RP Mission Three: Clues to a Better Tomorrow:

"I do." Sacre said, taking the clothes and her forked tounge ficking out and digging into the clothes to pick up on the scents in turn. "My species has an extraordinary sense of smell. To the point where it can be mire important than vision to us. I typically haven’t found much use for it. Mostly recreational hunting. However, I think here it might give us a distinct advantage." Sacre said, having pinpointed the unique scents of their three targets.

"I love you," Aliset mouthed to Sacre as she took a deep breath, the wave of calming pheromones already easing her instincts as her logical mind caught the change and she perked up, pretending not to be looking for the other Senti in the room. She idly checked her makeup before introducing herself. "My name is Khetu. Sorry for my accent. With Sanssinia's tracking abilities, she can find our man as long as he wasn't put into an air car. Separa are some of the best trackers one can employ. Especialy Pythus. Labial heat pits and their tongue. Little odd, but a Separa tongue can maintain their sense of smell in almost any fluid environment and are orders of magnitude better than bloodhounds, especially with their intelligence. Being sapient, they can make judgement calls andidentify people no matter how they disguise themselves or are disguised. Often by smell alone."

She looked around the group. "That said. My name, for all intents and purposes, is Khetu Katamura. I don't look Senti, but Goon fucked around and found out on that one. I'm your long range supporting shooter."

Corsica Planet City - Landing Pad

The landing pad was more or less in the middle of the city. This was by far the largest gathering of people and goods on the planet. The colony's high above in orbit did its part to feed goods from all around the universe to support the population below. While each depended on one another, the city had its own full government. Which from reports the crew had access too, did not really draw anything to attention. On paper the leader was listed as a mayor, though depending on who you ask, would be closer to that of a warlord. Either way if one did not cause any trouble they would be left along.

Akino reached up and rubbed her hand across her month, smiling behind it. Did she just do a move that is normally done by Alastair?! "I see that we have more friends to tag along. Please, more hands the better I always say." Akino took a moment to take in the sight of Birdie. She seemed like someone who could take care of themselves. Was easy on the eyes as well so would find no complaints from the XO on them joining the team. She reached over and pointed towards the map to the area outside the city. "Let us start here. Least here if things get a little wild, it would not draw the entire city guard down on our asses." She said aloud to the team.

After letting the group have a moment to chat Akino looked to Riplinn. "Do you have a ride we can use to get out of town? Prefer something less beat up as the shuttle though I feel I am asking a lot." She said with a grin.

Mean while, back on the Koun

"Come on Alastair, else we are going to be late to the meeting with the CEO. Lets move it, your messages can wait till we get back. The crew is just fine." The neko called out as she waited for Alastair to join her. As he left, the call in button blinked, left unanswered.

"They're not getting paid? Guess that's good news." Birdie nodded along as Riplinn explained. "If they want something more important than cash, that's pretty good motivation." She looked between the others as they introduce themselves, or were introduced. "An angel, a snake, a toaster, the toaster's toaster, and..." She sniffed at the air for a moment. "...a cat." She raised an eyebrow at the look Akino was giving her.

"This help is gonna draw a lot of extra attention. I'm pretty sure I've seen one of 'em somewhere before, too." The mercenary gave Akino another glance, before her gaze focused on the Separa. "...but if you can narrow things down, maybe it'll be worth the hassle." She nodded in agreement with another suggestion. "Something inconspicuous would be nice."

For now, the Nepleslian leaned against a wall to wait for decisions to be made and orders to given.

Riplinn nodded to the Serpentine woman as their Senti ally explained deeper on their sense of smell "I see... Very handy... However I think you may have issues doing so with people of my race, from what I have gathered we come up as vegetation on your scanners, to the point we are not even classified as people in all technicality in places like say.. the Empire, in fact I believe the official word in the empire about this planet is that is has no native population despite my people originating here.. if you can pick out the difference in scent between a flower blooming on a normal plant and the same kind of flower blooming on one of my kind then your sense of smell is truly remarkable."

With that turned to look back to Akino, "Ah so glad you decided to hit there first, I have some assets that I can bring in if we take that out... especially since it has some of their no doubt smuggled in Anti-air capability, popping a hole in that would do wonders for some equipment I can bring in" he smiled as he then turned to look to Birdie.

