ON
With the last of their questions answered and at least some of the food eaten by those who wished to eat it, the marines of the NSS Nerkat were sent to suit up and reprepare to head out. "You've got about eight minutes, give or take a little." Was the Major's last words before the projector shut off.
"Eight minutes, fantastic." Gyles thought to himself, standing up from his seat. It seemed like a shit mission so far, and they would have to hurry before being dropped into a sweltering pool of back-to-Hell.
"Damn it." Ran pulled a small little plastic bottle labeled Cleaning Oil and took a few discreet sips from it, enjoying the banana flavoring of the schnapps that he hid so well. "Okay. I want my guys sticking with WATERs or a few FIREs. We don't need anything too fancy." Ran said, pondering using a VOID for this mission.
"Eight minutes till the bloodbath then." Amelia slowly rose from her seat, not having touched the food at all. She listened to the grumbling of the others in the room only for a moment. She took one last look at Adrian before proceeding to exit the room. She didn't want to waste any time.
A young Geshrin with black hair propped up his glasses in thought. No AIR2s? Thats odd, If this was a hit and run mission the M1s would be perfect, on top of that they will attract attention away from the FIRE1s and... He then rubbed his temples in frustration. The guy is a Chief, I'm sure he knows what he is doing..
Gyles hurried along towards the Nerkat's armor bay, and caught up to Amelia. His sonics let him filter through the usual groans and moans after an assignment, but he didn't actually recognize the new marine's voice, despite having seen her earlier with Adrian. "Don't worry too much about it. As long as you play it cool and avoid the vibroclaws, you won't be the one doing the bleeding."
"Hey Chief Rui, what are our squad assignments this time around?" Autumn inquired as she followed after the Chief, having quickly finished her food during the briefing. She adjusted her beret as she walked, making sure it sat squarely on her head.
"I got all of the Marines, Wilde. Staff Sergeant DeCaine has all the support staff, but I'm sure you'll all be nice and close to us out in the field." Ran pulled his datapad out of his pocket and handed it to Autumn, with the squad assignments listed on the front of it. Reaching into his pocket for another nicotine gum, he popped it into his mouth, making a beeline for the armory. ...Seemingly forgetting about his datapad.
Amelia turned her head towards Gyles, "I know better than to get in melee range. Just because I'm new doesn't mean I'm some trigger-happy dumb ass looking for glory in the army...." If there was any such thing. "I'll watch your back, don't worry." If there was any kind of humor in her intentions, it was impossible to tell.
Adrian stood, watching Amelia as she left. Heh. I like her. The medic headed for the door. When he saw Gyles, he strode a bit faster to catch up to the taller man. "Oi, Private, how's your arm doing? They fix you up?"
"Autumn!" Ian strode to the much shorter Geshrin, a cocky smile on his face. "Sorry I missed you over leave. You ever get that cake?"
Fay quietly stood up and left the room after the briefing was over with. He decided to make a stop at the medbay to make sure his medical kit was fully supplied before all hell broke loose. The medic knew off-hand that he needed more pain-killers, but he wasn't sure what else that he needed.
Autumn looked at the Ran's data pad curiously for a moment as she smiled up at the tall half ID-SOL. "It's okay, Ian. I got a whole buncha stuff done and a snazzy new arm. But I did finally get some cake," she replied with a bright grin. "You supervising with Rui's squad or DeCaine's this time around? It looks like I'm regulated to the support squad, which'll mean that I should be medicated up if something goes wrong."
Gran sighed and leaned back in his chair. He decided not to move for a little. No AIR2s... Great... He yawned and just plain sat. Despite the narrow time frame in which he had to get moving, it felt good to just sit for a little.
Gyles smirked at Amelia, the expression in his eyes hidden by the opaque lens of his visor. "Didn't mean anything by it. I just remember what's it like to be new." He explained, turning to Adrian to answer. "Could be worse. The wounds are a bit sore, but the Doc at Hayes says I'm good to go."
