RP [Operation La Prossima]Tana del Diavolo, Part 1

[Rizzo]

RP Date

46.4

RP Location

E-5-III

Black Sands Testing Range
Briefing room

After having received the order to assemble urgently the crew was escorted by military police into a small office for the briefing, all present except for Thorn. Seats were arranged around a holo-projector table, a weary Initzio Barone stood by a displayed image of the E-5 system with a projection of a certain Rikugun Chui angrily chewing out the heisho, his gaze stoic as she shouted. The MPs quickly shut the door to the office behind them and took up guard. "... for you to tell me that YOU, a heisho, are commanding MY girls without any explaination isn't happening here."

Initzio nodded sternly, "okay."

"All you have to say is 'okay'!? Who do you take me for, you amateur?! I served in the Kuvexian War," she roared furiously, "this kind of disrespect is unacceptable! I'll have your career for this insult!"

"Okay, one moment," he responded as he handled his communicator. Her face contorted in a confused rage as a pending connecting call when out to a contact labeled deputy director. The realization hit like a sack of bricks only a moment too late.

Jinja Emi's face appeared, "this had better be important, Barone. I'm busy."

"The Chui is requesting clarification regarding my role in the operation," he stated cooly, as the chui choked silently, "my rank being a point of concern."

Jinja's frustrated expression became one of anger. "I don't have time to deal with this. Haas Chui, you don't have high enough clearance. This operative has command of the mission and that's final. Get this done or don't bother coming back, same for Barone. Emi out." As the deputy director disconnected the room remained silent for a few uncomfortable moments.

"I'll.. get my century briefed.. heisho," Haas relented, defiant to the end as she disconnected. With the overtime call ended he addressed the assembled crew, his black-paneled uniform crisper than usual. A morning filled with command level conferences was hardly a place for a relaxed uniform, or Thorn for that matter. Setting down his communicator a holographic image of Thorn appeared, her presence relayed from his Mindy in the La Prossima hangar.

"Alright, crew. We're about to commence a mission the likes of which our regular task forces do NOT like. Super high risk and without the full context it looks like a suicide run. Every one of you is sworn to silence, but now even more-so. The deputy director has Assigned us a target to take out- permanently. He's extremely dangerous and we get one shot at this or he'll go to ground.. six operatives have died to get us this chance and there's still three being tortured in unspeakable ways."

An image of an advanced type, it's alien face baring a deep v-shaped scar, part of it gouging into a missing eye. His carapace bore the scars of many past battles. "This monster is called Zaxyllbrph, and rumor has it he's making a foray into the world of psionics. What we have confirmed is that he has taken a specific interest into finding a way to pry secrets from operatives by psionically lulling them into a sense of security. It's an intriguing concept, one we're not interested in seeing researched any further," Barone briefed, his stressed masked well behind his cool demeanor, "our mission is to kill this bastard, permanently. Seeing as he can ST this is going to be extremely difficult, and we'll need to be unimaginably creative but nonetheless Zaxyllbrph must die.."

Zooming in on the system the planet E-5-III, imagery of a planet enveloped in radioactive lightning storms displayed, along with data regarding it's toxic atmosphere. "Eee five three, a hell world if I've ever seen one. This little rock is where Zaxyllbrph is holed up in a fortified city. The rad-storms provided the perfect cover for the construction of a small city built around a single massive planet to orbit 'science weapon'- I'll just show you. The ship that discovered this found out it was there the hard way," a video of a bright red beam of lightning sheering the scout in half as the beam passed through with full energy retention, red electrical arcing immediately enveloping the rest of the vessel reducing it to a minor debris cloud, "yup, apparently this weapon is able to harness the rad-storm into a death beam. The last readings classified this weapon the similar in output as the Izanagi's main weapon. A planet's worth of very bizarre rad-storms we do not fully understand directed into a death ray capable of lashing out 360 by 360 around the damn globe.. so you're all probably wondering how we intend to get planetside."

The holo table displayed an image of a formation of 3 Type 31 dropships and a Ginga strategic bomber with readouts detailing fresh new xiulurium coatings. "Haas Chui of the Rikugun and her valiant infantry century will be flying us in AND helping us infiltrate the enemy fortress- which is terribly well defended. We will be inserting under the cover of a meteor shower which happens every so often on this aweful piece of real estate with the bomber releasing covert drones and dropping one big rock during entry to give the impression of a meteor strike to cover our ships slipping into the chemical nightmare that is this planet's ocean.. Really, stay out of the water, you want nothing to do with that nasty sludge. Or the air for that matter," he explained as the projector displayed the plan in real time.

"Once in the drink we'll lay low a couple days, Yamataian time. Boring maybe, but the drones will hopefully have given us critical mission data. We also have drones that will be connecting hard lines for communication before they begin reconnaissance," the holodisplay changed to show a close representation of Daisys, 6 Type-41 Main Battle Tanks, and the previously recovered TASHA all xiu painted, "as you can see, SAINT is breaking open more than a generous supply of xiu to see this guy dead- which is a whole other conversation. The crayon eaters are going to escort us to our destination and they are notoriously loud. That's what I picked them for. Really, these cats are known for brutality, just put up with their brash antics in the ship, please. Haas Chui was a Ranger. Some of you know the corps rivalry... I expect you to show them up when possible but otherwise, they are your shield. They will get us to our objective and leave.. or die. Whichever comes first, really. The rest will come later. The Rikugun have their job; save POWs, mark tarkets for bombardment- oh yeah, Resurgence is going to bomb the place while we're in it too... any questions?"

