RP: YSS Resurgence Resurgence of Yamatai - Mission 7: The Great Seelie Rescue

[iaincarter]

Wardroom

Okimi tilted her head as she listened to the replies. She added the knowledge that Luna would likely stay on the ship and Mineko would often be part of the away team to her mental crew records. It was important to know who might need what kind of support and when. For example, Okimi already expected that Luna might need occasional friendly interaction during dangerous away missions as she seemed the type to worry about her friends' wellbeing and seemed the sort to consider most of the crew as her friends. Whereas Mineko on the other hand seemed more like the type to need occasional, small gestures of support and help to unwind after a stressful away mission.

"Well, while a party would be a lot of fun, it might not be appropriate depending on how the away mission goes. The anthro soldier mentioned just now that this mission was going to bring up bad memories for her and I'm sure there are others in the crew who will feel likewise and a cheerful event could be too insensitive. Hmm, perhaps a more solemn memorial-type event, to honour those gone from our lives? Then a proper party to cut loose the next time we dock at a station and have some downtime?" Okimi wasn't so much talking out loud as verbalising her internal stream of consciousness.

"Well, I can think about that later, I guess!" She threw her arms up as if to bat away the idea and looked at the two women. "Well, I'm surely not skilled enough with ship tech, nor at analysing intelligence to be of much use to either of you in that regard, but..." She offered her best happy, friendly smile as her pale blue eyes practically twinkled. "...if you ever need a pick-me-up or have a need or desire to relax, you be sure to let your new friend Okimi know, okay!" The young caretaker really couldn't help herself and Okimi put her left hand on her left hip as her right hand was held-outstretched with her fingers in the classic peace sign.

 

[Wes]

YE 45.1.8
UX-17 Star System

As the YSS Resurgence entered the UX-17 star system, the crew was on high alert. They knew that Zelkor Raxim and his tactician Vilara Kresh were operating in the area, and the stakes were high. The mission to rescue the Seelies and dismantle the trafficking network had become personal for many of the crew members, and they were determined to see it through.

Captain Aoba had ordered a thorough scan of the system as they approached Akigatae base. The crew was analyzing every bit of data they could gather, searching for any clues that might give them an advantage against their cunning adversaries.

Gabriela Lively, working diligently at the navigation station, was the first to notice something amiss. "Captain," she reported, "I'm detecting an unusually high concentration of Kuvexian ships in the vicinity of the base. It appears that they've set up some sort of defensive perimeter. This could be a sign that they're expecting us."

Aoba's brow furrowed as he considered the implications. "Hmm. It seems our enemies are well-prepared for our arrival. We'll need to be extra cautious as we approach the base." After the botched raid at Kazumi, the pirates were on high alert.

As the YSS Resurgence drew closer to Akigatae base, it became apparent that the Kuvexian fleet had set up a complex web of sensor nets and interlocking fields of fire. This would make a direct assault on the base a dangerous proposition.

Realizing the need for a more subtle approach, Aoba called a meeting of his senior officers to discuss their options.

Wardroom

Aoba pulled up a volumetric display in the center of the wardroom, showing the positions and suspected positions of the Kuvexian paramilitary assets, mostly ex-military ships from the defeated Kuvexian Interstellar Navy's invasion force from the Kuvexian War. The crew was invited to provide ideas.

"We've arrived in the UX-17 system and it is heavily fortified and Zelkor Raxim's faction of Kuvexians and his allies are actively hunting us as we speak. But there's a good chance our target and the Seelie are still here in the system, either on the asteroid base or onboard one of the ships."

Kiyo walked to the wardroom, while talking to Yayoi, on a communication device, giggling at what her elder sister was saying. "I swear, she doesnt have my personality trait, i never behaved like that, and got all messy with jam" Kiyo just giggled "She's still a kid! anyways I gotta go, there's a meeting" she said and entered before finding her seat.

Yoshiro arrived at the wardroom with a determined look on his face. He was still upset about how he had done in the past mission and wanted to make amends for his mistakes. He sat down silently and thought about what he was going to do.

Luna sat at the back, and watched silently. She noticed Yoshiro's arrival and smiled politely to him.

Mitalar, the Kuvexian robot, was present. "Do you think this is a winnable scenario?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

Okimi finished arranging a selection of cold and hot beverages within easy reach of the crew joining the meeting called by the Captain. While she did not expect to be contributing much to the meeting, she could certainly ensure that nobody dehydrated on her watch! Thinking about it further, the caretaker quickly went and retrieved some high-energy snacks for anyone in need of a pick-me-up.

Aoba gave a serious look, "I believe in my crew's ability to succeed. We are the Star Army."

Yoshiro grabbed a bottle of water and sat back down. He agreed with the captain and wanted to make a difference to the people who he was trying to rescue. "We can do this. We are not adverse to fighting but we should be as careful as possible. " He said. "Not unlike me in the last mission. "

Luna smiled as Okimi kindly provided them drinks to stay hydrated. Kiyo on the other hand nodded her head. She agreed with the captain that they would succeed. What happened at the mission two days ago was just an unfortunate accident.

Trowa had been going over the data almost non stop since they frist arrived in the system. The more he looked at it, the more he wished the Res was a bigger ship. A Sharie, or a Super Elkon at least. With that kind of firepower they would make short work of things.

"I think we need to call for reinforcements," Aoba said, "That is not a problem, but the issue is by the time they arrive, the ship with the captured Seelie will be on its way to Kuvexia." Aoba pressed a button on the table and said, "MEGAMI system."

"Yes, captain?" the voice of the Resurgence replied.

"Using the translated captured data from the mission at Kazumi, can you cross reference the ships seen by the frigate in the Ahmar system with the ships here?"

"Yes, here is the list," the MEGAMI replied, highlighting three of Zelkor Raxim's ships in yellow on the volumetric display.

"Cross reference the list of selected ships with ships best suited for long-distance shipping of at least 50 non-crew people on a multi-month journey to Kuvexian space," Aoba replied.

"No matches, captain."

"Expand selection to include ships that were not at Ahmar but are currently loading cargo from the asteroid base."

The list narrowed to one large ship, a well-armed Kuvexian cargo vessel with a fast hyperspace drive that was flagged as belonging to Zelkor Raxim's group. It was currently starting to undock form the station.

"What do you think?" Aoba asked the crew, pointing to that particular volumetric ship image. "And the question is how do we get to it before it leaves?"

Kiyo was silent as she observed Aoba, and the ship's AI work. She leaned back as she tried to think of how do they get to it before it leaves. She raised her hand "sir, would a Mindy teleport work to get in?" She asked

"The ship's shields would have to be down," science specialist Euikoshi chimed in."

"We should take that ship as quickly as possible and capture the bridge crew. " Yoshiro said "That way we stop them."

Trowa stepped forward. "We need to see how far outside the defenses it would need to get before making its jump. That would be the best place to hit it. If we can maneuver the Res so that the cargo ship is between us and the Kuvexain de fences then we can launch our away team to board."

Unable to help herself, Okimi tried to imagine what it would be like for MEGAMI to live inside her secure chamber. Sure, as a digital lifeform it probably wasn't an issue, but on the other hand, how could you live without the possibility of having a hug or....

