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RP: NSS Acadia Mission 5: Quick Save

Zack

Inactive Member
The NSS SugarPea detacted from the NSS Asp after dropping off anyone who was still in uniform as it returned to the planet to drop off the remaining Nepleslian Senators. This left the marines standing in a big, white, airlock that opened out into this new starship. Infront of them was a 5”3’ female with black hair and a grey nepleslian uniform adorned with captain rank pins. She had in her hand an awesomecorp Datapad, but did not need to use it to hand out the marines orders.

“You are all being temporarily reassigned,” She explained, “And will form a mixed ground unit comprised of marines from the NSS Acadia and the Basic Training bases on Nepleslia. If you haven’t eaten proceed to Deck 3, Mess Hall for food. Within the next half hour you will need to report to the quartermaster behind me for a power armor. Requisition the equipment you need now to ensure it has been produced prior to our next operation. Expect to be deployed for combat duty within two hours.” After a short pause she would point to Ran, “And you will need to report to the bridge for a mission briefing.”

Directly behind the woman was the ship’s quartermaster’s office which consisted of a series of transparent vaults filled with a variety of weapons and gear ranging from explosives to rocket launchers, to nuclear weapons, narcotics, medicine, repair equipment, and anything one might need to run a small war. Beside these vaults was a small teller station with a work console and a chair that could be used for someone to sit in and take requests however instead of a person sitting there ready to accept orders there was a single junker drone. Its red eye was focused on the marines, its spherical body held up in place by various spindly arms that were holding onto the floor and walls. A small white paper hat on its head read ‘quartermaster’ in hastily scribbled black text.

Flanking this office on either side were two long rows of power armor nodes These long hallways each had numerous small garage areas on either side where hostile class power armors stood locked down and ready for use, various maintenance and safety gear within easy reach. A pair of Aggressor armors were also available. A free space had also been made available for the single power armored soldier who had been brought onboard. The only person there currently was a Nepleslian ID-Sol Sergeant lugging a large rifle over to one of the power armors. Once the woman had stopped talking he would raise one hand over his head, waving at the newcomers, shouting:

“HEY NEW GUYS! HOW’D THEY ROPE YOU INTO THIS SHIT?”
 
Luke entered the room, amazed by the intricate power armours in display. He particularly felt inclined to examine the Hostile-Class; he had read about the WATER power armour in his studies, and this was as close as he had ever been to one of them.

"They're a bit... bigger than I expected!" Luke said with amazement. Unsure how to address the ID-SOL that had just spoken to him, he replied a modest "ready to do my duty, sir!"

Luke recalled the last battle with some fear; he had expected to simply make a few repairs, but his vehicle was broken, and left stranded in a warzone.

"I hope that never happens again," Luke thought.
 
With his hand now fully healed by the medics upon arrival to the SugarPea and with the appearance of a female Nepleslian, Makari was in better spirits. He decided he would get some grub after he requisitioned his arsenal and power armor. Maybe meet some of this team during or after his meal.

He waved back and answered the Sergeant with a laugh, "Pure luck, and if I kick the bucket, pure misfortune. P3C Makari Aeron at your service."
He walked over to the array of weaponry and after a few moments asked "What kind of explosives do ya got? Any plastics? I do love explosives," he grinned, "oh, and I'd like a Hostile please. Any custom equipment on them that I should be aware of or are they standard fit?" He hoped for an FGL-01a.
 
Chad ignored the ID-SOL and walked to node, attached the AIR-R to all the designated wiring and cables, then dismounted his now personal PA. This was all done with the call from the back of his mind screaming "CIGARETTE!!!!". Chad grabbed a pack off the narcotics section of the rack and lit up quite hastily.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", he let out as the first wisp of nicotine leaden smoke left his lips. Then he sat down, right there on the floor in front of his AIR, admiring it. The elemental had felt right to Chad, much better than those cheap easily piloted Hostiles, and what would he do with an Aggressor. No, speed and percision where much more important than raw strength, and skill with a weapon had surpassed brute firepower. Just ask the three Rippers that were smoldering in front of the Senate building.

