Star Army

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[YSS Koun] Mission Two: The Machine with a Heart

As Spark sent a message to their captain, Ancilla kept her eye on their favorite navigator as she makes first contact and tries to communicate with the machines. She heard her communication, and as a synthetic,she was able to understand what she was trying to say.
 
Sacre deployed Blackwolf to guard their position as Aliset let the little bots climb on her. "Don't let them touch you until we know it's safe." Sacre told her team, moving closer to Aliset unconsciously to stay in the middle of her team. Sacre considered what might happen if they suddenly turned hostile. Her team all had knives they could use, but it might not be pretty. Sacre watched, there was a bit of tension for her as Aliset was a team mate in addition to being her fiancée. Aliset was the better of the two at first impressions, so she let her do what she was best at. While Sacre did what she was best at, worry herself to death about the health and risks of her team. Her team that included the one person currently in the universe that she loved the most. She hated having feelings like this, it's why she had asked for transfer so many times before Gravity. When they got hurt, and they inevitably would get hurt, Sacre hurt. "How are things going?" Sacre asked Aliset, trying to stay mission focused while her girlfriend did something crazy.
 
"I'm okay, love." Aliset's tone and timbre didn't change, continuing to move slowly as she gently lifted the bot off her faceplate, examining it in her hands and gently maneuvering the robotic creature to better look at it. "They're just trying to figure out what we are. Probably want a fight less than we do. So do me a favor and don't shoot. Just as likely you'd put a hole in me as you would a simple repair bot that outnumbers us a hundred to one right now. Please. Calm. Easy. I love you. I'm okay."

The medic's interface would confirm Aliset's assessment. Sure, the Mindy didn't quite fit right, and Senti anatomy wasn't particularly conducive to monitors. But still, her blood hormone levels showed remarkably low stress hormone counts, and a heartbeat the image of meditative tranquility at a soft and even fifty five beats per minute. There was no trace of the terror which allowed Aliset to fly combat missions as easily as breathing. From her voice and vital signs, Aliset was every bit as at home in this danger as Sacre was in an operating room.

She had kept the secondary channel open, knowing that if the machines were listening, these little drones wouldn't be much more than ears and eyes. The mind behind them would be deep within the world, analyzing her voice, her tone, finding the ancient music of the Shuristans, the static-song of the Senti from between the stars and depths of the void. With any luck, it would sing back, her own native tongue or trust that these Yamataians came in the same peace offered under the unyielding, reality twisting truth of some Senti deity of information, use their words to speak to them all. "None of mine wish to fight. Not on this sacred ground you lovelies build. It would hurt me so, your work as beautiful as you. No matter the cost to us, the cost to you would be so painful for me. Show me your pain. And we will help you heal, ancient friend."
 
The Machine World Surface

The team would notice more and more of these machines come out from the heaps of rock and fallen structures. Within moments thousands of them were cruising around the away team. By now Alastair had tossed is data pad away since none of this was making sense. Last reports this planet as completely hostile yet this is anything but hostile. It was more like being in a day care which cause Alastair's left eye to twitch. They were not about to bring onboard all these machine kids, would they?

Just as Alastair was about to give orders to descend into the depths things got even more weird. As he walked towards the entrance, a small team of Rixxikor wondered out into view. He raised his weapon quickly and held fire. "We got company," he called out to the team. As the light hit their form, it became clear that they too were covered in machines. This story just kept getting more weird as time went on. After a few steps the team of three Rix collapsed to the ground. His scanners could tell there were in real bad shape though they did not have any injuries from what the sensors could tell.

"Crew, I get the feeling a clock is ticking and we best get moving before we end up like these Rixx. There has to be a mother somewhere." Alastair then lifted his finger and pointed towards the door which had a small line of machine babies going back into. "So, who shall lead the way?" He asked of the team as the map of the place lit up for each of the team members.

OOC MAP

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"Cover me," Sacre directed her team as she approached the Rixxicor. She bent over to examine them more carefully. She ran over them with a medical scanner. She needed to know what was wrong before she could fix it. Rixxicor were probably the most disgusting species known to Yamatai. She wasn't one for treating the enemy, 'Do no harm' wasn't an oath she had ever taken. However, these Rixxicor weren't their enemy, at least yet. "They fell over out here, so let's get them into the structure. Svendsdatter, Ven, Adams. Each of you take one." Sacre said, moving the team into the first room.

(OOC: Sacre is now in Room 3 I think)
 
"On your six," Aliset stooped to set the robot down before following Sacre.

Spark rolled her eyes, knowing she had told Aliset to stay close, but apparently the Senti officer did what she wanted. "Alright, I'm gonna stay guarding the Captain. Not that I don't trust his ability to scrap, but he's command, so..."

She loaded her storm rifle's underslung grenade launcher and racked it loudly, double checking that her rifle was primed for a fight. "Hey, Ancilla, you got a green light on your weapons? And how's our electronic warfare holding up?"
 
From Ancilla’s place in the Power Armor’s systems, she noted the storm rifle’s loading with the underslung grenade launcher. Her head turned towards the weapon systems board, and through the connection she now had with Spark, Spark could feel the nod. “yup! weapons green across the board! and Electronic Warfare seems to be holding up well, say the word, and I’ll give the robots something to think about! and I’m with you, on making sure the captain’s guarded, so let's show these Yamataians how Duskerians guard, and say hello to our new opponents” she told her.
 
The Machine Innards

The first room was nothing special. Mostly a rusty looking structure that was long overdue for some paint. The floor was dirty and dusty. Though one could see footprints which looked like someone had been here before. The imprint looked exactly like one a Mindy armor would leave behind. This would at least confirm to the team they had made it to the right location to the search. The map was mostly incomplete but did seem to indicate they were to make it to the central room area. The room had two exits, one the small robots used to the very south and another which looked like something was dragged into the next room.

"Alright team, you lead the way. There is no wrong path though I would figure if we trace the prior team it could have less to deal with." Alastair highlighted on the map showing the most likely path the team had taken before. It was going the same way that the robots were leaving the room. So far the sensors had not picked up any life and no trap had been triggered.
 
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