"yes we may have to be a bit quite when dealing with this first target, again they will have quite a few people there, but the good news is they think they are hidden, so while the amount will be high their level of security may be lacking... personally I would love to take over the place or failing that raze it to the ground, but that can wait, we need to hit it and see if they are there, if not we move on.. if they get word out that they are being attacked they may move the hostages"

"as for conveyance we have something that can take us out there, and quietly, but I hope you understand if I have Goon Drive" he gestured for everyone to follow him and he lead the group down a long hallway, the third direction that Birdie had indicated earlier when she was mentioning the patrol. it was, like the rest of the place, well taken care of and opened up into a hidden garage.

Goon seemed to already know what Vehicle Riplinn was talking about and she rushed over to it and started to get it ready while Riplinn spoke up "This little beauty is something of a custom job That Goon put together, Optical Camo.. Sound Dampening, holographic projectors, heat waste shunt so it's invisible to heat sensors, and designed to travel the surface even with the heavy vegetation.. Honestly I had no Idea she was making it till a few months after I mentioned wishing to have a more covert and safe means to travel the surface... next thing I know she shows me this... I think she spoils me.." he smiled over at Goon who was wiping a spot on the hood of the vehicle with a rag to make sure it was presentable

Tucking the rag away Goon gave the group a thumbs up, the design of the vehicle was low to the ground, with variable suspension and looked more like a Limo mixed with a heavily armored APC then a normal ground vehicle, and just by looking at the rounded hull it was also obvious that it was capable of submersible travel meaning the vehicle could in fact go anywhere on the surface.

"You will also find a rather well stocked armory inside as well, nothing to flashy, mostly small arms, but it does also have a nice little instillation I like to call the Hive, if you need anything while we are out, we can have it made for the most part" it sounded more like Riplinn was singing the praises of the creation of Goons imagination rather then simply tell them of the features, and as he walked over he nodded to the group "Easily enough room for everyone.. I'll ride up front with Goon the rest of you can plan out in the back.." Goon saluted to Riplinn as she got the door for him and then she scooted around the side and opened the door for everyone else.

Once everyone was inside and ready to go Goon scooted to the main drivers seat and turned the vehicle on, it let out a low rumble but then the sound seemed to dampen itself as she engaged what stealth functions it had and they were off up a hidden ramp and out of the garage and into the city, quickly leaving to head into the wilds towards their target.

"Firstly. Human. Senti, but human. Senti is a culture. And you'll treat my right hand with the same respect you give me if you want to go home with more than starvation rations." Aliset gave a sharp look to Birdie before settling down as she smirked. "I've seen that snake tell the difference between hydroponic and soil grown tomatoes of the same seed batch. By smell alone."

But she did listen to the briefing, stepping onboard the vehicle to ride and wait for orders. Till then, she closed her eyes, meditating as she pushed her psychic presence to the limit again, looking for any data from the Koun. She was, however, careful. Another nose bleed would ruin her makeup. If it wasn't already ruined to reveal her skin tone underneath.

Corsica Planet City - Landing Pad

Sacre's forked tongue flicked out, catching even the tiniest scents on the wind and then delivering them to be analyzed by her vomeronasal organ situated in the roof of her mouth. It was a reflexive action, something she had done since she was born. The concealable body armor hid how well armored she actually was. Her squad was well armed and ready for the confrontation to follow. Quietly following the XO's lead.

Corsica Planet City - The Woods

For a planet that was mostly water and coast, seeing trees was a welcome sight. Due to the harsh environment, these monster trees grew tall and thick. The centuries the tree endured being pulled into the deep eternal abyss had created a product of epic size. Bark that was thick and hard as armor, roots that reached hundreds of feet into the soil ensured they would endure to see another day. Though this did little to calm the nerves of the crew. Though it was not anything caused by the upcoming fight but more the near death crashes they had as Goon cruised through the forest. Clearly on another level, Goon duck, dodged and weaved through, over and around the large root system.

"My gosh Goon, you drive like Alastair who just heard of a lead about a new undiscovered female race." Akino no sooner got the words out before the vehicle hit a bump, sending her up and into the roof at the car. She crashed to the floor with a thud. "Ahhh hell, you did that on purpo..." She did not even get a chance to finish before getting tossed against the side of the car. What started as a smooth ride in the woods had turned into a rally race Tokyo drift style.

The car burst out of the cover of the forest into a large opening. The team would see the rough ride was for a good reason. Goon had driven them to the top of an overlook that had clear view of the compound. Much of the overgrowth had been cleared in this area. Leaving few options for cover. The ground also looked like it had recently been dug up.

"Well team, what do you think?" Akino asked of the group.

