RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 17.3] Peoples of the North

Cave

Once Misato realized that one of the rippers started to turn she stabbed her bayonet as hard as she could into it. As so as the bayonet connected she squeezed the trigger as hard as she could and drew her gauss rifle down on target with the ripper. Her left pod started spitting a 10 missile volley at the other two rippers all but one aim between the two, the last was guided to fly around and hit the ripper her was shooting at in the back. With all the weapons she could expend firing she started to scream a blood curdling war-cry. A mixture of Bors's name and pure primal hate filled the air. Misato was sure that this might be the last thing she did but she was going to take them with her if that was the case.

YSS Eucharis - Bridge

As the Eucharis arrived in-system, Helen eyed a display for the passive sensor readings, which indicated nothing of value. "Not detecting signal sources in this area, Shosho." Helen reported, leaving the active sensor readings to Operations.

Ether - Shuttle

Mitsuko tsked to herself, as snow started to cover some of the items she'd brought outside. Best to move them back inside, then, but close enough to the door for easy access. Once they were prepared, she'd assist Tomomi with repairs as best she could. She couldn't help but be distracted from the work, a bit paranoid about the scavengers potentially watching them. The theoretical threat kept growing in her mind, as she added in additional guards, getaway drivers, scouts...

Cave

Takeyu kept up a stream of fire as he looked over at Bors and then noticed the signal on his HUD, while also noticing the activity near Misato. "DarkSky-hei! Give her some damn help!" shouted Takeyu as he lined up with the rear of one of the Rippers and fired off a burst into it before turning his attention to Bors.

"Riko Bors, I haven't given you permission to die, so you keep on fighting to stay awake and do 'not' fall asleep!" shouted Takeyu, he knew that there was a chance if the soldier 'did' fall asleep that he could die and that wasn't going to happen on his watch if he could help it.

Shuttle

The two drones that Takeyu had deployed earlier still circled the shuttle, still looking for hostiles.

Ether-Surface

Tomomi looked at the damaged sections of the hullto see where she was going to need to round off with the kit's wielder so she could apply patches on them. Grabbing and igniting it, she quickly got to work. After a few minutes, she stopped and looked at Mitsuko before she resumed her work.

"You are very interesting my friend." Tomomi simply blurted out as she finished with one of the sections. She looked around for a moment before she moved on to the next section to work on.

Underground

The Ripper slammed its knee into Misato's chest as she stabbed it with her blazing aether bayonet and stumbled backwards as she shot it, falling to the floor with smoking rising from it.

Meanwhile, Bors, still not having received any medical treatment from the other team members, was helpless as a murky darkness overcame him, the sounds of combat fading away. Was this it?

Bors' armor emitted a brief flatline tone as his armor's indicator icon changed to an X on the other team member's HUDs.

Surface

Tomomi and Mitsuko were, with frequent consultation of the technical manual, able to replace the engine parts. The shuttle was (in theory) ready to fly again. Just as they were finishing, a group of NMX nekos in snow gear jogged out of the blizzard with their Impaler rifles aimed. "Our forces have abandoned us and we need a way off this planet. We are taking this shuttle. It's the only way we can get past the Gartagen fleet," the one in front told them. "If you cooperate we'll let you live."

Takeyu's drones quietly alerted him of the situation.

Bridge

"Next system. Keep us moving," Hanako directed Natsumi and Ramiro, glancing over at Helen.

YSS Eucharis - Bridge

Upon receiving the glance from Hanako, Helen spoke up; "You heard the Shosho, take us to the next system." Helen started, as she rotated the volumetric display which she used, which brought up a display of the station sensor data, along with a corresponding star-chart. "Recommend caution be exercised in plotting the fold exit destination, next system is the source of those steady signal emissions. There is an extreme likelihood that the signals are originating from an artificial source, that means there may be sentient life there with the technological capability to produce subspace communications equipment, that means a high chance of mobile space assets." Helen explained, as she waited for the ship to make the short trip to their destination.

Cave

Takeyu watched before shaking his head when he saw the brief flat line, he instantly moved toward Bor's, although part of him was wondering just what the hell DarkSky was doing as he hadn't responded to his orders... did the man get hit?

