RP Mission 17:

[Wes]

RP Date

YE 47.1

RP Location

Concordia Sector

YSS Resurgence
Concordia Sector
YE 47.1
Late Night

After a break for the Yule-Tide Holidays, the Resurgence's crew we back in space, facing its endless mysteries. After transiting the Concordia wormhole from its secret location in the Kikyo Sector, Resurgence moved to the ancient progenitor facility known as Concordia Station where they had recovered the frozen Concordian civilization in YE 45, and where the Star Army's small base of operations was running. The Concordia Sector was still a mystery, barely explored, but offering the ruins of a sector-wide war between organics and machines, and the station was a hub for a wormhole network to other sectors of the Kagami Galaxy, which urgently needed to be mapped and explored. This was a huge undertaking and the Resurgence was the tip of the spear in an ongoing effort to figure it out and put together the pieces of the puzzle that was the Aetherian Progenitors, the lost civilization that had left the research base behind beyond Wormhole 1, and the station they'd witnessed the last moments of when it fell into the sun at the end of Wormhole 2. Now it was Wormhole 3's turn, and only the bravest crew would be able to face its dangers. That was Resurgence.

Science Lab

Once again, green-haired Chief Science Officer Kawa Euikoshi was making sensor probes to fire out of the gunship's rollbar and into the wormhole. Her best friend Pidole, Chief Engineer, stood nearby with a cart of parts, a blue beetle crawling on her head and fluffing her hair.

A volumetric screen showed the wormhole in its mesmerizing and forebording glory: It appeared as a massive swirling vortex of energy, shimmering in hues of deep blue, purple, and faint gold. Its unstable edges crackled with aetheric discharges.

Euikoshi scratched her head. "This is a weird one. I am getting readings that suggest temporal anomalies, pocket dimensions, and aetheric signatures. The probes haven't been able to stay in contact with us once they enter it and none have been able to get to the other side and return. I am going to try some shallower probes that go in and then return quickly to use the data to at least come up with modifications to our ship's shields and propulsion to make it easier to navigate safely."

Julia Meadows appeared with a tray of tea, and Euikoshi took a cup while Pidole didn't. "Nah, I've got to get some rest. You should too," Pidole said, rubbing Euikoshi's back.

"Just a little more research," Euikoshi assured Pidole, as the red-haired engineer headed down the ramp with Julia. She stared at the wormhole's image and rubbed her chin. "I'm going to figure you out!"

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Armor Bay

Yoshiro was down in the armor bay working on his power armor. He was thinking about what had happened in the last mission where he had let Mitalar escape with the intel that they needed. He was angry with himself and the fact that some alien race had attacked a bunch of innocent civilians had upset him. He was repairing his armor and calibrating his armor systems such as targeting and such, it helped relieved his stress. He wiped the sweat he accumulated off his forehead and continued to work on his armor. "Well, I'll have my chance to get her eventually. Even if I don't get that chance, someone will get her and get the information we were looking for back." He said to himself. He headed to the wardroom his hunger getting the best of him.

 

[Cowboy]

VR Room

Sanda stood in the middle of the mat. Dressed in her workout clothes she held Arc up in a defensive stance. Little beads of sweat on her forehead was the only indication that she was even trying, which of course she was. She stood motionless, her breathing calm and even, her heart rate barely elevated. Then four drones flew at her from four different directions. Sanda thrust her sword and hit the first one then ducked the second before slashing the third. The two drones she hit exploded in a light show then disappeared. She was forced to step back as number 2 and 4 drones came in swinging blades of their own. There was a loud clank as Sanda's sword and the drones blade connected. For a moment it was a contest of strength as both pushed against the other. But Sanda wasn't going to use up all her energy to prove she was the stronger. She appeared to give in and let the drone come over her, but it was a feint. As the drone moved over her she drew her straight silver blade and jabbed the drone which burst into flames and disappeared.

Not waiting for the Nepleslian Ranger to recover, drone 4 attacked along with a now revived 1 and 3. Sanda switched her grip on Arc and so that the blade went down her forearm and met the drones head on. There was a spark of lighting and all three drones fell do the ground. Arc spun around in Sanda's hand as she reset her stance for the next attack.

Sanda had been taking her swordsmanship practice very serious since Koyama, her friend and teacher, had left the Resurgence. She had grown a lot over the last few months and hoped that Koyama would be pleased with her progress. After sparing with drones, Sanda set the VR room to emulate the Xynar soldiers. They were tough bastards, with equal tech to the Star Army, but they had to have some weakness and Sanda was going to figure out what it was. After about 30 mins of non stop fighting, the simulator shut off. It began reading out kill counts for the Ranger's practice which Sanda just muted. She wasn't interested in practice kills, only real ones.

