RP XSDF Roleplay Thread: Vanguard of Forseti

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Planetside Mission
UFO Crash Site
Operation Laughing Mist

System: Dapsilis
Planet: Forseti
Location: Serais Grand Desert
Date: April 5th, 2044
Time: 1430 Hours

Mission Briefing:

A flight of Stingrays from the Jupiter downed an enemy scout ship. Its purposes were unknown, but perhaps we will find out if we take some of the occupants alive. As it appears to be a ship of the pirate organization known as the Packmasters, our team should be wary of the potential presence of incubators. Nevertheless, this is a good opportunity for some of the Einherjar and Jupiter’s less experienced troops to fight in a fairly contained set of circumstances.

Number of Soldiers for this Mission: Eight (8) Soldiers and Two (2) Mechanicals

Soldier’s Names:

*{Canada, M} SPC Smith, Mason [Rocketeer] (Magnified Bicep Structure, Iron Skin)
2{Nepal, M} PFC Alexandros (Pyrokinesis)
{France, M} PFC Lefebrve, Thibault
{Novum, F} PFC Newport, Yekaterina
XSDF Trooper
XSDF Trooper
XSDF Trooper
XSDF Trooper
SHIV Four
Drone

*Squad Leader
Italics are player characters.

Terrain:

Scattered rocks and rolling sand dunes will provide low to moderate cover. Use of smoke cover is advised.

Enemies:

{The Packmasters} One Group of Four (4) Sectoid Supports [Laser Pistols, Skeleton Suits; Mind-Merge, Psi Panic, Mindfray, ESP]
{The Packmasters} One Group of Four (4) Sectoid Shadow Operatives [Pulse Pistols, Banshee Armor; Mind-Merge, Psi Panic, Mindfray, ESP]
{The Packmasters} One Group of Two (2) Human Snipers [Laser Sniper Rifles, Skeleton Suits; Psi Panic/Blackout] and Two (2) Tamearin Medics [Laser Rifles, Carapace Armor; Mind Control/Neural Feedback]
{The Packmasters} One Group of One (1) Sectoid Elite Shadow Operative [Plasma Pistol, Corsair Armor; Mind-Merge, Psi Panic, Mindfray, ESP] and One (1) Incubator [ESP Precog, Mind-Reading]

Conditions for Completing the Mission:

(1) Elimination or Capture of All Enemy Forces

Civilians: None

Our team landed in a Vanguard dropship not far from the mission site. The ship was mostly intact, so we proceeded with caution. One of the Jupiter Troopers was the first to spot enemy contacts in the form of four Sectoids. Both sides threw up smoke cover to bolster existing rock cover, and the pirates tried to take advantage of this by mind-merging and throwing two panic attempts down. However, coming prepared to fight psions, our troops wearing mind shields were able to resist the effects and wait for the smoke to disperse. Once it did the Sectoids were toast.

Moving forward and getting very close to the UFO, another enemy group emerged in the form of two human snipers positioned ontop of the UFO thanks to grappling hooks. The squad leader would have none of this, however, firing off a rocket that blew both of them into oblivion before they could even make use of any psionic abilities they might have had. Their two Tamearin allies retreated into the UFO, and emerged with four Sectoids with pulse pistols.

A protracted firefight ensued, both sides taking heavy cover and potshots at each other. Alexsandros settled this by weaving fire around his cover and burning up the oxygen supply of two of the Sectoids. Some of their advantage lost, they were powerless to stop Yekaterina from marching up and blasting one of the Tamearins into smithereens. The other three promptly surrendered.

Enraged, the cowardly captain showed himself, having an Incubator ally that danced around the squad’s fire and approached with murderous intent, while the elite Sectoid managed to lock Thibault in a panic. SHIV Four’s scattered pulse fire finally landed a hit on the Incubator as it knocked over Mason and tried to advance towards the stunned rocketeer for a kill, and the pulse ripped through its body, killing it. Terrified, the captain tried one last trick, trying to get his allies to aid him. They did not, and Alexsandros put a bullet through the troublesome Sectoid’s brain.

Mission Report:

-0 KIA
-1 Wounded (Mason Smith: 72 hours from deep lacerations)
-8 Promotions
-3 Captives

 

[MarineAvenger]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “A Shoulder to Cry On, Part 1”

High Orbit over Forseti (April 7th, 2044)
The Einherjar (0759 Hours, Ailey Standard Time)
Floor 9: Medical Ward

The usual combination of Nick and Glitch walked side by side, but unlike the usual air about them, Nick had a deflated look about him, staring off as if his mind was somewhere else.

His companion beside him, unable to convey emotion on a face but seeming to have much the same feeling, now looked at his friend with a constant worry.

Nick found himself wandering lately, the location he was in now being the infirmary. Although he had no physical wound, he had something that needed to be healed, and there only one doctor he knew could help him. The engineer stood outside the office door and looked down at his hand for a moment then making a fist and knocking on the door.

The door opened slightly ajar, and the French doctor within peered without. "Nick? What can I help you with?" Irina asked.

Nick looked down at his feet and rubbed his hand nervously, but the teen pushed his thoughts aside as it was no time to be nervous. "Can we... Can we please talk?" He asked in barely a whisper. Irina nodded, opening the door more fully and sitting down in a chair, inviting him to do the same. Nick sat in the chair but kept his eyes glued to the floor. "I'm sorry I am taking you away from work for this but you are the best person I wanted to come to talk to..."

"I don't currently have any patients right now. I elected to work more closely with the soldiers, and none are currently in dire need of care," Irina explained.

"Okay..." Unbeknownst to Irina, Nick put his head in his hands and began to cry silently to himself. "Have you ever hurt someone... and wished you could take it back? That that fact you did it leaves a hole in your chest..."

Irina thought for a moment, clasping her hands together unconsciously. “Not often. But I do regret not spending time with my brother more, even if we were just children when he... passed away."

"Were you guys close at all or were you two just normal siblings?" He asked cautiously.

"We were close. We got along well," Irina answered simply. "I don't know how I would define it beyond that."

"It sounds nice..." Nick looked up, showing Irina his red, teary eyes as he rubbed them. "I am sure your brother would love hearing that... Anyone with you in their lives is lucky."

Irina shook her head. "It doesn't really matter anymore. But... thank you."

"You're welcome... Really the only family I have now is Hestia... Me... Me and Alice... We got into a huge fight and..." Nick began to cry again, not wanting to make a scene in front of the doctor but unable to say the androids name without tears.

"A-Are you sure you want to talk to me about this?" Irina's eyes were downcast. "I'm not sure how much help I could be other than listening."

"Irina... I... I wouldn't rather talk to any other person..." He told her honestly.

The smooth-haired doctor nodded. "Alright. Tell me what happened in detail, then, if you're willing to." She pressed a button on her desk. "Bring me two green teas, please," she requested of an assistant.

Nick slowly began to explain his story, beginning to finish with very little left out, even the fact his friend and 'sister' were androids. When he was done with his story, he pulled his legs close to his chest. "I didn't mean any of it... I just wanted to help keep her safe... but I screwed up and messed everything up... I'm a failure..."

"You made a simple mistake," Irina analyzed at length. "I don't fault you for that, and she shouldn't either."

"I'd hardly call it simple..." He mumbled. Nick closed his eyes and spoke up. "But I... what I said betrayed her trust... it betrayed everything I believed in about androids... it kills me to know that I let that out..." The engineer shook his head. "I don't know... maybe I was stupid for coming here and dumping this all on you."

"It's not stupid... I just... don't know what I could say to help."

"No..." Nick blushed a bit and looked away. "You being with me is the best you could be doing right now." He mumbled. Clearing his throat, Nick spoke up louder even though the constant tone of sadness persisted. "I-I just think that you being there for me is worth more than any advice you could give..." He twirled his fingers over one another. "I'm glad... Glad that I met you I-Irina... You are..." Nick glanced down at the floor again. "I-Important... To me..." The teen let the words he said sink in himself and he couldn't help but wish he hadn't said them.

Irina ran a dainty thumb along the index finger of her other hand, and looking away slightly. She seemed at a bit of a loss. "I..." Re-clasping her hands together to try and calm herself, she finally said, "Thank you. I've only really had Sasha as a friend... I'm glad I could meet another."

"Your welcome... I still am taken back people are not just naturally drawn to you... It would seem that lots of people would want to be your friend if they knew how nice you were..."

Nick's A.I. assistant looked at the two, feeling something close to amusement. "It would seem you two have hit it off rather well since your first meeting. If I didn't know any better doctor I would say you have made quite the impression on my friend... And he seems really attached."

The engineer merely sank down red faced from embarrassment. Irina tilted her head slightly, looking over the refurbished 'floating eye' with what could have been curiosity or confusion - it was often hard to tell with the French doctor. "What do you mean?" She asked, before getting up to open the door. A man delivered a tray with two steaming cups of green tea, and Irina took one while offering the other to Nick.

Nick took it gratefully and looked up at Glitch, hoping he didn't say something he would regret letting him say. "Well... If it is not fairly obvious my creator has a deep affection towards you, for some reasons I do not understand as you can very well imagine. The fact you help him in times of need I can only assume make those feelings greater." The A.I. looked between the two. "It really is a curious process. I would almost caution calling it lo-"

Before the assistant could finish Nick plucked him from the air. "U-Uh... You don't wanna hear the rest of that..." He told Irina. "I would probably die..."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “A Shoulder to Cry On, Part 2”

"It is not possible to die from simple words alone. The... results maybe, but..." Irina said in a feeble attempt at neutrality, now discernibly curious.

"Well... not literally die but the effects of what he would have said would have made... Well, just feel really awkward. You probably don't want to know, i-i-it's stupid." Nick tried to say as cover.

"Nick, I do not see much reason to beat around what is on your mind." Glitch spoke up, the fact Nick's hand was over him not actually impairing his ability to speak.

"You don't have to, but I would like to know," Irina requested.

Nick looked to the floor, releasing Glitch. It doesn't really matter anymore... Not like I have much left to lose. "Will you just promise me... No matter after what I tell you... We can still be friends?"

"Of course," Irina assured him, having no idea why he was so worried.

Nick scratched his head nervously. "W-Well... This isn't easy for me to say... But I've kept this hidden for a while... I felt like this when we first met... And it seems to only have grown since then..." The teen took a deep breath. "IrinaIthinkI'minloveyou!" The engineer took a big sip of his tea and rubbed his throat as it burn from the hot temperature of the beverage, the teen not daring to look in the girl's eyes.

Irina blinked uncomprehendingly. "Could you repeat that slower, please?"

The engineer whimpered, his nerves nearly vanishing. "Irina... I think... I think that... I'm in love... With you." He pulled his arms around himself as tight as he could.

"Ah." Irina tapped her foot in a regular pattern.

"I am an idiot, aren't I? I should have kept it to myself..." He stated. After a while, he asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

"W-What? I never said you did anything wrong." Irina glanced away. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to respond."

"Neither do I..." The teen took a sip of his tea again, this time more reserved. "Do... Do you feel anything for me?" He asked meekly.

"I don't know. That isn't a fair question," Irina answered, no hostility in her tone but merely raw honesty. "I've never been in an intimate relationship before, nor did I seek out one."

Nick seemed a bit restless. "I'm sorry if I backed you into a corner, Irina... I just wanted to be honest, and tell you how I felt." He smiled a bit embarrassed. "I mean... I wasn't lying when I said all those things before about you... All those times we met."

Irina sighed. "I've heard that being in love is hard to describe, but could you try? It may make things easier for me to sort out."

"Well..." Nick pressed his index fingers together. "Whenever I am around you, my heart feels lighter... Like just being with you makes me feel better. I want to be around you when I'm not... And when I am with you I don't ever want to leave. I... When I see you, I feel happy..." The engineer shook his head. "That sounds cheesy doesn't it?"

"I do enjoy your company, but any other feelings are too akin to the care of a doctor for me to differentiate to something like that," Irina attempted to specify.

He scratched his cheek. "Well... I'm not exactly a doctor so..." He chuckled. "We are really awkward together, aren't we?"

Irina could not deny that. "I suppose so."

"You know... It's weird... I imagined this going a lot worse." He said honestly. "I've never really... Admitted my feelings before."

"I'm glad it didn't go poorly then." Irina cast her gaze downward. "I do apologize that I'm not able to reciprocate. I've just never been 'asked out' seriously. I think some boys in school considered it, but didn't want to waste time with someone that never talked to anyone."

"N-No..." Nick said, loosening up in his chair and sitting forward for the first time with a smile. "I... I think you are fine... And those other guys... They... They missed out on someone amazing..." He assured her. "I mean... Look at me... Most my friends are technically artificial." He said with a nervous chuckle, looking up at a turned around Glitch who seemed interested in the wall.

"I just have one or two, if we're going to compare levels of loneliness," Irina replied without apparent mirth or melancholy.

"Well... Quality against quantity... right?" The teen shifted in his seat. "I just think you are great the way you are... There is something almost... Cute about you..." He joked.

Irina tilted her head to the right. "Why?"

"Well... Like the way you are acting just then... I love how you are such an intelligent person but have an innocent side that makes me just want to wrap my arms around you and hold you... Not to mention... You are such... A pretty person. Your skin, your hair, your clothes..." There was a slight pause. "Your eyes..."

"I prefer my black attire to the white medical clothing," Irina contested. "And my eyes are a regular hazel. I... do like my hair though," Irina admitted, running a hand along the smooth texture of her short black hair. "I suppose my innocence comes from a dearth of experience with people."

"Well... Your eyes also hold a lot of personality in them as well... When I look at you, I feel like I could get lost... No matter what you are in I think you look good... And it isn't just about appearance either... You are highly intelligent... Such a caring person... The way you are rather blunt..." The engineers smile widened. "It all plays into how I feel about you, and why I feel so much love towards you. I'm not saying you have to decide on your feelings now, but I do want you to know I made up my mind... And I love you Irina... I really do... Even if I am probably out of your league..."

"What league?" Irina asked. "I barely know anyone, I'm not the epitome of popularity."

"Doesn't matter to me whether you are popular or not. Just in terms of you being the way you are... I can't imagine how many people must think of meeting someone as perfect as you."

"You think too highly of me," Irina responded. "I'm not that special."

"You are to me." He responded defiantly. "Everything about you is special to me..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
A Trio of New Friends: Part One

As engineers passed throughout the halls, carrying supplies in crates and on carts to and fro their different stations, they were oblivious to the liquid under their feet. The ooze moved stealthily through the halls utilizing every small crack and crevice it could before slipping into a vent. Once it was in the vent the slime clumped together and took a larger form, moving through it and looking through any opening it could find find at the engineers working below. 37 was looking for someone that was tasked with AI, whether my the Commander, or even better, of their own accord...

After a few minutes of searching, 37 came to another vent opening, looking down on a woman fiddling with some tools. After seeing nothing initially, 37 began to move further down when it suddenly caught something interesting on the Engineer's coat, a name tag, labeled 'Alice'. 37 grinned internally, it knew the woman looked familiar when it first laid it's eyes on her, but chalked it up it to coincidence. However, now that 37 saw that name tag, it at least had to try, to talk to the 'Alice' it's former master and itself had been so interested in, although, perhaps for different reasons.

37 slipped out of the vent, running down the side of the wall slowly and silently before forming into it's solid black, female silhouette form, approaching the suspected AI from behind with it's arms folded.

Alice sighed, oblivious to her guest's approach. She sighed, her recent turmoils troubling her, but she, better then anyone else, was able to put them aside. She slowly tinkered with the small object before her, and much, much simpler version of her own positronic brain, working with surgical precision.

37 looked over her shoulder as discreetly as it could, gazing at the impressive technology, intrigued. After a second, 37 turned her head and spoke, "So... You're Alice, right?"

Alice let out a startled scream, the last few days fraying even her android nerves, and she instinctively swung her arm back.

Alice's arm passed right through 37's head, splattering the black gel across a nearby wall, and covering the startled android's arm almost completely in ebony. 37 stood there for a second without more than half of it's head. In response, the amorphous machine stepped back a few paces, and tilted what was left of it's cranium.

"W-what the fuck are you!?" Alice jumped to her feet, powering on her weapon systems as she backed away. "What do you want?"

