RP: YSS Miharu Mission 5, Part 2: The Fight For The Lost

@Masako:

"There is a Daisy in the port armor bay that you can commandeer, Kurohoshi-Juni," Hoshi's AI answered Masako. "Many sprites are already suited up and at the rear arch, where Mara-Shoi organized them into a defense line. They are presently fortifying that position in preparation for enemy attack."

Nyton had sworn he would mourn Miharu later but Mara's words sparked strong emotions in him. It was almost impossible to keep it in check now though because Miharu had not just been his ship's MEGAMI. She had been a friend, ally, and savior. They had debated and bickered. She had even gone so far as to prank and taunt him. As far as he was concerned Miharu had been as alive and real as any Nepleslian he knew. They had to succeed. They had to live. Miharu deserved no less.

"If Miharu were still here, she would tell you: You are my pride and my joy. I believe in you," Mara telepathically transmitted to them. "We will keep the candle burning for you, Black Knights. Farewell."

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"Sheesh babe, y'actin' like someone's gunna' die here." was Asher's immediate response as the distorted view of his armor became slightly more visible by a rapid turn of his head back toward their insertion point. From the way the camouflage figure reflected the surroundings around him, it appeared he was shaking his head. "I'll bring ya back a'souvenir."

The soldier turned his head back forth, looking up at the three passageways that they could access to move forth. Since he hadn't received any direction to move forward, he simply raised a finger and began to point at each individual entrance in succession. "Eanie, meanie, miney, mo, catch a mishhu by tha' toe, if he rapes ya, kill'em dead, eanie. Meanie. Miney. Moe!"

His finger had stopped on the first entrance, but something felt foreboding about it. "Eh..." He continued to point in succession starting with the first again, "My motha' told me t'kill tha' very biggest one, an' you. are. it!" His finger landed towards the middle passage. "Huh, y'think we should go that way?

Hinoto said:

"Knight Leader, there are three passages in the chamber ahead. Lead your team through the upper one," Hinoto instructed Yukari over a new encrypted channel. "The next hub point will be 75 meters beyond."

"Be adviced: we've recovered from the collision and got organized, so, I expect the same from the Mishhuvurthyar soldiers. You are likely to run into areas where the enemy soldiers will gather to strike at Hoshi. Use stealth and do not engage. Also, the larger Type 1 Mishhu is not your only worry; there are smaller bug and worm types whom will be harder to notice in the muck. Be sure not to touch walls or otherwise draw attention to yourselves. If even one of them locates you, their bigger cousins are likely to converge on you."

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"Acknowledged," Yukari said, a part of her mind stuck on the words "Knight Leader." That title rightly belonged to Nyton, Masako or Kai. Yet there she was, doing the leading, when she was not an infantry trooper.

Mara's words did not soothe her, but there was no time. Never enough time.

Her own armor fading into the same ugly background as she reiterated, over everyone's screens, which path to take. "Upper passage, hurry!"

She lifted off from the ground. "Maintain speed of 30 kph within wedge formation; combat engineers form the center, infantry along the edges. Keep watch for enemy units! Nekovalkyrja, attune the sensors of your armor to detect movement along the walls. Yamataians, you will receive their data from Freeman or myself." Her machine pistol felt heavy, even if it hardly weighed anything at all in her armor. Yukari turned herself around, facing the rear. She was glad she could watch two directions at once with the Daisy's sensor system.

The layout of the ship rebounded inside her head. Cover will be very hard to come by. I must remember to fall into prone position mid-air if necessary.

"Eh? H- hai! Arigatou, Shosa," Rin replied, getting into her position near Tom. The change in decision surprised her, and she briefly wondered what had made Yukari change her mind, but the sprite quickly discarded the mental query. There were more important things to worry about. She quickly double-checked physically, and then she triple-checked with the AIES that everything was in working order, as she wrote out a response to Tom.


Then the sprite went about sending Mara an apology: "Gomen, Mara-Nee-chan, but I feel like I have to do this. At least you have Nimura-Nee-chan with you. She'll make up for anyone who's missing. ...Good luck."

Finally the orders. Rin did as she was instructed, prioritizing movement detection within the Daisy's sensors. She then followed the others' leads by lifting off the ground and activating her camouflage, fading away.

kai said:

"Yuzuki-Heisho, Stick with me, I will help you through the battle" Kai sent telepathically, knowing that the sprite may have been a top-notch engineer, but was not necessarily the best combatant, mostly from lack of experience.

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Yuzuki nodded in reply - a motion which Kai likely wouldn't see anyway- and engaged her anti-gravity to take her place a meter or so away from Kai to the right flank. The APR held at a loose ready, the engineer tried to keep herself from jumping at little movements inside the enemy ship. Something in the back of her mind warned her that fire control would be cruicial in the upcoming battle; firing at everything that moved was not only inefficient, it was downright stupid and could potentially endanger the entire armor team.

So, she strained herself to the very edge of her nerves, watching all directions at once, determined that this - her last act on behalf of the Miharu - would count for something. They would pay, very dearly. Yuzuki just had to survive long enough for vengance.

