Greaves Log: The Sunken Ship

== The Sunken Ship ==
<Homestead Bound
=== Evaluation Day ===
I have had a rather irritating past two weeks.
It started when Admiral Zachary decided to evaluate the skills of his current mission based crew. Everyone seemed to have little trouble convincing the Admiral that they were an asset to the crew. Although I heard he shot at Darby a few times.
I was second in line when it was my turn to talk to the Admiral. It was the first time I ever entered his personal office. He bid me to sit down and tell him what I brought to the team.
I simply told him, "I bring my skill set. And my skills lie in killing the enemy in front of me." He dismissed the comment by insulting me based on my mutations. He even stated that I couldn't call him a racist because I had no race, and that I was the only dog man alive.
Hoping that he would take me just a little more seriously, I told him, "Sir, do you have any other insults you would like to say? or can we continue?"......... Me and my fucking mouth.
"I'd never thought you ask! Hold on a moment!" Zachary stated with malicious glee. He reached into his pocket, and unfurled a long sheet of paper that actually descended from his hands, over his desk, and on the floor. He then pressed the on button for his intercom, alerting the whole ship.
He took his time spouting a tirade of dog insults, one after another. Each one cruel, and yet cleverly made in their own way. He began roaring with laughter as he made his way to the half way point. (I'm guessing he didn't come up with all of that by himself.) Soon, the charade was too much for him, and he dismissed me saying I was good to go, Wheezing as he tried to pull himself back together. Leaving the office, I hollered "NEXT" into the waiting room and made my way back to my quarters.
A few hours later, I went out to get a drink at the mess hall. While I was trying to relax, a group of about ten on-board crew-mates spotted me. They decided to follow the Admiral's example and shouted out their own insults at me. Having all that I could stand, I walked over to them, and addressed the 'head' of the group menacingly. "I can't do anything to the Admiral, because he's my boss. You on the other hand, are nobody. So tell me why I shouldn't send you to infirmary." The group just continued to laugh as if I was bluffing. The man I threatened even said, "What are you going to do? Paw at me?".
So I did what any enraged wolf mutant would have done. I punched him in the jaw, sending him falling back on his buddies. What ensued was a melee consisting of them against me. Being that I was trained to handle far worse, I easily did away with them. I had hoped that was the last of it, but was proven wrong rather quickly.
I don't know what this crew is made of, but whatever it is, it made them stubborn. To retaliate against my actions, the men staged several ambushes for the next thirteen days. And not just by themselves either! It seems they brought in the entire ship board crew to get the better of me. I lost track over how many people I had left bruised and bloodied.
On that note, I never once used my weapons against the crew. I may hate them, but I still need them to do their job.
=== Entering the Astroid Belt ===
We arrived at the ship wreck without any incidents during the warp travel. While I'm relieved that we did not suffer any maladies from the journey, a part of me wanted to see my father's ghost again. There were many questions that I had concerning the revelation that my sister was still alive. (I suppose I should have been relieved to hear that information, but not knowing any more than that only brings worry to my mind.)
Still, now is not the time for such thoughts. Right now, it's important to focus on the task at hand.
Admiral Nathan debriefed us on the mission's details. We were going to salvage the ship and gather as much materials as possible. I asked if there was anything in particular that he was searching for. He answered that he wanted us to locate the ship's black box, as well as the ship's flight log.
"Oh and before I forget, there is one more thing you all need to know!" Admiral Zachary stated. "I don't know if any of you noticed, but we got ourselves a new teammate!" Just like that, a figure approached us from the corner of the room. He was covered in light armor from head to foot, so I couldn't tell what he looked like, but he was a rather skinny fellow. "I'll trust you all to get yourselves acquainted. Now off you go! Get ready, get your void-suits on; move, move, move."
As I donned on my void-suit, the Homestead made its way to the shipwreck. Several small meteors struck across Homestead's haul. The rocks weren't any threat to our ship, but the constant racket they made played havoc with my sensitive ears. Irritated by the noise, I covered my ears. It went against my policy to deprive my senses, but I counted my sanity to be of equal value to my safety.
I grabbed two extra oxygen tanks and made my way back to the bridge. There I saw the vessel that we were going to salvage. Letters spelling the words 'The Crucible' was painted to its side. (Which must be its name.) To say that it was in poor shape would be an understatement. Not only was it apparently lifeless, but also had enormous holes all over it. Axel realized that the holes originated from inside the ship, and at key points such as the engine room, and the life support. (That doesn't bode well.) 
