Char Li's Angels: The Skull of Saint Diana - Part XXII

 

Having landed on the surface of the planetoid, an away team of Sir Zillah Thana, Canon Alexis, Belvoir Munchior and Kibri va Teban, don spacesuits and trek out to locate the source of the energy signature Zillah detected.

After about twenty minutes walk in the low gravity of the satellite, the Troupe arrive at a set of large metal doors set into the surface of the tiny world. Zillah’s psychic senses have now developed to the stage where they can sense danger and they can tell that such exists inside the planetoid. Belvoir sets to work and soon has the huge doors ready to open. They all prepare themselves and trigger the doors which grind open with a rumble, sliding to either side. Inside they discover a large hanger bay, seemingly unoccupied. Carefully orienting themselves in line with the floor of the bay they cautiously enter.

At the opposite end of the spacious room they can see a large window and a series of airlock doors. Looking in the window they can make out a control room. They cycle the airlock chambers and make their way into the vacant control room. The station has a breathable atmosphere and artificial gravity so Zillah, Belvoir and Kibri remove and stash their spacesuits. With some guidance from Zillah, Belvoir then accesses one of the room’s think machines. He learns that they are not networked beyond the room but they manage the flight control systems. It seems that the main visitor to the station is a Merchant league “Sentry” class escort that launched from the bay amount three hours ago. There does not seem to be any particular pattern to it’s arrivals and departures.

The Troupe then hear a garbled message from Captain He Zheng of the Rain of Vengeance; the ship is under attack. They then try to get a message through to the Blessed Saint Horace advising them to launch and support the Raider. They acknowledge the request, leaving the Troupe to fend for themselves on the planetoid.

Zillah still senses danger further within the base and they cautiously open the door from the control room. Looking through the tiny gap they can see that the next room is a cargo bay and storage room. Lots of crates, boxes and barrels are distributed throughout and at the opposite end, on a raised walkway they spot a group of three individuals, armed with Lank Stinger SMGs, waiting in cover behind some of the crates.

 

With the advantage of Zillah’s power of Premonition the troupe get the drop on their would be assailants; Zillah advances, blasting one of the gunmen with their sonic pistol. Alexis seeks divine judgement on them and uses the Torchbearing ritual to summon the cleansing flame of the Empyrean around where they are hiding. Belvoir opens fire with the pistol he “acquired” from Charlie Crocker’s men, discovering that the gunmen are protected with personal energy shields. Kibri slips along the side of the room, up the stairs to the balcony and draws his kraxi blade.

The skirmish continues with Kibri making short work of his adversary by slipping the poisoned blade under the shield’s activation threshold, Belvoir and Zillah lay down covering fire and Alexis summons another literal fire to cause one of the would-be ambushers to drop their weapon. 

The conflict takes mere minutes and the gunmen are soon defeated. Checking over the bodies the Troupe see that they are obviously free men of some sort and seem clean, well-fed and well equipped. Zillah, Belvoir and Kibri liberate the three energy shields, noting that they are of an older, antique, style to the more common form of personal shield.

Zillah still senses that danger awaits...