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

YSS Resurgence

"I am sending up Miyagawa Taro from the ship's engineering section, since I'd like the infantry to be on the away team. Once he arrives, you can join the away team in the shuttle bay. I have also sent Wong Caihong to post guard at Delmira's cabin," Aoba told Sanda. He got turned to Shosa Koyama. "I'd like you to immediately take an away team to the surface to give any support you can at the sites of the terrorist attacks. The team must stay in battle buddy pairs at minimum. Meet the locals, assess the situation, and render any assistance we can and we'll try to figure out some way to help. The next attacks have shown that the Yamatai Star Empire can't wait forever for the situation to resolve itself. It's been four years of drama for them down there and we need to end that. Stay in touch, I'll be above you in orbit."

Down in the shuttle bay, Beryl powered up her T7 shuttle for the away mission to the city below.

Gashmere City - Gashmere
Mayors response to arrival of YSS Resurgence

"As the mayor of Gashmere City, I am deeply grateful to the global community for their assistance in responding to the recent chemical attack. The scale of the disaster was overwhelming, and we could not have coped without the help of our friends and allies.
I want to assure everyone that we are doing everything in our power to bring those responsible for the attack to justice. We will not rest until those who committed this heinous crime are brought to account. I also want to thank the brave first responders who risked their lives to save others. Their heroism and dedication are an inspiration to us all. We are a resilient people, and we will not let this attack break us. Together, we will rebuild Gashmere City and create a better future for our children free from the influence and undue meddling of the Empire of Yamatai." -Mayor Vrak: Mayor of Gashmere's capital city and member of the Anti-Xenoist League

Office of the Chairperson of the General Assembly of Gashmere
ATTN: Taisa Aoba Kuranosuke

"To the Captain of YSS Resurgence,

On behalf of the people of Gashmere, I want to express my deep gratitude for your assistance in the aftermath of the chemical attack on our planet. Your tireless efforts to provide aid and comfort to those in need will be a lifeline for many of our citizens, and we are deeply grateful for your support.

I want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to bring those responsible for the attack to justice. We will not rest until those who committed this heinous crime are found and tried for their crimes.
I also want to thank you for your efforts to help rebuild our communities and provide support for those affected by the attack. I ask that exercise caution during your operations as there is still a significant portion of not just the population, but the Planetary Guard, who oppose any Yamatai presence on our world. They have shown what they are willing to do to their own people. I cannot promise your safety.

Your compassion and generosity are an inspiration to us all, and we are deeply grateful for your presence on our planet.
Thank you again for your support, and please know that you are always welcome on Gashmere.

Sincerely,

Chairman Koda"

YSS Resurgence

Nanook keyed the imagery from Gashmere City unto a projector in the briefing are of the vehicle bay. The camera panned about a plaza littered with the bodies of dead and dying Kodians. A yellow green haze seemed to hang over the entire area. Fires burned out of control in the distance, lazy plumes of heavy black smoke floating into the sky. He turned back to the away team members assembled before him.

"As you are aware, Gashmere City was the target of a chemical attack yesterday. The chemical agent used in the attack was a blister agent that targets the respiratory system. Beyond that we have very little data in regards to the exact compound and delivery method. Initial reports indicate that the agent was delivered via a series of IEDs placed in key locations throughout the city. The bombs were detonated remotely, releasing a cloud of toxic gas that spread throughout the city. There is a high likelihood that the perpetrators will attempt to carry out additional terrorist attacks in the coming days. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and it remains unclear who was behind the assault. Both the Alien Peace Council and the Anti-Xenoist League have denied any involvement in the attack, and have condemned the use of chemical weapons as a cowardly and inhumane act. All units are advised to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their superiors. "

Nanook paused to gather his thoughts for a moment. This was more distressing than he thought it would be. His ears drooped, hanging over the top of his head limply.

"Medical response teams are working around the clock to treat the victims of the attack. However, due to the scale of the disaster, there is a severe shortage of supplies and personnel. In response to the attack, the General Assembly of Gashmere has authorized the deployment of additional military forces to Gashmere City. This may mean that there are Anti-Xenoist League forces operating in close proximity to our response teams. Our Rules of Engagement are not to fire unless fired upon, limit damage to property and infrastructure, and attempt to de-escalate any situation that may arise. "

He did not look forward to the prospect of getting into a firefight with any of the planetary guard. The armor and weapons may not be as advanced as SAoY gear, but they could still easily kill or maim. He tried to add an edge of resolve and grit to his voice.

"This is a critical moment for Gashmere, and we must stand united in the face of this tragedy. Let us honor the memory of those who were lost by working tirelessly to bring an end to the conflict and restore peace. Are there any comments, questions, or concerns before we launch?"

"Acknowledge Sir. Joto Hei Hoshi Out." Sanda responded. She then sent a quick message to Meadows, asking the caretaker if she would please retrieve Inmochi's uniform as he requested. As soon as Tara relived her, Sanda headed straight for the hanger bay to catch the briefing. She listened carefully, taking a few notes. When asked for questions, Sanda said, "Are we heading down in PA or no?"

Kiyo felt glad that the situation with Lemochi seemed to be over. She also thought about Delmira and wondered if she had a father figure. Would she feel the same as she had. She wasn't sure as she never had one, but she knew Luna did. The red eyed girl thought she'll ask her daughter later about her feelings on the subject before a new situation happened.

