RP [ Die Screaming] Civil War.

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

RP Date

Ye 45

RP Location

Stenkagorad

Two Days Past Invasion - Stenkagorad Starport, Marine Barracks.

After the initial invasion of the Myrm; Alien insectoids was mostly repelled the marine barracks went from a mostly empty fixture to nearly fully operational as a half hundred marines and slowly increasing as more and more of the some two hundred marines MEC-H capsules were slowly mass-revived at the NYRDs facility in the settlement before the invasion. Cloning had halted when the invasion commenced but those already mid-procedure were only now being recucitated and ferried still weak and confused to the starport where a military presence was being established.

While the invasion had been seemingly repelled at large from the starport sporatic fighting still occured on the streets and organized groups of Myrm propogated from every shadowy nook and cranny giving both sides of the planetary forces their monies worth.

The NPF, the militarized police force of Nepleslia had been little help. Their precincts on lockdown and their planetary commisioner fled to parts unknown with their two Cobra Gunships and a sizeable chunk of the settlements DRT teams made those few precincts disobeying orders fighting unsuported in most cases against the usual gangs but now also invaders which estimates were counting into the tens of thousands from all the bio-pods slowly rotting in the streets.

The starport itself was shut down by order of one Captain Dirk Maximus of the Nepleslian Star navy and most of its airspace claimed by military order as the NSS Anemone was slowly recommisioned through the slow process of bringing the vessel back to life. Dozens of NSN personnel swarmed in and out of the ship at any one time while marines made routine patrols around the entire starport.

Those marines stationed orginally to the starport were in a strange sort of limbo as their duties were overtaken by fresh marines and they were largely confined to the barracks itself as most of them healed and others simply held the fort while the newcommers took up the other cabins and used their facilities. For no other reason than these new marines were destined back to the stars as soon as the ship was ready to launch and they would once again be left behind on the back end of nowhere.

None of them had so much as seen the new captain either other than one of the Corona Gunships he often requisitioned to fly from his ship to the NYRDs facility or elwhere in the colony. They had seen one of his ensigns out and about but otherwise they were all too unimportant to warrent an officers time of day being simple garrison marines.

The NSN snipes had at least given them some piece of mind by sheathing the barracks plasma gun and there were a couple around it at any one time for the state of affairs.

So on the dawn of the second day after the invasion word had it from some of the new marines that despite the invasion the ship would be ready to launch by midday and being fully stocked and manned would be off of their flight deck and reporting the invasion as soon as they hit the outsystem in a matter of days.

NSS Anemone Infirmary.

Tobias stirred from that dark, dreamless place heavy sedation brought about as his senses came back to him. He had woken breifly several times but never been able to stay concious long enough to force his eyes open but this time there was enough strength to to focuss on his surroundins as he tried.

There was the smell of sterile antiseptic and some kind of solvent. The sound and buzz of equipment and a heart monitor, the feeling of being swaddled in heavy blankets.

The feeling of someone touching his crotch...

Eyes slowly winking open and fighting through the blurry sensation the bright light on white paint of an infirmary nearly blinded him. Blinking away tears as his eyes adjusted his depth perception was clearly off and one side of his face was clearly wrapped by the darkness he saw and the feeling of bandages against his eyelids as his head was propped up enough to make out something even if to his mind it made no sense.

Francis Euphoria, Topless, her hand working up and...

Topless was not accurate. From her ribs to around one shoulder was bandage wrapped in guase wrapping and angry yellow-black bruises wrapped around her lower back and up under the bandages.

What she was doing was also misleading as she trailed her hand, slowly, carefully up the length of...

The barrel of a shotgun that was dissasembled ontop of Tobias as if he were a table as francis moved the the gun oil around the breach of the weapon which was wedged uncomfortably into the crux of his groin.

Having not noticed his eyes open yet Tobias was able to whitness a rare moment Francis never showed anyone as she gently hummed a tune with her guard down, the usually taut and serious expression of permenate paranoia and distrust was gone as she performed her maintanence on a weapon that no medical professional would ever allow in a sterile infirmary.

Seeing it now it was easy to forgett until that point that despite being somwhere in her sixties on the calendars time Francis was still a young woman in her early twenties and without her usual greatcoat and armor looked as frail as Quilly and without the sharp edges of Carina.

Humming a six note tune Francis finished assembling the Westech shotgun and gave the breach a few experimental cocks back and forth with clear satisfaction as she turned the weapon over several times appraising it for any further imperfections still not having noticed him even as the heart rate monitor betrayed him somwhat with an elevated rythm.

 

[Undead Stars]

Avery was not much a fan of sitting idle, so she made an effort to find places to go, things to do, and stuff to shoot at. Being lazy for longer than a few moments at the most, in her mind at least, made her feel like a slacker, and slacking was a bit too harsh a word to have assigned to herself by her own brain, or others. She'd spent a brief bit of time in the infirmary because of her encounter with one of the things, ending in her having blown its head open, though before then it had gotten a good smack in.

She was now back from patrol to warm up, and now for the moment, she was giving her gun some much-needed love.
The weapon lay on a table, disassembled for a deep cleaning, Avery's hands working over the weapon with her cleaning kit at a slow but thorough pace, applying 'slow is smooth, smooth is fast'.

She considered if she would be able to cop a rifle from the armory.
It'd be a good tertiary weapon at the least, but the weight of her SPAID would probably make it prohibitive, or at least she figured.
But she hadn't actually decided yet, and her mind was easily distracted, so she found herself constantly turning her head to look at people walking by or other sources of noise while her hands worked on autopilot, cleaning the barrel of her rifle.

Focused back in on the gun in a lull in the noise, she was almost done.
Just needed to put the weapon back together.

 

[Cowboy]

Be it ever so humble there is no place like... This place is too damn cold to be called home!

Caffran dropped his rifle and pulled his sawed off shotgun from his back as the big bug flew at him. The damn things just wouldn't go down. The shot gun fired, blasting out fire as the plasma charged shells tore the bug apart. Another one was right behind it so Caff let it have the other barrel. He moved forward, shotgun held at the ready. There didn't seem to be any more bugs. He shined a light into the whole they had flown out of. Another nest.

Taking an incendiary device that Quilly had made up just for destroying these nests he primed it then tossed it inside. He quickly got out of the area, Quilly was notorious for making short fuses. The explosion was very satisfying. He returned to the squad he had gone out with that morning on patrol. He was glad to finally have a cut and dry mission. Sitting around all day watching a hole in the wall base or doing some cloak and dagger bull wasn't his idea of what a soldier should be doing. Well maybe the cloak part. He did love stealthing.

