RP: NSS Altomir [Mission 1.1] Gathering the Bearings

“No, I don’t have any.” Thomas said, taking point. Normally, he would have complained about the situation, where he was wielding a weapon akin to an assault rifle on such a close quarter environment as that, having to take point instead of someone else with a weapon deadlier on such close ranges. Instead, he kept quiet, because it was thanks to the other guy in the dented armor that he actually had a decent weapon in hand, and in turn increased his life expectancy. And his shields were comfortably at one hundred percent, so there was no reason to get greedy either..

He moved forward, keeping his HPAR low but ready, “Or two more bodies to add to the firepower.” He said, exploiting the other possibility. Thomas eyed the two IFF signals in question, which had just turned mobile again and started moving , scanning the street ahead of him and its adjacent buildings with his HPAR all the while feeling his heart pounding on his chest. It didn’t affect his performance in any way, though, as the training that was so well drilled into his head seemed to take over the marine’s own personal fears and expectations.

He reached the end of the block, stopping on a corner and slowly turning around until he saw two other Hostiles standing on the entrance of the underground station, both wielding the ‘toy-guns’ that came with their armors, one holding position and providing cover as the second man made his way inside. His Hostile recognized their IFFs and that was good enough for him. Thomas faced them with his monoeye and sent another message through laser-comm, “Friendlies to your left, don’t fire.” The marine said.

Nonetheless, he held position until he got an answer from the other two.

The Hostiles seemed to relax a little as Yuriko held up a hand, waving two fingers forward. "Private First Class, Yuriko Towa, E-Squad. Second Assault Fleet detachment assigned to the First Response Force."

The Marines filed out from behind their cover showing off uniform insignias on their shoulderplates, 'E8's' or 'Easy Eight' done in green and black.

"Yeah, we did. We're heading there now. If you want to come with us form up in the squad and we'll go together." nodding toward their destination as she said this. "Longer we linger out here, and in one place, more chance we're all screwed."

One of the Hostile suits seemed to make the motions of laughter before a Clank! of another Hostile's gauntlet slapping the back of the funny guy's helmet.

"You idiot. You're too trusting," Bernhard said harshly to Thomas as he brushed past the Marine. He raised his AS4GS and aimed it at the two Hostiles. Nothing left to it, now that Thomas had given away their position.

"4th Fleet Marines! Identify yourselves now or I will open fire! I don't give a damn about who you are; answer or I will shoot!" Bernhard yelled loudly. He was in no mood for games. He had to establish control over the situation, and if they were hostile, prevent them from getting the drop on him and Thomas.

Maybe if he had been with this Fleet longer he would be more trusting and able to accept that maybe they were as good as they claimed to be. But he wasn't. He was from the 4th Fleet, Volkov's Cavaliers and that shaped his being and identity. No way could he shed that overnight. So right now, he trusted no one. He would rely on them to a degree if they were legit but he'd be damned if he placed his life in the hands of strangers.

Yuriko Towa? Yamataian name? Was she a geshrin? Did it really matter. Whoever that woman was in past was not important. Now she was marine and if she was good enough to become P1C, it meant she was on the right spot. It took Alexandra better part of two years to get to that rank herself.

"Roger," she answered. "We should move one. These are your men so just tell me where you need me. Also if any of you had spare HPAR magazine that would be just lovely." She said with smile under helmet and moved to the rest of the squad to fall in.

Foxtrot813 said:

“Friendlies to your left, don’t fire.”

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Devlin lost his footing on the first stair when the message reached his helmet, but he caught himself before falling into Saveli to create a 4-ton pinball. He grabbed the other Hostile’s shoulder and slammed the two suits against the inside of the awning to break line of sight, Devlin creeping upward toward the railing’s end while motioning for his friend to stay behind him.

He tried looking to his left, but the major intersection created six lefts to choose from. He began to wonder if there had even been a message, and that his mind was fracturing into separate personalities like his mother used to think, but the SavTech focused on a group of armored humanoids shuffling down a street. Devlin sent a live feed to Private Borzakov HUD, showing the group in low-light as they gathered at the crossing’s edge. The IFF’s registered friendly, but the fiery Nepleslian was not taking any chances as his grip tightened on the LSP and the AI prepped the suit’s thrusters for action.

Sigma said:

"4th Fleet Marines! Identify yourselves now or I will open fire! I don't give a damn about who you are; answer or I will shoot!"

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The roar of a god swept the area, sending small vibrations along the marine’s bones. The source glided into view like a specter in the night, toting a shotgun that screamed: There will be blood!

