A large portion of the crew were holed up in the dormitory that housed much of the general crew. Tension filled the air as some worked to coordinate plans to clear the infestation, what would need to be done after, and what supplies they would need to raid if they were stuck in the lockdown longer. Efforts to eliminate the crab turtle infestation were going slower than they should have. An over abundance of caution to minimize crew deaths contributed to it, but something else was keeping them from ending the lockdown. Salvage is typically scanned before being brought in to quickly and roughly assess its components for sorting, as well as to avoid hitchhikers or dangerous components being brought aboard without proper safety protocols. Despite that, a number of them had somehow gotten in, and were now terrorizing the crew.
Arvak, the Siberian Husky Canid who was the ship’s chief security officer, had pushed those worries aside for now to deal with a bigger - or at least more numerous - problem that was before him. An earlier raid into the cafeteria to gather more fresh food supplies so they wouldn’t have to rely on emergency dry rations had revealed signs that some of the crab turtles had gotten into some of the food supplies. Now a swarm of smaller ones, likely juveniles, had made their way down the hall and were eagerly clawing at the door. They were too small and weak to break the door down, but the way they clawed at the wall panels made him worry that they would find another way in.
Pulling out a large, sleek case, he thumbed a small panel on the front and a tiny red light changed to green before making a soft click. Lifting the lid, he began to remove components to a high powered rifle, and assemble them as he made an urgent call to the ship’s AI.
It didn’t take long for the things to start prying off panels, though not without effort. Arvak frowned at his wrist computer, which was currently projecting a small hologram of security footage displaying the stairs and front of the dormitory door. Dozens of pairs of crab claws and horror movie crab mouths scratched and bit at every inch of door and wall they could reach; some of the little monsters even crawling on top of one another to get close enough to join in. Eventually, a panel next to the door had gotten damaged and warped enough that they were able to start making progress in prying the corner out, picking at it with their surprisingly strong claw hands, though more from persistence and determination than raw strength.
Arvak braced his high-powered rifle on a table that had been moved closer to the entrance and lined its sights up to the panel the crab turtles would likely breach through, occasionally glancing at the hologram his wrist computer continued to display. Flanking him, two bunks had been unbolted and set up on their sides on either side of him to form a makeshift barricade several feet back from the door. Behind them, a handful of his security forces and some of the crew were armed with rifles, pistols, and even a few makeshift weapons like an arc welder; though most of them knew from prior engagements that the crab turtles’ hard shell made it difficult for most conventional rounds to pierce through.
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The commotion outside escalated as thumps and snarls could be heard over the clamor of the crustacean swarm. Checking his wrist com again, he was alarmed to see that the large, feathered creature that was in the hold had made its way up to the main level, and was currently at the base of the stairs, craning its neck up to bite at crab turtles and reaching up with talons to pluck them up and feast on them. Relief and anxiety warred in his mind as he was relieved that the swarm would be thinned out or dealt with entirely, but worried now they likely had a bigger problem.
His focus snapped back into place as a crab turtle from the other side of the door managed to partially pry open the corner of the panel by slamming its shell into it over and over again. Faint flashes of the hall beyond became visible as it frantically squirmed, trying to work the opening larger or force the whole panel out of its slot. Arvak sighted on the opening and waited for a clean shot. On his right, two crew members hauled a piece of furniture over the makeshift barricade and were preparing to plug the breach with it. He signaled for them to wait as the crosshairs on his rifle lined up on the opening. Lining up his shot to aim for the vulnerable limb pockets where its legs folded up to its shell, The Canid’s finger flexed and squeezed the trigger.
Time seemed to slow for him as several things happened simultaneously in that moment. The crab turtle eagerly pressing its way through the wall panel was abruptly yanked away in a blur of bronze, green, and blue. As that was happening, the holo-projected image of the ship’s AI blinked into existence between Arvak and the door, frantically waving her hands to stop him. Arvak’s reflexes were sharp, but it was already too late as the bullet left the chamber, and, in what felt like slow motion, it passed harmlessly through the hologram, then cleanly through the gap made by the pried-open panel to slam into what awaited on the other side. A loud thump followed.
“What’re you doing?” Arvak growled, tapping his earpiece to disable the sound dampener so he could properly yell at the AI while stepping around the makeshift barricade.
“He’s on our side!” Avra stated, putting her hands on her hips. “Well, he was before you used him for target practice,” added, looking over her shoulder to the door, chagrined. Muffled through the door he could hear Captain Gray shouting “Cease fire! Cease fire!” and a bestial rumble.