RP: LSDF Val'ta [Expedition 2] - Stickin' in the Camera

[Luca]

I shoulda learned to play the guitar
I shoulda learned to play them drums
Look at that mama she got it stickin' in the camera
Man we could have some fun
Dire Straits - Money for Nothing

Unnamed System Southeast of Miyamae, LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6
Porrim was sitting on a crate on the Flight Deck as the Val'ta's drones were coming back with the data for this uncharted system. Bel'meir was nearby, staying off to one side to supervise proceedings. Porrim was dressed for more tropical weather, wearing light clothing fitting for a jungle expedition, including a huntsman's vest, and a jungle-camouflaged underdress with the sleeves rolled up. Solid looking boots and camouflaged pants were also worn. Her assortment of survival and traversal gear from last time was present too, as well as an oxygen mask hanging beside her neck.

The system the Val'ta had leapt into was a dominated by a K-Type star, with five planets, and two asteroid belts in the system. The preliminary name for the system was 'Miya-East', and the layout of the system was as follows, with the following notes delivered by the drones once they'd come back for analysis:

1. K-Type Star, Miya-East
   
2. Miya-East I - Small Barren Rock, too hot to support life
   
3. Miya-East II - Medium Toxic Planet, terrible atmosphere
   
4. Miya-East III - Medium Garden Planet, possibly terraformed. Contains area of interest.
   
5. Asteroid Belt I - Small cache of materials found in asteroid belt
   
6. Miya East IV - Gas Giant
   
7. Miya East V - Iceball Planet
   
8. Asteroid Belt II - Nothing of interest found

The sole point of interest in an otherwise fairly barren looking system was a garden planet on the outside edge of the system's Goldilocks belt which may have been heavily terraformed. No infrastructure was present on this planet aside from one area, where the ground was unusually grey. Primary Science suspected that it may have been the result of pollution, but looking down at the surface, it appeared that the ground was thickly coated with a strange grey substance.

Buildings were still visible, trees were poking out of the stuff. Wildlife, however, was curiously absent. A very minute, controlled collection of the substance was made for research and safety concerns - trees swayed precariously in the gunk, and buildings tilted onto their side. The construction of the buildings looked Lorath or Jiyuuian in make, so this may have been a private resort or enclave.

The initial suspicions were that the place was abandoned when the war of YE34 broke out. Naturally, Porrim's team would go to investigate it once they were present and correct. Her team was given forty five minutes to fall in, and Porrim was quietly hoping - if J'ann decided to come along - that he'd spend 45 minutes getting ready instead of 45 minutes being full of hot air.

Curiously absent on deck was the ship's Lazarus-planted overseer, Aiesu. Porrim had decided to sideline her after seeing her performance down on Tange IV with a project better suited to her talents: Design an 'Interceptor' aerospace craft for the Val'ta to take out close ranged targets, and provide fire support. A few racy pictures of both Aiesu and Porrim were attached along with her briefing documents, giving Aiesu a kick to work hard on this, lest she be caught hardly working, and given a hard talk.

Meanwhile, all Porrim had to do for her more competent members was to wait for whoever had answered the summons to the expedition. She'd keep the briefing short - especially with Bel'meir keeping an eye on things. After last time, Porrim didn't want further interference.

To whom has the stones,

We've got another expedition on our hands. We are going to be investigating a planet with a town-sized amount of infrastructure of a Lorath or possibly United Outer Colonies design. This may be a private company's holdings, abandoned when the war broke out. While sitting abandoned, it appears some sort of substance has been spreading across the landscape, emanating from this city. We suspect that it is some manner of grey-goo substance, but it only appears to be assimilating dirt. Artificial structures, trees do not appear to be affected for some reason, but we can't find any wildlife in the immediate area.

We suspect that the cache of materials found in Asteroid Belt I have something to do with the terraforming of this planet, as this seems to have been a private venture. Perhaps its leftover materials, or a possibly a privateer's stash. We'll be putting it through quarantine and we'll get an update on what's inside once we're down planetside.

The planet we're on is sub-tropical, so I'd recommend dressing in WIND with a GUST, or any agile, flight-ready power armour. Mecha team, we'll be needing your assistance again. Weather conditions appear to be mild, so you won't have to worry about landing - and I don't want anyone getting too close to whatever the grey stuff is. Science has a sample, and they'll give us the OK on what it is, and if it is hazardous soon.

For those with the stones, meet me on the Launch Deck in sixty minutes. I'll be waiting.

