Relic Safari (Closed w/ Paddy)

[Paddy]

Her smile grew the slightest bit as they spoke. No matter their level of retention before, she could now be sure that they knew what would be of importance for their end of the job. Her eyes flicked away from the quartz to look over the rest of the group, to assess how they had taken the information. She hoped that would be enough to help the other corundums. She couldn't imagine there would be many containers the team could get confused with their target, but in the time she'd spent going over the inventory prior to the dispatch, she'd noticed some similar strings popping up on the list. For now she trusted that the rubies would follow the previous orders given to them, and that they'd remain focused. 

The sapphire's brows floated up, a bit surprised as she listened to 7XB's suggestion. It was something she hadn't considered, perhaps because of a lack of knowledge about this model of ship. The prospect was exciting, but it would also be risky. Her pessimistic side could easily imagine blowing out the decommissioned electrical grid, causing a fire or worse. There was the possibility that it could be disconnected entirely, which would amount it to a fruitless effort. Still, the pay off for a successful go would be too great to pass on; the saved time and energy would be worth it. The light provided could serve to make any potential enemies just as visible as it would make them, a trade off she was willing to make. 

"Let's do it," She gave a nod, her expression settling into one of quiet determination. Then, she scanned the nearest walls in search of an access panel. Though the sapphire didn't know for sure what it would look like, she hoped it would be labeled, or at least look a little something like the panels on her own vessel.  

[7XB]

“It's a bit of a pipe dream,” the somber Quartz gem felt inclined to admit, though there did not seem to be much resistance to the idea, especially from those gems in their charge who would have been left in the dark otherwise, “But it will save us some time on this objective if we succeed.” They were getting in the 'zone’ now, the proper headspace they settled into as their mind latched onto a goal.

“We're going to be looking for a panel box on one of these walls. Hm, “ they turned on their heels then, eying the fractured doorway through which they had entered. “2FG, do you see anything by the door?” Called 7XB to the most distant of the Rubies, barely in range, for some reason, to Padparadscha's light. The little gem, Diamond preserve them, pondered the question for several moments before actually turning about to look and see, ponderously scratching their chin before a nudge from their nearest comrade got them on the right track. “Oh, um, no commander!”

“Right.. anyone else?”

[Paddy]

"Agreed. It's a risk, but a worthwhile one. If it works out, I'll be glad to save some energy," She mentioned, with a gesture to the light she held in her palm. Though the small form was close at hand and not too difficult to maintain, it still took vitality to generate, and she knew well that she was no where near her full capacity in the use of it. On top of that, the energy spent on the search itself would be conserved-- there were still three more bays to check, each with its own hidden challenges to face. She would want everyone in the best shape possible. 

She pulled her eyes away from her search for a panel, to get a look at the group. Then, she was a little alarmed to find 2FG and their comrades wandering near the edge of the bubble of light, though she realized it would be difficult to search for the panel if they remained in one spot. As she and the quartz were turned, she looked toward the door as well, torn from its seating in the wall. She was reminded of just how dark the area surrounding them was. The ever-present buzz of danger lingered on her senses. "I'd prefer if you stayed within sight for now," She stated, her nerves tinged her tone slightly. Having gotten this far without losing track of anyone seemed almost a miracle given what the team had been through.

Her eyes traced along the same wall that the door was embedded into. As 2FG had suggested it seemed to be devoid of the panel box 7XB looked for, but her logic told her that the panel wouldn't be too far from the entrance, for convenience of operation. But her logic could be very wrong, as she wasn't any kind of technician. "I don't see anything yet, we could walk the perimeter until we find something," She continued to search, when she spotted...something on the wall, just outside of her illuminated radius. She pointed to it with her free hand,"...wait, what's that?"

[7XB]

7XB quickly latched onto the meaning behind Padparadscha's words, their snowy mane cast asunder as a look was cast in the direction of the corridums, “Stay in the light, Rubies. Her Clarity is working hard enough to provide light for us without you lingering in the shadows, I-” their attended drawn then in the direction of the Sapphire's voice, then to where she was gesturing. Eyes narrowed lightly, trying to peer past the edge of Padparadscha's light. It took a moment, their eyes adjusting slowly until they could make out what appeared to be a rectangle upon the wall, thought it was so barely distinguishable that they couldn't be sure. “That..may be it?” Only one way to find out, no?