"Do you have any green tea?" Aoba asked Okimi out of nowhere.

Okimi blinked, the Captain's query derailing her previous thought process. "Oh, certainly Captain." The caretaker quickly retrieved the necessary components from the selection she had provided and started the intricate process of brewing a cup of green tea. As an example, it had to be hot, but not too much or you risked burning the leaves and ruining the delicately balanced flavour. Okimi knew that was true because she had burnt her fair share during training and the instructors had made her drink the result.

Kiyo nodded, Euikoshi was right, they didnt have the means to penetrate shields with teleport.

Suddenly there was a huge crash of banging metal pans from the serving area of the wardroom. Cassie was standing off to the side slamming two warming trays together like a mad catgirl.

Fortunately for Okimi, part of her training had revolved around learning not to jump at sudden noises, especially when one has a hot cup of tea in hand that is also dangerously close to the Captain's lap. Her luck held out long enough to place the cup on the table next to the Captain with a soft "Here you are, sir." before stepping back.

With a shift in her seat, Mineko tore her attention away from the discussion at hand and looked toward the serving area where Cassie was making a raucous.

Kiyo jumped out of her seat her Aether Katana Silverlight almost taken out of its sheath when she realized whats going on. She sat back down calmly but with a blush on her cheeks.

Trowa also reacted to the sudden noise. His sidearm was out of its holster before he even registered the source of the noise. He lowered it when he saw that they weren't under attack.

"Cassie?" Aoba raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see..."

Yoshiro jumped and drew his sidearm as well. He reacted but realized that he wasn't under attack. He looked at Cassie.

Cassie looked at her jumpy crewmates and asked, "How many of you saw Sakuko come in the wardroom just now? Nobody did, because you were all looking at me. We have Benna's ship's the Renaissance. One of our ships can make itself into a huge distraction, like I just did," she suggested. "They probably don't know we have two ships instead of one."

Trowa had to smile at Cassie's demonstration. That was way more effective than just a suggestion. "Bravo." He said as he applauded the two enlisted.

Yoshiro listened to Cassie and realized what she was doing. Deception is the root of all warfare, after all.

"Yamataian guile," Aoba nodded approvingly. he took the offered tea and sipped it with pleasure.

Okimi acknowledge that Cassie had made a fair point, but did she have to do so at the expense of those poor warming covers? She'd have to try and put them aside and give them a polish later on. You had to take care of all the equipment, after all, no matter how large or small. There was a whole parable that applied, although the caretaker couldn't remember exactly how losing a nail translated to losing a war. Maybe the person who lost the nail bent down to look for it, thus avoiding the assassin's bullet that was meant for them?

Kiyo blinked before she smiled. "So we're supposed to act like SAINT then? interesting, though i do like the idea!"

Mineko quietly listened to Kiyo and wanted to say something, but the intelligence analyst stayed quiet.

"Okay, here is the plan, then," Aoba told the crew, so everyone would be on the same page. "Benna is a new captain and I don't want to dump the danger on her while we hide, so I am going to have her sneak over to the transport while we get loud and get noticed. When the transport departs and is alone in hyperspace, the Renaissance will disable her in deep space; and then we will meet up, board her and recover the Seelie as soon as possible before help can arrive. Since it will be in the middle of nowhere we will be able to have some time I want everyone to prepare for ship to ship combat and armored away team missions."

Okimi tilted her head as the Captain's outlined the plan. At first, it sounded like there was little for her to concern herself with as she wouldn't be involved with the preparation and during the operation, would be assigned to her damage control party. However, the caretaker parsed the Captain's words a second time and realized that there was a very real possibility of the Resurgence taking up to fifty rescuees aboard in the near future. Those fifty people would probably need a number of things - food, showers, quarters, medical checkups, debriefing and distractions. Oh, if only there was someone aboard who was trained in event planning - why, they would be almost perfectly suited to taking care of all that.

Okimi immediately opened a new file in her mind and began calculating everything that would be needed and whom amongst the crew she would need to get involved.

Trowa checked the live feed of the cargo ship as it was leaving the dock. As far as he could tell, no other ships seemed to be providing it with an escort but he would keep watch and report if any seemed to be.

"Oh, hell yeah! Kick the door down and say hello to our naughty neighbors!" Yoshiro said with a grin.

Kiyo nodded. "currently, all armor in the Power Armor bay should be up to Star Army and user's personal standard, so unless you want to change weapons, they should be ready for the mission" she reported to the others.

"Where would you like me to be Sir?" Trowa asked, "I am PA certified and have participated in boarding actions before if you need me there."

"Your choice," Aoba told Trowa.

Trowa pondered for a moment, weighing his options. He knew he could be valuable on the away team, especially with his prior experience in boarding actions. On the other hand, he was also an asset on the bridge, providing critical information and support during combat situations.

Ultimately, Trowa decided that his skills would be most useful on the away team. "I'll join the boarding party, Captain. I believe my experience will be valuable in ensuring the mission's success."

Aoba nodded in agreement. "Excellent. We'll need all the experience we can get on this one. Make sure you're ready to go as soon as we receive the signal from the YSS Renaissance."

"Do you think this plan is winnable now?" Mineko remembered Mitalar's earlier words of concern and had turned to the golden Kuvexian-created robot to direct her question.

Mitalar processed Mineko's question for a moment before responding. "Given the element of surprise and the tactical advantage provided by our two ships, I believe the plan has a good chance of success. However, as with any mission, there are numerous variables that could affect the outcome. It is important for the crew to be prepared for any unforeseen challenges and adapt accordingly. I understand that we are going with the best option in a limited timeframe. I will be available if you need me to interact with the other ship's computer or provide any translation services."

"We may just need as much," Mineko said appreciatively. "I'm glad yours and our needs aligned for you to assist us as you have."

Kiyo waited to be dismissed before she hurried to her Mindy's Bay and immediately her uniform came off, before she climb in.

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!" Yoshiro said as he stood up and headed towards his power armor. He had waiting forward for this moment and would not make any more mistakes, especially when lives were at stake, both Seelies and his team.

Chef Rossa took the pans from Cassie, with a look of disapproval. "It looks like someone just volunteered for pots and pans scrubbing duty."

"If there's no further questions, I will return to the ship's bridge," captain Aoba told them. "Good luck everyone and do your best. Innocent lives depend on our ability to skillfully apply our training. This is what we have been working for."

Okimi waited to take back the Captain's tea cup. It wouldn't take long to tidy up the wardroom and it was best to do it now before getting back to doing the laundry. Especially as it was mostly her own 'mess' from setting up that needed clearing away.

As the crew continued to prepare for their daring rescue mission, the YSS Resurgence and the YSS Renaissance moved into position. They were ready to take on the Kuvexian paramilitary forces and rescue the Seelies at any cost. The crew knew the risks, but they were determined to see the mission through, trusting in their training, their teamwork, and their unwavering commitment to protect those in need.

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yuuki, Yoshiro Tanaka, Miko, iaincarter

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Armor Bay

Yoshiro was impressed by Cassie and her introduction of the strategy that she had proposed to the Captain. "Unorthodox, to say the least." He said to himself with a smile. He finished his adjustments and went to pick out some weapons for his armor.

