Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2 - Games

[I]"Oh-ho.... Yuga, you say?"[/I] Moloch put on a wicked smile underneath his helmet. It only grew wider the more he thought of just what he would do to Yuga once he had his hands on her, and Vakarus too. On the other hand, Frosty was not reveling in fantasies of whatever utterly horrible things he'd do to his enemies, and instead was worrying at the prospects of having to fight his former captain and friend. But, what else would he do? He wasn't going to surrender Yanim over. She gave him a job and a place to stay onboard her vessel. If any harm came to her, it would mean having to go back to Karbala. And he does [B]not [/B]want that. "Hey, captain. You want me in the air or here on the ship?" said Frosty.

"Here on the ship. We need the manpower to fight back the boarding party." stated Taylor. She then proceeded towards the exit. Time to get ready for the shit to hit the fan.

Hearing a dull, metallic thudding behind her, Mercy turned on her heel to see Valk and her guards stomping off of the Cateract. She quirked an eyebrow under her helmet, "An entourage, hm? Wouldn't zhat take all zhe fun out of crushing zhe people who attempted to stab us in zhe back?"

[QUOTE]In that storage room over there. Ammunition is in that crate next to the handgun rack.[/QUOTE] Amy rushed inside the room and started to look through it. A minute later she comes out with the case. "Markus, I need an expert opinion on this. Is this a good gun for hunting?"

[QUOTE]"An entourage, hm? Wouldn't zhat take all zhe fun out of crushing zhe people who attempted to stab us in zhe back?"[/QUOTE] Valkyrie chuckled. "You ever seen a drone rip someone's arms and legs off in mid combat and beat them to death with them? Its more fun." she said with a grin, as she patted Warhound Alpha One on the shoulder. "THEY WILL BE TERMINATED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE." sounded off the drone loudly.

Markus was in the process of checking the items in his west when Amy suddenly showed up and needef his opinions. He studied the gun and looked at Amy with a raised eyebrow and a sideways smirk, "Normally I'd tell ya that it depends on where and what yer huntin... But given current situation and the kind o' prey ya might be thinkin 'bout, I'd say it'll work like a fuckin charm."

