RP: 188604 B7R Diplomacy

It took only a moment for Donovan to request, recieve, and share the medical and technical data supporting Alex's claim.

"Beyond ethics I must reiterate the political fallout of Mr. Tasuki's incarceration. He is a key figure in repelling the invasive Rixxicor colonies that are attempting to enter this system. Should your infestation have not been dealt with now I calculate that your city would have been overrun in three months due to the Rixxicors population growth exceeding their environments food supply. They would attack and win through sheer numbers," data supporting his statement was also transmitted as proof, "We all need allies to keep them at bay and Mr. Tasuki is critical to the aerospace superiority element of our defensive operation. FSCorp is a relatively late addition to this operation and once firmly established will be manufacturing the weapons and vessels needed to support the effort. Support from your city will greatly improve our chances of success and will be rewarded with economic growth and protection from the USO."

The Skies of B7R

"Donovan, I got your message. Awaiting permission to land." Flynn announced over the comms as he kept the Dove in a wide holding pattern above the city, while staying prepared for anti-air defenses. Last time he'd come here, he'd been a part of a small war. No doubt someone below recognized his freighter.

He bit his cigar between his teeth and patted Chuck, who had fallen asleep on the deck next to him.

@Rizzo

Silber, private chat channel

"There is something wrong with this kid."

Keller was tuned into a private channel. Those that remained to speak with Donavan and Alex were discussing amongst themselves just what to do.

"You mean besides the mind control?"

"Really? Is this the time for snark?"

"Lets remained focused here,"

"Agreed."

"We should have Alex Tasuki Arrested and put on trial. We shouldn't even be discussing that. Enough of us have already voted that it would just take one more to lock in that course of action."

"Yet you don't. You are considering what Donavan has to say as much as we are."

"They would burn this planet over a child?"

"Two of our number would let this planet burn over the same child."

"So we are to be servants to The Elysians and to these newcomers? We let Alex go, we give up any claim we have to self-determination."

"There are plenty of us who would rather have this fight now, and say we tried. Giving this planet up after so long is unthinkable for the younger generations."

This conversation had been going on for quite some time, while the large suit of armor observed Donavan and Alex. For Keller, a sensor image of the freighter was also brought up just inside of her field of vision. The situation was lose-lose, which meant that it was time to change the game.

"How about we try a different approach?" Keller offered....


Silber, Exterior

"You negotiate on behalf of the Frontier Service Corporation?" Silber would ask, the armor's voice booming loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, "Your corporation will fail out here without someone to help guide you through the politics of this area, or lead you toward those who would seek your service. Negotiate a security contract with me, hand over Alex willingly, ensure our right to self-determination. In exchange we will provide a fair percentage of our efforts to terraform this world and assist you with your efforts in this area of space."

"I would be happy to cooperate with the first and third of your requests, but handing over Mr. Tasuki is not in my power. I have come to represent FSCorp, but he is here to represent the USO. I fear that Ms. Tasuki's response to his incarceration would be quite wrathful as this is her only son," Mr. Donovan explained, "The Frontier Service Corporation is structured to profit by improving the economic structure of small governments, working for their community's benefit and happiness. We would happily respect your self-determination and help ensure its future existence, however, we have made the same commitment to the USO and therefore we must protect their people as well. Intentionally failing to protect Mr. Tasuki for personal gain would be highly dishonorable and I will accept death before dishonor. Perhaps if you could ensure his safe return she may consider non aggression. A trade might do, one of your leaders for one of ours."

"Their people could best be protected by leaving."

There was a short pause, followed by another request,

"Is there someone else we should be negotiating with? I feel as though this conversation is not well suited for a sub-contracter of a sub-contracter."

"I suppose if you feel that I am not worth speaking to we can simply part ways and you can deal directly with Ms. Tasuki, though I highly advise against it. Her negotiation skills have a primary focus in 'all or nothing' outcomes though military superiority," Mr. Donovan remained unyielding, "I do pity the position you are in as there truly is no good solution. If you arrest Mr. Tasuki and seek justice for your murdered citizens you commit an act of war. If you pardon him without a trial you look weak in the view of the public, but this is only a temporary condition. In the years to come history can either speak of a peace that was negotiated here today or reflect the USO's victory over a 'dangerous and defiant people' because history is written by the winner. If you fight them they will win and they will villainize you. Please, let me broker your peace. There is more to gain through friendship than war."

"The blaze of glory is attractive to many of our number. To give up Alex is unthinkable without some concessions.

Leave or burn with us."

Almost under giant mecha

Mr. Donovan's armored hood snapped shut as he appeared to have shut down.