Having finished their route, Caffran headed back to base. He'd report in then stop and check on Tobias.

 

[Arbitrated]

Despite the beating she'd taken from the initial invasion - and the frightening number of bear-friendly-fire incidents that should have ripped holes in her tiny body - Quilly had managed to recover quickly, being fully active in less than a whole day. The same traits that prevented Elysians from getting brain spiders and chromey body boosts had a benefit of their own, it seemed.

Not wanting to waste time without a person to blame, the Elysian was often chatting up the other marines she was less familiar with, swapping stories and jokes and assignments alike. There was a rumor one dumbass was even planning to propose to her, only for the ring to go missing an hour before he tried. Quilly, of course, turned down the offer.

When she wasn't trying to be the little birdy on everyone's shoulder, though, Ash was triple-checking the armory and supply tube, and especially her gear. She wasn't in the mood for another lethal embarrassment, and apparently some part of that had spilled out to keeping an eye on everything else stocked up in the base.

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

NSS Anemone - Infirmary

Tobias was spared an awkward face to face with Francis noticing his peeping with the soft sound and hiss of an opening door and the disappointed sigh of the marine medic who entered the infirmary and glared down at the woman looking only a bit chagrinned at being caught with her weapon in the medbay. Either by sixth sense or more likely some kind of remote interfacing with the status monitor the nametag on her fatigues reading Pepper attended to Tobias as Francis begged off slightly to sit on a nearby bed, suddenly very conscious of the amount of skin she was showing off and began undressing even further while Tobias was being resuscitated into a greater state of consciousness and began dressing into normal fatigues.

It took the better part of an hour to get Tobias upright into a sitting position and able to stay that way but with a few boosters and a couple of stimulants, he was able to stand up without help and assured that once his body fought off the lethargy he would fall back into a more normal state without the need of stimulants.

"Your medic can fill this with the NYRDs since you dont have the right fabricator mods." The marine medic gave the prescription medicine routine for Tobias to Francis who slipped it without a glance into the inner pocket of her iconic greatcoat but had been rather quiet the entire physical therapy session.

"Steroids and basic stimulants to help your body recover and not collapse on itself, Anti-inflammatories, fluid pills for the lung that collapsed, an update to your nanite package to help your fractured rib stay healed, and circadian swings to help regulate the chance of heart irregularities form the stimulant cocktail. You'll have some trouble sleeping and feel like you have excess energy but that's just the effect of your dopamine receptors stimulating. You should be shifted onto light duty for the next couple of weeks and try to avoid being outside in the cold without propper insulation or else you might have a stroke from the pressure and tempeture change and your-"

She carried on, unfolding a pair of crutches and forcing tobias to take them despite the fact she had him walking around the room the past several minutes without issue

"I've met some marines with reinforced bone structures before." She concluded, giving the two of them a final once over. "The plating around your skull kept the concussion from turning your brain to mush but it was still a dumb as fuck move to try to close-quarters that thing. From what i've heard from the after-action led to my recommendation of a Psyche eval and some therapy; All of which you can get with the local NYRDs and have scheduled your first appointment in a few days when you can travel better."

With that, she shooed them out of the medbay and gave Francis the order to take him to the wardroom.

"So..." Francis began awkwardly, a long pause as she cradled her shotgun and side-eyed him with an unreadable expression.

"Seraphim?" She stretched the word out as a question, already sounding dubious. There was a hint of reproach in her tone but before Tobias could answer she followed up with "It's kind of cringe. Knowing Quills I don't think she even speaks seraphim and even if she did it sounded like she wasn't very impressed. Maybe try getting an actual date and gettin-married someday before you start appropriatin her culture like that and embarassin her infront of a bunch of her peers.

Or, you know, try datin men who are more impressed by stupid shit like throwing your life away to impress them?"

The last part was said with only half sarcasm.

"Anyhow I'm fine, thanks for askin by-the-by. You only got picked up and caught some bad wind. I got my hymen punched in by a small shuttle and only broke a bakers-dozen bones including one of ma' ribs puncturing into my kidney an' I only got half as much light duty as you. But the first thing everyone asks is how you're doin."

She followed up once again, this time by accusing him of being a "Cock".

"Anyways all these guys are takin their nice new ship and fucking off and leaving us here so after some meetin its back to the barracks and back to normal except they ate most all our food and light duty or not we're gonna have to clean up all the mess they leave behind. Others should be there soon, jus' don't flip out when we get there cause one of the snipes told me who'll be there and aint nobody going to believe you arent crazy if you flip out."

NSS Anemone - Wardoom

Despite the hustle and bustle the wardroom was mostly empty except some familiar faces as despite what they were all up to the local marines; Carina, Molotra, Quilly, Lupin, Masato, and Haisley were all co-opted regardless of what they were doing, and some like Caffran were still in armor though all were armed due to the readiness state they were all in.

Avery and two other of the ships marines were also present. Avery and another called Holyman were just security while the third was a corporal called Havoc who seemed to be a part of the meeting but was standoffish against the locals with her gaze sliding between Quilly and Masato being clear the reasoning why.

With Francis and Tobias arrived, however, a tension unnoticed before seemed to lift as the two were able to gratefully take up some couch space though Francis abandoned his side to take up with the other women like usual. There was a some catching up about the past couple days right up until the moment every enlisted marines sixth sense went off and with the exception of Tobias and Francis who were slower to rise most of them were already standing and at attention the moment Holyman shouted.

"Captain on deck!" And everyone snapped to attention.

The first one to be noticed was the SOL. At nine foot tall and likely close to six hundred pounds his sheer presence dominated the room while despite his size looked somwhat youthful and implied that being likely ten or so years old was one of the big ones who would someday join Flint Vanderhuge in the double-digit size in height sooner rather than later with the SOLs penchant for growing bigger as they aged.

As he appraised the room there was the sound of a throat clearing as eyes looked down. and down. and down.

Until the three-foot tall dwarf in NSN overalls and wearing a captains rank on his collar and cap looked up at them with a single quirked brow.

"At ease!" The massive SOL rumbled. Not raising his voice but was loud all the same. The shorter officer took a single step forwards to stand infront of his massive subbordinate, the Ensigns rank on the SOL now easier to distinguish when not looking him up and down.

