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Post by CanisDirus on Mar 21, 2021 19:54:45 GMT
The DRI facility on Fumentarii had been at work for some time now, investigating the Artificia and their Physiology, though the use of the term 'Biology' was mostly just to put on paper, as the Artificia where an entirely different species that biology couldn't seem to explain. Though passive and active scanning of their bodies and interviews with them yielded some results, they have needed a piece of their actual bodies. While some had agreed, reluctantly, to the procedure, they wanted some variety as the Artificia where of different colorations, and Yehla's coloration was interesting indeed.
They set up the distribution of the Artificia in their cells, and it would so happen that Yehla and Ohuhri where scheduled to share a cell that day, as the DRI engineers in their Exosuits moved them in together, they guided in Ohuhri into the cell without much incident, and closed the door, the Exosuit leaving as the Guard moved to survey the cell.
Yehla maintained the same 'About to snap' glare she had when neither shouting nor ripping a limb clear of its parent body, sat near the cell's bed. Ohuhri stepped in, briefly staring out the door window before moving in proper.
"Greetings, Commodore."
"Mmm."
"I trust you are doing well?"
"No."
"I'd ask why not, but I can guess."
"Mmhmm."
"I hear you're next in line."
"Wonderful."
"Are you going to cause a scene like usual, Commodore?" the ICO asked with a vague grin, about the most emotion ICOs were ever known for showing. A joke, perhaps. Yehla glared at her from across the cell.
"They killed my crew, so I'll be damned if I don't make them pay in blood for it."
"I'm sure."
"Sit down, Ohuhri, you're making me anxious standing about. What are you, a patronizing psychiatrist?"
"I can be."
"Sit down, Ohuhri. Consider that an order."
"Of course, Commodore." Ohuhri nodded, moving over and sitting next to her.
The guard posted at their cell, while facing towards them, was pre-occupied with reading the statistics of the occupants of that cell, his armor seemingly, lightly shuddering as he read the notes on Yehla's behavior, as well as the long, very long list of incidents that has happened during some of her operations. He literally had to scroll though the list of wounded personnel that Yehla had injured or incapacitated.
Though his attention was taken away by the door down the hall beeping, a small group of scientists and two Exosuited guards walked towards him with a gurney, the specially made table could hold an Artificia, but unfortunately, the Exosuits where needed to contain an uncooperative Artificia if needed. One of the scientists called out "Steve, prepare the cell door, we need the Pink-Purple one out of there for the next operation." He looked through the cell door, and sighed "Alright Yehla, you've been good so far, let's do this nice and easy and we can look into restoring some of your privilages. It would be unfortunate to have to put you into Solitary again."
Yehla's initial response was to grumble.
"See you soon, Commodore."
"Don't give me that, Ohuhri." she snarled, standing.
"Of course...Commodore." she nodded, shrugging her shoulders. Slowly, Yehla crossed the room, and the science team found themselves faced by the more than annoyed face of the Commodore. Ohuhri, meanwhile, glanced at the fruit bowl on the table, and then around the cell.
Corporal Joslin slowly opened the door, his muscles tensed as he allowed the science team to bring the gurney around, asking Yehla to lay on it as the Exosuits kept a close, watchful eye on her. Hopefully things will go smoothly and Joslin could go on his break without having to restrain Yehla, because even though his arms where augmented, it was still quite painful to have them ripped out from their sockets. Thankfully it hasn't occurred to him yet, but he had to be on his toes.
"Easy now Yehla, it'll be quick and over before you know it, then you can return to the cell and enjoy the next few days in peace. Would you enjoy that?" One of the scientists said, hoping he sounded reassuring. Truth be told, they all knew the story from one of the Nightstalkers that had transferred them, that her crew was killed and slaughtered by the BSO, though they had nothing to do with that, they had become the unfortunate victim of Yehla's aggression.
Yehla was tempted, tempted, to send the blood spraying and limbs flying then and there, but the powered exoskeletons, and the assortment of guards she was sure was around the area, meant she likely wouldn't get far. No, if she wanted to deal yet more casualties, she would have to bide her time. Until a guard's attention slipped or someone made a mistake and left a restraint a little too loose. Always more fun that way, too.
"Don't talk to me like I'm a disgruntled stray." she snapped, baring her hardlight teeth as slowly, fists clenched, she turned, laying on the gurney. In the cell, Ohuhri picked up a lemon and sunk her own teeth into it, though she did not take a bite out proper. The acidity was...well, she could hope.
Steve turned and closed the door, fiddling with the lock a bit and locking Ohuhri in, as the Science team and the Exosuits left the hallway and turned right to the Operation Room, the room itself had various pieces of equipment, and was surrounded by specially-built faraday cages. The Science team went in with Yehla, and the Exosuits closed the door of the Operation Room, standing guard and keeping an eye on the situation inside.
The scientists, four in total, got their gloves on and strapped Yehla in, as one of them nodded to another that was running a scanning system, doing a quick passive scan over her "Just like before, we want to check how well you are doing today, see if you're nice and healthy, then we'll run an active scan to see your.. erm.. 'internal health'. I believe that phrase fits best, then we'll perform a simple procedure to try and acquire a sample of your body."
The scan went over Yehla, confirming that at that time, she was fit and healthy "Ah, that's good, now, are you feeling any internal discomfort at all?"
"Knowing how many I've sent to the morgue, I'd be more expecting you to." Yehla growled.
"..I'll take that as a no. Gerald, run the Active Scan." The scientist nodded, and ran a quick active scan over Yehla, the readings coming up on a nearby datapad. "Hmm, interesting. Now Yehla, we need to take a sample of your body, it'll be nice and quick, then you can be brought back to your cell, then we can see if Administration can grant you some additional time in the 'Yard'. He turned, fiddling with the tray before finding the odd-shaped needle/scalpel, and sterilizing it.
He turned back to Yehla, put his plastic face shield on and gently touched her on the side of the arm, trying to find the best spot to try and extract from, before slowly leaning down to perform the operation.
Steve, on the other hand, watched Ohuhri a little more. It made him a little sad that they had to be all cooped up and caged like this, but orders where orders. At least they had decent cells though, he hoped it was of some comfort to them.
Snarling again, Yehla decided, in what some may consider a flash of inspiration, that now was as good a time as any. Fist clenching a razor sharp edge along her wrist formed from her hardlight 'skin', and with a hard, sudden yank, managed to tear her arm free.
Before he could react, the scientist found the back of a glowing purple-pink fist smashing into the side of his face, sending the man recoiling away, only to be grabbed by the palm, warping the mask. A gut wrenching second went by, before Yehla put all her strength the other way, bringing the man's skull into the side of the table with all her might, smashing his skull in and pulverizing the brain inside. She wouldn't be surprised if his neck was severed too. Letting go and seemingly forgetting the man, Yehla started ripping through her other restraints with bladed hands.
The poor man standing over her never stood a chance, with the full power of an enraged Artificia, he had all of his cerebral augmentations crushed inwards as he fell to the floor, only a slight gurgle escaping his lips as the blood pooled under his head. Gerald and the other two scientists hit the various panic buttons around the room, rushing to the doors as they knew that Yehla would likely kill them next, though the speed that Yehla was breaking out of her restraints meant that they hardly would even make it to the doors before the Exosuited guards could contain the situation.
Steve looked up quickly as the panic alarm blared, looking down the hallway towards the door before looking into Ohuhri's cell. "Don't make a scene, Ohuhri. I need to check this out." As he walked down the hallway, passing several other cells on the way and checking inside every other one.
The Artificia in the other cells looked, if nothing else, utterly unfazed. Yehla, as well as a couple others--mostly Marines--to a lesser extent, had caused trouble enough times that this was nothing new nor surprising.
Yehla, tearing herself free, turned her hands into blades once more, and with a furious roar descended upon the scientists, blades first.
As for Ohuhri, she didn't make a scene. No, she would take a subtle approach to her plan. First, she quickly bundled her bed sheets to make it seem as though she was sleeping in it. Then, she grabbed her lemon and sliced it in two, dropping one half in the bowl as she grabbed some pills from the cabinet, rushing to the door. Shrugging her shoulders, Ohuhri turned her hand into a light-thin blade, slashing the lock until it broke. Pulling it open, she silently slathered the lock in the increasingly acidic mix of fruit and medicine, and stepped out, closing it. With luck, it would corrode the lock shut again, as if it had never been opened. With that, she silently snuck away.
Gerald, being the closest, fell prey to Yehla, screaming as he went down, the other two tried going around to either side, but they fared no better, they all fell to Yehla's fury, until the Exosuited guards burst in, aiming a large cannon at Yehla and firing it, the faraday nets flying towards Yehla, as each Exosuit fired continuously, not the slightest concern for any equipment they might destroy.
Though Steve had opened the door and looked down the hallway, sighing as he watched the situation unfold "Ah spirits.. again? She'll be stuck down in solitary for quite some time for this.." He brought up his wrist and began updating the Command Center for the facility on the situation, as the Exosuits went to work.
Yehla made an inhuman, synthetic screech, enough to give anyone a gut feeling of dread, next turning her blades against the faraday nets, attempting to cut through them as she tried to reach the Exosuited guards.
As for Ohuhri, she chose not to kill the guard. She saw no need to make a mess of things, and it would cause something else she'd need to deal with. Not only that, but it would be a delay, and those were something she wanted to minimise. So, she moved out of sight, the green Artificia making virtually no sound. In short order, however, Ohuhri found a vent opening, just large enough for a lithe man to fit through. Fortunately for her, she could fit that bill. Slicing two of the bolts holding it in place she pulled it open, the hardlight humanoid slimming as she crawled in, the opening clunking shut behind her. Now in, she resumed her path, crawling through the vents with mechanical precision to her movements.
The Exosuits kept up the relentless torrent of nets thrown her way, while a small force of fresh guards ran down the hallway past Steve in order to toss EMPs and more nets at Yehla, hoping to eventually cover her with the nets until she was unable to move. Meanwhile the EMPs and nets that had been cut trashed the room around her, as well as disturbing the bodies of the fallen scientists.
Ohuhri would find herself traveling down the vent, with small vents appearing at random intervals to allow her to look into other rooms. Most of them where just research labs or server rooms or database storages. Though with closer examination it would appear that whoever it was, they where studying the Artificia in-depth, seemingly trying to isolate something. Something that concerned the scientists. Though pinpoint measures where unfortunately going sour. Further down the vent was a junction, she could go up, down, or to the left or right.
Yehla's slashes grew steadily less effective, and she knew this. Still, she could move and fight. She changed tactics, instead using bladed fingers in an effort to tear through them, closing dangerously towards the guards. As he passed by a cell he knew to contain one of the Marines, Steve heard them mutter something about wondering what how many Yehla had killed or injured this time.
Ohuhri was curious about what the scientists were trying to find out, but decided she had greater priorities. Still, as she passed by any smaller vent opening she kept an ear open for a bit to find out anything worthwhile. When she reached the junction, she decided to take a right.
Seeing that the netting was proving ineffective, a muttering of a synthetic voice came from one Exosuit, and there was a static-like mutter back into the Exosuit's 'head'. He flashed a sign to the other guards before bulldozing forward and slamming it's extended cannon arms into Yehla, aiming to topple her over as the others rushed in to point-blank fire the netting at her. Though while all this happened, Steve glanced back down the hallway, an odd, tingling sensation came over him, as he shrugged it off and continued to update command.
Along Ohuhri's route, the vent she happened to stop at was a break-room containing two chattering scientists, "Well, we're making decent progress with some of them, but I mean, the Marines and specifically.." There was a pause, almost a scared silence "Yehla, have proven to be a burden on the program. I just don't know what the Head Administrator is going to do once he realizes that these people seemingly lack reproduction abilities." the other sighed "Look, just keep it on record for now, we still need to confirm it for ourselves, but make sure to spread the word through the guards that the amount of Artificia we have here are endangered and cannot be harmed without some serious provocation." The other rolled his eyes "You mean like Yehla?" the other nodded "Yeah, like her."
The vent that took Ohuhri to the right took her over some of the equipment bays, and other break-rooms, one of which it looked like the occupants left in a hurry, as she continued there was an air control system junction ahead. As well, a small datapad-looking thing was also there with airflow directions, labeling that down lead into the labs and storage rooms she just passed, up lead to several more floors but eventually led out to the entrance Right led to more containment cells and left led out to the 'Yard'.
Ohuhri briefly looked about, considering her options, before deciding she didn't really have any, and pressed on up.
Yehla crashed to the ground as would be expected when a full powered exoskeleton slammed into someone. However, before they could net her, Yehla rolled, and lunged forth, turning her arm into an impossibly narrow, rapier-like point, aiming to spear the Exosuited guard through the gut. If it worked, she'd make perpendicular spikes and slash his insides. If.
The Exosuited guard swiveled his cannon arm to block Yehla's attack, though she managed to land a blow to his side, blood and some sort of grey fluid spurting out of his body as he recoiled and brought his other cannon to bear. He took an unaimed shot in close proximity to Yehla, almost point-blank as he became visibly more aggressive, his wound festering as the grey fluid attempted to quickly seal up the wound.
The other Exosuit charged in as well, with the rest of the guards as they became more and more focused on bringing her down and containing her.
As her arm flew back from the shot, Yehla swung the other forth, aiming to stab him in the other side, seemingly ignoring the other Exosuit guard. She knew she wasn't going to win. She never did, and likely never would, but dammit she was going to try and bring down as many as she could. Dealing severe damage to the suit, if not the guard, would perhaps be a blow more severe than some expendable scientist. And so, that's why this attack was aimed for the powered joints on the hip.
While Yehla was piercing and destroying the powered joints of the other Exosuit, the other Exosuited guard smashed into the both of them, making sure to pin Yehla down. Though the damaged Exosuit, now without inputs going into it's hip joint, is staggered by the other's assault and is shoved violently back, accidentally crushing a dead scientist's body and causing blood to spray throughout the room, as he finally toppled over and the 'head' of the suit smashed into the wall leaving a very visible dent.
Undeterred by the sight of an out-of-control Exosuit and the blood showering the room, the guards rushed in to cuff Yehla as she fought back, punching one in the gut and causing him to throw up to the side as he then successfully cuffed her hands, the others putting her into some metallic-like restraint jacket, and hoisting her up and immediately into a gurney where they tied her to it, Steven calling in the cleanup crew as the situation ended "Yeah, need a crew to come down and clean up this mess... Yes, yes, it was her... Of course, we understand... We can wait until she's secured in confinement.. Affirmative, Out."
Yehla still viciously thrashed and fought, attempting to wrest herself free and causing the gurney to shake and almost topple once. Ultimately, though, her efforts were getting her nowhere. Steven had difficulty talking down the comms line, having a tough time making himself audible over the frothing, livid shouting of the pink-purple Artificia, everything from insults both crude and scathing, death threats and more. The latter, though, often found themselves accompanied by a name. Not who she was talking to, no, seemingly random names. If any had cared to ask, perhaps Ohuhri, they might have known these as members of Yehla's crew. Members who were now dead.
If the reason for her anger had been initially unknown to the staff at Fumentarii, in the weeks that followed it had become clear every injury, every casualty she had dealt was in their name. Every guard or every scientist dead, another crewman avenged.
Ohuhri had gotten far and nobody had seemed to have noticed yet, as any signs of alarm were still focused on Yehla. People were calming down, though. The situation was being brought under control. She was short on time. The vent she was crawling through came to an end, and peering out, she saw it led into what she could only assume was a maintenance shaft. Sliding out with only the lightest tap as she hit the floor, she pressed on, focusing hard on minimizing her glow to near non-existent levels. If someone looked straight at her they'd still see her clearly, but it would stop anyone picking up on, say, a light on the wall around the next bend. She glanced at a nearby panel indicating where different shafts led to, presumably for maintenance workers.
Unfortunately for them, it did not stop an escapee from reading them. They led to various places, one of them being a cell block, but one caught her eye.
'Landing Pad'
That, if she was fortunate, was her ticket out. Checking the other shafts to make sure they were clear, Ohuhri pressed on.
Steve sighed as he watched Yehla get escorted to Solitary, and looked down at his Tacpad. It was nearly time to get everyone out to the Yard, and there was still a major mess. Oh well.. He had some of the cleanup crew that had arrived plaster AVD nodes on the walls, and made an image appear of a clean hallway, undamaged and images of scientists working in the room down the hallway. He then went down the line, checking on each room before letting any of the Artificia go out to the yard, but as he approached Ohuhri's cell, he seen a slight glimmer on the floor.
He knelt down, and swiped his finger through it, the nanites quickly consuming it and identifying it as lemon juice. He was.. confused, but nonetheless, went to check on her. Peering through the window, his suspicions grew as Ohuhri seemed to be sleeping. Out of all the cells, she was the only one not to wake up to Yehla screaming and the Exosuit smashing on the wall? Or perhaps she was ill?
He pulled out his keys, placed them in and found that they now failed to unlock the door, he tried again, and more forceful, then he powered up his augmentations and kicked in the door, the whole thing falling in the room and lifting all the blankets off the bed, and right there, is when his blood ran cold.
As Ohuhri crawled to the landing pad, the alarm that had just settled picked up a new pitch and pattern, indicating a different threat, and along the shaft, behind and in front of her, loud clangs of metal on metal sounded and echoed. Soon there was a looming dread of the sound of something rolling around in the shaft with her. She was close though, she seen light filtering from a vent ahead, but the sounds of the rolling metal object was also coming that way.
The sound of whatever was either chasing her or searching for her was not lost to Ohuhri. Bringing a blade to some of the bolts holding the vent cover shut, Ohuhri slipped out, landing with nigh but a quiet thump, making sure to leave the vent cover shut. Fortunately for her, not far away was her ticket off. Hopefully. A mining frigate, engines roaring as it prepared to take off. Again, she was short on time.
Making sure to stay close in line with the engines, so the heat distortion and noise masked her movement, Ohuhri sprinted for one of the bulky, mechanical landing gears, again doing her best to minimize her glow and sound. She was perhaps fortunate starships of any significant grade required such large support structures when planetside as it provided plenty of cover. Reaching the various structures and pistons of the landing gear, Ohuhri slid, catching a thick pole by the hand and quickly climbing to sit among them, out of view of whatever may have been by the nose and the vent she had left. Now, she waited.