 

[Wes]

YE 45.1.8
UX-17 Star System

The YSS Resurgence moved into position, making a micro-jump an arriving in a loud and spectacular fashion. Captain Aoba began broadcasting, "This is captain Aoba Kuranosuke of the YSS Resurgence, we are here to locate citizens of the Yamatai Star Empire who have been illegally taken from one of our planets. We have reason to believe they are in this system and on the Akigatae asteroid base or one of Zelkor Raxim and Vilara Kresh's ships. I request your cooperation in allowing my soldiers to conduct a peaceful search of these places. If you comply, we can search without causing damage or harm. If you will not, I intend to carry out this mission by any necessary means."

The words of Captain Aoba echoed across the vast emptiness of the UX-17 star system, reaching both friend and foe alike. His tone was resolute, determined, promising that the Star Army would not back down until their objective was achieved.

As the broadcast ended, an uneasy silence fell over the system. Across the various Kuvexian vessels and the Akigatae asteroid base, crews scrambled to assess the situation, unsure of how to respond to this unexpected threat.

On the YSS Resurgence, the crew watched the reaction of the enemy forces closely. The tactical team, led by Trowa, was ready to react at a moment's notice, their eyes glued to their sensor displays. Gabriela, at navigation, had a course plotted for a rapid retreat, just in case things took a turn for the worse.

On the bridge, Aoba watched the scene unfold, his mind racing with possible scenarios. Kiyo waited patiently, ready to attack should the need arise, Yoshiro and Luna stood at the ready, prepared to support their comrades in any way they could.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the YSS Renaissance, under the command of Benna, silently watched the unfolding situation. As per their captain's orders, they had positioned themselves discreetly, ready to carry out the second part of the plan.

It was a tense moment, a test of wills between the Star Army and their adversaries. No one knew how the Kuvexians and their allies would respond, but one thing was certain - the crew of the YSS Resurgence was prepared for any eventuality.

Finally, Zelkor Raxim himself replied to Aoba. "Star Army ship, this is not Yamataian space and you are trespassing. We will not tolerate these acts of piracy on our vessels and bases and I remind you that our ships outnumber your trigger-happy Star Army fleets. I am giving you 30 seconds to withdraw to avoid unnecessary escalations."

Aoba wasn't having any of it, he simply ordered his bridge crew to begin the attack on Zelkor's ship while Zelkor was still talking. The Resurgence was now in combat.

The YSS Resurgence roared into action, its advanced systems humming with energy. The ship's main guns, the keen-edge aether beam turrets, swiveled to face Zelkor's ship, light shimmering along their lengths as they charged.

"Helm, evasive maneuvers. We don't want to be an easy target," Aoba ordered.

"Understood, Captain," Gabriela replied, her hands dancing over the navigation console. The Resurgence shifted course, its sleek form cutting through the void as it weaved a complex path to avoid incoming fire.

Armor Bay

Trowa was suited up in his Mindy and ready to go. He stood out from the rest of the team as he had a Daisy shield strapped to his back next to the 50m Gause cannon. He could feel the Res firing her main guns and feel the ship as it danced in space. He wished he could be at the helm dancing with her, but his job for this mission was to lead the away team.

Kiyo put the last minute check on her Mindy before she stepped forward, leaving her Bay. From head to toe, she was in her mindy ready to rumble. Luna was at her station, ready to hurry to make repairs should the need come, both ready and calm in the face of danger.

Yoshiro suited up and grabbed an aether blade smg and had 2 Aetheric Pulse Cannons mounted on his armor. "You come for my people, I come for your blood!" He shouted and ignited his aether blade.

Okimi watched the crew preparing for battle as she stood in front of the damage control station in the armor bay. As much as she hoped the ship wouldn't need her services in the coming confrontation, the caretaker suspected that acting as bait and distraction would likely result in taking more hits and damage than would otherwise be preferred.

Cassie patted Trowa on the back. "Ready," she simply said.

The voice of Kalena Matsushita called down to the armor bay. "If you want, you can deploy now and take on the enemy starfighters. Or you can wait until we get enemy shields down and I can send you a teleporter coordinates feed that will put you on the other ship. Let me know what you want," she said to the team.

"It is time, everyone. We are always ready, we are trained, we are experienced." An enormous, custom Mindy, to accommodate the great frame of Shoi Emiko Freyjasdóttir, spoke. "Stay in teams, stay in roles, stick to training."

Kiyo nodded her head to the shoi in the room. "Hai! copy that" she said in reply to Emiko's words, then calmed her self before she prepared to deactivate her emotions as she entered her battle mode, a state she always went to when in combat in the past.

Trowa gave a thumbs up to Cassie before responding to Kalena. "We'll stay on the ship and Teleport together when the shields go down. We'll be better coordinated that way." The one eyed Taii nodded his agreement to the giant Shoi and waited for the word to be given.

Yoshiro smiled evilly as he was happy to fight a dishonorable enemy. "I shall crush the dishonorable and the evil beneath my heel!" Yoshiro said to himself to steel himself for battle.

Kiyo nodded "slavers will find themselves receiving a harsh "Discipline" for their crimes" she said in response to Yoshiro.

For her part, Mineko had stayed quiet and out of the way. At times during preparations and meetings, the analyst had fully embodied her role. Being a conduit for information on a battlefield required a different type of calm than the wardroom, though, and so her preparations were more muted than those around her.

"Everyone with battle buddies, small teams advance in bounding formations," Emiko indicated Trowa when she said 'battle buddies,' and then, "advance in pincer, don't cross lines of fire. We're all already heroes. Don't try for extra credit."

"But I need extra credit to pass this class." Yoshiro said with a chuckle. He was not going to endanger his team's lives this time. He stayed with Kiyo and prepared himself.

Okimi's head tilted at an incoming message, distracting her from listening to her crewmates. With a nod to herself, she extracted the repair kit and some supplies and headed towards the exit from the armor bay. There was a cluster of internal sensors that had gone dark and Okimi was the closest assigned damage control unit, so off she went!

Resurgence was heavily outnumbered. The odds seemed stacked against the YSS Resurgence. The Kuvexian fleet was a formidable force, with ships that ranged from nimble interceptors to hulking battleships. But Captain Aoba had the Star Army's trademark resolve; he knew that victory was not just about numbers. Resurgence wove through the battlefield, her aether beams lashing out to deal devastating blows to enemy ships while its shields absorbed incoming attacks. Kalena concentrated fire on the flagship of Zelkor Raxim. After a brutal exchange of fire, there was an opening in Zelkor's shields and Kalena sent the armor team over.

The Resurgence wasn't unscathed, though. The close-in fight with the highly-organized enemy formation was taking its toll and the ship was struggling to maintain its shields, taking several hits to the hull. The observation deck area and science on deck one was blown out into space and (because of the stairs) life support was lost on most of deck two. The port wingtip turret was also blown off and the ship was leaving a trail of fiery plasma and smoke behind.

Okimi had barely made it three paces from the Power Armor Bay when she received a priority redirect and instead began making her way to Deck two. With notice of decompression, likely due to hull breach, the caretaker ensured her AMES suit was fully sealed before leaving deck 5. Fortunately, with damage as severe as the initial reports were intimating, someone with a lot more useful experience would likely be there to direct her efforts. Okimi had been trained in basic maintenance of Star Army technology, but she knew just how quickly she would end up out of her depth.

