RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Part 1: Amaya's Gate

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"KUROHOSHI-JUNI!" screamed Tsuya, her heart dropping as she saw the team leader's readouts simply go black with no preamble. She rolled out from behind her cover and delivered one grenade to each of the remaining covered nekomachina, following the blast up with three plasma rifle shots. Her vision-reddening rage lessened when the flames cleared, enough to acknowledge Hinoto's orders. Reluctantly, she fled the room back towards where they had come, still in a defensive crouch.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Tsuya and Nimura:

Nimura peeked back into the room, only to see the charred destroyed components of the remaining nekomachina. The reactor core's armored bulkhead remained defiantly intact, but the rest of the room has been shredded by the anguished firestorm Tsuya had unleashed.

...and because Nimura lingered a moment longer, she noticed the armored blastdoor sliding open again. She saw smoke part as something passed through it, with small wisps of it briefly trailing, but not what had parted the smoke.

Nimura suddenly felt the sense that she was prey. That whoever was coming for her, she could not match in ability or killing intent.

She spun on a dime, her armored feet sparking against the floor, and she kicked into a run for the hangar. "Yamada-Hei, make haste. Whoever killed the Juni is now hunting us."

 

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"...Kurohoshi-juni's murderer is after us?" Tsuya stopped in her tracks, holstering her rifle in its cozy spot at her side. She drew the much larger weapon from her back, telescoping it out and holding it over her shoulder, grounding herself firmly in the hall as she faced back towards the room they had just left, and the ominous plumes of smoke rolling from the blast door.

This is for Masako, she growled internally as she pulled the trigger. The bazooka's recoil, though intensely diminished, forced her a few inches back along the corridor with a scream of metal on metal.

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton walked along aware of Miyoko following close behind until she caught up. They arrived at the Hoshi's medbay, each of them with their own reasons to avoid the good doctor at the Miharu bay. Once there the medical staff greeted them and offered their services.

"The Heisho and I have both received several cuts and bruises due to the incident on the bridge earlier. If you could assist us it would be appreciated." Nyton stated. The staff immediately got to work, showing each of them to a bed where they could sit down.

Nyton removed his shirt yet again and exposed his back to the nurse who began to carefully remove the pieces of metal that had imbed themselves into his skin. There was still trace amounts of bleeding to be cleaned up along with disinfecting the cuts. He just sat there while the nurse worked, brooding almost. Still processing in his own way the death of the NH-23 Kotori. It had affected him more than he realized.

He believed he had failed her. Granted she had not been the Kotori he had pledged loyalty to but it stung him deeper than the bits of metal had. This was going to begin eating at him from within so he had to take his mind off of it.

"So, Saito-Heisho what did you think of the Taisa's deception? Rather clever, wasn't it?" Nyton asked still facing straight ahead rather than looking over behind him to address Miyoko.

His thoughts would be disturbed even further.

Her voice threatened to break up. Hinoto bent her head, shoulders shaking. "Claymere-Taii," she sent telepathically to Nyton. "Kurohoshi-Juni was killed in action. I request permission initiate remote self-destruction on her M6 as well as order her revival."

That was a sobering shock. No more fucking around. Opening a window Nyton communicated verbally to Hinoto. "Permission granted. Hope you get the bitch who killed her with the blast." he said sternly. Looking over to the staff he then gave another order.

"Begin revival procedure of Kurohoshi Masako immediately." he stated before opening another window down to the Armorers. "Get a DAISY set up, fix it according to Kurohoshi-Juni's last known payload and have it ready for her immediate use."

With that Nyton was in a hurry again. "Are you almost done?" he asked of the nurse attending him.

 

[Rabbit Eclair]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Miyoko sat the plate down as they entered the medbay, pointing it out to the nurses. "Help yourselves... I'm afraid I'll have to throw any leftovers away." She was starting to regret deciding to bring them back to the bridge. Without Yukari and her prodigal appetite for Tom's cooking around, finishing them off would be difficult.

She took a seat on a bed of her own, letting the nurses attend to her wounds.

"So, Saito-Heisho what did you think of the Taisa's deception? Rather clever, wasn't it?" Nyton asked still facing straight ahead rather than looking over behind him to address Miyoko.

"Clever, yes... I would have appreciated being warned about it beforehand, but we would have been defeated without it." She rolled one of her sleeves up to show off her arm, and winced a little as she noticed all of the small scratches and bruises covering it. "I still feel sorry for the NH-23, though... and not just because she was--"

Miyoko paused as Nyton verbally responded to Hinoto's message. The color drained from her face as she realized that somebody had been killed, and hearing that it was Masako just made things worse. Beyond what she felt about the woman as a friend, losing the armor wing leader couldn't be a good sign. She almost asked how Masako had died, but quickly decided that she was better off not knowing.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Tsuya and Nimura:

Nimura's armored feet screeched to a stop as her Daisy turned to look at Tsuya's grudge attack. The sprite squinted, zooming through the smoke to try and see the opponent pursuing them, and to see if her teammate had scored a successful hit.