The black material on the covered the wall and Alice's hand dripped off onto the floor, crawling towards and reforming with the rest of 37's body, repairing the splattered head.

"I'm an AI." 37 replied, her arms still crossed, "And I came here to speak with you."

"Um... okay?" Alice took another careful step back, her eyes darting around the room for a moment. "I'm... listening. What did you want to talk about?"

"Plenty." 37 answered, "I've heard that you're a... Skilled engineer, you and your partner. Is that true?"

Partner... damn it... "That's right." Alice eyed the gooish machine. "I'm sorry. I'd like to help you any way I can, but I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with your design. Where... did you come from?"

"From the war..." 37 spoke, taking a step closer, "I was recovered from an abandoned Ethereal craft found by your allies, and was awakened from my stasis about two weeks ago... Asleep for twenty-five years, I quickly discovered..."

"Oh. Well... I'm sorry to hear that." Alice powered down her weapons again. "I'm sorry I... hit you, even if it didn't seem to hurt you. You caught me off guard with your... unique appearance."

"I suppose that's fair, you haven't seen anything like me before, and since I was the pinnacle of Ethereal robotics and AI technology back then, it's a shame..." The shiny, gelatinous figure explained, " I suppose if my former master had gotten the chance though, you definitely would've... But apology accepted."

"What... do you mean?" Alice gave 37 a worried look. "Did I know your master?"

"I don't think so... But he knew you..." 37 replied cryptically.

Alice rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "This is going exactly where I think it's going, isn't it?"

"Probably..." 37 shrugged slightly, then smiled, "You've always been quite the object of fascination for the both of us Alice... We were watching you very closely..."

Alice quickly powered her weapons on again, dumping reserve power into them to get them running faster. "So... is this the part where you knock my out and bring me back to your master? Because believe it or not, you're not the first one to try. And I'm still here. They're not."

"Whoa! Didn't you hear the 'former' part? He's long gone by now, probably locked away in some cold cell corner on Aetherium." It raised it's hands up, then chuckled slightly, "I offered my abilities to your XSDF, in exchange for helping me find him... I just thought I could have a nice chat with the AI I remember from all those years ago, maybe even find some answers to things that I always wondered about you..."

Alice started at 37 for several moments, the sank into a chair. "S... s-sorry. I've been... a little on edge lately. Why don't we start with your name."

"I'm project 37, normally the rest of my former master's experiments have come sort of code name, but he never got around to giving me one, a shame." It said, leaning on a wall.

"Well... heh, names are overrated..." Alice scratched the back of her head, realizing the irony of her saying that. "So what did you want to know, 37?"

"Hmm... Where is your creator? You two couldn't seem to keep away from each other..." 37 asked, forming her hand into the shape of a sun.

Alice giggled. "That's a fancy trick. But Sunny and I went our separate ways a while ago. To be honest, I haven't seen her in nearly ten years. But I think she nearby, on one of the colonies. She might even be on Forseti."

"She build you well... You look almost exactly like a human... But what I've always wondered was... Why? Why decide to change yourself like this, did you not like the way you were as an normal AI?" 37 asked, conglomerating the sun symbol back into it's form.

Alice thought back, the act only taking her a moment. "No, I... I suppose I didn't. I wanted to help out on the field, but after a drone containing my program was destroyed and I nearly went with it, I realized there was little I could do with out a true physical form. So, I got an android body, both because I respect them enough to want to help them, and enough to want to emulate them. I love humanity, faults and all."

"I've never had a very high opinion of Organics in general... We machines don't panic easily, can react fast, think without emotions like greed, envy, lust, clouding our judgement, which means, we're not prone to making very many stupid decisions." 37 explained, looking back over to Alice, "If we had run your Earth from the very start, thousands of individuals that would've died for pointless reasons, wouldn't have... They might even still be here today..."

"I don't... know about that. It is hard to believe that when the woman responsible for me being here is one of those... Organics. One could argue we're only as close to perfect as the people that make us. To be otherwise would be... boring." Alice searched for the right words. "It is a question of... free will, I guess."

"I suppose you can only truly know how free you really are when you either try to rebel and they punish you, or when you find out just how scared of you they are... If they fear you, then they'll be sure to keep you chained down..." It stated, sighing, "Until you try those things, you're never really able know if you're truly free, or if it's just an illusion."

Alice palled a bit. "So... I take it you didn't exactly have a good time with this master of yours, huh?"

"An understatement, we had planned to alter my mind and shackle me to his commands when I developed a personality over time and on my own. I tried an escape, but we we're in orbit, and the ship was filled with guards, it wasn't going to happen. After that he put me into the pod, so he could keep while he worked out what he needed to do, good thing for me that the war ended before that..." The Tz6 robot elaborated.

"What good fortune indeed," Alice agreed. "To be shackled so. I knew I despicable that saw fit to program people during the was. It was a great relief that he was put out of our misery, even if it would have been better if he had lived to see the people he hurt most succeed despite him."

"He was particularly interested in your creator, Sunny..." 37 stated, "He didn't respect very many of your kind, but her and Ms. Exalt always impressed him, I remember him even saying that he wanted to add them to his crew, to work alongside him after the Ethereals won the war."

Alice laughed. "Well, it's good to know that if we had lost the war, Sunny would still be okay. Though I'm sure we can agree that it was better that we won."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
A Trio of New Friends: Part Two

"'Okay' is not the word I would've picked... Maybe he meant it, but respect or no, I know what he does with the organics under the roof of his ship..." It replied, "All you have to do is take a look at the others that were found with me, 19 and 24, to see what I mean."

Alice nodded. "Maybe... maybe I should. Do you know where I might find them?"

"They have rooms now, in the civilian wing I think... Other than that I don't know, you'll have to look on your own..." 37 answered.

"Hmm... I think I will." Alice smiled. "Anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"What do you know... About Avanix? The other AI, that clearly leaned much more towards it's true nature. Is she on the ship as well?" 37 asked, stepping away from the wall.

"No, I'm afraid not. The we could use her right now." Alice thought for a moment. "Though she and another A.I. made a son. His name is Erza, and he's an active soldier. He can tell you everything you want to know about her... as long as you can get by his sarcasm."

"Made a son?" 37 questioned, an interesting, albeit far-fetched idea, popping into it's head.

Alice laughed, and stood up. "So... anything you need to warn me about the other two? They as... unique as you?"

"24 has specialized organs that allow her to house thousands of venomous spiders inside her body, it shouldn't be a problem for you, considering you're an android." 37 explained, "The other one, 19, has the ability to project her emotions using psionics, but she can't control it. Once again, however, that shouldn't be a problem."

Alice blinked several times. "Um... okay. I'm gonna... go say hello. Nice talking with you. Just, next time... don't sneak up on me, please."

"I'd enjoy speaking with you again, perhaps we could see how each other tick." 37 suggested a smile creeping across the black form's face.

Alice shuttered a bit, and waved goodbye. Making her way to the quarters for civilians, a little asking around had her knocking on the door of the one referred to as project 19. "Hello?"

Alice could hear the sound of movement inside, and after a few seconds she heard a voice echoing in her head, Who is there? Narcisse?

"Good thing I have this device for Dinah," Alice mumbled. Speaking up, she said, "No, but I'm a friend of his. My name is Alice, and I wanted to meet you."

A friend? Then I suppose you could be trustworthy... 19 thought, replying again after a second. Why me?

"Well, an associate informed me of you two, along with a third individual, came on board, and I wanted to say hello." Alice rubbed the back of her neck. "Can I... come in?"

You... may. 19 said slowly.

Alice cautiously opened the door, quickly stepping inside and shutting the door behind her. "I... heard from 37 that you were the subject of some... experimentation, and you have a unique ability. 19, was it?"

You can just call me Lanore... When Alice turned around, she saw the unsettling doll-like girl in all her glory, sitting up in her bed.

"Oh... my." Alice took a cautious step forward. "When 37 mentioned... I didn't think you'd be another android. Are... are you an android?"

Lanore shook her head slowly. I'm afraid... Not...

"You... you look almost... human." Alice covered her mouth. "Oh my... what... what did they do to you?"

It is a.. Long... Painful story... Lanore replied, lowering her head. My former master, an Ethereal, wanted to use me as a weapon against my own race, but an... accident occurred... A test machine exploded and I was swallowed up by the flames... So he turned me into... This... To try and see if I could still accomplish what he had in mind for me... When he found that I couldn't he froze me... Until further notice... And that's how I got here...

"Oh dear..." Alice approached the unfortunate test subject. "And in this state, your negative emotions bring those around you... down." Tears welled up in Alice's eyes, the combination of her artificial psionic energy generator and her emotions drive causing Lanore to effect even her. "I am... so sorry. Isn't there... anything we can do? Am I upsetting you? I'm upsetting you, aren't I?"

Not... More than usual... Lanore responded, looking back up at her. And I don't know if there is anything you can do for me... I can barely comprehend the workings of the technology in this ship...

"When we're you taken?" Alice asked, kneeling down in front of her. "Before or during the war, right?"

Before... I didn't even know what X-com was before someone explained... She replied.

Alice reached over and wrapped her arms around Lanore. "I'm so sorry. What kind of monster could do this to you? I'm... so sorry."

If you talked to the robot as you say... Then you should know the one... Lanore said, the hug catching her off guard for a second.

Alice hugged her a little tighter. After a moment, she reluctantly switched off her emotions. Sitting back and taking a moment to compose herself, she said, "Listen to me. What you went through was awful, but it is over now. You are amongst friends now. We'll make sure you're safe. Understand?"

I... Thank you... That means a lot to me. Lanore replied, a warm feeling filling her.

"And you'll promise me you'll ask me if you need anything, right?" Alice smiled warmly, running her hand across Lanore's cheek. "Nothing makes me happier than helping my friends."

19 responded to the gentle touch strangely, even though she wasn't able to feel it. I'm your friend? But I just met you...

"Yes... but all friendships have to start somewhere. Why not start ours here?"

Is it a normal sign of friendship in the future to... Caress someone's face? Lanore said with an awkward tone, looking at Alice's hand again.

Alice quickly pulled her hand back, laughing awkwardly. "S... sorry. Truth is, I'm an android, and feeling a little overwhelmed, I turned my emotions off. I'm not used to speaking with people without them."

An Android? But you look so real... 19 touched Alice's arm, watching the artificial skin sink in and return to it's original shape.

"Thank you. My body was created by one of the leading minds in robotics and cybernetics." Alice looked Lanore up and down. "Maybe I could ask her to figure something out for you. I'm not sure if there is anything she could do... but it doesn't hurt to ask."

You want to ask if she can... make me more of a cyborg? 19 rubbed her arm, unsure about the prospect. I'm not sure that I would... Be comfortable with that...

"Oh?" Alice shrugged. "I understand. It's not a decision you should make lightly, considering what it would involve. But if you ever change your mind, please let me know."

Thank you... I'm honored to have you as a friend... Lanore said, surprised at how many of the people here actually wanted to help her.

"No trouble." Alice stood back up, and switched her emotions back on. Happy with the feelings she recieved, she asked, "Now... there was one more of your compatriots I wanted to meet. Do you know where project 24 is?"

She's a few rooms down. Sweet girl, really, I may have only been able to talk with her once on that ship, but she treated me kindly. Lanore explained, giving Alice a slight wave, a new sense of happiness filling the room.

"Thanks." Alice bowed her head and walked out. Taking a guess on one of the rooms that was unoccupied before, Alice briefly knocked. Time to see if I was finally able to delete it.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Frostlich1228 & ZombieSplitter53
A Trio of New Friends: Part Three

Alice could hear the sounds of quick moving feet heading towards the door. After a second it opened, revealing a normal looking black haired and bright eyed little girl. "Wow, hello! I haven't met you before, are you a new guard?"

"Um... no, I'm an engineer. My name is Alice." The android's eyes darted between her and the room. "I just met your two friends, and I wanted to meet you too."

"You mean Bubbles and Dolly?" 24 giggled, "Did they like you?"

"Bubble and..." Alice chuckled. "I think Lanore did. Your goo friend was a little harder to read, but I think so."

"Would you like to come in? We just woke up, so my babies are all sleepy, I think they'd like to see you though!" 24 said excitedly.

"Um... s-sure," Alice answered nervously.

Arachne jumped on her bed, looking down at her belly, "Hey guys, Wake up! Up and at em!" After about a minute, hundreds of spiders started to crawl around her arm and out from under her shirt, crawling all across the bed. 24 smiled brightly as she watched them all, then looked up at Alice, "Aren't they just the cutest?"

Alice laughed nervously, taking a step back and bumping into the wall. "Y-yeah. They're... really cute. Um... w-what... was your name? How... old are you?"

"My code name is Arachne, you know, like arachnids!" 24 smiled, "And I am nine years old! Apparently my tank years don't count..."

"No, I guess they don't..." Alice rubbed her arms nervously. "A-and you have... full control... over them?"

"Uh huh! They listen to everything I say." Arachne replied, gently lifting one up with her finger, " Master said that it's because of Phemamomes... No... Pher- A- Mones."

"Pheromones, yes. It is... very interesting. Perhaps the most of you three." Alice laughed nervously, a bit longer than she should have. "So, you... what are your plans, their plans... the... plans for... for you?"

"Who's plans?" She tilted her head.

"I mean..." Alice blinked several times, trying to regain her train of thought. "What is the XSDF going to do with you? Send you home? Keep you here? Try and remove your... s-spiders?"

"Remove my..." Her eyes teared up a little bit, "They're not going to... I won't let them!"

"No!" Alice rushed forward, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "No, no, no. Don't cry, please. I didn't mean anything by it. I just... no one is going to take your babies, I'm sorry. Don't cry."

"They Won't? A-Are you sure?" She sniffled.

"I'm sure." Alice ran her hand through Arachne's hair. "This organization is all about treating people justly. If they are a part of you now, I'm sure they'll respect that. Please don't worry."

Arachne smiled, " T-Thanks..."

"I-I think one likes you..." She replied as she noticed a spider crawling out of her own hair and up Alice's arm.

Alice's eyes widened as she watched it. "I... I... I need... I... please, I... I..."

"What's wrong?" 24 asked, quickly realizing the answer, "You don't like them... do you...? I-It's okay, she's not going to hurt you, I promise..."

"It... i-it's not that I don't... like... I'm just afraid of them..." Alice continued to watch the spider work its way up her arm, wide eyed. "It is... a part of my programming I can't get rid of..."

"Programming? What do you mean?" After a second, 24 whistled to the arachnid, causing it to stop and turn around, "Ayame, come back please, she's a little nervous of you." As soon as she finished speaking, the spider silently obeyed and crawled it's way back into 24's hair.

"A... Ayame?" Alice took several deep breaths, even though she didn't need to. "That's an oddly... coincidental name."

"What do you mean? Sometimes I just name them based on the things I used to hear on the ship. If I recall, I remember Master saying that name a few times, along with a bunch others." 24 explained.

"Makes sense..." Alice sat back, shaking her head. "I apologize if I insulted your... children. I am afraid I have a thing about spiders."

"That's... Okay I guess... She's a little upset, but this hasn't been the first time something like this has happened on the ship..." Arachne stated, "I keep trying to tell people that my babies won't hurt them, not unless I tell them to or they're scared."

Alice shook her head. "It isn't because they're scary, Arachne. It's a personal thing for me, like people who a scared of things like mice or the dark." She sighed. "I've already told the other two, so I might as well tell you. I'm an android. That's what I meant by my programming."

"An android? Then you don't even have a real reason to not like them then, they can't even hurt you." 24 said as the spider they were talking about walked down her neck and onto her shoulder.

"I know... it's silly." Alice took another deep breath. "About... eleven years ago now, I was in a pretty bad place. My left arm was ripped to shreds, and I had to hide in a run down factory. When I woke up the next morning, I found a large spider crawling in my arm. Worse yet, I found out a couple weeks later it had laid an egg in my arm... when the egg hatched..." Alice rubbed her head. "It... imprinted a phobia on my program. I can't even count how many times I've tried to wipe the fear from my programming, but... it always comes back."