Signed,
Captain Mil'ana Porrim, LSDF Val'ta

 

[Amaryllis]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

Akemi energetically strode in wearing a smile with the same setup he had used in their last expedition, a WIND, an Ek'yra and his black NSP with triple power packs. Curiously, he looked around the room to see if anyone else was present and folded his arms with a look of satisfaction given that he was the first one to show up. A moment later he raised a hand and held it across his brow as he looked up. "Maybe she's on the ceiling." Naturally he was referring to Aran'ya.

 

[Syaoran]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

Ny'za had gotten the message about the new departure and made her way there. She wasn't going to bring Rhiq this time, there was a chance that the grey stuff could be giving off poison and she didn't want to risk that. However even though she was going to be in a frame, she came dressed in a WIND series armor once again. It was still minimum compliment, with just the propulsion systems attached, this time though she did not have the stonethread cloak around her, so the shape of her body was clearly evident. She paid special attention to the air filters in the suit and hoped the mechanics did a good job with the frame, it seemed that would be most important this time around.

 

[Jimmy]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

Er'red pinched the back of his WIND suit and let it slap back with a smack, looking behind him in startlement. Tight clothes just didn't suit him very well, and the body hugging uniform made him feel uncomfortable. He turned to look at the armorer and winced as another creaking sound indicated the suit getting stuck somewhere again.

"How can we make this work?" He asked apologetically.

FIVE MINUTES LATER.

Er'red strode confidently out of the armor with a thick utility belt on covered in pouches and bits for his medical stuff. Hips and such safely ensconced from prying eyes by cloth pockets. Thumbs cockily tucked into his belt line as he stepped into the flight room.

He walked up to the captain and clicked his heels together on the deck.

"Captain, ma'am. Cadet "Cous" ready for orders!" he reported in a respectful voice.

 

[ShotJon]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

The metallic clank announced the arrival of another pasanger. The little robot called Knight, saved the Val'ta crew, who now had an official position on the ship. The robot reported back to his motherland and after some discussion and politics, where captain Porrim was involved, he was told to stay on the board as nepleslian official. Yamatai might have quit DATASS, but both Nepleslia and Lor wanted to stay buddies. Seeing as there was no use for the robot back in Nepleslia, he might have as well stayed on Val'ta and be helpful.

Being technically a civilian piece of equipment, Knight had no uniform. He approached others, his heaviest chassis hidden under cloth. His usual shirt and leather bants with a solid duster on top. His multi-eyed head under a cover of a Stetson hat. Over his shoulder was a Styrling Longbow and hanging low a revolver. New to his set up was a double-barreled shotgun he confiscated back on Tangle. He sawed off the long barrels making it a compact short-range weapon. Across his chest were two bandoliers of ammo, one for the Longbow and one for the shotgun. In pouches on his belt were speed-loader for the revolver. There was also a very large, broad bladed knife on his belt.

"Ma'am," The robot said to Porrim and tipped his head as he arrived. "I reckon you might have a bit of use of me. After all, radiation, diseases and biologic threats are of no concern to the little old me. So if you would have me, I would be happy to accompany you."

 

[Eistheid]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

For such a large Fyunnen, Mirage had been curiously hard to find in the time before the new mission. Hours spent sequestered away with a cache of games had made the down time rather pleasant, if solitary for her. Now however she made her way across the deck to join up with the others who like her were intended to venture planetside to discover the nature of whatever it was that they had found. Like many of the others she was clad in a Wind suit, with a Deshe'vo plasma rifle slung over one shoulder balanced by a satchel that carried an emergency medkit, and a Gust Kit, all of which would be stashed within her Whirlwind on takeoff.

Falling in with the others who had gathered Mirage presented herself, "Pilot Mirage, reporting." Compared to her counterpart in Er'red she was much more subdued, however she was ready to fulfill her duty whatever that may be in the coming deployment. All that was left now was to wait and see what the objective of their sortie was and prepare for whatever might be needed.

 

[paladinrpg]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

Akemi could find no hint of Aran'ya on the cieling this time, however with his attention directed upward he didn't quite catch the sight of a blob of green-tinted Pico-Jelly come from behind him until it was too late. It impacted with a SQUELCH sound on his back, splashing outward in vague lines that adhered tightly to his suit, and began to harden into a strong tensile bindings.

