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FOLLOW THE NOSFERATU
* CHAPTER 1 * - Rainfall
* 2 * - Sentinel Attack
NOS / CORE / FALL:
FALL jumps at the sirens blaring through the ship. She drops her food to the floor uncaring as she quickly instructs the
Construct program to stop running. Fingers flying over the keyboard in a frenzy, she places a call to CRYSTAL and desperately waits for her
to pick up in the Construct.
FALL: "C'mon, Crys. We haven't got much time."
NOS / COCKPIT / ANDROMEDA:
"I'll go to my post!"
ANDROMEDA runs out of the cockpit.
GM NOTE TO ALL:
• The three ships are all relatively near to each other. The Argo and the Nos are the closest to each other.
• One sentinel is closing on the Argo, and two more will soon notice the Nos.
• The Mystery has one minute until they are spotted by the sentinels. Get the hell out of there!
NOS / CORE / CRYSTAL:
Still in the Construct simulation.
The Agent's car speeds up too, and bumps time after time into CRYSTAL'S car. A sharp curve is coming.
"Shit..." she curses, trying to get rid of her chaser and managing the curve. The Agent pulls his gun and fires at CRYSTAL.
"Heeeey", she exclaims with anger, glancing at the Agent while endeavouring to flee the bullets.
"It's out of the rules!!!!" She jerks the wheel to manage the curve. Suddenly she hears the beeping voice of her phone.
"No, not now...!" she murmurs unwillingly. She grabs the wheel with one hand, while the other is looking for her phone
in the pocket of her jacket. The phone is calling impatiently.
"FALL, you couldn't choose a better moment..." she sneers. "If it's nothing, I swear..."
NOS / CORE / FALL:
FALL yells down the microphone, competing with the roaring Ferrari engines.
FALL: "I'm terminating the program! Get ready to jack out!"
Hurriedly, FALL shuts the race program down and logs CRYSTAL out of the Construct. As the sirens continue to blare
shrilly throughout the ship, FALL dashes to CRYSTAL's side and removes the needle from her head plug.
FALL: "I'm going to the cockpit!"
FALL leaves CRYSTAL to unbuckle her feet as she clambers up the ladder.
NOS / CORE / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL stares after FALL, wondering what was going on there. She suspects something bad. Something very bad.
Another sentinel attack, she wonders. It must be, she thinks. She sighs and unbuckles her feet.
"Come on, guys..." she murmurs her support.
Being all alone in the Core, she sits in the Operator chair to watch the codes till further command.
GM NOTE TO ALL:
• The Mystery: The sentinel was almost on to you guys, you can feel it. But suddenly it turns another way, and you are spared.
• The Argo: One sentinel, which was going the other way, probably towards the Mystery, has noticed that noise you made.
It's coming straight at you! You have less than a minute to react!
• The Nos: The other two sentinels have spotted you! They are coming your way!
NOS / STARBOARD GUNS / ANDROMEDA:
ANDROMEDA runs in, sits at the controls quickly and with a deep breath, starts firing at one of the two sentinels that are coming.
"J!!" she shouts at the Communication system.
"J! I can see only one! I'm taking it down!"
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN sets the auto-pilot, and jumps into one of the gun stations outside the cockpit.
He catches the
movement in the aft monitor.
"I see the other one! They're coming up behind us!"
He fires the cockpit-controlled aft gun batteries.
"Come on, you squid-shit!"
He continues to fire.
He curses aloud, "Dammit, the damn Argo never pays attention! Dammit, where are you, Crystal? You should be at the port guns!"
JAYMAN fires until...
NOS / CORE / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL rushes out of the Core to the port gun station. She hopes it's not late yet. She is still under the effect of the recent
events that have happened to her in the simulation program. Surprises follow each other real fast: first the agents, now the sentinels.
"OK. There's no time to waste."
She jumps to the control panel, ready for action. She checks the monitor.
"Damn squiddy, you'll pay for not letting me finish the car-sim..." she murmurs with anger, noticing the sentinel.
She directs the gun on the target.
"Take this!"
CRYSTAL fires at the machine again and again.