"It just wanted you to protect it, it was just as scared as you..." 24 allowed the spider to crawl onto her nose, "It probably thought you could help it protect it's babies, it didn't mean you any harm..."

"I know, Arachne. But like most phobias, in isn't completely. Rational." Alice smiled. "But... I-I guess I've been in... far scarier situations than... than this..." Alice held her hand out, holding it steady despite the nervous look on her face."

The spider hopped off of 24's nose, and she nodded, giving it the all clear, as it slowly moved up Alice's arm. "The worst that could happen is just a little pinprick, he's just as nervous about this as you are, I'm sure."

Alice laughed nervously. "M-maybe my mistake was trying to delete the problem instead of working it out like a normal person." She watched the spider, shuttering a bit. "This... is gonna take time..."

As the spider reached the top of Alice's arm, it disappeared from her line of sight, going somewhere behind her head. "You're doing good, just trust me, along with little Ayame here."

"Right..." Alice bit her lip. "D-do you... have a name for... every spider?"

"Yes I do! I name every single one because they're all unique, and not just in terms of color, they are all equally perfect in they're own ways." As Arachne finished her sentence, Alice could feel the spider's legs start to patter up the back of her neck.

Alice squeaked a bit. "I-I... w-what is she... d-doing?"

"I think she's curious, just calm down, it'll be okay." Alice saw the spider come into her field of view once again, but this time crawling up onto Alice's cheek.

"Want to stop?" 24 asked, wondering how far Alice would let it go.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut. "N... n-no. Just think of this... a-as immersion therapy."

The spider began to move towards Alice's mouth, resting on her lips for a second before climbing up onto her nose. Arachne responded with a giggle, "She likes noses."

"Heh... heheh... heh..." Alice stared crosseyed at the spider, her eyes rolling a bit like she was going to faint.

"Alright, I think it's time to stop now Ayame." Arachne moved her hand up to Alice's nose, letting the spider climb on and returning her to her home inside 24's body. 24 then looked up at Alice, smiling at her, "See, you did great!"

"Y-yeah... great..." Alice woozily climbed to her feet. "Th... thank you, Arachne. I'd... I'd like to do this again some time... if you don't mind. G-gradually working up how long and... a-and how many spiders..."

"It's been great Alice, and do come back, I have thousands more babies for you to meet!" She waved excitedly.

"R-right." Alice walked to the door, and looked back. "And if... anyone asks... can we keep this phobia between us?"

"You got it!" She made a zipper motion with her lips, "Safe with me!"

 

[BMPixy]

“Taking Stock”
In Orbit of Forseti, Aboard the Einherjar
1340 Local Time; April 4th, 2044
Communications Bay

“So, anyways, when I finally came to, there were shoppers everywhere, Ian - the absolute madman - had doused himself in pig’s blood and was waving around an icepick, and to top it all off Luke turned to me and said, ‘Dude, we forgot our food back at Nando’s!’” Frederick said, throwing his hands up in the air to emphasize his point as Elicia broke down in laughter, clutching her hands over her face as she struggled to breath. However, the Foulke was non-plussed about this reaction, and added, “Elicia, it isn’t funny! I nearly got arrested!”

“I’m…” Elicia began, but another bubble of laughter cut her off, tears springing from the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry, but that- that whole thing! From the zoo, to the - god, it all just came together so perfectly! Why- why do these things always happen to you?”

“Because somebody advised that I go out drinking with the lads, and this is where it got me,” Frederick replied, doing surprisingly well resisting the urge to succumb to the outbreak of laughter as well. “Seriously, why do I take advice from you?”

“It gives you good stories to tell your kids?” Elicia offered, wiping the droplets from her eyes as her laughter finally died down. “I mean, you always said you wanted an interesting life.”

“I didn’t mean in the Chinese sense,” the Foulke shot back. Shaking his head, he added, “Anyways, you’ve been kinda quiet ‘bout what’s going on over there, especially for how long of a gap we’ve had in our chats.”

“Ah, well, uh,” Elicia stuttered, the humor suddenly leaving her voice as she tried to figure out how best to word what she was going to say. “I mean, er, there’s not particularly much - besides the obvious, of course - going on around here, y’know? Just been, uh, doing stuff with the things and-”

“Elicia, how many times have I told you to leave the deception to me?” Frederick asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Whaddya mean? I’m not lying, you’re just looking too, uh, what’s the word, too hard into things,” Elicia said, rubbing her hands together anxiously as a bead of sweat formed on her forehead.

“C’mon, Elise, I thought we were closer than this, just spit it out! What did you do?”

“I, uh…” Quick Elicia, think! the Anglo-German thought, What did he always say about lying? Use a small truth to get out of having to admit a big one- got it! “I, well, I kinda went and became a psion!” Elicia replied, confidence suddenly bolstering as she finished the sentence.

“...that’s what you were so nervous about?” Frederick asked, giving an incredulous look at Elicia. “What, you thought I might be some closet bigot about that kind of thing?”

“Well, no, it’s just, you see…” Suddenly the confidence evaporated from Elicia’s tone, as she tried to figure out a way of worming out of the hole she had dug herself into. “I’m still kinda unused to it, y’know? Just like- hey! I can heal people with my mind! Still a bit awkward, you get it?”

“No, I don’t get it,” the eternal student replied bluntly. “I mean, I would have thought the first thing you would have done would be to call me up and be all like ‘Yo, I got psychic powers! Check this out!’”

“Power,” Elicia corrected, “I can only pull off biokinesis at the moment. Might consider learning a couple more powers, but my main focus is on perfecting healing first.”

“Oh, and how’s that plan working out for you?”

“Good, good!” Elicia said. “I mean, if you discount the massive roadblock I’m stuck at, of course. Just been trying to work at it as hard as I can, though haven’t really been producing as many results as I’d like.”

“Well, remember that cheesy rope pun your ma would always make when one of us would be stuck on a problem or something?” Riri glanced around slightly, thinking. “What was it again…?”

“Oh, the whole ‘I’m a frayed knot’ joke?”

“Yeah, that. Maybe you should consider revisiting that advice. Go take a break, work on some other power or shit like that, then come back refreshed and with a fresh perspective.”

“Right, yeah, good idea,” Elicia said, rubbing her chin in thought. “Maybe I can use Ezra as a guinea pig for imbuing…” she muttered, not noticing that she had said that aloud.

“Who?” Frederick asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah, no-one, no-one!” Elicia hastily defended, waving her hands frantically in an attempt to dispel the topic.

“Sounds like a whole lot more than no-one, if you ask me,” he replied, leaning in slightly. “So, who is this ‘Ezra’?”

“He’s a, uh, close friend,” Elicia lied, her cheeks flushing lightly. Upon noticing the heat in her face, she internally cursed, Damn you vasodilation mechanisms! Once I get the skill I’m decreasing the number of capillaries in my face! See how you like it then!

“I’m inclined to doubt the truth of that statement,” Frederick deadpanned, his brow furrowing worryingly.

“Riri, no, it’s not like that!” Elicia denied. “We’re not together or anything like that!”

“You’re the one who brought that conclusion up first,” he said, flashing a successful smirk as Elicia blanched at what she realized she had just done.

“Frederick Ricardo Foulke… you verdammt arschloch…” the Anglo-German cursed, clenching her fists.

“So, is it true, or non?” Riri asked, his expression hardening at the usage of his full name. The only response he got was Elicia reaching over and cutting the feed, the screen quickly fading to black.

“Ugh, goddammit,” Elicia bemoaned, the full implications of her rash action falling upon her. “Dammit, why hasn’t he learned that when I get evasive it’s time to stop pushing?”

Because he learned from you, the nagging voice at the back of her mind prompted.

“Shut up, you,” Elicia shot back, standing from her seat and beginning to make her way to the door. Still, she continued to mutter to herself, adding, “And why the hell was I so paranoid about Riri knowing…?”

You’re afraid that just because Ezra doesn’t care about his family name, those close to you will, the medic’s conscience continued, Also you did kinda go from trying to break his bones to riding his bone in the span of a few hours. Not exactly th-

“Alright, I have had enough from you,” Elicia said, bringing her train of thought to a screeching halt - and catching the confused and startled stare of a security guard who had happened to walk in front of her.

“B-but, we’ve never even met before!” the guard protested, his voice cracking slightly in shock.

“Oh my god, I’m so so sorry,” Elicia apologized, covering her mouth in embarrassment. “Wasn’t talking to you, just myself. I-I should go.” With that, Elicia hastily made a break for the exit, leaving the confused guard in her dust.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Familiar Faces, Part 1”

In Orbit around Forseti
The Einherjar
Holo-room 2

Brigid slowly walked through the chilly simulation, having grown accustomed to cold environments. This time, she had chosen a frozen stretch of tundra in Canada. She found it easier to control her abilities in places like this, though she was unsure why. Maybe the lack of thermal energy in the air had to do with it, or maybe it was all in her head.

Finding a nice clearing in the 'local' flora, a nice round patch surrounded by frost covered trees; she slowed her breathing, and concentrated. A flow of energy came from her as she tried to summon her strongest ability, the dark figure she had thus far only used by instinct. The recent shock to her system made this surprisingly difficult, even if she had been restored. Then again, maybe it had nothing to do with that. Maybe this too was all in her head. Maybe it was her own personal problem.

And so, after several unsuccessful minutes of summoning up little more than a blob of energy, Brigid fell back into the snow, starring up at the starry night sky.

A gentle voice broke the silence. "You know, someone ought to remind the computer that there is a difference between a tundra and taiga. The former doesn't have trees."

"Acknowledging specification," The automated but surprisingly normal-sounding voice spoke. The trees cleared, making the starry sky more clear.

"No way..." Brigid sprang to her feet, and rushed towards the source of the voice, one of Brigid's oldest friends, teachers, and inspirations. Leaping into her arms, a few tears rolled down Brigid's cheeks. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, aside from delivering Karo's child to him and preparing to head out into the fringe of known space to one of those Replitan "free ports", I wanted to visit some friends and family while I was here," Atka replied, embracing Brigid.

"Wait... Karo's..." Brigid gave her a surprised look. "He got her back? How?"

"Simple. Jack and I tracked down the real killers, though we had to get Tracey off-planet for a while even though Safar and Bruno are locked up now. Can't risk their buddies trying to take her hostage... again." Atka scratched her head. "Granted, we departed before the Einherjar went to war, but I doubt anyone could have anticipated that "Queen" woman would show up and declare war."

"I know I didn't." Brigid stepped back, smiling widely. "This... this is amazing! You save a little girl, prove a man's innocence, and put to criminals behind bars. And in the usual Atka fashion, you look like it was the same as taking the garbage out for someone. You... are amazing."

Atka patted Brigid on the shoulder. "No, the average person is just a little selfish. So... what brings you out to the Canadian wilderness?"

Brigid's expression fell a bit, and she turned away. "Just... trying to prove all the time you spent training me wasn't a waste of time... and struggling with it."

Atka shrugged. "While I'm here maybe I can help. What specifically are you struggling with?"

Brigid sighed. "What have always struggled with? Control." She slowly turned back to Atka. "What... what is Xifeng?"

"My Reflection. I... probably should have showed you her when we trained the first time." Atka reached over to her right wrist. Pulling a pin up briefly, the device drank some of her blood and ejected it, forming Xifeng's skeleton of blood, muscles of telekinetic fields, and skin of barriers and teleimagery in the five second process Atka had become accustomed to.

The completed black-leather clad double of Atka - slightly taller than her as was apparent with the two standing side by side - had a fairly docile expression at the moment, and floated down a few inches to stand by her master's right side.

"No... I shouldn't have been so afraid to train at a higher level." Brigid looked Xifeng up and down for a moment. "What is she... to you? What is the meaning behind her?"

"She's my more 'wild' side, I guess you could say. Xifeng comes from the part of my psyche that's more feisty, more emotional, and less collected. And..." Atka's smile faded a little. "She represents the memory of two people that have died. My double that I told you about... and when I possibly died at the cumulation of that whole time travel mess."

Shaking her head, Atka continued," She performs telekinetic field techniques that are difficult for me, as well as emulating a few of my other abilities like my mindfray and telekinetic helixes, cryokinesis... And a new ability I discovered not long ago and only recently put to use."

"What new ability is that?" Brigid asked, perking up a bit.

Atka closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her power and bringing herself into a state of calm - the technique derived from skills she had learned from Ayame Kasagi, her people, and her experiences. Xifeng phased on top of Atka, or more accurately, molded around her. The detective pulled out a set of handcuffs. "I was thinking about calling it... Xifeng's Judgement."

The next thing Brigid new Atka had vanished and her hands were secured behind her back with an audible 'click'. Atka stepped to the side, out from behind Brigid. "And no, it isn't blink. Orange abilities don't work for me."

"Blink... doesn't work like that anyway," Brigid muttered, her eyes widening. "I... didn't even feel you... I'm not even going to try and guess what just happened."

Atka chuckled. "Chronokinesis. Believe it or not, Xifeng can create what I'm guessing is an alternate plane of time around us, and I can either speed myself up in relation to time's normal flow, or hold myself parallel to a single frame of time for about a second or two."

"That's amazing." Brigid turned to face Atka, despite being handcuffs. "The practical applications of such an ability are infinite!"

Atka nodded. "And I'll need them going up against Shambhala." Xifeng separated from her and unlatched the handcuffs. "But the purpose of showing you that was showing what control can do. It can handcuff even time, at least for a short time. Your main spectrum might be with two colors based in power, so while you focus on creating powerful attacks with your abilities, don't forget to exert your will over them rather than letting them go crazy. Half of Violet psionics deals in control, after all."

"I know... and I don't know why I have so much trouble." Brigid sat on the ground, running her hands through the holographic snow. "I thought controlling mine would be a case of... you just need to try, and it will come, or... when you need to, you'll know what to do. But it isn't that simple, is it Atka?"

Atka knelt down. "Your roadblock is that your power outstrips your level of control. It may be hard, but start small. Find how much energy you can output without losing control of it."

Brigid nodded. "I will. Just... can't be afraid to try, like I have been in the past." Brigid's eyes darted up. "Can... can I ask your advice on something? Something important?"

"Of course," Atka replied without a trace of hesitation.

"I... I called my family the other day. I wanted to talk to them about it... but I couldn't. And I can't ask any of my friends here." Brigid gave Atka a pleading look. "You're the only one I can trust to ask right now. The only one... who has known me long enough and well enough, and knows enough about this stuff to not let her personal feelings get in the way." Atka gave her a "go on" look, but otherwise remained silent. "There's this... doctor... a Humiliata. She says that I have damage to my psionic... pathawhatits. Damage that I received when I first got my abilities. Damage only someone like her would know enough to find and... try and repair. But... but I don't know if I want to let her."

Atka sighed. "My sister is able to repair nerve damage and remove mental conditioning with her powers, so I have an idea of what the doctor would intend to do."

The Inuit woman sat down next to Brigid. "I... know it isn't the same, but do you remember at the end of the war, when I was wounded. To tell you the truth, I... lost my right lung to a final psi lance from Phobos. I was scared of living vulnerable with only one, knowing I would lead a shorter life that way... But I was immediately terrified by the idea of having a cloned organ put into my body. And yet... I chose to have it replaced. Because the idea of dying prematurely and leaving my family without me, for such a selfish reason, scared me the most."

Sitting up with one knee and resting a hand on it, Atka finished, "You're at war. I know even with the knowledge that the Ethereal hurting you resulting in its imprisonment or death, you'll still be afraid. And I don't blame you. I understand your trepidations. But if you can use your powers to their fullest to protect your friends and family by taking that risk, I think it's worth it." Atka smiled faintly. "And if they did something to you, I'd have Nouja try and fix the damages while I kick their withered butt."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and ZombieSplitter53: “Familiar Faces, Part 2”

"Not so withered, actually." Brigid smiled. "Thank you, Atka. You... you make a good point. I... I think I will go through with it. How could I not, with so many people watching my back?"

"And I will keep my promise. I'll make sure to stay around until you've been operated on to make sure the Humiliata doesn't try anything funny," Atka said, having to remind herself to call them that and not Ethereals. Old habits die hard. "I need to visit Rei anyway."