"[Understood,]" the kanad comm officer aboard the battleship Orikodzek relayed. "[Beginning course intercept.]" Commodore Siyada relaxed in his seat, watching the Aurikha, little more than a gleaming speck in the holoprojected radar display, while his subordinates scrambled around him. Their patrol was nothing special, having been assembled only days prior from two different shattered units on the Voyak front and sent into reserve duties to conserve integrity. Their current mission, an attachment to what the fleet considered an Ayr Imperial Navy action, was considered "routine national security maintenance duty" and so the patrol was under no obligation to contact any command office higher than their local headquarters before attacking a hostile foreign vessel. As the High Council on Kanadys debated reinstating the SS-lead pursuit of the TBC terrorists, they were completely unaware that a tiny branch of the Black Fleet was about to engage the Aurikha. Meanwhile, the three ships' commanders, even Captain Vixe, had no idea of the implications beyond the fact that the Aurikha's leader was wanted. They were just here to stop a criminal. [video=youtube;nHVuFZ63DX4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHVuFZ63DX4[/video] The Orikodzek, the Tyrta, and the Viokhmar raced to their destination. Aboard the Aurikha, Yanim and Neasha began to pick up on the movement of three more large enemy ships. Their carrier may have dwarfed all of them considerably, but it was mostly empty hangar space. In relative terms, the Aurikha was poorly armored and completely outgunned by its enemies. Yanim sprung to her feet. "[I'm getting the dagger. Steady as she goes.]" "[Got it,]" Neasha answered, nervously. As Yanim briskly exited the room, Constantine came over the commanders' private comms, sounding frustrated. [quote]Weapons are online, Boss. I had to make some adjustments at the crew level; some of these hands we've got from SULP suddenly don't want to cooperate... I'd advise checking them over after this fight to make sure there's no foul play afoot here.[/quote] "There almost certainly is," Yanim replied as she jogged toward her quarters. "This ambush had to have been arranged on short notice, and they must have a mole on-board the ship. We weren't headed to Rigel before this week." --- Rask, Maddox, and their two SULP escorts entered the main hall of the ship's lower deck and started to make their way toward the meeting room, which would be close enough to the hangar to allow for a swift escape when the opportunity came, but would also be out of the way so that they would remain undetected for the time being. Rask had even arranged to have a dummy segment of surveillance tape prepared to prevent Yanim from noticing their escape, should she choose to tap into the cameras. Unfortunately, he couldn't prepare for [I]everything,[/I] as a different pair of melora SULP workers entered from the opposite end of the hall with Ravis, who was following them to the Aurikha's armory in search of a better weapon than his current, beaten down rifle that he had been carrying since his last trip to Rigel years earlier. He had spent the previous few days doing odd jobs around the carrier, barely able to introduce himself beyond a simple hello to the crew due to shyness. As the two groups spotted each other from opposite ends of the room, Ravis and his accompaniment weren't really sure whether they were seeing anything strange. "[Did the Boss tell you to pull them out?]" One of the melora asked. "['f course she did,]" one answered flippantly. "[Can't have the second-in-command behind bars when the mother ship's under attack.]" "[I thought he was relieved,]" he pressed on. "[And what about him?]" "[Temporary,]" the escort ensured. "[What are you doing? Don't you have a job to do?]" "[Yeah, sure,]" the other melora said. He turned to Ravis and the other worker and said something quietly to them before turning around and leading them back toward the hangar. --- Yanim reached the small chest in her quarters which contained a few of her most prized possessions. She quickly rifled through them, digging almost to the bottom of the box before she found it; a saronite dagger with a small transmitter built into it. It was based on the same technology as their comm devices, but dialed into a specific frequency and encoded for a single purpose- to summon help from the Boomes, if they were near enough to hear it. She quickly ripped open the pommel and pulled out the circuitry which comprised its antenna and with an engineer's keen eye, determined that it would fall far short of attracting any help. She needed to relay the signal to the ship's long-range array, and quickly. She made a break for the engineering room, but time was running out. Constantine's voice read out a steady stream of commands in flat but clear English: raise the shields to maximum, use the heat from the warp core to turn over the reserve turbine and bleed the extra power into the ECM systems to prevent a lock-on from the closing enemies. The main armaments, six individual pairs of plasma turrets mounted on each broadside of the ship, were powered up and readied for use against the enemy, each operated by a team of four melora workers. The hangar bays were closed off using retractable shields. Finally, the Aurikha slowed to a maneuverable speed and passed within the closest point between the two enemies, the Ryojin on one side, and the three kanad vessels on the other. --- The Ryojin aimed its batteries at the Aurikha as it finally swung past. This was the dance; there was a moment of silence as the two ships prepared to open fire. All that was needed was for the word to be given.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU4hJ7wII8s[/media] Yuga viewed the ships position on the holographic map in real time, standing with her hand behind her back. She squinted when the Aurikha made it's move and she pushed a button on the console, "Battery, divert your power to shields and engines and ready the disruptor seeker missiles." She looked up and met the eyes of pilot, "Helmsman, all ahead full. Bring us away from the crossfire and veer in behind the Aurikha." She then opened the comms with her Batakya allies, "Fire at will on the Aurikha, then make a full turn to follow it and fire again when ready."

Maddox leaned in towards Rask. "What are they saying?" ----- Iron looked up as Taylor and some rough-looking man returned to the armory. "So what's the plan?"

[QUOTE]"So what's the plan?"[/QUOTE] "Our objective is to defend Yanim. We cannot allow them to take her. So we set up defensive positions, and prepare for a boarding party. Eliminate all hostiles." said Taylor, looking over at Iron.

[QUOTE]Normally I'd tell ya that it depends on where and what yer huntin... But given current situation and the kind o' prey ya might be thinkin 'bout, I'd say it'll work like a fuckin charm.[/QUOTE] "Problem is, I never used one of these before. Mind showing me how it's done?" She said as she handed the gun over to him. --- "By the looks of it, we're good on close qarter combat between you,me, Porter and maybe Valk." Alex commented as he aproached Taylor and Iron."Rest have long range covered. Not sure about Frosty and Moloch." He looked over at Iron. "So, what features did the toy manufacturer put in the action figure here?"