"Heh. I'm supervising the whole damn thing," Ian grinned malevolently at the girl. He also tapped her new arm. "It looks pretty good. Where'd you get it done?"
Adrian nodded to Gyles. "Good. Try not to fuck anything up down there, alright? I heard they were cutting down on the morphine reserves in the military."
"Where the fuck are they..." Ran spat the nicotine gum to the side, walking through the doors into the PA bay. "I need a VOID outfitted with all the basic stuff." Ran turned to a nearby technician. "I don't suppose it's possible to just strap a HPAR onto it, with the SBR, is it?"
"Ooh, this should be fun then," Autumn replied with a laugh. "Some shop Sergeant Sanroma showed me in Los Apagos, the name escapes me right now. We don't have NDI constructs this time around, I take it? We're stuck in ELEMENTs for this mission?"
Ian shrugged. "I think they said they outfitted the ship with the NDI pads. Can't say I'm sure, though."
"I'm going to use my favorite armor." Kagura chimed in, grinning at Autumn. "I'm going for a FIRE." she giggled a little.
Amelia tilted her head to the side slightly as she entered the PA bay. "I took no offense." She shook her head and picked out a WATER. She ignored the techs questions at first and simply grabbed a LPA-01a. She threw it to the techs who got the message and swapped it out with the LBR. She turned and stared at her armor for a second. "Switch out the arrow launcher with a dart launcher..." She gave no explanation to the techs, but they did as she asked anyway, not really wanting to cross the marine.
Autumn glanced back at Kagura with a nod. "Should be fun, just don't get impatient this time around. I'm kicking it with the support squad so I can't keep you out of trouble this mission, dear heart." She winked at her obstinate friend before returning her attention to Ian. "I guess I'll use a WATER this time if I can't use the Warhawk again. But, you think this is going to be as big of a cluster as last time, sir?"
After grabbing some supplies from the medbay, Fay then moved to the power armor bay. He then selected one of the available WATERs. This would probably be the best for his line of work anyways. The LBR-02a would get the job done if he needed to defend himself. At least, that's what the medic told himself.
"Maaan... I guess that means I'll have to start stocking up on my own." Gyles sighed, checking his datapad. Figuring he'd be staying back anyway, he inputted that he was going to use a VOID armor, with an LPA as his main weapon, the shoulder TRACER pod switched for a rack of ARROWS and Scalar Pulse grenades stashed in his armor skirts. He wouldn't be able to use a TEK pack, but the communications surveillance gear might come in handy before and after combat.
She stuck her tongue out at her playfully. "It'll still be fun and the PALs will keep me from being in too much trouble." Kagura giggled like a girl in a candy shop.
Ian grunted. "No idea. That chicken shit major made it sound like it was gonna be a major bitch at first, then double spoke a lot. No idea how it's gonna end up."
Adrian looked at the NDI constructor pad panel. He tapped several buttons, and moments later, the Warhawk Armor began to swirl into existence around him.
"Hey, AI girl!" Ran looked up to the ceiling, figuring that might be the most logical place to look for an AI holograph...thing. "What say you and me go out on a date after this mission?" He smirked...somewhere, as a VOID armor was constructed for him.
Ian broke his focus from Autumn for a moment to watch Ran's shenanigans. "Is that dumb ass really going to be my XO for this mission?" The Chief muttered.
Gran walked to the PA bay a little behind everyone else. He was worried about the upcoming assignment, but just a little. His previous experiences had steeled him some. He walked to his customized AIR2 in the corner and patted it for a moment. "Sorry buddy... Not this time." He walked back towards the center of the bay and called up a WATER2 with a LPA and a TEK.
"Hey Chief, after the mission, you'll have to tell me what you got up to during your leave. I'd better get my ass into a WATER2 before we have to make the drop," Autumn grinned with a wink at Ian and went towards the where the WATER2 armors were situated.
Ian waved after the Private before heading for one of the FIRE armors.
