RP: Setareh Wing [Mission Three] A View To A Kill

Civilian Bay A-1

While it had been fun shooting it up in space, Irfan had glided her Haidan in behind the others. The machine came down not long after Saeid and their machine, Lucidity taking very little time at all to prepare and release its pilot. But even as she recovered her own carbine and sidearm, Irfan definitely had to slow her pace just a bit to make her way down. It was ample time to look at some butts while fastening the helmet, her lengthy hair expertly vanishing beneath the helmet with her long-training sessions. It was an art to itself just getting anything to cover that much hair.

"Ooof," she finally landed on the ground while recovering her carbine and hefting it up to rest atop her shoulder, "Let's hope these boarders aren't that good. I'd much rather be flying than mucking it up on the station. I can't go all out while we're in here!"

A double-check to her weapon's supercapacitor was all she needed before bumping her horn against the gun to knock it from resting against her, the weapon being swung out a bit before rounded back to in front of her and grasped in both hands. She made her way up to Naak's side, the slightest of hair visibly leaking out behind her head. It was, after all, impossible to hide the entire beast of hair in such a rush! It seems Irfan would need two or three inches taken off to make it doable!

Had elected to stay within her VANDR, Ishtar felt more in her element within the machine anyways. Plus, she was a terrible shot with a Laiz weapon and knew nothing about non-VANDR melee combat. "I think I will stay in my VANDR, docked with the other frames." her 'voice' piped up inside of Naak's helmet.

"Besides, I've already been allowed into the Colony's systems."

Civilian Bay A-1

They were down Akjit, who had mysteriously not made it in to the VANDR bay, and they were down Rasima, who was sick. Or was she capable?

"Rasima, Ki Lea!" Naak said with purpose over comms to the mission operator. "Call Rasima to join us, her wing, no matter her current state. We need strength in numbers!"

"What will you be able to do while in the systems, Ishtar?" Naak asked impatiently to the youthful-looking but wise and intelligent girl. She wanted to know what the FIOMNI would be able to do for them while docked. She knew she was ignoring the others right now, but she needed to hear from Ishtar the reasoning behind her holding back before they could move forward as a wing.

"With full access, I can do anything from effecting water distribution to causing the colony's reactors to reach critical mass and explode." Ishtar answered. "I can also utilize the security force's sensor webs including VAADW deployments."

Civilian Bay A-1

"Alright, Ishtar!" Naak said to Ishtar. "We'll stay in close contact!"

She spoke out to the mission operator, "Ki! I need backup, reinforcements, anything!"

"We have someone we can send with you. He is trained as a sniper and should be conducive to mission success, I guarantee it, Lanranr!" Ki said to Naak.

"What is his name? Send him down to the bay while we form up!" Naak replied.

"His name is Shaanti Ekata, Lanranr. Will do!" Ki chirped and went silent, presumably calling Shaanti to go to the bay immediately.

"Okay, Setareh. We need to spread out, find out way through the crowds. There are checkpoints that I can see are being set up and we should be able to get through them easily by obviously being a part of Vanguard due to our linksuits and helmets, but those that are not citizens of this colony will not be so lucky!"

Naak Behea continued, "Either go to the checkpoints and begin questioning those waiting to get past or go in between here and there and catch anyone in between that looks suspicious. If we can't find anyone of the NVR between here and there, well, we'll have to go beyond the checkpoints and into the rest of the colony. May our dreams smile on us so that won't happen. Ishtar is our most important asset in this fight against their foot soldiers and I want you to call upon her to carry out any task that will lead to the capture of Veyrin members. I'm going to wait here for our sniper, but I want you to spread out and stay on comms! Blessings, Setareh!"

Civilian Bay A-1

Within mere minutes of the order being sent out, a new Haidan screamed into the hangar, coming to a graceful stop. The VANDR opened up to deposit a smaller VA-

No. That wasn't a VANDR. It was just a Curdatl. A really damn big Curdatl, that made the laiz rifle in his massive hands look like a carbine.

Shaanti moved at a brisk jog to Naak, stopping before her. He stood at rigid attention, having to look down at his commanding officer while saluting.