 

[HarperMadi]

Thorn raised her tiny holographic hand, her brows furrowing. "Is that why you were so willing to have me as an infomorph? I realize I'm useless in combat, and I remember doing an atmospheric and magnetic survey on this world about eight years ago. Assuming nothing's changed, our orbital support is limited to optical mapping only, so I can't offer much combat orbital support. Second issue we run into is preventing our target's ST. We'll have to corrupt it before we kill him, so likely force and interrupt his ST process. I'm pretty sure you're not willing to put me into the Mishhu soul savior network, so how are we doing this?"

 

[Rizzo]

"Being more useful as an infomorph was more happenstance. From my suit I want you to provide real-time updates on the mission, direct mission objectives, and hack the ever-loving shit out of any hostiles you can. Now killing Zaxyllbrph really is going to be the trickiest part," Barone responded before gesturing to Kenja who'd been quietly reading an ancient-looking book titled Advanced Digital Psychology, "Dr. Shinobu, explain your mad science in layman's terms."

The doctor rolled his eyes hard as he marked his book and approached the holoprojector. His own presentation began displaying lines of code indecipherable to his audience. "SAINT has provided us with an array of tools for this, but none as clever as mine so we'll start with the basics. The first is a vast collection of viruses that we can upload to him psionically. It will corrupt his next backup over the course of a year. Unfortunately both the SAOY and the NMX know to screen for these but due to their compressed format we can upload hundreds per second. The hopes would be for them to miss one of thousands, but hoping is a poor strategy. The better solution would be this virus of my own design. It requires him to voluntarily begin his backup, during which a covert asset will manually begin uploading this virus with his upload. Once in their database, it will purge all of his ST data along with the data of EVERYONE on ANY server they dare to keep him on precisely four hours after your upload. To cover it's tracks it will purge itself as it spreads and set fire to whatever hardware it visits. Extremely hard to pull offn ST Data WMD but ," the doctor concluded his bragging description with a sick grin. The man loved his work. "Lastly I am strongly opposed to this idea. Your dumbass leader thinks he and Ryuko's fragmentation can be weaponized like it was to his predecessor. With Mishu ST having similarities to the Neko OS it is possible, but with the collossal differences we have no idea what may happen or even if it will work."

"Yeah, yeah. Thank you doctor. In order to do the first or third we'll need to disable any psionic signal controllers in the area. Also, to pull off the second option we will need to be very very sneaky indeed. Additionally, all of us will need Mindys with teleporters for this operation, any teleporter will do. The Mindy-ix refit is available and while it can teleport with zero detectibility there is a bug that might cause you to experience the actual space-time transpositioning. I'm sure it's a super rare thing. You'll want some hard-hitting weapons but also some quiet ones too. If you opt to take a Shadow Mindy rather than an ix a buttpack with a coolant tank will be provided so you can purge heat during our infiltration. About equipment, Miko, I'm sorry, but we won't have space for your wingpack this time around, but it's an infiltration anyway. Orianna, Your SLAM has arrived. Please, be sure to store it safely. We'll be hitting that water hard."

"Any other questions?"

 

[Miko]

Mikodimus reached up and rubbed his chin. He was curious to learn their foe psionically lulled captives into a false sense of security. Funny how depending on which side of the gun you were on happen to make it righter than not. The thin line between being good or falling into temptation.

Miko was getting use to these types of missions. One where death was certain and may not come back forever forgotten. Though the being sworn to silence seemed a little much. Who would even believe the great Star Army would send people on death missions. Such talk would be considered heresy. Though he also understood the reason for it. For in order for the people to live in their perfect ideal bubble of their own design, they had to be shielded from the truth. For if they knew the blood they stood on to have this perfect world, it would shake the very foundation of society.

A smile crossed his face hearing the final detail of the mission. So not only would he have to deal with the enemy but his own forces also bombing the crap out of the place. For a moment he had flashbacks to his former life. He recalled the nickname his former enemy had given him, smiles. He quickly snapped back to his normal self.

"I got it covered, deep behind enemy lines and able to fix up a meal from anything. We will for sure not starve but I can't promise coming back without a few extra bullet holes." He said with a smile.

 

[Sosina]

Orianna stood there, watching the exchange, all in all she understood the woman's issue with the order on a surface level, a lower ranked officer bring given command of your unit? yeah that would raise many peoples hackles all right. After all the woman likely worked hard to get to her rank and with her talking about the war she was clearly old hat about all this in a sense anyway. But it was that same experience that should have cause the woman to realize something rather obvious in a situation like this, A lower ranked officer contacted her and told her he would be in charge of the upcoming mission.

The fact that he was lower ranked and had no issue at all telling her he was going to be in charge should have told the experienced woman that he likely already had commands backing, Strange as the order must have seemed the orders were in order, if anything this woman should have been somewhat aware of what her group was being tasked with as they had gotten the order but here she was getting defensive over pride or rank? Well it could be disguised as that perhaps. Might have just been worry for her group since it would be a lower rank giving the orders who she likely had no info on considering what group Barone commanded and worked with regardless things were set mostly straight with a call to a higher up.

With that out of the Way Orianna listened to the plan in detail and the environment they would be in, taking the plan into mind she started to wonder a few things, granted the SLAM arriving was a great thing to hear, and it would likely be quite handy to have in a job like this, she might have to change her loadout to include an ammo rack, or she could modify her equipment pack before the drop to carry a few extra rounds, she would have to ask about that, she had a sling for the shotgun in any case so bringing the SLAM wouldn't be to much of an issue.

