"Taisa, they've taken Deck 5 and they're getting closer to the bridge, we can't hold them off for much longer!" Said Chui Akane to her superior as she watched the remaining crew of her ship take defensive positions and set up offences against the invaders of the YSS Tanto, a Kagai-Class Assault Ship of Legion V. They had taken Ushobrakflug, but there were still pockets of NMX skirmishers attacking ships in ambushes, and the Tanto had been caught short and boarded by NMX.
Taisa Kyo Takafumi's face was grim. She always knew, in the back of her mind that this day could come, but she and her crew would meet their end lying down in fear. "Akane Chui, fire when you see the whites of their eyes." The stricken ship's damage control systems were mitigating the worst of the damage by the NMX and the ship refused to tear itself apart under the duress of the Taisa.
Then one of the bridge bunnies, a nebbish Yamataian was peering at the radars and scanners, "Taisa, we have an incoming shuttle, appears to be a Jilanth T2 Military Shuttle, IFF #727272."
"More Mishhu or their privateer lackeys, perhaps." The Taisa didn't give the extra enemy much thought as she rested the barrel of her rifle on the bridge computers, "Confirm a visual and gauge their strength, Meiko-Juni."
"Hai, Taisa." External cameras on the hull were showing that the Jilanth T2 was floating near the breach with which the Mishhu had poured in. It positioned itself so that its back hatch was perpendicular to the breach. The Mishhu had disabled the exterior shields and the life support, leaving this particular section of the ship without oxygen - it was also used as a tactic to suffocate unarmoured personnel. However, a barrier had been placed by the NMX, rendering the tactic moot.
Two NMX Nekovalkyrja in battle dress, carrying Impaler Rifles were watching the shuttle warily. If conversation was to be guessed, it was as to the identity of this lone shuttle: It wasn't in the battle plan. They were answered by the shuttle's hatch opening, and a 40mm grenade impacting with the ground by their feet, effectively destroying the two gynoids and disrupting the shields. And then, through the void of space, a single figure leapt through the infinite gloom, landing and finding his feet as the shield reformed behind him.
Inspecting his grenade launcher, he removed the empty shell and let it fall to the ground. He then coughed. Even though it was for a single moment without pressure or oxygen, ebullism and hypoxia were still being ridden out by the lone figure. He doubled over and threw up on the floor. Afterwards, he shook his head like a wounded boar and stood back up, walking off with one of the Impaler rifles and an impish grin.
On the way out, he looked up at the camera watching all this and gave it an upwards nod of acknowledgement. He appeared to be injured: His right eye appeared to have been blinded, jawbone half-shattered, and an array of other cuts and bruises that still appeared to be in the early stages of regeneration - possibly due to overexertion.
"Taisa?" Meiko-Juni looked to her superior for some support, or to confirm if she was dreaming. "It appears to be a ... a man!"
"Nande?" She had heard of the NMX using human privateers, but this one had made their allegiance abundantly clear. "But why? It's suicide! He's unarmoured!"
-
"Showtime. I've got my work cut out for me!" The man announced in Yamatai-Go as he scrounged spare Impaler magazines from dead nekovalkyrja. He might not have had much in the way of aim for the rifle, and his grip was somewhat hampered by the three-finger-thumb configuration familiar to most Neko but it was a weapon fit for the job. "Hey I hope you don't mind but I was in the area." He announced brazenly through the ship, hoping to draw attention to himself, friend and foe alike. "Thought you might need a hand!"
-
Meiko looked at Takafumi and frowned, brow furrowing as she observed the newcomer to the boarding. "I will not honour a privateer on this ship. You are in direct violation of Laws 6.1, 6.7, liable for 6.6 -"
-
"Oh with the violations - tell me, are those Mishhu on your doorstep or are you just happy to see me?" He turned a corner and found three NMX Nekovalkyrja. He made a dive to his side and fired the Impaler at them - scoring bodyshots and headshots with relative ease at the cost of volume. He ejected the depleted magazine and slapped the new one in without thought. "Give me some numbers that make sense. I need to know the odds."
"There are five thousand invad-Hey!" Meiko tried to transmit some data to the newcomer, trusting his abilities after what she was seeing.
"You are trespassing on Military Property, you are no better than an invader!"
"Taisa, think!" Akane Chui piped up, having diverted her attention away from the blast doors, "He's obviously on our side. We can use him as a distraction."
"If anything else, that's all he could be good for." The Taisa agreed with her subordinate before taking the microphone: "Boarding party of NMX is currently fifty strong, composed mostly of Rippers, Crabs, and Nekovalkyrja. We've suffered heavy casualties: Sixty six of our Centurions are dead from the initial attacks and spacing, nineteen have been taken captive, and the rest are holding Decks 7 and 6."
That meant that there were at least 15 soldiers on the Yamataian side remaining, and by the sound of it their numbers were starting to dwindle as more of the ship was lost and the NMX were finding more ways in. "The NMX intend to capture the ship and as many personnel as it can."
"Gotcha, I won't let them have that pleasure." He replied, smiling. During the briefing he had engaged in no less than seventeen kills. Snapped necks, headshots, lightning bolts, grenades and a zesuaium katana sharp enough to split molecules were only a handful of the calling cards, "Better make that thirty-ish."
"I do have one more question, Privateer. How do you expect to kill them yourself?"