"Typically the answer would be no, because we want to look like people, not faceless outsiders. However, in light of the chemical attacks, it is prudent to wear the Mindy armor for its full NBC protection," Aoba said. "You can keep the helmets off, though. "Also, it looks like First Officer Koyama is currently in the midst of dealing with another situation so I am assigning Taii Gabriela Lively to lead the team, and placing Vec Wilson as second for the away team and in command of any medical assistance efforts."

Meanwhile the YSS Eucharis arrived and docked with the YSS Resurgence, sending an infantry Nekovalkyrja, Junko Hasegawa, to retrieve the senator and bring him onto the Eucharis to be transported to Kyoto for his interview.

YE 45.1.1 - Morning

Power Armor Bay

Kiyo made a last check to her power armor, to make sure it was in working order. The Helmet was left off, but she had glanced to Silverlight, her Aether Katana. She wasn't sure she needed it but she thought incase something needed cutting she could use it.

Poppy joined the away team in Beryl's T7 shuttle, suited up in her form-hugging Mindy power armor, which had a large rucksack of medical supplies on its back and several smaller medical bags and kits. She grabbed a seat in the back of the shuttle's passenger area, but was too bulky to sit on it fully so she just had to sit on its edge. She didn't bring a power armor rifle with her, but she did have her NSP. Her long pink hair was tried up in a ponytail.

Taking a cue from the CMO, Chiasa brought along with a VCMAD Terrain drone with additional medical and drug supplies stowed on it. While the tiny Nekovalkyrja didn't like dogs, she couldn't deny the drone's utility when it came to carrying equipment. To save on even more weight, the pharmacy specialist brought a heavy aether pistol, rather than a full-sized aether rifle. While she was suited up in her Mindy like the others, she didn't anticipate combat. However, the HAP would be useful in the unfortunate event that it occurred.

Taii Gabriela Lively, the highly-motivated and brainy Navigator came down to the armor bay to get her armor for the first time in ages. Typically on the bridge, Gabriela had been tasked by captain Aoba to temporarily lead the mission, as she was in training for the First Officer occupation and this would be good experience.

Sanda geared up in her Mindy. She would have preferred to go planet side in her beloved Daisy, but Daisy's didn't have teleporters and they needed to be flexible on this mission. She packed light, just a rifle in addition to her usual loadout. Her helmet hung from a strap on her belt. This mission wasn't a combat mission, but there was a risk of a fight, which Sanda was always prepared for. She stood by the Shuttle door and waited for everyone else to board, doing a visual inspection of everyone and making sure they were all good to go.

Kiyo glanced to her away team members and took note of what they were bringing along. Luna was back on the Resurgence, as a Technician she needed to stay back until things were confirmed settled as far as Kiyo knew.

Nanook suited up in his Mindy, running diagnostics on the various systems to ensure everything was in order before setting out. After confirming everything was in order, he went to stand with his battle buddy, Chiasa. He wasn't sure what to say to the little pharmacy specialist after the "engagement" in the medical center. So as he approached, he greeted her with the first thing he could think of, "Uh, nice...bag."

Science specialist Euikoshi followed Nanook.

"Make sure each have a battle buddy and stick with them," Gabriela said. "If, for some reason, I have to give the order to pull out, we account for everyone and then teleport back to the ship. I have set up the computer to constantly send good teleport coordinates to your suits in the background."

Kiyo nodded "hai" she said in agreement, and saddled close to Sanda as her battle buddy. It had felt right to choose her, like she was helping to take care of Sanda so that Yayoi had a sister to come back too.

"Perhaps your fuzzy face and round ears will help," Poppy grinned at her old friend Gabriela. "I mean, you're the most bearlike crew member we have besides Nanook," she grinned at the anthro. "And you're cute!"

Gabriela giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks!" Chiasa answered Nanook in a peppy tone. "We had to do a lot of packing for this." She added. "Hopefully this goes well. Do you know anything else about the situation on the ground or have they mostly dealt with the immediate aftermath?" The tiny Nekovalkyrja finished. Her tone was still energetic, but her focus had since transitioned to the mission, above all else.

"Do you know where we're deploying?" Sanda asked Gabriela as she tied her hair back in a tight pony tail.

"We'll stop at Fort Nozomi, and then to Gashmere City where the terrorist attacks happened," Gabriela told Sanda.

Back to Gashmere it seemed. It'd been several years, and a different mission, and a different unit than last time Vec had been, but he'd gained a lot of respect for the Kodians. It felt right to return in their moment of need. Suited up, he joined the rest of the crew and raised his hand, "As the guy with a bit of EMS experience, I advise we don't just go running in, and instead link up with whoever is running relief efforts dirt side. We don't need to go building the same bridge twice."

Sanda made some quick notes and nodded at Vec's assesment. "What's at Fort Nozomi?" She inquired.

"It's the local Star Army base, it has the units conducting peacekeeping operations," Gabriela replied.

"It sounds like the aftermath of the attack is ongoing. Local first responders lacked the numbers of gear to respond, leaving many Kodians trapped or.....worse. This may end up being more recovery than rescue." Nanooks voice was heavy as he went over the last part for Chiasa.

Kiyo shifted in her feet as she waited for them to be deployed.

The shuttle door ramp slowly rose and sealed them in and the shuttle launched out into the space above planet Gashmere. Beryl guided the craft down through the atmosphere. Fort Nozomi was a massive base with a circular shape roughly 30 kilometers in diameter including a thick, Zesuaium-fortified concrete outer wall that was 25 km in diameter and 12 meters tall. It was made of scrapped and salvaged starship hulls and armor left over from First Mishhuvurthyar War. The outer edge of the base consisted of open farmland. Soon the shuttle was coming in for a landing at the base's huge starport, where the base commander, Taisa Raruwo, a friendly male Kodian with cream-colored fur, came out to greet them.

