Star Fox: The Harmony of the Many

by NamaFox

The Aparoid Wars are over, and the Lylat System is recovering. Team Star Fox receives a distress call from just beyond the edge of the Lylat System. What starts as a rescue mission soon becomes something much more than the team anticipated. Fox McCloud soon finds himself contending with horrors beyond imagination, and it will take all his wits and courage just to survive.

15. Chapter 14 - Boarding Party

Noellap found himself in some rather cramped quarters. These pods were short range vessels, intended to be launched at an enemy ship before boring a hole into it. They could breach almost any part of a ship, save for something particularly volatile or dangerous, such as an engine. This pod was occupied simply by himself, the pilot, two troopers, and the newly appointed junior lieutenant, Ginger. As he looked at her, he noticed how nervous she seemed. She couldn't meet anyone's gaze, her head lowered. Her eyes were closed, and she breathed in and out, slow deep breaths, trying to calm herself. It reminded Noellap a bit of himself, when he had received his first assignment involving real combat in the Dominion.

One of the other troopers seemed to notice as well. Most of his face was hidden by the helmet he wore, along with the dark visor that covered his eyes. Even so, Noellap recognized him from the file. He had memorized most of the names of those who were a part of this mission. Private Matthew Jenkins completed basic training and survived two missions dealing with pirates on the outer rim of the Lylat System. A competent soldier, though hardly a veteran

"You alright over there?" Jenkins asked. "You can hold on to me if you like. This armor keeps us nice and steady."

"I'm fine." She stated, her eyes still closed. "I don't need help."

"You sure? It might make you feel better."

"That's enough, private." Noellap addressed the trooper directly, who immediately snapped back to attention, staring forward and straightening his posture. "Sir, yes sir."

Noellap eyed the trooper for a moment, then turned back to Ginger. "You'll be alright. Our troops are well trained, and we are well prepared for what might await. You have nothing to fear."

"Yes...yes sir." The rat-girl was slowly calming down, her breathing softer and more controlled.

To his credit, the trooper he had just scolded turned to face her, nodding his head. "Don't worry ma'am. We'll keep you safe. You just leave the rough stuff to us." He smiled, his muzzle being the only part of his face that was visible under the helmet, then turned away, removing his side arm and examining it, ensuring that it was ready for battle in case he needed the thing.

They would very likely need it. They still weren't certain exactly what was going on aboard that ship, but whatever it was appeared to be quite serious. They were prepared, however. A full division of the Dominion's finest had been chosen for this mission, consisting of multiple squadrons across a dozen pods. They had all been equipped with the best available gear.

Noellap looked over the nearby troops, admiring their equipment. The armor was state of the art heavy duty equipment, designed to be able to absorb blaster bolts, though a direct hit with a powerful enough weapon would still cause significant damage. Several direct hits would be fatal, and one good shot in the head could very well kill the soldier. This was unavoidable, as the troops needed mobility in addition to protection, thus a healthy balance had to be maintained. There was no greater balance than what they had achieved here. Their heads were protected by their helmets and visors, and they all had packs of supplies strapped to their backs, filled with such things as emergency rations, extra ammunition, explosive charges, and whatever else they might need. They were equipped for most anything.

In addition to this, they were armed with the very best weaponry available. Different troopers had different equipment, depending on what they excelled at and what the squadron needed at the time. Most were equipped with standard blaster rifles, though with a much higher energy capacity and increased firepower over the kind typically seen in the Lylat System. Each and every trooper was also assigned a powerful sidearm for use if their primary weapon should be damaged, lost, or simply out of ammo. A handful of troopers assigned to this task also had specialized weapons and gear. Some had welding tools and breaching charges for getting through locked doors, one or two of them had rocket launchers as heavy ordinance. He believed one of them was even assigned a flamethrower, though he was not certain as to which one. Not any in his squad, it seemed.

Ginger herself was equipped a little differently than the others. She had a side arm in its holster, a powerful blaster pistol that would down all but the most resilient of foes with a few well placed shots. The rest of her gear was intended for a supportive role. Short range communications equipment along with small computers intended to run scans and analysis once they were set up. Noellap was surprised that she was handling it so well. He was certain it was heavy, as heavy as the weaponry the other soldiers carried. She bore the burden well and without complaint. He was impressed.

Noellap did not know where they were, currently. The flight had been relatively smooth up to now, aside from the rather violent rocking the pod had made as it was first launched from the Bulwark. It wouldn't take too long for them to arrive at their destination, but the pods were relatively slow compared to most other craft. They were built for durability, troop transport, and raw breaching power, not so much speed. He imagined they'd be making contact with the Von Dross at any moment. If the readout had been accurate and nothing was interfering, they would arrive in approximately thirty more seconds.

"What do you think we're going to find on board?" One of the troopers asked, the one that Noellap had spoken to earlier. Jenkins.

"We do not know." Noellap answered him directly. "But we will assume hostility. If something attacks or even looks at you wrong, shoot on sight. If it doesn't seem aggressive, wait for my order."

"Sir, yes sir." The soldier nodded, then continued inspecting his equipment, making sure everything was ready in case things got dicey. This was good. In truth, Noellap didn't like the fact that they were flying in blind. They still didn't have much idea of what was going on, what had happened to the ship. They knew something had hijacked the thing. Details beyond that were sparse. All they really knew was that the time to act was now. The engines were disabled. Fox was still cut off from his team. It was time to move in before their objective was compromised.

Despite the fact that they were not entirely informed on what was to come, Noellap knew he could count on the soldiers selected for this mission. They might lose a few men or women if things went poorly, if resistance proved to be more stiff than they anticipated. In the end, however, victory was assured. He had no doubt of that.

The pilot's voice rang out over the intercom. "Zeroing in on breaching point. Impact in fifteen. Brace yourselves, it's gonna be quite a bump."

Everyone in the pod began to strap themselves in and secure themselves in addition to their equipment. Noellap spared another glance toward Ginger. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing rapidly in and out. She seemed like she just couldn't catch her breath, too scared and anxious to calm down. Were she a proper soldier, he might have berated her for her behavior, as it was not becoming of someone who should be accustomed to and prepared for battle. She was a technician, however. Not a soldier. This was her first real action. Instead of reprimanding her, he gave her some calm advice. "Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Try to clear your mind. Let everything fall away. Then brace yourself."

