RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 27, Part 3] Expanding Horizons II (YE 39)

Dungeon, Rixx Encounter?

Junko breathed out as she stepped away from the sensor equipment. She'd probably been more anxious of making a mistake than she'd needed to be. Calmly went next to the door, listening as Candon reported his findings. Not terribly surprising, given all the fresh... evidence.

And then the door opened.

Junko backed up, quietly, weapon trained on the apparent leader of the group. Double checked her stealth was still up. Tsuguka would still have hers, but the rest of the squad weren't so far she knew. Worse, judging from the timing, the Rixx caught the scent of them.

"Tsuguka-Heisho. Do we engage or sneak past this group?" She asked. Every instinct demanded that she seize the initiative and kill the enemy before they could take the first shot. But Junko wasn't exactly command material, so.

Metal Dungeon

Oshiro Masumi readied her stance, then spoke out to Candon over a channel. "They seem to be non-hostile. At least, they are for now."

Candon spoke out over comms, "We have been approached by non-hostile but armed Rixxikor. Taii, Shosho, orders?"

Metal Dungeon

"I want to avoid any further combat. Do not provoke them, in any way. If they want to talk on friendly terms, then let's do so" Natsdumi replied over the comm to Candon, though speaking in a channel to all of the team.. "I am on my way. Everyone else, be on your guard, but do not provoke. Anyone who makes any hostile move will deal with me"

In fact, she was just a few meters behind Candon, Masumi, Junko and the others, and was with them in moments. She eyed the Rixxicore with the leatgher jacket and collection of scanners and tools on his belt,. He was not wielding the customary rocket launcher or other heavy weapon she was used to seeing them carry.

"Hi" she said, speaking through her armor's external speaker. "I am Yamashiro Natsumi. How are you?" she asked Frixxaqz in an openly pleasant voice.

Metal Dungeon

Freyja advanced beside Natsumi with her ABSR held at the ready. She considered what she had seen outside. Clearly, the robots, if that's what they were, had been engaged in battle with some sort of enemy. It appeared that they had lost as well considering their current state. She suspected that somehow the Rixx would have managed to smear feces on the exterior of the station if they were responsible.

The door opening in front of them startled her. She expected an explosion or a burst of gunfire. That might have been preferable to the greeting the disgusting creature gave. She rolled her eyes. Not blowing Frixxaqz away was the hardest part of this mission so far. Freyja gave a sigh and waited for the Rixxikor to give her a good reason to shoot. She figured it wouldn't take very long.

Metal Dungeon

The metal dungeon's seemingly endless depths had a lot of ambient noise, groaning metals, clangs, and otherworldly buzzes and hums emanated from around them. There were various places to fall through the floor and the layout of the place didn't seem to be organized in any comprehensible way.

"Sup to you, Yamashiro Natsumi, knight of Yamatai. Frixxaqz is the Rixxikor scientist. Mission of exploration. Bitches. What does the Yamatai want? Yamatai is an biiiig intruder in this place. Not your space, not your world, bitches," Frixxaqz responded to Natsumi's greeting. Suddenly he thrust his pelvis forward and humped the air, and a brief hiss filled the air as did a milky mist. Frixxaqz pointed at Junko's sihouette in the mist with a blade-like finger. "Frixxaqz sees yo' ass."

Bridge

"Gather intelligence," Hanako reponded to Candon. "We are here to find out more about this object," she said. "Be on your guard down there. Groups of the Rixxikor are never 100% peaceful."

Next Hanako called down the medical lab via the ship's intercom system. "Medic Tan Ann Pan, I will have the ship's AI take over the medical lab so you can get back down the the away team. Victory will be in good hands with us here."

In the hemosynth tank, Tan could see the healing had already started and the monitor below it said that the supply neko's life-signs were back again, although Victory was still unconscious.

Metal Dungeon

"Pleasure to meet you, Frixxaqz, scientist of Rixxikor" Natsumi replied, bowing slightly to the alien and ignoring it's disgusting actions.

"Everyone just hold tight" she said in secure comm to her own people.

"We are here on a mission of exploration as well" she replied back over the external speaker to Frixxaqz. This construct is something of scientific interest and we were hoping to learn from it. Maybe we can combine our efforts?" she suggested.

Backseat

"Well. Looks like we will be on a timelimit soon. Is your pressure suit on Bronzi? I would like to step outside and grab some robot parts before we have to bail." Wazu said.

Bronzi immediately put his re-breather on and pressurized his armor. "Ya. Ready fer a spess walk." He said with a grunt. "Dunno wat you suspect tah find outta em tho. Freggin bots are a rek."

Backseat

Wazu would do the same, checking his voidwalker suit and clipping a set of spare datapads and caster tape dispensers to the exterior before depressurizing the cabin.

A short climb later and Wazu would be dropping himself down the exterior of the Hierophant.

"Mind setting down the bot so I can examine it by hand?"

Bronzi held the disabled robot where Wazu could comfortably examine it. He was soon out side of the Heirophant standing next to Wazu. Bronzi set the Heirophant to automated mode and the machine would protect them and follow commands.

