LT shook his head as he listened to the reports coming in from Hephaestus and the rest of the crew that was in the hangar bay. The deceased man coming back to life was unfortunate, both for what it meant for the teams and for the unlucky man that had been killed.
"These things seem at least partially intelligent - From the reports I'm getting, they're waiting in ambush down the darkened halls, and they can recognize and distinguish between us and them. If I didn't know better, I'd say they - or whatever's controlling them - knows about psychological warfare. I recommend we stick to bright corridors when possible, and focus on getting power back to as much of the station as possible. We should also dispose of any corpses we see. We don't know if they'll come up and stab us in the back."
On private channels with his team, he ordered, "Disintegrate any body you come across, or at the very least make sure it's really dead and can't pose a threat to us. That's a standing order. CQ, that goes doubly for you - use your shotgun to take them out, then dispose of the bodies with your flamethrower. Keep it cool people, this is something we can understand and beat."
That private message took less than a second to process and send to his team. Back in the command room, LT spoke again. "I volunteer my team to head to power and then life support. We need to know what's going on there, see if we can get some of the lights working again. We can follow behind the Deminutians and provide them with support, and then head our own way to the power subsystems."
In the rapidly constructing firebase, Ralph was setting up a section of wall and talking to Tess. "I hope LT doesn't have us go with him into the station. This isn't a combat chassis, you know?"
Ralph stepped out of the way, letting Tess weld the metal pieces together. "You've got plenty of strength, plus you can squish those things underneath your feet. He's probably going to bring me along because I'm the tech expert, and all I've got is this AR. Something tells me that won't be quite enough. So... regretting volunteering in the military yet? This doesn't seem like your typical GalSen Operation, you know."
Ralph shrugged. "Not really. We have a chance to help whoever might be left. Besides, this station is too big to just scrap. Seems like a waste is all."
"If they were really planning on retaking this station GalSen just should have sent an army in. No one knows what happened to the other squads that were sent to investigate, and we're just the next in a long line of escalating investigators. I just think we should bring a fleet and bombard this place from a safe distance; it's already giving me the creeps," Tess darkly replied.
Ralph had no reply for that, so he simply continued to work.
"What do you think, CQ?"
"I'm thinking we should take over the world."
A '>:(' flashed over Hephaestus's holographic projector. "That's not what I meant and you know it. What do you think of the station?"
CQ shrugged, toying with her flamethrower. "It's a wreck. I'm looking forward to setting some things on fire, but we've seen the reports. Not much atmo left, and the Life Support systems are apparently shot to hell. I'm not sure I'll have much of a chance to use my flamey here," she sighed sadly.
"Not even the least bit concerned about the people who've died here, huh?" Hephaestus asked dryly. He continued without waiting for an answer. "Well, if you ask me, I agree. It's a wreck. It'll cost more to rebuild and refit this station than to just build a new one. I'm not sure what GalSen was thinking on this one. Better off cutting our losses then sending yet another team to get lost in here."
"Oh, is big ol' Hephaestus afraid of the dark?" CQ teased.
Hephaestus snorted. "Hardly. I'm afraid of whatever the hell caused this mess."
"Well, I'll be sure to light up the dark and keep you warm then," CQ silkily replied, ignoring the fact that they couldn't really feel cold or warm. She flicked on her flamethrower for emphasis.
"...You're a damn tease, CQ."
Slate was still aiming his rifle down the darkened hallway. A pair of yellow eyes peaked from around the corner. There was a snarl. Slate pulled the trigger. The loud bark of his rifle, the sound of a melon exploding. Several shrieks pierced the hangar bay, shrieks of anger.
Slate snickered.