Which was why she looked up too late to see a transparent armored figure, standing high on the ceiling, firing down upon them. A flurry of aether darts rakes across Tsuya from above, depleting her barrier, destroying her bazooka and savaging the armor on her upper torso and turning several parts of it into the orange zone. Had aether not been so weakened, the surprise attack would've surely proven fatal for the grief-stricken Hei.

Nimura, for her part, was the target of 10 mini-missiles that suddenly were sent roaring after her. With no sufficient distance to shoot them down, no time to have extra covering fire with deployed drones, the sprite lifted her shield and jumped back while balling up. Wrenching missile impacts ripped through her barrier and battered her armor in the light red zones.

Nimura was sent into a clumsy backward somersault with armor shards raining around her before she ended up on an unsteady kneeling crouch. She had lost both her bazookas, her zesuaium shield had been chewed out at to the point where it was now next to useless and one shoulder wound had knifed through her Daisy armor's barrier system.

Through a Heads Up Display slightly flickering with static, Tsuya and Nimura both saw their inverted opponent bared to light, standing on the ceiling: a Black Mindy power armor, with flame-retardant cape sweeping back from it. It was armed with an aetheric submachinegun and appeared to have an older aether saber-rifle model on a shoulder rack. Its right zesuaium kneeblade was sticky from Masako's blood and brain juices, along with a few strands of black hair.

"Nimura, Tsuya... flee to the Hangar!" Hinoto ordered them franctically. "Sigurd is there, and I'm having Mara power up her Fox shuttle to help!"

 

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Tsuya's vision ran red, and her blood flowed like lava through her veins. It was all she could do not to leap up to the ceiling and tear the life out of the Black Mindy with her bare armored hands. She simply chucked the shattered remnants of her bazooka at the armor with a last fit of pique before turning and fleeing, tears of rage and shame spilling down her cheeks as she coasted as fast as she could above the floor. I will kill you, she thought.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

The Black Mindy went in hot pursuit of the fleeing Tsuya, her aether submachinegun drilling holes in the metal flooring behind her, but Tsuya's antagonist was stopped short by Nimura whom flipped overto the ceiling to intercept her.

After Nimura's initial discharge of her plasma rifle, which was a near-miss, it went into close quarter combat. The Black Mindy charged in with a kneeblade leading that Nimura batted away with her zesuaium shield, but the shock caused the anchor of the shield to break.

As the ruined shield fell 'up' toward the floor, Nimura sent a punch crashing for the Mindy's head, but like water the black power armor flowed around the blow and spun to slice at the Daisy's helmet with a folded elbow. Nimura jumped back too late to avoid the deadly attack, but not well enough to entirely avoid it: the zesuaium elbowblade sliced into her chest.

"Ack!" The sound came unbidden to Nimura's mouth, thanks to air blasting out of her lungs. Before she could pry herself away, the Black Mindy followed up with a kneeblade that pierced her in the guts. "Arrgh!"

She wrenched herself away by canceling out her anti-gravity to sent her Daisy falling back with the station's gravity, but not fast enough for the Black Mindy not to drop along with her. just as soon as Nimura had touched down, the Black Mindy followed up and tackled her in the back, the sharp spikes on the Black Mindy's shoulderpads crunching through the remains of a bazooka to then crack into a shoulderblade.

Breath rattling and eyes wide, the sprite went for a spur of gravimetric speed and shot into the corridor after Tsuya. Tenaciously, the Black Mindy clung to her, not letting go until finally the corridor opened up into the shuttle hangar.

Grunting, Nimura dived for the floor and both armors crashed into a tumble with Nimura ending up under and the black mindy armor above... until one pulse of Sigurd's inbuilt palm energy weapon smacked the Black Mindy off Nimura's back... far enough for Mara's Fox shuttle - now hovering in the middle of the hangar bay - to turn her aether guns on the enemy and fire.

Aether slashed at Meni, the aether submachinegun-toting nekovalkyrja from before, but before lasting harm could be dealt to her Black Mindy, she escaped in the crackle of her activated back-mounted double teleportation unit.

Nimura removed her helmet and chucked it away before going on all fours, dry heaving.

 

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Nimura-hei!" Tsuya stopped in her pursuit of safety and knelt on the floor, putting one hand on the sprite's back. "...are you alright?"

Her internal dialogue was much different, though. I am a coward, she thought. I should have fought the Mindy. I should be stabbed, not her. The young armor pilot's hand slowly moved up and down Nimura's back, trying to soothe her even through the Daisy. "...we can rest a moment, now, Nimura-hei..."

