MarQuid
Inactive Member
Author: SUBLIMEinal
ON
[OP Theme - JAM Project - SKILL]
Our heroes, two weeks from their last mission, have been enjoying a nice downtime after their last operation. With no more simulations to run for the day, they are expect communication directly from the Divolis CEO...and the delivery of the live MX-02 units.
Meanwhile, at a nearby table, Serra was seated with Saja, several books and folders strewn across the top. "okay Saja, not try and conjugate this verb to make this sound."
"The student...go to the..." Saja furrowed her brow in frustration as she stared at the page. It was easier just picking out keywords in conversation, because her owner's language and grammar was confusing. It was all certainly harder than she though it would be.
"Like hell, Divolis is cleaning this place anyways, let them earn their pay." Techi Glanced at the clock in the room corner. "News is almost on anyways."
"News? Eh, alright." Tadarius' thumb shifted over the remote, changing it to a regular News channel.
"-is expected to drop dramatically after the sex tape scandal. In other news, there was a small shooting downtown today, with five known convicts threatening to hijack a bus. Apparently, no one was injured thanks to Divolis police, but authorities are still wary..."
"Bleh. Same old same old." Techi took another gulp of her drink, "This place has barely changed since I was little."
"Well, sometimes things never change. You want to watch something else, the news isn't my thing." Tadarius took a sip of his energy drink.
"Sure, same old crap anyways." Techi finished her drink and tossed it in a can next to the doorway, "Say Tadarius, is the planet you grew up on any different from ours? Never really been off planet."
Tadarius chuckled, and rubbed his bald head with his metal hand. "I don't know too much about Morant, but all I know is that Kennewes is about the most run-down, drug-filled, and desire-driven planet in the universe. You'd wake up in the night to gunfire off on the streets, and I'll tell you, my dad's restaurant got more than it's share of bricks in it's windows."
"Heh" Techi chuckled, "Not much of a difference then."
"What are you two talking about?" Serra asked from where she was, her attention diverted from showing Saja some useful phrases she had typed and printed up.
"Nothing much. Just how our home planets are destroying themselves from the inside out due to the scum of universe." Techi said as if it wasn't a big deal, "Your home planet any better?"
"I could hardly say it is." She said adjusting the wire rimmed glasses she wore to assist her sight. "Do you know why I wear these glasses?" She asked out of nowhere.
"No idea." Techi responded by leaning back and looking and Serra with her head upside down
"It's either because you think they make you look attractive, or is it maybe because their supposed to make you smarter than everyone else?" Tadarius huffed angrily, keeping his gaze to the viewing screen.
"I wear them because I have a genetic mutation that makes it unable for my eyes to stand normal ultraviolet light." Serra said as she adjusted them again, and then patted Saja on the head for no reason. "Elysians pride themselves on their genetic purity, but my family left me with my mutation. I became a klutz so other elysian children wouldn't make fun of my need for them."
Saja pretended to skim the page as she eavesdropped on the conversation. Anything was more interesting than learning grammar, after all. Every once in a while she'd sneak a sidelong glance at the others.
"So your parents wouldn't allow to get an operation that allowed you fix that?" Techi seemed a bit confused by this, as she was ignorant of other planets customs.
"Well, they could have, but when I used to bring the subject up, they said suffering builds character. Or some inane pile of garbage." Serra muttered with a frown.
"I didn't know Elysians were that stuck up." Techi seemed a little angry upon hearing his.
"Tch, they're practically sadists to their own kind if they're not the exact same as them." Tadarius grumbled.
"I left Elysian space because I couldn't stand the pretentiousness of my own people." Serra grumbled. "I was more of an anomaly socially than I was genetically, apparently compared to others, I was too nice."
"But your planet sounds like paradise according to what I read online. Why did you come to this god-forsaken place? Couldn't you gotten a job with the Neps or something?" Techi inquired of the Elysian.
"Hah! I don't think she'd have a better time with the Nepleslian Empire." Tadarius chuckled, he had begun to flip through the channels again.
"I could have, but the bad blood between our people was pretty deep. After all, we were apparently responsible for the Mass genocide of Greshintal in 08. Though it strikes me as odd why my people'd use something as inelegant as a genetic virus." She mused as she pointed out some word problems for Saja to solve.
Before this could get into an argument, the screen beeped. Divolis was contacting them.
"Hooray! About damn time we get to do something!" Techi cheered as she leapt off the couch.
"Mm Hmm" was all Tadarius was able to manage as he began down his 'SLAM' drink quickly.
Saja put down her pen and sighed. Finally, a break from the tedium! She stretched and yawned for a moment, then reached for her datapad and prepared to take notes on the briefing.
The screen came up, and wouldn't you know it - the CEO of Divolis, right in their faces, creepy glasses and all! The room was darkened, face was obscured, and his voice was deep and terse. "Attention test team. We are moving to the next stage. The MX-02 frames have been completed, ten in all."
"What about the service packs, sir?" Serra asked from her seat. "Was the standard utility module finished?"
The CEO gave little chance for either of them to respond, continuing without so much as flinching. "We have assembled those parts for you to use as you wish. In addition, you will be given a new AI unit for future testing." A pause. "We have a mission for you - one of the Island colonies is currently in the process of orbit decay. We need you to destroy it before it damages the planet."
Techi spoke up, "We'll be given the explosives right? I don't know if the MX-02 can destroy an entire colony by itself..."
"Everything is supplied for you. You have your duty. I expect excellence from you. You have 24 hours." With that, he was gone, the screen restored to some childrens' channel running ENIS reruns.
"That depends on the pack." Serra said as she pulled a pad from the pile of paperwork. After a moment of searching, Serra sighed. "Looks like only the standard A-class equipment is avalable right now."
Techi groaned, especially now that she's missing Enis reruns.