She did as he directed, and not a moment too soon. She took a deep, shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut just before impact was made. There was a loud crash, and the pod rocked violently. The pod seemed to be vibrating as they moved forward, just a little bit at a time. Noellap knew what that was. They were breaching now, and soon they'd be inside. There was a dull roar coming from all around them as the pod burrowed its way into the larger vessel's structure.

Then the pod stopped. The noise ceased, and the hum of the engines quieted as the pod powered down. They were in.

"Time to move. Do the Dominion proud, soldiers!" The two nearby troopers hastily unbuckled themselves and secured their weapons, then made their way to the cockpit, which doubled as an exit to whatever target they had just breached. It was a rather ingenious design, or so Noellap thought. The pod would drive what was in essence a large drill into another vessel, boring a hole in it. The drill would then retract, and the cockpit would then open, allowing troops to pour out in a matter of moments, directly into the breach. The cockpit itself transformed once the breach was secured, the pilot being pushed to the side as a ramp extended to whatever lay in front or below them.

Noellap stood up himself, then studied the rat girl, Junior Lieutenant Nelly Ginger. She was still fumbling with her safety harness, her paws shaking so bad that she couldn't make any headway. He waited a mere moment as he decided what to do, then approached her and took hold of the harness himself, undoing the thing and freeing her from the constraints. She looked at him, biting her lip. "S-sorry sir, I...I'm sorry, I won't let that happen again."

He shook his head. "It's your first time. It'll get easier. I trust you can handle the rest. I'll need you to set up your equipment as quickly as possible. We're all depending on you."

"Sir, yes sir!" She gave a quick salute before gathering up her equipment and making sure it was still in one piece. He watched for a short time to ensure that she would not require further assistance, then proceeded to the cockpit.

The front of the vessel had split open, the ramp descending down to the deck of the Von Dross. They were somewhere on Deck 5, he knew that much, based on their preliminary scans of the vessel. They believed it to be a sort of recreation deck alongside crew quarters, though even that was uncertain. They knew little else about it. They had needed places that were large enough to accommodate the pods, yet away from parts of the ship that might present a potential hazard. Deck 3 was off limits. That particular deck seemed to be the most corrupted by whatever malignant tumor that now infested this vessel. The area Noellap had landed in had a number of corridors, some of them with viewing windows that faced the stars A perfect invasion point.

Another interesting ability of the breacher pods was that it could seal up the breach even as it broke through the hull of another ship. It was an incredibly complex piece of machinery, able to breach holes and plug them, though the plugs were usually just temporary. Of course, the troopers would all wear helmets and their necessary gear before heading out, as it was still possible that something could trigger a full hull breach, which might kill anyone without sufficient oxygen or pressure control, along with gravity boots to ensure that one wasn't sucked into space, of course. Every precaution had been taken.

Best of all, the pods were designed to be reused. They would be able to launch themselves to the Bulwark when they were finished here. With any luck, they wouldn't be here for very long. He hoped to only be long enough to extract their agent and achieve their primary directive. That was assuming the agent was still alive.

Two pods had landed in this precise area, and by now the troops and even the pilots were out. A number of troopers lined up before Noellap, all of them searching the area for immediate threats, blaster rifles at the ready. Each of them had a head-lamp attached to their helmets, which allowed them to see clearly. The power seemed to be out in this section of the ship, or at the very least the lights were off. Noellap raised his wrist, checking the information displayed from the device strapped to it. It was a useful piece of eqiupment that provided him with most if not all of the vital information he needed at all times, at least regarding atmosphere, pressure, temperature, and whatever else might be necessary to know. Life support seemed to still be on here, that would make it a little easier to advance throughout the deck. All readings seemed normal. .

He watched as the men secured the area. There were a dozen of them in total, trained Dominion personnel. This was probably the first mission for a number of them, so they weren't exactly seasoned veterans, but their training would hopefully make up for that.

The corridor they found themselves in was quite vast. It stretched out in either direction of the breaches they'd made. There were a few benches set up here and there, facing the stars. There were a number of plants dotting the hallway, all contained neatly in designated areas. They were likely more for aesthetic purposes than anything practical. This seemed to be a viewing room, perhaps for couples to enjoy the sight of the stars together, or simply someone wishing to be alone and think while gazing into the vastness of space.

It didn't much matter. Whatever the purpose, it had allowed the Dominion to create a clean breach. Now they could move on to more pressing matters, such as securing the immediate area. There didn't seem to be any hostiles waiting for them when they emerged from the pods, but they would still have to be thorough. Nothing would be left to chance.

Things were tense for the first few minutes, as they were waiting for a response to their assault. They had all been briefed on what might come. It was unlikely that the breach created in the Von Dross would escape detection of any kind. Kamille had informed Noellap that the possibility of an unknown enemy force was likely. Noellap had agreed. The little data that they had managed to gather from their scans indicated that the bizarre growth within Deck 3 was growing bigger, and fast. He didn't know what to expect from that thing, but he hoped to be in and out before it became an issue. He also hoped to stay well away from there, of course.

It didn't take long for the area to be secured. After searching the entire corridor that they were in, two of the troopers returned to Noellap to report. The rest remained on guard at either of the entrances, wary for any uninvited guests.

"Sssir!" One of the troopers addressed Noellap, lowering her weapon to the side so she could give a proper salute. This was one of the other soldiers that had been sitting in the pod before they breached, sitting across from Jenkins. She was some some sort of snake person. He believed her name was Eden. He couldn't recall her first name, but she was a corporal, and had distinguished herself at training and on one of the covert missions the Dominion had undertaken. When she spoke, the "s" sound tended to stretch. "The area isss clear, sssir. We await further ordersss."

"Very good. Standby."

"Yesss sir."

There was a noise behind Noellap, and he turned to see Ginger quickly setting up the equipment. She appeared to be in her element now that she'd gotten out of the breach pod. She worked efficiently, setting the equipment in an organized and methodical manner, just as she had been trained.

