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  • 📅 April 2024 is YE 46.3 in the RP.

RP: Neshaten [Galactic Horizon] - Things That Go Bump In The Night

club24

Everything Is Magical
RP Date
YE 46
RP Location
Jui'Varen V
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3

The neat and generally comfortable room had been cleared of the usual large board table and office chairs and instead was setup to accommodate a small group with less impressive but still nice chairs setup viewing a large wall mounted display. Standing off to the side of this display and slowly scanning the room and the occupants as they arrived, was a Zen Armaments combat robot which had been repainted the typical black and gold of Galactic Horizon.

On the display, ariel footage of a large industrial facility surrounded by snow and icy mountains plays silently with the GH logo covering the centre, the footage itself was looping and clearly waiting for the briefing to begin properly before anyone would get to see the juicy info. The imposing robot offered no greetings or acknowledgement as people entered the room, continuing to simply inspect them each and monitor the room. Given this was one of GH's more impressive rooms at the new HQ, it was almost a perfectly timed distraction as the far wall shimmered revealing a pristine view of the large landing facility outside the main compound as the company's flagship "The Abyssal Nomad" descended through the atmosphere to make port.

As the last member stepped through the doorway, the large droid seemed to become more animated, the head rotating towards the door followed by its legs disengaging their stationary lock with a soft clunking noise. The robot moved towards the door with a series of loud thuds of large metal feet on the solid floor before extending a clawed hand to close the meeting room, automatically activating the privacy filters. The window-wall once again shimmered back to its solid opaque form as the crew had begun unloading the large ship, removing the scene from view and preventing anyone outside the room from listening in. Slowly stomping its way back to the front, the droid took up its place beside the screen once more and extended a claw holding a small projector.

As the small device activated the holographic figure of Kryss Black was brought to life with her usual fierce grin.

"Hello all, apologies for not being there in person for this briefing as I know some of you probably would have preferred to meet face to face after our discussions. But I'd like to thank you for showing up, as you all know we don't have the spare personnel to complete this expedition right now, which is where you come in. Our prototype mining base The Plant, has gone dark on Jui'varen V. Over 2000 staff living and working onsite and we haven't heard from a single one of them, none of the shuttles that typically make supply runs have left the site either. We're sending you in to find out what happened and secure the facility, our people are your primary objective and beyond that we need to ensure the equipment is shut down to avoid any critical failures or meltdowns."

Kryss seemed to turn away as though someone else was speaking to her, making some brief hand gestures and shaking her head before turning back to the group in the room.

"Sorry about that, currently dealing with a liberation campaign and all that, but back to your task at hand. The droid here is KB-12 who will be accompanying you into the base as my representative, it can keep track of the systems and status once close enough to The Plant and run triage on which objectives should be handled at a time while reporting directly to me. A shuttle will be taking you all over there shortly, for now please direct any questions my way you have about this and go over the footage and photos provided to study the layout of The Plant. The crew living quarters have all been marked as primary targets, central controls for the processing plant are also marked, beyond that other points of concern include the maintenance bay and landing facility to find out if any of the equipment is still operatable."

The hologram of Kryss paused for a minute before continuing with her final instructions.

"Oh and one last thing before questions, you'll be given access to some of our spare armoury equipment before the drop though we can't spare much, so anyone who has a personal kit they prefer is encouraged to bring it. We don't expect a full hostile force in there as there was no sign of hostile takeover before or after it went dark, always pays to be prepared though."
 
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3

A little Phod, perhaps a hair or two over four feet in height, stepped into the room on her clawed, tripod feet. She halted immediately when she spotted the combat robot, freezing in place like a prey animal spotting danger. It only took a moment for that surprised reaction to shift, and her almond-shaped yellow eyes peered at the deadly machine with uncertainty as she made her way to her seat. She’d seen battle-oriented machinery before, during her service in the Star Army, and they’d never failed to disturb her then, too.