He brushed back his sweat covered blonde hair with a hand and spoke out to the computer in the node while taking another hit. "Node 420, refuel and repair PA AIR-R. Also reload and equip with a hip help LSP into the plate skirt. Replace all missing rounds for RAPTOR and oil all parts of armor." He paused to take another puff of the remainder of the cigarette and began to light the next with the cherry of the lit one. "Then fill FMD cases with half and half blue and black rounds." He watched the arms of the node shift and begin operations, and then walked off.

As he walked towards the direction of the mess hall he waved a hand at the ID-SOL and the two new guys that were saluting and talking about duty. Oh great. More boyscouts. And he proceeded to get some food.
 
Anselm trudged through his squadmates, a friendly glare all he felt like giving except to Chief Rui, to whom the short-statured ID-SOL gave a walking salute. The albino was clearly still not in his sorts as he wobbled every few steps, cursing the gall of the war gods to ever think of creating medics, still coming out from under the tranquilizer he'd been forcibly given in order to evacuate the stubborn and head-strong marine.

Storming over to an Aggressor, Anselm quickly made arrangements to have it equipped ASAP.

"But we only have two models aboard and they aren't rated-" a moderately concerned rating had taken issue with Anselm's appropriation of two BULLDOG squad support mass drivers.

"And if someone else wants to use one, they can arm wrestle me for it, I'm not going to Woo-fist the fuckin' things, I just need more ammo."

"That's fine, we can rig the two magazines together, but we only have two launchers available."

"Fine then, now I won't have to switch hands, rig an HPAR onto the hip instead," Anselm ordered up his usual over-large arsenal.

"Isn't that... excessive?"

"And a sword too."

"Why don't I just slave an aether shock cannon to your fire control?" the sentry asked in a sarcastic tone.

Anselm perked up, "Now yer talkin'! How long will that take?"

The sentry's neck lost the ability to hold up his head, it was so filled with disbelief and frustration, so his palm took the job while his cervical vertebrae relaxed, "Forever, especially since this isn't Yamatai and you're piloting a PA."

"Now what if I were Admiral Davis aaand I could somehow get my hands on one?" Anselm pondered.

"Oh in that case," the sentry started pleasantly, "NO! Who the hell do you think I am?! A science fiction author!"

Anselm chuckled, "Nope, you're a tech sentry, and you're going to put a sword, a big fuckin' gun and a bigger fuckin'er gun on this suit."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you want," he said, exasperated.

"Aether Shock Cannon then," the albino started up playfully again.

"Aaaaah! I'm gone! I can't hear you! There is beeswax in my ears!" the sentry wailed, clapping hands over his ears and hurrying away.

"Don't forget my guns!" Anselm called after the fleeing marine, concluding, "man, that was fun, time to eat."
 
“Speak up Scrub!” The Id-Sol shot back at Luke as he placed the HPAR he was carrying down beside the hostile, “Did you even finish with basic? I thought we thought you guys to yell when needed?!”

He would then turn to Makari, “Balls over there,” He said, pointing over to the spherical robot standing ready at the quartermaster’s station, “Has anything you could ever want. If it ain’t back in the vaults they can build it downstairs.” He would then turn away from Makari to face the junker drone, “BALLS, ANSWER THE MAN!”

The drone would hold its spherical body out of the window using its numerous tentacle like appendages, turning its single red eye to face Makari. “We are full stocked with the standard NAM Hand grenadesand Anti-Personnel mines. Our compliment of power armors are factory standard and you have been assigned to the armor in node 4 to your left.” The drone would reach under the table and pull out a small data pad, a long arm extending to hold it out for Makari, “And we can produce any of our standard gear if it is not already in stock.”

