[@thewizardguy][@Tyki][@Absolis] (Keith may or may not also be here)

At the appearance of a storm, Mithias had ordered his company to press onward, assured of the sturdiness of the ship to endure, but little did they realize what they were getting into. Quickly, maintaining a course became a battle. The hull creaked ominously as it strained between the force of the engines and the force exerted on it by Alucard. They all knew that nothing natural was afoot here over the ocean. This was indeed the place the enemy was hiding. 

Mithias put a hand on a console to steady himself. "How much longer could we theoretically endure this?" He asked his men, trying to make an educated decision. The shields were holding, the ship had plenty of power, but stability and visuals were an issue. 

"Commander, we're being drawn downward, into the center."

"Resist. We only want to fly over it." The vampire hadn't expected this phenomena.

"Increasing output to 80% of maximum... 85."

The ship lurched as the force pulling them was inconsistent. The crosswinds, the electrical interference, and the irregularity were causing damage. There was too little they could gain by being here. Alucard, or whoever else he was working with, had surrounded themselves with quite the defense. 

"That's enough. It's too dangerous here. Let's get out." Mithias gave the order to leave, but soon fonud it was impossible. 

"95% maximum output. We're not getting anywhere. It doesn't want us to leave."

Mithias twitched. Much to his dismay, it seemed he was going to get everyone killed, and he was mentally scrambling to avoid that scenario. His men struggled, expertly maneuvering the ship, but their direction always changed. Swarms of flying Tyrannid appeared outside all around them, just behind the clouds, or were they the clouds? The sensors were flashing red. 

Finally, Mithais had a crazy idea. "Alright. Forget leaving. Alucard has given us seven days, so he's not going to destroy us now. Conserve our power and fly into it. In a storm this big, chances are the center is more survivable. I see it as our only option." He really hoped he was right. 

But the marines of the black dragon chapter obeyed his order, trusting in the wisdom of their leaders who for some reason had them following orders from this human-like vampire fellow. They were fully dedicated. 

The ship turned and the power output cut down. The sound of flexing metal subsided significantly, and they soon broke out of the clouds into a clearing, the eye, where the pillars of fire shot up and began their intertwining dance around a grotesque platform, a mockery of what it had once stood for. 

And there he was at the center of the platform, the fiend known as Alucard, with his glowing red eyes and sharklike grin. Mithias would never forget it. And with that vision and his heightened senses, Mithias felt once again the call, nay the command, to kneel. It was stronger than before, and the ironic part was that it felt right, it felt just. It was as if every cell in his body was telling him that this was the peace he sought. He would give anything for this being, this vampire, his king. For a moment, he reflected. Why? Why not give in? Join Alucard, be a slave to him, die when he tells you to... And he would have, except for one question that was still left unanswered. For all his power and ferocity, there was a glint of regret in Alucard's eyes. 

Mithias shook his head to find nearly all the black dragons were staring at him. "It's alright. I'm fine. I still have my own will." And indeed he did. There was no control over him. Any decision he made would be his own, his choice. If Alucard won, it would be because Mithias had willingly conceded. He stared at the image on the screen and felt Alucard watching him, right before he delivered his speech. 

Another entity was in range, conversing with Alucard. 

Mithias ignored Alucard and spoke only to his men. "Dave, have everyone start collecting data. I want to know everything we have the capacity to detect and learn from this place and that being on the platform. Also, scan that other entity. If it's Alucard's master, then I want to know everything about it. Scan the depths of the whirlpool, magical connections, psychic energy, and start transmitting every gigabyte to Vulkan. If we don't get out of here, then this mission will not be in vain." 

Crewmen quickly went to work at their stations. Mithias stood glaring at Alucard and Xelrath and clapsed his hands behind his back. They still had an arsenal of weapons, boarding capability, and a teleporter. "Let's see what this other being does before we make any more moves."