"Vayshirin Ekata, as requested, Lanranr." said the massive, violet-eyed man in a deep voice that, while quiet and reserved, seemed to echo off of the walls with hidden power. Though he looked like some sort of berserker, his eyes twinkled with that signature Curdatl warmth, showing that while the current situation was serious, and thus demanded seriousness, it was simply a facade that would disappear once the mission was complete.

Civilian Bay A-1

Naak stood to face the Curdatl and spoke through a cold and calculated tone."Happy to have you here with us. I want you to spot our wing. Gain a vantage point and have your rifle at the ready for when one of our wing gets into trouble, if they get into trouble. We can handle ourselves well enough, but we'll be able to handle the enemy even better with your help. Dreamer's peace," Naak said, denoting the end to their conversation.

Civillian Bay A-1

Shaanti nodded, and immediately turned on his heel and took off at a good clip. Time was of the essence. The sooner he got to a vantage point, the sooner he could begin watching, and the less time the targets would have to disappear.

His mind raced as he began to remember his training. He spotted a building that stood taller than the others, and was situated at a point where several major thoroughfares intersected, allowing him multiple lines of sight. He sprinted through the front doors, giving the receptionists quite the shock. Who wouldn't be shocked to see a heavily-armed behemoth burst in?

"Astral Vanguard." he announced calmly. "What is the fastest way to ascend to the roof?"

The small woman behind the desk timidly pointed a finger to the elevators off to the side.

"Thank you." said Shaanti quietly before sprinting off again. The elevator doors opened, and he cut in front of a small group of people that were attempting to step into it. They didn't seem to mind. The doors shut, and Shaanti raced towards the roof. When the doors opened again, he stepped out and glanced around for a set of stairs. They were to his left.

Rooftop

Shaanti burst through the door, instantly being hit with artificial sunlight and wind. Jogging to the edge, he took a comfortable sitting position that would allow him to better steady the weapon while resting. He began the process of tactical breathing to steady himself after his mildly-strenuous run.

With his left hand, he quickly made a few minor adjustments to his scope's range, setting it at five hundred yards. Then, he began scanning the throngs of civilians below. He enjoyed this part of his job- being the unseen guardian. If he were to kill one of the intruders from his nest, the target would never see it coming, and the citizens below would never know the face of their savior, only his deed. Then, Shaanti would vanish, his mission completed, the peace restored.

"In position." he informed his new allies below. He had joined the Vanguard in hopes of finding his true calling, but he'd never imagined he would fight alongside the Setareh. He began his search by establishing a baseline for civilian activity.

Laughing, talking, strolling along with their head in the clouds. Some looked slightly distressed, having obviously caught wind of the chaos out in the void.

That was his baseline. Next, the sniper began searching for individuals who deviated from the baseline.

They most likely would be walking briskly, with purpose. Their facial expressions would show intense focus, as if they knew they were being hunted. They would check over their shoulder frequently, maybe make hushed communications via electronic means to their comrades to relay information. Unless, of course, these intruders were skilled at blending. Then, he'd have to look for minute details. If they hadn't split up, they would be walking in covert formation, which gave the appearance of a group of friends out for a stroll, yet gave ample opportunity to break and engage hostiles. They wouldn't turn their heads. Instead, they would merely turn their eyes, using mirrors and other discreet means to stay aware of their surroundings.

Now commenced the intense game of predator and prey, in which the prey tried its damnedest to fool the predator, and the predator had to use his wits to see through the illusion.

Civillian Bay A-1

Shortly after Shaanti arrived, Rasima's VANDR Mercy came rushing out of the sky. It was a good thing her cockpit kept Naak from seeing the NCO, who was frankly sweating from her still-persistent fever. Word that her wing was in trouble would have quite probably startled her from a grave to come to their aide.

"Apologies, Lanranr," she said curtly, making contact as soon as she was in range and could confirm that the commander wasn't presently fighting for her life, "Where would you place me?"

Altair called out over the radio to Naak. While he was wounded, he could still fight, could still help.

"What can I do Lanranr? I can still be useful."