Hearing the Enemy had the capability to ST Orianna started to think on a few things as Thorn spoke and Miko did so after, she had a few questions that needed to be answered just to make sure they were clear on things, the plan to destabilize or corrupt the ST seemed to have a lot of what ifs and hopes attached to it, but maybe they were looking at things the wrong way and Orianna nodded to herself as she looked over to Barone.

"I do have a few questions and a few suggestions as well sir, the weapon in question uses Radiation in a concentrated form correct? Normally I would say we could just use a highly focused Radiation shield, likely amplified granted since most basic shielding wouldn't be able to handle this king of output, but it should provide protection against the weapon. barring that since this is a stealth insertion... wouldn't Lead or a similar element be useable to make what would effectively act like the Heat discarding Mediums my Plasma shotgun uses? Simply absorbing the rads and keeping it away from any other systems or occupants? at least till it could be shed, this would also mean better coverage from the actual rad storms once on planet" she gave her first question and suggestion.

Then after a moment of looking over the planet data she looked to Barone and the Doctor again "As for the ST issue... while corrupting the code or the back up would work.. wouldn't he need one hell of a powerful transceiver to even get the signal off the planet through that constant Radiation storm in the first place? not only would it need to be quite large larger then normal by a order of magnitude... but the amount of power going through that system would light it up like a stage, it would have to have enough power to punch through the storm at a moments notice, meaning it would have to be powered up at all times to be ready to do so, in the event of a power outage due to the storm it would also need a dedicated power plant or something like it to keep it ready for use at any time. I think rather then corrupting the data. Stopping the signal all together would be a bit easier considering the situation, the Radiation storms are as much a hinderance for them as for us in many cases... But I think in this case it might play more in our favor since normally a transceiver of that kind would be easier to hide due to not needing that much power to overcome the environment to do it's job" She finished.

"Unless of course that weapon is working as the transceiver and they are using the lighting to send data..." she muttered as she looked it over "they would need a hell of a receiver but that could be possible.. that much power could easily relay a signal through the storm, and in essence they would have a constant transceiver and power source with the storm itself, they would just need to direct it where they need to like with a lightning rod..." she muttered to herself looking over the information "What if they are just using the target as the grounding wire for the lightning? Then they wouldn't need a receiver strong enough to withstand the lightening they would just need to keep it charged in such a way that they can keep the lighting from affecting it directly and then they could send the message out using the energy in the... but that would require..." she continued to mutter as she started to look deeper into what information they had. "Sir what chemicals make up the ocean there?" she asked as she looked for that info in the briefing materials "oh also who long do we have to prep on route?" she added as she continued to look over the information

 

[Reynolds]

Oodori filed in along with the others, immediately snapping to attention once she spotted the Chui's projection. Remaining frozen until the call ended, she relaxed and moved to stand behind one of the chairs, only taking a seat if Barone indicated they should. The tall Neko listened to the brief briefing, considering their options while the others spoke up first. She wasn't surprised that Orianna had plenty to say, this stuff was more her specialty than Tsumenaga's after all.

"A little more complicated than your standard squid hunt, eh?" She shook her head. "Boss, how do we know he doesn't already have an offline backup stashed somewhere for a rainy day like this? Sounds like something a paranoid, safety-conscious mad scientist would do." Her gaze shifted to Kenja. "Right?" She smirked.

"Also, despite what you said, are you sure they don't want us to capture the squid? Or at least make our own copy before we nuke the rest? If it can do something we can't, we wanna know how, right?"

 

[HarperMadi]

"If there's something that big, one of my Eyes will see it and we'll be able to direct it from the ground. Unfortunately, my Eyes are only as smart as military dogs, so unless we're putting Star Army personnel in the infomorph slots and sending them to interrupt and corrupt the signals, I'm not sure how we're spreading Dr. Shinobu's virus. But I have an idea. Doctor, if you can weave that virus into my code, I might be able to fragment it off if I can get it into a Mishhu ST server. Bonus points if I just copy myself and produce a bunch of data bombs that latch on to squids and spread through the network. Granted, that turns me into their equivalent of the Great Plague of 08, but I was already dying."

Thorn gave a shrug, weighing options. "We can mask my entry into the server with the virus bomb idea, especially if we add in a carrier spread so that it pops off towards other servers. If we can pull this off, Mishhuvurthyar morale could take a serious hit."

 

[Charaa]

Ryuko stood there, her arms behind her back, one hand clasping the other, as she watched and listened to the immature and loud Chui-ranked Rikugun officer berating her leader, Barone, about his technically lower rank. She tried her very hardest not to laugh or giggle, not out of anxiety or fear, but out of sheer amusement. It was a comical sight, watching the Chui flaunt her rank, oblivious to the bigger picture.

The Chui's voice, her words dripping with condescension as he mocked Barone's rank. Ryuko's lips twitched as she fought to keep her expression neutral, the corners of her mouth threatening to betray her composure. She could see Barone maintained his stoic demeanor, letting the Chui continue his tirade.

Then, with a calm and deliberate motion, Barone played his trump card. He contacted a superior, someone with a rank higher than the Chui, and brought them into the conversation. The superior's voice came through the communicator, firm and authoritative, quickly putting the Chui in her place and clarifying who was in charge of the mission.

Ryuko nearly allowed a snicker to escape as she watched the Chui's expressions. She knew she could act professional, but the absurdity of the situation was too entertaining to ignore. The Chui had no idea who he was dealing with. Ryuko and her team were part of SAINT, the Star Army Intelligence, a division far more specialized and elite than the Rikugun. The Chui's ignorance had led her to underestimate them, and now he was paying the price for his hubris.

