*ACTION* Countdown to oblivion

The promenade was awash with conflict, and suffering.
Everywhere you turned you were greeted with the images of dismembered bodies
human and insect alike, hordes of wounded crying for help, the able bodied
clashing with the invaders.
Harris and Kochanski leapt for cover as a grenade fell near their feet,
tossed by a security officer into the fray at random, the grenade blew,
sending shrapnel flying everywhere and blowing a few hymenopteran to
bug-chunks.
Harris immediatley leapt back into the battle, gunblade held high, Kochanski
nursed a small wound on his face caused by flaying shrapnel, shrugged it off
and got to firing off his rifle over a makeshift barricade made up of pub
tables.
All across the Promenade, almost all of the crew members with combat
expertise, the Aerons and the Eniram were battling against the invading
army.
It wasn't the bug's on the Promenade that were the biggest concern however.
Charging along the corridors of th habitat deck were four Hymenoptera
soldier ants, heading straight for a particular location. The knew where
theywere going, because their leader had given them this information and had
ordered them to board the ship at one of the outer air docks, three decks
down while the majority of the task force caused a distraction on the
Promenade.
The lead Ant arrived at the door to the room he was headed for, and tapped
in the security code he had been given into the door lock. The door's hissed
open, and the ant was taken by surprise by a chair being smashed over his
head.
Alota Chrysler, captain of the Blue dwarf stood, kitted out in every type of
combat gear one could imagine, she'd just gotten ready to head to the Drive
Room to take command during the invasion, but the bug's had interuppted her.
"Don't move scumf#@k" she said, holding a bazookoid, poitning it squarley at
the head of the Ant that had charged in, who was still getting back his
bearings.
Seconds later a tranquiliser dart embedded itself in Alota's neck...and the
last thing she saw before blacking out were three more Hymenoptera soldiers
enering her quarters....
On the Promenade, the Hymenoptera that were distracting the crew left as
quickly as tyhey had arrived, and several small strike vessels undocked from
the Blue Dwarf, and thundered out of scanner range.
"All hands this is Phil FeBuggure speaking" cmae a voice over the ships PA
system. "The battle was a distraction..Holly has just told me Captain
Chrysler has been taken hostage...I'm taking command"
In the Drive Room, Phil slumped back in the captain's chair, and sighed
deeply. Dean, technically now Second in Command looked up from his console.
"We're going after her right?"
"No." Phil replied shortly, "We have to join the fleet in defending
Earth...how long til we arrive?"
"Three hours.." Dean said.
"ALL HANDS PREPARE FOR THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF YOUR LIVES" Phil said into the
PA, he turned back to Dean
"I have a feeling..." he said "That the war's just been taken up a notch..."
**** The Thorax ****
Amber, who was now back aboard the Thorax, ready to direct the fighter
squadrons from the tactical consoles sneered as Alota was dragged in. A
Surly Hymenopteran guard tightly grabbing her by each arm. Her head was
slumped, bloodied, from what the reports had said tbe tranquiliser had worn
off quickly and Alota had tried to take on the bug's singlehandedly.
She had been severely battered by the guards in the attempt and could now
barely hole her own body upright.
Amber crouched, to look Alota in the eyes.
"How do you feel...Chrysler?"
Alota looked up, and weakly replied ".....bite.....me...."
A smirk appeared on Amber's face, as she pulled back her fist as fast as she
could and brought it down, full power across Alota's cheek.
Alota would have fallen, had she been held up by the guards.
"LEAVE HER" Jay ordered Amber, "Get back to your job...."
"Bring her to me...." he then gestured to the guards, who strapped Alota
into a chair in front of Jay.
Jay placed a finger under Alota's chin and lifted her head up to face him.
"It'll all be over if you co-operate..." he said "I don't want to hurt you
anymore than you have been. But if you don't give me the information I need,
the pain is going to get worse." He gestured toward a variety of torture
implements on the wall behind him.
"...what do you want from me....." Alota asked, feebly.
"The code's to deactivate the defence field obviously.."
Alota said nothing, but mustered up the strength to lift her head and spit
violently into Jay's face.
Jay stepped back, wiping it from his face.
"I didn't think you'd play nice" he said, as he connected a punch to Alota's
already battered face.
"Connect her to the hive!" he ordered a nearby subordinate.
Jay was answered by the voice of the hive within the minds of all those
connected, including Amber. "BuT wHaT oF tHe ToRtUrE?"
"We don't have time!" replied Jay out loud, "Torture was a bluff to get her
to talk!" watching the Blue Dwarf appear in the sector and join the fleet on
the scanner.
"BuT tHe RiSk'S aRe tOo GrEaT" The Hive replied, "We CaNnOt..."
"I SAY WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO!" Jay snapped, the Thorax shook.
"They've started the attack!" Amber yelled from the tactical computer.
"THEN DIRECT YOUR SQUADRONS! PROTECT THE MAIN FLEET, ESPECIALLY THE THORAX!"
He spoke to hive again "CONNECT HER, NOW!!!"
"bUt..."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
The Hymenoptera conceded...the hive felt it was a mistake, but Jay HAD led
them to more victories than they could ever have dreamed of, who were they
to question.....
The bug on the Bridge inserted a spike in Alota's neck.
Alota was connected to the hive.
Jay smiled broadly.."Yes........YES!!! I HAVE THE CODES!!!" he said, as he
scanned ALota's mind through the hive, he ran across to the op's console and
tapped them in.
The Thorax shook again as the Earth Defence fleet managed to get another of
volleyof fire through Jay's defences.
"AMBER! HOLD THEM OFF!" Jay bellowed...
"Relax.." Amber replied "They're just cocky, cos they don't think we can get
to Earth!"
"How wrong they are..." Jay said, as the defence field shut down in a
second.
The Earth fighters began to fly back to their motherships in a blind
panic...then seemingly as new orders came through charged back into battle,
as the Hymenoptera fleet passed through the field perimiter.
"Charge the weapon..." Jay ordered "And open a communications
chan...NAAAAGH!!!!" Jay dropped to his knee's clutching his temples.....
<tag anyone who want's a scrap!>