The climb-up into the chair wasn’t too bad, and before long she’d plopped herself down into the seat, her head high enough above the edge of the table that she could participate in the discussion. The feathers that covered much of her body and her face were a pale slate gray, dun and unremarkable; it made the bright gold of her eyes stand out just a tad more. Her then began squinting at the aerial footage. It looked like an industrial facility to her, maybe some kind of forge or factory set up somewhere terribly frigid. Was it an ice-mining operation, like those on Jiyuu V and VIII over in the Motoyoshi Colonial Sector? Just looking at the massive, frozen mountains and the layers of snow made Wim’s feathery down shiver. Maybe they were being called into do some kind of support run to this place? Bring them some hot cocoa, perhaps…

Seeing a combat robot act as a doorman was… interesting. As it shut the door, the Phod briefly imagined the thing opening up on the assembled group, turning them all into red paste with its weaponry… But there was no reason for it to do that. At least, as far as they knew. She paid attention as the daughter of the CEO of Galactic Horizons appeared holographically; she was the likely heir to the corporation, and it helped to know how to identify curry favor with those certain to be in power. The Phod had learned as much back in the Haton Federation on Ohara…

As Kryss detailed the mission, the Phod girl’s heart started fluttering in her chest. A facility gone fully dark? No comms, no shuttles ferrying messages manually? Kryss then introduced the robot, spoke about objectives, and the Phod half-heard what she was saying. She spoke of an armoury, and the girl’s heart really dropped then. She raised a claw, and coughed, tried to speak, and then coughed again. Finally, she found her voice.

“Wim Gojixi ma’am, sorry. When’s… the last time the facility did send a message out, or get a supply delivery?"
If they'd been silent for more than a month, that... that sounded like death, to Wim. A power outage meant no heat, and that meant two-thousand people freezing to death... Or maybe a horrible disease rotted everyone from the inside out... Wim was already thinking about backing out of a scary mission like this, but she had debts, and if she walked from her Galactic Horizons job, there was no guarantee she'd be able to get enough cash together before the loan sharks back home would... She dismissed the thoughts. Freezing to death or dying from disease would be better.
 
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3
Sharlett was finally home after all these years away. Even now she felt like she had never really left. It felt right to be back, as if something had called her to return. Though she still yearned for adventure, the main reason she left to explore to begin with. Now she was here to follow a new adventure. Though of all places she found the ad while reading news articles. At first the people she knew suggested not to go as this seemed completely suspect. Despite this she took it as a chance to head home.

Sharlett made her way into the marked designation for the meeting. The young Daur did her best to stand out. Which is a challenge when your only 5'1". The only thing that stood out was her red tipped ears, hair and tail. The rest was white as snow. She made her way past the door and into the room. She made her way by the big android looking bot that was already in the room. She hoped to make friends with it as she really loved robots. She then stopped in her tracks when she noticed another who was smaller than her. She could not believe her eyes that this was the start of a smalls group.

She held her tongue till after the briefing was over. Then she started talked with Phod. "Hey, I'm Sharlett, nice to meet you. What is your name?" She asked.
 
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3


The voice of a Daur called out from one of the chairs, requesting, "Ah! That reminds me, Madam Kryss - is there any important information you would disclose of the facility's productivity? If there are dangerous substances being collected or processed within, it would benefit us to know how to handle them safely." The voice's orange-eyed owner inhaled sharply before adding, "Mishandling of hazardous materials may have colossal consequences for the mission, or even the entire facility." Though the little man spoke fluently in Trade, his accent - if one could call the constant body motions an accent - was borderline distracting.

"Milorad Gespar, representative of Vault Armaments," he added as his chair swiveled around to face the others. Clad in a tuxedo suit with a black tie, it was clear he was only keeping up the appearance of formality for the moment. He passed over Sharlett, despite her fluorescent coloration, and instead fixated on the resident Phod. "And you are? I think I've not seen or read about anyone like you before - color me interested!"

Not only was he finally outside of home space, but he's met a whole new species within the first two hours! Milorad was well beyond excited, a trait known for giving him the nickname "Kindling" back on site. Between this and the new equipment he was meant to test, this mission was going to fly by.
 
