RP: NSS Sledge Mama [NSS Sledge Mama] Ep. 4 - Schadenfreude

The janitor did not seem one for conversation, so Edgardo decided to ask someone else. Heading back out into the corridors, he spotted a weedy looking marine checking out the specs of some kind of ship. "Excuse me comrade, would you happen to know where the Sarge for the crew of the ship Sledgehammer might be?"

"Finally some people that get it." Mark remarked, turning to follow Max and Richard. "A drink after all that bullshit is a great idea." He stopped at the door long enough to turn and give a slight nod of farewell before continuing down the corridor after the others.

He looked up and saw yet another unfamiliar face, although at least they appeared to be as green as he was seeing as they didn't recognize Ylfa as the same sergeant he was looking for.

"Take a closer look at the lady beside me. Guess what? She's the Sarge you're looking for. You're welcome." Stripe drawled in an amused tone.

Jaime looked at Stripe with a blank stare, "I get that Private," Before turning back to the Sergeant, "We'll get the formalities done later Sergeant."

Looking at the indicated officer, Edgardo performed a hasty salute, "I'm very sorry! I did not see you there Sarge! Private Edgardo reporting for duty!"

Stripe returned Jaimes blank stare, apparently baffled. "I was referring to Ylfa. Ya know, the Sarge who's with us?"

The Brig (Present)

Releasing her handshake with Stripe, the blond woman looked over them all and then sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"Screw formalities. There's so many new faces - we really did get our asses handed to us in that cat house." Relaxing her face and keeping her eyes closed for just a moment longer, she opened them, the blues settling on the group again. "Alright, paperwork's done guys. You're all part of the squad," Ylfa began. Looking over at Stripe though, she casually pointed a finger at him. "And here's the enlisted version of the ship's layout private. Don't get lost in it," a corner of her mouth quirked into a smile. In his pocket, the standard issue Data Jockey he had vibrated as it received the nav-app update from her.

"W-wait - you're digital? I thought you were just a brain in there!" Kelly's voice picked up, static wash gnawing at the edges of her words in surprise.

"Hey, they call Master Sergeants like myself 'Top Soldier' for a reason." It explained why they were often referred to as just 'Top' as well. Having started to depart the group again, she turned and began walking backwards. "At least I'm not being called 'Mutter der Einheit' like the Abwehrans would!" she laughed back. "Though, you keep an eye on all of them Kelly. I want them back in one piece - that's an order!" Ylfa added, the Freespacer quickly saluting with a dull, deep 'clank'.

"I really didn't expect a boss like her," she half-muttered to herself, Ylfa departing with some of the others. Kelly soon looked over to Richard once they were out of eyesight. "Overclocking? Naw. That's like...thinking faster and harder. For you humans, that'd be like, Amphetamines! But without the addiction, shaking and withdrawal." Doing her best impression on a human that relied far too much on 'Go-Pills' and various combat stimulants, her metal parts shook and shivered as she twitched. "I-I-I! I need my amphetamines!" For a machine, it was surprisingly convincing. "Wahahahaha!" she started laughing at flesh's frailty, breaking the act. "Anyways, let's go!"

With the squad splitting, Ylfa going for the Armory and Kelly going for Providence, it was time for the marines to make a decision on where to go.

Briefing Room (5 Minutes Ago)

The marine ignored Edgardio and instead mopped the floor with even more gusto, prompting him to be left alone. A single drop of sweat was working its way down his brow, and it quickly became apparent why.

"Good. It's supposed to be punishment after all," a hologram of Ylfa smiled at him.

Jamie smirked at the 'Screw formalities' comment barely could suppress a chuckle. He followed the halls after the Sergeant towards the Armory. Might as well get armor tuned and observe what Arms he can take.

His thoughts began to wander back and forth as the drab halls of the vessel reminded him of his past operations, he looked onto his cybernetic arm checking if the etching was still there, it was. He thought back to when it was lost but was cut back to reality when he bumped shoulders with another Marine. He shook his head and turned towards the Armory doors.

"Thank you Madame!" Stripe declared crisply, attempting a salute only to poke his eye. "...Ow."

Shaking off the mild pain, he staggered off toward the armoury.

"Providence" Asteroid Colony

Those that followed Kelly made their way out of the ship along with the crowds of other marines and navy personnel that wanted shore leave. Jammed together in a shuttle, and then just as quickly shoved out the hatch, they found themselves stumbling across a cobbled together spaceport. Half metal and half brown rock, it seemed unfinished, but this didn't matter, as they were all hastily herded along like cows and sent out the exit.

Right into the thick of it.

