could be,” Cook said brightly.

“UGH.” Sol climbed inside.

The interior was dark, stale, and coated in dust. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone who had fought in worse places. At the pilot station, he stopped.

A skeletal form slumped over the controls—large, equine lower body, humanoid torso. A centaur‑like alien.

“Interesting,” Sol murmured.

“Why?” Cook asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“This may be the origin species of that pleasure world we visited.” He collected a bone sample with clinical precision. “We are finished. Return to the Major.”

Cook turned and sauntered ahead of him, hips swaying with deliberate exaggeration. She made sure he noticed.

Sol absolutely noticed.

He had no idea how to stop a human from flirting. He would need to ask Loka for guidance before this got out of hand.

Hora​

Hora stared at the bio‑samples on the display, her eyes widening.

“Ohhh for the love of dilithium crystals,” she groaned. “Dark Fire—triple containment. Level ten security field around all samples. Keep them at low temperature.”

She jabbed a finger at the console.“Then figure out the safest way to handle them. If that means loading them onto a shuttle and isolating the entire batch, recommend it. And expedite. Please.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1125

Jovovich:​

Looking at the case that appeared on the transporter pad Lt. Jovovich raised an eyebrow. “Send it to security, decon room.” he said looking over at the transporter officer. “Secure lock to my bio-signature.”

“Yes sir,” the Officer replied, fingers sliding across the controls.

Dark Fire:​

“Of Course, Captain Hora.” The ship replied as every possible containment was placed around the samples. “Scans indicate all the samples are dormant. Including the host/parasite species. Though scans indicate, at a preliminary stage, that the host and parasite are two different species. Though 31% of the parasite DNA is identical to the host.”

“My suggestion for handling the samples would be the use of Holographic medical teams, or Synthetic Sentient-machine interface unit. Either can work in a negative atmosphere environment, and there is no concern for any cross-contamination.”

“Though Dr. L’Sa may object to not being allowed to handle the samples herself.”

Reeves:​

Continuing on through the ships corridors Reeves squad headed for the sounds of fighting. Any rescues they made could gain them allies. Or enemies.

 

[milkmaiden38]

Ryn, Connor, and Mule

“The commander runs fast,” Mule mooed under his breath, careful not to let Reeves hear. His large chest rose and fell in heavy breaths as he lumbered after the executive officer.

“He’s disciplined,” Ryn said, managing to keep pace—though just barely.

“Is he still wearing his gravity boots?” Connor asked between breaths.

“I’m not asking him,” Mule replied.

“Me neither,” Connor said immediately.

“You two are chickens,” Ryn shot back.

They rounded the corner—and nearly collided with Commander Reeves, who stood waiting for them.

The passageway ahead was murky, lit only by flickering strips that cast long, trembling shadows. The walls looked ancient, pitted and scarred as if time itself had gnawed at them. The floor crunched under their boots—layers of dead insects, brittle shells, and small bones.

Connor flicked on his wrist light. The beam swept across rows of coffin‑sized boxes lining the corridor. Many were cracked open or dismantled entirely, their interiors gutted.

“What happened in this place?” Ryn murmured.

Mule lifted one thick finger and pointed toward the massive double doors at the far end of the passage.

“The fighting is in there, Commander,” he said to Reeves. “I can see the heat signatures.” He tapped the side of his head, indicating all three of his eyes. “A lot of them.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1130

Reeves:​

“Everyone drop any extra gear here, we go through that door shooting at anything that looks like a Tyranid. If there aren’t any Tyranids, shot whatever I shoot at.”

Bending down he pulled up his pant legs and tapped a button on the side of his boots. As he straightened up he flexed his legs and nearly touched the ceiling 20 feet above them.

Grabbing the doors where they came together he puled them apart with the screech of old metal. The pneumatics had failed long ago, but rust had set in years, or centuries ago.

The fighting on the other side was viscious and chaotic, multiple species were firing at each other until you paused long enough to see everyone was essentially shooting at one group of aliens, but even they were different species. But they were gathered on one side of the fight, and several Nebari and Luxan lay dead, wounded, or fighting on the otherside.

One of the big armoured people lay near the Nebari group, several massive holes blown in it’s armour.

Pushing through the opening Reeves opened fire on the ones shooting at the Nebari and Luxans, his plasma rifle making precision shots as he moved fast and deadly.

