RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 3] Sunny Day on Prilisa Four

Claire frowned at her fellow secuity team member. "Well excuse me for not being faster than these kittens. And for all intents and purposes, these could be the help and look how that went." She muttered something angrily. "As long as this doesn't turn into some wierd catgirl orgy, We may be alright for the time being." She was blunt, that was for sure.

She looked around at the team that had arrived talking about something through their helmets. "Well, you all figuring something out or what? Not like I can tune in to your friendly chatting." She sighed and shook her head, then turning to see her previous team all half naked with an eyebrow raised. "Well nothing I haven't seen for the most part."

"Miss Dream an' Kaz are buggering around with some o' the big, heavy kit they've got lying around here. They're still getting the hang 'o things to our other squaddies in the shuttle." Cyril said to Winters after a brief bout of profanity directed at the neko tying him up. At least the makeshift material of the binds would be easy enough to cut through if it ever came down to that. Not that it particularly mattered at the moment, he wasn't going to try anything until Dream gave the go.

"Not rightly sure what she wants the rest o' us to be doing. Whole Freespacer individual initiative sorta thing, I suppose. 'course I'm not too keen on trying anything that might be stepping on her toes." He elaborated. Seeing as Kaz and Dream were actually doing something productive, he might as well try and follow suit and fill in the remnants of other squad.

Dream landed the Wolverine in front of George and Lenny. It wasn't a soft landing nor an elegant one, but it didn't break anything.

Gak. Stupid planets. Ok, I think I got the axial thing right and the gauges. I landed the thing, waiting for the two guys to get in so I can put them through. Hopefully they'll be better pilots than I am.

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"You fellas couldn't have come here at a worse time," the subdued security member said with a grieved sigh. "My squad was in charge of escorting Administrator Popjoy to the surface to pick up some of this plant-life, and another with Administrator Sugatoma for chemical samples we found in one of the dig sites. Suddenly the place starts crawling with these things. They ain't regular nekos, least that's what I think," the man said contemplatively. “Resseti seems to think they’re messed-up nekos, not ones with Yamatai or some junk like that. He seemed to know a lot about ‘em, until him and Binks up and ran like cowards when our position here in the generator room got swarmed.”

“I hope you guys brought a plan with you, because nothin’ we tried worked.”

---

As Dream’s Wolverine came closer, George and Lenny became more visibly worried as they flicked their eyes at the “ghostly” utility vehicle. It became so bad that they stopped looking at their oh-so-interesting subject from the ceiling vent.

When the Wolverine landed, however, things changed. Very quickly. As the metallic bottom of the machine scrapped against the bay floor, the bumbling security duo dove away from the open-faced vehicle as a small, round object flew into view from out of the camera’s view. The tiny thing dropped almost feather-like into the cockpit of Dream’s remote-controlled Wolverine…and then promptly exploded, bouncing shrapnel off the spacious seats and complex control panels. A fragmentation grenade…not a powerful one, but potent enough to break a few videoscreens, break a few buttons and put some very menacing gashes on the leather chairs.

In the aftermath of the grenades detonation, (the one and only) Cassefin Montreal flipped gracefully from the obscured ventilation shaft, white Cirrus Scientist coat still trailing behind her, a blur of white cotton and fiery red hair. The graceful fall abruptly ended when the Head Administrator landed upon her rump but she was quick to recover and stand back up, brandishing a CSS Variable Weapon in her clutches no doubt stolen from one of her (currently cowering in fear of being so close to a fragmentation detonation) Cirrus Station Security lackeys.

Cassefin, unaware of the mistake she had made, pointed her gun menacingly at the Wolverine while shouting out orders to George and Lenny. The two of them were up in a flash, dashing to the second Wolverine and leaping into its empty cockpit. It took a moment for them to start the thing up...although it was fairly apparent that this was their first time looking at the controls of the vehicle, they must have received short instructional explanations from Cassefin while she camped out in the air vent above them.

---

Tweak and Deacon’s conversation, pleasant as it was, had to be cut short as an all-to-familiar ring buzzed from the front panel of the shuttle. It was the incoming communication signal. A Nepleslian voice hummed through the shuttle’s pilot area.

