RP: Operation Chevalier [Mission 0.1] Objects in Space

Once Trace reached the console it took note of which port was available and got ready to offload. "The shell is yours, old chap." Trace said to the basic AI. Trace then shook hands with it and vanished into the Savtech card. The Gendarme then removed the card and insert it into the slot quickly before turning around to cover the terminal. With Trace plugged into the terminal the multiplicity began to hop about like a sugar addled child. Almost immediately several copies of Trace split off the primary with more than a couple running around in mad circles.

"Freedom!"

"Okay okay I call body next!"

"No, the body is mine once we get back. Okay 6^3, you give us some eyes on the scene. 2.7 and 5/3, you two manipulate doors and stuff. 8x8, you get to infiltrate! The rest, back into the bod! Good luck chaps!"

"Tally ho!" replied the four with orders before saluting and running off into the datasphere.

With the four Trace's getting to work the rest merged back in with the first. Trace then quickly rushed into it's Savtech card and signaled for reinsertion to the Gendarme. Tank's message was replayed by the basic AI to Trace. With a quick shake of it's Gendarme head as it reinitialized Trace then replied.

"Sounds like a champion idea there. Give us a few seconds and we may even have some more data to work with."

Tank searched the dark rooms one by one, trying to find any materials that he could rig a small explosive with. "A 3 meter blast radius should be enough, as long as I make a couple of them. Anything more and I'd get a scolding from Curry for breaking his ship." Most of Tank's search consisted of scanning for certain types of chemicals or electronic components that he would need, the rest of it could just be scrapped from random items.

Tank's search for explosives yielded disappointing results, producing only crate upon crate of spare parts and Gendarme mock-ups, plastic and metal mannequins that would fool everything short of a three-dimensional scan, though any attempt to access the data architecture would reveal the ruse as the dummies had no electronic components to speak of. Trace, on the other hand, received more information than it might have wanted as the electronic ghost of 8x8 was overwritten within seconds of reporting Curry's absence from the ship's mainframe, the simplified identity program rendered vulnerable in the ship's electronic sea by the lack of hardware to retreat to or counter-hack from. The simulacra of 6^3 and 5/3 would experience sudden deletion barely a minute later as both machines experienced a sudden lack of communication with the ship's communication's systems.

"Oh dear..."

"Glad I didn't stay...."

Trace's Gendarme head tilted to the side a bit as it noted the deletion of the split offs. The only one who had not reported deletion was 2.7 but there was no communication at all. More than likely if it was not already deleted then it was hiding. With a bemused voice Trace reported the results to Tank.

"Tank old chap, I hate to say this but it would appear our man Curry is no longer on the system. I think our unwelcome guests ate him and are overrunning the system. I am moving back to where we split off to rendezvous."

With that report Trace began moving carefully to the junction where they had separated to reunite with Tank.

Tank grunted at Trace before thinking things through. "Well, I didn't find much useful for explosives. However, we don't need explosives to ambush them, we could still lure them in and just shoot the bastards. Any objections from the twelve of you? Tank began sweeping the area for a decent spot to ambush the enemies, figuring a doorway at a fork would be the most use.

Trace continued to carefully approach the junction, weapon at the ready, as Tank replied. The AI then paused as it briefly considered the request.

"I'm certain I can get twelve participants to agree. Although it is a good thing you didn't ask for a majority vote. That may take a while."

"Yeah no kidding. I stopped counting after 364^3 votes."

"Really? That many voted?"

"I think. Some might've voted more than twice."

Tank nodded. "Alright, here's the plan, see if one of you can send a fake distress signal that will only go to the enemies, and make it look like it was intercepted. Or, just send one to Curry since they'll pick it up. Tell them we're in there," Tank pointed to the room next across the hall from the one he was in, "And we'll hide in here and wait for them to walk by."

"Go-/--o," a faint and juddering whisper amongst the static jamming up the Gendarmes' communication's line picked up as their acoustic suites noticed muffled footfalls, maybe half a dozen or even five times that number, it was hard to be sure, approaching from both sides, "T-/-o--q-/-d, t-/--th--/--/-t f-/-ank, mov-/-n-my signal-" everything cut out for several seconds as the noise got worse and then abated to the previously barely decipherable levels, "-/-ta-/--/-har-/-."

Tank knelt down low and lowered his volume. "Shit! Sounded like Curry. I couldn't make heads or tails of it expect for us to move on his position. And I think the bastards are on their way, they might know where we are."

