RP: 188604 [AdVenture Capital] 11 : B7R-604

Alex noticed the Rixx grabbing the Indigo as it turned to look at him and knew he had to help. There was no conscious thought with his mind still on the atrocities 'he' had committed, only instict as he switched the booster module into strike mode and activated his aether sabers.

He used the now slightly less strong booster to compensate for lack of a leg as he flew up and over the Rixx mecha, slicing down the length of its back with both blades as he came down on the other side.

He opened a channel to the Indigo.
"Need some help?" He heard himself say.

Though for a few seconds Sarena had given up after crashing down in the hangar with no ship to board, it was hard to ignore that everyone was still trying to kill her. She managed to recover enough to survey her surroundings just by the time her battered shields were about to collapse. All the soldiers... Could they tell which U-1 was which? Did they even care? It certainly didn't seem they were interested in taking prisoners.

She lifted off and reoriented her U-1 to face the exit, and blasted out of the cliff face, and into the canyon. There was no time to navigate or check maps, and she was hardly aware of the Dove's or Alex's telemetry. Sarena wanted to get out of sight, but she also wanted to leave the planet. In her state of panic, she couldn't figure out how to do both, and took a path down through the canyon with tears in her eyes.

The Eternal Pilgrim, Bridge

Spacecase decided to head to the surface to cover the Dove. "Hey I'm coming down what do you guys need help with?"

Hearing the call for help from M-A Dove, Errowyn hit full military thrust and shot her kawarime past Rixxikor Colony ships into the planet's atmosphere. She located M-A Dove and zeroed on it as the Kawarime bled the heat from the rapid entry.

One of the Rixxikor bunkers would turn towards the dove, making a powerful rocket-assisted leap into the air, turning its underside towards the Dove and extending the single massive claw on the underside, looking to smash into the top of the transport

Errowyn saw something jump up from the ground, higher than M-A Dove and aimed to crash onto it. With a thought, several missile streaked out from one of the wing pods and flew with deadly accuracy into strange Rixxikor Drop ship? Moveable bunker? Anti-Ship Bouncing Betty? What ever it was now had to deal with two anti-ship missile from her.

The Eternal Pilgrim, Bridge

Though a little late Spacecase finally received the Dove's distress signal and promptly punched the accelerator.

Arriving at the Dove's location Spacecase fired his Plasma Arc Disruptors at the Deathclaw, aiming for it's arms and legs. After the first volley Spacecase released his last remaining Junkers to try and restrict the mech's movements.

"Sorry I'm late to the party. Can I help out in any other way I can take on some passengers if you need me to." Spacecase then landed his craft, grabbed his Finagle, and ran outside taking aim at the deathclaw before firing a Best Wishes into the cockpit.

Cavallon - Landing Zone

Flynn was so focused on taking pot shots at advancing Rixxikor with his Type 38 that he failed to notice the massive roar of the Deathclaw leaping into the air. Suddenly, the world became cast in shadow, as if a massive cloud had moved in front of the sun. Flynn strolled out to the edge of the Dove and peered up from under the ship's saucer-shaped body. When he saw the bunker/Rixar Lamp bearing down on him, he didn't feel any fear at his impending demise. Instead, his shoulders slumped, and he rolled his eyes with a rather annoyed expression.

"Oh, God Damn It-!" he sighed in frustration, but was cut off as two missiles screamed from the heavens and blew it into a bunch of smaller fragments that harmlessly bounced off the Issoku's shields. For a moment, Flynn wondered if invoking the Creator's name had actually worked, when a Kawarime rocketed past seconds later. He grinned and muttered a silent thank you to his green-eyed "Angel". Another roar of engines sounded through the air, and Flynn watched as another ship, the Eternal Pilgrim, raced from the sky and unleashed hell on another nearby Deathclaw. The ship landed, and Flynn watched as Spacecase stormed out onto the battlefield with a BFG, effectively turning the bunker to mincemeat.

Oddly enough, the first thought in Flynn's mind had to do with going gun shopping after this mission.

Ace said:

"Sorry I'm late to the party. Can I help out in any other way I can take on some passengers if you need me to." Spacecase then landed his craft, grabbed his Finagle, and ran outside taking aim at the deathclaw before firing a Best Wishes into the cockpit.

Click to expand...

"That's a good idea, actually. We'll have to deal with the Elysians before this is all said and done. Two targets are harder to hit than one." Flynn said with a nod, then turned and ran back into the Dove. Inside, Chuck was curled up in the escape pod, looking up at his master with pleading eyes, like the animal knew just how close they'd both come to annihilation. Flynn smiled at the dog before typing commands into his command console. He activated the ship's transponder beacon, displaying the Dove's location to the ground-team's navigation systems.

"Uso, Alex, and Serena, you need to get up here ASAP!" he urged calmly but firmly on the all-hands channel. "This situation is spiraling further and further out of control with each passing minute. This is not the time to play hero. The Elysian Navy is in system and probably has reinforcements on call. They will handle the Rixxikor. If we do not leave, we will either be killed or arrested. We've done our job. It's time to go."