The gear she was working with was, in essence, a portable computer with communications equipment, in addition to scanning and tracking capabilities. It would allow them to keep in contact with each other, and would even extend to the Bulwark itself, even through the shield that was otherwise blocking both communication and scans. It was, perhaps, the most important tool they had brought with them.

In almost no time at all, the rat girl had finished setting up, pressing one of the buttons to fire it up. There was a hum and high pitched beeping noise before the screen came to life. The screen now bore an image upon it, a scan of their immediate area. At a glance, Noellap could see their own presence represented by small white blips on the screen. The area they were in, the long corridor, was highlighted, and the scans allowed them to see several rooms beyond their current position. A holographic map was now displayed, showing a great deal of what was around them. It couldn't cover the whole ship, the equipment wasn't strong enough for that. Still, it was far better than anything they had to work with outside of the Von Dross, against the interference that the ship generated. With time, the scans would grow stronger and more accurate, covering more and more of the ship. "It's ready, sir. Ready to make contact, by your order." Ginger stated as she finished.

"Do it. Contact the Von Dross and link up with the rest of the drop team, I want to know their position and status immediately."

"Yes sir." Ginger quickly pressed a few buttons and adjusted a small dial on the device, and the sound of static could be heard emanating from the machinery. It took her a bit, she had to continue to adjust and compensate for the interference.

She proved the captain's faith in her was well earned, as within a matter of moments she had succeeded in her task. "I've established communications with the Bulwark, sir."

"Excellent work. Open a channel immediately."

The girl nodded, then pressed a single button. A holographic display popped up from the screen, and Noellap could see his commanding officer as plain as day. He was seated in his chair, gazing at Noellap with a face devoid of emotion. "You are on board. I trust that you have met no resistance thus far."

"That is correct sir." Noellap found himself nodding at the holographic projection of the captain. "Our area is quiet. I am about to communicate with the other teams to verify their status."

"Good. Make your way to the science labs, that will be the most likely location of our prize. In particular, focus on the AI division, perhaps even the master control room. If you cannot find it there, find the bridge. And remember, do not hesitate. Anyone who gets in your way, shoot them."

"Yes sir, it will be done." Noellap offered his commanding officer a salute, then the hologram faded from sight. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before returning his attention to Ginger. "Have you established contact with the rest of the teams?"

She was busy adjusting the dial, then turned to him and nodded her head. "Yes sir. I just finished making the adjustments, they should be able to both hear and respond to you."

"Excellent." Noellap cleared his throat, then leaned forward, waiting for the signal from Ginger that they could hear him before proceeding. "This is Lieutenant Commander Noellap. All squads report in."

The Dominion had chosen to split its forces into multiple teams in order to achieve its goals. All it would take was a single group to secure the objective, then the rest could retreat and regroup before making their exit. Separation had certain risks, but then multiple targets would mean that any potential enemies would have to divert forces to combat all of them. It could result in some casualties if one or more squads were overwhelmed, but overall the Captain had expressed that this would best improve the mission's chance for success. Noellap agreed. If they should fall, it would at least be for a worthy cause.

They shortly received confirmation from each of the squads that were sent in, having arrived at their respective destinations.

"Alpha squad reporting in!"

"Beta squad reporting in!"

"Delta squad has arrived, over."

"Gamma squad sounding off!"

That was it. Those were the four squads. Each of them was small but well equipped and well trained. They were going to do this cautiously. He had no intention of blundering forward and getting his men killed.

Noellap gave them their immediate orders. "You are to secure your immediate area, then work your way deeper into the ship. You will be receiving information based on our scans shortly. Your objectives will be marked. Make your way to them. I want to hear regular reports and status updates, understood?"

All of them would affirm his question. "Alpha squad, acknowledged.

"Beta squad here, will do."

"This is Delta. Orders received."

"Gamma squad, acknowledged."

That was that. They'd do their job. If any of them ran into trouble, they'd report in.

Now that they had finished, it was time to get a move on. Every team would need to pull their weight, and his was no exception. He turned to regard his men. In total, there were twelve of them. Eight troopers, two pilots, Ginger, and Noellap himself. The plan was simple enough, and he saw no reason to deviate from it. "Alright, we're going to start off simple. Junior Lieutenant, you are to stay here and monitor the situation and keep communications up with all groups, contacting the Bulwark as needed."

Ginger nodded her head to affirm his words. With that, Noellap turned towards the rest of his men. "Formation, now."

They all moved without hesitation. The room was secured after all. They quickly formed two lines before Noellap. He gestured to the left most part. "You four. You will secure this area and keep the lieutenant safe from harm. That is your priority. Keep her safe no matter the cost. Her expertise is essential to the success of this mission. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Four of the troopers, the ones that he had indicated with his fingers, stood at attention before approaching Ginger, standing to either side of her, still keeping their gaze locked on Noellap as he directed them. "In the unlikely situation that you are overwhelmed, you are to request assistance immediately. My team will attempt to rejoin yours. We will then regroup, choosing either to retreat or press forward. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The group of soldiers shouted their acknowledgments firmly.

"Both pilots will remain here in case of an emergency or when the objective is secured. Until that time, they are to assist with keeping the room well guarded."

The two pilots nodded after receiving their orders. In truth, the pilots weren't strictly necessary, as the pods did have automatic flight capability. However, there was the possibility of malfunction, and automatic pilots rarely were as reliable or as effective as a living one. The pilots could prove invaluable if something should go wrong. He preferred not to risk their lives fighting in the corridors of the Von Dross.

"Good." He turned to face the remaining four soldiers. Jenkins and Eden were among them, plus two other troopers. One of them was a rabbit with white fur, Private Buckley. He was the greenhorn in the group, first mission, barely finished training. He seemed almost as nervous as Ginger. The other was an ape. A very large ape that went by the name of Gutan. He towered above the other members of the group. He didn't say much, but he followed orders well enough. "You four, with me. We will secure this sector room by room until we make it to the primary elevator. Lieutenant Ginger will guide our advance from here." He gave her a nod before continuing. "We'll deal with any hostiles as they come."