Nanook stepped the length of the shuttle, the sight of his homeworld filled him with great joy. The reason for his visit dragged him back down. He turned to Chiasa, "Do you like tunnels?"

"I think so~" Chiasa answered. "What about them?" She added.

"Kodians love burrows. Most Kodian settlements are underground. We may be going into tunnel systems or caves." Nanook explained. "Gashmere city has a lot of infrastructure above ground, but there is just as much, if not more, below ground level. Collapse is a real possibility if fires have been unmanaged." Another troubling thought came to mind. "Caves also make great ambush points."

"Oh." Chiasa frowned, as a sudden revelation came over her. The tiny Nekovalkyrja realized that was why the chemical attack had been so effective and deadly. "How much ventilation is there, usually?" She asked. "It seems like the chemical attack would have..." The pharmacy specialist paused, briefly struggling. "Taken more lives due the underground settlements." She finished.

"Hope the Meat on a Stick shop's still there," Vec said, watching their descent with his helmet feed linked to the shuttle's external sensors.

When the shuttle opened up, there was a lot of handshakes and Raruwo thanked the team for their assistance and gave them a brief rundown of what was happening, which was basically what Nanook had told them earlier in his briefing. Gabriela told him they were eager to get started. As a gift, Raruwo have everyone on the away mission a souveneir unit patch from the base.

Kiyo listened as Nanook spoke of his people's settlements, and turned her head to listen properly. She'd also accepted the patch that she was given.

Sanda was also listening to what Nanook had to say. She hadn't realized that most of the settlements that were attacked were propably underground. That would account for the high number of casulaties. It would also make tracking down the point of origin difficult.

Vec accepted the patch and stowed it in a pouch on his gear. When he got back, he'd have to make sure not to mix it up with the one he'd picked up a few years back with the 171st. "Sir," Vec said addressing the Taisa, "Do we have a local point of contact?"

"If you need to call the base, here is the number and frequencies for our secretary, Savannah Landry," Taisa Raruwo said. He looked at Nanook, "You must have had to lie down in that shuttle," he chuckled. "Welcome home to Gashmere!"

"Thank you sir, it was a .... "tight fit", Nanook said, looking towards Chiasa as he did so. He knew that some dealt with intense stress, or difficult situation with humor. He was probably going to need a lot of humor before the day was done.

Chiasa took a patch as well, briefly glancing over it before stowing it in her armor's butt pack. It certainly would be something to hold on to, perhaps as a memoir for later. However, upon hearing Nanook mention the 'tight fit', a hint of a giggle slipped from her lips, before being cut off with a fake clearance of her throat!

Nanook took the patch, one finger idly rubbing over the textured surface of the patch before stowing away in the armors cargo pack.

"And with local responders?" Vec pressed.

Sanda gave the little Neko pharmacy specialist a disapproving gaze but said nothing. This really wasn't the time or situation for giggles.

Kiyo didn't have anything to add though she did want to speak so instead like Sanda she said nothing. Instead she looked out to the planet and glanced and observed the environment, causing a free smile to form.

After they got all the information they could, everyone loaded back up in the shuttle and Beryl whisked them over to the disaster area, leaving the rear door open so they could drop out into the operational area.

"Set weapons to stun if you have a stun open," Gabriela said as they slowed down over the affected zone. "Drop in battle buddy pairs," she ordered. "Go!" Poppy went first, jumping out with Cassie and floating down to the streets.

Gabriela and Euikoshi went next. "See you down there!" the anthro lieutenant said.

Sanda moved to the lip of the shuttle and turned back to look at Kiyo. Suddenly loud music came from her speakers. "All aboard the crazy train!" As she fell backwords out of the shuttle. She remained in free fall, music blasting in her ears until a alarm starting beeping in her helmet when she killed her inertia and landed gently on the ground, her music ending as her feet touched.

Chiasa let herself fall from the shuttle with a gymnast's grace with Nanook right next to her, before landing amidst the disaster area with her heavy aether pistol held at the ready. Her VCMAD came down a few moments later, at which point the tiny pharmacy specialist set the drone to take cover, not wanting to risk it being destroyed in any potential crossfire.

Nanook fell from the shuttle, the air above the city was thick with heavy black, billowing smoke. Fires raged throughout several high rise buildings. Whole sections of the city seemed to have lost power. Yet, it was eerily silent, with only the roar of flames, and cackling of embers coming to his ears as he followed Chiasa and her VCMAD down. As he approached the ground, a think green mist seemed to billow and stir beneath his armored boot. "Chiasa, you got any idea what kind of gas this is?"

Euikoshi immediately whipped out her science scanner and began analysis. She also collected some in an airtight glass vial by flying over to it and literally scooping some up.

"Looks like Euikoshi is working on it." Chiasa spoke up as she scanned the area via her Mindy's sensors. "It's definitely not something to breathe in, though." She added.

Kiyo followed Sanda then blinked as the loud music came from her speakers and nodded as she found herself jumping out. Now i see what you like in her sis but outwardly she couldn't help but yell "Banzai!"

"Finally, something familiar," Vec said, stepping out into thin air. Moments after hitting thr ground, he brought his rifle up to scan the erily empty streets.

Sanda stood and made some room for Kiyo who was right behind her. She then checked her scanners for the rest of the away teams position. She was getting a strong signal from everyone. She moved towards the rest of her team, but taking a wide approach to check their surroundings for potential ambushes first, rifle in hand, but held low to the ground.

