Space Pirates

You are having [[a snack]] in the ship’s kitchen. Your friends are scattered about the ship, working.

PB&J. [[Yum]].

You go to take a bite when the ship gives a violent shudder. You hear an echoing [[“ARRRGHHH!”]].

Space pirates! What do you do? - Throw snack against the wall and [[climb into the vents]]. - [[Run]] full sprint towards the source of the yell.

(if: $bugalive is "true")[Ok, here's the breakdown- wait omg its a spider- kill it, [[kill it!]]] (else: )[Ok ok, so the breakdown- Ellie and AJ are in the lab, Cap is in the data room, and Ben is in the room adjacent to that. Where are we going first? - [[Lab]] - [[Data Room]] ]

(set: $bugalive to "false") Holy //shit// it's a spider, dude, [[kill it!]]

You turn and throw your snack against the wall. PB&J spatters all over it. You crouch down, unscrew the vent cover, and climb in. It's a [[little dusty]], but you can deal. Time to [[save your friends->Pacifist]].

No. [[Turn around->climb into the vents]], are you insane? Its //space pirates// and you have a //sandwich//.

(set: $bugalive to "false") *squish* Ew, gosh, eugh, okay. Back to the [[matter at hand.->Pacifist]].

{ (set: $bugalive to "true") }

Smart choice, AJ would probably try to blow something up and Ellie would absolutely just go along with it. Thats more stuff for you to fix later, and you're not about that life. You start [[shimmying->Filler]] your way toward the general location of the lab, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Alright, Cap and Ben are waiting, [[lets go]]!

Its been a few minutes and you feel //bad//. Its getting really of stuffy. [[Pop open]] a cover and get some fresh air.

You tentatively poke your head into an empy room. Its [[storage]]. Drop down and grab a [[tool]].

Looks like one of the lesser used closets... (link-goto: "Have a look around.", "tool")

Hmm, theres not a lot here... Grab the [[wrench->cont]]. Theres a broom too, but that wont fit in the vent with you.

Alrighty. You tuck the wrench in your belt, climb back up, and [[resume]] your shimmying.

Its been a few minutes now, and you can hear AJ and Ellie chatting through the cover a few feet ahead! Go you, you've [[made it]] to them.

You jump down and startle your friends so bad that AJ falls over and Ellie trips into a nearby chair trying to turn around. It's funny. You're [[amused]].

shuffle shuffle [[shuffle->shimmying]]....

Its been a few minutes and you feel //bad//. Its getting really of stuffy. [[Pop open->Pop2]] a cover and get some fresh air.

You're laughing. You've scared your friends half to death and you're laughing. As you should, LMAO! They scowl at you, it doesn't matter because its funny. You tell them whats going on, they nod and tell you their side of the story. The space pirates had cut comms, theres no way to contact Cap and Ben. AJ and Ellie assure you that the lab is safe and urge you to go find the others. You reluctantly agree. They give you a smoke bomb and help you back into the [[vents]].

No spiders this time. Good. You take a deep breath and start [[shimmying->Filler2]]

You’re getting the hang of this, you near Cap and Ben in no time. Just as you’re about to make a left, you hear a clattering a little ways down the vent to your right. Go [[investigate]].

You shimmy carefully to the nearest cover and peek through the slats. It's a small group of pirates. You can take them out right now, do you want to? [[-Yes]] [[-No]]

You tentatively poke your head into an empy room. Its [[storage->Storage2]]. Drop down and grab a [[tool->Tool2]].

Grab the [[wrench->Cont2]]. Theres a broom too, but that won't fit in the vent with you.

Looks like one of the lesser used closets... (link-goto: "Have a look around.", "Tool2")

Alrighty. You tuck the wrench in your belt, climb back up, and [[resume->vents2]] your shimmying.

shuffle shuffle [[shuffle->To CB]]....

Ok, here we go! You jump down and hit the nearest one in the [[head]] with your wrench.

Okay, If you're sure....safe route it is. [[Double back]] towards Cap and Ben.

Ducking under a punch you [[kick]] another one in the ankle.

They crumble and hit their head on a shelf, it's satisfying. The last one is frozen in fear of your badass moves. You [[throw]] your wrench at them.

It goes boink. Congrats, I knew you could do it. Pick up your wrench and raid their pockets for anything useful. A smoke bomb, nice! [[Back into the vents you go->filler3]].

shuffle shuffle [[shuffle->up ahead]]....