The soldiers nodded, then fell in step behind Noellap. He gave Ginger one last look before asking her, "Anything on scan?"

She shook her head. "No sir. The only life forms I am detecting in our vicinity are those belonging to our own forces. Successful landings on this deck and decks 1, 2, and 4. I have marked the primary elevator for you now." With those words and the tap of a button, the device on the lieutenant's arm started to glow faintly. It was the same for all the troopers. They had not only been equipped with some impressive combat gear, but they had also been given some excellent support equipment as well.

Noellap studied the device he himself had been given. There were markers indicating the position of friendly troops, small blue blips that flashed once in a while. A small layout of the ship served as the background, focused almost entirely on their deck. What each squad saw would be a bit different, focused on their own location as opposed to where any of the others were. With this, they would know precisely where they were and where they were going. A red arrow marked their destination, and even the direction they needed to go to reach it. They might have some problems on this mission going forward, but getting lost was not going to be one of them.

"Alright then. Let's move out." He looked at the other four troopers assigned to him again before saying quietly, "With me." That was all that needed to be said. The four guards fell in step behind him, flanking either of his sides, rifles drawn. They were ready.

They all were. With the junior lieutenant monitoring the situation and the various teams infiltrating the vessel from multiple breaching points, he had every confidence that they would succeed. Of course, they had not met any resistance thus far.

They came to the first door, the exit to this viewing room. It was closed. He wasn't sure if it was locked or not, but they weren't taking any chances. He didn't even have to give them orders. The team handled it like professionals. Noellap stepped to the side and allowed them to breach. The two troopers to either side of the door, Jenkins and Eden, nodded at each other. Jenkins had his rifle ready, while Eden slid her foot in front of the door until she either heard the sound of an electronic lock or the chime of an opening door. In this case, it was the latter. As soon as the door slid open, Jenkins charged into the room, leveling his weapon and turning his head from left to right, his headlight piercing the darkness. The other troopers soon followed him, covering their companion. They covered all directions, their lights flashing as they turned, illuminating whatever shadows may have been hidden in the gloom. Noellap stepped behind them, undoing the strap on his holster. He didn't have a big gun like the others, he was equipped with a smaller weapon, a sidearm. It was certainly enough to protect himself and deal with any opponent they could reasonably expect. It wouldn't destroy a combat robot or a tank. He didn't have the training or strength to handle the larger equipment. That's why these troops were here. Besides, Noellap could handle himself well enough. His marksmanship scores had been more than proficient at the academy where he had trained.

The room that they had just entered was empty. Quiet as a tomb. In fact, there was no sound at all other than the ones they were making, the soldiers with their heavy footsteps, the shifting of their armor and weaponry as they moved. It was so quiet. It should have relieved him to know there was no one else here, yet Noellap did not feel relieved. It felt wrong somehow. The darkness did not help. The power might have been cut off, he did not know. They had to proceed regardless. He raised his wrist to his face, speaking into the communicator. "The room is secured. Where do we need to go next?"

"One of the primary elevators is not far from your current position." Ginger's voice crackled over the line. "Head east, you'll enter a large room. I can't make out what's in there, but I'm not detecting any life forms."

"Good enough." Noellap turned to the men. "You heard the lady. We're moving east."

Right now they were in another hallway. This one was different from the viewing room, though. As he looked around, Noellap could see evidence of life, or at least life that was. There was a reception terminal nearby, but no one was manning it. There was a monitor on the desk, a faint green light emanating from the screen, flashing over and over again. There were a couple of unfinished drinks on the desk, but there was no sign of whoever had been here. The post was deserted.

Well, that seemed sufficient cause to further suspect that something had gone terribly wrong here. The captain and he had both discussed this. The possibility of an infestation, violence and who knew what else. But where was it? Whoever or whatever was left on this ship, were they even aware of the Dominion's newfound presence aboard? They'd find out soon enough, he supposed.

"Sir?" Private Jenkins had stopped in front of Noellap. Noellap had been so distracted by his thoughts that he hadn't noticed what lay ahead. Of course, it was too dark to have seen anything, he wouldn't have noticed it until one of the soldiers used his head light to see it. "We're not getting through here easily."

It didn't take long for Noellap to figure out what the soldier was talking about. They were in front of some kind of double door. But it wasn't going to readily open for them. It wasn't just because it was locked, either. In fact, for all Noellap knew, the door wasn't locked. Someone had built a rather impressive barricade against the door, from the side the Dominion soldiers were on.

"Messsssy." Corporal Eden moved forward, using her rifle to pick at one of the pieces of debris. As she moved, the head light illuminated more of the room, as well as more details. The barricade was made of a few benches, a vending machine, and whatever furniture that had once served the room. There were bullet holes and scorch marks around it and all over it. Now that Noellap had better light, he could see blood. Lots of blood. Most of the items in the makeshift barricade had been splattered with the stuff. There was a pool of it on the floor, a sickening amount of the thick red substance. It hadn't dried yet.

"Should we try to push through? We can probably breach it." Jenkins reached to his side, retrieving an explosive charge that he had been equipped with. "I can blow it."

Gutan stepped forward, tilting his head to either side, emitting loud pops as the bones in his neck cracked from stretching. Jenkins watched him approach, then backed up a bit, letting the ape reach for the barricade. He was big enough, he could probably simply shove it to the side.

"Wait." Noellap held out his hand to stop Rangu. The soldier did as he was told, waiting for orders. "Ginger, I need to know what my options are here. The door is barricaded. We can push through, but I need to know if there's another way."

"Yes sir. There is a way around, but it's a bit of a trip. You'll have to double back and go west. It'll take you a little longer. I can't promise there won't be more barricades, though."

"We'll take our chances." Noellap sighed, closing his eyes. "Alright, we'll find a way around."

"Sir, are you certain?" Jenkins sounded a bit confused. "We've got enough charges, we've got Gutan here. We could easily blow this away or just push it and..."