"She drives like I do," Aliset laughed, having quickly gotten used to the bumpy ride and bracing herself as she continued pressing with her mind for some kind of confirmation that her memories were still recording. And without a direct order from Akino, she wasn't about to break her guise.

"As far as the site, I recommend Sanssinia smell for anything below. Or use Selene's sensors for a better scan.. Hey, Selene, you got GPR in that frame?" Scanning the edge of the clearing, she placed her new rifle on the nearest rest to scan the edge and underbrush with the rifle's advanced optics. "I'll keep watch."

The compound loomed in the distance, a stark contrast against the dense vegetation surrounding it. It seemed like a formidable location, but with the team's preparations and skills, they were ready to take on the challenge. Aliset's suggestion to use Ancilla's sensors for a better scan was met with a nod from the android. "Affirmative. I have ground-penetrating radar capabilities, allowing me to scan beneath the surface for any anomalies or hidden structures," Ancilla replied, activating the GPR function to assist in the reconnaissance.

"I'd charge you extra if you wanted me to clear the whole compound by myself. But as long as your new friends pull their weight, this should be easy enough. Maybe we'll get lucky and find our targets here, and you'll get a new clubhouse in the process." Birdie smirked for a moment, before Khetu spoke up, her expression shifting to one of confusion. "Your right hand comes off?"

At the sight of the specially modified vehicle, Birdie simply shook her head before joining the others inside. "Not quite what I was expecting. I'm not too sure about the value of an invisible vehicle with tires." She just shrugged, wedging into her seat. "If it works, it works." The Nepleslian didn't seem to mind the ride, compared to some of the others. In fact, there was a distinct possibility she began to fall asleep as the trip continued...although she rose to her feet as quickly as anyone else, once the vehicle came to a stop.

Stretching her legs and taking in the view, Birdie gave the others a few moments to converse amongst themselves before speaking up. "Think that's a lot of open space to cross with no cover." She glanced over at Goon and Riplinn, still in the front section of the vehicle. "If air support's out until those defenses are down, do ya know if they're expecting any kinda resupply or delivery?" Birdie took another look at the group assembled. "...doubt we'd actually pass inspection and make it inside, but even getting up to the door would be an improvement."

She turned back towards the others. "...assuming they didn't just detect that radar and get spooked."

"This is why I date the pilot, smoother rides." Sacre grumbled as Black Wolf piled out.

Out of the whole squad, only Ioamai still looked perfect with her hair perfect and clothes unwrinkled. "We've had rougher rides." She said with a smile.

Sacre nodded as she looked over the battle ground. "Two snipers to provide cover while the rest of the team rushes. I don't trust that newly turned earth, so we'll hover over it. That will probably also be the faster methood for most of us."

"Skeet?" Ioamai asked.

"I said hover, not fly. Just enough to not let any mines they've planted take off legs. Aten, what have you found?" She asked.

Aten projected a map of the compound from his backpack. "I've located the anti-air defenses at these locations. If they are disabled, we will be able to utilize air support and extraction. I believe that these are the most efficient routes." He said, red lines running through the compound.

"Alright, we'll hold once we are over the wall to give time for the snipers to join us and we'll break into squads to chase down the anti-air. If we run into hostages on the way, we pull them out. If it's easier to run without taking out the anti-air, we'll do that instead. Thoughts?" Sacre asked.

Corsica Planet City - The Woods... Overlook

Riplinn had made sure he had locked in his seven point harness, when they trip had begun knowing full well the experience they were about to have with Goon's driving. As they made their way he spoke to the group in the passenger area "Goon is very good at many things, a more talented assistant one could not have, nor could they ask for, but her driving... well lets just say I am never late for any meetings..." he braced himself fully as they hit the woods and soon the vehicle was rumbling through the forest going through bushes and under massive arching roots. Goon drove as if their very survival rested on them making it to their destination in a timely manner. though this manner of driving did have a rather robust effect on all those in the vehicle, more so on those that did not properly strap in.

Hearing the tell tale bang of someone not properly strapped in after Akino made her comment Riplinn looked back at the group "You may want to strap in properly by the way.. Goons driving does not get any more gentle then this..." he then looked to Goon "Not that there is anything wrong with that Goon, your driving always adds a bit of excitement in a boring trip" he said with a smile as Goon Took one hand off the wheel to give him a thumbs up.

