RP: YSS Heartbreaker [Mission 4] The Word And Deed Go Hand In Hand

Left Corridor, Chudan

Alexis tapped Skade on the shoulder. "I can take a peek without them seeing me. It comes with the job." With that Alexis took a look around the corner.

Skade nodded, now annoyed with herself. Hmm, why didn't you think about that? Let the SAINT agent do her thing. "Yeah, go ahead, Alexis."

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

Hasewega wait for a few moments for a response from Yuko before waving it off. This was starting to get a little disheartening now but she didn't want to dwell on it for too long. There were still at the entrance mostly hostile station invaded by Mishhuvarthyar for all she knew and the group's ambassador has already been pummeled by automated defenses. Great start already.

She made her way towards the door towards the door leading deeper into the station, stacking up near the entrance for now. "Let's try keep pushing forward before things anymore grisly on the station. Ready to get moving at your command, Blesi-hei."

YSS Heartbreaker, Bridge

Rin and Usagi seemed to be finding similarly disturbing signs on the small ship, focusing on their screens as the images were projected onto the main viewscreen on the Bridge. The Taii noted Sally's reaction, wondering if her curious dance was a form of communication similar to certain insects on Yamatai. Putting that aside and pulling their view to the front, she leaned forward in her seat, eyes narrowing. "This is Heartbreaker actual," she responded to Ingrid's question herself, prompting Rin to twist around to look at the main screen, letting out a soft gasp at the image displayed. "We have visual confirmation of a Mishhuvurthyar brain-slave attached to the controls of the Vekimen shuttle." She leaned back, regaining her composure after the brief slip. "Recall your drones immediately and assist Officer Sivaro in locking down the vehicle once more. Thankfully it appears to be powered down."

The Captain turned to the I'ee, as the drone they had been controlling automatically began returning to its home along with the others Ingrid had deployed. "Ambassadors, please convey the confirmation of Mishhuvurthyar on the Colony Station to the I'ee fleet. We would appreciate a lookout posted near our shuttle, and the airlock, in case the...infected shuttle begins to move. Although that seems unlikely." She paused. "...I trust your people are familiar with the Mishhuvurthyar through their...studies...on the Star Army of Yamatai?"


Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Skade and Alexis adjusted their positions to let the SAINT Operative peek forward. It was somewhat difficult to parse the information they were receiving in infrared. The corridor continued downwards, although there was another branch coming up, this time in two directions. Nearby, there seemed to be a doorway under another recessed light. At least the dark hole felt like a doorway. As she peeked, she began noticing movement of some sort. It took Alexis a few moments to focus in on it, with Sakde catching on a bit later. The Android might be able to process the visual information faster, the Engineer considered, but she wasn't sure how he might react. The spots of darker shades moving around, colored more like the floors than the walls or ceilings, were likely Vekimen. Numbers were hard to make out, but it seemed like one or two had taken the right branching path, while another pair had moved down the hallway and into that opening, the familiar yet alien sounds pinging them but still not quite translating.

While they were making these observations, the trio could hear the Taii confirming the presence of the enemy...but only faintly. The transmission from Edtoto's team was also becoming distorted as they moved deeper inside...


Shuttle Bay, Jodan

Kiko comforted the clumsy pilot as best she could in the situation, the pair standing near the room's exit. As Kiko mentioned the Medic, she noticed Okami moving from the first body she'd been inspecting to a second further down the corridor. It was dark, but the light on her helmet was illuminating the corpse she was examining, if little else. After a few moments Sara joined them, as the trio watched the Medic move further away, almost disappearing into the darkness as she worked on yet another specimen. She had yet to really report in on any findings, and with how eager she was to examine each new body, things must have been inconclusive so far.

Ingrid's drones reappeared one by one, while she considered the data they'd gathered. The depression left behind in all of that mess had definitely been humanoid, close enough to the size of the one Vekimen she'd seen up close. Bits of scales and hair had been visible, although the drone wasn't exactly equipped for anything more precise. She also had some time to take in the image of the brain-slave the I'ee-piloted drone had discovered, while she assisted Ed with securing the shuttle.

Suddenly, there was a horrible scream blasting on their comms, shocking the Jodan team and the Bridge, although Chudan could only dimly hear a garbled, staticy cry. The trio posted at the open doorway saw a flash of movement, as Okami's Mindy was suddenly jerked around the corner. Before they could react, something small and metallic rushed back down the corridor towards them, bouncing and rolling on the ground, stopping as it collided with Yuko's armored foot.

