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

[CadetNewb]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nao replaced the last burned out wire as Tom's message arrived. Yes, he wanted something done, but what? All the things she had in mind were not the best options. It was like choosing between the lesser of many evils. They were all evil in her personal opinion; they were all slapdash and sloppy, not providing a more lasting solution. Then again, it was her job to make any repairs necessary, regardless of nature.

Freeman Juni, I recommend we shunt the workload to the Starboard Gravimetric Engine, just enough to keep this Portside engine's temperature from rising any further. However, if any more engines proceed to overheat like this, we may have to reduce output. This is the best I can come up with.

- Nao

Right now, Nao loved and hated her job.

 

[Rabbit Eclair]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Try shrugging it off now, Miyoko railed spitefully at the Tamamo in her head--after the relatively prolonged and eventful battle, she just wanted the ship gone so that she could relax, if only for a few minutes before the Takumi joined the fray. Now that its shields were down, she engaged the graviton beams again, doing her best to hold it in place for the abuse Nyton was intent on giving to it.

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Miharu Medical Center

"Alright I've shut down the holding facilities and we've consolidated supplies." Azumi, the blonde nurse in training told her senior.

"Those specification should be close enough. Power has been sufficiently reduced to continue current medical activities while minimizing consumption. At least we get to keep life support." Ayumu replied. With a sigh she keyed in the reduced functions to the computer. The medlab dimmed a bit while unused consoles grew silent.

"I will let the Heisho know that we are done shunting power here. Fortunately we can reactivate things if a medical emergency warrants it. Still I wish there was more we could do to assist. This isn't much but the ship could use all the power it can get." Ayumu said before walking over to find Sanjuro and give her report.

Azumi, being left in the nearly darkened lab let out a deep breath before looking down. "Please hold on Miharu-san." she said before returning to monitoring her only patient.

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

Miharu Galley

"Food and other perishables are in storage!"

"Get that equipment stowed!"

"Is everyone in an AMES suit yet?"

"Almost done!"

The various sprites and crew who tended to the galley and other caretaking needs of the ship rushed about to finish securing objects. With food supplies being an important resource the crew took care to ensure it had all been stored properly. Other pieces of equipment were put away in more secure containers than their ready use ones in preparation for what was about to happen. Shinobu had finished helping Akiko put on her helmet when the announcement was made.

"Get ready to shut down all unnecessary functions! We will be losing life support and gravity in two minutes! Extra power is to be shifted to the rest of the ship for continued combat operations!"

"Onechan, are we going to be alright?" Akiko asked.

"Of course Akiko-chan. We'll be through this soon." reassured the elder sister Shizuka.

With that the lights dimmed, gravity was gone and the temperatures dropped. That which would be affected by the sudden change in atmosphere was put away and nothing free floated save the odd sprite who decided to play in the free fall. More power was sent to the ship.

 

[Fred]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Miharu:

Making an FTL maneuver inside an expanding subspace detonation had the downside of crippling Miharu's FTL propulsion and shielding.

Fortunately, having those systems shutdown for a rough twenty seconds would not be much of an hindrance. With Miyoko freezing Tamamo in place with a well-timed activation of a few graviton projectors before the light gunship could engine its sublight engines to get away, Nyton benefited from an immobile target at relatively close range.

Four cobalt lightning strikes in close succession spelled the Tamamo's doom. One crunched into the bridge, the next through the bridge's flooring and into the armored compartment of the MEGAMI computer, the third speared into the engineering deck and the fourth caused an anti-matter explosion inside the guts of the ship.

The said explosion withered most of the Sakura-class' central supports, with the vessel's superstructure withering before bursting apart. Some of that flying debris had enough sizeand momentum to possibly harm Miharu, but Miyoko had that end covered as she deftly deflected the flying debris with the graviton beams she still had active.

The Koyryu squadron was destroyed.

"...and five." Miharu's AI said aloud. "We're way past three gunships and I still look shy of an abstract piece of metalwork. It would appear that human misjudgment defy the predictive models of simulations between AI weapons." She paused and brightly concluded: "Good for me!"

A volumetric window appeared, putting Hinoto on display. "The communication jamming has cleared up. I am renewing PANTHEON link with the Black Knights."

* * *

@Amaya's Gate:

Wading through a corridor filled with waves upon waves of pincer-tipped tentacles was something of a nightmarish experience for most (barring Asher, whom might take perverse delight in inching his way through, and Nimura whom was hard-pressed to feel anything).