Sanda wiped her face with a towel and retied her hair into a ponytail. She swung her weapons belt around her hips and sheathed Arc and her straight silver blade then pulled on her new Type 46 Pullover. Even though it was late, she thought she'd grab a cup of coffee and see if Rossa had left any snacks out in the Wardroom.

 

[Vise]

Shuttle Bay

As has become his evening routine, Sulevi was running through his mech’s post-flight checklist. He found himself serving both the roles of pilot and technician, though this wasn’t new to him, since he had filled similar roles with his previous job.

“Alright; with that, all systems are nominal.” He ticked off the last item on his checklist, pausing a moment to marvel at the Ryoko sitting in the hangar before him. “Never thought I’d be in the saddle of this thing. Really makes the CAMIEs look like toys.”

 

[Wes]

Concordia Sector
YE 47.1
Aboard the YSS Resurgence

The ancient Concordian station loomed like a silent sentinel in the depths of the Concordia Sector, its aged hull reflecting the distant stars in the void. Inside the station, the Star Army’s small outpost hummed quietly with activity. Resurgence's crew had returned here to check in and prepare for what lay ahead—Wormhole 3. The Progenitor facility had already revealed secrets through its portals, offering glimpses into forgotten worlds and dangers. Now, the third wormhole beckoned with the promise of more answers, but also, more peril.

In front of his chair in at the center of the bridge, Captain Aoba stood with arms crossed, gazing at a volumetric display of the swirling vortex that defined Wormhole 3. Its mesmerizing colors seemed to pulse with unknown energy, each swirl hinting at the instability lurking beneath. Reports from science teams and automated probes painted a concerning picture: strange temporal fluctuations, gravitational distortions, and sudden, inexplicable vanishing points. As the captain weighed the risks, he finally turned toward Euikoshi’s image on the screen. "Prepare Resurgence for immediate transit. We’ve spent enough time in the shadows—now it’s time to see what lies beyond."

Over the intercom, the crew heard an announcement from navigator Gabriela lively, "Prepare for turbulence," she simply said. In other words, hang on!

Yoshiro was holding on for dear life, as the ship encounters turbulence. He was getting sick and was about to puke.

Sanda was in a hallway on her way to the ward room. At Gabriela's warning she grabbed a couple of hand holds and locked her cybernetic arm in place. She quickly stuck some headphones in her ears and started blasting rock n roll music. Although she hated ship turbulace of any kind, having rock and roll music blasting in her ears seemed to make the experince a little more tolerable.

Yayoi was following Sanda, when she got Gabriel's warning so she immediately grabbed hold of the hand rails. Her Nekovalkyrja ears picked up on Sanda's music, but despite the figurative stick lodged somewhere inside her she chose to make no comment.

Yuri in the Medical Bay, grabbed the part of the bay that she was suposed to be grabbing when it came to turbulance.

As YSS Resurgence approached the mouth of Wormhole 3, the ship’s exterior lights danced across the swirling void, illuminating the ethereal maelstrom of deep blues, purples, and flickers of golden light. The wormhole churned like a cosmic storm, crackling with aetheric discharges that sent ghostly arcs of energy spiraling into the surrounding darkness. For a moment, the swirling vortex seemed almost alive, pulsing with chaotic energy as if it was aware of their presence—and waiting.

The transition was sudden.

The ship's hull groaned under the immense pressure as Resurgence was pulled forward, dragged into the twisting maw of the wormhole. A disorienting wave of gravitational force rippled through the ship, causing the artificial gravity to fluctuate wildly. Crew members felt weightless one moment, then crushed by invisible hands the next. Volumetric displays across the ship flickered and distorted, showing impossible readings: time fluctuations, dimensional echoes, and even ghostly silhouettes of past and future iterations of the ship appearing alongside them.

"Oh shiiiiitt!" Cassie yelled, hanging on to her bunk for dear life, digging her claws into her foam mattress pad.

Chiheisen Takahashi hit the top of her bunk in the middle of a nap, with some earmuffs somehow stuffed in her ears, letting out a screech asshe tried to grab onto something. Meanwhile, a blue haired neko grinned as she clutched onto something in the same room, holding a FARS drone with a little light indicating it was recording the whole ordeal. Sometimes having a roommate was /peak/ entertainment!

"¡Miércoles! ¿Por qué no me quedé en el Rikugun cuando tuve la oportunidad?" Sanda yelled, her music doing little to help calm her fears on this wild ride. For a moment, she thought she saw other crew members walk by, uneffected by the turbulance. Then she realized that it looked a much older version of herself walking by so Sanda just closed her eyes tighter and prayed that it would end soon.

Hearing the annoucement, Sulevi looked up for a moment from his checklist, brow furrowed. He would reach for the nearest solid thing, that was most importently, bolted to the floor. He resisted the urge to shut his eyes, as the glitch in the grav-field might send something heavy his way.

