RP: YSS Kaiyō Mission 32: Uchū Kaubōi

[Gunhand4171]

Caldera Base, Level 1

William rose to his feet with a groan as the message came through. "Got it. I'll finish here and meet you." He replied back. Walking back down the ramp, he looked around the hangar. The cattle were in place, and he made sure the doors were locked down.

Once that was done, he took the horses' reins and led them out of through the hangar doors. Stopping to lock the hangar, he mounted his horse once more. "Almost out of this. Just a little more." He cajoled, more for himself than the horse.

Drawing his revolver, he spurred the stallion into a gallop moving full speed to reach the rendezvous point.

 

[Sunny D]

Level 15
"Working on it" Morgana said with a flat tone, her eyes darting around her volumetric display.

The data in the registry turned from an assorted mess of symbols to understandable text. Documents and images materialized in floating windows around Morgana, which she quickly closed after confirming it was decrypted. She ignored most of them, honing in on files and projects associated with Elysia which she uploaded directly to her personal storage.

For the rest, she took the cable from Williams Data Jack and plugged it into one of the server ports, confirming it was doing the job and getting a rough eta. before turning off the holographic volumetric display and placing the bracelet back on her wrist. Once replaced, she reactivated it and a miniaturised version of the display she had moments ago, this one showing a steadily filling progress bar.

"Should only take a moment." She said, getting to her feet.

Mean while Kasa came up beside Aiko with a compact camera in one hand and a wide charismatic smile plastered across her face. "Hey Ketsurui-Chusa. Mind giving a peace sign for the analysists back at HQ?" She said, holding the device in front of her.

 

[Gles]

Level 15

Hihja was a woman who reveled in her strength, and constantly trained to keep her impressive physique. It served her well in the field, but unfortunately for a half-immolated Myga, it made her a horrifically cumbersome soldier to carry. "I'm fine," she replied to Sahty over wireless, where the strain in her voice wasn't apparent. "Let the others take the van. We're in no shape to fight." But Myga planned to if it was necessary; the hemo that salved her wounds made the prospect a little more bearable. With all of the injuries that she'd piled on and the guts and blood that coated her from head to toe, Myga wasn't keen to find a mirror any time soon.

Beyond her own physical condition, and beyond their mission, Myga's thoughts dwelled on Hihja and how she'd fare if they actually managed to extract her. As far as she was aware, Hihja hadn't given much thought to the Star Army beyond considering them an enemy she needed to fight. There was no fanatical hatred in the way she referred to them, no desire to throw herself onto the proverbial sword in a battle with them. Maybe that would change once she was a prisoner, but Myga rationalized that captivity was better than dying alone in this rancid base.

Level 15, upward

"Don't pass out, then. You're no use to us that way," Myga replied dryly to Cynea's comment, before trailing close behind Aiko on her ascent up the shoot. It was an awkward process to fit herself and Hihja in the narrow passageway, but after enough shifting, she was staring up at the princess from below -- and a sharp glance downward followed. There were some things you didn't stare at.

 

[raz]

Level 15 > Upward

Were they not in a combat zone, Ketsurui Aiko would have happily obliged the operative for a picture together. But as the situation stood now, the princess simply stared back into Kasa's golden eyes with the same grim visage she'd maintained during the mission prior. Being a party some citizen's celebrity selfie was something Aiko was certainly practiced at, able to flash a charming smile and quick victory as easily as she knew how to cut an enemy soldier down, but as the grotesque chute's terminus closed in before them she simply could not accept.

Only a few meters away now, her destination loomed closer by the moment. And in the bright threshold where the chute let out above, Aiko saw the decrepit tentacled silhouette of another Mishhuvurthyar. Likely the one Sif had warned her about. She snapped her head back forward to attention, forgetting Kasa's frivolity in battle while gripping her katana's hilt once again. A second later, she burst out into the chamber and drew the blade.

The target was doubtlessly a Mishhu. Aiko assessed and acquired it instantly with her onboard NH-33A IES system, but even as she stuck at an obvious weak point—some old open wound gouged out along its once mighty shell—she felt a measure of sorrow when more and more of its aged form resolved clearly in her vision. Not from any sense of personal shame, for all Mishhuvurthyar must die, but because it was boring. A kill less useful than practice against a stationary dummy. She crossed up above the blinded beast and drove her sword down into a soft place atop it, and the elder Advanced Type fell onto the deck with a crash that cracked through the air when its face-cage slammed down. There was no life left in its clouded eyes to fade, but Aiko knew immediately it was dead.

Kasa soon thereafter emerged herself from the chute's terminus and Aiko marched over to the imprudent operative, leaving her sword lodged between that crack in her latest foe's skull. The princess' nose was crinkled up and a carmine blush streaked across her nose and cheeks, looking as if she was about to spit out some reprimand. Aiko reached her right hand out toward Kasa and stepped right up next to the SAINT, then wrapped her arm around the silver haired girl's waist and tugged her close so that their hips squished together.