Trace's head unit tilted to the side slightly. As it listened tot he message and Tank's suggestion something didn't sound quite right. "Was that really Curry? It didn't sound like his usual orange self. It had more of a blue sound to it. I think those chaps are surrounding us. Lets take out the lights, climb up on the ceiling and wait for them to converge. Then we can shoot from the high ground in the darkness."

"I agree! On second thought, it sounded more like 'flank' than 'tank'. Shut off sensors or anything they could detect." Tank use the miscellaneus crates and boxes around to create a little fort in which he could lay prone on stacked boxes and have a small opening to fire through. He set this up so he would have a view of anyone coming from the left of the doorway. "If they're flanking, expect both sides. I get left, you get right. Try and keep them pinned down behind the doorway so we can take them out little by little.

Trace immediately set about climbing up to a perch near the ceiling. Trace eyed for a means to shut off the lights while getting ready to ambush the pirates. Covering the right it lined up sights on the door. Maybe there were some objects that could be knocked down as a means to conserve ammo.

"We don't have too much ammunition for a stalemate. Maybe let a few in so we can pick them off before moving? Trace suggested.

"Deal, and if we get broken, there are spare parts in these boxes that I'm on top of of. But for now I'm turning off comm so they can't detect it. Tank out." Tank shut down anything that the enemies could detect, excluding his sight and his finger on the trigger.

Trace set up a good firing position. With Tank signed off it was all alone now. Sort of.

"Lemme pull the trigger!"

"I want to aim!"

"Hey we need to shut things down!"

"Be quiet chums or I'll shut you all down too."

Trace settled in an drew down to minimum system operation to prevent detection.

The lights were recessed into panels along the ceiling, giving Trace a shadowy corner in which to brace itself between two bulkheads with its legs, leaving the arms free to do what they wished as several pirates walked below, heavily armored in some sort of modernised suit of half-plate, helmets clicking as their mikes snapped on and off in communication.

"An-h-ng?"
"Neg-tive, M-he- T- grid -d-"
"Sh-ii-"

The three moved past slowly, making their way towards Tank's position with weapons at the ready, making the most of the sparse cover along the ship's main corridor.

Tank gave a quick thumbs up and went back to looking down the barrel of his weapon. Just enter the room. Come on, you know you want to. He waited patiently, with the intent to fire the moment a foot entered the room, or when Trace fired. Whichever happened to come first.

Trace was alerted to the approach of the three pirates. While scanners and such systems that would paint him hot were offline Trace used what visual data it could to analyze to the armor and find a weak spot. Sniping for a head shot did not seem likely so Trace looked for another weak spot that appeared to make itself evident. At the least some means to injure the pirates to make them less combat effective.

With mechanical precision Trace took aim for the last man first and locked him before tracking probability and spatial geometrics for the other two. With a 'path' of fire set along with possible correction trajectories, Trace opened fire on the last man as soon as the opening was found. The second the first shot was fired Trace immediately moved to shoot the next closest followed by the closest.

Once Trace started firing Tank took aim at whatever he could see. Holding down the trigger, he unloaded most of his magazine, and sprayed back and forth. His hope was to hit somebody, whether with a direct shot or rebound really didn't matter to him.

With the arms and thighs unprotected, Trace didn't have to completely focus on each shot, which was well because the demisquad reacted quickly to the resounding bark of their own weapons, diving behind open bulkheads, ducting, and various pipes. The pistol rounds failed to penetrate any cover, but the planned opening volley by Trace did elicit a yelp from at least one of the armored pirates. The playback analysis would indicate a hopefully vital group of hits on one's thigh, near the femoral artery and the second taking two rounds in the off-hand wrist, Tank's contribution to the situation; the third moved too soon and only took hits to his armor at the shoulder and knee.

As the seconds wore on, both Gendarmes saw the flash of radio light and heard the completely garbled transmission that was undoubtedly letting the enemy's command know where to bring down everything they had available. Humans being animals driven mostly by confidence or a lack thereof, all three edged out of their cover and returned fire. High-velocity rounds indicative of support weapons or high-powered assault rifles swept close past Tank, biting into some of his cover, while the enemy seemed to think Trace was further down the corridor where the walls jinked and created a small blind.

Tank fired back the moment he saw a person coming out from behind cover again. He fired in a spray motion again, draining the rest of his magazine. Since a program had been counting the number of shots he stopped with one bullet left, that way he wouldn't risk his weapon making any sounds that would indicate he was out of ammo. He rolled behind a box on top of his fort to avoid being hit with the intent to remain until the battle was over, since he wasn't of much use anymore.