At three foot tall he was propperly proportioned with arms and legs right for his size, though his chest seemed more barrel-shaped and his head was just slightly noticeable being a bit too large in comparison with a judding forhead and square face if he were as tall as any of the rest of them he would be stocky and build like a brick house as apparent by the comical but still muscular arms that strained against his rolled sleaves.

"Sit, all of you." He ordered, a hawkish edge to his voice that was not at all unpleasent.

"My name is Captain Maximus Rogan; Yes, like the tank. No, I was born first they stole it off me." He grinned a diffusing flash of porcelain white teeth with a single gold cap over one of the canines.

"No nicknames, no titles. But if ever you make one it should be based around the obvious; My chin."

"That out of the way my associate here is Ensign Thragg Heavyweight. He is one of three of my subbordinate officers and this ship of mine you entered without wiping your feet is the NSS Anemone.


Why you are here is simple. In just under three hours I will be taking my ship from a cold start and taking to the ink. When I do it will head in all speed rimward until we can get a message out from all this interfearence and get the navy in to hunt down the bug ship we all know is out there. Those pods launched from somwhere and while the locals should have given it or them their moneys worth with their numbers they got ate up and couldnt find it in the end.

It doesnt show on sensors like ours do and none of the normal tricks are working to find it. But even so I will be risking this ship and its men to get out of the system, corporal?"

The captain passed off to his NCO who stepped forwards with a curt "sir!"

"If you havent heard the scut you locals arent coming with. It is important to keep a presence planetside for various reasons but the big one is this, Marcus?"

Calling its name the ACE AI manifested from one of the hologram projectors. Volumetric light making the form of a young boy roughly the captains size but clearly a pre-teen in an NSN uniform but instead of slacks wearing a pair of school-uniform cut shorts of the same color with knee-high socks and dress shoes like a child playing dressup as a sailor.

Without emotion the AI blinked and the table in the center of the wardroom came to life as the rest of the room darkened. It showed a dome representing the upper half of Stenkagorad and several noteable holographic icons for things like the starbase, Rook platoforms, the Hard Charles in orbit, and some ship wreckage and debris.

Zooming out further but not by much a dotted line trail formed until a large beaked ship took form. The words hovering over it read Feast of the Stars .

"At 0230 two days ago the Feast, a civilian chartered vessel re-entered system and went unnoticed right up until the starbase picked up its odd route and lack of communication. We all know, or can presume that when the local ships went to investigate they ran afoul of our uninvited guests."

The holo showed the two small fleets closing in, a couple of their numbers icons winking out destroyed before they broke off their approach.

"We don't know much about these bugs but they have clear signs of inteligence. If the Feast is bait, a lure, or just running away is unclear but what is clear is that in all likelyhood it was boarded and was either boarded or damaged and lost control of its navigation. While not originally pointed right at Stenka it is now caught in its gravity well and will be impacting planetside within the next five hours.

It wont hit the settlement but it will be close enough that when it breaks apart in orbit some debris may land here. What we are most concerned about is its reactor rupturing and causing an antimatter detonation in low orbit. The NAM techs we have estimate a ship that size and old will be running with low-yield due to its condition and likely arent modern but will still have a hypothetical yield of 35-megatons.

Not the best, not the worst. But it will do damage, and the EM-pulse could cripple the settlement and-"

"And a settlement this size without support, no infastructure, crippled from a blast that size and the EM spike will kill tens if not hundreds of thousands in the weeks it takes to get a response fleet here from the conditions alone.

I normally have no authority over marines not my own but I can't risk our window of escape so am using my status as the highest ranking SMDIoN officer in the system and the power that gives me to make an exception to that rule.

Sergeant, Lieutenant you will take your marines and the NAM techs I don't need, and what few marines I can spare and make for the center of governance here in Stenkagorad."

The Hologram shifted to show the city and one of the larger buildings off to one end of the settlement near the Kuzynetski held fortress and the megaforge on the nearby mountain range.
"A settlement this size has a shield that can protect it from the EM-Spike but due to local politics is in control of the local governor who was on his flagship in orbit when the invasion occurred. He's somwhere in the outer system licking his wounds with the rest of his ships and as you noticed the cities shield never had the authorization, codes, or expertise available to get switched on so we got bugs in our eyes instead of splatting on our windshield.

You will move to the central building and its lower levels with the command bunker is situated and get my techs inside who, while not having the authorization have assured me they can manually flip the shield on in what they call the old fashioned way. Our attempted to connect with the deputy govenor have failed and she is refusing our requests of cooperation without her superior present and we can't risk interfearence now when we've got hours before this city starts lookin like Funky City when the squids showed up.

You are to use whatever means you deem necessary to take that bunker and get that shield online. I'll give you Havoc over there, Avery and Holyman at the door, and two more marines I can spare. The Anemone has a fully stocked armory but I can't lend you powered armor incase that ship tries to board us. Tell the ships ACE, Marcus anything else you need and gear up within the hour; I know your men are still sore and two of them just got out of the medbay but time is of the essence, you leave in less than an hour, Sergeant."

The captain made to turn, clearly dismissing them before stopping and turning back to them one final time.

"Oh, and i've made an arrangement with the local mercenary commander to get you a ride into the settlement and some additional manpower. He is dispatching a convoy into the settlment as we speak from Fort Get-Out and two shuttles to the starport as we speak to give you a lift and provide additional manpower to your operation. Good luck, Marines."

With a door slding closed behind him, The captain and his second were gone as the weight of what they had to do lowered onto their shoulders.

"I know you just got off patrol but you heard the skipper, Jensen." Havoc gave Avery a devilish grin to her and Holyman before sending out the latter to grab to others from their squad leaving just the two of them and the local marines.

"Well, Sarge. Better start planning; Skies' burning soon~" She grinned.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

Wardroom

Molotra shrugged within the ridiculously built up confines of their personal vehicle/suit, now a tractor-trailer double pyramid of tank treads built from literal forklift parts and more than a few vehicle armour plates. Ever since the the hornet's nest got kicked, they'd been working closer and closer with Caffran on patrols, often wielding a bulldozer attachment and loudspeakers to rumble bugs out of hiding. Sometimes Lupin popped one before they even knew what was up. But half the time, the enemy just relocated. Presumably into a better ambush...

They were down on manpower. And it wasn't like their hacking skills were much use against an enemy like this, so it was only natural. Early makeshift tactics, grasping at straws against an enemy that was literally nothing like anything they'd fought before.