When he was by Bor's side, he pulled a med-kit out of his bag and unshouldered his rifle. He hated himself for not taking any medical training minus that which he knew from before he was military, though his options were quite limited since Bor's was a Nep and not Yamatia, as most of the stuff for the hypostray were intended for Yamataian's or Neko's. With a slight grumble, he took a canister of liquad bandage and began to apply it to Bor's wounds while also applying some healing blood via an injector.

Once done, he glanced over the cover and began to return fire. "Bor's! Wake up and talk to me soldier!" he shouted before getting the warning via his drones and saw what was going on. Crap! We can't afford to lose that shuttles!

"Team, change of plans," Takeyu shouted and changed targets to the next Ripper and aimed for the head. "Shuttle has unwelcome company," he weighed his options and couldn't help but get annoyed at the lack of response from DarkSky and pondered whether the soldier was just busy or not. "DarkSky-hei! Respond please. Misato-hei, what's your status?"

Meanwhile, his two hovering drones peered straight down at the Neko's. While another drone, the one he had sent outward to actually 'look' for the group, came back and hid itself behind a rock several feet from the group. Takeyu was more than ready to send the attack order to the drones.

Bridge

Ramiro nodded and modified his route to the next system, making sure they would exit fold with a good amount of distance from the system. Once he was confident that his calculations were accurate, he initiated the fold drive.

"Folding. Again, this should be a fairly short fold."

Ether - Cave

Jonathan continued to pour fire into the Rippers. swapping targeting priorities as quickly as he was being issued new orders. it was something simple, something he did out of drilled in reflex. A superior issues orders, you follow them through. He hadn't really stopped firing once since the barrels had been detonated.

His orders had contained no instructions concerning giving aid to his fallen comrade, and that meant one of three things. 1) Bors was hurt, but not badly enough to kill him, just put his suit out of action. 2) Someone else was going to take care of him, and would Jonathan kindly continue shooting at the enemy. 3) Bors was already dead and just didn't know it yet. As he was certain that Takeyu was as firmly against #3 as he was, it stood to reason that someone else was going to give aid to the fallen.

When the new updates were passed, concerning the NMX Shuttle Welcoming Committee, Jonathan blinked, surprised at the emotional overtones of the engineer's voice. "Apologies, Sir. I was trying to NOT hit Misato. Forearm shield is battered, yet serviceable," he reported, even as it absorbed more while he lined up a shot. His next gauss rifle slug went downrange into one of the rippers, and a HUD icon flashed amber: 2 rounds left. "I have 15 mini missiles and one full magazine cylinder of gauss rounds. My weapon is down to 2 shots and then it will require a reload."

Ether - Shuttle

Mitsuko slumped, as they finished their work. "Whew!" It had probably taken them longer than Takeyu would have wanted, but they'd managed to make some temporary repairs to the shuttle's exterior. What's more, they'd even found enough information in the manual to repair the damaged engine! Even though Takeyu had ordered them to leave the engine repairs to him, he would probably appreciate their work. The infantry seemed to be taking forever, so they'd had enough time to get a head start. At worst, he'd have to examine their work and fix their mistakes, but she hope it wouldn't come to that.

Of course, just as she was preparing to move back inside the shuttle with Tomomi, company arrived. Apparently the snow was even heavier than she'd thought, as the five Neko appeared out of nowhere, practically on top of them. She hadn't even had time to raise her weapon, much less draw the spare. Murakami froze up, eyes wide behind the clear front of her helmet. She wasn't sure what to do, as her mind frantically worked to make the best of the situation.

"...abandoned you?" She squeaked out, clearing her throat to try to speak more clearly. "...if you surrender peacefully, we'd be happy to take you off of this planet. How far do you really think you'd get, if you took our shuttle?"

Mitsuko knew Takeyu would be alerted to the situation by his drones. She tried to seem non-threatening (not very difficult for her) while attempting negotiations. If the others were finished, hopefully they'd decide to appear. If not, the NMX Neko seemed to be lightly armored enough for the drones to be effective against them. Tomomi knew they were nearby as well. If the drones attacked, they could join in, and the odds would be roughly even. With surprise on their side, they just might succeed.