Luna made sure her suit was sealed as she hurried where she could be of help when she spotted her newest bestie Okimi, so she hurried to join her thinking that two were better than one.

Spotting the approaching figure, Okimi waved. "Hi Luna! Time to be awesome! Let me know what you need me to do, okay?!" Someone had once mentioned that wisdom was knowing what you didn't know. Okimi hadn't understood that then and still didn't. However, she did know that she didn't know enough to know what she didn't know. Which all boiled down to - find the best person for the job, get behind them and give your all! "You've got the training and the knowledge, so let's get the Resurgence back in shape!"

Luna smiled at her friend. "we'll be awesome together" she said then telepathically, she sent Okimi instructions and things she'll need help with to make it easier on both of them. "come on, lets go to the life support and the MEGAMI room those are the important places"

While the enemy warships ganged up on the Resurgence, as Aoba and Mitalar predicted the long-range cargo transport slipped away from the asteroid base and started making a run for Kuvexian space. As it did, the YSS Renaissance silently followed it and matched its course and speed, even in hyperspace. Soon it would be out in open space, far away from its protectors.

Zelkor Raxim's Kuvexian Warship

As they arrived, Aoba told the team, "Remember: We are here to save the Seelie and this is only a distraction mission. You don't have a lot of time."

As the scene changed suddenly from the Resurgence's Armor bay to that of a Kuvexian Warship, Trowa unslung his shield and braced his rifle against it. He scanned his new surroundings and called out. "All Away Team members check in!"

Kiyo appeared right after Trowa had, and immediately unsheathed her Aether Katana, Silverlight which crackled with angry light as she prepared to fight and slash should any enemy get too close. It felt like she was back on the Kaiyo again but she knew she sadly wasn't. "Kiyo Heisho reporting in, all systems green and all weapons ready to rumble!"

"Cassie reporting. All systems green," Cassie added, her voice steady. She was still in her landing position, her sensors scanning for any signs of hostile activity.

Yoshiro had materialized with the group. He scanned his immediate surroundings and readied himself for a fight. "Joto Heisho Yoshiro Tanaka, ready for combat." He said as he looked to Kiyo.

It didn't take long before the away team ran into some more Quallox Vaibal QV-series "MURDERGUY" models, a high end security and assassination drone equivalent to something like a DAISY M6 power armor.

The MURDERGUY models were intimidating; each one was heavily armed and armored, designed for maximum destructive potential. But the Yamataian team had faced tough odds before.

Cassie drew her aether saber, the blade humming to life. "Let's do this," she said, a steely determination in her voice.

"Engage!" Trowa ordered as he began to fire. Using his shield for cover, he moved forward while firing steadily at the closest unit.

Yoshiro targeted a MURDERGUY and fired at its arm to try and disable it. "Oh what glory is battle!" He said as he covered Kiyo.

"Concentrate fire until each one goes down! Start with the closest! Advance after each!" Emiko called out.

Cassie laid down some heavy covering fire to help keep the bulk of the robots from being able to get good shots at her teammates. "This is a weird time to think about it but it would have been cool if we had brought a technician to downlaod this ship's files too," Cassie commented, remembering the last fight with these part organic, part machine drone soldiers.

Kiyo glared at the MURDERGUY infront of her, memory of the last time she faced it fresh on her mind. But not this time, this time she wasn't ordered to sneak and hold back. This time the MURDERGUY will know fear. She stepped forward, and her Aetheric Pulse Cannon activated and fired at the robot infront of her. It practically melted.

Trowa heard Cassie's comment and agreed but was too far engaged to make a comment. His shield had taken a couple of hits but the Starship operator kept moving forward. He moved up to the nearest enemy and the used his sheild to beat the MURDERGUY, throwing it off ballance and allowing Trowa a shot at the weaker joints.

The corridor filled with some sort of pinkish fog and then hundreds of small, disc-like drones about the size of a cereal bowl began to flood the area. The MURDERGUYs had deployed a huge amount of small seeker drones to swarm the armor team this time. As the drones got close to the team they began firing shaped explosive charges at them.

"Watch out! Oh shit!" Cassie screamed, trying to swat the drones with her aether blade. One of the explosive blasts hit her in the shoulder and she stumbled back onto the floor with a smoking hole in her armor. The drones were clearly aiming for their helmets, though. A second one hit Cassie in the faceplate.

"So they learn from defeat do they? They should learn to fear us!" Yoshiro said. He saw Cassie go down. "Kiyo, Cassie is down! Go help her!" He shouted.

Yoshiro got hit in the head by one of the drone blasts and it was like getting hit by a truck. His neck stung and his balance was off from being concussed. Thankfully the Zesuaium armor on the helmet did its job and spread out the impact and kept him from having a near hole in his head. Some of his visual sensors were gone, ripped off by the force of the blast.

"Whoa. That was not good. Whoever is repairing that is not going to be happy." Yoshiro said, swaying on his feet from the concussion of the blast but he continued to engage the enemy.

"Fight fire with fire," Mineko said, launching a string of NSB's from her legs. Most of them swarmed the analyst's helmet and fired on any of the drones before they could douse their explosive yield on the Yamataian. The other few poked through the pinkish fog to shoot the QV-series directly.

The NSBs helped a lot, their ability to fire scalar stun pulses was able to set off the drones' explosives prematurely and blown them up.

As Kiyo attacked and saw the bot melt she felt nothing, nothing for it or the violence she enflicted on its evil shell. She targeted the drones with her Pulse Cannon and her scalar machine gun as she stepped forward. at Yoshiro's words, she hurried to get to her side to shield. She fired her Aetheic Pulse Cannon at the robots to keep their attention from Cassie.

Witnessing how the NSBs helped she fired a few of her own Leg NSBs.

"The NSB's are working, rally, advance!" Emiko swatted the discs down with her massive hands, on one occasion flinging it straight at a MURDERGUY.

Back on the Resurgence

Things were getting bad on the ship. Aoba looked over his bridge as one of the control panels in front of him burned and sparks went flying from the ceiling. The shields were basically gone now and the surface of the ship was pockmarked with holes. On board, Pidole and the technician squad, along with the makeshift damage control teams like Luna and Okimi and the supply sergeants Sakuko and Beryl. The blast shutters were sealed so movement through the ship was difficult. As the ship was pummeled by ships that were bigger and more numerous Aoba decided that was about as much as their ship could be expected to take and sent the away team a message to get ready to come home. "I know you just got started but if I wait too long for you there won't be a Resurgence to come back to," he explained calmly. "Be safe. See you soon."

Next, Aoba turned to Gabriela. "Set a course to lose any pursuers and then meet up with the Renaissance, best speed. As soon as our people are back, disengage and get us out of here."

Back on the Kuvexian Warship

Trowa received Aoba's orders. "Understood Sir!" He responded while swinging his saber at one of the drones. "Away team! Perpare to jump back to the ship!" He was standing over Cassie, trying to give the Anthro a chance to get back on her feet after the blow she had taken. His shield was pot marked and he had lost his rifle in the brief but intense fight.