Civilian Bay A-1

The situation was dire, there was the possibility for lots of civilian casualties and Karuah was not sure whether or not that was actually the NVR's goal. She could ponder it for some time, but it was much more important to make sure the civilians were safe. It was for that reason that she rushed towards the checkpoint. As she used Saeid's database to construct a list of questions that could be of use.

On her way to the first check point she noticed a pair of individuals who ducked behind a building when they thought no one was looking. It was a rather suspicious action so she decided to check it out, however, when she peeked around the corner she did not like what she saw. The two individuals were on a video transceiver communicating with what looked like an NVR soldier based on the brief portion of the uniform that could be seen. One of the men also had a gun in his hand.

Karuah steeled herself and turned the corner with her carbine raised “Freeze!” She shouted.

Rather than doing as instructed the men quickly shut off the transceiver and made a run for it. As they ran though the man with the gun fired back at Karuah, the first few shots hitting her armor before she could dive for cover.

From around the corner she fired at them, her shots brushing by for the most part but one hitting the shoulder of the gun man. “I have two NVR soldiers on the run before the first checkpoint.” She called out over the communication line as she began to chase and relay detailed coordinates to the team.

Rooftop

It wasn't long before Shaanti's baseline was abruptly shattered by screams and gunfire. The curdatl used his large horns to ascertain the direction of the chaos. Quickly, he stood and re-positioned himself atop his watchtower. Below and several blocks down, he saw civilians fleeing in all directions from a central point. An alley way.

Syaoran said:

Civilian Bay A-1

“I have two NVR soldiers on the run before the first checkpoint.” She called out over the communication line as she began to chase and relay detailed coordinates to the team.

Click to expand...

Shaanti steadied his breathing and hovered his crosshairs over the entrance of the alley. Sure enough, two men darted out from between the buildings. One was unarmed, and the other armed and injured from a shoulder burn. Shaanti began to track the armed one, aiming for the center of mass.

"I have them in my sights. Permission to fire?"

Civilian Bay A-1

"Fire at will!" Naak called out to their new, but well-experienced and very capable recruit. "Altair I want you to provide assistance to Rasima. Rasima, pair up with Altair. There are more out there! Ki! Any new information?" Naak asked.

"I'm picking up from past video feed of the bay that there are ten total, all men and all wearing grey jumpsuits. That should help you!"

"Relay that information to the wing!" Naak said exuberantly, then added a bit more remorsefully, "Get a clean up crew at Karuah's position. We're going to have a body."

Ki spoke over to open comms to everyone about the information they had gathered from video feeds. Then, she opened a private line to Irfan.

"Do your best, but don't get hurt. You hear? Saints' blessings and may she always smile on you."

Rooftop

As soon as he was given the green light, Shaanti didn't waste time. His shot had already been lined up. He placed his finger on the trigger, took a breath, and squeezed. The rifle jerked, its recoil negligible in the hands of such a massive man. The laser instantly burned a hole through the armed man's left shoulder and out through the other, incinerating his heart and lungs. As if in slow motion, the hostile Iroma's legs simply stopped working, and he crumpled to the ground, rolling for a few feet before stopping. Blood began pooling around the body.

"Karuah," Shaanti muttered. "Armed hostile is down. Proceed with caution, for the other might still be carrying concealed. Attempting to incapacitate."

This time, Shaanti aimed for the other man's legs, specifically the thigh, and fired again. He'd outright killed the last because the NVM operative was armed, and thus could easily kill his teammates or a civilian. This one, however, might prove more useful as a prisoner. Although, if he made a sudden move to reach into his gray jumpsuit while Karuah was approaching, he wouldn't hesitate.

Civilian Bay A-1

"Yes ma'am, engaging," Rasima said seriously, Mercy helpfully highlighting the identified NVM for her on the heads-up. Without a whole lot of knowledge as to what had happened, and orders to open fire, she made no attempt to hold back on her targets.

Out of consideration she kept the rate of fire low and engaged with light weapons only.

Civilian Bay A-1

Karuah watched as the man in front of her was shot, collapsing soon after the beam of energy passed. It did not take much to realize that the shot was fatal so she did not stop for him and instead pursued the other man. She spoke over the communications line though to the sniper as she did. "Don't kill them unless you have to, we still don't know what they're planning." She did not sound angry or frustrated however, just informative as she rounded a corner.