Flynn ran back outside and joined Spacecase in "target practice".

Cavallon - Landing Zone / Battle Area

'5' banked hard after screaming over M-A Dove and came around for another pass with Aether Cannons blazing into the grounded Rixxikor Drop/Bunkers, turning them to slag. Those of the Rixxikor that got a sence of intelligence tried to move their pods which became even more fodder to accurately fired missile.

Errowyn smiled briefly as this expedition was mounting up a definite bill for Flynn. At 1000 Free Spacer Script per missile, it was adding up nicely. But then it would leave her quicker when she went to 18k Nexus Free Spacer station to pick up replacements.

Then there was the newcomers that entered the fray, Elysian Navy had shown up. And it didn't look good when there was a Rogue SAoY Superior Aerospace Fighter blasting Rixxikor all over their territory.

Cavallon - Landing Zone / Battle Area

The tank carrying Uso and the mercenaries didn't slow down. It hit the cargo ramp and skidded to a stop inches from ramming the main gun through the wall. The barriers over the cupolas slid open and Corgan popped out of one, drenched in sweat. A stunning blonde, Lieutenant Aislin O'Brien, climbed out of the other. Her eyes were narrowed and she looked extremely pissed off. Corgan exchanged a glance with her and she nodded, her face going back to the usual mask of cold indifference.

The driver hopped out a few minutes later, shook his head, and then started examining the tank. He muttered under his breath in Trade interspersed with an unfamiliar language. Corgan ignored him and headed towards the Galley. O'Brien went into the Lounge and plopped down on a couch. She promptly fell asleep.

In the Galley, Corgan heated up a lasagna and garlic bread meal. He managed to find a beer in the fridge. Then, he walked to the Lounge, sat at a table, and quietly ate lunch.

Cavallon - Alex

The Aether blades would be slowed by the incredibly heavy armor on the top of the deathclaw (which is the name we're using now!) The intense heat melting off some of the rear facing guns as the blade continued downward, eventually striking the less armored claw-section, causing the mecha to lose its grip on the Indigo's arm and fall to the ground head-first.

The indigo would aim its lance towards Alex's U1 and respond,

"After this, you are turning yourself in."

It hardly had time to wait for Alex's response, as another group of Deathclaws made the rocket-assisted leap towards them, one coming down right ontop of a nearby house, flatening it while the small guns on the underside began shooting at fleeing soldiers.


Cavallon - Serena

Serena's path out of the Canyon was bringing her towards the nearest ocean, the Canyon slowly starting to shrink in size until it opened out onto a large beach, and then the ocean... Though there were small fires in the sky from deathclaws making their landing from orbit, the battle was impossible to make out from this distance.

"Serena, your emotional state seems to be compromised. I recomend letting me take remote control of your craft." Vier responded, her voice calm and level.



Cavallon - The Dove

"WE'RE IN!" Uso shouted over the all hands channel, "LETS GO! NO NEED TO STICK AROUND TO SEE HOW THIS ALL PLAYS OUT." She would roll off the side of Corgan's tank and land on her feet, her bones popping as her body continued to heal.

Uso would then open up a private channel.

"Hellcat, you're worth ever KS I spend on you."

Outside, the deathclaw that had crashed nearby had toppled over and caught on fire, Spacecase's best wishes having turned the craft into wreckage... luckily it had been knocked off course by Errown's missiles and Spacecase's own weapons fire.

There were more of them off in the distance, but it seemed that their attention was being taken up by Alex and the Indigo. All the Dove and the Pilgrim had to deal with were the Rixxikor who were on foot, emerging from the tree line to take pot-shots at both ships with various small weapons.

"COME OUT HERE AT FIGHT US MANG!"

"YOU SCARED OF US!"

"RUN AWAY! THIS IS OUR PLANET NOW!"

"YOU LOOK DUMB!"

Their insults may not have been top notch, but they certainly had plenty of them.

Alex was still not fully present as he gave a quick "Alright." to Indigo before interposing himself between the soldiers and the deathclaws to block the fire before sweeping the energy blades across the weapons of his foe and slashing at its leg. He then sent a message to Veir.

"Veir, I'm planetside and need weapons. Can you figure out a way to get me a few energy missile pods and a laser rifle?"

At this close of range, Alex's shields would quickly get chewed up by the numerous small guns of the deathclaw, even as his own sword cut into the leg, causing the leg to collapse, bringing the bunker down in place.

Vier's communication to Alex would only last for a split second, before Uso would shout over her,

"WE'RE LEAVING ALEX! STOP PLAYING AROUND!"

Cavallon - Mega-Annum Dove

Flynn slid into the pilot's chair and strapped in, raising the cargo ramps. He hated this. He'd been skeptical about bringing along kids and giving them multi million KS war machines. As much as it weighed on his conscious to do so, he brought the ship off the ground and pointed the nose skyward.