Kagura went over on her own towards where the FIRE armors were situated with Ian and shrugged a bit. "These things are the shit to pilot.." she said. "Aint they Ian?" she black/party-haired girl laughed.
Ian shrugged. "Wouldn't know, Private," He said as he stepped into the heavy armor. "Can't say I've piloted one before. I just feel like leveling some shit today."
The Drei replied in a short response over the speakers to the strange and random request by Ran. "I must respectfully decline, Chief Ran." Short and to the point.
After the load out on her WATER was complete, Amelia climbed into the armor and the hatch closed. She sighed and closed her eyes, thankful for the ability to block out the noise in the PA bay. She hooked up to the armor and the HUD came into view. "Alright..." She turned and looked at Ran asking the ships computer on a date and briefly considered firing a Dart at him. Briefly.
"Then that armor's your best choice." Kagura said as she stripped down to get the flight suit on, exposing the gothic tattoo on her back of a sword-forged bleeding inverted cross with demon wings furled around it halfway. "Ya like my tat?" she asked as she stepped into the FIRE and left her back exposed for a second.
The black haired Geshrin pulled the ionization chamber latch back on his new WATER2's LPA and checked it for defects. Its no LBR, but it'll do. With my marksman skills, no Red is going to hurt my sq- He let go of the latch. Wait, which is my squad again?
"Awww, cmon! We could be real good together! Like bread and butter! Man and AI! I could totally cuddle you on those long, data-less nights or some shi-" Ran's protests were interrupted by his VOID's helmet closing up rather abruptly, thanks to some fuckhead Tech, probably. Watching the HUD appear before him, his system automatically patched him into any PA that was registered to someone under his command. "So, we all ready to kick ass or what?"
Ian looked at it for a second, and didn't quite stop his eyes from checking out the woman's 'goods', although not for too long. "Looks good. You fuckers got a lot done over leave, didn't you?" He gave a nod to her new cybernetic arm before tucking his torso into the FIRE. He wondered what prompted the Private to change from the abrasive, spoiled girl he had known on the last mission.
Gran quietly sighed as he ignored the din of noise happening in the bay and climbed into his loaded WATER2. He went through the basic startup, checking a little more in-depth for defects of problems. Satisfied he took a few steps in the slightly unfamiliar armor.
"I needed to get the shoulder and arm fixed after that CD tried to yank my last one out." Kagura said and let he armor close around her and stood there without the helmet on for a second. "That arm is made of Durandium with a few other reinforcing materials with neriumium lined claws." she said to Ian and rolled her real arm til it popped. "better.."
Amelia turned her WATER to face the chiefs VOID. "Just tell me when to kill, sir." She let a small smirk reach the corner of her lips.
"Hoo-ah, Chief." Adrian stepped off the NDI pad, fully clad in the lethal Durandium frame of an ATAC Warhawk armor, and holding an exceedingly massive plasma cannon in one hand, and a Canister rifle in the other. "Support Squad, get the fuck over here and get ready to kill some shit."
Kagura looked over at the chief and walked over, still carrying the helmet under her arm. "I got just the shit for that sir." she smirked at him.
Gyles suited up in his VOID, grinning. As the PA's systems came online, he broadcasted a quick message to everyone. "Hey, don't forget to load up on NAM grenades. They'll come in very handy." He said, as he stepped over to Adrian's Warhawk, in his comparatively bulkier 3rd generation Nepleslian armor.
Autumn loaded up her default settings from when she was in a WATER into the new WATER2 as she quickly pulled off her uniform shirt, folded it and set it aside before she climbed up into her power armor and started the boot sequence. Time to move it or lose it. "Aye aye Staff Sergeant!"
Adrian shrugged as he hooked the Canister rifle to his back. "Grenades? Eh. Newman, grab me a MEDkit, will you? Actually, grab a TEK kit for yourself. Hell, all of you, go grab one of those fucking kit things," Adrian ordered. I think I might learn to enjoy this...
