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Stella Vir: First Flight
A Restless Way Forward

A Restless Way Forward

They all stand around the train for a moment in awe of the gargantuan piece of technology that sits idle before them. Everyone’s hesitant to get too close to it or dare to touch it at first nervously waiting in anticipation for who the captain will pick on first to try their luck with the train.

Razzo asks Kyro: “What do we do now?”

“Okay so we’ll have to split into three groups now. One to inspect the right side of the train, one to inspect the left side of the train, and one to inspect the contents inside the train. Dre and Razzo can you guys figure out the groups while I deal with getting the train started so we can get out of here as soon as possible”.

Dre says: “Yes captain”.

Kyro leaves the two of them and opens the front part of the train by unzipping the middle of the triangle from the bottom. The nanoparticles disperse creating an opening of a smaller triangle in the middle of the train.

Razzo asks Kyro before he leaves: “How do you get into the train?”

Kyro narrows his eyes like Razzo’s stupid: “What do you mean like any other gravity train”.

After saying those words Kyro enters the engine room and the nanoparticle door closes behind him leaving Razzo and Dre to figure out how to divide the group.

Razzo whispers to Dre: “Can you figure out how to get inside the train and I’ll deal with this part of getting everyone separated into groups?”

Dre nods: “Okay sounds good, I’ll find a way to connect to the train and get the data from it”.

Dre leaves Razzo alone in front of the group and begins feeling the front of the train to find an access point to the machine's information processor and artificial intelligence.

Razzo tries to lighten the mood a little bit with the group because he isn’t quite sure how to break the group down and whether they will listen to him at all. He remembers back to when he used to be on Earth and would listen to anyone making a speech that a good way to start is with a joke. To be fair, that's with humans and half the time people would just end up throwing things at the person if it wasn’t a good opener. Now in this case these are intergalactic beings who knows if they even have a sense of humor.

Razzo starts: “Well the good news is that none of you have killed each other up to this point, the bad news is that we don’t have the right number to divide into three equal groups so we’ll have to split someone in three”.

Chorion takes two steps to Kreeg and grabs her limbs.

Kreeg hisses at Chorion and says in her native tongue: “Put me down you beast!”

Razzo quickly shouts: “Woah woah relax Chorion it was only a joke we don’t actually need an equal number for each group one group will just have more people!”

Razzo waits for a reaction from the group and all he gets as a result is some disgruntled sounds from Chorion who puts down the Acarine and the cold icy air of the tunnel filling his lungs. ‘Tough crowd’ he thinks to himself, ‘I thought that was a good bit’.

Feefee squeals: “Just make the groups we don’t have all day!”

Razzo sighs: “Okay fine be like that, Wokwoks go on the ceiling and check the top of the train”.

Feefee doesn’t follow: “But we weren’t told to check the top of the train…”

Razzo sighs: “You narrow minded midget, where do you think all these Krutsummus are coming from, clearly the ceiling if the ceiling is covered in goo…”

“Okay we’ll go just don’t leave us behind”.

Feefee and Eekk change their polarity and float to the ceiling of the tunnel to inspect the top contents of the train. Razzo sighs with relief now that the most annoying members of the group were out of the way. Well at least in his mind those were the most annoying members of the group, no one else had taken a shot at his groin… yet.

He looks at the rest of the crew: “Okay Kreeg and Kroug I don’t want you to split up so go together, and take Jata and Fauwk with you and go left. Chorion go right with the other two Zenvas and Screep. The last thing I need is for you to actually get into a brawl with Kreeg and Kroug. That leaves me, Ostikous, Dengrad, and Dre to go inside the train. Any questions?”

The group remains silent in wait for the signal to get going in checking their pathways.

Razzo waits a few moments and says: “Okay then you’re good to go!”

Kroug says in a low feminine tone: “Little one we cannot see without your light, how do you expect us to see?”

Razzo thinks for a moment trying to come up with a solution, and while he’s thinking Dengrad voices a solution that could work for everyone.

Dengrad says through thought transference: “Not to worry, each of us Froklins has an emergency light that lasts some time and once the train is on there will be enough light to see all around it”.

Kreeg hisses kindly: “Thank you many limbed one”.

Kreeg smiles revealing a gnarly set of uneven sharp teeth.

Razzo shudders from looking at the teeth and says: “Well since that’s settled now everyone can go about their way”.

The group begins to split up as different creatures go to the sections they were assigned to. They leave the area in front of the train and Razzo along with Ostikous and Dengrad go over to Dre who’s feeling the surface of the train.

Razzo asks: “Did you figure out how to talk to it?”

Dre says absently without turning back: “Yes as you can see I am in the middle of a deep conversation and you’re interrupting us right now”.

“Oh sorry my apologies I’ll let you get back to it!”

