One of the humans speaks into a com. "Seems like everyone is accounted for in this room. Thank Abadar."
The three move into the room so they are less exposed from the hallway.
"We're with the security firm the hospital employs. A few minutes ago an explosion went of at the main and side entrances, and armed forces entered the building. Specifically targeting this floor. Why, we do not know, but several patients were killed or captured. The normal security details could not handle the overwhelming foce. We are reinforcements. The hospital is being evacuated."
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"You'll excuse us if we don't disarm," Raz said, keeping his pilfered pistol to hand as he gave the security team the once over. As soon as he was satisfied they were not secretly undead, he holstered the weapon for a moment.
"I trust all relevant medical information is in the hands of the hospital administration? I don't want to pose a risk to anyone evacuating."
One of the humans nods at Raz, while the shirrent gently takes Blixa by the hand.
"Yeah, keep those weapons. It looks like most resistance has been cleared, but theses buggers dont show up on conventional scanners. No life signs. No heat signature." He kicks one of the skeletons.
"So yeah. Who knows if there are any more hiding. You should be safe to move. Charts say you were close to release, but with the damage you took you might need some extra care. But that comes later. First, out of here and to safety."
"With a bit of luck there wont be any left to bother you. I have no idea where your specific items are stored. Our first priority is getting you and the other patients out of here and to a safe location."
The man shrugs. "Fine by me. All gear is property of corporate anyway."
The two humans take point, but the shirren following close behind, gently leading Blixa.
They quickly and efficiently make their way trough the corridor, which shows signs of electrical burns, bashed in doors and other chaos. You're qickly joined by other teams, leading, carrying, or wheeling other patients from this floor towards the designated fire escape doors.
At some of the intersections, bodies have been covered with sheets, the formst angular. You suspect its more skeletons.
At the end of the hallway, instead of going down the fire escape, you and a group of other patients are ushered into a hover van, which takes off once filled up.
You're quickly taken to a secure facility, more hoover vans arriving. Extra hospital beds have been set up for those who need it, and chairs and couches are there to sit on. Doctors check the incoming patients, and while battered, your group is not concidered to be in life threatening condition.
Information is hard to get, but once the facility is at capacity, a statement is issued.
Today the hospital was attacked by the Eoxian splintersect known as the corpse fleet. At this time it is unclear why they targeted our hospital. The investigation is ongoing. Due to the nature of the savage attack, we will keep you here overnight, and then relocate you in the morning. Your families, or eployer, has been informed you are safe, but not of your whearabouts. This is for your safety. Please do not attempt to contact them untill we let you know it is safe to do so. Food and drink will be handed out shortly, and those of you waiting for more or extra medical attention will recieve this once patients with more threatening conditions or injuries have been seen to first.
Tony checks everyone. Despite Both Tony and Raz getting quite a beating, you both dont feel that bad.
A little while later, a docter comes to check on you. They look at your patient registration number, and calls up your chart.
"Oh, you're those starfinders from live TV? My kids watch that stuff the whole day. Want to be starfinders now as well. Nothing personal, but I hope they pick up some rolemodels with less dangerous professions. Dont want to see them get shot to bits, or turned into monster food. Anyway. Looks like you were nearly done with your treatment. Some of you do look a bit worse for wear now, I'll have some sprays ready. And as for recovery, you could go back to the starfinder complex, they do have medical facilities, and it would relieve our medical situation a bit. I'm seeing a Chiskchisk as a contac person on your form?"
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Blixa walks up to the docotor placing a hand on his shoulder, her eyes large and bright.
"I am a dream prophet of Those That Do Not Wake! I have seen the future! Your children will grow to be legends of the Society! They will be famous! More famous than Zo! People will want to be like them! They will start a revolution of thought mind and body! Do nothing to prevent this! They are crucial to the existence of the galaxy!"
"The Future! Oh captain, my captain the future! We must get back to the asteroid! The Dead walk upon its surface and within its corpus. Only we can prevent a catastrophe from claiming the lives of billions! We must leave! Now is the time!"
Releasing the doctor, Blixa winks at Tony before walking as if in a trance towards the med-shuttle that brought them to their current location.
Jaru decides to let Antonius do the negotiating and pays very little attention to the specifics as he considers the statement by the press though he nods absentmindedly at the mention of Chiskisk.