"Good. I hope you did a fuckfine job at Kennewes, Balfour." Ran took a few NAM grenades from the technicians and tied them by their pins to a few pieces of chord lying around, strapping those to a few parts of his VOID, so that he could just pull live grenades right off of his PA. "Hope you did well back in basic, Weynolt. I don't want anyone too green in my squad."
"Bah." Kagura said and shrugged a bit and pulled her hair up to fit into the helmet and donned it as well. "I almost lost both arms on kennewes so I did better than you did Adrian." she cackled to him.
A cold humorless laugh came from Amelia's PA. "I did well in advanced too, sir. Just give the order and I'll make it happen." She glanced over to Adrian, a little disappointed she wouldn't be fighting alongside her newfound friend. "Don't you lot die before we get back either."
The bespectacled Geshrin slid into his M2 and powered up the armor. Just like on the Kestrel, take it easy. He muttered as he eyed the diagnostics. Grabbing a TEK with a few grenades. Fully outfitted, he oppened up the comm channel to Ran. "Cheif! Combat Technician P2C Zhen Wu reporting, sir!" He said enthusiastically with a slight stutter to betray his greeness.
"Hmm... I think I can hook it into my backpack. Going on the front cuts into the LOS of the gattling laser cannons." Gyles replied, as his shield drones hefted a TEK unit through the air ad latched onto his back.
Adrian shot a glare at Kagura from under his face plate. "Ye-" He stopped himself from commenting on the events during leave. Of course, he wasn't going to let that get in the way of just deserts on the touchy subject of his death. "You're taking point, Balfour."
After a few moments, the WATER2 closed up around Autumn and strapped her in. She flexed her power armors fingers as she walked her power armor over to Adrian's Warhawk after picking up a TEK and some grenades as well. "Never thought I'd be carrying one of these things, but first time for everything."
"Are you insane Decane?" Kagura said, putting a hand on her hip. "I'm not about to be your fireball to show where the enemy is." she said. "I'm in a FIRE, a walking tinderbox. Make someone else do it, I'm a combat medic, not a scout." she said and stepped back.
"Zhen Wu...? You from the Long Dong District?" Ran was referring to a 5 block-long section of Funky City, mostly having several cheap restaurants and notorious for it's Red Light District on the southern end of the street. "Welcome aboard, then."
After assigning Kagura's new, fun duty, he looked over to Amelia and nodded, smiling beneath the heavy armor. "I won't if you won't, Amelia."
"Balfour, you stay far fucking behind the rest of us. I don't need a FIRE going up in flames because someone made you take point position." Adrian turned back to his squad. "Did I say you were a scout, Private? I said 'take point'. That just means stand in front of m-." Adrian shot a sidelong glare at the Chief, and stood a bit straighter in anger. Jackass. "Listen to the Chief."
"Thanks Ran sweetie." Kagura purred to him over the comm. She checked over her weapon setup and was pleased to find sh ewas armed with both ARROW and DART units. Kagura sent an image of herself sticking her tongue out at Adrian
"If I do die, It won't be my fault." She said quietly. "I just follow orders." Ran would have only heard her if he had been listening, which apparently he wasn't. She idly stretched the various joints.
"Oh, and a quick thing, Adrian. You can funnel your communications to the other squad through my unit. The databurst system is harder to intercept and decrypt than regular radio, and we can keep in contact over long distances." Gyles informed the combat medic, stretching his arms inside of the armored and padded body of his unit. Sometimes, it pays to know shit.
"Ran...sweetie...?" Ran had indeed had not been listening to Weynolt, still a bit shaken by Kagura's sudden change in attitude. "What the hell is up, Balfour? You're being oddly sweet right now. You drunk or something?"
Adrian wittily replied with a graphic of a super-sized outstretched middle finger.
Autumn WATER shook its head as she idly cracked the power armor's mechanized knuckles. "I think she wants to minimize friendly fire or she's coming onto you, Chief Rui," the armorer said with a chuckle over the comm.