Moving through the door after the Commander Yito began firing her phaser at the bigger of the hostiles, the energy overloading it’s shields as the Commander put holes through it’s head.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Ryan, Connor, and Mule
Ryan, Connor, and Mule sprinted after Commander Reeves and Yito into the main chamber—and immediately wished they hadn’t.

Laser fire slashed through the air from every direction. The room offered almost no cover: just scorched metal flooring, shattered crates, and drifting smoke.

“Lt. Sol and that plasma cannon would be real handy right now,” Connor muttered, half complaint, half prayer. A bolt sizzled past his ear. He dove flat, minimizing his profile. His swords were useless at this range, and the phasers—well, they’d already been told those were basically flashlights against these things.

Mule slid down beside him, hooves skidding on the metal. His enormous pack thudded to the ground, and he yanked it forward like a portable barricade.

“Cover,” Mule mooed, calm as ever.

He flipped open a flap, rummaged for half a second, and produced a particle rifle the size of a small child.

“Not a plasma cannon,” Mule said, handing it over, “but it shoots far.”

“Mule, I love you,” Connor breathed, already bracing the rifle against his shoulder. He opened fire, the weapon roaring with a deep, satisfying thrum.

Ahead of them, Ryn advanced like a storm given legs. His Jedi lightsaber spun in tight, disciplined arcs, deflecting incoming fire with crackling bursts of light. Every enemy in the room focused on him—exactly what he wanted—giving Reeves and Yito the opening they needed to maneuver along the flank.

Mule wasn’t idle either. He dug into another pouch, pulled out a squat metal cylinder, and lobbed it with surprising grace.

“Nitrogen grenade!” he warned.

The device hit the ground, bounced once, and detonated with a sharp crack. A wave of super‑cold vapor blasted outward, flash‑freezing everything in a fifteen‑foot radius. Creatures, weapons, and even the floor itself crystallized in an instant.

Connor whistled.“Remind me never to piss you off.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1135

Reeves:​

Bolts of green, purple, and blue flashed from the hostiles weapons as the crew of the Dark Fire and Kaela Mensha returned fire with deadly accuracy. Unlike the Dark Fire crew however Kaela Mensha didn’t take cover and hide behind crates or bodies. A shimmering covered its form with each and every blast of energy that hit it.

The weapon it carried screamed with energy discharge with every blast, ripping through the hostiles not with pinpoint accuracy but more like a massive energy shotgun. A heavy burst ripped through one of the heavier hostiles, leaving a hole that was filled with writhing worms for a moment before it fell to the ground, the worms separating as they died.

“What the fuck is that?” Reeves exclaimed as he maintained a steady barrage of shots on the frozen hostiles, dropping them with ease before moving to harder targets.

“Mgalekgolo,” Kaela Mensha replied. “They are part of the Covenant of the way to the path of Enlightenment and Truth.”

“We call them the Covenant,” it replied. “Religious fanatics.”

“Great, just what we need.” Reeves sighed dropping another Covenant. “Religious nuts.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Connor could feel the tide turning. The possessed aliens were faltering, falling back under the combined fire of his team and Commander Reeves and the regular aliens. Victory was finally within reach—

—until the door behind him screeched like metal being peeled open by claws.

He spun. Crawling out from between those strange, humming crates came more of the frantic.

“BEHIND US!” Connor shouted, pivoting and opening fire. Each blast snapped a possessed alien into a collapsing marionette of limbs and tendrils.

Mule sucked in a breath. “We’re surrounded!”

“No, really—they’re just in front of us and behind us,” Connor joked, blasting another one apart.

Mule hurled a nitrogen grenade over Connor’s shoulder. It detonated with a thunderous crack, freezing the newcomers mid‑lunge. But as Mule turned back toward the main fight, a laser bolt slammed into his torso.

He dropped instantly, a smoking hole where none should ever be. Blood spread across the deck in a dark, widening pool.

“NEED HELP HERE!” Connor yelled, voice cracking.

Ryn didn’t even turn. He reached out with the Force. An emergency med‑seal kit ripped itself from his belt and flew to Mule’s side. In seconds, a thick, shimmering gel spread across the wound, sealing it and stopping the bleeding.

At the same time, Ryn’s lightsaber whirled into a defensive arc, deflecting incoming fire as he backed toward Connor and the fallen Mule.

“Emergency medical transport?” Ryn asked, breath tight.

“Transporter can’t get a lock—we wait until the battle’s done,” Connor said, bracing himself.

An alien burst through the iced‑over doorway. Ryn stepped forward and sliced it cleanly in half.