There was then tug on a strand that sent him a few steps backwards, the jelly-rope infused with Mishhu adhesive turned tougher-than-steel-polymer attached to a metallic dispenser around Widow's wrist. The temporarily bound Neko was dragged into the waiting arms of his spider-aspected L'manel, smushed right up against her somewhat deviously smiling, alabaster face and similarly dressed tight WIND expedition setup that hugged her curves. A set of reinforced nano-injector vials he hadn't seen before was hanging from her side, in addition to the medical kit and her Stalwart Enforcer.

"Looking for me?" Widow asked in a sultry tone, her invention debut no doubt now giving Akemi ideas for a rope play scene in his movies.

 

[Amaryllis]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

"So this is how you want me to handle you, huh?" the Neko responded dryly. "I figured as much." Akemi gave the L'manel's backside two soft dismissively reassuring pats and began to casually rub it. His expression was cool as a cucumber.

 

[OsakanOne]

Within her office, Aiesu stared at her new delivery: The printed photographs on glossy photo-paper, the written notes in glow in the dark marker - and the rather compromising imagery. Par for the course with Porrim.

Shifting through them as she listened to the sound of her coffee-maker broil, Aiesu was particularly worried by the sight of a large classic tapestry of a bird of prey - Porrim's aspectation - carrying off what was unmistakably an ey'tis pup - Aiesu's very own aspectation - in its talons.

In the white margin beneath: "get it done".

She began typing - already baking in an encryption key before authoring the message:

To whom it may concern amongst LSDF:

I have been requested on behalf of Captain Mil'ana Porrim 'Sightseer' Lmanel of the LSDF Val'ta expeditionary mission to design an interception craft.

Enclosed is a draft proposal currently undergoing simulated testing. If any adjustments are desired or required before finalization such as loadout or specialist systems please suggest: mass production is desirable and I'd like this to be an LSDF exclusive, not seeing the light of day elsewhere.



Shockingly yes, I do somewhere have patriotism in me somewhere.


Regards,

Aiesu Kalopsia, mission overseer and Lazarus Consortium Technical Consultant for Val'ta Mission

Attachment: supra.var

 

[Ashlinn]

Ashlinn - LSDF Val'ta Deck 6
​

Ash grinned once more as she emerged into the main hanger, the violet skinned Neko was helmetless, though this time her armor was configured for the job ahead. She'd been spending her downtime in the gym, or racing along the hard-light obstacle course the hard way. No gravimetric trickery - just straight up blood, sweat and hard work. In the end she was starting to get accustomed to the ebb and flows of who was in the gym or who was out on the course. Aside from the usual launcher over her left shoulder, the 50mm over the right, she'd stowed the other 50mm in favor of the LASR. She doubted she'd need either, but one doesn't simply jump into the jungle and expect fun and games. Aran'ya and Akemi's antics aside she noticed a different charge in the air fro mthe previous one. Not as many people, less working parts, tighter and more easily controlled group. And then she found the constant object of her misguided 'affections' as she slide easily into step beside Er'red and gave the larger male a hip-bump in greeting, "Once more into the breech and out the demons ample backside, hmn?"

Mirage was greeted with a wide smile and exuberant wave, "Hoy, Mirage! Where have you been hiding?" Er'red momentarily was suddenly forgotten as she headed over towards her friend, "I was lookign for you to see if you were coming along on this time as well." Even in her Daisy she still had to look up to keep eye contact with the larger female.

 

[Eistheid]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6

With a smile for the Nekovalkyrja Mirage responded casually, "Someone picked up a seashell on Tange and I moved in. Cozy place, though I'm not sure you'd fit in the front door. Might have to settle for peaking in through the hole." The response was equal parts absurdity, and a bit of a tongue in cheek reference to the Val'ta's own construction with the volumetric compressions providing a much more open plan than the relatively small scout ship suggested. Managing to maintain a straight face the mountain of a Fyunnen added, "Of course I'd be here for duty, though your mention of ''demon's ample backsides''", As Mirage spoke the words her wings twitched behind her back in time with the finger quotes over emphasizing the concept, "Has me wondering if you've been getting involved some risque influences. Should I be worried Ash?" Lowering her hands the finger quotes done, Mirage struggled not to cackle in the relative quiet before the Captain started the briefing proper.

 

[Luca]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck
Looking at the group which had assembled down in the Flight Deck, she stood up from the crate she was resting on, rubbing her hands together as she headcounted people, including the Lmanel who was making a ceiling entrance. Let's see, we have Mirage, Ny'za, Akemi, Ashlinn, the Robot, Er'red - bless him~ She thought that'd be enough for the trip she needed. She saw that they were at least well dressed. Nothing stood out as offensively under prepared, thankfully.