Devlin walked two steps from his cover with raised hands, holding the pistol toward the stars. “Privates Marsh and Borzakov, 1st Assault Fleet Marines, at your service,” he said, reassured that he was before good company.

His brows shot up and a fierce grin cracked his lips when realization hit. He switched over to the squad channel reserved for the two marines, “Hey, Saveli, I think these guys are posers. They say they’re from the 4th and yet their IFFs read 1st Fleet.” The redhead guessed they were NMX clones or just scavengers. He craned his head toward the other, “Should we expose them now, or lure them into the station before striking from above?” A strange light glazed over his eyes as thoughts ran rampart.

I have always wanted to try a mace trap on something bigger than a rat.

The stairs leading down into the subway station were divided into two separate stairwells positioned side by side, and separated by a wall about a foot and a half of grainy gray tiles over concrete. The two staircases, which were actually nonfunctional escalators, were wide to accommodate many people at once, each side leading to the same open area a handful of yards below the ground. Saveli could see from his quick glance that there was still light in the subway station.

Overhead, a large piece of fiery ship debris collided with a distant building a few hundred feet from the Liganda Subway Station. The giant chunk of red metal nested itself into several floors at the top of the building, showering a wide area around the Liganda intersection with fragments of broken glass and minor debris. The building itself, luckily, remained fairly solid when the object collided and settled back to normal after a minute or so.

Saveli gasped as he felt himself tugged into the wall. The force causing him to become mildly dazed. Devlin's feed allowed to see just what he missed, two supposed friendlies. These notions of misplaced suspicion were begin to edge against his paranoia. He was told to watch for enemies hiding within the bodies of allies, but it was already enough that he had to watch for the obvious enemies. The soldier took a look at his chonometer on his HUD, seeing how much time had passed in the few moments they had landed. Almost forty minutes.

He looked at Devlin. Was he a friend? Or a foe in a friend's skin? Did he have the opportunity to even consider such a thing?

"Marsh, I do not think we have the luxury of questioning every person we meet. Our SAVtechs already have them locked, if they put a targeting solution on us, we'll know with enough time fall into cover. More so, it will not matter once we rejoin our marine brothers and sisters. As Muna teaches us, 'Let the caravan judge them.'" resolved Saveli, before leaning out behind Devlin.

Instead of raising his machine pistol, he raised his middle finger. From his time on Nepleslia, he understood it as a gesture to strangers that were unwelcome.

"Keep your distance, bandit! We do not have to travel with you, nor you with us! If there is no trust to be had, then you may as well keep your distance!" yelled Saveli over the external speakers on his Hostile. "Because we have no time for you!"

The Iromakuanhe tapped Devlin on the shoulder, urging him to hurry.

"Come, let's go. We have our orders and the situation is already dire enough without shooting everyone we meet. If they choose hostility we will have the advantage of cover here in the station, and this tactic you mention."

Devlin stood speechless, looking at Saveli as he practically spit in the impostors' faces.  To stand before a group of armed thugs with superhuman suits and give them the bird took balls.  Honestly, the private kept surprising him with his cool-headed attitude in the field and the strange talk of Muna, making the Nepleslian wonder if this guy had been to other systems before Rok'Veru. Whatever the case, he could not allow his partner to hang solo at the group's mercy like a butchered pig.

Nor could he let him have all the fun.

"Hell yeah!" Devlin yelled. He lowered his arms, but kept his middle finger in the air as he took a step forward beside Saveli.  "Team Muna has a planet to save, so you can take THIS," he held the finger higher, "back to your friends and shove it where the sun don't shine!"  He spun on his heels to follow the other marine down into the station, with his bird still flying proudly.

"Private Borzakov, I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

Bernhard saved his ammo and his breath. Marsh and Borzakov. He had tolerated Laura Romero's constant... attentions since that was a part of her condition. But this, this would be dealt with. Eventually.

"Damn them. That's where we're supposed to go. Think there's another entrance?"

Bernhard looked around but couldn't see one.

"Worst case, we plow through with thrusters and our PPPs. All they've got are toy guns which can't hurt us. Plus, I know a couple moves which have taken out a Ripper using the PPP which, unless they've trained with my squad, they'll have no idea how to stop."

As the team neared their destination, two of the Hostiles moved ahead of the rest, checking their route to the station to make sure it was clear. Once done, they motioned for the rest of the team to move up and finally make their rendezvous.

Are those idiots for real? The private thought upon seeing the scene.