"This should prove an impressive angle, there is still blood oozing from its wound," Aiko said, her nose pointed at Kasa's cheek while peering sidelong toward where the operative would be holding her camera. "Quickly. One like this, and then one more so I may give you your peace sign."

 

[Ametheliana]

Level 15 > Level 1 > Cauldron Lake

With the lava-bottomed CCC emptying out of her people, Hoshi took stock of the terrible place. The shells and charred inner bits of Mishhu littered the magma below and roping wires dangled haphazardly from the ceiling. Most of the terminals were beyond repair and the sphincter-like hole into the server room was shot at so many times it looked prolapsed. The only unscathed area was the landing into the chute and when Morgana had finished, Hoshi followed the scientist up and out through the intact intestine-like exit. It felt sickly visceral to push upwards into it and she put her hands forward in front of her face as if she were diving from a board into a pool so that the internal juices that lubricated the chute would no longer wetly splatter into her face.

Pulling her handkerchief off to wipe down her face at the top floor, the captain saw her team and a dead Mishhu. She trotted forward and led them back to the cargo elevator. Klaxons continued to blare while red lights pulsed throughout the base, creating a sense of unease and discontent. William's horse stamped impatiently, pulling at the tethers to Aiko's own dapple grey. They were amongst those on the lift, which was filled with NMX Nekovalkyrja packed shoulder to shoulder. Some of them had taken notice of him and held their guns steadily on him, shouting insults but not willing to make a move until they were evacuated. The kaiyo crewmen arrived just as the lift was going up, breathless and ready to be out of the base.

In the light of mid-day and backed by the caldera's flat, dry lake on one side and the guard tower and egress into the cargo lift on another, the NMX Neko began to filter out of the cargo lift towards a larger collection of them. Hihja stirred on Molli's shoulder and the Neko talked amongst themselves, relieved of the klaxon calls and strobe lights but with no Mishhuvurthyar in sight and no idea what was going on. Their confusion was evident even in the din of their conversations under the cloudless white sky. The birds from daybreak had settled out of the harsh high noon light from the increasingly bright blue sun overhead and between the caldera and the sky was a lone starship: the YSS Kaiyō II.

The captain leaned close to William, "You should get a safe distance from the caldera."

Hoshi looked to the lift, seeing it was not going down for more evacuees. Knowing the base was cleared of those escaping, she looked to Aiko, then Myga, Sahty, and Cynea. Adding poison into a political atmosphere already rife with toxins was dangerous. Aiko was the only one she truly trusted to provide the antidote, but part of her believed the NMX Nekovalkyrja needed to hear from those that had lived amongst them what was happening.

Or more so, what would happen.

"They need to have the situation explained to them. They need to be convinced to surrender."

 

[Gunhand4171]

Level 1 > Cauldron Lake

Reaching the lift, William could feel his mounts growing impatience. "Easy boy. Wait a minute. Almost done." He soothed as he waited. The lift was already filling up but at William's approach they began brandishing weapons at him and hurling their insults. He stared coldly back, as the the massive man and horse forced their way onto the lift. He didn't have the energy, nor the patience to deal with them. So he ignored them.

At the rest of the Kaiyo's team approached, his visage softened. "About time you got here. The natives are getting antsy." He remarked with the hint of a smirk. Then he turned to Aiko and Hoshi. "And your steeds are safe and sound. Though Gargantua and I have seen better days." He added, motioning to his and the stallion's war wounds.

Once they were under the open sky, William took in a deep breath and sighed, relaxing in the saddle. Leaning over as Hoshi's approach he nodded. "Good idea. I'll doubt the NMX like me all that much, and I doubt they'd be too willing to surrender with me around. I'll takes the horses back up the ridge." He replied. With a tap of his spurs Gargantua reared up, whinnying loudly before he took off at a gallop towards the ridgeline.

 

[Megabirb]

Level 15

"Understood." The single word was all Sahty had to say towards Myga's before following her upwards. She knew she was right. With everyone leaving, she made her way up the fleshy chute without a second glance. She didn't care to looks back at the rest of the CCC. She was already sure that it and the rest of this base would be forever seared into her nightmares.

Level 1 > Cauldron Lake

Sahty was thankful not have another battle waiting as she emerged from the fleshy chute, instead greeted with another dead Mishhuvurthyar. Her strength was beginning to wane and her pain was increasing as her adrenaline wore off. Still she made sure to give the Mishhu body a solid kick as she passed by it on the way towards the caldera lift. Somehow the flashing light and klaxons gave the hallways and even more nightmarish quality, one of urgency. Squeezing into the elevator lift packed with evacuating NMX Nekos, William and the horses hurt. Every jostle called forth a fresh wave of pain.

The trip to the surface entrance seemed faster this time. At least it did to Sahty once they where out of the base and once more under the open sky. The sight of the Kaiyō looming above them filled Sahty with comfort. For the NMX Nekovalkyrja she was sure that it must have looked like a harbinger of death.