RP Concluded Mission 2.0 - Pearl and Engine

"Copy that," Roy responded, switching channels to the 4th squad's comms. "Good news, you'll be deployed soon. Make your final checks and get ready to move." There was a resounding affirmative from the squad before he'd contact the armorer.

"Obara, whip us up some of those Mindys, will you? We need enough for an extra squad. Officers, so add a mint or two on the pillows," he'd say with a chuckle, which was met with an exasperated sigh.

"If you're going, then I'm just short one mint. Armors will be ready by the time the officers come to suit up. Who is coming along?" There was already sounds of shuffling as the minkan got to work on the request.

Roy turned to Tachiko with a thumbs up. "Armors are getting prepped, captain. Armorer's asking who'll be needing them."

("Watch it!") The squad narrowly dodged yet another stream of plasma fire-that purple crap the Mishu used was a nightmare for infantry and even tanks-as they wrestled a trio of soul savior pods towards the Mazu. Morris was once again reminded as he looked below him of just how much he despised open-void combat. At least aboard a ship or on a planet you had solid ground and could at least predict where the enemy was going to come from to a degree; too many threat vectors and an increased likelihood of something coming up from below like some creature of myth to snap you up.

Bad analogy now that he thought about it, given the circumstances.

("We've got 3 more squads inbound with more of these things, including one with an escape pod-!") One of the yeomen said over the comms as he hefted the bulky rifle he carried; doing his level best to keep an eye on their surroundings, ("Roger, keep an eye out for hostiles.") He toggled the comlink; "Mazu, this is Yeoman Sergeant Morris-we're inbound with soul savior pods and a live one, mind your fire, over!"

----

Alexei was currently dialing in one of the gunsights on the cannon, wondering if he should try and call for some of their own void-borne backup. It would technically be an overreach of his authority as Morris was in charge of the operation, but given the circumstances it may be justified. For now though he was content to adopt a sit-and-wait approach while ensuring their equipment remained functional.

"Prep my Mindy and put my Molly on standby, tell the armorer to have my two Aether Gunto ready, along with the rest of my loadout, for both. I'll decide later."

Tachiko's eyes went blank, devoting all of her focus on the situation map in her mind. After a moment her eyes opened widely. "Helm! There! That gunship. line her up for that, Sensors, get bearing and heading and lock. Tactical- tube hot! We're going to hole it."

After her mishap getting out of her bunk, Yingzi long bolted to her alcove within the ship's combined sciences laboratory to provide help as well as try to gain more insight from the ship sensors that Calliope might currently be too occupied to look more in-depth. She worked frantically to ID, get a material scan, and anything else that would get as much data on the 13 enemy vessels, prioritizing novel designs such as the battleships.

While she certainly seen plenty of Mishhu vessels in simulations during her SAoY science training, this was the first time she was seeing them in person. There was a sense of fear but also disdain as she looked at them in the literal flesh. There was a brief moment of thinking what would happen if the Mishhu boarded, but she quickly suppressed the thought and continued with her work.

"Captain's going, Obara," Roy'd say as he began to relay Tachiko's request. "Get me into the fight as well. No way am I missing a boarding party. Get me the Aether SMG and my Daisy's shield. And my .45 for good luck."

"That crude thing...? Very well," was the armorer's response. "Armors will be prepped by the time the squad comes to collect."

Now this was going to be more to Roy's style, being right at the thick of it, boarding enemy ships and taking part in a good, old-fashioned firefight in the halls. He'd take hijacking the strike crafts as well, for nostalgia's sake. And sure, if he manages to bring one aboard intact for study. They were definitely not something he'd seen before, so it'd stand to reason that Yamataian engineers would love to tear it apart. He knew he would, if he had the space. And how hard could it be to commandeer? The Mishu's nekos are likely going to have to pilot at least some of them, so tentacles won't be a hard requirement. It was logically sound as far as he was concerned.

"Shosa, the armors will be ready by the time we arrive to claim them. We'll depart on your order." Roy himself was already pumped up and ready to go.