"I said the MX-02's equipment is only standard, it can still use the MX-01's heavy equipment, but with a 5% drop in overall efficency." Serra said from her seat, with a raised a finger.
"Well, it's not like that discount matters with nothing shooting at us, right?" Tadarius rubbed his goatee.
The roar of a huge engine approached overhead, shaking the building from its roots. Evidently, the equipment was being airdropped, as the huge VTOL hung over the huge hangar area, its pilot opening a comm channel.
"But isn't the MX-02 superior in nearly every way compared t-" Techi stopped as she heard the sound, then headed over to the window that overlooked the lounge
"Hey, is this HiGA? I've got your mechs! There's a note I've got to give you about the equipment, too, right from the CEO himself!" The comm appeared in the TV just as the previous one did, the pilot looking somewhat confused even behind his huge, face-obscuring helmet.
Saja nearly jumped at the sound of the VTOL; she still wasn't accustomed to such a noisy workplace. She took a moment to compose herself, then continued taking notes of the meeting.
Techi looked back at the TV while her hands were still on the windowsill "Are they prepped?"
"Well, no...I mean, all the equipment's there, all you have to do is put it together. There's also some heavy demolitions, some extra weapons and...hm, they seem to have some sort of AI unit here. Don't know what that's about." The pilot scratched his helmet before continuing. "Anyway, this ship is equipped to launch into space when you've got the mechs prepared. Try and keep in mind the situation - we have emplacements to destroy the colonies if it gets too close, but we're confident that the MX-02s can prevent the colony from even getting to that point."
Techi wondered why Divolis would let the colony get to close to the planet in the first place, but shook it off as not being important. "Alright, I'm going to suit up in the dressing room." Techi left the room, but re-entered to get a drink from the machine and left again.
Tadarius stood up and crunched the energy drink can in his right hand, and with the assistance of his targeting system, landed the crushed can in the trash bin across the room. "Never imagined that I'd be blasting a colony." Tadarius thought out loud as he exited after Techi.
"It's probably empty anyways." Techi took a large gulp of her drink, "Pirates raid colonies and they are left empty all the time. Still dunno why Divolis let them get so close though..."
"Still don't like blowing up colonies though. Even if they are empty." Techi remembered from all the shows she watched, colonies always had people in them. Even though real life was different, it still irked her.
"Probably thought it was a good way to keep us on our toes. Back in the military, they had us running drills, and live-fire exercises occasionally just for such a reason. I mean, he mentioned that they had emplacements to take it out before it reached the planet, right? So it can't be too big of a problem, really." Tadarius finished, keeping pace with Techi.
"Then why don't they use the emplacements!?" Techi crushed her can and threw it into a recycle bin, "I'm sick of being Divolis' errand girl."
"Well, like I said, to keep us on our toes. Anyway, we've got to make sure the MX-02's are in proper function before actually taking them to a fight." Tadarius put his hands into his pockets, the black Nepleslian tried to keep a positive attitude toward the mission.
"With all the damn testing you'd figure they'd get it right the first time..." Techi complained about all the simulations she had to undergo, "Let's just get this over with..." Techi hung a right and headed into the female changeroom.
Tadarius sighed as Techi branched off to change. He couldn't understand what made her so bitter to the mission. He turned off into the men's change room and began the process of suiting up.
Serra watched the two pilots leave. "Hmm, kids and their toys." She said with a smile and shake of her head, "So, Saja, what do you want to do now?" She asked, turning to her assistant.
"Yes." Saja said simply, then smiled and nodded. Anything for a break from this homework!
Serra gave Saja a smile, "Why don't we go to the cafeteria for some snacks? Like maybe some cake?
"
With the situation tight, the MX-02s had to be immediately prepared. Our heroes assembled outside in front of the massive VTOL as its doors opened...and within stand their mechs, five to each side of the wall, towering above them and ready to be equipped. Their weapons and packs were strewn about the back of the VTOL cargo bay, including a stasis pod and antimatter explosive devices, ready to be equipped to the units they chose.
Techi looked up at the MX-02's, somewhat surprised at their current lack of built in weapons. "Wow, when they said the MX-02 would be bare bones without the packs in the manual they weren't kidding..."
"Well, the mech is majorly hard points. I can't wait to see what one of these fully loaded and ready for a fight." Tadarius also marveled in the design and structure of the MX-02's.
"Still came as a shock. At least we get to actually pilot these things and not more of those damn simulations." Techi climbed the ladder that led to the fourth unit that was assigned to her, "Guess I'm always going to be 04"
Tadarius climbed the ladder that led to the 8th mech, he seemed content with his choice.
The PA sounded with the pilot's voice. "Uh, hey, the mission info's attatched to the 04 unit. I can operate the paint machines from here, you know."
"No need. I can make due with standard colors now. I'll break this thing in later." Techi looked over the inside of the cockpit, noting the control helmet on top of the seat.
Techi stepped into the cockpit and closed it. The computer that was on the opening hatch folded down, showing a standard computer system with a keyboard, with various switches on the side. On her armrests she noted the emergency control joysticks under some sort of hard plastic. She then flipped the switches needed to start the bootup process.
Techi somewhat snickered at the name of the OS as it booted up. "General Unilateral Neuro-Link Feedback Dispersive Automatic Maneuver system... Heh... Try to make it more complicated next time."
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As Saja watched the pilots board the MX-02s, something caught her eye. She tugged on Serra's sleeve and pointed at the Lorath stasis pod at the back of the transport.
Serra, after getting tugged at looked down at Saja, then followed where she pointed to the stasis pod. "Where'd that come from?" She asked as she took Saja's hand and walked over to it with her.
The stasis pod had a number of markings and labels which indicated that it had passed from one trade hub to another. It seemed to have been shuffled about plenty during it's journey to where it now stood. Even the usually transparent glass was fogged over with frost and grime.