The data room is up ahead! You bust open the cover and drop down. In your excitement, you’ve forgotten about Cap’s hardcore ninja skills. You get punched in the shoulder. Ow. Ben stops Cap from punching you again. Hey, Ben is here! Fantastic. You tell Cap and Ben what happened so far. They take it in with the maturity of two very mature people. Together, you decide to make your way to the lab. You can’t go through the vents, Cap’s too swole. You take the lead, being most familiar with the ship. All you have to do is take two lefts, one right, and cut through the specimen room. Problem is: space pirates. With Cap and Ben by your side you’re less worried, but still pretty [[worried]].

Rightfully so, it seems. The moment you round left number one, you encounter some space pirates. It’s a bigger group of six. Throw a [[smoke bomb]].

You throw a smoke bomb and the pirates scream in confusion. Cap seizes the opportunity and jumps into battle. They take out two pirates, it's a terrifyingly cool sight. You throw your wrench at a pirate [[further away]]. It goes boink, but the pirate doesn’t pass out. Ben takes care of that for you. Go teamwork.

Cap has taken down a third and you and Ben work together and throw two pirates against each other. They go down. The battle is won. You raid their pockets and find a second wrench, Score! Time to [[keep going]].

Left number two is less eventful. No sign of pirates so the three of you hurry along to make the [[right]].

No one is in the corridor after the right, but you do find the comm jammer. Perfect. You post Cap and Ben on opposite sides of the hallway as you work on disabling the jammer. It looks simple. You get it done quickly, but the device leaves you with a small [[zap]].

You [[crush it]] with your wrench in retaliation. You should’ve just led with that to be honest.

The comms crackle to life. Ben was the only one with the foresight to grab one so he takes to informing AJ and Ellie of your guys’ progress as you cut through the specimen room. Ellie lets the three of you into the lab and you find out that AJ had taken the time to locate the rest of the pirates. There are [[two groups left]].

You and Ellie pair up to take out the larger group while Cap goes to deal with the smaller one. Ben and AJ decide to round up the unconscious pirates. You ask AJ to make you another smoke bomb. She does, and with that the group [[splits up again]].

You and Ellie move quickly through the halls to the large group of pirates. Ellie is armed with her fists of fury and you’ve got your two wrenches and smoke bombs. Y'all are prepared for one [[bomb ass fight]] (heh get it. //bomb// because- ok I'll stop).

That feeling when you let your guard down and get surprised by a pirate popping out of a vent behind you lol. “Ha!” The pirate shouts. You raise a wrench just in time to intercept a hooked hand. Think fast! Your [[other wrench]]- hit them in the stomach!

It lands. The pirate doubles over and you knock them out with your knee. When you whip around to check on Ellie she’s standing impatiently. She gives you a thumbs up for winning the fight, though, and that's high praise from her so you take the compliment and [[keep moving]].

You reach your destination soon enough. Ellie gestures for you to throw a smoke bomb. You chuck it and it shatters against the head of a pirate. Nice, two for one. The other pirates shout in alarm as they’re [[blanketed in smoke]].

By AJ’s estimate there's about 8 pirates in this group, 7 now that you’ve knocked one down. Ellies is already fighting, she’s better at this than you so you let her do her thing. You rush forward and greet a snarling pirate in the face with your wrench. The audacity. They invaded //your// ship, you think, it’s you who should be snarling. So you [[do]].

The next pirate is taken aback by the snarl on your face. You take advantage of their hesitation and roundhouse kick them in the chest, using the momentum to spin around and [[back kick them into the wall]]. They hit it hard and crumble. Take that space pirates!

You’re getting kind of tired, this is a lot more fighting than you’re used to. Unfortunately, while you try to catch your breath you’re tackled to the floor by another pirate you land pretty hard and- //ow// your [[shoulder]].

Protect the face! You throw your hands up and try to push the pirate off and you remember you have [[one smoke bomb left]].

You scramble to get it out of your pocket. Once it’s in your hand you close your eyes and smash it into the pirate's head. That startles them enough for you to throw them off and slam them onto the floor. They're out. [[Phew]].

Looks like Ellie held her ground //a lot// better than you. Unconscious pirates lay around the two of you and she's fighting off the last one. You’re tired, you're sore, you're hungry, and you want this to be //over// so you grip the wrench in your hand and [[hurl it towards the last pirate]] with all the strength you have left.

It boinks! Ellie is a bit miffed you stole her K.O., but she distracts herself by [[reporting to AJ and Ben]] as you lay exhausted on the floor.

Looks like Cap finished off their group right before you guys. That’s fantastic news. They’ve already tied up and locked up the other pirates, so the three make their way to you and Ellie to [[gather up the lot you just took out]].

[[As a team]] you drag the remaining pirates into the holding cells on the lower level of your ship (why a research ship needs holding cells is a question you will leave for later).

Ho-ly crackers. What an afternoon. You and your team are draped over chairs in the kitchen eating celebratory PB&Js. [[You are content]].