Orbit of B7R-601

Zack said:

"The blaze of glory is attractive to many of our number. To give up Alex is unthinkable without some concessions.

Leave or burn with us."

Click to expand...

Klaxons blared as the volumetric screens televising the conversation turned red. BATTLE STATIONS filled the screens as crewmen rushed about. It was finally happening, and they were ready. Blue Caribou now made its approach, escorted by two flat black Broadsword-class cruisers. Captain Sampson White had been ordered to stay behind just for this. A freighter that size couldn't assist with an assault but an invasion was an entirely different matter. Pilots rushed to their mecha as the ship's crew climbed scaffolding.

"All hands, listen up," captain White announced over the ship's intercom, "The city's defenders have opted for oblivion just as Mr. Donovan has predicted. This is the moment we've all been training for. We're taking this city. Begin bombardment!"

Force fields peeked through as the bay doors slid open revealing an armored battalion of Ashigaru mecha. Dozens of gold plated cruise missiles began rolling out of the bay from the same scaffolding responsible for lobbing swarms of EMP rockets at the Kuvexian superfreighter these new missiles came from. Now reconfigured to act as hoppers the cruise missiles slid easily into space and began freefalling through the atmosphere.

Now void of missiles the freighter closed it's doors and descended on a path towards the city falling at the same speed as the missiles, now shielded for atmospheric entry.
"Broadswords, annihilate the giant mecha on the end of the city farthest from Mr. Donovan."
GIP cannons boomed silently from the cruisers who would remain in space. Their cannons fired special APHE rounds to systematically begin destroying the city's giant defenders without radioactive fallout, focusing fire and aiming to minimize civilian casualties.

Uso's location
A message appeared on her datapad,

Planetside

A moment later the android powered back on, but the hood remained closed.
"I am so sorry that you feel that way," Mr. Donovan lamented, "but before we go I must ask, why do you build your mecha to be such enormous targets."

Surely the response would be lethal, but Donovan had no intention of hearing the explanation. Using his pack power armor Mr. Donovan grabbed Alex and accelerated at full speed between the giant's legs headed towards the city, the only place the defender wouldn't fire towards.

Alex shouted loudly, broadcasting to the entire USO fleet. "ATTENTION SKY GUARD. THIS IS SKY MARTIAL TASUKI. BELAY THAT LAST ORDER AND USE YOUR POINT DEFENSE TO TAKE DOWN ANY SHOTS YOU CAN. FIRING UPON THIS PLANET WILL BE PUNISHABLE BY DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE. NO ONE DIES TODAY!!!!"

Mega-Annum Dove

Flynn watched as out of nowhere, things turned to a flaming pile of shit. Anti-ship systems began firing erratically at a space fleet that had come right the fuck out of nowhere. The space fleet was launching a full-on assault on the city. Civilians were scrambling, buildings were collapsing, and fires raged.

Flynn stared with a neutral expression for several long minutes from his position in the air.

Then, low chortling. Flynn pointed his nose skyward and pushed up the throttle.

"Fuck. That. Shit." he chuckled, shaking his head.

Space

From the atmosphere of the planet, the small freighter rocketed into the black like a bat out of hell. As soon as he had coordinates locked, he jumped into hyperspace and stood up from his chair, then moved to the galley.

Minutes later, Flynn was in his lounge, smoking a cigar, drinking a neat whiskey, dressed in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts, and watching Nepflix.

It was only then that he received notification from Donovan to abort the mission. Which he'd already done, so props to him for taking initiative.

Alex was speechless. Tears formed in his eyes as carnage rained upon the city.

His words were clearly audible to Donovan. "No... no... what have you done?!?!?!"

Skyguard

The Skyguard ships still in orbit were caught off guard. Their crews were watching the Rixxikor, deep space, and a variety of other things... they didn't even have time to react to one of their freighters starting an attack all on its own. Captains and crew were rushing to determine which shots they should be trying to intercept, and who was shooting at what.

Vier was not doing much better. Her attention was focused on herding the Rixxikor, and it would take her some time to determine what was going on and begin re-positioning her ships to participate. Though her movement was faster than the Skyguard she had not decided on her response, and was not yet in position to take action.

Queen's Slave

Uso had moved on from watching the diplomacy to... something else. She hadn't quite decided what yet, just that watching Donavan and Alex try to talk to these people was aggravating and she could probably put her time to better use. She figured they probably couldn't fuck it up any worse than they already had.

Silber

"Ship approaching on impact course with the city."

"Leave or burn with us?"

"They are starting an attack."

"Well it looks like the choice was made for us then."

