Nahuli drops from the rafters, landing silently behind the distracted Captain. As he lunges, a tall figure in greasy technician overalls steps from the shadows of a nearby power coupling, blocking his path with a heavy wrench.
Sivani
Wait. The Captain is an annoyance, but killing him locks the bridge's external bulkheads permanently. You want off this ship, or a vacuum-sealed grave?
Nahuli
She is not with the crew. Her uniform lacks the fleet insignias, and she smells of ionized coolant rather than ship-grade polish.
Nahuli
I need a shuttle. The bridge is compromised, and I am not looking for a fight with your captain.
Sivani
Then stow the heroics. If you bypass the terminal on the wall instead of going for his throat, I can vent the corridor and buy us both a path to the lower hangars.
Nahuli
She is offering a clean exit, though her hands are trembling slightly. She is terrified of this ship's security, not of me.
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the ship via the lower hangars
“I don't want to kill the captain, just calm”
FAILURE (Mediocre Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Nahuli
Wait. Put the wrench down. We do not have to resort to sabotage. Captain, I am willing to talk.
Sivani
You talk like a diplomat, but you move like a cornered beast. He isn't listening, kid!
The Captain spins around, eyes wild and nostrils flared. He ignores the plea entirely, his boots skidding on the deck plates as he lunges with a heavy, armored shoulder, slamming into Nahuli with the force of a battering ram. The impact sends the Avali careening into the maintenance console, his head connecting hard against the cold, metal casing. Static hisses from the monitor as sparks shower down, coating the floor in an erratic, blue strobe. Nahuli struggles to regain his footing, his vision blurring into a haze of digital interference and pain. The Captain stands over him, his hand reaching for a concealed shock-baton.
Nahuli
Diplomacy failed. He is not interested in words, only in securing his asset or silencing the threat.
Sivani
He’s going to shock you into a coma! Move, or I’m locking you both in here!
“Stun the capt”
SUCCESS (Great Security Systems, rolled +2)
Nahuli
My diagnostic scanner... it is not just for data. With this output, I can bridge the gap in his nervous system feedback.
Nahuli jerks his hand up. As the Captain swings the baton, the Avali presses the diagnostic scanner directly against the Captain's wrist plating. A surge of high-frequency interference erupts from the device, bypassing the armor and overloading the Captain's glove actuators. The baton sparks violently and goes dead, dropping from the Captain's hand. The Captain screams as his own wrist servos lock in a spasmodic, painful twitch, forcing him to stumble backward, completely disoriented by the sudden electronic feedback loop.
Nahuli
Now, Sivani! Override the mag-lock on the hatch!
Sivani
You crazy bird, that was incredible!
Nahuli
That bought me seconds. If I do not reach the lower hangar now, I am nothing but a target in a box.
“Is there a way to restrain the capt?”
YES (Likely, rolled 54)
Nahuli notices a series of exposed, high-voltage coupling cables dangling from the damaged maintenance console, which are currently arcing toward the Captain's metallic leg plating. If Nahuli can manipulate the console's remaining power flow, he can create a localized magnetic tether that would pin the Captain to the bulkhead.
Nahuli
The console is still live; if I reroute the current through those loose cables, I can turn the Captain's own armor into a magnet and lock him against the wall.
“Restrain the captain to the wall”
SUCCESS (Legendary Engineering, rolled -1)
Nahuli
Now.
Nahuli slams his multi-tool into the console, bypassing the secondary fuse. A blinding lash of electricity leaps from the dangling cables, snapping onto Captain Kaelen’s leg armor with a high-pitched hum.
Captain Kaelen
What... what is this?
The magnetic force yanks the Captain backward, his metallic plating slamming into the bulkhead with a bone-jarring thud. He hangs there, feet dangling inches off the floor, trapped by the ship's own failing power grid.
Nahuli
The override is holding. He is stuck, and the bulkhead lock is cycling open.
Sivani
That did it! The hangar door is venting pressure, but the path is clear. Move, Nahuli!
Nahuli scrambles toward the opening hatch, his heart racing as the ship groans under the strain of his sabotage. The blue arcs continue to dance across the wall, pinning the struggling Captain in place as the heavy steel bulkhead begins to slide fully open.