Notably she had a couple of absences. J'ann had excused himself from the expedition, and the Nepleslian appeared to be a no-show. Perhaps J'ann was hurting from the embarrassment of being chewed out while Ran was still finding his feet on the ship. The bolder sorts like Akemi seemed to wear embarrassment like a badge, and for the most part, he seemed to mellow out while spending some time in flight with the crew. With any luck, all the boldness could be directed into something useful after all, with Aran'ya watching over him. "Pack it in, ladies and gentlemen," she addressed those assembled.

"I'll go over what the science team's gleaned so far on the substance we're going to call 'Grey' before we get going." She fiddled with something on her wrist, bringing up a hardlight screen beside her. A grey sphere was shown off, representing some measure of the substance, floating in space. "It appears to be an artificial non-newtonian fluid of some sort, so it is not biological or natural in origin. It solidifies at touch, but at rest its in a mostly liquid stuff. A measure of this stuff added with some dirt appeared to ..."

She snapped her fingers, looking up at the sky for a moment and mumbling as the image on screen was progressing, a piece of dirt introduced against it, which slowly begun to sink into the grey sphere and add more to its mass, disappearing entirely. "Assimilate and reproduce. However, this doesn't appear to happen to other substances, notably, live ones, or living ones. Instead..." A hand was introduced to the picture, which prodded the substance. The Grey begun to slither over the digit, not quite solid, and not quite liquid as it bubbled over the finger greedily, suckling it.

"It appears to like flesh. Fortunately," another hand was introduced to the frame, scraping the stuff away and revealing the skin underneath. "It appears to be harmless to people in small quantities, but ... for larger quantities? This could easily drown someone." The briefing team could see Porrim's wings fluttering a little as she considered the possibilities, an aside leer and a grin betraying her thoughts. "But ... I suppose a bath of this stuff in controlled conditions would be where the appeal in this lies~"

"Anyway, anyway, the balls of our mission will be to look for survivors and to find a way to neutralise this stuff, as well as recover any research data on this, because there's nothing like it save for patented Yamataian implementations available." She recalled them off the cuff since Aiesu showed her videos of it at one point, trying to appeal to her baser instincts. "Failing that, we extract and call aggressive terraforming measures on the planet to wipe this stuff off before future colonisation."

"The system will be ours, one way or the other." With her update of the briefing finished and the image wrapped up, she craned her neck at those assembled. "Any further questions before we pile in and shuttle down?"

 

[Ashlinn]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck​

As Mirage explained about her having found a shell to hide inside Ash had a look of... confusion? Interest? on her face before the lights switched on and she broke into a laugh, "You know, Thats a pretty good joke, This place being bigger on the inside. And all of - You're fuckin' with me." The Fact Mirage transitioned straight into explaining of course she'd be here just reinforced that as the smaller Neko just stared right up at her friend, her momentary not at all intimidating stink eye was passed smoothly off as the air quotes came out and Ash herself coughed, and then laughed, "No, I surprisingly have not broken out..or In? someones bed quite yet. Been settling into the routine of ship-board life and spending time in the gym, the courses or the armory." Anything further was cut off as Porrim called for them all to 'pack it in'.

The briefing wasn't that bad, and easily kept her attention as she watched the 'grey goo' do it's things, "Well, That's reassuring..." She'd half been expecting to see the skin taken down to the meaty bits. And Porrims suggestion of using it as a bath? She'd tilt her head and before she coudl stop herself, "Why do I get the feeling she's imaginign herself rolling naked in the stuff?" Once more her brain ovverode her mouth in a fashion most assuredly normal, if the previous mission was indicative. She'd make a face and promptly bit her tongue, hoping whatever honored ancestor that watched over her continued to grant her enough luck to not end up on the wrong side of a Captains Mast.

At the request for any further questions Ash cleared her throat softly, "Cap'n Porrim, Are we bringing down any ordinance to test effective ways of destroying the goo?" She did mention that was an objective, "I'm kinda curious about how one goes about eradicating a Dirt-eating-self-replicating-non-newtonian substance short of, you know, killing it with fire."

 

[ShotJon]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck

The robots eyes thwirled as it zoomed on the volumetric showing the strange fluid. His posture did not change, he just looked. This was to be his first expedition and right away, the ship found something very, very strange and possibly dangerous. Knight figured that destroying it right away would be a way to go, but meatbags were curious as usual. They wanted to know, if there was a use for Grey. Who cares if it wiped out whoever used those structures down on the planet.