Kiyo landed beside Sanda who kindly made room for her, then looked around. Before she followed her, and keeping her ruby colored eyes around for danger.

Vec used his suit sensors to scan for thermal readings and voids that might represent bodies buried under rubble. "Quick reminder, boys and girls," Vec said, "Resources are limited down here, your first responsibility is to not become another casualty. Be careful and keep your head on a swivel, that goes for environmental threats as much as for potential enemies."

= = =

OOC: JP by Wes, Ajax, Charaa, Cowboy, Immortal Cyan, Dana, Hyralt

Nanook and Chiasa had come down into the city on the border of a residential and industrial area. Nanook moved to the doorway of a nearby domicile. The entry way was decorated with two columns of rock and crystal of various colors. They sparkled as they reflected the firelight from a high rise building burning in the distance. Nanook keyed the entry pad and cursed when it was unresponsive. He wedged the clawed gauntlets of his power armor into the edge of the door and peeled it back from the frame. The shriek of the metal as it deformed was deafeningly loud in the otherwise near silence of the city scape.

"Chiasa, I am making entry to a private residence." He said to his battle buddy as he entered the home. Holographic pictures of the family slowly faded in an out as he moved into the home. "My name is Nanook, I am here to help. Is there anyone here?" he projected from the external microphone on his power armor. His thermal sensors were making sweeps of each room as he moved through the house. He wasn't picking up anything on his thermals. He reached a set of stairs leading into the below ground portion of the home, this would be where the bedrooms were. The form of a Kodian was at the base of the stairs.

"I'm here to help, are you ok?" He said as he approach. The figure was not moving, thermals should the body at ambient temperature. Nanook turned the figure over. It was a male, old judging by the white fur that nearly covered his muzzle of otherwise black fur. As Nanook turned him over, he noticed something odd. The chemical gas had not killed this Kodian. He had a wound from an energy weapon carved into his chest. Nanook keyed his radio, "Chiasa, I have on deceased, killed by weapons fire. I am Charlie Mike."

Nanook moved on into the darkness, his thermal sensors showed the walls in cool blues and greens. There were two bedrooms to the left and right. Beds made, sparse furnishing. Nanook figured they were guest rooms. The man was probably a grandfather.

Nanook pushed aside the heavy curtain at the end of the hallway. He was greeted by a large room with a circular bed in it's center. A large safe stood to the left. The hinges had been burned off. Important documents were scattered across the floor, along with keepsakes and pictures. Anything of value was gone. Nanook scanned the rest of the room. He almost mist the slight rise in the bed, a small hill under the large comforter. He stepped gingerly towards it, pulling the comforter to the side. A Kodian woman. Old, Frail, most of the muscle and fat had fled from her frame. Another energy weapon wound. Nanook sighed. Replacing the comforter. "House is clear. Its been looted. Coming out...."

Gashmere City

Sanda did a complete circle around the away team before moving towards them. Even when it was so obviously disserted, the Ranger wouldn't rest easy until she had secured the area herself. The place was depressing and a little sickening, even to a hardened Nep like Sanda. War was one thing. The carnage left after a battle of dead soldiers who had fought honorably was easier to stomach. This... Chemical weapons were always nasty. But used on civilians this way just made Sanda fight to keep from throwing up. She also kept an eye on Kiyo. For not being a Ranger, Kiyo could move pretty well and silently. She wasn't anywhere near as good as Yayoi, but it was comforting to know that someone competent had her back.

After finishing her rounds, Sanda moved towards Euikoshi to hear what the Science officer had to say about the readings she was getting. "Any idea what kind of poison we're dealing with?" Sanda asked. Her own Mindy suit was giving warnings that the atmosphere was deadly, but the Lightning tattooed Nep hadn't heard of any of the toxins she was getting. "If you have any thoughts on how track this thing to it's source I'm all ears. Might be some clues as to who the attackers were."

Gashmere
Gashmere City

Chiasa took a deep, relieved breath when Nanook came out of the building. She had watched the Kodian clear and sweep it via a link from her Mindy to his power armor, which had effectively allowed her to see what her battle buddy was seeing via his armor's cameras.

"Two dead with energy weapon wounds." Chiasa reiterated as Nanook approached. "So not only a terrorist attack, but some kind of mass shooting?" The tiny pharmacy specialist questioned.

Nanool stalked out of the domicile, visually scanning the roadway as he came out, before hustling over to where Chiasa had been providing overwatch of the home. "Looters, taking advantage of the chaos. Safe was cracked open and all the valuables taken." Nanook glanced over the function check on the forearm plasma ejectors. He was starting to regret not bringing more weapons along.

An Alert popped up on his HUD as he heard the POP POP POP of ballistics small arms fire, an indicator pointed to the south east of their position. "Do we go? Or keep searching houses?"

"Let's go!" Chiasa hissed. Beneath the mask of her helmet, her features took on an intense set as her digital mind worked to triangulate the position of the weapons' fire. "Activating stealth system." She added. On cue, her Mindy's CFS came to life, its scalar fields changing form to absorb incoming sensor forms, potentially giving the illusion that they were passing through empty space and thus, concealing her presence on sensors, but not to the naked eye.

"Let's try and get an ID on these guys, before we engage." She added. "I'll be above."

Then, Chiasa flew upward until she was on the roof of a nearby house, having utilized her armor's CFS, rather than its turbo aether plasma wings to do so, in order to remain stealthy.