Yoshiro took the head of a MURDERGUY robot and clipped on to his armor. "Shall we leave this den of death?" He said after receiving the order and went to where Trowa was.

"But I wanted to meet this Zelkor Zaxim guy," Cassie whined. Teleporter armed, she said, struggling to get back up and behind cover, which there wasn't a lot of in this passageway.

Kiyo also got the message and turned her focus on Cassie. She knew that Yayoi would be displeased if Cassie was allowed to get hurt further. Seeing her struggle, she picked her up using the muscles in her armor, then as a farewell to the Kuvexians, she prepared to unleash everything, NSBs, her cluster grenades, Scalar Machine guns and lastly her Aetheric Pulse Cannon, "

"Cassie, I wanted to meet him too but you are too hurt to continue. " Yoshiro said. "Let's get you home."

In a flash, the team was back on the Resurgence, in the armor bay. Things looked bad. There were small fires and damage around the bay, with armor racks blown over on their side and Mindy suits strewn about. Lights flicked overhead and wisps of smoke swirled around the bay while the ship shuddered from hit after hit. Norita appeared from the armory and went to check on the away team's condition. "Hey," she said, looking concerned through her AMES helmet.

As soon as the team returned, Trowa dropped his weapons and moved towards the nearest fire suppressant. "Assist the techs with damage control. Let's see if we can get the things back under control."

Kiyo reappeared but held Cassie to be on the safe side as she looked around to the damage to this area of the ship. She hated seeing it like this. "Hai" she replied to Trowa.

Yoshiro took Cassie from Kiyo moved to the med bay. "Let's get you to the medic." He said with a slight smile.

"Thanks," Cassie said. "Another mission, another brain injury," she half-joked. "Just seeing Poppy's face will make me feel better. She's sho gorgeous..." Cassie slurred.

"Captain says we're to prepare for another away mission immediately," Norita told the team. "Renaissance just caught the target ship. We're going to board the slaver ship and take those people home."

Trowa sprayed the fire repellent on a blaze. He made sure that the fire was completely out before grabbing another shield and rifle. His suit itself wasn't in too bad of shape and he was ready to go.

Once Yoshiro took Cassie, Kiyo helped with the repairs alongside Mineko and the other away team members. They were doing all they can to keep their ship going for the next fight.

The team knew they had a daunting task ahead, but they were determined to succeed. As the Resurgence continued its desperate battle, the away team readied themselves for the next stage of their mission.

- - -

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yuuki, Yoshiro Tanaka, Miko, Benis, iaincarter

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Med bay

After helping Cassie out to the med bay, Yoshiro waited to get checked out himself. He set Cassie gently on a bed and sat down. "Hey, doc! You here?" He asked. "We got a patient who could use some serious treatment and a friendly based on what she told me." He laughed a bit, but due to his concussion, he was a bit woozy and had to sit down.

 

[Wes]

YSS Resurgence Medical Lab

Poppy, the head medic, rushed to Cassie's side as soon as Yoshiro brought her in. Dressed in her AMES suit, the medic quickly set to work, examining Cassie's condition and assessing her injuries.

"Another head injury, huh?" Poppy commented, giving Cassie a sympathetic look as she scanned her vital signs. "Well, you're in good hands. We'll get you fixed up in no time."

Poppy then turned her attention to Yoshiro, noticing his wooziness. "You're next, Yoshiro. Sit tight," she instructed, quickly grabbing another scanner to assess his condition. Pink-haired medic bay worked in a flurry of activity to treat the injured and prepare for potential incoming casualties from the ongoing battle.

YSS Resurgence Bridge

On the bridge of the Resurgence, Captain Aoba issued the command to his helmswoman. "Gabriela, plot a course to rendezvous with the Renaissance. We need to get our team on that slaver ship as soon as possible," he ordered, his focus unwavering despite the ongoing chaos around him.

 

[Yoshiro Tanaka]

Med bay

"They'll be paying off the debt for that, real soon." Yoshiro said with a determined expression on his face. He was swaying slightly but focused on rescuing the Seelies from the slavers. "Thou shall bleed me dry before I give my sword up to thee. I shall take the Dragon's flame upon me and bring death to mine enemies. Into the flames of battle, unto the anvil of war!" He quoted something that he had heard as a young man but did not remember who had said it however.

 

[iaincarter]

Deck 3, Zero-Gravity Vertical Access Corridor -> Deck 2

The caretaker was definitely feeling a little out of her element. While Okimi had been trained in maintaining Star Army property and equipment, that training hadn't extended nearly deeply enough for her current needs. After the pounding the Resurgence had just recently escaped from it had become painfully clear that the Fuji-class gunship had paid the price for playing the distraction. So much so that even Okimi recognised there would be no quick fix to set the ship right and a stay in a repair dock was surely in the near future. Naturally, the caretaker had quickly abandoned her plans of making sure the Seelie had the best experience whilst aboard - the Renaissance would have to play host to the soon-to-be-rescued.

With growing coordination, the various damage control teams had managed to seal Deck 3, allowing the life support system to resume normal function. It had also been established very early on that there had been no damage to the MEGAMI chamber, which had proven to be a big relief to everyone. Now though, the damage control teams and the ship's technicians were preparing to move up to Deck 2 which had been pretty well devastated according to initial reports. Privately, Okimi wasn't sure whether the worry about what they would find would be worse than the memories of what they had found and suspected that by the end of the day a lot of hugs would be needed all around. She turned to look at Luna.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it Luna?" Okimi thought towards her friend. "Still, let's do our best, right! The rest of the crew and the Resurgence herself are depending on us!" The young Neko took a few seconds to breath deeply, her resolve hardening. She nodding firmly. "Okay, I'm ready. As before, you lead and I'll follow!"

 

[Charaa]

Deck 3, Zero-Gravity Vertical Access Corridor -> Deck 2
Luna had been hard at work, making repairs and making sure things were functioning. It was exhausting work, but the blue skinned Neko kept at it, refusing to quit and take a break. Though when she heard Okinmi’s voice in her head, she nodded before sending a message back. “Yeah, so far from what I see the ship will need to spend time at a space dock for repairs. The poor dear, we really allowed abuse to happen to her didn’t we?” She sent back before responding to her next received thought message. “Hai, that’s correct, the Resurgence dream team is on the case!” she said in reply an turned to look at Okimi and gave her a big smile to show her confidence. “Sounds good, ” she sent back in reply and checked her datapad to see where they needed to go next. The Neko floated up and began flying ahead as she checked her datapad.

 

[Wes]

Deep Space
YE 45.1.9

The mangled form of the YSS Resurgence appeared in a flash of teal light near the disabled Kuvexian transport ship, joining its sister ship, the YSS Renaissance. On the bridge, captain Aoba grabbed his desk phone and dialed the intercom. "Resurgence crew, this is the captain speaking. Report to battle stations, set condition two. Form an away team to board the Kuvexian ship and liberate the Seelie survivors. It's time."

Red lights came out throughout the damaged ship interior, showing the ship was on full alert.