Iron pulled out his hand cannon and activated his wrist shields. "These."

Constantine: CH Estimate: 1/2 [B]Actual: 1[/B] Roll Failed. The shields were boosted and ECM systems were fully leveraged in an attempt to throw off the Ryojin's aim at the last moment, but the modern and deadly ayr battleship saw right through the trickery and hammered the Aurikha with missiles up and down its port side. The void cannons locked onto the engines, aiming to cripple the vessel immediately while it was still reeling. Yuga: CH Estimate: 3/4 [B]Actual: 3[/B] Roll Passed. There was a thunderous explosion on the bottom deck of the Aurikha as the cannons tore through the shields and ripped away at the reactors' duct work, venting precious heat and energy into space and slightly altering the ship's trajectory. Neasha diagnosed the problems immediately and determined that the carrier could sustain at least two more hits of that severity before losing fighting capabilities. She issued her own orders to return fire against the Ryojin's weapons systems. Neasha: CH Estimate: 2/3 [B]Actual: 3[/B] Roll Passed. The Ryojin was raked with fire from the port-side plasma cannons, all but one of which were still functional despite the earlier bombardment. Two of the exposed missile launchers on the ayr battleship were detonated by the onslaught, but the void batteries remained unscathed. Siyada: CH Estimate: 2/5 x 2(Malevolence) = 4/5 [B]Actual: 4[/B] Roll Passed. The Orikodzek opened its assault with a combination EMP rocket barrage and plasma blast to the Aurikha's control surfaces. The rockets chipped away at the shields, creating a tunnel through which the blast could splash the hull and burn into it like a sustained lightning bolt. A crack formed in the metal which wormed its way all the way from the starboard side to port, and one of the ship's many thrusters ceased to function. Kiu: CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Malevolence) = 2/3 [B]Actual: 1[/B] Roll Failed. The Tyrta fired a warpfield disrupter missile which streaked under the Aurkhia and exploded, attempting to create a powerful wave through which the enemy's warp drive wouldn't be able to charge. They were surprised to find that the Aurikha wasn't even trying to escape. Vixe: CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Malevolence) = 2/3 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Passed. A set of three small rail guns fired in unison, the Viokhmar scoring a second hit as devastating as the Ryojin's first. Vixe ordered the frigate into the chase, and it soon took up position directly behind the Aurikha's stern in order to keep chipping away at the engines. The other kanad ships fell in behind it and to either side, preventing the Aurikha from turning left or right to use its cannons for the moment. --- As Maddox asked Rask about the SULP workers' conversation, there was a series of rumbles from the lower decks of the craft. Rask shrugged. "They're not speaking kanad." "I think they're on to us," one of the melora interjected. "They turned around." It took a moment for Rask to figure out what the escort was talking about. "Shit!" he suddenly burst out. "Those fuckers were goin' somewhere before they saw us! Alright, new plan; follow me," he said, beckoning the group to follow. They rounded the corner and stepped through a fireproof bulkhead into an emergency stairwell which connected the carrier's four levels. The top deck was reserved for the bridge and the permanent crew, while the second deck was for cargo and docked ships- the floor they were currently on. Below them, the third deck contained the converted factory sections where the SULP employees were working, and at the very bottom, there was the reactors and their attendants. "If we go up, we can attack the bridge and take control of the entire ship," Rask suggested. "Terika must have planned for that," a melora countered; "let's go down to the reactor section and hold the ship hostage from there." "What do you think, human?" the other melora inquired. --- In the hangar, Ravis and his accompaniment rushed toward the Cataract. "Hey! Hey! We've got a problem," he squealed. "Those two that were in the brig got let out, and they're armed!" --- Yanim reached engineering and began to haphazardly rig up a connection between the transmitter and the ship's comm systems. CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Failed. The craft rumbled as another enemy barrage further damaged it, and Yanim lost her grip on a soldering iron. The tip raked across the board and damaged it. Yanim exploded into profanity and continued to work.

