RP: YSS Aeon [Mission 4.0] - A Quest into the Dark

"Do you know if your ... former masters destroyed any of the shuttles in the hangar we're heading towards? Do they know we're heading that way?" Makoto asked, taken aback by the Neko's candid reply.

Yoshiro kept escorting the civillians and kept a wary eye out for the NMX that the Shina-Nito Heisho was talking about. He hoped that he could get the civvies out safely.

Zeta looked at Makoto, "Why would they destroy what they could use. The shuttles were the easiest to take from that section. They will be used to land infiltrators on other worlds posing as UOC citizens fleeing.

They tried to take one of the ship, and it exploded killing the crew shortly after take-off. For that reason they have left the ships alone until technicians can be brought to check them."

Beneath his helmet, Makoto could not help but grin. He could see why Takamori marked this one out. "Saito, your friend, Zeta, tells me that the UOC have rigged the ships with explosives. Detonation triggered on take-off. If those UOC Peacekeepers I heard you guys talking about are following, then see if one of them has a disarming code or something. Otherwise, see if someone's got EOD training."

Makoto turned back to Zeta. "How old are you?"

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"Noted, Honda. Heisho, Honda-hei reports that the ships are rigged with UOC explosives which go off when we try to take off," Takamori said to Kim. She seemed to be taking charge. "Orders?"

Kyoka drew up alongside Saki, rifle at the ready.

"What's going on over there, Hei?" She asked in a low voice, waiting for her subordinate's response.

"We proceed to the ship bays, if the Peacekeepers join us they can assist in undoing whatever sabotage their folks did. Or will do it ourselves. I'd rather have people familar with the designs though doing it." She said as they approached the door. She could see the control panel was a mass of twisted wires.

"Fish... that's going to complicate things. I don't suppose any of you have experience with hotwiring stuff? That panel is long since been mangled.

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Zeta paused as she considered the question, it was one that she was not accustomed to answering. "I am one year, one hundred and nineteen days, six hours and twenty seven minutes old." she replied to Makoto

Communication lines came live again as another transmission from the peacekeepers came in. "Mason speaking. I suggest meeting up and moving together. We have a means of getting of this station."
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Saki was still checking her NSD when Kyoka asked about the situation. Saki turned to Kyoka and looked at her. There was not much to update, but she had to answer anyway.

"Nothing new to say Ma'am. I see three persons wearing UOC issued power armour. According to my computer they are suits called Tenshi. Seem like light PA like our Mindies. They just killed several NMX PA-troops and then they finished them off. One of the peacekeepers is a woman and judging from her lack of movement, it is the one talking over the comm-lines with us. Other two are male. I don't know if there are more, I can't get closer with my NSD without it being spotted." She reported.

Kim paused in mid step by the request to meet with the Peacekeepers. She was not certain what prompted them to finally respond, but she was grateful they did.

"This is Shina Kim-Nitô Heisho of the YSS Aeon, from the 1XF. We are currently gathering at the entrance to the ship bays from concourse six. The door controls have been damaged. Cooperation would be in the best interest of both of our teams. There are a number of NMX forces looking for us, so speed is of the essence.

We will take up defensive positions here by the door in came the NMX break into the the concourse so we can provide cover to your team and any other individuals you wish to evacuate." she replied.

She turned to her team. "Okay folks, looks like we may be having some assistance from the Peacekeepers. The NMX know we are here, and it is pretty much a given that they will try to stop us.

Grab up as much of the debris, equipment and establish a set of barricades. We are preparing for a holding action, we must hold this door until the Peacekeepers can get it open and we get all the civilians and prisoners through it. Get moving now..."

Takamori fiddled with the detonator. He had the hallway ready to cave in. All he wanted to do was press the button, watch the pretty explosion and get off this zombie infested rock. But now he was being ordered to create a barricade instead of a cave in. "Heisho, should I disarm my explosives?"

Yoshiro stopped and started using debris around him as a makeshift cover point. He grabbed some mangled steel and chunks of cement and built a wall of sorts and then began to build obstacles that would hinder movement power armor enough that they could put fire on any NMX that came to attack them. He built the wall as high as he could so that they would be provided some shelter against weapons fire and hoped that the Peacekeepers would get there soon. "Shina-hei I got the civillians behind cover. Do you you have other orders or should I stand by?" He asked as he finished putting the cover up.

"Negative Saito-Hei, that may be one of last lines of defense should the Mishhu come after us."

"I want two of you on either side of the gauntlet, that way we can concentrate our fire power on the enemy and catch them in a cross fire." Kim said.

Radio crackled to life again and Yamataian soldier could hear female peacekeepr speak once again.

"Mason speaking, we will be moving to your position as fast as we can. We have civilians with us. We will link up with you, open your stuck doors and move towards the hangars. We have a means of extraction."

