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

CadetNewb

Well-Known Member
After many marines were patched up and their giblets sewn back together - some literally - they were debriefed, and then debriefed again when the ship got reinforcements and supplies while still en-route from a smaller, faster ship.

It was very short and to the point; this enemy was as unconventional as it got, and despite fighting head to head, used every dirty trick from suit hacking to volumetric projections to literally toy with their opponents. They didn't use heavy armor and heavier firepower, and these things still took not just Yamatai's Star Army by surprise, but Nepleslia's Star Military as well. With how somber the mood was, it almost felt like Lieutenant Gaston himself didn't want to even think about it with how quick he was reciting the points on the presentation. After all, these enemies shouldn't have even existed; they were supposed to be impossible to make. Cyber-Nekos? The heads of some cat-girls fused to a mechanical skeleton? It didn't just sound absurd. It was.

That was why it was all the worse; it turned out many of the marines from other squads had met them in person.

"This is some huge bullshit," their Sergeant half-muttered the moment the LT was gone. Though the tall blond's missing cheek and stripped knuckles were regrown, the flesh still a little pink, she still wore bandages around her neck. "We went through that crap, and not only that, but they tossed Kelly in a cell with some spooks since she's a Freespacer. Plus, we're getting shore leave on some rock floating off in a field somewhere." Looking over them all, she rubbed her temple and grunted. "Sorry guys," the woman apologized. "How you all holding up?"

With the shock they were put through, it wasn't a surprise if things were a bit fuzzy for some.
 
Throughout the briefing, Stripe figits with a strange look on his face, as if he's struggling to accept the information being put out. Once the brief is over, he looks at what he assumes are to be his comrades and asks

"I'm sort of new to this, so ...are all briefings this strange and worrying?" he asks, with a look on his face that says he's hoping it is not so.
 
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Richard let out a sigh and scratched his head some, he was physically fine for the most part, just a little banged up with only a few holes in his arm that got patched up, but mentally he was beyond exhausted, he felt like he could sleep for a year and still not be up back to full. "There's nothing we can do to get Kelly out of holding? I mean shouldn't they have it on camera that she was fighting with us and taking out the IWL? I wouldn't mind a little break though.."

Hearing the new guy speak up, Richard chuckled and sat back. "Nah, sometimes they get worse, we actually succeeded this time after all."
 
"Oh joy, what have I got myself into."

I lean back on my chair and give a curious glance. Maybe I can get get him to start talking about what he's done- give me an idea on how NOT to kill myself.

"So," I began casually, "if this was a good day, how in the hell did you survive those bad days? Must be a thrilling tale."
 
"We got lucky - one of our squadmates teleported in using a Yamataian suit and caught them with their panties down."

"You must be one of the new guys. Welcome to the squad," the squad leader reached out to shake his hand. Though Stripe was just shy of being seven feet tall, he was a bit on the slim side. Weedy looking even. Meanwhile, the woman standing up from her seat was just a few inches shorter, but gave off a different impression. Muscular yet curvaceous, the blond haired woman had weight and presence to her. "Don't feel so bad about the news though, we were caught off guard too, and had to use some of the cats' gear on top of that," she pointed out, her grip firm in his hand if he had taken it. Despite the impromptu briefing being over, the normal chatter that followed wasn't quite there, and tones were hushed.

"Speaking of Kelly though, I was going to go and visit her," she replied to Richard, a hand lazily placed on her hips.
 
"Mind if I join you?" I query, wondering who this 'Kelly' is... and what happened that they couldn't make the briefing. "Might as well start learning faces so I know who not to shoot, those things are going to cause enough trouble as is."
 
"Can we never work with the cats again? That was a horrible mission..." grumbled Max, still getting used to the feeling of the new cybernetics in his hand. The mission had left him scarred and his ego took more of a beating than his body did. Still after his last two encounters he truly felt "blooded in" as a Marine.
 
"Mind? Hell, the more company the better," the blond started to walk backwards towards the doorway. "If that's what you want scrub, just tag along. You'll probably like meeting Kelly; she's not your typical marine," she began. "Though, we just got a shipment of new weapons due for field testing in the armory. If you're more interested in those, I wouldn't blame any of you."

Just as she turned to make her way out, snickering chuckle escaped Ylfa's lips when she heard one of her marines complain.