Frosty and Moloch, who were walking behind Taylor as she walked outside the Cataract, heard the news about Rask and Maddox slipping out of the brig. Moloch looked at Frosty, then spoke up. [I]"Captain, Frosty and I are armed and prepared. Would you like for us to engage them?"[/I]

Maddox shook his head and cursed. "Are those our only options?" He sighed, rolled his shoulders and checked his gun before looking up. "If we take the reactors we could disable vital parts of the ship and buy ourselves some more time." He turned to Rask. "Do you have another way of contacting your pals or do we need the bridge for that?"

The ship rumbled a bit, from the explosions outside and down below. Fuck, they had started the attack. That's when Taylor turned to see Ravis and his group rushing over. [QUOTE]"Hey! Hey! We've got a problem! Those two that were in the brig got let out, and they're armed!"[/QUOTE] Taylor gave them a look of confusion. Then it hit her. [B][I]THEY[/I][/B] were the traitors. One of them must have leaked the information to the Ayr and whoever was with them. Rage began to bubble inside quite quickly, and quite intensely. Maddox had done it yet again. She tried to help him, and he tossed it aside. He had a chance to redeem himself, to get back in everyone's good graces, and [I]threw it away[/I] for betrayal and a quick escape. She had had enough of this. "[I]Those stupid motherfuckers.[/I]" she muttered, her voice seething with hatred. She heard Moloch speak up behind her, as the grip on her autoshotty tightened. [QUOTE][I]"Captain, Frosty and I are armed and prepared. Would you like for us to engage them?"[/I][/QUOTE] "Yes. I do. I want you to [I]hunt them down.[/I] Take two of Valk's drones with you as backup." she stated, glancing to Valkyrie. The tone in her voice had changed quite a lot. There was no hint of calmness that usually resonated from her. Only anger. Valk knew that sound all too well, and even smiled at it. "As long as I get to see his corpse, I'll be happy." she said with a grin, before ordering two of her drones to follow Frosty and Moloch. Taylor looked back to Moloch. "Capture Rask alive. Yanim will want to deal with him. As for Maddox...you heard what Valkyrie said. [B][I]This[/I][/B] is the price he pays for his fuck ups, failures, and betrayals." She looked around. "The rest of you, get ready."

Moloch stood at attention and pulled back the slide in order to prime his MAG. [I]"We will not fail you, captain. Come to me, Frosty! Allah cries for the blood of these infidels!"[/I] Though of course, Frosty was not as enthusiastic as he was. He wanted to speak up, to tell Moloch that they should at least try talking them down first... but he couldn't. Something held his tongue. He turned to Ravis instead. "Tell us, where did you last see these two?"

Jason was still in the armory, Polishing his X35 and testing out the Scanner before grabbing the extra ammo and going out of the ramp. Jason sees Taylor and runs up toward her. "Hey Cap, Sorry for being late."

"Need me to do anything Cap'n?" Aaron asked.

"Get ready to fight, find a defensive position. Defend Yanim. Kill all hostiles." stated Taylor bluntly to the both of them.

Jason just grinned and then spoke up. "With Pleasure, Capt" Jason sets up a makeshift cover with some crates lying around then he hesitantly waits for the first shot to ring out

Yuga stood silently as the ship fired it's void batteries but couldn't divert power fast enough to raise shield that could withstand the damage. Fortunately for the Ryojin, the missile launchers which had been destroyed had not yet been loaded, and had thusly not crippled the Ryojins own systems. She pressed the button on her console, "[Fire the disruptor seekers. Aim to cripple communications]." The artillerist replied in the affirmative. Yuga was sure that Yanim realized the gravity of her position, and Yuga had no doubts that someone like her would want to call in favors in this kind of situation. This could not be permitted. So while the Viokhmar would continue to pummel the engines, the Ryojin would attempt to cut off outgoing comms from the Aurikha, if Yanim were to try and signal for help. The Tyrta and the Orikodzek would prevent the Aurikha to maneuver in such a manner that it bare all of its guns towards the aggressors. And eventually if the engines could be sufficiently weakened, force the Aurikha to crash land onto Rigel's surface.