"I'm not worried about how convenient it will be, soldier." By this time, he had turned away from the troops and started to make his way forward, retrieving his own light to guide him this time. It was a bit old fashioned, he had to hold it with one hand. But it was reliable, and allowed him to still use his firearm at the same time. "I'm worried about what they were trying to keep out. Or perhaps I should say in."

None of them responded to that. He didn't know whether they agreed or not. If they didn't, they were good enough soldiers to keep it to themselves. They quickly caught up with Noellap, flanking him and pushing a bit ahead, not out of a sense of eagerness or being rude, but because they knew it was their duty to place themselves between him and any enemy fire. Their zeal was commendable.

They proceeded in silence. There were a lot of hallways on this deck. As they walked, the soldiers looked around, their heavy armor creaking and groaning as they went. With each turn, they bathed a new part of the ship with light. This was how Noellap was able to learn about their surroundings. There were symbols on some of the doors that they passed. One showed a picture of water, another of weights and barbells. A swimming pool and a fitness center, respectively. Both empty of course. There were holo-screens in some of the rooms, white screens filled with nothing but static. There were other machines that were likely intended for entertainment, virtual reality sets. They had grown quite popular in recent years.

It would seem that their initial scans had been correct. This was the recreation deck.

"There should be a room you can cut through on your right. I'm not sure what it is, it's spacious and open and..."

"It's an eating area." Noellap stated simply. There were chairs scattered about, some of them set before tables. Some were pushed over and laid flat on the ground. He didn't see any evidence of violence in this place. No bullets or blood, just a mess. Curiously enough, he didn't smell anything unusual. One would think the food might start to spoil if...

"Greetings sirs! May I take your order?"

Noellap nearly jumped out of his scales when he heard the voice, and all of his troops immediately took aim at the direction the sound came from.

There he was. Well, it anyway.

Behind the counter was a protocol droid. While it had a shape vaguely resembling a humanoid, it was clearly a robot. It did not have flesh, fur, or scales, nor did it have anything even remotely resembling a face, just a mechanical head with bright red eyes as it regarded the group. The most curious thing about its appearance was the rather ridiculous looking chef's hat the robot was wearing, tall and white just like a professional. It looked rather strange on the droid.

"Do we shoot, sssir?" Eden asked. Her finger was on the trigger, and she was ready to act on her superior's orders.

"No, not yet!" Noellap placed his hand on the soldier's arm. "Not yet, it might have information we can use."

"Today's menu consists of Macbethian Slug Stew, considered by some to be a delicacy." The droid continued, its tone rather chipper and uplifting.

Considering that no one else was here and the regular crew were missing or dead, the droid's chipper tone and offer only served to make Noellap more uneasy. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"If you are not hungry for stew, please try one of our other meals! Today's special, personal recommendation from management is..." The machine paused for a moment, something whirring inside it's chassis. And then a voice that sounded completely different and monotone spoke up, completing the thought. "...Titanian Trout." As soon as the words were said, so absolutely artificial and insincere, the robot switched back to its more jovial and eager to please persona. "Your crew mates cannot stop raving about it!"

Noellap heard one of his soldiers snicker, though he wasn't sure which one. "I'm not a member of the crew. We are..." He paused, pondering over precisely what he should say. The thing seemed to only have a basic level of intelligence, not enough to answer their questions or give any useful information. "What is your primary directive?"

This actually got a proper answer from the droid. "My primary directive is to maintain the mess hall located in Deck 5, Sector D!"

That was a start. He doubted very much that he'd get anything more of use from the droid, but it didn't hurt to try. "Has anything out of the ordinary happened in recent hours? When did you serve your last meal?"

The droid was all too happy to answer his question, or so it seemed. "Last meal was served at approximately 0500..." The droid abruptly stopped without warning, mid sentence. The head twitched. "You are not identified as members of the crew." The voice had changed somewhat. It had still had a cheerful demeanor, but there was something else in its tone. Something threatening. "DARIUS won't like this."

Noellap had no idea who this Darius was, but they couldn't have someone alerted to their presence. Eden clearly agreed, as she had raised her weapon and taken careful aim at the thing. It made no move to defend itself, it just stood there. If it had a face, Noellap was certain it would be smiling, oblivious to impending doom. "Do I dissspatch him, sssir?"

There was no hesitation. No moment taken to decide on what to do. He gave the order immediately. "Take it out."

He didn't have to say it twice. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the snake opened fire, blasting the droid with two clean shots to the head in quick succession. The droid dropped like a sack of stones, sparks sputtering from it as it died. The lights on its head powered down, the hat it had worn flopping to the side. The smoking machinery twitched a couple of times, but did nothing more, growing quiet and still.

A simple kill. No resistance, no real fight. Perhaps the rest of the mission would be just as simple. "Alright, let's move out."

The group proceeded through the mess hall and emerged in the next area, another corridor. They followed it east, heading towards the main elevator. They weren't far now.

There was a burst of static from the radio. "This is Delta squad. We've made contact."

Noellap immediately raised his hand, turning to the side as he spoke directly into the communicator. "This is Noellap. Say again?"

"Repeat, we have made contact. Member of the crew. He is unaware of our presence, his back is to us."

"Can you identify? Is it our agent?" Noellap asked.

"Negative, unable to confirm..." There was a pause, the sound of something shifting on the other end. "He's aware of us now, advancing toward us. He is holding a weapon. Permission to engage, over."

Noellap gave the order without any hesitation. "Permission granted. Take him out."

"Yes sir." Noellap's team was silent as they listened. Noellap glanced at the troopers beside him, all of them listening closely for what would happen next. They heard a gunshot over the radio, the whine of a blaster being discharged. A pause. Just as Noellap was about to request a status update, they heard another shot. Then another. There were four or five in total. There was a brief silence before the radio crackled to life again. "He's down."

"What were all those shots for?" Noellap asked. "Did you miss?"

"Negative sir, he absorbed all the shots. Five direct hits, two confirmed head shots. Didn't go down until the last shot. We're approaching now."

"I want to know how they survived that many shots. Confirm whether he had armor or some kind of special shielding." Noellap ordered.

"Yes sir. Will be just a few moments."