Nanook loaped along the roadway for roughly ten minutes towards the indicator on his HUD. As he was moving from cover to cover he pulled an overlay of the the city in an attempt to see what might be at the location they were moving to. The overlay snapped up and triangulated the fire from the other power armor computers and highlighted.....the cities ST center. Nanook stopped trying to use cover and began to sprint to the location. "They are targeting the Cities ST Center!" Nanook growled into his mic.

Chiasa flew from the roof of one building to another, her Mindy's CFS carrying her tiny form as she used the vantage point to get a better view of the area via sensors and her own eyes. In doing so, she took extra care not to expose herself, using any roof ridges, rooftop air conditioning units, and anything else in an effort to stay concealed.

"Oh, Empress." Chiasa answered. "How much further?" She added.

Nanook and Chiasa covered the last quarter mile to the ST center in roughly 40 seconds.

The ST center was bordered on three sides by small parks, the rear of the building was along a major multilane highway. A parking lot/landing area separated the highway and the building. Two Kodians in ST Center security uniforms and rebreathers were trading fire with a group of Kodians walking alongside and behind what looked like a massive armored car on the highway. The Kodians attacking the ST Center had light power armor and a mixture of rifles and pistols, but were effectively keeping the security officers suppressed behind the threshold of the building.

"We can't engage without orders." Chiasa said as she landed in a park east of the ST Center, before lowering onto a knee. "But these are Star Army personnel. They need our help." The tiny pharmacy specialist added with a frown.

"How are we taking this?" Chiasa asked. While she technically outranked Nanook, he was Infantry and she was a pharmacy specialist. More than anything, she didn't want to do anything stupid or that might get her in trouble.

Nanook crouched behind a large cargo truck that had been left in the roadway, the Kodian driving it was expired in the cab, his paws clutching his throat. "Call the rest of the Resurgence Personnel. The security guys seem to be holding out..." As Nanook said this a bright blue lance of energy bisected one of the security officers. Leaving only one visible, cowering behind what meager cover he could find. "Change of plans. Try to cover me."

"On it. Moving position." Chiasa assented. All the while, the tiny Nekovalkyrja floated towards the roadway, to take cover behind an empty car sized for Kodian passengers. It might not have worked as cover for a Kodian, but it suited her needs perfectly.

Chiasa and Nanook had been fortunate enough to be approaching from behind the attackers. None of them seemed to be paying attention as Nanook sprinted from behind the truck and closed the distance with their group. There were four Kodians outside the vehicle, two on either side. Nanook guessed they weren't military, or they would have been watching their rear. The claws of his right gauntlet tore the first unarmored Kodians head from its shoulders. Nanook pounced on the back of the other one, who was wearing power armor.

One of the two remaining Kodians moved around the vehicle when he heard the chaos. He immediately opened fire on Nanook as he did, but no more than two bolts escaped from the barrel before a bolt of aetheric fire fired from behind the car vaporized his head in a fiery blast, causing his massive form to collapse like a marionette with its strings cut. The last Kodian gave a savage growl before charging towards Nanook with his armored claws raised, but he didn't get far before Chiasa closed the distance and discharged her forearm pulse cannons into his back, cutting him down under a withering storm of aetheric pulse fire!

"Nanook, are you okay?" Chiasa asked as she gave the bodies a quick death check, before searching for other hostiles in the area.

Nanook pushed his claws through the gorget of the Kodian under him. The victims arms reach back to try and dislodge Nanook. Nanooks wrist cannons deployed, turning the Kodian's head into a superheat ball of plasma and charred Kodian meat. Two jolts of fire thudded into his back, accompanied a moment later by an exquisite burning sensation. This meant two thing; the first his armor had held if only just, the burns were probably second degree because he could still feel it, the second, he was still alive which meant Chiasa had managed to actually cover him. Perhaps he would have to reconsider the marriage proposal....

He looked to his right, a terrified young Kodian sat at the controls of the armored car. Nanook Thundered his clawed fists into the armor, to no effect besides leaving deep gouges. The Kodian driver panicked, slamming down on the accelerator. Nanooks left claws stuck in the armor of the door panel, dragging his body nearly ten meters before he shook free. The heavy duty wheels rolled over Nanooks left armor, crushing his power armors pauldron. Nanook Looked and saw his left arm thrown back towards Chiasa.

"No, I do not think I...am...." Nanook murmured as his armors trauma system blared to life, attempting to staunch the blood running from Nanooks shoulder.

"Let him go!" Chiasa called out as the armored car drove off, but not before Nanook was taken with it, dragging his massive form across the road until he came free. The tiny Nekovalkyrja immediately floated over to his side, before pulling out her dedicated field medic kit.

"Away team, this is Ohara-Hei, reporting enemy contact at the ST Center! One wounded." Chiasa reported to the away team as she quickly assessed her battle buddy's injuries.

"I've called the away team to report in." The pharmacy specialist said to Nanook. "Can you walk? Let's get out of the street and into some cover. More might come soon." She added.

Nanook nodded slowly as he drug himself to a standing position. The nanites stitching together the tissue in his should stung. He could feel the blood that had run down the left side of his body in the armor. He struggled to stumble/walk to a nearby building, goaded on by the tender and loving encouragement of his battle buddy. As he made it there, his body decided that had been enough of that. Gravity seemed to increase exponentially and suddenly he found himself in a sitting position. He could see Chiasa doing something to his shoulder, he wasn't sure what. Everything was fuzzy and warm. He eyes wandered to the ST Center. The armored truck had breached the wall. The back ramp opened up, a large Kodian, larger even than Nanook, strode down in menacing power armor. The firelight and smoke revealed the iridescent glow of an energy shield around him...and, "Oh...Oh shit. We need to move." Nanook said.