"How much damage is authorized, sir?" She asked, dourly. It was directed at the Sergeant, but in a way the unfamiliar officer could clearly overhear. They'd been requesting plasma incendiary grenades for use in built up areas all week. "And how well armed and fortified is the human opposition likely to be? Do they know the NSMC would be this aggressive? What about their anti-air ability?"

Wished Tobias would just wake up from his damn beauty sleep already. He was the one with all the underhanded strategies. All she had was the occasional creative brute force, and their luck wasn't going to last forever.

"I am really sick of playing fair. At the very least some trucks and technicals would be nice." The tracks clunked. Despite the overall expression not changing, their icy blue eyes looked like they were already imagining it. "Then gimme a PA vibrosaw, and I'll just cut through the damn floor!"

 

[Undead Stars]

Avery had assembled her weapon and gotten herself squared away again for her stint as security, but she was honestly barely awake for half of the briefing. Once mention was made of her and her squad however she would be rather attentive, if only until the end when she had learned of her task.

Awake in a physical sense but running on low energy from a fairly long patrol, she would simply attempt to endure.

With a sigh, she'd nod her head and give her equipment a brief check-over.
"Yes I did Corporal. Yes, I did.." She muttered to herself, lamenting her misfortunate if only for a moment before she would pull herself up by her proverbial bootstraps and let her gun hold to her side by her strap. "We should go raid their armory while we have some time. I think we're definitely gonna need some extra ammo for this excursion, given how much of a mess it is out there."

 

[Alex Hart]

Tobias took in the situation after he had made his way to the briefing room. It seemed like one big problem after another on this blasted arctic rock, but with the job they'd been assigned at least no one could accuse him of slacking off on light duty. That issue, of course, had been exchanged for the problem of needing to break into the planetary governor's secure bunker, at the heart of the city.

Turning those shields back on would be the easy part. Even aside from himself, Tobias knew that the squad had several others with the hacking expertise to try and override or spoof the command codes and get the shields back online. The hard part would be getting access to the hardware so that they could perform the bypass. It meant going through the city's Central Admin building and breaking into its lower levels, which were sure to be guarded by those loyal or stupid enough to not be swayed by the fact that they'd all die if the marines weren't let through.

To top it all off, he was nursing a nasty headache, a ghost in his head who was probably very angry that his plan to get Tobias killed hadn't worked, and his eye hurt like a bitch. Whatever patch job they'd done after the battle with those bugs, it felt like there was almost a pressure behind it. Tobias wouldn't be surprised if he had some kind of concussion, but that had to be put aside for the time being. With one good eye, he'd be less useful as a shooter, so he'd have to leave that to the others.

"Let's take stock of the situation." He said to the group, "We've got to break into Central Admin and get down to the lower floors; that means either clearing stairs on our way down or trying to blow an alternate path open. I don't think anyone minds a bit of collateral so long as the rest of the city is alive to complain about it, but what method are we best suited to taking? That's the question."

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Nss Anemone - Wardroom

"Its the center of governence for the entire settlement and by extension someday the rest of the planet; 150-stories tall, an optimal staff of fifteen thousand but not nearly that much with just the one settlement so far. It normally would be protected by the NPF and has the facilities to house and maintain the entire planetary commisioners staff and at least a thousand field grade officers but all the essentials got evac'd out with the PC.

That still leaves several hundred field grade officers. If the precinct commissioner is still in house trying to keep order their JANE will be able to lock down the whole building at a moments notice and coordinate them and it will be a slaughter. But if hes not the most we will need to deal with is a single under-strength merc company that got pulled from the kuz-fort to the west and have been playing honor guard for the Deputy Governor.

They're an assault company that mainly uses PA but intel has it from your new merc friends for this OP that they're without armor and are acting as an understrength light-infantry force of perhaps fifty or sixty. They're called the Black Snakes of Kharnekan, A Kuznyetski-mercenary outfit.

Don't let their numbers fool you, though. Rumor has it they're a Black Company sponsored by at least one moon lord and will be our equal in training and a notch above us in experience. We'll be relying on the mercs with us to soften that blow and bog them down while we push for the bunker, Marcus?"

The still present ACE AI nodded and the holo-screen zoomed in to the massive brutalist building before rapidly descending a floor plan to the first floor.

"The heaviest of the building's defenses are situated on this path." The AI monotoned as a simple line trailed up the almost three hundred steps leading up to the building and a clear killbox at its top as both automated and reinforced weapons emplacements build into the architecture were highlighted.

"Taking the front door is a death sentence." Havoc agreed before waving her hand and an alternative route took shape as the building turned 45-degrees around to show a ramp leading down into the backside of the building several levels bellow the first floor but at ground level.

"The NPF has a garage here where they keep their outriders and APCs. It also houses the DTR barracks that normally would billet a half hundred or more of the settlement's top shooters and tac-teams. It should be deserted and locked down right about now with their DTR gone with the PC but out NAM snipes say they can get us inside and we can disable the Precincts JANE from there. Once it's down we take-"

The hologram changed to show the garage level and zoom through the sizeable NPF bunker to show a maintenance corridor that intersected with a clearly intentional entry into a large subterranean system underneath.

"We move breifly into the thermal-chute service network. The NPF has access to the chutes to use them in case of an assault on the capitol building and a couple of them connect to nearby sewer outlets. There is an emergency hatch that without the JANE to keep it sealed our NAM snipes can splice our way into the elevator chute that leads right down into the emergency bunker that has the shield controls.

It isnt NAM or SMDIoN standard so getting in shouldn't be a problem; Its a civilian control center at the absolute minimum depth to protect from starship bombardment. We do all that and get in while the mercs backing us in their convoy move to intercept any response from the much closer Kuz fort to the west.

We leave within the hour if the mercs shuttles are on time. It will take half that long if we take a circuitous route that won't tip off the locals and just as long to idle and wait for the mercs to deploy and get all eyes of them. The Feast will be three hours out by then and the NAM techs say the shield won't be quick so the optimal mission clock is just over one hour to get to the bunker and another for the NAM team to get the shield up.

Anything later than that and the mission gets scrubbed and we go to ground and find the most secure position we can and hope the skipper can get help to us in the weeks that follow before we freeze to death unless the locals get us first."

It was a suicide mission in every sense from the lack of resources, their lack of manpower and what little they had understrength, and the sheer odds and time against them.