"Focus on the incoming attack first," Keller said, her attention being diverted from Donavan and Alex to the incoming ship. With a few quick hand gestures she'd delegate point defense targeting for her suit to her command crew, and have her 2nd in command take over the discussion with Alex and Donavan. The small shuttle waiting to take Alex in would head out of its hiding spot in the city, the shuttle quickly reaching Alex's position and coming in for a landing.

The weapon ontop of the city's central tower would swing towards the oncoming freighter and fire, an intensely bright beam piercing through the sky and slamming into the ship's shields, rapidly depleting their defensive ability.

The seven giant armors around the city would also turn to face the oncoming attack, joining in with their own weapons fire. Alex and Donavan would get a first hand look as Silber's volumetric projectors adjusted their configuration. The ornate armor would disappear, showing the sleep, gunmetal grey, lines of the Silber itself. The machine was a vaguely humanoid shape, which would soon be replaced by another less-detailed set of armor projected over the hull. Directly above it a circular defensive shield would be projected, the shield quickly configuring itself to be jet-black and block sight through it. Similarly the city also brought its shields to full, covering a vaugely circular area that extended for a few kilometers around the city itself. This blocked line of sight to the armors as they fired and then re-positioned... all except for Silber which would stay in place while the shuttle it called for prepared to apprehend Alex.

Blue Caribou, High in the Sky

The Caravan freighter tore through the sky with tremendous speed. Now safely within the atmosphere the missiles rocketed forth.


Planetside
As the city defenses began to activate the situation became transparently obvious. They weren't going to be taking cover inside. Fortunately they were ready for this too, Mr. Donovan broadcast a change in direction to his ships.


Blue Caribou, Lower in the Sky

"B-3! Authentic transmission, B-3!" an operator yelled from his station. Throughout the ship a synthetic voice echoed as it announced the code.
"I had a feeling," Captain White muttered, then ordered, "what's the enemy's response?"

"Massive power spikes on the ground," a sensor technician answered, "wai- evade! Eva-"
The pilot threw the stick hard to starboard and the port side engines blazed. As the ship rocked rightward the intense beam clipped the rear left section of the six-sided shield and rocked the ship.

"Dammit! Be quicker about that! Tell us when that gun is going to fire again! And someone disable those giants," Captain White shouted then , "Mecha teams, prepare The Net!"

In the cargo area several dozen Ashigaru mecha moved quickly setting up by the starboard bay door what would appear to be a large, segmented graviton projector with feet that magnetically clamped to the floor, like the feet of the shipboard mecha.

At the command of a team dedicated to commanding them the three dozen gold-chrome missiles split up into several groups and accelerated even faster towards their targets, a dozen toward the one closest to Alex and Donavan and a dozen towards each of the ones stationed adjacent to it.

While the Kuvexians had intended for them to be aether missiles the new owners of the missiles decided to do something a little different. Now filled with an electromagnetic pulse emitter and big capacitor under the nose cone the refitted missiles had a new purpose. As they arrived at the optimal range of 150 meters they would emit a focused electromagnetic pulse, affecting only what was in front of them.

In an effort to slow the enemy shuttle the four Octo-Gatling Rotary Pulse Laser Batteries began working in unison to force the pilot into evasive maneuvering, purposely missing in such a way as to intimidate by flooding the shuttle's cockpit with the brilliant white-blue strobing of four torrential laser downpours but still scoring hits to keep the pilots from knowing.

"Cargo to Bridge," a mecha clad bay supervisor called, "The Net is ready."

Orbit

"B-3, it's authentic." The radio operator announced calmly.
"Hold fire," the captain ordered the gunners, "We're going to B-3, load the smokes."
On the screen the first victim of the opening salvo could be seen. After 16 shells it was looking nearly particularly out of actions as it lay on it's face. While the shields held fast they couldn't block the full force of what was realistically a needlessly overkill salvo.
"No way," the gunnery officer exclaimed as he selected the different munition, "that thing survived!"

The captain rolled his eyes, unlike the 188604 native the foreign commander knew that there were weapons far more lethal in the Kikyô sector than the salvo they just fired.
The commander could see the position of the Blue Caribou on his datapad.
"Pilot, sweep the bow low. Gunners, I'm marking a firing line. Let's make some cover."

Planetside

Explosions erupted in midair over the dome style shield of the city, rapidly spreading the same sensor smothering smoke screen the USO employed in 80mm submunitions over the immediate sky to blind their city defenses as much as possible. These eruptions began closing in on Donovan, Alex, and Keller's giant mecha.