The lieutenant made a gesture to his two men, and they acknowledged it with a faint nod of their heads, falling in step behind him. "Our team is making our way to the nearest elevator. Report when you have any information."

"Yes sir."

Five hits. Five direct hits. He had no reason to suspect the soldier was lying, perhaps to cover up for poor accuracy. No, they were disciplined enough. If they truly hit someone so many times and they didn't go down, that could be problematic. It had to be some kind of special shielding, but how someone could manage a shield on a small organic target was beyond him. The shielding that the Dominion had was powerful and state of the art, but even it couldn't shield an individual person. That was a limitation that had never been overcome, at least not to Noellap's knowledge. They could shield the Bulwark and the individual fighters, but that was about it. It even had trouble shielding the breach pods. In fact, that was one of the great risks of using them in the first place, the reason they had to have fighter support. The pods did not have proper shields.

Was it possible that the crew of the Von Dross, at least the armed ones, had access to a personal shield device? That would be an unwelcome piece of news. It would certainly complicate the mission.

This would be a good time to check in with the others. "Squads, sound off. Any activity in your sectors?"

"Alpha team, nothing. All quiet so far, making our way deeper inside."

"Beta team here. Nothing to report."

"Gamma team. Nothing."

That meant just the one squad had encountered resistance so far, unless they included the cooking droid Noellap's team had just destroyed.

Eventually a voice came over the comm, the trooper who had just reported on their kill. "Delta squad here. Ready to report."

"Go ahead, soldier."

"Sir, the body has been compromised. There's some kind of...worm on the back of the neck. Might be some kind of parasite." There was a pause before the voice continued. "Assuming further hostile encounters as we proceed. Please advise."

"Affirmative, continue towards your objective. Eliminate any hostile targets."

"Yes sir."

With that, the communications cut off with a crackle of static. There was no need for further discussion. "Let's move." Noellap ordered.

The team pressed on. They moved reasonably fast, though they were being careful to ensure that they were secure. As they passed various rooms, they'd do a quick sweep to make sure nothing was in there waiting for them. After making sure it was clear, they would move on, continuing to check the hallways they traversed, as well as any rooms they would pass by, ensuring they would not be opening themselves up to be flanked or surprised by a hidden foe.

Noellap was reminded of just how big the ship was. It seemed like it was taking them forever to get from one point to the other. Then again, he had made that decision himself. He had chosen to take the long route, avoiding the room that had been barricaded. He wasn't sure what might have awaited them on the other side, if anything. Somehow, though, his instincts told him that he had made the right choice.

"Sir." Ginger's voice crackled over the comms. "I'm detecting something. Right ahead of you."

Noellap wasn't sure if a figure had stepped out of the shadows, or if it had always been there and his men simply hadn't noticed it. As they moved along, they all suddenly came to the realization that they were not alone. A lone figure stood before them, head bowed, eyes closed. He wasn't looking at anyone, and didn't seem to be aware of the presence of the Dominion's forces. He didn't seem too aware of anything, really. He was just standing there.

Eden flashed her light on him, giving them a good look over. "Cornerian." She hissed. "What'sss he doing here?"

"Do we fire, sir?" Jenkins asked, readying his rifle.

"Not yet." Noellap raised his hand to block the soldier from shooting. Jenkins looked upward, then nodded his head before returning his attention to the target. He kept his finger on the trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Noellap waited for just a short while. He knew his orders were to shoot potential threats on sight, but he wanted to at least ascertain whether this thing was hostile or not. He had no intention of endangering the lives of his men, of course. If it showed any aggression, if it even moved toward them, he would have them gun it down. He wanted to be sure, to at least have some idea of what was going on here.

The figure remained unresponsive, just standing where he was and staring at the floor. After a few moments, they heard something coming from it. A low growl growing louder by the moment. The figure raised his head, staring at the Dominion squad. "Something...out of place..." His voice was distorted, altered in some grotesque manner, rising and falling in pitch and tone erratically. "The many...knows you..."

They had a better look at him now. A large worm-like thing was wrapped around his neck, its body burrowed into his chest. He couldn't see the other end of the thing. On the back of the poor soul's skull, perhaps?

The 'person' gazed upon them, his eyes gaining focus before he pointed at them. And with that gaze, it uttered simply, "Join us."

He had no idea what it meant by that. It didn't matter. Whoever he was, member of the crew or otherwise, he had clearly been compromised. Noellap didn't care what the thing had to say at this point or what it wanted. There was only one way to handle this.

"Shoot it."

The order was gladly obeyed. Jenkins took the first shot, planting a blaster bolt right in its head. That was enough to drop an ordinary creature on the spot, but the thing simply staggered back as though dazed. Fortunately, they had learned from the communication they had received from Delta squad. Jenkins fired another shot before the thing could recover, and Eden followed suit. Even the recruit, Buckley, managed to get a hit in before the thing dropped. It let out an agonized wail, an unsettling alien scream before falling backward.

It was dead. It had to be dead. Noellap nodded to his men, and they approached the body cautiously.

It had one final surprise in store. It suddenly lurched upward, gasping for air, wheezing through scorched lungs. Jenkins let out a surprised yelp, almost stumbling backward while Eden aimed for the person's face.

She didn't have to pull the trigger though. It made no more aggressive moves. It just continued to make ragged wheezing gasps before several pained words escaped from his muzzle, gagging on his own blood as it trickled from his mouth. "They...come...for...you..."

With that last gasp, the compromised Cornerian's head fell backward, thudding against the hard floor. A gurgle escapes his muzzle, the last rattle of life escaping.. Eden wasted no time. She planted her foot squarely on his chest, squishing part of the worm underneath her boot before firing three rounds directly into the head. This time, there was no question. He barely even had a face anymore by the time she had fired the last shot. With that she removed her boot from the corpse.

"I don't understand how that thing was still alive." Jenkins said, shaking his head. "I mean that was like multiple head and body shots. How was he still moving?"

"I don't know." Noellap stated. That was the honest truth. This was the first real contact that any of the Dominion forces had experienced with this new threat. First Delta squad, then Noellap's team. There was something else, something that was troubling him immensely.