"Hit the armory now. Leave the suits but grab everything you think we might need and everything you think we wont as well. The OP requires speed but we need to move heavy. Extra survival kit each with extra rations the QM should have set aside incase we end up stranded. Full Golem armor and grab whatever meds and stims your SAWbones thinks can keep us on our feet and fighting without blowing our hearts out of our chests.

More than anything though double and then triple up on ammo because if we don't have to fight the whole city just to get in there we'll have to just to survive if we fail. Heard? Now move, marines!"

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Wardroom

The breifing had only just ended as the marine, Holyman, returned with two others. One, a half SOL already shrugging on golem armor and a Jackhammer HMG hanging by its sling, the other a much smaller woman still in her fatigues with long untied blonde hair and the look of only being half-caught up on the going on.

"Ulyssus, Ria" The corporal, Havoc nodded at them in order.

"We got a suicide mission, Heres the team:

Sniper.
Crazy guy.
Bird.
Cat.
Crazy Girl.
Sargent cute-butt.
Cat but guy and I think hes an officer I dont speak cat ranks.
Tank.
Doc."

Pointing one by one in order to lupin, tobias, quilly, haisley, francis, caffran, masato, molotra, and then carina. before cutting off any reporach or follow up as she took for the wardroom door.

"Know you just got here but arm up already time is literally wasting!"

 

[FrostJaeger]

Svodog
Stenkagorad Starport
NSS Anemone

For an experienced engineer such as Matokai Masato, the wardroom of a Jackdaw-class corvette (and the shuttle ride down to said corvette, for that matter) was an utterly fascinating study in the differences between Yamataian elegance and Nepleslian utility; unfortunately, it also afforded the aforementioned Minkan - clad in that same environmental suit and equipped with that same Nekovalkyrja Service Pistol - ample time to reflect (and ruminate) on the recent events that had occurred in his life.

First up, of course, was the… thing (Masato genuinely didn’t know what to call it - an extended pep talk, getting to know a squadmate, a social outing, or perhaps even a date?) he’d done with one Haisely Goenkof; although the Shoi had felt insanely awkward during the entire thing, in his opinion it’d been actually starting to become something approaching enjoyable… until it’d been abruptly cut short by the next item on Masato’s mental agenda: the hearing.

Specifically, the hearing - though “kangaroo court” was more accurate in the Minkan’s mind - he’d had with several highly-placed members of the Star Army Research Administration regarding what he believed to be a fatal flaw in the design of the aether generators found onboard each and every warship fielded by the Star Army of Yamatai.

Masato had known the hearing was coming, of course - he was the one who’d spent month after month flooding the Star Army’s bureaucratic channels with requests - just as he’d known it likely wasn’t going to end in his favor; he was, after all, merely one man against the bureaucrats and administrators of the Kikyo Sector’s largest military force. What he hadn’t known - no, what he’d underestimated was just how strong the SARA’s (perceived, admittedly; he, as the Star Army Personnel Command representatives in attendance had pointed out numerous times, was hardly an unbiased observer) institutional pride, ego, and inertia were. They’d not only brushed aside his thoroughly-researched concerns like sand on the windswept beaches of Black Sands - they’d called him paranoid, alarmist, and emotionally compromised, someone whose “post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt” was causing him to be “irrationally obsessed over a pair of statistical anomalies.”

And that hadn’t been the end of it, either - oh, no, they’d had the nerve to threaten him with discharge should he pursue the matter further, and charges of treason should he take matters public.

Perhaps they were right - perhaps he was being “irrationally obsessed,” given how many things had to go wrong before the generator’s zesuaium cladding failed like it had onboard the Orem and the Requiem. Perhaps he was “emotionally compromised,” given how spectacularly he’d lost his temper at the hearing’s conclusion. Perhaps he was “paranoid” and “alarmist,” given how no other starship in the Army had reported a loss of aether generator containment. Perhaps it was “post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt” that led him to believe a problem existed in the first place. Perhaps… he was wrong, and what had happened really was just a “pair of statistical anomalies.”

But, thought the brooding Shoi as he approached the wardroom door, even if they’re right it still won’t bring my friends, no, my family back to life, or make the pain go away. And besides… - a pause, as the wardroom’s door cycled open - there’s a new mission, and a new crew to protect. So you better not fuck it up this time, Masato-kun. Or else…

 

[SirSkully]

Svodog
Stenkagorad Starport
NSS Anemone

Lupin had been idly flipping a spent .45 casing between his knuckles as he overheard the briefing with the others, his reject rocker-boy messy hair and amber aviator-style sunglasses clashing with the sleek, black undersuit that left nothing to the imagination and had become somewhat synonymous with the far-too-attractive sniper.

"One thing, Captain, I'll be brief," Lupin's husky voice interjected, flicking the casing skyward and catching it as he rose from one of the benches, adjusting those electronically-tinted glasses that helped mitigate some of the strain all those nearby screens were putting on his sensitive eyes.

"Borok Kuznyetski, Commanding Officer of the Black Snakes, we have some brief shared history with him and his men." the lesser-recognized prince began explaining, tone flat and professional as his arms neatly folded behind his undersuit-clad hips.

"I'm not saying we blow the mission on a whim, but he showed dislike for the Acting Govenor last time we bumped shoulders. Kuz are loyal to their own, we can maybe get him and subsequently his men to stand down long enough to let us get the city's shield back up and running - I can't speak for what's happened to him since then but they might be able to help us turn the tide of this whole shemozzle," Lupin finished with a polite little nod, shooting Molotra a quick message to swing past his corner of the armoury once they were done here as he retook his seat next to the armoured 'spacer.

 

[iaincarter]

Svodog
Stenkagorad Starport
NSS Anemone

"We got a suicide mission." Now there was a set of words a girl just loved to hear, no matter how apt a description they were of a Nepleslian Marine's life. Ria suppressed a snort as she wondered just who she had annoyed enough to warrant being seconded to such a mission. Probably some asshole carrying a grudge at being denied extra burgers on a day she had been working the grill in the mess hall. At least the blonde hoped it was something that dumb. Life as a Marine brought enough shit regularly into her life without worrying about someone carrying an actual vendetta against her.

Her eyes followed the Corporal's finger as it pointed out her new teammates, picking out pertinent details and committing them to memory. Somehow she got the feeling that using the mentioned nicknames might not be the best way to ingratiate herself with these people. Fortunately, long years of socialising had taught her how to quickly associate a few details with a face. She figured the rest could be learned later, if they survived that long.

