RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 8.2B] Bravo Team / VIP Rescue

A bit nervous, Konoka sighed breathily as she followed the others down the corridor. She couldn't believe the plan had actually worked. She'd been waiting for them to crash and burn, but here her optimism and faith in the team was renewed. Well, she'd tried to pull her best 'innocent' face. For the young neko, it wasn't that hard, because her intentions were almost always good and she didn't believe she'd ever actually lied before.


Apprehensive, she waited for the door to open. Then thoughts came to her mind of once having full optimism at opening the door of an escape pod. It had exploded. Wincing, she waited for the tragic turn of fate or continued lucky streak. She optimistically bet on 'lucky streak'.



It struck Konoka that she might have a problem assuming bad things would happen. Well, maybe in her own fate, she had a say.....

Just then, the intercom began to speak loudly throughout the station.

Station Intercom said:

Warning! Warning! Attention all personnel: A Mishhuvurthyar fleet has entered the system and is approaching the shipyard. All military personnel are to immediately report to their ships or stations. Repeat: All military personnel are to immediately report to their stations. Prepare for battle!

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Nika's 'enquiry' was answered by Charlie Team as Jelen-Heisho sent an encrypted message over their secure line.

"Junko is pretty good in what she's doing." Nika grinned with a chuckle as she continued to monitor their secure line, at the same time looking out for any other suspicious messages from the station.

It was then the station's alarm was raised, followed by their announcement of the approaching Mishhuvurthyar fleet. Following that was Hanako's voice through their channel.

"Already begun on that Taisa!" Nika dived back into the ship's interface, "The Eucharis will be ready for evasive flight once everyone is back onboard. Charisma, prepare the Shields and power distribution to the Engines." Her mind was filled with data as Charisma started her operations. She too prepare the Main Cannon, hoping not to use it only at the last moment...

Snap! Hssssss!

Something sounded inside the door. Misaki drew her weapon and aimed at what she saw in the darkness.

...a pipe. "This should save us some time." She noted, re-holstering the weapon while the automatic lights flickered on inside the maintenance access. Maybe whomever was out there against them hadn't thought to bug the hallway. She took point, and ushered the rest of the team in. "This should take us close to the farthest VIP. If we can get to him, we can get open access to everything else, keep your situational awareness, this is going to be a run soldiers!" The XO barked, waiting for the door to close behind them before she started running with her weapon re-drawn, scanning through several bands of sight and ducking when a pipe or other access point made her have to pull one way or the other.

"Weapons hot, I have no interest in stunning Mishhu we come across!" She kept hers on heavy stun anyway, if they ran into an Elyasian that would get in the way, she could barter, or shoot with them without worrying too much in this situation. If not? The Chusa could switch over her NSP fast enough to heavy.

They wouldn't be coming back empty handed.

Konoka wondered if perhaps the powers that be were trying to tell her it was unrealistic to be so optimistic. Well, thought Konoka to herself, The powers that be can go suck the back end of a fish. She WOULD think they could manage this, and to fish with fate.


Readying her weapon, Konoka quickened her stride and tried extremely hard not to trip. She knew she could try to be more controlled in situations where she couldn't afford the alternative. Alert, Konoka attempted to stumble through the tunnel making very little noise and not tripping over a thing. In other words, Konoka was trying to control a prominent side of her personality. She wondered if she'd see a Mishu. She'd never seen one up close before, and she'd like to keep it that way.

She was suddenly very worried for her team. It wasn't the first time, and it most likely wouldn't be the last. When she saw a pipe....she ducked. She actually missed it, and she even kept going. In a fit of helpful change, she was learning to control her klutziness and loudness out of sheer caring for the safety of her team. Of course, when she got safely back on the Eucharis and everyone was OK, she'd proceed to mosrt likely trip again and chatter needlessly.


Of course, she always knew she could manage anything when she was caring and worried. She just didn't know it would be this easy.


After all, the last mission that had made her shut up and not fall down nearly drove her half-crazy. Apparently, she WAS learning something in the Star Army.

The Elysian warning that played over the stations intercom, quickly refocused Tasuku.

Where are you... Tasuku thought as hustled down the corridor ducking and dogging around the obstacles with the practiced ease of a technician, mixed with something else though, his eyes had become cold, focused, he breathed in deeply and held the black synthetic grip of the chrome NSP tightly at a semi ready position, as he made his way down the maintenance corridor he seemed to be hunting... stalking almost, his prey might well be hunting just the same he knew.

Inside him a bitter hatred of the Mishhuvurthyar began to boil.