"C'mon Carter!" she sarcastically replied, turning to look back at them again. "Being surrounded by flawless young women, playing with them as part of your work, and getting a hand that's totally metal? Was it reaaaaly that bad?" the woman smirked, teasing him. "Seriously, if you're having trouble, let me know. It's totally my ballpark!"
 
"I think I'll tag along, I've never met a Freespacer myself, I wonder if she'd give any good tips on fixing and making stuff. Stereotyped, I know, but they have that rep for good reason-they're good at it. " Stripe says as he gets up and follows... huh,

"Say, what's your name?" I ask. I might as well learn some of these people's names, even if I do prefer my own company.
 
Mark ignored most of the briefing as he tried to remember what the hell exactly happened during the fight. All he had were fragmented images of the cyber cat and his left arm being severed right above the elbow. While the cybernetic appendage looked like a normal arm it sure as hell didn't feel like part of him yet.

"How about we just agree not to work with the cats in combat situations Max. I can think of some times I wouldn't mind their company," he responded with a slight smirk on his face as he fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and set one between his lips before lighting it.

He stood wincing slightly at the pain from his freshly relocated knee cap. "Anyone here want to go for a drink or am I going to be the jackass drinking alone," he asked, looking around at those still sitting nearby.
 
Max chuckled at Mark's comment. "Hey dude, if you're the one into furries to each their own I suppose. As for the drink, I think I'll pass, trust me i've tried to self medicate and it screws with my cybernetics for whatever reason" he said to Mark, looking down at his hand. Turning to Ylfa, "I think I'll join you, I guess I have some questions about the cybers, they said I should be able to pick up an egg without crushing it, haven't managed that yet. But I suppose its good for killing terrorist and NMX goons. Can't wait till we get back to doing that" remarked Carter, eager to displace some of his frustration.
 
"A drink would be nice" Richard spoke up as she stretched. "But I'm going to visit Kelly first, though I doubt it, she might be getting lonely without anyone to call meatbag. Besides, still need some time to get used to these new nerves before I start picking up glasses." He rubbed his upper left arm and sighed. Keeping everything organic was expensive compared to just replacing his arms with cybernetics, but he never was fond of cybernetics.
 
The squad's leader couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I suppose Kelly is mechanically inclined. I suppose you'll have to see for yourself to believe it," she mischievously admitted to Stripe. It was one thing to know about the Freespacers, but another entirely to actually meet one, or many for that matter. They were unpredictable, and as different from each other as possible. Despite knowing of them, some people in Nepleslia had honestly never even run into one; the Mega Cities and the surrounding slums were simply that big. As they followed her into one of the lifts, she soon snickered and then laughed. "Wow, talk about green! You're assigned to my squad, and you don't know my name?" the woman asked, genuinely surprised. "I'm Master Sergeant Ylfa Diadotter," the blond pointed a thumb to herself. "But given how we're just winding down from the war and all, Ylfa will do just fine," she told Stripe.

Max and Mark however, both invited Ylfa's wrath as they both found themselves between a rock and a soft place.

"Aw, c'mon guys, you both know you'd tap that even if they had tails!" she spoke, grabbing them both in a head lock with her muscular arms and bringing them in close. "Hell, some even go full retard and chase those Kohanians. Though, that, I think is going overboard." Releasing the two and giving them air, they were soon making their way through the halls of the ships, crowded with marines and navy sailors busy or busy killing time. Hearing Richard though, she gave out a 'Tsk' of disapproval. "Damnit, I was really hoping one of you guys would say, 'why not both?' or something like that! We could totally bribe our way in with booze if the brig's guards had a stick up their ass or something," Ylfa exclaimed.

Just up ahead, was the brig.
 
Stripe chuckled in amusement. "How often does your name get misspelled? I remember my name once once misspelled 'Strip' instead of 'Stripe'- the Stripper jokes went on until that gang got decimated by disease."
 
Mark grunted as Ylfa put him into a head lock, squirming slightly from discomfort. When he was released, he spent a moment to glare at the back of the master sargent's head before quietly moving to follow the rest of the squad. "Visiting Kelly might be a good way to get on the 'spacer's good side, if she even has one. Besides, I'm sure as hell not going to go drink by myself while everyone else visits her and makes me look bad," Mark remarked.
 
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Having released the two marines, Ylfa took the lead towards the first checkpoint. "My name? The most they ever screwed up was putting an 'I' in there that didn't belong, and after a few promotions, that just doesn't happen anymore," she replied, looking back at the group with a good natured smile. "Every girl's got a good side Mark. You just gotta know what she likes." Turning away to talk to the guard for a brief moment, they saw the man simply point a thumb over his shoulder for them to all go in. "Awesome. Sounds like they're done questioning her, so she's on her way out anyways," Ylfa remarked. Mark and Mark alone however, heard a familiar voice.