GM NOTE TO ALL:
• The Argo fires its EMP. The Mystery and Argo crews can see the bluish glow that springs from the Argo spread
and hit the sentinel, and dropping it to the ground, lifeless. The EMP blast nearly gets the Mystery, but the ship gets away.
• The Nos fires at the two remaining sentinels attacking them, and the machines go down with a crashing noise.
If there are any more sentinels nearby, they will hear it.
NOS / STARBOARD GUNS / ANDROMEDA:
ANDROMEDA lets out air as the sentinel crashes to the ground. She gets up and runs to the Core quickly.
"Is everybody OK in here?"
She thinks out loud, "Where's Fall? Should we go to check up on the Argo?"
NOS / PORT GUNS / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL hears a loud crash from outside. She grins satisfied. This sound, which signals the squiddy's fate,
was a recompense for her. She runs back to the CORE.
NOS / CORE / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL finds ANDROMEDA there in the Core.
"Andromeda, what has happened?" she asks her.
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN fires until...
"Yes!" he yells.
Over the monitor, he sees ANDROMEDA's ammunition stream smash the first sentinel... Next, he sees both his ammo stream plus
the trail of CRYSTAL's ammo stream coming from the port gun, both hitting the second sentinel and dropping it to the ground -- both sentinels destroyed!
"Damn those little buggers!"
As he lets out a breath, JAYMAN hears FALL clambering up the ladder to the cockpit.
Returning to his forward-left pilot chair, he reaches for the ship-wide comm system.
"We got 'em!" he says, then adds, "And all officers to the cockpit!"
He reaches for the ship-to-ship comm.
"Mystery, do you copy? This is Captain Jayman of the Nos, do you require any assistance with the Argo?
I repeat, do you require any assistance with the Argo?"
MYSTERY / COCKPIT / ZT:
ZT's hands swiftly go over each control.
"Scanning the area for sentinels...Clear...."
The intercom flashes.
"Incoming message from the Nos."
She flips a switch.
"Captain Jayman, this is first officer ZT of the Mystery. We're okay for now, but we'll need cover until we can give the Argo
a jump. We don't want anymore squiddies coming out of the woodwork. Over."
She turns the com-link off and breathes. Sighing, she turns to Red.
"Any time you're ready, we'll go. The Nos will provide backup."
ZT rubs her mouth, thinking.
"But for the most part, I agree, Red. That was WAY too close for comfort. Let's not take any chances..."
NOS / CORE / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL stares at ANDROMEDA, waiting for her reply. But before she could say anything, they hear JAYMAN'S voice
through the communications system.
CRYSTAL suspects that something was seriously wrong. She had heard JAYMAN'S voice in different situations many times
to recognize if there was big trouble.
CRYSTAL rushes out of the Core.
NOS / COCKPIT / FALL:
FALL heaves a huge sigh as she collapses into her chair. She glares out the window at nothing, feeling her heart rate pump
angrily in her chest.
FALL: "This piece of crap needs serious maintenance. Fucking Zion engineers. Y'know they ripped out all the wires for cleaning?
Bastards didn't stick them back."
FALL turns to JAYMAN with an angry scowl.
FALL: "My legs got twisted! It took me five fucking minutes to get back out!"
FALL goes back to glaring out the window.
NOS / COCKPIT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDROMEDA enters the cockpit, looking all serious.
"You called, J?"
She is happy that they killed those squiddies, but she has a bad feeling about sticking around this long after.
There may be more on the way. ANDROMEDA shakes her head and looks at J for orders.
NOS / COCKPIT / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL climbs up the ladder to the upper level. She runs to the cockpit, gasping.
"What's going on?" she asks JAYMAN and FALL, looking at them back and forth.
"Those damn squiddies again, right?" she claims.
"But I think I'm not too far from the truth, if I say that it's not their usual attack..."
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN replies to the Mystery: "Understood, ZT."
With a sigh, JAYMAN resumes piloting the Nos. His eyes focussed down the twisting tunnel,
he smiles as his first officer and operator complains behind him.
"Yes, Fall, we all know about the wires..."
His lieutenant joins them.
"And yes, Andy, I called..."
Finally, his lieutenant-commander enters. In a familiar passageway, JAYMAN re-establishes
the auto-pilot and turns to his partial crew.