Seeing that it was a straight line she ran as fast as she could now that she did not have to worry about sudden turns. She quickly closed in on the man but instead of tackling him she rammed him with her shoulder to knock him off his feet. Before the NVR soldier could get up, Karuah's carbine was pointed it his face and her foot pressed against his chest to keep him down. "Surrender or I will shoot."

There was a pause, but the man did not want to take chances in such an unfavorable position so he lifted his hands, empty of any weapons, indicating his surrender.

Civilian Bay A-1

"Don't worry," Irfan spoke to Ki as she ran past Naak with a nice rump smack to their commander, "I won't let these guys hurt me, the boss, or the wing. They're not good enough."

Leaving the commander behind, Irfan took point of the formation with her hair dangling behind her. Unlike the others who were firing and engaging in different locations, she was going to be the spear of the Wing's valiant leader. Rushing ahead also meant she went sailing ahead and right into danger's way. The shooting from nearby had made it clear there were more of the NVR nearby, though she had no clue where they were. The square plaza ahead was practically singing for Irfan to spot someone, leaping over a bench and moving to a large potted tree just before fire peppered the flora in a brilliant splintering of burning wood. The fire had come from a building where one of the NVR was just heading inside... a pretty nice estate, at that! It even had a nice gate!

"Urgh... one is heading into a local's housing unit."

Civilian Bay A-1

Zoren nodded to Naak. "Roger that boss." He said sprinting out of the room. His SOF training kicked in as he scanned the crowded streets of the colony. Out the corner of his eye, he saw a grey jumpsuit running with the crowd of civilians. "Damn... using the civis to cover his escape." The doctor cursed, sprinting after him.

He saw the enemy combatant round a corner and down an alley way. Zoren poked his head around the entrance of the alley way and was greeted by a laiz bolt to the helmet. It knocked him down and he cursed again. "When I get you I am going to cut you up with a lazer scalpel!" He cursed as he stood back up and ran around the side of the alley in an attempt to cut the enemy off.

The enemy soldier bursted out onto the street with Zoren close behind. As they ran the civilians in the area began parting the way for them. Zoren stopped and drew a bead on him with his rifle. "Say good night NVR scum." He said pulling the trigger on his carbine. A bolt flew from the end of the barrel and found it's way into the NVR soldier's back, slicing threw his chest. With a *thunk* the enemy combatant fell and crumpled on the ground. Tarkus walked over and checked the body, taking anything on him that they could glean intel from later. "This is Zoren, plus one KIA." He replied pulling off his helmet and rubbing his head.

Civilian Bay A-1

"Zoren! Match Song's position and don't let that hostile hurt anyone!" Naak said, a grimace pasted on her face after the insubordination from the Eyr Ranr. "Dhawa! Bring the NVR scum to the checkpoint and allow the Vanguard members there detain them and search out the other hostiles! Ekata! Set your sights on the exits and entrances of the private residence that Irfan Song's target went into! Bousaid, we're doing this on-foot. There should be enemy combatants out there that are doing unkno—"

"They've begun planting bombs!" Ki Lea said smartly to Naak and Ishtar. "We've found one and a bomb defusal team have been called in to disarm them!"

"Setareh Wing! Bomb threat detected!" Naak said over comms. "Proceed with caution! Dhawa! Search the plaza for anything suspicious! With your training, you're the most likely candidate for spotting and securing one of these things!"

"Ki, do you have any more information for the wing?" Naak asked.

"The one we found was a timed charge chemical bomb!" Ki said to the wing.

"Ishtar, what do you suggest?" Naak asked.

Rooftop

Satisfied that his work was done, Shaanti turned and ran to the other end of the rooftop, taking aim at the large estate that Irfan was approaching. Quickly, he scanned the residence, and saw a shadow move through one of the windows on the second story.

"Song. Movement on the second floor. Right side of the building if you are looking at the front." Shaanti informed as he adjusted his range for seven hundred yards and began watching the rear of the house for runners.