RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 10.2] The Search

The LASR's tiny bullets slammed into the mountainside around the cluster of rocks the snipers were perched on.

While Helen was spraying bullets she actually saw the muzzle flash of the sniper's weapon but there was no time to aim at it. Trying to shoot in the direction of the radio had caused her to expose herself. A bright blue beam slammed into Helen and her LASR, actually striking a glancing blow off the inner side of it and ricocheting into Helen's shoulder where it tore through her body and slammed into the mud behind her, leaving the LASR wrecked and her arm hanging by sinews.

Up on the hill, the sniper slid back behind some rocky cover and activated her skin camo.

"Reinforcements are inbound. ETA two minutes," the spotter neko told her sister.

Yaiba's concerns about an enemy in the area now confirmed, she found herself in the untenable situation of not being able to assist. The target the soldier on the ground engaged was well off in the distance. So she settled for returning to the ground to render what aid should could once the gun fire subsided.

"Taii!" Takeyu muttered but bit his lower lip, he wanted to move over to her and render aid but he didn't know if the sniper was still looking in their direction, if he moved he risked giving the enemy another target to shoot. Though he was brave, and gutsy, he wasn't stupid.

He watched her for a few moments; and then glanced over his cover quickly before moving back behind it. Cursing lightly to himself, he now wished he had taken Helen's suggestion and rigged battery packs to the power armor, would've proved useful here.

Kumiko, having been slightly separate from the other two in her work, hadn't been in quite the same location when Helen started firing back at the presumed sniper. From her position, all she could see of the potential survivor was a little bit of motion, nothing more, and nothing at all of the shooter, wherever they were. That said, she made plenty sure to stay out of sight and under cover where the sniper hopefully couldn't see her. She peered in the direction she could hear Takeyu, not sure if he was going to move to help the injured Taii or not. With the situation as it was, there was no point in Kumiko even trying; there was simply too much distance, and the sniper was probably good enough to spot her if she tried to move around that much. She chewed her lip, trying to think of a way to either get Takeyu's attention, so they could coordinate something, or at least work together to get the Taii out of there.

Choking upon a breath, Helen felt that familiar sting of pain as she lost a majority of control over her arm... though, that was no reason to be discouraged as she dropped her rifle and clutched the limb and tactfully weaved through the foliage, making sure not to rustle any leaves any more than the beating rain and the blowing wind were. Once tucked behind a tree for a moment, she went to work on herself.

Field dressing a NH-27 was easy, at least to Helen, as she produced a thin tendril of hemosynth and metal, which she weaved through her arm and her uniform, actually using the cloth to serve as a means of keeping her arm from simply falling off before her body could mend the flesh back into place. As she went about the knitting of her tissues with her extended tendrils of material, she reached into one of the pockets of her uniform, producing a ration package which she simply did not bother to open, she bit into it, ripping it apart and swallowing the food and the packaging. She needed the fuel for what was to come.

As she took precious seconds, cowered behind a tree, eating her rations, Helen mulled over the situation. I know they got a signal out... they likely called for reinforcements... or even for an orbital bombardment. We do not have much time, the objective survivors are in this area... what we need is a trump.

On that note, she opened an encrypted communication line back to the Eucharis. It was no use maintaining silence since they had already been spotted. Though, she was smart enough to send the transmission on a tight band, which she piggy-backed off of one of the drones.

Taii Helen Klein to Eucharis said:

"Taii Klein to Eucharis, we have made audio contact with at least one of the survivors. We have not managed to rendezvous with the survivor however. Request direct support, or assistance in the form of coordination for a pick-up. No response requested if disguise is to be maintained. Will attempt to move group to meet with survivor."

Click to expand...

On that note, she moved through the foliage once more before getting within speaking range of Takeyu and Kumiko as she let her camouflage fade slightly. "Alright you two, I want you to stay low, and keep as many objects between you, and that mountain as possible. I want you two to try to swing around the clearing and get to those survivors before enemy support can get here. I will work to keep the sniper busy... you do not have long to get there, but be careful."