For now, she just tried to keep the Neko talking, speaking rationally while making no threatening movements. Murakami was just buying time...

Ether - Cave

Takeyu's order to not die fell upon deaf ears as Bors succumbed to the darkness that overtook his mind. As he flat lined a line of blood flowed out of the corner of his mouth to the base of his neck where it pooled at the airlock seam. Bors felt like he was falling, tumbling though a never ending blackens to what seemed like no end. So this is how it ends he thought himself Shot though the chest by a bloody squid... eh least I died with my boots on.

Just as Bors was accepting his situation, he felt a sharp pain in his chest rocketing him back into consciousness with a sharp intake of breath which caused his chest to hurt even more. As he blinked his eyes back into focus he saw Takeyu lean out of cover and shoot at the rippers.

"The Grenade launcher attachment does wonders against their armor" Bors managed to say in a weak voice to Takeyu as he motioned to his Pulse rifle.

Ether - Shuttle

"We're not getting taken prisoner!" the lead neko growled, not wanting to waste any time. "Find your own ride offworld with the Gartagens!" she said, moving forward. The NMX nekos watched Mitsuko and Tomomi's hands closely and if the Star Army nekos made any move towards their weapons, they would be shot dead. The nekos filed into the shuttle and one went to the cockpit and started it up. In a moment, it was hovering a few inches above the ground. Before they closed the door, two of the NMX nekos took off their thick white coats and threw them down to Mitsuko and Tomomi. "Don't freeze!"

Soon, the shuttle stopped to pick up 5 more NMX nekos several kilometers away, along with the stolen survival chests. And then the shuttle disappeared into the sky, headed out into the universe...

Cave

Johnathan found the Rippers were advancing on him. At over two times the toughness of a DAISY armor, they were not something he could take on 1-on-1. By now his shield looked like hole-filled scrap metal and he took several penetrating hits to the arm, making it hard to continue holding the shield. His AIES said that both of the two remaining Rippers were down to about 30%. Just a little more to go! But he needed a hand to finish them before they would finish him.

Hyperfold Exit Point – 180 AU From K-Type Star

When the Eucharis would exit from hyperfold, the readily detectable was laid out for the Eucharis' sensors to clearly detect. Seven planets, some with a quantity of moons, a terrestrial world among them, orbiting a glowing orange star. Though, there were other things that were readily detectable as soon as the Eucharis exited hyperfold; structures, ships, stations, shipyards, all the signs of an advanced species being present in the system. It seemed, perhaps at that instant of arrival, that the Eucharis possibly had stumbled upon a clue.

Though what at first glance could have been a mere clue would quickly develop on the Eucharis' sensors into a clear picture of just what they had flown into. Aether tap signatures comparable to Yamataian specifications, traces of Zesuaium, Yamataium, and other high-grade materials, and high-intensity sensor signals, set right upon where the Eucharis' fold let them out. What served as a large sign of just what the Eucharis stumbled into was made very clear by the Eucharis' IFF systems began to paint various signatures as either unknown, or, more notably as Lorath Self Defense Force assets, assets which were detected as entering faster-than-light speeds.

YSS Eucharis - Bridge

As the Eucharis exited fold space and received sensor data regarding the star system they had just arrived in, Helen's eyes moved over the data rapidly, before she bit the corner of her lip, and came to a firm conclusion; "Shosho! Sensors detecting Lorath Self Defense Force signals, along with unknown signals that bear a resemblance to known Lorath signaling frequencies." the intelligence operative spoke, as she quickly began to sort through data; "Sensors indicate increasing EM and subspace signal levels, consistent with levels appropriate to target tracking sensors... I do not think they're happy to see us. Though, a good sign is, there are no signs of weapon discharge as of yet."

Star System

Within a matter of a few seconds, what was detected as intensive scanning, peaked on the sensors as a sign of target marking and tracking. Though, that gesture was quickly followed by a signal which was sent from the third planet of the system.