Galactic Horizon
Meeting Room Threesome


The fourth (and final, if the author’s memory functioned properly) member of the ad-hoc group - a Nekovalkyrja clad in a RHI Type 43 Environmental Skinsuit that left very little to the imagination with how tightly it hugged her ample curves - strode into the meeting room. Her hair and eyes were matching shades of violet, her skin was a pleasant shade of pale cream, and her expression was that of someone both bored and annoyed as she reached into the holster strapped onto her right thigh (the left thigh was occupied by a holster containing a weathered-looking Yugumo E2 Energy Pistol) and withdrew a lighter and cigarette; after lighting the aforementioned contraband, she took a nice, long drag - and let out a large puff of smoke. “Ahhhhh…. much, much better. Ma’am… - the Neko was addressing Kryss in a tone that despite being perfectly neutral had an edge or two buried in it somewhere - “…if you want me to be on time to your briefings, in the future please tell me ahead of time that I’m not allowed to wear power armor within your headquarters. I spent an entire, Empress-forsaken hour arguing with your goons over why I can be trusted to wear Valkyrie around in buildings, and I’d rather not repeat that experience.

Her politely - yet firmly - delivered rant about overly-zealous security personnel over, the Neko sat down at the conference table next to Milorad. “Name’s V. First one to guess what it stands for gets a free cigarette on the house, and here’s a hint: it has nothing to do with my eyes and hair. Anyways…” - a pause as she surveyed the other sentient beings currently in the room with her and took another drag from her death stick - “…what are we doing, what am I being paid, and why should I care?

It turns out the author’s memory did not function properly. Oops…
 
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Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3

Uil'tha's red eyes focused on the display featuring footage of an industrial facility on loop. "Fantastic," she thought sarcastically as her tail swished. It certainly looked like she absolutely would need more band aids for whatever shenanigans they were about to be briefed on. Her red eyes fell over the others that had arrived before her as she settled her behind into one of the seats. She was simply happy there was seat here at all, let alone semi-comfortable ones. For the most part everyone seemed fairly normal, but what in the world was the little pig looking creature?! This had to be the first time she ever encountered such a thing and she was mildly distracted for a moment.

That distracted moment ended as the Daur's attention was ripped to the holographic figure of Kryss Black. "Finally! Let's get this briefing on the road." she thought. As she paid attention to the information dolled out she wondered if she had the kind of medical expertise to handle care the Phod might need. Well hopefully no one got hurt until that bit was figured out, because she had zero clue. Her curiosity piqued as something in the background seemed to distract their briefer. "Yep, a liberation campaign would do that" she thought as they were given explanation for the small disruption. Luckily for her she had brought some of her own equipment with her, though she was glad for the opportunity to take a peak at what the spare armoury equipment had available.
 
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3

After the initial part of the briefing, there came the sound of heavy thuds not unlike the machine that had marched out of the room, only this sounded heavier somehow. There was a quiet whirring from behind the door before it swung open. From the threshold came a large, armored arm followed by the torso of a mechanical construct which was unable to fully fit through the doorway without having to enter one shoulder after another and ducking. The same motion was mirrored for its legs. One foot in, lean to the side, next foot in. It was repeated once more for its hind legs which were followed by a scorpion-like tail that shut the door behind her before coiling forward.

Once inside, the construct was able to stand to its full 3-meter height. Rima's head swiveled from one side to the other, taking in the environment she was in. "Hmph," she would huff before turning her attention to the projection. "Pardon my tardiness. Your sentinels insisted I exit my 'power armor', but they would not believe that I have no need of such equipment." A chuckle seemed to follow. Her voice was identifiably feminine and had a synthetic humming echo as she spoke, giving her voice an otherworldly quality. But there was also a softness to it as if cooing a babe.

Usually, job discussions would be saved for bigger locations, but in this case, this referral was more of a spur of the moment deal. There was little time to talk of accommodations, and given that it was open to any who were interested, she decided to deal with cramming herself through the miniature entryways she had grown accustomed to to meet with her would-be employer. Only it seemed that she was not physically there. Had Rima known, she would have sent a projection in her stead as well.

