RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 10.2] The Search

The NMX were firing at the shuttle. Sukeharu easily recognized the sound of the Mishhu weapons, but balked when he realized that this craft was his way off this world. True, by this time he'd made a home of sorts here, but he had never been very attached to anything. While this place was a challenge to live in, the NMX had made it a veritable nightmare.

But he was beginning to have his doubts that the shuttle would make it out. He kept moving, though, trying to edge closer while dodging around the paths that gunfire was chewing through the vegetation. Fortunately, most of that fire was being aimed at ground-level, while he remained in the higher levels of the trees.

They're going to leave, they have to leave soon! Getting up his courage with a heaping helping of foolhardiness, Sukeharu moved as fast as he could toward the shuttle without breaking cover.

A figure -- small, thin, covered in leaves and mud, and lugging a very worn-out and dirty parachute on his back -- made the last dash toward the shuttle, sliding inside on Yaiba's heels. He rolled under one of the rows of seats and tried to stay still, listening to the shuttle for whines, hisses, or other signs that something vital had been breached. If there was any of that, he was out of there...but for now, he just hoped.

After dashing aboard the shuttle, Helen made a quick inventory of the situation. They were under heavy fire, large ships were inbound, and a portion of the survivors were aboard. As she looked out and saw her fellow crew members approaching, she knew it was up to them to get aboard as she sprinted for the cockpit to check on whoever was piloting the shuttle.

When she entered the cockpit, she saw the sniper induced breaches in the front window, and the wounds to Yaichiro. "Shosa, are you capable of flying?" She asked firmly and directly as she reached out her un-gloved hand, two of her fingers oozing slightly as she touched upon the breaches in Yaichiro's suit, and oozed into the breaches and onto the wounds, sealing them. "If you're able, hover and close the distance to the others so they can get in and we can get onto the Eucharis and get the hell off this planet!"

"...Stay down...until everyone's aboard..." Yaichiro said, having expected a less powerful weapon as he spoke to the person who entered with him...hopefully she was a survivor and not NMX. Still, it wasn't like he could bring up the CFS -- it'd have killed anyone who tried to get close to the shuttle, even if he directed the shields forward only...not to mention pulling that much power from the Aether Generator would have painted nice crosshairs on it for orbital bombardment. He responded to a transmission from Eucharis, as Helen boarded.

When Helen approached and did her prompt patching job, Yaichiro barely nodded...it'd been a while since he'd been hurt like this, but he knew how to work through the pain. The shuttle lifted off, and with the help of the Aerial Drone, he was able to get closer to where the others were hiding before landing again.

As Takeyu ran; his heart sank when he saw the shuttle suddenly lifting off. His pace slowed and for a moment he thought the pilot was going to leave them behind, due to the presence of two enemy gunships now being in the area.

When the shuttle landed again though; he smiled and made his way toward it, not allowing himself a moments relief. "In in!" he said to Kumiko as the ramp opened and he passed into the shuttle.

While waiting for Kumiko to get aboard, he looked over his shoulder at those who were there. This is it? This is all thats left of the Freedom?

Kumiko

Kumiko ran right alongside Takeyu to the shuttle, quickly getting herself inside to the dubious safety of the shuttle's hull. She looked around, trying to see if anyone else was coming, her eyes lighting up as another person straggled into the clearing. As soon as the straggler was on board, Kumiko turned her head back toward the front of the shuttle. "That's everyone I can see, and I don't think we have any time left! Let's go!"

~~~~~

Atsukoha

Having been farther away than anyone else apparently, Suko reached the clearing in time to see what she would guess to be the last of the group of probable-rescuers boarding a very obviously Star Army shuttle. Not slowing down in the least, she kept right on going to the shuttle, quickly ushered past the rearmost soldier's hands.

Hearing the exclamation from the passenger cabin, Helen gave Yaichiro a pat on the helmet of his suit. "Okay, we have everyone that we can get. Lift off, and don't look back!" Helen spoke as she took the co-pilot's seat, ready to take control if Yaichiro were to take another hit, or if some other disastrous thing happened to the primary input.

Once everyone was in, Yaichiro flew the shuttle, the stinking air hitting his damaged and mangled face as he took to the air after the Eucharis...but he ignored the pain as the shuttle went skyward, trying to escape and dock with the Eucharis...

Luckily, Hanako had lowered her shields for a moment, and Yaichiro managed to dock. Before he could celebrate, they were fast on their way back to YSE space.

Of course, anyone in the cockpit would need to deal with the hole in the windshield which was stealing away their air supply.

Continued in [Mission 10.3] Recovery And Reunion