Rosette - "A really bad Idea"
Rosette sat in the copilots seat of one of the blue midgets. She had very little experience with flying, but unfortunately on this ship, all the good pilots had already been taken. She kept an eye on all the dials, making sure that this new pilot knew what he was doing, and wasn't about to blow up the ship by pushing the wrong button.
"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" She asked, getting a glare in response.
"Don't talk, i'm concentrating..." Came a reply. She almost visibly cringed.
"That really fills me with confidence."
"This is Blue Midget three-seven, requesting docking permission. Holly, please open the doors." Ensign Reno said into the microphone on his head set. Doing everything completely by the book. Most of the other pilots would just yell at Holly until the doors were open.
"Holly, I repeat. Please open the doors."
Rosette looked at the dials, and some of the readouts. "Communications are still online... But we're not getting any response. It's not even a denial, just... no response.
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<mid-post-snip>
"ACCESS DENIED" came the response on the screen.
"Open a comm channel Amber...Blue Dwarf this is Captain Chrysler....Holly, please respond..."
A face appeared on the central monitor in the Bug's cockpit. It was Holly, but...not...holly, he had a deranged look in his eyes.
The floating head looked less sane than usual, but said nothing, he spun wildly in all direction, laughing maniacally.
"Holly, what's the meaning of this?"
"SORRY!! EHEHEHEEHEH!!!" giggled the head "Holly can't take your call at the moment.."
"Holly..."
"but if you'd like to DIE!!!! I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!"
"What the?"
"JAY! THE CANNONS!!" yelled Amber.
Through the cockpit glass Jay could see the Blue Dwarf's external defence cannons rotating to face the fleet of starbugs a dull blue glow within their barrels, shining more and more intensly.
"CHRYSLER TO ALL SHIPS, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!"
The small craft dispered in all directions, blue laser cannon fire firing after them.
"What the smeg is going on?" Amber asked, as she banked the starbug to the right, in a tight roll, then dodged another blast of cannon fire.
"Just get us out of range! EVERYONE REGROUP AT THESE COORDINATES..." Jay tapped in a command into the console and transmitted to the fleet, then looked back up just in time to see a Blue Midget, it's engine housing aflame, spiral out of control and into the side of the Blue Dwarf.
Holly was still on screen, laughing like a madman. "Whoops!!" he said "Clumsy me!! EEEHEHEHEHEEHEH!!!!"
</mid-post-snip>
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"Come on, do it!" Rosette almost yelled. The blue midget clunkily banked and pulled away from the bay doors, a bolt of plasma shot past the bow as they did, melting one of the landing feet. Reno was sweating and shaking already, having never even been in a combat simulation, much less actual combat. He veered one side to the other before getting to a safe range for easy dodging of the defense cannons.
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<another-mid-post-snip>
"I WANT ANSWERS!" Jay demanded, slamming his fist down on the glass atop the scanner table. "What the smeg is going on, what's up with Holly?"
the most senior crew member from each ship's face appeared in a different window, across several monitors in the mid section of Jay's Starbug.
"A ships AI doesn't just turn on it's crew!" he said to the virtually amassed crowd, and those, such as Amber, who had joined him in the flesh.
"We...we duh...don't know!" Rufus said meekly from somewhere behind Doctor Keto on screen. "We...nuh..need to get ab..aboard and acess the mainframe to ah...ah..analyse!"
"Ok. Then we find a way to get aboard, and fast. Who knows what damage Holly could do..I WANT SUGGESTIONS, I don't care who from, officers, technicians or even civilians. I just wanna get aboard and find out what the smeg is happening!"
</another-mid-post-snip>
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"You know I could get in there, right?" came a voice in Rosette's head. It was the insectoid, raspy voice of the spider that was always within. It chuckled and seemed to be lying back on a deck chair.
"But the moment I change, you'll take over and tear the ship apart." Rosette replied.
"You were right. If we work together, we'll be able to get more done, and survive longer. I'll have my fun when you're older and weaker."
Jay and the other more senior members of the crew were all on the vid-screen in front of them. Even though there were no high-ranked officers on their blue midget, it was still an open conversation for all.
"There is no way in smegging hell I am letting you do that." Rosette said to the bug. However, she also said it out loud, and everyone turned towards her. She froze, looked up at the screen, and sheepishly turned red.
"Did i say that out loud?" she asked. Jay nodded in return.
"Won't do what?" He asked. "We need any possible way of getting in, I don't care how stupid it is, as long as it'll work. Shut up Dean, I don't want to hear any more tin opener suggestions." He said absent mindedly, pointing at the screen that Dean could be seen on. "And definitely no Toastie comments either!" He added as an afterthought. Dean looked thoroughly upset, and sat back on his chair waiting for someone to come up with a different idea.
"It's nothing... I can't do it." Rosette replied to Jay, though the bug knew that she was going to have to admit it to everyone, even though most people already knew.
"I've told you, I don't care how stupid it is, if you have an idea, say it." Jay ordered, he was beginning to look angry.
"I... could melt a hole in an air lock with acid, and get us in... I'm sure i could make it through the air-vents to a manual override, but I have no idea how to work them..." She said, and people seemed to like the idea.
"You h.. have some acid?" Rufus piped up. "I u-used the la-last of my GUNK earlier." He stuttered.
Dean then spoke, hoping to make himself sound better. "Yeah, Acid that strong isn't a standard issue on a blue midget, or even a starbug." He was right though, for once.
"I know that." Rosette responded. She didn't really, but it would be stupid to admit that. "I can make my own acid... by... turning into...." she began, though she felt really uncomfortable about saying it.
"Come on woman, say it." Jay said, though he was soon smacked around the head by Amber and his girlfriend, who were both there.
"sorry. take your time, the Dwarf isn't going anywhere... yet..." Jay conceded, and waited.
Rosette took a deep breath, and then just said it. "I can turn into a Hymenoptera, and melt the airlock with my acid." she said, and waited for the tirade of abuse.
<tag. Keep it coming people, we need more ideas!>