"You don't like hugs?"
The drug-induced words faded away, an accompanying 'clop-clop-clop' of hoofsteps growing fainter as they all went forward.

Meanwhile, rest of the squad had their ears perked and listening for something else. Empty save for a few intoxicated marines, the cells had their hung-over moans drowned out by the sound of a grinding wheel pressing against metal. In one of the cells towards the end, light and the occasional sparks could be seen flying out from in between the bars. Stepping up to it like keepers of a cage, they all peered in. All sorts of small, portable tools were strewn across the floor alongside someone's uniform, the pieces of clothing looking like they were simply thrown off without any regard. And sitting there on a bunk was a machine made of flat plates of gunmetal gray, welded together into all sorts of boxy shapes to form arms, legs, a head and torso joined together by ball joints or servo-motors. The vaguely human looking head was completely expressionless thanks to the black glass visor, which had a single yellow light glowing from behind it. However, to the credit of whoever put it together, it was just vaguely feminine in proportions.

As the yellow 'eye' glowed with concentration on the weld it was polishing, it didn't notice the marines until they all neared. Springing up onto its feet, with a faint whir of servos, it leaped forward at them with incredible speed.

"Balloon tits! Grumpy! Ball-Jock! Grunt-Grunt! Uhh...Scrub!" it paused for a moment, struggling to nickname the newcomer. "What are you guys doing here?" Kelly asked them all, her light quickly turning a happy green as she clutched the bars.

When they came over, she was polishing some fresh welds on the back of her fingers.
 
As Richard walked through the brig it brought back some memories, none too pleasant but it wasn't as bad as what he'd seen, in fact this was rather good in comparison. When he saw sparks he assumed it was Kelly right away, of course she'd be welding something while everyone else in the brig was looking depressed and lost. He didn't expect her to respond so positively though, he thought she'd be a little more level headed and try to act like she didn't care. Either way he smirked and chuckled at her words. "We came to see you Robo-rump, did you think we'd just leave you here?"
 
And in that instant, all of the moment's excitement and energy vanished.

As Stripe stood there, the Freespacer girl's green eye-light slid over her pitch black faceplate to settle on him before the rest of her head quickly, smoothly turned on him like a sentry gun. Considering who this was of course, it wouldn't have been a surprise if she were part sentry-turret. Staring, the round green light watching him was erased from the top down into a semi-circle as she 'squinted' at him. "Duhhhhhhhh," Kelly began, the shape tracing a circle as she rolled her 'eye'. "I mean, Ylfa's like, ripped, and has those things? She's a meaty meatbag with meatbags - totally top heavy and unbalanced!" the robot girl picked up her enthusiastic pace from before.

"Get yourself in order Corporal!" Ylfa suddenly barked with command, her face cold and stern. "I'm only around thirty-three percent meat," she suddenly smiled, her tone playful again. "The rest? Three words. Coltan. Hyper. Alloy," the tall blond boasted, proudly puffing up her chest.

"Seriously? I'm so jelly!" Kelly's green 'eye' quickly expanded. "I'm mostly nano-carbon steel!" Amazingly, she let out a sigh, slightly tinny at the edges, before her attention quickly drifted elsewhere. Looking towards Richard, her light-eye had already gone back to its usual shape . "Totally! I thought you guys were dumb enough to leave the best robo-rump on this bucket to rust!" she admitted. "But you guys came - I guess meat isn't so bad after all," Kelly added, her tone of voice becoming more thoughtful for a moment. Looking at them all again however, her hands and arms slid up the cell's bars as she tilted her head forward. Unable to raise just her shoulders thanks to her joints and rigid torso, it was the closest Kelly could come to taking a more impish pose.

More importantly, the single point of green light on her face split into three separate ones, each forming a different shape.

"So. You guys wonder why I'm here? :3"
 
Rachael had stuck near the back as she always did, which is why at first she probably wasn't noticed. The blonde muscular woman with chocolate skin, gently leaned against the door frame of the area they were in. She was in the middle of messing with her data jockey as the others talk, as usual she didn't seem to care about anything that was going on at that precise moment. She just watched, listen, though she did seem to wonder why Kelly asked that question.
 
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