Chiasa's eyes went wide as the armored car crashed into the ST Center, the back ramp opening up to disgorge of group of heavily-armored Kodians. However, the biggest and most dangerous of them came out last, hefting a massive assault cannon. For her part, Chiasa moved to push her battle buddy into cover behind a nearby truck, before setting to work on treating his injuries.

"Away team, this is Ohara-Hei, requesting immediate reinforcement! They've crashed an armored car in the ST Center and are storming it!"

The Menacing Kodian was carrying an Ursus Assault Cannon. It was a pissed off version of a grenade laucher. Eight and a half feet with three barrels in a rotary configuration, firing 50mm plasma packets at roughly four hundred and fifty rounds a minute. The drum on the back of the armor suggested he could do that for....at least ten of those minutes. Other Kodians were carrying large containers into the building as Mr. Assault Cannon began to spray plasma packets in the general direction of Nanook and Chiasa!

Gashmere City

Before Sanda could get an answer to her questions the coms began to light up. She double checked the position of Chiasa and Nanook. Why were they so far off by themselves? "Thunder to Ohara. We're on our way." Sanda sent over before taking off running towards their location. She glanced to make sure Kiyo was with her as she hurdled a wrecked truck in her hurry to back up her teammates. When a moment later, Chiasa upgraded the threat, Sanda stopped dead. This was a lot more serious than she thought.

Giretsu training kicking in, Sanda triangulated Chiasa's position then teleported right to her. She took in the situation in an instant and brought her rifle up and began returning fire while moving away from Chiasa and Nanook, trying to draw the fire away from them. She flew rather than ran to the right, doing her best to keep the ahead of the deadly explosives. She moved and fired without thinking and called the Res. "Thunder to Res! We are engaging hostiles! Wojeck is down! Hostiles have breached the ST Center! AH!" Sanda had been hit. A glancing blow but enough to send her spinning out of control for a moment and crash into the side of a building.

Sanda got to her feet again, shaking her head. "Ok, ¿quieres jugar al grandullón rudo? Bien, juguemos duro." By now her teleporter was re-charged. Sanda began running towards the big Kodian. As he turned to fire at Sanda, the Giretsu trained Ranger did a micro teleport right behind the big shooter. Neutralizing the big weapon was her number one priority, but she couldn't just shoot the thing. The resulting explosion would do the terrorist's job for them. But a big weapon like that had fail safes that she could use against it. A quick jab with the butt of her rifle closed the heat exhaust port. The weapon would quickly overheat and shut down. However, in doing so she gave up the heartbeat of surprise she gained from her micro teleport. The big Kodian quickly turned his full attention to her.
Sanda had one of the toughest training regimes on the ship. She was constantly pushing her limits in a wide array of scenarios ranging from one on one duels to against swarms of enemies. She had even done some simulations against Kodians. But as the that big Kodian swung, Sanda quickly realized that this wasn't going to be anything like the simulations. For such a big being, the guy was unbelievably quick. Sanda was just slightly faster and more maneuverable and dodged or parried most of the attacks. She had her Aether Bayonet attached to the end of her rifle to give her more reach. The tattooed Nep felt like a caveman trying to take down a huge bear with just a spear. Well, like any big animal, the best way to slow one down was to hamstring them. Seeing an opening, Sanda moved in a slashed at the huge Kodian's flank. Her blade bit deep and her enemy dropped to one knee, howling in pain.

Before Sanda could follow up and potentially finish her opponent off, two more Kodians came up and began attacking. Sanda was forced back and on the defense.

YSS Resurgence - Bridge

Aoba was honestly surprised that the pacifistic Kodians gave the away team such a hostile reception. He listened to the team channel with concern. "Offer our help," he told Kalena.

Kalena told the Gabriela on the away team channel, "I am rotating the ship to face downward and targeting your area. If you guys want to hold your weapons on the enemy target, I'm ready to fire on any target you can paint. Just switch your MINDY targeting to fire support mode and pull the trigger when you want the ship to fire."

Gashmere City

Gabriela raced to the ST Center, flanked by Poppy and Cassie. Cassie, heeding Kalena's advice, switched targeting modes an aimed right at the armored car, squeezing her rifle's trigger. As her rifle opened fire on the vehicle, a torrent of devastating fire hit the armored car like a lightning bolt and it was absolutely destroyed, instantly reduced to mangled, partly-molten scrap and an instant shockwave flashed through the area, raising clouds of dust along the ground as pieces of hot metal rained down like rainfall making little clanking and dinging noises for a few seconds.

Rather than stick around to admire her handiwork, Cassie rushed to follow Gabriel and Poppy, who closed in on Nanook Wojtek with her medical supplies. "Cassie, Cover our rear!" Gabriela ordered. "Poppy, check him out." The anthro lieutenant laid down covering fire by shooting at the enemy with the assault cannon so that Poppy could advance on Wojtek.

Thad had been doing normal Thad things when the calls came out over comms. He had prepared well given how badly the last mission went sideways. He made sure to bring his belt of grenades and axe blade loaded with explosive rounds. From his time with his bear bro back on the old world, he knew a few things about Kodians so was confident he could take them. He was also wearing state of the art Mindy armor which like like bring a gun to a knife fight.

