Biding Time

[GUN Command]

Aboard the Warlock, one of the ensign's at the sonar scanner turned and shouted to the captain. "Sir, Torpedo's in the water."

The captain of the Warlock calmly looked to his right. "Deploy counter measures and initiate emergency accent." As ordered two large canisters are fired from the bow of the Warlock. As they begin to sink, they start to release massive quantities of bubbles that would not only be able to jam a sonar based weapon, but according to the information gleamed by GUN from the stolen dropship, would also distort and refract even the alien's laser based targeting systems. And, as the bubbles rose so too did the Warlock with them as an extra precaution in case the warheads would still follow the same course.

Meanwhile Minister and Fallout were deploying bubble counter-measures of their own in hopes of preventing the enemy from gaining solid accurate shots against them. However, the counter-measures were not deployed early enough and both Minister and Fallout took hits from the concussions of the alien cannons.

"Sir, Minister has taken on water in compartment's 6 and 8. Damage control has the areas sealed off though and are working to pump water from those areas. Fallout reports heavier damage to her bow sections and two of her torpedo bays are damaged. They say they have to pull out of the action before the ship is lost completely." Fallout had been careless and over eager, thought the captain of the Minister. Had they not gotten so close in earnest to kill the enemy ship they might have fared better. Now, only two GUN warships would be left to duke it out with two superior enemy warships. However, before activating her jettisoning her emergency ballast, Fallout fired two last torpedo's from her remaining operable torpedo bays at the Astoria and deployed more counter measures to cover her retreat.

"Sir, those were the enemy's main batteries. Judging by what I saw from before in Capitol City, those shots seemed far more under powered for some reason."

"Interesting. Helmsman. Take us on a bearing away from the enemy ships. Lets put some distance between us and them. Ready aft torpedo tubes and fire on target 1 when ready." Minister turned hard to port again, firing a pair of sturgeon torpedo's into the already stricken Silver Wind and made all speed to put as much distance between herself and those cannons. The Captain of course didn't know for sure if greater range would help, he only knew that staying in close with the enemy's greater and more numerous fire-power was foolhardy. And after relaying similar instructions to the Warlock, she too started to turn away, firing off more countermeasure's to cover her movements.

[Sarath Crescent]

The Silver Wind didn't stand much of a chance of survival. One torpedo narrowly missed its mark but the second struck home on midships just below the starboard cannon. The already weakened armour buckled, shrieked, and gave in. The collapse caused the collapse of one of the central braces that circled the ship and held the superstructure in place. The added pressure of the depth caused the entire brace to cave in, the centre of the ship imploding on itself in a mass of bubbles and twisting metal. The collapse was progressive, the next brace giving in, then the next, then the next. Eventually the entire hull of the Silver Wind collapsed on itself sending out a mass of bubbles and small shockwaves caused by the pressure release.

The Astoria continued to turn, it appeared now that the initial impact with the ground caused by her landing gear collapsing had caused damage to her steering. The ship had no chance of avoiding the torpedoes fired at her but the damage wasn't quite as bad as the Silver Wind. As the Fallout retreated the Astoria broadsided her target. Luckily for the Fallout the broadside was not the most powerful side of the ship. Still a single cannon fired, lobbing a shell towards the retreating ship as the two torpedoes slammed into her hull...promptly removing said cannon. Knocked to the side by the explosion she ploughed into the ocean floor and stopped dead.

The torpedoes fired at the Warlock were not deterred by the strwams of bubbled. Already pre programed with a time and distance they shot through the stream and detonated where the Warlock had been only a few moments before. The explosions sent out a series of powerful shockwaves through the water similar to the cannon detonations of the other two ships.

On the Monoceros, Sarath finally arrived on the command deck. His second was still barking orders but he fell silent as Sarath arrived. Outside the windows it was clear to see the remains of the Silver Wind falling to the ocean floor.

"You had better have a good explanation for this or I'll enjoy cutting you open and gutting you piece by piece!" growled Sarath as he walked closer. His hand was already resting on his sword hilt, his eyes flaring with rage.

His second backed off a little, seemingly unable to come up with a good response to the question before another member of the bridge crew shouted out. "Sir! Astoria is down! She's just hit the ocean seabed...and is initiating an evacuation!"