“Stay close,” came their strict command as they moved forward, arms still secure around the Sapphire and her light; They didn't have to move forward very much, a handful of paces more than enough for the strengthened light to splash across the wall. The once-elegant gem letters that had originally been emblazoned upon the panel box had been faded, or rubbed away, over time. “That's it! Looks like the casing hasn't been compromised, either.” Now they just had to get it open.

“Your Clarity, do you mind if I?..” The quartz would have to put her down. Temporarily, at least.

[Paddy]

She hoped that the rubies would take heed of what their commander said, it bit at her nerves to think they could easily get tangled up in something if they didn't. So far, everything had gone better than she expected, but she couldn't rely on any luck they may have had up to this point. Corruptions, strange lifeforms, capricious surroundings, anything could  up-end the progress the team had made.  

The sight of the box was a huge relief, and the fact that it seemed to be in good shape was another. Part of her had expected it to be as shredded as the doorway, or overgrown by the invasion of Earthling life on the ship. But, it being sealed meant there was a good chance that the panel wasn't damaged, lowering the risks that would come with messing around in old technology that none of them were particularly experts on. At any rate, 7XB would need a little more room in order to do what they were planning to. 

She tapped her fingers together for a moment, her eyes darted around the room. It seemed as if every time she wasn't wrapped up in their arms, the possibility that she would be subject to some kind of unpleasant surprise rose tenfold. Nothing had popped up from the darkness or fallen out from beneath her yet, though the longer things stayed quiet the more tense she felt. There was still the possibility that this endeavor to get the power back on could turn around on them.

All the same, there wasn't much her quartz companion could get done if she tied up the use of their arms.  She tilted her head up to look at them as she spoke. "Go ahead," Her words were a margin short as she tried to mask her unease,"I'll help keep an eye out while you work on that," 

[7XB]

They gave a curt nod, understanding her trepidation as they lowered her down onto her feet; It would hopefully only be for a brief period, but it would only be a matter of time before the Quartz needed use of their limbs for something more pressing- not that they minded. “What a lot of gems don't know,” they begun, stretching out their broad limbs upon reaching their full altitude, limbering them up after having held the same position for quite awhile, “Is that a lot of these old ships have an emergency generator or two aboard.” Like 7XB had noted before, ships like this were much more common in their earlier days, and a soldier would, occasionally, pass their time on such uneventful tours of duty by listening to the lamentations of Peridots and other such technicians.

“Now, normally, they would have burnt out a long time ago..” The quartz cracked their knuckles, hands shielded in light while their gauntlets formed, “But I happen to know that most of these generators only stay on for a few hours, regardless of how bad the damage is.” Much of this was beyond the rubies, but they were sure at least Padparadscha understood what they were saying.

[Paddy]

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she felt as if a safety bubble had been popped, and she was now free to be attacked from any angle. She knew that much of her fear was based in this irrational dread that had settled into her core, but there were also things to practically be afraid of for the moment. In order to prevent those things, she would have to keep herself clear-headed and on alert. The sapphire focused on the present task, and tried to shove back the thoughts bothering her.  

Ready for anything, she kept her gaze scanning around the darkness, looking for signs of anything out of the ordinary. Her little bauble of light floated straight up, away from her hand, to cast the ambient light around at a similar radius that it was when she had been perched at 7XB's lofty height. As she did, she listened to them speak as they prepared to get down to business. They had a surprising knowledge, and quietly she again thought of how glad she was to have this well-traveled gem here. "I see," She gave a nod to show her understanding,"If we can get one of those generators running then we may not need so much time to find our target," A little positivity might go a ways to reassure herself, and perhaps the team if they were similarly anxious. She could hope, at least, that the fragments wouldn't be so hidden as to cause them hours of searching. She could also hope that the presence of power on the grid wouldn't disturb anything that would cost them time.

"Still, we'll have to get right on task just to be sure. No time can be wasted." With that, she thought on what the most efficient way to traverse this storage bay would be, given the strengths and weaknesses of every gem present. 

[7XB]

“I agree. No more distractions. Now, all of you stand back.” 7XB was unsure about exactly what would

The quarts turned then, positioning themselves more directly before the panel as if they were preparing to remove the panel and toy with the components within..This however, was not the case. They balled their right fist, the faint glow of white-hot plasma shining around their steely fist as hey turned at the middle, swinging back around to drive their knuckles into the hard steel panel box.

Being the quartz that they were, 7XB succeeded in not only puncturing the covering, but embedding their whole fist (and forearm) in the mechanics and wiring of the wall. Closing their eyes amid the shower of sparkles sent flying from the impact, the Clear Quartz considered it a justification of what they had already previously believed- There was still a bit of juice in the system, it just needed a bit of a jump start and it stood to reason that if electricity is energy and movement created energy that such a savage strike should be just what it needed..right?