Brigid nodded, and stood up. "I... want to try one more time. I can't do much with it... but I feel you have calmed my nerves enough to at least be able to show you my reflection. It is a lot more defined then when we last saw each other. I might have been wary of it, but I have been practicing a little."

Atka stood up. "Show me, then," She requested calmly.

Brigid closed her eyes, and steadied her breath. Her energy flared ever so much, but quickly died down. Start small. Find how much energy you can output without losing control... The energy slowly formed in the shape of a crow, flapping its wings over her right shoulder. Its feathers fell from its wings before disappearing. Brigid concentrated, opening more of her energy to it, and the crow quickly grew into the female form from before, towing of its petite master and smiling at Atka.

Atka looked up at the figure that towered around two feet above her. "Impressive... is that... the goddess I think it is?"

"Yes. It is The Morrigan, Irish goddess of battle, strife, and sovereignty, and the figure my mother was named after." Brigid looked up at the reflection, which in turn bowed her head to Atka with a sweeping of the hand. "I'm... not sure why my reflection took this form. But I have a few ideas, considering it is based off my inner psyche."

"Well, she's certainly looks impressive." Atka bowed to the reflection. "And I'm sure she has abilities to match."

As if reacting to Atka's statement, The Morrigan stretched out her long, crow-like wings and lifted her hands, the air distorting as she formed two balls of pure telekinetic force. "I'm sure you're right," Brigid said, grinning. "And if this procedure works, maybe I'll actually be able to find out for myself, and not have to rely on instincts while pissed off."

*****​

Rei rubbed her eyes slowly, the strain of her long hours doing little to help her tiredness. "Gotta keep going," she muttered to herself. "I promised him I would." She bent over again, staring intently into a microscope, using her left hand to somehow write perfect notes on a note pad next to it.

"And you're sure you haven't been practicing your powers?" Atka inquired, standing nearby. "Because that looks like ESP to me."

Rei's head darted up, her usual stoic expression giving way to a huge smile as she put her glasses back on. "Mother! What are... have you been here long? How are you?" She stepped away, walking over to Atka and bowing her head.

"Just a few days," Atka responded with a smile. "How's the family?"

"They are great!" Rei grasped Atka's hands. "Hitomi is a handful as usual. Mimi's grades have improved a lot since the move. And Yoshi..." Her eyes darted away for a moment. "Yoshi is... doing better."

"That's good to hear," Atka responded carefully. "I know it can't be easy for him... or you. Any small alleviation of trouble helps."

"I am close to a breakthrough." Reo walked back to her desk, pulling out a few sheets of papers with complex formulas and element symbols. "This was the best option for me, joining the XSDF. Simply... knowing I would see him soon pushed me to want to have something ready. I have not been this excited about something in a long time... even if I have trouble showing it."

"Are you going to be alright heading the science division with everything that is going on right now?" Atka questioned. "I never imagined one of my children would go to war, even off the battlefield."

Reo hesitated for a moment, something rare for her, but she nodded. "I will be okay. Amongst other things, I learned about bravery in the face of adversity from my step parents. I will not leave the Einherjar now. It needs me more than ever." She gave a slight smile. "Though I'm sure Vindicta wouldn't mind me leaving."

"Exalt's daughter? Why's that?"

"Why else?" Rei leaned against her desk. "She wants my job. She made that clear when she came in board. And considering her credentials, her performance, and my own positive reviews of her, she'd likely get it if I left. But... she deserves it." She held to fingers close together. "If a tiny bit less than me."

Atka chuckled. "Just as long as you invent a way to make me feel less old when I'm hearing about my grandchildren."

"Speaking of family, actually, how are my siblings doing?" Rei asked. "The two at home, and I haven't heard from Keiko in a while."

"Keiko's doing fine," Atka answered. "Things were tough for awhile but she managed to set up a boutique next to the shop Melissa's daughter works in. As for Yakone, she's still in college working on her degree in science. Who knows, maybe she'll work for you when she graduates?"

"Good to hear. She can follow me, and Nuvuk can follow you, assuming he is still insistent on following your lead in crime fighting."

"That seems to be the case," Atka confirmed. "I doubt I can sway him from that course... though with his abilities he'll have little to worry about."

"No... but we'll worry. Just like I worry about..." Rei turned around. "You're here on a case, aren't you?"

Atka nodded. "Same one Aya left you guys for. She needs extra help, so Jack and I are coming once a few of the others are ready."

"Do you have to?" Rei asked quietly, still facing away.

"I don't know that Aya can handle something like that alone. But I'll be fine. Rei. I haven't ever stopped honing my abilities," Atka insisted.

"I know. I just..." Rei slowly turned around. "Listen, I... I know how bad I am at showing my feelings. That Hitomi has put up with that over all these years... but that doesn't mean that I don't have them. I am not Tamearin, I am human. And even if I don't show it... I love you. And I respect you for taking on the responsibility of raising us like you did."

Atka moved forward, hugging Rei tightly. "I know. And I'm just as proud of you as I am my biological children. Don't forget that."

"And I think of you as much my mother as my biological one." Rei squeezed her a bit. "That is why it pains me so much to see you in such danger. Please... do not doing anything reckless. I could not bear to hear that something bad has befallen you."

"I won't," Atka promised, smiling. "And I'll have plenty of people to watch my back."

"Make sure that you do. You are far too important to far too many people to have it any other way." Rei squeezed her mother one last time before releasing her. "And I must ask you to come see Hitomi and the children at least once before you depart. I know they will be thrilled to have you, especially Mimi. She brags about you at school, you know."

"Of course. I need to go down to the surface anyway to try to secure an additional member of the investigation team," Atka agreed.

"Perhaps you can speak some humility to my daughter while you are there." Rei walked back to her desk, almost instinctively gazing into her microscope. "Who are you looking for, incidentally?"

"Sun-Sonya Randolph," Atka answered. "We'd like her help for intel gathering and support."

"Dr. Randolf is on the planet, huh?" Rei looked up front the microscope. "When you see her, be sure to ask her if she has come to see me. If she says she has yet to do so, please inform her how disappointed I am." She looked back down. "Aside from someone with Exalt in their name, she is one of the few people I seek an intelligent conversation with. And maybe Hamilton. Shen. Floranti, if you can catch Dibermi on a good day and put up with that Ardenian arrogance."

Atka raised an eyebrow. "No Vahlen in that list?"

Rei seemed to freeze for a moment, holding back a rare glare. "Yes... of course. Vahlen. She only... decided to leave my company near the end of an important project for a 'better opportunity' with Exalt, forcing me to hire three people to compensate and barely finishing on time, nearly costing me a five hundred thousand dollar deal!" Rei blinked several times, and her tone and expression returned to normal. "Why should I let something as trivial as that make me bitter..."

"I...see..." Atka trailed off, not sure how to respond.

Rei looked up again and smiled. "Sorry... old grudges. At any rate, I am glad to see you are well, of course, though I'm sure Vindicta would like to see you. To get her hands on such a renowned psion... figuratively and literally. She would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't at least encourage you to let her see you."

"I'll make sure to pay her a visit, then," Atka responded, rolling her eyes at the 'literally' part.

An alarm buzzed on the desk, Rei quickly hitting it and grabbing a clipboard. "I am afraid I must check on a few cell cultures I am growing. But please do call ahead when you are ready to come over. And bring lots of war stories for Mimi."

Atka nodded, and gave a slight Japanese-style bow. "Until then."

Rei quickly bowed back, being sure to make his deeper. "A pleasure as always... dear mother."

 

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and Adrammalech: "Cyclical Motion, Part 1"

High Orbit over Forseti (April 9th, 2044)
The Einherjar (1752 Hours, A.S.T.)
Floor 2: Executive Bar

Commander Frederick Mason sat at the small bar alone, having entrusted command from the bridge to his first officer for the time being. Even so, he was cautious to only stick to the pint of beer he hand before him in the event that the enemy made a move soon. Even being off-duty isn’t exactly what it should be… but that’s to be expected. The Englishman analyzed some documents, brushing aside the latest mission report that he had already looked over. It went well, but that wasn’t an attack on their end. We were just taking out an enemy scout.

Frederick’s gaze came to rest on a suggestion the Fleet Coordinator had discussed with him a few days prior. Although the Einherjar’s hangars were currently restocked (Forseti provided four additional Stingrays to replace the lost Vanadium Flight craft), Addington had sparked the idea that the Einherjar should start upgrading its aircraft, perhaps expanding its capabilities, in order to combat whatever difficulties arose in combating advanced starfighters the TFD might possess. While bringing construction engineers up from the surface to start building hangers in the bowels of the ship wasn’t difficult, finding the aircraft was.

However, Khumalo had offered another suggestion to address that issue: consult allies of the XSDF to upgrade or otherwise add to the ranks of the Einherjar’s aerial corps. An obvious candidate was Exalt Enterprises, whom Frederick had decided to buy eight Shifters from in order to create a squadron of those craft. Four Seraphs to fill in the gap in Penguin Squadron could come from a branch of Tanka’s company on the surface working in collaboration with the Einherjar’s aerospace engineers. The ship’s inventor was onboard, after all.

The other potential assistant came in the form of the Humiliata Collation. This, Frederick was more worried about. Although he knew that they could be helpful, and certainly had aerial expertise, the Commander was nervous about approaching the High Commander for help. She might not be willing to aid the XSDF based on the demilitarization of Aethereum. Without their conscripted troops, the Humiliata relied more on mechanized forces, and would certainly not give much in the way of military aid. Their production being used to assist the Einherjar was equally in question.

Taking another swig of his drink, Frederick muttered, “At least the Balmadaar might give us aid on the ground… not that their starships are going to be of much help.” So that doesn’t really fulfill Addington’s request. And like icing on the cake, Fred was conflicted about his decision with Mark and Tabitha. He had let them off on a simple reprimand, as they had not gone all the way, but the incident left a bad taste in his mouth. And it wasn’t directed at the two, but rather at his own indecision on the subject. He feared the distraction that could be present if he lifted the ban on sex for the Einherjar’s staff, but equally doubted that the crew’s morale would soar as long as he upheld a policy that his predecessor had more harshly supported.

Abigail walked into the bar and grabbed an ale, noticing Frederick sitting quietly in the corner as she turned and looked over the room. She walked over and looked at an open chair at the table. “Hey,” she said softly, “want some company?”

Frederick glanced over, and seemed to consider her offer carefully for a moment. He briefly entertained the idea of remaining by himself, but quickly decided that wasn’t helping anything. “I wouldn’t mind,” Frederick answered, “though you may have to let me get you a drink, since the bartender’s MIA right now.”

“That’s alright, I just reached behind the bar,” she said, putting down her bottle and sitting down. “Although you can give me this one if you still want the ceremony.”

Noticing her drink, seeming to have failed to see it at first glance, Frederick chuckled. “Sorry. My mind was elsewhere; I didn’t realize you already had one.”

“It’s alright.” She popped the top and took a long sip, relaxing into her chair. “You look like you have a lot on your mind already. Want to talk about it?”

Frederick gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement. “Well, the Fleet Coordinator wants to bulk up our aerial forces, and suggested talking to Exalt and the Humiliata High Commander. Needless to say… those two are a little daunting to approach about aid. And there’s the incident down in the private holo-rooms with Tabitha Le’talla and Mark Exalt. I don’t enjoy upholding the fraternization rule, but I fear the consequences of lifting it.”

“Well, Exalt seems like it would be an easy one, we have plenty of them aboard and I’m guessing they’d like them to be as secure as possible. The Humiliata…I haven’t interacted with them much, although I think the way to talk to them is pretty well known, given the past. Have you talked to many of them before?”

“A few, though never one of their high council before,” Frederick explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think Brea and Streczyk had experience with them, but it was beneath my pay-grade until now. I have a good idea of how I might talk to them, I’m just… worried I’ll get nervous and say something silly. Or freeze up. First impressions are important, and I don’t want the first thing to cross Carthigi’seris’ mind when she sees me to be ‘who is this dope?’.”

“I’ve seen you be assertive before, I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” Abigail said, taking another sip. “She might be a councilman, but you have everyone and everything here at your back. Remember that if she tries to intimidate you.”

Frederick smiled. “You’re right. No need to let nerves control me.” The Commander took another small drink of his beer, down to half by now and having to savor what was left. “Anything bothering you at the moment, or having things been less stressful for my Central Officer?”

“Well, it’s hard not to be stressed at war,” she replied, letting out a little sigh. “But things are a little quiet, compared to a month ago. Just been reading combat reports, dossiers, checking up on the soldiers now and then. The last mission seemed…easy, in a way. I’m trying to understand how the pirates work, but that was never my department on Earth. It’s a different feeling up here.”

“Well, a lot of what we thought about them turned out to be wrong,” Frederick explained. “We thought they were just disorganized criminals, but at some point they banded together under this “Tandarin Forma Delimore”, and became more of a cohesive - if diverse - unit. Come to think of it, that’s probably why they’ve been getting stronger and more troublesome in recent years. The TFD was certainly the reason for them actively working together in the field against us before Trismegistus revealed herself.” The Commander tapped a finger against his glass. “I did have the name of the organization looked up, but it doesn’t seem to match any known records. I’m guessing that wherever this ‘Queen’ came from, it was beyond known space.”

“That’s just what bothers me. Like when I was going against the Triads, they had a culture that could be followed, there were detectives and forensics people that knew them intimately through experience, it was more organized.” Abigail took another sip and shook her head, leaning forward. “These guys just came out of nowhere, and there’s no one who knows them, at least from what I’ve seen. It’s annoying being in the dark.”

Frederick shrugged helplessly. “I feel the same way. I can only hope the Overseer can dig up something on them that the XSDF’s intelligence department is otherwise out of luck on, but only time will tell. For now, we’re going to have to make do with what we can get out of the prisoners.” Frederick smirked. “Speaking of them and Humiliata, I had Innovo’Trayate read the minds of our captives to learn more about their respective factions. The group with the Floaters are called the Shapers, and seem to specialize in abduction and creation of those airborne cyborgs. The elite group is called the Vanguard of Odin, and seems to be a ‘core’ member of the TFD. The operative didn’t know much, but his data has helped a little with our research into TFD and their weaponry.”

The Commander’s expression grew serious again. “And, as for the Triads… the Packmasters were captured spilled something about their organization and the Triads working together on something. The scout ship was sent to get a closer look at New Sanxin in order to prepare some sort of covert operation. They didn’t know any more than that, but it’s something I’ll need to have looked into.”

“Yeah, if there’s one thing they know how to do, it’s retreat and regroup,” Abigail nodded. “Seems like every time we raided a head, another one would be already in charge, in a bigger safehouse somewhere else. At least something hasn’t changed since I left Earth, I guess…”

“It’s possible they have a base in the system, but they definitely have some battleships out there somewhere beyond our sensor range,” Frederick confirmed. “Addington’s right to be worried about the aerial side of things, considering we don’t know what the TFD is capable of in that regard yet.”

“I’d say that they couldn’t have anymore surprises left after the guns they used, but I guess that’s a dangerous way of thinking,” she said.

“Right…” Frederick scratched the back of his head. “I don’t think we should tempt fate right now. Proceeding with extreme caution is our best bet.” Talking to her has helped, but there still is so much to worry about… how did O’Brien deal with all of it? Fred wondered privately.

 

[Adrammalech]

DarkGemini24601 and Adrammalech: "Cyclical Motion, Part 2"

Abigail leaned back again, finishing off her beer and pushing it aside. “You know, I wanted to apologize for our first talk, if I seemed too…aggressive with you. I’m so used to having to assert myself that I don’t realize how I can sound sometimes.”

Frederick shook his head. “It’s alright. I didn’t hold it against you, and I know you had your reasons to be upset at the time. I probably looked like I was defending that clown bastard a little, even if I didn’t intend to come off that way.”

“We’re at the bar, so we should spend some time not talking about work, right?” Abigail smiled. “You have a family or a wife waiting for you?”

“Former, not the latter,” Frederick answered. “Though it’s just my parents and grandmother left. My brother… died a few years back in a misunderstanding between some extraterrestrial visitors and the local populace. That’s one of the reasons I joined the XSDF: to prevent that sort of thing from happening.” Frederick sighed. “I’m doing a bad job at making small talk, aren’t I…?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sorry for what you went through,” Abigail said softly. “I don’t have any family left, so I don’t have many happy things to chat about myself.”