Shuttle Bay

Beryl and Sakuko had connected the breaching module onto the back of Beryl's shuttle, 'Barrels of Fun, which would let it cut a hole and install a new unexpected airlock into the Kuvexian ship. She fired up the shuttle's systems in anticipation for deployment.

Thad was sitting on a create, waiting for word to be given. He was putting extra polish on his shotgun blade axe. Ensuring it would wipe clean of blood when given a cleaning swipe. He slowly looked up as the call to action was given. A smile grew across his face. It was time to give out some liberation.

Yoshiro was waiting in the shuttlebay. He was ready to give his Kuvexian slaver "friends" an aether blade slice of retribution. He made sure to check his systems on his armor before boarding the shuttle. He had a grim smile on his face and was ready to do some violence.

With her battle senses already up from the cut and run action they had done on the now faraway frigate, Mineko gripped and then ungripped her hand as she looked over sensor readings on the bridge.

Luna quietly dabbed her sweating forehead, after going through hot and humid places on the ship to make repairs, while also making sure Okimi had a towel to wipe sweat off. Kiyo was meanwhile in her Mindy checking it, and readying herself for another battle. Kiyo boarded Beryl's shuttle.

Okimi took the proffered towel, entirely unable to keep the look of grateful relief from her face. "Thanks, Luna. I feel like I need a dozen showers before I will feel clean again." The caretaker shuddered at the memory of some of the things she had had to crawl through while following the technician through the battle wreckage on Deck 2.

Luna smiled at Okimi and nodded"same here, but I think i'll wait for the shower untill everyone is back." She replied.

Okimi returned the smile. "Oh, totes. Just nice to think about a bottle of chilled water, a long shower and then curling up in bed to sleep for a day or two."

Luna smiled once more and nodded "true" She said before scurrying off to next place of importance.

Trowa had replaced his damaged armor and weapons with fresh ones. besides his rifle and side arms he had his trademark Straight Silver blade plus his NCO saber. Even though he was now an officer, he still prefered his old NCO saber in a fight.

Just then Trowa got a call from the medical lab. "It's Poppy. I can't clear Cassie to go out so soon. She had brain swelling from getting hit by the explosive charge and I need to keep her in the medical lab where it can be monitored. I've given her a sedative to help her sleep. Are you going to need me on the away team?"

Thad jumped to his feet as he completed putting war paint on his face. "Ahh, time to get back into the saddle and dish out some freedom." He said as he racked his weapon. "No worries Cassie, I brought some special rounds in honor of you." He said as he tipped the weapon to the side. Down the length of the stock was extra ammo, all of them having a skull with EX showing.

Trowa frowned. Cassie was an experienced soldier and they would miss having her as part of the team. He thought a moment at at the Cheif medics question. "If Cassie doesn't require further attention then it would be beneficial if you could join us. The Seelie might need medical attention before we are able to transport them to the ship."

"Okay, sir," Poppy replied. She asked the MEGAMI to help her keep an eye on Cassie and then went down to the armor bay to suit up.

Armorer Norita came out with a cart of mini-missiles and made sure everyone's Mindy armor was fully stocked with every missile it could carry in their pods.

Kiyo smiled as her fellow Armorer arrived with new replacements, she immediately replaced what mini missiles she was now missing.

"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!" Yoshiro shouted and sat down in the shuttle. He was prepared for battle now.

Kiyo looked over at Yoshiro he liked saying that a lot. She thought to herself

Trowa made sure everyone was on the shuttle and ready to go before getting on himself and sealing the door.

"Count confirmed," Emiko said, after touching each helmet herself."

Soon the shuttle was on its way over to the Kuvexian smuggler vessel. As it approached, the Resurgence provided cover and its turrets hit any functional turrets the enemy had, so the shuttle wouldn't get shot down.

Beryl, already strapped into the pilot's seat of the 'Barrels of Fun', turned her head to address the team as the door sealed. "Alright everyone, let's get this done. Hang on tight." She flipped a few switches, causing the engines to hum to life.

"Final checks complete, all systems are green," she reported, her fingers dancing over the controls. With a swift and practiced maneuver, she guided the shuttle out of the bay, setting a course straight towards the disabled Kuvexian transport ship.

As the shuttle sped through the black void of space, Beryl couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Their mission was a crucial one - rescuing the Seelie survivors from the clutches of the Kuvexians. She hoped they were not too late.

Meanwhile, back on the bridge of the Resurgence, Captain Aoba watched as the shuttle disappeared into the distance. His crew was once again putting their lives on the line to uphold the values of the Star Army - to protect those who could not protect themselves.

"Godspeed," he murmured, turning back to the helm. "Gabriela, keep us at a safe distance, but be ready to move in at a moment's notice."

"Hai, Captain," Gabriela replied, her hands ready on the controls.

Back in the shuttle, the team could see the looming silhouette of the Kuvexian transport ship growing larger as they approached. It was a harrowing sight - a massive, battle-scarred vessel that had no doubt seen countless conflicts. But for now, it was their target.

"Prepare for boarding," Beryl said, her voice echoing in the cabin. "We're going in."

The moment of truth was upon them. The shuttle, with its attached breaching module, veered towards the Kuvexian ship, ready to cut through its hull and provide the team with their entry point. The tension was palpable as they prepared to face whatever was waiting for them on the other side.

The was a hard jolt as Beryl's shuttle banged into the Kuvexian ship's hull at a random location and an electric whine as the two aether blades circled around cutting a hull through the transport's outer hull. After a tense moment, the hatch into the enemy ship was ready to open.

Emiko was point, readying herself to be first in, with her weapon at the ready, and tensed inside her enormous armor to sprint forward with her enhanced mobility augmentations. "On Mark, Teams!"

Yoshiro took out his aether blade smg and got ready to go. He was prepared to dish out punishment to whatever came his way.

Trowa was just behind the giant infantry officer. He had his shield up in one hand and his rifle braced against it in the other.

Thad had ended up somewhere in the middle of the pack. The ideal location he wanted to be to be able to provide cover for the team up front.

On the bridge Mineko got word the Renaissance didn't have an infantry team available since it was running on a skeleton crew of bridge operators and a handful of technicians. The smuggler ship appeared to have only light weapons. According to SAINT files the ship was named the SS Altoma Searmarrion and was equipped with a large contingent of security drones, such as the Murderguy power armor robot hybrid thing they kept encountering.

With a call in to Trowa, Mineko said, "Aboard the Kuvexian frigate SS Altoma Searmarrion, expect a lot more of the QV-447 Murderguy models and other robot drones. I'll try to find out if there is any way to bypass them from here, Taii."

"Excellent, Keep me posted if you have any success with that. Keep towards the back and we'll give you cover." Trowa replied as he waited for Emiko to give the signal to enter.

With a gesture, Emiko summoned up her FARS to get another camera on the scene when she went in, the extra eyes in her visor display.

Kiyo got up from her seat, and with her hand on Silverlight's handle she proceeded forward towards the hole, and the hatch.

The hatch opened with a soft hiss, revealing a clean corridor on the side of the ship. As a transport this ship wasn't as fancy as the Kuvexian military ships. It had bare metal gratings on the floor and ugly swirls of trippy colors painted on the panels of the walls. Along the corridor were thousands of lockers and chests in piles, which helped provide concealment.