Several minutes were spent in near darkness, and at least once there was a loud clang! for some reason, but Misaki said nothing until she suddenly slowed, and ducked low. "Bring the card forward." She murmured, after putting the back of her hand to the hatch. Swinging back, at the end of the line, she aimed her NSP to where the hatch would have to open, and she hoped, they would be near the city leader's office. He would get them in the rest of the places they needed to go, which were all on the way back to the Eucharis.

What she couldn't tell them is that she had no way of seeing through the maintenance hatch for an enemy, there was too much interference from the systems surrounding the door, and everything else in the now cramped passageway.

What could they do to help the others on the station? Nothing. Get their leaders out, and hope they had been worrying about them in the first place? This seems wrong, but they're important..in case the station goes this home will still have a voice. -..if the mish' haven't gotten to them yet.

"Open it."

Must go faster.. they'll be here any minute, the rest of them.. who knows how many are already here.. Tasuku thought as they raced down the dark corridoor.

Tasuku looked at the door warily but brought the keycard forward, sliding it into the slot next to the hatch, his other hand still griping the chrome NSP.

"Ready.." he said as the card clicked into place.

"I can't believe this. Why couldn't we have stopped them sooner?!" Mathias Jariel, cursed at himself. If only we had one more day. You can bet I would have done something more. Around the office of the city's mayor, few of his staff stayed, rushing in and out of open doors. He had dismissed the guards to go help the regular civilians out. Still trying to open doors to civilians and stop the advance of enemies where he could, he knew it wasn't long before he was dead himself.

Down the hall, Bravo team burst into something strange. Not the presence of the NMX, but they could hear the sound somewhere. Misaki knew it, and it made her ears drop slightly, her gun come up. "That way, end of the hall." It was close, and probably one of the smaller attack types, if they still had them. It sounded disgusting, like a sloshing, and squirming, and a wet slap rolled into one horrible sound that filled the corridor with dread.

I hate it when they do this. It's worse when they jump out and rip one of your arms off.

Elysians scrambled about the port sides as ships were launched; either to intercept the incoming Mishhuvurthyar fleet, or evacuating civilians and others. Nika gave the port officials the 'list of personals' the ship would be ‘evacuating’, who had not arrived with their ‘escorts’. With the confusion going about, giving them abit of the truth would not compromise the mission much as the possibility that this space station might not survive the attack.

Tapping into the station’s network became a breeze now as several blasts onto the station by the enemy fleet causing some of the security system to be knocked out, enabling the neko to access to the command center. From the transmissions between the station and the defense fleet, the battle wasn’t going so well.

“All Teams. The Elysian are being pushed back badly. From the looks of it, we have about at least an hour or so before the Mishhuvurthyars break through…”

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It was then several panic transmissions from within the station caused Nika’s eyes to widen,

“Mishhuvurthyar infiltrators have been spotted within the station, all Teams, be on alert!”

Click to expand...

The red laser sight from Tasuku's raised NSP made a small red dot on the other end of the corridor. "Come on. I know you're there," Tasuku said under his breath, peering in the direction of the sounds.

Tasuku strained to hear everything around them, trying to gauge the distance between him and the various noises. A small click from his NSP, a switch, he held the synthetic grip tightly, waiting.

Konoka did not look frightened. No, Konoka was using her 'absolutely terrified' face right about now. When she'd been back on the ship, she'd easily thought, yeah, she could stay calm and maybe shoot a Mishu. But now that she was near them and hearing an array of creepy noises usually reserved for horror movies that gave Konoka nightmares for a week, she may have felt slightly different.


Then she forced herself to straighten out. She remembered the VIP's that were counting on her, and her intense desire to help them. And to help her team. She definitely cared about that. She summoned up all those energies that made her such a helpful, caring person, and used them as a reminder. Then she began to bring out the face she'd had to use her very first day, the face she used in the medbay when treating patients. A face of absolute, steely, unreadable calm. This poker face had steadied her into treating patients, kept them calm so they wouldn't get flighty, as Konoka was always the one to forego hysterics so others could afford to display them. Now this face was keeping her from being flighty, keeping her determined, cool-headed, ready.


Thinking, she readied her gun.


She really, truly hoped none of the team would need her medical assistance today.

A loud warning klaxon sounded throughout the station, followed by an echoing female voice. "Please proceed in an orderly fashion to your designated emergency evacuation zone. This facility will automatically self-destruct in five minutes."

"Its time to get out of here, the Elysian leaders should be evacuating already..." Tasuku whispered taking a half step back. "..we shouldn't be here, this mission is over for us..." he said looking at the Chusa with a resolute face.

