• If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 February and March 2024 are YE 46.2 in the RP.

RP: Neshaten Division 5, Case 03 part 2: Burn and Rave

SirSkully

🦊 FM of Neshaten
🦾 FM of Nepleslia
🎖️ Game Master
RP Date
YE 45
RP Location
Nesha Prime
Division 5 HQ
Netoshen

16:59:25

Leo stood at the head of a long table, towers of files and a few portable computers scattered across the surface, communicators rigged up to data hubs laying alongside a few abandoned cups of coffee-to-go. The snowy-haired man had definitely seen better days, showing up at the end of the team's ordeal in that sandstone plain worse for wear, refusing to acknowledge any mention of the events that had transpired what felt like so long ago. His face wore a few more wrinkles and bags beneath his eyes that never seemed to fade away, his voice had less energy but the commander refuted any worries team-members might have voiced about him.

In the man's own concern-causing words, "He didn't have enough time to stop and worry."

Leo stared into his wrist-mounted communicator a few moments longer, waiting for time to tick over before he gave the device's side button a decisive click.

"Time is seventeen hundred, the escort vehicles will be arriving from their respective stations via the under-street tunnel network in roughly one hour, so let's take the remaining time to make sure everyone is on the same page." Leo spoke, words flowing with the same charisma he'd always been known for despite the deep shadows his face wore these days.

"The bomb-maker we stopped last week has been surprisingly co-operative for such a vehement Laibe-supremacist, we have lists of names and locations enough to deal some major damage to Netrunu'marol's operations not only on this planet but across their entire network," the captain reiterated, leaving out a few key details about how exactly that information had been extracted, a few members of the squad had seen the bloody bandages being removed from the sound-proofed cell as high-pressure hoses were brought in.

"We've kept specifics on her location as need-to-know as we could, nobody is supposed to know which carrier she'll even be in until we disembark. The convoy is running due-east through the tunnels to a private starport, where a Tri'se Collective-owned interceptor will quickly ferry her to the La’zerus Class Carrier passing through the planet's atmosphere. I'm not sure why the brass is opting to use mercenaries for the hand-over but they're refusing the budge on the topic, so it is what it is."

"Sir?" Operator DePolanskaya started, sitting further forward in her chair, ears perking up as Leo turned to face her.

"I heard each vessel in the convoy is going to have a decoy, but I'm not sure how true that is, do you know anything of it?"

Leo paused and thought momentarily, hand moving to scratch at the small bit of scruff that'd grown on his jaw.

"Yeah, I heard something similar. Laibes of similar build all bundled into jumpsuits with a bag over their head, I guess we'll see when we board... any other questions?"
 
Last edited:
Kiln'da nods is head once the meeting is over and they get their turn to weigh in on this "So how is it going to go for the team? Will we be watching the real target? Or broken up to cover the various transports. And where are you going to stick your handsome Sniper at to be the best of effect? "He states with a chuckle. He had done his best to focus on getting back to the normal life as they know it and less time thinking on the fleet that totally doesn't exist. He just kept his hopes up he might go back into space some day. So in other words back to normal.
 
"I concur, what is our involvement in this operation?" The large-eared redhead questioned, still seeming quite fatigued in herself. "Counter-offensive for an attempted raid is the most apparent choice, and given the nature of the VIP at least one ambush has likely been prepared. Beyond that, however, it seems that something else may be in order due to... A hunch." That hunch was, of course, the now-permanent association with Null Fleet. One ear swiveled, then flicked away some accumulated body heat. "More relevantly, do we know the route to the rendezvous yet? The sooner we can identify idea ambush locations, the easier it will become to defend the package."
 
Leo let out a weary sigh as his hands gripped the edge of the table, head dipped low as questions were asked, the burden of leadership was taking years off the man and left him the kind of tired that no amount of sleep could ever fix. Though the captain's gut-wound had long since sealed up it was clear it was still giving him some level of grief, the discomfort causing the snowy-haired daur to gingerly hold one hand to his side as his gaze returned to the team he felt far too responsible for.

"I... if I had any answers you know that you lot would be the first to know, only the drivers know the exact routes they're taking through the tunnel system, but I do know the starport in question is seven blocks from here. I agree that some ambush attempt is almost guaranteed, but every precaution has been taken to try and avoid that outcome," Leo replied, forcing a weak smile as his posture straightened out with a little grunt.

"That being said, we're bundling in with one of the assets, decoy or otherwise, to provide protection. Counter-sniping, drone interference, keeping our comms clear and general close protection tactics," Leo continued, pointing a gloved hand to each member in-tow as their specialities were mentioned.