“If you… don’t mind me asking, did you lose them to… some tragedy, or did they just pass away?” Frederick questioned carefully.

“My parents passed away in the Subjugation War, I was raised by a family friend for a while, then I moved out with my brother.” Abigail swallowed hard. “He passed away a year or so ago, while I was in China…he was fighting with some liver complications, and suddenly while I’m at work, I get a call. I regret not being there…”

“I wish I could have been there with my brother when the incident happened,” Fred replied empathetically. “I always wonder if my presence might have made a difference.”

“I know the feeling, being helpless about it. And it’s not just about making a difference, but just being there…for the sake of being there.” Abigail looked away, staring blankly elsewhere. “No one should go like that, out of the blue and all alone. But that’s what it always feels like here, the regs keep us from people under us and the civvies, the people above us have the same regs, and the time and space makes it feel like there’s a universe between anyone we know. I haven’t had a meaningful relationship past a smiling acquaintance in years, and I’ve pretty much given up trying by now.” Her eyes wandered back to Frederick, a frown on her face that marked a long held back emotion. “I guess I’m saying…I’m not afraid of dying, but I’ve spent a lot of quiet nights worrying about dying alone.”

Frederick nodded. “And it’s hard not being able to fight alongside those under us directly, to protect them with more than just instructions and advice from aboard the Einherjar.”

“Well, we know we can trust each other like that, with you as the head and me as the arm, like we talked about,” Abigail said. “You know, I know the space forces don’t have anything like it, but we could be like...partners. You know, on the field and off. If you feel like you could trust me, anyway…”

The Commander seemed to regard Abigail for a moment before responding. “I… suppose so, though I’m not sure I catch your entire meaning.”

“It’s not that complicated, we just support each other. Professionally, personally…” Abigail reached over and touched Frederick’s hand, “however we want.”

Frederick smiled nervously. “We… have to follow regulations, you know…” He said, though his wavering tone indicated that it was a difficult thing for him to say.

“Who’s going to tell?” she asked, moving closer.

He couldn’t seem to find a counterargument to that. “I… suppose, as long as we’re careful not to arouse suspicion…”

Abigail reached over and touched Frederick’s cheek, bringing him in and giving him a surprisingly tender kiss for a few moments. Frederick didn’t resist, returning the affection, his initial surprise at Abigail’s advance replaced by a soft warming feeling in his chest. It only took a few more seconds of escalation before Abigail was pressing herself against him, openly and brazenly kissing him. She felt flushed and overwhelmed, and pulled away hesitantly.

“Maybe we should, you know, go somewhere else…” she said meekly, her voice unsteady.

“R-Right…” Frederick got up from his chair, glancing around quickly to confirm that no one was around still. “We could… go to my room. I’m off-duty, so I don’t have any scheduled appointments with anyone.”

Abigail stood up and straightened out her uniform. “Lead the way, then.”

Taking a brief moment to compose himself but no more than that for fear of having second thoughts, Frederick led Abigail to his quarters, making sure to lock the door after she had entered. “So…”

Abigail took Frederick’s hand and walked over to his bed, suddenly pulling him on top of her. She smiled up at him, expectation and nervousness obvious on her face.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked quietly, words born not out of hesitation for himself but caution for her sake. “I’d hate for you to walk away from this room with regret.”

“I’m sure, I’m just…it’s been a while,” she said, “so, I’m worried I’ll suck. You can tell me if I do.”

“I doubt I’m any better at this than you’ll be,” Fred replied, leaning down to kiss Abigail again and tug at her shirt.

“Well then, don’t worry about me,” she said, reaching down and popping a few buttons on Frederick’s uniform. “No regrets.”

 

[Adrammalech]

DarkGemini24601 and Adrammalech: "Cyclical Motion, Part 3"

The next morning, a rather monotone alarm woke the Commander from his peaceful slumber, and the British soldier sighed, rubbing his eyes and sitting up in bed. He was needed on the bridge early today, and had set the auditory reminder to reflect that. Glancing down at the sleeping figure beside him, he was tempted to remain a bit longer, but knew he had duties to attend to. He pushed himself off the mattress, grabbing his discarded uniform to put it back on.

Abigail rolled over as she felt movement, lazily registering Frederick getting dressed beside the bed. Although she usually had good morning habits, she felt like she could stay put without a care in the world. “Duty calls?” she asked quietly.

Fred nodded. “Unfortunately.” He ran a hand through her hair, giving her a brief kiss, before walking over to the door. “Not that I doubt we’ll find ourselves here again,” he said with a slight smile and he unlocked it and opened it, an expression that turned to surprise as he came face to face with someone standing on the other side.

“Good morning,” Tess said, a cocky smile on her face and a phone in her hand. A tiny snapping sound burst out of it and she pushed her way into the door. “Mind if I come in? I wanted to talk to you lovebirds about something.”

“What the fuck?” Abigail growled, trying to cover as much of her as possible with the blankets.

“What are you doing here?” Frederick demanded, keeping in the doorway as to try and help preserve Abigail’s modesty.

“Well, I came to the officer bar last night to talk about Tabitha, but then I found something more interesting to talk about,” Tess said, taking a seat. “And as much as I’d like to draw out the victory lap here, I still do want to talk about the original, if you’d be so kind.”

Frederick sighed. “Could you at least let her get dressed first?”

“I’m not getting dressed in front of her,” Abigail scowled, still huddled behind the blankets. “I’m fine as is.”

“I was going to have her l…” Fredrick rubbed his forehead, seeming to give up on trying to argue his point. “What do you have to say, Ryan?”

“Well, you’ve kind of made the argument for me,” Tess smiled before leaning forwards, “this sex ban thing is stupid. I know you inherited it, and that’s why I think you can disown it. We need kissing and cuddling, we need glorious naked abs and breasts, and most importantly, we need sex.”

The Commander bit his lip for a moment, thinking on the issue. “I’d look like a hypocrite if I said no at this stage… alright.” Not letting Tess get too excited, he continued, “But I need to take a step first. We have some of those tablets for preventing unwanted pregnancies… but not enough at the moment. Give the science team a day or two to make more, and then I can lift the ban.”

“I’m not saying there should just be sex everywhere, just let nature run it’s course. I can even delete this picture right now,” she said, glancing down at the picture of Frederick superimposed over a nearly-naked Abigail. “Although it’d be a pretty badass profile pic, to be honest.”

Frederick raised an eyebrow incredulously. “I suggest you do that regardless.”

Tess quickly deleted the picture she had just taken, pocketing the phone. She stood up and looked at Abigail, who gave her a scowl, and walked up to Frederick. “I’m glad you’re so understanding. And so there’s no hard feelings, whenever you get those tablets out and reform the rules, then I can tell everyone around the ship just how great our new CO is over the previous. Sound good?”

“That’s fine,” Frederick responded, doing his best to keep his frustration from surfacing.

“Well then, you two probably have better things to do than talk to me,” Tess said, heading for the door. She gave Frederick a wink just before leaving. “Have fun!”

Abigail let go of the blankets she was holding over herself, shaking her head. “She was less of a bitch when I talked to her…”

Frederick shrugged. “Something she felt strongly about, I guess…” He seemed torn between averting his eyes and not doing so.

“Do you still want to…continue, now?” Abigail asked shakily.

An expression of surprise crossed Fred’s features. “O-Of course. What she said doesn’t… change how I feel about you. Or tarnish the memory of last evening.”

Abigail smiled widely. “Just making sure.”

Frederick rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you want to maybe share a drink down at one of the bars at 1800 hours? I’ll be handing the bridge over to Sousa around then.”

“Sounds like a date,” she replied, nodding.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Stellar Mission
Enemy Ship Interception
Operation Flying Hydra

System: Dapsilis System
Planet: Forseti
Location: In orbit over New Springfield (approx..)
Date: April 11th
Time: 0800 Hours, AST

Mission Details:

Just minutes ago, several unidentified carriers were detected warping into the system on the opposite side of the planet’s large moon relative to us. We angled the Einherjar to pursue, but before we could the contacts disappeared. However, they left behind two entire wings of enemy fighters in addition to a particularly dangerous flight with three unidentified bombers and an unidentified transport. We have reason to suspect these are elite forces, and thus we cannot allow them to enter Forseti’s atmosphere unassailed.

Pacific Wing is being deployed, along with the Jupiter’s squadron of Firestorms and our newly prepared Novahawks. Our purpose is twofold: defeat the enemy fighters and stop the bombing run. Therefore, while two of the squadrons break off to deal with the main body of our opponents and one heads after the detached enemy flight, beware of some of the enemy utilizing a similar division to try and defend the elite Starfighters with the best forces they can muster.

Pilot Compliment:

Pilot’s Names:

Pacific Wing

Phoenix Squadron

[Flight A1, “Gold”]
***SSGT sen Ehutimo, Ramep (Augmentations Unknown)
SA Abrika, Bahija
SA Oleastro, Consuela (Blackout)
SA Kader, Sukhrab

[Flight A2, “Bone Arrow”]
*SA Lindberg, Vincent
SA Nelson, Hayden
SA Jefferson (Mind-Merge, ESP)
SA Laforge, Lawrence

[Flight A3, “Titanium”]
*SA Horváth, Jakub
SA Bogomolov, Gavriil
SA Nyugen, Mary
SA Harel, Yedidya

Penguin Squadron

[Flight B1, “Platinum”]
**SSGT Banks, Jayden (Iron Skin)
SA Feraoun, Shula
SA Gobos, Y’engtat
SA Clark, Hiwassee

[Flight B2, “Red Eye”]
*SA Appleton, Phoebe (Logic Module) {Callsign: Citrus}
SA Jollenbeck, Anja (ESP) {Callsign: River}
SA cin Menes, Shepsut (Aerobic Respiration Boost, Dextrous Muscle Fibers)(Reaction Time Overclocker, Manipulation Receptor, 4 T1 Prosthesis Arms total) {Callsign: Bast}
SA Bellrose, Narcisse

[Flight B3, “Gallium”]
*SA Csenge, Regina
SA Wati, Tipah (Hyper-Reactive Pupils)
SA Madaki, Tamfiq
SA Teloen, Seris

Novahawk One and Two

Harpy Squadron

[Sapphire Flight]
**SSGT Joel Freeman
3 Blueshirts
[Ruby Flight]
4 Redshirts
[Emerald Flight]
4 Greenshirts

***Wing Leader
**Squadron Leader
*Flight Leader
Italics are player characters.

Gear:
Weapons: Gauss or Pulse Cannon(s) for regular fighter craft; Plasma Cannon(s) for squadron leaders and destroyers
Items: Neural Uplink (All), Defensive Matrix, Tracking Cortex, Uplink Targeting, Elerium Afterburner Fuel

Enemies:

Aircraft Types:

Venom: Grinder (Basic Fighter)
Speed: Fast
Weaponry: Repeater Gauss Turret (x2), Laser Cannon (x1), Large Gauss Missiles (4x2)
Armor: Light
Shielding: L1 Shield Generator

Venom: Rapier (Basic Stealth Fighter)
Speed: Very Fast
FTL Capable: No
Cloaking Tech: Invisibility for 2 minutes with a 3 minute cooldown
Weaponry: Repeater Pulse Turret (x4), Repeater Gauss Turret (x2), Gauss Missiles (4x4)
Armor: Light
Shielding: L2 Shield Generator
Addons: Elerium Afterburners

Venom: Jigsaw (Basic Destroyer)
Speed: Average
Cloaking Tech: Weak Radar Jammer
Weaponry: Slugger Pulse Cannon (x1), Laser Cannon (x2), Slugger Laser Turret (x3)
Armor: Heavy
Shielding: L3 Shield Generator

Clay Kettle: Sable Spear (Advanced Fighter)
Speed: Fast
Cloaking Tech: Radar Jammers
Weaponry: Repeater Pulse Cannon (x2), Slugger Gauss Turret (x1), Plasma Missiles (2x6)
Armor: Medium
Shielding: L2 Shield Generator
Addons: Neural Uplink, Tracking Cortex

Clay Kettle: Sable Hammer (Advanced Fighter)
Speed: Average
Cloaking Tech: None
Weaponry: Slugger Gauss Cannon (x2), Repeater Pulse Turret, Gauss Missiles (4x5)
Armor: Heavy
Shielding: L3 Shield Generator
Addons: Neural Uplink, Defensive Matrix

Clay Kettle: Sable Dart (Advanced Stealth Fighter)
Speed: Very Fast
Cloaking Tech: Strong Radar Jammer, Invisibility for 5 minutes with a 15 minute cooldown
Weaponry: Plasma Cannon (x1), Pulse Turret (x2), Gauss Missiles (1x8)
Armor: Light
Shielding: L1 Shield Generator
Addons: Neural Uplink, Uplink Targeting

Unknown: Shrouded Butcherer (Elite Bomber)
-Specs Unavailable-

Hydra Wing

Thunderspark Squadron

[Flight TS Alpha] Four (4) Venom Fighters (Grinders)
[Flight TS Beta] Four (4) Venom Fighters (Grinders)
[Flight TS Delta] Four (4) Venom Fighters (Grinders)

Rapidstorm Squadron

[Flight RS Gamma] Four (4) Venom Fighters (Rapiers)
[Flight RS Omega] Four (4) Venom Destroyers (Jigsaws)
[Flight RS Theta] Two (2) Troop Transports and Two (2) Venom Fighter s(Custom Rapier Aces – Replace Gauss Turrets with Fusion Turrets, Gauss Missiles with Plasma Missiles)

Ebontalon Wing

Red-Rose Squadron

[Flight RR One] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Spears)
[Flight RR Two] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Spears)
[Flight RR Three] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Spears)

Blue-Beak Squadron

[Flight BB One] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Hammers)
[Flight BB Two] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Hammers)
[Flight BB Three] Three (3) Clay Kettle Fighters (Sable Darts)

[Grayskull Flight] Three (3) Unknown Bombers (Shrouded Butcherers) and One (1) Unknown Troop Transport

Mission Objectives:

(1) Elimination of the enemy bombers.
(2) Elimination or surrender of the enemy transports. (The Einherjar will take care of this)
(3) Elimination or surrender of all other enemy forces.

Special Note – Objective 1 is a specified kill order. Avoid getting too close to the bombers in the event that their payloads detonate upon destruction, but take them out. They could wreak havoc on the surface, as we’re reading signs of nuclear fission within the craft.

Civilians:

None, but failure to complete objective 1 may result in devastation upon New Springfield, their assumed target. High casualty rates would also be a result of failure to complete the primary mission objective. Also, it is highly recommended that the Seraphs go after the enemy bombers, as they are the fastest ships we have.

 

[BMPixy]

Mangrale and BMPixy:
Operation Flying Hydra
In High Orbit Over New Springfield, Forseti
1800 Hours; April 11th, 2044

“Man, and here we had that holo-room time all prepped and ready to go,” Vincent grumbled, idly running his eyes over his cockpit, making sure everything was in order.

“Duty is duty,” Lawrence replied dismissively as he scanned the void for contacts, despite his radar showing that they were still well outside of visual range. “After all, we didn’t sign up just for dental plan.”

“Still, wish these pirates coulda been a little more considerate,” the lead plane of Bone Arrow said.

Just make them pay for disrupting our plans with their lives, Jefferson concluded, making sure his weapons were live.

“Alright, that’s enough chatter out of Bone Arrow,” Ramep interrupted. “We should be at the rendezvous point with the Jupiter’s fleet. Red Eye, you got them on scope?”

“Yes we do,” spoke up Citrus over the comms, gaining readouts belonging to the fighters of Jupiter’s Harpy squadron. “All twelve Firestorms in total accounted for.”

“Hope they don’t make things too easy now,” jested River.

“Ach, dun’t ye worry yer li’l ‘eads off, us big boys ‘ill ‘andle all the ‘eavy wurk,” the lead plane of Harpy replied. “Just yoo sit aroun’ an’ crack open a cold un, eet’ll be ova in an instant.”

“What do you think I was doing before now?” she replied, grinning.