"Well. Grey huh?" The robot pitched with his trademark electronic chuckle. "Was Goo taken already? I reckon I got a question too. It likes to eat dirt, does it like to eat metal? If it does, I am not sure I would be up for a dip."

 

[Luca]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck
Porrim was quick to bring some peace to the robot, bringing up some images of buildings tilting precariously on their side, mostly intact but with very unstable foundations. "Judging by all the concrete structures and metalwork still intact," she said, glancing over to the images, "I think it's safe to say you're in the clear. Still, you won't exactly be diving in this, will you?"

 

[ShotJon]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck

"Not really, just making things clear." The little rebot replied and then looked back at Porrim. "Do you plan to dive in it?" He asked back cheekily. With that out of the way the robot was not worried about anything more. Happy banter might commence. He was armed, he was around others and there was adventure ahead. Looked like a good time to be had.

 

[Syaoran]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck

Ny'za watched and listed to the report about this new substance, the Grey. It was interesting even to her, but she could also clearly see how dangerous it was as well. "When it assimilates something, does it create any byproducts?" It was good to know that it wouldn't harm the skin, but she didn't want any surprises either.

 

[paladinrpg]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck

Aran'ya held the embrace a few seconds longer, in truth enjoying the kind of predatory superiority it projected over the Neko caught up in her webbing. "I do like it rough," the L'manel remarked casually, as she then felt him going for her plentiful posterior -- of which she allowed a moment's grace. "The Mishhu adhesives in this polymer are stable, but if you want me to test more dangerous things on you, my door is always open..."

She gave that dark smile once, before giving the radio command for the Pico-jelly compound to soften, the bindings becoming supple once more and started retracting via suction back into the wrist nozzle they were sprayed from. This was coupled by a WIND-assisted twirl of Akemi's now freed body away from hers, as if in a ballroom dance. "Be glad it was my invention and not that 'Grey' that got you. Though, knowing you, you'd probably end up liking being swallowed by that stuff..." Widow remarked sarcastically, before pulling away a fair distance.

The biochemist refocused her attentions on Porrim, who, not at all surprisingly seemed to in fact be considering the sensational idea of taking a bath in this odd compound! Sometimes Widow wondered if this expedition was just as much about finding new ways for her to get off as much as new places for Lorath colonization. A shake of her short, spikey haired head was accompanied by a more logical line of thought: "Wonder if it could be dissolved organically somehow? I have a few ideas to try, just in case somebody does end up drowning in this flesh-loving superfluid."

 

[Luca]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck
Happy that she could set the robot at some ease, and she chuckled. "Not immediately~" she cooed back to the robot, scoffing a little before looking over to Ny'za. "According to the lab, it is a complete assimilation of dirt. It seems to be very choosy about what it properly assimilates and what it leaves alone and rubs down." Then again, I suppose someone could get lost in this stuff indefinitely. That'd count as assimilation, I think... Porrim wondered, pursing her lips and looking at the ceiling, exhaling a little. What a way to go...

The captain rubbed her chin and her cheeks to conceal a blush as she considered Aran'ya's suggestion. "That's something the science team are trying to figure out right now, but something's incomplete," she said, looking at the ground before returning her gaze to the biochemist, "if the buildings are intact, its likely that the place which developed it is still somewhere in the morass too. The more we figure out on this, the sooner the science team can come up with a solution."

She fiddled with something on her wrist, projecting a hologram. "You should all have communications and recording devices of some sort on your person or in your armour of choice." Porrim stood up as she made the final point of this mission clear. "If we find anything that could benefit the guys back here to let us avoid a scorched earth solution which may not solve anything, we stream it through. Anything that lets us understand what is, is a boon."

With that sentence finished, the hatches to the back of a Journey-Class shuttle resting on the flight deck opened up, and Porrim started heading towards it, looking back at the crew and beckoning them over with her HHG. The crew could see how long the machete lashed to her side was, roughly two and a half feet long, handle included. "Now, who's ready to figure this out?" She roused, keeping her pistol raised and waving them towards the shuttle. Meanwhile, Mirage's mecha was prepped and ready for launch by the flight crew, green light given to her once she got to the launch pad.

 

[Amaryllis]

LSDF Val'ta, Deck 6, Launch Deck

Akemi leisurely walked back up to Aran'ya and leaned over to discretely whisper. "I'm going to hold you to that offer, I definitely know what I'd like to be swallowed by." The Neko looked up at her and grinned, licking one of his canines. After waiting a moment to see if he could get a blush out of the woman he quickly jogged into the shuttle. She was an awful lot more composed since they first met.