The swirling colors outside the ship intensified, forming a kaleidoscope of light that refracted off the ship's surface. For a brief second, the ship’s sensors overloaded, showing multiple versions of the same point in time—fragments of potential futures and long-forgotten pasts. A shimmering afterimage of Concordia Station appeared on the viewscreen, alongside images of destroyed civilizations and fleeing starships, echoes of what had been, or what could be.

And then, silence.

For a heartbeat, everything was still, as if the wormhole was holding its breath.

Then the ship was flung forward with a violent jolt, tumbling through space-time as stars twisted into spirals around them. Systems recalibrated frantically, alarms blared, and Gabriela’s voice crackled over the comms again, strained but still composed: "We've breached the event horizon. Navigation's...nonlinear now. Adjusting accordingly."

The wormhole had them.

"Is everyone alright?" Poppy asked in the shipwide circuit. "Please check your battle buddies for injuries," she ordered. She thought to herself, I don't think I've ever seen anything shake a ship this much other than getting hit by superweapons.

Yoshiro saw the images and was freaking out. "What the hell was that? Tell me someone saw that!" He checked himself for injuries but found none. "I am good to go." he said.

Sanda managed to open her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She tried to let go of the handholds, but neither her cybernetic hand or real hand for that matter would release. She finaly got control over her body again and let go, falling to her knees on the floor. "Thunder here. A little shaken, but ok." She reported.

"Blade here, i am fine, nothing to be concerned with.' Yayoi muttered as she moved away from the handholds.

A Saphhire winged Elysian barely made it a step out of Cabin 8 before hurling out her breakfast onto the floor, coughing. Kokoro barely managed to float out behind her unscathed, laughing her ass off.

"HYEHYEHYE!!! YA SHOULDVE SEEN YOUR FACE!" She jested, only to recieve a brief glare in return. She shrugged as she watched her roomie hurl on the floor, before looking around the dorms hall and yelling out half jokingly. "HEY! Anyone else survive that?!"

"The shuttles are all piled up on one side of the shuttle bay," Beryl said with a sigh. "Maybe one of the mecha can gently move them back," she suggested.

Seems his hunch was right, as the shuttle bay had re-arranged itself, with Sulevi caught in the pandamonium. Seeing the pile up of shuttles caused him to let out an exasperated sigh. Or as much of one he could muster as his innards was tying itself into knots.


Bridge

"Analyzing," Science officer Euikoshi said.

Suddenly, the augmented-reality display on the bridge highlighted three distinct anomalies ahead, each marked with a glowing red icon:

1. A beacon of some kind. Eukoshi's scans show it appeared to be transmitting data both forward and backward in time. The Resurgence didn't seem to be able to make sense of the data yet.
2. Drifting along the wormhole’s current was a massive derelict ship, larger than anything in Yamataian records. It appeared to be heavily damaged, with energy signatures of an ancient and unknown design. MEGAMI reported a possible match with Progenitor technology.
3. Sensors detected a pulsing dimensional distortion, appearing as a black sphere wrapped in tendrils of golden aether. The ship’s readings suggested it was stabilizing the wormhole’s flow, but its existence posed a threat to navigation. If it destabilized, it could collapse the wormhole entirely.

Euikoshi, still at her station, stared at the readouts with a mix of awe and concern. "These anomalies are entangled with the wormhole’s structure. If we interact with them wrong, we could destabilize everything—or we could find the key to understanding how the Aetherian Progenitors manipulated wormholes."

"Either way," she added, "we’re not leaving here without answers."

Aoba immediately called the crew to a briefing in the wardroom to come up with a plan together.

Wardroom

Julix and Rossa were busy cleaning up food off the walls and floors, aided by the "Emma" android and several floating FARS drones thrust into service as impromptu ceiling scrubbers.

Yoshiro was walking into the wardroom and saw the mess. He helped to clean up while waiting for the briefing.

Poppy headed up to the wardroom. "Sir," she asked captain Aoba, "With all due respect, did you just pull a Cassie and Leeroy Jenkins us into the universe's weirdest wormhole?"

Aoba just grunted, "Mmm." in response, his expression stoic and serious.

Sanda took notice of the mess in the Wardroom and sighed. "Is there at least a cup of coffee to be salvaged from this mess?" She asked Rossa and Julix.

Yayoi and Yuri made it into the Wardroom at the same time. Their eyes widened at the mess.

"If nothing else, there's a lot of data to be gleaned from our newfound position butted up against these anomalies," Mineko said.

Chiheisen somewhat stumbled into a chair, shuddering a little bit. She didnt make much of a fuss, but it was pretty visually apparent that she had lost whatever she had eaten previously. Her wings were all ruffled up.