"Sorry, kid," Flynn sighed wearily to himself. "But I have my passengers' lives in my hands. This is just gonna have to be another morally ambiguous thing I've done for the sake of money."

Flynn slammed the throttle forward, rocketing towards the relative safety of outer space.

"Hellcat, Wild Rabbit, Eternal Pilgrim. There's still the Elysians to deal with. I don't think I have to tell you to avoid them at all costs. Jump out of the system the moment you can. Mega-Annum Dove is heading home minus Alex and Serena." he commanded the other ships in the operation. Once Flynn was sure that he was clear of Cavallon's atmosphere, he quickly charted an FTL route, and slammed his fist down on the button that would leave this system behind them.

The Eternal Pilgrim, Battle Zone

Spacecase would hurry the last few people into his ship before turning towards Alex. He shot through the deathclaws near Alex. "C'mon kid let's go I don't want to have to leave you behind."

Cavallon - Landing Zone / Battle Area : Departure

As soon as M-A Dove shot for the skies, Hellcat gave one more pass, laying a barrage of Aether cannon fire into the confusion of Rixxikor Deathclaws (dropships/bunker) and Rixxikor ground troops, causing as much chaos as possible.

Once clear of the area and out of range from any ground to air weapons, Errowyn shot for the skies and space beyond. Once clearing the gravity well of the planet below, she jumped, disappearing in a flash between Elysian Navel Warships. Fortunately for them, they only got hit with minor shockwave against their shields.

In FTL Jump : Returning Home 188604

Errowyn tallied up the missiles that had been expended. She nodded slightly as Flynn would get off slightly. Only 15 missiles out of 20 been used. She looked at the star charts to see if she could make a detour to 18K, thus saving her a trip later. She settled in for the long multiple ftl jumps flight back to her little island paradise on 188604 with a side trip to 18K to pick up missiles.

188604:

As the team finally returned home... they saw the the sky was a blaze...

First thing they would notice is that their protector, the Necromancer, was in ruins. What was left of the ship was entering the atmosphere and creating firey archs across the sky, the larger parts slowly but surely joining the smaller ones.

One of its attacker remained. A Lich carrier, the same kind that was supposed to be on their side.

As they looked down to the planet, the Hexagon tower was burning. The structure billowing large black clouds into the sky.

Their home had been attacked... and they didn't know the state of the friends they left behind.

Mega-Annum Dove

During the jump home- wait, was 188604 now "home"? Not like he had anywhere else to go, really. During the jump, Flynn had lit himself another cigar and grabbed a beer from his fridge. He wouldn't pretend he wasn't a little peeved that Corgan had stolen both a TV dinner and a beer from his fridge on his ship, but he figured everyone was having a difficult day, and starting conflict over something so minor seemed like the wrong thing to do. While Chuck had decided to go out to the lounge and "greet" everyone on board with slobbery canine affection, Flynn had decided to stay in the cockpit, watching the myriad of multicolored lights from hyperspace, and trying to take his mind off the fact that he'd left two teenage kids on a war torn planet to face prosecution from both the local authorities and the Elysians.

His self-loathing was cut short when his console beeped to alert him that the ship would be exiting hyperspace soon. He placed his cigar in his mouth and took the controls, ready to guide the Dove back to Uso's city. With a rattle, the planet appeared before him, along with a destroyed starship, a burning building, and a carrier that looked to be responsible.

Calmly, he knocked the ash off of the cigar and called back:

"Uso! Get up here! You're gonna want to see this!"

The Eternal Pilgrim, Battle Zone

Spacecase ran back into his ship and warmed up the engines. Addressing Alex quickly. "Hey kid you got 5 minutes to get on the ship before you have to start chasing it."

Spacecase began to put in jump coordinates for 188604 and recalled his drones.

Alex maintained the melee until all of the immediate threats to him and Indigo were eliminated, and then began to withdraw towards the Eternal Pilgrim. As he withdrew he shot Indigo a message.

"I don't think I can stay and go with you, my friends need me. I'm sorry."

He then flew into the cargo bay of the Pilgrim.

The Eternal Pilgrim, Battle Zone

As soon as Alex was on the ship Spacecase punched it. He made an FTL jump as soon as he broke orbit.

Cavallon

"Sarena, The Wild Rabbit is the last friendly FTL capable ship nearby. I suggest you meet up with it and leave the system." Vier said calmly over Sarena's direct line. "If you like, you can hand over remote control of your craft to me."

The Wild Rabbit would approach the planet, matching course and speed with Sarena's ship, the white glint of its engines being visible to the girl out infront and hundreds of miles up...



The Dove

"If this is about the microwave meal I promise I'll pay you...," Uso said as she headed up to the cockpit. She quieted down once she saw the incoming sensor data. "Have everyone leave the system and meet up here."

Uso would pull the datapad off her hip and tap a few things in on the broken screen, updating The Dove, Pilgrim, Vier, and Errowyn with a location in deep space far away from everything.

"We need to regroup and plan. I can't do that here."