Even shooting off the deadly pincered ends of the tentacles didn't eliminate how they impeded them seeing the articulated metal tentacles themselves could also whip at them with all the gentleness of a mythical oni's greatclub.

The Black Knights dipped and weaved, fired left and right, tossed out missiles that wreathed explosions in their wake to finally emerge into the main corridor just under the mishhumachina that had blockaded them.

Though they had mostly obliterated the ten tentacles in their path by now, the mishhumachina still had twenty others that it was turning to bear on them, energy pulses from the quad-NSP-style guns on each threatening to spray over them while power arced between each pincers in preparation of them shooting out aetheric beams. Perhaps more alarming, though, was the undermaw of the mishhumachina which flared with lurid red light as it made to discharge its deadly plasma payload.

Kai remembered how that weapon had smelted the thick metal flooring of the Bowhordia outpost by a good two-feet. Sticking around was not a good idea.

100 meters clockwise through the main corridor was the hangar the Taisa had ordered them to reach. By that entry was a second mishhumachina - the one that had attacked Mara shuttle.

And 50 meters through the main corridor counter-clockwise was the third mishhumachina which had blockaded the power control room with the two NH-18 they had been at minutes before.

 

[Doshii Jun]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Celebrations could wait. Orders were needed.

"Thank you, Hinoto-san. Tell the Taisa we are coming."

"Taii, the Taisa requested you join her, in power armor, at the Gate," Yukari said, kicking up the gravimetric engines and shooting Miharu back toward the Gate. "We will handle Takumi. She needs you."

"Juni-san, take Ichigo and prepare to be dropped off at the Gate," Yukari sent. "The Taisa requests more combatants to fight the enemy there."

"Heisho-san, please start examining Takumi on long-range scanners," she said to Miyoko without looking at her. We need to determine her weakest points, as well as where her vital systems could be located."

Yukari was able to telepathically write out a message for Yuzuki as she piloted Miharu.

Yuzuki-san, in order to delay Takumi's arrival at the Gate, I must interdict her and stay ahead of her. Her CDD speed is 18,500 c, however, so I must push Miharu's CFS units faster than their specifications allow. Examine the units and give me a report on the feasibility of that plan. I need it within two minutes.

 

[Tom]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Freeman Juni, I recommend we shunt the workload to the Starboard Gravimetric Engine, just enough to keep this Portside engine's temperature from rising any further. However, if any more engines proceed to overheat like this, we may have to reduce output. This is the best I can come up with.

- Nao

Tom sent his reply to Nao. A volumetric window popped up next to the sprite.

"We've got a brief opportunity now to let the engine recoverr, but we'll be entering combat again soon. Upon the Shosa's confirmation, reduce output and give that engine time to cool down.

Ichigo and I will be going down to support the mission. Yuzuki-Heisho is your direct superior until I return."

The window closed. As he ran to the armory to gear up on whatever supplies Miharu could provide for him, he was issuing commands.

First, to Yuzuki

Ichigo and I are going down to support the armor teams. You're in charge now. I know you're up to it.

Make me proud,

=Freeman-Juni

The text message finished, he sent all the relevant repair information down to his 2nd in command.

Ichigo met him on his way to the armory.

"Ok Ichigo, let's do this." It was all he could say, really. He felt the nervous excitement lump in his stomach. No matter how many times he did this, it never became routine for the engineer. He knew he was capable--the Bowhordia mission was fresh on his mind--but now, more than ever, he felt the enormity of what he was about to undertake.

Would this be the end of their mission? After this, after Amaya's gate was finally taken and Eve was brought down, would they be finished with their duty to the empire? It seemed that every day in space, doing ignoble deeds for a tainted empire, the weight of everything took him just a little farther away from home, from the memory of family and snow.

He thought of the words of the Taisa, how she struggled with the weight of her position and how she asked him to feel happy for the Miharu, happy for her and the others, happy at how they were finally succeeding at their mission. The fact was that, if it were possible, he would have abandoned himself to duty long ago, if only to relieve himself of this baggage and join in the camaraderie of his shipmates and the glory of victory.

But he couldn't. Those doubts, the clear cut vision of right and wrong... and the blurring of it. The man of integrity and the mission that dragged it through the mud. Sure, the rush of victory would drug him for a while, but the doubts always came back.