Connor crouched over Mule, using the big guy’s oversized backpack as a shield. Laser blasts hammered into it, tearing it open and spilling gear across the deck.

“I’ve got an idea,” Connor said.

He snatched a cylindrical device from the spilled equipment and hurled it toward the breached doorway.

The roar was immediate. The device detonated with a violent whump, and the entire door was ripped off its hinges—sucked violently into the passageway beyond before the emergency bulkhead slammed shut.

Connor exhaled. “Negative pressure grenade,” he told Ryn. “Door’s closed for good.”

Ryn nodded as he turned back towards the first group of possessed aliens.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1140

Reeves:

He spared a glance over his shoulder long enough to confirm Mule’s condition before throwing a grenade and bouncing it off a wall. Not nearly as lethal or destructive as Connors it landed at the feet of one of the smaller hostiles before it detonated.

The unfortunate hostile had been carrying a full complement of grenades, the resulting multiple detonations took out the entire hostile force, setting of a chain reaction of more grenades and power packs. The crater in the thick floor was massive, and the bulkhead was also missing a decent section.

The last of the stragglers was picked off by a Luxan that blew it’s head off with an over charged shot.

“Captain, we have wounded that need medical transport, and survivors that need rescuing.” He said tapping his commbadge. Walking over to the large alien in the armour he stuck a rescue beacon on it. If this was still alive, they could use their help.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora

The report from the Commander scrolled across the armrest display—wounded, alien survivors secured. Hora exhaled through her nose.

“Dark Fire,” she said dryly, “remind Sickbay to prepare body bags every time the Commander goes on an away mission.”

A beat. Then the ship’s AI replied with clinical earnestness:“Captain, there is no need to prepare body bags. They can be used as issued. Perhaps you meant to request fabrication of additional bags for his away missions.”

Hora blinked. “I was joking.”

“I was too,” Dark Fire said, the faintest digital snicker threading through the speakers.

Hora shook her head and refocused.“Beam the wounded to the protected facility—Dr. L’Sa via the holographic medical teams will handle treatment. Send the rescued personnel to the specially prepared cargo bay.”

The ship acknowledged, already moving faster than any human could.

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1145

Kaela Mensha:

After setting up Transporter enhancers, the injured were beamed to the Dark Fire and Kaela Mensha moved through the area, dispatching the grievously wounded with cold efficiency. One survivor was sent to the Dark Fire and would be under guard.

Perhaps they could gain information from it. Or at least be less hostile for further encounters, though Kaela Mensha indicated otherwise.

With the area cleared Reeves gave a brief analysis of the room before moving onwards. Some of the dead had been eaten. Others had exploded from the inside, their chest cavities ripped open and ribs broken.

Mule had a chance at survival, fifty-fifty perhaps. But that was know in the hands of the medical team. Moving onwards they moved into a hallway that looked like Kaela Mensha’s armour.

Pearl white and smooth as marble the hallway was illuminated from within the walls. Far brighter and more welcoming than the Dark Fires more efficient and aggressive Military design.

“Commander, the light is across several bandwidths not visible to human eyes,” Yito replied looking up from her tricorder.

“I wasn’t aware that your eyes had such limitations.” Kaela Mensha commented as it walked the passageway.

***

Ducking under the creatures claws The Major swung upwards, removing it’s head from it’s shoulders in a spray of liquid that was almost blood and definitely nasty smelling and thick.

Firing at a second creature from the hip she ripped a hole through it’s chest before she was forced to step backwards. Numerous cuts and scraps had penetrated her armour and clothing. Most definitely some were infected. The decon cycle was going to take forever if the biofilters weren’t up to date with the Tyranids.

The hallway was filled with dead tyranids and other life forms. Including several greenskins. They looked like brutish oversized orions with fangs and claws. Covered in crude armour that was bolted to their very skin, the weapons they carried were scavenged or crude hacking blades that looked more like sharpened pieces of bulkhead welded or bolted to handles.​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Major K’alena’s Team
Gunnery Sergeant McPherson dropped his opponent with brutal, almost bored efficiency. Not a cut on him. Major K’alena, by contrast, charged into the fray with her usual predatory joy—leading from the front, carving a path through the corridor.

McPherson—“Gunner” to the squad—preferred the opposite approach. He planted his boots, let the enemy come to him, and dismantled each attacker with calm, methodical precision. By the time they reached him, they were already half‑dead.