"I hope so!" Euikoshi nodded to Mineko. "Also, I hope we can get out! I'll be working on that as my next science project!"

"That's why we love you, Euikoshi," Mineko said, putting her face in one of her hands as the science officer made her smile.

Sulevi stumbled into the wardroom, still unsteady due to the event he had found himself in back in the shuttle bay; though he tried his best to remain composed.

Once everyone was assembled in the disheveled wardroom, Aoba went over the situation and the anomalies. "The way I see it," he told them, "We have three new objectives: Investigate the temporal beacon and recover any data logs or communications. Board the derelict vessel to search for Progenitor artifacts or intelligence. Neutralize or stabilize the dimensional distortion to secure the ship’s passage. We need to pick our targets carefully—or we’ll end up just another ghost ship in this wormhole."

Gabriela’s calm voice came over the intercom again. "Captain, I recommend caution. The wormhole’s flow is accelerating. We can’t stay here long without risking dimensional drift. We need to move quickly."

The decision was up to Captain Aoba and the crew—would they divide their forces to tackle all three anomalies, or focus on one at a time?

Two of the three options seemed way above a simple Itto Heisho Ranger's paygrade. But one of the three she knew how to do. "I can... The Away team can explore the ship. I don't think I'd be much help figuring out the other two things." Sanda had started to volunteer to lead the Away team onto the derelict ship, but then remembered her failure the last time she led the Away team and so didn't.

"What should i do?" Yoshiro asked.

"Okay," Cassie proposed, "What if the derelict ship has something we can use to accomplish the other objectives?" she speculated. "I mean, it's got to have something useful on it, right? Also WTF is dimensional drift...?"

"I don't think I want to know," Julia Meadows commented, joining the cleanup efforts with the cooks. "I'm guessing it's bad, though,"

"Is that one of those things where we come out in an alternate reality where the Kuvexians won the war?" Poppy squinted. "It sounds bad."

"Kind of!" Euikoshi nodded with excitement.

"I think you should get together a team to check out that derelict ship," Aoba replied to Yoshiro.

Yoshiro nodded and as he finished with the cleaning up he went to prep his team.

"if Dimensional theory is correct, and this dimensional drifting causes us to drift to other dimensions..we could end up in one where Kuvexians won the war, to Rixxikor deciding to take over." Yuri commented out loud absent mindedly, but Yayoi stiffened at the mention of Rixxikor.

"Yuri, Poppy just said that," Mineko leaned forward to whisper, her sly grin edging up on the side of her face that was nearest the other Neko.

"Exploring alien derelicts is how you end up with a face full of alien wing-wong," Cassie grumbled.

"Wait- what's a-" Kokoro raised an eyebrow towards Cassie from her spot of the table, before cutting herself off and just shrugging.

"I'd take a face full of just about anything if the ship we board does have progenitor artifacts or intelligence. If the captain is right and it does, we could get a leg up on a lot of things," the SAINT analyst said. Mineko had slid back in her seat, deep in thought about what was to be discovered and what was to be avoided. "It'll be tricky. If anyone can handle a team on something so delicate, it's Yoshiro-heisho."

"What are you thinking is the safest way to get to the alien ship in this mess?" Poppy asked Yoshiro and Aoba. "I don't know if we can trust teleporters with all the distortions, which means we should probably shuttle or dock the Resurgence. Alternatively we could go in Mindy suits and have the mecha carry us."

"How stable is it looking out there? If its anything like the trip here I dont know if I trust a shuttle-" Kokoro hummed as her ears perked up.

"It's better than the entry but it's still a little nuts," Euikoshi said. "That's a technical term," she added with a chuckle.

"In that case I volunteer Chichi put on a Mindy and test the waters!" Kokoro snickered, only to get wing smacked on the back of the head.

"Or," Sulevi spoke up. "I can deploy the Ryoko and 'test the waters' in something a little more robust."

Sanda was not liking this situation at all. She moved over and grabbed a cup of coffee that Rossa had managed to put together for her. Using her body for cover, she laced it with rum to help steady her nerves. It seemed to help.

"Do it," Aoba gave Sulevi permission.

"Communications could be irregular in this kind of space," Euikoshi warned.

Yuri glanced to Sanda, and widened her eyes but calmed herself before anyone could see. Yayoi on the other hand, thought about what Poppy was saying. "I do like the idea of Mindy use." Yayoi said

Now calm and refocused on the mission at hand, Sanda agreed with Yayoi. "Most definitely, we have no idea what kind of radiation and stuff is out there."

Suddenly, Gabriela called down from the bridge. "Sir, we're picking up another ship! It's a Xynar cruiser! They're closing on the derelict."

"Oh great, those people again." Yayoi said with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"...I'm gonna get my gun," Cassie said. "See you in the armor bay," she said, dipping out of the wardroom.