Sarath's second likely wished he hadn't looked away...or maybe he was glad he did. With a short snarling growl Sarath sprung forwards, his sword leaving his sheath, wreathing itself in a yellow crackling field as the fox swung it round. The next sound was a dull thud as the lemur's head hit the floor followed by another dull thud as his body joined it. Sarath stood growling at the bridge crew, each of them looking at his with wide, fearful eyes.

"Get this ship out of the water right now...or by the divining will of the west winds...EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WILL BE JOINING THIS INCOMPITENT FOOL!"

The bridge was a flash of activity, every member of the bridge staff jumping to action. A few moments later the Monoceros began to rise heavily in the water, her bow reaching a good 35 degree angle from the horizontal as she headed for the surface. At the same time a ring of light erupted around her main engine as they began to power up in preparation for breaking the surface.

[Tallulah Sonne]

Tallulah had watched in silence as Sarath stormed off before quickly limping to Lefina's side. Even in the state she found herself in, the tigress seemed to be shaking it off, even as the shaking and rumbling sound of explosions continued. She had work to do.

"Come quickly. I must see to the others as well."

It was almost an order which in itself was ironic. It seemed that in just a matter of seconds, a role reversal had occurred. Either way, all Tallulah knew was that Lefina was useless in her shaken state. She grasped the wolf's good paw firmly in her own, leading her quickly out of the room and off towards the bay.

Outside, the crew buzzed with activity. Tallulah stuck to the walls to ensure they wouldn't be run clear over. Orders, complaints, and downright furious remarks filled the air with a song of impending melancholy. The tigress kept her pace, seeming not to care although she would glance here and there.

[Celes Islay]

Cell could hear the siren's going off all over the ship, it was now or never. Still she hesitated, this was something she had wanted to avoid...especially after her tennis ball incident a few moments before. There was nothing else for it though, she had tried everything she could think of to get the electronic lock to open but without any tools it was a near impossible job.

Cell being Cell though had meant she had half worked out a solution to her problem but she was reluctant to try it. Not because she didn't want to escape...but because it was going to hurt like hell.

She stood with her arms through the bars again, hands clasped on the other side and positioned just over the lock. If she couldn't break it...maybe she could fry it. Using herself as the conduit though was not high on her list of things she wanted to do. Still there was no other way.

Bringing her arms back and together she clasped the lock in both hands and pressed her arms against the bars. Her cry was a mix between a long drawn out yelp and a bad impression of a Xena battlecry...

"Ai-ie-ya-ya-ya-ie-ie-aye-aye-ai-ya-ya-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.........OPHF!!" Cell's last word had been a result of her flying backwards across the cage and slamming into the back wall. The smell of burnt fur filled the air as she looked up with a groggy expression. The fur on her hands and forearms where they had touched the bars was charred black and the skin beneath had been burnt. Not as bad as a fire might but certainly very painful.

Cell sat for a moment, cradling her arms before looking up at the door. The lock was sparking, the bars looking just like they always did...and the door was ajar. Cell's eyes brightened, it had worked!

Tugging herself to her feet she staggered over to the cage door and pushed it open. She stepped out nervously, looking one way then the other before deciding the coast was clear. "Cell's gotta grab er stuff and high tail it out of here..." She paused, looking down at her arm again for a moment, "And try to find the infirmary and swipe some burn cream too..."

[GUN Command]

[color=#696969]The final hits were all that it took to push the Fallout from 'damaged' to 'abandon ship'. Fallout had luckily been close enough to the surface to permit the crew to abandon the ship and were whole-heartedly doing so.

As for the Warlock, it suffered major damage and if looked at from the side, the ship almost looked as though it were a bent piece of metal tubing. Air was rush out from numerous hull breaches, but the crew was working frantically to keep the ship a float, even if the ship would certainly require heavy repair work done.

"Sir, the enemy ship is disengaging."

"Let them go. We have a lot of dead and wounded to clean up. And our task group is in no condition to continue this any engagement any longer." Captain of the Minister decided that this engagement was over. The Minister started to dive deeper, and began to swing back around in preparation of picking up survivors, enemy and friendly alike.

[Sarath Crescent]

"Main power steady, initiating coupling to secondary power grid."

"Tesla drive online, peak output in 16 seconds."

"Depth 255m and rising. Descent vector at 32 degrees, estimate surface penetration in 21 seconds."