It was why he had to ask Yukari those hard questions. If he had ever completely surrendered to his duties, stopped having those doubts, he would not be the same man who had fallen in love with Yukari.

And Yukari saw that. Despite all the programming in her nekovalkyrja to the contrary, she saw beyond the mission. She saw Tom for who he was and accepted no substitute. It would be the man she fell in love with or nothing.

Knowing that gave Tom strength, more than he ever realized.

"Acknowleged. Yukari, I"m getting ready now. Please take care of the ship for us... I love you."

=====

@Rin

Eiko took Rin's hand and stood gingerly.

"No, really, I'll be able to heal this in a few minutes. Let's go report to Yuzuki. I'm sick of being useless right now."

Rin could see a genuine expression of hurt in the sprite's eyes before she turned away to walk, slowly and with painful steps, back to the subdeck.

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton was on a roll today and though Miharu cheered herself for the win he let her have it. She did after all possess the guns he was using. With a grin he nodded, "Good job, Miharu. That was a victory worthy of going down in history. I look forward to reviewing the feeds later." he said with a grin. The ship was then bearing back towards the Gate when he heard another set of orders.

"Taii, the Taisa requested you join her, in power armor, at the Gate. We will handle Takumi. She needs you."

Standing up Nyton couldn't help but feel another rush. It wasn't just combat that was beckoning but Kotori as well. "Roger that Shosa!" he said before moving quickly to depart the bridge. In a furious hustle the Nepleslian was now navigating his way down to the Armor bay as fast as he could while compensating for areas of the ship that had been reduced in ability.

When he arrived in the Armor bay there were still many workers going about their job. The one position of note however that he was focused on was the old familiar piece of hardware that he would now employ: the PHALANX generation pad.

Standing atop the pad activated it and the nanomachinery got to work creating his pre-programmed suit. Light swirled around him before dulling to form the armor. As the armor took shape from the ground up and solidified Nyton closed his eyes and smiled eagerly. Dark gray armor plating formed a solid array around the Nepleslian's body. Internal systems were quickly generated as the machinery created it's functions and came online. Already the OS was linking up with AIES per the customized system that allowed an NDI system to operate with Kessaku software. During their stopover at Ether he had spent hours configuring the Armor to operate properly along with a few adjustments.

That was but a fraction of the time he spent training in it. This would be the last time he would have access to the raw power the suit contained. With the reports of the NDI cutting off contact with this universe he wanted this final outing to be his greatest. As the suit completed itself the helmet came online and greeted Nyton.

Good day sir. I am receiving data feeds now. Today we will finally see battle. I look forward to spilling the blood of my enemies.

"I am glad to hear that Telemachus. Just try to stay on friendly terms with Miharu and we will do just that." Nyton replied to the Oracle Microsystems AI aboard his PHALANX. The OS had not been purchased through KFY channels and thus had to be reconfigured from scratch to cooperate better with Miharu. At best they had a pleasant 'working' relationship. It was an improvement to the onset when the two had an actual shouting match inside his helmet. The 'voice' was more masculine than the Daisy suit tended to be. Their training together had made the Combat Computer learn and grow accustomed to Nyton's fighting style. So much so that the man had come to name the suit and designate it his own. For at least as long as he was allowed to possess it.

No time to worry about that now though. Along with training he had also made certain to keep an ADN device on hand nearby to compensate for the suit's lack of an internal one. The Phoenix Arms EM-9L Carbine it was usually armed with was unavailable so he grabbed a LASR and loaded it with HE rounds and the SLAG with High Explosive/Incendiary. He quickly slung it and grabbed a gauss bazooka along with a magazine of Armor Piercing and High Explosive rounds. The bazooka he planned on giving to one of the other Armor team members though there was a chance he figured he may have to fire off a round before handing it off.

It was just after Nyton had finished arming himself that he spotted Tom and Ichigo arriving to arm their suits. Beneath the helmet which hid his face he smiled at their arrival. They had proven to be good comrades under fire. He looked forward to fighting alongside them as well.

"Better get a move on Freeman or I'll have the Gate under control by the time you finish getting loaded up." Nyton said over the suit's loudspeaker in good humor.

 

[Tom]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Tom and Ichigo, who were already in Daisy suits, were simply checking their armors and LASRs, making sure they were operating correctly.