---

A short trip up the stairs or lift would take the soldiers to the mess hall. The area was very spartan, having only two long metal tables with benches large enough to hold nearly a hundred people between them. At the far end of the room was a cafeteria style cooking station manned by a junker drone with a paper hat on its head that said ‘short order cook’. It was seated in a stool, its multiple arms snaking out to hold various spatulas, egg beaters, and forks over the burners, grills, and fry stations that were arrayed around it. “WHAT WILL YOU BE HAVING!?” It shouted out the moment it saw someone enter the mess hall.

Standing in contrast to the cook and the tables was the ship’s self serve bar, filled with bottles and containers of all shapes, sizes, and colors arrayed out on a semi-circular display like pieces of art that could be drunk and unlike the tables in the mess hall, these bottles weren't empty.
 
"I'll take two frags and a plasma," Makari called to Balls. After requisitioning his equipment, Makari proceeded to the mess hall a few moments after the rest.

He arrived just in time to hear the cook shouting.
“WHAT WILL YOU BE HAVING!?”
Slightly miffed why everyone was so adamant about screaming here (he never learned that in his basic), he decided that while in Rome.....

Makari, extremely hungry after almost getting his ass blown up, retorted, "CHUNKY 'SHIT ON A SHINGLE', A MANLY MEAT ROLL, THOSE GOD DAMN TASTY GREEN BEANS, AND A SPEED." ((OOC: random generator lol))
 
"READY TO DO MY DUTY SIR!" Luke repeated loudly, stomping his feet in the attention position, accidentally causing a tiny dent in the floor with his right foot, which he hoped the ID-SOL wouldn't notice. Luke stared as Makari seemingly walked on after asking for his equipment.

"Speaking of equipment, I will need to make some personal modifications to any equipment I receive. I find my combat efficiancy can increase through direct communication with combat-associated peripherals, and I'm sure efficiancy will be the most optimal solution for the upcoming war," Luke told the ID-SOL.

Luke looked longingly at the Hostile again, admiring its design.
 
After being dismissed Phaedra left the docking bay and then made her way over to the armory. She was clad in a fresh uniform and beret, and her pale skin was clean from the coagulated blood that covered it previously. Although the tissue reconstruction on her calf had been successful, Phaedra walked with a slight limp from her leg injury and and recieved a jolt of pain up her leg everytime she took a step. She constantly flexed and fidgeted her left arm; her old cybernetic arm was smashed beyond repair and had to be replaced.

Phaedra was a clone, and she was used to adapting to changing situations. But part of her had to admit that she was disappointed in the apparent lack of any NIGHT power armors onboard. Due to the sensitive nature of the NIGHT program, even if the armor was available, she doubted that she would have the appropriate clearance to use one. Phaedra had already fought several engagements with the enemy while using the NIGHT, and she was completely familiar with its use. The thought of piloting a HOSTILE brought back tremors of fear, but Phaedra quickly pushed them aside and stepped up to the quartermaster drone. Rather than speaking her requests aloud, she typed them into the drone's datapad.

RIBPC B00127 U8 P2C PHAEDRA VOLKOV
EQUIPMENT REQUEST:
QTY: 1 NAM PA NIGHT1
QTY: 1 MPR-01a
QTY: 1 STANDARD LOADOUT
Phaedra waited at the terminal for confirmation.

"Better to figure this out now rather than later," she thought.
 
Adrian heard the ID-SOL yelling and caught the gist of the question but he was then faced with a quandry - was the sergeant joking or being serious? As far as Adrian was concerned they both sounded the same so he blurted out a neutral, rote-learned response, "Hell if I know! Damnit, I'm a spacer not a mind-reader!"

Then, almost as an afterthought, "Whatever. Just show me where to grab my things and I'll be wherever the action is."