“Head Administrator, your shuttle has been idle around Prilisa Four’s gravity well for a while now. Is everything alright?”

Fitz finally got around to saying over the com, "I could talk you though the controls, a Wolverine is like an Air Bike right?" Though unaware of the fate of the possessed vehicle, and unsure how anyone had access to a vehicle from the current status.

He then attempted to move a little, he tried to flex his right mechanical arm to test how strong his restraint was. It was pretty tight considering the material, however he felt he could get out... not that he wanted to right now. With one eye closed while concentrating, he replied, "Well guess what pal? We are the team that was to pick that up. After this lets get a drink aye?"

Tweak turned back to the panel, reading Dream's notes but not replying (they didn't seem to be asking for any reply) while listening to Deacon. She was becoming irritated at her race's reputation. Star Destroyers? she wondered to herself. How could a race be so callous toward the rest of the universe?

She almost jumped at the buzz from the comm system.

“Head Administrator, your shuttle has been idle around Prilisa Four’s gravity well for a while now. Is everything alright?”

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"Wait, why haven't we thought of calling for help before now?" Tweak suddenly asked, her tone conveying the "d'oh!" feeling she had just gotten. She pressed a button to allow her a reply.

"This is Tweak Three Seven from CSS Team 35. We've run into a problem..." Her fingers sped over the keys, typing up a situation report in truncated language but one that would be faster than trying to explain the situation verbally. "Sending a situation report now."

She sent the report and waited.

Tweak's report was followed by a painfully long period of silence. One minute...two minutes...five minutes. Finally, another short ring accompanied a different voice, deeper, and much more serious.

"Security Team Member Tweak Three Seven, this is a secure line that is reserved for the Head Administrator. If Cassefin Montreal is not with you, there shouldn't be any way to access this encrypted channel."

"However, we've followed up on your report by attempting contact with the planetside spaceport and have received no replies, so we will take your report at its face value..." the man's voice suddenly lowered its volume, as if he was leaning his head back out of the microphones' way to speak to a nearby subordinate. "If we move all of the cargo from Bay 12 and pull the CSS Elites from the maintenance bays, that should be enough. Get Administrator Vanderhuge's clearance on plasma packs for their guns. Yes, I know it will take a while, 30 minutes at best, so you better get on it now, recruit."

The man's voice returned to normal as he reengaged his discussion with Tweak. "CSS member, you are to remain in orbit and elaborate on the abduction of the Head Administrator. We will have a CSS team investigate the matter in half an hour."

What? "Sir, we're not orbiting anything. The shuttle is still on the ground at the spaceport." Leaving out how she was using that channel (they could figure it out themselves, or ask her if they really wanted to know), Tweak looked over at Deacon to see what his reaction was to this new development. It was good that they were going to be getting help. However, Tweak suddenly worried that although help would make the current situation better it also might leave an avenue of criticism open for Miss Montreal to exploit. Strike that, it would leave an avenue of criticism open for Montreal. And she would make the most of that opportunity, too, if what happened before the mission earlier was any indication.

At best, she'll reassign us. At worst, though...I don't even want to think about it. Tweak quickly typed up a note and sent it to Dream.


Meanwhile she answered the man's query about Montreal.

"I don't think she was abducted, sir. Last I saw of her was just before the nekos arrived at the lobby. We were gathered in the lobby of the port, readying a defense, and they came through the doors from the maintenance hallway. The Administrator ran into the Reception Hallway, and I haven't seen her since then. There is a chance she's still at large, I have requested an update from Dream."

Dream virtually facepalmed. How could people be so STUPID?
Oh, well. At least Tweak had good news. Reinforcements were on their way.


Another message went to the cockpit of the remaining Wolverine:



And via radio:

...Those idiots. They threw a grenade inside the Wolverine I had opened up for them to climb on. Anyway, Headmaster Real's with them. Oh, and Tweak says that we've got an Elite team coming.

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"Nothing we tried? Hell we barely tried anything, those things were on us so fast..." Claire muttered. She hated being in the dark about everything that was happening, though she did manage to hear little bits and pieces from the radio of the marine closest to her. "Those two did something dumb again, didn't they? I hope you all know what you're doing. Then again, most anything would be better than what we did. At least this time when you guys came you all managed to hit one of them. For us it was like... I don't know.. but it was sad. Some 'security' we turned out to be, huh?"