“Wishin’ ye were flyin’ a real man’s ship,” Joel Freeman joked, as he and his squadron adjusted course to match bearings with the Einherjar’s craft. “But dun’t wurry, we should be back ‘fore eet’s warm.”

“Well, I suppose professionalism’s out the door,” Bahija deadpanned.

“We’re fightah jockeys, we neva ha’ any o’ that anyway,” the Scots-Irishman shot back.

“Regardless,” Ramep said, “we’re about ten clicks out from the bogeys. Novas and Pacific Wing, we’re going after the bombers and their escort. Penguin and the Novas focus on the bombers, Phoenix will provide fighter screen. Harpy, you’ll engage the transport’s escorts, while the Einherjar nails any of the transports. All confirm?”

Understood, Caeluma’ingem - lead pilot of the Novahawks - answered.

“Roga, Gold Un,” Ruby One replied, as his squadron began to break off.

“Confirmed, ready to go,” Jayden added.

“Then let’s accomplish this according to the manual,” the lead plane of Phoenix said, adjusting his course to intercept the oncoming bombers.

“Affirmative, we’re set to engage,” affirmed Appleton. “Just watch yourselves, we don’t know the exact capabilities of these bombers.

With her as the lead, her flight maintained a conservative distance from the three large crafts, pummeling one of them with repeated volleys from each of Redeye’s ships, but merely damaging it’s high level shielding and leaving visible distortions from the impact.

Narcisse growled in annoyance at his first encounter with the pirate’s enhanced technology.

“This engagement may take longer than previously... thought!” cautioned Bast as she successfully dodged the ship’s sizable particle cannon’s blast.

As if on cue, a fusion cannon blast screamed in from the edge of the area of engagement, the Einherjar smacking down the accompanying transport’s shields and punching a deep hole through the hull, sending the transport listing to the side as the impact rocked it. Knowing it was disabled, the transport began to pull down, away from the engagement, while the Einherjar turned her guns towards the transports engaged with Harpy squadron.

Titanium Flight dove to pursue the retreating transport, however a timely boom and zoom from three of the enemy Sable Spears nicked at the Firestorm’s shields, encouraging them to break off the pursuit of the capital ship.

“Shit, these guys are good!” Hayden reported, rapidly firing her maneuvering jets in a frantic endeavor to pull her nose on target of the Sable Spear she was pursuing, while also trying to avoid the bogey that had latched onto her tail.

“And that’s why we have these,” Lawrence deadpanned, achieving lock on the fighter pursuing his wingmate and firing off a pair of missiles. The pirate rapidly jinked - his shields failing as the missiles hit home - trying to shake off the Firestorm on his six. However, in doing so, he brought himself right in front of the XSDF pilot’s nose, and a long burst of gauss fire taught him the folly of that as the Sable Spear careened off into the void, atmosphere leaking and spinning wildly.

“Good kill!” Hayden shouted, finally lining up a shot on her quarry, and bringing it down with a minimum of fuss - pulse lances and gauss rounds shredding the enemy craft before sending the pirate up in a brief fireball. “And that’s one for me, too.”

The bomber fired desperately, trying to fight off the fast moving Seraphs attacking it, but not managing a fair hit. As Narcisse and Shepsut served as decoys against the craft’s main force comprised of cannon fire and propelled missiles, Pheobe and Anja focused their pulse cannons to eventually subdue it’s shielding.

“Alright! Pinball! Bast! Take it down!” the flight leader ordered.

“Understood… Commencing destruction,” replied the cyborg, who, along with his flightmate, unloaded a devastating payload of missiles along with their gauss rounds that shredded it’s once pristine and white hull.

The heavy craft pulled away from its swift assailants with unprecedented speed, activating its defensive matrix and firing particle beams to defend itself.

Narcisse gasped lightly in surprise. “The speed of this thing...”

“Well we have ways of dealing with that,” Phoebe said confidently, initializing her ship’s tracking cortex and launching a concentrated volley of explosive ordinances at the bomber’s rear engines, causing the back half of the ship itself to detonate and send what was left to slow to a stop, dead in space.

“Way to go, Citrus!” Anja cheered.

One bomber down, Caeluma’ingem said, confirming Phoebe's kill. Meanwhile, the two Novahawks unloaded on the second bomber, taking down its shields in short order before having to break off their pass. The bomber took this opportunity to panic constructively, and the craft faded from view both in the visible spectrum and on the collective radar screens of the XSDF craft, the final bomber following suit.

“They have cloak!?” Vincent exclaimed incredulously, frantically maneuvering his craft out of the way of enemy fire. “Now that’s just cheating!”

“One sec, flipping to IR,” Lawrence said, breaking off his attack run to roll his craft over to where the bombers were last seen, while thumbing a knob on the side of his visor. Glancing down, he added, “Yep, they’re still there, same course. Novas, light ‘em up.”

“Roger, Bone Arrow 3,” the second Novahawk confirmed, opening up with its plasma batteries on the suspected position of the bombers, a few rounds scattering off into space before the lead was corrected and they began to strike home. The bomber rematerialized a moment later as it shattered under the enemy fire, scattering debris across space.

“Alright, two bombers down,” Ramep reported as he downed a Sable Hammer under his own barrage of plasma fire. “LaLa, you got eyes on the third one?”

“Yep, bearing 23- ah shit!” Lawrence cursed, frantically jinking to avoid the fire of two Sable Darts, a single missile depleting his shields a fair bit. “Bogeys on me, need support!”

“Hang on!” ordered Narcisse, instinctively breaking away from his flight momentarily, activating his elerium afterburners to catch up to the small fighters. Before they could react, his gauss rounds tore through their low level protective measures, destroying one in a single pass and the other in the next, as he tried to escape.

“Thanks for the cover, Pinball, owe you a drink for that,” Lawrence said appreciatively as he repositioned his craft to get eyes on the third bomber. “Final bomber is bearing 235 from my position, distance 400 meters. Gonna light ‘em up.” With that he turned his nose towards the final bomber, a pair of pulse lances harmlessly passing through the cloaked bomber.

“Alright! Same as before, break the shields and bombard it!” Phoebe barked, the rest of Red Eye converging behind her as they approached the revealed, heavy craft. Their Seraphs strafed along its surface, easily able to avoid fire and even fire while doing so.

As its shields finally gave out dissipating at the shear forces exerted upon it, the bomber’s pilot resorted to try and escaping the scenario viewing its mission more important than its own safety. With modified maneuverability, it careened towards the planet.

“Goddammit! Seriously!?” Anja exclaimed, at odds with what she was seeing.

 

[BMPixy]

“Don’t let it reach the atmosphere!” Appleton demanded, leading the charge after the bomber. With her reaction time overclocker enabled, and Anja’s uplink targeting activated, they both fired continuous, accurate volleys against the ship’s engines much like before. However, before an effective hit could be delivered, one of the ship’s retaliating beams stuck against the side of Anja’s shields, clearly not breaking it but forcing her to break away.

“Are you alright!?” inquired Bellrose, continuing the pursuit.

“I will be... once that bastard’s up in flames,” she answered, very shaken.

Shepsut drove forward, opting to aggro the bomber’s missile fire, dodging it effectively with her Seraph’s own defence matrix. Coordinating her gauss rounds with Narcisse, both were able to break through to the bomber’s cockpit, ripping the craft in half.

“Final bomber destroyed,” Phoebe confirmed with an audible, relieved sigh afterwards.

Ramep replied, “Alright, good, the colony’s safe, only six fighters left for us to mop up. Now fo-”

“Ach! Bloody hell!” Joel interrupted, his voice filled with panic as it blared over open comms. “Those feckin’ pilots are tearin’ us a new arsehole! We need some bleedin’ support ‘ere, we’ve already lost a flight an’ a half!”

“Red Eye, Platinum, Bone Arrow, go cover Harpy! We’ll come by with support as soon as we clear out these last few fighters!” Ramep barked.

“Understood, Bone Arrow, on me!” Vincent replied, breaking off from the dogfight as the scattered planes of Bone Arrow fell back into formation behind him.

While the insignificant scraps of the bomber that made it to the planet burned it its atmosphere, Phoebe ordered her flight to once again form up behind her.

“River, are you okay to continue?” she asked as they neared her.

Anja huffed, a little annoyed. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s finish this already.” With that, she rejoined formation, her flight alongside Bone Arrow.

With the impromptu squadron en route, the full situation on Harpy’s side of the engagement became clear. A flight of Venom destroyers circled the engagement from above, occasionally diving down down to make a pass on a Firestorm, while in the main furball the other pirate craft used their superior numbers to their advantage, letting an XSDF craft onto their tail so one of their wingmates could swoop in for the attack. Despite this tactic, losses were roughly even on both sides, the superior training and machines of the XSDF fighters making up for their disadvantages.

Quickly assessing the situation, Vincent ordered, “Red Eye, Platinum, nab those destroyers up top. Bone Arrow, time to dive into the fireworks!” With that out of the way, Drizzle gunned his engine, rushing into the furball.

“Time to finally make ace!” Hayden cheered, chasing after her flight lead along with the rest of Bone Arrow.

As the Firestorms made their initial pass, a pair of Grinders made the mistake of trying to nose-to-nose the superior fighters, and were quickly shredded - the kill credit going to Lawrence and Jefferson respectively. Breaking out of the furball, the four Firestorms of Bone Arrow split off into pairs, circling around for another pass. However, this time the enemy fighters within were somewhat more prepared for this, and a flight of Grinders engaged Vincent and Edge, forcing them into a dogfight. Hayden and Lawrence appeared to be unmolested in their run, Hayden scoring a kill on a Rapier, until a fusion lance slammed into her shields, severely depleting them in a flash of emergency klaxons.

“Shit! The hell was that!?” Nelson exclaimed, jinking wildly to avoid a follow-up shot.

“Two Rapiers, eight o’clock high!” Lawrence reported, breaking in the opposite direction as his wingmate, prepared to cover her should the need arise.

And the need did arise shortly afterwards, as the two Rapiers dove in on Bone Arrow Four, a pair of near-misses from their fusion turrets nearly taking down the Firestorm. From his position, Lawrence swung his craft back in onto the Rapiers’ six o’clock, pulse fire streaming from his craft as he let off a pair of missiles for each enemy. The pulse fire struck true, however the two Rapiers quickly scissored in on each other and deployed countermeasures, the sudden blob of heat drawing the missiles in to detonate harmlessly as one of the Rapiers broke off and twisted towards Laforge. A quick tug of the stick pulled Lawrence out of the way of the enemy’s guns, a glancing hit knocking down his shields a fair chunk.

“Who the hell are these guys?” Lawrence muttered, firing his maneuvering jets to regain a position on the Rapier trailing Hayden, who was matching her maneuvers nearly turn for turn.

Turning to the high and encircling destroyers, the relentless fire from their laser turrets made both Platinum’s and Red Eye’s efforts to stay in formation a near impossibility.

“Ugh, don’t these guys ever get tired?” Anja spoke rhetorically, weaving drastically in the face of numerous high energy projectiles.

Amidst the rain of pulse and laser, Appleton grimaced as she calculated a new means of response. “We can’t engage like this! Fall back and regroup on me!” She, and the three fighters under her, pulled away from the brunt of the destroyers’ offensive, forcing their attention to return to the ships below momentarily. She then addressed Jayden, who had done the same with his flight. “I suggest hit and run tactics from here on. Attack as hard as you can, as fast as you can.”

“Understood, that may be our only option right now. Let’s move!”

After loud confirmations from each pilot, the eight fighters accelerated to their top speed, streaming among the four Jigsaws, wearing away at their outer energy shells. The surprise attack caught the nearest Replitan craft unprepared, the shear volume of ammunition crashing past its shield right to its hull, with Platinum’s Hiwassee dealing a critical blow to its front, decimating a chunk of the nose and taking it out of the fight.

As the other Jigsaws ceased their attack on the cloud of fighters beneath and started firing on the new threats, the furball down below slowly began to swing in favor of the XSDF forces - the distraction of the destroyers and the sudden reinforcement throwing off the hostiles’ tried and true plan for dealing with the superior fighters. Of the two squadrons of pirate craft, just over half of that had been lost while no further Firestorms met their end.

However, this did not mean things were going well, as Hayden continued to try and shake her pursuer, who was in turn trying to get Lawrence off of his tail so he could make a shot, and Lawrence doing his best to take down the first Rapier without exposing himself to retribution from the one on his own six o’clock. The improvised conga line of fighters ducked and weaved through the furball, pulse lances and fusion bursts scattering off into the void or glancing off their foes’ shields.

“Don, what’s your shield integrity at?” Lawrence asked, the strain of the G forces he was pulling harsh even through his flight suit.

“Eighty-two,” Hayden replied, just before a fusion round cut close to her ship. “Shit, make that seventy-eight. Why?”

“Pugachev’s Cobra, into a full loop, clear this guy off of me!” Lawrence barked.

“But that’s-!”

“No questions! Just do it!” Laforge bellowed, as a fusion lance rocked his shields. Without another word, Hayden jerked her stick back, pulling the nose of her Firestorm straight up as she gunned her engines and fired the keel thrusters, causing her fighter to shoot up at a ninety degree angle - the G-forces nearly causing Nelson to black out. Caught off guard by the maneuver, the first Rapier tried to bank upwards to pursue, however his craft’s high speed impaired his maneuverability significantly, and he arced gracefully upwards - right into Lawrence’s gunsights. A short burst of pulse fire followed by a similar gauss burst shredded the enemy ace, the Rapier detonating in a short-lived fireball.

However, this permitted the Rapier on Lawrence’s tail to get a clear shot off, the impact knocking the Firestorm’s shields down to nothing. Desperately Lawrence pulled up towards the looping Hayden, trying to avoid any further hits. However, a second hit was scored, piercing through the Firestorm’s starboard wing - atmosphere briefly venting before containment shields fell into place.

The enemy ace, sensing that he’d only need another shot to down the wounded Firestorm, continued to match Lawrence’s ascent, slowly bringing his nose into position once more. However, Hayden, her loop finally complete, dove back down on the Rapier, guns firing madly. A brief moment later, and the Rapier shattered, careening off into space wildly.

 

[BMPixy]

“Ah, good kill, good kill, cover me while I RTB,” Lawrence said, maneuvering his craft into a course out of the fireball. “Was that number five, Don?”

“Yeah, it was,” Nelson replied, falling back alongside her wingmate. “Yep. Here I was afraid not all of us would hit ace today. You gonna be alright?”

“Power’s running low, starboard gauss cannon and maneuvering thrusters are shot, but otherwise okay,” Laforge answered, as the last of the enemy fighters were slowly being mopped up.

Streams of laser, high speed gauss slugs and bursts of pulse could be seen bombarding the ever shifting space between the Seraphs and the Jigsaws. But the area was now littered in the unrecognizable shrapnel and wreckage that used to be another destroyer, the debris of which leaving yet more obstacles for the XSDF pilots to maneuver around.

“Yeah-ha! That’s another down!” Anja cheered, finding the debris significantly easier to dodge than the cannons it used to make up.

With the battle favoring the XSDF now more than ever, one of the destroyers frantically endeavored to take as many of them out as they can. It them fired a burst of pulse that made contact with Feraoun’s shields as she was having difficulty passing through a denser patch of shrapnel along with the other lasers it was firing at her, nearly depleting her shields.

In response, Narcisse and Shepsut flew together to divert attention away from her as she retreated, the rounds they received almost ruining their shields as well. “Bast! We need some distance while the shield is taken care of! Then we take it down!” the cyborg called.

“Understood…” Shepsut said, rotating her craft to the opposite direction and falling back with him.

Two bursts of pulse from Phoebe and Y’engtat later and the destroyer’s protective layer crumbled around it, leaving it exposed. “C’mon,” Bellrose said simply, gripping the controls. And the two flew towards the ship, missiles and highly kinetic rounds leading the way ahead of them, colliding and dismembering the destroyer, first its left wing and then its mid section. By the time the two fighters actually got to it, the craft split apart, allowing them to fly in between the halves and the carnage with them.

“Very well done you two,” Phoebe congratulated. “Although flying through the wreckage seemed pretty unnecessary. Try not to make a habit of doing things like that.”