Tom nodded in affirmative at Yukari's direction and took his place in the wedge formation, on the center-right side of the wing. He paid careful attention to his sensor unit, just in case enemy movement was detected nearby.

Game time. was Asher's thought as his gravimetric propulsion system kicked in. He silently lifted up into the air, generating not even the slightest sound as hovered he for a moment, before taking the lead into the upper tunnel. While doing so, he kept his mind on his spacing and speed, making sure not to cut too far ahead of the rest.

@black Knights:

The Black Knights departed with Asher in the lead, flying up through a tubular ribbed corridor. The organic cast of the ship's interior, with slick and moist surfaces, evoked the impression of navigating through the veins of some gargantuan living creature.

The next large chamber they spied had no discernable top or bottom; it was a cavernous room from which a cluster of other passages extended out, again bringing alveola-structures to mind. At the hub center of that area resided a horde of Mishhuvurthyar.

Most - around sixty - were hovering into groups of five, the drooping jellyfish-like tentacles coiled around a foursome of what looked like anti-mecha railgun weapons while other tentacles were tipped with wicked bladed caps to help cut through the opposition they would not be able to subdue with their venomed stingers alone. These were easy to identify as battle-ready soldiers, organized but all itching for an obviously impending fight.

A handful of Mishhuvurthyar were against the walls, their greenish shells resting into white-slime that brought to mind a heterogenous mix of sticky melted cheese and very curdled milk. Likely 'workers' wounded when the light cruiser had collided into their flagship, there Mishhu writhed slightly as smaller bugs and worms were piecing them apart, devouring them alive.

Apparently, Mishhu whom were too wounded to regenerate did not benefit from medical aid.

As the Black Knights took the scene in, more Mishhuvurthyar steadily hovered into the chamber to join with the gathered soldiers. They would be a hundred-strong soon, and the same was likely happening in the two other adjacent chambers to the one that was Miharu's entry point.

"Too much traffic, too risky to head there straight..." Hinoto spoke, dismay in her voice. The place was indeed getting very crowded, and it wouldn't be long until the assembled horde rushed out in massive waves or attackers to try and overwhelm Hoshi's defense line.

"We'll have to make make a detour. Knight Leader, follow the tunnel that's at Bearing 290 Mark 50," the mission operator then instructed, indicating to Yukari to select the tunnel that was 70 degrees left and 50 degrees up from their position.

Yukari had to take deep breaths to avoid becoming impulsive over what the group saw. So many Mishhu ... all prepared to rush Hoshi and her few defenders. Even with their fortifications, could they survive this kind of onslaught?

She raised her gaze toward the tunnel highlighted on her HUD. She highlighted it on everyone else's screens, too.

"Keep moving," she said. As bodies pile up before the defenders, the enemy will have a difficult time reaching Hoshi. That will help.

Kai gripped the LASR in his hands, tempted to open fire, but he knew to hold it. Kai was surprised Asher had not yet opened up the bloodshed- perhaps the promise of even bigger prey kept him moving on without making impulsive decisions.

Kai kept watch on the Mark that described Yuzuki on his HUD- He had promised to keep the engineer safe, and he didn't feel like breaking a promise, seeing as, as far as this Kai Nakamura knew, he had never broken a promise.

In any case, he continued to follow the directions relayed to him by Suzuka Shosa, trusting to the directions Hinoto was devising from the Hoshi's Sensors.

"Thank you," Masako replied to both sisters as she used them to steady herself enough to smile at Ayumu encouragingly. After receiving the report, the young Warrant Officer pursed her lips in thought. A Daisy was all she needed to be honest. They needed their best Armors to assault Melission's vessel rather than protect the Hoshi. A quick access of the ships database also told her the worst of the situation. Miharu was dead. It felt as if she had been punched in the gut, but her digital mind decided repression of the pain would be best at the moment. If any enemies got past Nyton's Force, she would need all of her concentration to hold back any assault to come.

After a moment, Masako nodded and gently removed herself from the Sister's hold. "I'm fine now, just needed to steady myself," she explained while hiding how much pain she felt just speaking. "Shizuka-san...Akiko-san, Ayumu-san may need all the help she can get, but we also need every available personnel on the Defensive Line. It's up to you which one you chose," she told them both before patting them on the shoulder with a smile and heading off to the Port Armor Bay to suit up.

Asher looked up at the tunnel that Yukari had pinged for the squad. He nodded, and began to lift himself toward it. Turning his head around left, and right. Though, thanks to his AIES, he got a taste of the all-encompassing vision that the nekos on their squad. Despite being the resident gun-nutty, blood-lusting, crazy, two steps from jigokukaze dynamo he was seen as, he would seem surprisingly quiet.

Kai was surprised Asher had not yet opened up the bloodshed- perhaps the promise of even bigger prey kept him moving on without making impulsive decisions.

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I'm right behind, en-ah-me lines! I'm right behind, en-ah-me lines! I'm right behind, en-ah-me lines! And boy it feels good! Hey! Ya-da da-da da-da da da! sung Asher in his head as he snuck along.

Tom followed Yukari's instructions, paying as little attention to the growing horde below as he could.