And while adjacent stations could cover for him, he had already made a deal with 2nd shift just for this eventuality. They were practically on his seat as soon as he got off the chair.

YSS Yukika II
Bridge

The interface of the Yukika II's science station lit up as its user navigated it with one hand, carrying out the instructions commanded to her by Tachiko-Shosa. The other hand of the duty uniform clad Nepleslian was occupied lightly tilting a coffee cup towards her own lips. She could easily manage to do her job with one hand... remaining somewhat energized was also quite vital in this situation, of course.

Calliope tapped on the interface one last time as she finished tagging the last escape pod that had shown up on sensors (for the time being), letting out a tiny exhale. Her tired eyes squinted at the computer console as she quickly examined every single little label to make sure they were properly identified. This wasnt a simulation after all, these contacts were not ones and zeros, as the rather green scientist was used to. They were in a real combat situation, those icons represented real lives, which they had been tasked to save. And thus, it had to be perfect.

The Nepleslian lightly turned her head towards Tachiko, her weary eyes momentarily looking directly at the Shosa as she spoke. "Shosa, I have sorted most of the contacts currently on sensors, though of course, more are showing up as we speak." Callie sighed as a new unmarked blip popped up on her screen, distracting the Neplesians gaze. She took a taking a small sip of coffee before continuing on. "I have also set specific parameters for the graviton beam for each escape pod and soul transfer box on sensors depending on their current structural integrity, to avoid further damage to them. I am providing further lock data on the gunship and the closest and more relevant targets" She finished, tapping and swiping on her console in the general direction of the Yukika's tactical station. She took a little moment to close her eyes and sigh, before returning to her work on the science terminal.

YSS Mazu - Bridge​

"They have us at an imposition." Akina agreed with Kaoru while speculating with the Mazu's AI and her command staff on a side-channel through a feed of data alone, about the nature of the gunships based on the readings they had at the point. It helped to make some educated guesses. "If retrieval finishes in time we'll get into a little dance with them to delay full engagement." Yes, they had plenty of weapons that could hit them from their range, but it wasn't the same as being in a tactical mess of chaos on top of each other.

The Mazu was already tracking and firing so many weapons at once that on far older ships the vibrations would be shaking things loose. "If the gunners have a solution to split up the new formation, hit them with the shock array. At the very least, it will make us a bigger target." The Taisho was already assuming they were the main target with the BACC in ruins.

The best case scenario would be a timely arrival of reinforcements, and the ability to at least salvage the hulking BACC. The Star Army could be very hard on ships leading their battle group. If they were destroyed, the size of the tragedy rose in order of magnitude.

At least it is an honorable death. The redhead thought to herself.

YSS Mazu - Sickbay​

"Just wait, you might learn a few new ones from me." Ayano shot back to Akatski, resisting the urge to lay hands upon her in some kind of retribution. Later. She thought, opening volumetric displays at her station as she started to get reports of the incoming wounded. Priority in the triage was of course to the most seriously injured. Assignments based on preliminary information and scans began to get disseminated like raindrops to a torrent the more that made it to the safety of the Mazu's hanger decks and airlocks.

Upon arriving, they were identified and given what treatment and triage they could get on their way to their sickbay, in the case of the most injured, and other areas for the walking wounded.

"Bring the main gun to standby in case it isn't enough. Loaded tube: Tactical, fire at will." Once Tachiko had confirmation there was a torpedo in the tube and the target was locked, it was time to trust the gunner.

"Ops, status on rescues, both escape pods and soul saviors, versus all being tracked. Make sure we know where all of the ones that have gone into FTL are headed."

YSS Yukika II

Bridge

The red oni at the helm seemed meditative and a bit slumped forward in physical space- Disconnected from base reality, as if lowering their face into a pool of cold black water, to witness the infinite glimmering depths below- The tiny silver arrowhead of the YSS Yukika II, their home, their body- Burned in an angry arc through a cloud of miniscule, multi-coloured, angry fragments- The foreboding skeleton of the dead battleship hanging both worryingly close and fantastically distant.