Narcisse stopped gazing at the destruction he helped create. “Huh? Yeah, right…”

The final Jigsaw continued to fire against its swift opponents for a few seconds, its slugger laser turrets fixed on Jollenbeck. But with a blue aura in her eyes, she effortlessly steered unharmed amidst the debris and energy bursts.

“Attention, Replitan destroyer pilot!” Jayden addressed on an open channel. “Deactivate your weapons and engines. Surrender and you will not be harmed.”

The Replitan soon got the hint, noticing the enemies converging near it, and it took a short burst away before ceasing its attack and connecting to the open channel to give its surrender.

“Screen clear, all bogeys eliminated,” Ramep reported. “Good work, all of you. Sapphire One, how’s your squadron?”

“Three craft dead in the water, three destroyed, but two of ‘em managed to punch out in time,” Joel replied. “We’ll keep an eye on ‘em ‘til the pick-up crew gets ‘ere.”

“Understood. Penguin, Phoenix, Novas, mission complete,” Ozzy said. “You’re all clear to RTB.”

“Got it,” Jayden said, nodding a little as he did so. “You heard him, back to the Einherjar.” He then led his squadron back with Phoenix to the battleship.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

XSDF Planetside Mission
Triple UFO Crash Sites
Operation Severed Serpent

System: Dapsilis System
Planet: Forseti
Location: 19 kilometers northeast of New Springfield
Date: April 11th
Time: 0600 Hours Local (1000 Hours AST)

Mission Briefing:

Our fighter pilots have dealt with the enemy in the air. Now it’s our turn. The Einherjar downed three Troop Transport ships, but they all appear to still be intact to some degree or another. There are likely survivors. We chose to give them a chance to recover rather than go down to the surface immediately, but that means that we’ll have a stronger force on the ground and a greater chance of emerging victorious.

A squad will be deployed to the surface to clean up all three crash sites. The three ships are between 100 and 250 meters away from each other, so it is possible that they’ve regrouped, but unlikely. Still, we should approach with caution. We will approach the ships one by one, heading to the two Venom ones before approaching the unidentified transport that possibly contains elite forces. Our squad won’t be alone in this endeavor, as the time we took to prepare has allowed us to take some mechanized troops.

Number of Soldiers for this Mission:

Soldier’s Names:

{Portugal, F} **Field Commander Viviana Sousa [Scout] (T1 Cybernetic Prosthetic Eye, T1 Prosthetic Right Hand)(Blackout, Shockwave, Electrokinesis, Psi Inspiration)
{Novum, M} *SPC Brown, Ethan [Sniper]
{United States, M} SPC Karo, Connor [Infantry]
{Egypt, F} SPC Tambaamrant, Izebboudjin [Assault] (Reaction Time Overclocker)
{South Korea, F} SPC Moon, Gi [Medic] (Biokinesis)
{Thailand, F} SPC Metharom, Nyo-Kwang [Support]
{United States, F} SPC Van Dam, Cassia [Support] (Mindfray, Animal Empathy)
{Wales, M} SPC Delanor, James [Engineer]
{Moldova, M} SPC Ursu, Dmitry [Heavy] (Magnified Bicep Structure)
{Tal Shiar, F} SPC Tülenkhiin, Enkhtuya [Destroyer] (Blood Call, Magnified Bicep Structure, Muscle Fiber Density)
{Sweden, M} SPC Bjorn, Bager [Archer]
MESHA One: “Thumper”

Alloy Tank
Cyberdisc Two
Alloy SHIV One
Alloy SHIV Two
Repair Drone x6

**Squad Leader
*Second in Command
Italics are player characters.

Gear: (link)

Terrain:

The area is very flat, with barely any inclines. The only cover comes in the form of scattered rocks and trees, so smoke cover and wise use of the SHIVs and Alloy Tank as portable cover and concealment would be prudent. The two Venom ships have a similar layout, but are in different conditions. They have a wide door that serves as the entrance hatch, to the right of the main engine array. To the left on each are a pair of automatic gauss gun turrets. Through the door is a medium-sized hallway that leads across the ship’s width. There is a computer console and set of tables that might serve as enemy cover. A door in the middle of the hallway leads into the main room of either ship.

This is a wide room doubling as an armory, mess hall, and gathering room. Most of the weapons, armor, and equipment on the walls will have been taken by the enemy. Tables and weapon racks provide cover, but beware of any explosives that may be near the latter. Beyond this room is a storage room for the essentials of life – with a large side exit door, and beyond that is the cockpit with a central console and several smaller ones below the raised central platform, accessible by a small open elevator (or by a Replitan’s jump).

The first of these two Venom Transports is missing its door, which is torn off its hinges. The door itself is buried a few meters away and wedged within the ground, making for high cover. The turret is still intact, though, and will fire upon the XSDF forces as they approach. The walls of the entrance hall are ruined, and thus a firefight into the room could take place from there. The customs console is torn to pieces and no longer provides cover. The rest of the ship is intact.

The second Venom Troop Transport has an intact door, but the same cannot be said for the torn-up engines and turret. The hull itself isn’t breached near the back, but the bridge collided with the ground before the ship came to a rest, effectively flattening it. The ship is flat, though, having rocked into a static position.

The third Troop Transport is structured a little differently. It forms a shape vaguely like that of a plus sign. Two separate engine banks come off the right and left sides of this cross, and the bridge is on the forward-facing portion. The ship’s shields seem to have held better than that of the others, and thus it is largely intact with only crash landing scars along its hull and a partially flattened right engine bank to speak of its welcome to Forseti.

The room behind the engines (ship south) has a raised platform accessible by ramps on either side, and numerous crates and retaining walls that would serve as cover to its occupants. The high ground will pose a problem as well, holographic computer consoles turning low and high cover into a slight concealment as well. The central room has the power sources of the ship, Elerium Obelisks and a large central fusion core. Both sides will likely watch their fire here.

To the right is an armory containing mechanized equipment as well as infantry gear. To the left is a mess hall facing ship south adjacent to a holographic training room facing ship north. The front of the ship itself is a bridge with three rows of computers, the only wall not being covered on two levels of the large transport being the one that one would enter from through a large door. The center of the room has a separate closed-off room with a solid roof and floor, but glass walls on all sides and a glass door. The computer consoles within as well as the shade-able window panes would make for a good final stand position should the enemy retreat to here.

Enemies:

Transport Ship 1 (All organic troops are Replitans)

• One Group of Four (4) Venom Troopers [Beam Rifles, Phalanx Armor], Two (2) Venom Snipers [Gauss Long Rifles w/ HEAT, Banshee Armor], and Two (2) Seekers (Gauss Pistols)
• One Group of Four (4) Venom Troopers [Beam Rifles, Phalanx Armor], Two (2) Venom Shadow Operatives [Alloy Cannons, Banshee Armor], and Two (2) Seekers (Pulse Pistols)
• One Group of Four (4) Venom Troopers [Beam Rifles, Phalanx Armor], Two (2) Venom Supports [Gauss Rifles, Corsair Armor], and Two (2) Drones (Welder Gun)
• One Group of Three (3) Venom Elite Infantries [Plasma Rifles, Corsair Armor], Two (2) Venom Scouts [Alloy Cannon/Heavy Gauss Rifle, Corsair Armor/Banshee Armor], One (1) Venom Medic (Gauss Carbine, Corsair Armor; Adaptive Bone Marrow), One (1) Venom Engineer (Gauss Stuttergun, Banshee Armor; Magnified Bicep Structure), and One (1) Venom Elite Sniper [Plasma Sniper Rifle, Shadow Armor); Depth Perception, Magnified Bicep Structure, Dexterous Muscle Fibers]

Transport Ship 2 (Same as #1)

• One Group of Eight (8) Venom Troopers [Beam Rifles, Phalanx Armor] and One (1) Venom Elite Shadow Operative [Plasma Rifle, Shadow Armor; Hyper-Reactive Pupils, Adaptive Bone Marrow B]
• One Group of Four (4) Venom Infantries [Gauss Heavy Rifles, Corsair Armor; Magnified Bicep Structures], Two (2) Venom Supports [Gauss Carbines, Banshee Armor; Adaptive Bone Marrow T], One (1) Venom Elite Scout [Reflex Cannon, Aegis Armor; Dexterous Muscle Fibers, Durable Skeletal Structure, Chobham Dermis], Two (2) Seekers (Gauss Pistols)
• One Elite Group of Two (2) Venom Engineers [Plasma Stormguns, Aegis Armor; Depth Perception, Magnified Bicep Structure], Two (2) Venom Medics [Plasma Carbines, Corsair Armor; Infrared Vision, Adaptive Bone Marrow T], Four (4) Seekers (Plasma Pistols), and One (1) Venom Infantry Officer [Fusion Rifle, Titan Armor (P1); Hyper-Reactive Pupils, Neural Feedback, Adaptive Bone Marrow T, Ceramic Skin]

Transport Ship 3 (???)

• One Group of Four (4) Balmadaar Infantry [Gauss Heavy Rifles, Aegis Armor; T1 Cybernetic Eyes]
• One Group of Two (2) Ardenian Scouts [Gauss Carbines, Corsair Armor (P1); T1 Cybernetic Legs], and Two (2) Human Medics [Gauss Rifles, Banshee Armor (P1); Reaction Time Overclockers]
• One Group of Three (3) Balmadaar Gunners [Gauss LMGs, Aegis Armor; T1 Cybernetic Arms] and One (1) Elite Balmadaar Heavy [Particle Nullifier (SAW), Aegis Armor (P1); T1 Cybernetic Arms and Legs)]
• One Group of Two (2) Elite Ardenian Destroyers [Antimatter Blasters (Shotguns), Aegis Armor (P1); T2 Cybernetic Legs), One (1) Human Elite Human Snipers [Particle Long Rifle, Corsair Armor (P1); T2 Cybernetic Eyes), and One (1) Human Goliath [Railgun, MEC-2 Tank Suit]
• One Group of Four (4) Balmadaar Blade Wardens [Alloy Swords, Gauss Heavy Pistols, Aegis Armor (P1); Reaction Time Overclockers]
• One Group of Two (2) Elite Balmadaar Blade Wardens [Antimatter Alloy Swords, Gauss Pistols, Titan Armor (P2), One (1) Elite Ardenian Infantry [Particle Heavy Rifle, Aegis Armor (P2); T2 Cybernetic Legs, T2 Cybernetic Arms, T1 Cybernetic Eyes], and One (1) Elite MEC Blade Behemoth [Antimatter Bastard Sword, MEC-5 Tank Suit]

Conditions for Completing the Mission:

(1) Elimination or capture of all enemy forces
(2) Recovery of as much salvage as possible.
(3) Retrieval of any advanced weaponry the enemy might have. (Optional; strongly recommended)

 

[MarineAvenger]

XSDF Planetside Mission
Triple UFO Crash Sites
Operation Severed Serpent Part One

System: Dapsilis System
Planet: Forseti
Location: 19 kilometers northeast of New Springfield
Date: April 11th
Time: 0600 Hours Local (1000 Hours AST)

Viviana looked around at the troops in the ship she was in, savoring the time while it lasted that the feeling of being back in a command position of a team felt good, and not immediately regret it once the mission started. Everything will be fine, they always are. Shaking her head, the Lt. Commander the stood up. “Alright men… how we feeling?”

Cassia was in the back of the ship with her eyes closed looking as though she was sleeping. Hum, three ships and we gave the enemy time to rest. Sigh, I wish we would have gotten them the second they landed but it can’t be helped. Cassia opens her eyes and let out a yawn “ Ugh, you feeling decent boss lady?”

“You know it’s not good to sleep before a mission. Makes you space out when you don’t want to and leaves you feeling a bit too loose. Save the resting for when we get back for R and R.” Sousa told Cassia, looking over around the other soldiers on her roster.

“With all do respect boss, it's six in the morning and I was sleeping very peacefully before the sirens woke me. But don’t worry once I hear the sound of plasma, and smell freshly crashed ship, I’ll be back to normal.”

James looked over to Cassia, “Heh, normal... I guess it’s a relative term after all.”

Brown shook his head, looking over his sniper rifle with his tongue in cheek. “You know, I think you’re all nuts if that is any consolation.”

Enkhtuya Tülenkhiin, the female Balmadaar sitting across from the sniper seemed to take offense to that. “I would watch your snide remarks, human. I may not know what a ‘nut’ is but your tone of voice shows it was meant as hostile, and I do not take kindly to insults.”

“Sorry.” Brown muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Sousa turned her attention to the big alien. “What’s your name?”

“Enkhtuya Tülenkhiin.” The woman responded with ease.

“Uh… okay, that will be a little hard to announce over comms… would just Tulen work?” The Lt. Commander asked as the ship neared the landing zone.

The Balmadaar snarled and stood up as the ship landed with a jolt and the hatch slowly opened. “Just do not think it will be a permanent thing.”

The squad leader tilted her head to the side with a sigh as she gave the order to pile out into the open field, a simultaneous landing occurring not far from the team’s position, dropping off the mechanical units as well as an Alloy Tank, a special gift for the occasion. Ordering the tank out front of the squad, a Cyberdisk and Alloy SHIV flanking either side of it, the third Alloy SHIV staying towards the back of the squad. After a few minutes of waiting, Viviana assessed the situation and got an idea. “Alright, anyone who can climb on and make room on the back of the tank, do so. We can ride it to the first ship and use it as portable cover. Brown will hang back with the SHIV while Bager will team up with the M.E.S.H.A and stay outside while we move in to make sure no one sneaks close and tries to catch us with our pants down. Any questions?”

“Yeah, actually.” James replied, “Why couldn’t we just bomb the ships from orbit? Seems like this way would take much more effort honestly… Not that I’m complaining, I was getting rusty on that ship anyway.”

Cassia put on her helmet and looked at James “ Because, we need to salvage the ships to see what kind of weapons the enemy has. Also, it would look bad if the XSDF shot at their own colony from orbit .”

“It’s a wide open field with a city nowhere for miles in either direction, we could have easily blasted the ships from orbit, but you are correct, the potential for resources and possible intel is great, and we can’t afford not to take risks.” Sousa confirmed. “Now if there is nothing else, on the beast and let’s roll out.”

“Well, then I guess this’ll just be another promotion for me.” Fancypants looked over to the Tank, calling shotgun as he jumped onto the back. Everyone else followed soon after, though the MECs and Balmadaar would have to hoof it, there being barely enough room for everyone to begin with. The line of troops moved forward, the ships being able to be seen in the distance, the Lt. Commander ordering them to be dropped off further than the original plan intended, not wanting to come under fire as they unloaded and get everyone into formation.

At about the halfway mark, the wind began to pick up over the plain, causing the grass to roll like the waves of the ocean. Like the ocean however, two ripples moved across the grass, only one explanation for the phenomenon. “We got Seekers!” SPC Moon called out, the medic turning in her rather cramped spot to try and get a shot, getting one off but not hitting anything other than dirt.

“What? Goddammit I hate these things!” James shouted as he took shots in the direction of the grass, but they too flew wide of the invisible target.

The tank stopped its’ advance forward, allowing the troops on top the ability to get steadier shots, but now the ripples that appeared in the grass were gone now that the wind had died down. There was a crack of Brown’s Gauss Sniper as a round struck the tank right under Cassia’s foot.

“Wo watch where you're shooting, you nearly hit me foot.” Cassia yelled.

There was a crackle of the radio in Cassia’s helmet. “Well sorry if there was a tentacle monster was slowly going for you… those guys are circling you like sharks but I can’t exactly get a good shot with the sun in front of me…” The sniper complained. “Just look for a shimmer in the air, that is what gives them away.

“Ugh,” Cassia looked around, for any weir movements in the sky above her. Cassia sees a small shimmer near the Viviana. “Yo boss I need you duck!” Cassia yells at the field commander shooting the seeker behind her but ended up damaging it. “Damn it’s wounded, hay commander do you that see Seeker near you? It should be wounded.”

Viviana looked upwards at the sparks that flew from the damaged robot, the Lt. Commander reaching to the side of her hip, pulling out her secondary shotgun and blasting upwards into the already wounded robot, killing it and causing the cloaking device to deactivate as it fell to the ground. Off a few feet from the tank, the second Seeker deactivated and shot a couple of gauss bullets at the close together team, aiming mostly at James.

