10723/Guardians of the Space Amoeba

Guardians of the Space Amoeba
Date of Scene:	13 January 2020
Location:	Common Area - Milano
Synopsis:	Rumors take the Milano into an ambush, and pit the crew against a giant space creature
Cast of Characters:	Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord

---

Drax has posed:

  Mother told me, yes, she told me I'd meet girls like you.
  She also told me, "stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch."
  Just the other day I heard a soldier falling off some Indonesian junk that's
  going round.

The music and lyrics of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" echo through the Milano as it leaves its final jump, entering the Nubari sector. Drax is sitting at the helm, having plotted the jumps which might have come to a surprise to the rest of the crew. Nothing like a series of 22 unexpected spatial jumps one after another to wake you up.

Despite the tunes, Drax sits quiet and stoic, not moving so much as a muscle in any enjoyment of the song. He enters a few commands, pulling up the Milano's scanning results as the ship's sensors take a sweep of the surrounding area.

"Where are you, foul minions of darkness," Drax growls as he looks for any signs that might betray an emissary of Thanos. It was the merest rumor in a tavern that Drax had caught. Not the first time such gossip had sent the Milano off on a wild goose chase. And quite likely, not the last either.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
Rocket enters wearing his lounge around gear, which is to he's wearing the exact same thing he always wears only he's picking in his butt as he comes into the cockpit of the Milano. He was definitely sleeping, by the way his fur is matted on the right side of his mussle. "They aint jus gonna come filanderin' out of the mists like a great horned bat, ya big green turd..." The grousy furball says as he hops up into one of the pilot seats, yawning into both hands. "Where even are we right now?"

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter jerked awake somewhere about the time of the third jump. Honestly despite how disorientating they can be you do slowly start adjusting. There is though an upper limit to how many in rapid succession is good for your entire frame of mind or body and three is definitely more than enough to wake someone. Even if they are acclimated to them. "The hell..." groggy from the jumps and sleep.

Which is about when the fourth jump hits and Peter wishes he had locked the console of the Milano down.

"Rocket!?" yeah he assumes it is Rocket, who generally flies as much as he does.

Rollng out of bed he pulls on clothes and boots, in time to brace for a fifth... six.... seventh jump while he is trying to dress. "What the hell is going on up there..." through the comms.

To himself "I'm going to turn him into a fireplace ornament..." poor maligned Rocket.

It is about when they hit the Nubari sector that Peter makes it up into the cockpit. "Drax?!" yeah okay he sounds surprised. "Who isn't going to flounder out like great horned bats... what the hell is even going on?" moving to glance at the navigational system.

"What the hell is in Nubari... which.. disappointingly isn't named after Nubile Women..." yeah Peter checked at one point visiting this absolute fringe system in the past.

Drax has posed:
Drax removes from his typically bare upper torso the belt that had him strapped into the seat. Making 22 spatial jumps without being belted it would just be foolish, after all.

Drax rises and turns as the others come in. "Good, you are awake. You both sleep too much," he comments in a quietly matter of fact voice to Rocket and Star-Lord as the come in. Drax motions towards Rocket, and his bed-head fur. "Creates like you have fine noses. Sniff me out this ship I have heard rumors of. An ominous ship it was called, with a fiery blue fusion drive, such as some of Thanos's vessels have," Drax says. Well, more like, commands. Matter of factly.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"You're actively lookin' for Thranos now? Suddenly?" Rocket actually ignores Peter's shouts, and not even because he's being a big douche this time! He's staring at Drax, eyes narrowed, watching the big man with a growing frown. "I.." Quill arrives and Rocket glances back at him, shrugging his shoulders super high with eyes wide, "I don't know.. he's goin' on about some blue fusion drive and Thanos.. so I figure it's prolly like his time of the month or somethin'... ya know, how Gamora gets when she's bleedin' from her v-"

A beep draws his attention and interrupts whatever he was saying...

"Uhhh..." Sliding forward towards the sensor station to peer down at whatever it is the Milano's sensors are picking up.

Star-Lord has posed:
Quill rubs his face as he looks up from the navigation readout and rakes his fingers back through his mussed hair organizing it a bit better there.

"Well... okay I should have guessed Thanos." he really should have the moment he found that Drax took them on a wild goose chase again. "What would Thanos or some of his people even have to do with the Nubian system... there isn't really anything to do out here or valuables..."

The beep from the sensor suite makes him look over to Rocket watching him work then back to Drax. "Why exactly did you haul us out here. Some sort of intel of just a feeling in your zugnut hole?"

