RP: YSS Aeon [Mission 3.0] Pickets and Surveys

The VCMAD drone that was holding position above the Away team signaled Eun-Kyung,

Alert... Alert... twelve aerial craft closing at high speed. Analysis indicated that they are unmanned attack craft. trajectory indicates they are going to intercept SAoY forces. Logical conclusion these craft will engage when in weapon range. ETA sixty seconds.

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“Get ready to hit them, Yamamoto-Hei,” Eun-Kyung yelled over comms as she forwarded the report from the drone. She ordered her AIES to increase CFS power, gaining altitude and airspeed as she rose to meet the contacts. At the same time, she had the computer prepare to handle evasive maneuvers; it could react much faster than she and continue operating even if she went into g-LOC and passed out. Beyond that, she hefted her rifle - set to rapid pulse - and reactivated her left forearm shield.

Her sensors reached out, grasping for confirmation of the VCMAD’s scans, as her finger tightened, ready to fire the instance the aircraft came into range.

Kame did a barrel roll into the hole. She quickly found a covering spot to provide cover for Arkanse, while she waited for Heisho to advance.

Eun-Kyung got her request, the VCMAD started supplying telemetry for each of the drones. In less than thirty seconds she would have line of sight on the first wave.

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Inside the Complex

Before Arkase and the others was a passage way, about 20 meters down it appeared to open into a large chamber. 100 meters down the hallway a group of people was visible armed with an assortment of firearms. They had erected a number of barricades from which to fire and use for cover. A craft about 3 meters wide hovered above them with two cannons clearly visible protruding from the wings.

Arkase rushed forward. "I'll make the hole. You kill Intellicus. We're depending on you, Kame."

There was nothing else to say. No new plan to convey. It had to end. Intellicus had to end. Something filled him, something he hadn't felt in a long time -- a fear. An urgent, blood-pounding fear that made him want to shrink back; to cry in a corner. He didn't want to die, and the fear of dieing broke across his mind like a rock against a river. It wasn't that death was permanent: no. Death wasn't permanent at all. It was that... That...

He couldn't place it. But he had only felt it twice before, once when his brother died, and again when...

Battle of Southgate said:

The attacker then lunged at the Daisy's abdomen with the blade, the blade failed to penetrate deeply as the Kylie was knocked back a few feet by the fire power of Arkase's weaponry. But the blade had carve a groove across the front of his Daisy. "Time to die pathetic puppet." came a female voice in the enemy armor as the wearer activated the other forearm weapon forming a second Saber.

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He closed fifty meters, and all thought, and all memory was wiped away as he unleashed all he had on the turrets. NSD's were launched for the first time, and each gunned for the soft, unarmored personnel beyond the makeshift barricade.

Arkase would make a hole.

"Aye Ma'am." Trowa replied. He switched back to the shotgun to conserve the ammo for his assault rifle. He moved quickly but cautiously forward, half expecting nothing and half expecting to meet some huge bug-eyed bugger. Trowa was not a fan of bugs. When he came to the open area where his sensors had pinged a target he found nothing. Nothing visual, nothing on his scanner, not even tracks or evidence that anything had been there. Annoyed with the distraction, Trowa was about to report to Eun-Kyung when he received the warning.

Trowa swore. A long string of Nepleslian curses. Something about a redhead-one-night-stand who stole his wallet. Halfway through he realized that his comm was still on and quickly ended his rant. "Aye aye Ma'am." He acknowledged and readied himself for another intense fight.

With no outstanding orders at the moment, Kyoka went to default. Namely, supporting Eun-Kyung's efforts on the enemy craft when they came into sight. Her Aether weapon stood at the ready for the enemy for when they finally materialized.

A moment later the first three craft came into view. They were essentially flying wings with forward mounted cannons, and they started firing, their weapons strafing the ground as they closed.

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The NSD's started slaughtering the taken civilians. While the drone inside targeted Arkase and started strafing his locating with high velocity projectiles.

