RP: YSS Resurgence Resurgence of Yamatai - Mission 2: Lost But Never Forgotten

[Wes]

Soon the shuttle landed in what had once been a football pitch, but had been overrun by thorny blackberry bushes, which were crushed under the craft's mass, making a scratchy crunch as it came to rest on them, and another as the rear door-ramp flopped open. Cassie immediately rushed out of the shuttle with her weapon drawn and did a quick sweep of the area, making sure to avoid getting her tail caught the thorns. "Looks clear," she told the team once she was satisfied.

 

[Miko]

Shuttle

The hair on the beck of Thad's neck stood up on end. After many years he had come to recognize when a woman was about to shank him with a knife. Though a smile did manage to break through as he thought back to his duel with one amazing woman. Many a year ago, long before his time in Star Army. Sadly that chapter ended before the end of the story and had long slipped into times past. It would seem he still had the power to get under the skin of the his comrades.

He held back a laugh before he gave her a reply. Best not poke the bear but her comment about video games was too perfect. Yup, they were for sure playing two different games. She was playing Animal Crossing while he was playing Doom. At least so far he had only seen her sneaking around so did not have a feel for her fighting ability. None the less the though helped him to release tension he was having towards her.

"As you wish, I shall be your back up for this next sprint." He grabbed for his gear as the ship made touchdown. "Feel we make a good team, maybe we can have a round of video games after the mission. The ramp dropped and he moved out near Cassie scouting the area.

 

[Soresu]

Shuttle: Those poor berry patches


Koyama watched as the anthro known as Cassie disembarked first and then Thaddaeus. Fitting the pack on her shoulders, Koyama soon walked down the ramp as well. the GP-13 held in a low carry, the muzzle pointed slightly toward the ground. Looking behind her and at the shuttle elicited a sigh. The bulk of the craft had landed on a large patch of bushes. Judging by heavily floral, woody notes they'd once been blackberries. Her enhanced vision confirmed this with a pang of regret. She'd often loved to find them in the wilds on Yamatai. When tossed in the wilderness to make her way back home. City life made one soft.

Or so her teacher had once told her. But there had been more meaning to it than those simple five words. If she'd stayed at Samurai House, after having made her choice. Whether to join her 'sisters', or go on her path, to remain cloistered and sheltered as she had been without exposure to the outside world. Acclimating would have been more difficult as the youngling became a woman. Finding herself out in the woods. Or the sands and beaches, or the cool mountains of the Ice Queen range. Koyama had, had to learn how to not only survive but was taught perspective and appreciation. That floral smell, the hint of unripened tartness mingled with the woody scent of the bushes and brambles themselves gave off a wave of such nostalgia.

The first officer raised her hand back toward the ramp of the shuttle. To Sanda. The woman's small, pale hand shifting back and forth. Fingers splaying, closing, making signals. Their landing site would leave a swath of crushed vegetation behind. To be ready just in case. Or so she tried to convey. Nepleslians lacking telepathy was so dreadfully inconvenient.

With the furred being and Thad ahead of her, and Koyama behind, the Neko donned the SACOs glasses once more. She shifted the spectrums they granted her around bit by bit. The HUD zooming in and out at her command while looking here or there. At the very least, the one Nepleslian built like a meat shield could serve the purpose of being one as necessary. That dark thought did however come with concern for the man. He may have rubbed her the wrong way thus far, but he was still under her command. Part of her crew. And was it not a good thing for an officer to feel such for those that served under them? Mental backups or not, death was death. A finality. One that made her SPINE tingle in a way that she visibly shivered.

Perhaps that was her greatest fear of all. To suddenly wake up in a medical bay fresh from a Hemosynthetic tube. All prior experiences, thoughts, feelings, insights are lost to time and chance. She would cease to be the 'prime', but a clone. One with a copy of the 'real' woman stored in a digital medium. For really, how many of her kind could claim to have lived so long without waking as such? With a sharp inhalation of the fresh air and crushed berry scent, those dark thoughts and feelings were quashed once more.