His head snaps up partway through Blixa's speech, however, at the mention of the asteroid.
"A catastrophe? What is she talking about? Why didn't she tell us about the vision?" he thinks as he watches Blixa for any clue as to her thoughts.
"Probably an act." he concludes. "Probably. We do need to get back to that asteroid though."
The doctor squints at the pad. "Oh, yeah, could also be Chiskisk. They signed their name in Shirren and my languages arent up to date. If its Ok with you I'll let them know you can be picked up and go back to the Starfinders for the last part of your treatment."
The dokter smiles gently at Blixa. "Oh, that is very good to hear miss. As long as my kids will be all right. Why dont you sit down and I'll get you some pudding with your dinner?"
The doctor smiles. "That is ok. We're all creative in our own ways."
He hands over a blank pad. "You can note down anything you want to send to Chiskisk and I'll send it along."
The doctor types on the pad for a bit. "Looks like the treatment for the infection was done, and all parasites should have been flushed. Your leftover treatment is to strengthen your bodies, as the parasites do quite a number on you, as well our treatment to kill you isnt too good for you. But better a bit weak then a zombie, or worse."
He calls up a chart of everyones vitals. You can see that when you arrived at the hospital you were in pretty bad shape, got a little bit worse, untill the treatment started working, and you got a little bit better, and that in the last few days you had been improving.
The starfinders do have excelent facilities, just not readily equipped for this rare parasite. So supplements, a good diet, and depending on your physique maybe a pill or two." He looks at blixa. "No not those kind of pills Im afraid. But you'll be right as rain real quickly."
The doctor sends off a message, and a few hour later, a hoover taxi picks you up and quickly takes you to the lorespire complex. A team of starfinder doctors stands by to receive you, and does their own batch of tests on you. Just to be sure.
After you've been poked and prodded again, and provided sprays and bandages for the electrical burns, you're given each a small individual room with a bed, and a small common room where you can hang out.
As you settle down with some drink and food, Chiskisk comes in. Their antennae are all aflutter. "Oh, it is so good to see you. The horrors you have been trough. I am so sorry you had to experience this. I can imagine you have may questions. The investigation is still on going, but several people on your floor of the hospital have either been gravely wounded or abducted. Why and where to is still a mystery. If the corpse fleet needed new bodies, there are easier ways to obtain them. It is suspected they were either after patients who were on experimental treatment, or to acquire patients with specialized implants of some sorts."
They pause their telepathy for a moment so audibly sigh.
"But enough of that. I am happy you're here safe and sound. You should take a few days to rest up. The cocktail used to kill those parasites in your bodies takes quite a toll. Meanwhile, both Hardscrabble and Astral Extractions are still embroiled in their legal battle. It will take probably still take months for that is resolved. But at least the miners families can no truly grieve."
Chiskisk pulls up a little hologram of a space ship. "Your discovery of the last will and testament of captain Moriko Nash also provided some interesting legal discussions. Astral Extractions also wanted to claim ownership of the ship, 'sunrise maiden', which was bequeathed to you by finding Morikos will and testament. But since such contracts are legally binding, and a few thousand people saw and heard it, Astral Extractions do not have the proverbial appendage to stand on. Ambassador Nor has made an exception in the Acreon and the drift rock's quarantine, and once you feel well enough, you can go pick up the ship."
"After you left, a few drones were send in. There was not a lot left to explore. The end of the hallway led to a hangar door, and behind it a large cave with a spaceship parked in it. That is the sunrise maiden. The ship didnt open up, probably because it needs the pad you recovered as a key."
"A ship! I can't wait until we're soaring through the vast scouting uncharted systems!" Jaru thinks as they discuss the Sunrise Maiden. Putting aside his mounting excitement he clears his throat before addressing Chiskisk.
"I feel I should mention that whatever motivation the Corpse Fleet had for raiding that hospital it was well planned. One of the Bone Troopers that attacked us tried to convince his companions to flee and mentioned that the intel they had on us was wrong. They clearly knew exactly who they were trying to abduct. They just underestimated us."
After a day or two of extra recuperation, Chiskisk lets you know that he has arranged for you to pick up the space ship that is stashed on the drift rock.