With the order given, she re-established her projected veil as she stepped through the foliage... and into the clearing. She sprinted over the bare rock and in the direction of the STV. She needed the energy from her rations for what she was up to, she had projected a further hologram of the rain falling as it should, instead of the way it clung to her as she made her way to the STV, and the precious machine gun that was mounted to it. She just had to make enough of a distraction for the two groups to meet up.

Takeyu nodded and looked over at Kumiko, and then out toward the mountain and the clearing. He saw Helen move, and then moved himself toward another tree and used some high grass to cover his movement.

He knelt down and waited for a few moments, then looked over at Kumiko and gestured for her to move forward, but to also use the same path he took.

Glancing back around the tree, he looked for a path around the mountain. Gotta keep moving, don't have much time, he said and kept looking.

Yaiba silently made her way over to where Ixta stood. Before approaching him she made the bird call they used as a signal. Then stepped out of the foliage.

"Situation is going down hill fast my friend. The NMX know the others are here, they've exchanged gun fire. Soon they will come or they'll lob artillery." Moving across the area to where she saw the one Neko fire at what was most likely the same damn sniper that had shot her a year ago.

When she approached closer, she whistled again the start of the anthem and waited for a reply.

Kumiko

Kumiko nodded back to Takeyu, deciding to take the same path, though not really because he'd indicated she should do so. No reason to make it easier for them to guess how many of us there are, right? After all, if we use the same path, they have no real way to know who or how many were there. Her head turned at the whistle, confused, since it seemed to be moving as well. "Takeyu-san, hold on. I think they might be moving too." Cocking her head, Kumiko whistled the next few bars back (or tried to), and waited for a response.

~~~~~

Atsukoha, somewhere in the distance

Suko moved slowly but steadily, making her way towards the gunfire she'd heard. She had no clue who it was, but she doubted that any of the other survivors (if there were any) would be so silly as to engage in open combat like that after lasting this long. More to the point though, it was a fairly safe bet that anyone who the Misshu disliked enough to engage wouldn't be too far from a friend, so checking seemed like a prudent measure. Plus, she'd gotten decent at hiding, so if they needed it, she could help whoever it was disappear if she got the chance.

The storm picked up more now, with leaves blowing and heavy sheets of water visibly moving through the swaying trees. Thunder boomed along with the loud rain and still-playing drum music. The sky was now dim and deep gray and the drones in the air were buffeted and shaken.

The noisy STV was fully equipped. On the rollbar the Type 30 35mm heavy machinegun rested on its mount, covered in beads of water.

Mountain

The snipers steathily had changed position to a new perch a few dozen meters to the left of their previous spot to another spot mostly concealed by dark bushes. Now they began to search for targets again.

"I got a stealther on the STV," the spotter neko said. "Some movement in the grass."

Yaiba stopped when she got a response, remaining in the brush.

"Greetings Soldier, Yaiba-Jôtô Hei of the 3XF. I see you folks encountered an NMX Sniper. I'd stay in the deep brush unless you have something to shield you. I was shot by a sniper in this same place more than a year ago." she said holding her position behind Kumiko.

Hunkering down behind the STV, at least behind it in relation to the sniper's last position, Helen drew in heavy breaths as she focused on the matter at hand. She had a small chance at getting things done, but there was little choice as she prepared for her plan. One stealthed tendril of hemosynth material weaseled up the side of the STV, before peering out at the mountain through it's surface. Looking out to where she knew the shots came from before, she saw nothing... she figured as much, that was what lead to her next step.

A long tentacle slipped from Helen's sleeve, and gently wrapped around the grip of the STV mounted MG... then, with an upward thrust of gravity and electromagnetic manipulation, Helen caused the rain to gain a distinctively different falling pattern, then, she moved the turret as if someone were using it, before having the tentacle pull the trigger to fire at the old hiding spot for the sniper. To anyone looking on, it could easily be assumed that a stealthed neko was using the machine gun.

With the MG rattling off above her, Helen peered through the tendril she was using as a periscope. She watched for the sniper, watched for that streak of light she was so familiar with, watched for even a glimmer of a scope or a hopeful gleam in a NMX corrupted eye. Give me some sugar, baby. She thought, thinking of a classic Nepleslian phrase, which applied to just a situation as the one she was in.