Private First Class Kennedy, Sniper, was a light mocha-skinned Nepleslian male who pretty much ticked ever box in the 'hunk' category. Ria tried very hard not to strip him with her eyes, but the Pike was big in all the right ways. Well, a girl could hope for all, at least. Might have to wait for a communal shower to know for sure. Somehow, Ria suspected that between the hunk and those burnt amber eyes, Kennedy got all the playmates he desired.

The so called Crazy Guy was Corporal Carrick, a Tech Specialist. Ria thought his fair skin, blue eyes and messy brown hair worked for him, but he definitely looked like he could do with some putting some more meat on his bones. Honestly, a healthy gal might just break him in half.

Given the brown wings, Ria could see why Private First Class Ash, had been called Bird. The Elysian-looking woman was a good head shorter than the blonde although she definitely carried her exotic looks well. The cook couldn't help but wonder if the wings were functional, although Ria suspected that if so, being able to hover would be a boon to the Demolitions specialist.

Well, yeah. Goenkof definitely looked like she had a little cat in her genetic background. Maybe a neko then, or mutant perhaps? Either way, Ria didn't immediately recognise the rank insignia and made a note to figure it out later. Of a similar height to the Elysian, the pink-haired Support Specialist definitely rocked the cute-catgirl look with those white-furred ears, cat eyes and metallic blue tail.

From the angle she was stood at, Ria couldn't quite make out much about the Nepleslian woman the Corporal had named Crazy Girl so made a mental note to learn about her and see just what had earned her that particular moniker.

She was intensely curious to see if Sergeant Cute-Butt did indeed have a cute butt, but that would have to wait for verification until later. Combat Specialist Sergeant Canterbury was a Nepleslian man of distinctive appearance what with his mismatched eyes, obviously broken nose and scarring. The blue dragon tattoo was a bit memorable as well.

The 'Cat but Guy' definitely looked like a Yamataian - they always looked a little too perfect to Ria. Even with that though, he was still most-definitely easy on the eyes. Plus if even half the rumours about what those Yam's could do with their bodies was true, he'd be a good person to have along.

Ria just blinked as 'Tank' was pointed out, not sure of what exactly she was looking at with all that heavy armour covering them. Could be an android of some sort, or a Freespacer perhaps or maybe even someone with a particular thirst for such a form of cybernetic modifications - there were some weird folks out there, after all. Not happy with only guesswork, the cook made a note to learn more about this 'Tank'.

Finally, Private First Class Sanroma was obviously named Doc for her Medic specialisation. She was also actually pretty close to Ria in size and shape, although darker in colouration than her own blonde-haired, blue-eyed form. Ria thought it might prove interesting to share notes with her sometime.

As the Corporal left, Ria decided she should probably introduce herself, but wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't as if they couldn't all read the information on her own fatigues, Private Rose, Cook. She knew she was a very attractive Nepleslian woman - her parents had wasted no expense in designing her to be such, after all. There had been a time Ria had come to hate her long, blonde wavy hair, cornflower blue eyes and curvy body. As she recalled, it had been right around the time during puberty when the boyfriend's of her female friends had started taking particular notice of her. Naturally, she'd come to appreciate the advantages her looks could bring, but they had definitely cost her some friendships over the intervening years. Not that those jealous bitches had proven to be worth much in the friend department.

So, how did an energetic, confident, attractive female Nepleslian Marine properly introduce herself to her new team? Ah, of course.

"S'up!" she offered a friendly smile. "Call me Ria!" She offered a wink and clapped her hands excitedly. "Now, how about we all go bond over a friendly game of stick-the-asshat-with-the-pointy-end?" There, the perfect introduction! Sure, the cook was maybe not treating the situation with the gravitas it deserved, what with the whole 'suicide mission' thing. But hey, it could only either kill her - in which case she would be dead and wouldn't care, or she'd survive it and thus wouldn't care because she was still around to enjoy life.

 

[Alex Hart]

Svodog
Stenkagorad Starport
NSS Anemone Wardroom -> Armory

"A good thought." Tobias said, gesturing to Lupin. "If we can get a line to Borok, we can try and convince him and his men to stand down. Even if they win a firefight with us, all they'll be winning is tickets to the most deadly fireworks on the planet. That aside, after the crash landing that we had together, I doubt they're going to be keen to lose more of their men in our Thunder Run towards the garage."

He began to make his way towards the armory with the others, in order to select his equipment, speaking more as he went. "Regardless of whether or not we can get Borok's men to stand aside, we'll need to make sure we've got the equipment to break our way through into those service chutes so that we can get down to the bunker. I'd expect a good deal of close quarters fighting, and we'll need to make sure that we've got plenty of breaching charges. Quilly, make sure you've got those."

The ex-operative began to suit up in Golem armor, selecting his customary weaponry and backup ammunition as well as a tech-pack and several racks of drones to store inside for deployment.

 

[Primitive Polygon]

NSS Anemone Wardroom -> Armory

The rotund tank-thing took off their helmet when Lupin started talking, exposing a bristle of brown hair and the upper half of an organic face above a metallic grill- But became distracted when Ria started talking, quite obviously already thinking about how they'd stop this greenhorn from getting themselves killed.

"It's Molotra. Please don't tell me you actually specialise in melee." A dour look. It wasn't personal, they always looked like that. This woman was way too attractive and had that highly suspicious 'sweet shop smell', making the ginger cyborg instantly assume they were Yamatain. "Just gimme your extra ammo before the big show starts? I'll hang onto it for you."

"Sergeant Caffran, Lupin, Tobias, wait up..." They trundled forward urgently after this, not quite matching the stressed jog that the others were managing on the way to the armoury. It wasn't a great place to put their breaks to the test. Ended up simply arriving at the gun room as everyone was already digging into their preferred guns.

"-Guys, this is probably going to be killbox after killbox. These guys know what they are doing. Can't believe I'm volunteering for this, but..." Kept rolling, straight past, looking for something specific... "It's probably best I play bulldozer on this and carry the biggest slab of metal I can find- It will give you guys moving cover and a way to knock down doors, yeah? I mean, I'm hoping they are only going to throw machinegun fire at us, but... Does that sound like a plan? I'm really going to need you to cover my ass against the big lasers and explosive traps if we do it..."

What they found was even bigger than the technical specifications suggested. The NAM power armour tower shield.

The forklift reached forward and strained with their metallic arm, finding it surprisingly not much beyond 40kg in weight, but awkwardly shaped to the point they had a better time holding it upside-down... Maybe could store it on their back like a turtle?... This was going to take practice...