"Mussst have been crazy. He wasss threatening usss in hisss dying breath."

"Um..." It was the recruit that spoke up, Buckley. Everyone turned to him as he spoke, and his ears folded back behind his head. He looked so very meek and shy in this moment. After clearing his throat, he managed muster his courage. "I, um...I don't think that was a threat."

"Oh?" Eden folded her arms across her chest, arching an eyebrow. She didn't seem impressed. "And what do you sssuppossse it wasss?"

"I think...I think it was a warning."

"Why would he do that?" Jenkins asked. "That doesn't make sense."

"He's right." Noellap stated. "He was warning us. And I do not know why."

"Does this change anything sir?" Jenkins wanted to know.

Noellap shook his head. "No. The mission remains the same. We move forward, deal with any threats, and then get out. If anything, this should reinforce the need for us to do our work quickly and efficiently."

Ginger could be heard again, communicating with the team. "Sir, you've got multiple targets approaching your position from the east!" Noellap and his team raised their weapons, taking aim at whatever might step forward, infected or otherwise.

A small team of armed personnel stepped into sight, weapons drawn and aiming at the Dominion squad. Noellap's first impulse was to order his men to fire, and they clearly were waiting for that order. Yet something about this was different. The enemy was armed, for one. They were moving like trained soldiers, or at least a well ordered security team. They were all wearing uniforms that indicated such.

As Noellap watched them, he could see the tell-tale signs of tension. He noticed the way their paws were shaking, the way they were eyeing his team, eyes filled with uncertainty, even fear. The way they hesitated to fire, just as Noellap had. Whoever they were, they were different than the thing Noellap and his team had just encountered.

A voice came out, distinguished and clear. "This is Lieutenant Dreyfus of the Von Dross security detail. Identify yourselves."

"I am Lieutenant Commander Noellap Salamand, First Officer of the VDF Bulwark, Third Fleet."

The other lieutenant was quiet for a moment, then huffed softly. "I don't know what any of those names mean. But it doesn't matter. We don't need another enemy on this ship. We're trying to stamp out this infection. If you're here to help, we could use any hands on..."

Noellap shook his head, his voice remaining firm. "We are here to retrieve information vital to the Dominion's future. Stay out of our way, or we will be forced to terminate you."

"Terminate us?" The lieutenant barked out a laugh. "That's rich. Have you not seen these things? Don't you think they're dangerous enough without us trying to kill each other?"

"I have no interest in killing you, lieutenant." Noellap made his position clear. "Back off. Go the way you came from. If you take one step closer, my men will open fire." Noellap glanced at his troops. They had all taken position, two of them on either side of the corridor in an attempt to maintain a degree of cover, the other two crouched down and aimed at the enemy. Noellap's men were obviously better equipped and likely better trained. If the enemy started shooting, they'd be absolutely obliterated. They would prove no match for the Dominion's forces.

The other lieutenant let out a weary, exasperated sigh. "Wonderful." The enemy team was not large, just the lieutenant and what looked like three others with him. There could have been more behind him, Noellap wasn't sure. It would be nice to know what they were dealing with before the fighting started. He had to assume that the lieutenant was going to go down fighting. It certainly seemed like it.

Ginger's voice came through again, quiet. Only Noellap could hear her. "Sir, there are a total of six of them. Three are further back, holding position. They have you outnumbered."

He gave no response. He couldn't at the moment, not without the other lieutenant hearing him. At least he knew how many there were now.

"Look, I have no quarrel with you or your Dominion." The other lieutenant spoke once more. "We're trying to save this ship and whoever is left aboard, then destroy this infestation. Just let us do our work. Please. The future of Lylat is stake!"

Eden had her finger on the trigger. Her eyes were narrowed and cold. She wouldn't even blink if he gave the order to shoot. Jenkins looked a bit restless, his trigger finger twitching. Buckley was much more hesitant, looking between the security forces and Noellap, as if he were unsure of what to do. Rangu just stood there, staring ahead with a stoic expression. He didn't seem to care what order was given, so long as he got one.

This was it. It was down to Noellap's call. He could shoot them. It would be easy. It would probably be the right thing to do. Having these security forces wander around while his own team was investigating could prove disastrous. They were an armed threat, and neither of them could trust one another. The security team's actions could bring the Dominion unwanted attention from whatever hostile presence had taken over the ship. He could not risk that. More importantly, he needed to keep them away from where the dominion had breached, from their makeshift command center.

Yet a part of him knew that it wasn't right. These people were just trying to survive, to fight back against whatever had taken over here. He wasn't blind. He knew something horrible had happened, something that had made the ship go dark in the first place. He'd seen the barricades, the blood. The infected crewman he'd just terminated.

What should he do? He couldn't let anything compromise the mission. He knew that. His men knew it. He knew that whoever these people were, they weren't about to back down. He'd be within his rights to order his men to fire. Kamille would likely approve of the order. But was it the right call? He joined the Dominion to bring order to the Lylat System. Yes, he knew that sometimes the right decision came with terrible consequences and great sacrifice. Was this one of those times? Should he wipe them out here and now? Killing them would eliminate a potential threat, and possibly secure clearance to the rest of the ship, but would it be justified? He wanted to bring order, but what sort of order could be brought when only acquired through blood?

So many thoughts raced through his mind, each tearing and clawing at him from the inside, trying to sway him one way or the other. Despite the whirlwind of thought, doubt, and turmoil, only a scarce few moments had passed since it the last word had been uttered.

His head cleared. He knew what he had to do. The men might not approve. The captain might not approve.

But it was the right thing to do. "Corporal," he turned to the snake woman, who's eyes flicked toward him before settling back on the security team. "Stand do-"

A shot erupted from behind him, catching the lieutenant of the security team, Dreyfus, in the shoulder. He immediately fell backward, clutching at the wound. The security force started yelling, one of them grabbing the wounded lieutenant and dragging him behind cover, into the darkness. The rest of them started shooting at Noellap's team.