Indeed the doubt that came with not being employed for his intended purpose on his very first assignment was somewhat disconcerting to Adrian. That said, it wasn't totally unusual. Maybe they needed the manpower. He jogged slowly across the room, waiting for his turn to use the quartermaster drone and get his assigned kit.
 
Sean shrugged, just brushing off the Sergeant for the most part. After all, Once you've made it through basic, screaming sergeants are more or less expected, not a problem. He made his way over to one of the Hostiles, getting suited up. "Damn, but I'm glad to be back in one of these. Fuckin' Rippers are way harder on foot."
 
Alex had left the medical situation to the medics, and was now in line to talk to the quartermaster with the soldiers. She listened, the too-tight shirt and the tarp hastily crafted into a skirt now covered in light blood stains from haling take care of the wounded.

She noted the screaming ID-SOL and couldn't help but smile slightly. The civilian waited her turn, looking forward to some clothes and a half-decent shower, if nothing else...and hopefully some kind of handgun or something if she could get one.
 
The Junker drone behind the kitchen’s cooking area would begin feeling around in various cabinets and shelves that lined the area, pulling out prepackaged meal after prepackaged meal. The rations would end up being torn open one by one, allowing the robot to peer inside by tilting its body down towards the open pouch.

“No…” It said, tossing its current pouch behind it onto the floor before ripping open another.

“No…
No…
No…
Yes!”

The robot would set a unit of plastic wrapped green beans down on a tray and then resume looking through the rations, tossing aside potatos, handguns, and pancakes until finally it got all of the requested items onto the tray in front of it.

“Meal Ready!” It said proudly, saluting the Soldier with one of its robotic tendrils.

---

Meanwhile in the power armor bay the Drill Sargent watching Luke would point him in the direction of the power armors, “Well get started then, we’ve got about an hour before shit hits the fan.”

The quartermaster drone would hold the datapad up to its single eye for a moment and then hold the data pad out again for the next person to use. “You have been assigned node 12. The power armor there is being placed in storage while your requested gear is fabricated. Please report to your power armor node in 15 minutes after fabrication is complete.”

The drone's numerous arms then snuck under the desk, pulling out multiple pads and holding them all out, arrayed around the desk for multiple people to use at once.
 
Luke nodded, asking the bot to requisition him a Na-G2-01a Med/Terratech TEK specifically to allow him to perform on-field engineering. Though designed for WATER PAs, the Hostile's basis on it allowed a very simple modification.

Luke quickly got some spare wiring from the junk the drone was handing out, and he opened up the Hostile's internal systems. Taking the central computer AI, and routing a peripheral wire from the component instead to the helmet, he quickly made a small modification to his usual helmet to allow neural interface.

Luke entered the Hostile, and linking the interfaces, began to see a collection of variables and methods as they linked into his database.

"Hmm... some of these automatic functions could benefit with thought processing, I'll see what I can do."

Putting himself into a state of deep concentration, Luke began to rewire the AI to accept a greater control from Luke; his neural interfacing would allow far more efficiant access than a normal soldier.

After half-an-hour of solid work, Luke hadn't done much, but the armour was now very responsive to automatic manouevers, especially for weapons aim, which locked where he wanted in a very quick time, only limited really by the motors used.

"Okay, I'm done with my mods so far, I'll probably have to do more later, but this should suffice, I don't think I have enough components, or time," Luke told the Sarge, before disengaging his body from the Hostile, and moving to the mess hall to get a quick meal.

(OOC Note: The timeskip in this post can be treated as occuring later, and not as a progression mechanism.)
 
Chad ignored the food. He didn't feel like greenbeans anyway. Instead he proceeded to the adult section of the room and grabbed an ever so wonderful bottle of scotch and sat down at a table.

He pulled a couple of pills out of his pocket as he put his third ciggarette in the tray in the center of the table and popped the top of the whiskey off.

"So," he said before throwing the pills in his mouth and washing them down. He looked around at the several soldiers at his table, "how you fella's and fellettes doing?"
 