A thunderous WUMPHHHH shook the hallway as Lt. Sol fired.This time the greenskin—one of the brutish, oversized Orions with fangs and claws—was so close its breath fogged the barrel. The blast turned it into a spray of sizzling green goo that splattered across Sol’s cannon and chest.

His section of the corridor was now very, very clear.

“Gunnery Sergeant,” Sol rumbled, wiping slime off the weapon, “you fight well for a weak, human, warm‑blood.”

Ensign Cook groaned loudly behind him. She had stuck close to the big dinosaur for the last few engagements—smart, given her skill level lagged behind the others, though she fought with heart.

“Lt. Sol,” she snapped, “all humans are weak warm‑bloods by your standards. You can stop adding the insult every time you try to compliment someone.”

Sol grunted, a deep, gravelly UMMMPH.“‘You fight well for a human’… does not sound as good.”

“You are impossible,” Cook muttered, shaking her head.

Then she turned to K’alena, voice shifting from irritated to professional. “Major, I recommend seeking treatment. Those cuts are getting worse. We don’t know how fast the infection spreads. If the transport filters are working, we can pause here—you beam out, get cleaned up, and beam back. The whole thing will take a minute. You won’t miss any of the fight.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1150

McPherson:

“You fight with a fair capacity for a cold blooded small brained lizard.” McPherson replied as he checked his weapons charge. The sensor attached to his helmet showed him a great deal of data including radiation and heat signatures. “I’m getting electromagnetic reading from that way, Major.”

“Ensign Cook, I’m perfectly capable of making decisions regarding my medical well being. And if a minor scratch kills me before the end of the mission.. then Today is a Good Day to Die.”

Heading down the passage she glanced at the Greenskins, watching as they dissolved like dried mushrooms. “Ensign, take a sample of that. I’ve never seen that happen before.”

“Major, that door. Possibly a computer relay sub-station.”

****

Kaela Mensha:

Reaching out The Aeldari soldier placed a hand on a blank section of wall. A doorway illuminated and faded from existence. Not sliding into the wall or opening in any normal manner. It just faded until it wasn’t there anymore.

Beyond was a massive room filled with pedestals that looked like standing positions for a bridge. In the middle of the room was a pillar that stretched from floor to ceiling and was studded with teardrop shaped pearls. Just like the one on Kaela Mensha’s chest.

“That station there is computer access,” The alien said gesturing to one of the pedastals. Moving to the massive central pillar it looked at Reeves. “We need to recover these and take them back to your ship.”

“Why?”

“They are the souls of the crew that have died serving this ship.”

“Excuse me?” Reeves asked as Yito looked up from her work.

“Yes, the Souls. The life essence, memories, and experiences.”

“That’s a lot of.. People.”

“Your transporter system is more than capable of transferring them to your ship. They can be placed in storage until they can be returned to my people.”

“Though if we can carry a few with us, they can be beneficial.”

“Very well.” Reeves said pointing at the others. “Set up the enhancers.”

“Captain, we have some items coming over. If they can be placed in a secured location it would be best. Inert and not dangerous. Not biological.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Hora

“Beam the items into Vault Two. Then seal it with a level‑one force shield, access code… Hora‑three.” Hora folded her arms. “That should keep them secure.”

“Captain,” Dark Fire replied with the patience of someone who had long since accepted its fate, “may I suggest choosing a new access code. ‘Hora‑three’ is remarkably easy to guess.”

“Oh, you know what it is…” Hora muttered.

“Yes, Captain. Because 123456 is the most commonly used—and most catastrophically vulnerable—access code in the Federation. Millions of accounts are compromised annually because users insist on simple, sequential digits.” Dark Fire’s tone carried the faintest hint of judgment.

Hora sighed. “Fine. Use access code… Hora‑seven.”

“Updated. And significantly less embarrassing,” Dark Fire confirmed.

"I hope I remember what it is?" Hora grumbled

Major K’alena’s Team

“These computer relays look almost identical to ODN trunks on our ship,” Sol observed as the team moved deeper into the alien vessel’s relay sub‑station. The dim blue lighting cast long shadows across the conduits.

“Yes,” Ensign Cook said, already studying the architecture. “If their layout is consistent, I might be able to tap into their main data storage from here.”

Major K’alena gave her a curt nod. Riley slid the sample container back into her pack, pulled out her tricorder, and knelt beside the primary access panel. A few quick adjustments, and she was already interfacing with the alien system.