 

[Cowboy]

Sanda had wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and head to hide the fact she was heavily armed . She slipped invisibly and silently through the woods of the now abandoned park and made her way ahead of the others towards the boundary where the park merged up with the town. The buildings looked as run down as the park. There was evidence of fire fight, but it was quite old. Looked like no one had bothered to rebuild this part of town.

Sanda scaled one of the outlying buildings while she waited for the group to catch up to her. The building looked like it had been an apartment complex. She made her way to the room, taking care not to make a sound. Once on the roof she used her cybernetic eye's magnification like a telescope to examine the street and surrounding buildings. She saw more evidence of abandonment and old battles. She couldn't see the meeting location from her perch it was still a good 2 klicks but if the town continued like this they shouldn't have too much trouble. Sanda snorted at that thought. Already she could make out the sounds of vehicles and ships echoing off the abandoned buildings. Those echo's could travel quite far so it would be difficult to say exactly how close trouble was. She glanced they way the rest of the team would be coming. Trouble was already with them.

The Ranger climbed down the fire escape and reached the ground floor just as the others approached. She spoke low to Koyama but also used sign language so as the other's could follow along what she was reporting. "Looks abandoned in this area, though I think we'll start seeing things pick up soon. I'm going to scout ahead. You should follow the alley that's behind that apartment building. Looks like good cover for several blocks. Hold up there until I have a chance to check ahead of that." She turned and glared at Thad. "Keep quite and at all cost avoid being seen."

 

[Wes]

Cassie advanced down the alley, still feeling naked without her trusty power armor. Cassie advanced down the alley, still feeling naked without her trusty power armor. After a few minutes she neared the end of the alleyway, which branched off into two paths that appeared to be a main thoroughfare. She looked down the side road first. No one was there, just more buildings and overgrown weeds. But up ahead, in the distance, she could see dark, skinny little insectoid figures shuffling through the buildings, and faintly heard them cussing and insulting each other as they went. "We got Rixxikor scavengers," she said over the radio. "Armed...of course," she added as she saw some of their blade-like hands filled clutching various salvaged weapons. She had never seen them in person before but she knew them from intelligence briefs. "Gross," she whispered as one of them crapped in mid-stride. "I think they're slowly wandering in the general direction of the shuttle but they don't seem in any hurry."

 

[Miko]

Berry patch

Thaddeaus was keeping low and doing his best not to leave too many boat prints in the berry patch. He'd have to slap around the pilot later for having the bright idea to land in of all places, a berry patch. They might as well landed in the middle of town with a banner on the side saying, "Yup, we are here!!" He let out a few sighs to help clear his mind. Was no fixing it now so would just have to roll with it. Like how he was rolling with the fact the group had decided to go by the call sign, hot dog. He was impressed they picked something this random, the kuvvies would have no clue even if they hacked into their comms. He had learned to not always try and understand the higher ups when it came to things like this. For all he knew they were either hungry or lonely, both of which he'd be happy to fill that void but that would have to wait till after the mission.

Thad motioned that he was moving down the alley a short step behind Cassie. Though he made sure that Sanda was always in front of him when possible. She wanted lead on this so was happy to support that decision. Plus he had already poked the bear a few times so best not make it anymore angry. He paused when word came over the radio about the Rixxikor. The vile bugs he had wanted nothing better than to stomp on them like cockroaches. Thad held up a hand fingers showing how many had been spotted for those behind him. Was a small team but none the less a danger. He waited for the order to be given to take them out.

 

[Cowboy]

Somewhere ahead

Sanda had moved off silently as ever. Her cloak had been rubbed with the dirt of the city to take on its color so she blended in with her surroundings. She moved a lot slower than before, taking care to make a careful check of every area she traveled through. The Ranger was about to enter a third building to clear it when she heard Cassie on the coms. She swore silently. She had never faced a Rixxikor before but had read intel reports on the bugs like things. Sanda didn't have a line of sight on the Rixxikor or her team at the moment but she could guess where each group was. Now she had a decision to make. Move back and support her team or keep moving forward to the objective?