As she began running, the rolling ball of nanites crossed upon the location of her escape, they stopped short of passing it. several shavings of metal where picked up into the swirling ball, and studied, before they began transmitting their location. As they did so, the crew on the bridge of the 'Western Serpent' gave the all-clear and lifted off the pad, the guards retreating into the structure to avoid the blasts of the thrusters. The gears retracted into the hull, finishing it's sequence with the gear door sliding under and making the hull flush again, as the ship pivoted and sped away from the surface. The rocking and vibrating of the hull shook a few pieces of rust from the surrounding environment of the gear bay.
Though soon they reached orbit, and they transmitted their clearance codes to the orbiting station, the entire bottom of the station covered in vantablack, as to hide it from eyes on the planet that might try to see it. Though as this happened, they got cozy, waiting for the clearance from the station to continue on.
Ohuhri had not waited long after the ship had left. Waiting but a few minutes, no more than twenty, before making her move. Clambering through the landing gear space, relying on her beyond human strength to resist the pull of the vessel's engines as she reached the maintenance hatch. Cranking the handle sealing it shut and pushing it open, she was quick to close it behind her and quickly cut open a path into the ships' ventilation ducts.
Of course, she had not stopped there. As the thunderous rumbling of a spaceship fighting the pull of gravity and the resistance of the atmosphere thinned, she pressed on, searching for anything important in the vessel through small ventilation ducts and gaps, watching crew movements within. Eventually, she found the ships' lead cargo store. A mining vessel, perhaps? Either way, that was more than likely a solid block against any scanning systems. And so, quietly opening the vent duct (and making extra sure not to completely sever it to avoid making noise), Ohuhri climbed in, forcefully squeezing herself between two of the monolithic lead blocks.
A DRI Escort Frigate slowly pulled up and parked next to the Mining vessel, opening a comms channel with the civilian vessel "Western Serpent, please prepare to be screened for any unusual readings or extra lifeforms, we believe a research subject has escaped the facility and has boarded a vessel." As the captain complied, the engines shut off, and the DRI vessel's AXRSS began to slowly go over the vessel, scanning compartment by compartment, taking it's time as the crew onboard waited. Soon, a loud buzzing sound eminated in the room Ohuhri was in, the scanning going over that particular room.
A tense few moments after, the buzzing ended and the AXRSS scanned the rest of the vessel, before flagging the ship "Western Serpent, what is your cargo? We where not able to effectively scan one of your compartments" The captain sent over their manifest and their destinations, before the DRI vessel spoke back to them "Western Serpent, you are cleared to continue to Kaikoma, please have the Port Authorities oversee the unloading of your cargo and remember to try and upgrade your landing gear to more modern standards. Have a pleasant day."
The ship restarted it's engines, and a whine came from somewhere deep in the ship, before it warped out of Fumentarii, and began the ride to Kaikoma, the crew relaxed, some went to their quarters and still others took a break to gather food or drinks, as this ride would take a few hours.
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Post by CanisDirus on Mar 21, 2021 20:04:54 GMT
Kaikoma, the major trade system for the Dectrose Empire, colonized just a mere week after the colonization of Decoroso, has been transformed into a large industrial center as well, being the primary source of Imperial Space Force's ships, rivaling Decarth's own construction rate. There was many more details that Ohuhri would be able to gain from her tap into the computer's navigation systems and database, including the recent warning for warping into system, displaying the positions of several newly created interdiction stations around the system itself. So far it was a cramped, rough trip inside the 'Western Serpent', there was not much accommodation for mining crews, but her trip was ending shortly.
Lights began to flash around the ship, and soon the ship began to shudder, rust falling on top of Ohuhri as the rickety old ship exited FTL and entered the Kaikoma system, the crew inside began to shuffle around, making noises as if doing a final check on the containers. Even though Ohuhri was glowing faintly, the uninterested gaze of the crew member didn't notice her among the minerals piled in the bay, likely attributing it to the flashing lights. As the 'Western Serpent' glided along it's path, the Dectrose Customs and Immigration sent a ship to once again, scan the ship for it's contents.
The 'Western Serpent' seemed to shut down for a moment, as the MASS scanner went over the ship, detecting an anomaly on the ship and contacted the ship's captain, who then moved down to the cargo bays, passed the room Ohuhri was in and picked up the datapad that had been left on, reported to the DCI ship and turned it off, before the ship was scanned again and cleared to go, the 'Western Serpent' started back up, and moved towards Kaikoma, moving past the Military Drydocks, to the Industrial Center and landed near a workshop, with the ground crews scattering around the ship to secure it, before DCI came in and gave a full inspection of the ship.
Giving a glance at the primitive landing gear, Fain sighed and looked to the men next to him "Seems our information is correct, have the cargo loaded onto Pelicans and shipped off where they need to go, make sure you check all of the numbers on the containers and cross reference them with their shipping identification cards. If there was any tampering with any of the containers, let me know immediately."
He then was left alone to walk around the ship, giving looks at different parts of the ship, as the ground crew began separating the containers from the ship, and guiding in Pelican IIs to connect to them and fly off to their destinations.
Ohuhri sighed quietly. Finally, it seemed, the ship had landed. Hopefully, that meant she was away from that system. That planet. That also meant she had more to do. Break time, over. The container rumbled and moved, evidently being brought off the vessel and onto another platform. A transport, maybe? Either way, she had to think.
She couldn't imagine she was being brought somewhere bustling with her own people, and from her experience glowing hardlight humanoids weren't exactly commonplace outside AU borders. She had to cover herself. Somehow. Raising her glow and looking around the interior of the container, she noted how the walls were anything but clean. Cargo hygiene evidently wasn't a priority in many places. Either way, she could potentially use that. As the transport rocked, she knocked on the side of the container, the metal walling humming for a moment as it vibrated. Sure enough, a mass of dust and grime broke free, falling into her arms. She sighed again. ICO or no, dignity was not a concept lost to her.
A few bangs and more grime later, and Ohuhri was, considerably, covered, her head especially. Lowering her glow, and she was, for the most part, excusable. All she could hope was there was something to wear outside.
On the outskirts of the Kaikoma system, a single ship dropped FTL. This craft was about .6 of a kilometer long and lightly armed, and it's engine burn and FTL signature alerted the Dectrose forces in the system very handily to it's presence. Of course... the Restevian stealth and reconnaissance cruiser Eyes of Terrkan was not trying to hide. The ship had been dispatched to the system under false credentials of every sort to act as it's name suggested for the RSC forces in the quadrant. It was to be their eyes. But in the same turn, the crew of this vessel, special operators and men of the Navy's SOCOM branch all, had been quite well briefed on the current standings of the RSC and the Dectrose Empire.
And so, to scans both passive and active, to prying eyes, the Eyes of Terrkan was not the Eyes of Terrkan at all. Instead, to all who looked at, scanned, electronically probed and prodded the vessel, the sleek ship was the United Governments of Earth long-range survey ship Thomas O'Doole. Everything from the markings on the hull to the engine output to the makeup of the computer systems had been changed to meet the standards and protocols of the UGE, and as the ship cruised it's way in system it was highly improbable for anyone that had not met the UGE to tell that something was awry.
The Thomas O'Doole hailed Kaikoma as it approached, the captain of the vessel clearing his throat and testing his accent a few times. It took a modicum of effort to banish the Restevian accent from his voice, and the native born British came through. "Planetary control, this is United Governments of Earth survey vessel Thomas O'Doole, requesting landing clearance for resupply and shore liberties. Say again, requesting landing clearance."
The rather monotonic voice of a Dectrothian Traffic Controller opened the comms line to the O'Doole "UGE Vessel Thomas O'Doole, I don't have you on the ship identification charts, can you please send over the Dectrothian Contact Information given to you by your selected representative, and submit to a Dectrose Customs and Immigration scan over your ship to ensure you don't have any illegal cargo with you. I am sending both requests to you now." A few seconds pass, and it's sent over, before the voice came though again "As well, we would like to have you directed over to Immigration to speak with a representative to establish First Contact protocols, this is mandatory for your stay here at Kaikoma."
The 'Western Serpent' was far from view from the Pelican II as it made it's way to a large factory, with Ohuhri in the back of the container, as the small cargo ship was guided into place. Setting down in a cloud of dust and debris as the hoverjets softly crept to the ground, before turning on the Anti-Gravity pads and hovering there, still as could be as the pilot jumped out with a datapad in hand, walking towards the hut-like building nearby to check in and talk business with the operator in there.
Meanwhile, an engineer working on general maintenance did a quick run-down of the ship, noting the primitive landing gear, crawling up inside to check interior gears, his AVD node illuminating the darkness as his gaze slowly stumbled upon a torn ventilation grate. He edged closer, and checked out the tear, it was roughly human-sized, a little slimmer but enough for something to get in. He added it to his report, sending it to Fain as he dropped a nanite ball into the vents, the ball rolling around and checking the exits and finding one, another tear leading to a container cell that had already been taken out.
The details quickly got to Fain, and he traced the Shipping Identification Number to a factory not far from his current position. Calling the DCI and IBG, he found out that the IBG had been tipped off about possible infiltrators from the Anointed, as well as a DRI facility that had put out an alert for a "Dangerous subject advisory, Detain or Kill" order, with some details on it, he had to invoke his authority several times to find out it was an Artificia, though one on Kaikoma wouldn't be too hard to find. Calling up some IA Infantry, he left the 'Western Serpent', boarded his shuttle and lifted off.
Ohuhri had been traveling a while, and even as low on the Scale as she was, she had enough of an emotional side that she was beginning to feel the first tinges of boredom; as much as tension had helped to keep it at bay, there was only so long someone so used to near-continuous mental activity could go in the cramped confines of a loaded container before they wanted something to occupy their mind.
Fortunately for her, it was around this time that the vehicle, evidenced by the way inertia shifted what meagre weight she had, and the comparatively monolithic weight of the lead blocks, towards one end of the container, accompanied by slightly muffled mechanical sounds, apparently slowed to a halt. End of the line. For the vehicle, at least. Ohuhri's mind immediately snapped back to action. She had spotted a small access hatch on the front end of the container, probably to help crews get in if they were having trouble unloading cargo. Sneaking along, she silently thanked her silent form as she once again forced her glow to near-nonexistent levels as she reached it, listening and waiting until the voices of what she presumed were the driver and some staff of their destination faded, evidently leaving, before she fiddled with the lock. Meant to keep things out, it was easy to open from inside, and it swung open. Briefly peering out, she saw that virtually nobody was in sight. For the moment. Again, the vehicle had its own small hatch.
She had heard some large cargo transports, such as the old semi trucks from humanity's 21st Century, had small sections at the back for the driver to sleep, and keep personal items in. She felt lucky these humans had chosen to maintain such a design tradition as she clambered in, pulling the hatch shut behind her after making sure the hatch to the container was shut, the lock falling back into place inside. Quiet, and comparative safety. Anyone searching for her might've thought to check the container, and not the crew compartment.
Or at least, she hoped so. It would make more sense for someone trying to escape to get away as quickly as possible. She, however, knew her kind were not commonplace here, so she needed to cover herself up. And whomever the driver of this vehicle was, they had obliviously chosen to help her do so. A couple of light, enclosed suits, she presumed some form of hazard gear or short-term EVA assembly, sat near the back. Careful to move nothing she made her way over, and checking the size, squeezed into it, squashing her form so she didn't have to bother with zips and latches, minimizing time spent. She glanced at the helmet, considering wearing it before registering how odd someone in full hazard gear might be if she was spotted leaving the truck. So, she hid it, hidden in a small, cramped space connected to a storage compartment, obscure from the outside. Sighing, she used the gloves to move some of the grime she kept on her, dirtying her face some more, as well as the gloves and suit. She looked in a small mirror and sighed. She hoped it would be enough. Tension higher than she had ever experienced, she clambered back out, and briefly checking her surroundings and the sky above, she hurried off at a brisk, but not rushed, pace, making for cover and the crowds.
"Copy all, planetary control, we will submit to the scan now." the captain said, and turned away from the comm. The huge, power armored form of one of the ship's 'marines' looked at him, and a subtle hand gesture from the CO told the man to secure everything that needed secured in the compartments designated for it. The trooper saluted and tromped away. A few moments later, the captain's watch comm pinged with a message that all cargo was secure and that they were clear to proceed.
Looking over the contact information request, the captain began to fill it out as the form indicated. "Planetary control, we are making our heading towards you now. Requesting landing coordinates for Immigration after scan is complete, how copy?"
With a slight pause after the comm turned on, a bumping sound transferred over the comms, as if someone had just set an object down while opening comms "UGE Thomas O' Doole, the DCI Progression will commence an AXRSS and MASS scan over your ship, it is suggested that before scanning all small electronic equipment be powered down, as the MASS scan may harm these small activated electronics. Once cleared by DCI you may commence landing in the Business Center Pad Platform 0608 on Landing Pad Nine. There a representative of the Dectrose Empire will meet with you and take you to immigration via private transportation."
There was a short pause, again a clanking noise came though again, as if someone was eating or drinking something "Please send over your Dectrothian Contact Information as soon as you are able, the DCI Progression is on course to meet with you." Sure enough, a blue speck, contrasting with the purple of the military ships floating around and going on patrols around the system, burned quickly to the O' Doole, opening a comms channel "UGE Thomas O' Doole, this is the DCI Progression, we will commence AXRSS scan immediately." And with that, the DCI began scanning over, as the Comms Officer asked them "Is this visit for Business or Pleasure?"
To Ohuhri, while it must have been clear to her on several occasions that places and the people where the Dectrose, she would find several instances of the Dectrose's symbol on several signs and vehicles scattered around the landing site. But as fate would seem to have it, the bustle of a mid-day industrial center was heavy, with vehicles, people and those that looked like they had been dipped in oil several times over and had slightly clean portions of their eyes and mouths strode past the slightly ajar gate of the landing pad. It was obvious that the dirty form of Ohuhri would arouse no more attention from anyone on the streets then as any normal Dectrothian.
It would seem that some unseen guardian was helping Ohuhri along, tipping her in the right direction, though as Ohuhri had this invisible guardian, another had more devious plans. Fain and his small squad of troops sped towards the destination, soon having it within visual range as his shuttle started to slow for a landing.
And even with so much happening around Kaikoma, the ominous form of the 'Peremptory' and the Battle Fleet Theta entered on the far edge of the system. Saber sat in his command chair, gripping the armrests until his knuckles turned white. He leaned over to the Comms Officer "Confirm the destination of the 'Western Serpent' with the DRI. Standby with the Imperial Border Guard and be ready at any sign of trouble. I want this done quietly."
Ohuhri pressed on, quick to cover ground but by no means rushing. She stayed to the crowds, obscuring herself from any patrols she saw. She would've gone for narrow alleys and such as she moved, but considered how suspicious one individual consistently moving through such obscure terrain would be, and so only did so through ones other people used to get from street to street. She still wasn't too sure where she was headed, hoping to find somewhere quiet and...safe, hopefully, where she could stop and think.
The cruiser continued onwards calmly and straight as an arrow as the scan went over their vessel, showing that within it lay the gear that such a craft might need to do it's job, modules for survey, scanners of a dozen different kinds, two pairs of snubcraft in a side hanger, ground vehicles and storage bays for exposure suits and power armor. There were a few areas of the ship which simply appeared empty, but given how they were arranged they were likely just spare space or store rooms what needed refilling. There were a trio of turrets on the upper hull and a pair on the bottom, but the guns were powered down and cold, their crew compartments empty.
"Copy all planetary control, we are proceeding as per instructed." the captain stated, looking over the contact info and filling it out. It wasn't too hard to do, and he sent it off to planetary control as the Progression came alongside. "This is a pleasure visit, Progression. Resupply and shore liberties for the crew."
"Roger, Thomas O'Doole, we have shore liberties that can be accessed in the Business Center. The resupply can be accessed in the Business Center for consumables and medicine. Materials and ammunition can be located in the Industrial and Military Centers respectfully." There where a few moments, as the MASS scan started up, sweeping over the ship and finding nothing out of the ordinary for what they had declared, save for the empty space, but as the crew stated they needed a resupply, this was easily dismissed. "Thomas O'Doole, you are cleared to proceed to Kaikoma to your designated landing point, please note that no powered armor or weaponry other than pistols are allowed, and you need to take any and all weaponry you will be carrying on the planet to Customs for identification and certificates to carry. Please enjoy your stay."
With that, coordinates where sent to the vessel, and a suggested route to guide them to their destination and avoid some of the traffic on their way in. Though slowly moving towards Kaikoma, Saber contemplated, brooding in his chair as the Comms Officer relayed information on the 'Western Serpent', and that it had already offloaded it's cargo to various locations. He ordered a full rundown of the cargo, and their locations immediately, several of which came on-screen and displayed their contents. One of which had been flagged for Customs, a container filled with lead materials.. Lead.. Lead! He called up Traffic Control to set in a course for the planet, warming up shuttles.
Meanwhile, Ohuhri's pursuer landed at the factory, and his men spread out, weapons raised as they scanned the location for any sign off her, before approaching the man in the small hut-like building, flashing his credentials "Drake Fain, DCI. I'm impounding your vessel on suspicions that you may have unwanted bio-materials onboard, we will be conducting a search of your vessel immediately." He looked out the door, and nodded, the infantry swarming over the vessel, opening the container, running their AVD over it, and immediately finding signs of occupation, though after searching the cargo, found nothing. Another searched and tore apart the cockpit, also coming up with nothing, and then checking the cab, tearing the bed apart, the small portable kitchen and several storage compartments before noticing something.
One EVA suit. One? There are supposed to be two. He contacted Fain, whom them turned around to the pilot "Are you aware you are missing an EVA suit? Where is it." The man trembled, shaking as he stuttered "U-Uh, There s-should be t-t-two.. I haven't.. l-lost any." It was obvious to Fain, even in the man's condition, that he wouldn't take the risk to lie, several augmentations going to work dissecting his behavior, facial expression, sweat and other body movements, before lifting his hand "That'll be all." He left the hut, and gathered his men "I want surveillance up now. Tap into all RAVDs in a radius that a humanoid may traverse in the time it took from landing to when we arrived."