"Plans rarely survive ambushes, but if things get desperate enough we can always dip topside, depending on how everything evolves. The transport vehicles are meant to be disguised as generic hover-crafts but they're fully equipped with the usual modifications our prowler is outfitted with. Just try to not engage with the asset too much, we don't need to blow their cover for them, it's better if we don't know who is who, means the enemy won't know either."
 
Kiln'da nods his head. "Rigth got it we'll treat whatever it is we are gaurding as the real deal and just not engage with them at all then. So then We all going to be in the same vehicle or will there be others we are in. I can do well form a sniper spot but I'll do what i can in a moving station as well if needed." He said. He was though glad the team was not being split up for this mission. Now they had just best hope they can protect the package, real or fake.
 
"Kiln'da's spot on, now we just need to hope that things go smoothly," Leo reaffirmed with a finger pointed the sniper's way, taking a brief moment to check the constant stream of notifications popping up on his watch before returning to the matter at hand.

"Our plants within Kingdom Fall and other terror cells haven't heard of any plans to hit today's prisoner transfer convoy, so lets try and be positive about the whole situation... if you don't have any more questions then go check your gear, we need to be ready to move the moment the transports arrive," the snowy Daur finished, deferring the team to Kyet with a wave of his hand as he turned away, eyes glued to his watch once more.

"Come on, team, lets make sure our communicators are all synced up~" the busty Operator trailed off, trying to not let her concerned frown linger Leo's way too long.

===///===

Weapons were checked, armour was tightened and drone manifests were triple-checked as three-other teams prepared themselves. Naturally curiosities about who was carrying the real prisoner came to light, equal amounts curiosity at the unknown and caution that they really shouldn't be trying to narrow it down were voiced, and before too long it was time to roll out. All four teams did any nervous last-second fidgeting they felt they needed to get out of their system before being marched to the transports by their respective team-leads, halted only by the prisoners being escorted from their soundproofed cells, with the teams soon following after them.

Even the base's golden-blonde director, Vaughn, was there to see the teams off. Authority dripped from the Laibe's crisp uniform, both arms squared away behind his back, even with the man's facial-fur being a little longer than he usually maintained it it was easy to see the power he held over those under his command. Postures straightened across the board, straps creaking against Kyet's frame as she followed suite, ears drooped down slightly to try and make her height less of an issue for those around and behind her.

"You all know the parts you must play," he started, eyes glancing over the rows of uniformed men and women as the four prisoners were loaded into their transports, each being fastened to a lone seat in the middle of the roomy rear section.

"You deliver these personnel to the private starport and don't let anyone or anything stand in your way, lethal force is authorized to be used at the discretion of each team lead, we cannot afford to fail this mission. Get them there by any means necessary, I can't ask anything more of you but just know, I have full confidence in every pair of boots I see lined up before me," the director continued, letting a proud sigh slip free as he offered a small yet incredibly reassuring little nod - various drone loadouts each team had decided upon loading themselves into launchers on the roof of each transport.

"Dinner is on me when you get back, that new place around the corner, I've already booked reservations so I expect to see each and every one of you there."

===///===

The ride started off quietly, nervous breaths were almost deafening in the armoured confines of the transport, Leo and his team sat in the second last vessel, curiously enough the pilot and co-pilot weren't dressed in any kind of law enforcement or navy uniform - much like the interceptor they were meeting up with the transports were being piloted by Tri'se Collective mercenaries. An oddity but nothing immediately concerning, privatization was becoming a much more common thing within the armed forces since the Kingdom had started tentatively reaching out to other civilizations.

"Anyone else see that reading~" a voice crackled over the vehicle's radio, piercing the idle chatter that'd been going on between the pilots and co-pilots, the team barely having time to register those words before all front-facing sensors were flooded with blinding light, the wake of a horrible explosion rocking Leo's transport as the first vehicle was sent tumbling, the armoured plates bending and buckling under the shock of being crashed against the ground again and again.

"VEHICLE ONE HIT, VEHICLE ONE HIT, CONTACT LEFT, RIGHT. FUCK, WE'RE SURROUNDED," could barely be heard over the explosion of chatter over the comms systems, statuses being requested were interlaced with moans of pain and a decent measure of static from some damaged system still trying to make itself relevant. Hostiles could be seen melting out of the tunnel's walls, smart camo tarps falling away to reveal countless enemies with far better kit than was usually expected of Kingdom Fall's goons - Yinri and Arynn's terminals both began lighting up with indicators of how damn target rich their environment was, a turret atop the vehicle popping up from its hidey-hole as the transport drifted to a stop.

"All units, disembark, grab any survivors from the first vehicle and get drag them on-board! We've got to keep going!" came a voice from one of the other vehicles, Kyet chambering a round into her bullpup shotgun while Leo did a quick visual assessment of his team. Beyond some bruises and possibly some damaged prides they would be fine.