"Stay away from the trees, Mr. Tasuki!" Mr. Donovan yelled, setting him back down a safe distance from the mecha, "this will be over soon. As you said, no one dies today."
His repetition of Alex's statement would hopefully bring some reassurance.

Silber

Keller would move the leg of her armor to block the incoming fire as best she could, a combination of shields and metal helping keep their shuttle safe as the soldiers inside tried to disembark while under fire. Nearly 3 men with rifles were able to get clear of the shuttle...

"Ma'am, Projectiles are *FFZzttt*"

Keller could feel them through the armor's sensors. Many were intercepted by her compatriots. But once they started to hit there was little that could be done. The simultaneous detonations from the missiles would fry the shields covering the city, the shields covering her armor, and just about every piece of electronics within range. The overlapping EMP bursts were strong enough to yank bits of metal right out of the ground, sending a burst of power through the small shuttle and sending it flying.

Keller's interface immediately went blank.

All she could do was see the command area of her armor... and feel the sudden acceleration as it all fell towards the ground.

Outside, the large weapon system ontop of the city stopped firing and the city itself went dark. The defensive shields blocking sight to the area dissipating, and the city's defenders reduced to large standing structures which would become large 'laying flat' structures in short order.

The missiles zeroed in onto their final approach vectors, primed and poised for the greatest moment of their short-lived lives.


Blue Caribou, Bridge
"Deploy The Net now!" The captain ordered.
A video feed from the starboard bay door was displayed.


Planetside

A wave of dust was kicked up from behind the two diplomatic envoys. Silent but powerful, it was The Net. "Tasuki, run!"
As the arrest team's shuttle came to land with three officers moving to stop them The Net over took Alex and Donavan.

It was gentle, like being submerged in jello that flowed like a waterfall into the blacked out sky. The two were almost immediately through the blanket of metallic smoke when the missiles hit home on the shields and defenders. Bolts of electricity momentarily filled the smoke as the EMPs detonated and then all but the wind was silent as they slowly ascended with all of their senses telling them that they were slowing falling feet first into outer space above.


Blue Caribou, Bridge

"I got them!" a young woman shouted triumphantly from her station, "wait- hang on, something else is caught in The Net."


The Net, Falling Up

Through the smoke poked boots, three pairs. Three men fell gently into the sky, one of them trying desperately to grab hold of the man nearest to him. It was a smooth transition into the air, like a weightless escalator.

Then, something different came. A fourth pair of boots, but these were not floating smoothly. The shuttle emerged from the smoke, bucking and rolling in the wind, all the while flinging about the airman in the doorway who held on for dear life. If only he'd just let go he would be safe, but there was no way he would truly know that he was safely caught in an array of graviton projectors. It was the ones still in the shuttle who were in real danger.

"Mr. Tasuki," Donovan's speakers boomed over the sound of the rushing wind, "this field was only meant for people carrying people. If that shuttle goes high enough the wind will push it from the field and it will fall. We must get them out!"
Only with Alex's agreement would Donovan bring him to save the crew, using his jetpack to get to it.
With Alex's help Mr. Donovan would grab the shuttle and use the jetpack to stabilize it while Alex went inside.

The Net, Falling Up

"Agreed." Alex said to Donovan. They couldn't just do nothing while people got hurt, no matter who caused the harm. "Get us closer. Hopefully they won't freak out when they see me."

After the two were closer and Donovan had stabilized the shuttle, Alex clambered inside and shouted to the people inside it. "Get out of here! It isn't safe!"

Silber

The mecha itself would nearly crash into the ground... the sudden massive amount of anti gravity helping to cushion the fall. Inside of the armor, the lights were off and the entire area was pitch black. Keller reached for the emergency bag under her chair, while discarding the now useless projection harness around her neck. In just a few moments the pop of chemical light-sticks could be heard. The small sticks quickly tossed about the cabin to provide some amount of light.

"Head for the emergency exits, and meet back up at the city." Keller instructed, she trusted her command crew knew what to do, as she grabbed the SMG and flares out of her bag and tossed the rest. The electronics wouldn't be doing much good here. The way things were going, they would be reduced to using harsh language.

The crew would split into three groups of two, each heading towards one of the emergency exits and using the manual release to blow out the exterior panels so they could slip out into the forest.

Net

The shuttle pilot itself was attempting the restart-sequence on the craft, obviously getting frustrated that she was unable to get a reaction from the controls while the officer in the back was thrown against the roof of the vehicle by the anti-gravity. He reached for his sidearm when Alex entered through the rear door, but considering he didn't know which way was up, the man would decide against using it. They were having a hard enough time keeping from getting thrown around as it is as the shuttle started to tumble end over end.