RP: YSS Miharu Prologue, Day 2

The latest twist of events was almost too much for Tom. He nearly leapt for joy when he realized the Mindy was not dead.

A wave of exhausted relief entered the Yamataian's body, as he raised his rifle to take another shot at the Ocelot's head.

"Freeman-Hei, track my position and follow us, quickly! There is not much time!"

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She's safe... and leaving the battle. It's almost over.

He dropped the sight of the rifle from his target and ran as hard as his body could carry him. Now that his friends were safe, he could leave. He was more of a liability anyway.

"Whoever you are, thank you so much!"

They were going to make it!

Nyton continued to dash while he carried Yukari and didn't stop until they were at the entrance to the sewers. At that point he stopped, placing his arm across Yukari's chest as he braced each of them against a wall. "Yukari, can you read me? Is your radio functional?"he asked her. The static reply confirmed his inquiry. Nyton pointed to Yukari, motioned at the ground for her to stay put, and then pointed up as though to indicate wait a moment. He then turned and peeked around the corner. The Mindy had reappeared and continued to fight the Ocelot. With the remains of his antenna he tried to broadcast a signal to the Mindy on various YSA frequencies as it darted around.

"Unknown Mindy pilot, this is Nito Juni Nyton Claymere. Thank you for your assistance. My team needs some cover for our retreat as most of our units are heavily damaged. We are enroute to an extraction point. There are enemy reinforcements more then fifteen kilometers away and closing. If you need an escape reply to me on a secure frequency at these coordinates in five minutes." Nyton then followed with a position that was five kilometers away from the rendezvous site. After he completed the transmission he crept back and faced Yukari again. "Freeman, this is Claymere. Yukari's radio must be out. We're hitting the sewers to make our escape. Try not to overstay your welcome here. " Nyton transmitted to Tom.

Nyton then attempted to use that pseudo telepathy that Miles had shown him back in the Sakura. Stick close Chui. We're getting out of here. All of us. he 'thought' out before he pointed at her and then to the tunnel that led down into the sewer system.

"Thanks for the offer KAMI, but I have places to be and people to see." Leutre stepped out of the elevator scratching his head. "Did I just imagine that or did KAMI really... Nah, it couldn't be. I swear, there is something in this medication they're giving me. Either that, or I really was right about being deceived..."

Without warning Leutre broke into a quick stride down the hall, occasionally sparing a glance over his shoulder. After a few moments he found himself short of breath and slowed his pace. As he apporached his objective, he shook his head in disbelief at his paranoia and overactive imagination. "Maybe it's just culture shock. Yes, that has to be it."

As he reached the door, he remembered the instructions the receptionist had given him. Pressing the door chime he took a step back and waited.

Yukari watched Nyton's remarks, and received his telepathy. But she did not respond in the positive.

"With all due respect, Claymere-Juni, we have less than a minute to begin the retreat. Unless you are aware of a tunnel that will give us a straight escape path directly to the extraction point, we are out of time for subterfuge. Is your anti-gravity operational?"

"You should really be using encrypted telepathy on the battlefield." Kotori's mental 'voice' broke in on the conversation Nyton and Yukari were having. "You can't afford the twists and turn of the sewer system. Just make a run for it."

((OOC: Your dual energy-sword usage gave you away! I knew it!))

Yukari blinked. "Kotori!" she shouted, not realizing no one heard her.

"Our telepathy is always encrypted, Kotori," Yukari said with obvious giddy in her thoughts. "I will get Tom; Claymere-Juni, go now while you can."

With that, Yukari lifted off the ground (it was a miracle her anti-gravity worked) and flew to Tom quickly. "No time for conversation, Freeman-Hei, let us go!" She picked him up in her arms and went back toward Nyton.

The Ocelot thrashed itself around, willingly ramming into the nearby buildings in an effort to dislodge the gnat dealing it so much hurt in its back. While the Mindy was strong, getting knocked around against tons of loose rubble wasn't an enviable predictament.

The mortar launchers already disabled, the Mindy allowed itself to be dislodged. The power suited nekovalkyrja sprung away and landed two-dozen meters away. So tough. I never fought anything this big. Kotori laughed, eyeing the giant humanoid as it whipped around to face her. I have to hurry though: the Super Phalanxes in the other groups will show up eventually...