It was unmistakably a Mindy helmet. The group realized the horrified scream had been cut off as quickly and unexpectedly as it began. Sara also realized the detached helmet seemed to be bleeding all over the poor Operator's feet.

YSS Heartbreaker, Bridge

"Taii, yes, we are aware of the Mishhuvarthyar," Yui replied, albeit in a rather stiff manner, presumably still upset from the sight of the Mishhu brain-slave. "Our home has been... harassed... by these things." Sally let out a concerned whine, still doing her awkward, almost comical dance from one foot to the other with a frown projected on her mask, blurting out disjointed phrases describing the brain-slave as being 'wrong'.

With her sister distracted so, Yui nodded her head in response to Valesti's request, shuffling past Sally to communicate with the rest of the I'ee fleet. After a moment of chattering to the rest of the fleet, she turned her head to gaze at the Taii. "A team is being sent to guard your shuttle, Taii, and to watch the... other vessel." she reported, letting out a subtle grumble at the mention of the infected craft.

Open Space

Soon after Yui had relayed Valesti's request, one of the patrolling Ee'ith spheres broke away from its partner and flew back to its home patrol craft, which was beginning to shift position. Moving with ponderous slowness in its care to avoid impact with the station or the other ships, the patrol craft slowed to a halt once its starboard side was within view of the Jodan Shuttle Bay, its two broadside cannons aimed at the Mishhu infected vessel. Presumably this was to halt it if it attempted an escape.

Shortly after its parent vehicle had finished relocating, the sphere zipped out of the ventral cargo pods once more, flying carefully into the Jodan shuttle bay and setting its tiny hull down next to the Yamataian shuttle. The hatch on its rear hissed open a moment later, with four I'ee clambering out on all six legs, clad in tight-fitting space suits and carrying a variety of weaponry with them. Once they were outside, the hatch closed again, cycled, then reopened to reveal another four suited I'ee, who also scurried out into the shuttle bay.

The majority of the I'ee team's weapons seemed to be simple stabbing blades, though two of them carried bulky, box-like objects with sharp forward protrusions that vaguely resembled over-sized jackhammers. Two of the blade-armed I'ee stood guard at the Yamataian shuttle, clinging to the landing gear, while the remaining six, complete with their heavier, improvised weapons, clustered around the airlock; some even clinging to the wall above it.

YSS Heartbreaker, Bridge

The blood-curdling scream caught both Sally and Yui off-guard, shocking the former out of her concerned dance, who squealed with fright and practically tackled Yui against the communications console for comfort. Yui huffed and hissed, trying to push her clingy sister away, her jaws opened wide, concerned that a threat had somehow entered the bridge.

Edtoto didn't say anything, simply because what she could say might bother Ingrid more than anything. To be truthful, nothing about the scene bothered her. She had no reason to fear the alien other than how the heartbreaker crew created to them, and the scene inside the ship was... Common at best. The crew might be able to tell based on how none of her vitals changed as she watched the screen. She felt the need to say something though...

"Yeah... That's... Horrible," She said, her voice just not into the act as she was more focused on looking at the interior of the ship. She just... She didn't care. She couldn't try to care either. Thankfully, her dilemma was interrupted by a scream which she felt clearly. She turned around and rushed over to the other three, seeing the Mindy helmet bleeding. That... That was cause for concern, but she seemed to react before she though. Rushing down the hall to where the other Vekimen who was being examined by the now bodyless medic, she used her armours strength to coup de grace it, wrongly thinking it somehow did this and crushed it's head under foot. Now she looked around, trying to get a reading on what was around. "Is that it? Was that all that happened?" She asked, oblivious to what actually killed the Medic.

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Alexis was beginning to feel uneasy due to what she saw and heard. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't think that those Vekimen are just Vekimen. It feels similar to what I felt during my stay on the NMX ship." She pulled out her gun and armed it. "I suggest we either kill one of the groups or subdue them so that we can get a better look. It also appears that if we go any further in we won't be able to receive or send out any transmissions."

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Skade looked down the corridor, thinking about which group to go after when the Captain’s message partially came through. The message was so garbled, the technician had to play the audio a few times to fully understand what she was saying. Great, the hull of the space station is blocking the signal. And we’re for sure dealing with Mishhu. Joy. Pulling one of the drones out of their hangars, she started messing with its programming and power settings, turning it from a floating NSP to a signal repeater.