Dre turns back to Razzo: “No you idiot I can’t talk to the train and the train can’t speak”.

“Well you can talk to it, it probably won’t say anything back” - replies Ostikous.

Dengrad nods his head: “He’s right it won’t say anything back you should probably try something else and not talk to the train”.

“Okay let me figure it out in that case!” - exclaims Dre before turning back to the train and feeling it around for an entry point.

Razzo gazing at the massive transit device has an idea come to mind.

“What if I just blow a hole in it and we get into the train like that?” - asks Razzo in a cheeky tone.

Dre turns back answers with a sour face: “And how do you expect us to close that door or explain that to the Froklins once we deliver the train back?”

Razzo explains boldly: “All the Froklins told us to do was to bring the train back, there was no talk about what condition the train had to be in when it was brought back”.

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Ostikous adds in a joyous tone: “Razzo is right on that one as well. Very smart man”

Dre, frustrated by this, turns to Dengrad who’s staring at the train with a dreamy expression seen in his eyes.

Dre shouts: “Dengrad can you tell these two fools that we must return the train in proper condition so that your people don’t kill us?”

Dengrad’s expression changes to be more of a haunted look as he telepaths to the rest of the group: “That is not of importance, none of it is important we are already doomed here as it is. The horde is coming…”

Razzo smiles and says: “See so like quit wasting your time Dre and let the geniuses get to work”.

Dre crosses its arms and begins to rapidly tap its foot in place thinking what to do next with these idiots.

Dre then shouts: “Fine let's have it your way!”

Dre gestures for Razzo to go forward and try his luck. Razzo takes a step back and looks towards the left side of the train, then the right side of the train. He confidently goes up to the right side of the train and charges his fist to hit the train and make the entrance disperse. Razzo creates a massive energy sphere around his right fist and hits the side of the train with an overhand blow. Nothing comes of it and the train remains unchanged. Razzo loads up his fist again and strikes the same spot again in an attempt to create a sliver of an opening but to no success. Razzo bangs and bangs on the right side before changing his mind and running over to the left side of the train.

Dre yells after him: “Not so easy is it now!”

Razzo mumbles to himself: “Keep that same energy once I open this up you’ll see”.

Razzo takes the time to draw a large amount of energy into both of his arms and lifts his two arms over his head and smashes the left side of the train as hard as he can with an overhead blow. After a few moments of silence he hears a faint crack, then another crack. Then all of a sudden all these cracks spread from the inside of the train to the outside and a large rectangular panel going from close to the bottom of the train to almost the top of the train comes crashing downwards towards the inside of the train. Once it fell all the nanoparticles that made up the panel shattered all over the floor of the inside of the train and raised a cloud of dust.

Razzo walks back over to the group and says: “Oh no you don’t have to thank me, that’s okay I already know I’m a genius”

“You sure are a genius that probably compromised the integrity of the train!” - replies Dre wide eyed and irritated

“Whatever, let's just check out the inside of the train as fast as possible. No point in wasting time while we’re here”

Everyone else nods in agreement and the group moves together towards the left side of the train and climbs into the transport vehicle. The first cart of the train is designated to the mechanics and train operators where Kyro was currently working on the engine of the vehicle to get it running. The rest of the train was one flexible triangular prism which could bend with the pathway of the train. The train didn’t need any tracks or rails because it used a gravitational field around its edge points to keep it levitated and provide a frictionless trip. Once Razzo, Dre, Ostikous, and Dengrad found themselves inside the train, Razzo created a small ball of energy in the palm of his hand to illuminate the interior. It isn’t the strongest light as so much of the interior was still pretty dark with the high ceiling of the train not visible. The group moves through the entrance and inspects the left side that had custom seats for Froklins to sit. Then in the center of the cart there were spots to ground yourself to the train to remain vertical and not fall if the train stopped abruptly and you weren’t in a seat. To the right side of the train there were more seats as well as sections of massive containers for supply hauls. These containers were built as right angle triangles that went all the way up to the slant of the train. All of the sections inside the train were covered in goo similar to that of the outside of the train. As the group slowly made their way through the train they noticed it was filled with supplies that were supposed to go somewhere, but there were no Froklins alive or dead anywhere in the train.

Dengrad telepaths to Razzo: “I don’t like this, we don’t even have a sign that the Froklins were here. This could mean that the Krutsummus ate them and are using the train as a hunting ground”.

Razzo says out loud: “So then we kill any that come for us…”

Dre and Ostikous look over at him all confused, not understanding what he’s talking about. Razzo feels them staring at him as he walks forward.

Razzo clarifies: “Dengrad warned me that this may be a hunting ground for Krutsummus so we should be careful going forward”.