It took a painful amount of active memory, reflex and multi-tasking potential to navigate through the debris, pick out the soul savior pods, and double-check for enemy infiltrators- All of these tiny particles made up a moving wave of vectors, each with their own inertia and damage potential.

A human had experience and muscle memory. For a fresh and young nekovalkyrja like Tae Tsuguka, it was pure mental power, literal inputs and outputs. The science crew helped- But getting data was not comprehending it. Even with the arms of her beloved Megami wrapped around her, it was hard to keep up.

"Shosa, graviton beam emitters are functioning, but the speed and quantity of debris is making multi-target acquisition difficult!" The red helm officer's words spoke in realspace. She left out the part about how the sensors were probably going crazy, because this was particles of highly advanced Yamatai hull fragments they were swimming through... And also that they couldn't slow down to fix that, whilst also being on an attack vector. "New course projection uploaded! Full burn! Angle plus six, interpolation to minus thirty two!-"

A new, ugly little object became the subject of her digital focus...

The Yukika II's new turn had a long arc built in- Tae was using inertia to throw the ship towards the enemy, a little sideways- The engines still gloriously at full burn- A frantic countdown of numbers, alignments- "Firing solution!-" Shree-clunkt-! "-Torpedos away!"-

-And then the ship continued to flow at an angle, the thin red arc of acceleration becoming smaller and smaller- as the pin-pricks of active warheads streaked away-

Was the Shosa going to order her to commit, and fire the main gun? Or was it time to break off?

("Let's go people-get those damned pods on board.") The Cohort had brought in a scattering of pods through the hanger-despite the gribblies best efforts-in other words scattered fired, with the odd torpedo mixed in-their opponent was more focused on destroying the wounded vessel-as bad as it sounded that was fine by Morris. The fewer of the big guns pointed their way, the better. The escape pods were handled carefully-or at least as carefully as you could in a combat situation. Passing them off to the waiting medics, the savior pods however were unceremoniously dumped as they reformed for another round. Or they would have had the other vessel not fired what look like some kind of missile at the gribbly ships.

("Any bet they'll take it out and save us the trouble of boarding it?") Someone asked, to which the big man shrugged as he tracked its progress, ("Not sure, not paid enough either to ask.")

YSS Yukika II, Bridge

Watching with a grim serenity on her face, the visceral satisfaction it masked when the torpedo impacted the hull and detonated was betrayed by the downward flick and recovery of Tachiko's ears. The hemosynthetic innards of the new, unknown class of Mishhuvurthyar gunship blew outward like blood from a wounded beast, and the lights aboard her went out, as evidenced through the gaping hole left by the detonation.

"Belay firing at that target. Mark fire not safe. Reload tube and engage gunships at will with all weapons." Tachiko stood suddenly. "Anyone going on away team to board meet me in their power armor, under arms, in front of the teleporter chamber, and quick about it. Ops, tell the reserve team it's go time."

Looking over at Shōi Shinono Yuki on the helm, she tapped the back of the now vacant command seat. "Shinono Shōi it's your bridge. Prioritize defending recovery efforts, and picking off the gunships. We'll do to them with our escort destroyer as they do to our capital ship."

With that, Tachiko turned and exited the bridge through the door to her ready room.

Tachiko was out of her uniform before she'd crossed her ready room and was into her cabin, discarding the Type 42 Duty Uniform and letting it fall to the floor. A wireless message to the caretaker ensured the infraction didn't remain long. Turning left as she exited her cabin, Tachiko strode nude to the stairwell with a sense of purpose as displayed as the rest of her, and levitated to the upper deck.

YSS Yukika II, Starboard Power Armor Bay

The dots of Tachiko's SPINE made direct contact with the hemosynthetic insert of her Mindy, and the fusion of Nekovalkyrja and power armor became complete, just as both of them were designed to be parts of a whole. Together, their gestalt became much more than the sum of its already-formidable parts—the backbone of Yamatai's might.