Thad made his way over to the sounds of fighting to get a better feel for the situation. He could see that his team had been pinned down and was unsure how they managed to get in this situation. Thad slowly stepped out from around the building and sized up the distance from him to the nearest bear. He reached up and pulled one of his red grenades from his belt across his chest. He tossed it into the air and as it came down slammed into it with the blunt side of his axe blade. The round object shot off like a neko smelling cat nip. It arced up and over the cars and leaded near its mark, an unexpected Kodian. A bright flash of light erupted from the grenade as hot fire and plasma filled the area around it. Looked like some crispy bear was on the menu tonight.

Thad made sure to keep on the move as to not give away his location. Just moments prior to launching the grenade he too notice of a manhole cover. He had already removed the lid as to allow for a quick escape. He slipped into the blackness and made his way over towards the Kodians. They were trying to figure out where the shot had come from when an explosive round fired out from the sewage drain. It removed the leg of the Kodian as it crashed to the ground. The last thing it seen was the smile from Thad as he pulled the trigger. Thad had seen the damage report of his friendly crew and had every intent to make them pay dearly. He once more was on the move as rounds and explosives were tossed into the sewer drain. Thad then popped up out in the middle of the street and grabbed onto the manhole cover. With a twist of his body he tossed the lid like a frisbee. It skipped hard against the ground and smashed into the car near by the Kodians who were left. He could feel they smiled, thinking he had missed his mark. The Kodian closest to the frisbee would hear beep, beep, beep then a final beeeeep. The car engulfed into a fireball as the shape charge exploded in a spectacular fashion.

Thad had dodge rolled over towards were his team had been pinned down near the truck. "Looked like you could use a hand." He called out to the team. He then armed the two Ke-M2-W3902 Shoulder-Mounted Scalar Machine Gun he had one each shoulder. Both were set to grenade mode as he bolted away from the truck. Thumping sounds filled the air as each one fire one grenade per second towards the boss bear.

Gashmere City
Kiyo was keeping up with Sanda quite well. But even so the blue Neko had noticed that the other woman was quite quick on her feet. She grimaced as she saw the carnage around her. She wasn’t in her battle state yet so she was feeling many inds of emotions. “I wonder.. If this is what she saw in Hanako’s world” Kiyo probably didn’t need to clarify whom she meant, but she was thinking of Yayoi, stuck in Hanako’s world during the Kuvexian invasion.

She knew, it had to be bad, from the look on Yayoi’s face during the first communication after the resurgence had picked her up. She’d also helped with getting the kids settled in safety. Sanda asked questions of Eikoshi, but before the answers could be brought forward. They had a emergency to handle. Kiyo charged forward, her hands moving onto her Katana’s handle as she did so. She’d activated her other Power Armors weapons and began targeting the attacking Kodians. That’s when Thad appeared and did his Thad things.

Gashmere City

Chiasa glanced up when she registered Sanda’s teleport signature, at which point the Giretsu-trained Ranger set herself on the assault cannon-wielding Kodian, giving Chiasa the opportunity to begin working on Nanook. However, it was only then that the tiny Nekovalkyrja realized that her battle buddy was missing an entire arm.

“Airways are good.” Chiasa began after checking Nanook's breathing. “At this rate, I’m gonna have to shave everything.” Chiasa quipped as she called Kōchō to her side. All the while, she opened her dedicated field medic kit and pulled out a container of MedicaGel. She immediately began to swab it on the site of the severed limb, the gel quickly forming a tight seal to stem the blood flow. Then, she set to work with dressing and gauzing the injured area, wrapping them tight to prevent more blood loss, before securing them with Mediglue.

By that point, Poppy had arrived to assist and the pharmacy specialist let the Minkan take over while Chiasa shifted her attention back to the fight, intending to provide cover fire. Pushing her digital mind into overdrive, Chiasa’s perception accelerated until the world seemed to move in slow motion. Quickly assessing the situation and the positions of her allies so as to avoid friendly fire, Chiasa set her sights on the pair of Kodians attacking Sanda, sensing that if she didn’t assist, the Ranger might become another casualty. Accordingly, Chiasa immediately discharged six shots with her Mindy’s forearm cannons, with three fired at each of the two hostiles attacking Sanda. However, it almost went without saying that all of her shots were aimed to strike the ursine assailants in their heads and necks!

Nanook was on his back, the various other members of the Resurgence crew doing what they could to stabilize his vitals. The pain in his shoulder came and went as various pain killers and coagulating agents were pumped throughout his circulatory system. Nanook watched as Thaddeus and Sanda fought the large Kodian with the Ursus Cannon. Sanda had made a brilliant feint, causing the weapon to overheat just long enough to land a debilitating strike on the Kodian. The assault cannon dropped to the ground as grenades from Thads shoulder mounted weapons detonated around both Mr. Assault Cannon and Sanda. Mr. Assault Cannons energy shield flickered and dropped.

*Boom BOom BOOm BOOM* A line of underground explosions creeped closer and closer to the ST center. Nanook could feel the ground vibrating as they closed with and reached the ST center. A blinding flash of light, followed instantaneously by a tremendous pressure wave rolled Nanook, pushing him solidly against a wall. The breath was crushed out of his chest and a sense of intense heat crossed his body. His armor had held against the blast, somehow. He managed to dig his right claws into the wall and flip him back to survey the carnage. All that was left was a smoking crater where the ST Center had once been. Pieces of Mr. Assault Cannon's armor and weapon rained down from where he had stood. Smoking and charred. Nothing remained of the Kodian....

