Fellowship of the Dice

Zaynab prepares to dock with with the stern airlock, though she waits till the boarding party is there to actually complete the maneuver. "Why would someone disable to bow airlocks? Unless they want us to walk into a trap in the stern. Maybe there was just some horrible accident, but let's proceed cautiously until we know there's no one trying to kill us aboard." She pauses, then has an additional thought. "Maybe the people who were posing as us back at Coriolis are working in cahoots with whoever has ... well, done whatever was done to this ship."

"Stern it is, then. I don't want to chance a spacewalk if we don't have to." Amir puts on some protective clothing, and tucks his tools of the trade in his pockets. "I'm sorry if we scare some poor, stranded souls, but I'm going in armed and armored." He slings his accelerator carbine over one shoulder, and a vulcan cricket pistol in a holster.

Lastly, he holds up a drone. "Lucky for us I picked this up on my last big shopping trip. A reconnaissance probe, which we can send along down hallways and such to scout. I'd rather someone shoot at this, than my head."

"Well well." Basil eyes the drone. "After we're finished, why don't you loan it to me for a day-and-a-half? I could jury-rig it to hold an' operate a blaster."

Amir looks at Basil appraisingly. "That's an interesting idea ... yes, let's talk about it more once we get this done. Always nice to have more options."

Fayz stood at the airlock, suited up and packing his Vulcan carbine. Luckily, Amir's drone was going in first, but the Firstcomer was still planning on being the first afterwards, in case there was something lying in wait. Seeing something was one thing. They still had to rescue the crew and see if the vessel could be repaired in time. He looked back at the other three, checking to make sure they were suited up."

"Captain, Zaynab? We're ready to begin boarding procedure down here."

Zaynab docks and activates the controls that will allow them to open their airlock. "Everything should be set on this end."

The approach to the Orun II is rough and stressful. The bulk hauler itself may not be moving much, being dragged closer to the Eye of Anubar and it's certain destruction. As Zaynab pilots your ship, hundreds of smaller fragments from the asteroid belt swarm around in the void with some rocks big enough to rupture the hull of the Narzalus. Zaynab has to weave around these all while trying to set a course for a safe docking with the Orun II's port stern airlock.

Several times you all have to hang on to something in your airlock as you see the flash of something pass perilously close by the viewing port in the airlock door, all the while, the huge black bulk of the Orun II draws rapidly closer...

Finally after having to back off more than once, the two airlocks meet with a reassuring clunk and after several moments of whirring red lights and the hissing cycling of air, the warning lights flash rapidly for a second or two before changing to green. The airlock door clicks and the light surrounding the switch to open the doors activates. You can see that there is emergency power in the airlock of the Orun II, but at the moment that is all you can see.

Donning an exo-suit, Basil will be in front, behind Fayz if he takes point. He's armed with a knife and not afraid to get close with it.

"Anybody got a light?"

You wait for a moment as the airlock goes through it's cycle, before the doors open with a hiss and a clank. Bathed in emergency lighting the small airlock has bare steel walls and flooring...

And lying on the floor is a body in an engineering jumpsuit.

Amir activates his drone, and sends it on ahead. He looks through its cameras through his security tablet, giving it simple directional commands. He brings up the rear since he's going to be looking down at his hands.

He looks up, surprised at the first body showing up so quickly. "Anybody confirm whether he's breathing?"