As the superior finished speaking, the Chui spoke, saying "I'll.. get my century briefed.. heisho," With her now gone, barone turned back to his team. Ryuko wondered was he ammused like she had been. The Chui's lesson was clear: rank alone did not determine competence or authority, and underestimating SAINT operatives was a mistake she would not soon forget.

Barone began the briefing, his calm and authoritative voice bringing the team’s attention back to the task at hand, steering Ryuko's thoughts away from the earlier amusing display. He stood at the front of the room, a holographic display flickering to life behind him. The image of an advanced type Mishhuvurthyar appeared, its alien face marked by a deep v-shaped scar that gouged into a missing eye, giving it a menacing appearance. The creature's carapace was a testament to its battle-hardened existence, covered in the scars of countless past encounters. The being’s name was is Zaxyllbrph.

Ryuko's eyes narrowed as she focused on the image. Zaxyllbrph's imposing figure and the evidence of his brutal history were unsettling. Barone continued, explaining that Zaxyllbrph was not just any Mishhuvurthyar but one making significant forays into the realm of psionics. According to intelligence reports and rumors, the alien was deeply invested in developing techniques to pry secrets from operatives by psionically lulling them into a false sense of security.

As Barone spoke, the room grew quieter, the gravity of the situation settling in. Ryuko's frown deepened. The idea of an enemy capable of infiltrating minds, extracting secrets without leaving a trace, was alarming. She understood the implications of such abilities. If Zaxyllbrph succeeded, the security of their operations and the safety of their operatives would be at significant risk.

The reports confirmed,that Zaxyllbrph has already made some progress in this area. they cannot allow this research to continue. Ryuko felt a surge of determination. The thought of their enemies possessing such dangerous knowledge was unacceptable. She knew her team shared this sentiment. They had trained rigorously to protect their minds and their secrets, but the threat Zaxyllbrph posed was unprecedented.

As Barone outlined their mission objectives, Ryuko listened intently, her focus sharpened by the gravity of their task. They were to locate Zaxyllbrph, gather intelligence on his psionic research, and, if possible, put an end to both his experiments and Zaxyllbrph himself. The mission was crucial, and Ryuko felt a surge of determination. The stakes were high, but she trusted in her team's skills and her own training.

When Barone next showed the planet they were heading to, E-5-III, a chill ran down Ryuko's spine. The imagery displayed a harsh and unforgiving world, enveloped in radioactive lightning storms. The atmosphere was toxic, swirling with noxious gases that could easily incapacitate or kill unprotected individuals. Ryuko's mind immediately began to assess the challenges they would face.

They'd need special suits, perhaps even the Mindy Power Armor, to keep them safe from the planet's environment. The Mindy suits were state-of-the-art, designed to handle extreme conditions and provide enhanced combat capabilities. However, the thought of relying on technology to survive in such a hostile environment was daunting. Ryuko knew that any failure in their equipment could spell disaster for the entire team.

The situation grew even more dire when Barone mentioned their target's weapon. Zaxyllbrph had developed an energy weapon capable of harnessing the power of the planet's storms. The concept was terrifying. Not only would they be battling a formidable enemy on a deadly world, but they would also be facing a weapon of immense destructive potential.

Ryuko's thoughts raced. She envisioned the chaotic scenes they might encounter: blinding lightning flashes, deafening thunder, and the ever-present threat of radioactive exposure. The environment itself would be an adversary, one that could turn even the simplest task into a life-threatening challenge.

Despite the fear and uncertainty, Ryuko felt a fierce resolve building within her. She was not one to back down from a challenge. The mission was critical, not just for the success of their objectives but for the safety and security of their entire organization. Zaxyllbrph's research into psionics posed a dire threat, one that could compromise the integrity of their intelligence operations and endanger countless lives.

As Barone continued the briefing, detailing the tactical approach and contingency plans, Ryuko's mind remained focused. She would need to be vigilant, adaptable, and resilient. The mission ahead was fraught with danger, but she was prepared to face it head-on. Her thoughts drifted briefly to her training, the countless hours spent honing her skills, and the unwavering support of her team. They had faced difficult missions before, and they had always come through.

With a final glance at the image of E-5-III and the holographic representation of Zaxyllbrph, Ryuko steeled herself for the mission ahead. She was ready to confront the unknown, to battle both the environment and their enemy, and to ensure that Zaxyllbrph's sinister experiments were brought to an end. The mission would be perilous, but failure was not an option. Ryuko's determination was unwavering, and she knew that, together, they would overcome whatever challenges lay in their path.

Unfortunately, while she had been lost in thought, she barely caught the scientist Dr. Shinobu's words. However, she did hear about how her own ST fragmentation, as well as her leader's, could be used as a weapon. "Ryuko has the power?" she asked in her typical third-person style, then added, "What are infomorphs?" She directed this question specifically to Thorn, having never heard the term before. Though she began thinking it was a cyber thing.

 

[Rizzo]

Mikodimus reached up and rubbed his chin. He was curious to learn their foe psionically lulled captives into a false sense of security. Funny how depending on which side of the gun you were on happen to make it righter than not. The thin line between being good or falling into temptation.

Miko was getting use to these types of missions. One where death was certain and may not come back forever forgotten. Though the being sworn to silence seemed a little much. Who would even believe the great Star Army would send people on death missions. Such talk would be considered heresy. Though he also understood the reason for it. For in order for the people to live in their perfect ideal bubble of their own design, they had to be shielded from the truth. For if they knew the blood they stood on to have this perfect world, it would shake the very foundation of society.