The main boulevard in front of them felt like it was packed full of peoples from every corner of the sector, and even those from outside. Through the hustle and bustle of all the pedestrians, they could see a man with swept back horns standing in front of his shop, giving out free samples as he shouted, "Kebab! Best kebab! Get your kebab!". Not far off from the eatery, a giant of a bear standing on its hind legs and dressed in comically large t-shirt with jeans eyed the food with a watering mouth. Another store had bars over its windows, but inside sported a wide selection of cybernetic enhancements, all put up on display. They could see an otherwise normal looking woman with only one arm window-shopping alongside her friend; a tall, feather covered reptillian in an overcoat which pointed out a particularly pricey looking arm in the window. A loud crowd was gathering around a fast food joint and hostess club as alluringly clad women catered to the customers inside, the occasional pair of feline ears visible on its various hostess's.

"OH YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Kelly yelled in anger, her voice quickly becoming washed out in a digital flurry of fury. "T3H K@tz R 3v3rywh3R3!!"

Perhaps more importantly to them all, an auto-ricksaw with an open top pulled up in front of them and disgourged its passengers. The conductor, a four armed man, 'drove' this vehicle, but was busily munching down a snack as his vehicle switched its sign over to 'On Break'. Sighing, Kelly looked back at the group.

"Ok. Ok. Stay cool, overclock the fans," Kelly spoke to herself for a moment. "Where you guys want to go? The stuff here on 'Meatstreet' isn't too special but attracts all the travelers since it's the first thing they see," she explained to them, pointing a mechanical hand over to a nearby sign. Indeed, the name of the boulevard was 'Meatstreet', and besides what they saw before them, the possibilities were far larger.

*****

Sledge Mama - Armory

Meanwhile, Ylfa snickered as Striped poked himself in the eye, leading the way deeper into the armored depths of the Sledge Mama.

"This is probably the perfect time to take a look at the new stuff," she told them. The ship, devoid of many of its crew, was far more silent than it was before. "Nobody's going to be in line to try it all out since they're too busy getting hammered on leave." As they descended, leaving the lift, the marines that followed her soon found themselves standing in front of a heavily armored bulkhead. Raising a hand, the woman snapped her fingers as the massive doors started to open. As light shined through, their eyes adjusted; beyond them, stood rows upon rows of hulking, armored forms standing in their maintenance frames like an army of soldiers. Menacing and faceless, they stood there, inhumanly still like statues found within a vast, ancient tomb. "Usually, I'd just take one of the more direct lifts, but this route's just more fun," Ylfa admitted to the marines with her. Stepping forward, she lead the way through the ranks of power armors. "Though, it's more cramped than usual. I think they're trying to fit in even more armors for the coming refit," the sergeant offhandedly commented.

They were soon lead deeper into the hall of armors; it was littered with repair tools and lift vehicles designed to carry their components around, but there were no weapons to be so easily found. Instead, Ylfa lead them to the back, where several marked slots in the wall stood tall to either side of a barred window. Weapon dispensers. Inside, a cartoony picture of a dog gnawing into a hapless catgirl was hastily scrawled with the words, "Plz Feed Armory Master. Plz Stick Limbs Inside Bars" and so forth. Scratching her head for a moment, she looked past them and right at the morass of weapons arrayed on the vast, automated racks. "Ok guys, from what I can see, it looks like the new stuff includes a portable launcher, brand new knife-slash-bayonet, axe, sniper rifle and a metal shield." Peering around a bit, she added, "I think there's a few more, but I can't see them from here, so you'll have to give me a bit to check the listing," she explained to them.

They were offered the tip of the iceberg and were offered a chip, however, there was more just hidden from sight.

"Alright, let's take a look at the listings," he said "if you see a field repair kit let me know."

Stripe nodded towards the Sniper Rifle and added, "Am I allowed to try any of these to put them through their paces?"

Edgardo looked at the Sniper Rifle, then at Stripe, then at Top Sarge, "I call dips on trying that baby out!"

Jaime walked into the armory jsut ever so slightly behind the group. When they stopped at the weapon dispensaries, He finally spoke, "Any heavy chain guns or glorified artillery pieces?" He couldn't remember where he picked up this line, but it seemed familiar.

He then got his eye caught on an Aggressor system stood up nearby and began to have his memories flood him from wartime and hows many times armor like this saved his life.