During that motion they burst through some rather thick bushes and right in their high speed path was a thick root, seeing such caused Riplinn to reactively brace for impact. Goon on the other hand, rather then hitting the brakes hit the gas and returned both hands to the wheel as she kicked the vehicle into a hard left turn to get around the root, taking a hard right soon after to continue the turn as the vehicle skidded on the loamy ground of the forest drifting around the large root and between a few more that they couldn't have seen previously, only missing them by millimeters all the while Goon's face was that same passive look on it.

The horrifying ascent up the steep hill was the next little adventure, one would think the vehicle would slow down to do... but instead it started to gain speed as Goon floored it and the Vehicle raced up the hill at a speed that many would think was take off speed if they were in a vehicle meant for atmospheric flight, pulling a lever an extra two set of tires would deploy to give the vehicle more traction and power out put to get it up the hill at an ever faster clip. if not for the stealth capabilities the racket they would have made would give them away, but the fact they had sound dampeners and other such measures meant the vehicle was as undetectable as a ghost unless one really wanted to find the thing.

Reaching the top of the hill the Road Behemoth erupted out of the foliage flying through the air briefly before landing with a heavy but silent Thudding as Goon parked the Vehicle and increased the size of the cloaking field so they could get out and view the enemy encampment and plan their approach. she then scooted out and opened the door for Riplinn so he could join the others that had already exited.

Riplinn looked at the group as they made their plans and then to Bridie as she asked him about deliveries "they ship things in on forest roads, but the chances of us sneaking in that way are low, especially with you all not being of our race, and the stealth capabilities of the Behemoth will likely only be good at a distance, get to close and it will give itself away sadly, but it will still be hard to target properly even if it is spotted thanks to some of the things Goon has done to the thing,." he patted the side of the Limo APC hybrid with a smirk.

"If you need any supplies we have the hive on board... we can make anything you may need, Goon interconnected a few of these lovely makers that can produce quite the number of things and rapidly.. the energy usage might give us away if we didn't have the damper up, though it can only run for a limited time before it's overwhelmed.. so we can't make to much without giving out position and presence away" he mentioned as Goon moved to the back of the Behemoth and opened the trunk to show a set of ten Honey comb makers slaved to each other to a console and she gave a thumbs up, leaving them powered down for the time being but ready to make anything they may need.

Riplinn continued "Regardless Goon and I Will support you in the attack, Goon has made the Behemoth well armored, so we could drive it across that open land with you all floating in as well, try to overwhelm them with multiple targets... maybe draw some heavier fire to the Behemoth?" he offered as he looked off the overlook at the base and then seeming to realize Goon would be driving down that steep incline to get there, and just the tiniest bit of regret of his words seemed to sparkle in his eye as he glanced at the hill, then to Goon who noticed him looking at her and waved to him, Riplinn would then smile back and wave before he looked back at the future path they would be driving down.

Meanwhile The projection Aten made shows the ground level of the base, outpost, it not only had the Anti-air emplacements, but from their over look they could make out several anti-air vehicles, all told they had at least ten anti-air solutions, four single purpose installations, and eight mobile vehicles, the inside of the compound was also larger then expected and Riplinn walked over to look over the projection and he grimaced "Seems our information is out of date on this place... last we seen it was only an outpost... this place looks more like a base now" he looked to the group "hope your up for a tough fight...good news is there shouldn't be to much of them maybe fifty?"

As Riplinn looked over the Holoprojection the GPR return would come back to Ancilla and the base had a massive underground complex built under it, rooms designed to hold many people and material, a quick calculation could estimate at max of perhaps two hundred if they packed people into the rooms that seemed to be Barracks. but by the scans the underground facility was still relatively rudimentary, nothing overly sophisticated but it was supported by the deep roots making it naturally hard to collapse without removing the root systems they seemed to build the place to take advantage of.

the scan would also show that they had means to get vehicles into the cover of the underground section, as well as garages set up with a few light armored vehicles inside, but as for being able to pick up individuals Riplinn had been correct, the natives of the planet didn't show up as different to vegetation, however not much vegetation moves in what is clearly patrols, though it meant only mobile members of the enemies where able to be picked up if through this manner.

The GPR also picked up what could possibly be landmines in the open ground, though it was hard to be certain as they had an irregular spacing but not a natural one, but also registered as Vegetation, they could easily have just been roots of lesser trees in the area that were cut down to make the open ground.

Corsica Planet City - The Woods

Akino hung back and listened to the group come up with ideas. As things seemed to be coming to a close then her arm wristband dinged letting her know she had mail. A moment later and she had a full projection up of the compound that laid before them. "It would seem the Koun got your message Ali. Even had a sticking tongue out emoji at the end. It sure is nice to see you two get along so well." She did her best but a small chuckle left her lips. She placed the map she had and overlaid it over what Aten was showing. It was for the most part a one for one match. Though this map did seem to show what looked to be an unmarked path.