"Well all the shit I've gone through made me decide to be nicer in hopes that not everyone here would want me to explode in a massive blast of plasma like Adrian does." She said and shrugged a bit. "And that too." she agreed with autumn. "Make you a deal Ran, keep Adrian away from me and I'll go out drinkin with ya."
"Well, shit, it's about time. But I think I'll keep after the ship's A-" Upon hearing Kagura offer to go out drinking with him, he immediately said "Fuck yes, deal, Balfour." Opening up a private channel with Adrian, he simply said "One hundred DA. I bet it's enough for some good alcohol, right? Don't fuck with her too much and it's all yours."
Amelia shook her head, briefly considering what it would look like to see this Kagura blow up with plasma. "I hate to break up this touching scene, sir. But I do believe we are nearing our objective." She said with a slight tone of annoyance as she silenced the little beeping noise coming from her HUD.
Zhen tried to laugh along with Ran's welcome, its not the first time someone made the nonexistent connection but he never did take it lightly. Oh Cheif, just you wait. You'll get into trouble before you can say 'General Davis's Chicken.' "I'll watch your back, sir."
Adrian shook his head at Kagura, and metally added her to his 'murder this person within ten years' list. He then responded to Ran. "200. Bitch made fun of me dying. You know how much it fucking hurts to have your organs pureed inside you?"
Kagura shifted a bit and relaxed now that it was taken care of and made sure to check over all her equipment to be ready.
Ran waved his hand at Zhen, still holding to the stereotype that all people who's names resembled Zhen's spoke that certain language. Apologetically muttering "Dui bu qi", horribly mangling the language that he had tried to learn several years back, the Chief turned towards him and asked, "Is Yellow Garden Restaurant still there? They had the best motherfuckin' fried rice I ever ate." Now going back to the private communications between Adrian and himself, he annoyingly muttered "Deal, fine."
With the eyes and ears of a hawk, Zhen spots a target of oppurtunity. "Sir, apology accepted but that was no rice." Ran immediately then turned around to Weynolt, and even took a few steps towards her, his VOID's helmet not but a few inches away from her own. "I'll have you know that this woman is the ideal woman. She can drink her heart out AND SHE HAS TATTOOS. STOP RUINING THINGS FOR ME." He spoke in yet another private communication with Weynolt, before turning slowly to Zhen. "...Then what the fuck was it?"
Zhen smirked before uttering the next word next word in mangled, heavily accented Nepleslian. "Lice, sir."
There was a very profound pause over the comm channel, and Ran simply uttered "Suit up, everyone. We gotta go."
Another laugh emitted through the channel. "It's how I work, sir. I just don't want you to get shot while you're daydreaming." Amelia held a malicious grin beneath her helmet. "Don't worry... That's why I'm here... I'll kill anything before they can kill you for you, sir." She leveled her LPA and turned towards the bay doors. "Ready when you are."
"Oh come on! I'd love my last thoughts to be the idea of a beautiful woman going down on me in some smoke-filled room!" Ran leaned against a portion of the wall next to the bay doors, already holding his SBR in his unoccupied hand.
"Hear that marines? Get ready to drop." Adrian turned towards the launch tubes and waited for the go order.
Ian stepped to the fore of both squads. His voice took a heavy hit of authority as he spoke. "Riu, then Decane, bring your squads out after me. Riu, open a channel with me the minute you touch down. AI, awaiting authorization to drop."
Kagura was just waiting patiently for everything to start. "at least we're not underwater again huh Autumn?" She asked her over a private channel.
Autumn laughed through her private channel with Kagura, "Don't jinx it. But yeah, hopefully not- otherwise we are screwed." She walked towards the launch tubes behind Adrian and waited for her squad to go. She gave Kagura a thumbs up, "Try to keep yourself together, I don't think Ran wants pieces."
PAUSE/END