“Are those idiots for real?” Thomas said, dumbstruck at the two other marines and voicing his thoughts to no one in particular. He turned his suit’s Monoeye towards Bernhard to make sure if the man was also seeing the same thing as he did, then back to the duo, which had already disappeared into the station. For a small amount of time the P3C relaxed, his previous edginess replaced by whether he would get mad at the situation or just laugh at it. “No wonder we haven’t won this already.” Was all he managed to say after the two other marines were well out of sight.

“That’s the only way inside.” Thomas said with a small hint of resignation trailing his voice and shook his head. Although he didn’t know whether his statement was true or false, he was pretty sure about it.

Thomas listened to the P2C and then turned towards him. Was everybody going insane? “Are you out of your damn mind?! Those guys are on our side!” He exclaimed, then relaxed and regained some composure, then –calmly- continued, “There is no worst case, we go in there and get to the rendezvous. Their guns can’t hurt us anyway, you said that yourself. So how about we leave that maneuver to use against our actual enemy?”

The P3C broke out of cover, moving inside the station.

Alex fell in and moved with rest of the squad. Since the time she joined chatter was minimal. These guys have most likely been most likely in fighting all day like Alexandra. After day of combat, one is usually too tired for small-talk. Medic herself appreciated that. Luckily they were almost near the station.

Alexandra peeked around the corner and saw two Hostiles. One was heading towards the station and second was taking cover. Alex kept her sensors on passive and zoomed in on them. The one that was walking towards the station had regular armour and it's rank bar showed he was P3C. Seeing as his Hostile was pretty clean and unscratched he was most likely survivor from one of the pods.

She recognized the second armour though. As soon as she noticed beer motive she knew what was she dealing with. Rank P2C added to it too. Bernard Greer. She had no idea what he was doing here though.

"We got two contacts." She commed on closed line to the rest of the squad. "Seems friendly, two hostile armours, armed. I know one of them, met him back in 4th fleet. They are heading into the station. Orders?" She reported to Yuriko.

"Ah yes, the nature of Nepleslians to rebel defiantly against others. Your whole nation is based off the concept of defiance against one's position in the universe." explained Saveli as he descended down the stairs, moving just ahead of his show-man of a battle-brother. Saveli kept his LSP up, scanning around the supposed meeting place of a station, "That, and the camaraderie felt from being defiant with others. I admire your country's ideals."

He looked back at Devlin for a moment, and then up the stairs, before stealing back towards his scouting.

"Did that message mention how deep into the station this meeting point was?"

“Heh, yeah, you should see the South Shore markets on the week before Lewis Pasco Day.” Devlin used to sneak out of his room to find a vantage point overlooking the pool of noise that gathered at the hand-me-down marketplace every year. Families would push against each other to move between stands, casting vendettas left and right as their kids went to play in the fresh craters left by weapon vendors who would “demonstrate” their holiday specials on thieves. The crazed mobs never ceased, and the little redhead could hook himself on the action all-night with nothing but a box of Sour-Nukes to munch on.

"Did that message mention how deep into the station this meeting point was?"

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“No, but I figure we will hit some defenses soon enough, or at least some sign of where to go.” He continued backing down the stairs with his attention fixed on the entrance, but turned his head slightly toward Saveli. “Wait, are you not Nepleslian? You speak of Nepleslia like it is entirely new to you."

"I am a foreigner, yes. Service in the Marine Corps allows me citizenship in Nepleslia." said Saveli, taking a few cautious steps forward in the wide-expanding rail-way station. There was nothing like this on Maekardan, or even Mazerin for that matter. All public transportation back home was done the air where one could feel the sun always. The underground was for basements, caves, and anything that sought refuge in them, namely the unresearched beasts that live below. Stories of dream eaters and shadowy beasts lurking below the surface of the earth always unsettled Saveli, especially since one surveying trip actually led them into an encounter with one.

This was why he began to become absurdly cautious, checking around for any sounds or noises. If Nepleslian's had things lurking in their tunnels he would be ready.

"Your country is very welcoming to outlanders, it's very refreshing." noted the careful Borzakov.

Bernhard remained where he was. That entrance was a perfect ambush location for someone who knew how to use the PPP. If Mort wanted to risk his life with those buggers, fine. Bernhard would find another entrance. He moved into a building across from the station entrance for cover.

He turned on his snakeskin system and checked his sensors. Nothing. He looked up, gazing around. At one point, Bernhard could have sworn he saw a shadow move. But as he watched, nothing moved. Bernhard kept his shotgun at the ready and moved slowly away from the entrance.