Sending it back towards the airlock, she keyed in the comms just in time to hear Okami’s short scream. Fricking son of a… “Heartbreaker, this is Chudan. What’s going on out there? We’re losing contact as we get deeper into the station.” Once caught up, she clenched her teeth in anger. Stupid Squids. Why do we always lose our freaking medic? “Understood, Heartbreaker. Will contact once we have more information. Chudan, out.”

Turning to Alexis, she said, “We’ll stun the left group and pull them back to here so we’ll have some kind of security.” Let’s just hope we don’t get swarmed. That would be…fun.

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

"Hai, Heartbreaker," Ingrid responded. "We'll make sure it stays grounded."

As Okami wandered about inspecting the dead, Ingrid boarded the fighter and wiggled and wrenched her way to the engineering section. Once there, she went back to a tip she was taught in training: when disabling a ship, focus on the three Cs: cables, conduits and consoles. She fired up one of her forearm cannons in hull cutting mode and sliced a few cables, punctured a hole in a conduit and, using her fist, smashed a couple of consoles. The damage could be easily repaired if a person had just a few minutes and knowledge of the systems, but with the I'ee pod guarding it, those few minutes would be hard to come by. With that done, she reported in, "Heartbreaker, the fighter's engineering section has been disabled. I'm going to go get a better look at the brain-slave and see if it can be removed."

Just then, Okami's scream came over the radio and Ingrid's Mindy alerted her to the cessation of telemetry from her suit. "What's going on out there? Okami, come in!" she exclaimed. Ingrid began moving double time, thrashing her way through the ship, trying to reach the exit. In her haste, she found herself caught on a snare as she tried to squeeze through a bottleneck. After struggling for a brief moment, she simply activated her CFS and used its incredible power to smash her way through any further roadblocks.

Upon emerging from the Vekimen fighter, she took in the scene with the squad in disarray; Okami's helmet dribbling blood. "Heartbreaker!" Ingrid screamed into the radio, her voice shrill with panic. "Okami is dead! It's the Mishhu—the Mishhu, they know we're here!" Her LASR came up and she whipped her head about, scanning. Her eyes landed on the I'ee soldiers guarding the shuttle. No, not them, she thought. She paused and regarded them there with weapons barely more than pointy sticks and muskets. Get a grip, Blesi Ingrid. Don't let anyone else be careless or it's a lot of people that have no business fighting the Mishhuvarthyar that pay the price.

She turned back to the hallway and rushing forwards, she yelled, her voice under control again, "Edtoto, get back!"

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

The scream from Okami seemed lost on the I'ee guarding the craft, who weren't tuned into the signal like the Yamataian team was. They did, however, see Ingrid literally explode out from inside of the Vekimen craft, apparently in a panic. Two of the I'ee guarding the airlock scurried back to the Heartbreaker's shuttle to reinforce their guard there. Another two, the ones wielding the bulky, power-tool equipment, began advancing upon the Vekimen shuttle; the pointed extrusion from the front of their box-like weapons quivering and emitting familiar yellow particles. It seemed that they were carrying what were effectively down-sized I'ee particle drives, and intended on using the destructive power of the exhaust to cut apart the Vekimen craft, which they assumed to be the problem.

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

The scream caused Hasewega to wince for a moment as Okemi disappeared from sight. "Not again..." She muttered to herself as something began rolling out towards them.

The moment the bloody helmet rolled out next to Yuko's foot, Hasewega sprung into action. "Yuko, Kiko, move back. Now." She quickly ordered to the two, the calm her voice turned more authoritative without raising its volume. She pushed past the two as she brought her LASR up to face the door, nudging the what remained of Okemi away from the two with her foot as moved. She quickly sent out a drone to where the medic's last position was.

Before she could see what was going on through the drone's feed she felt someone brush past her and into the hallways, breaking her concentration. It took her moment to notice what was happening before she could react. "Edtoto NO!" the authority in her voice was quickly replaced in panic as she sprinted after the ambassador down the corridor. As soon the ambassador finished attacking the examined corpse, Hasewega wrapped an arm around her before quickly trying to boost back out in the shuttle bay.

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

Kiko's ears perk up, she had been so distracted by attempting to give Yuko a bit of encouragement that she was totally caught off guard by the scream and the now disembodied head that now lay at Yuko's feet. Her eyes went quite wide before Hasewega yelled at them to move back. A pang of guilt stabbed at her gut as she pulled Yuko back with her to a safer distance. She cursed herself under her breath as she aimed her own LASR at the door "Yuko, for the sake of everyone here I'm going to need you to keep yourself together. If you feel the urge to fall over again, use me for support. Although it'd be great if you could keep yourself together." With a deep breath she steadied herself, it was time to get her head in the game!