Tom, who also grabbed a plasma rifle, simply nodded towards the Taii getting into the Phalanx.

"Yeah, and you just be careful," he shot back. "Or you'll end up with more than just a cut on your helmet this time."

The tactical drones were in order. So were the missiles. There wasn't much of anything left in the armory to grab as most of it was taken by the teams. He would have to make do with a LASR, plasma rifle, tactical drones, a couple extra clips of ammo, and the default missiles that came with his Daisy.

"How does our landing affect the chain of command? Are we to follow you, the Juni, or do something else?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Acknowleged. Yukari, I"m getting ready now. Please take care of the ship for us... I love you."

For the first time since the battle started, Yukari smiled. A little.

"She is safe in my hands," Yukari replied, a sweet tartness to her metallic voice. "I do have some experience with females, after all."

The gravimetric engines were already shut off, with Miharu coasting toward the Gate to give the units more time to cool. They had already reached top STL speed.

* * *

Ichigo was mostly silent after arming her LASR with AP rounds, since it would be all she had. She also secured an Armor Service PIstol, as it felt better to have a second gun on her back. Her helmet was already on her head, and she stood close to Tom.

 

[Kai]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

As Kai stared up into the maw of a Mishhumachina for the second time in his life, he paused, and quickly switched his Elliptoid shield out for the second plasma rifle he had brought with him. During the pause, half of his remaining minimissiles lit off and flew straight towards the giant plasma thrower, hoping to destroy it while it was open.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, MOVE DOWN THE DAMN CORRIDOR!" The Yamataian yelled, unloading with both of his weapons onto the enemy machina, before igniting his heavy fusion thrusters and blasting towards the hangar, flying backwards in an effort to draw the Mishhumachina's attention toward him- Probably not the best idea, but he figured it just might work.

 

[Nyton]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Nyton smiled in his helmet as he secured his weapons while Telemachus ran over final system checks. Tom would need all the spunk he had against Eve's forces again. "The Taisa will be there as well so it's likely she will be in command. Otherwise I'll take overall command and put you and Kurohoshi over a squad. We're working a lot closer together this time though since the corridor is more confined." Nyton replied, this time using the comm channel and opening a window to address Tom directly.

With all systems operational and ready Nyton contacted Yukari via another message window.

"Shosa, myself, Freeman, and Ichigo are set and awaiting your signal. Which launch bay are we clear to deploy from?" he asked as he got ready to move.

 

[Gallant]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Ichigo and I are going down to support the armor teams. You're in charge now. I know you're up to it.

Make me proud,

=Freeman-Juni

Here we go, again...

Good luck.  Say 'Hi', for me.

=Yuzuki

It was almost too much.

Yuzuki stood like a statue, her icy gaze hawklike as she watched the numbers and meters on all three of the screens in central engineering. For all the combat that the Miharu had gone through, barring the graze they had received to one of the engines, the engineering plant was still in relatively good condition. Although she was getting a few high temperature alarms in places where the grid was being taxed, and the shield drones - mostly controlled by tactical, but maintenanced and monitored from central control - were nearly depleated, the ship was in good condition and could probably pull through the path ahead, whatever that was.

It still made her nervous.

In the peaceful lull before the next storm, Yuzuki tucked her helmet under her arm, buried a hand in her hair, scratched her scalp where the helmet had been rubbing, and wondered nervously how Kai was doing. Suddenly she felt very guilty for letting him mess with his own power armor. Sure, he was infantry, but he didn't know what he was doing - not like she did. At least she should have looked over his modifications to make sure they were sound, or tested them, or something. What if he died, because of that? She could have done so much for him. The power armors they were using now were at least several months old and the rest of the Empire had come up with little improvements here and there. The parts lists weren't even the same anymore - some of the little nuts and bolts would have changed by now. Maybe there was a new alloy out, or some new configuration?

In her minds eye, she saw the little framed pictures of the man's family. She saw a smiling mother and father in some pretty place far-off, and wondered again what it must have been like. Was that 'real'? Was that what made you a 'person?' And the Juni - Was she really so low that the Juni pitied her? It was such a different world that other people grew up in, and it felt so out of reach. It was a bunch of clouds and smoke. She couldn't even grasp at it.

Thinking about it made her feel tired. There were too many things she didn't understand, and trying to comprehend all of it or even begin was taxing. And now was not the time to be thinking of things like that.

Tomorrow, she would give herself over to wishful thinking, if she still lived.