A T7 shuttle charged into the clearing, its descent slowing only when it came in to land. Yaichiro, still in his AMES, was piloting the shuttle. He landed between the estimated location of the snipers and the location of the SAoY personnel, judging from the Aerial Drone's data. The doors faced the team at a slight angle so they could have some added protection from the shuttle's length while approaching, but not have to expose themselves from behind the craft to enter it.. The shuttle was still close enough for the camouflaged Taii to reach as well.

Hopefully she'd get the hint and lay down some cover fire as the survivors boarded. Yaichiro knew that the shuttle would hold against anti-personnel weapons for a little while, but they had to hurry before any Rippers arrived.

The shuttle made a much more appetizing target. With the door facing away from the snipers it left the windshield in their sights. There was a flash of blue-white light in Yaichiro’s eyes for a moment and a sharp pain. It felt like someone slapped him in the face with a sock full of broken glass. Looking up he could see a crater in the transparent Durandium windshield in front of him. His cheek and shoulder were covered in blood and he was missing an ear. His chest was peppered with cuts and with transparent Durandium shrapnel that had spalled off the inside of the windshield. A second shot rapidly followed, bringing more pain and this time a nasty burn to his neck that made it hard to breath. The crater now had a small smoking hole in the center.

At the same time, the STV’s music stopped abruptly as it was slagged by AA guns of a Shredder gunboat that had emerged over the mountain. The Shredder aimed its main nose cannon at the shuttle and was about to fire when it was hit by a barrage of AA fire from the nearby Eucharis. Helen barely avoided being killed beneath the now-burning vehicle.

The jig was now up. NMX starships were already scrambling to respond. Rippers and more Shredders were pouring into the area. They had to get out of there immediately.

"I would say introductions can wait. We do not get on the shuttle and out of here soon, you and your team will be new residents of HX-13. And trust me you really do not want to stay here." Yaiba said, to Kumiko.

She turned to her companions. "I'm going to leave with my people. Its your call if you want to come, otherwise get as far as you can from here. There is a bunch of hurt coming this way."

Ixta looked around for a second, "You go fight with your people, we will stay here and fight for ours. Good Luck."

"Figured you would say that, here take this." she said handing him her battle rifle. "Good luck to you as well my friend."

Ixta and Dilka nodded and vanished into the brush like phantoms.

Yaiba ran in a zig zag pattern to the burning STV to see if whoever had been firing the guns survived. Although she figured there was little chance.

His voice was laced with curses, Takeyu saw the Shreader and was thankful when the Eucharis opened fire - but now he knew things were only going to get harder. "Ughs, darn it, if we only had more time...." he said and double checked his pistol and survival kit.

Takeyu then looked over at Kumiko, and noticed then that their guest was now gone. He blinked and looked around, catching sight of her near the STV.

"Kumiko, I think it best we make a run to the shuttle. It's probably only a matter of time before the NMX get more here," he said and listened to the pattering of the rain and then moved forward to a large rock that was between him and the mountain, assuming Kumiko was following.

A thought then came to him as he studied the mountain and a few icons around it. He thought hard on the next action, "Kumiko, if we can't get the sniper and if the Taii didn't kill him. What about requesting the Eucharis to lay down fire on the enemies position? It'll give us time to move to the shuttle and perhaps even, kill off that sniper," he suggested.

Another had been drawn by the sound of the drums.

Sukeharu had become acclimated to the soundscape of the jungles. He also knew the sounds of the natives, the sound of the survivors, and the sounds of the monsters who sometimes wore neko bodies. The drums were from none of them.

A year is a long time to a child. Becoming practiced at sneaking around and not being seen (including cutting his thermal signature by using a technique that he remembered from a movie he had snuck into once), Sukeharu soon arrived at the site of the drum-blasting STV a few seconds before the shuttle arrived. Even though he lacked the OS of a neko, he had still noticed the sniper shots. He couldn't target it or distinguish it by ear, but there was a color to the thunder he was hearing that wasn't normal, but familiar in a way that made him want to leave the area. While he was considering this, another rumble of thunder rolled by.