That was according to the admittedly less than scientifically qualified Quartz gem.

However, it soon became clear that it wasn't going to be enough and wishing to strike while the iron was hot, 7XB fired their hardlight blade from the back of their gauntlet, twisting..

[Paddy]

At their request for the other gems to clear out of the way, she stepped and turned to see the quartz reeling back, light enveloping their fist. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened as she had second thoughts about this plan-- but it was too late, their arm clanged through the metal and sparks went flying, she jumped and almost lost her footing. Not that she was worried about the sparks, nor was she surprised at their inclination to use martial problem solving, but she worried about what might happen as they continued to wrench through the panel, electrical arcs licking across the now exposed metal and wiring.


Her attention was split between the quartz, and the darkness surrounding the team. She wanted to be able to react on a moment's notice, but flicking her eyes back and forth, her tension grew as she awaited whatever outcome-- then, it seemed as if the ship were responding to their call. 

A loud, grating bleep barked from the intercom system somewhere above, followed by static and a lethargic whirring. The buzz of the intercom, and the ambient response of the ship to the incoming charge, hiked up her nerves. If they quit now, they'd lose any chance of getting it jumped, but continuing to flood the system with outside energy, kinetic and electromagnetic, could end in overload-- especially with the vast amount of energy that plasma would introduce to the network. That could bring about a number of outcomes, some of which she imagined that she couldn't even anticipate fully. Her teeth clenched as she hoped 7XB's brazen, experimental tactics wouldn't result in an explosion.


The whirring sputtered, an electrical snapping followed. Then, for a moment, it seemed as if this quarter of the ship were humming back to life. But, her tension continued to climb. 

[7XB]

Besides just seeing the dangerously arcing electrical discharges, 7XB could FEEL them: On their face, on their arm as they continued to wrenched and twist around inside the electrical box. They even felt a few get caught in their dense mane, though thankful even their hair seemed resilient in the face of it all. It was situations like this where they mumbled a quiet thanks to the Diamonds that they were created as a quartz.

Their success seemed to be slipping away, as Padparadscha noted- what little power that lingered wasn't going to be enough to help them in their search, so 7XB grabbed onto the first thing thing they found: what appeared to be a tightly bound coil of electrical fiber, wrenching back with all their strength. The coils withdrew almost angrily from the gaping wound, whipping to and fro as the last of their payload was dispersed.

And then, just as the clear gem feared that their efforts had been in vain, the lights flickered, total darkness engulfing them for a brief moment before a loud 'whirl’ was heard around them, lights and even the vennilation kicking on as one of the generators roared to life. The sudden glare off the metallic surfaces was momentarily blinding, causing them to cover their eyes..”Stars..”

[Paddy]

As the lights blared on, her eyelids fluttered to adjust to the new brightness of the surrounds. Her lips parted, and hung there for a moment as she realized it'd not only been a success, but it seemed to have gone with minimal hitches. Of all the things she'd been anticipating, for this to actually work out hadn't been one of them, despite how much she'd wanted it to. It seemed to be a best-case scenario so far. Her pessimism had been pushed onto its back for the time being, and her agape lips formed into a giddy smile instead. She turned to face 7XB, a glimmer in her eyes.

"Excellent work, commander," She said, relieved that they'd managed to not only avert a possible catastrophe, but got things running just as they'd planned to. She let what was left of her little bubble of plasma to recede out of existence."Now, lets get right to it," Her usual impulse would be to do just that without another word. But, working with a team meant that a tad more communication was needed. She stopped in the middle of stepping forward, and swiveled back around to look across the other gems. "For safety's sake, I've determined it might be best to work in pairs. We should all start at opposite sides, but work around the central point-- that way if someone finds the fragment, they can stay put until the others catch up. This will also serve as a triple check, to be sure we don't miss it, while ensuring we make good time," Then, she awaited the input of the other members, though the passage of time crawled down the nerves on her nape. She didn't want to squander what the quartz had worked to give the team, but she also didn't want the other gems running around without a proper plan to follow. 

[7XB]

7XB let out a pant as they stepped back, a wry grin forming upon their pale lips as, with the flash of stardust that sent their gauntlets back into oblivion, they passed their fingers through the unkempt mane of snow that sprouted from their skull in an attempt to tame it. “You honor me, Your Clarity.” They replied with a light tip of their chin, the faintest color threatening their cheeks at the look in her eyes.

