Genie was having a terrible day, and it had just begun.  Missed breakfast, missed the morning meeting where she could speak to her own small crew, then the attack.<br/><br/>Chief Warrant Officer, Second class - Ginivave Arsenios or "Genie", as she told most people to call her, had been in the research bay of the ship working over a pile of grey tech, in the form of light metals and tiny circuit boards that PGMC command had dumped in her lap prior to departure.  The small team of four went about as always trying to reverse engineer the alloys as well as any information possibly trapped within the boards.  If nothing else, the circuits provided a base of how to copy things.  Genie herself had seen the metal alloys before, but wasn't a metalurgist, so left that part alone.  Her speciality lied within the boards, which is what got her pressed to service and a subsquent commission into the warrant officer ranks, within three years.<br/><br/>The brutal attack seemingly came out of nowhere, Genie was mere inches away from the initial laser cut that tore most of her facility apart.<span style="color: darkred">"No way that was an accident."</span>She complained to herself, and frantically grabbed what tech she could, before running out of the bay, the explosions close on her heels.<br/><br/>Genie snapped down her ballistic visor, and GIA was instantly available to her.<span style="color: blue">"Genie's Intelligent Application, online.  Ships computer recommends that all personal find an escape pod within the next two minutes."</span>The soft voice mirrored in Genie's ear.<span style="color: darkred"> "GIA, I need the quickest route on my visor to the pod with Lt Eckhard in it."  </span>The black haired combat engineer muttered, as she sped down the main halls, pumping her legs as fast as possible.<span style="color: blue">"Warning advisories say to stay out of the main corridors, as there is drone activity on all decks."</span>Genie groaned a bit, then plugged in her sub-machine gun to her helm, its reticle appearing in her vision.<span style="color: darkred"> "GIA, damnit..why didn't you tell me that before?  Activate subroutine microwave alpha, and see if we can use thier signals to help me get a safe path out of here."  </span>Instantly, the computer popped up a small maze of side corridors and openings and potential microwave emmissions flashing as a warning on her HUD.  Genie then followed basic protcol and went into radio silence, and concentrated on running and sneaking her way to the targeted escape pod.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">"Thirty seconds until departure, ma'am." </span>GIA uttered in her ear, as Genie burst through the pod bay doors.<span style="color: darkred">"More than enough..."  </span>She tried to say, as an explosion errupted behind her, catapulting her to the door of the escape pod. She landed with a hard thump, knocking her wind out, then crawling in slowly she looked up to Edmund gasping for air,<span style="color: darkred"> "Chief Ginivave Arsenios, reporting.  The rest of the research crew are wiped, cut away in the first of the laser fire, sir.  My display shows multiple microwave signatures of drones closing in."</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>