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

The android bent forward slightly as he followed down the corridor. Once they received confirmation of Mishuuvurthyar, Takeshi hurried to catch up to Skade and try to maneuver himself in front of her. "Allow me to protect you Skade-hei. This unit would be.. dismayed if a parasite infected you and I had to eliminate you." He said, sounding almost concerned for her wellbeing. The Engineer's use of the drone impressed him. It was a solution he probably wouldn't have considered. He was beginning to understand how these flesh beings could survive in this harsh universe. They were highly adaptable.

Then the Medic's scream reached him. Perhaps the advantage of novel thinking wasn't as powerful as the advantage of being composed mostly of Durandium. He heard Skade's comment to Alexis. "Acknowledged, I will use nonlethal force on these Vekimen until they are confirmed to be under the control of parasites." The android held his palm toward the Vekimen on the left, charging up a scalar pulse to unleash on the possibly infected creatures.

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

Yuko heard the scream and nervously raised her rifle. She then felt the helmet bounce off her armored foot, and let out a startled cry. She stepped back, unknowing it was a helmet...then looked down at the blood on the floor, and the blood all over her foot...then at the head. Her eyes widened in fear, and stepped back, trembling. "T-t-theres no w-way..." she quietly said to herself, stepping back once more. Upon hearing Hasewega, she quickly hurried back,away from the helmet. She was struggling to actually say anything. She began to think That was a helmet...and the head was still inside...oh god...was that our medic? Our medic is dead...by having his head ripped off...this is nothing like I expected. Nothing at all. Our heads can be torn off like they're nothing. Her thoughts were then interrupted by Kiko. Yuko could only hear about half of what Kiko said. All she could do was nod, and hope that would be a good enough response.

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Seeing Takeshi coming up behind her on the HUD, she turned and smiled when the android spoke. Aww, she thought, then said, “Help Alexis, then get behind me again. I understand your concern, Saba-hei, but someone needs to make sure we don’t snuck up on. Can you do that for me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow behind her visor.

As they got ready, a nagging thought came to her, I just hope we aren’t giving away our position anyway with all our transmissions.

YSS Heartbreaker, Bridge

The Captain's attention was caught by something Yui said. "Oh? You've had dealings with the NMX in this area? We drove them away from Yamatai controlled space, but it seems they withdrew most of their forces into this region we have yet to explore. We've been dealing with the leftovers from their skirmishes with Uesu's Fleet years ago." She shook her head, obviously having built up plenty of ill will for them over years of fighting. "The Mishhuvurthyar are a mockery of everything Yamatai and her Star Army stand for. If they are your enemies as well, we may have more in common than I originally believed."

Trying not to focus too long on past battles, Tsukisaki took stock of the guards the I'ee had provided, nodding to herself. She seemed somewhat impressed with their preparations, opening her mouth to thank the two ambassadors before the scream filled the Bridge. "Captain, we've lost all sign of Okami-Hei's Mindy. She's...just gone." Usagi reported quickly, trying to ignore the two aliens while she focused on her work, chewing her lip. Rin moved closer to try to calm the pair, although she was careful to avoid any flailing limbs or clacking jaws. "Please calm down, we're all safe here. It seems the away team was attacked...I believe your relatives moved inside to assist..."


Shuttle Bay, Jodan

The airlock cycled open to admit the I'ee guards assigned to the inside of the Shuttle Bay, with the infected vessel, arriving just in time to witness Ingrid hurriedly extracting herself. Everyone was rushing towards the dark opening, with the Vekimen in the lead. Edtoto passed the first two bodies Okami had examined, stomping and clawing at the third, which the Medic had been hunched over just moments before. Unlike the others, she could see just fine in the darkness. Where the corridor turned, she could see the bright, warm splatter of a gush of fresh blood, the hemosynth leaving a messy trail down the hallway. There was no sight of Okami or the rest of her armor...although she did see something slipping around the next corner, further away. Before she could investigate any further, Sara latched onto her, using the Mindy's impressive strength to drag her along as she zipped back into the relative safety of the main Shuttle Bay.

Ingrid and Kiko had their LASRs trained on the door, while Yuko retreated behind them (and the still-gushing helmet). Soon enough Sara and Ed had rejoined the group, treated to the odd sight of the confused I'ee guards spraying down the infected shuttle with their strange weapons. The shuttle practically melted under the assault, the particles tearing through it easily enough, leaving holes scattered about like some sort of imported cheese. It didn't seem to react in any interesting way, so the troops would likely realize the dark corridor the humanoids had their weapons pointed at was the real problem.