Emiko signaled to the other team leader to go the other way, and leapt into the breach as soon as it opened, weapon forward and ready to fire, with her drone keeping overwatch. "Intelligencefriend, match schematics with feed from drone please."

Weapon in hand, Yoshiro readied to follow whoever was going to lead him and accomplish this mission. His demanor changed from silly to focused and serious, ready to fight.

Trowa stepped onto the Kuveixian ship and moved opposite of Emiko, covering the other arc with his weapon as he scanned for targets. Not seeing any immediately, he beat his rifle against one of the wall lockers to break the lock and look inside.

Poppy Pink, hauling a large bag of medical supplies, followed Thad. "Thad, with Cassie out I'm claiming you as battle buddy. Take care of me so I can take care of the wounded."

Thad followed after the group and took a look down each way of the hall way. He knew this trick from his time on the other worlds. Chests filled with explosives to give a suprise to those foolish to open them. Then again it could be filled with random crap gathered from space. "You got it Poppy. Team work makes the dream work." He called out to her over comms.

"Security on exits from this room once clear, move," Emiko commanded over the comms, "Then overwatch through corridors, bounding security at each intersection. Don't lose momentum or we can get pinned down. They're the defenders, we are not those ones."

"Roger that." Yoshiro said to Emiko and did exactly that. He was watching for the enemy as he moved carefully.

"Security alert, intruders onboard," a Kuvexian-accented voice called on the intercom. "All units seek and eliminate."

"fudge" Kiyo said in her usuall voice and removes Silverlight from its sheath, and looses the look on her face as she begins entering Kiyo battlemode.

"HA! It is them seeking us! It is easier then when they are together, is efficient! We will to Valhalla!" Emiko seemed perhaps too enthusiastic about the prospect of the targets coming to her.

A second voice came on the intercom, this one a female computer voice. "Automatic destruct system engaged. All crew proceed to escape pods immediately. The ship will be destroyed in three minutes. There will be no further audible warnings."

"Ah Feth." Trowa said to himself as he looked at the locker he just broke. He should have guested that the Kuvexians wouldn't want others to take their things. "Mineko! How do we stop that self destruct?"

"Welp, do or die. And I am all out of die." Said Thad.

A crowd of pissed looking robots and power armor sized drones in chrome gold began to pour down the corridors from both sides, firing plasma weapons and aether rifles at the team.

"They really don't like to give up their loot," Poppy observed. "Maybe they're hoping we'll run." She stayed low and tried to use the random boxes and crates to stay out of the line of fire, occasionally popping out to shoot back for a moment.

"Yes," Emiko said, to Poppy, "I am calling bluff on the blowing up the money."

"I have come for your blood, you honorless dogs!" Yoshiro shouted as he fired Gauss rounds at the drones and MURDERGUY robots.

"Heavy weapons, go, go. Keep advancing, do not hold position, go!" Emiko then yelled, "GRENADES!" And that is precisely what she did.

Kiyo targets the robots ahead with her Aether Pulse Cannon and began firing on the poor dears as she stepped forward.

Sparks and smoke flashed from one of the chests as shots hit near Kiyo, barely missing her.

Kiyo noted the bare misses, and used her Silverlight's blade to try and deflect ammo back at the robots and Power Armor.

Trowa opened fire as the robots and PA came at them. He dropped two before they were on him. Using his shield like a blunt weapon he bashed the first robot that came at him with such force that it staggered back into the one behind it. The Gauss cannon on his right shoulder came up and began to fire. Trowa was very careful with his shots as a miss could go through an interior wall an potential hit something they really didn't want to hit. Like the Seelies they were trying to save.

Thad took cover behind chests near by. Though this was short lived as he took his axe and cleaved into the side of the chest. He did a quick spin and yeeted it down the hall towards the robots.

"Where are we heading, the bridge?" Poppy asked, looking for some alternate route. She slammed into a doorway and cut a hole in it, opening a path from the deathtrap hallway into one of the spacious cargo holds. "Short cut? Trowa, what do you think?"

A thin pink mist began to flood the passageway like on the previous ship they boarded.

"Yes! we need to stop that destruction sequence" Kiyo said to Poppy through comms as she attacked her enemies.

Trowa looked around at what Poppy was doing. It was a good idea. "GO! Kiyo! Tanaka! Take point! Maximus! With me, covering fire!"

Yoshiro opened fire on a group of robots as he heard Trowa shout orders. "Taking point!" He said and did what he was told.
He cut the head off of a MURDERGUY, shot another in the knee and took of the arm off of another.

Kiyo nodded "taking point!" she replied and stepped forward to follow orders.

"Covering rear!" Emiko called out, firing her heaviest weapons to stymie the flow coming in behind them. "Resurgence, are they actually launching escape pods?"

Thad was busy dancing around and blasted away at the robots as they came. He then followed behind Poppy into the side room she just kicked open. He checked around the room which seemed to be void of kill bots.

The hugeness of the cargo bay made it easy to travel large distances inside the smuggler ship. Below them was a vast array of hundreds of shipping containers.

Kalena's voice came on the communications net, responding to Emiko, "It would appear a handful of escape pods did launch as well as some sort of high speed yacht. The Renaissance is in pursuit of the yacht."

"Maybe it is not bluff." Emiko quipped.

"I'm starting to think you're right." Trowa agreed with Emiko.

Bridge

Aoba called down to engineering, "I need the main gun working now, Pidole," he said. "Can we shoot?"

"Maybe, but it could destroy the gun. There's too much damage to the protective barriers," she told the captain.

"We have to try," Aoba said. "Kalena target the bow of the transport ship and cut the front of the smuggler ship off. After that's done I want the armor team to find the Seelie containers and push them out into space where they will be safe from the self destruct and Sakuko's shuttle will bring them aboard. I need one armor team member to interface with the ship's computer so Mitalar can hack their cargo logs and mark the correct containers for you. We have two minutes. Execute!"

"Copy that, Captain," Kalena replied. The targeting reticle of the Resurgence's main gun began to shift, tracking towards the front of the smuggler ship. "All hands, brace for recoil. Firing main gun."

The Resurgence shuddered as its main gun fired, a bolt of concentrated energy lancing out towards the smuggler ship. The blast struck true, shearing the front of the ship off and sending it spinning away into the void.

At her console, the intelligence analyst was shuffling through whatever records she find on the smuggler ship. Mineko's primary goal was where the Seelie could be kept, but a part of her focus was still alert for anything that could help the away team in the present predicament.

Mineko could find the ship's basic class was known to said, with the ship's bridge located near the engineering section at the rear of the ship. The front was all cargo. The ship was mainly set up to haul standardized large containers and it had various power and climate control hookups for the containers. In theory, a container with life support could go in the hold...

"Yamamoto-taii," Mineko comm'd back in to the away team. "The bow of the ship contains a cargo hold where I believe the Seelie prisoners are being kept. It takes up most of the ship, whereas ship's engineering and bridge are further in the stern... Which I believe we will be hemisecting!"

SS Altoma Searmarrion

Thad pulled up his sensors to see if they would give him details on the containers. He was mainly looking to see if any of them had a heat signiture which might mean a warm body was inside.