She turned her gaze down to the others physically present in the room. "Am I correct to assume that I will be accompanying you all? Hah! It is always a pleasure to work alongside fellow warriors." She'd bring her right fist to beat her chest once. "I look forward to working with you."
 
Galactic Horizon HQ
Meeting Room 3

With the late arrival of the towering mechanoid, the aforementioned "KB-12" simply turned and looked the creature over before returning to its docile position, seemingly unphased by the large beast. The projection of Kryss making a low whistle watching her stride across the room, the blonde was certainly impressed by this unknown species or creation. Focussing back on the group who'd answered the call the hologram Kryss surveyed and mentally identified the group, 3 Shukaren with no big surprise there, a neko who seems a little far from home, the strange metallic centaur lady, and a small fluffy creature she hadn't seen herself before but seemed to match the description of a Phod.

Clapping her hands together with a grin she began to answer the questions put forwards.

"Wim was it? Pardon my rudeness but I presume you're a Phod, haven't had any contact with your people yet but if you happen to be looking for some business later on see me after class! Now, the last time we got a message from The Plant was exactly 90hours ago, we received a routine status report along with the projections for the next export which was scheduled for the day after. The shuttle the next day arrived, and then never left and we haven't heard so much as a whistle." Kryss moved her attention to the outspoken Daur next.

"Milorad, I've heard of Vault Armaments, love the research work you guys are doing. As for productivity and substances, this facility is primarily focussed on extraction and refinement of dense metals which is all I can say on that matter. However as the process for ore refinement is hardly a patented technology these days I can also tell you we have a large amount of highly concentrated acid, toxic and corrosive substances are also present in smaller quantities. Substances aside there are active machines usually operating around the clock which we haven't been able to confirm active or not, crushing plants and magnetic separation are probably the most dangerous. The substances should all be contained, the refinery itself will need to be shut down if possible to avoid any catastrophic failures, KB-12 is equipped with all the required info on this site and can guide you appropriately should the situation be different than expected."

Kryss raised an eyebrow at the neko's behaviour, she'd not been able to convince any to work for her as of yet but if they were all like V it might be for the best, seemed a little too full of themselves, but she had asked a valid question none the less. "I'm sorry, but if wearing power armour is normal in Yamatai you will have to get used to it, security protocols to keep the 'non regenerative' members of my staff safe. As for your job and compensation, the job is to ascertain what happened to my site, rescue the crew, and if possible prevent it from melting down. As for compensation, if I carry the 1, multiply it by Hazard pay, and throw in a little bonus not to discuss any of what you see in there, 50 000KS up-front, depending on performance 50-80 again on completion, each if you were wondering. Let it never be said Galactic Horizon doesn't compensate it's contractors."

"Well, I can certainly see why they were confused... you are quite the specimen if you'll excuse my curiosity, wouldn't mind taking a look at that chassis when I get back, but anyway, it's time to get this show on the road so!"
Another hand clap, clearly the Corpo Relations Head was running out of time herself and wanted to get the group on their way, though as some had already theorised internally the passing time wasn't going to be kind to the staff stuck on the base. "We'll be sending you all to a shuttle which, by the sounds of it I'll need to swap out for something a little larger. Anyway, once on board you'll be flown out to the site though it is a couple planets over so please use the time to study the layout on the data pads as the base is 10km side to side and once inside your best bet is to find a small vehicle should be plenty around. Beyond that, KB-12 can answer mission related questions and access some of the systems onsite such as doors and can provide protection as well but I'm sure each of you knows how to hold up in a scrap."

Looking over the group again, Kryss almost looked, distant for a moment before checking something out of view and back again. "Sorry gang, gotta go, talk to the droid!" As quickly as she had appeared, the woman disappeared, and the large battle machine holding the projector slowly lowered its hand and stomped slowly to the door, switching off the privacy filters and opening up to the hall once more.

"CONTRACTORS. WILL. FOLLOW."