Today she turned to Rin and Eiko and asked, "What's it look like?"

 

[Doshii Jun]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

The ship was within power armor traveling range of the Gate within seconds.

Yukari's face appeared inside Nyton's helmet, a perfectly sized mugshot that talked. "Exit through Hoshi's auxiliary starboard bay as attached to Miharu. Prepare to arrive hot."

 

[Rabbit Eclair]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Heisho-san, please start examining Takumi on long-range scanners," she said to Miyoko without looking at her. We need to determine her weakest points, as well as where her vital systems could be located."

Miyoko nodded silently and set to work with the sensors, not being subtle about checking the ship for vulnerabilities. With the specifications of the Takumi-class cruiser and a general idea of how the Takumi itself had been refitted, she at least had some ideas of where to look. The normally relatively unarmored cargo bays had been converted to reactors, so those might be a prime target. The psionic amplifiers might be less heavily armored than the rest of the ship. These were the first places she checked, but the entire ship was subjected to as much scrutiny as she could put it under. Of course, that all hinged on managing to pierce the vessel's CFS.

 

[Tom]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Got it."

Tom nodded and was ready to go before he stopped suddenly and thought of one more thing. He quickly searched, and found, a spare toolkit, which he mounted onto the lower back of his Daisy.

"You never know when you need tools..." he muttered to nobody in particular.

One last run through diagnostics, and he was ready. He had extra SLAG grenades, a couple clips, the standard countermeasure missiles and a plasma rifle.

Pretty well-armored for what were the dregs of the equipment.

His helmeted head turned to address Ichigo.

"It never gets boring, does it? One moment you're an engineer, the next you're going on the attack."

 

[Aendri]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Kyou got herself mobile very quickly. She wasn't sure she remembered what exactly the glowing mouth thingy did, but she was very, very sure she didn't want to stick around to find out if it could be avoided, especially with three of the machina around. Deciding that the squad leader probably knew what he was doing, she added her Plasma Rifle and RGL fire to his fire as well.

 

[Tom]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

@Yuzuki

"It looks like I'm an idiot for getting stuck in a crawlspace," Eiko said, still clutching at the bleeding wound on her stomach. "But at least I have reliable sisters to make up for my mistakes."

She cast a smile at Rin with a wink.

"But, as for the s-ship," Eiko added with a wince. "We have some time to fix things! Your orders, Heisho?"

 

[Kyoki]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Rin frowned at Eiko's depression, but couldn't think of what to say. Then, before she knew it, she was back in the subdeck, reporting to Yuzuki.

Seeing as Eiko summed up the situation quite well, Rin patted the formerly-stuck sprite on the back, with a reassuring smile, as she nodded with the statement on being ready to get to work.

 

[Gallant]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

Yuzuki broke into an exausted smile, the chilly blue of her eyes softening with her expression. She dropped her hand from her hair, hooking a thumb in her belt instead as she turned back to the screens.

"I thought I told you all not to call me that," she said, though she wasn't angry, "Thank you for the report. Give me a second."

Shosa,

Regarding your last message - 

Currently, I have at least a dozen high temperature readings everywhere.  I realize that pushing the assemblies is necessary, but we are running out of coolant.  The equipment will not cool down if we keep taxing it like this and once we're out of coolant we have very few options.  Port Gravimetric is damaged and I can hear Starboard all the way up here.  

I can push them, but we're probably going to suffer damage.

Please do what you think is best.  We are standing by to redirect power.

Yuzuki sighed heavily.

"Mind if I ask a question?" Yuzuki said, taking her helmet in both hands and examining the inside of it. A few orange strands of hair had inevitably come loose, and she picked one of them out idly. Without waiting for an answer, she pressed on, "What do you two think of what Freeman-Juni said. About having dreams, and things."

 

[Kokuten]

Re: Mission 5: Amaya's Gate

"Ha ha ha ha! It's like a god damn roller coaster inside a haunted house!" Asher declared with glee as he pursued after his commander, his heavy fusion thrusters lighting up the hallway behind him. He twisted mid-air to unload two Gauss rounds into the Mishhumachina that both Kyou and Kai were assailing, and letting off a volley of missiles to hammer the others. Things were getting crazy, and Asher was reveling in all the explosions, death, and murderous aliens. The only thing that could make this situation a little better was if that Mindy pilot decided to come out for another fight.