Pashban III: Escape from The Sulphur Palace (Game I of 2214

Dexter lightly ran her fingers over the bomb in her hand. She studied the components then decided it should be kept for parts. The fuel canister in particular might come in handy. She started to move towards the lifts knowing the other girls would follow and eventually the blonde girl would take the lead.

"No...no, I...I don't know..." the man said, looking toward the elevator. "You gotta get out. More'll come. They're looking. Looking..."

Alison slowly nodded. He was letting them go and wasn't going to blow up the lift. For now, that was an acceptable outcome. She had hoped to get more information out of him, but being alive was good enough.

"That's...that's it! I know what I gotta do. It's what they told us to do," he exclaimed, suddenly straightening up. "Take the lift to the hangars. You'll find something there. I have to make sure the others know."

He quickly sprinted away, disappearing down the hall. Alison turned to her two 'friends'. Dexter was already heading toward the lift, still holding on to the disarmed bomb, so she fell in beside her. Kaye wasn't far behind.

"I have been operating under the assumption that our time together would be short," Alison said. "I now see that assumption was incorrect. As such, I believe proper identification will facilitate futher interaction and improve our chances of survival." She glanced at each of them. "My full name is Alison Annabelle Archer. I am a former weapons tester for Aerus Incorporated. I am thoroughly trained in marksmanship, survival, and tactical analysis. I respond to 'Alison', 'Alice', or 'Archer', but alternatives are also acceptable, pending approval."

When she was done, she offered her hand to Dexter.

." She glanced at each of them. "My full name is Alison Annabelle Archer. I am a former weapons tester for Aerus Incorporated. I am thoroughly trained in marksmanship, survival, and tactical analysis. I respond to 'Alison', 'Alice', or 'Archer', but alternatives are also acceptable, pending approval."

Dexter shook her hand, “great, pleased to meet you Alice. I’m Melody Dexter weapon designer and developer extraordinaire. Or at least I was until I blew up the men’s toilets. Mind you the ungrateful swine’s deserved it. Just call me Dex I hardly ever answer to Melody.”

"So do you know how to fly? I'm betting hercules doesn't, and I know I don't, makesomething fly, sure, fly it, not really."

"Yeah, but I'm used to flying only small ships. But I should be able to manouver a larger ship well enough..." Something about this situation seemed wrong. Why would Aeros attack a prison. It's doubtful than any of there higher ups are here. And if there were, they wouldn't bring the roof down like they did. No, it had to be some sort of object, though Lillith.

"Hey ex-warden," she called out to the giant. "Is there anything special being stored here? Something worth attacking this place for?"

Awe ****. Puppet wanted to know the motives for the attack. “Must be your pretty face, puppet. Some warlord that fancies you maybe?” Heh. Good one. “Or maybe he prefers little pipsqueak here.” Patron snickered as he went round another corner, froze, turned one hundred and eighty degrees and started walking faster, nearly trampling his companions. Soon enough, they heard the reason for the sudden retreat. The humming of Chokers.

"Must be your pretty face, puppet. Some warlord that fancies you maybe? Or maybe he prefers little pipsqueak here.” Patron snickered as he went round another corner, froze, turned one hundred and eighty degrees and started walking faster, nearly trampling his companions. Soon enough, they heard the reason for the sudden retreat. The humming of Chokers.

Freddy's face went white as he did a U turn, bearly makeing it around to face the opposite direction only moments before Hercules almost ran him over. The humming behind got louder slowly, Freddy followed after the brute, hoping he knew where he was going.

The omnidrones buzzed dangerously close in their courses past Herman as he climbed frantically. One clipped his ear, drawing out a trickle of dark blood. But as he moved slowly upward, heaving himself along by his arms, several of the omnidrones suddenly began taking erratic paths. One glanced off the top of the cage beneath him, and ricocheted into the wall. Another hit the floor of a platform below and skittered along it. A third embedded itself into Misho's back, the blade plunging deeply through his skin and puncturing into his lungs. The man's mouth opened in a cry of pain, and blood flowed over his lips as he lost his grip on the cage and fell into the darkness below.

Herman made it to the top of the chain, and hoisted himself up onto the mechanism. Looking above him, he could see an access ladder leading up along the wall, past the gaping hole in the roof. Only one problem, it followed the domed slope of the walls, meaning Herman would be almost hanging vertically from it for a few moments while he climbed it to safety.

That ladder, like everything else in the Sulphur Palace, was a catch 22. Never would they make it easy for an inmate to escape, Herman understood that, but come on now. He closed his eyes and opened them, blinking twice before jumping unto the ladder which closer resembled monkey bars from the textbooks he read as a kid. Herman was up there in age, but he thought himself one who would grow old gracefully, not relive his childhood.

His ear had a little drip going, he watched a few drops trickle down to the pits, or as far down that way as he could see. His arms burned from the chain work, but it would be very idiotic to give up at this point. He could feel it, it was either the prison's day or his... and after a couple huffs and puffs, he said a small prayer and got to work climbing.

Damn, damn, damn, it's chokers. They needed to get back to the warden's room and close the door behind them. Then the chockers may go away... Before turning around she quickly shot down two of them and then ran like hell.

It's like trying to shoot at a swarm of bees, the thought to herself. Would you go faster you big brute, you're blocking the hallway!

She pushed the Sampson wannebe furward as she got closer him, hoping he'll take the hint and go into the next gear.

The two groups racing through the seperate corridors at last made it to the lifts. Those trapped inside the pit managed to make it to the access ladder and climb out. All found themselves in the same large hangar. Gray steel that had buckled and been mangled in places was accented by clinical white light from panels; some of them broken and flickering. In the center of the room, still intact, was a mid-sized spacecraft: a Nexxin SC-6400 Viecroy. Military grade, the dark gray wedge-shaped vehicle stood equipped with six rail guns. The mid-sized ship would crew the remaining survivors.

There was little time for argument. Outside, particle weapons of various grades and potencies were being fired at the facility, quaking the ground. Such technology meant only one thing: Aerus was taking over.

The group of former prisoners fired up the Viceroy and blasted their way out of the penal colony and away from Pashban. Free once again, the galaxy now lay before them.