"Disengaging hull pressure plating, now purging all water filled compartments."

The information kept pouring in as the Monoceros rose towards the surface. Sarath had now settled himself back into his chair, the fox watching the bridge crew with a glaring eye and his monitor with the other.

From the information he was getting it seemed the enemey was retreating. Normally Sarath would have turned right around and struck them down before they had a chance...but this wasn't a normal situation. His ship was now alone, the surprise attack robbing him of the two vessels he had managed to maintain, and there was no telling what other forces might be waiting for them. Sarath knew that retreat served only two purposes, to escape a more powerful enemy or to meet up with your own more powerful units. Sarath didn't want to be caught in a tough spot just yet, and for the moment his anger had subsided...abated by the headless corpse of his former second in command, who's body had rolled to the back of the bridge due to the incline of the ship.

"Attention! Ship now approaching surface, prepare for turbulence upon surface breach!" rang out the slightly female sounding voice of Mother the ships computer.

"Main power bolts connected, secondary power grid operating at 89% efficiency. Initiating main engine start up in 10 seconds."

"Five second to surface breach...4...3...2...1...ship bow has broken surface!"

High above the echoing battle below the ocean was calm and peaceful. A dark mass slowly began to grow on the surface. As suddenly as a stone hitting a pond, the front prow of the Monoceros broke the surface, the shattered remains of the transition phase cannon breaking the surface. A moment later the ships conning tower broke the surface, followed by the main hull between them. A large set of wings came next, followed by the lower hull and the engineering section towards the read.

On the bridge Sarath watched as the water receeded from the main windows aroudn the bridge conning tower. He sat with his arms folded, his expression hard to make out but his face and neck twitching where he had fallen against the emerald glow earlier.

"Main ship has broken surface, primary engine start initiated."

The Monoceros' main engines, still slightly submerged beneath the water, flared into life. The sudden force of the start up threw a massive wave of water to either side of the ships stern and created a deep channel in the water. With a slight jolt the Monoceros moved upwards, its tail and lower radar tower finally clearing the waters surface.

Sarath rose to his feet. "Check all ship systems, begin recharging the shield grid and keep our altitude as low as possible. Begin scanning for any small islands within a 100 mile range and set course."

Following his orders Sarath stepped down from his chair and moved towards the exit. His crew watched him for a moment as he walked from the bridge and then went back to their stations.

As the door slid shut behind Sarath he quickly clutched a hand to his neck and face, his claws extending and raking harshly at his skin. So much in fact that he actually drew blood causing him to growl loudly. Using his other hand to steady himself against the wall he began to move off down the corridor towards the medical bay.

[Tal, feel free to control use Lef a little if you like. Didn't want to type anything up for her that might contradict what you wanted to put.]

[Tallulah Sonne]

[Oh gods. Sorry for the wait-a-thon.]

It was just was the two reached the medical bay that the ship began to surface. Tallulah had remained on alert for sudden action, however, her hand trailing along a wall as they had made for the infirmary. She gripped an open section of the wall where it gave to reveal the skeleton of the ship's hull due to repairs and held fast. Lefina did likewise, albeit shakily. Whether by blood loss or Sarath's sudden outburst, Tallulah didn't know or concern herself with at the moment. Around them, a few crew members who had been running through the corridor weren't so lucky, some slamming hard into the walls, tripping over the cables lying on the floor or otherwise.

As the movement subsided, the tigress ducked into the medical bay where a chorus of chatter and groans scattered throughout it. A stout, little mouse quivered around, her whiskers hovering like a hummingbird. She caught sight of Lefina and Tallulah as they entered and nearly tripped most ungraciously on her own tail as she scuttled over.

"Tallulah, where have you been?"

"I apologize, Tarisa. His lordship had duties to acquaint me with when the attack hit. What's the count?"

"At least a dozen injured. A couple seriously. And-Tallulah, what happened to your ankle?"

"It's nothing serious. Mind the others. The lord will have me by the throat if I do not attend to her first."

Tallulah lead Lefina deeper into the sick bay and onto one of the free beds. If she protested, the tigress ignored it. Tally took up the wolf's injured hand, examining it with soft applications of pressure here and there.

"It seems you have good Amrrak. It's not serious, but it will need a brace..."

