NINJAGO: Starmarked

16 - Sabotage

The extractor was in fact a hefty piece of machinery, covering almost half of the lower and main deck. The laser part of the device was above along the glass capsule, whilst the main circuitry was in a section of the device below the main deck. The ship rumbled loudly as it flew over Ninjago City; Lloyd and Nya stealthily followed Quentin to the back of the extractor, where all the essential wiring for the device was held. 

"Alright, Quentin - how do we stop this thing?" Nya asked him, crouching behind the giant metal device. Quentin was tapping away at his tablet, trying to find out what wires should be detached and cut without risking the machine from overloading. It was only until the noisy whirring of the machine suddenly quietened. The harsh yells of the Chief broke out from above them.

"Uh oh - looks like something's up," said Lloyd, warily. 

"I think they've realised that Jupiter isn't powering the device anymore - I hope they can hold them off, so we have time to figure this out," the Kosmikile said in a low voice. 

Meanwhile, Cole and Zane covertly followed Jupiter up the ladder that lead straight to the main deck, where the laser and glass container was. Cautiously making their way, they tried not to be spotted; they were ninja - sneaking around was pretty much their thing. 

The laser component made a low humming sound as it's energy diminished; Sigma stomped over to the engineers who were also on the main deck; 

"Why is the machine firing so slowly? " She demanded, baring her teeth at them furiously. Her workers shivered as she approached them; they hurriedly tried to find an answer by double-checking the laser's unit and the machinery behind it. Eventually, one of the Kosmikiles spoke up; 

"Chief, It appears that the- uh - elemental powering the extractor is..gone." He said nervously. 

Sigma inhaled deeply and finally replied in an angered voice;

"Find her and do not let her escape again! Or else you'll all be put in front of the laser!" 

They immediately rushed down the steps to the lower machinery, wrists armed with their alien weapons, only to find the powering chamber empty, with its wires and chains cut by what looked like a piece of Kosmikile tech. The workers looked at each other anxiously, when a voice from behind them suddenly spoke up;

"Looking for something?" The fire ninja implored in a lofty manner, holding up his two katanas in defence. 

"Kai, I said I wanted to have the first line - why is it always you!?" Jay nudged him sharply from behind him. He was clutching his partially-gold nunchucks as the Kosmikile workers gaped at them. 

Kai sighed sharply. "Jay, now's not the time - besides, I always come up with the best entrances; you're the... back-up." 

"The 'back-up'?" The lightning ninja asked. "That's not a thing! Out of all the times, your entrances were lousiest I've ever heard!"

"Then do you have something better to say?" Kai returned quickly. 

Suddenly, the sound of the Kosmikiles charging up their weapons interrupted the ninjas' bickering. 

"Where is the elemental?" One of the aliens interrogated sternly, pointing his wrist weapon at the two heroes. "Tell us where she is."

A silence followed; Kai and Jay stood with their weapons prepped, nervously eying the other side of the large room where Quentin had lead Lloyd and Nya. The lead Kosmikile gazed in the same direction and understood instantly. 

"Seize them and head to the central systems!" The alien cried, and within a few seconds, another fight blew up on the ship. Kai and Jay used their gold to scorch the aliens' flesh, weakening them, but as they were outnumbered, they could only do so much. The Kosmikiles shot at them with their alien-tech gear, attempting to capture them. 

"Quick! Use spinjitzu!" Jay yelled. Kai nodded and they both readied themselves on the metal ground before quickly launching into fiery and sparky twisters, attacking the multiple aliens that surrounded them. 

Behind the huge apparatus, Lloyd turned to Quentin, who was still figuring out the wiring. 

"I think Kai and Jay have gotten into some trouble - we have to hurry so the others can go break the capsule!" 

"Just...give me a second..." Quentin responded, searching through his tablet for a safe method of permanently shutting the equipment down. Out of nowhere, a blast of alien substance shot at the tablet in Quentin's hands, sending it hurtling towards the metal walls and fracturing it. All three of them gasped and turned to see a small group of Kosmikiles cornering them behind the machine. 

"Well, well - I wonder how Chief Sigma is going to feel after she hears her primary apprentice is helping the opposition!" The alien growled; the others behind him chuckled in a malicious tone as they pointed various weapons at Quentin, Lloyd and Nya. 

"Oh no! I-I don't know which circuits to cut yet!" Quentin panicked. 

"It doesn't matter! We have to destroy anything so Jupiter can get the stardust back!" Nya pushed Lloyd and Quentin out of the way. 

"What are you doing!?" The green ninja asked with wide eyes. 

Without a second thought, Nya unleashed a powerful stream of water from her hands and ravaged the complicated network of alien wiring. A burst of steam erupted from the system, causing the Kosmikile engineers to shuffle back cautiously. 

Lloyd quickly spoke into his headset - 

"Jupiter, Cole, Zane! We've managed to destroy the circuits-- well, sort of. Now's your chance!" He urged. 

The huge machinery buzzed and steamed intensely; they all stood far back from it. 

"Uh...I probably shouldn't have done that...right?" Nya asked Quentin. 

Quentin scratched his head anxiously. "You did destroy it, which is good. But..."

"But what?" Lloyd and Nya inquired in unison. 

"But the water is now causing the system to overload electrically - the extractor is connected directly to the ship's systems, and since the machine is now unstable... the ship is most likely going to--" 

A tremendously loud BANG roared from somewhere inside the ship, causing the entire mothership's floors to shake. The explosive noise echoed through the metal walls; Lloyd and Nya looked at each other worriedly. 

"We need to get everyone off the ship!" Nya yelped, jumping to action. The Kosmikile engineers were panicky; they rushed to their stations in an attempt to neutralise the ship's systems somehow. 

Quentin, Lloyd and Nya ran back out to the lower deck, where Kai and Jay stood amongst the defeated aliens. 

"Did you guys hear a loud bang!?" Jay asked hastily. 

"The entire ship is unstable - we need to leave NOW!" Nya told him. 

"But what about Cole, Zane and Jupiter? They need to get the dust back!" Kai inputted. 

"We have to help them." Lloyd responded firmly. He calmed the group down and set out a plan.  "Nya, we need to contact Pixal and get the Bounty back in the air so we can get off this ship. In the meantime, we go to the main deck to help the others out."

"Hold on! If the mothership goes down right here, it'll crush Ninjago City!" Jay interrupted. He was right - letting the mothership fall would probably bring even more harm. 

"Quentin - you know this ship; you have to get to the control room and steer the ship away from the city, before it crashes." The green ninja looked at the nervous Kosmikile.

Heads turned to him - ultimately, the fate of the remaining city lied in his hands. Quentin hesitated and after a few moments, he nodded his head persistently.