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton was growing more impatient for updates on the status of the Armor teams. Now that they were facing hostiles of formidable ability he was more concerned than ever. He had tried to leave things in Masako's hands but she was dead now.

"Hinoto-san, what is the status of Kurohoshi's team? Transmit a feed on their status to me." he asked as the nurse began finishing up on his wounds.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Gate's Hangar:

Still dry heaving, with rivulets of hemosynthetic blood leaking down her power armor, Nimura telepathically told Tsuya: "Composite Yamataium requires time to regenerate. This Daisy armor is out of the fight until it recovers sufficiently, else it will be destroyed."

Every breath seemed painful for the dark-haired sprite. "I will need my shield array repaired as well. It was damaged when we were ambushed."

@Nyton and Miyoko:

A volumetric window opened up showing Hinoto's from shoulders up. "Kurohoshi team is now in the hangar. I'm giving you a replay of events since the Juni's death."

Another volumetric window opened up, replaying the recorded events from Nimura and Tsuya's perspective how the battle against the nekomachina ended up to Meni's ambush, Meni's short scuffle against Nimura and finally her close escape from Mara's Fox shuttle.

"They are teleporting too often and breaking the laws of averages," Hinoto confided to Nyton. "It's my assumption that since their last stop at Bowhordia, they found a way to adapt their double-teleportation units to be functional within the expanse with lesser risks than ours."

 

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"They could bring you another Daisy along with Kurohoshi-juni's replacement," Tsuya transmitted in return. "And new bazookas for the both of us."

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton observed every moment carefully and listened to Hinoto's analysis to better understand the situation. He realized that the enemy had been busily perfecting their technology. "Hinoto see if you can analyze the energy readings of every teleportation they have committed. See if you can gauge their parameters. And did the self destruct of Kurohoshi's suit catch anyone or are you still waiting for an opportunity?"

He then opened communication to the Armorers again. "We need two more DAISY suits ready. We have two severely damaged suits we may need repaired immediately if possible." he said and sent the condition data of Nimura and Tsuya's suits before turning to the medical staff. Nyton began to wonder if they were going to have enough armor to last. Maybe the PHALANX platform could generate more suits if they began to fall short.

"We need a medical team sent down to the hangar to receive two injured personnel. Nimura has suffered severe trauma in the midsection, Tsuya has taken multiple strikes all over her upper torso. Clear your selection through Sanjuro-Heisho and go meet them in the shuttle bay immediately! And hurry up on reviving Kurohoshi-Juni." Nyton then ordered. The nurse finished cleaning him up and disinfecting him so he stood up and began to get dressed.

"Saito-Heisho, once you are done here you need to return the bridge and let the Taisa know I will be joining Hinoto at the sensor dome to assist in coordinating the Armor teams. You will have tactical while I take command of Armor operations. At least until Kurohoshi-Juni is revived." he then added to her.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Hinoto considered Nyton's words and then returned her attention to Tsuya and Nimura. "Yamada, Nimura: once we get an update on Nakamura team we'll see if we can get you both back of the ship so we can treat your wounds and have you switch armors."

"Acknowledged," Nimura sent back. She reached out to grab her helmet and laboriously stood up.

 

[Doshii Jun]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Yukari clicked the hammer to half-cock and spun the cylinder.

The "zizzzzzzzzzzz" sound from her revolver was good to hear. No damage to it from her being hurled back into the main screen.

She clicked the hammer to full-cock. The cylinder stopped on the empty chamber, with the next empty chamber to follow. She nodded.

Yukari plucked two fresh rounds from the far left end of her cartridge holder, and held them between her teeth. She let the hammer back down to half cock using two hands, then rotated the cylinder until an empty chamber was faced with the open loading door. She slipped one of the silver-colored cartridges into the chamber, rotated the cylinder another click and loaded the other round. She gently pushed the door shut until it clacked.

The two half-used rounds were placed top-up in the ammunition box in her drawer. She took two fresh rounds and slipped them into the cartridge carrier, then shut her drawer.

Yukari slipped the gun back in its holster, and checked her Type 28 NSP. It was set to "heavy."

She had not changed into a new uniform. Since there were still pieces of glass and plastic embedded in her back, Yukari folded the sweater part of one of her Type 30B uniforms. She was ready to discard the shredded one she wore, along with the top half of her stretchsuit; she kept the bottoms and folded a civilian, black hemp turtleneck beneath the sweater; it would be a bit more comfortable than the stretchsuit, anyway.

Her mind rested on tactics. How she would outmaneuver five Sakura gunships while providing others opportunities to kill them. Slides, sudden stops, jamming turns, spirals to the Gate, using the Gate for cover, slipping in and out of stealth ... plenty of tricks to be employed. Yukari believed she needed every one of them.