Serra moved in closer to the pod, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe some of the fog and grime from the cover. "What's inside? It doesn't look like an AI." Serra replied as she cleaned the cover off more.
Serra's rampant rubbing resulted in her sleeve passing over a series of buttons which resulted in an audible hiss, followed by a recording from a voice which sounded quite flamboyant. "Congratulations, you're the proud owner of a Stalwart Defender prototype ARIA unit! Please refer to the inclosed manual if you have any questions about the unit's function. Be sure to shop smart, shop Stalwart!"
"..." Serra regarded the pod strangely. "Hmm, that jingle is missing something," She said with her arms crossed and her head tilted slightly to the side.
"So what is that thing in the pod, a robot or something?" The PA sounded again. Evidently, the pilot was listening in.
Saja blinked for a moment, then nodded at the staff member. "AI...does not need full...reanimation, so maybe...wake her up?" Saja began to press some of the buttons on the stasis pod.
The pod began to make a steady clicking sound, until a pressure valve reached it's peak and the pod's hatch swung open, the individual inside seemed to be no older than a teenager. Her pink hair and pale white frost coated skin made her seem like something right out of an Aethersperm music video.
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Techi began the normal start up, but then stopped as she saw a new OS boot up. "What the hell..."
Tadarius' mech booted up in the standard way, no unusual Xtal OS in his. He began setting the systems as appropriate.
"Intercom intercom..." Techi looked around the mech for the intercom switch. When found it she flipped it and spoke into the mike on the helmet. "Test." Techi's voice boomed from the MX-02's outside intercom, "Hey Serra, my unit has something called an Xtal OS. This wasn't in my manual."
As Techi shifted, something fell from the top of her seat - a display pad telling her that Unit 04 was to be testing the ARIA control system, within the included stasis pod. It continued to say that performance would be stable due to an Xtal patch, and that there would be no change in operation at this time.
"damn it... I haven't babysat since I was a teenager..." Techi complained as she read over the information.
As his communications systems began to come online, Tadarius tried to relay a message to Techi. "Hey Techi, everything coming out smoothly over there?"
"Yea, I read you Tadarius. Just getting used to thing." Techi responed.
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Almost as if on cue, the ARIA's eyes shot open, her pale blue pupils gazed blankly foward as she awakened from her frosty tomb. "I am an ARIA Type 1, First Stage of calabration has been engaged. What is my application?"
"Uh..."Serra glanced to Saja, "Zilnat Mark 02 OS supplement."
The ARIA unit continued to gaze into deep space, but her pale pink eyebrow twitched for just a moment. "Who is my designated Operator?"
Saja blinked, and looked at her owner. "Operator?"
"Uh... Do I program her now or something?" Techi seemed confused on what to do as she spoke into the intercom, "I know a little about computers but not enough on how to program anything as complex as this."
Serra looked over to Techi's mech. "Oh, uh... Techi Valdez." She said, pointing to Unit 04.
While Techi cannot see them, she can hear them. "What!? What do you mean I'm the operator!? What are you doing back there!?"
"This unit is referred to as Techi Valdez. Unit nomeclature established, ARIA Type 1 Unit assigned to Techi Valdez unit." The ARIA then stood up from the pod, a series of flakes of ice and powdered water droplets fell from her body as she moved to the machine.
"..." Serra watched the ARIA for a moment. Then it hit her, the machine thought the other machine was Techi, "Wait! No, I made a mistake, Techi's inside the machine!"
"Tardarius, can you see what's going on over there!? Tell me! I can't power up my mech until this damn prompt is completed." Techi 'asked' Tadarius while sounded a little panicked and annoyed.
"Visuals are coming on now," Tadarius stopped for a moment as he viewed the situation through the eyes of his mech. "Huh, nothing I can see from here seems wrong, Techi."
Saja simply started giggling at Serra's panicky state. She knew that Serra was quite absent-minded at times, but she still couldn't help but be amused by some of the things she did.
"Something is going on back there, and this Xtal thing is making me worried." Techi admitted.
"Information error, correcting for incorrect input. User recalibrated. User is Techi Valdez, located within unknown unit." The ARIA spoke calmly as she looked upon the unit which was unknown to her. "Please input information regarding unit which ARIA Type 1 shall be installed into."
"Serra, what is she rambling on about?" Techi was very confused about what to do next.
"ARIA unit Type 1, requesting additional application information and direction to application unit system interface." The ARIA's neutral tone made her seem almost seemed bored of the lack of proper input.
"She's an AI support unit for your mech Techi. She needs to know where to go so she can be uselful." Serra quickly jogged over to the ARIA when it made it's inquiry as to the mech. "That is the Zilant Mark 02 modular combat frame..." Serra turned quickly, "Saja! Look inside that pod for it's user's manual!"
"Just a second ARIA, we need to find out how to program you." Techi covered the mike and then spoke to herself, "Because no one told me how the hell to do it."
The ARIA gazed at the machine for a few moments before she began a steady but quick approach to the unit's access hatch. "Beginning physical installation."
Saja paused for a moment, then held out a hand to the ARIA. "Give manual?"
"Manual what the?!" Techi still had no clue about what is going on
Serra quickly snatched the manual from Saja's hand with a small 'thank you', as she quickly began to flip through the pages. "Hmm! Here we are!" She said pointing to a page. "Says here the ARIA, A-Type artifical intelligence supplement drone is positioned in the lower command module. Where ever the hell that is." Serra commented as she scratched her head."
"What does it say about Xtal!?" Techi yelled into the mic.
The ARIA went about a visual structural analysis, gathering information while she made her way to the lower command module access hatch. Her visual analysis easily identified the hatch due to the hatch's access panel being labeled with a Co-P-SI label. After quickly tapping at the controls to the panel, the hatch opened to reveal where a SI construct would usually be placed, instead of the traditional construct, ARIA took it's place as she climbed into the machine.