He looked up, frowning. The thunder wasn't stopping. In fact, it wasn't like normal thunder either and it was getting closer. The shuttle swung into position for the pick-up and Sukeharu sat on his tree limb blinking dumbly for a moment before processing what was going on. That wasn't an NMX ship. The design was different, the sound was different...but whose ship was it? The boy circled around more, trying to get a clearer view of who was getting inside as he heard the cargo ramp lowering.

With her camouflage flickering, Helen opened her eyes to see the murky sky, and Yaiba standing over her. She had no ability to speak as she realized her throat was scorched from the blast of heat from the shots to the STV. "I'm okay... get out of here, help everyone onto the shuttle. I'll be right there." She spoke telepathically as the flesh in her throat worked to mend itself. As she quickly sprang back onto her feet, she felt a weight at the end of her arm... the tentacle she had wrapped about the STV's MG was still anchored to it. With a hard pull, she wrenched the weapon off of the mount which would have left it to die in a fire.

Despite the flesh she wore, and the nation she served, down in the core of her being... Helen was a Nepleslian, and sometimes, she thought like one as she grit her teeth and pulled back the bolt of the weapon, cycling in a fresh round before she laid upon her back, laying the weapon out to lay upon her hip and knee, stabilizing the barrel with her foot as she aimed to the source of those annoying blue bolts. She was fed up, she was pissed off, she wanted to ruin that NMX-neko's shit.

As she watched blue bolts streak from the mountain, she made a shift of her foot, and of her hands before giving a tap to the MG's trigger. Her body heaved from the recoil, though she did not back down as her synthetic muscles bulged against the recoil. She tapped upon the trigger again and again, aiming each shot, making sure to send round after round at that source of those pesky blue streaks of energy. Though... her moment did not last long as she spent a mere ten rounds before reaching the end of the fire-damaged belt of ammunition... a curse was spat from her lips before she heaved the weapon off of her as she got to her feet, though still holding it as a shield between her head, and the sniper if for some cruel twist of fate she had missed.

As she was knelt behind the spent and useless weapon, she hoped that the others would have taken the opportunity to go for the damned shuttle... of course, that was what she was about to do as she broke into a sharp sprint, half-running, half-flying for the opened rear of the shuttle as she left the spent MG behind, and saw the Rippers closing in as she went for her escape.

While awaiting a response; Takeyu noticed in the distance, several objects moving and knew that there just wasn't time now. With this he turned toward Kumiko, "sorry Kumiko, but we gotta go, no more time!" he said and grabbed her hand and used the cover of trees, bushes and rocks as he ran toward the shuttle. All this while he had one eye on the shuttle and another on his surroundings.

As he ran; he opened up an encrypted communications to the Eucharis.


He was never very good at giving directions; so he made a real quick check of his math and sent the coordinates for the mountain. I'm certain I may get yelled at by the Taii for doing this when only an officer should be doing this, but given the situation, I'm hopeful they'll understand

Taking a bad hit to its engines, the first Ripper went into a wide spiral and rolled over, leaving a black smoke trail as it sank into the trees and hit with a loud bang. Various Ripper armors were now coming over the mountain ridge, raining down aether blasts on the shuttle, which gave off a loud metallic ping with each hit. Two more Shredder gunboats crested the hilltop now, firing their main cannons at the Eucharis. The volumetric scout ship disguise faded away and the gunship opened up on the fast moving gunships to buy time for the shuttle.

It was unclear if Helen's shot had hit the sniper, but the sniper wasn't shooting for the moment.

Yaiba nodded to the wounded Neko, though her instincts railed against leaving the woman. But seeing her get up and move on her own was enough for her. She resumed her zig zag pattern as she ran for the back end of the shuttle. "Move your asses. We have incoming." She yelled as she stepped into the rear of the shuttle.

She moved up to the front of the passenger compartment and opened the door to the cockpit. She looked at the scene, "This day just keeps getting better." she muttered as she moved closer to check the pilot. As the shuttle began to be hit by incoming fire, she hopped into the second seat and began checking the systems, tending to the pilot would have to wait.