"¿Estás bromeando? Estos tipos no entienden las indirectas." Sanda's fists tightened at the mention of the Xynar. "Lets move people. Everyone suit up!" She called out as she left the wardroom to get suited up.

"We've managed before," Mineko murmured before she looked to Aoba as she stood up, ready to follow the grey hound out of the wardroom on his orders.

"All hands to battle stations," Aoba said. "Stay focused on the mission," he told the crew. "The bridge crew will do our best to keep them occupied. We have work to do, ladies and gentlemen," he said, giving everyone a nod of respect and then heading back to the bridge.

Sulevi gave a quick salute and immediately made his way back to the shuttle bay, whincing slightly at the chaos inside. He'd have to tidy up later, as he hoped that his mecha wasn't too badly buried in the pile-up.

Yayoi got up and made her way to the power armor bay silently as she began to focus herself on the mission ahead of her.

Chiheisen got up and exhaled, before following Yayoi to the power armor bay. Kokoro grinned as she floated along. "THEY PICKED THE WROOOONG SHIP TO MESS WITH- AGAIN!"

With all heading to the power armor bay now, Mineko took a moment to bow to the back of Aoba and recited an old Yamataian phrase to impart on him good luck before she herself moved with the rest to the armor bay just a few steps away.

They could hear booms and feel the ship shake a little as the Xynar started opening fire on them. Like before, the Xynar shot first and asked questions later, not even bothering to hail the Resurgence first.

"I'd like to go to the derelict," Poppy told Yoshiro. "I didn't like that time when I was on the Resurgence when there were injuries on the Xynar ship. If there's any medical hazards on the Progenitor ship, I'd like to be there to help," she told Yoshiro.

As this was happening, Yuri had made it to the Medical Bay to do her duty, believing that Poppy can handle the away mission.

With the ship shuddering from that hit, Sulevi realized time wasn't on his side. He quickly suited up, and crawled into the Ryoko, a feat made slightly easier by his smaller frame; not that he would admit it. "I'll have to skip the checklist this time. No time to lose..." Firing up the Ryoko's systems, he bade it to move, shoving aside one of the shuttles that was cluttered against it. "Roughrider 2, ready to launch." He called into the radio, as he stepped towards the hangar bay door.

"You are cleared to launch immediately," Kalena told Sulevi from the bridge.

= = =
OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Vise, Liza, Ame, and Yoshiro

 

[Wes]

Third Wormhole from Concordia
YE 47.1

As the YSS Resurgence shook under the impact of the Xynar cruiser's relentless assault, the deep hum of the ship’s aether generators reverberated through the ship. Outside, the swirling chaos of Wormhole 3 framed a battlefield unlike any other—a twisted voidscape of shimmering blues and purples, where time and space bent unpredictably.

The derelict Progenitor vessel loomed in the distance, its ancient, battered hull drifting along the wormhole’s current like a forgotten ghost. The sleek, angular silhouette of the Xynar warship staked out a position between the Star Army gunship and the Progenitor ship, its weapons blazing with deadly precision as it moved to intercept any approach to the relic. As it did, a squadron of insectoid starfighters came shooting out of it.

Bridge

On the bridge, Captain Aoba stood firm, his calm demeanor belying the tense situation. "Status report," he barked as Kalena worked frantically at her console, trying to keep their shields up while Gabriela adjusted their course through the turbulent currents of the wormhole.

Power Armor Bay

Down in the power armor bay, the away team prepared to deploy, their Mindy suits locking into place with sharp mechanical clicks. The urgency was palpable—the derelict ship held answers, and the Xynar weren’t here by coincidence—they knew something valuable was hidden aboard that wreck, and Resurgence couldn’t afford to let it fall into their hands.

Sanda got into her Mindy and tied up her hair into a ponytail before setting her helmet on her head. The helmet had a blue lightning bolt painted over the visor. Once suited, she hurrying around to the other people, making sure they were getting suited up. "Come on people! Lets get going!"

"Even if the shuttles were damaged, we have our Mindy armors to keep us safe if the air leaks out or something. So will you want to try them?" Poppy asked Sanda.

Yayoi was silent as usual as she suited up in her Mindy power armor and made sure her preferred loadout was loaded on her power armor.

Chiheisen sighed as her helmet sealed and her power armor activated. She was feeling a little better after dumping out her whole stomach. Nevertheless, they had a job to do.

Sanda thought a moment. She looked over at the shuttles. "Whatever gets us to the ship fastest. Honestly, it might be better to just fly over in our Mindys. Smaller targets."

"That sounds terrifying," Cassie gulped.

"Okay," Poppy said, opening the armor bay's door to reveal the incredible scene in front of them as the ship weaved around in the chaos.