Nanook put things together. The big Kodian had been there to delay them. He may even be the one that hit the detonator, martyring himself. His buddies had taken explosives in and planted them throughout the ST center, and then escaped via an underground tunnel, collapsing it once the were far enough away.

"This is Wojtek.....*heavy breath* is anyone else *breath* still around." He tried so hard to keep his eyes open, but everything started to get fuzzy and he just wanted to sleep.

OOC Note: Cleared this turn of events with Wes before writing or posting this.

Thad watched as he started to win the battle against the big bear boss. He was on his way to showing Sanda one does not need fancy training to be a winner. Time then came to a pause as the area around him filled with a flash of light. By the time the flash cleared Thad was standing in front of a pile of building. It happen so quick he barely managed to get behind cover to protect from the blast. Both his shoulder weapons were trashed and parts of his Mindy were badly damaged. Thad knew enough about explosions to know this had came from inside the ST center which was no more. Had the building not been hardened the area around it would have been flattened.

"Roger Wojtek, still alive and well. Going to go check was is left of the center. I believe one of our own might be over in that area." He cursed the bears for messing with his perfectly laid plans. Now he had to make sure Sanda was not dead under a pile of rock that she'd surely blame him for causing. This had not gone to plan but then again when does anything ever go to plan. They had one job to do and they failed it something awful. The only thing that made Thad feel better was that he had did his part to protect his crew. He felt this was worth something at least.

He made his way over to the debris filled crater. His Mindy was giving him location as to where Sanda was last at and tried to figure out what pile to start digging in. "Sanda, hun, you alive out there," he called out. His scanners were searching for anything that might be consider a Mindy armor. Dead or alive he was going to bring her home.

Gashmere City

Cheilith had been advancing with the others towards the ST center. Her fighting style with the Greatsword of the Ice Queen Mountains out in front, moving quickly from target to target so that no one had a chance to interrupt. She leaped forward into the ST center when the world exploded, the building and several nearby ones collapsing into rubble. Cheilith was thrown into one of the collapsing buildings, the armor that saved her life shattered.

Gashmere City
Despite her speed and skill, Sanda was being forced back away from the door by two Kodians. At one point she lost her footing and was pushed to the ground. Before she could get back to her feet one of her attackers stomped down on her chest, knocking the wind out of her. With her body pinned and unable to move one of the Kodians drew a large blade and was about to finish Sanda off when the head of one of them exploded. Chiasa's shot had been right on the money. The headless Kodian fell to the ground and his companion stepped back in surprise, giving Sanda the opening she needed to get back to her feet and jamb her straight silver blade into the Kodian's throat where the seal was weakest.

The Ranger barely had time to withdraw the blade before she was again rocked off her feet by a volley of grenades. They weren't powerful enough to breach her armor, but they did manage to confuse her make her fall to the ground again. Had she realized that the grenades had been thrown by Maximus, she probably would have just shot him on the spot. As it was, she was to preoccupied to worry about where the small explosion's were coming from.

When the explosions stopped Sanda again got to her feet and looked for a target. She spotted the big Kodian who had been wielding the huge assault cannon. He had a small device in his massive paws. Sanda's eyes widened as she realized what it was. Her hand already had grabbed her side arm and was bringing the plasma revolver up before her brain had time to think it. The tattooed Nepleslian was fast on the draw. She took time every day to practice. Her weapon came up, hammer pulled back and finger tightening on the trigger when the Kodian pushed the button. Her weapon fired at the same time as a huge explosion ingulfed the whole ST Center. The concussion blast hit Sanda with such force that she was flown through the air like a rag doll.

Sanda opened her eyes and was puzzled as to why she couldn't see anything. It took her a full five seconds to realize that her suit was unpowered. She tried to move and that sent a rebounding wave of pain through her body. She fought through the pain and tried again to move. It was difficult with no power in her suit but she managed to sit up. Once upright she gave her Mindy a rap on the chest. The suit came back on. Her helmet was cracked but still held which was a huge relief as she didn't want to be exposed to any harmful chemicals. But as her vision cleared she caught sight of the ST center. Or rather, where the ST center had been. It was gone. Completely gone. Sanda managed to get to one knee, still in shock by what had happened.

"Thunder to Res..." Sanda began but stopped. She felt the words sticking in her throat as the weight of this failure sunk in. She could feel tears rolling down her face but kept her voice even. "Thunder to Resurgence. The ST Center has been destroyed. We couldn't stop them. I am send you all my visual data collected from my brief fight with the terrorist. Compare it with the footage from the other away team members, then send it to Taisa Raruwo. Maybe we can get an ID on one of them." Sanda managed to get to her feet. Her suit was showing massive damage to several systems and also indicating that her body had received major damage as well. But it wouldn't be enough to keep her out of the fight. Not yet.

She took a step forward and that turned out to be the straw that broke the camels back. Lights all down her HUD began turning red. Her suit was close to a complete shutdown. That was bad. She couldn't remove her helmet due to the hazardous gasses but if her suit failed she'd be unable to breath. "Thunder to Resurgence. My PA is badly damaged. I need the shuttle to evac me ASAP. Have Norita send down my Daisy via drop and I'll switch over in the shuttle."

It was then that Sanda noticed Thad searching the area where the ST center had stood. From the sound of it, he was looking for her. For the briefest of moments, Sanda was touched. Then she heard Thad refer to her as hun and the feeling instantly died. "Maximus Hei." Sanda called to soldier impersonator. "The Res is sending my Daisy suit via drop. Please bring it over to the shuttle for me when it arrives so I can change. My suit is about to give out and I won't last long in this environment."