Now that the power was back on, they would need to be as efficient as possible. A glint in their stony gaze, the quartz turned to the Rubies, their own words a more authoritative follow up to Padparadscha's declaration. “Yes, teams. 2FG, you're with 2FH. 2GG, you're with 2FC. I'll stay with her Clarity.” They gestured then to the greater space, which appeared a veritable mountain of cargo now. “Get moving, and remember '1-PT’. You see anything like that, you come find me. Got it?”

“Yes commander!” Came their unified response, and salute. And then they were off. The Quartz turned to cast a look down towards the sapphire, offering her a hand to boost her up onto their shoulders, “You mentioned 'other prototypes’?” They question, “what happens if we find something that isn't on the save or destroy list?”

[Paddy]

The sapphire's gaze traced the quartz as they returned her a grin. Her own cheeks were a little warm at the sound of their voice. She couldn't help being charmed by them, and focusing on the task at hand was harder as her mind drifted around all of the small moments she'd had with this gem. There wasn't much for her to do for now; so she clasped her hands, listened as they gave out their orders. She let herself have time to enjoy the fact that everything was going much better than she'd hoped it would. 

She didn't miss a beat as 7XB offered a hand to her. Her clasped hands unfurled, and with the same delicate motion she'd given before, placed her hand in theirs as she contemplated the question. She gave a dismissive wave of her free hand to the scattered cargo as she spoke. "They're unimportant. Those other prototypes were to be integrated with the fortification facility as power sources or experimental technology. None of them are a danger to the scale that the weapon prototype is," At least that's what she had gathered from her prior research, and she was happy to simply believe that. "If we find one, we could destroy it for good measure, but it was never specified in my dossier to do so-- given that we only have so much time, I'd like to be sure that our objective targets are dealt with first," It could be another notch on the belt to mention that the team had managed to take more prototypes out of commission, but she hoped that it wouldn't come to be a large expense of energy to do so in the case that they did come across this technology. 

[7XB]

The Clear Quartz gem gave a nod as they easily elevated the Sapphire to a safe perch upon their broad shoulders, visage hardening with determination. “As you say. Let's get to it, then.” 7XB turned then to their left, trudging forward towards the mountain of disheveled cargo containers. Unlike the Rubies, who may need to work together to move the metal boxes, 7XB could- and began to- move them easily, hefting each up one, checking the designation stamped upon each side, tossing them carelessly over their shoulder as each turned out to be nothing. Each of these collisions, understandably, caused a rather loud noise, the roar of the metal crates as they smashed into one and another echoed off into the ship, causing the Quartz to wince.

They knew as well as anyone the danger of causing so much noise, but what other choice did they have? The little red gems were going to take long enough rummaging through the crates, it would be irresponsibly inefficient for them to meander neatly through each box. Still, the noise ground on them, heightening their senses to a point as they found their frustration growing..”Oh, come on!..” they mumbled angrily.

[Paddy]

The sapphire let herself enjoy the bit of glee that came with being swept through the air and allowed to sit in a perspective she'd normally never see the world from. It was something quite simple for a dignitary to indulge in, but nonetheless still a novel experience for her. She became more focused as the quartz moved on to the next task, hoping the luck they'd had as a team would last.

As they searched the first container, her eyes quick scanned across the string of symbols to double check; before they simply disposed of it behind them, as if the alloy crate were a cardboard box. She cringed as a ding rang out across the cargo bay. Each time this pattern repeated, her shoulders hiked higher up. It became a bit harder for her to focus on reading the numbers as her nerves were antagonized by every clamor. 

There had to be a better way to do it without compromising speed-- the group only had about an hour to search through this mess, but the haphazard manner of it was causing her sense for organization to spiral until she was dizzy. If there was more time, she'd want to see the boxes gently stacked and reorganized into the proper order. Even now she had a strong urge to compel the team to do so. She could also feel the rise of tension in 7XB's voice, which further convinced her that she had to say something. 

She cleared her throat, and tried to make her next words as delicate as she could,"Perhaps we could create a system of sorts to reduce the audible footprint?" She shifted, knowing this would be a bit of a taxing idea. But, it would be less taxing than coming to face with anything that might be still lurking around the ship. She hoped 7XB's frustration wouldn't make them too irked by the possibly of having to slow down a bit,"I could create a platform; you set the box on it, I bring it to the ground while you look at the next. I don't think it will compromise much time,"