[snip]

After the critter had departed beyond his range of sight and hearing he could just make out too inside the duct four feet in where it split to port-starboard what seemed a bit of tiny bones, what kind was impossible to say.

GM CockRoach

“Bones?” Pretty small. But still. Bones. Swallowing hard he tried to see more but that was it. He looked at Nessa and then at the duct. Was it big enough to send her through there after it? Did it stay in the ducts or did it come out? Was there a pack of them that would make Nessa into a larger pile of bones? No, not that quick. That was reacting. Nessa could track things by scent. They would first need to get something … maybe like the bones? Put a camera on her so they could see what was going on. And maybe there were avenues in the ship where it got out. Nessa could start there?

“Nessa, guard,” he said. That would mean the bay would hopefully be safe from infestation for the moment. He needed to report this … “I’ll be back,” he said to Nessa. “Good girl,” he added.

With that Rick left and then paused outside the Bay. They were on E Deck … he could go back to his quarters to see Mark. He was a sci-guy geek but, wait, he might be in the science lab. Who was the chief there? Locke. A full Looie. They were up on D Deck. Making that choice, Rick took the lift one deck up and made his way to the Science Lab. Entering he looked around. He’d never been there once it was populated but had been part of a group that moved equipment crates back to the Cargo Bay once they had been unloaded. It wasn’t that big but it looked impressive with tidy consoles and a couple of machines he could only guess at what it did. Mark had said something about a wild expresso machine they had. Was one of them that?

“Hello?” he called out. Was it odd that he was feeling alone without Nessa beside him?

• PO Rick Walters, Eng

“What are you looking for? A new and improved pooper scooper for Nessa?” came the voice of Mark Sayers, his bunkmate and science geek who was now in his natural habitat.
“Guess it’s a lost cause to think the CSO would be here. She’d likely be on the bridge?” He paused. “I found something.”
“Something,” Mark said then leaned in. “You look pale,” then, “What happened?”
“We were, uh, Nessa and I, in the cargo bay. Nessa found something in a duct. I saw it. All six legs. It ran off.”
“Six legs?” he asked, inching toward what was a stool as though to be ready to hop on it at the least sound. “And?”
Rick looked away trying to remember the startling sight. “Six legs. Bigger than a rat. If it had fur it was pretty short but I only saw it for a second and then it was gone.”
As unobtrusively as possible Mark hopped up onto the table to sit, his legs dangling. “And?”
“That’s it. Earth doesn’t have anything like that, does it?”
“Not the way you are describing.” He looked about. “The chief may be by soon.”
- Mark and Rick, both PO’s

OOC: I’m waiting on the XO’s reply first! :P

GM CockRoach