Just then, a bright flash and a ear-splittingly loud POP filled the corridor as a side panel of the wall (near the keycard doorway) instantly shattered and a thousand metal balls came slamming through it in various directions.

Chusa Misaki took the brunt of the blast, her body now facing hundreds of wounds. The wall behind her was abruptly soaked with red and filled with small holes. Nearly torn to shreds, she collapsed onto the floor, a pool of blood rapidly expanding on the carpet.

Konoka and Tasuku were also hit, but not as many times. The nurse was hit in the back with a shotgun's worth of BBs. One tore most of her right ear off, and another broke her leg at the thigh. Several went through her torso, tearing through her insides. Tasuku took a hit to the eye, but miraculously seemed to be alright despite a tiny hole being where it exited the back of his skull. A few more hit him in his left arm and belly. Finally, he had also lost a toe to one that had hit him in the boot. The blast also knocked them both on their feet.

While Bravo team dealt with the trap, the Mishhu retreated from the area, shutting off the corridor's lights as it left.

As smoke drifted through the bloody corridor, a shattered display panel on the wall continued to display the countdown to the station's self-destruction.

Tasuku ears rang as the shock washed over him, every second seemed like hours, as little bit of blood trickled slowly down from his closed eye. He looked up to see the station's self destruct countdown with his one open eye. Tasuku turned on his NSP's flashlight on and look hazily around the smoky corridor, Kurusu-Chusa lay tattered in a pool of blood on the other side.

Tasuku bit down hard on a small pill he pulled quickly from his belt pocket as he painfully leaned against the wall. Konoka was still breathing, he picked up her Type 30 NSP and put it in his open holster, still griping his own NSP tightly.

His body ached as he pulled himself up off the cold floor, he looked back down the corridor using the NSP's flashlight, nothing, the corridor seemed deserted, and eerily quiet now, save for his heavy breath.

He quickly scooped Konoka up into his arms and ran, a desperate half blind run back the way they'd came, trying to get back to the Eucharis before the station exploded around them.

Somehow, he managed to make it.

After a walk that seemed like forever, Tasuku entered the Eucharis' bay and found the ship still there waiting for him in spite of the station's self-destruct countdown. Ramiro was standing there at the bottom of the landing ramp.

(Continued for Konoka and Tasuku in [Mission 8.3] Escape From Veritas)

"Warning: Fifty seconds to self-destruct."

Pineapple ran down the docking hallway and into the now-abandoned customs area, and looked at the many exits, letting out a scream of frustration at not knowing which to use in order to find the Chusa. She spotted a few blood trails from different teams but there wasn't any particular one that stood out. She wasn't able to to get any signal from Misaki's communicator or from the Chusa herself.

"Damn it!" she screamed and darted down one of the passageways as fast as her Nekovalkyrja flight powers would carry her.

"Warning: Forty seconds to self-destruct."

Like a sudden idea, a map of the station and Chusa Misaki's location appeared in Pineapple's head. Thank you! Changing course, Pineapple shot down the corridors like a bullet.

"Warning: Thirty seconds to self-destruct."

Almost there...

"Warning: Twenty seconds to self-destruct."

Pineapple found the Chusa's mangled body, grabbed it, and began hauling it back to the shuttle. There were no sign of the VIPs. Perhaps they'd went to find their own shuttle. Who could blame them?

"Warning: Ten seconds to self-destruct."

Pineapple made it back to the corridor. Suddenly she spotted one of the VIPs and an Elysian family, who were desperately searching for a ship to leave on.

"THIS WAY!" Pineapple shouted at them.

They hauled ass towards the Telemachus.

"Danger: self-destruct in progress."

The station shuddered violently as generators overloaded and explosive charges began to detonate throughout the structure. Huge beams fell from the ceiling and fireballs came from the air vents. The bay suddenly lost pressure as the small group ran towards the shuttle. Pineapple got them inside and shut the rear door as fast as possible, then made her way to the cockpit. Without taking the time to buckle up, she shoved the throttle forward and the shield controls to max and the shuttle blasted off just before the docking bay collapsed entirely.

Behind the shuttle, the station began to completely disintegrate as pieces detached and sections exploded, leaving small chunks and debris falling into the swirling clouds of the massive gas giant below.

Pineapple headed for the ship, hoping not to get picked off by an angry NMX starship.

Suddenly, the "mom" from the family burst into the cockpit, pointing Misaki's pistol at her. Pineapple barely had time to scream before she was hit in the face by a stun blast. The woman shoved Pineapple into the back with the rest of the now-unconscious bodies and took control the shuttle, heading for an NMX escort ship to deliver the shuttle and prisoners.