RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 19.2A] Evidence (HX-12 II NMX Base)

NMX Base

Mitsuko winced at another mental shout. Riko's warning a moment later put her even more on edge, the Neko tensing up and freezing in place. She relaxed just slightly as Misato patted her, reassuring her. At least the suggestion gave her something to do, and kept her from looking at the Rippers. She nodded, turning to face the way they'd just entered, raising her LASR as she focused on watching their escape route. Murakami was glad her roommate was watching her back as well, happy to let the others handle the Rippers for now.

NMX Base

The Rippers saw that the Star Army troops kept entering their base instead of heeding the warning to go away, and when they saw Misato aim at them, that was the last straw and they opened fire. Flashes of bright orange-yellow aether lit up the unlit underground terminal area like strobes and Misato was thrown back by the explosive impact into a pile of dirt with heavy damage to the central parts of her armor, suffering burns to her body where the armor had failed.

The chunk of floor Bors was behind cracked and a large piece flew off as it was impacted by a railgun shell.

As soon as her body hit the ground Misato screamed out with a mix of pain and rage. working though all the curses she knew plus some that she had made up she rolled over and twisted around so that she was belly down facing the enemy. Gritting her teeth to try to block out the pain she took aim with her Gauss weapon on her back and with her grenade launcher. Once she believed she had a target she pumped three concussion rounds at the ripper followed closely by a burst from the Gauss.

NMX Base

"Shitshitshit" Bors said as his cover started to fall apart around him, Firing his his rifle around the corner at the nearest ripper. Things can never be easy can they he thought to himself as he ducked back behind his slowly disappearing cover before hearing Misato scream. Looking over his shoulder to make sure she was ok he was relieved when he saw her roll over and continue firing.

"You alright?" He messaged her as he shot a grenade of his own toward the two rippers before ducking back into cover.

NMX Base

Explosions, dust, and smoke filled the room as the Rippers were pelted with grenades, but the team's sensors could tell they were barely damaged so far. Lunging forward, one of the Rippers ignited its aether saber and jammed it down into her back before she could rise form her prone position, and twisted it as it melted through the armor and boiled and ignited the flesh and bone beneath as it passed through her and into the floor. In her final moments, she could feel the wave of horrible pain come up through her chest as she was incinerated inside the Mindy.

The second Ripper was after Bors, firing its forearm weapons at him, sending sprays of aether energy through the walls and columns around him as he hid in the mostly-intact remains of a video arcade. As he ducked he accidentally hit an electrical switch and suddenly games began to noisily come to life around him, flashing colors. The Ripper, confused and distracted, lost track of Bors but began to enter the arcade to peer down the aisles.

As the Ripper jumped at her Misato tried to roll away, but she knew she wasn't going to make it. She did the only thing she could think of and sent a telepathic message to Mimi-chan. "Mimi... love, be save." She barely had time to send it before the blade punctured her back plate and started burning her from the core outward.

.....
PAIN....Bright light fading to a swirling darkness....
.....

Her eyes flickered open, she felt warm and the world around her was blurry and out of focus. It took a full minute before she realized that she was in a tank floating.

Sune was not sure what started the hostilities, but the truce or whatever was over. What the hell... if that is how you want this, so be it. he thought.

He brought up his Aether Beam Saber Rifle switched on the blade and brought the blazing sword into play, driving it into the Ripper that had charged the group with his armor enhanced strength.

With a thought, he brought the Shoulder-Fired 50mm Gauss Cannon to bear on the Ripper that had pursued Bors and fired a three round burst at it.

NMX Base

Mitsuko didn't see anything, and there seemed to be no unusual data coming in from her suit or the ship's sensors. The situation didn't remain quiet long enough for her attention to wander to any other worries. She heard weapons, and her roommate screaming. "Misato-Hei?" Murakami gave one final glance at the area she was watching, just to make sure nothing was going to surprise them from that direction, before turning her full attention back to the others.

She immediately spotted Misato on the ground, trying to fire at a Ripper that was far too close. Mitsuko was still trying to process the incredibly sudden shift in the situation, instinctively aiming her LASR toward the Ripper, but she just couldn't catch up before it was too late. "Suzume-chan? Suzume!?" She was stunned, frozen, as the brief message reached her.

Mitsuko finally found herself able to move as Sune attacked the Ripper, the officer's entrance into her narrowing field of vision jolting her into action. Quickly closing the small gap, she fired bursts from her LASR, going to one knee once she'd reached Misato. She used her free hand to yank on the Neko's leg, trying to pull her out of the melee. "Suzume-chan, it's okay, I'm safe. You're safe. I'm g-getting you away from here." Murakami dragged the Mindy backwards with her by the leg, looking up at the Ripper as she continued to fire, not wanting to hit Sune by mistake. She just wanted to get a bit of space between her and them before she checked on Misato.