A smile crossed his face hearing the final detail of the mission. So not only would he have to deal with the enemy but his own forces also bombing the crap out of the place. For a moment he had flashbacks to his former life. He recalled the nickname his former enemy had given him, smiles. He quickly snapped back to his normal self.

"I got it covered, deep behind enemy lines and able to fix up a meal from anything. We will for sure not starve but I can't promise coming back without a few extra bullet holes." He said with a smile.

"A philosophical mind beneath the apron," Barone commented happily, "careful, thinking is dangerous. Bring acidity neutralizing ingredients and we'll serve up some squiddies. They taste better you reduce their acidity."

"I do have a few questions and a few suggestions as well sir, the weapon in question uses Radiation in a concentrated form correct? Normally I would say we could just use a highly focused Radiation shield, likely amplified granted since most basic shielding wouldn't be able to handle this kind of output, but it should provide protection against the weapon. barring that since this is a stealth insertion... wouldn't Lead or a similar element be useable to make what would effectively act like the Heat discarding Mediums my Plasma shotgun uses? Simply absorbing the rads and keeping it away from any other systems or occupants? at least till it could be shed, this would also mean better coverage from the actual rad storms once on planet" she gave her first question and suggestion.

"Good observations, but unfortunately the lightning is plasma based despite being instigated and amplified by the radiation. The size of shield we'd need to stop that kind of blast even once is a class 14, found on the biggest ships of the line and small space stations.. we also don't know much about it this system, so it's entirely possible we'll find both greater capabilities a weakness when we arrive. Rikugun plan to hit the targeting system so Resurgence can bomb it without reprisal, but if that weapon isn't crippled by the time the flagship arrives, they're sending Presage of Nashoba[/b] and trust me, we do not want to be there if that ship comes."

Then after a moment of looking over the planet data she looked to Barone and the Doctor again "As for the ST issue... while corrupting the code or the back up would work.. wouldn't he need one hell of a powerful transceiver to even get the signal off the planet through that constant Radiation storm in the first place? not only would it need to be quite large larger then normal by a order of magnitude... but the amount of power going through that system would light it up like a stage, it would have to have enough power to punch through the storm at a moments notice, meaning it would have to be powered up at all times to be ready to do so, in the event of a power outage due to the storm it would also need a dedicated power plant or something like it to keep it ready for use at any time. I think rather then corrupting the data. Stopping the signal all together would be a bit easier considering the situation, the Radiation storms are as much a hinderance for them as for us in many cases... But I think in this case it might play more in our favor since normally a transceiver of that kind would be easier to hide due to not needing that much power to overcome the environment to do it's job" She finished.

"Unless of course that weapon is working as the transceiver and they are using the lighting to send data..." she muttered as she looked it over "they would need a hell of a receiver but that could be possible.. that much power could easily relay a signal through the storm, and in essence they would have a constant transceiver and power source with the storm itself, they would just need to direct it where they need to like with a lightning rod..." she muttered to herself looking over the information "What if they are just using the target as the grounding wire for the lightning? Then they wouldn't need a receiver strong enough to withstand the lightening they would just need to keep it charged in such a way that they can keep the lighting from affecting it directly and then they could send the message out using the energy in the... but that would require..." she continued to mutter as she started to look deeper into what information they had. "Sir what chemicals make up the ocean there?" she asked as she looked for that info in the briefing materials "oh also who long do we have to prep on route?" she added as she continued to look over the information

"Unfortunately the scout was destroyed before any transmissions device was discovered, but I'm sure they have one. Also, the ocean is corrosive. I'm not a chemist so I won't guess what's in it, but that water with degrade you Xui. That's all I was told."

Oodori filed in along with the others, immediately snapping to attention once she spotted the Chui's projection. Remaining frozen until the call ended, she relaxed and moved to stand behind one of the chairs, only taking a seat if Barone indicated they should. The tall Neko listened to the brief briefing, considering their options while the others spoke up first. She wasn't surprised that Orianna had plenty to say, this stuff was more her specialty than Tsumenaga's after all.

"A little more complicated than your standard squid hunt, eh?" She shook her head. "Boss, how do we know he doesn't already have an offline backup stashed somewhere for a rainy day like this? Sounds like something a paranoid, safety-conscious mad scientist would do." Her gaze shifted to Kenja. "Right?" She smirked.

"Also, despite what you said, are you sure they don't want us to capture the squid? Or at least make our own copy before we nuke the rest? If it can do something we can't, we wanna know how, right?"

Dr. Shinobu chuckled, "Ooh, clever for a blonde. That is entirely a possibility. It's also the reason Dokusei and Silas aren't here right now. I have them covering that side of the operation with something even more insidious."

Barone rolled his eyes at the doctor's incessantly frustrating remarks. "If we can drag that squid or his ST back with us then of course we will.. it's just that.. well, I'll show you," the holoprojector began playing combat footage of the target Misshu slaughtering Mindy clad soldiers by the dozen, "he's a bit horrible, and those neko in his inner circle are insanely lethal. I won't rule it out, but capture is definitely not my first plan."