"'cos-" He twirled the Katana and grinned into the camera. "I'm Luca Pavone, that's how Taisa! Look me up on SAINT!"
THE REST WRITES ITSELF!
((I am really, really bad with numbers. Adjusted!))
Taisa Kyo Takafumi's face was grim. She always knew, in the back of her mind that this day could come, but she and her crew would meet their end lying down in fear. "Akane Chui, fire when you see the whites of their eyes." The stricken ship's damage control systems were mitigating the worst of the damage by the NMX and the ship refused to tear itself apart under the duress of the Taisa.
Then one of the bridge bunnies, a nebbish Yamataian was peering at the radars and scanners, "Taisa, we have an incoming shuttle, appears to be a Jilanth T2 Military Shuttle, IFF #727272."
"More Mishhu or their privateer lackeys, perhaps." The Taisa didn't give the extra enemy much thought as she rested the barrel of her rifle on the bridge computers, "Confirm a visual and gauge their strength, Meiko-Juni."
"Hai, Taisa." External cameras on the hull were showing that the Jilanth T2 was floating near the breach with which the Mishhu had poured in. It positioned itself so that its back hatch was perpendicular to the breach. The Mishhu had disabled the exterior shields and the life support, leaving this particular section of the ship without oxygen - it was also used as a tactic to suffocate unarmoured personnel. However, a barrier had been placed by the NMX, rendering the tactic moot.
Two NMX Nekovalkyrja in battle dress, carrying Impaler Rifles were watching the shuttle warily. If conversation was to be guessed, it was as to the identity of this lone shuttle: It wasn't in the battle plan. They were answered by the shuttle's hatch opening, and a 40mm grenade impacting with the ground by their feet, effectively destroying the two gynoids and disrupting the shields. And then, through the void of space, a single figure leapt through the infinite gloom, landing and finding his feet as the shield reformed behind him.
Inspecting his grenade launcher, he removed the empty shell and let it fall to the ground. He then coughed. Even though it was for a single moment without pressure or oxygen, ebullism and hypoxia were still being ridden out by the lone figure. He doubled over and threw up on the floor. Afterwards, he shook his head like a wounded boar and stood back up, walking off with one of the Impaler rifles and an impish grin.
On the way out, he looked up at the camera watching all this and gave it an upwards nod of acknowledgement. He appeared to be injured: His right eye appeared to have been blinded, jawbone half-shattered, and an array of other cuts and bruises that still appeared to be in the early stages of regeneration - possibly due to overexertion.
"Taisa?" Meiko-Juni looked to her superior for some support, or to confirm if she was dreaming. "It appears to be a ... a man!"
"Nande?" She had heard of the NMX using human privateers, but this one had made their allegiance abundantly clear. "But why? It's suicide! He's unarmoured!"
-
"Showtime. I've got my work cut out for me!" The man announced in Yamatai-Go as he scrounged spare Impaler magazines from dead nekovalkyrja. He might not have had much in the way of aim for the rifle, and his grip was somewhat hampered by the three-finger-thumb configuration familiar to most Neko but it was a weapon fit for the job. "Hey I hope you don't mind but I was in the area." He announced brazenly through the ship, hoping to draw attention to himself, friend and foe alike. "Thought you might need a hand!"
-
Meiko looked at Takafumi and frowned, brow furrowing as she observed the newcomer to the boarding. "I will not honour a privateer on this ship. You are in direct violation of Laws 6.1, 6.7, liable for 6.6 -"
-
"Oh with the violations - tell me, are those Mishhu on your doorstep or are you just happy to see me?" He turned a corner and found three NMX Nekovalkyrja. He made a dive to his side and fired the Impaler at them - scoring bodyshots and headshots with relative ease at the cost of volume. He ejected the depleted magazine and slapped the new one in without thought. "Give me some numbers that make sense. I need to know the odds."
"There are five thousand invad-Hey!" Meiko tried to transmit some data to the newcomer, trusting his abilities after what she was seeing.
"You are trespassing on Military Property, you are no better than an invader!"
"Taisa, think!" Akane Chui piped up, having diverted her attention away from the blast doors, "He's obviously on our side. We can use him as a distraction."
"If anything else, that's all he could be good for." The Taisa agreed with her subordinate before taking the microphone: "Boarding party of NMX is currently fifty strong, composed mostly of Rippers, Crabs, and Nekovalkyrja. We've suffered heavy casualties: Sixty six of our Centurions are dead from the initial attacks and spacing, nineteen have been taken captive, and the rest are holding Decks 7 and 6."
That meant that there were at least 15 soldiers on the Yamataian side remaining, and by the sound of it their numbers were starting to dwindle as more of the ship was lost and the NMX were finding more ways in. "The NMX intend to capture the ship and as many personnel as it can."
"Gotcha, I won't let them have that pleasure." He replied, smiling. During the briefing he had engaged in no less than seventeen kills. Snapped necks, headshots, lightning bolts, grenades and a zesuaium katana sharp enough to split molecules were only a handful of the calling cards, "Better make that thirty-ish."
"I do have one more question, Privateer. How do you expect to kill them yourself?"
"'cos-" He twirled the Katana and grinned into the camera. "I'm Luca Pavone, that's how Taisa! Look me up on SAINT!"
THE REST WRITES ITSELF!
((I am really, really bad with numbers. Adjusted!))