The radar didn't detect any other vessels, so we knew we were alone in the sector. With that we got into the transport ship, and set off to the 'Crucible'. Joining me on this venture was the new guy, Rex Darby, Red Ded, Fayte, Axel Grimm, and Laz the drunken priest. 
=== The Crucible ===
We arrived on the 'Crucible' from the closest entrance. For a second, no one was sure where to go. I suggested that we find the black box first, which should be at the bridge. With that Red Ded decided to take point, insisting that he raided enough pinky ships to know his way around. (I don't even want to know..... At all.) I kept my mono sword in my right hand, and my flashlight in my left and kept up with Red Ded. 
We ventured forward, following behind the ork. As we traveled, we noticed several bat things, moving around the ship. These creatures must have adapted to survive in a vacuum since they were very much alive. They didn't seem too bothered by us, and only moved when we got too close. 
I must admit that going around with a void-suit on was an interesting, but unwanted experience. I could only hear the clanking of everyone's boots through my own mag-boots while they were connected to the ground. If someone wanted to talk, they would have to use the microbead, otherwise no one would hear anything. And since I was in space, I couldn't smell anything other than the inside of my void-suit. I hated the fact that my keen senses were only so useful in this environment. Hopefully this will be a quiet endeavor. 
"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!! Get this thing off of me!!" The new guy's voice shouted through our microbeads. I looked behind me and saw some sort of octopus 'thing' holding a death grip on the man's visor. Before I could act, Red Ded stampeded past us, and dispatched the octopus with minimal damage to the new guy's void-suit. 
When he calmed down, the man explained that he was looking at the boxes that were being moved towards us by someone, when the thing jumped out of the box, and latched onto him. Red Ded looked inside the box, and found rows of eggs inside of it. Moving quickly, he went to the next two boxes, and used his 'Burner' as a blow torch to weld them. 
As someone radioed Homestead to pick up the boxes. The new guy insisted that we should go back to find the figure that pushed the boxes at us. I questioned him. "How are you so sure that someone pushed the boxes? For all you know, it could have been one of the bat things messing with the boxes." However he insisted, "I know someone pushed those boxes! I didn't get a good look, but I'm sure of it!" With that, everyone was keen on finding out who the mystery figure was. With me once again being in the minority, I decided to take point on this, and see if I could find any evidence of a trail. 
I found one. Among the boot prints we made, there was another pair going in the opposite direction. I motioned to everyone behind me, and tracked the trail. (I hate being wrong, especially on matters like this.) 
My search came to a halt, when something came crashing down from the ceiling. Reacting swiftly, I moved to down, and to the side. I hear a shot go off from the sound of the floor. As I look around, I saw a metal pipe that was right in front of us, and behind me was Red Ded with a smoking gun pointed in the proximity of the pipe. 
With that, Laz decided to push everybody aside and lead the way. "Do you know how to track?" I asked him. With all the swagger his drunken ass could muster, he persisted, "Of *HIC* Course I can! I know how to walk a straight corridor!" With that, I let him move forward, but I kept vigil on the track nonetheless. 
As he approached the next corner in the corridor, he turned, and let out a short shout. Next thing I know, blood covered the outside of his suit. We went up and saw the unusual scene in front of us. Missionary 'Budweiser' was fine, but his supposed attacker wasn't. His head seem to have exploded, leaving him a bloody mess. 
While Laz made a comment about ork snipers, (really?), I tried to examine the body. I couldn't find anything of interest, but Axel noticed an insignia on the man's air tank. Axel recognized it from a notorious mercenary gang, known for multiple, ruthless crimes. 
It was then that it, suddenly occurred to me that for this guy to be here, he would need supplies like us, and more importantly, "..... he would need a ship." I muttered. I immediately contacted Admiral Zachary. 
"Huh!? Who's there? Ah geez, it's the mutt again. Yes Fido?." A little irked, I replied, "Yes it's me again, and 'Fido' has some important information for master, if master decides to listen!" He let out a snort of laughter, and told me to continue. I told him about our new person of interest and requested that the Homestead make another scan of the area. 