She looked down to see only the lower half of the Mindy had come with her.

Mitsuko dropped the leg, falling back to sit on the ground nearby, clearly in shock. She'd stopped firing. She couldn't look away, even though there was still an enemy so close. The sounds of weapons firing combined with loud noises and flashing lights from the reawakened arcade added to the disorientation. Even though it was what Misato wanted, she found it hard to concentrate on her own safety at that moment.

Mitsuko felt like she was going to be sick.

Sune was able to hit the Ripper in the blown out mall area but the damaged was mostly absorbed but its shields and it countered with a blow from its own aether saber, cutting a burning gash into his right foot at it swung the sword and struck him in the helmet and right hand, giving the face area a deep gash and severe burns to the hand. His visual electronics went offline as the blow sent him landing on his butt in the ash pile near the entrance hole. His shots at the second Ripper by the arcade mostly missed due to the first Ripper's onslaught.

Turning from from Sune as Mitsuko's LASR shots mostly-harmlessly bounced off it, it took advantage of her distraction with her fallen comrade to get a good shot at her head with its shoulder-fired cannon, and scored a direct hit that left her woozy and seeing stars and caused her neck in severe pain from the kinetic force it endured.

"SURRENDER AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED," both of the Rippers announced in unison, using deep, synthesized voices.

NMX Base

Bors waited for the Ripper to round the corner in its search for him. When he couldn't hear the sound of the ripper anymore he peeked his head out just in time to see Misato get sliced and Sune Charging the ripper. Leveling his pulse rifle on one of the arcade machines for stability he took aim at the ripper closet to him, trying to aim for a weak point and help his teammates out. He froze when the rippers spoke up and told them to leave again.

"Should we leave em alone this time?" Bors radioed Sune keeping his aim at the Ripper "If not i have a good shot at one of em"

NMX Base

Sune took a moment to take stock of his condition. He suffered injuries to both limbs on the right side of his body. His visuals were offline, but the sensors might still be working. He might be able to view them using his SPINE interface, but there was the matter of his injuries. He sent a querty to the AIES on the suits operational status.

When he heard Bors message it did not take much thought as to a response.

He used his SPINE interface to send a message via the computer, "Negative. They already proved their word can not be trusted. But that said, they have already killed one of us, my suit is badly damaged.

Might be best if Murakami-Hei and you fall back. You are outgunned and out armored."

If Bors could get Mitsuko out safely, then Sune could try taking the rippers out by using the self-destruct.

NMX Base

Bors Lowered his rifle and have a nod of acknowledgement when he received Sune's message. Moving behind the activated entertainment machines he tried to get as close to the exit and Mitsuko as he could without being seen. Taking a quick glance at the rippers to make sure they weren't aiming at him, Bors made a dash to Mitsuko and grabbed her around the waist with his free hand and moved his shield so it would block any oncoming fire from the rippers before activating his suits thrusters to blast them out of the hole and closer too the exit.

NMX Base

Mitsuko never saw the shot coming. Her head snapped backwards, the immense force flattening her on her back, helmet bouncing off the ground. She let out a pained, wordless groan that she quickly cut off. Moving her jaw or making any sort of noise just added to the pain and nausea. Thankfully her Mindy didn't need much effort for some commands.

While her head was still spinning, Murakami muted the outside audio, missing the Rippers' booming ultimatum. She could only hear herself breathing, struggling to do so without adding to her pain. After a few moments, Sune's message broke the silence. It reminded her of where she was, but didn't exactly reassure her. The Neko didn't even try to speak, but she could manage a text message. "We're all going to die here."

A moment later, Mitsuko had enough of her wits about her to send another message. "The shuttle?" She couldn't be responsible for losing another one, not on top of everything else. She only had a split-second to prepare, as Riko dashed for her, doing the little she could. Murakami clutched her LASR as tightly as she could manage, using all of the abilities available to her to make herself as light and easy to transport as possible.

She also unmuted the outside audio and muted her own mic for the moment. Mitsuko didn't want Bors to hear her screaming in pain as her neck was jostled by his hurried movement. Hopefully the noise around them would drown it out for her, since she didn't enjoy hearing it herself.

The Ripper in the arcade came running out after Bors, but by the time he was in the mall courtyard, Bors and Mitsuko were already back out on the ruined surface.

The other Ripper that had killed Misato continued his assault on Sune, spraying him with twin streams of deadly orange-yellow aether from its forearm weapons. Then the Ripper from the arcade, lacking another target, joined in. Seconds later, Sune's signal disappeared from the scopes of the other team members.