"Stand by." The tall Nepleslian moved into the third building and up to the upper floor. From there she could almost see the meeting area. The ground before her looked like an intersection of several streets plus an overpass. Looted vehicles littered the area. Sanda made her decision. "Thunder to team." Thunder was her callsign. "I've cleared the next few buildings across the street from your position. Recommend moving up to the top floor of third building. Good Overwatch location. Wait there. I'm moving ahead to make contact. Thunder out."

30 mins later Sanda saw the entrance to a subway tunnel. That should be where their contact was. Sanda studied the area for several minutes very carefully. She did not want to just walk in willy-nilly, like Thad probably would have done. She had seen another group of Rixxikor at a distance but they had been moving in the opposite direction. Sanda moved silently and invisibly down into the tunnel, keeping her weapon up at the ready and sticking close to the side of the wall. At the bottom of the stairs she moved into the shadows and scanned the area using her infrared eye. The area looked clear but there were a lot of places someone could hide undetected. It was then she heard a low growl, like that of a dog. Her rifle swung around to find another rifle pointed at her. There was a tense moment when Sanda's finger began to tighten on the trigger before relaxing. She had a feeling that this was her contact. "Not exactly the beach is it? And here I was hoping to get a Hot dog with chili and onions."

 

[Charaa]

Yayoi heard someone moving down the steps, and due to her uncertainty that it wasn’t the bugs that her sensors were picking up. Her ears tuned to subtle sounds which were how she found out someone was entering the subway. She found herself impressed with the other woman’s reaction time, and when Sanda spoke, she released her own trigger and lowered her weapon. “Fang, heel, “At this command, the dog that was approaching and growling stopped moving, and just watched her.

Sanda would see one glowing red eye, and as she moved closer to the light, she’d also see more of her contact who was a Nekovalkyrja but a Cyborg one. She grinned “True, hotdogs would go pretty well, but there's been a rumor unconfirmed that the hot dog stands signed up with the Kuvies, “ She said, though there was a subtle, almost inaudible “damn!” as she got a good look at the owner of the voice he thought of as cute. “If you don’t mind me asking, how many of you are there?” she asked her as she desired to focus her mind on the situation, and how many were there to rescue them.

 

[Soresu]

Bug Alley

Koyama's response to Cassie's warning was a subtle hiss as she utilized her wireless capabilities in place of a throat mic. While kitted with a communications suite, the Neko had come to prefer to simply use her innate abilities instead. Perhaps it was pride talking. Or simple logic. Yet what came next as Sanda disappeared, her suggestion warranted as she moved in silence. Being behind both Thad and Cassie, the Nekovalkyrja contemplated merely grabbing the pair or one at a time and floating them to the top. Though she wondered if the Nepleslian meathead would make a big deal of it. Or if the ambiguous anthro would complain as a result.

Deciding for them, Koyama said in a rather succinct sentence: "I am moving us up top." before grabbing Thaddeaus by the scruff of his outfit with a 'Hush' tossed in, she yanked him back behind cover and did just that. It was an effort. Lifting both her kit, his, and the giant (compared to herself) Nepleslian hybrid skyward before unceremoniously letting him down. It was not a flat-out drop. But enough for him to catch his feet with minimal effort. With a look that brooked no-nonsense, the Chui leaped from the building again with ease and down to Cassie.

Ensuring the female-seeming being was aware of her presence, and equally unceremoniously, but more delicately, Koyama placed an arm about their waist and did much the same as she had the much heavier half ID-SOL. "No complaints" her voice low over their comms.

"You do not want to fight Rixxikor in confined or narrow spaces. Kill a few and they swarm. If they get within several meters of you they can spray you with flesh liquifying acid from their claws which also double as sharp instruments capable of decapitation."

All of this was said over their little secure network. "Better to have a vantage versus doing so where such a thing can be done. They can climb, but with the high-ground on our side and if they are forced to do so... we stand a much better chance. And I can move us easily and quietly. On the ground depending on their number, by the time we killed a few, they would be upon us or near enough. They are that fast." it was not without risk. Especially if they had some sort of explosive ordnance launchers.