"Santo Trueno." Sanda whispered as she saw the chaos. She subconsciously reached up and touched the lightning bolt tattoo on her face then readied herself. "Stay close together so we don't get lost, but not too close that we can be taken out with one shot." Sanda advised. She then screamed something incoherent but sounded like, Thunderstruck and disappeared into the chaos.

"You heard her y'all!" Hayden hopped out right after, a Nepleslian Red Yell so loud it distorted into incoherent cracking static over the comms.

Yayoi charged out of the doors, momentarily distracted as she thought of her sisters banzai charge they usually did. Sanda seemed to like Thunderstruck. Yayoi didn't speak as she shot after her.

Space Battle

With the go-ahead to launch, Sulevi fired up the Ryoko's engines. With a run and a leap, he took flight out of the hangar.

"Warning, enemy fighters," Sulevi's computer warned him, as the ship automatically shared the latest tactical data. Sure enough, the Xynar were out there trying to keep them away from their prize.

Trowa had gotten his own mech suit ready and had launched right behind Sulevi's Ryoko. "Roughrider 1 here. Let's form up and see if we can't take out some of these fighters. Give our Away team an opening to board that ship."

"Roger that." Sulevi shifted his attention to the radar, seeing the blips of the incoming fighter wing. He flicked off the weapon safeties and mentally prepared himself for this fight. His first fight.

"Caution," the mecha's computer said giving a red zone between the fighters and the Resurgence. The bridge crew was trying to even the odds out for Trowa and Sulevi by engaging the fighters with the ship's anti-fighter quad aether turrets. They could see a steady stream of golden bolts speeding across space towards the fighters. But things were weird in the wormhole and it was messing with the targeting because space wasn't linear here so the shots were twisting and turning in unexpected ways. This also gave the mecha a bit of a buffer against getting swarmed by shots form the fighters, too, though. They'd have to close within knife-fight range.

Trowa raised the custom rifle that had been made for his mech and fired at the incoming fighters. Only to watch his shots curve horribly off the mark. It was almost comical it was so bad. Securing the rifle to his mech, Trowa drew his sword. "Roughrider 2. Looks like its going to be close in combat. Stay loose out there."

Not even bothering to draw the ABC holstered on his mech's right hip, Sulevi instead drew the plasma blade. "Yeah. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Diverting full power to the engines, Sulevi rushed his mech forward. Shooting might be difficult in these conditions, by flying through it was no better. Still, he had the hope that the Xynar were having the same problems.

The fighters saw the mecha coming and and began to line up their shots at them. As the mecha and fighters closed on each other, their shots began to get more accurate and Sulevi and Trowa found themselves in a hail of plasma shots, roughing them up pretty badly. When each fighter strafed them, as soon as it passed by the Resurgence would hit it with a stream of fire, basically by using the mecha as a reference point they were increasing their accuracy with the ship gunfire. One of the fighters exploded in a fireball of burning chunks as Kalena got a lucky hit.

Meanwhile, the armor team could see the mecha and their Xynar attackers up ahead silhouetted against the bright blues and purples of the wormhole's "walls." Behind them the Xynar ship was dumping everything it could shoot on the Resurgence, and beams of deadly aether were flying over their heads.

Weathering the incoming fire, Sulevi energized his electromagnetic shields, as he scanned for targets. Gunfire might not work well, but maybe the missiles will. He tried to get a lock on the fighters.

"You Zanven, you want to do some of that Ace shit?" Cassie called on the radio, hoping that the fighter pilot was joining them in the combat zone. "Could really use someone to take care of that fighter screen before they ice us."

Trowa's mech shook as it took hits. The one eyed Nepleslian didn't like that at all. "Alright, let's dance." He said to himself. A group of fighters headed towards him, firing as they came. Trowa hit his thrusters and doged one way, then the other. Then head straight at them to get into slashing range.

Trowa actually managed to strike one of the Xynar fighters with his blade, but it wasn't a very solid hit, more of a grazing blow that sent the fighter spinning away with a smoke trail coming from one side of it. There were still so many of them, too!

"You know i had to take some time to get back into this." Zanven said in response as he was already in his suit and launched out with the others. Giving a slight smile, he saw the others move. He had to do something now to show he wanted to be there.

Cassie whistled innocently as the away team got closer and closer to the Xynar starship. "You think we can sneak past?" she asked, activating the suit's stealth systems, and using the new heat management subsystem to control thermal emissions. Poppy did the same. Perhaps the fighter battle would make a great distraction for the away team.

Yoshiro had put his suit on and launched just as the fighters launched from the Xynar ship. He was ready to fight and armed his weapons "Sneaking past them? If that's the plan then someone needs to engage them so the rest can sneak by." Yoshiro said as he arrived at the battle site."These noobs need to be taught a lesson about messing with their betters. 360 no scope, bitches! Let's gooooooo!!" He opened fire and targeted the fighters who were attacking them.