NMX Base

As soon as he landed Bors set Mitsuko down behind a fallen piece of ceiling, or at least he assumed it was judging from the hole above it, before quickly heading back towards the hole he had exited from in an attempt to give the Chusa some covering fire to give him a chance to escape. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw and heard the Aether fire flashes from where he came and the blip on his radar indicating Sune disappear.

"God Damnit!!" he shouted into his mic before shouldering his rifle preparing to charge back down guns blazing in an attempt to take at least one of the Armored juggernauts out. As he reached for a grenade to reload his under slung launcher he caught sight of Mitsuko and froze. The hell am I doing? Jumping down there and getting myself killed wont solve anything. he thought to himself walking back toward the stunned neko, keeping his weapon trained on the hole in case the rippers decided to come up and greet them.

Hoisting the small Neko over his shoulder, Bors made his way towards the exit, walking backwards keeping an eye out for any possible signs of the rippers, and sent a message to the Eucharis.

Away Team to Eucharis
Encountered heavy enemy resistance, Jalen-Chusa and Misato-Hei are KIA and Murakami-Hei is alive but took a direct hit in her helmet from a Gauss round. Moving her to the shuttle and will await further orders.
Riko-Hei

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"Hey Mitsuko," He said in the calmest voice he could muster "Call down the shuttle, you're getting a ride home."

Outside Base

Mitsuko was placed on the ground, still light as a feather, her head swimming. Most of her big breakfast had wound up inside of her helmet, but the fleshy lining of her suit was quickly slurping it away. She kept her eyes closed against the mess, and the outside world spinning, even though she'd been put down again.

When Murakami realized Sune had disappeared from her sensors, which also showed Bors moving away from her, she tried her best to stand. She had barely managed to get to her feet by the time Riko returned, wobbling horribly. She gratefully collapsed over his shoulder rather than attempt walking or flying in her condition.

Mitsuko checked the shuttle's sensors again before lowering the shields to admit the two of them. She didn't want anyone surprising them again. The Neko responded to Riko with a short text message, her mic still muted against the pained groaning she let out whenever she was jostled. "Put me in the pilot's chair. I won't need to move to fly the shuttle." She had a feeling there might be other things to keep Bors busy.

Shuttle Chatoyancy

"Eucharis to Away Team 1," Shosho Hanako's voice replied. "We copy your last transmission. Return to the Eucharis to regroup. Was any highly-restricted equipment left with the enemy, like teleportation modules?"

NMX Base

After setting Mitsuko down in the pilots seat Bors made his way back outside, making a quick message to Eucharis as he exited the shuttle.

Away Team to Eucharis,
Not entirely sure, though judging from the wounds they sustained I would say that the sensitive equipment, if any, was destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Will attempt further measures to make sure sensitive equipment is not obtained just in case.
Riko-Hei

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After sending his message to the Eucharis, Bors activated his Offensive augmentation pods and sent half of his payload into the hole in an attempt to destroy any remnants of his fallen comrades suits as well as damage a ripper or too if it got in the way. After hearing the breif krumps of the explosions he made his way back onto the shuttle as fast as he could in case he pissed of the Rippers any more. Once aboard Bors sealed the doors and made his way up to the cockpit, plopping himself down in the empty co-pilots seat and removing his helmet and setting it on the consul in front of him.

"Take us back to the ship, Cap'n wants us to regroup." he said in a rather emotionless tone, keeping his eyes focused in front of him.

Shuttle 1

Mitsuko groaned to herself as she was placed in the chair. She could hear Bors leaving the shuttle, although she wasn't exactly sure why. She slowly peeked her eyes open, most of the mess gone by now. Murakami wanted her own visual, even if the ship was going to provide a better view for her, now that she was in full command of it once again. She began preparing the ship to launch while Riko worked outside.

She could hear him reenter and settle in, the removed helmet just barely seen at the corner of her vision as it was placed on the console. Mitsuko didn't want to turn her head to look at Bors, or attempt nodding in response to what he said. Her LASR had been dropped across her lap once she was no longer afraid of losing it, both hands gripping the arms of her chair.

The shuttle lifted off and headed for the Eucharis without any further delay, moving as steadily and quickly as she could manage, her head still a bit foggy. Much like Bors, Mitsuko felt drained, empty. Her mind was actually free of worries for once, empty of all thoughts as she focused everything she had left on getting back to the ship. Once there, she planned to just let herself pass out as soon as possible.

Shuttle Bay

The Eucharis' small shuttle bay was empty except for a pair of tool lockers when Mitsuko and Bors returned in the dust-stained T8 shuttle Chatoyancy. Once they landed and the atmosphere was restored, Citrine appeared in the power armor bay doorway with a stretcher and a medical kit ready. "Both shuttles left me," she explained as the shuttle door opened. "I have new bodies for Jalen-Chusa and Misato being made right now. Is anyone hurt?"