"I heard her on the mech, what's she doing!?" Techi seemed to be demanding an answer.
"She's interfacing with the mech, Techi." Serra said, waving the manual at the mech, hoping Techi could see the page she opened to.
The pilot's voice sounded once more."Hey guys, how long do you think it'll take for you to get the mechs ready? I'm getting bored here, you know..."
After climbing into the SI construct section of the machine, she went entirely by pre-programmed information as she established the proper transmitted and direct-link interfaces with the MX-02 unit. Her voice then transmitted to the cockpit. "User Techi Valdez, your A-Type 01 is now online."
Since the mech visuals couldn't be powered on until the Xtal system was finished, she couldn't see a thing. "What does that mean!?"
"Just shut up and wait!" Serra hollered back, she was getting sick of Techi being annoying.
"Techi, relax, if you're mech is having trouble we can always put you 05, or 03." Tadarius sent to Techi, not fully understanding the situation.
Techi sat back in her seat and growled a little. She then switched to the main comm line then tried speaking again, "Hey uh... A-type, can you tell me how to get rid of this 'Xtal' thing so I can power my mech?"
"I know, it's asking for some input. I dunno how to do that though..." Techi said while staring at the input screen.
As Techi went about being confused, the A-Type began to access his MX-02's systems. She was seeking out various items of information, from the current location of the unit, to the current date and time.
"Say A-type 1, can you tell me how to set up this thing? If I can this thing set up properly we can get moving." Techi tried asking the ARIA nicely
Suddenly, the Xtal sprung to life.
Code:
Xtal 0.44b (c)YE 29\nInterface System online\nMachine ID MX-02b-04\nControl Core.........okay\nDataplexer Online\nDatacore D-Segment.........okay\nDatacore A-Segment..........okay\nPilot Identified and Recorded - Techi Valdez\nPulse okay\nBreathing okay\n"General Unilateral Neuro-Link Feedback Dispersive Automatic Maneuver" Neural Interface Online\nSystem Reports Typhoon Combat-Ready\nPack Interface Initialized\nSensory Data Online\nXtal at full sync\nFinal boot okay\nInput the code:"
Techi's visuals finally came online. "FINALLY!"
Techi noticed something about a code on control panel. "Hey Serra, see anything about a code?"
Serra flipped through the manual, until she reached the last page. "Hmm... It says 178. I think." She said, while turning the book this way and that.
Techi punched the code in on her console then hit enter.
The display responded immediately.Code:System activation approved.\nARIA online. Awaiting orders.[/quote] "So A-type 1, what is your name?" Techi asks her "I am unnamed at this time, user." The A-Type responded in a rather calm but hollow tone. "Uh, guys...mech prep!" The pilot meeped again through the PA system. "Can we get started on that? I hear the 02s take a while to set up..." "Right, I'm going to give you a name later then. But for now lets get this thing moving." Techi finally put the helmet on her head. She looked on the screen and noticed it began her mapping her 'Neuro paths.' "That's right, we've got a colony to blast." Tadarius began running his finger's across the console, trying to access the loadouts. "Alright, let's get started." OFF [/quote] [b]Author:[/b] [color=#0000FF]SUBLIMEinal[/color] [quote] ON It was ten minutes before the team was due to launch, each of the machines were prepared to be launched and sent into their first deployment, a simple matter of reducing a falling object to rubble before it hits the ground, a simple matter indeed... and so the ten minute announcement was made, and a call to all pilots to be ready was announced, it was time for their final bits of chatter before the mission began. "So... Who are we waiting for again?" Techi asked as she impatiently tapped the computer console in her mech. "I've no idea, I thought had told you" Tadarius responded over the comm, his hands gliding over his instruments. "The 'intelligence' here is as reliable as a drunken bum." Techi fumed in her cockpit. A control operator's voice sounded through the hangar. "For pilots, you guys don't seem to appreciate the hard work that goes into aligning things so you don't go flying out into the depths of space and completely miss your mark." "Hey, I'm sitting and waiting, and Techi's just a little impatient. You do what you do, and don't mind us." Tadarius responded in kind. "No, but you could of at least told us more maintenance was going to be required." Techi grumbled as she tinkered with the computer console, "This thing has to be able to pick up a news channel at least." With Techi's tinkering, a monitor came on and it began to flash a warning stating that the arm ejection protocol had been engaged, and that her machine's arms would be explosively removed within a minute. "Who wrote this OS!? A monkey!?!?" Techi quickly worked on the computer to prevent the arm purging process. "Eh... Mine's doing fine, must be 'operators error'." Tadarius chuckled over the communication link. The monitor ceased it's flashing, and the arm ejection protocol was disengaged. "Hey! Learn not to poke at random buttons!" A control operator's voice sounded over the intercom again. "Planetary, satellite, and launch bay alignment is nearly complete, thirty seconds until launch." "Just as long as the joints don't blow out like the old 01's I really don't care. Still the damn thing should have access to the local planetary televisions stations." Techi sighed as she carefully looked into her mech's OS. "If it accessed local television, then you'd be watching it instead of the mission. You being the coach potato you are." Tadarius chuckled once more. "Launch alignment complete, magnetic rail catapults charged. Pilots, are you ready for launch?" The operator's voice sounded as an alarm began to ring out in the launch bay, clearly indicating a launch was about to take place. "Probably." Techi seemed too preoccupied with the computer trying to access a TV station, "Damn security is blocking out local transmissions" "Ready." Tadarius responded, as he gripped the controls. "Ready." Techi replied as he put on her helmet. "Deploying the bombs to be picked up for transport... bombs deployed, carry handles have been deployed successfully. Pilots, you will have to grab the bombs en route, you will fly right beside them... five seconds, four, three, two, one, LAUNCH!" With the operator's exclamation, a pair of metallic bars propelled by a set of magnetic rails propelled the two machines out of the carrier's bay