What the hell? There was a little chaingun in the bottom?... Nepleslians... Didn't have much time, but she'd take that out and mount it to her opposite hip, with ammo feeding to the trailer... Took an M3 with a sling to hang around her neck, and eight spare mags. Only thing she could confidently load and fire one-handed... A stray little killer pistol was on the rack, too- Yeah, she'd take that....

Grenades, probably not a great idea for her personally...

"Everybody give me a spare or two for your loadout, put it in the caboose." She directed a thumbs up towards her tractor trailer.

"No weird jokes."

 

[club24]

Haisely struggled when stupid people spoke without proper numbers or data, and right at this moment she simply went with the crowd. Seeing the new face looking her over at the mention of ‘cat’ she could have sworn they looked too happy, Haisely made a mental note to go dig up her file and the non redacted version later on when she was chatting to those fancy people about getting an upgrade.

The cyber cat retracted her ears and tail with a smirk and threw up her hoodie, that’ll teach you for looking at me like that.

And then they were off to suit up, again. Haisely had retrieved her photon helmet so that was her go to armour, deciding to stick with her pistol and claws for weapons. Couldn’t attach anything bigger without sacrificing her stealth, and she didn’t have real power armour experience yet.

Maybe she’d buy herself one and mod it out a bit, could be fun.

 

[Charmaylarg Dufrain]

Armory

"I don't know what you guys saw in the big SOL but it aint what I did." Francis admonished as she looked up the length of her shotgun, a single hand on the curve of its grip, admiring it like a blade in the morning sun.

Slowly, she took a single slug out of a pocket and, gingerly, slid it into the breach with a satisfying clack.

"They- The Kuz are always friendly like that. but it don't mean they're our friends. Did all of you forget the fact that he runs a black company for a fucking moon lord? Him and his men aint got no morales you think they do. When moon lords went to war they use their black companies for them; They are the best of the best and are not only ruthless but thorough.

You guys go ahead and approach someone like that in the open all you want but don't expect me to save none'ya asses when they cut you down the moment you tell him we're here ready for war if he don't open the doors for us."

Another slug slid in the shotgun one after the other until it was full.

"If the dep-gov aint got the authority to raise the shield thats one thing. Maybe the snakes will let us in and save the day.

But if she aint. If she's sitting on it and refusing to raise it even after a literal invasion then I don't see someone like that not ordering a company of hyper-lethal Kuznyetski zealot mercs to-"

"It doesnt matter." Corporal Havoc butt in, her m43 Nova Rifle already slung against her golem armor with a bandolier of 20mm Gjallahorn shells. "You heard the skipper; We got less than sixty-minutes from the time we touch down to make the bunker. We aint got time to pussyfoot around or play politics. If the Sarge says we make contact we do, but we aint got time to wait around for the end of the world they either open the doors and let us in or we let ourselves in and save the world a few dead mercs at a time."

A somber mood fell over the armory as the last supplies were accounted for. Even for a heavy corvette the Jackdaw had a sizeable armory that was all the more bare now as several shelves and racks were visibly empty. The quartermaster himself against all protocol they seemed to be trained to delay and waste as much of a marines time as possible simply left the room, clear woe of the impending armory inventory.

Flight Deck

Ten minutes later, standing in the freezing temperatures of the flight deck it was vastly more deserted than before. Marines once patrolling had pulled back to the perimiter of the ship and were mostly loaded up with even the barracks empty. While some distance away it was impossible to miss when the Anemone woke up...

Cold Starting a starship was not an easy process in short time regardless of its condition. After having sat almost two years on a starship cradle the understaffed navy snipes had moved heaven and earth to revive the ship from its torpor. Not as simple as turning a key or kicking on a reactor the process was mysterious to ground-ape simple Marines with even the more technical Tobias not knowing the full process.

He knew the AI, while in a passive state needed to be re-activated or replaced. And all kinds of systems and protocols re-established to even allow the ship to function. But that was all.

There was nothing too distinct or notable. But they could all feel it when the ship came to life as much as they saw it.

Panels locked shifted and unset. Hazard lights came on, the ship flexed as it seemed to perceptibly lower a meter on its cradle as internal gravity was reestablished.

Most of all the thrusters barked several times as they started like an old vehicle before a loud thunderclap shot from the back of the ship and snow for a hundred meters blew away in a wide cone as the thrusters came online and to idle.

The NSS Anemone had awoken. Its weapons training about in what they new was a diagnostic but seemed all the world like a waking predator appraising its surroundings for threats.

Or prey.

Nothing else happened, however. Not yet set to launch the ship simply idled for several minutes until one of the tracking secondaries on the ship snapped into the distance at four approaching Zatch shuttles which came in high before their descent right at them. Already expecting their arrival the shuttles were not shot out of the sky as one by one they touched down several meters away in a jagged formation.

Only one of the doors opened.

From the shuttle two forms stepped out. One, a dashing rouge in green fatigues and coat against the cold with the notable padding of body armor underneath.

And the other a massive dire-beast the size of a large horse taller than the man was as Tsar Noble and his seven-foot tall Dire Borzoi strode gracefully towards them.

Through his shades it was impossible to see his eyes. But without so much concern and a rougish grin on his face the mercenary commander stopped just a few feet short of the group and showed his pearly whites to stand before Caffran despite how difficult it was to discern any of them in their Golem Armor.

"Sergeant, I hope you and your men have been enjoying your time on Stenkagorad?" He extended a gloved hand in greeting to the marine Sergeant. "Your captain told me you could use a ride into the city~"

It went without saying how snarky his tone was and how much restraint he showed to not quip about their last ride.

 

[iaincarter]

Svodog
Stenkagorad Starport
NSS Anemone

Ria didn't take the lack of reactions to her introduction personally, after all she had long ago learned that sometimes you just had to win hearts over time. Well, that and that you couldn't win over every heart you came across, no matter how hard you tried. Some people just couldn't be reasoned or connected with and that was just the way it was. You just had to take comfort in those you could form bonds with, for however long they lasted. This was especially true as a Nepleslian marine, when some days you just couldn't know whether the people you woke up with in the bunk room would still be alive to be the people you went to sleep with at the end of the day.