"If there's something that big, one of my Eyes will see it and we'll be able to direct it from the ground. Unfortunately, my Eyes are only as smart as military dogs, so unless we're putting Star Army personnel in the infomorph slots and sending them to interrupt and corrupt the signals, I'm not sure how we're spreading Dr. Shinobu's virus. But I have an idea. Doctor, if you can weave that virus into my code, I might be able to fragment it off if I can get it into a Mishhu ST server. Bonus points if I just copy myself and produce a bunch of data bombs that latch on to squids and spread through the network. Granted, that turns me into their equivalent of the Great Plague of 08, but I was already dying."

Thorn gave a shrug, weighing options. "We can mask my entry into the server with the virus bomb idea, especially if we add in a carrier spread so that it pops off towards other servers. If we can pull this off, Mishhuvurthyar morale could take a serious hit."

"I'm calling a pass on the Eyes this time around. Command doesn't want any assets in orbit of the planet. It may tip them off that an attack is being planned, in which case the operation will be delayed and we'll be stuck in a submerged dropship on a hell world," he related, "now data bombs like we're talking would require psionics and your ST data just isn't formatted yet. Server infiltration might be doable, but if we get that big virus to hit I'm worried you could get caught up in it. We need more intel. Let's see how things play out with the infiltration. I have a feeling you'll specifically be the one opening doors for us."

Unfortunately, while she had been lost in thought, she barely caught the scientist Dr. Shinobu's words. However, she did hear about how her own ST fragmentation, as well as her leader's, could be used as a weapon. "Ryuko has the power?" she asked in her typical third-person style, then added, "What are infomorphs?" She directed this question specifically to Thorn, having never heard the term before. Though she began thinking it was a cyber thing.

"Yeah, Thorn, what are you anyways?"

 

[HarperMadi]

"Oh, sorry, Ryuko, infomorph is a person who exists in a digital media, like a computer. I don't have a body of my own right now cause things got a little ahead of schedule, so while repairs are underway, I'm part of the mindies. No biggie. Unfortunately, both you and Barone are Mortal on levels I am not. Makes it extremely risky for us to put you in that kind of danger. But I have an idea. I have several, but the good ones all died scared and alone. If we're gonna use your fragmentation as a weapon, we have to use a delivery mechanism. Maybe that's a person that can be restored from before the frag was induced. Maybe that's having Barone teach psychic combat. Either way, someone's getting uncomfortable and worse, we're weaponizing something we don't fully understand. That could put us in bigger trouble if this thing goes contagious. I don't like it, but it's not my call, sir."

 

[Rizzo]

"Noted, Thorn. I'll keep it as a last resort to be used only in absolutely needed," he promised her, "we still have time left for this briefing, but mind that we will be heading directly into the armory then dropships from this room. OpSec is paramount to this mission but our timing is still on track."

 

[Reynolds]

Oodori also rolled her eyes at the comment from their resident mad scientist, but otherwise let most of the replies pass without much remark. These decisions were made above her paygrade, so she'd focus on what she could actually control. "Boss, considering the whole, uh, suicide mission thing, are we sure deploying Paddenmour-Hei in the dropship is the, uh...best use of our assets? Everyone else has an out in case things go bad." She knew Orianna wouldn't refuse the assignment, but it was worth a try to talk to the man in charge.

"Anyway, guess it's time to prep for a few boring days in a cozy dropship under the sea. The poisonous, radioactive sea. I recommend bringing some reading material. I can suggest several volumes of classical Yamataian poetry you might find interesting."

 

[BloodyScarlet]

Taharial kept an ear on the conversation as she counted medical material that she would need and wrote it down "Well I will make sure we have.." She flicks through her notes on what she needed to take "five times what is needed, just in case medical supplies, always better to have more than less, any extra lasts quite a few years so with that it means that if needed I can use them on other missions." She looked to the others as she smiles "I'll bring the cards and games, so we can be entertained." She pauses for a moment and looked at Barone "Can-Barone, sorry still not used to it, I am wondering where you would want me, as you know of my views of giving aid, do you want me to ignore the crayon eaters as you call them if we past them injured to focus on the team hear, or can I provide minimal medical aid?" She raised an eyebrow with this, as she wondered if Barone still remembered her thoughts of life, even if they could just be brought back, that never sat right with her.

She played with her notebook as she, breathed deeply "I do have an actual request as well, that may seem weird especially with everything that would be happening at the time we are in there, I would like to grab some research data, as it may help us understand what tech they used and could also be useful for other things, in my speciality." She knew this was a weird ask, especially with being a new person to the group "It may help me with my research."

 

[Sosina]

Orianna nodded as her questions were answered, that ruled out shielding as it would only take one shot, but then there was the Discarding Medium Idea, something that could take the heat and disperse the plasma, but in a more covert manner, so the best Idea would be something that could also work as a ablative, Ice would work for a good ablative, but what about of a mix? that could work out "We could use something like an ablative with a Thermal dissipating or absorbing material, Ice is cheap and a good ablative against heat, would need to mix it with something though to make it better and after that a layer of heat trapping and armor that could reasonably be considered natural to make it look like a real meteor or something, but I guess that's already been thought up but surviving a shot would be a good Idea to plan for..." she muttered the last part as she got back to thinking.

Ocean was a chemical soup of gods knows what sounds like specifically Mindy operation while they are down there, prep time was going to be short so no time for extensive Ideas it would seem, "Going to bring my tools with me since repair on the fly might be needed, we pop a seal down there we might as well be stepping into a reactor with how high the rads and other harmful agents in the atmosphere are, granted doc can likely take care of that, the seals on the suits and any equipment we have will have to be monitored, I'll bring extra supplies, but most importantly... did those portable fabricators I ask for get here? they can make parts on the fly we might need and rather swiftly to and on a job like this something that can make parts out of just energy would be handy, also while I won't be using them here figured I might as well ask about the EM-J2-1a Geboku Android's in surplus and if I can get my hands on some of those after this mission, I have a few Ideas and they are just gathering dust in storage anyway a couple of dozen should do.. But back to the task at hand here.."