Drax has posed:
Drax crosses his muscular arms. "I am always looking for Thanos," Drax replies to Rocket. He looks off to the side a moment. "Even when I sleep. For I am ever vigilant." Drax seems pleased with this description, even if it came from himself, or maybe especially because it did. He almost has a smile when he looks back to them.

Drax motions towards the emptiness of space in front of the Milano's window. "There are planets. Civilizations. Pre spatial jump and not. Thanos preys upon strong and weak alike. Just the sort of place he might focus on," the green-skinned warrior comments.

He looks back towards Peter Quill to add, "I heard someone speaking of it. In a bar. Or, I think that is what he said anyway."

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"So you were jus' sittin' around an it popped in yer thick head, 'Imma take us to a civilized world to find Thanos' minions, that'll be the ticket?'" Rocket inquires with a pronounced frown and glance from the sensor screen to Drax, then over his shoulder at Peter, "I mean, I guess it aint the worst plan I ever heard... he-" That would be Peter, on account of Rocket is thumbing back at him, "-Forgot his rocket boots that one time."

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter folds his hands and just pinches the bridge of his nose as he does with his fingertips. It might look like praying to some, if the prayer was Serenity Now or asking for Patience.

"Oh the Rocket Boots Drax was messing around with that I couldn't find when I looked before I left that time... those rocket boots." the ones he has on now, because no he never plans to have to repair them or make that mistake again around this crew.

"Okay. So you heard about Thanos's minions ... being .. what sighted.. in the Nubian system in a bar"

"Maybe"

"Why didn't you just ask us to fly here.. we could have made it a smuggling run and at least made some cred instead of a wild goose chase." there is a sigh as Peter heads to the galley to get himself some stim drink. "Swear to jesus... this crew." it is good natured though, not like Drax landed them in a life of death situation right.

Drax has posed:
Drax stands there, arms still crossed, listening to Rocket question the lack of thought behind his decisions. He meets this critical evaluation with a spoken, "Yes," and a nod, as if he is ignoring anything displeasing in the critique.

Drax looks over to Star-Lord. "I could not help your forgetfulness. You left them on my feet," Drax claims. There's a slight smile on one side of his mouth as he remembers jetting around the cargo hold, bouncing off the walls until he had stop for the number of dents in the walls he was going to have to repair.

Drax draws a deep breath and then shakes his head. "Those in the bar did not sight his minions. A ship. An OMINOUS looking ship. That might be one of his minions," Drax corrects Rocket. As if that will make it better.

The alarms suddenly go off as they pick up something that qualifies as a potential danger. Probably of the life and death variety.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"Yeah those ones." Rocket says in a surprisingly chipper voice for having been just shut down, in so many words, for his derogations upon Peter. "Can't talk about it right now, got somethin' on sensors..." Alarms, everyone can hear it! Rocket is grabbing the control stick, ready to do some fancy manuevering to keep them from life or deathery of the finalitalius variant.

Star-Lord has posed:
"You do know that there are tons of aliens and problems out here that fly Ominious looking ships besides Thanos right...." this is all over the comms now as he is getting himself a morning beverage.

Then there are alarms "Aaand... damn I spoke to soon.. Drax probably did fly us into some sort of death trap." to be fair he didn't actually speak that part, he just thought it very hard earlier and was prematurely relieved when it didn't seem to have happened.

He does hustle back up to the cockpit and slide into his seat, grabbing the belt and securing it before Rocket does something to cause him to spill his drink. "So what is it.. .brood... Kalacxian Wasp Ships... Techarks... what has he done?"

Drax has posed:
Drax responds to Star-Lord's rhetorical comment. "I did not. But this is the only way to tell if it is one of his soldiers. And to send him off to hell if he is!" Drax gets a bit blood-thirsty by the end of the statement.

He looks up at the monitor as Rocket is handling the ship, the sensors zooming in to show what looks like some sort of huge, gelatinous blob the size of an asteroid that is moving towards them from a distance. It is moving at a fairly good clip by interstellar standards, and the Milano's sensors indicate it is organic in nature. A lot of different complex molecules, including some that would be rather corrosive to the Milano's hull.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
Obviously, Rocket cannot allow this to hit the Milano! It's a good thing Peter straped in.. A half second later and he'd have drink on his face when the ship rockets forward on all thrusters maxed and dives into a twisting aerial dodge that, he hopes, and figures, but mostly guesses, will bring them beneath the material thingy of blobtions that what might be corrosive to the hull! "Hold onto your boobs!"