doors, propelling them in the direction of the two antimatter weapons, and the falling satellite. Techi closed her eyes and waited until the computer informed her when she was in range of the bombs, considering the g-forces don't let her do much else. Tadarius felt the sudden pull of being launched into space, it felt like the launch tubes back on Nepleslia. He himself tried to keep his face forward and his eyes focused, scanning his screen for data, and the lofting bombs. A soft chime sounded in each cockpit as indicators popped up on interface displays indicating that the bombs were ahead. Each of the bombs had a glowing florescent fiber-weave strap which dangled into space, that would be the target for the hands of the machines. "Dunno why we have to lug this crap around by hand. They could at least spared a ship." Techi sighed as she moved into position and grabbed the strap. "Is there a moment where you don't complain, Techi? I'd like to know." Tadarius grunted as his mech's hand connected with the fiber-weave strap. With a firm grip, he continued on following the waypoint path set by control. "The only two ways things get done is either you bitch until someone does it for you, or do it yourself. I'm not fussy either way." Techi replied as she made sure the strap was on tight. ARIA's voice sounded inside of Techi's cockpit. "E.T.A at target location, five minutes. Target decent trajectory plotted, sensors commencing scan... please wait." "Take your time." Techi told her ARIA, "I wish we could of brought our packs with us. I only have the two machine guns." After three minutes, the target data appeared before Techi on a display screen. "Target acquired, standard construction materials detected, organic matter detected, life forms detected. Decent trajectory remains constant." Techi's ARIA explained as they continued their approach. "It's not a combat mission, we don't need the firepower." Tadarius responded to her. "Life forms? Must be something like rats." Techi thought as she flew towards the station "Rats? On a colony? That's damn unsanitary for a place like that." Tadarius spat as he followed Tech towards the station. "Life forms include; 12,523 humanoids, 317 felines, 218 canines, 48,000 rodents, 91 insects, 578 aquatic life forms, 57 reptilian life forms, and several billion bacterial and viral life forms." ARIA explained in her cold voice. "Impossible. Diolvis said this place abandoned." Techi replied "Mistakes can be made, right? Let's just radio in, and tell'em that intelligence had minor-fuck up." Tadarius responded calmly. "Intelligence being wrong! NO!" Techi voice oozed with sarcasm. "Would you like me to open communications with Divolis?" Techi's ARIA asked as she continued to analyze the situation. "Yes please." Techi answered, seeming a little ticked off, wishing that "intelligence" was right for once. It was barely even a couple of seconds before a small video conference screen appeared before Techi. "Connection Open" ARIA stated calmly. "This is mission control. You are supposed to maintain radio silence, is anything wrong?" a man at what appeared to be a control center asked. "Yea, Your 'intelligence' screwed up. There are nearly 12,500 people on the damn station from just my intial scan alone." Techi told them in a pissed-off tone. "Not according to the scans we have down here." The man on the video monitor checked a computer next to him and then read off his results, "The only thing we detected were rats, and numerous other lesser life forms. No humanoids on-board." "That may have something to do with the fact that you're not right next to it." Tadarius piped in. "Look my scans show that there are humanoids on board. I'm requesting permission to investigate the colony personally so we can confirm which report is accurate. The last thing I want to be responsible for is the wholesale genocide of a colony." Techi hoped she would get permission for this. "We have not cleared you for that action. You are to plant the bombs and blow the colony, we do not want you to interact with the colony in any other way." the man coldly stated. "But..." Techi tried to finish her sentence. However, she was cut off. "Pricks." "That sounded more like an execution request, instead of demolition." Tadarius responded, his mech's head turning in Techi's mechs direction. "I don't like this, not one bit." "Let's investigate anyways. Divolis would only give us a light slap on the wrist." ARIA closed the line, then brought up a display window. "Sensors currently indicate several large humanoid mechanical objects becoming mobile, DiVollis model MX-02 v00.85 B-Phase" ARIA's voice explained as she placed target markers on each one. ARIA's voice sounded again, this time it carried a serious tone. "Colony bay doors open, MX-02 v00.85 units launching. Four units detected and marked. Units equipped with short range plasma thrower weapons, and long range rail-rifle type weapons." "Well, shit." Tadarius said plainly, readying his mech for combat. "WHAT!? These rebels actually have the tech to make other 02 prototypes!?" Techi seemed a little confused on how the rebels could actually acquire something like MX-02 prototypes "Sensors indicate manufacture being of Divolis origin." ARIA explained automatically in response to Techi's words. "Requesting instruction for response to approaching units. Steven Bacchus hit the comm button in his beta MX-02, sending a communication to the incoming mechs. "Divolis, kindly fuck off. We hammered your last group of cronies and we'll do it again." He targeted one of the incoming mecha with his rail rifle, stopping his forward motion and ordering the others to do the same. "You come 10 km closer, your asses are dust." "No wonder they sent us with bombs..." Tadarius trailed off as he looked over the force they had to deal with. "They wanted us to trash the rebels and everyone with it!" "Open a channel ARIA." Techi ordered ARIA as the comm window appeared a second later, "This is Techi Valdez of the Divolis investigation team. We are here to investigate the colony and the loss of the last squad." Techi tried bluff her way through, "We are not like those other pilots. Bacchus rolled his eyes before keying his mic back on, and delivering a simple message. "Fuck off." "We can blow you to bits and then investigate the colony, or just smoothly head towards it. I'm having a bad day so I am not fussy either way. Take your pick." "Techi, what the hell!? That's not how you negotiate with someone!" Tadarius said in a desperate tone to the mecha next to his. Techi knew this wasn't proper negotiation, but she was a little annoyed