The tigress abandoned her for only a moment, disappearing into the back. She returned swiftly with earlier said item as well as an icepack, a few cotton balls, and a small bottle. Working almost mechanically, Tallulah cleaned and dressed what she could. She was careful but quick. The worried tone in Tarisa's voice had her on alert that things were about to get suffocatingly difficult in the bay.

[Sarath Crescent]

Lefina had complained slightly at first but she had fallen silent as Tallulah had started to tend to her wounds. In truth she was a little ashamed of herself, she was a former member of the Order of Majestas...she should be helping to tend to the wounded, using her own healing skills. Yet in her state she couldn't do much, her healing powers generally relied on physical contact and with this type of injury she was pretty helpless.

"...Thank you..." she murmured quietly as she sat and waited. She had little time for self pity though as the door to the medical bay slid open. At first no one entered, then after a moments pause a grey furred paw clasped the door frame. On a finger was a single ring engraved with a crescent moon insignia...a line of blood ran down between two of the fingers.

Lefina almost choked as the owner finally stepped through the door. It was Sarath! As the fox stepped through the extent of his problem became evident. His hand was matted with blood, scraped from several sizeable clawmarks that he seemed to have raked himself into his neck and muzzle. The clawmarks also seemed to be twinkling slightly with a very dull red haze.

He staggered through the door, his paw still gripping the doorframe to steady himself. He didn't speak, the fox seemingly trying to hold back from cry out in pain. As his paw left the door frame he clasped it back to his face but seemingly it was the only thing keeping him on his feet in that moment.

With a thud the Fox's knees gave out and he collapsed on his front in the medical bay doorway.

[Celes Islay]

The ship seemed to be out of combat now...but there was still enough trouble going on to give Cell the perfect cover. Right now the feline was hiding in an air duct watching the ships crew fly around in the corridor below her. She was trying to retrace her steps from when she had been captured. She still remembered where they had taken her first and where her gear had been stowed...she just hoped it hadn't ben moved.

She moved on down the duct, being as quiet as she could. She knew she had to move fast, it wouldn't be long before her empty cell was discovered and then she would have a much more difficult task ahead of her. She took a left and headed on, making for a grill a little way along the duct. If she had got bearings right then she was right above the room where her gear was being stored. She just hoped the room was empty.

[Tal, feel free to occupy Cell with some grunts if you like or I can take care of it. ^^]

[Tallulah Sonne]

What blushing color that remained in Tallulah's face drained in sheer seconds as Sarath stumbled in and collapsed on the floor of the infirmary. Chatter silenced to a point that a pin drop could have been heard.

"Lord Sarath!"

Shouts suddenly cascaded throughout the room. Cries of panic, disdain, forced concern. All flooded to their lordship's deaf ears. Tallulah rose from the care of Lefina and look quick strides over towards Sarath. A few less injured were already hustling about, trying to lift him up off the floor.

"Make room! You two, stay! The rest of you, back off! Tarisa! Where's Frezul?"

"Right behind you."

Tallulah nearly jumped out of her fur as she looked back. She never had gotten used to his muted presence and she probably never would. Together, they directed the two to collect their lord onto a stretcher, now rolled gingerly onto his back, which was then quickly transported to the emergency medical care center located in the back. It was really only just an extra small room, but the equipment made the name formidable. Frezul set to work immediately with Tallulah right behind him after dismissing the two who had helped with an abrupt nod. Her brows remained furrowed in confusion. Just what could have happened to cause Sarath to sustain such injuries? It appeared that it been performed by himself, too. If that were the cause, it only succeeded in leaving her in more disdain than prior.

__________

Meanwhile, Celes couldn't have been any more unlucky. Two currently occupied the room. It seemed that not all of Sarath's men were as loyal as they seemed to be. If they ever did in the first place. One almost resembled an octopus with several long, squirming limbs digging selectively through the treasure trove of personal belongings taken from prisoners over the years. At the end of each tentacle, however, a fanged mouth nipped and tasted the air. The critter itself only had one eye and stood on two stick figure like legs. His friend appeared completely the opposite. Hard set, he almost looked like a living pile of enchanted rocks save for the goop between them that stretched out to form appendages. He was currently hunched over as well, although it was nearly impossible to tell where his attention rested. Eyes escaped his "head", which was no more than another chunk of rock.