The Ocelot lumbered in, striking at her with one forearm vibroblade with murderous intent. Kotori let it connect, using one of the Mindy's new energy forearm shields to absorb the impact and carry her around with it. The neko agilely maneuvered around the swing to stand on the forearm and pounced from there, sinking both energy swords where the armored shoulder connected with the torso. The neutronium armor gave her shortlived resistance before she managed to slice through; thus ruining the shoulder actuator and severing the entire arm assembly from the rest of the body.

As the massive limb crashed to the ground, the head aimed the remaining pulse cannon at Kotori, but she - still latched on the Ocelot - blocked the attack with her forearm shield and brought her shoulder railgun into play again, slamming three rounds into the side of the head and destroying the cannon proper.

The railgun shots shattered the visor. The nodal bits swooped down like carrion birds sensing dead corpses and figuratively plucked the NDI mecha's eye out. More smoke, accomagnied with electrical discharges, ran through the mobile frame's damaged body as it lost its active sensors.

Kotori jumped off and slashed at its legs, damaging one knee actuator and forcing the blind Ocelot on all fours (or threes, seeing it had lost one arm). There was no sense in prolonging the battle and risking herself further, so, the Taii recalled her nodal support bits and flew away. She allowed herself a last salvo of withering aether darts and a railgun burstfire to turn its torso section to burning scrap before she twisted and turned in pursuit of the rest of her crew.

"Wahhh! Ok!"

Tom, who was suddenly yanked in the air, clutched Yukari's mech.

"You know, this reminds me of a movie. Oh my dearie, you've come to rescue me! How shall I ever repay you?"

He grinned a bit.

"Do I need to cover your back?"

Nyton breathed a hidden sigh of relief. As Yukari flew off to grab Tom he took off and began to head for Kurohoshi's position as they were already further ahead. Jets still work. Can't encrypt, haven't learned. Roger that Chui, I am on my way to join the others. he quickly thought.

Yukari's radio was damaged. She couldn't hear Tom, but she was still blushing. She found her loudspeaker still worked; she set it to the lowest volume setting as she floated up to about three stories high and flew as fast as she could with her anti-gravity. She was heading toward the bright green arrow hovering above some area on her helmet screen.

"Freeman-Hei, if you have something to say, use your speaker," she said, maintaining a professional tone, or so she thought. She looked up at the timer that showed when the Hoshi would leave -- a little more than 10 minutes left.

It was going to be close.

He flipped on his speakers.

"Do you need me to cover your back, ma'am?"

James trudged along, Morita's limp arm tapping against the back of his armor with a dull clunk that was quickly becoming annoying.

His gravimetric engines were fried, making the trek agonizingly slow. He didn't know how far he had gone and didn't really care to know.

"So, Masako-Juni, have any adventure stories to pass the time?"

The Geshrin kept a close eye on the sensors, but he could feel exhaustion setting in. The throbbing in his injured arm didn't help, either.

Yukari's mind was not where it should have been. She nearly crashed into the side of a building.

"Ah, no!" she stammered, trying to remain professional. "Thank you ... ah, keep my front covered. I can see behind myself."

This is an awkward position, she thought hopelessly.

After waiting a few minutes in silence he activated the door chime once more.

Still nothing.

"Could she be asleep or otherwise occupied? KAMI, is hierarch Kotori in her roo--" he paused for a moment, then spoke up once more, "Wait, I have a better idea. KAMI, locate the nearest high ranking hierarch assigned the Miharu roster. And give me directions to their location. Make it so."

"Suzuka-Chui is located at the Project Inoue simulator section." KAMI helpfully supplied and gave Leutre directions on an holographic panel as to how he could get there. He'd need to backtrack to the central section of the star fortress and look around there. Fortunately, following the maponce there should make locating the place fairly easy.

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J-LAM warheads launched from the far away Diamondback hovertanks left whitish trails as the homed in on the position of the retreating KFY power armors. The missiles are a potent threat to the mostly battered group...

But not for the Mindy-suited Kotori and her redeployed nodal attack bits. When the trio of missiles closed in, she rather easily shot them down. As the explosion lit her power armor, Kotori glanced to her sensor display, clearly seeing the three rapidly approaching red dots.