She continued to think though Odi's comment about bringing her caught her attention, she looked over at her friend then to Barone, she wasn't going to protest if he ordered her to stay back, but she knew the risks of her life choices in a profession like this, her family knew them as well, but if her commanding officer decided to not taker her on what might be a more suicidal mission then they are used to then that was his choice as command lead. she would like to come down and do her work she was the only specialized engineer on their team after all, but at the same time she was sure she was likely the only one here that had such standing medical orders and no way to ST if things went south.

 

[Rizzo]

Oodori also rolled her eyes at the comment from their resident mad scientist, but otherwise let most of the replies pass without much remark. These decisions were made above her paygrade, so she'd focus on what she could actually control. "Boss, considering the whole, uh, suicide mission thing, are we sure deploying Paddenmour-Hei in the dropship is the, uh...best use of our assets? Everyone else has an out in case things go bad."

"Well, La Prossima is voluntary, but anyone not going will be under house arrest until mission completion, so," he shrugged and looked to Orianna, "don't die I guess?"

Taharial kept an ear on the conversation as she counted medical material that she would need and wrote it down "Well I will make sure we have.." She flicks through her notes on what she needed to take "five times what is needed, just in case medical supplies, always better to have more than less, any extra lasts quite a few years so with that it means that if needed I can use them on other missions." She looked to the others as she smiles "I'll bring the cards and games, so we can be entertained." She pauses for a moment and looked at Barone "Can-Barone, sorry still not used to it, I am wondering where you would want me, as you know of my views of giving aid, do you want me to ignore the crayon eaters as you call them if we past them injured to focus on the team hear, or can I provide minimal medical aid?" She raised an eyebrow with this, as she wondered if Barone still remembered her thoughts of life, even if they could just be brought back, that never sat right with her.

"They can handle themselves but if it furthers our goal give them a hand," he answered, a bit heartless, "I want you to specifically focus on keeping the team alive. There's no telling how long we may be behind enemy lines. This could be a weekend event or a year long sortie."

She played with her notebook as she, breathed deeply "I do have an actual request as well, that may seem weird especially with everything that would be happening at the time we are in there, I would like to grab some research data, as it may help us understand what tech they used and could also be useful for other things, in my speciality." She knew this was a weird ask, especially with being a new person to the group "It may help me with my research."

"Granted, in fact I want as much data as possible coming home with us. Tahariel, your security clearance is insufficient for a lot of this so just keep in mind some of what you learn may be classified. We'll figure it out when we debrief. Realistically, with your service history I'll be able to get that for you when we return."

Orianna nodded as her questions were answered, that ruled out shielding as it would only take one shot, but then there was the Discarding Medium Idea, something that could take the heat and disperse the plasma, but in a more covert manner, so the best Idea would be something that could also work as a ablative, Ice would work for a good ablative, but what about of a mix? that could work out "We could use something like an ablative with a Thermal dissipating or absorbing material, Ice is cheap and a good ablative against heat, would need to mix it with something though to make it better and after that a layer of heat trapping and armor that could reasonably be considered natural to make it look like a real meteor or something, but I guess that's already been thought up but surviving a shot would be a good Idea to plan for..." she muttered the last part as she got back to thinking.

Barone cocked a brow, "you do know what an Izanagi is right? Planet cracking weapons, named after Yamatai's largest battles, the largest ships we make? The entire planet can just beam us with that continuously. Just remember the Onion because even if we survive that hit we'll have the entire enemy force on our heels and the target will bounce. No, avoiding detection is the only way this works, I'm afraid."

 

[Sosina]

Orianna looked up from her mutterings as she was spoken to "I know what it is boss... for every person that makes a massive warship like that, there is another person that has to figure out how to deal with it in the most cost effective way possible to make the trade worth it. sometimes going lower tech can do the job just as well as going high tech, and I wouldn't be a good engineer if I wasn't already thinking of ways to deal with this kind of thing if it happens again, this planet ecology and weather might be a one off sure, but that doesn't mean they can't try to replicate that else where with something else, and it's unlikely we will get the chance to use our best options at all times, and like you said, in this case they can just keep using the thing, with likely a faster refire rate then out ship depending on things."

She looked back to the information "as for the Onion that is great and all but also there are times the outer layers of the Onion fail or are moot. And it's always a good Idea to plan out how to survive taking at least one hit, even if you don't have access to your best stuff, or in some cases, the proper equipment needed to deal with a situation. Because taking that one hit could give you the opening you need, especially if the enemy thinks the firs shot should kill you outright, most won't spend time on prepping a second or even think to have to follow up till it's to late... won enough fights, that others though I was supposed to lose, to learn that myself" she ended as she looked back to him again.

"anyway SLAM is likely gonna be needed... gonna grab a few warheads heading out... as for the Portable Fabricator, I hope it has arrived that would again could turn out to be a life saver down in this situation, if not I will just bring extra patching material, sealing paste, things like that... other then that a few extra mediums.. some explosives cause we will likely need more of that..." she trailed off again as she shifted from speaking out her list to mentally preparing it looking over what data they had again, limited as it was.