The crew on the Homestead broadened their scope on the area, and discovered two ships among the surrounding meteors. They weren't moving towards us, just drifting about like everything else in space. Still, it became more imperative to finish our objectives here before the rest of them realize we're here. 
With renewed haste, we headed to the 'Crucible's bridge. We eventually ended up at a ladder leading up, (or down considering your perspective), to the bridge. I went up first, deactivating my mag boots, and flinging myself up using the ladder. When we arrived at the top, our way was blocked by a pair of closed doors. 
Taking this as a challenge, Axel went up to the door, and forced it open with brute force. (Got to hand it to him, he's not bad.) 
Inside the bridge, we saw a hole were the glass view was, and several skeletons, and bodies of the crew floating about. "Hmmmm, I don like dis." Red Ded stated. Curious, I asked him why. "I seen bodies in space before. They were all mummified. The only way there would be bones is if som'ting picked the meat off of it." (*Sigh* Got to hand it to the ork, when he's right, he's right.) 
I told the crew, "I'll keep watch." I took out my bolt pistols, jumped to the ceiling, and vigil over the group, keeping my eyes out for any threats. (While I was doing this, Father 'Jake Daniels' tried to order me to do the things I was already doing while I was in the middle of doing it. How obnoxious can you get as a Missionary?) 
The others looked around, while Fayte accessed the ship's mainframe. She found the ship's black box, as well as the ship's log. From what she could tell, the crew ran out of supplies while trapped in space. Which I thought was rather odd. Why were they trapped here? Could they not move the ship due to losing fuel, or was it something else? 
As I pondered the possibilities, my focus should have been on the crew itself, or to be more precise, on Margarita-missionary. He asked Fayte if the intercom set was working, and with the discovery that it was on, decided to make an announcement. 
"Attention Merrshhenarries! This ship is about to self destruct!!-" With a sense of dread, I tried to tackle the idiot to shut him up, but ended up missing him, and crashing on the floor. "Woah! Flying dogss-s! *Ahem* If you mercenaries wiss-sh to leave with your lives, depart from this ship immed-immediately!" 
Fayte noticed at least fifty people approaching our coordinates from all over the Crucible. Red Ded and the new guy went to work on welding the door behind us shut, while Axel, and Rex called Homestead to warn them about the incoming threat and to get a transport here to pick us up. I kept an eye on the door, in case anyone managed to get through. 
When Admiral Zachary called to ask what happened, several things came to light. First, Zachary called the new guy an eldar, which came as a shock to all of us. Laz shot at it him, but ended up having guns pointed at him from everyone; and Rex Darby, made the realization, that Laz actually had psychic powers, which explained how those people's heads explode. 
When the transport arrived, most of us got on board right away. The doors to the bridge suddenly opened, and the mercenaries fired at Red Ded and at the least interesting priest in the galaxy, 'Doh Esquis'. They managed to avoid the fire, and get on the transport. (Red Ded seemed a little ticked we were running away instead of fighting.) 
When the transport docked inside our mother-ship, the Homestead fired up its warp engines, and fled the scene. As we got inside the docking bay EVERYBODY, including the ship board crew and Admiral Zachary, pointed their guns at 'Pastor Bud Light'. 
Laz tried to talk himself out of the situation by bringing the crew's attention to the Eldar, and my recent brutality on the Homestead, but no one was hearing it. Some of the men fired at him, but miraculously missed. The Eldar, sneaked up behind Laz, and knocked him out. The missionary was dragged to the ship's holding cell. 
=== Afterword ===
Admiral Zachary was not at all pleased by our performance. While everyone agreed it was the missionary's fault, that still didn't make up for the fact that we didn't obtain the majority of the salvageable materials. I said that we did get the the main objectives, Zachary cut me off, saying that the objective was to get as many materials as possible, not that he blamed me. 
Still, I feel that I should have kept a closer watch on the crew itself. If only I had asked what the priest was doing before he made his idiotic bluff, we could have prevented this whole thing. This whole mission became a disaster because of one bad move. It infuriates me to no end. 
As time goes by, My thoughts turn to the possibilities that put the Crucible to its present state. Did the ship's Navigator die, and prevented the crew from going through warp travel? Did they run out of fuel, or was their equipment sabotaged? Whatever the case they died a slow death. The more I think about it, the less comfortable I feel on-board the Homestead.