Even with the pursuers gaining a lead on Ohuhri's trail, Admiral Taylor had come out of a facility that would supply him with newer heat dissipation, and turned down the street, lost in his thoughts as he walked forward. He'd heard of how some new project was increasing the level of heat dissipation in most of the newer cooling systems, perhaps this'll prove better than wha-" His thoughts where interrupted by a dirty-looking female exiting an alley, the blind corner probably taking both by surprise as his body made contact, and dirtied up his admiral's suit, and likely startled the female. "Oh I'm so sorry madam, I wasn't paying attention, are you alright?"
Ohuhri wasn't quite as alarmed as he may as thought, though only because her capacity to feel such was impeded by her low place on the Scale. Still, her half-lidded gaze opened a little more. Clean face, clean and well-adorned suit, and the symbols she would assume were navy. A high ranking officer. Admiral, perhaps. If she had blood under her hardlight shell, that would be where it ran cold. Fortunate, perhaps, that she didn't. Her mind snapped to action, calculating tones, inflections and slang from the surrounding crowds, picking out the best way to mimic their accent.
Hopefully, it would be convincing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Uh...sorry about your suit. Should clean myself up once in a while."
"Copy all, proceeding now." came the response as the cruiser carried on. The captain grinned a savage grin as the ship headed in towards Kaikoma's atmosphere, as the faraday cages around the bays containing the tools of the Prizrak and Spetsnaz's trade had done their job perfectly. They did need resupply, and that was no lie. But... the commandos were going to be free to do their silent work as the mission demanded. Observe, compile, act.
The O'Doole swept into the atmosphere like some vast predator, coming in over the surface and hovering over the designated landing pad with a deft hand from the helmsman. With the landing gear extended as much as the craft's could be, the warship settled down on the pad with thunderous noise and the scream of hydraulics. The ship had barely stopped moving when the ventral bay opened and the ramp extended. Crewmen descended the ramp quickly, heading over to check the gear and to perform other post-landing keepwork on their ship. And the air shimmered slightly, the shimmers moving among the crew and behind one of the landing gear as the captain strode down the ramp.
The man had his hands in the pockets of his uniform, looking supremely unconcerned as he looked around for the 'private transport' they'd been told would be waiting.
The man didn't wait long, soon enough a Hawkbat III descended though the organized chaos of the Dectrothian traffic, and slowly feathered down to the pad, the side door opened with a whoosh of air and out stepped the form of Corsair Commander Gavin, his movement nearly fluid, superhuman as he stepped off the ship, his guard coming in quick behind him. He traversed the distance, and saluted the captain "Good day Captain of the Thomas O'Doole, I am Corsair Commander Gavin, I'm here to ask you a few questions, and move you through Immigration quickly."
He looked over the captain's shoulder, and then his gaze landed on the shimmers, before refocusing on the captain "I'll only need you as the representative, and anyone else you deem important to bring along, your first mate perhaps or security officer, the others can go about their business and the RAVD nodes around the city will send the immigration forms to them once our Immigration business is concluded. If you'll come with me?" He gestured to his shuttle.
Saber glided into orbit over Kaikoma now, flashing his military authority to the operators and shuttles sped out from his hangers, three in total, not anything suspicious, but they hit their burners and traveled with haste to the Industrial Center, any keen observers to Kaikoma's usual traffic would have noticed the odd angle they where traveling, though not all where looking at the sky. Fain himself gathered intel as his shuttle lifted off without him, choosing to take to the street with his men as the RAVD nodes flashed in front of him, showing details, filing through them to gain a view of his prey, walking down the street, he suddenly stopped.
In front of his eyes was a person in an EVA suit, no helmet, grimy, dirty-looking, matching what kind of dirt and grime had been in the container, he signaled to his men to move in that direction, hoping to catch up with his prey, like a dog on the hunt. But something that bothered him, was that they went down an alley, but there was no view on the other side. His gaze shifted angrily and whistled to his men, now jogging to avoid losing the trail.
Taylor dusted off his suit "It's fine Madam, it's fairly easy to clean." He flashed a smile, the accent he recognized, Decarth, was a reputable mining planet in the Dectrose Empire on the other side of the wormhole. "It looks like you're in dire need of a cleaning, for sure. I know of a place nearby." He eyed her over, trying to work his charm, it was slightly odd that she was in an EVA suit, but he'd seen worse clothing options "Why don't I show you.. where.." He looked on her face, odd, those from Decarth usually had much more augments, it would have been on her head as well "it... is...?" His eyes looked at hers, they where green. Green? AVD augmentations where orange. Something was not right.
Now sitting in Ohuhri's place, his blood froze, he gazed at the other's eyes, connecting the dots, thinking where he had seen those before, he knew he had, there wasn't something right, his processor raced and suddenly his jaw hung open. "Wait.. Oh no.. Oh no.. Are you an.. Artificia?" a million thoughts flooded into his head as if a dam broke open, first of which escaped his lips "Why are you here?" then more came across him like a tsunami, muttering the next "Why are you hiding.. what are you hiding from..?"
Ohuhri didn't answer until the third question. And when she did, the apparently well-faked accent was gone, replaced by the synthesizer-like tone Koril had when he had spoken to her. No point hiding it if he'd already put two and two together. She turned her head a little, her eyes locking onto a pair of Fain's soldiers. "Them." she answered simply. "I'm trying to go home."
"Of course, sir. Captain Richard Severus at your service." the captain said, nodding and gesturing two crew over. One was dressed in an officer's uniform like the captain was, clearly the first mate. The other was a woman dressed in heavier armor than the rest of the crew with a pistol belted at her side, the head of security. They introduced themselves, and the three went with Gavin without any muss or fuss.
A group of the crew filtered off, heading off to whatever that would take them to the Business Center proper as the shimmers broke away from the ship to head for the edge of the landing pad. They had their own task to attend to, and they assessed the buildings in the distance so that they could move on.
Gavin silently sat in his chair, more than enough room for everyone onboard as the pilot entered the traffic, and sped off quickly. Though Gavin was doing much more than the Captain, First Mate and Head of Security would know. He softly, quietly opened his mind and felt their Psionic Potential, testing to see if these Earthlings had come from the same Earth the Anointed where searching for. He was aware of the Dectrose's own history, and the similarities to Earth, but the Psionic Potential was too low, the Dectrose couldn't have come from Earth, not the Anointed's that is. Though the trip was thankfully short, so the unnerving silence soon ended with Gavin stepping up and opening the door "This is the Immigration Office Center, I'll be taking you to Room 107" He stepped out and looked back "If you'll follow me."
Things at the landing pad had quieted down, and the Traffic was predictable, always in the same lane, always in certain heights, a pattern could easily be found, though the buildings themselves presented an issue. The buildings around them where not easy to access, most jutted out much higher than the landing pad, and others had geometry which seemed implausible to a normal designer. There where only two directions. Up or Down.
The shuttles from Saber hit the dirt at the facility, forcing their way into the building and running scans on the personnel inside, yelling out their authority and their military status, before hitting the offices and searching the office cubicles. They had been trained, they where practiced, they moved with purpose, swiftly through, and turned to the hut as Fain had, gaining the same information. Saber let himself puff out his chest, he was on the tail of that damned Artificia, and soon she'd be dead.
Though Fain had been much closer, as he jogged along, one of the men pointed ahead towards a dirty EVA suited woman standing next to a Dectrothian Admiral, and Fain knew that that Admiral was in prime position for capture. He opened his comms, searching and finding Admiral Taylor, and sent to him "Secure that person, they are considered dangerous, use of lethal force is authorized, Copy?" His blood pulsed, adrenaline rushed, Fain loved the moment where he closed on his prey, seeing the fear flood their eyes, their hope escaping their grasp.
Looking in the direction of Fain's men, Taylor looked at the Artificia, then the infantry, then the Artificia, before receiving the comms from Fain, shooting another look down the street before grabbing Ohuhri's arm. "Get moving then, I know a place to lay low, and you'll need a fresh set of clothes." Tugging her behind him as he got into a running pace, his medals clinking and swinging on his chest as he lead Ohuhri away from Fain.
Ohuhri was, to say the least, a bit confused. The last thing she had expected was an admiral from the same people she was trying to get away from to help her. At least, she hoped he was helping her. At this stage, she didn't think she had many options, and kept remarkable pace. Watching his movements for when he went to stop or turn, she ended up almost beside him, weaving through the crowds with mechanically precise footwork.
Their minds gave little up, as their psionic potential was also rather low. He found that while they did know of Earth, none of them were from Earth itself and... it was more than likely their Earth wasn't the one the Annointed were looking for. It was unfortunate, but that was reality.
"Of course," the captain said, gesturing to the mate and the armored woman as they stepped out of the car. They didn't complain and followed him without hesitation, calm and collected as military folk ought to be though the head of security was looking around with caution.
The Prizrak commandos that crouched at the edge of the platform waited, the stealthed special ops troopers watching the traffic for patterns and opportunities they could use to reach the buildings. The verticality wasn't that large an issue if they could reach the buildings, and if no opportunities appeared, they had ways. Inelegant ways, but they had them.
The crew that had already left the platform filtered out into the city, making their way in small groups through the crowds and traffic with their heads on swivels. To any observers they were taking in the sights, and they wouldn't actually be wrong. A group located a bar, and headed inside to get some drinks and to ask the bartender about any interesting goings on they could go look at. Rubbernecking, as it were.
Walking through the doors, past and through screening where they walked through a frame, beeping erratically as Gavin walked through and made an annoyed expression, flashing his authority, and then resuming to Room 107, opening the door to what appeared to be a finely polished room, glass, metal, things where very shiny. He gestured to the others to enter and shut the door behind him as he and his guards walked into the room, the chairs where almost fluid-like, taking shape to contour to the person sitting on it, as Gavin grabbed a datapad and looked up at the Captain. "So, let's start from the beginning, where are you from, what planet, what brought you here, why are you here, and how long do you expect to stay here?"
Traffic slowly began to clear as a large hauler came slowly through, the container itself was massive, it was a wonder how one could even get it lifted up and transported. As the expression goes "broadside of a barn door" definitely came into mind for anyone looking to target it. Fortunately there where no enemies that would shoot it, so it was safe, though if one needed a helping hand, this would easily fit the role.
Inside the bar, it was filled with denizens of all races, but the majority had been Dectrothians. Odd, rhythmic music played as the people inside played a game called 'Roi Yaruhaus', colored minifigures sat in a half circle, with some in their player's hands, defeated by the result a multi-sided die, the participants throwing down credit chits and yelling out praise or disgust, depending on the roll of the die. Others played a game of cards, a deck separated between three people, each holding three cards in their hands with odd symbols on them.
Upon entering, the crew of the O' Doole would notice a player holding three matching symbols, leaning back and relaxed as the others kept similar 'Treikarta' faces, until the time came and the players dropped their cards, the relaxed player laughing and gathering the small pile of chits that he had now won. Though with all this going on, the bartender served multi-colored drinks, rolling a hovering pad over the counter, the counter becoming clean as the pad hovered over it. He looked up at the crew coming in and grunted out "Hey there, what can 'The Mian' serve you today?"
The lighthearted nature of The Mian was not shared by Saber, who's men fanned out to search the area, two of which noticed the men running down the street, armed and ready to go, they drew the attention of the other marines and moved in that direction. Fain himself smiled widely before the short-lived moment of victory was snatched away. He snarled, Taylor always liked women too much for his own good, and now he'll have to do this the hard way. He took out his pistol, authorizing his men to take their safeties off and authorized them to fire once they had a shot, the men raising their weapons and aiming them at Taylor and Ohuhri, but even with all the stabilization the augments provided, Fain knew they wouldn't get a shot.
He stopped, took aim with his pistol, his processor calculating the shot in an instant, before pausing. Dropping his aim as Taylor immediately reacted and ducked into an alley with the Artificia. "Tsk, not yet, but soon, Taylor." Taylor himself had seen the infantry raise their rifles, stopping on a dime, catching Ohuhri to redirect her and made for the alley, squeezing his form through, mudding up his uniform more, he shimmied through and pulled Ohuhri out the other side, looking back at her "I'm trusting you to follow me, I can't get you out if I need to hold your hand. Besides, I know a few friends nearby."
After only the slightest of pauses, Ohuhri's eyes briefly glancing back at the alley, she nodded.
"Lead the way. Where are we going?"
The captain nodded, and launched right into answering the questions. "We are from the territory of the United Governments of Earth, based out of Perran II Naval Base. We came here based on navigational data gathered from reconnaissance and extranet survey. We have come here to resupply and for shore liberties for the crew, and we do not expect to remain here longer than four days barring unforeseen circumstances."
The Prizraks observed the hauler quietly and almost like a hunting pack as they watched it deathly silent and almost as one. Closer... closer now... Once it was close enough, the Prizraks fired their grapnel lines at the container itself, the mag-pad grapnels adhering quite solidly to it. The spec ops then launched themselves off the platform, swinging long and then high as they climbed up onto the hauler. Once again stealthed, the Pirzraks retracted their grapnels and began scanning the buildings and city around them. Not only for a dismount point, but for anything interesting going on that might grab their attentions.
Most of the crew carried on their wanderings through the city, in groups of three or four or even five as they made their way along. With heads on swivels and silently pinging each other's HUDS to keep track, they made their way deeper and deeper into the city, simply poking around-- and in so doing getting themselves into some interesting spots.
The spokesman of the group in the bar looked at the drinks on offer, then pointed to a red and blue one. "Four of those," he said, gesturing to his group as they walked over. "And some info. Anything interesting going on 'round here? We just arrived, and I think we'd be well served to know what's what."
Gavin nodded slowly, still poking a little, but subtle enough to not arouse attention, it would feel like an itch in their hair, light and barely noticable. But even with his probing, he found nothing linking them to Earth, the Earth he knew from the Anointed. But something else came up, he felt as if someone was over his shoulder, but it came from the group in front of him. He slowly began to suspect something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, he decided to let it go in order to continue. "I see, now, as far as I know, we have not met a UGE vessel before, and I'm not sure if our techs have been able to find any on the Ancnet. So, I'm assuming you're located in a rather remote region? Would you have an idea on which region of Ancerious you would hail from?"
With several barely notible 'clinks', the Prizraks made it on the hauler without much fuss, though a vessel behind it seemingly lost it's patience and moved out of the lane to pass it. making it halfway before red flashing lights came from nearby RAVD nodes, now focusing on the vehicle as it made a break to some buildings. Meanwhile, the hauler turned a corner, away from the sirens and passed a building with many balconies that formed a somewhat zig-zag pattern, but otherwise it was unremarkable.
While in the bar though, the bartender didn't budge when asked for information, simply saying "Molotoks and Starlings eh? What's the occasion? A party or somethin'?" He pulled the lever on the taps to fill some oddly U-shaped glasses, and set them on circles on the bar that illuminated, color coded for the drinker's preferance. The glasses themselves had a circle on the bottom, a small, moderate anti-gravity generator so even if you purposefully dropped it, it wouldn't hit the floor unless deactivated. Though as he did so, he leaned in "Look, I can tell you ain't from around here, we don't got any information on tap. You wanna know somethin' you gotta pay top shelf." His hand opened expectedly, as if hinting to his meaning.
Letting out a sigh, Fain opened up his processor, re-establishing links to RAVD nodes in the local area. Catching glimpses of his prey as Saber's men caught up to him. From what he was able to see, he knew where Taylor must be going. Looking over his shoulder "Get me on the line to Saber, I need a little help if Taylor wants to try and be a hero." Looking over to his own men "Gather my Nightstalker gear, and meet me in the at the Kaikoma Military Center in an hour. I have something to do." And with that, he boarded a shuttle and left, with Saber's men establishing links to Saber, and fanning out to continue searching.
Taylor barely broke a sweat, running a little more before abruptly stopping, checking a corner and moving on "We're heading to a bar not far from here, it's bordering between the Industrial and Military Centers of this city. If I remember correctly, there should be two friends there that might help us." He looked back, having a worried expression for a moment "Both of whom have already met the Artifica." He soon ducked into another alley, then left, right, forward, right again, forward and left, until standing outside a mostly empty bar, and beckoning Ohuhri to follow.
"They should have spare BDUs in here, never know what happens when an officer gets blackout drunk. But just keep your head down and get to the booth on the far left and in the back." He moved in, trying to clean his suit a little but to no avail, oh well. He went to the far left, then proceeded to the back "Now, behind the wall there should be a room where the BDUs are kept, then the restrooms are to the right of that room, I'll deal with Timmer and Turney in the meantime."
Ohuhri followed, stepping into the room and closing the entrance behind her. Inside, she sighed. A moment of peace, hopefully. Examining the room, she saw what he meant. Full combat gear, from the looks of it. Better than a helmetless, dirty spacesuit. Pushing out of it and briefly wringing her hands together, thankful for the suit's possession of gloves, she pulled on the unfamiliar equipment bit by bit, starting with the uniform and then the gear over the top, leaving the helmet till last. She was less likely to be spotted, at least.
Briefly looking around and kicking the spacesuit into a closed compartment, she stepped out, pushing her way into the bathroom. She didn't need the grimey face if she had a helmet, after all. Or maybe she should keep it. It didn't fit on a soldier, she wasn't sure.
"Not at the moment, sir. We arrived not terribly long ago, and we're still getting established and seeing what's around us. Hence this scouting mission. All we really know from sure from scanning ancnet is that we ended up not terribly far from some place called the Golden Expanse. Dangerous, but it's where we are."
The Prizraks shared a silent commline for a moment or two, looking up at the building and it's balconies. They could reach it with their jets and lines quiet easily... and so they did. The commandos fired their grapnel lines once more and swing from the barge, landing on the building with soft thuds instead of deafening slams. Activating their mag-pads they climbed swiftly, sharing info on their HUDs and leaping from balcony to balcony. Shortly they'd ascended the building like armored spiders with ballistic fangs, and crouched on the roof. Looking around the roof like a hunting pack once more, the commandos oriented themselves in a direction and exploded forward, shimmers in the air as they leapt from building to building using every tool at their disposal to aid their forward movement.
"No, no party." came the response from the leader of the group of crew as one man leaned on the bar and sipped his drink. "And... well, we don't got that much," the same man said, dropping his voice to a whisper as he reached into his jumpsuit pocket. "Do got this, though." he said, dropping six chits for a hundred credits each in the bartender's hand to grease the wheels.