One thing was made clear, there was a considerable Lorath presence, not only in the form of the Occhestians, but also in the form of the Matriarchy's Self Defense Force. Another thing was clear; they were playing nice, considering while they did have a target lock in play, there was no weapon fire, at least as of that moment. Though, certainly, the possibility existed if the wrong move was made on the part of the Eucharis and her crew.

Bidge


Natsumi monitored the ships sensors and systems as they completed yet another space fold. With Ramiro handling piloting and navigation and Helen managing the sensors as they defolded, Natsumi had taken to primaraly monitoring the ship, especially since their Chief Engineer was away on the planet with the others. A testament to Takeyu's work, all systems read green.

As soon as sensors detected the Lorath signals and that they were being scanned intensively and targeted, Natsumi switched priorities. She brought up the tactical interface, preparing to engage the ship's defense systems and weaponry as quick as possible if anyone took a pot shot at the Eucharis, or if the Shosho gave the order.

Bridge

As the ship exited fold, Ramiro was noticing the same sensor readings that Helen did, and his conclusions had been largely the same. However, he realized this sort of situation was well outside his pay-grade. Glancing over at Tomomi, he noticed her pulling up some of the weapons interfaces.

"Hei, be very cautious with weaponry. These people are ready to blast us to oblivion and the last thing we want them to do is think we're aggressive. It's okay to have the interface ready, but to not begin charging any of the weapons until we get attacked, because their sensors will pick that up."

Cave

Ahhh crap... I understand it was five against two, but why couldn't those two at the very least start firing on the shuttles engines to bring it down! he shook his head in slight disappointment and ordered his three drones to open fire on the shuttles engines to bring it down. He wasn't about to let Star Army property be stolen by their enemies, although also sent out a brief message:


As he fired though he changed his target to one of the Rippers he'd noticed converging on DarkSky's location and opened fire on them. "Too much explosive power," he told Bor's when the soldier mentioned the grenade launcher and it's effectiveness against them. "To many explosives will bring the cave down on top of us however," he glanced upward at the cave for a brief moment, noting just how high it actually was and weighed his options. "As long as we don't hit the ceiling, it 'should' be fine. Can't use it on the one's near Misato, could injure her, however..." he switched his rifle over to the grenade launcher attachment it had.

He then peered back around cover and targetted the back of the one of the Rippers approuching DarkSky. "-Hei! Head down!" he shoutted toward DarkSky and waited a few moments before firing a grenade at the Ripper.

Bridge

Hanako stood up and opened a communications channel, sending a video image from the bridge. "This is Shosho Hanako of the YSS Eucharis. We are on a humanitarian assistance mission to return some previously-enslaved Occhestans, who we have aboard, to their people."

Eucharis - Bridge

Occhestian Republic Signal said:

"Oh, it is you." Came the voice of the male Occhestian on the other end, a clear sound of displeasure to the voice at that point. "We could never understand your need to meddle so much." That displeasure lingered still, as there was a pause in speech, it seemed that a degree of consulting was being carried out.

Click to expand...

With silent words, words spoken over built-in messaging systems, Helen spoke to those on the bridge; "I don't think our gesture is being well received." Helen stated with an inflection of uncertainty.

Occhestian Republic Signal said:

"Your gesture is recognized as a 'positive' one, and we respect your reasoning behind your mission. Rest assured, we are appreciative of the consideration, however, we are unappreciative of the complication to a situation for those which you have aboard." Spoke the male on the other end of the transmission; "Those individuals have been classified as criminals by the Lorath Matriarchy, and you have prematurely released them from their sentence. Perhaps a pardon may be arranged, perhaps not, we will have to conduct an investigation into the back ground information of those individuals. You may transfer them to a ship en route to your position via shuttle."

Click to expand...

Cave

Misato's blood was up. She just dropped a ripper. Her first kill. Shaking her head she finally felt the pain in her chest from the impact of the rippers knee. It cleared her head. She took aim on the next ripper with all her weapons, firing off another 10 missiles at the rippers, (evenly split between the two left near her.) She switched her Sub-machine gun to the Scaler Blast setting, Misato fired of the grenade like blast at the ripper, then she charged at it with her bayonet fired up and the gauss rifle firing away. Her hopes where that she would pull off the exact sudden force of attack that allowed her to beat the first.