Without another word, the robot began walking away, towards the landing area.

After several minutes of winding corridors the group emerged into the frozen lands of Jui'Varen II to see what looked like a modified heavy-lift variant of the Skyhawk Shuttle, Their chariot, awaits.
 
Wim wriggled her pig-like snout as the very powerful and distressingly attractive human in the hologram addressed her directly. Wim was a modern girl, decently educated, and her family hadn’t been zealots of the Order of Freya… But they had been believers, and many facets of Hatonian society still carried a reverence for humanoids that some Phods just couldn’t shake off. Wim tried to focus, smoothing the ruffled feathers on her forearms with her dull black claws as she reminded herself that humans weren't Gods. They were just... people.

‘Okay, ninety hours…’ she thought, before she actually registered how long that was with a shocked blink. ‘Ninety whole hours? That’s almost four days!’

At that moment, the Daur, Sharlett, had addressed Wim, making her jump a little. It didn’t take much to make her jump. The fox-like alien was marvelously white, like a walking blizzard of fluff; Wim felt terrifically boring with her own gray fluffiness compared to this noble-looking creature. “Wim!” she tried to say, bravely. It came out as a squeak. “Wim is… me. I’m Wim. Hi.” It took all her strength not to cringe at her own awkwardness.

It got worse. A really tough and cool-looking person in one of the finest suits Wim had ever seen was now addressing her. His confidence made her shrink, wishing her species still had wings so she could fly away from all this attention. She’d given her name to Sharlett, so Wim didn't repeat it, but then this man had asked her to… color him interested? By Freya, what did that mean? What color was ‘interest’!? “O-okay!” she found herself blurting out, not knowing what precisely she’d just agreed to.

The Neko present was a species Wim was a little more comfortable with, having served with a couple during Wim’s rather disastrous term in the Star Army. The Neko seemed focused, militant… Yeah, that all checked out. Another Daur was there, red-eyed and swish-tailed. They seemed to be on-target too, like the Neko. These seemed like capable, confident people. Wim started to feel a little better; she could more easily stay quietly in the ‘backstage’ while these folks got the glory and dealt with the scary stuff.

Such as the horrifying monster that just barely fit through the doorway.

Wim was out of her seat as the creature? Robot? Thing entered the room, finding a hiding spot under the vast table. The monstrosity spoke, its voice robotic and... somehow female? Kryss was continuing her briefing as though they weren't under attack. Was... this a friend? Wim, her bird's heart thrumming in her chest, tried to gather herself up. "F-found my pen!" she called out awkwardly, stuffing a clawed hand into a pocket as though putting something back in it. It took her a while to get the courage to crawl back up into her chair...
 
GalH HQ
Meeting Room


Milorad chuckled as the little Phod seemed to melt under all the attention she was being given, turning into a blubberingly adorable mess in her chair. And yet, it seemed like he'd decided to internalize a few of those details for later use - nodding in the callout of his parent company and adding in a tidbit of his own, "Indeed, part of the reason I am here is to assist R&D with field testing of equipment."

Milorad's ears had twitched in sync with the approaching footsteps of the mechanical titan, only turning his head properly when the door had been opened to cast his eyes upon it - and he didn't do a good job of hiding his facial expression when the new arrival's own was entirely covered by armor plating. He knew enough not to pry, especially after Rima explained their seeming lack of organic capabilities. He already had the money set to be sent to his family - the first 50 thousand would suit them better than him anyways. The bonus cash... He hadn't figured that out yet.

Landing Area

Milorad hadn't spent long collecting his technology - a standard needle sidearm, which drew little attention, and three far more interesting-looking pieces: A bulky backpack, currently lifeless but with no immediate apparent use, a wrist-mounted gadget, and what approximately resembled an SMG, albeit as a reject from a nanoforge. With a couple of hand-tools such as a prybar to round out his kit, the crispy little fox trotted on board without any apparent exertion.
 