Hariim finishes preparing something with the help of Bucky. Foreseeing the possibility of a boarding action, Hariim and Bucky have worked out how to reverse the pull of the Carrier's artificial gravity plating; lending the ship a natural defense. Hariim has tied himself in tightly with ship systems, and has begun trying to pull together a virus that can affect the g-plates of ships he can hack. If he can manage it, he'd have an easier time running defense for his crew while enemy ships dealt with a sudden increase in crewmen with broken bones and trauma injuries. -------- Bucky gets ready to pull her tesla trap again down in engineering, and makes sure to get the Carrier as workable as possible.

Sledge refuses to stay dormant and throws himself through the nearest airlock into the vacuum of space towards the nearest enemy ship! His nanobots keep him alive as he swings his hammer to direct himself towards the hull of the hostile frigate! (ROLL)

[QUOTE=Viper123_SWE;51604459]Maddox turned to Rask. "Do you have another way of contacting your pals or do we need the bridge for that?"[/QUOTE] "Shit, those ships are close enough we could contact 'em with some Dixie cups and a string," Rask replied as he stood at the top of the stairs. "But you know, they're gonna keep on firin' until we stop fighting back, and now that I think about it, I don't think we can even do that from the bridge. Constantine's got independent fire-teams and he sure as hell won't listen to us. Bridge is a bad idea, keh." Maddox nodded, and the party began descending the stairwell toward the reactor deck. Rask yelled back as he led the charge, "hey, double-o seven! Why'd you ask if I could call my 'pals,' huh? Somethin' you need to tell them before we shut this rig down?" They rounded the handrail and continued to descend the stairs. --- [QUOTE=F T;51604639]Frosty turned to Ravis. "Tell us, where did you last see these two?"[/QUOTE] "I- In the hall near the meeting room!" he answered with an overly dutiful, almost-cartoonish salute. "This way!" he shouted as he sprinted over toward the door. He paused for a moment, skidding clumsily across the steel floor, to prep his rifle for fire. With a herky-jerky move, he yanked back the charging handle and sent a half-dozen unspent bullets flying out of the receiver. With a slap to the side of the weapon, he nodded and struck a [I]battle pose.[/I] He was as ready as any fool could be. --- The reports coming in were worrisome, but Constantine was experienced in this sort of thing. From his position within the factory floor, overlooking a large holographic blueprint of the vessel, he coordinated with the engineers to try to limit the damage and protect the ship's power core. Shields were concentrated around those areas to prevent another round of damage. Constantine: CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 5[/B] Roll Passed. While the adjustments were underway, the Ryojin turned its attention to the comm arrays on the Aurikha's back, trying to silence its voice before it could make a distress call. As this was on the opposite side of the ship from its now-overprotected engines, the shields were weakened. Yet, it was a small, moving target. Yuga: CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 3[/B] Roll Passed. The batteries hammered the upper deck of the ship, punching holes into the crew quarters and, unbeknownst to the pilot, venting Neasha's personal belongings into deep space. Immediately, fail-safes engaged to prevent breathing air from leeching out through the openings, a combination of expanding foam cartridges, crawlspace repair drones, and ventilation airlocks. The ship would fight on relatively unscathed, but without its large comm array, it could not be heard beyond the local system. To the crew in the hangar, the sound of impact was far louder than those which had targeted the engines. Yanim, down in engineering, was still trying to fix the transponder when news arrived from the SULP team leaders that the ship had lost long-range communications. Slamming her tools down on the desk, she angrily ordered them to dispatch a repair team. It seemed that Yuga wanted to maintain her unfair advantage, and so dirty tricks would be the appropriate response. While still on the line, she ordered the hangar teams to prepare a repair tug (a small, but powerful unmanned device used to pull in disabled craft for repair) and to launch it at one of the frigates. She then told Neasha to pitch the Aurikha backwards and roll it without changing its heading. The ship was sluggish, but with only one damaged thruster, Neasha was still able to perform the action. Yuga watched from the Ryojin and raised an eyebrow at the strange maneuver. Yanim: CH Estimate: 3/8 x 2(Malevolence) = 3/4 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Passed. Back in the hangar, the SULP team dialed in the parameters, quickly retracted a blast shield on one of the