The bartender looked at the chits, flipping them around in his hand, before pocketing them "Alright, I heard from a friend of mine in the Military Center that the Brass at Decoroso is locking the whole system down, somethin' to do with some Anointed folks. Personally haven't served any here but they sounded like nice enough folks." He paused, sweeping the pad over the bar to clean "And there was a big paycheck for some escaped creature from some facility, dead or alive it said. Not a lot of details but when you contact the person in charge of it, they asked for a lot of information about me, personally. I ain't sticking my head out for any amount of credits that might get me in trouble with big wigs." He looked up at the group "I'd avoid Decroso for now gents, and if you're lookin' to take down that thing, I know a buddy of mine that runs a bar in the Military Center that can get you boys some hardware if you need it."
Gavin, meanwhile, was starting to suspect something, but he knew there was three of them, one of him and a lot of innocent people around for him to push any further. He had read reports of new factions that're being discovered, and heard the same story with another faction the Dectrose met. He just wanted to check to be sure. with a polite, formal tone and expression, he asked "Golden Expanse you say? From what I heard it's not a terribly nice place to camp, but I suspect your navigational equipment lead you right to the Dectrose? Or did you have to go around the Expanse to get to us?"
To the Prizraks, the traffic seemed to shift, all the shuttles and hovercraft and such moved to different lanes, save for a handful of vessels. They moved slowly, moving to the Industrial Center, they bore no markings that could be seen, and where a whiter shade than other shuttles around. Though in space several unmarked ships entered the system, making for the drydocks, before expelling some shuttles that moved to the surface.
Taylor moved into the booth, sitting down and looking at the two occupants "Admiral Timmer, Colonel Turney, funny running into you here!" Turney rolled his eyes, and Timmer took a sip of his drink, then setting it down "Funny indeed, who was your girly friend? You could've chose someone other than an Engineer, I thought you had tastes Taylor." To which he replied "Hey now, when an opportunity arrives, you take it don't you? No need to be picky.. Turney" To which illicited a glare from the colonel, and he spoke to Taylor "And you're lucky you still have certain appendages, Taylor, with all those dames you spend time with. One of these days a femme fatale will be the end of you."
Taylor chuckled "Not just yet Turney, but listen, I got a little problem that I might need your help with, I know that I ask you for favors sometimes, but this is a big one. I need you to trust me on this okay?" Timmer raised a brow, and Turney stared at him "Well, I need to get someone to someplace else and might need just a liiiiittle bit of an escort." Turney scoffed "What, you want us to walk around with you like you're on the Hazel Carpet? I'll pass" He waved dismissively, Timmer leaned forward "Can't say I'm into it yet, but explain it a little more, Taylor." He looked around, making sure no one was looking at them or listening in and said in a hushed tone "It'll explain itself once she joins us, suffice to say she can't stay on Kaikoma."
The conversing CO's were interrupted by the gentle clearing of a throat, the noise was feminine in tone and belonged to a blonde haired blue eyed women, black and bone white splash coat hanging loosely over similarly coloured armour.
"Good evening admirals."
She sing songs with a courtesy.
Thankful the bathroom was empty, Ohuhri washed off her face, looking at her again glowing green features as she flushed the dirt and grime down the drain. Briefly running her gloved hand through her hair, which externally looked like a solid mass, she put the helmet back on, making sure it was properly affixed before flexing her shoulders and pushing her way out. It didn't take Ohuhri long to spot the admirals. More of the brass. This was a wonderful situation. The other woman with the splash coat, however, she didn't recognize in any capacity. She was immediately suspicious. Her eyes narrowing behind the solid visor, she shifted around, sitting down. For now, she said nothing.
The crewmen shared a confused look at the 'escaped thing' comment for a few moments, but after a short bit their leader nodded and leaned on the counter so that his face was close to the bartender. The other three sipped their drinks casually, but they all looked interested in a quick payday. "Sounds like easy money to me. Who's your buddy, we'll head on over there."
"Both, sir, with a lot of trial and error." the captain answered smoothly and without hesitation. "We've been losing ships to emissions and happenings in the Expanse, and to be frank as I understand it this is one of only a few that's made it this far."
The Prizraks noted the change in the traffic, recording the shuttles and hovercraft with helmetcams and practiced, cold eyes. Their color was noted, as was their course. Who was this? Why were they going? Questions that could not be immediately answered, and fortunately or perhaps not for those shuttles, those were questions that were going to remain, for the moment, unanswered. The Prizraks carried on their course, continuing to leap and scrabble and climb from building to building in the direction they'd chosen with their sensors rolling full suite and searching for anything notable as they kept rolling at speeds that unpowered operators were not likely to readily match.
In the Immigration Center, Gavin paused, before producing a datapad "I see, please fill out your contact information, and check and sign your name that you agree to follow the laws of Kaikoma during your stay. The contact information we will use in the case of an incident or an emergency involving your crewmen, after that your crew throughout Kaikoma will recieve the same." Gavin smiled outwardly, but internally he felt something.. concerning. He felt it before, he knew what it was, and he was worried. He thought about contacting her, but knew the last time that happened.. He had to do something.
Though as the Prizraks pressed on, the strange craft they saw moved swiftly before turning into the Military Center, dropping behind the buildings and where not seen again. The men inside the shuttles spread out immediately, with Fain himself stepping out with a large sniper rifle, before tapping his arm and faded into the buildings, with no sight of any of the others afterward. Saber tapped on his armrests, disgruntled but knowing that soon his problems will be over.
The sudden appearance of the woman took all three by suprise, with Timmer opening his mouth "Good evening ma'am, do you need something?" Turney leaned over to Taylor, lightly elbowing him "Which one, the one sitting or the one standing?.. Taylor?" Transfixed by the female that had come to their table, his eyes moving over her wonderful frame "Yes, Ma'am, what can I do to help make your day more enjoyabl-Ow!" Turney jabbed his elbow into Taylor, before dismissing him "No, this one's an Artificia, this wonderful woman I didn't bring with me."
Immediately recoiling, Turney looked shocked and furious "You brought a Glowstick here? Are you crazy or just plain stupid? What, you trying to ruin your career? I have a pistol for that if you need it." Before Timmer interjected "Turney. Taylor, why is an Artificia even here? You know how relations are with them after Saber screwed them over." Taylor kept on staring at the woman, before turning to the two of them "No Turney, I bumped into this one getting things for my ship, she was getting hounded by Fain's goons and I figured that the lady needs help."
A look of realization came over Timmer's face, as Turney blasted Taylor "So, you bring this Glowstick to the Military Center, being chased by the DCI, and just so happen to come directly to us? Are you trying to get us all lined up in front of a firing squad?" Timmer grabbed Turney's arm "Colonel, as your Admiral, you better help us get out of here yesterday. I'm not looking forward to scrubbing my military career over your blabbering." He took his arm back "Are you crazy Timmer? We need to report thi-" Before Timmer leaned in and lost his cool "Did I fucking stutter, Colonel?" before eliciting a nod from Turney.
During all this Taylor tapped the table, harder, little harder, before smackign his hand on the table to gather the other's attention, everyone looking at the woman again, Timmer gathering himself "Uh, sorry Ma'am, did you need something? Help maybe?"
"Skalia"
She clarifies to Taylor clearing up her name.
"And yes I want that."
Raising an arm she points a finger towards Ohuhri, unnerving in her accuracy and knowledge of the Artificia.
Ohuhri's half lidded gaze gained a notable tinge of frustration. Unfortunately, nobody could see it under the helmet. People were wasting her time arguing, time she could be spending finding a way off and back home. And, some woman she didn't know nor care for the actual identity of was trying to claim her. Or something. For reason she, again, didn't know nor care for. She had her goals. And they were what mattered. Nothing else.
"Good for you. Unfortunately, I've already got plans." She rumbled, her hands balling up into fists. Unlike her concealed face, the hint of frustration in her voice, a remarkable display on an ICO, was evident.
Taylor pulled back for a moment, and then slowly leaned forward "Skalia, sweet mistress, I'm afraid this one is with me, and I'm going to be taking her on a short trip off this planet, so she can go home." Timmer shifted uncomfortably, adding to Taylor "Yeah, we're going to be leaving now, if you want to tag along, by all means?" Turney quietly thanked the spirits that someone else wanted the Glowstick, but this Skalia, for all her sing-song voice, she unnerved him.
"Oh my thats to bad, and after all we've done to help her people, why i remember fighting the Eosians side by side with them!"
Her eyes twinkle as she orates loudly and clearly with a happy voice.
"I wasn't there for that, I only read the report." Ohuhri stated bluntly. "And I find it hard to believe the Admiral would lie about handling the fleet themselves." She added.
Skalia smiles as she turns her pleasant face to the hard light lifeform.
"Ah yes but we dealt with the church itself."
Timmer slid out of his seat, and stood up, also uncomfortable at this Skalia, as Turney followed him, Taylor still sitting with Ohuhri. Timmer spoke "As nice as this reunion is, I believe we should get going now, we have someplace to be, Come on Taylor, and... What's your name?" Turney watched Skalia like a hawk, warming his augments up in case there was trouble.
"I am Ohuhri." She answered Timmer with a slightly eased tone, but it rose back to its frustrated state when the helmet slowly turned back to Skalia.
"Whatever the case, as much as you may or may not have done for my people, I'm a little busy trying to get back to them. So you'll have to forgive me for putting that ahead of whatever it is you want." She rumbled, rising to her feet.
"But I want to take you home?"
She says confused cocking her head to the side.
Taylor sat for a moment, his processor whirring, and then opened his eyes "Actually, gentlemen and Ohuhri, we should go meet Terri at the Pad, I believe she's going to be back soon." Which elicited confused glances before they seen Taylor's face, and then both slowly nodded Timmer saying "Yeah, we're headed there now. You all coming or not?" To which Taylor stood up, took Ohuhri's arm in his own and looked to Skalia "You coming to see Terri? I bet she'd be pleased to see her friend." Softly tapping Ohuhri as if trying to hint to her.
"I don't exactly have any alternative suggestions." She said in response to Taylor. She would've answered Skalia, trusting someone who pulled her out of another man's gunsight more than someone who she had never met and immediately tried what felt like guilt tactics, but she decided not to waste her time. "To this pad, then."
Skalia grins back at Taylor and in the cheeriest most pleasant voice she could muster replies.
"Oh no Taylor, I'm afraid I don't have time, I must insist she come with me."
Taylor stood for a moment in front of Skalia, with Ohuhri in hand and Timmer and Turney waiting expectedly. He knew that he had to leave, it's not like Fain's men weren't likely already in position and lining up shots, there was little time to escape, little time to negotiate, and no time to waste. His gamble hadn't worked, and there was little that could be done to de-escalate the situation. "Skalia, why exactly do you need Ohuhri? I'd love to help a beautiful woman such as yourself, but to be honest this is a sensitive situation that needs care, and I need to know exactly what you'd do with Ohuhri."
"Why I'd i take her home silly."
She giggles lightly.
"May I ask why you've come here, explicitly to find me, explicitly to take me home? Feels well out of the ordinary." Ohuhri asked.
"Pure chance."
She smiles.
Turney never believed in coincidences, and interjected "You knew where we where, who was here and on this specific planet? Seems pretty interesting, but what would happen if we got her out of here first before giving her to you?" Taylor glared and then looked to Skalia.
Her tone doesn't falter for a second and the juxtaposition between her words and pitch is mildly disturbing.
"I'd kill everyone and then take her with me anyway, my lamb."
Even with Ohuhri's lack of regard for the lives around her, the sheer bluntness of Skalia's response made the ICO's brow raise. "That's...intent."
"Understood, sir. We'll get what we need to do here done, and then we'll be gone." the captain said, taking the datapad and filling it out quickly and concisely. "Is there anything you need from us, or can we return to my ship and release the rest of the crew?"
"Hey, somethin' wrong?" the crewman asked, snapping his fingers in front of the bartender's face. "Asked ya a question, man. What's the name of your pal in the military district?"
The Prizraks hurried onwards, the team leader deciding to head towards where the shuttles had been seen. they continued to move from rooftop to rooftop, scanning the areas below them as they went onwards. It was then that one of the snipers got... an odd return on his HUD. Not one they were expecting here at all. A strangely even humanoid thermal signature with no biometric return in what looked like a drinking establishment. It wasn't a robot, as even a robot's heat normally would be concentrated in their power core. They checked their databases.
And suddenly, the mission parameters changed. The RSC had seen signatures like this before. In Artificia. Why was one here? And then there was the signature next to the Artificia, which showed up on the database as Annointed. Stranger and stranger. The Prizraks descended the building, directing high-sensitivity directional audio pickup sensors into the establishment as they detached from the building halfway down and used a combination of their jump jets and grapnel lines to reach the street level safely and quietly. They only picked up the tail end of the conversation, but what they got was... disturbing. "...I'd kill everyone and then take her with me anyway, my lamb." "That's... intent."
>Annointed contact may be hostile towards Artificia and non-combatants. Proceed? >Dectrose personnel within establishment are military, unsure if live-fire allowable. >Advise infiltration and confirmation of intent, set up sniper overwatch. >Notify Dectrose personnel, admiral rank? >There's two. >One closest to the Artificia. >Copy that. Proceed. >Pergonov, take overwatch, sight up on Annointed contact. Plasma rounds. >Copy. >Sudov, infiltrate and ping Dectrose admiral's personal comm. Live fire authorized if needed, CQC preferred. >Copy. Moving.
Like shadows the Prizraks moved, the only one of the three without a sniper rifle moving towards the bar with his retracted saber within easy reach. Working his comms scrambler the trooper ghosted to the door.
Taylor's comm pinged, a short message. 'Dectrose Admiral, keep close hold of the Artifica next to you and remain calm. AGA reinforcement is arriving now. --A Friend'
And then the door to the bar opened, and in a shimmer of light the huge, armor plated form of a Restevian Prizrak Spetsnaz in their long void black camo cloak with SFMOD rifle raised and pointed at Skalia shimmered into existence near the booth. The huge trooper was the very visage of death to the RSC's foes, and it was clear as he came fully into view why things like that were said. "Annointed contact." the trooper said flatly, switching a hand to the trigger of his grenade launcher. "Step away from the booth at once. There are two snipers with their weapons aimed right at your head, I am authorized to use lethal force, and there is significant RSC special forces presence nearby. Unless you wish to incur AGA and RSC ire, step away and let those in the booth leave. Now."
Giving a nod, Gavin peered to the window in the office, knowing there was something wrong, something very wrong happening, but he felt this very feeling before, and he knew what happened to the one person he cared about the most. He tapped his fingers on his chair, and stood up to let the captain and crew free "Just remember to enjoy yourselves and don't break the law okay?" He waved and kept a smile on. Once out of visual range he sprinted to the rear doors, to where the shuttles where. This was bad, so very very bad.
The Bartender kept staring ahead as his processor whirred a few times and he looked at the group "Yea, sorry about that, boy's name is Henry, he runs an establishment over in the Military Center, here's a waypoint." He sent it over, but to any RSC members keeping up with the Prizraks, they where already there. And so was Fain, he set up in a nice position, other Nightstalkers already set up fields of fire, and they all trained on the bar, they knew Timmer and Turney frequented it, and that's where Taylor would seek help.
Their guns lined up, the ambush was set, then... A woman came into the sight, he gave a puzzled look, and tried to get a closer look, but she looked perfectly normal, nothing odd but it seemed like tension was building inside, he wished he could hear it, but now they stood up, but paused, as if restrained by something. Saber demanded an update, and he re-sighted on the Artificia, taking aim and softly squeezing the trigger, just a tiny amount of pressure, until the door opened up and another possibly hostile contact strode into the bar, weapon raised, ready to fire. "Too late, this one's mine." And lined up his shot, and it was perfect.
Saber had other problems though, as Fleet Admiral Manfred Fischer warped into the system with Battle Fleet Gamma in tow, hailing Saber. "Rear Admiral Saber, on authority of the Dectrose Military I order you to stand down immediately, prepare to be boarded and detained. Failure to do so will result in lethal force." Saber stabbed his finger into the comms "Fleet Admiral Fischer, you have no idea what you're doing, stay away." And the retort came back "You have done the worst thing that could ruin this empire's credibility and it's future, your research will be turned over to the proper party and you shall face justice for what you've done. Stand down NOW." The only reaction from Saber, was to turn on weapons systems and begin targeting.
Taylor, Timmer and Turney all had their eyes on Skalia, a deadly game of chicken was at play, with everything to lose. Taylor's Comm beeped, and the AVD in his eye displayed it to him. AGA? AGA! Why didn't he think of it before? Artificia where AGA, and these folk where coming in to help them, though at this rate he wasn't exactly sure how they could. He inhaled, and exhaled, his processor working at breakneck speed to compose a message, and then send it to the one thing that could save them now. Dolos, the Dectrothian Dog. It was owned by Koril, hopefully it'll alert them.. He didn't care about the repercussions. To hell with dignity, he had a job to do.
"Artifician Forces, this is Admiral Taylor of the Dectrose Empire, I have located and are attempting to protect an Artificia that had arrived to Kaikoma under unknown circumstances. Suspect high-level cover up in play, and actively seeking assistance from any AGA member to extract the Artifician." Sent off, Taylor looked to the arriving Prizrak, and gritted his teeth, this was the help they got? Things needed to get smoothed out and calmed down fast. Though even in this dire moment, he suddenly found himself thinking "The AGA, Anointed, Artificia and Dectrose walk into a bar"...
Turney backed up to the bar, the bartender now staring wide-eyed at the Prizrak "Henry. Henry, give me the 170 Taclon Special." To which the Bartender handed him the bottle and snuck out of the building, as Turney took a long drink. Taylor looked to Skalia "Define 'Home'. Which system in the Artificia's domain? To whom is she being sent to? And if you needed her why haven't you done it before I met her?" He slowly moved in front of Ohuhri, as if trying to shield her. Timmer on the other hand, connected with Kaikoma's network, to see if anything leaked from this yet, hearing several conflicting voices on an incident happening in orbit.
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Post by CanisDirus on Mar 21, 2021 20:05:37 GMT
"Honestly, aside from 'whoopee I'll kill everyone' you haven't given me much reason to trust you." Ohuhri stated flatly, her gaze set clear on Skalia. Behind Taylor, she took a step back, leaning over and pressing her hand to the wall to support herself. "This man, meanwhile, pulled me out of another man's irons, at risk of getting shot himself. And I'm well aware how fragile to sharp impacts humans can be." she added, gesturing to Taylor. "So I'd rather you didn't kill him. To be honest, I'm tired of the tension, all this bickering, all this mystery and unknown motives, and I'm already tired of this damn helmet." she grumbled, pulling the headgear off to reveal her sharp, glowing green features and chin length bangs, tossing it aside. "So, lady, next time you try to persuade someone, I'd suggest you work on you approach. Like mine." she finished, moving her arm and opening her mouth as if to say something new.