at the moment that Divolis lied to her. So she wanted to see the civilans with her own eyes before she made a judgement. "Seriously, get lost. We don't really have the time to deal with your shit at the moment," Bacchus announced over the channel. "We're not like the other cannon fodder. You have five seconds before I blow your squad to bits." Techi seemed to fume with bottled rage, bad memories of her fathers lies coming back to her. "God damn it Techi, shut the hell up!" Tadarius boomed over the speakers, and he tried to get his on word in. "Listen man, we don't know what the fuck is going on, but we'd sure like to figure out what it is. Trust me, if we wanted to kill you, then we would've brought more than two flimsy armors with light armament." Techi decided to let Tadarius speak. Though she kept her mind sharp and her mechas hands near the machine guns on her hips, ready to grab them with a thoughts notice "Whatever. I see the AM Bombs, and no way in hell am I letting those near my station," Stated the pilot in his usual deadpan, "So scram, alright?" "What if we ditched the bombs?" Tadarius answered quickly. "We are here to investigate the colony." Techi stated, waiting for her opponents to make a move first so she would be able to take out her frustration. "You still got the guns." Was Bacchus' reply. He disregarded Techi completely. Tadarius stayed silent for a moment, "Forgive me, but I'm a former Marine, we don't walk out on our guns." "Exactly, we took them in case we ran into pirates, or 'other' things." Techi tried to show Bacchus she didn't want him here. "Same here, buddy. Either way, no way in hell I'm risking my own or my friends' lives with you crazy fuckers toting heavy MGs around my station." Bacchus looked around his familiar cockpit, bored of the situation already, and continued to ignore the female pilot's words. "No shit? What ship were you on?" Tadarius asked, ignoring the rest of the opposing pilots words and trying to establish a connection. "NSS Kalnoky. I hear they turned it over to some intel agency or something. Where were you stompin' around?" Bacchus replied, happy to know he had a fellow former corpsman on his hands, as opposed to some idiot Divolis hotshot. "Tadarius I've had enough. Divolis ordered us to destroy any opposition on this mission. We are going to head towards the station to investigate, and if they get in our way we will kill them." Techi's words sounded deathly cold. She was nearly at her boiling point, so angry she couldn't think straight "Techi, quiet! We may be able to settle this peacefully!" Tadarius sent back to Techi. "I was Tech Sentry on the NSS Brubaker, they shipped me off when I lost an arm, a leg, and an eye to the Reds." Techi gripped the manual controls very tightly as some sort of stress relief. She was as volatile as the anti-matter in the container next to her, all she was waiting for was the right thing to set her off. "Yeah. Hate those fuckin' Reds. Making a mess outta everything. So how long you been flying with these Divolis assholes?" Bacchus answered, leaning back in his cockpit seat and examining his nails. His other, however, remained above the firing controls. "Few months, believe or not, I came to this place through HiGA, and before that, a cruise liner ship." Tadarius answered simply. "Nice, nice." Came the reply from the older mecha. "Oh... what were we talking about earlier?" "Don't know, can we come in?" Tadarius asked politely. "Right." Tadarius let go of his bomb, "Let go of your bomb, Techi, and try to be friendly." Techi dropped the anti-matter bomb. She'd rather see what was on the colony first with her own eyes before she did anything. "Fine." OFF [/quote] [b]Author:[/b] [color=#0000FF]SUBLIMEinal[/color] [quote] ON> SLOWLY DECENDING ORBITAL COLONY As the mechanised units made their approach to the colony, it was aparent that the colony had been neglected for some time. The outer hull of the massive structure had massive dents, scrapes, and patched up breaches which made the living space for thousands of civilians seem more like a garbage barge than anything else. Bacchus chewed his tongue, lounging back in his cockpit as he watched the two armors dumped their bombs and moved towards the colony. He opened a link to Station security. "Hey, we got two Mecha incoming. They're from Higa, and I can't say I trust one of them very much. Divolis sent 'em. Think you can keep an eye on them?" "Loud and clear Bacchus, we'll send out some of our low end units... but you know you guys are piloting the best we have to offer." The station's security forces replied as they mobilized into their less advanced mechanical suits which were distant cousins to the MX-02 design. Bacchus rolled his eyes. "No, I'm talking about inside the station. We're getting them out of the 'bots and letting them walk around a bit. Divolis apparently sent 'em, but neglected to mention that we were still hanging out here." "See what happens when you appeal to them, Techi? Now we can go in, and not even get shot at." Tadarius radio'd to Techi as he began noting the mech units coming out. Techi remained silent, unable to think of what to say. Her brain went a mile a minute trying to sort the mess out. "Techi, you alright, girl?" Tadarius asked again, getting a little concerned to her silence. "I'm fine." Techi's response sounded cold and almost robotic. A far cry from her usual self. It was clear something was bugging her, but she was relucant to share. "I am detecting increased levels of stress in the pilot." the ARIA unit spoke, proclaimed the blatantly obvious. "Techi, was that really that stressful for you?" Tadarius asked her. "No it is not. I'm sure this whole matter will be peacefully resolved somehow." Techi replied in her cold, nigh-robotic voice. "Er... Techi, it just 'was' solved peacefully." Tadarius replied. Bacchus gave a half smile before chiming in to the other two pilots. "Hey, your friend seems pretty out of it. Can I have some of what she's smoking?" "Er... You heard all that?" Tadarius said, a little surprised, and a little worried at how Techi may respond. "It's not that hard when you forget to actually open a private channel," Replied Bacchus in his usual bored voice. Techi remained silent and unphased by the comment, and refused to retort. She was definitely not acting like her usual self. "Well, she's a little chopped in the brain with this situation. She's used to gunning things down when she's faced with a problem." Tadarius sent back to Bacchus, "But we're just wasting gas out here, can we go in now?" Bacchus grabbed the controls of his mech, making it's arm