Everything happened fast after that. Noellap's team started shooting back, even without orders. Noellap turned as the fight began, looking for who had fired the first shot. He was furious. He wasn't sure where the shot had come from. Above, he thought. It could have been Gutan, he was big enough. But the ape looked as confused as Noellap did, at least for a moment. Then Gutan started shooting at the enemy. The recruit had ducked behind cover, his eyes squeezed shut as he waited for an opening, as blaster fire erupted all around him.

There was a dull red light behind them. He swore he saw something move, but it was nothing more than a shimmer of light. It flashed for a moment, then faded. A red 'X' pattern, gone as quickly as it appeared. A stray blaster bolt perhaps?

Noellap turned back to Eden and Jenkins, who were handling the situation with cool heads, picking their targets and firing. Eden immediately secured one kill, shooting the foremost member of the security team in the head. This one wasn't like the other thing they had fought earlier. He dropped like a stone, twitching and flexing his hands a few times before going still. Jenkins fired into the shadows ahead of them, aiming at where he thought the blaster fire was coming from. He was either very lucky or very good, because he soon heard a yelp of pain from the other side of the room.

By now, Noellap had ducked down behind one of the heavier armored soldiers. It was a good thing he did. A blaster bolt went right through where he had been standing, and one of them even struck the armor of Eden, who he was taking cover behind. Her armor was strong. Tough. The shot left a black mark on it, a scorch, but nothing more. It only took her a moment to drop the shooter, her eyes zeroing in on the place the shot had come from before firing herself. There was another yell of pain, and then silence.

For several moments, there was no sound at all. Then they heard the sound of retreating footsteps along with something being dragged with them, likely the wounded being carried away by their colleagues. Noellap closed his eyes, heaving a heavy breath. They'd survived. That had been more intense than he cared for, but that wasn't of immediate concern to him. He had something else burning on his mind. Standing up to his full height, he waited for the rest of the squad to join him before asking them a simple question, though his tone clearly indicated his fury. "Who shot first?"

Each member of the team looked between each other, as if trying to figure out which one of them had done it. They all looked at Noellap and spoke, one after the other.

"I did not shoot. You ssssaw that yourssself." Eden said. She was right. It was impossible for her to have fired that first shot, Noellap surely would have seen that.

"Yeah, it wasn't me either, I swear." Jenkins also was unlikely, for the same reason as Eden. They were in front of him. He would have seen it.

All eyes turned to the newest recruit, Buckley. He gulped loudly before stammering a response. "It...it wasn't...I swear it wasn't me! I didn't do it! I...I couldn't believe it when it happened!"

That left only one of them. Gutan. Noellap studied the large ape, gazing at him impassively. Even though the trooper was bigger than Noellap, he didn't let himself feel intimidated, not in the slightest. Gutan seemed to sense this. He stared back at Noellap, saying nothing for a moment. Then, at long last, he slowly shook his head, giving a single one word answer in a low voice. "No."

Noellap lowered his gaze, deeply troubled by this. He had read up on his team. He knew of their record and service. He believed their words. "If it wasn't any of you...then it was someone else. Someone was behind us and took that shot."

"What?" Eden turned around, peering down the corridor behind them. "Imposssible! We didn't misss anyone! We would have sssseen them!"

"They must have been pretty far behind us." Jenkins spoke, staring in the direction the shot had come from. There was no trace of anyone now, no trace at all. "Wait, what about the tech girl? Shouldn't she have detected something?"

That was true. Noellap found himself reminded that they were being monitored. He immediately activated the communication system on his wrist. "Lieutenant, did you detect any life forms behind us? Did anything read on your scanners?"

"Sir, I never...hold on." There was a pause, presumably allowing her time to assess the situation, perhaps going over her readings. She then reported back. "Sir, I detected no life signs in the area behind you, but there was something else."

Noellap raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"A strong discharge of energy. It was a lot, more than a blaster bolt would be. Maybe some sort of high powered rifle. I see the spike on my readings, but there was no life sign attached to it.

"Then what was it?" Noellap demanded, frustrated. "That shot didn't fire itself. Someone must have pulled the trigger and then hid or left. Was there any movement at all? A robot perhaps? A turret? Something? Anything?!"

There was a short silence before Ginger spoke again. "I'm sorry sir. I detected the weapons discharge and nothing else. It could have been a robot, it could have been a person. Whatever it was, they were somehow fooling all the scanners. I don't know any more than that. Be careful."

Noellap reached up to his forehead, rubbing at the spot where he felt a headache growing. "Thank you, lieutenant. Keep running scans."

"Yes sir." The communication ended.

So many thoughts plagued him now. What had happened? Who had fired that shot? Why had they fired? Since they had fired from behind Noellap's squad, why had they specifically targeted the security team and not the Dominion forces? That didn't make any sense. Who were they? Where did they come from? Were they attempting to assist the Dominion? And no matter what the answer to that was, the follow up question would be "why?"

This was troubling. This was troubling indeed, and he was not at all certain as to how to handle this. It had rattled him. What was more, they were now seeing first hand the strange creatures that had hijacked this vessel. So far, they hadn't proven to be much of a threat. However, the Dominion knew precious little about this foe, and ignorance was a powerful weapon in the hands of an enemy. There was much to be concerned over.

He would keep going. He had to keep going. His captain depended on him. His team depended on him. The Dominion depended on him.

It did not take long for him to collect his thoughts, he needed a mere moment to assess the situation and decide what the best course of action was. He turned to face his troops. "We cannot let this slow us down. We move forward. While the teams on the lower decks comb the medical and science bay, we will focus our efforts on the upper decks."

"Yes sir." The soldiers had already taken their positions, ready to move forward.

Noellap felt a terrible feeling inside. It was strong and insistent, a feeling that urged him to turn back now, to abandon the mission, bring his men back to the breacher pods and just return to the Bulwark. He couldn't silence that voice, couldn't quell that instinct that told him to run.

He may not be able to silence it, but he could certainly ignore it. He looked at the Dominion troops in his squad, all of who had trained hard for this. All of them were willing to give their lives for a greater cause, for the future of the Dominion. Even Ginger was doing her part. This was not the time for doubt or cowardice. They would press forward. They would succeed no matter the cost. With that, he gave the order.

"Move out."