The next thing to happen, nobody but the lone Artificia on the planet could entirely explain. The billowing fireball like that of a shape charge went off exactly where Ohuhri's hand--the one against the wall--was, creating a hole easily big enough for someone to step through. An additional, beneficial side effect of this, aside from the deafening noise, was the thick cloud of dust and smoke that billowed through the room, blocking vision entirely; even the glow of Ohuhri's face, and now her reforming hand, couldn't be seen so close to the detonation point. She was glad none of her kind had demonstrated this ability before. Not in this galaxy, at least. Less than even a second later, Taylor felt a sharp tug on his arm, from where Ohuhri was. Towards the hole.
Skalia lets out a pained groan.
"Could we not?"
With a welling of psionic power the bar the streets around the bar as well as everyone in the vicinity became the focus of the psions attentions.
With a pained and anguished groan the walls and roof of the bar are lifted away, debris and dust shaking loose, with a mental heave Skalia hurls the building over the running pair, the establishments remnants crashing to the ground cutting of their escape.
"I TRIED TO BE CIVIL ABOUT THIS BUT IT SEEMS THAT MY DEAR CREATORS ARE ONCE AGAIN ACTING IRRATIONAL!."
>Artificia has acted, snipers engage Annointed contact. Say again, engage engage engage. >Copy, engaging. Sudov, follow and protect Artificia and Dectrose Admiral. Remove them from area, tally target. >Copy tally, moving now. >Go full combat alert, notify company. >Company notified, full combat alert. >All Restevian forces, red alert red alert red alert. All Prizraks, converge on Team 01 position. Be advised, Annointed contact hostile, say again equip plasma weapons. Converge now. >Eyes of Terrkan copies, deploying to location of Team 01.
Prizrak Maksim Sudov scrambled forwards through the dust and the rubble, snapping his rifle to it's magnetic back holster as he charged past Skalia and towards the sensor returns his HUD had marked as the Artificia and the Dectrose Admiral.
Without preamble and quite unceremoniously Sudov grabbed the collars of both Ohuhri and Taylor, tossing the Admiral onto his shoulders and the Aritifica under his cloak before he turned around and bolted clear in the opposite direction from the wall of rubble. Right between his comrades he ran, pounding down the road. It took all of his steel will and focus to not stop in shock and gawp at the psionic power. But he ran, by the Gods he ran. Bashing civilians aside with his armored bulk he bolted along, searching for a place at which to climb up a building's side. "Hang on!" he snarled to both his passengers, ducking into an alley several blocks down the road and firing his jump jets to leap up and climb like mad. "Eyes, need emergency evac now at 5-2-6-6!" he barked into his comm as he climbed. "Copy, sending shuttle now. Hang on, Sudov." "Affirmative. Just hurry!"
-----
The two Prizraks remaining were not as lucky as Sudov, as one of them had been right in the path of the rubble as it landed-- he was unable to get out of the way, and so was trapped. But the team leader was blasted to the ground by the impact and was stunned for a moment or two. Coming around, he scrambled to his feet and began firing his semi-suppressed AMR at Skalia's head with a steady thud thud thud, the plasma tipped rounds screaming right at her as he pulled the trigger swiftly and calmly. The calls of the other teams on the way squawked over his radio repeatedly, they'd be here soon as they hurried but they still had little time.
------
The Thomas O'Doole had gone to high alert the instant the call had come in, and now in one of the side mounted hangers an unarmed shuttle launched. The crew were hardened pilots and vets of a hundred hot extractions, but this one was going to be hotter and harder than usual-- the location the Prizrak had called for was the edge of a building.
Ohuhri's alarm was more than a little evident. The top half of a building coming down on her was unexpected, and she felt fortunate it hadn't collapsed on them. The armoured Restevian appearing in the dust and grabbing her was also unexpected. She hung almost limply under his arm, confusion evident in her eyes. Her loose, make-it-up-as-she-went plan of escape had gotten her outside and away, if only for a while. If anything, this had also made it clear this woman didn't have her interests at heart.
"I don't suppose you have a plan for dealing with a woman who can throw buildings." she rumbled.
"Run like hell and get back to my ship." the Restevian responded, continuing to climb using his grapnel line and jumpjets. "Then grab space and hide. Let the others try to deal with that crazy, I can't do it on my own. All else fails, orbital strikes. Dectrose Admiral, your status?"
'Borrowing' a nearby shuttle, Gavin lifted off and blew off towards the drydocks where the Arbalest was, his connection to the network suddenly blaring CODE BLUE, CODE BLUE, TERROR ATTACK as he felt enormous psionic power coming from the Military Center, and had a thought, a very very bad thought, but something had to be done. He veered the shuttle, and sped in that direction. As Fain prepared to throw his shot at Ohuhri's head, his reticule moved down her body, and Taylor was in the way "Time to die then Taylor, you won't be disrupting me again." Lining up his head, an enormous blast came from Ohuhri, he thought she had been hit with an explosive round but the RAVD cleared the smoke out and quite a scene was happening.
Everything was in chaos, RAVD nodes around the entire city began flashing blue, and sirens began to scream, MPs in the center convened and tried to find out what happened, Fain kept the scene in his scope and suddenly the building shook and lifted, and he found himself staring at it, before opening Comms "Target is on the move, move to follow and ambush at new point." He picked up his rifle, still cloaked and went rooftop-to-rooftop to follow the carnage.
Feeling the explosion, Turney and Timmer took no time getting right the hell out of that bar, thankful they did when the thing lifted up and debris started falling around them, Turney lifted his wrist when the Code Blue went out "Kaikoma Command, Negative! Negative! Hostile action from enemy forces on the planet, Code Black! Code Black! Send immediate heavy military to vicinity!" Timmer sent the warning to the network as well, eventually finding it's way to Saber, and Fischer. Saber hesitated for a moment, but knew it was far from quiet now.
Saber's volley, and the fire from his ships flew towards Fischer's fleet, Fischer's fleet pulling evasive maneuvers and slapping away the incoming rounds with their shields, as they retaliated and fired off a volley at Saber's fleet, the Frigates speeding off to the flanks, the Destroyers following loosely and tossing missile fire at Saber's Cruisers, the EW/EWDS Cruisers on both sides began trying to wrestle each other away, jabbing for holes in each other's defense, both Saber and Fischer's hangers flooded with activity, and soon fighters and torpedo bombers spilled out, as Kaikoma went on full alert and activated the system-wide Interdiction, locking down the entire system and informing all civilian craft to seek shelter.
Though Taylor didn't expect the blast, his augmented legs gripped the floor with unnatural strength to keep him in place, dermal armor acting quickly to shield him from the fragments flying around, before taking a half-second to realize Ohuhri made the blast, and she tugged him in her direction, but before he could take a moment to unlock his augments, the Prizrak pulled him up, along with the floor he was locked to, the piece falling off as the instant passed to unlock his legs, and he thanked the Spirits for Ohuhri's plan.
As Taylor passed Skalia, he gave a wave as if saying goodbye and a muffled "Sorry madam!" was barely audible over the noise, and then as Sudov ran down the road, he looked to Ohuhri "You alright? That got a little close to the wire there." Then listened to Sudov, frowning "Orbital Strikes? You know those have been outlawed in the Dectrose Empire since Tyberous?!" Before exhaling "Alright, we can avoid that if we can also just avoid the 'Pissed off, woman scorned, throwing buildings at us' part, but as for my well-being I'm unharmed."
Pulling out their pistols, they made a break for it until they seen the Prizrak soldier and team leader get hit, Turney looking to Timmer, and Timmer shooting a look back. "You've got to be kidding me, Timmer." Timmer moved around to the Team Leader, tapping his shoulder as if to fall back, as he helped lay down covering fire with his pistol. While Turney moved with purpose to the trapped Prizrak, using his augmented arms to pull off the rubble from them and tugged on their arm to lift them out of the rubble, his arms softly glowing orange as he began to lay down some support fire, looking back at the member he saved "We can't stay here, we need to fall back now!"
"Orbital strikes only if nothing else works, Admiral." Sudov replied. "I'm Maksim Sudov, friends call me Max. Your name? Got a pistol for you when we reach topside."
"Colton Taylor, Admiral of the Pernicious, and in command of Battle Fleet Echo, at your service" He did a little salute, as much as he could.
"Nice to meet you." Sudov said, and keeps climbing.
Skalia sighs heavily as the small arms fire directed towards her simply disappears in purple flashes, telekinetic fields disintegrating them mid flight.
Feeling outwards with her TK senses she quickly relocates the fleeing Prizrack and his cargo.
"As fun as killing you all would be I'm afraid i have far more important things to attend to."
With a gentle whir Skalia triggers her jump pack and teleports herself a few metres from her prey, reclining in a relaxed manner as she floats in the air.
"Hey, wachu talking about?"
Ohuhri had shifted herself, hanging off the Prizrak so he didn't need to hold onto her, and nodded in response to Taylor. Of course, then the same woman she had exploded a wall to get away from appeared not far away, cruising in a reclined position.
Fucking psions. "What the hell..." She muttered under her breath.
"Nope." Sudov responded, doing something... rather unexpected. "Nope, not in the mood." Grabbing two of his four plasma grenades from his belt he armed them and launched them into Skalia's face... before letting go of the wall.
Like a rock he plummeted with his precious cargo, watching the altimeter in his armor counting down fast. "Brace!" he yelled to them when the meter hit '50 meters,' and moments later he fired his jump jets at the very last second and slammed into the ground with enough force to crack stone, though in the end it wasn't as much as he was wanting to. With a heavy slam and a cloud of dust from the impact he landed, leaving a small crater in the alleyway.
Well that was great, he'd intended to punch clean into the sewers, not crater the street. Time to improvise. "Hang on. Gotta do a quick rearrange here." he said to his companions, shifting Taylor around so that they both were under his cloak. "Find an open area, relocate and call for evac." he muttered, both for his own benefit to keep his mind focused as much as it was for his passengers to get a clue what the hell he was doing. He performed a quick full-spec radar scan of the area and hustled off down the street through the mess that was rapidly developing and back towards the landing pads-- he hoped. Had to move quick...
------
Team leader Rekov looked around after the target had vanished, and running off that she seemed to be after the Artifica-- who Sudov had, he ran towards the alleyway that Sudov had broken towards. There was one hell of a dent in the pavement and a cloud of dust that he could see as he approached, meaning that Sudov must've dropped from the building for some reason. Rekov... could probably guess. Godsdamn Annointed RLDS bullcrap...
As for Pergenen, he nodded thanks to Timmer and Turney as the special operator checked his weapons, then turned to the two Dectrose. "I hope you two have an idea on how to help Sudov escape with your boss and the glowing one." he said irritably, hefting his grenade launcher.
-----
The larger Teams 02 and 03 of the ship's Prizrak Spetsnaz had been moving fast to catch up with their frontrunners and had poured on even more speed when the alert had gone out. They didn't know the full rundown of the situation but they knew well enough that the active hostile was an Annointed. So when they came into sight of Skalia, floating there a few hundred meters off from them giving off every possible kind of sensor return in their HUDs that indicated what she was, it was clear.
So quite naturally, they opened fire with everything they had. At the range they were at the dozen Prizraks weren't at brutally short range and so some shots were bound to go wide-- but the sudden hail of bullets, laser bolts, plasma grenades and plasma tipped AMR rounds was not something not likely to be missed. Or exactly ignored.
------
"Get us prepped for takeoff!" the ship's XO bellowed, tapping rapidly on her wrist mounted computer as the crew scrambled to stations. "Comrade sub-commander, we've already got a shuttle on the way to Sudov's location," came a shout. "Doesn't matter, captain wants us in the air and moving inside two minutes to support active ops! Move, move!" "Where is the captain?!" "On the way, hop to it comrades!" "Right away!"
Soon enough, the shuttle carrying Gavin moved into view of the smoke and flames in the Military Center, he cursed himself for not getting out sooner, and sped towards the commotion, soon making visual contact with Turney and Timmer, and two more, but the deception at the Immigration Building had not fooled him as well as they may have tried, he brought the shuttle down, hovering near Turney and Timmer "What the hell happened?" Turney hopping into the side and beckoning Timmer, who looked down the street to see several Endurance IVs barreling full speed after the commotion, before hopping in, Gavin pulled on a canister of nanites he kept on him and forged both men APS-1s, though they'd be hard to hit Skalia at range, it was the only thing he could provide.
He bellowed out "Got a ride if you need it RSC" as Turney yelled out "We gotta pick up three PCs, get'em off world ASAP. Sending you his Comm Frequency now." Now filling the streets around them was the armed responce Turney asked for, infantry, vehicles, Timmer could have swore he had seen a Vulcan V turning on a street searching for the target. After everything got settled, Gavin lifted off and zeroed in on Taylor's frequency, rocking back and forth as if trying to coax more speed from the shuttle.
In space, Saber had maintained a defensive posture, holding his forces close to the docks, trying to force Fischer to risk stray rounds flying into the docks as he spat out fire at a terrifying rate. Fischer knew he had to maneuver his fleet to get clear shots, and moved into a pincer, attempting to put him in a crossfire, and spread out Saber's shields, though this fight was still a stalemate. He opened comms to all frequencies "All Forces, please provide immediate military assistance, Rear Admiral Jonathan Saber is being detained for several crimes to the Dectrose Empire up to and including treason, war crimes, ordering the killing and imprisonment of an independent xeno race. Once again, all military forces, please assist in neutralizing and detaining Rear Admiral Jonathan Saber."
Taylor held on, reaching for his Hellgazer III and keeping an eye out, he was taken by surprise when Skalia appeared and hovered next to them. If his nose could bleed, it would have. "Is there anything you can't do gorgeous?" Before Sudov tossed a couple of plasma grenades at her, and dropped, though the bracing was unnecessary, as his augments primed for the landing, dissipating the pressure before Sudov shifted him under his cloak. Though running down the street, a Quinterran with a very fresh-looking Admiral's uniform was running in the opposite direction until it noticed Taylor's presence, and shifted to follow the Prizrak.
It easily kept up, several odd-looking pads on the Quinterran's legs kept it balanced "Admiral Taylor, I see you've gotten yourself in danger again." As Taylor yelled out "Admiral Pahoja, I'm just hanging about, taking in the sights, can you do me a favor?" Pahoja rolled his eyes and nodded "Alright, I'll pay you back later, but can you do that Quinterran mind thing to, you know, soften Ohuhri and Max's Psi signatures? You know us Dectrothians are incapable of using any psionics, so I doubt she can sense me." The Quinterran kept pace during all of this, and raised two of his four arms towards Ohuhri and Sudov, before muttering softly "Done."
Ohuhri was steadily becoming tired of being manhandled. She could run on her own, and she dared assume she was nimbler than someone in bulky, servo-actuated power armour. It gave her time to think, though. All the people pursuing her, this Skalia woman, everything all seemed to have been sparked by her arrival. All this, was her doing, direct or intended or no. "What kind of shitfest have I kicked off...?" she muttered.
"Oh my god where could they have gone!"
Skalia bemoans sarcastically.
"ALL I CAN FIND IS THIS GIANT FUCKING BLACK SPOT IN MY SENSES, I WONDER WHERE THEY COULD BE."
She shrieks.
The plasma grenades already wrapped in her psionic grip detonate and cast a threatening glow on her face.
"COULD YOU NOT?"
She asks the firing Prizraks as she disintegrates the ground they stand on as well as two blocks behind them in a cone shape before lifting all the disintegrated particulates and slamming them into the ground at sound barrier breaking speeds.
"WELL THERE WE GO YOU RUDE RUDE MEN."
Breathing heavily she calms herself with a deep shuddering sigh.
"Okay Skalia think think where could they be headed, cut off their destination confuse them and distract the authorities.
"Oh of course the landing pads Skalia you silly girl."
With a groaning shudder the Pearl Capitol Financial Building is ripped free of its foundations in a burst of telekinetic power that even those not psi sensitive could feel it, falling desks and screaming civilians follow the constructs arcing path as it is hurled towards the landing pads with terrifying force.
"Okay alright lets go."
With another whirring her jump pack launches her to the end of the street where her prey were running.
"Last warning hand her over."
The Pearl Capitol Financial Building, all 822 meters of the synthetic diamond beams, the shell and it's contents hurled over the skyline of the city, smashing into other buildings, traffic, military and civilians alike as it smashed and spun and tumbled, before smashing violently into the buildings around the landing pad that the RSC had occupied. Debris from the building shattered into the others, causing them to break apart and shatter as well, as the synthetic diamond beams where great for just being a structure, it wasn't meant to take enormous physical damage and the semi-porous structure of the beams shattered like glass when it encountered such fierce resistance.
Though the main body of the building stopped, the shower of chunks from the building kept going, enough landed on pads, the base and the tower itself to cause several to break off and hit the ground, whereas the debris caused the tower to lean dangerously to one side, before the eventual list caused it to begun collapsing, several ships on it attempting to lift off, with several crushed by the last pieces, others that had warmed engines now rose and tried to break free of the carnage, the RSC's own pad had taken a hit, but was still stable enough to try to take off from, if they could get out in time before the landing pad tower hit the dirt.
Well. That was a wrench in the gears. "Collateral damage isn't a familiar term in your vocabulary, is it?" Ohuhri asked sarcastically. "Is this really worth all the effort?" She rumbled, her eyes gazing at the Spetsnaz.
Max skidded to a halt, reaching back and snapping his rifle out of it's holster as he aimed. He could hear a shuttle approaching from behind, and he was hoping to hell and gone it was a friendly extraction. He could hear vehicles, and he hoped to hell they were friendly too. If not... they would die here. With one hand he gave Ohuhri his submachine gun, and returned both hands to his rifle. "It's going to have to be worth it. Be ready." he whispered to her, before turning back to Skalia, both hands on his rifle once more. "Why." he said to Skalia. "Why should I hand her over to you, after you've caused all this shit? Answer me that."
-----
Rekov and Pergenen had leaped onto the shuttle as it was taking off, and now Rekov leaned into the cockpit and pointed ahead. "There's Sudov!" he said, pointing to the black-armored figure facing Skalia down. "And... oh shit, hurry."