Arkase brought up his left arm-shield, and began zig-zagging. He used AIES to lock onto the drone, and unleashed short bursts of fire from his Aether Saber-Rifle.

Eun-Kyung smiled, though the expression had a hint of a bitter cast to it, as Trowa’s curses came over the net. This entire mission was nasty and, even if it made for bad commo procedure, she couldn’t exactly object to the sentiment expressed by the Nepleslian. The smile set itself into something more firm and deadly as the aircraft entered range.

Fortunately for her, the first flight appeared to be focusing on the ground forces, so she took the opportunity to increase her altitude and engage from above. The profile of the flying-wings was much greater from that angle, as opposed to attempting to hit them head-on. She left the flight controls of her Mindy in the hands of her AIES as she focused on her accuracy as she ripped off shot after shot at the flight leader.

Pausing a moment to switch targets, she noticed Kyoka’s indicator hadn’t shifted position and that, indeed, she appeared to be engaging or about to engage the aerial targets.

“Tsubei-Hei!” she yelled on the open team net. “Get back with the assault element. Push in with the Heisho!”

Trowa watched as the fighters approach. From where he stood it appeared that they were heading straight for the away team. His position was slightly off to the side. Spying a ditch nearby a plan formed in his head and the Nepleslian quickly acted on it. He unslung his assault rifle and dropped into the ditch. The ditch covered him so that he wouldn't be seen by the approaching crafts until they were directly overhead. Trowa, with rifle in one hand and shotgun in the other, rested his weapons on the bank. When the fighters flew over top of him he would blast away.

Seconds slow ticked by. Trowa felt the ground vibrate slightly just an instant before the craft flew overhead. Trowa adjusted the angle of the shotgun just a degree and pulled the trigger. The Assault Rifle was already blasting away in a sweeping motion.

Gate to Intellicus

Trowa had the pleasure of watching one of the drones he targeted explode into a cloud of shrapnel.

Eun-Kyung deftly destroyed another one. The third executed an evasive maneuver that nothing living would survive. It accelerated in a high speed arc in an attempt to get a firing solution on her power armor.

Kyoka caught it in a barrage from her Aether weapon clearing the first wave.

Meanwhile the telemetry from the drone showed another wave approaching this one consisting of six traveling in pairs.

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Intellicus Complex

Arkase made short work of the drone, and while he was doing a handy job of slaughtering the scientists. A significant amount of fire power was being directed at him. Some was hitting and wearing down his shield while other shots missed him.

His NSD revealed that this inner chamber was quite large. The Aeon could probably maneuver in the chamber with ease.

Kame would notice a number of technical aspects. The area they were in had an industrial feel. In fact to her left she could see an incomplete ground vehicle like the ones they had fought.

The NSD's would continue their work as Arkase advanced. He didn't change tactics, but merely increased his shielding and had longer times between bursts of fire.

Once the wave was out, Kyoka obeyed the standing order and made a beeline for the hole in the wall to join Arkase. Once inside, she proceeded to make her way towards the Heisho.

"Arkase-Heisho, I'm coming in to help you. Do you want me to flank or engage alongside you?" She asked when she was getting through the hole.

"Move with Kame-Hei to Intellicus and destroy it. I'm going to punch through their line for you. Kill targets of opportunity." Arkase sent telepathically to Kyoka.

Intellicus Site

Oshiro's NSD's continued to cut a swath of death and destruction amongst the taken. Even when some of them tossed their weapons aside the drones cut them down mercilessly.

From deep in the complex there were groaning sounds and several large modules began moving.

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The VCMAD circled the engagement area providing constant updates on the approaching craft. Then the drone altered course for the opening to the complex and accelerated.

Miki said:

Miki to Aeon Crew.
Evacuate the Intellicus complex, my sensors have detected a massive increase in generated power. I have reprogrammed the VCMAD drone to enter the complex and locate the Core. The VCMAD will then overload its Aether generators. The resulting explosion should be sufficient to destroy the Intellicus. Sixty second count down beginning.