Bronzi loomed over Wazu but kept a careful watch behind him to make sure they did not get jumped. "I derno wat you fixin on learnin from this. Erry body knows Yamatai has da most sophistytech."

Metal Dungeon

"For the right-honorable sake of fuck!" The red lynx wasn't one for random cursing, but she still doled out the swear word just as diligently spaced as any other clear and well-articulated sentence of hers. After that, she just lowered her cloak and weapon at the same time... If the Rixx knew they were here the entire time, and were intending to attack, a strike whilst the team was unaware they were being tracked would have made more sense... "If the Mindy can't even evade these scavengers effectively, my cats should be in Daisy 4s right now!"

Not really a comment directed at anyone, but she wanted that on record. And didn't really think the roach-man would mind the foul language too much.

-"The bugs are toying with us. Again. I knew this was going to happen..."- A separate mental-radio line to their sword-bearing forward scout. The fact that the red neko actually could get angry was rather more apparent with her inside voice. -"Well, provided they can't hear this... I think we had better at least act like we have given up. But stay sharp in your head, Nito-Hei Junko Hasegawa. If this dickhead tries anything, my duty is to protect Natsumi first and foremost... Your duty is to chop his butt cheeks off, then get your butt cheeks inside that room he just came out of..."-

Tsuguka opened her mouth to ask Junko if that sounded okay, but restricted it, remembering the stripes on her own shoulder. It made her miss the days when her and Candon were on even terms. Junko's show of competence didn't deserve to get shot down like this, either...

But, for now, they act chill. They do like the Rixx do.

And pray to the Holy Empress's sweet ankles that whole 'become more like your enemies than the folks back home' thing didn't set in with a vengeance.

Medical Center, Returning

"Hai, Shôshô." Tan Ann Pan turned away from the tank, though she found it hard to tear her gaze away. The easy solution to that was to opaque her glasses, but even as she did so, she said a few words with her comms offline. "Remind me to apologize, later."

After that, a quick jog back out--with some running in place while the doors cycled--brought her back to the armour bay to don her Mindy, again, this time with all the haste she hadn't shown before deploying earlier. She didn't remember her bruises or the damage her suit had taken until she stepped out from the racks in full armour, though after checking her diagnostics, she decided to do nothing, as even her missile pod, which she'd landed on, were still in the green. She'd have needed help to reload or adjust it, and there was no one on hand to help.

Instead, she flew out from the bay, and set a course back for the initial landing site, asking Tsuguka for further directions along the way. "This is Pan-Hei, returning from Eucharis medical. Where should I go?"

Metal Dungeon

"Of course, Shôshô," Candon replied, then stepped backward a pace in order to get a fix through the thrust-induced milky misting on Frixxaqz. He wanted visual on the Rixxikor "scientist" in order to utilize Masumi's NSB's, which still hung in the air in front of Frixxaqz and were nestled within the grouping of Eucharis personnel. He had lowered his rifle marginally on Natsumi's orders to play nice.

He reiterated Hanako's words to the SAoY scientist, "Be on your guard, Masumi, but gather intelligence."

- - -

Masumi nodded, but was already out with her science scanner with the chemical attachment and was scanning the ejaculate.

"Trying to get a read on this," Masumi mumbled over comms to Candon.

Metal Dungeon

"Ma'am, are you-?!" Junko bit down on further comment. Yes, Natsumi was indeed going right ahead with it. She was going to try talking to a Rixxikor, an agent of a hostile foreign power. One that Yamatai was formally at war with.

More shocking, that worked out by some strange turn of events. Part of her wondered if the robots had killed the bugs entire security detachment. Another wondered if she was actually insane and this was some kind of elaborate dream. Maybe in reality she'd finally snapped and was now stalking the corridors of some poor starship, murdering the crew and stacking the bodies like cordwood.

Junko's outline solidified as she dropped the active camouflage about as the mist came out. ASBR aimed right for the lead bug's head, she was prepared to growl out something before Tsuguka piped up. Reluctantly, she lowered her rifle and stalked over by Natsumi's shoulder. Worse come to it, she could boot the officer out of the way of enemy fire.

Internally, she was mad enough to bring frozen water to boil. Wasn't just Natsumi's bizarre risk of starting a firefight early. This was an enemy, who was likely going to passively act against their interest even with a cease-fire. It went against every instinct which was screaming to kill the enemy until she strangled the life out of the very last Rixxikor with her bare hands.

Then her brain took a turn and wondered what would happen if the bug shot and missed. Looked back, realized Freyja was in a good trajectory to be under threat. Could have gotten lucky, penetrated the helmet maybe. A sinking feeling in her chest as she imagined having Freyja's life end in front of her.

As she imagined having to have that conversation, to tear open that raw wound, all over again.

Shook her head a little and tried to put her head back in the game. Find something constructive to think about. Like how the Rixx could pinpoint them, even before it... sprayed the air. They knew, even before stepping out and Tsuguka mentioned a Rixx sniper earlier.

Something to chew on.