-----
"Emergency launch!" the XO howled as the landing pad began to buckle. "Da!" snarled the helmsman, and with a sudden roar the engines flared to full life and the ship exploded forwards. Shields were brought up and online as they lifted, the landing gear not even fully retracted before the ship oriented itself upwards and outwards, shooting into the sky. It was a close fit and to say that they scraped the paint was putting it very very lightly, but the ship exploded into the open air and grabbed sky as fast as her engines would go. The helmsman leveled out at 15000, and headed the ship towards the rapidly developing shitstorm. The distress calls from teams 02 and 03 were constant and painful to listen to, whatever they'd been hit by must've been bad, but they had enough shuttles to get them out.
Sudov needed support and needed it fast, and in moments the Eyes was over the street and flying high.
Gavin quickly came across the scene, lowering himself down as Turney and Timmer targeted Skalia, before Taylor hopped off of Max, turned around and waved his arms, Gavin looked confused, until Taylor looked at Pahoja, and sent over through the network "Hana Protocol" the quinterran sighed, nodded and focused on Sudov, Ohuhri and Taylor, Gavin standing by as the quinterran's eyes began to bleed, one of his arms breaking and coughed out blood as he lifted and tossed the trio into Gavin's shuttle, before collapsing and heaving as he tried to breathe.
With the three in the shuttle, he produced a Psionic Defense Node, and spilled his nanite container, covering the inside of the shuttle with adamantium. Using the psionic defense node as a bubble, he careened away, making for orbit. The occupants inside felt the nanites swarm over them, and created several custom-fitting Infantry PA's, as well as copies of his plasma shotgun, as he sped off. Though the scene Skalia was left with was a crowd of very pissed-off military assets, who now opened fire.
Aircraft from the IAF Base came in hot and low, going Winchester with their payloads, MBTs firing their main railguns, their 'Doberman II' turrets spewing thermite out at Skalia, even more fired automatic weapons, missiles loosing from IFVs and Wyrm Missile Launchers, they where going to make Skalia pay for the huge loss to innocent lives she had killed today. Moreso where the Bi'jorn and Quinterrans in the throng, creating a psionic barrier to prevent Skalia from escaping the incoming fire.
Looking at the carnage, Fain knew it was over, he slumped against the rooftop's edge, took off his helmet and lit a cigarette, puffing away on it "This bitch, just fucked me. All Nightstalkers, new target, Take her out with full prejudice." He puffed again, before re-aligning the target, and pulling the trigger. Saber and Fischer slowly began to wear each other out, now starting to take damage on both sides as the battle dragged on, but Fischer received news, that the Artificia had been collected, and Bohler is awaiting a report.
Taylor looked at Ohuhri "We're going to get you out of here, I promise you." before turning to Gavin "What can you tell me about her?" to which he got "Well, she's probably got the USS Far Reach in tow, so I hope your" he looked to Sudov "Ship is a fast one. As well, you can kill her here but she ain't gunna stop until she gets Terri or you Ohuhri."
Skalia stands stock still as she watches the shuttle ascending and closes her eyes.
"Angry no of course not."
She mutters to herself as the barrier comes up around her.
"Who's angry not me thats who."
The munitions streaks through the sky and rockets towards her as she mutters.
"NO IM ABSOLUTELY FUCKING LIVID."
Skalia was an Archon, something the Shades had lacked until recently, a direct link to the Shackled goddess, a demi-god in all but name, with a opening of her soul she called on her link and borrowed the power of a goddess.
The entire city disappears under a purple haze as the local continental shelf disintegrates in the blink of an eye, rocketing out of the psionic inferno all 290km of the far reach burn purple and gold as a telepathic screech of rage echoes through space, an event noticeable systems away.
"COME BACK COME BACK COME BACK"
Telekinesis reaches out for the shuttle intending to drag it back to the Far Reach. even as the mighty ships spits C-beams and missiles into the air, weapons arching out to strike the orbital installations from below and by coincidence Sabers fleet.
Ohuhri watched all this from behind the seats of the cockpit, supporting herself with one hand on a rail and one on the back of a seat. Unlike before, where her eyes had been half lidded and apathetic, now they were open proper. She swallowed before she spoke. "I...suspect we're well out of our depth. How...how many people were living on that continent?"
Taylor, Timmer, Turney and Gavin all looked out at the carnage, Timmer said nothing, but slumped back into his seat, Turney turned red and balled his fists, Taylor held back but then frowned, the emotions getting the better of him as he collapsed, and Gavin turned around to put a hand on his shoulder before turning to Ohuhri. "2.7 Billion, more will follow until we evacuate the planet. Kaikoma is lost."
Space for a moment seemed to calm close to the planet and close to the shuttle. Like everything grew silent. Then it buckled, with a bright flash of white light a new vessel appeared in close orbit over the now ravaged Kaikoma, as fire and instability wracked the surface the angelic white and golden ship merely sat silently, a whole host of data and sensor information inflowing directly into its captain.
The sudden psionic outburst had attracted none other than Captain Par'Lan of the A'Zores, the sole Nakai vessel in the galaxy and the bygone remnant of an age in Ancerious where godlike beings walked the stars. Par'Lan had only just returned from speaking to Admiral Hargun of the Union, updating on the galactic events and informing him on the progress of the Anti-Draken taskforce currently engaging any breachzones deep within the roiling mass of the Golden expanse.
Hargun had been immensely sadened when he had returned. With Sotek now back fighting Par'Lan had been graced a brief moment of respite from the non stop fighting. Discovering the galaxy had slipped back into galactic war and that immense happenings had threatened numerous races Par'Lan knew that while he wished to try and resolve the situation he simply did not have that luxury and so he had endeavoured to resolve or check out several key happenings.
The A'Zores had originally been on route to the Ring of Remembrance, having been alerted to its awakening by the Ring itself Par'Lan had made full speed for its location after he had finished speaking to Hargun, that was until this sudden psionic event had happened, directing the A'Zores to check it out he now found himself in a system with many warships and a partly wrecked planet.
" And so it seems more instability within the galaxy " He sighed, the A'Zores responding to his emotions with its own empathy as the vessel noticed a small shuttle escaping from the world, and a large force coming out to try meet it.
" A'Zores move into interception, cover that vessel, and give me full deployment of transport pods to the surface, we will save as many as we can. Open a channel system wide " The A'Zores responded even as he spoke, moving gracefully to intervene between the shall shuttle craft and the psionic barrage pursuing it launching numerous small craft which spread out lightning fast across the planet, each one with its own small portal to transport those who had survived, the A'Zores creating more internal space within itself as well as food and medical care drones to house the refugees.
" This is Par'Lan of the A'Zores, I am currently offering humanitarian aid to all those on the surface, any who seek to interupt such will be warned, and if continued will be destroyed. "
"What the HELL is happening down there?!" the XO cried out, horrified to see what was happening below them. This wasn't something they'd expected. This wasn't even something that could be planned for... because now the continent was gone, they'd lost every comm signature for their men on the ground, a frakking superdreadnought had appeared, and now this titanic gold-and-white ship of some sort had dropped in and was doing whatever the hell it was doing. "Unknown, comrade sub-commander!" "Gods..." "Dectrose shuttle incoming, Prizrak sigs aboard!" "Wait, what?!" "There, commander!" "Get it aboard, and get us out of here!" "Da!"
-------
"There's the Eyes," Sudov snarled, looking at the not-as-sleek anymore stealth cruiser hurtling towards them. The ship streaked smoke from many small wounds it'd taken, and it headed towards them at breackneck speeds. But then to the horror of the Pirzraks, the ship suddenly changed course. "What the hell..." "Eyes of Terrkan, what's going on, we need evac!" Rekov said over the comm, crowding in as Sudov stepped back to attend to his passengers, now on the shuttle's deck. "Negative, negative, we can't here, that superdread's got a line on us, we need to grab orbit! Meet us there if you can, we can't take that thing on!" "You heard 'em." Rekov said, tapping Gavin's shoulder. "Gods dammit all..." Sudov muttered, slumping to the deck between Taylor and Ohuhri.
-----
The cruiser streaked upwards towards space, it's sensors locked on the shuttle as it headed for the rapidly debris field. One could only hope that the huge gold-and-white ship was friendly, and that it'd keep the Annointed off them. One could only hope that the Dectrose ships could provide cover fire and one could only hope that they could reach outsystem to jump to safety. The RSC crew was... out of their depth.
As the group onboard the shuttle watched Kaikoma burn below them, the telekinesis grabs ahold of the vessel, Gavin struggling to break free to no avail. Gavin screamed out "HOW ABOUT NO YOU CRAZY CUNT", he tried using his own telekinesis to break free but Skalia was magnitudes more powerful than he was, so he slumped back in the pilot's chair, spun it around and looked to the gathered crew "Well, suffice to say, we're not getting out of he-" He was cut off by a massive energy spike on sensors, he turned around with unnatural speed, and looked out the viewports, looking back "So, who called in the big white and gold ship?"
The shots from the Far Reach sped out into the orbiting satellites, demolishing them and their crew in one fell swoop, Saber, who was in awe at the pure devastation below him, had no chance to evade, the ships in his fleet where hit first, the entire Battle Fleet getting wiped out all around him. He pounded his fist on the armrest "HELMSMAN, GET US OUT OF HERE NOW." Before a C-Beam completely cored itself through the middle of his ship, breaking it in half as he tried to maneuver. Several more shots seared off the bridge, Engineering and the Cold Fusion reactors, causing massive explosions as missiles demolished the other half of his helpless ship.
In his CIC, he was thrown around the room, breaking bones and objects piercing his body, his augmentations keeping him alive until a missile found it's way though, detonating with enough pressure to open a small hole in the armor of the CIC, but enough to inject a torrent of flames into the entire room. The skin was seared off of the crew inside, agonizing screams where drowned out as the fire burned their lungs, and the vacuum of space pulled them out, Saber still barely clinging to life as he was sucked out and bisected on a jagged piece of his ship, now falling into the atmosphere of Kaikoma.
Fischer, on the other hand seen the destruction of the continent on Kaikoma, the Super Dreadnought and the newly arrived ship that was broadcasting in-system, he figured that he would be better off moving away from Kaikoma and doing what the massively powerful white and gold ship said, wondering if it was the incarnation of the Dectrose Spirits coming to save them.
Taylor stood up and looked down at the new ship, and let out a soft chuckle "At least they have a taste for fashion.." As Turney and Timmer prayed to the Spirits that someone would help them and save them from Skalia, as Taylor moved to Ohuhri. "Hey, Ohuhri, I know you'll get home, and if the Military Network is correct, Bohler has the Artificia from Ruhig. They're in safe hands, and there's a mention of a Cure. I don't know if what that means, but I wanted you to know."
Ohuhri looked up, her eyes now despondent more than anything.
"We can only hope that ship's here to help us." she responded, watching the gargantuan shape of the unknown vessel in the viewports. With so much chaos and so much destruction, with two massive giants now in system, Ohuhri's mind was well past the first hints of doubt of wether she would see home again. If she would see Yehla, and the crew, again.
"Elsewise, Kaikoma may be your grave as much as mine."
"Let's hope it's here to help, then." Sudov sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Gods..." "Sudov." said the team leader suddenly. "You stick with her, got that? No matter what happens." "You got it."
"GET. OUT. OFF. MY. WAY!"
Skalia screams through space as the Far Reach continues to drag the shuttle towards it self, with a thunderous hail all 696,000 of its C-beamers lancing gold through the air between them followed quickly by an identical number of 50 megatons nuclear weapons danger close apparently not in the raging psions vocabulary as she vents her anger at the Nakai ship.
Par'Lan raised an eyebrow as the raging firestorm impacted the shields of the A'Zores, titanic explosions ripped into the golden shields, creating a near constant barrage of light and energy as the sheer volume of C beams and nuclear weapons caused the golden shields to ripple. As the light faded however it was as if the A'Zores hadn't even been fired upon.
Par'Lan surveyed the status updates of the vessel as one feels his own body, everything was in order and his ship was designed to fight far greater foes than this.
" I would suggest not doing that again. This vessel is designed to handle far more than anything you can throw at it. Cease your attacks immediately or I will be forced to use my own weapons. And mark my words you do not want that to happen " Par'Lans words could be heard by nearly all of those in the system, instantly the A'Zores instinctively reacted, eager like a baying hound listening keenly to its masters words.
Energy coursed across the hull of the Nakai cruiser, ready to fire furious Quantum Firebolts, the Spearhead drone launcher arrays and attack craft bays burned bright with light ready to unleash their payloads and the sheer resonance humming of the QAC cannons reverberated across the area of space able to be felt like a deep bass pulse by all those in close proximity, energies of untold power ready to be unleashed by each weapon.
" Do not test me "
Unlike those who may have shielded their eyes from the dazzling lightshow, Ohuhri simply watched, gripping a rail to support herself against the telekinetic pull on the shuttle. "Well. If it's here to help us or not...it's certainly not here to help her."
Sudov watched all the same, his visor cutting down on the worst of the glare though he had to watch from something of an angle. He gripped the rails as Ohuhri did, shivering from the deep bass pulse. Rekov and Pergenen watched with wide eyes behind their helmets, a mixture of shock and terror, clutching their weapons tightly. "Gods of mercy and justice protect us all..." Pregenen prayed under his breath. "C'mon..." Sudov muttered, watching the massive gold-and-white craft. "C'mon..."
Skalia grinds her teeth in anger as she continues to drag the shuttle towards herself, while she would love nothing more than to rip the filthy disgusting vessel in front of her to shreds she had an objective to complete and the A'Zores was making no effort to stop her from taking the shuttle.
Burning its engines the Far Reach turns its nose from cruiser and makes to move past it.
"Do as you please my dear wolf."
She spits back at the resplendent Nakai captain.
All across the planet of Kaikoma, the Dectrose attempted to control the masses of people attempting to flee the planet, until they called in the military garrison on the planet to gather as many civilians as they can, and put them on their ships to burn for orbit, earthquakes rocked across the planet, tearing apart cities and military bases alike, volcanos bursting forth and tsunamis swept across the ocean and devastated coastal cities. The loss of life so far was staggering, it began with 2.7 billion, and that number was rising as disasters ripped the planet asunder, passing over 5.6 billion as the civilians took any chance they had to get off the planet.
While Fischer had been updating Decoroso on the situation since the destruction of Kaikoma, and had recieved word Böhler was en route to the system, the massive presence of the Perturbation arriving at the far edge of the system just out of range of the Interdiction, and cooled down his Warp Drives, announcing to the system on open frequencies "This is Johannes Böhler, Leader of the Dectrose Empire in Ancerious, All available vessels, please assist in the evacuation of the planet at all costs. RSC Vessel, while your presence is concerning, I appreciate your help. Fischer, engage all hostile contacts as they appear." And with that made a burn for the system.
Fischer acknowledged, but had no clean shot at Skalia as she attempted to pass the strange entity calling itself 'Par'lan of the A'Zores'. He set up for long range fire, and sent wave after wave of fighters and torpedo bombers, hoping to make a dent they could exploit when they had a shot. Having a thought cross his mind from the reports, he contacted Fleet Admiral Terri, and informed her that Kaikoma was destroyed by Skalia, and to redirect her course to Trudchen.
Gavin felt the shuttle shudder at the display happening below him, and watched with awe, as Taylor did too as the new ship simply waved off the powerful barrage that had fully destroyed Saber's fleet. Taylor grabbed the comms, and spoke to Par'lan "Dectrose Shuttle to Par'lan of the A'Zores, we are attempting to flee from the planet, but are being restrained by the USS Far Reach under command of Skalia, we would appreciate any help in escaping from the planet and moving our group into safety."
Now without commands from their Captains, the XOs of the Battle Fleets Echo, Rho and Chi took over the Pernicious, Vexation and Gunbai respectively, directing the three Battle Fleets to Fischer's, linking up and prepping for additional long-range bombardment of the USS Far Reach.
As if the destruction of the tectonic activity on Kaikoma wasn't enough, the gravity manipulater holding onto the shuttle with enough force to create gravitational lensing, was the final act that tore Kaikoma apart from the gravity being directed in it's atmosphere. The remaining civilians on the planet where slaughtered with no chance to escape, billions more died in the planet's full destruction. It was then that Taylor lost his will to continue watching it, he collapsed to the floor, inconsolable, as Timmer and Turney attempted, but failed to comfort him. Gavin also felt what would be a lump in his throat, seeing the pure and utter devastation of Kaikoma up close and personal, screams of the dying echoing thoughout the Dectrothian Network as the doomed civilians tried to call for help, before being extinguished.
An eerie silence then fell over the system, the sheer brutality of Skalia to the planet many called home, have been on or had loved ones on, now drew a sober moment, before being replaced by rage. Bohler charged the Dectrose's own Gravity Manipulator, and the combined fleets now moved in towards the USS Far Reach, they knew she was cowardly hiding with A'zores, using him as a shield as she continued to slaughter their brothers and sisters, but they moved in anyway, trying to get an angle which would avoid friendly fire, and fully destroy the cause of their grief.
It wasn't just about the Hana, it wasn't just about the Wyvern or the Peremptory, it was Kaikoma. Fischer gave the order to fire to any vessels with a shot that would avoid A'zores, and the long-range fire began to slowly increase, headed towards Skalia. Bohler swore, if he had any sliver of the power from the Crucible, and it could be fully directed at Skalia, he would use it in this moment.
Ohuhri's eyes remained fixed on the scene ahead. Her eyes remained the same mostly open, but otherwise blank gaze they always were. She was silent for several long, hard moments before she spoke, however. "What did I do when I ran..." she muttered quietly.
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Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 22, 2021 14:47:00 GMT
Par'Lan watched the death of Kaikoma, and yet it didn't not affect him. He was both surprised and not surprised at that, he wanted to be moved by the death of a world, to be angry that yet another paragon of creation was destroyed by ignorant species and yet he felt nothing. Time had not been kind to Par'Lan after all he had fought in wars where gods themselves walked the battlefields, where one engagement could encompass entire sectors and seen entire solar systems wiped out in an instant. Fighting the Draken in the Golden Expanse had helped dampen his empathy and while he was happy that he managed to save several million people he did not feel the true loss of the rest. Better to take and celebrate what is given then mourne and rage over what could never be saved.