Claire sighed. She entertained her mind by trying to guess at what the hell the neko's wanted from them. Nothing better to do since she was restrained and didn't have a helmet or any kind of communications.

The flash from the grenade blinded her for several moments, as it enveloped the display on her helmet. When it all cleared, only a few cameras were still operational.

What she saw wasn't good. Lots of torn up electronics, sparking, lots of smoke. The one camera feed she managed to get ahold of wasn't stable, flickering and wavering as she focused on what it saw. Well, the plus side is; at least she has good aim.

Dream's assessment was probably right. The main computer core was probably in the cockpit--or at least the pilot-assist computer--and was probably scored by shrapnel. Well, that was just great. All that work for nothing, just to see it explode in their faces.

Keziah sighed, and leaned her head back, returning again to reality and the sharp pains in her chest.

"Looks like we're hedging our bets on Montreal and the two stooges." Another sigh, heavier this time. "Lucky us."

Tweak smiled at Dream's message. "Well, sir, you're in luck. Seems the Administrator just made it into a Wolverine, so she's safe. Aggressive too, she blew up the second one. Team Leader Dream is trying to make contact with her as we speak." She frowned to herself as she realized that the man had said half an hour before help would arrive. "I don't know what the nekos are doing in there, the team may not have that much time," she said. Meanwhile, something that had been bothering Tweak since she escaped the lobby fiasco continued to nag her.

They seemed to be playing, not trying to kill us...why? And, more importantly, how can I use that?

"Hey, Deacon...how fast can you run?" she half-whispered toward her teammate, just out of range of the comm pickup.

Deacon sat a little further away than the last time that Tweak had paid any attention to him. The Kohanian now sat near the back of the shuttle with his legs crossed, paws resting on his thighs.

"I can run fairly fast, thanks to my upbringing and training. I would say I could run at a sustained pace of 15 to 17 miles per hour, for days at least. Much faster if just in short little bursts."

He answered, without moving a single muscle from his meditative state. Laying in front of him were his guns, his belt, and the Kohanian knife he had brought with him, it's black blade seeming to soak up any light that befell it.

"Why?"

There was no response from Tweak's previous contact from the Cirrus Station. Furthermore, the communication line seemed to have been cut completely...Tweaks reply to the gruff man behind her previous conversation was met with a volumetric message on the panel.


It would seem that Tweak's luck had run out, and what the Cirrus Station Security officer has said about the private, encrypted com-link was true; only Cassefin herself would have all of the requirements needed.

---

"Uh...ma'am?"

George, still rattled by the explosion he was mere yards away from, snapped his fingers to garner the attention of the Cirrus Station's head administrator. Lenny, his large frame looking out of place and quite uncomfortable Cassefin, satisfied with dealing with a clearly malfunctioning utility vehicle, trotted hastily towards her captured Wolverine to see what her two lackeys were mumbling on about. When she reached the Wolverine, the Head Administrator leaped up and caught a hold of the side of the machine, standing on the edge of the open cockpit and looking on the inside, weapon still in hand as she loomed over the two.


As she read Dream's transmission, Cassefin's face turned a deeper shade of red with each passing second. As she finished, the Head Administrator yelled out in anger, planting her heel on the videoscreen with a resounding CRUNCH of broken glass. "Detestable little hussy!" Cassefin sneered, giving the shattered screen another stomp for good measure.

George and Lenny merely watched as their boss threw her hissyfit, unable to do much in their positions. George managed to speak up after a minute or so, however.

"Uh...ma'am? Maybe we should get on with savin' the rest of the hostages? That's what you had us steal this thing, right?" The security member said hesitantly.

"Commandeered, you dolt," Cassefin replied, still fuming at Dream's message. "And we are leaving now. So giddy-yup!" She finished her orders by prodding George's side with her foot, a clear signal to get moving. The two inexperienced CSS members took a moment or two to get the hang of piloting the Wolverine, but after a few bumps and scrapes (and another few disciplinary kicks from Cassefin as she hung onto the side) they were able to make it out of the doorway and into the hallway.