She also hastened to add: "And watch for their secondary eyes. Motion-sensitive and no volumetrics! It glows to them." from her explanation, if a little long-winded, it was clear she'd either read about them or had fought them more than once. In truth she had. Having joined the Star Army before the war back in YE:35 and seeing it through to Glimmergold aboard the First Expeditionary Fleet's flagship, the YSS Tokyo, a Dreadnought and all but wiping out a colony with the press of a button. Although the last had been a group effort between Aradia and herself. Leading the engineering staff had been easier than dealing with a situation such as this.

Running her next set of orders through her bracelet's more heavy encryption methods, Koyama signaled the shuttle, "Leyton-hei, you may have possible inbound Rixxikor. They are wandering in your general direction. They are in no hurry, however, if you feel the need, dust off and find a second landing site with better cover. As for Benna-chui, I would suggest trying to keep her as calm as possible. Volumetric camouflage projection systems will only serve to alert them to your presence if they come within range." the last she added for good measure. Having been alone for so long, and having lost those she'd linked up with over the years may have been a traumatizing experience for the woman.

And with the enemy possibly being near, there was no telling how the female would handle the situation.

"If I can, we can set up a cross-fire position at the very least and catch them all at once should it be necessary." her own choice of weapon had been picked for just such an occasion. No noise, and set to fire invisible pulses of energy. Yet what may be invisible to the average human or Nepleslian may not be so to her eyes, or what she very much considered a blight of a race. Indeed, the XO was rather prejudiced against the Rixxikor. And rightly so for how they reproduced. Given time the egg-laying crass insects could overrun a world within mere weeks unless stop-

With a blink, Koyama sent another message to the shuttle: "Leyton-hei, did Hanako's World warrant Nodal system placement?" her question came with another in mind. A specific command could be run through such a system if it were indeed in place to deal with Rixxikor infestations. But if the planetary systems had already been compromised, the jet-haired Neko was unsure if it'd even be possible to initiate without an IES system above or on the same level of a MEGAMI, or even KAMI unit.

 

[Miko]

Bug Alley

Thad was in the process of loading incendiary rounds into his shotgun when he was unexpectedly picked up off the ground. Anyone else might have freaked out for a moment or even had a moment of protest. Instead Thad continued to load the rounds into his weapon like this was an everyday event. As he was dropped to his feet he had completed the load. He listened to Koyama explain the reason for the take for higher ground. He just smiled and pointed to his shotgun. They did not call this type of weapon a street sweeper for nothing. It was designed for close quarters.

He took a moment to place his shotgun back in his pack and instead take out his gunblade. This was designed for range and if they got the bright idea to climb the building, he'd be happy to liberate them from their claws as they came over the walls. He continued to listen and hear out the concerns and intel on their foes. Though not using volumetrics had him wonder how many would be running around naked. Fun fact that some relied solely on this technology for clothes. Then again it might be a good distraction from the real threat, Thad.

Thad finally took a moment to speak up in a low voice to Koyama. "We go quiet but should the need come up, I brought the bang for a distraction." He opened his overcoat to display a belt full of grenades. A few of them were coated with a deep red paint but one was painted a deep black. There was only one of these among the sea of grenades.

 

[Cowboy]

Subway Tunnel

Sanda looked over the woman before her. This had to be one of the taller Neko's she had seen. What really gave Sanda pause was the cyborg eye and arm. She had never heard of a Neko with Cybernetic implants. The Ranger was by no means an expert in Nekos, but as she understood it they were created to be flawless. Their bodies healed in such a way that they rejected implants. Neps on the other hand loved their implants. Sanda herself had a cybernetic right shoulder and left eye implants. Maybe it had to do with how long Neko had been stuck here on a enemy held world. "Nice hardware." She commented as she stood and lowered her rifle. "Hoshi-Nito, Rangers." Her eyes did another quick scan of the surrounding area. How safe was it to talk here? Should she even answer her question? Sanda wasn't one for playing all her cards if she didn't have to. She wasn't even sure yet if this was her contact. She would play it safe for the moment. "My team..."