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The VCMAD streaked into the entrance of the complex and made a last second adjustment to get through the hold the Away team made in the door. The outer most edges of the drone were sheared off as it shot into the interior.

Passing over the Away team, the drone flew deeper into the complex.

As it did a voice came over the communications "Target located, commencing destruct. 60... 59... 58..."


Bridge

Katae found herself slammed into her console as the Aeon suddenly started moving in reverse. She was about to congratulate Usaga when she noticed that the reason for their sudden acceleration was the absence of the graviton beams. She adjusted the ship's trajectory to move it into a higher orbit.

She grabbed the handset on her station.

"Aeon to Away Team... We are free and moving under our own power. Good job."

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"Scratch that!" Arkase said, finding Miki's message. "GET OUT!"

Arkase sent the mental order for the NSD's to return, but didn't wait on them. He turned and fled, pushing and shoving the Hei's behind him until everyone was out of the complex. Then he rushed as far away from the complex's entrance as possible.

It never occurred to him how anticlimactic an end it was -- but even if it did, he wouldn't have complained.

Kame did not need to be told twice to exit. Her sensors showed that there was a number of power generators beneath the team, a fact that she was going to exploit when the drone made its arrival. She ran as fast as her Daisy clad form could move. She did not stop until they were out of the complex and she dove for cover behind a large boulder.

Intellicus Sits

3... 2... 1... There was brief tremble in the ground, followed by the sound of a series of smaller explosions. A gout of flame shot out of the complex entrance for a moment. It seemed the explosion was over.

Then the ground started shaking more violently, a wave of force churning the ground in all directions. Tossing anything on the ground into the air. An even more violent tremor shook the ground two kilometers away the ground welled and then a kilometer of the surface was vaporized and hurled up into the atmosphere with the equivalent force of a nuclear blast of 20 kilotons.

Away team members who were already dealing with the first shock wave found them selves projected horizontally by the final death throes of Intellicus.

From the hole in the ground molten magma spewed forth.

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Aeon Bridge

Katae watched the view screen as Charisma displayed sensor data from the surface. A massive explosion enough to heavily damage a small city erupted from under the surface. The coordinates were damn close to where the Away Team had last reported in. The one good thing was there was no significant radiation associated with the blast.

Aeon to Away Team, what the hell is going on down there? What is your status. Report.

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She sent over the communications.

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Genus Bridge

Hikaru watched on the bridge view screen as the ship's sensors registered the explosion from the Intellicus site. "Miki, report." he called out.

"The Intellicus site has been destroyed. The chain reaction from the drone's self-destruct was successful in causing the complex's geothermal tap to rupture and explode. Nothing in the site could survive that force. I am scanning for the soldiers power armor energy signatures but there is considerable interference." Miki replied.

Trowa gave a Nepleslian war cry as one of the flying buggers was blasted out of the air. He fired at the others as they flew overhead then jumped from cover and began to run and fire. He was trying to lure the fighters away from the Away team while not getting himself shot up. Running in a zig zag pattern the Nepleslian pilot led away from the entrance of Intellicus.

"What are you shooting at, hu!?! What!?! You buggers can't hit nothing!" Trowa taught the fighters, even though the shots were getting closer. A voice came over the comms but Trowa didn't quite make it out. Another shot had almost hit him and he lost his footing. Falling headlong into a small barricade of rocks, Trowa watched as the fighters flew past him then bank sharply to come around for another pass. He slowly got back to his feet, his whole body was aching and he subconsoly noted that he was favoring his left leg. As he prepared to move again, a thought entered his mind. Big Boom! Move now! The comm message! Despite the sharp pain in his leg and the fighters overhead, Trowa sprinted to the nearest cover he could see. He had just rolled into it when an explosion filled his consousness. Had he been hit? No, Intellicus had been destroyed.