He would hand over the refugees soon, however it seemed that the vessel that had struck him was now using the A'Zores as a hostage, for those in system to fire upon that vessel they would hit Par'Lans ship. A tactically sound maneuver in a situation like this, but they could not hurt the A'Zores and so the threat of damage was moot.
"This is Par'Lan, you may engage this ship at will, any stray shots that hit my ship will deal no damage, you have nothing to threaten me in full capacity here. I have saved several million of your people from the planet and will hand them over shortly. "
Skalia takes the godly ships silence as a sign of apathy in regards to the shuttle and finishes dragging it inwards, the small vessel disappearing within the cavernous depths of the Far reaches massive hanger.
With a gentle whine the titanic ship begins to charge its FTL drives as it prepares to flee.
The first scatterings of incoming fire begin to reach the super dread but are easily brushed aside by multitudes of C-beamer fire, the resulting explosions silhouette the arrow headed warship as it turns its nose to face the interdiction station spinal mount charging as it does so.
Meanwhile Skalia herself gathers psionic energy as she maintains her open link to the goddess and begins to telepathically assault the Dectrose fleets in an attempt to turn the largest vessels against the enemy super weapon, at the same time red letter possessed crew members begin to stage mutinies and commit acts of sabotage across the board.
Ohuhri, externally, showed few signs of reaction as the shuttle came to a halt inside the hangars of the monolithic vessel. Her grip on the shotgun's handguard tightened considerably, and she visibly tensed up. Yes, on one hand she was scared. As scared as her two tenths of a human's emotional capacity allowed her to be. She doubted her ability to escape now, and doubted her chances of going home.
She was also fucking livid, for the same reasons. And if she saw an opportunity to vent said anger and frustration, she was damn sure she was going to take it.
Rekov and Pergenen rushed to the door, their weapons up and their armor systems on full blast. Sudov would have done the same, had Rekov not pushed him back. "Protect the Artifica and Taylor!" he hissed, loading a plasma grenade into his rifle's launcher. Pergenen began singing a battle-chant under his breath as he raised his AGL, and braced it. "We'll handle the Annointed." "You... you got it, TL." Sudov said slowly, heading back over to Ohuhri and Taylor. Checking his own ammo, he stood in front of them protectively as he watched his teammates preparing to face down a... well, a Superdreadnought's worth of what was likely very hostile Annointed. He could not help but be terrified, and like Ohuhri, he was beginning to feel anger towards this madwoman that had them in her grip.
------
The Eyes of Terrkan broke away once the shuttle was captured, the crew feeling bitter at the loss of the shuttle-- and the rest of the ground team. They turned towards the Dectrose fleet and began to burn for it, heading in it's direction as fast as they could.
Upon receiving the transmission from Par'Lan, Bohler and the rest of the ships now held nothing back, spinals where fired, missiles loosed from their tubes, all the firepower they could shell out was now racing towards the Far Reach. Onboard the Dectrose crew where more than happy to eliminate the RLDS that manifested themselves into the Dectrose crews, eliminating the mutinies with prejudice, and making sure no RLDS would remain. While captains of ships unfortunately also turned against their crew, the bridge crews made sure that they would put up a fight and wipe the infection from their ships, the marines dispatching and sweeping the ships, miniature firefights breaking out, but still the onslaught continued against Skalia.
Some ships even broke from the Dectrose to engage other ships, but the same story happened with these skirmishes as did the fight between Fischer and Saber. Rounds deflected and CIWS destroyed missiles, minimal damage done and still they kept most of their focus on the one responsible for Kaikoma's death. It was also now that Bohler would be able to use the Dectrose's Superweapon in battle, and he sent -50 Gs of force against the rear of Skalia's ship, aiming to completely disable the vessel and incapacitate it's ability to escape. Though as this happened, Fischer's own ship suddenly began dumping it's reactors, before it stopped thanks to marines inside. Then more ships began to report sabotage, as sensors died, propulsion stopped and targeting was shut down
On the shuttle, Taylor wiped his face, stood up and held onto his shotgun tightly, Turney and Timmer standing alongside Rekov and Pergenen. Turney looked over to the two Prizraks. "Stay low, go fast, kill first and die last." as Timmer nodded his approval, Gavin also preparing to fight, shouldering his personal APS-1, his nanites rippling and his face shifting into an old, spiritual mask of the Itukizens, a terrifying image on his face now as he stood in Corsair PA. "For Terri." he whispered.
Ohuhri's gaze lifted. What were they planning? Leaping out there with barrels blazing would be suicide! Humans or no, she didn't exactly want to be left alone in a shuttle while everyone else got gunned down outside. Because she certainly didn't plan on heading out there. "You aren't honestly planning on fighting, are you? Out there? That's a superdreadnought. All going out there guns blazing means is you'll die full of holes."
Turney looked back "All she wants is you, we're expendable to her, we harassed her and postponed the capture of her prey, I doubt she'll leave us alive. Better to go down fighting than dying like dogs." Taylor placed his hand on Ohuhri's shoulder "Gavin and I are staying in the shuttle, as well as Max."
"We're not advancing." Rekov said. "But we're going to defend this shuttle for as very long as we can." Pergenen nodded to Turney. "Da. Die fighting, die like soldiers."
Sudov swallowed hard, and interposed himself between Taylor and Ohuhri as much as he could. "Yeah. I'm not going anywhere." he said. "I'll protect you two. Maybe she'll take us alive." "I wouldn't count on it, Sudov." Pergenen said lowly. "Hoping for the best, torasvich."
The A'Zores floated calmly as stray rounds impacted its bright shield, like throwing small pebbles at reinforced composite tank armour the rounds had roughly the same effect. Par'Lan had done what he had come to do, now the area was turning into a firefight and he had no wish to enter this fight.
"A'Zores scan this region and find a suitable location to jump to, relay the information to the Dectrose as they call themselves and we can hand over their people " He commanded, the ship instantly responded, massive power spikes surged through the vessel as the singularity chamber glowed bright. The Pocket dimension drive powered its charge, creating a small enough pocket dimension for the A'Zores to jump into then out of to their destination.
A relay message was sent to the Dectrose fleet with the co-ordinates, then with a brilliant flash of light the A'Zores disappeared from the battlefield entirely as swiftly as it had come.
Skalia was getting desperate, her plan to use the A'Zores as a shield was rapidly falling to pieces, in fact it was far beyond that, the plan was in pieces blown across the fucking room and on fire.
Even as the tether connects the ships engines give under the induced gravitic stresses, the huge banks of ion engines tears free of the vessel in a hail of ionic radiation and super structure shards, thankfully the ships grav drives are kept decentralized throughout the hull and while devastating to acceleration it was not crippling. With a fluctuation of psi energy her quantum link finally re-stabilizes and the Far Reach is yet again enveloped in purple flame even as a slug rips through the vessels nose and exits the other side taking the spinal gun out of commission completely, flaring to life the ADS swirls around the damaged super dread and begins disintegrating kinetic weapons severely cutting down the weight of fire the ship would have to deal with, were it not for the massive engagement range not even the ADS would have been enough.
Psi energy creeps towards the nearly transitioned A'zores and twists, coils and snakes around the space surrounding it, creating a psychic tether with the venerable ship hoping to piggy back off its FTL.
Meanwhile Skalia directs her renewed planet breaking levels of power towards the Dectrose fleet, how ever this time it has but one target, the gravity manipulating super weapon, an enormously powerful telepathic assault is focused on it and only it in an attempt to force the vessel to fire upon its own fleet. I
For the occupants of the shuttle only the absolute silence of the atmosphere less interior of the hanger greeted them, it would seem they were of little concern at this moment.
Rekov and Pergenen moved out of the shuttle slightly, sweeping their weapons from side to side and checking the vastness of the hanger. Their helmet respirators hissed very quietly and their gear made not a sound, the two Prizraks moving slowly and carefully as they advanced.
Sudov stayed back in the shuttle, crouching down and motioning for his charges to kneel down behind his armored bulk as he aimed out of the shuttle where his teammates weren't.
Ohuhri did as Sudov had silently ordered, kneeling down and keeping her plasma shotgun readied. She'd never actually used a firearm before, beyond some practice with her handgun which she no longer possessed, she had a considerable amount of knowledge on firearm operation, and unless this shotgun used drastically different mechanics than the ones she was used to, an automatic shotgun was fairly self-explanatory. "I still don't see what the point is at this stage." she mused quietly.
"Maybe, maybe we can get free and out of here so that the Eyes of Terrkan can pick us up." Sudov said, though he honestly didn't sound very hopeful about it. "Haven't had any comms with them since we got caught in the grav field," Pergenen commented. "Fuck. Gavin or whatever your name is, any luck with getting us outta here?" Rekov asked, sweeping the hanger again.
For the crew aboard the Perturbation, a nightmare enveloped them completely, crew turned on each other, firefights broke out on the ship and even while Bohler shifted all weapons controls to the Mantis II AIs, it wasn't enough. While the Spinal and Gravity Manipulator where on cooldown from prior firing, the banks of regular triple railgun batteries now began to open fire on surrounding ships battering and quickly weakening the sheilds of the ships around it, as the chaos continued to limit the assault power of the Dectrose, it was clear to Bohler, as he pushed away at the thoughts entering his mind, assisted by the newer augmentations that allowed further telepathic resistance, that the Dectrose will need more help then they realized if they wanted to take down Skalia.
As Sudov asked Gavin about the progress of an escape, he remained silent, thinking to himself. He knew Skalia was more powerful in the only two means of their escape, even then, the massacre would continue, and more of his newly befriended brothers and sisters would die. He knew this day would come, but he still had the one piece of information that would help tear the shades down, it just wasn't good for this situation.
He looked over to Turney and Timmer, and knew what they had to do to escape, though they both could've done so already, choosing to fight to the death. The Prizraks though, sadly didn't possess the technology yet to save them. Though he could try. Standing up, he went to Sudov "There's no escape except for either going where Skalia wants us to go, or death. I know the latter won't be an issue for Taylor, Turney and Timmer, but it would be for me, Ohuhri and you Prizraks. I could offer to go inside your head to construct a Cloning Chip, but the RSC would need to work with the Dectrose to give us your DNA in order to ensure this process would work. So even if you die, you would still live. Though in data form until the clone could be made."
He shuffled his feet "So, would you be willing to take a risk greater than death in order to survive?"
Ohuhri sighed, looking at the humans in the shuttle. Even with the advantages her kind held over organic limitations, they still held some things over her. "It wouldn't work on me anyhow. No point." she said grimly. If she died, she was dead. She wasn't sure she was going to in the near future, but she didn't exactly bet on her chances of going home after all this, either.
"If I'm going to die, nothing's going to change that." Sudov said slowly. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I have friends outside the squad in another branch, and they wouldn't have the same option. It wouldn't be fair to them. "
Rekov and Pergenen had heard this over their comms, and the Pirzraks looked to one another. "Max is his own person, and I'm not gonna stop him. Braver man than me for that, but I'll do it." Rekov said, aiming at the exit to the hanger as he crouched. "I'm gonna say I'm with the team leader here." Pergenen said, adjusting his launcher and looking about as though waiting for the hammer to fall. "Get it over with."
The gambit had seemingly been a success. Skalia and her vessel disappeared along with the A'Zores as it activated its powerful FTL system, however she had misjudged its capabilities, Nakai FTL was nothing like that of the younger races.
Forming a pocket dimension from nothing the A'Zores jumped into the pocket, physics did not exist here, it was merely nothingness, an emptiness devoid of form, physics, time and rules for it to jump to before recalculating and rejumping to its next destination. For the A'Zores it was normal, protected by its powerful normalization fields the strange reality could not effect the ship, and while the jump took little more than 2 seconds the results were far worse on those not protected by the A'Zores shield.
The Far Reach had suddenly been exposed to a reality that by all rights it couldn't exist in, the surface of the ship buckled, dissipated and curled as physics simply stopped existing, entire pieces of the vessel simply stopped, disappearing completely into the void as the lack of physics took its toll. For those aboard the vessel in the shuttle it would be a literal manifestation of hell, it was like their bodies were not theirs anymore, their own minds rebelling against the kaleidoscopic impossibilities that occurred before them, space and time did not exist, geometries formed that should never have been able to exist and they experienced parts of their past and future as well as their presence in an experience that would cause many to pass out. Then like a flash it stopped.
Back in normal space the A'Zores flashed into existence near a Dectrose world, Par'Lan was alerted before he noticed himself, the A'Zores indicated that they had a parasite. It had been the ship that had fired on them earlier. He allowed himself a smirk, the ship was twisted, nothing like it had been before, the sheer absence of reality had distended it into some abnormality befret of all rational sense. For those onboard they had survived, albeit now suffered from massive headaches and nausea, the shuttle having been twisted into strange dimensions around them. They were lucky to be alive, and all because of 2 seconds outside of reality, any longer and they would of suffered a fate far worse than many the galaxy had to offer.
"Detatch yourself immediately, you have suffered for your stupidity, if you attempt to harry me again I will vaporize your ship and you along with it "
Skalia drags herself from the floor, doing a quick check of herself she discovered her hand was currently 32 dogs upside down held together by yellow play doh and screaming in perpetuity, with a sigh nanites poor into the cavalcade of madness and disintegrate it returning the distressed canines to their original five fingered form.
"I hate everything ever."
Releasing the psionic leash from the A'zores she searches the ships meta concert for the FTL drives and finds them upside down inside a deep frier slightly on fire while a washing machine eats an entire toaster whole, the kitchen had apparently become its own eco system while exposed to the madness of the Na'Kai pocket space, forks dart about like rats as they are hunted by egg beaters and large ovens graze peacefully on cocktail umbrella fields.
"W.what?"
Confused and apparently incapable of comprehending what she was seeing she disintegrates the room ending the flourishing environment while it was still young.
"Okay okay"
Reaching out and beckoning a stream of nanites from the nearest wall she reconnects the drive to the ship and punches the jump button the twisted horrifying shape of the Far Reach vanishing from space.
"Gods fucking... what the hell was that?" Pergenen grunted, stumbling as he tapped the screen of his armorcomp to dispense painkillers to kill the... frankly ludicrous headache he was undergoing. Rekov was doing much the same, and Sudov was the last of the three man team to do so. Shaking his head roughly and hooking his canteen to his helmet, he took a long drink of water before disconnecting it and looking to his charges. He felt faint, sick and his head felt as though a company of tanks was revving their engines right behind his eyes, but he was alive. That was something.
"You alright?" he asked slowly, reaching out and putting a hand on Ohuhri's shoulder as he looked into her armor's visor with his own space-black visage. "That was... a hell of a jolt." "I think we're at FTL again!" Pergenen called. "Go check." Rekov groaned back.
Gavin, much like Skalia, was a mess. His arms looked as it they where ubians hanging on to his head with arms of silly string, his head looked like a dragon though the top and bottom jaws swapped places, and his legs looked like hooks with flowers growing out of them. Much worse was the farm that had grown on his back, a miniature version of himself, the Mantis II EWDS from the Shuttle was busily farming little whale skeletons on his back, before shaking himself around, and restoring back to a humanoid form, looking around at Taylor who was quickly patting himself to check that all the parts were where they were supposed to be.
Timmer found himself upside-down on his head, balancing perfectly until he flopped onto the floor, and Turney just looked around confused, before the nanites in all three suppressed the headaches. Gavin, now focused again and not in the mind-rending trip they just had, nodded to the two that wanted the Chips and said aloud "This might sting a little." As two small worms slithered from his fingers across the distance between them, and buried themselves into the two Prizrak's skulls, the chips forming inside and extending tendrils to connect to the cortex, it would feel to the two like a very persistent itch until it completed, and while still in the Dectrose territory, Gavin connected them to the Network, uploading all the necessary data.
Back in the system where Kaikoma had been, the telepathic attacks ceased, and Bohler regained control, sighing as his screen only seen the empty remains of Kaikoma. An alert went out that the ship had been spotted near Lupus, and he ordered the fleet to charge drives and head there.
Ohuhri groaned as her fuzzy form, left so by the abnormal experience, regained normality, becoming defined again as she slowly rose off the floor. All this, for trying to get home. For a moment she considered her effort futile. Her mind immediately quashed the thought. Superdreadnought and foreign territory or not, she had to keep going. As long as she could do that, she would make it home eventually. In a day, in a year, no matter. "I don't suppose anyone knows where we are now?..." she rumbled.
She was joined by Gavin, who looked around as if he could see though the ship "Judging by the massive telepathic and psionic powers surrounding us, I'd say we're in an Annointed fleet. Though I doubt we're with the Military or Church fleet. If Skalia is a Shade, then we're likely with the Shade fleet. Not that it's much of a suprise, Priestess Helephestus did tell me a while ago 'Enjoy your freedom while it lasts you fucking deserter'. So I'm going to hazard a guess that this is what she meant."
"Magnificent." Ohuhri sighed, the armour clunking as she sat against the wall of the shuttle.
"I get the distinct feeling the pacifist route hasn't worked out too well." she said, a hint of sarcasm evident in her voice. "And I've got no ideas what we do now. Aside from hoping the boss lady of this ship is in a merciful mood."
"I... think that's all we can do. And hope that maybe the Shades will respect that some of us are AGA? Maybe?" Maksim said hesitantly, the fear in his voice now beginning to slowly show itself as he clutched his rifle. He looked over Ohuhri with concern, muttering wishes for safety and escape very quietly under his breath before turning back to the bay door. Pergenen had moved to the other side of the shuttle to cover that side, and Rekov had stayed put. There was a definite sense of dread for the Prizraks, and all three were simply waiting for the hammer to fall. When, how, and how quickly-- all unknowns.
Giving what would be a bodily expression of shrugging, Turney looked at the three Prizraks "Considering this thing slaughtered the rest of your team, and are trying to take an Artificia hostage, I doubt your AGA status will be much use. Sorry."
"Worth a shot." Rekov grunted.
"Is it?"
A very familiar voice echoes through the twisted hanger.
"Because I thought by now it had become apparent that its not."
Skalia phases through the hangars ceiling touching down gently about twenty metres from the shuttles entrance.
"Hello Ohuhri."