Metal Dungeon

"This death planet," Frixxaqz told Natsumi, getting grim and serious. The tiny arms by his mouth made a wide sweeping gesture for emphasis. Very old planet. Dead planet, but still danger planet. Thousands of Rixxikor exploring here, bitch, but thousands of Rixxikor dead here. Some salvaging. Other Rixx want to reactivate the ancient. Frixxaq think that idea bad. Frixxaq just want to learn. Yamatai intruders...but maybe Rixxikors intruders too. Ancient's warriors...still around. Danger...is high," he explained.

Frixxaqz pulled a scanner from his belt and started scanning the away team.

Three heavily armed Rixxikor emerged and began begging Junko and Masumi for their rations like spoiled little children. "Yo! Yamatai always carries food. Give food."

"Yes, food!"

"Providess usss."

Metal Dungeon

Masumi tilted her head up and looked at the Rixxikor begging. She had been sorely mistaken to misjudge Natsumi-Taii's orders previously, but this time it had gone too far. They were fraternizing with the enemy. This was against her training, her instincts, and her experience. She said nothing and stood stoically as she went over the readings before switching out the chemical scanner for another scanner unit and went over those readings.

- - -

Candon asked over speakers in a hushed tone, but loud enough for the Rixxikor and his immediately close team members to hear.

"What makes you safe from these 'ancient' ones? How do you activate them? What have they done to you?"

Metal Dungeon

Natsumi frowned. "Yes, we encountered one of the defense robots" She replied out loud to Frixxaqz. "Have you encountered many? Why do some of your people want to reactivate them?"

To the away team private channel, she said; "Nito-Hei Junko Hasegawa, pointing your rifle at their heads while dropping active camouflage is not complying with my orders to not provoke them with hostile actions. You will clean the showers with a toothbrush when we return to the ship." she said. "Anyone else who violates my orders will be confined to quarters awaiting official review as soon as we return to the ship. This is a unique opportunity. This is the first time we have made contact with a group of these people where they have not been immediately and violently hostile towards us. As far as I know, this has not happened before and we must take advantage of it. If you cannot understand this, and are only willing to think in terms of violence and bloodshed, you are no better than the rixxikor we have faced in the past. I want responses of understanding from all of you, and for everyone to step back and keep your weapons at rest. Am I understood?"

To Hanako she opened a private secured wireless channel, secured to just herself and the Shosho. "We have made contact with a Rixxikor exploration team. They have not proved to be hostile as of yet and seem willing to talk. I have instructed the away team not to act in any hostile way towards them, but I am not confident in their abilities to follow my orders. Already several members of the team have shown to be close to opening hostilities, despite my orders otherwise. I cannot guarantee that there will not be bloodshed, but right now it looks like it will be started by our away team. Recommend recalling the team to the ship and scrubbing the mission. We can attempt this later with a different mission group who are more capable of keeping their calm"

Natsumi turned her attention back to Frixxaqz, as she awaited her away teams response. A deep seated worry was growing deep in her gut, were these younger nekovalkyrja only capable of killing and not of thinking beyond bloodshed?

Rixxikor Rendezvous

Saiga had been hanging back in the hallway behind Natsumi when the hatch opened to reveal Frixxaqz. The SAINT commander's weapon was still ready when the the Rixxikor scientist first appeared, and quickly trained on the insectoid's center of mass—standard procedure, after all—and remained so now. Not that Frixxaqz or his 'heavily armed' comrades seemed to care whatsoever about any of the Star Army team's posture or stances; Saiga had heard the Rixx's attention span was limited and precise, and was now witnessing that firsthand.

So he didn't really 'get' Natsumi's warning to SOFT 408. The Rixx were too dumb to pay attention to whether or not guns were pointed at them. The way they flailed their own weapons around without discipline was proof enough of that.

The Chusa wouldn't discount Rixxikor ingenuity or guile, though. This whole discussion could just be the crude alien researcher's attempt at gathering intel before making an attempt on their lives—he was pointing that scanner at their Mindys without interruption. Thus, Saiga kept quiet in his defensive posture behind their away team leader, shield up and Aether SMG targeted in case the XO's attempt at diplomacy went south. He'd stay on his guard.

Because, as Hanako had warned Canon, "groups of the Rixxikor are never 100% peaceful."

Metal Dungeon

"Yes ma'am." Junko affirmed. Ignored the crack comparing her to a Rixx. Decided to keep quiet for now, seeing how following orders made her upset too. Or that Natsumi thought they had another armor team on hand to handle this with.

True to said orders, Junko put her weapon at the textbook rest position and stepped back. It had been down, but not at the "proper" fourty-five degree decline. This, of course, had Natsumi a little forward and exposed toward the Rixxikor. But if she was going to insist on this being a historic first, more power to her.

Bronzi got to work eagerly. The Gartagen had little trouble taking a roll of tape and securing the dead robots to the limbs of the Heirophant. He moved fast. Leaping from the mech to the next bot and then back. "Man we prolly seem like barbarians to what ever smarts da bots have." He said lightly chuckling "paintin our hull with tha corpses."