swing back in a motion universally recognized as signifying the words 'After you.' This was further enforced with Bacchus verbally repeating the same over the comm. Tadarius boosted his mech forward, yet slowly. He entered into the station and set his Mech's feet down on the inside. Techi followed while retaining her creepy silence. Unlike the outside of the colony, the interior of the station seemed to be in better shape, but not by much. The care of the colonists for their home seemed to be the only thing which kept the interior from looking like a complete failure. The metallic walls of the colony seemed to be well kept despite a layer of grime. Fortunately, this grime did not seem so bad due to the functional overhead lighting which lit the way from the outside of the colony to it's launch bay's inner depths. "How do you live in here?" Tadarius scanned the interior areas of the bay. "For me? Drugs. Don't know about these other guys," Bacchus answered his fellow ex-marine as he set down in the bay as well. "Alright, outta those mechs, if you would please. You're making our civvies worried enough as is." This time, Tadarius made sure the channel was private. "Techi, are you alright with stepping out of your mech?" Tadarius asked her. "I'm staying here." Techi claimed without citing her reasons. "What? Why?" Tadarius asked quickly. "To guard your mech. Take a camera with you so I can see what's going on in there." It seemed Techi was grasping at straws, making a half-assed reason like that, "I won't attack anyone unless they attack me first." Tadarius made a heavy sigh, grabbing a small headset to his right with a small camera and microphone on it. I can see why they put these in here now. "Okay Techi, you be careful now, and stay safe, alright?" Tadarius said as his cockpit open and he tried to link up the headset with her mech. Bacchus watched his camera output passively. "Yo. Your friend's still in her 'bot. What the hell, man?" "Roger that." Techi responsed "She's still a little shook up, she won't try anything, trust me." Tadarius responded cooly. Bacchus shook his head. "Hey man, if it was you, I'd let it happen, but I don't trust her at all. Get her out or we might have some problems, mate." "Techi, he's not trusting you." Tadarius radio'd to his fellow pilot. "I'm not leaving." was her reply. Tadarius stayed silent for a moment, and then turned to Bacchus, "Alright man, how about she walks with you, and I stay in the mech?" "I guess." Bacchus replied, feeling a little let-down. He had been looking forward to getting to know the other man. "Alright, Techi, out of your mech, I'll go on guard duty from here." Tadarius sent to her. "I am not leaving. I'll need to stay in this mech into order to inform Divolis if the mission needs to be changed or not." Techi was trying to use any excuse to stay inside. "Techi, we already know everything Divolis wants to tell us. Now you either switch with me, walk with me, or make me get you out of the mech." Tadarius said irratibly. "Fine." Techi powered down her mech and opened the hatch, slowly lowered down to the ground by a winch. Techi ignored the various grabs of attention at her and walked to Tadarius, taking a place by his side. "See? It wasn't that bad." Tadarius smiled at her as she came over. "Alright, we all ready?" Steven rubbed his hands together for a moment as he walked towards the pair, having disembarked from his mech not too long ago. He stopped before the two and dropped his arms to his sides, looking the two of them over with his relaxed eyes. Techi remained silent. Her face showed nearly no sign of emotion, though it seemed that she emitted an aura that pretty much gave away the fact that she was supressing how angry she was. "Lead the way." Tadarius waved at Steven. "Awesome," The taller man nodded, before turning and heading for a large door built into the wall. He stopped beside it, punching in several keys before the door started to creakily roll open. "Welcome to Shithole Station. Please enjoy your stay." He muttered just loud enough for the others to hear. The signs of the Divolis Corporation could clearly be seen in the form of the slum which was the interior of the colony. At least, in comparison to most places it was a slum. Metallic surfaces were obviously becoming corroded, grime was apparent, and the buildings and structures inside of the colony were in disrepair. In contrast to the failure of physical structure, the occupants which were visible in the colony seemed to move about in well mannered way, obviously they were not informed of the potential destruction of their home for the sake of their sanity. "God damn..." Tadarius commented. "How many people live here again?" Techi asked as she took note of the people inside. "About 12,000 or so." Bacchus replied, stepping forward into the colony. "Although if Divolis keeps it up, that number could drop pretty quickly." "Shit. And they told us to bomb this place." Tadarius looked around at the buildings and the people, everything in sorry condition. "So... We've been lied to then..." Techi tried to remain calm, but a cold sweat was breaking out around her face. "Looks that way," Bacchus said with a sigh. "The other guys they sent knew the score, though. Guess they figured clueless meant better for some reason." "Then I wonder what else they've kept from us." Tadarius began to watch Techi from the corner of his eye. "Hey," He put a hand on her shoulder, "You alright?" Techi tried to make sense out of all of this. Naturally the shock of finding out that the organization you are working for, the same organization that promised to "clean up" the area, would want to kill so many civilans. "I don't honestly know..." she responded to her squadmate's question. "So, why havn't you guys tried to leave?" Tadarius asked Steven. Bacchus shrugged. "Dunno. We really don't have the logistical ability to port all these people off, and people don't like answering our calls. You'll have to ask the head honcho for a precise reason." He began walking towards a greasy food stand passing out semi-appetizing looking food. "You guys hungry?" Tadarius only looked at Techi for an answer. "I lost my appitite." Techi said as she continued to take in her surroundings. Techi would notice that there were no cattle, and obviously no new sources of food handy... just rats. "I'm not one for fast food..." Tadarius rubbed his stomach idly. Bacchus shrugged. "Suit yourselves." He turned to the cart and quickly pointed to a sub roll with some form of mystery meat, a very yellow cheese, and a liberal application of grease. The vendor lifted it out of