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Saki meanwhile remained at her position near the entrance to the maintenance shaft. She held her rifle, ready to shoot anything that could come.

"Heisho, should I remain at my position? I can slow any NMX down and then move behind the barrier." She asked for insturuction from her superior.

Takamori got to work by turning a row of baggage trolleys onto their sides. "Can someone ask those Peacekeepers if they have plastic explosives? I can make some IEDs with the right stuff. Or if someone has grenades, that'd be useful too."

There was a row of seats next to Takamori which seemed perfect for adding to the trolley barricade. He promptly set about ripping them from the floor and stacking them sideways.

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Farther behind, Makoto looked at Yoshiro. "Watch them. I'll get to work on building the fort," he said to the younger Infantryman.

"Zeta," he turned to the Neko leader, "Keep listening. Let us know when they're planning to come at us." Part of Makoto was suspicious about the Neko but she seemed genuinely sincere. Takamori seemed to trust her enough and Makoto trusted his old friend so that was that.

Makoto saw an unused six seat passenger cart. He walked over to it and saw that it still had some fuel left. "Heisho, I got a passenger cart. Use it for the barricade or transport?"

While he waited for the Heisho's reply, Makoto started piling baggage and seats into a makeshift wall. What else was around that he could use?

"Barricade... it is too slow for outrunning the enemy. If it has fuel, let Saito-Hei drain it and use it for explosives." Kim replied, she considered asking the Peacekeepers about their weapon status, but decided against it since they were using an unsecure channel.

She sent a brief status message to the Aeon, just as she felt faint tremors.

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Zeta nodded to Makoto, "I will let you know as soon as they move. They are gathering at the moment."

Saki checked her NSD. She let it hide near the seiling and let peacekeepers walk by. It seemed they had quite a lot civvies following them too.

"Ma'am, still no movement in the maintenance tunnel." She reported first. "But peacekeepers are on the move. They didn't lie, they have un-uniformed personell with them."

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Communication line between Yamatai soldiers and Peacekeeper went alive again short while after Saki's report.

"To Yamatai forces. NMX are preparing assault, I suggest you prepare concourse for defense. You do not have much time. I repeat, you do not have much time. We are moving to you, but it will take some time. PR Mason, out."

"We are aware of the situation. We are preparing what defenses we can. The most we'll be able to do is mount a holding action, to give you and your people time to get to the door and through it, then we'll follow up watching your backs." Kim replied to the Peacekeepers.

"Okay they are on their way. Let's see what other surprises we can come up with for the Squids. Any ideas that you would not do otherwise, this is probably a good time for them." She said to her crew.

He waved to get the nekos attention and directed them to cover. "What about obstacles to slow their movment. I figure that the obstacles, if they work, can help us to slow down the armors or whatever so that we can attack." Yoshiro said.

Saki looked at Heisho and said. "How about putting something explosive in one of the suitcases and leaving it near the entrance, enemy will be using. We can then blow it up, when they ran over it to get to us." She suggested.

Makoto checked the fuel gauge. Half-full. "Saito, got some oil here for you to use."

His friend replied quickly. "That's great but need more than just oil to make an effective fiery barricade. Need to build a pile of stuff that'll burn long and hard. Clothes, luggage, that kind of thing. Put them ahead of where I am."

So Makoto set about collecting suitcases, chair seats and other flammable materials. Zipping around on his thrusters allowed him to quickly move items back and forth until he had a neat pile a few meters ahead of Takamori.

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Takamori watched his friend work whilst he listened to the others talk. "Arai-hei, that idea would be a good idea except for two things. One, I'm out of explosives. Two, there's easier ways to do a trap without losing even part of the concussive force of an explosion. But again, I've nothing else that goes boom. It's all sticking on the walls to cause a cave-in. So would someone please ask the Peacekeepers what they have that explodes?"

He saw that Makoto was finished. "Bring the fuel tank over here while I set this up."

The odd pile of suitcases, discarded clothes, and chair seats was arranged to form a knee high wall. Once Makoto returned with the fuel, Takamori liberally doused the clothes, luggage and seats in it. It would be their first line of defense.

Then the two went to erect another barricade with the passenger cart and other debris between them and the point where Takamori had placed his explosives.

The Aeon crew had made whatever improvised barricades to hinder the enemy when they came. They also had created a final barricade where the prisoners and civilians would remain safely hidden until the doors were opened.

The progress of the Peacekeepers was being tracked by the lone NSD that was providing telemetry. As the Peacekeepers neared the end of the passage, the NMX made their move.

"Shina-Heisho, the NMX are going to breach the concourse at the far end. They have set explosives on blast doors at the opposite end of this concourse." Zeta yelled. A moment later the far end of the concourse exploded in a cloud of dust and debris. The power armor sensors started identifying multiple hostiles pouring through the breach.

"Give em hell, none of them get through the line." Kim yelled as she opened fire with her forearm weapon.