"Stealth is always my preferred method." Sanda agreed. Her suit had been stealthed as soon as she left the ship.

"stealth works well" Yayoi commented as her Mindy brought her out, while stealthed.

"Keep them busy," Euikoshi encouraged the mecha team and Zanven. The Resurgence also continued to fire on the fighters every time they go close to the mecha.

"Got it!" Yoshiro said to Euikoshi as he continued firing on the enemy, missiles and aether fire coming from his power armor. "These hashtag dumbasses need to get schooled...Ahahahahaha!" he said as he fired at another fighter and used another as a surfboard, crashing it into another fighter.

"I'm used to doing a bit more." Zanven said, as he knew now what was coming for this matter. "I'll keep them more than busy." He began to open fire along with who he was with to make some actual damage.

Seeing that using his sword wasn't much good, Trowa pulled back out his mecha's large plasma rifle. If close range made it easier for the fighters to target him, then it should be easier for him to target them as well.

"Oh no," Cassie gasped. As she drifted past the Xynar cruiser, she looked up at it and then back to the Resurgence, and what she saw was the Resurgence battered and burning. The Xynar had them outgunned.

"Eyes on the prize, Cass. Don't worry 'bout where we come from, worry 'bout where we goin'." Hayden responded, "That's their job. They can do it." He shot at targets of opportunity as they came, dodging and weaving.

Sanda just rolled her eyes in annoyance at Yoshiro's never ending stream of insults. He was suppose to be leading the away team, not acting like a fool. They needed to get to the derelict ship quickly so the Resurgence could move and not keep trying to slug it out with that thrice-damn cruser.

Yayoi attempted to focus on getting to the derelict ship but like sanda she was getting to be annoyed by Yoshiro. She knew this was his typical behavior and she thought he needed discipline

One of the starfighters came right at Yoshiro and shot him in the crotch area, peppering it with so many holes that the Mindy's armor failed and the legs stopped working. His blood was leaking from it out into space. A small fire occurred the with the aether plasma melting some stuff. It was the most pain he'd ever experienced in his life.

"Damn it...Got shot in the crotch, and legs aren't moving. Stupid noob asshats got to use aimbots to cheat." Yoshiro said and radioed for assistance.

Zanven's expert piloting proved itself almost immediately, and he was able to get behind one of the Xynar starfighters and scored a direct hit, blowing its engines apart in a violent blast. The cockpit end tumbled off into the wormhole, probably to meet a grim fate in the twisting folds of spacetime.

"Next time I am going to make sure that my crotch is armored. The most imprtant part of my body and I just let it get shot." Yoshiro said suddenly getting dizzy due to blood loss. He headed toward the derelict but was about to pass out.

"Miércoles! ¡De todas las estupideces!" Sanda yelled and pealed off from heading to the derelic and went back for Yoshiro. She spotted his damaged Mindy and moved towards it. She gabbed his Mindy and moved back towards the ship with all the speed she could muster. "I swear Yoshiro, if you survive this I am going to beat you to death with my bear hands!"

"Yeah if I don't die from the shot to the groin first." Yoshiro said to Sanda. "Let's get to the derelict, I still have a mission to complete." He

"Shut up! You just jeopardize that mission!" Sanda snapped. The extra weight of two Mindys was making it difficult to fly through this chaoic wormhole.

"Then report me to the captain then." Yoshiro said as he wheezed in pain. He was in danger and he knew that. He had no way of manuvering and the warning lights in his armor were going off.

Yayoi rolled her eyes in annoyance at Yoshiro, despite knowing full well, that Yuri likes him.

Hayden suddenly appeared behind Yoshiro and grabbed him by the nonfunctional legs. "Sanda-Heishō, you need to lead the squad. I got him." He began to engage his CFS. "We ain't got time for games here, y'all."

Still pissed off at the whole situation, Sanda growled an acknowledgement and released Yoshiro to Hayden.

Hayden engaged his Mindy's gravimetric projector and then his CFS. "I'll be back, keep it warm for me!"

Derelict Progenitor Vessel

Cassie tugged and tugged at the handle of the first airlock looking hatch she found and slowly performed a manual override on it . She tied a glow-stick to the outside near the hatch and a UV strobe so that the others could find it. "Contact with target vessel," she transmitted to the Resurgence. "Attempting to board."

The inside of the Progenitor vessel was like stepping into the pages of a forgotten epoch, where technology and biology merged in eerie harmony. The walls pulsed faintly with a bio-luminescent glow, casting the corridors in shades of deep blue and silver. Veins of translucent conduits ran through the walls and ceilings like the nervous system of a living creature, pulsing gently with energy that seemed neither entirely electrical nor organic. The air inside the ship was stale but breathable, carrying an acrid metallic tang mixed with the faint scent of something ancient and decaying.