"I might have something in mind. We won't need to run far, just fast." Tweak said. Please let him be right about his sprint speed...

The change in display at first made her think Dream was messaging her again...but then Tweak realized that the channel to Cirrus had just been cut. "Terrific," she muttered. "Looks like we're on our own again until help gets here," said the 'Spacer neko to Deacon. She got up from her chair and started checking her equipment as she headed toward the hatch. "I'm not going to spend that time just sitting around while our team gets manhandled out there. So what I've got is this: Those nekos seem more interested in wrestling around than killing everyone, so I think we should give them what they want. If you and I get their attention and give them enough of a fight that all of them want to join in, I think maybe our team could find a way out of there if we gave them enough time."

Tweak paused, then went back to the pilot's console and typed up a quick message to Dream.


Tweak sent the message, then turned back to Deacon. "I can get in and grab their attention, then when you see me running toward you, high-tail it for about twenty seconds. Then, stop and give them everything you got. I don't know if they'll turn mean if we try to kill them or not, so cut them at your own risk, but I'm going to be pummeling them until it doesn't work anymore." She walked to the hatch again, putting her hand on the door frame, then took a breath. Please don't let this be a mistake...

"One last thing. I want you to promise me, on anything you deem sacred or important to you, that you won't tell anyone in any way what you might see out there unless I release you from that promise. If you do, it might put me in more trouble than I want to know." She looked at him, wishing she could read his behavior, wishing she could know his character....hoping she could trust him.

"Aye, though I don't know what you mean by that," replied Fitz to Claire's comment, "and my name is Fitz by the way." He had figured he might as well be on first name basis since they were sitting close to each other. He wasn't sure quite who she meant, as he had just got to the station when they had this crazy mission.

"Though what I can figure lass, we are pretty much hopeless unless something gets these felines out of this room. Though I do wonder why the Neko lair is this particular room," he was wondering to himself mostly, as he looked about the room to see what he might be able to use as a distraction.

Claire turned her head towards the marine who decided to speak to her. "Fitz, hm? Claire." She nodded in response. "It's been pretty much hopeless the second they got in here. And judging by your friends reactions, it doesn't look like your plan to get us out is going too well. Course if George and Lenny are involved, it's not suprising then." What did she have against those two? They were slightly annoying sure, but she seemed to hate them for some reason.

"And who knows why they like it in here. They do plenty of other seemingly pointless crap, so what's one more thing?" Though of course she knew they were probably about to find out what the point of all this actually was.

Taking one more deep breath, the tall hyena anthro got to his feet and slid his HHGs back into their holsters, buttoning a flap over the top of them so that they did not fall out during what, he was guessing, was going to be quite the rough tussle.

"What I see, will remain forever within my mind. And on the blessing of Alleera, I will tell none of what I learn about you." He nodded solemnly, expecting that whatever happened, they would not be coming back from it.

Then, thrusting his shoulders backwards, he fell into a sprinter's stance behind her as she reached for the door, a smile on his lips...a playful smile.

After what seemed like a eternity of nonresponses, Serra finally stirred from her seated position, having been tied, retied, double tied after that, and then hogtied after that. Apparently her baseball practice in the front area spooked some of the nekos into redundancies about the large, befeathered woman.

"..." The small static clip from her helmet's radio signaled some. The resulting sweep of her head clued in those without a radio. "We're still captured?" She asked over the radio.

Dream's ratio of facepalms per minute has never been this high.

Real refuses to help us and has commandeered the only remaining Wolverine. We're on our own. Oh, and she wants to make a run for it and leave us here.

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Her tone of voice was angry. No, like, REALLY angry.

For a moment she pondered about trying and hack in the Wolverine's reactor and make it go critical.

She flashed a message to Tweak:

Raging, she switched the radio on the Wolverine on. "Hold it, Headmaster Real! You're leaving us here?! Some leader you are! What about you two? Why aren't you saying anything?! Those wolverines are the only things we can use to save everyone, you can't just destroy one and run away with the other one leaving us behind!"

This does it. Damn the Ten Gods, this does it. If Real leaves us here after destroying and stealing the only thing we can use to save the day, I'm never going to forgive her.