3. could be worse could be raining

[rickitikitarr]

[Audio]

These things, they're coming through holes in the fabric of... well, space itself. Is there any way to close them?

[Is the technical explanation that Ricki stumbles for. It's only a seventies scifi explanation of a phenomenon he barely understands, but it's what he's got right now.]

It means that until they stop opening, any of the normal tactics- a perimeter, a systematic sweep- are totally useless. They can crawl right in behind us. Normally I'd suggest gathering everyone in the mess and working our way out, but if a tear opens up in the back, it has the potential to turn into a slaughter. We actually may be best keeping the vulnerable on their own, in their rooms, while everyone who can tries to clear down the halls.

[Then, silence, and finally two quick gun shots. The feed remains dead a little bit, as he gets his adrenaline down. His voice is still low, very level, when he can continue.]

But that means people may be trapped without food. It might be worthwhile to get volunteers to make runs for their neighbours. It'd be better to work in pairs to accomplish that.

Anyone game? [And, belatedly.] Anyone trapped?

[He'd do a better job of organizing this if it weren't on the fly. But as it is, he can hear something approaching. Heavy footsteps that may only just be captured by the feed. Then there is the sound that some residents will recognize as a gun being reloaded, before the feed cuts off.]

[Spam]

[Ammunition is scarce, but Ricki makes the most of what he has, hoarding it closely as he makes his perilous way through the halls of the ship, sometimes hunting, occasionally being hunted. The gun helps against the felhunters, and he isn't shy of shooting the succubi either, but on more than one memorable occasion he gets into it with a golem and ends up having to run for it, god damn it.

He'll help and need help, both in reasonably equal measure.]

Comments

[surfaceshine]

[Dean is a professional, too, for all that he doesn't always act like it; several years ago he might have been able to admit that maybe this isn't a siege at all and that one massive show of force would be enough, but his life has been one battle after another after another, all with dwindling supplies.

For him the siege never stopped and he doesn't expect it ever will. He shakes his head.]

Kitchens and Zero take warden items to get into. Corner of the dining hall might work, we can make it small enough, but everyone needs to be able to get there. I'm collecting a few people. I'll get back to you when I know their status.

[rickitikitarr]

Christ, right, and he couldn't be persuaded to unlock the god damned doors for one fucking second-

[So much for professionalism. He grits his teeth, cuts himself off, suggests;]

Keep in touch. I'm going to keep cutting through to the mess.

[rickitikitarr]

Hey-

[Reconnecting, a few minutes later, with new news.]

I don't know if you've heard this, but they're saying now we can close the holes off if and only if everything that's come out of it has been tracked down and destroyed. We may want to go much more on the offensive than we'd planned.

[surfaceshine]

[It takes Dean a minute to come back; when he does he sounds distinctly strained, moderately distracted, but focused.]

Who's they? Close them how?

[rickitikitarr]

Magic. Don't know who it is, the connected through this thing- I'll ask. They seem on the level.

[Though he couldn't tell Dean why, exactly. Call it gut instinct.]

I'm going to keep prying.

[surfaceshine]

Got it.

[Dean doesn't exactly trust Ricki, but he knows he could do worse; at the very least they both seem invested in action now instead of later, they both have ideas, they're both on their feet. He could do a lot worse, for now.]

Some people are missing. Haven't noticed if there's a pattern yet, nothing like a complete list, but some heavy hitters have checked in. Infirmary's secure.

[rickitikitarr]

All right.

[Since he has him, because he's running into a consistent problem;]

I took your advice and I'm working mostly with knives here, now, but it's doing fuck all against the big creatures, the stony ones. Bullets too, for that matter. Have you come across one of those, yet? I can't find a single thing to do about them but run.

[surfaceshine]

Yeah, they're a pain in the ass.

[This is grim, acknowledging; he's run into them too and he has no solid course of action yet.]

They're rock. If I had some explosives, those might do the trick - or they're mostly topside. I almost got one over the rail before I had to run, too.

[rickitikitarr]

Right. Good advice, I'll search for some.

-the person who I was talking about is reportedly a constellation, by the way. I'll let you know when I know more.

[surfaceshine]

Well, why not.

[This is not as sarcastic as it would be coming from most people; yeah it's ridiculous, but Dean has heard some ridiculous shit in his lifetime.

He hesitates before hanging up, though, even though there's nothing useful to really be added. His voice is more uncertain than it has been this entire time when he continues.]

Are there... do you hear dogs barking? Sometimes?

[rickitikitarr]

Yeah, that's what I took a shot at earlier.

Want to see the corpse? I can turn the feed on it, if you need.

[Prepared to backtrack, he hasn't made it far.]

[surfaceshine]

No, no, that's fine. As long as someone else sees 'em too.

[Quickly, abruptly certain of himself again. That might be relief under there too, shriveled and worn with disuse.]

Thanks.

[rickitikitarr]

Any time.

[He agrees, and doesn't ask. This isn't the time, and he wouldn't want to share if the situation were reversed. Instead he cuts the feed- for now. It's a matter of time before something else happens.]