"Your course of action is inadvisable. The cold of the vacuum could kill some of us despite our protective attire. Traversing the outer hull without proper equipment would be difficult. And lastly, re-entry into the ship would be more difficult, if the enemy does not deploy spacecraft to terminate us en route. In total, your plan could not work." Thea gives a point-by-point breakdown of Triggers' plan with her deadpan face and tone.
Thea looks at the map Ami manages to salvage from the droids, copying it to her own internal database.
"Tactical reassessment. Forward is our only option. Ami, is it possible to use the signals the units are sent to warn us on this map of any incoming on our position?"
Ami and one other member of the team would have time to respond to this question. Upon conclusion of the conversation, a voice would resonate through the hall from speakers in the ceiling.
DECEPTICONS
"Whatever you are planning, it will fail!" the shrill mechanical voice exclaims.
"We have disabled your vessel.There is no escape" Another, deeper voice says menacingly.
"We are the Decepticons. I am Starscream. We have been stranded too long to lose you now. Your vessel is capable of traversing universes, and we will find out how." Starscream announces and explains.
"You held the original crew hostage." Thea states looking at the nearest ceiling speaker.
"Pitiful biologicals. A race of cowards unworthy of the might this vessel holds." says the deeper voice.
"Oh yes. This vessel will be a fine addition to the Decepticon forces upon our return. Megatron will be pleased. For now, you are of use to us, why we have not swarmed your position to kill you all or storm your ship." Starscream snickers. "Continue to be useful, and you will live."
There is the sound of doors opening down the corridor and rapid heavy footsteps.
"There was one other crew to land that put up the same resistance. Behold their remains." Starscream says with a grin evident in his voice.
Around the corner, came five armored forms.
"Their armor and skills were formidable. But under that wonderful metal, were mere humans. The commando models wear them far better." Starscream mocks and the group of five advance on them slowly.
"You are being detained. Do not resist. Lethal force is authorized." The lead droid warns in a monotone voice.
"Comply, and survive. Resist, and die. Simple choice." says Starscream.
IN THE HANGAR
The Pathfinder sits in peril. The crew has gotten it running again after the ion blast shut everything down, but their communications continue to be blocked. Those fighters aboard are hesitant to exit the ship while a portion of an enormous army has their guns trained on it. The droids on the hangar floor and those in the tanks sit ready for any action that could be hostile from the Pathfinder, but unknown to the crew, with orders to not destroy it.
It is tomb-at-midnight silent in the hangar.
A green light flashes beside the Pathfinder, bright enough in this enclosed space to temporarily overload the photoreceptors of the droids trained on the ship. The flash precedes another ship entering the hangar through a portal at the moderate flight speed it had when traversing the air before the teleporter drive activated.
Which is unfortunate for the droids on the floor. One side are mowed down by the ship and tossed back by the force of the impact, causing a great clattering of metal and mechanical wails from the droids that are apparently capable of expressing surprise and despair at being destroyed.
ONBOARD THE SHIP
"Whoa! My bad folks! We hit something! A lot of things!" Vaudeville announces from the pilot seat of the ship over an intercom. She pulls back on the controls to make the ship come to a complete stop in the air then lands on hastily deployed landing gear.
"What the hell did we hit!? Nothing and no one we know I hope!" Abby yells from the seating area beside Alec, unbuckling herself from the seat and grabbing her helmet.
"Uhh hold on." Vaudeville looks out the window of the cockpit. An AAT and many droids take aim at the ship.
"You guys don't happen to have a huge ship and a robot army, do you?" asks Vaudeville as she flips a switch to activate the shields.
"Noooo…why?" Abby answers then inquires. She puts on her helmet, readies her Death Pod. "Look alive people! Trouble ain't over!"
"Yeah we dropped into some shit and we're about to be lit up! Clearing the landing zone!" Vaudeville flips another switch. The ship had been outfitted with a way to clear a landing zone in emergencies: ports on all sides launch flares to illuminate the area and disrupt the photoreceptors of the droids again, then guns near the two ramps lay down suppressing fire in wide arcs as they open.
The spectacular entrance of the once-lost crew wiped out a portion of the droids. The zone clearance measures had done it's job and gave them a wide area to disembark without immediate harassment.
But there was still most of an army advancing on the crew of the Pathfinder. The only saving grace they have is it is only the droids on foot they face. The heavy artillery remains still for now.
IN THE HALLWAY
The hallway suddenly is filled with the blare of sirens and an automated voice.
"Unauthorized entry in Hangar Bay One. Hostile forces present."
"What!? But how?! They came right into the hangar?!" Starscream screeches.
The boarding crew would, at once, receive a communication from the Pathfinder flight crew in their ears.
"This is the Pathfinder! The cavalry has arrived! We can hold our own down here but you need to get control of this vessel!"
Thea is the first to act. She drops to her knees and bends back to avoid blaster shots from the commando droids, but also fires off arrows from her pod weapon. The arrows hit their targets in two of the droids' neck areas, detonating the explosive payload in their tips to pop their heads off.
