[M][Namek] The Tempest

[Prototype]

The alien mothership was a startling environment. It was far more sterile and plain than Robert had imagined, but it possessed an otherworldly vibe, an aura, a palpable sensation. Perhaps it was due to his limited exposure with unknown technology and his lack of adventures but simply clawing an entry point and belligerently trespassing in an enigmatic vessel rose his adrenaline levels to the highest peaks. While he didn't engage in the ten defenders that awaited the assault team, he scoured his bland surroundings, taking in as much as he could. How were the power sources branched from area to area, how stable was the shielding of the walls, which way most likely indicated a direction that would be less hazardous and more rewarding than blithely plowing a noisy path forward? Did any of the technology resemble anything he'd seen before?

Robert suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. A surging tornado was welling up in his chest. Not in a bad sense, but his installed power core was unexpectedly thrumming with a greater surplus of ki than normal. He felt the power suit diverge the excess into his muscles, which brusquely bulged and strengthened. The once noticeable lag between his thoughts and the suit's subservient features had shrunk. All in all, Robert noticed an unexplainable but welcome flood of energy. He couldn't understand where it came from or why the power core was producing energy at a more efficient rate, but it only meant positive results.

The ill mannered namekian dispatched one of the ten guards as a histrionic alarm warbled through the Grand Ship Myreen. Obviously their break and enter didn't go unnoticed by the vessel. In no time there would be a fresh army ready to decimate them. Even the remnants of the ten original defenders were dusting themselves off and preparing to initiate battle again.

While Prototype had little doubt in his power suit's capabilities, fighting wave after wave of peon wouldn't save Namek from the aggressive incursion. Besides, the Ja City space port, without Vad to stand guard, had probably been overrun by the enemy. The last bastion of defense in the Namekian capital was, in all probability, a crimson forest of fire. If they didn't somehow find a way to repel the invaders, this planet was gone.

For Prototype, the logical avenue to take was to steal the Grand Ship Myreen itself.

It was a risky enterprise, and one that he couldn't guarantee completing, but the sparse, overstretched militia was not enough to retain freedom of the Namekian people. A monumental effort was required, and to oust the pilot of the behemoth cruiser would definitely be a huge boon. Robert was perhaps the best chance the planet had for such a plan; his decades of scientific experimentation and innovate inventions had nurtured in him an uncanny gift to discern unfamiliar technology after a brief study. If he could just find something of worth in the alien vessel, then there was the possibility that he could school himself and somehow commandeer it.

Unfortunately, there was the matter of the unforgiving troops charging towards them at that very moment. While he endeavored to complete his mission as swiftly as possible, an untold number of trained military units bearing down on him would be a massive hindrance. Robert looked around the small, gutsy platoon that dared to penetrate the vessel's interior. None of them, especially the creepy namekian, were desirable to have around, except perhaps Vad. Everyone else was a stranger, and he knew Vad's fighting prowess was second to none. If they could sneak off together, the remainder of the group would be a fantastic distraction while Falconer commenced the real work.

Amidst the confusion, Prototype dashed over to Vad. "Hey! You're coming with me!"

"I think I'd be better off here," the saiyan replied.

Whatever tenuous reverence Prototype had for Vad melted into nothing in that moment. He grabbed his forearm and pulled him away. "No time for arguing! I'm stealing this ship and I need protection! Let's go!"

Vad yanked his arm free. "They need me here. Fighting is what I do."

Robert was losing his patience. All of his paralysing fear for adventure and possible death were just fleeting memories. "They can handle themselves! I need you to help me! You see this power suit? I can use it to hack into their system, but I can't do it without assistance! Come on, you don't owe them anything anyway!"

Vad looked back at the ragtag group with a disinterested gaze, saying nothing.

"Come on!" Falconer persisted.

The seasoned assassin nodded silently, and much to Prototype's pleasure, followed after him just as a yellow fountain of defenders poured into the room.

---

Warning buzzers spilled through the metallic hallway. Prototype's heavy boots clunked noisily against the ground, but the intrusion alarm easily drowned it out. Vad jogged beside him with Trixie following up from behind. Robert didn't know exactly where he was going, but it was away from the distraction of battle behind them, and it was surely closer to a point of interest than back there.

"So do you know where we're going?" Vad asked.

"Not exactly," Falconer admitted. "However, I do have a great sense of direction."

True enough, but he owed the power suit for that feature. From the moment he laid eyes upon the Grand Ship Myreen, he initiated a full scan of the monstrous vessel which was still compiling even as they sprinted blindly down the hallway. The delicate observational instruments, coupled with a Capsule Corporation satellite drifting in low orbit of Namek, were mapping out the colossal starship both internally and externally. While he could call upon a perfect image of the outside of the ship to his mind, the labyrinthine corridors and rooms were still being plotted into the power suit's map.

However, the diagnostic system detected an interesting anomaly. A strange signal was pulsing from a room further into the starship's base, but Prototype had no clue as to what it was. It was their best lead for the moment, so Robert darted towards it, hoping it was something useful.

There were several more anchors of the signal emanating higher up in the vessel, so Robert guessed it was some sort of power conduit or communications system. Either way, there was a sliver of a chance that he could manipulate them to his own ends.

The first instance of the peculiar signal was just around the bend.

"I have a feeling we're about to stumble upon something interesting," Prototype said.

They took the corner and inadvertently dashed into a cosy room glowing in a soft neon blue. Two open tubes stood against the wall which were both hooked up to a foreign but unmistakable computer console. The alien operator turned around abruptly at the intrusion, but he appeared far more concerned than they were expecting.

"We better get him," Trixie noted.

Before Vad moved to snap the technician in half, it leapt into one of the cylindrical pods. A short lived spark of light engulfed his body, and then he was gone.

"Did he just kill himself?" Vad asked.

Prototype clanked over to the terminal, instantly getting to work. "I don't think so. That strange signal that I was picking up earlier just flared up again. Whatever that machine did to that alien, that was what I was detecting."

"So what's it doing?" Trixie inquired.

"Give me a moment." Robert's suited fingers danced over a touch keyboard while the power suit's processor filtered the signal for any discernible patterns. "Oh, here's something interesting."

"What?" Vad said.

"These pods are teleportation devices," Prototype answered, turning to face them. "We can jump from station to station in this starship."

"But we don't know where we're going," Trixie chimed in. "We might end up in a worse position than when we started."

"True, that's a possibility," Robert acknowledged. "But it's far more likely that it's used as a method to quickly travel through the vessel. It is a rather large starship, after all."

Vad stepped up. "So what's the plan?"

"I say we take a leap of faith, see where the pod takes us. Who knows? Maybe we'll eventually make it to the cockpit."

"Then fire it up and let's go," Vad replied.

Robert smirked. "You got it."