Sanda suddenly stopped speaking and put a hand to her ear, listening. Her com had picked up Koyama's message about the Rixxikor. That part about the secondary eyes detecting motion and being able to see volumetrics was interesting. She hadn't known that. Good thing Sanda believed in an old school stealth approach. She turned back to the one eyed Neko. "My team has spotted Rixxikor. At this point our goal is to link up with the underground and gather intel for the possible liberation of Hanako's World. We either need to get to a safe location or evac you to our ship in orbit. Do you have a secure location close by?"

 

[Wes]

"Koyama-Chui, this is Leyton-Ittô Hei," their supply specialist replied from the pilot's seat. "On the move," she said, raising the shuttle just clear of the brush and slowly creeping away towards a nearby creek, where it hover-slid down an embankment and came to a wobbly halt above a pile of pebbles and humanoid skeletons at a bend in the waterway. "I'm honestly not sure but probably, but there's nothing active now or accessible as far as I can tell. You would have to talk to Admiral Anri probably," she replied. "It's not my lane and way above my paygrade."

 

[Soresu]

Currently the Roach Motel


Koyama silently wondered if this was what it was like to care for Nepleslian children as she saw the man point to the shotgun. Her eyes then growing wide as he displayed a belt of grenades. The black-painted grenade made her wish to ask just what in the hell it was before their pilot's voice filtered into her mind. Her calm expression suddenly souring, the small Neko crept near a window, daring to catch a glimpse of what she could before coming back.

"As if I have Kessaku-chujo on my contact list." she muttered low to herself before straightening.

"Thank you, Leyton-hei. If you can do so without giving yourself away, relay my query to Aoba-shosa in orbit. Mention Twenty-Seven, Ninteen to him he may understand the meaning or may pass it on to those that do. If things are too hot for you, belay that and stay safe." if there was a system in place, and somehow she could access it, whatever infestation the world had could be impacted greatly should liberation come in time. Provided of course the system could be activated and maintained that long. The command itself was nothing more than a patch easily uploaded. One she could build off the top of her head given time.

To put it simply, it rendered Rixxikor eggs inert and unable to hatch. Unable to breed further, and with each new egg laid also being subject to the same effects the overall population could be reduced to more manageable sizes. And, if zealous enough, or warranted, eradicated.

With a look to Thad, and her eyes still on the grenades, she looked to a silver-cased one. With a slow rising of an eyebrow, at the very least the man had some sense. A flashbang against Rixxikor was rather... entertaining to behold. Daylight was their enemy, however.

To Thad and Cassie, she gave each a measured look. "Do either of you have suggestions?"

 

[Miko]

Currently the Roach Motel

Thad was hoping that he would be asked for a suggestion. Though which one should he pick was the next question. He gave it some thought and came up with an idea. An awful idea. Thad had a wonderful awful idea. "Unless that have caught on, would they have any reason to suspect us as outsiders?" A smile crossed his wicked face. "For all they know you are a lost girl trying to get home. Mean while I sneak up behind them and shank a few followed by some neck snaps." He animated the action with his hands, to get the point across he'd have no issue with this. Though for a moment he did feel bad that one of them would need to be the bait for this plan to work. None the less it would be effective to bring them into a trap and wipe them out.

 

[Wes]

"The Rixxikor are really easy to distract because they've all got basically genetic attention problems and poor skill at organizing and cooperating stuff. They have a strong tendency to behave as individuals, for example the YSS Eucharis said they would try to peacefully interact with them and some would talk and the others would shoot because no one is in charge and there's no overall plan," Cassie said. "And...disclaimer: this is all from intelligence briefs from SAINT during the war. But the point is if you give them something shiny to look at, like a food source, or technology, most of them will probably stop for it regardless of whatever they were doing before. And they'll possibly fight over it," Cassie advised. "Also because of those bad first encounters, the Rixxikor really don't like the Star Army. I wouldn't advise just walking up to them."

 

[Soban]

"I've never met one, but they basically sound like Kuvexian trash that got dropped on our doorstep." Cheilith said.

 

[Soresu]

Koyama listened to each attentively, Thad she gave a flat look. To Cassie, she nodded thoughtfully and Cheilith was met with silence and a soft shake of the head. "To underestimate your enemy is likely to kill you in the long run, Hei. Dislike aside, they are an unknown. Friend or foe. Your comrade has the right of it."