"Understood, Blesi-Hei. All contact with Okami-Hei has been lost. Considering the level of technology the Vekimen possess, Mishhuvurthyar involvement in her death is almost certain. Your mission remains the same. Proceed with caution. And try to compose yourself while communicating on open channels." The Taii was as warm and understanding as ever.


Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Skade managed to adjust the drone's power supply on the fly, disabling its firepower to provide a longer charge life. Still, it wouldn't last forever, although it let their team communicate with the others for just a bit longer. "Chudan, this is Heartbreaker. Okami wandered off from the group and...well...not all of her made it back. Jodan is pushing forward, but we're definitely dealing with something worse than rabid Vekimen. Keep an eye out for squids." Usagi responded, much less formally than the Captain would have, as the trio crept closer to their targets.

Alexis led the way, with Skade slightly behind and Takeshi watching their backs. As they drew closer to the door, they could catch more snippets of conversation the translation software struggled to decipher. The voices were different from the few they had on file, and were obviously in more distress than Edtoto usually was on board the Heartbreaker.

"...Sivaro...mad...how they...got in...disease...the children..."

Peeking inside, Alexis saw a small room, practically a closet. It was likely used for storage of some sort, as containers were stacked up along the edges and back of the room. However, there were now several bodies piled in on top of the containers. At this range, even in IR it was easy to recognize them as Vekimen after her close contact with the ones she'd helped rescue. Another pair were standing, still alive, chattering to each other as they gestured at the corpses. Thankfully their backs were to the doorway, for now. The SAINT Operative noticed the pair were a bit taller than she expected.

"...dispose...keep safe...who...must decide...must lead...keep safe...the children..."

YSS Heartbreaker, Bridge

With Rin's help, Yui managed to sooth Sally, who had now resumed her awkward, nervous 'dance', though now at a faster speed, covering her eyes with her hands. "Not in this area, no." Yui finally managed to reply to the Taii, holding Sally to comfort her. "There is a large fleet of them in the graveyards surrounding our home. They raid our cargo convoys, so Thi-Thi has withdrawn most of our combat fleet to defend our home."

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

With perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm and reckless abandon, the two I'ee workers systematically melted, bored and tore at the Vekimen craft with their particle emitters until the craft was an unrecognisable hunk of junk, riddled with steaming holes that leaked molten slag. The other two guards at the doorway with the Yamataian team were hopping comically up and down, made more ridiculous by the almost non-existent gravity, motioning to the two and pointing to the doorway. It seemed like the I'ee team had no verbal means of communicating in their exoskeleton-tight suits, so it wasn't until the two particle weapon armed I'ee had finished their work that they realised where the real threat was.

With their heavy, bulky weapons dragging along behind them, held by the rear legs, they scampered back to their sisters on the front four legs. Once in place close to, but out of the way of the Yamataian team, they angled the pointed ends of their improvised weapons at the darkened hallway, keeping them switched off for now. The other four I'ee still remained at the Yamataian shuttle, clinging to its underside tightly so that they were almost invisible as they guarded its entrance.

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Coming up on the selected group and seeing them through the SAINT’s virtual eyes, Skade was surprised by how much she got of their conversation. Let’s hope that we’re picking up the important parts. Seems like we are.

“Alexis,” the technician said over radio, “Looks like we got non-crazy Vekimen. Get back out here, then I’m going to try and make myself obvious so they don’t get…freaked out. Be ready to stun them,” she continued, turning so Saba knew she was including him in that order, “just in case.”

Shuttle Bay, Jodan

As Hasewega and Edtoto sped out of the corridor, the minkan brought them both to a halt before setting Edtoto down in front of Yoko and Kiko. Hasewega felt her heart beating in her suit and a lump stuck in her throat as she tried to talk, but the nothing would come out. She simply gave a stern point to where Edtoto was standing for her stay before turning back towards the corridor to make sure it was clear.

As she approached the door she brought her LASR back up and kept it trained down the hallway, slowing her pace to a careful walk as she kept her eyes on both the hall and the footage of the little she sent down a few moments prior before Edtoto's charge.

Laderen Corridor, Chudan

Alexis simply walked up to the two Vekimen and hit the pressure points in the back of their necks to knock them out. "No hard feelings friends. You'll be awake again in a few minutes." She was ready just in case they weren't knocked out. She knew that they were made of sturdier stuff then her usual opponents after all.