Kotori was kept at bay. The Empress Kotori, the Goddess of Victory. Kotori, the Taisa, the Signaler of Eve's demise, she wondered about as she left her room. Did she still vividly remember the Sakura Dare Party where Yukari had been forced to kiss the tip of her retainer's ahem? Or when the Hime-sama Hanako had yelled at her? Yukari believed the Taisa would remember those things, but would feel bad about them. Miserable, even. She was not a care-free Hei, or even a budding Taii.

She was a kind of bitter extreme of the Nekovalkyrja "weapon," but not even an active, conscious weapon; she was a tool, a failsafe, an automatic setting. How did it feel to her, she wondered.

How did it feel to kill her other self?

Yukari pushed those thoughts away as she walked to the medical bay. She had wasted enough time playing with guns and clothes. When she walked in and saw a hemosynth tube active, not to mention the hustle and bustle of the poor nurses, she had a good idea of what happened.

She did not say anything and did not hear Nyton's last orders. Instead, she waited by the doorway. Miharu was already silently feeding her the news.

 

[PlaidMage]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Hai," Tsuya sent back to Hinoto. She stood with Nimura, frowning deeply inside her helmet.

 

[Tom]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

The rotating door of bridge members coming and going left Tom little time to reply, and he had remained silent after the arrival of Miyoko and Nyton to turn around and remove the plating covering one of the damaged bridge consoles.

Then, Kotori ordered both of them off and they were alone again.

"It was necessary," Tom said, still looking down at the console as he began replacing wiring. His voice lacked spirit. "The costs were necessary. Everything was necessary."

------------

"I can shut down the coolant flow to this pipe so that you may work," Miharu offered to Rin. "But you'll only have 52 seconds before the risks of damage to the CFS become real. If you do not patch the hole up by then, the pressure of the pent up steam will likely cause the pipe to rupture."

Rin could imagine the scenario; hot steam shooting out like a razor, slicing into her before the overwhelming pressure of it all caused a minor explosion in the immediate area.

 

[Aendri]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Kyou struggled back to her feet, panting a bit. She'd known she'd get hit by her own assault, but it hadn't hit quite as hard as she'd expected. She quickly got hold of her weapon again, and launched a pair of incendiary grenades straight into the blob of the reforming NH-18. "Watch out, even a pair of heavy pulses don't completely disable them." Seeing as her shields had held (for now), she decided against using her capacitor just yet. No telling how hard the nano-machine creature would hit her next.

 

[CadetNewb]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nao's situation was troublesome as well, but for different reasons. The battle had caused several power cables to split and dance across the floor. That wasn't the big problem, however. One of the large feeder cables to the CFS had suffered a cut, causing streaks of conductive energy to make contact with the surrounding metal. Aside from the obvious waste in efficiency this problem posed, if any of that energy were to travel and make contact with nearby consoles, the resulting surges would cause havok.

--------

She slumped down into a chair, the sprite's heart was still pounding hard, blood flowing through her veins. Even her fingertips stung a little from the violent flow, but that drama was over and the rush was fading. Of course, there was always something else. Nao's ears picked something out of the ordinary, and she slowly got up to take a look; she almost swore. The sprite quickly figured out which feeder cable it was, had the power diverted from the damaged section, and did her best to evenly distribute the contents through the others. She contacted Miharu.

"I've rerouted power away from a damaged feeder cable leading to my CFS; how is the rest of the grid handling this?" She couldn't help but bit her lip and pace worriedly.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Nakamura Team:

Asher and Kai's combined fire into the NH-18 nearest to them was enough to turn in into a dark stain against the floor.

Asher raced after Kyou, but it seemed the young nekos had things well in hand: her NH-18 was burning merrily from two well placed incendiary grenades and it looked too damaged to make any recoveries.

That section of their assigned segment was secure. Now, what was left was to deal with the consequences of Kurohoshi's death.

"Nakamura team, I see you have no wounded. Claymere-Taii has ordered the extraction of the survivors of the Kurohoshi team," soft-spoken mission controller Hinoto told them. "The Taii will shortly join me for mission control and provide you with your next assignment. Until then, please return to the shuttle hangar."

* * *

@Miharu's bridge:

Kotori was silent a moment before answering Tom with: "If it was necessary, Tom, why is your voice so deadened? We defeated ten ships out of Eve's sixteen and we are - given a second wind - not much worse for the wear."

"The soldier in you could be happy about the victory," the Taisa continued. "But Yukari's Tom could be angry at the unfairness of it all. Despite me leaving hints behind, I went so far as to trick my own crew so that they would feel what I wanted our empath opponent to know. I intentionally had the ship sabotaged. You would've only known about what was going on and agreed to the ship's surrender if you had seen the empty hemosynthetic tank."

"Why did you, during a crisis, go to see the NH-23's abode, Tom? What did you want to do?" she pressed.