"I called the three of you because Crys is correct, the squiddies don't usually pass through this section
[Grid D-6]...
We're going to cover the area until the Mystery can charge up the Argo, and then we're going to split up... The Nos will proceed south
to Grid D-4 -- the squiddies don't usually pass there either -- and hopefully we'll find a secure broadcast position."
He pauses to gaze at his loyal officers -- ANDROMEDA to his left, CRYSTAL, then FALL to his right -- to him, each of them
was better qualified than the captain of the Mystery or that cursed Argo.
"Like I said last night, we'll continue to evaluate the high-school coppertop we found last week... Cynthia Peterson..."
This time, he sighed.
"But without Avalon, we're still short a crewmember... we were lucky this time..."
He looks at FALL.
"So forget your wires..."
He looks at CRYS.
"and forget your surprise delays..."
JAYMAN looks to his officers.
"Veritas needs to be trained as a useful member of this crew..."
JAYMAN pauses seriously and tiredly for questions or concerns... if any...
NOS / COCKPIT / FALL:
FALL rubs her hand over her eyes.
FALL: "Are you sure that's a good location, sir? It's not one we usually use. Surely it's better to stick to what we know?"
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN thoughtfully adjusts the old black cap on his shaved head and puts a hand to his stubbled chin.
"Good question... but if the early Zionists stuck to what they knew one-century ago, they'd have never charted the sewers,
and we'd never know all the broadcast spots we know now."
He turns to FALL.
"Yes, I agree, it's a risk, especially if it means going into uncharted territory... but playing it safe is just as risky,
especially now, and this last attack on a familiar route proves it... But I'm glad you asked."
JAYMAN gives FALL a small but supportive nod, and turns to the others.
"Anything else before we proceed?"
NOS / COCKPIT / CRYSTAL:
"We trust you. If you say we can manage it so, we believe it." CRYSTAL says firmly, looking at the Captain.
"And don't worry about Veritas, we'll care about her. She'll be ready by the time she's needed."
CRYSTAL looks for agreement at FALL and ANDROMEDA.
NOS / COCKPIT / FALL:
FALL looks disgruntled by the prospect of having to bully VERITAS into the shape of a soldier.
FALL (sulkily): "How are we supposed to work with her if she's throwing up all over? I don't want to clean that off the floor again."
FALL stands and begins to descend the ladder, muttering under her breath.
FALL: "Damn anti-nausea pills are fucking useless anyhow ..."
NOS / COCKPIT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDROMEDA returns J's look with a worried one. But it only lasts for a second. Then she turns to the monitors to look to where the
Mystery and the Argo are.
"Looks like they got the Argo their jump. Are going to talk to them, or leave?"
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
As FALL leaves the cockpit without JAYMAN's permission, JAYMAN shrugs with a knowing smile -- that's just like Fall --
and turns to CRYS.
"Thanks, Crys... I have trust in you as well. But you'll have to work together with Fall. She may outrank you,
but let me know if you two have any problems with Veritas or each other."
With ANDROMEDA's observation, JAYMAN turns to the monitors.
"Yup, looks like it they're good to go... let me confirm their situation."
JAYMAN reaches for the ship-to-ship comm.
"Mystery, this is the Nos, do you read? If the Argo is charged up, the Nos is prepared to split up and proceed south.
Mystery, do you copy?"
As he waits, he turns to the others.
"Both of you can go."
JAYMAN returns to the comm.
"Mystery, do you copy?"
NOS / COCKPIT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDROMEDA looks puzzled for a second. She shakes it off though. No time for that now.
"Anything you want me to do, J?"
NOS / COCKPIT / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN continues to wait for the Mystery to respond, then turns to ANDROMEDA.
"I'm sorry, Andy... yeah, i noticed a slight target misalignment in the firing of the aft gun turret. Maybe you can go down and
check its calibration, maybe check the port and starboard turrets for the same thing. Let me know if you need one of the others to help reload the ammo."
He sighs in growing exhaustion.
"When you're done, you can pilot... Someone has to make Fall happy and clean up the wiring, so it might as well as be ME."
JAYMAN smiles tiredly.
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