"Make contact, no threatening postures. Gilberts will be watching your back." the Hostile that Yuriko mentioned nodded toward Alex as the HPAR came up in a readying posture.

Saveli's Hostile trekked down the stairs, the myriad of sensor suites emitting from the single mono-eye on the skull-like faceplate. There was little out of the ordinary, as the escalator broke into the underground subway station.



Dim light fixtures overhead illuminated the subway platform well, the soft white pouring onto the brown-speckled gray tiles lining the floor. There were signs of previous occupants scattered sparsely around; miscellaneous trash blew softly at the slightest breeze, and a quick scan would reveal some evidence of combat. Weapon damage could be seen on several surfaces, as well as spent shell casings from chemically fired weapons, most likely LSPs or smaller-grade weapons. Despite these signs, there was no sign of the perpetrators amidst the subway station.

Saveli could see the wide opening for the subway track to his right, the track resting a yard or so beneath the platform. A quick glance to the north or south following the track would reveal little else, the tunnels leading either way occasionally lit with another light fixture positioned overhead. The subway tram itself was nowhere to be seen, and the volumetric schedule stretching overhead along the subway platform held a simple white blank visual instead of its usual listing of tram arrivals and departures.

To the Iroma's immediate left was a large alcove, the walls lined with plastic benches for citizens to sit on while they waited for the tram to arrive. They were empty now, one of the benches torn up and slightly melted, perhaps from a small-scale explosion within the immediate proximity. A row of four large automated vending machines rested against the far wall, the lights displaying the snacks and drinks illuminating the rest area in differing shades of color.

Farther down, beyond a set of bathrooms, was what appeared to be a simple book store. Saveli could see through the large glass window at the center of the store that several of the chest-high shelves had been hastily looted of the more expensive products. A single set of glass doors separated the two Nepleslian soldiers from the store within.

Nearest to the subway track, a large decorative fountain occupied the center of the platform. It consisted of a large hunk of black, glossy stone that jutted out of a smaller cropping of rough, smooth brown and gray stones at the base. A bronze plaque laid at the base of the round, raised stand that the decoration sat upon. The larger stone must have had a sort of miniature piping running through its center, as the top of the rock continuously poured water down the sides, forming a shallow puddle amidst the smaller stones.Opposite of Saveli's position, on the far wall, another set of benches sat next to a pale gray sliding-panel shutter, closed against the floor.

Devlin’s jaw dropped, his disbelief hidden behind the faceplate. All his life, the young Nepleslian had lived isolated from the rest of the galaxy with nothing but his father’s war stories to fuel his imagination. Of course, there were immigrants arriving everyday in Funky City that would often come into the diner, but many chose not to speak to him. For some reason, they felt threatened when the heavily scarred cook kept sending them looks through the kitchen window while holding a bloodied cleaver. But now, there was an actual person that had grown up outside the Imperium, standing not more than a few feet away.

Where were you born? What did people do for fun? What was the weather like? Was there weather? Did you explore any other systems? Who is Muna? Are there really planets covered in jungles with large, jungle women who live simple, jungle lives and follow a jungle code? The questions were piling in his head and ready to spew, but when he turned to face Saveli, the marine merely watched as the 2-ton suit took baby steps into the terminal, as if the tiles would cave in at any moment. Devlin shook his head and smiled as he walked to Saveli, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Private Borzakov and gave a quick nod before moving ahead into the station, taking lead and showing him that the floor would hold if he let them.

“Clear.” The redhead announced after covering the the length of the area, squatting to examine one of the many casings that littered the platform and rolling between his thumb and finger. “Quite a lot of guns to have no bodies or blood to show for it. It must have been a boring fight. Let’s try the restrooms, maybe someone is hiding out in there.”

Devlin flicked the spent case toward the tracks, raising his LSP as he stood.

Saveli looked towards bathrooms, and then back at Devlin. There seemed to be a mild bit of hesitation in his movements, yes, but he moved none-the-less, his boots crushing over the dustings of battle.

"I see where the priorities in Nepleslia lie if a restroom the first ideal choice in finding somewhere to hide." said the P3C in a neutral tone, making hard to guess whether he was insulting the people, or giving them a compliment. Either way, he was heading towards the bathrooms, but in a very mouse-like fashion. The marine boosted his thrusters over to the rock in the center, clearing the open space quickly, before doing the same to get to the woman's bathroom. "I will check this one."

And just as quickly Saveli disappeared in behind the scarred walls, but not completely. Just like before Saveli's friendly SAVtech made sure his position was known to Devlin, marking the man's position with Diamond and transparent notice marked 'P3C BORZAKOV'.