In all honesty, the situation seemed strangely familiar to the time he spent stranded on Bowhordia. He was once again deep within enemy territory, surrounded by enemies and had to rely on stealth to survive. The biggest difference, in this case, was the type of stealth he had to use.

Judging by the cannibalism Mishu employed on themselves, playing dead wouldn't work here.

With Masako up and moving towards the Armor bay Ayumu could finally respond to Miyoko's request.

"Kurohoshi-Juni is conscious and getting armed, Saito-Juni. You may contact her directly if you wish." Ayumu replied while working to get the medical center back together.

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Shizuka looked down and sighed. "I don't know if I have what it takes to be a soldier after all, Kurohoshi-Juni, but I would like to go with you and support you however I can. Maybe I can do better this time."

Akiko just nodded along, obviously in much better straits after seeing her sister and Masako wake up.

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Nyton flew along the heading Hinoto had directed, keeping himself in position with the formation. Slipping past the enemy would be tricky given the obstacles but he stayed alert so as not to tread over anything that might give them away. Seeing the Mishhu eating each other was somewhat disgusting but he couldn't help feel a bit of satisfaction. He couldn't wait to destroy the entire ship full of these monsters. With calm precision he continued to scan about while they moved out. It would be just a matter of time before something needed him to shoot it. No need to rush.

Kyou stayed close on Asher's flank, gripping her LASR tightly to keep from "accidentally" opening fire. Even if she hadn't been on the ship for long, she still didn't want to leave anyone to deal with a fight like that, regardless of possible advantages. She kept her eyes on the soldiers as they moved on anyway, just in case they were caught somehow.

Oh the temptation to just massacre those Misshu definitely graced Rin's thoughts as she followed the others toward the designated tunnel. Normally, she would be rather scared, but then these weren't normal circumstances. She had keep her focus on the big prize of Melisson, the one who ultimately had killed Miharu. She could afford no screw ups if she wanted to achieve that goal.

Nyton said:

With Masako up and moving towards the Armor bay Ayumu could finally respond to Miyoko's request.

"Kurohoshi-Juni is conscious and getting armed, Saito-Juni. You may contact her directly if you wish." Ayumu replied while working to get the medical center back together.

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"Thank you," Miyoko sent back to Ayumu.

Miyoko glanced toward the door of the bridge, her grip on her gun shifting nervously.

"Kurohoshi-juni, it's Saito. Most of the officers went on the away team, and the Taisa is out of it trying to hold Melisson's mental powers off. I'm afraid nobody is leading the defenders, though Mara should be on the ship somewhere. If you're in any shape to try, I can coordinate and feed you information from the bridge if needed... I should get an armor, myself, if there are any left, but I'm afraid to leave Ketsurui-Taisa here alone without knowing if there are other defenders nearby."

@black Knights:

Tense and knowing that any mistake could bring down the ire of the horde upon them, the power armor team flew into the passage Hinoto had pointed them to.

A handful of Mishhuvurthyar soldiers flew opposite to them in the tunnel-like passage, but they were alert and parted around them. Still ignorant of their close brush with them, the five Mishhu squad joined the rest of the gathering.

The next chamber they arrived into was different in structure, with dodecahedron-like shaped embedded in the outer walls and hexagonal-plates here and there besides much larger machinery. From what the techs in the team could surmise, it looked like part of a ammunition loading assembly - perhaps one of the Shlarvasseroth's seventeen forward torpedo launchers.

Fewer Mishhuvurthyar were present in the room (other than passerbyes whom were joining the warriors in the previous chamber). About half-a-dozen type 1s were present, unarmed and perhaps more tech-savvy considering the tools left lying on some of the hexagonal platform by them (perhaps those were some form of grav-plate). Some attended the machinery, other the dodecahedron - the latter apparently consoles judging from the volumetric displays that spread around the interacted-with surfaces.

There were fewer passages going in this hub. "Take the passage that's straight up," Hinoto quickly supplied before asking: "Shosa, I'm confident I can lead you around longer but safer detours, but we at Hoshi won't be able to hold very long against these kinds of numbers. Are you willing to have your team risk fighting to gain access to an elevator?"

As Masako headed towards the Armor Bay, her turned her head back to look over her shoulder. She stayed quite for a moment before entering through the Decontamination Room. "I know you will be able to," she responded. "After all, you have comrades here that will help you," the Warrant Officer stated as she spotted the Daisy in question.

"If you're serious about helping, then find an Armor or Weapon." Masako said a bit more firmly now as she mentally prepared herself. Pulling the hospital gown off her body, she removed the helmet of the Daisy to open it up. Using her inertial flight, she slowly slid herself into the Daisy and allowed it to close around her. She left her helmet off for the moment as she began to respond to Miyoko.

"Once I get up to the Bridge, come down and grab any available weaponry and armor that are left," she transmitted. "I'll protect the Taisa until you get back."

After a moment of silence to transmit that message, Masako began to arm herself. A single 50mm Bazooka and two LASRs (one with a SLAG and one without) as well as much ammunition as she could carry. "I won't head to the Defensive Line just yet," Masako stated calmly. "If you two want to go ahead, that's fine."