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[The End!]

No spiders this time. [[Good->Filler2]].

Shuffle shuffle [[shuffle...->up ahead2]]

Rightfully so, it seems. The moment you round left number one, you encounter some space pirates. It’s a bigger group of six. Throw a [[smoke bomb -> smoke bomb2]].

Left number two is less eventful. No sign of pirates so the three of you hurry along to make the [[right->r2]].

You throw a smoke bomb and the pirates scream in confusion. Cap seizes the opportunity and jumps into battle. They take out two pirates, it's a terrifyingly cool sight. You throw your wrench at a pirate [[further away->fa2]]. It goes boink, but the pirate doesn’t pass out. Ben takes care of that for you. Go teamwork.

When you turn into the hallway, you recognize the group of pirates from earlier, stumbling around the opposite corner. They spot you. The three of you hesitate and react a [[second too late]].

The pirates charge at the three of you and you barely have time to raise your wrench to meet them, you get nailed in the stomach anyway, and it knocks the [[air out of your lungs]].

You gasp and flail your arm up and by chance the wrench connects with the teeth of the pirate that’s attacking you. Seizing the opportunity, you [[swing the wrench back down]], effectively taking the pirate out.

Whirling around you find two more unconscious pirates, [[but…]]

Ben is on the floor with Cap knelt down next to him. [[Your heart drops]].

You approach Cap with a question in your eyes. They shake their head and you look away as Cap [[closes Ben’s eyes]].

You furrow your brow as tears welled up in your eyes. Space Pirates are the //[[absolute worst]]//.

Cap comes up besides you and nudges your shoulder. They’re carrying Ben, eyes hard, and they prompt you to [[keep moving forward]].

Together you trudge through the specimen room to the lab doors. After doing a special knock, Ellie [[lets you in]].

AJ rushes up behind Ellie with worried eyes. When she sees Ben, she bursts into tears and turns her head into Ellie’s shoulder. Ellie looks at the expression on your face and lowers her gaze as her vision blurs. She beckons you with her other arm and you dive into the embrace as Cap gently sets Ben’s body down on one of the couches. They join the group hug and you all cry for your [[fallen friend]].

The sounds of crying and sniffling are all you hear for a good amount of time, but eventually the four of you detach to take [[stock of the situation]].

AJ pops onto the security system and locates one large congregation of pirates in the ship's Observatory. There is total of 11 pirates. The four of you can handle that if you move quick enough, the element of surprise is [[still on your side]].

As a group you barricade the outside of the lab doors to keep Ben’s body secure. After triple checking the barricade, the four of you begin making your way to the [[Observatory]].

Your hands are sweating, you can see AJ’s are shaking a little bit. Ellie’s shaking too, but the glare on her face tells you it's not from nervousness. Cap is stomping ahead, leading the group. You can’t see their face, but you can tell by the tense shoulders that they’re taking down every pirate they [[cross paths with]].

The four of you arrive at the observatory fairly quickly. Peeking around the corner of the entryway shows the pirates in merriment and white hot anger burns in your stomach. You adjust the grip on your wrench and [[charge in]].

You hit a pirate in the head and before their pirate friends can react, you hit another. They both go down. By now Cap, Ellie, and AJ have joined the fight as well. [[You don’t pay attention to them]].

Bringing your wrench up you deflect a blow from the pirate you’re currently facing. Snarling in their face you whip the wrench around with a backhand motion and the pirate goes down. You barely have time to catch your breath before you’re [[tackled to the ground]].

You land on your shoulder first and it //hurts//, but you ignore the pain in favor of [[throwing your hands up to protect yourself]].

You struggle valiantly manage to find enough of an opening to [[headbut the offfending pirate in the nose]].

It disorients you both, but you recover first. Seizing them by their shirt, you throw them off of you and slam them onto the floor for good measure. It knocks them out. [[Good]].

You look up to check on your friends just in time to see AJ get hit in the head with a club. You surge forward to catch her as Ellie rushes in and tackles the pirate to the ground. Two hits to the face and the pirate is out cold. [[Check on AJ]].

It was a nasty hit. Her head is bleeding, but [[she’s okay]].

Cap and Ellie have fought off the remaining pirates. The two of them collapse next to you. Ellie reaches for AJ and you [[hand her over]].

The four of you just sit there for a moment, trying to process things, pirate bodies are [[scattered around you…]]

When AJ starts to stir, you all get up. Ellie brings her back to the lab to patch up her head while you and Cap [[round up]] all the space pirates.

When it's all said and done, and Ben’s body is stored away until the ship can reach a port, you and the others sit on the floor of the observatory in silence. Simply [[holding each other]].

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[The End.]