Star-Lord has posed:
"What is that. Space snot?" Peter looks over the scans from his own screen now sliding over the controls with fingertips. His other hand, well that actually does grip the armrest of his seat as he studies what he is seeing.

"Okay.. definitely some sort of gross space snot... like a giant living moon or something sneezed or worse... so gross...."

He tries to calculate and scan where it is coming from.

Drax has posed:
Drax hears Rocket and he moves his hands from his arms are crossed, covering up his nipples. They are rather sensitive. Unfortunately that means he's not holding on when Rocket sends the ship into evasive maneuvers that the inertial compensators are not capable of handling fully. Drax goes flying to the back of the cockpit, bouncing off the floor once and rolling to a stop against the wall.

Meanwhile, the mass is changing directions. It isn't particularly agile, but it is fast in a straight line. The Milano's computer comes up with an identification. Hydraxian Space Amoeba. Attracted to ship's power sources, and tends to consume them and then leave the ships behind, corroded hulls with dead, or digested crews.

Also? There are a trio of ships hovering in the area, as if watching the action. Pirates, vultures who likely wait for the creature to feed on a ship then swoop in for salvage.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"Suuuuure glad we're out here lookin' for Thanos..." Rocket says as Drax goes flying backwards towards the wall, bringing the Milano back up into a generally accepted righted direction relative to space and the innertia generators. "Also glad I got an idea..."

Which is to say, he's flying the ship dangerously close to the Ameoba, close enough to keep it coming, but not so close that it can whip its tongue goo at them, leading it around.. "Come'on.. yeah, smell that sweet sweet fusion core? Mmm tasty fusion core.. yeah you want it, you know you want it..." A glance at Quill.

"We're gonna fly at them ships..." Pointing at the trio of ships, "When I tell ya, I want you to one of the escape shuttles at'em full burn... Light the thing up, yeah?"

Star-Lord has posed:
"Gydraxian.... hey they named at after you big guy... space ameoba... " pausing for a moment glancing over the data "Do not let that thing engulf the ship Rocket..." especially when Rocket flies periously close to the Ameoba like that.

"Good idea.... right out of a ton of old movies..." he starts to rig the escape pod working the controls. "I'm pissed we are going to need to replace the escape pod.... but it will be hilarious to turn their space Ameoba against them if this works Rocket."

Drax has posed:
Drax regains his feet, and pulls out his knives. "I will attack it if you need," he says enthusiastically, offering to stab the creature that is as big across as a large metropolitan city. As Drax hears Rocket's plan though, one that Drax will probably refer to later as "Plan B", he gives a slow nod. "You are devious, vermin. I like this plan."

Drax walks over to help Peter prepare the escape pod for the auto-piloted trip, the engine burning especially hot. And by 'help' he mostly just stands there, looking over Peter's shoulder, and offering, "I would have turned that switch on sooner." After Peter makes a few more preparations, Drax gets a doubtful and judgmental expression but then looks away, as if to keep Peter from noticing it. But after he'll notice it.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"Yeah, try replacin' the whole ship an' the crew..." Rocket is concentrating, but he's concentrating in a way that allows for snide comments, which is how you know he's concentrating. The ship dips again, getting them closer to the trio of ships... letting the Ameoba get just close enough that it /might/ get them, then pulling forward only by a skin of his teeth manuever.

Truth is, the Milano is more than equipped to dust this thing.

It's a matter of principle.

To the pilots in those other vessels, however, it probably looks like a struggling ship trying to get away from an space anomoly that is out classing them.. "Jus' a lil... cloooser... NOW!" Rocket pushes the throttle forward and cuts the yolk starboard, rolling up and back over the top of the ameoba. With the cockpit facing down towards them, he cuts power to the ship, killing the fusion core, and making them a much less yummy target than...

Star-Lord has posed:
Peter endures Drax's help.

At this point he isn't about to take either Drax's advice, or the tone personally. By that it is meant he won't be either taking offense or taking the advice.

"Okay ready to go." is muttered, with barely moments to spare because Rocket is saying just a little closer and then yelling NOW...

Peter curses lightly under his breath and fires the escape pod, it's engines blazing hot with all the fuel it has right towards the pirate ships. "Eat that!"