"Yukari, we have three Super Phalanxes coming." She warned her executive officer. "I'll hold them off and the coming missile barrages as much as I can until the Hoshi makes its arrival. Don't you stop for anything." The Mindy launched itself toward the incoming NDI suits - the sooner she engaged them, the more room she'd provide for the others.

Once the Hoshi showed up, its weapon pods, particle cannons and projected energy beam would turn the tide in her favor. For the moment, though, she was stuck entertaining more guests than she could really handle.

Yukari was glad she could receive psionic transmissions at least, though her Harpy was in no condition to help her reply. Her sensors, between scratching in and out from her helmet screen, also displayed the warheads that were incoming.

"Ryokai, Ketsurui-Taii," she sent. "We will not stop. ... Be safe, Kotori."

Nyton continued to track the movements of the enemy reinforcements as he approached the others who were ahead. "Good to see you Kotori Taii. Your support is well timed." he said as he sped through the torn landscape. "Freeman, watch out for the enemy reinforcements. They're beginning to launch artillary fire. At our current pace we can make it to the rendezvous point but we've got to watch out for the encirclement that's approaching. You and Yukari proceed with caution." The AIES map displayed the various pulses of enemy and friendly signals as the drama continued to play itself out.

Masako kept up right behind James as she kept her eyes and sensors on her surroundings, making sure she was protecting her charges at all times. "I don't believe this is the right time Dige-Hei," the young neko said with a small, playfully scolding tone. "And please, use your armor's thrusters to move faster. We don't have much time," the warrant officer ordered politely as she began to float backwards for a while as she waited for James to activate his systems.

Mina, please hurry, Masako sent out an encrypted signal to the rest of the crew. All though there are no hostiles at my current location, it would be very difficult to protect both Kamiyama-Hei and Dige-Hei by myself. the young neko bit her lower lip in agitation.

It was a simulation, she knew that, but it was hitting home a bit too much for her. She had been there with the Mikomi as well as many people died, being helpless to protect them. It made her feel useless...everytime battle occurred she was the one who would be in the wrong place at the wrong time to help her comrades.

But even though it was a simulation, it feel at least satisfactory to help the two injured Hei when they needed her. She wouldn't make herself look useless in front of her new crew...not by a long shot. That was probably why she was so agitated at the moment, she was trying her absolute best not to fail her charges or her crewmates.

After several minutes of wandering Leutre couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for Yamataian AIs to have sadistic senses of humour.

"Damn it all, KAMI! Show me that map again." The map appeared over a nearby holographic panel. "Last time you said to take a right at the second intersection past that storage room." Making his best attempt to commit the map to memory, he turned back down the hall and retraced his steps.

"Straight, straight, left. Straight, straight, left. Straight, straight, left," he chanted over and over as he made his way along the designated route. With renewed determination he followed the path until he finally reached the intersection. "I thought this intersection was supposed to connect directly to the hub!" Moving over to a nearby panel he called out once more, "KAMI. Map. Now." The image of the map appeared once more, with his location and an overlay of the station.

"Let's see... Just one right left to go? Good." Continuing down the hall he soon came to another intersection. "Now it was a left, right? Or was it just one right left?" Leutre let out a long sigh he rubbed his temples. "I'd better back and check that display," he was about to turn back when the sound of chatter caught his ear. Turning about face he was met by the gaping entrance to the central hub. "By Schrodinger's Cat, you have you be joking. If I didn't know better I'd think my whole life must be just one long divine comedy. Either that or Lady Luck herself is a sadist."

After entering the central hub it didn't take long to find a proper directory. Along the outer wall of the hub was an expanded map of the station, complete with it's subsections. "Hierarch Suzuka-Chui was supposed to be in the... Simulator room. What was the name again? Ah, Ioune." committing the section and route to memory, he began to make his way through the bowels of the station once more.

James sheepishly activated his backup thrusters and soared forward, several inches off the ground.

"Ah well, I guess it isn't really necessary anymore."

The sound of artillery fire rolled across the city, coupled with the sound of the Phoenix's engines. James frowned at the sudden breach of relative tranquility.

"Sounds like it's heating up again."