“Data logs will tell us everything this ship has been through,” Sol added, taking up a protective stance beside her. His eyes swept the room, hand resting lightly on his weapon. “Let’s hope these ones are talkative.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1155

Defensive Systems:​

As Cook was accessing the system several holes opened in the ceiling and walls with a couple of them holding defensive systems and one releasing what looked like a floating Borg skull. Without skin or muscle it was bare bone with mechanical components hovering on repulser beams.

“Consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ”

After a moment the translator kicked in and adjusted the wording. “Cease and desist your illegal activities. Your location has been reported to the Adeptus Custodes. You are under arrest. You will be executed. Failure to comply will result in extermination of all family members.”

“Illumination will cease. Rune of activation will cease.” Seconds later the access to the sub-station sealed as all the lights and controls dimmed.

****

Ensign Yito Seja:​

“Commander, there’s more data than the tricorder can hold. I’ll need to transmit it directly to the Dark Fire, but I don’t have the power at this depth in the ships.”

Reaching over the Alien warrior slid it’s hand over a panel and a new section illuminated. “Data from our archives is being sent to your ship.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

Major K’alena’s Team

Cook threw up her hands. “Hey, we’re not trying to crack into your state secrets—just the ship’s logs!” If the computer heard her, it didn’t care. The lights dimmed, and her wrist‑light automatically flared brighter to compensate.

“Major,” she said, scanning the dead console beside her, “accessing the main database might not be possible. There are defensive countermeasures in place.”

Sol frowned. “Can’t we just push through to the primary storage banks?”

“We could,” Cook admitted, “but the defenses will get stronger the deeper we go. And if we actually manage to bypass them, the computer might decide the safest option is to wipe everything. Including the logs we came for.”

Sol exhaled, conceding the point. “You make a solid argument.”

He turned to the Major, resting a hand on the cannon slung over his shoulder. “Shall we head back to the ship? If we need access, I can make us a new door in that bulkhead.”

 

[The_Weeping_Angel]

Stardate 29870611.1200

K’alena:​

“Commander, we have encountered problems.” K’alena reported. “The ship has defensive systems preventing us from accessing the data systems.”

“Major, That is an Imperial Ship. We need that information. Covert is preferred. Overt if required. Get the data.”

“Confirmed sir.” K’alena replied. “Ensign Cook, you heard the Commander.”

“Lt. Sol. Make a hole. Get us to a major data terminal, Engineering or the Bridge.”

“Gunny. Make a path.”

Giving Sol a nod he stepped back as the Lieutenant a hole in the wall and he took out the defensive platforms. Moving into the hall, the group followed Ensign Cook’s directions.

****​

“Commander, there has been an Oghyr incursion aboard this ship.” Kaela Mensha said. “The Undying ones. Living machines without souls.”

“Sounds like the silver parasite.”

“Yes, the Ones you call Silver Parasite.”

“How many?”

“Nine. There is a damaged Oghyr attack craft embedded in the hull. That was there entry point. They must be destroyed, or this ship must be. For them to take this ship is an abomination.”

“Then let's get our information and blew this place apart.” Reeves said. “Major, you’re now on a time line. Silver Parasites are aboard.”​

 

[milkmaiden38]

“Now we’re talkin’!” Lt. Sol roared, pure glee vibrating through his chest as he slapped his plasma cannon into rapid‑fire mode. The weapon gave a tortured whir, like it was begging for mercy.

“Get the lead out, cowpokes!” he added in a thick old‑west drawl, loping down the corridor with that uneven, predatory gait of his. The first Greenskin that rounded the corner didn’t even get a hiss out before Sol vaporized it into a fine, regrettable mist.

“Wait—Sol! We need a plan!” Riley shouted, sprinting after the dinosaur with the rest of the team scrambling behind her.

Sol didn’t slow. “Reckon the plan’s simple, partner. We get to the bridge, take control of the main computer, and dump the data files.”

Riley nearly tripped. “What? How do we even do that?”

“You’ll figure somethin’ out, cowpoke.”

“What—no! That’s not a plan!” she protested, breathless. “And I thought Imperial ships explode if they’re captured?”

“That’s the current thinkin’,” Sol agreed casually, blasting another Greenskin so hard the bulkhead rang.

Riley’s voice cracked. “So if I make a mistake, the ship blows up and everyone dies?”

“Yup,” Sol replied, in the calm, steady tone of Sheriff Wyatt Earp delivering a death sentence.