"Very good, Cassie. Take away the majority of their toys and they will fight over the remainder. Chiharu knows I saw the fruit of my labor at Higaflan when we did much the same to those that enslaved the more peaceful Rixxikor." the last she murmured wistfully, blinked, and then chewed at her bottom lip.

"And no. I could not simply walk up to them and play the lost girl routine. And we are not stabbing or snapping necks. If Sanda-hei isn't already smacking herself in the face, she may well be now." the last was directed to Thad, eyes glittering as she then pointed a slender finger to an ear.

Even without them, she had the classical Yamataian features. But it was also a clear indicator. The Ranger was likely hearing every word the man said.

"I would rather not engage them in combat if possible. We are behind enemy lines, with limited support. This isn't an invasion but a rescue and reconnaissance mission. The more attention we draw to ourselves, the more we increase the risk of bringing whomever and whatever rules this world on our heads."

Lowering her pack, the rifle placed beside her, the Neko began to run through what she'd brought with her. All the while murmuring as she went through it all. A slight curl tugged at the edge of her lips then. Koyama had brought her spare data slate. A Lazarus brand contraption. Off the shelf, quite customizable. She hadn't attached much to it and stripped the more important components free. What was left would be enough for respectable battery life, radio broadcasting, and imaging. A little portable tablet was perfect for watching whatever was on the local networks and capable of being shaped into whatever the user pleased. Be it over the screen or a volumetric projection mechanism.

Taking a moment to add several scripts to the slate's operating system, she passed it to the anthropomorphic person. "Would this do, do you think? Technology, shiny, lots of flashing lights, can be shaped. They can watch television, music, or imaging. I've added scripts to the operating system to allow for covert tracking and audio transmission. A Freespacer inspired setup."

Placing it before them, Koyama looked to Thad to ensure the man wasn't swinging his whatever the hell it was. Part blade, part gun, all stupid in her opinion. "Commercial grade, no Yamataian components so it would not be tracked back to us. Shape it as if it were clay. While I am loathed to part with it, it was nothing but my spare."

 

[Miko]

We Have a Plan

At first Thad grunted a few times out of protest. Though the team made a good point that it was too soon to bring the rain. They may have much ground to cover to rescue as many as possible. The stealth is optional will have to wait till later.

He slung his weapon over his shoulder and reached into his overcoat. He pulled out a blackjack club and showed it to Koyama to let her know he got the message. May not kill but he'd make sure it hurt like hell.

"So plan is to drop a distraction and then make a run for it?" He asked making sure this was in fact the plan they had in mind.

 

[Wes]

YSS Resurgence - Bridge

Kalena looked at her console with serious concern, staring at a map full of icons that represented ships and watching their movements closely. "Captain, are you watching this?" she asked.

Aoba nodded. "Absolutely. I see it," he answered. "Those Kuvexian battleships getting too close for comfort. If they're not onto us already, they will be soon. If we engage it would strand the away team." He called down to the shuttle to warn them. "Away team, this is Resurgence actual. I apologize for the interruption but it looks like the clock may be ticking. Try to expedite. In the event you are not able to return to the Resurgence your orders are to link up with one of the undercover SAINT teams on the planet who are quietly locating people to extract."

"Acknowledged," Beryl replied. She kept the shuttle in a hover, ready to move at a moment's notice.

 

[Soresu]

Koyama had been on the verge of responding to Thad's interpretation of what was going to happen. Radio still open, she snapped her mouth shut and her eyes widened. Looking at the others, the engineer bit at her bottom lip a moment.

"Sanda-hei?" she asked, her voice sounding low over the channel. "I hope you've been listening to all of this. It seems our time is running out, I don't know how long that window of opportunity is going to remain open. If you've made contact and can vouch for them, they can join us." one of her ears inched backward while straining to listen.

They hadn't exactly made it far had they? One aboard the shuttle already and a potential second. If SAINT were indeed operating on the planet as she'd just plainly heard it could be difficult to find an underground cell if they didn't want to be found. And there was no telling how long they would be stuck on the planet if they couldn't return in time.