Drax has posed:
The men watching on the nearby ships are probably already rubbing their hands together, imagining what they might find on a model of ship that Ravagers are known to use. The exact specifications of this particular ship seem to elude them though, as they hold their position watching as Rocket expertly weaves the Milano out of the space creature's way and then shuts the ship down.

The rocketing escape pod quickly draws the barely-sentient amoeba's attention. It's a straight course and the ameoba quickly pulses ahead, a plume of wake of questionable origins left behind it.

The waiting vulture-like ships realize their danger finally. Their engines, kept cold to avoid drawing attention, begin to come to life. The three scatter, but for two of them it is too late. The gigantic, gelatinous form absorbs them, capturing them and the engines quickly dying as it starts to consume the energy the engines are putting out. The third ship appears to be away and clear, having gone in a different direction that the creature couldn't get all three at once.

The heroic escape pod? Also consumed. Drax gives an approving nod. "A noble end," he says of the tiny vessel.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
Rocket brings the ships reactor back online and completes the loop so the viewport is facing the extravegante last ride of the Escape Pod! "That's a hell of a thing, aint it?" He says almost pridefully as the pod leads the Ameoba right at their would be assailants, "Terrible thing about them pirates though.. I hear they take thousands of years to digest their victoms."

A clowed finger flicks the comms on to signal the remaining vessel, "Hey over there... wanna do us a favor an' turn off your engines so we can board you an' take yer shit?" Slapping a hand out to swat Peter's upper arm, "See? Death traps can be lucrative."

Star-Lord has posed:
"I'm pretty sure that is from when I made you guys watch Return of the Jedi." notes Peter with amusement.

"Though come to think of it.. wouldn't they die of starvation or lack of atmo long before a thousand years...."

He chuckles at Rocket's glee "Hey good point.. Drax you want to go stab some pirates and take their stuff if they don't give it to us. We can recoup the escape pod costs...." he targets the other ship probably trying to escape with the targetting system.

Drax has posed:
The pirate vessels would have struggled to be a match for the Milano when it was three of them. Now that the other ship is by itself, they definitely don't seem to want to fight. The ship turns up its engines to maximum, fleeing.

Drax moves over, a hand on the back of one of the seats as he watches out the cockpit as the Milano is gaining on them. "I remember this movie," Drax comments to Peter Quill. "The one where the brother and sister kiss. You have strange tastes in entertainment. But I do not judge," Drax says, and totally judging.

He draws a knife and checks the edge. "I will gladly stab them," he agrees readily enough. Though on the pirate ship, it is starting to weave back and forth, not in evasion but more like a fight for the control of the ship. After a moment, there's a bunch of greenish fluid that hits the inside of their cockpit window, and then a voice sends a message back over their comms. "We're shutting engines down." And the ship slows to a coast, engines off.

Rocket Raccoon has posed:
"I amidt that I liked that one... begrudgingly.." Rocket says of RotJ. "Better'n them prequels." He means the other two movies before it, not the three after those originals. Nor does he kick up much of a fuss when the other ship begins to flee, they're hardly a match for the Milano's speed and they'd gun their engines dead before they got a jump.

Instead he follows along behind them leasurely, "Oh come on guys, yer really gonna limp a- oh nevermind." Green fluid on the window and a confirmation of engines dying. "Good choice, I think. Drax is lookin' to stab folks who don't do what they're told when they're told." Drax the /Destroyer/, yeah, that Drax.

The Milano settles up along the dorsal side of the ship to engage the airlock seal, "Alright big green, you're up.. try not to break any of their most expensive stuff, huh?"

Star-Lord has posed:
"Well.. someone lost an arguement...." he notes shaking his head. "I mean they stood no chance, they can't outfly or out run the Milano." he unclips his own harness and stands.

"Let's go liberate their expensive stuff.. weapons.... everything but minimal rations if they have good food so they can limp somewhere with their tails between their legs."

Honestly Quill sounds like a nicer Yondu when he gets into pillaging mode like this. Figures considering who he patterned off of as a kid.

Drax has posed:
Drax replaces his knife into its sheath. Not because he doesn't think he might use it, but he likes to be able to let the person see him draw it. For effect.

The green warrior looks over to Rocket at his mention of not breaking too much of their stuff. "I can make no such promise," he says before moving over to the airlock. Once it sealed, he opens it up and steps through with Peter. "Afterwards, we will find this minion of Thanos," he reminds the captain. "And I shall have my revenge."

The door to the ship opens and he steps inside, to where the crew are already carrying over boxes to stack near the door, trying to avoid having done to them what they were going to have done to the Milano.