A weapons draw and check later, she beheld the yet-inactive, silent, dark blades of her twin Aether Blade Guntō before sheathing them. She left the bay and stood in the corridor in front of the yet-unused teleporter chamber. With her LASR at the ready, Tachiko turned her back to its door, and awaited her volunteers and infantry.

"I have the bridge," Yuki confirmed, the words out of her mouth before she could even think about it and shoving herself out of her own seat. "Good hunting, ma'am," she added, turning to give her captain the tiniest of smiles. That smile quickly faded as she adopted the calm expression she'd seen so many times in the command chair, as she quickly scanned the bridge to refamiliarize herself with the eye of command rather than support. Things seemed about as under control as they were likely to get for awhile, so she remained silent a few moments, attentive to any sudden, unexpected changes.

Of course, as she'd been told early in her still fledgling career, unexpected changes were simply things that should have been obvious all along if she was paying attention, but her captain wouldn't have been caught unawares, so she squared her shoulders, determined not to give her any reason to be disappointed when she returned... or find any unnecessary scratches on her ship.

YSS Yukika II

Bridge

"Squad 4, at the gate. We're deploying together with the captain so look lively." Roy practically bolted out of the bridge, not wanting to waste any time or risk losing his spot on the new squad and doom himself to watch the action on the monitors. The prescribed attire for wearing the Mindies were skin-tight clothing, underwear or nothing at all. But as a boy raised with a touch more sense of bodily decency than the average Yamataian citizen, he didn't care much for the bodysuits on his own skin. It felt too thin. So even before he was stationed on this ship, he figured out that there were ways to squeeze into the armors without flaunting too much of his physique before doing so. And besides, he had extra equipment to consider.

While the Mindy was slightly different than the Daisy he was used to operating, the procedure was basically the same: Fold the excess fabric of the pant legs so its as skin tight as it could be, then just pull the socks over it to keep it tight. And you can basically slide yourself in without risking the pants bunching up by the knees. Of course he still needed to get that coat off of him, and make sure the belt was taken off, but loose pants and a shirt was enough to be comfortable in these armors.

"Hah, Warhound's ready for a fight," he said, mostly to psych himself up as the helmet completed the seal. He picked up the Daisy shield in his left, and the Aether SMG in his right. And if anyone ever found it hard to find the Nepleslian, they only needed to find the PA with a thigh holster for a .45 Zen "Good luck charm."

"We'll depart on your signal, Shosa!"

There was a resounding "Hai!" from squad 4, to which Roy nodded approvingly to. That sounded pretty lively to him.

YSS Yukika II, Starboard Power Armor Bay

Yingzi, made her way into the power armor bay after getting a digital "nudge" from MEGAMI. At least she thought it was the ship computer as it there was very low latency to it. Seeing Tachiko getting ready for action, she made her way into her assigned Mindy. She jumped up to a bar above it and swung her body to slip into the open chest cavity of the power armor like a gymnast. As the Mindy was not designed to accommodate her Zhenren neural interface, she had to rely on more analog methods like other Nepleslians. With a combination of voice commands and what she could access wirelessly, she activated her Mindy and closed it up to create an a sealed environment.

She retrieved her twin Ke-M2-W4001 Heavy Aether Pistols and a Ke-M2-W3901 Mizumitsu-styled nagamaki nodachi aether blade before making her way to Tachiko. The choice in firearms allowed her to either dual wield or remained armed when she is making use of scientific equipment in the other hand. The blade was thanks to the influence to her personality the Ryu Keiretsu imparted during her creation.

("They just blew it clean open!") One of the yeomen reported, watching the torpedo's handiwork through a pair of binoculars, ("I can see that yeoman.") Morris replied, producing his own spyglass-it was that synthflesh crap; what the hell was the skirt's and gribblies obsession with that stuff?

("Alright, get ready in case we have to board-standard combat package.") They prepped the usual boarding gear-detpacks, grapnels, voidpacks, shotguns, flamers, and the like-even a few spears were thrown in. The Star Army could probably handle but it was best to be prepared just in case-not that it would come down to that, but it might.

