Unholy Star, Beyond Faith

Boarding Party

The Abaddon had physically locked onto the Ascent, securing itself at several points so that it mirrored its sister ship like a negative reflection. The plank was a boarding platform that attached to the enemy ship like a pipe; its connection method was similar to a battering ram, but instead of brute force, matter displacement technology was used to pierce the hull. The Star Templar ship was also a Crystal class cruiser, built at the same shipyard at the Outer Hebrides and, for the most part, shared the same blueprint. It was this intimate knowledge of the target ship that allowed the plank to join with precision at the engineering deck. The Star Templar's goal would be to disable the Ascent from the inside, establish person-to-person defences and then engage the crew.

Noble Knight, Sir Able Kingsley marched down the Ascent's empty corridor towards the engine room. There was no sign of the crew, and the way was clear of blockades or remote weapon stations. The hatch to the engine room slid open as the Knight approached. Disabling the ship was going to be simple. Too simple.

"So, what do we do now? The ship's empty. Do you think they bailed?" Chaplain, Fawn asked her Captain. Fawn was his first officer and also a knight of the Star Templar and stood with her two-handed longsword in hand; a formidable presence bearing the Templar's white space assault armour with a tall, fully enclosed and pointed helm and a red cross on its side embossed on her breastplate.

"It would be against the rules of engagement to conduct a remote assault with a starship, but their ramming maneuver was also illegal, so I wouldn't rule out such honourless actions. But I don't think that's it.

"Stay alert, I fear this adventure has been too simple."

"A trap?"

"Perhaps. This was Eiko's command. Do you remember Alpha Prime?"

"Sure, but how? They didn't have a chance to deploy their plank. If their plan was to take the Abaddon while we were here, there would be no way for them to gain entry. Their Universal access was revoked after the mess with the Mountain, there was no way they would be allowed to pull that one again."

"What, If..." The Captain acted on his idea. Calling to the other Kight who was guarding their rear at the entry site of the Abaddon's plank. "Sulley!" He called to his second Knight and last member of the boarding party, "Protect the plank, they're outside of the ship and going to try and breach the plank!"

The old Knight had been veteran of many space-born encounters; it would take a miracle to get one over on him. Unfortunately for them, while his hunch was correct, there was no time to do anything about it. The ship shook with an explosion followed by a powerful rush of air that pulled him and his team off their feet and back towards the boarding corridor. The act of riding a current of air would have disabled an ordinary person, Kingsley wasn't ordinary. As his armour closed and pressurised around him, he braced himself tight against his spear followed the atmospheric exhale toward his foe.

* * *

"I count three onboard, it's Kingsley's squad." While spacewalk wasn't an everyday event, the auger Harris was well experienced in the situation and had set up a local gravity zone on the hull of their ship which had become a temporary ground for Dean Sam's skeleton crew. The Star Templar Abaddon hung above them like a cloud-white sky. They stood outside the boarding corridor, a wide vertical tube, that linked the two ships.

"Kingsley. I would have expected no one less." Sam's voice was grim although her face was well hidden behind her death mask that had solidified, losing its translucent holographic, quality, and extended over her whole head to provide a pressurised spacesuit. Honi's appearance was the same, and he stood on the shiny black, glassy ship's hull behind his dean with his arms crossed and power sword sheathed at his hip. Lucas was there too, her new and, as yet, untested armour shining chrome silver and holding her tall spear before her. "Harris, set the charges as we planned," Sam ordered, and Harris complied, moving slowly around the far side of the tube.

The auger, a non-combatant, was dressed in a standard grey and blue-lined Skyean spacesuit that would act as an equivalent to light armour, but wouldn't provide much protection in a fight with the elite templars. After the detonation, his orders were to stay out of sight and re-board the Ascent when it was safe to do so. Under no circumstances was he to engage the enemy directly. Harris placed a string of charges on the far side surface of the Abaddon's plank (the side that was the interior floor inside). Sending the dangerous fixture an opcode to ARM_EXPLOSIVES, he confirmed their active status before rejoining his companions at the top side of the plank where they would be shielded from shrapnel. "We're good to go."

Sam acknowledged Harris and then turned to Lucas and placed a soot-black heavy gauntlet on her shoulder. "You are ready for this, and whatever happens, I want you to remember your vow."

She then faced Honi and wanted nothing more than to hold him tight with or without armour. Instead, she said, "Fight like you've never fort before my Love.

"Harris, blow it."