"Crew 3! Provide cover for Crew 2, they'll push up and grab the survivors, be ready to hop back in!" Leo barked at his team, Kyet disembarking through the still-opening rear doors, propping her shotgun up against the side of the vehicle as she began opening fire on the encroaching hostiles, crumpling three to the floor in a bloody mess as shells began pooling by the base of the ramp.

Lights were flickering, screams were making it hard to hear and smoke in such an enclosed space was doing its best to make everyone's eyes water - these conditions were certainly less than ideal for a firefight~
 
Things had hit the fan, and in quite the big way as well. Kil'nda heard the calls to provide covering fire, which was something he could do. Looking for targets that would try and suppress the other teams he would then fire off a round of his rifle to blow them away one at a time. He just needed to trust his team would have his back as he pulled the trigger again. "some one throw a flash out there and blind them! Just call out on comms where your about to!" He says as he pulls the trigger again.
 
Yinri had a bad feeling since the moment they'd seen the drivers, though that was more because they had quickly assumed some secret connection to their hidden overseers. Actually, she'd been doing that a whole lot lately. It was a pretty hard piece of paranoia to prove wrong.

She was daydreaming about this when all hell broke loose, and they were left somehow both convinced they were right and wrong for a moment. Something was up, so it had to be the conspirators!... But some of the drivers were in that explosion, so it couldn't be them, right?...

"What the 'eck! If this was supposed to be sneaky, they should have just given 'em bait!" The befangled fox lurched awkwardly out of their seat, bouncing the suspension of the van when their feet finally reached the floor. The new exoskeletal supports around their legs were great for carrying weight, but not exactly the epitome of graceful, fox-like finesse. "W'he probs have the sensor advantage since we 'ave vehicles, Cap'in Leo- Permission to throw smoke cans?"

She said it through the ear-coms whilst already running out of the door with her Shukara SMG, cocking the chamber with their teeth. It had the upper screen of her scanning unit cold welded to the upper length, so they could get information from the truck whilst running out into the dark- The flashes from Kil'nda's suppressive fire turning their trudging run into a glaring stop-motion animation.

First things first, they had to figure out who or what these attackers were. Fox? Cyborg? Alien? Really too many options these days...
 
Team 3, Leo's Squad

"Yinri, pop it! Move up with Kyet and cover team 2!" Leo barked, taking up position behind Kyet with a hand on the busty operator's shoulder to announce his presence, watching her back as hatches atop their transport snapped open. With a series of rapid thoompthoompthoomps smoke cannisters were ejected into the tunnel, bouncing around in a rough pattern that covered the sides of the convoy with thick plumes of grey smoke. Kiln'da's rifle was proving exceptionally effective against the beefier gear these adversaries were rocking, cavitating torsos and splintering limbs regardless of how much armour was packed on, causing fear to spread through the ranks as a few of the incoming hostile teams scattered to find what little cover the tunnel provided.

Leo waited for the smoke to grow thick enough to cover their approach before thumping his gloved hand against Kyet's armoured pauldron, prompting her to begin moving up, combined sensory data from both Arynn's rapidly-deploying drones and Yinri's camera feeds helping mitigate the smoke's concealment to enough of a degree for them to push up and cover team 2's attempt to quickly cut team 1 out of their manged, upturned transport. The stattaco of gunfire and explosions continued, blind gunshots barely missing the approaching trio as they reinforced team 2.

Team 2's engineer approached team 1's wreck and pulled out an industrial-looking energy lance of some kind, preparing to deploy the thing as a stray shot ripped through the engineer's chest. It wasn't just a hit, the fox went instantly limp as a large chunk of their chest was scooped out and thrown into the air, energy lance clattering to the floor with a thud that was inaudible over the sounds of combat.

"Fuck, Team 2 Cover us, we'll get it open!" Leo commanded of the other team, who then moved to flank the snowy-furred Daur's squad as he picked up the energy lance, it's tip arcing to life with a white-hot gout of plasma. More targets began peeling out of the smoke, moving into the line of fire for both Kiln'da's rifle and Arynn's drones as Leo yelled for any survivor's of team one to stand back, Kyet remaining glued to Yinri's back as she fed more shells into her shotgun.

Team 1, Haise's Squad

Haise slowly came to, ears ringing and a small bit of blood trailing up her left ear, left temple stinging something fierce as her senses slowly started returning. Why... why was the prisoner sitting on the roof? What was that buzzing noise? She must have dozed off, maybe going back to sleep was a good idea~

With a pained gasp everything came rushing back, and Team One's lead realized the blood was flowing down to the roof, droplets beginning to pool below her as she became painfully aware of what felt like her seat's straps digging into at least one broken rib. Haise's second in command was crumpled against the rear ramp, face turned away from her at an unnatural angle and completely unmoving. Pained yelling was coming from the front, the co-pilot and another member of her team trying to pull an injured pilot out from his seat, any bits of kit that weren't fastened down properly prior to the ambush was now a tripping hazard as sparks from some damaged internal component flared out from a small crack in the transport's interior plating. The prisoner, though her face was still under a bag, was squirming around and straining against her bindings, one hand free.