On the spot, Turney swung his plasma shot gun up and at Skalia, with Timmer and Taylor doing the same reactively. Though now that the chips where in the other Prizrak's skulls, Turney spoke from his processor into a frequency that would translate into speak in the Prizrak's heads, like an inner voice "Will fire when you engage, we'll back you up." Taylor once again tucked Ohuhri behind his own body, as Gavin nonchalantly stepped out of the shuttle, his form rippling as he put his hands in the small of his back "Priestess Skalia. What a nice time to see you again" his voice dripping in sarcasm.
He gave a slight chuckle "You do realize how much you fucked up right? The Annointed's relationship with Terri? I don't suppose you destroyed any resemblance of a friendship after the RLDS destroyed the 'Hana', then you destroy her base and home at Kaikoma, and now you've captured her significant other. I wonder how valuable her relationship is with you now, once she hears the news and she turns into a scorned woman that is hellbent on seeking the demise of those that did this. And that would mean you, Skalia."
Rekov and Pergenen gave a small start at the voices inside their heads as their comms had not gone off, but they moved to flank Skalia with their weapons up anyway. Rekov went left, aiming his AMR at her head while Pergenen went right, simply aiming his AGL in the right direction. Rekov made a hand signal to his teammate to open fire when he did, and he signaled the same to Timmer and Turney.
Sudov moved back alongside Taylor, somehow placing the both of them behind himself but at the same time alongside Ohuhri as he checked to make sure his rifle was loaded with the right kind of ammo. It was, and so he aimed past Gavin towards Skalia. Very quietly... he prayed.
"Ffuck..." Ohuhri rumbled under her breath. Plasma shotgun still in hand, it wasn't a false statement to say if she had lungs her breathing would be heavy.
"If you brought any anti-dreadnought weapons, now might be a good time." she said quietly, just loud enough for Taylor and Sudov to hear.
"Not... really." Sudov responded. "I don't think those would have fit on our armor."
Skalia laughs at Gavin.
"You should know how pliable the mind is Gavin, i'll bend her like a sapling and dance her like a puppet, she'll beg the Annointed to help, scream and cry and sob for as long as i desire."
She smiles happily as she begins to stroll toward the shuttle proper.
"Anyone who shoots me i'm going to make them eat themselves."
Gavin spit nanites onto the floor, a useless gesture, as the nanites would then just soak back into his foot, but one he wished to express. "It shows how low the Shades are willing to go with Terri, I just hope I live to see it when she tears them asunder." Turney and Timmer still kept their guns raised, after what happened on Kaikoma, they would pay a heavy price in order to inflict terrible pain on the one that caused it, they refused to budge on their weapons as long as the RSC held their own backbone.
Taylor on the other hand, inhaled, and slipped past Ohuhri and Sudov, looking to the Prizrak "Keep her safe for the moment." Before walking out to meet Skalia, avoiding the harsh glare from Gavin as he stepped in front of her "Mistress Skalia, I'm going to assume there's no way for any of us save for Ohuhri to leave this place, but I must ask. Why did you need Ohuhri? Now that there's no possible way we can escape, tell us the answer we had back in the bar at Kaikoma. Because I doubt you would go this far for one person unless it had a major effect on the galaxy at large, or shifted you into a higher position of power somewhere."
Sudov shifted in front of Ohuhri, and dropped one hand to clasp her wrist in a moment of solidarity and support before moving his hand back to his gun. "Stay behind me. You'll be alright." he said slowly, trying to reassure her.
Rekov and Pergenen moved behind Skalia as she moved forwards, continuing to aim right at her. Rekov's finger hovered on the trigger, and he waited for the moment to open fire.
Walking past Taylor Skalia tuts disapprovingly.
"Come now Taylor I'm not stupid enough to monologue."
She stops shy of the shuttle and speaks again.
"Honestly Ohuhri no one can stop me, just come out and I wont harm a soul."
Taylor walks behind her, now becoming more visibly angry "I'm not asking for just me, or anyone else here.." His expression twists and contorts "I'm asking on behalf of the over 10 billion lives you just slaughtered for this one Artificia. So why don't you explain to us what is worth so much death, destruction and wanton carelessness?" The anger sparked across the three Dectrose there, as well as Gavin's own anger flashing across his face. It was true though, from Gavin's brief connection to the Network, it was climbing up from the 10 billion mark on confirmed deaths, and only 2.2 billion had been safely accounted for in survivors out of 14.5 Billion on Kaikoma before they had left the range of the Dectrose's Network.
"Stop being so melodramatic Taylor, there's an afterlife you know, a place free of worldly troubles, no killing no disease nor hunger or slavery, utopia, so killing those people was kindness one i relished."
She glances back to the human with a smile.
"And with Ohuhris help i'm going to send so many more to utopia."
"Getting billions killed wasn't a part of my job description and I'm not too fond of the idea of rewriting it to include such." Ohuhri called out of the shuttle in her usual flat tone.
"And that's how the UAE would completely crush your people, because your short-sighted and arrogant actions would prevent the Dectrose from engaging your enemy and making their souls worth something more than being safe in your version of an Afterlife, I'm sure Terri told you of our Spirits, and our version of the Afterlife. And by the Spirits I hope those men and women on Kaikoma give us the power to crush your Shades." Taylor huffed and balled his fists.
"You may be saving these people, but who would save others when you're consumed by the UAE?"
"Your spirits and afterlife are a lie you fool."
She hisses turning away from the shuttle to face the man she stalks towards him.
"Fairy tales and lies made up by simple minded fools who cannot even see a soul let alone know what happens to it in death."
Stopping well within the Admirals personal space she looks up onto his eyes angrily.
"And while you may think the UAE is some grand threat that we cant handle it isnt!, we have been fighting them for entire universal cycles can you even comprehend that much time, entire realities have been born and died over the course of our war and you think you can do anything at all, arrogant arrogant man."
"Someone hit the right buttons." Ohuhri chuckled, again obscured from within the shuttle.
"Seems so, yeah." Sudov commented, still keeping her as covered as he could.
"Considering they still even exist, I believe that the Annointed can't do anything at all either, Priestess Skalia. And who are you to say our spirits don't exist? Can you prove such? No you cannot, because you are not one of us, you are a gestalt of souls that decided one day to have a lapse of judgement and allow yourself to be betrayed by the Shades which by all means, if you can destroy a planet you could have reacted in time to prevent such an occurance. You are so powerful that you can choose to let billions live or die, but not powerful enough to save yourself from yourself."
Taylor spit out, now on the offensive, leaning towards Skalia "So I think that because you have been fighting these UAE for so long, you would need the help of another nation because yours is too weak to do anything but to kill humans in order to try to save them in your own sick way. I think it's you that are mistaken. Look what you've done so far, what have you accomplished? Nothing but enraging an entire empire who would be happy to rip your throat open and shit down your neck ."
Skalia takes a step back and tilts her head to the side, she opens her mouth to speak and closes it, the process repeats itself a few times before her eyes drift to the floor.
"Admiral?."
She mutters placidly
Taylor watched her "Priestess."
Her eyes come back up filled with anger her lips curled in contempt, her words echoe in his head and power lances through the air.
"Eat yourself"
Taylor had a look of shock on his face, his already pale face turning white as he sweats and looks at his arm, before his arm swung up and he bit into the dermal armor, his teeth still adding pressure as his blood begins to flow out, and grey nanites try in vain to stop the bleeding, now tearing chunks out of his arm as he looks up to Skalia with unbridled fury as Turney and Timmer twitch and squeeze a little on their triggers, wanting to desperately take her head off.
"Weapons free!" Rekov snarled, and began pulling the trigger on his AMR as fast he could, the weapon thundering as it unleashed it's punishing fire. Pergenen opened up with his AGL, unleashing a storm of plasma grenades right at Skalia's back as the Prizrak team leader pounded shot after shot into his target. "Sudov, hold position! The rest of you, take her down! Engage, engage, engage!"
Sudov for his part watched in shock and horror as Taylor bit into himself, interposing himself between Ohuhri and the mad priestess as his comrades fought Skalia. It was valiant, but... their chances were not high. As for himself... what could he do? Nothing, but do what he had been.
"Gladly!" Turney and Timmer also unleashed their weapons, firing their full-auto shotguns into Skalia.
"Stop"
Her telepathic command rings through the entire room, boosted by two shade dreadnoughts in the accompanying fleet, with flashes of purple light munitions disappear in displays of telekinetic furor, however a stray plasma round catches the tip of her left hand and it detonates removing her entire lower arm in a hail of super heated gas.
"Could you not?"
Rekov and Pergenen struggled against the psionic command, but their fire came to a very sudden halt and the two Prizraks crashed to their knees.
Ohuhri almost flinched when the gunfire started, only to cease almost as quickly. Well. That was a brave, though underwhelming display. She still wasn't sure why these people were putting their lives on the line for her. Hell, one man was eating himself because of his attempt. "That was...anticlimactic." She sighed.
"Come on guys..." Sudov whispered. "Get up... get up, come on..."
Turney staggered, Timmer dropping his shotgun and kneeling. After trying to stay up and continue to fire, Turney fell to the floor, groaning as he tried to fire his shotgun. Taylor stopped eating his arm, and the nanites filled in the space he made in his arm, he shot a glace at Ohuhri, making sure Skalia wasn't harming her. Gavin melted, and slid over to Taylor, trying to lift him up, but failing to do so because he had no ship to draw energy from.
With a twisting stream of grey dust apparently materialising out of thin air Skalia begins repairing her now missing arm.
"Im not going to lie I'm a little upset."
Moving forward now unopposed by the gathered warriors she steps into the shuttle with a reassuring smile plastered over her face.
"Hello Sudov, Ohuhri, how are we."
Sudov shifted back, putting a hand on Ohuhri's wrist again as he kept his rifle aimed at Skalia as much as he could. But he did not fire, and the priestess could tell that his hands were shaking. For a Prizrak Spetsnaz he was deeply and truly afraid, but that having been said in this place and in this time he had all the right reasons to be. "Um... I'm okay?" he said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady.
"I've been better." Ohuhri rumbled, hands still firmly on the shotgun. "Like when I wasn't recently kidnapped by a psychopath."
She holds out a hand invitingly.
"Come willingly and i'll spare your little friend the horrors of auto cannibalism."
Looking out of the shuttle past Skalia to his teammates, Sudov could see that Rekov and Pergenen were trying to get up-- and failing. Maybe it was the psionic command, or their suits were failing, or both, but their movements were sluggish and they could not get up from their knees no matter how their tried. Rekov looked right at him and signaled, though with his gauntlet locking up it took Sudov a moment to realize what his leader was saying with his hands. <Surrender if it will keep you and Ohuhri alive. Armor locking down cannot help you. Sorry Sudov.>
Sudov shivered as Skalia spoke to Ohuhri looking momentarily to his arm and then back to the mad priestess. "If she goes, I go with her." he said suddenly. "I'll surrender if I have to."
Ohuhri looked first to the Spetsnaz in the shuttle, then at Taylor outside, and the rest of the group. Well, it was an effort, and it was one she could appreciate. "Before I do anything, how can I trust you won't kill them some other means?"
Gavin gave a concerned look at Ohuhri's words, he too knew of the price on his head, and as much as it terrified him, he did wish to learn his fate. But even as this happened, he constructed small nanites, trying his best to make them resistant to psionics, but not create a void. A falsified signal, a lamb among sheep, he wanted to infiltrate these singular nanites into the Far Reach and Skalia. If he was successful or unsuccessful, he didn't care. He wanted to keep tabs on the location of Skalia and the Far Reach, if he ever made it out alive, that is. But even so, those nanites could very slowly construct others, and perhaps build enough of a network to connect to the Dectrose's. Who would know.
"Put simply you don't, I promise not to but all you have is my word."
Skalia smiles reassuringly again her hand still out stretched.
Sudov swallowed hard and looked to Ohuhri before looking back to his teammates. He didn't know them very well-- he'd only been assigned to Rekov's team when they departed Accord space. But that didn't mean he wanted them to die. Taking a shaky breath, he looked back to Ohuhri.
Ohuhri blinked, slowly.
"One last thing. If I do go with you, what will happen to them?" she asked sternly.
"They'll be confined to the brig, along with yourself of course."
"You know my terms." Sudov said, trying to inject firmness and resolve into his voice. "Where she goes, I go."
Ohuhri looked at the rest of the group, before her gaze returned to Skalia.
"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice." she started, rising to her feet. "But, on one condition, if you want no resistance from me. Him," she said, pointing to Sudov, "And him. They stay with me." her finger moved to Taylor. "That's not too much to ask, is it?"
"Of course."
Skalias smile widens and she steps even closer only centimetres from the hard light construct now.
"The two lambs can stay with you my little shepherd, in fact I'll even confine you to the presidential suites, assuming of course everyone agrees not to make trouble neh?"
"No trouble here." Sudov shook his head slowly, lowering his rifle to set it on the deck of the shuttle. Drawing his sabre and his pistol, he put them both on the deck too before he very slowly stood and took Ohuhri's hand in his armored gauntlet. "It'll be okay..." he said quietly, though whether it was to Ohuhri, himself or them both it wasn't readily clear.
Rekov nodded to him, his movements even more sluggish than before. Sudov signaled back, The team leader nodded again, and then stopped. His armor must have locked down.
Taylor pushed up off of his knees, brushing on his armor as he eyes Skalia with hatred in his eyes, but to Ohuhri, he nodded "Yeah, no issues. What about Gavin, Turney and Timmer?" He looked back, Turney was still itching to get his finger on the trigger of that plasma shotgun, and Timmer just kept on his knees, defeated and motionless, he had accepted that this wasn't a battle he could win, and even givine the two polar opposites of Timmer and Turney, they complimented each other well, but this time it was too much to hold onto. Gavin, meanwhile, looked at Taylor concerned, he knew full well what could happen on an Annointed vessel, and while he wanted to warn him, he kept quiet.
Taylor made his way to the group, leaving Gavin where he was, and stepped to face Skalia uncomfortably close, before leaning against a wall close to Ohuhri, keeping a close distance as if trying to keep her protected, even is he had no available weaponry to do so now. But he had faith that his augments would at least give him a chance to fight if it was needed.
"Up to you honestly, theres about 200 suites on that level figure out your own sleeping arrangements and don't bother telling me, I'll already know."
Skalia answers.
Taylor raised his voice "And Turney, Timmer and Gavin?"
"I suspect that's what she means." Ohuhri responded flatly.
She nods
"Exactly."
Sudov swallowed hard, and nudged his rifle towards Skalia with his boot.
Timmer looked up, then to Turney who was still reaching for the shotgun, before they exchanged glaces and communications in their network before Turney subsided, still looking like he could kill someone. Gavin was impartial, he knew he didn't have a choice.
"Well then lets get you settled in."
She claps her hands together and with a flick of her fingers every living thing in the hangar disappears without a trace, re appearing at the far end of a long hallway.
Sudov cursed and stumbled, though he regained his balance fairly fast. "Damnit..." he muttered. Shaking his head hard and turning around, he put a hand on Ohuhri's shoulder and looked her over to make sure she was alright. "I hate that crazy woman but at the same time I'm terrified of her..."
Looking to Taylor, he nodded towards his teammates. "Get Rekov's helmet off, he's gonna need help getting their armor back online-- and he can't tell us with his suit mics down."
Turney went over to the Prizraks, and like before, helped them up and took their helmets off, Taylor moving to assist before Turney shot a glare "You know how many people died saving her glowstick ass? You better stick to what we saved." Before Taylor slowly moved away from Turney and shrugged to Sudov "I think Turney's got it.. Gavin, there a bar onboard this tin can? I think we all could use a drink."
At Turney's statement, Ohuhri looked off to the side, glad the helmet obscured her face.
"I wish it'd help, to be honest." she sighed. "Gavin, you made this armour removable, right?"
Gavin nodded, then tapped his fingers and then sighed "I dunno if you wanna drink any of it, But I can probably make something up, give me roughly five minutes, and yes, Taylor can help you remove it." And with that, he walked off saying before he went down a hallway "Rooms are that way". Taylor nodded and gently grasped Ohuhri's helmet, tapping the 'brow' of it and the faceplate came off, as Taylor winced "Oof, you're a regular party light there."
Turney helped to address any wounds on the Prizraks, as Timmer looked up "Get some rest, I'm going to guess we're going to have a long trip."
"Okay." Rekov said, blowing out a breath into the air of the dreadnought and looking to Turney.
"Get on my armor comp and go into the utility section and hit the master reset. It may need an override, use 0-4-3-0-3. Then do the same for Pergenen, da?" "That'd be nice," Pergenen commented. "Sudov, we'll be fine here, go on ahead."
Sudov pulled off his own helmet and dropped the hood of his cloak. He gave Ohuhri a warm smile, and took her hand again. It was more of a gesture to reassure her than himself now-- they were out of immediate danger. "C'mon." he said. "Let's go." Gently tugging her along and nodding down the direction that Gavin to Taylor had indicated before heading down that way with Ohuhri.
Sighing and rubbing her brow, Ohuhri nodded, following along. Reassurance didn't mean a lot at this point. All she could hope was that at the end of it all, she would end up back home.
Turney nodded, grunting as he pushes in the Master Reset, then when it asked for a security code, entered in the passcode, once done moving to Pergenen, doing the same and finishing with him, as Timmer began looking at the rooms "Can't say they aren't bad though, Turney. Try to see if Gavin can make us some 170 Taclon Specials, If that boy can fix us some of those we won't need to pay those high import prices. I'll be in this room here to rest." With that, Timmer retired, as Turney poked Gavin's comms, inquiring about the Taclons before glacing to the Prizraks "You ever had some expensive Dectrothain liquor?"
Taylor followed the two, yanking off his helmet and then peeking down into his armor, at his stained Admiral's suit "Well, I guess it won't come off so easy." Before shaking his head and removing the NxRA Mine-Resistant Collar off of Ohuhri, before unsealing the helmet from her head and popping it off, working well for someone having to remove some of the armor while on the move, but that was in part thanks to his augmented legs automatically keeping pace as he focused on other things.
"Can't say as I have," Rekov said, getting to his feet slowly as his armor reset and unlocked. "Though a solid solid Piraak II vod would be good about now. Or what you said." "Regs, boss." Pergenen reminded. "Mission's fucked and we can't report back. And I think we both need one." Rekov retorted. "Fine, fine."
Sudov led the way down the hall, looking in rooms as he went. He kept close hold of Ohuhri's hand and kept pace with Taylor as best he could before he picked a room at random. "This one'll do," he said, taking his companions inside.
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