Trowa processed the information Minkeo sent him and tried to get his bearings. He had two MURDERBOTS on him and it was hard to think. His voice was short as it came through the ships speakers. "Are the cargo containers self seal.. Ya!" there was the sound of a grunt as Trowa was hit and then he continued. "Self sealing! Can we detach the containers from the ship and just pick them up with the Res!"

Kiyo looked over as she continued to attack with automatic weapons targeting the MURDERBOTS that were giving Trowa a bad headache. "think we can get the cargo hold to separate but keep the life support online?"' she sent back.

"Whatever we are going to do, we better do it fast! I am running out of ammo!" Yoshiro said.

There was a massive flash in the cargo bay as the front of it completely melted off, leaving the cargo bay exposed to space on the front of the ship. Meanwhile the robots started to enter the cargo bay and started shooting up the team.

In the chaos, Mineko had replied to Trowa's query, "They'll be safer in space than in the ship. We need one of you to interface with a ship computer, okay?! With that we can direct you to the containers that need jettisoning!"

"Do it fast!" Trowa yelled. He wasn't really yelling at Mineko, but his blood was up has he was in the middle of a pretty heavy fight. He had again lost both his rifle and his shield and now had a plasma revolver in one hand and his NCO saber in the other. The saber had a built in Aether power pack connected to his PA so that he was able to cut through the enemy PAs.

For her part, Emiko said, "Cover me. Relief!" And moved to hook into the ship's computer. The suit's AIES system began communicating, and Emiko used her cortical modem and neural lace implants to help her sort through it. "Connecting!"

Poppy yelped as she was hit. She spun her legs to stabilize herself and then returned fire. "I trust my backups," she yelled at the robots, "Do you?"

Kiyo moved to guard Poppy from getting hit further, as she fired her Cannons and NSPs at her enemies. Now that they were exposed to the outside of space. Kiyo fired like a Valkyrie almost as if she was her sister Gravity, wanting to make these robots and Power Armor dead and destroyed.

Mitalar was able to work with the Kuvexian operating systems like a pro hacker, because she was, and her voice came over the team communication channels. "I have the manifest, and I have found the Seelie containers. I am sending the IDs to the ship's MEGAMI to place markers on your Mindy AIES HUDs. MEGAMI says the containers with the people in them are going to have a flashing green outline around them from your point of view. There are 5 total."

"Gold-robot-friend, can you just jettison it all? How about the destruct?" Emiko asked, over the connection.

"I unlocked them all from their holding clamps," Mitalar said.

"That's the best we got on our end, you'll have to give them the last push," Mineko added. Even without being a foot on the ground, her own adrenaline was up like the Taii's and the fervor in her voice was palpable.

"Good enough! Move people! Move!" Trowa ordered as he quickly found the marked containers and moved to them. Getting a good grip on the container, he pushed his PA thrusters to the max and push the container away from the ship.

Kiyo began moving the marked cargo out to space hoping that it saves them from getting exploded.

As the ship began to self-destruct, the explosions started in the ship's aft at the engines, blossoming in waves of fire. But with the front of the ship chopped off, and the atmosphere venting into space, the loose cargo containers were all now moving out towards the hole in the front of the ship.

With the explosions behind her, Poppy pressed her Mindy up against one of the marked containers of Seelie captives and fired her aether engines full blast, pushing it out into space. It took her a second to realize she was screaming as it happened.

Yoshiro pushed one of the marked containers out in space and kept pushing it away from the cargo ship. He was upset about not getting the leader but glad he rescued some Seelies from slavery.

"Maximus! Container!" Emiko was unhooking from the computer network, which would, of course, sever Mitalar's connection. She was in position to be the last off the ship, whether she meant to be or not.

Trowa turned around and saw the cargo ship disappear in a bloom of light. He took a steadying breath. That had been close. Very close. He swallowed to find his voice then sent over the Comms. "Who's not dead? Sound off."

"Yoshiro reporting and still alive, sir." He said to Trowa.

Thad had not planned to go surfing today but that was exactly what was about to take place. He was going to slo mo cool his way out of this ship and look good while doing it. He jumped up on top and ensured his mag boots attached strongly. "Lets rock and roll."

"I'm a little rattled and hurt but I'll make it," Poppy said. "Returning to Resurgence."

In the relative safety of her cockpit, Sakuko's eyes were focused on her console as she piloted her shuttle, ready to swoop in and collect the marked containers once they were pushed out into space.

"Ready to retrieve marked containers, Captain," she reported, her voice steady despite the tense situation.

The one eyed Nep sighed with relief as all the away team checked in. "Resurgence, this is Away Taii Yamamoto. All away team members are accounted for and all the containers are in one piece. Request immediately pick up." He then sent another message to Mineko. "Damn fine job Santo Hei. Damn fine job."

"Away team, looks like you've freed all the Seelies," Mineko said after looking between all of the away team member's HUD feeds and the containers they knew contained the captives from Ahmar. "I could say the same to you."

The welcome sight of Beryl and Sakuko's shuttles met the team as they assisted in safely parking the containers full of Seelie on the Resurgence.

Yoshiro was proud of himself. He did rescue people from some bad eggs and taught the bad eggs a lesson while he was at it.

"Excellent work," captain Aoba told the team. He sounded genuinely proud of them.

"I hope you don't mind if I start salvaging," Mitalar Sevinna told Aoba. "I held up my end of the deal and now it's time for you to hold up yours. "I am glad I could help, and I'm sure we'll meet again sometime. Until then, safe travels, mon capitan," the gold robot did a curtsy and walked off the bridge to go collect the leftover crates for herself.

"Excellent work, yourself, captain!" Mineko said to Aoba. It was in the same vein as what she had said to Trowa, but laced with a pleasure that Mitalar's curtsy had imbued. "We're not seeing the last of her, are we?"

Aoba watched Mitalar walk off the bridge, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I don't believe so, Santo Hei. A being like her... She's not one to fade into the background."

He turned back to the bridge crew, his gaze sweeping over them. "Let's begin recovery operations. Get our people and those Seelie aboard. And... good work, everyone."

As the crew acknowledged the orders and set to work, Aoba couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. They'd accomplished their mission against the odds. It wasn't a perfect victory, but they'd saved the Seelie and dealt a blow to the Kuvexians. For now, that was enough.

He glanced at the screen showing the drifting debris from the smuggler ship, the marked containers slowly being reeled in by the shuttles. He knew there was still a lot of work to be done, and this was only one battle in the grand scheme of things, but for now, they could savor this moment of victory. It was time to go home.

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Charaa, Cowboy, Ame, Yuuki, Yoshiro Tanaka, Miko, iaincarter

 

[Wes]

AFTERWORD

The Resurgence subsequently went into repairs after the Seelie rescue mission concluded, as a result of the major damage the ship sustained. It would be completely disassembled and rebuilt by Star Army Engineering and Ketsurui Fleet Yards in a hangar in the Central Fleet Depot. It would be YE 45.4 by the time the ship was ready again. In the meantime, the crew was able to spend time on planet Yamatai, attending the Hanami (cherry blossom) Festival. They received awards and promotions for their heroism and tenacity. The story of the Resurgence of Yamatai would continue...