Poppy immediately got out her medical supplies and set up an impromptu aid station in the first safe-looking alcove she found near the airlock. As luck would have it, it had was basically looked like a medical treatment bed in it. She attached a light to the wall and hung a small Yamataian flag near it, dusted off the ancient bed, and prepared to recieve casualties.

Sanda caught Cassie's strobe and headed for it with all speed. She was super pissed at Yoshiro and his recklessness. Landing on the derelict ship she scanned the area then headed inside.

Yayoi followed Sanda as she too caught the strobe, and used as much as of her speed as she could.

Wormhole Interior

Sulevi finally got a lock on one of the fighters as it swooped in on him again, trying to gun him down. He could practically see the Xynar pilot's head in the cockpit through the scope of his weapon.

With a growl, Sulevi forgot about the missiles. With the target so close, he instead lit the plasma blade, and rushed the fighter, holding the blade forward like a lance.

Sulevi connected. Like some ancient jousting knight, he slammed head-on into the oncoming fighter between its deadly plasma beams, and pushed his blade into its nose, where it penetrated the small craft's hull with a red-hot gash in the metal.

Planting the boot of his mech against the fighter's hull, he yanked the blade out. One down, so many more to go. He scanned for another target; he wasn't stopping now.

= = =
OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Vise, Liza, Ame, Yoshiro, and Yuuki

 

[Cowboy]

Inside Derelict Ship

Sanda did a quick scan of the immediate area to make sure they were secure. "Area looks clear." She called. Sanda then went to the airlock and helped Hayden get Yoshiro inside. The two of them carried him to where Poppy had set up her make-ship surgery. "Poppy! Yoshiro's been hit bad. The Cabrón decided to go crazy out there and start shooting, instead of letting the Mechs distract while we sneak aboard the ship." Sanda told Poppy, still pissed off at the situation.

No one, not even Sanda, could argue with Yoshiro's loyalty to the Star Army and his teammates. But once he got into combat he started acting like a cocky idiot straight out of basic training. Sanda had been growing increasing annoyed with his antics over the last few missions but hadn't said anything because she had felt it wasn't her place to correct a superior officer. However, now his antics had gotten himself hurt and it could have gotten someone else killed. That was something Sanda couldn't let go.

Sanda went into a string of curses in her native tongue. She needed a moment to just vent. She would have been even more annoyed if she realized that her tantrum sounded very similar to one of Yoshiro's tirades. Finally she took a deep breath, composed again. "Get him patched up and moving Doc. We can't leave him here and we can't carry him. He needs to be able to move under his own power." Stepping out into the hall Sanda radioed the rest of the Away Team. "Status report! Everyone sound off and regroup on me!"

 

[Wes]

Inside Derelict Ship

Poppy removed her helmet and went through a series of rapid steps to stabilize Yoshiro, creating a small mess of plastic on the floor as she rapidly ripped open packages from her medical bag. First she injected Yoshiro with an IV drip of hemosynthetic fluid and used a Portable Medical Scanner PMS-2M on him. She followed this with pain killers, a small dose of Siararcine, a moderate dose of Blutlassen, and a generous dose of Advancer Arievadine, before carefully extracting him from the damaged Mindy armor, cutting away any clothing he had on and treating his wounds with gauze and then KHI Medicagel and burn cream. It was a gory sight, and there was a lot of blood, to the point of it running off the side of the table onto the floor and onto the packaging and Poppy's feet. Thanksfully, she was able to stop the bleeding and stabilize him, and she kept the fresh hemosynth blood and meds coming. She began stitching up the holes in his body to help the regenerative healing process go faster. "Try not to look," she warned Yoshiro and Sanda.

Cassie looked, though, and it made her put her arm over her mouth and struggle not to retch. "Yoshiro," she finally said, "I don't know how I'm supposed to say this, but it looks like you may have lost your mojo."

"Don't panic," Poppy assured Yoshiro, gently but firmly pushing his chest so he couldn't raise his head up and look at the situation happening in his lower abdoment. "It's only temporary and the damage will heal within a couple of days...sooner with treatements." She gave Cassie a look that said, you're not helping.

Cassie began to look around the derelict ship instead of at Yoshiro's mangled crotch area. The architecture of the derelict was impossibly alien yet strangely functional. The hallways were hexagonal, with curved edges that created a seamless flow between walls, floor, and ceiling. Along the corridors, strange geometric patterns carved into the metal pulsed with faint aetheric light, occasionally shifting in response to the crew’s movement, as if the ship itself was aware of their presence. Doors were circular and iris-shaped, each one requiring a manual override or a touch on the strange panels beside them, which shimmered with cryptic symbols and pictograms.