Freespacer Orion 72-3933-9428 was receiving the items he had left in a room in an orbiting station over Nepleslia just above Funky City. The Freespacer thanked the man, who gave him the box and then walked away without saying as much as a peep. The Freespacer turned his cameras at the box and inspected the items within it.

There was a rag doll of a young Freespacer female in it. She had a marine blue dress with yellow stars and crescent moons on it. Her hair was tugged into pigtails and held that way by two small steel cogs. As with any rag doll, her face had a big, cheery smile on it. Orion picked it up from the box and observed the doll closer. There was something written on its small, white combat boots, which he remembered writing.

Never forget the Jaywalker.

Neon lines across the hybrot's body turned bright red...

Perhaps it was time to discuss the possible donations he could be given for his enterprise... He hoped it wouldn't be too much to ask.

He had to rebuild his ship from scratch, and it wasn't going to be easy.
 
You have been assigned node 12. The power armor there is being placed in storage while your requested gear is fabricated. Please report to your power armor node in 15 minutes after fabrication is complete.”

"Excellent," thought Phaedra, relieved that she would once again be using a NIGHT armor. With that taken care of, Phaedra headed off toward Deck 3 for a bite to eat.

Upon entering the Mess Hall, she was immediately greeted with "WHAT WILL YOU BE HAVING?" from the cook drone on the far side of the room. Phaedra wasn't exactly the jumpy type, but she flinched when the drone shouted at her. Dumbfounded, Phaedra fumbled for an answer.

"Uh...um...HOTCAKES AND A SIDE OF LINKS!" she shouted. She expected everyone to be staring in her direction, but apparently this was the norm around here and no one paid her any attention. Despite this, Phaedra found herself blushing while she stood in the food line. She did think it odd that "hotcakes and a side of links" was the first thing that came to mind. She had no idea what she even ordered.

"Could it be that my predecessor like such things?" she thought

Eventually she recieved her food, and Phaedra stood on the tips of her toes to see if she could locate any familiar faces. She spotted some of the new faces she had seen at the briefing, but had been unable to formally meet. With a sigh, she headed over to the table and sat down next to Chad.
 
Out of the corner of Chad's eye, he saw the tall, one eyed female clone order her food. He always found her to be very intimidating and unsocial, so he was very suprised to have her sit down next to him. But he supposed he was the only familiar face in the mess hall to her.

He took a swig of the scotch picked up his smoldering cigarette and attempted to break the ice. "Never took you for a hotcake fan." he said and gave her time for the LED eye to focus on him.
 
Alex typed out her request for clothing and undergarments on one of the datapads, as well as a request that her insurance people be contacted. The courier had insured herself and her ship against Mishhu attack, and she had a claim to some cash now. She then returned the datapad, waiting for the Junker quartermaster to take care of her needs. Then she'd find the nearest shower and try to wash the tingly Mishhu goop out of her hair. She STILL felt dirty.
 
Out of the frying pan, huh?

Still in a bit of a morose mood, the Chief simply headed for the bridge, making sure that he emptied his flask of whiskey along the way, and smoked a cigarette to cover up the smell of said whiskey.

There were a few nervous pangs that pricked at the inside of his stomach, mostly regarding how he had his squad take a monorail to the destination without regard for the tracks' condition, or his general inactivity while everyone else was regrouping and waiting for a medevac. He'd been field stripped before, so it wouldn't be too horrible of a thing if he suddenly found himself as a Private, again.

Coming upon the heavy door leading to the Bridge, Ran stopped and pulled out his DataJockey, making sure to requisition himself a Hostile, outfitted with standard equipment. That was all predicated on whether or not he would see combat within the next hours or so.

All that done, the Chief walked through the entrance of the Bridge room, being greeted by a ponytail-wielding pretty boy and an NH-7. The latter individual elicited a muted response from Ran, which just consisted of a quizzical glance.

"So what's all this about?"
 
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