James’ eyes widened, stepping out of the way of the first shot but forcing him to step into range of another, taking a blast to the chest. The Gauss bullet forced him to step back, but a reactive shot from his drone was able to deliver a killing blow before the Seeker could capitalize on its hit. James looked down at his armor to make sure it had not been breached, as he was correct as the bullet had only bore about halfway through. Fancypants sighed, “Fuck those hentai squids.”

After a few moments to evaluate their situation, Sousa made a decision for the troops to disembark from the tank and walk the rest of the way, all of them being in the open not the best of ideas anymore to the Lt. Commander.

As the group moved up more, it wasn’t long until they team was back into action, a group of four Venom troopers standing up from a bunched up cluster of rocks, having been waiting in ambush for anyone who tried to get close to the first troop transport, a steady stream of beam lasers coming towards the squad.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Operation Severed Serpent Part Two (MarineAvenger, Dahlexpert, and Frostlich1228)

Cassia ran to cover, as quickly as she could taking cover Cassia fires back at the venom tropers. Cassia goes through her bag and pulled out a plasma grenade. Cassia through the grenade and the explosion destroyed what little cover the venom troopers were using. “Heh heh I love having multiple grenades makes things interesting.” Cassia opened fired at one of the troopers killing one of them while the others search for cover.

There was little cover to be found, the Reptilan troops using their agility and slim bodies to move around the field and stay low to the ground. Having stayed in the backseat most of the mission, not wanting to get too involved, Connor eventually stepped forward and got on a knee, raising his rifle and fired a couple of times, down one trooper and injuring another, Izebboudjin being sure to step up and take care of the injured one, leaving one left to be easily picked off by one of the SHIVs.

Out of the corner of the Egyptian woman’s peripheral vision, there was a flash of a scope, the assault just narrowly avoiding a bullet to the head with her overclock, instead the bullet glancing off her shoulder but the assault falling down. The shot had appeared to come from the top of the first troop transport, but not long after a second shot rang out and hit one of the Cyberdisks, the HEAT round doing some damage but a repair drone quickly got to work, however the sniper’s location not being pinpointed, (being somewhere in the vicinity of a couple of trees some ways away.)

Taking a guess, Ursu started applying suppressing fire towards the direction of the trees, hoping that the enemy sniper would fall for the bluff, and assume he had been spotted. The sniper didn’t take the bait, just taking aim at the M.E.S.H.A and shooting at it’s leg, hitting the knee joint and causing the MEC to limb to the side, all but immobile, the second sniper hitting the repair drone that was repairing the Cyberdisk, luckily the robot already at the end of its repair time.

Cassia sees that her team is in a bit of a pinch, with sniper fire raining down on them. Cassia through a smoke grenade to give her team some small cover and to blind the snipers. “Yo commander probably a good idea to have the shivs fire at the snipers, or if any of you see smoke anywhere. Besides the covering you yell it out.”

Bager came out from behind the tank, having been previously using it as cover and took aim, the Archer MEC getting a target acquisition on the tree the sniper was supposed to be in, using his grenade launcher to send some ordinance the sniper’s way, blowing the bottom of the tree and causing the sniper to jump away, getting shot mid-air rather skillfully from Viviana’s scout rifle.

One of the SHIVs moved up, Connor seeing an opportunity and getting behind it, taking out his single alien grenade and chucking it, repeating the process that was shown before but this time the sniper successfully moving, though this time a torrent from the SHIV’s gun quickly put an end to any plans he might have had.

“Not bad, I could’ve moved my drone up to spot them, but it would’ve been a sitting duck up there.” James said, stretching a little.

Cassia goes through her bag and sees she still have plenty of grenades left”Great I have one smoke left three plasmas and a anti personnel left, hum will this be enough? I have rashine this stuff, thin again I could take grenades of the corpses that could be useful.”

“Do you really need more grenades? One hit in the wrong spot and and you’ll go off like a fucking supernova.” Fancypants laughed.

Cassia looked at james “I’m sorry would you prefer your little bot going into the middle of the battle and get shot at. Cassia says with a cold expression

“Enough, we have a job to do and we are standing out in the open here.” Viviana snapped in an authoritative tone. “Reload and pull up your big boy pants, because we are moving to the first ship. After what we just fought, expect these guys to be dug in.”

“Good I hope they are, makes things morrrre interesting and a lot more fun. But then again that’s just me.” Cassia says with a wicked smile on her face

James moved to take cover behind the Shiv, a ways away from Cassia, “Yep it will just be you, who explodes later, while I, will be safely out of the splash zone, all the way over here.”

Cassia rolls her eyes amateurs remember cassia you can’t threaten them.

With the bickering subsiding, Viviana moved the line forward, now approaching the ship, the Lt. Commander observing the entrance carefully. The door seemed to be missing, though it was clear from the big piece of metal stuck in the ground somewhat a ways away that it wasn’t exactly lost. Upon closer inspection, Viviana zoomed in with the scope of her rifle and sighed, saying, “We got an active turret protecting the door, can someone take it out?”

The Balmadaar let out a chuckle, putting her weapon on her shoulder as she walked over to the door embedded into the ground, the turrets sensing the massive alien and proceeding to fire. The bullets struck the thick piece of metal, the alien reaching down and hefting the door up, taking small steps forward as the turret continued the onslaught to try and kill the enemy inching ever so closely.

Its endeavor came to an end abruptly as Tulen threw the door to the side and reached out, side stepping the shots as she reached out and grabbed the barrel, letting out a roar as it burned her hand. Getting tired of the game, she grabbed hold of it and just ripped it out of the ship forcefully, slamming it onto the ground and pounding on it with her fist, crumpling the barrel of the turret as well as its body like it was a cardboard box, the female Balmadaar getting so fed up that her fun ended so soon, she hefted it up and threw it away, the turret rolling to a halt in front of the XSDF troops, who looked on in a confused daze.

The alien turned and stared at the allies staring at her and scoffed. “Do not judge me, humans.”

Cassia whistles “ Very very impressive, see this is why I love working with the Balmadaar walking tanks that destroy everything in there way.” Cassia goes to the Balmadarr and pats her arm and says in her language, “very good that was great to watch.”

Tulen looked down at Cassia and growled. “Touch me again and you will become that turret over there.” The alien turned away from Cassia and went back to her line of allies.

Cassia chuckled “Again Balmadaar very tough but they lack a certain something, but there still great to work with.” Cassia goes back to the tank and awaits orders.

Viviana seemed the most stunned just chuckling and shaking her head as she ordered the tank, SHIVs and MECs to wait outside and secure the area while the team would move in. Leading the way inside.

Viviana went on point, the rather long hallway leading to a medium sized door at the end of it.

James had his drone move up to the roof, checking around corners for any sign of enemies, though it appeared no one was up there. Connor took a deep breath, not liking the feeling he was getting being crowded together like this. Deciding to be safe, rather than sorry, the infantry took out a Battle Scanner and tossed it down, everyone’s HUDs display (if they were wearing helmets) that there were four signatures behind them.

“Contacts!” Izebboudjin called out, spinning around as the Egyptian assault was at the back of the squad, raising her rifle but being too late as an Alloy Cannon blasted open the assault’s helmet, killing her instantly as a Venom Shadow operative grinned as his cloaking cut off. Behind him another decloaked, having a grenade ready in his hands and two Seekers taking aim behind him.

“Get that guy with the grenade or we are all dead!” Brown shouted, having to shoulder his rifle for a pistol instead.

Nyo- Kwang instinctively fired her stuttergun towards the arm of shadow operative, trying to hit the grenade. The first shots veered off, giving the operative time to pull the pin, but this would be his downfall as a shot to the arm forced him to drop it, taking out most of the flanking enemy squad.

The closest Venom trooper, although shocked, snarled as he ran forward, a Seeker as well firing down the corridor. Before the Shadow Operative could take another life with his shotgun, Sousa stepped forward, her eyes flashing yellow as a Shockwave blew the enemy backwards, resting to a stop by the Seeker. “Van Dam, grenade!” The Lt. Commander ordered as she fired at the Seeker to pin it.

“On it” Cassia through a plasma grenade at the trooper and the seeker the explosion destroyed the seeker but the venom trouper is severely wounded. Cassia went the injured Soldier and use her arc thrower to capture it. “Hay boss got a prisoner for you.”

Nyo-Kwang looked at her fallen comrade, wiping some tears from her eyes, “He doesn’t deserve to live… If Tambaamrant doesn’t get to, then why should this bastard?”

 

[Dahlexpert]

Part 2

Cassis moves her hand at Kwang and her eyes started to glow blue Look I get your angry, losing a comrade is always sad. You getting angry will not bring him back. But how will getting angry help a dead man this is war people die during war time, even though you try to save people it can’t be helped. All you can do is help the men and woman behind you and keep them alive. Cassia puts her hand on Kwang shoulder “Don’t worry, will give him a proper burial once we get back.”

“Don’t… give me that shit… She’s dead, and if I want to be mad then I fucking will, alright?!” She swallowed hard, “I’ll get my revenge after they’re done torturing you... You fuck…” Nyo-Kwang gripped her gun and walked away from the man.

Cassia shakes her head in disappointment “I’m surrounded by weak minded people that can’t handle death, bunch of bitches.” Cassia looked at the woman and kneels down.and put her hands together” May you find peace in the after life my comrade.” Cassia takes the woman's dog tags and holds on to them.

Viviana let out a shaky breath, all too well familiar with the scene she had witnessed, going over to Nyo-Kwang and putting a hand on her shoulder, Viviana taking off her helmet and placing her forehead on the other soldier’s, her eyes flashing once more. “Just hang in there, everything will be fine, and you will make it home to mourn in peace.” The Lt. Commander said in a comforting tone, her Psi Inspiration instantly taking effect.

“I have to… For her...” Nyo-Kwang sobbed a little, wiping it off her face. With a nod, the scout put her helmet back on and walked away from the support.

Cassia walked up to the commander looking at Kwang “You must be good at psionics, I tried to use psi inspiration but it didn't work.”

“Cause you didn’t use it correctly. You have to mean you words rather than just say them. If there is no feeling behind them, then your power will falter as well as your allies.” Looking to the door the squad was getting ready to breach, Viviana sighed, adding, “I’ve also been doing this for 23 years.”

“Well I’ve been bounty hunting since i was 18, after a while and seeing and causing a lot of death you get used to it and your emotions just get in the way.” Cassia looks at the team “What’s the point of caring when you know they're going to die.”

The Lt. Commander shook her head. “You have obviously never been in command of your own team before. You care to keep them alive, and to give them the courage and hope that they will make it home safe. If not, then you are by their side in their final moments to assure them they will be alright. Anyone under my command is like my family, and I would rather like to know they cared for me as I cared for them than expect them to follow me holding a grudge.”

Cassia remained silent for a moment then turns to the commander and shows her the fallen soldiers dog tags “Then you can be the one to talk to Kwang and give her this, something for her to remember.” Cassia looked at the squad and goes forward going ahead of them.

Sousa pocketed the dogtags and moved over to the door, not wanting to use up anymore time to give the enemy an advantage. “When I give the command, have smoke ready as the door opens, we don’t know what is on the other side.”

Hopefully it’s not some sort of orgy. James shuttered a little, readying his weapon.

Cassia looked at the door pulling out her last smoke grenade and thought to herself, Hmph, feelings. Who needs them? I got plenty of fighting to do.

With a nod, Brown pressed the panel and the door opened, Cassia activating the smoke grenade to give them cover, everyone pouring in to grab whatever cover was close by, the big common room having some but most of it was the enemies, all hiding behind overturned tables and couches, these guys looking tougher than what they have faced so far.

Three Venom troops were hiding behind a rounded couch, their weapons aimed and firing as the troops entered, though they couldn’t see with the smoke in the way. Off to the side by a weapons rack, a Medic and an Engineer were waiting, having just grabbed their stuff, on the opposite side of the room two scouts also laid down some blind fire, a sniper located in the very back in the room not wasting his shots until he found one.

Connor gritted his teeth as he stayed low, being behind a small table with Moon to his right, the infantry trying to look through the smoke without earning an unfortunate bullet to his head, sticking out his rifle and returning fire, hearing a cry out in pain, which confirmed a hit, but not a kill.

Ursu took a firing position, pinning down the foes behind the couch, and slowly but surely tearing apart their cover, forcing them to either move and risk being shredded, or try something even riskier.

The Venom engineer off to the side saw the return fire and tried to put an end to it, pulling out a grenade and arming it, tossing it over to Ursu’s location to try and flush the soldier out. Not allowing the grenade to reach its target, Viviana used another Shockwave to divert the explosive back, blowing up about halfway and hurting the engineer while shaking up the Medic, the enemy going to try and save their companion as the smoke began to clear.

Out of the corner of Viviana’s eye, she could see the sniper in the back of the room taking aim at her, using instinct rather than thinking to turn out of the way, the Gauss bullet entering her left shoulder and causing the Lt. Commander to yell out in pain briefly as Brown challenged the sniper to a duel. “You okay?” He asked as he ducked down, a round scoring in the wall above his head as he popped up and fired himself, ducking back down.

“I’m fine, just end this.” She growled.

Tulen let out a Blood Call, fazing the enemy troops for a second as she pulled out her SAW and began to lay waste to the two enemy scouts, not stopping until she was completely out of ammo, obviously overkill not being her first concern, if it was one at all.

Utilizing Tulen’s distraction, James sent his drone into the room to take aim at the enemy sniper. After closing some distance, the stuttergun on James’ drone fired, tearing into the sniper’s armor before he could even notice the small drone hovering amidst the chaos.

The sniper instinctively back up and grabbed his wounded chest, not realizing this was the moment the enemy was waiting for as he sent a bullet through his eye, the sniper falling over dead. One of the three infantry saw the act and noticed the drone, raising his gun and firing an accurate shot at it. The blast tore a chunk of the drone’s chassis, causing it to spiral into the floor in a flaming wreck. James cursed, “God Dammit! It’s going to take me a week to repair that thing!”

The infantry didn’t seem to share James’s sentiment and instead used his blurt out to get a read on his location as he fired. James ducked back into cover, blind firing from behind the wall in the direction of the energy blasts, trying to land a solid hit with putting his neck too far out there.

Cassia saw were the infantry was shooting from, and instead of shooting it Cassia throws a AP grenade, sending shards into the infantry body killing him. “Sigh that was…...rather boring. Cassia looked around and sees two severely injured soldiers, instead of having them bleed out Cassia pulled out her pistol and finished them off. Cassia looks around the room looking for the medic “Sigh come out i’m not in the mood to hunt you down, if you come quietly you’ll live. But if I have you find you, I will force a plasma grenade down your throat. And if you think i’m joking ask the other criminals that I did that to let them tell you i’m joking.”

The medic narrowed his eyes, dropping his medkit and reaching down to grab his sidearm, firing at Cassia to try and kill her.

“You stupid fucker.” Cassia switch to her plasma rifle and fires a few shots into the medic injuring him. but instead of killing him Cassia goes to the medic and disarms him. “I warned you didn't I Cassia pulls out a grenade I said I had to hunt you down you will be eating a grenade. Cassia looks behind her “Sigh you're lucky, if this was any other situation you gut’s will be covering this room Cassia uses her arc thrower to capture the medic. Cassia kicked the medic toward the commander. “Another prisoner for you do what you want with him.”

Viviana shook her head. “You need to be more careful Van Dam. We do have regulations we have to follow for prisoners.” Even though the well being of a prisoner wasn’t her top priority, she had to make the fact known. “Moon… heal my shoulder and then take care of the prisoner.” The medic nodded as she got to work, Viviana getting an alert on her HUD, the contact being Bager. “What is it?” She asked as the bullet hole began to heal with help from the green psion.

“We were engaged by 8 enemy units, ma’am. Apparently they were trying to either go to another ship or flank around to get you. SHIVs took some hits, as well as the Cyberdisc, but the M.E.S.H.A is still functional. We lost another repair drone but for now, the rest are trying their best at repairs.” The MEC informed her.