Lunar Conspiracy

The Ark Project

Tava slid out of the hatch, getting low and checking all around with pistol drawn.  Nothing moved, nor did any alarms go off.  She frowned as Quorra slithered out behind her.  "No welcoming committee?"

Quorra rustled his wings as he tapped at the hand-held device he had brought along.  "We're surrounded by life signs but..."  He glanced up when Tava raised a brow at him.  "They're off somehow.  The ship has also cloaked and picked up speed."

"Can you get a lock on Kartk and the rest of them?"

Quorra slowly nodded, tapping away again.  "Yes.  I just need an access port."  He picked a random direction and slithered off.  Tava frowned and followed him.

"You think you'll just be able to plug in and get what you'll need?  What about safety measures or tampering alarms?"

Quorra gave a hissing laugh.  "We'll handle that when we come to it."  Tava grimaced as she followed along, not sure she liked the sound of that.  Yet, Quorra found a port in no time and plugged in without apparent ill effect.  He spent a couple minutes flicking through information, then nodded in satisfaction as he unplugged and started off.  "This way."

Tava grew more and more paranoid as they continued down corridors and halls without meeting a soul.  It was as if the entire ship were automated and abandoned.  She skidded to a halt when Quorra stopped abruptly and tried to get a look over his shoulder.  He had down-loaded the ship schematic and had been following it without a problem thus far.  She stepped around him to see around his wings when she realized he wasn't looking at the device in his hand at all.

Tava swallowed hard as they stood in the doorway of a dark corridor, lit only by the faint blue lights in the rows and rows of glass barrels lining the hallway.  Gathering her courage, she took a slow pace down the hall to confirm what she feared.  Quorra slithered along beside her, his eyes wide as he gave a long hiss of awe.

"What in all of the worlds are they doing on this ship?"

Tava could only shake her head, just as mystified as the Quetzel.  Each glass barrel held some sort of fluid in it, as well as a single creature.  It looked like there were specimens from every corner of the universe, each floating in apparent sleep in a tube.

A familiar face caught her eye and Tava hurried forward, holstering her gun as she approached.  She pressed her palms against the glass of the tank. Jornea floated within, a face mask fastened over her mouth and nose to allow her to breathe something other than the fluid she was suspended in. Her eyes were closed and she was completely relaxed, looking like she was asleep.

A couple tanks down and Tava saw Yggdrasil in a similar situation. Then Kit and Kartk. As well as a hundred other creatures of varying gender and species. She glanced over her shoulder at Quorra when he cursed.

"Can you get them out?"

Quorra hissed through his teeth in agitation before answering. "This tech is highly advanced. I'd have fun figuring out how it worked if lives weren't at risk from my tampering. So far, the tanks are just holding the occupants in a suspended animation. If I go disrupting things without knowing what they do..."

Tava grit her teeth as she turned back to her captured crew. "We'll have to be methodical then." She glanced back at the rustle of wings and found Quorra standing close behind her, looking over each of the crew with a critical eye as he solemnly nodded.

"Right. So? Which one can we most stand to lose?"

They ultimately decided on Kartk. He was the hardiest and most stubborn of the bunch. If they could extract him without damage, then the rest would be fine. If there were complications and he went into distress, then hopefully they could learn from the mistake and bring Yggdrasil out without those complications so the doctor could save their warrior.