You're quickly ushed by back alleys to a small space dock and board a shuttle. The stewards pilot, a grumpy looking Hylki, doesnt say much, and pilots you trough the armada, and to the still cordoned off Acreon and Drift rock.
At the bottom of the drift rock, pretty well hidden, is a hangar hatch. The pilot pushes a few buttons, and the hatch opens. He flies inside and parks the shuttle. The hatch closes.
"Still no atmosphere in here, so suit up. I'll hang around, in case this ship is a piece of junk and doesnt fly. Then I get to take you all back."
The hangar has vaulted ceiling and smoothed stone floor, more a sprawling cavern that has the appearance of a primitive shuttle
hangar or landing bay then an actual hangar—an impression reinforced by the presence of a starship taking up the majority of the space.
Only the western wall is finished with the ceramic-metallic plating you saw elsewhere in the complex; the remainder of the cavern is hemmed by natural rock walls. The east wall is taken up by the hatch you came trough. A simple bot is next to the door next to the control console of the hatch.
"Be cautious. The creature described in the log could still be lurking about the hangar." Jaru warns as he peers about the chamber.
The pilot opens the shuttle door. "Ill be here if you need me. We didnt find anything in here like a creature. There were two more dead bodies from the Acreon crew. Pretty bad shape, but I guess that is what happens when those weird creatures use you as a hatchery."
Jaru carefully checks around, but sees no creature. He does spot the airlocks on the ship docked in the hangar.
As Tony approaches the bot, it bleeps, and displays Hatch closed. Open hatch? Yes/No
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Ras took out the arc emitter and scanned the immediate area as Tony dealt with the bot. To say he 'felt' something was entirely wrong. The sentient mind is all too eager to seek meaning and patterns in the chaotic weave of fundamental mechanism. Still, if there was still something lurking about attack while the party was distracted with the shiny new toy would be a sound move.
"Yes. The hangar certainly looks clear. Let's collect our ship and get out of here." Jaru says as he floats after the others.
The hangar door slowly opens up again, revealing the outer edges of the drift rock and the glittering hulls of the armada beyond.
Meanwhile, Jaru is pretty sure that something has to be done on the datapad that Tony is holding to open up the space ship.
As he examines the airlock on the ship Jaru calls out over the comms. "I believe you may need to transmit some kind of signal from that datapad before we can enter the ship, Antonius."
Tony aims the datapad at the door and presses some buttons. Something must have gone right, as a light by the door goes from red to green, and the door opens up and some stairs descend.
Jaru's eyes blink once slowly and he nods to Tony. "I am honored by the sentiment, Ant... Rat Tony."
After a brief pause, Jaru's eyes move to the stairs and he starts to ascend. "Well let's see what kind of shape she's in."
Ras takes point. The broad airlock doors open up into a cargo hold. A few boxes stand in the corner. The wall opposite the airlock holds a door.
A small roomba comes rolling from under a box and gives a beep.
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"Don't you talk about Rita like that, Tony! She is dedicated to her job, unlike you, and deserves the recognition and respect that comes with that. Give her a blade... sheesh. What is she gonna do? Cut off toes and trim foot hair? Then again, when you are only two thirds of a meter tall like you, Rita might f$*$ you up just by vacuuming a little to close to you. Drag you around the room by your tail. Boys with their 'give everything a GUN' mentality. It's like they are worried theirs will fall off or something."
"Come here little Rita."
mwa mwa mwa mwa
"You are so cute!"
"Rita! Where should we go? Lead on!"
Blixa will follow wherever the cutest little roomba goes. Even if it is into a wall followed by a turn to another wall all while making cooing noises to it.
The roomba, now dubbed 'Rita' zooms over to the door and gives a few beeps.
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Raz, stepping up behind the little cleaning automaton, keys the next door to open. He was staying relaxed, mostly because Raz was almost terminally nonplussed, but the arc emitter was still in hand. They had already dealt with one ghost on this rock, there was no telling if something else might be haunting the ship.
The door easily slides open, revealing a hallway that connects with a broader hallway. The little cleaning robot zooms forward, and beeps at a set of double doors.
Behind the double doors, the hallway continues. (looks like this ship has a healthy amount of doors to keep people safe in case of decompression).
From the hallway is more beeping as the roomba encounters a second roomba. They both proceed to zoom to the end of the hallway and beep at a second set of double doors.