"This is magnificent! I ponder the ancient race that had access to such advanced technologies! And so close to human territory. Perhaps it is an old race we once knew of before extinction? The size of this craft.. It's a behemoth. What level of structure allowed this without critical failures? Its structure is quite advanced!"
Darl had been listening to Sammy ramble on and on about the impressive tech that keeps this vessel from imploding from its sheer size. The 'Wiring' is a strange crystal-like structure. With some flexibility, given they babbled on about energy and other stuff he couldn't care to listen into. In fact he was quite annoyed, growing ever closer to duct taping his mouth shut!
Sure, it was cool stuff. The machines they passed by– but he couldn't really tune in when his gut was telling him of imminent danger, and he wasn't the only one– Martha, one of the few engineers specializing in explosives. Kept intensely glaring down the corridor they were in. If looks could maim, this ship would be more scrap than working parts and science discovery. Maybe someone before death stared it? I mean look at the state of ruins!
While Frederic instead stuck near the end with other scientist. Too busy playing babysitter instead of being a soldier. He isn't as experienced, only being on crew for hardly a year. Even still as a medic he had his uses in a way this was in field practice. They gave him a pistol instead of a rifle as they didn't need him to.. Well, I don't think I need to elaborate.. 'Soldier' is what they called him. As a part of the marine squad. He was no soldier though. Never served.
The three soldiers did their duty and protected the white coats and their fascination. They took notes on a data pad and even took pictures of unknown or mildly interesting items. "I can't wait to explore this ship in its full. The technological wonder we have discovered here will be a great deal useful to us. We can also see why this race preferred machines over flesh. I see a lot of depowered or destroyed machines, but no bones or the facilities to allow lifeforms."
The scientist wasn't wrong, this vessel after all was a part of the ancient enemy all three interstellar empires erased from history. Sure there were still some mentions of them but hundreds of years of propaganda, mass indoctrination to steer away from ai and so forth has all but erased the name of the strongest machine empire to date. This is of course in confidence that the virus they hit the machines with have long eradicated them, hopefully.
That said, if they still had that information in this day and age. After hundreds of years, they would not have even landed. Calling upon the military and bombing this once powerful ship into oblivion. Hell donating the entire planet into the shadow realm is safer, if they had known. Atlas, they are ignorant of their idiocy of removing such important information. Now this group will suffer the consequences upon stepping aboard the last mothership. Unaware a doom of ancient origin is waking to their presence.
Deeper they traveled, the worse their worried expressions became, or so the only two who paid real attention and their instincts could do. Everyone else was enjoying their time, however the medic noticed his communicator started to lose signal. "Darl! Hey if we go any further we will lose signal to the ship.."
Darl halted at the dismay of science guys "Then this is as far as we go. Get a good look, Sammy, we are heading back." Sammy the second scientist who has been roaring out his thoughts for the world of metal to hear, utterly stopped. "Why? There is nothing dangerous in this vessel, why don't we at least go for another hour! Can you not see the sheer motherload we hit." Regardless of protest he could not stop the imposing security from stopping him. He frowned, but following them was better. He may have said this place isn't dangerous, but he didn't want to be proven wrong and ultimately lose his life. He just wanted to see more of the vessel. But reality was a cruel one and so with a heavy heart he followed suit.
Gwen Patted Sammy on the back, he was a reserved man, so his thoughts were his own and so was his talking. The few words he did speak was more than enough. "We can always come back" before he could continue, a deep rumble shook the corridor, making some of them almost lose their balance. Gwen frowned commenting without a beat. "Vessel old, unsafe. Quick we go" he said curtly.
Darl watched the rear as they fell back, it seemed pointless given the rumble was just the old vessel. However he felt that wasn't so simple and the red hue that slowly grew in brightness was very much concerning. "Oh shit.. Get moving faster! We got company!" Martha turned towards the strange sound of heavy footsteps, she caught a glimpse of the crimson hue before a suit of armor? Came around the bend, locking on to them with a mechanical coldness. "Is that a machine or…" Darl didn't ask questions and slammed his rifle into his shoulder before unleashing hell down the corridor. Sending special packages of death by the dozen. By yours truly, eat lead!
Most of which hit center mass, bullets splashing against a strange liquid scattering particles off the machine. These areas regenerated quickly like water quickly filling in space beside it. Yet Martha got a good view of red veins under the suit.. That's not a man! But a high tech war machine. She fished out a plasma grenade before, rolling it down the hall. Darl turned and fell back while Martha set two small disks against the wall, before fleeing down the corridor.
BOOM
The plasma grenade heated up rapidly before exploding from the increased mass of energy within a small space. The plasma, nearly hotter than a thermite, seared the walls and melted part of the floor, almost even hitting the machine if it hadn't taken the initiative to move out of its trajectory. It broke into a bolt, however crossing the two disks was a mistake. The electrical magnetic waves shorted out several nanites. Arcs of lightning scattering thin particles into decaying dust. Leaving scarred streaks, merely showing the complex machinery below. However, in moments the disks cooked themselves and the machine's nanites began to fill in the scars leaving not a scratch much to the dismay of those watching with bated breath.
That only bought them seconds. Martha set multiple traps where she could, before falling back as well. She wanted to slow down the machine from getting to the group for at least a few minutes. That's all she hoped for as reality only stated seconds as their best bet. It was worth a try.