the cart and handed it to the man in return for a single DA. Bacchus headed back towards the two, chewing on his newly acquired sandwich. "So, what now?" "I say we discuss our d-..." Tadarius stopped as a memory came to him. "Oh shit, the cannons!" Bacchus let a slight frown creep to his face. "The whats?" "Oh... Fuck..." Techi suddenly remembered that little detail as well. "Techi, didn't that guy on the briefing mention cannons? That they would shoot this place to fuck-knows-where if this place go too close?" Tadarius asked her as he noted her sudden remberance as well. "Technially they could fire the cannons once it's within it's firing angle. A few shots would blow this place to bits, hell, one alone could kill everyone on board." Techi struggled to remember anything she could about the cannon. Bacchus sighed. "Man. I didn't want to die today." He looked to the two quizzically. "So what do you propose we do?" "Well, how many cannons do they have?" Tadarius turned to Techi for an answer. "From what I heard three. But considering Divolis lied about this I wouldn't be surprised if they also lied about that too." Techi responded. "Right then, what was your name?" Tadarius turned to Steven. "Steven Bacchus." Came the reply. "The main planetary defense batteries on Morant have a limited firing arc. I count three cannons total. One of the cannons will be in range of the station in 47 hours, 36 minutes and 7 seconds." The ARIA on the headset answered. At least we have time... Tadarius thought. "Steve, I like that, good name. Now, think you can get who ever runs this place to lend us some hands?" Tadarius offered his metal hand for a shake. Steven nodded and shook the cyborg's hand when prompted. "Yeah, I can ring some people up." He pulled away and jogged to a nearby service phone, which looked like it barely worked. He picked up the receiver and tapped a couple worn-down keys, and waited for someone to answer in the head office of the station. "Uh... yea?" The voice on the other end of the line responded. "Yo. It's Steven Bacchus. We picked up some guys. They said Morant had some big cannons pointed at us, and they'd open up in about two days. These guys are wondering if there's something we can do to help them help us." "Hey man, we're already decending at the planet, there ain't much we can do that we haven't already done... I suppose though we could... I dunno, use our launch system to throw those big bombs they were carrying down to the planet." The guy on the other end of the line suggested. Bacchus shrugged, although the meaning was quite lost when he couldn't actually see the person he was talking to. "I'll ask them if they have anything in mind." He looked over to Tadarius and Techi. "Hey, Tadarius, right? You had any thoughts on this?" "Well, we aren't actually prepared for a fight, we're lightly armed. Plus, we've got people down there who work with us and don't even know what's going on yet." Tadarius said the first part mainly to Steven, and the next mainly to Techi. Bacchus scratched his temple, then gave a slight smile. "Hey, your armors, do they have comm equipment?" "They'd know something went wrong when we come back without out bombs, and an intact colony. I'd think they'd shoot us on site." Techi guessed. Tadarius grunted at the point Techi put forth, "You're right, so they'll be ready for us." He placed on hand on his hip, letting the other arm swing lightly, back and forth. "Yeah, our mechs have comm equipment." Tadarius answered Steven. The pilot let his ghost of a smile sprout into a victorious grin. "Excellent. Then we just might get through this." Steven headed for the two other pilots. "We haven't been able to get a good signal out. You, on the other hand, just might save the day." OFF [/quote] [b]Author:[/b] [color=#0000FF]SUBLIMEinal[/color] [quote]ON: Decending Colony "So, any idea on how we will get down the surface?" Techi asked as she took a sip from a drink she assumed non-lethal. "We really only have one ship," Bacchus replied, glancing back towards the hangar. "We have a pretty good pilot for it, too." "Who might that be?" Techi asked as she finished the rest of her drink. "Some crazy drunk lady named Esther." Bacchus answered. Techi tossed her drink into the garbage can, "Great, and me without my life insurance." "Oh ho? And I'd imagine she has quite a mean streak as well." A sultry voice whispered into Bacchus' ear. Steven turned his head slightly towards the voice. "Hello Esther. I can see you got out of the bar today," The tall ex-marine joked, although it wasn't apparent due to his deadpan delivery. "Well, the guys there aren't any fun, and don't play a good game of poker now that we're out of really cheap liquor." Esther answered half-jokingly, pulling herself up and smoothing out her leather doublet. The merchant shot Steve a nonchalant grin and curiously peered over at Techi. "So who's your new friend here Stevie?" Bacchus shrugged. "One of Divolis' cronies. She doesn't like the management, though." "Oh, how cute! So you get payed, but don't want to do all those nasty job for them?" Esther exclaimed sardonically. "And I'm sure they didn't tell you about the people in the colony." Even though it was sarcasm, Techi agreed with her. "Divolis leaves a lot of things in the dark for us, makes sense looking back on things. My name's Techi. Yours?" Techi extended her hand to the stranger. Esther took the hand cordially and grinned. "Esther Belmonte. Pilot, Quartermaster, Merchant and a whole lot of other things that people seem to take for granted. It's a pleasure." "So what's your past experience then?" Techi asked as she shook Esther's hand "I used to have a blockade runner. You know what it's like to dodge past a Red cruiser in a 40 foot long Durandium cargo container?" Esther replied nostalgically, brushing back her warm orange hair. "I can tell you it's goddamn impossible, if they interdict you and spray your ass with a full salvo of antimatter torpedoes..." "Thankfully the Red's have no interest in us." Techi replied to her, "So, do you guys have any bases on the surface?" "I wouldn't know. I just do odd jobs and gamble here." Esther replied. "Wait... I just thought of something. HiGA is separate from Divolis. They might help us. Just might." Techi suggested, "But HiGA is a business, so I dunno." "Well... at any rate. I can take you and anyone else in your crew wherever you need to get to get to." Esther offered calmly, "Just make up your mind soon, alright?" "No problem. We just need to get Tadarius out of the bar." It was hard to tell if Techi was joking, or actually being serious. OFF[/quote]