It was definitely shaping to be one of those yo-yo, high-low days. On the upside, the revealed-cyborg Tank, no - Molotra - had offered to carry some extra ammo for Ria, so maybe that was the first sign of the mysterious tank opening up towards her. Unfortunately she had moved off before the cook could explain that as much as she enjoyed fighting dirty, that wasn't the kind of combat she was particularly best suited for outside the sparring mat. As for the downside, Ria had picked up some less-friendly signals from Goenkof and she hadn't known nekos or mutants could retract their ears or tails like that. Maybe she was a cyborg? Well, there'd be plenty of time to find out later, assuming they survived to have a later to enjoy.

She followed the others into the armoury and began assembling her standard kit. Styrling M43 Nova as primary ranged weapon with carry sling, an underslung 20mm gjallahorn launcher and the optic dot-sight switched out for a 2x6 scope. After loading the Nova, Ria took a half-dozen spare magazines and a single overcharged magazine just in case of any heavy armour problems. The cook also grabbed a half-dozen high-explosive shells for the Gjallahorn. For a secondary ranged weapon, Ria went with the good old Styrling Silver Special .45 calibre in gunmetal black, with the heavy barrel and slide. Four spare magazines were split between the brown leather holster and the magazine pouch. For close-up work, the cook grabbed a M01C Combat Axe and a M01A Combat Knife as backup. In addition, Ria made sure to grab a bunch of Type 37 ration packs and swore to herself to make sure that next time she deployed, to have a proper seasoning kit with her. At least that way she could make the squad's food taste like something other than ass.

Nodding towards Molotra, Ria made sure to grab a few extra magazines for both her weapons. After stowing them in the caboose, the cook began donning her Golem Assault Armor. She had to snort to herself as her hands worked practically on automatic, remembering a time not terribly long before when she had been certain she'd never get it right without a sergeant shouting some complaint at her. Still, that was why they had spent hours upon hours just putting it on and taking it off until they could practically do it blindfolded, while asleep. Heck, it was practically a mantra now: Pull primary shell straps, open shell, insert head. Secure straps, connect to secondary shell. Test connection. Step into leg shells, secure heel and ankle straps, both knee straps. Thigh and waist belt secured. Hand into arm shell, connect to primary, tighten and secure wrist and elbow straps. Repeat for other arm. Helmet on and lock in place with the chinstrap.

And bam, just like that you had a Nepleslian Space Marine ready to rock and roll.

Which, of course, after such frenetic action meant it was now time to stand around, hurry up and wait. A skill every soldier had to learn to excel at eventually. Still, it wasn't every day a marine got to witness a spaceship coming to life around you. Ria looked around eagerly, having no idea what anyone was doing let alone why, but curious all the same. At any rate, the excitement eventually passed once the thrusters had all coughed their way to life. Then the shuttles had arrived, disgorging the pretty boy in green, his companion and the big beastie.

"Wonder if he likes belly rubs..." Ria muttered to herself, head tilted slightly to the side as she considered the massive dire-beast.

 

[Cowboy]

Armory

Caffran remained suited up in his M10 Raider PA. This had all the makings of a rough fight and Caffran wanted as much firepower as possible. A man who preferred stealth to an open fight Caffran knew that sometimes the open fight was unavoidable. When that happened, you did everything in your power to win. He kept his Autocannon, but a had shotgun slung over his shoulder for close range work once they got inside. The butt of his Svafnir was sticking out over his right shoulder where it could be quickly grabbed in case some really heavy firepower was needed.

As he grabbed a few extra mags he listened to Tobias and Lupin's thoughts. He 100% agreed. Caffran had a lot of respect for the Kuz. Even if they were potentially on opposite sides of this fight, they were still fighters to be respected. "I agree. They should at least be informed of why were coming and what we plan to do. I don't care if they maintain control of the shield array, as long as it gets turned on. If you can get me a direct line to Borok that would be ideal, failing that just get me an open line to the building and I'll inform them of the danger coming and what we are willing to do to turn the shield on. To hell with the politicians."

Flight Deck

Caffran was waiting outside, watching to see if the Navy boys could get the going. His team was suited up and ready, as were the other marines assigned to this operation. His camo-cloak was draped over his PA like a poncho, the corners wiping in the wind. As the shuttles approached Caffran scowled under his helmet. The situation on the planet must be grave indeed if they were turning to this son of a bitch for aid. Caffran had sworn to kill the man on the spot if he ever saw him again. His hand rested on the but of his HHG. He was torn. The piece of shit needed to die, but if Caffran killed him now, they'd have a big fight on there hands right here and it would ruin there chances of getting the shield up in time.

As Tsar Noble stepped off the shuttle, Caffran had to fight to keep from drawing his weapon. Instead, he crossed his arms in front of him. He was thankful that his helmet was on and no one could see the discus on his face although it was probably radiating off of him. He thought he was going to keep his cool until the thrice-damned bastard came right up to him and offered his hand. That was just too much for him.

Caffran shoved him back against the side of the shuttle and held him there. Like a flash of lighting, Caffran's straight silver was held against the man's throat. Caffran looked into the man's eyes. His own was hidden behind his helmet. There was no fear in the other man's eyes, Caff had to give him that. He was sure that there were at least a dozen weapons aimed at him right now. "You left me and my men to freeze in the wasteland. And you tried to get me to sign the away DioN property. I swore I'd kill you on the spot if I ever saw your ugly face again." He let that statement hang there for a heartbeat. "But we've got bigger problems then you. If we don't get that shield back up, this whole settlement and most likely the whole planet, is doomed. So today you get to live." Caffran released his grip on Tsar and moved the knife away. But as he did so, he flicked his wrist so that the blade went cut a line across the man's cheek.

 

[club24]

Armoury

Haisely watched on from under the blank canvas of her helmet as others suited up, that newbie seemed to take the hint she wasn't some sideshow to stare at which was good... though they might have been cool, eh they still had a sparkle in their eye she could probably talk to her later as though nothing had happened. While she didn't initially think more ammo would be necessary, the nepcat decided to add a few magazines and even some grenades to the turbo tank's little trailer and gave them a wordless thumbs up, Molo may not know here that well but Haisely was sure the spacer would understand she appreciated the gesture.

Deck

Haisely made her way up to the deck with the others wordlessly as always, this kind of politics was above her so until the action started or someone asked her to do the job she thought she had signed up for the cybercat simply went where she was told and decided to adopt a don't speak unless spoken to approach. Haisely thought she recognised the guy stepping out to greet them from somewhere, a memory which came back to her when Caffran spoke, a scowl forming under her faceplate and her arms slowly crossing.