Sledge Mama - Armory

"Not too interested in firepower huh?" Ylfa asked Stripe matter-of-factly. Looking up and to the left in thought, though, she considered it. "Well shit," the woman smiled in surprise. "You're in luck - they're letting us field trial a portable Nano-Constructor System. If you carry that and a fusion cutter, you'll probably be set," the sergeant explained to him. Still, there was something that bothered her. Crossing her arms over her chest and thinking about it for a moment though, she soon figured out why. "Oh crap. These things haven't had their specs uploaded to the fight-room yet, and that's where we'll have to go if we want to try any of them," Ylfa began to explain. "Firing ranges take up space, and space is at a premium on a ship, though, you guys can take a look at them right now if you'd like. "At her offer, the automated portions of the armory came to life, the numerous weapon racks behind the bars clanking and grinding as their line was rotated out to bring the requested weapons to bear. Back and forward, the massive belts of weapons blurred, only to stop, lock, and deposit something before whirring up again.

In moments, orange warning lights lit up as the hazard painted outlines on the walls simply slid out like a giant rack.

"Let's see here," Ylfa began, flicking a few stray strands of golden hair back. "First up is the nano-constructor," the sergeant patted a large, cylindrical tank with some sort of mounting system. Despite its appearance, the sound it gave off was far more solid and heavy than expected. "It looks like some sort of backpack you fix onto your Hostile or VOID," she commented. Taking a few steps, the next one didn't need much explanation. "Next, the sniper...rifles? Wow. I didn't expect that!" True to her word, were not one, but two weapons, both appearing as different as their function. Though both were long and heavy looking, the first was fairly rectangular, taking after the HPAR in appearance, but with a smaller, tin-can sized magazine offset by a much longer body and barrel. The second however, was much more rounded, and though it didn't sport a pistol grip, had a massive, meaty looking bolt action.

"And finally, the heavy weapons - look at what I found!" she crowed. Though the fourth weapon in line looked like a miniaturized version of the Aggressor's Assault Mass Repeater, the fact that it had the HPAR's magazine attached to it told them plenty about it immediately. Still, it was the fifth weapon that Ylfa was leaning against. Nearly as tall as herself, the double barreled launcher was set up in an over-under configuration, and was definitely not meant to be carried as a secondary weapon. "As great as this one looks, it makes the runts over here at the end look pretty underwhelming," she shrugged, pointing to the sixth set of weapons. They had to admit, Ylfa was right - the last weapon on display was a simple, collapsed tube with folded down sights. Basically, a single shot, disposable launcher that wasn't much larger than a can of potato crisps. In comparison to the Hostile that is; the tube was fairly large and long in human hands.

"You guys want to finger them right now, or go to the sims where we can actually 'try' them?" the tall blond asked them with a predatory grin.

"In your experience, what's best at medium to long range?" Stripe queried contemplatively- he really didn't want to get up close and personal if he didn't have to. Why give them such an easy target when one could get the same effect from a distance?

"And where are some explosives..."

Before he really realized it himself he was sharing the Sergeant's grin by the end, "I'll take a sim, I need to get the kick back in my shoulder." As he said "shoulder,' he rolled his metallic arm mimicking a muscular warm up. "I'm guessing for some of the heavy weapons," he motioned to the fifth weapon with his actual arm, "we might need some armor."

He seemed to get a rush of adrenaline when he had walked into the room, but this was like there was more adrenaline than blood. He thought back to his combat, it was a deadly high that was undeniably the best thing that ever came to him. Then he thought of something else, something to say and make words not to dawdle over his thoughts. He gave the grin the Sergeant made but maybe a bit slighter,

"I'd be happy to demonstrate our selection of multi-piece suits tailored for your whims."

"Providence" Asteroid Colony

Richard looked around at all the establishments and groaned seeing all the clutter. "In my experience nothing good is ever out front. They just try to deliver food to the customer as fast as they can then get you out the way. You have to look around for any of the good stuff. Which reminds me, Kelly do you have any of those fancy internal systems that let you eat food?" He looked around as he spoke, trying to spot some not too used paths. "Let's find a place for locals."

"Give me something at long range, I like to be able to see the entire battlefield and report everything I see back to my team. As for the finger or sim, I'll take the sim." Edgardo, while he didn't have the same grin on his face as the Top or Jaime, did feel a bit of a rush when he thought of getting back behind a rifle. He could almost picture looking out at the enemy positions and relaying them back to command.

"Providence" Asteroid Colony

Mark looked around, taking in his surroundings as Kelly and Richard spoke. "I'm with ball boy on this one, a nice quiet, or at least less crowded, place is where I want to head off to." He remarked whilst taking another look around. He hated crowds and this place was sending all kinds of nerves through him.

"Providence"

"As long as the place has some good looking women and booze, I don't care. I've never really been this far out so I'm not sure what we should be looking for."