Story 5: The Accident

SS Scavenger DX-1017: The Accident is the fifth story in the *SS Scavenger Universe*. The crew of the heavily modified Deliverables-class salvage vessel **SS Scavenger (DX-1017)** escorts the **Arclight Surveyor** into frontier space when a plasma-weather catastrophe in **Rosa** (Ross 248) cascades into a pirate attack led by a resurrected **Captain Kuegon**—now appearing as **“Kulona.”** The crew must repel boarders and make a morally fraught decision: to deploy **Tranzine gas** through life-support to accelerate the pirates’ Changeling infection and end the assault.

Synopsis

While navigating **Rosa’s “thin red winds,”** Scavenger is ambushed by the pirate warship **Bloodreaver** (formerly **Nerathis Hauler DB-2294**), commanded by **Kulona**—revealed to be **Kuegon** in a new body. Boarding cutters breach Deck 3 and LDeck 3; Captain Drex orders both fronts held while Engineering and Security counter with barricades.

In Med, **Dr. James Drex** conceives a desperate plan: disperse **Tranzine gas** via the life-support trunks to force rapid Changeling progression in the pirates, while Scavenger crew remain protected by prior **Terget-derivative inoculation**.

• • Kessa Rin** races canisters to the hubs as **Vek Tollin** and **Brennen Gillings** prime the manifolds; on Drex’s mark, the ship “breathes in,” and the boarders collapse.

With the boarders neutralized, Drex drives the final space fight inside Rosa’s plasma veils. **Velka Ereen Drex** masks the ship in stellar weather, baiting the Bloodreaver into a fatal vector. The pirates are sent “home” through a Transit Window, and the enemy vessel is destroyed amid the belt.

In the aftermath, **Kessa** gives birth to **Tirasha Liera Rin**, symbolizing renewal for the crew. Later reports speak of the abandoned **Bloodreaver**, her crew transformed—an epilogue whispered as *“Koshek’s Kindergarten.”*

Key Characters

• **Captain Elan Drex** – Commands the defense and authorizes the Tranzine deployment.
• **Velka Ereen Drex** – Helm and tactical officer; ghosts Scavenger within Rosa’s plasma belt.
• **John Rin** – Leads Deck 3 counter-squad and escorts Med-to-manifold runs under fire.
• **Vek Tollin** – Engineering lead who rigs the life-support manifolds.
• **Brennen Gillings** – Executes crucial splices under combat pressure.
• **Dr. James Drex** – Designs the Tranzine strategy; confirms crew immunity via Terget protocol.
• **Kessa Rin** – Transports Tranzine canisters and later delivers Tirasha Liera Rin.
• **Kulona (Kuegon)** – Antagonist; a resurrected Kuegon commanding the pirate ship Bloodreaver.

Ships and Craft

• **SS Scavenger (DX-1017)** – Deliverables-class Phase-Drive salvage vessel.
• **Arclight Surveyor** – Frontier science ship under escort.
• **Bloodreaver** (ex-Nerathis Hauler DB-2294) – Pirate warship refit by Kuegon.

Locations

• **Rosa (Ross 248)** – Home to the Kentuk colony; known for its dangerous plasma “winds.”
• **Deck 3 / LDeck 3** – Life-support trunks used to disperse Tranzine gas during the boarding.

Technology and Terms

• **Tranzine Gas** – Compound that accelerates Changeling infection to terminal stage; harmless to inoculated crew.
• **Terget Protocol** – Inoculation booster derived from the Prosian beverage Terget.
• **Phase Drive** – Experimental FTL system aboard the Scavenger.
• **Transit Window** – Instant-transfer device used to dispatch the final pirate boarding parties.

Chronology

Set after *The Changeling* and before *The Tonan Civil War*, marking the midpoint of the Scavenger’s early expeditions and Kuegon’s transformation.

Themes

• **Hard choices in defense** – Ethical tension of using Tranzine through civilian ship systems.
• **Family in steel** – The crew as chosen family bound by survival.
• **Renewal** – Birth and hope following devastation.

Notable Scenes

• **Kulona’s Reveal** – The pirate leader’s broadcast exposes Kuegon reborn.
• **The Lungs Breathe In** – Vek throws the manifold valve; Tranzine floods the decks.
• **Clash in Rosa’s Belt** – Velka’s piloting and Drex’s tactical reversal end the battle.

Epilogue

Alliance scouts later find the derelict **Bloodreaver** drifting near Ross 248. Its mutated crew become the stuff of spacer legend—*Koshek’s Kindergarten.*

Appendices (in-universe)

• **Glossary:** Annuli calendar terms, Terget, Tranzine, Phase Drive, Rosa.
• **Ship Registry Extracts:** Scavenger, Ralos, Arclight Surveyor, Bloodreaver (DB-2294).