When their host fizzled out of sight, she turned to the others while simultaneously adjusting her positioning in the room to make way for the other mechanical lifeform there with them. "Forward and bold, is she not?" she'd say, referring to their employer. "It is admirable, but I fear she will be disappointed to learn that we are not compatible for courtship... I am known as Rima, by the way." She would lower her head slightly as a sign of respect before she turned to follow the machine that would lead them to their transport. Once more, she would squeeze her way past the doors with precise and calculated motions to get her body through without causing damage.

Landing Area

She had waited in the shuttle prepared for them as the others were priming their equipment. Rima had lowered her body to the floor, legs pulled in close to compact herself. She positioned herself at the center, so her weight would not make the shuttle deviate its course to one side, but there was ample space for everyone else to pass her. Her immediate weapons were already loaded into her pauldrons and chest. and the main hand weapon would need to be deployed when they reached the site as it would unnecessarily take up space.

While they were getting ready, Rima took the time to review mission parameters. They were there to investigate and rescue, but if that was all it was, surely their employer would have had a lower compensation set aside. Perhaps it was to ensure secrecy, or perhaps it was just their standard. Either way, this romp around may not be as straightforward as presented, but it hardly ever is with organics.
 

Onboard the Skyhawk - Several hours later

The shuttle ride to Jui'Varen V was largely uneventful, the interior of the larger shuttle offering plenty of room for its passengers to prep and check their equipment besides Rima who had to more or less take up the middle space for herself or risk needing to fold her upper torso in an uncomfortable way for the whole flight. KB-12 had moved to the cockpit to fly the group, anyone who was a little curious could easily see they were the only people onboard with no other GH staff or even spare equipment.

Through the viewports the rest of the solar system passed by with several bright planets all given a purpose for the Neshaten people, several were dedicated to farming and one to manufacturing and other resource collection, their target however was largely unused due to its hostile environment which GH in their infinite and occasionally ignorant, pursuit of advancement, wished to turn into the next big industrial hub world for their foxish friends. The ice and snow held many secrets and many more valuable and useful raw materials, Riccard believed it was simply waiting for the right people to come by with a big shovel.

skyhawk special edition.png

After what seemed like a small lifetime in orbit around their target KB-12 finally switched on the red interior ready lights as they began to descend towards their target. The icy hostile planet made sure the newcomers were introduced properly, throwing as much turbulence and solid walls of ice and snow at them as it could while their large shuttle broke through into low cruising altitude, the heat on its exterior now causing any liquid nearby to turn gaseous with fear. For anyone brave enough to stand and look out of a window there was no sign of a mining base on the surface below them, as if like a ghost a large section of the surface ahead shimmered, the facility of their target appearing as a mirage out of thin air before vanishing again as they approached. The shuttle itself was now holding altitude and speed, with KB-12 their robotic guide returning to the passenger module and subtly standing between the rest of the crew and the door hissing closed behind him. After another somewhat tense minute of silence it spoke.

"BRACE. FOR. MODULE. DISENGAGEMENT."

And then the shuttle left them behind as the group began plummeting towards the surface, their ride having cut them loose was already pulling back and heading for high orbit of its own accord. The windows and doors to the passenger module immediately sealed with reinforced shutters closing across in an instant and the faint hum of shield generators and retro-rockets could be heard all through the small space. After 20 seconds of freefall the boosters roared to life and stabilised the falling object, while it hadn't flipped there was considerable shift in their angle as they fell, speed decreasing from the initial exhilarating terminal velocity they had sat through to a modest crash landing aircraft style. Anyone quick thinking enough to get to a seat now had one of the finest crash landing experiences money could buy, impacting the ground with such force they were forced into the surprisingly cushioned seats and kept neatly inside by way of a harness, for those too slow on the uptake a headache wrapped in a set of wringing ears as they were jostled around the cabin and splayed out against the floor as the ship hit the compact snow and earth of the surface.

-----

Minutes passed, the interior red lighting as dim and unsympathetic as ever to the poor souls onboard, eventually after confirming no one was dead KB-12 opened the exterior door, to a brand new planet.