“Maybe keep all of us informed, we’d like to know those sorts of details too”. - grunts Ostikous in his native tongue.

Dengrad repeats himself telepathically telling Dre and Ostikous the same thing that was told to Razzo. Razzo states to everyone: “Get your weapons ready just in case. The Froklins armored us for a reason”.

“I’m a non combat Automaton that was equipped with an arm not a weapon. The most I can do is slap them and give them a stern talking to” - says Dre sarcastically.

“Best you stay behind the rest of us then” - replies Razzo

They continue throughout the train inspecting different parts of it, they check into every single supply section of the train to make sure there’s nothing hiding in the cargo hold. They clear a quarter of the train and keep checking every aspect before them aside from the ceilings. As they get to the quarter point the layer of goo becomes so thick that walking through it becomes very challenging as it’s easy to slip on it as well as it adds drag to your feet. They check the left side of the train, inspect the middle briefly and then inspect the right side of the train. This was the sixth section and they open up the supply container and briefly look inside before moving along, just as they’re about to continue Ostikous notices something move in the container.

Ostikous says firmly: “Halt, there was something in that container, Razzo we have to go in there shine a light”.

Razzo shines his energy ball back into the container and Razzo and Ostikous step into the space together. Between the two of them the space is slightly cramped with all the clutter around so it isn’t particularly easy to move around without making a ruckus. Razzo slowly makes his way through and shines the energy forward, at the back of the supply container there is a dark figure lying back leaning on the back of the container. As they approach the figure and are able to see it better with the light they’re able to make out the figure of a Froklin, that has guard armor. Except this Froklin look petrified in its eyes as if has season some horrific things occur, it is also missing one leg and all but one of its arms, the last remaining arm is one of the syndactyly amphibious arms. The being raises its arm to shield itself as Razzo and Ostikous approach. It quacks out faintly and closes its eyes.

Razzo, unsure of how to proceed forward, tells Ostikous: “Can you get Dengrad, he needs to see this”.

Ostikous nods his head and walks out of the container and quickly Dengrad enters the container with Dre following close behind. The two Froklins begin to quack between each other trying to get information of what’s going on. Meanwhile Razzo Ostikous and Dre stand cramped next to one another in the tight space not knowing what exactly they’re going to do next but also no one leaving the cargo hold to wait in the train cart.

Razzo clears his throat: “Ahem, I think the rest of us would like to know what’s going on. Can you talk to everyone telepathically?”

Dengrad shakes his head speaking to everyone else's mind: “She is too weak, she cannot telepathically talk right now”.

“So let's get her out of this container and maybe we can heal her a little bit. Then she’ll be able to talk to the rest of us and not just quack”.

Dengrad quacks with the Froklin asking her if she can move or get out right now before reporting more of what she’s saying to the rest of the group.

Dengrad tells them: “She is in a state of shock and woefulness from what she saw, she was part of the guard squadron that was sent to retrieve the train and so far she is the only one that has survived the incident. She says everyone else was killed and dragged away down the train, it’s too dangerous for her to leave the spot she’s in right now”.

“Can you just try to reassure her for now that everything is going to be okay and that’s why they sent us to get the train” - says the robot.

Dengrad replies to Dre: “I will try my best, but we do have to get her out of here. Just not right now but when the train leaves, she’s a survivor of a lot as it is. We need to make sure we clear the rest of the train to the best of our ability”.

They all agree with Dengrad and move out of the sixth section of the train. Dre stays back with the Froklin just to make sure that there is someone to comfort her, even tho Dre doesn’t know the Froklin quack dialect.

Razzo asks Dengrad: “How many sections are there on this train?”

Dengrad tells him telepathically: “Between 25 - 50, remember this train is meant for the entire outpost station which has a massive population and size”.

Razzo sighs: “Looks like we got more walking to do then”.

They continue moving through the train station and the next four sections are more or less the same, a thick level of goo along the walls, seats, and floor. Upon entering the eleventh section of the train the temperature drops slightly, and Dengrad and Ostikous go on high alert as their instincts tell them that something is wrong. Razzo continues along as usual, not feeling the slight drop in temperature in his suit and simply using the light of his energy ball to look around this section.

Dengrad gets his double staffed crook ready and energized. Ostikous takes out the double curved energy blade in one hand and the circular blade in the other hand. Then Ostikous slowly takes out the two circular retractable razors. Razzo keeps walking ahead inspecting the area around him before turning back with only the energy surging from the weapons visible in the dark environment. Razzo walks back with the light to Ostikous and Dengrad who are staring at the ceiling as if they’re searching for something.

Razzo asks: “What’s going on guys, why did you stop?”

Dengrad telepaths to Razzo: “be quiet human I fear we have entered the serpents den”.

They all take a moment to listen and hear almost nothing aside from a faint hiss.