Akino looked over the Holoprojection for a moment. "Yeah, I had to admit I expected to find a small shed out in the woods. Can't say I expected a hardened base. Makes me wonder if there is more going on here than just holding a hostage." She paused then let out a sigh. "There are not many options on this one. Either frontal attack or try and flank in teams. This extra area on the map revealed by the Koun could be a back door way in though no doubt be guarded." She let her words hang for a moment before she continued. "The last thing could be to use a distraction. Koun has drop pods and could launch one to give us some AA fireworks."

"So what say you, what mix of fun shall we take tonight?" A warm smile then crossed her face. Tonight, the moons overhead would dance in blood.

"No chance of sneaking in the front door, then, huh?" Birdie nodded along at the explanation, listening as the conversation continued, more details of the base being laid out. When the initial image was projected, she seemed quite interested, eyes scanning across it rapidly, taking in the details. By the time the additional mapping was laid on top of the radar scan, she seemed to have made a decision.

"I'm thinkin' you drive up to the underground vehicle entrance all stealthy while they're distracted. If we can drive straight through, that's great, otherwise you can just drop me off. Pretend like you've had second thoughts and back right on out of there. I promise you they won't see me coming." She gave the group a wide grin at the thought. "I do my best work alone, but if we just wanna all go in that way, or split into small groups, I could be convinced."

Ancilla remained silent, part of it was to wait patiently for Aliset’s reply the othr part was to be careful. If it was true that the fact she was sentient would cause a negative reaction, then she’d have to go back to pretending to be nonsentient. She knew she had experience in that. “I believe when fighting armed opponents stealth is the logical choice” she said.

"Agreed. Likely outnumbered," Aliset mused, considering the plan. "Sanssinia's plan makes sense. I'll provide sniper support where I can."

Sacre and Black Wolf moved up and forwards to the edge of the ground that had been cleared. The team spread out in a line, "Snipers, if we start taking fire. We'll need you to put their heads back down." She said, slightly nervous about the open ground, but she didn't show it. "On my mark, se fly close to the ground to the wall. Ready?" She asked.

Akino lifted an eyebrow as she listened to the final plans. This felt odd, almost surreal how the team had decided not to storm the fort guns blazing. The team had a plan and it was time to get to work.

"Alright, lets break into two teams, ones in the car and ones in the back. The snipers are ready to go and I put in a request for the Koun to give us some fireworks from overhead." Within moments the team was ready to bring the lighting and the thunder. Akino had joined with Birdie who she planned to leave to her own but would not be far in order to provide support if needed. She figured that unlike before, Goon would be a calm driver. She had this thought all the way up till they reached the underground vehicle entrance. Akino caught herself, her face just millimeters away from the dash board as Goon slammed on the breaks. Though to the outside world, only a small dust cloud puffed into the air. None the wiser that a armored car had come knocking.

Overhead a loud crack echoed across the sky. A moment later the clouds parted as a pod screamed across the sky. The guards outside watched with wonder as it streaked over head. The tone around the place slowly changed as it became clear the object was headed straight for them. The air raid sirens started to blear. The anti-air platforms activated and started to blast rounds into the sky. Within a few moments the pod burst into flames and the action seemed to have stopped. The anti-air had paused and only the wind could be heard. Then once more the anti-air started firing at the nothing in the air. The guards were first confused then then dread came over them. The once clear sky quickly became a black blob heading towards them. "Cluster bombs!!" One of them yelled out. Though it was already too late as the far side of the fortress was peppered with explosive shrapnel. Now was the time to make their assult.

"So, care to help open the door?" Akino asked.

That's one way to knock, Koun-Chan. I like your moxie. Can you give me telepathic link to your sensor grid so I can spot for targets? Aliset smirked as she r returned her eyes to the treeline, zeroing her optic off a laser sight and a tree, then quickly turning off the laser.

With a softsigh, Aliset settled into her final position and offered her prayers aloud. "This rifle, relic of heroes, be my touch that I may smite the dangers of my kin in Skydas name. Return their souls to If'Ni and let Listia offer them a better story in their next life. Offer me your sight and reach, that I may offer them eternal sanctuary in my blade unto my rejoining with the steel and carry them with me to protect and serve. Let these things we do that others may live free be my guidestar and let them forgive the evils of my necessity."