Outside the crashed shuttle segment, they day from a moment ago had been replaced with the darkest night any of them had ever seen, not a single star or planet visible in the sky, the only light coming from the structures around them, the passenger compartment had landed outside the main admin block of The Plant, sunken in the slushy ground, not a soul in sight and no sound besides the distant noises of the main processing area on the other side of the large base.
 
Onboard the Skyhawk - Several hours later

Wim Gojixi spent much of the flight on-board the Skyhawk shivering, though it wasn't particularly cold on board. For those ignorant of Phod physiology, they might assume that her kind simply preferred it warmer. She was nervous about a few things.

The fact that the large and imposing war droid was the pilot made her nervous. What had been it's name? KB-12? What did KB stand for anyway? Kill Bodies? Krash Badly? KRUNCH BONES? Of course, the more she thought about it, maybe it just stood for 'Kryss Black'.

The presence of 'Rima' also made her nervous. The more she looked at the gargantuan quadrupedal thing, the less she understood. Was Rima... flesh and blood? Was she synthetic? What did she need that tail for? Ohara had creatures with tails like that, eight-legged carapaced things that stung your ankles; the little bastards hurt like the dickens. If you scaled up a stinger like that, how bad would that hurt?

She stayed nearer to Milorad, by preference. At least that soft fluffy tail couldn't sting her in the ankle... Or swat her into a big bloody splat on the bulkhead.

The descent to the planet (which was terrifying, of course) saw Wim making it to a seat, which she held onto like a hatchling clutching onto her momma's feathers. The moment KB-12 opened the door, the slate-feathered Phod shivered, glad she'd brought along clothing for the frigid weather of this miserable planet. She wondered why she hadn't felt an urge to vomit after that mad drop from orbit... Maybe some gift from her avian ancestors made her more resistant to turbulence-inspired barfing?

"I'll uhh... get the tech stuff set up. Computers'n... things. If we can get me hooked into their networks, that'd be great." She was announcing this to the group in general, as she moved to the mobile, rolling box of her gear and flying drones. Something occurred to her, and she looked up to her comrades. "So... one of you feel like being in charge? Kinda... calling the shots?" From the way she phrased the question, she made it sound like it really shouldn't be her.

I changed her text color, hoping this is a little more visible.
 
For the majority of the trip, Rima was stationary at the center, at rest as there was not much room for her to move around aside from looking to her sides. She more or less resembled a combat droid on standby, waiting for a command. Comfort was no issue for her, as were long bouts of inactivity as she could occupy her mind with simulations and various ponderings of topics neither here nor there for no other purpose than to explore.

When their guide returned and advised them to brace themselves, it was as if Rima had just reactivated as she shifted her positioning so her four legs were slightly extended outwards while keeping her low profile. The tip of her tail seemed to leak out mercury as it raised to the ceiling where the liquid metal formed into a three-pronged claw, which was the the last structural point she needed to have her fully braced for the coming impact.

The impact hit, but Rima's form was secure, her legs and the tail on the ceiling acting as her shock absorbers. Perhaps more of a relief for her more flesh-bound companions as they surely would not appreciate her form bouncing around and around the shuttle, or rather, it's detachable cargo hold. When the doors opened, Rima retracted the addition to her tail, making it melt away and be reabsorbed by an unseen channel beneath the segments.

She walked out into the open, compressing the snow where she would step, and allowing some breathing room for her companions as well as getting a look at what awaited them. It was dark, but not an issue for Rima for her vision had multiple fall backs. With the only source of light coming from what she suspected was their target building.

Turning towards the shuttle upon hearing Wim's question, Rima answered with a light hearted, "I may be large, but I'm not quite suited to be in charge of organics. Now if you want me to charge through a security door, then you can call on me," she'd finish with a chuckle as she took a few steps forward towards the plant to further survey the area. All the while, she held out her hands in front of her as the same mercury-like material started to manifest a double-headed battleax sized to her proportions. The edge of the blade glowing with blue plasma. She may not be needing it now, but she rather she already had it in hand when she does.
 
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