It was an overwhelming amount of stimulus for even her highly trained self, to make matters worse yelling could be heard from outside, paint on the rear door beginning to bubble and melt as the metal beneath it turned red hot, the head of some plasma-tipped tool working its way through and beginning to slowly carve out a circle.

Whoever was cutting through would be in soon, and while her pistol was still in its holster Haise's primary weapon had been flung across the small space... it's sling barely out of reach of the prisoner.
 
Haise shook her head slowly to try and clear some of the fog without causing a headache, she could at least tell the vehicle was upside down now and that someone was trying to get in.

"Pilo-" the daur coughed and winced from the pain in her chest at doing so before trying again.

"Pilots, prepare for boarding, HVT is the priority."

Haise slowly drew her pistol and aimed it towards the hole slowly forming, trying to keep her arms from drooping down and throwing off her aim, her breathing was off and it hurt everywhere but damn these radicalists if she wasn't going to go out fighting. Stealing a glance at the prisoner she cursed under he breath seeing them get what looked like a hand free.

"May we reach Reflection." The daur took a breath and waited after whispering a small prayer.
 
Kiln'da tracked enemy movment and then shot once more to take out another armored enemy and look for anyone with a powerful rifle or anythign else that needed killed quickly. He then tapped the comms. "Also extraction team let us know before you pull them out and we'll throw a flash that will help make sure you have plenty of cover just before you charge outside again." He states.
 
As Leo began cutting into the vehicle, with the rest of Teams 2 and 3 either helping cover him or assist in the breaching, one of the four occupants of the third vehicle had situated herself in a more advantageous position. Before she started this new task, she put out one last point of information: a series of markers, barely visible on the HUD unless you focused on them, denoting groups of hostiles she seemed important.

Even with her oversized ears, Arynn's overall small body allowed her to slip into the control cubby for the roof-mounter weaponry, quickly remembering her trained knowledge eon the controls. Her drones, for the moment, were idly hovering near the roof of the tunnel, providing essential data from the sky even without her personal direct command. The turret swiveled to the right moments before the deadly applause of its automatic weapon added to the already-overwhelming cacophony of noise, felling two hostiles who weren't prepared for the attack as a half-dozen others dove for cover.

"Suppressing Charlie," Arynn's voice called out through Team 3's communications. "Epsilon group has scattered, watch out for heroes." Another deadly burst of matter pierced the smoke above most of the Division's ears as the fennec continued her work. Firing in bursts, she ensured anyone brace enough to poke a limb into her sight would be thoroughly punished for that mistake.

Top of one, top of one!

Leo heard the shota of his subordinate richochet off the vehicle less than a meter above his eartips as a particularly nearby scream called out a fraction of a fraction of a second later, a knife clattering onto the road a few centimeters away from his thigh.
 
Outside Team 1's Armoured Van

The world was monochrome, the shattered components of armoured vehicle clattering against Yinri's feet like some kind of concrete zen garden. Smoke was still swirling all around and omitting the world beyond a few feet- Though they were very suddenly aware of a body falling from the roof near Leo, as the distant clatter of supporting fire rang out.

Stuck in the open, and waiting for the squad leader to open up the hull, the fox ensured that Kyet was still glued to their back with a concerned glance... Then, realised how bad of a thing it was she could actually see that mousey technician's features.

The screen on her gun! It was too damn bright!

"Shits to whiskers! This is!-"


Before they could fumble with the button to turn it off, a new figure approached.

Armoured. Heavy. Charging with malicious intent.

Gunfire. The enemy shot first, before Yinri could even bring their pistol around-

The engineer fox had raised their oversized metal arm reflexively- The bullets bounced off!?- They both gazed at each other in confusion.

Yinri pulled her trigger and shot back, but only got one round off before her pistol jammed. It was damaged. The attacker was wearing armour and it did nothing anyway.

A few more seconds, that felt like eternity... Both parties flinched, panicking- The lumbering form raised it's rifle again- Yinri's automated arm was fast and close enough to bat the barrel away first, this time- She followed up with a resounding hydraulic uppercut- His head arced backwards awkwardly, apparently having nothing in the anti-ballistic setup to negate sheer blunt force trauma.

...Then... silence returned.

Yinri picked up the enemy's rifle. And looked at Kyet again, somehow feeling like it had been months since that tiny microcosm of melee had started.

She could barely see them against the glare of Leo's heat lance...

Probably for the best.
 
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top