 

[Reynolds]

"Just don't die, folks, it's that simple!" Tsumenaga repeated Barone's suggestion quite loudly, as she turned to head for the door, doing her best to shepherd along the rest of the crew. Gently rotating Orianna to point her the right direction, sure she'd otherwise remain stubbornly in place, asking Barone an endless stream of increasingly more technical questions as time went on.

 

[HarperMadi]

"She... Really reminds me of Spark Pine," Thorn tossed a look towards Orianna before shaking her head. "And if anyone wants to give my projector uppies, I'm... Well, I was kinda hoping for a little more help designing my new body later, you know a catalogue of augs? My health insurance cover a new body or is it just repairs... Anyway."

Thorn looked up, attempting to lock eyes with Tsumenaga. "Making sure you're not gonna die is kinda my thing. Technically I go with to try putting the medics out of a job."

 

[Charaa]

Ryuko's previous statement about having power was ignored, at least from Barone's perspective. However, Ryuko found herself distracted when Thorn began explaining what an infomorph was. Thorn described that an infomorph is a person who exists in digital media, like a computer. Thorn was currently acting as an infomorph because her usual body was damaged and awaiting repair.

"Ryuko has the power?" she asked again, her curiosity piqued.

Thorn continued, explaining that due to the ST fragmentation, Ryuko couldn't be brought back to life if something happened to her. This news made Ryuko frown. The mission would indeed be riskier for her because of this, but she wasn't worried.

"Ryuko isn't worried about dying," she said defiantly, her voice steady and resolute.

Ryuko thought about what Thorn was saying. The idea of learning psychic combat intrigued her. She remembered the incident with the Dragon, or rather, the vision she thought of as a dragon during a medical exam for her ST fragmentation. She recalled that she had supposedly been able to do damage.

"Psychic combat... Ryuko likes that idea," she mused aloud, her eyes lighting up with interest. The memory of the dragon vision played in her mind. It had been intense, almost real, and she had felt a surge of power. Perhaps this was a hint of her potential in psychic combat.

As she listened to Thorn's other ideas, Ryuko's mind raced with possibilities. The mission was dangerous, but the thought of harnessing a new kind of power, of turning a vulnerability into a strength, filled her with a renewed sense of purpose. The challenges ahead were daunting, but Ryuko was ready to face them head-on, armed with the knowledge and skills she was eager to acquire.

As her mind raced, Ryuko barely heard Barone's response to Thorn's ideas. He mentioned that he'd keep the plan as a last resort if needed, but Ryuko's thoughts had already drifted back to the intriguing concept of psychic combat. She didn't think it could be possible, but given how she was affected by ST fragmentation, she knew there had to be some truth to it.

She started imagining the possibilities, her mind buzzing with excitement and curiosity. Psychic combat could turn her perceived weakness into a formidable strength, a way to protect herself and her team from threats like Zaxyllbrph. The idea of mastering such an arcane and powerful skill filled her with a sense of purpose.

Soon, thanks to another teammate, Oodori, Ryuko began considering reading materials to pass the time in the cozy confines of the dropship beneath the planet's radioactive oceans. She envisioned herself sitting comfortably, poring over texts on psychic abilities, training her mind to harness these new powers. The thought was both comforting and exhilarating.

As the discussion continued around her, Ryuko's focus remained inward. She realized that perhaps she could learn psychic combat from Barone during their downtime on the mission. The prospect of one-on-one training with her leader was appealing. Barone was experienced and knowledgeable, and if anyone could teach her, it would be him.

Ryuko smiled at the thought. The mission was fraught with danger, but it also presented an opportunity for growth and learning. She was determined to make the most of it. Psychic combat could be the key to not only surviving but thriving in their perilous situation.

She glanced at Barone, her eyes filled with a renewed sense of determination. She would approach him about the training, ready to seize any chance to enhance her abilities. Ryuko felt a surge of confidence. The path ahead was uncertain, but she was prepared to face it head-on, armed with newfound knowledge and the potential to unlock powerful capabilities within herself.

As their teammate Tsumenaga tried to shepherd her and the others out, Ryuko moved forward towards Barone. She planned to leave, of course, but she wanted to ask him something first. "Boss-man," she began, "from what Thorn mentioned earlier, can you really teach me this psychic combat? And do you have any data or books on it?" Ryuko's voice was eager and determined. "Ryuko wants to be useful, and if that helps, She wants to do it. Also, which Mindy suit is Thorn going to be with?" she added for good measure.

 

[Miko]

The one eyebrow of Miko lifted slowly. He was used to being the heavy hitter so hearing Orianna talk about bring SLAMs perked his interest. Things were about to get exciting, and he had someone to race against. "I got the explosives handled, don't no one worry about that one. If there is a path that needs cleared, I can bring the slam jam, thank you mama all day every day." He said grinning ear to ear.

"Way, I see it, death would be the fast one out. Just keel over and ST like it never even happen. Instead, we will have to fight our way back out of this crappy place. If the enemy don't kill us, the environment will. Everyone best brings some extra patches. A bullet one could be the least of your worries." Miko comment as he took out a data pad. He was reviewing the list of items he looked to bring on this mission. Mostly support, but did have a few extra touches to add to the fun. Mainly the pair of Ke-M2-W2905 Shoulder-Fired 50mm Gauss Cannon for the shoulder hardpoints with the optional backpack extension. This meant he had a cool 108 reasons for the enemy to hide. He also noted the large amount explosives on the list. He figured between him and Orianna they had enough to equal a tier 13 weapon from a star ship.

"As my brother would always say to the crew to avoid dying." He paused for a moment. "Doooooooooodge." He shouted out loud.