Unlucky Star
Stumbling down the ever so slightly off-center leaning starships cooridors at random Haisley had at best a 50/50 shot at either ending up at the bridge or
the other end of the ship entirely. While she knew the basics of seamanship terms the assault ship wasnt so easily labeled its nautical directions and there were no convenient exposition signs pointing to the front or back of the ship or even where anything was.
The answer arrived when she stumbled through a thicker-than-normal hatch into the chaos of the hangar as random piles and assortments of mercenaries seemed to be untangling themselves from one another having been scrambled in the crash. Powered armored individuals extracted themselves more effortlessly than most and with maglocked boots to the ground some went about unburying those under crates or equipment with armor-enhanced strength.
It was an odd sight, so many grown men staggering around confused and almost drunkenly. And then more as the giant Borzoi righted itself on its thin legs and started chattering in its unholy whining nearby as it whined in distress but seeming more out of confusion and concern than any injury to the dire beast.
Just as out of place from the mercenaries and their giant fuckoff monster of a canine was an honest-to-god
Neko; The namesake for which Haisley herself was just a pale impostor in a shining AMES environment suit even with the iconic mindy-Hinomaru icon of the Yamatai Star Army emblazoned on the arm.
With a second appraising glance it was not, however, a neko and
just some guy instead either to Haisleys relief or disappointment it was unsure.
While she stared and gawked, an NSMC marine as out of place in this hangar as he, Masato also caught notice of the green-fatigues of the two marines and, less than fifty foot apart simply stared at each other in confusion.
Seemingly while most of the mercenaries still acted disorganized, those in powered armor and clearly the actual professionals about them and not just the logistics and ship crew had made ready almost unseen within the chaos. Tsar Noble, no longer in sight when he was thrown away from Masato strode to the hangar door and assembled his men it was only when with a loud machine whine and the flashing of interior hazard lights declaring the opening of the hangar door that Masato or Haisley even took note of the man and his some five-score mercenaries arrayed that the large armored door whined open.
Shuttle
With a loud whine even above the harsh winds of the night the side of the Terrene opened slowly and almost
menacingly to the tension of the moment until the dark was bathed in a soft glow of light from the interior of the assault ship as the sudden light almost blinded the survivors having been accustomed to but the dark and scarce light.
Backlit by the ships light a mass of shapes stood to be as men until forms broke off and started a slow shuffle down the ships ramp to shield goggled and masked faces from the cold as lights bright and numerous bathed them all like the gaze of a pack of predators only to slide off and continue sweeping everything from the shuttle to the corpses of Yeti and man.
There was shouting; Broken in the near blizzard that was either communication amongst themselves or to the survivors only to be carried off with the wind. It was with some relief when men did not immedietly take up combat positions but instead took off the ramp and went off to the sides and all abouts into the dark as some became only pinpricks of light in the night.
Close by large light poles were stabbed into the snow and under orders from some commanding figure ten men began fighting agaisnt the snow to the far off shelter at a slow shuffle in the snow, only stopping to shove flashing-beacon poles to mark their path. When six men finally made it to the bulwark there was tension as they continually shouted to be heard until one of them finally scaled it and into their midst.
"Wounded?!" He demanded, repeating the question several times until Kiril snapped out of his funk and with a nod from his father led the men, each carrying their weight in the dregs of medical gear from clearly labeled bags with the aftermarket symbol of the NYRDs to folded stretchers and other implements as they shuffled inside after the man.
For all the world it seemed an actual rescue operation as mercenaries scaled into the shuttle, collected corpses, and seemed to set up shop. Even so there was a concerning element. For each man wsa armed and not all stood around the site on security and Powered armor; At least twelve suits seen, in patterns both known and unknown including of Kuvexian make that brought up on nightmares of the
Golden God suits flittering about in an airless and gravity-null void ending marine lives with casual indifference after a suicide charge. Such suits Either took to the sky, landed ontop of the shuttle, flew off towards the other shelter, or used the enhanced strength of their frames to dig about.
Even vehicles tailor-made for the snow lumbered out and spread out as most either took to the other side of the shuttle with spotlights facing out, used plows and excavator hooks to dig snow away, or like the others went off towards the second shelter. These too were visibly armed and at least once as soon as one trumbled by let off a burst of automatic cannon fire into the night at something unseen.
And then there was the clear figure of authority in the controlled chaos. One man and an entourage strode down the Terrens ramp, giving silent orders to subordinates as he strode confidently down the ramp; Snow blew away from him at every step as some likely unseen system repelled it until he stopped just a few steps short of the bottom of the ramp and looked the length of the crashed shuttle appraising the damage before stopping his scan on the bulwark. There were unheard exchanges of words between him and his subordinates who either went back up to the assault ship or off onto other duties.
He stood there,
watching, waiting. Looking at the few fighting men and expecting if nothing else for them to come to him and not the other way around; a clear show of the power dynamic.
Borok stood starke still. Watching the whole deployment with hooded eyes and hidden emotions. When he took the berm, it was as a giant looking down upon a man he thought lesser with a clear frown.
"Corporal. Sergeant." Borok looked at Tobias and then about for Caffran which he found with Lupin in a moment.
"If you would accompany me to parlay." Without another word, the massive Sol mercenary slid down the bulwark, at least some of his men following out of loyalty if not security making it obvious the invitation was not exclusive to just the two men.
For those that stayed there was still pleanty to do as wounded were clearly being collected and the dead counted and arms reloaded. For those that followed...
When they reached the ramp Borok was at least even with the slightly higher-elevated Mercenary commander who looked down on him through shade-covered eyes as the two sized one another up.
"Borok Kuznyetski, I presume?" The newcommer asked, a note of sly cunning and debonare in his tone as he buffeted against the wind and snow like he was born to it.
"Commander." Borok greeted tersely back and the two stood silently just staring at one another between a grin and a scowl.
Finally, the other man relented, sounding not at all like he had lost whatever staring competition went about. From their gear it was impossible to not notice the Marines and how they stood out from the Black Snakes. Yet the new man simply labeled
Commander by the Mercenary giant seemed not at all surprised to see them.
"Good morning," The new mercenary offered a roguish grin to the marines present as he appraised their state and was clearly left wanting. "So who here is in charge, Any officers or non-commissioned among you, marines?"
Borok gave up nothing, clearly on principle thought he was clearly not being addressed. As this went on one of the new nearby mercenaries approached him with a tablet and kept his attention with something while the Commander stood there like he was willing to wait there all night.
Shuttle Interior
It was with some start when unknown men in different fatigues from the snakes followed Kiril into the shuttle. Few enough were able to notice such a thing even as the six men spread out amongst them and started shotung triage to each other and barking into what must be collar-mounted radio beads.
Unloading medical gear the shuttle interior became quickly cramped as more and more new faces swamped in to carry out wounded Kuz on stretchers or act as orderlies for the clearly medical-trained arrivals.
Taking their attention off the somewhat stable Francis, Carina and Molotra were mostly ignored in their little corner for the triaged wounded. What
wasn't ignored or missed was when the new mercenaries began also limbering the MEC-H capsules and carrying them out with the wounded. Away from her sleeping arrangements, Carina missed too late when someone had at some point taken the important officer's canister and was already at the shuttle shelters entrance and stepping out into the blizzard by the time she noticed that her important charge had been relieved of her.