YSS Yukika II Upper Deck Corridor

"These things are only guaranteed to work with line of sight or a transporter receiver pad." Tachiko began, standing in front of the door to the never-before-used transporter room, "And we don't have any transporter receiver pads on a random Mishhuvurthyar ship, so we have to act while we're still lined up with that hole in the hull. I've already used all the time we have to say this, so Squad Four, Savage-Shōi, Yingzi-Shōi, let's move out."

And with that, the captain turned and strode purposefully into the room, stepping up on the transporter pad with her weapon at the ready.

And, as soon as everyone was in place, she wirelessly activated the transporter without delay.


Asthlacthu-Class Gunship XSS Soth'oth

As the power armored boarding party materialized in the destroyed middle decks of the gunship, the blown-out hull was pitch black without even functioning emergency lighting. Thermal and ultraviolet were nearly as dark, and only the illumination of Mindy headlamps revealed the carbon shadows that used to be Mishhuvurthyar splattered on walls, floors, ceiling, and any other surface that wasn't destroyed by the Aether torpedo.

Curiously, there was a lack of evidence of Nekovalkyrja casualties, and the Mishhuvurthyar themselves seemed to be smaller than the Advanced-type the Star Army had been dealing with. No, these were different, another type.

In the eerie, silent darkness, the team had only one way forward- to delve into the the undestroyed depths of the lifeless hulk, and confront whatever lurked there.

"Security, all around. Yukika actual, this is Captain, make sure no one disturbs us, and take any shots that present themselves. I need progress on the rescue, and once that's good to go, we go on the attack."

Asthlacthu-Class Gunship XSS Soth'oth

Yingzi had heard tales about Yamatai's teleportation technology. While she barely got the briefest of training on the theories of the technology during her training, this would be the first time she would actually experience the act. While her brain told her it was going to be alright, she still felt a slight sense of dread as she pulled out both of her pistols and held them at the low ready as the sequence started. Teleportation, from what she read, has different effects on people. Some benign, some not so benign. It seemed poor Yingzi fell into the latter as she was greeted by the pitch blackness of the gunship's interior she was hit with a sudden wave of nausea.

It took a large amount of effort to keep the contents of her stomach where it should be as she snapped her weapons up to the high ready, scanning her surroundings.

'Huh... we have a teleporter room?' Roy thought to himself. Perhaps he's seen it on the ship's layout plans, but it might as well not have been there as he never even step foot in this room. He preferred orbital drops himself, but that wasn't applicable to this scenario. In a flash they were in an enemy ship, a hole right next to them becoming an unprotected window to the stars. Without any hesitation, Roy took the vanguard with his shield at the ready.

"One, two, on me. Three, four, cover our rear." he ordered, moving forward to take position on the central hallway with the first two members of the 4th squad following close behind, partially obscuring themselves behind his shield. The three of them together were crouched and had their guns trained forward. Cover was going to be scarce here, so once they get moving, the vanguard will have to be fast to flush out the enemy. The other two moved to the back of the pack to cover the other officers.

"On your orders, captain," Roy said. He was a dog pulling on his leash, just ready to be let loose. Power armor or not, he wasn't one to shy away from open confrontation, it just allowed him to be more reckless.

Morris watched as the Skirt sqaud materialized into existence through his spyglass. ("They dead?") Someone asked, he glimpsed back at the yeomen before returning back to his observations, ("Not yet, haven't called for help yet either; stay sharp.") The worst part was the waiting, but that was part and parcel of combat as infantry-lot of the time in void battles it was the big guns and fighters that did the dirty work.

Now if the gribblies would be dumb enough to actually try and board.

Coming out the other side of the insertion, Hiyori was fairly thrown off on account of being fairly inexperienced with teleportation insertions, having only done it once in training. Even that, though, was between two pads. In this case, the dramatic change in lighting combined with the gaping hole into space right next to him meant he needed a second to get his bearings again. Even with the suits on, though, he could tell Yingzi had come out significantly worse for wear.

Nevertheless, he effortlessly switched to low light view and shouldered his SMG, awaiting orders.