hangar bays, and waited until the massive ship had rotated enough to bring the enemy ships into view. The stars slowly crept as the maneuver took place, and they suddenly had a clear view of one of the frigates tailing them. They charged forward with a dozen or so workers pushing the truck-sized device toward the force field. As it hit the threshold, they let go, watching it slide through the barrier and into space, a long steel cable following it. Small maneuvering thrusters silently guided it toward the Tyrta until the full length of the cable had been exhausted and the tug began to swing as if it were a giant pendulum. Although the kanads could see the object approaching on their radar, they were too close to avoid it. Its close-proximity turrets opened fire at the last moment, but they were unable to shoot the tug in time. It thumped against the frigate's hull and an electromagnet engaged and firmly anchored the tug to the vessel. The SULP team then engaged a winch which began to pull the cable, and the frigate, closer and closer to the Aurikha! Onboard the Tyrta, Kiu began to panic, forgoing his officer's training. "[Full thrust away from the carrier, go, go! Hurry!]" His pilot flatly ignored the navigation officer's calls for caution and threw the throttles wide open, expectantly looking toward the Aurikha for evidence of success. Kiu: CH Estimate: 9/10 [B]Actual: 1[/B] Roll Failed. The engines roared to life, putting massive tension on the steel cable tethering it to the Aurikha. Unbelievably, instead of the cable snapping, the combined forces involved caused the tug to rip a huge panel of the Tyrta's hull away, leaving a massive, open scar which instantly vented half the frigate's nitrogenous atmosphere into space and killing nearly a hundred crew members! The tug, still attached to the debris, came whipping back toward the Aurikha at high speed and slammed into the side of the vessel. The SULP crew deactivated the magnet, allowing the huge steel plate to roll off into the void above while the tug was reeled in. A large dent was left behind in the Aurikha's upper deck. Neasha witnessed the Tyrta's sudden gutting and leaped at the chance to finish it off. "All teams: focus fire on the wounded frigate!" The fire-teams did as they were told. Neasha: CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 5[/B] Roll Passed. The plasma cannons on the Aurikha tore hell into the Tyrta's open wound, blowing the decks apart and compromising the vital systems within. In a cold, sad blue flash, the fusion core within the frigate was opened up to the stars, and the ship was fully torn in half. [B]Enemy Frigate Eliminated.[/B] Commodore Siyada witnessed this action with a look of sheer horror. "[Kiu, Nooo!!]" he screamed, waiving at his comm officer to begin sending distress signals. There was no response from the Tyrta, leading to a lull in the battle for a small moment. "[Vixe, get over there and run search and rescue! I'll get Spirra HQ involved and get backup. Shuur- I'll bring the carrier down myself!]" The Viokhmar diverted course while the Orikodzek fired a barrage of heavy missiles at the Aurikha's engines, trying to overpower the shields which Constantine had boosted. It was no use; the Aurikha had won this round, but the Commodore was anything but discouraged. "[Prepare the escorts! I want to see that boarding party protected!]" A set of four kanad fighter craft appeared from under the Orikodzek's wide, arrowhead-shaped body and closed in on the Aurikha, raking it with inconsequential, but distracting fire. Meanwhile, the Cataract crew was beginning to take action of their own. Bucky had joined the SULP workers in enacting the repair plans Constantine had ordered, stopping the leaking of thermal energy out of the engines. However, it was a long run and an elevator ride to get to where the damage was, and she had only just entered the reactor deck. It was a long, narrow run with a faint orange glow emanating from numerous surfaces, the mark of newly retrofitted YsCom engines. SULP workers and their repair drones were already at work trying to service the piping in a hazy cloud of smoke, and in the distance, a catwalk stretched above the engine cores to a small octagonal control room, connected to a stairwell. Hariim began to tackle the enemy ships with cyberwarfare, but with the communications array damaged, he had trouble generating a powerful enough signal to reach the systems he desired aboard the other ships- the mid and low range arrays couldn't pierce the ECM fields around the enemy ships. Sledge, appearing almost out of nowhere, was the final, and by far the most macho combatant. He charged for the still-open blast door, and before anyone could discourage him, he launched himself into the vacuum of space, toward the Viokhmar! Sledge: CH Estimate: 1/5 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Failed. Sledge was roughly halfway to the Viokhmar, swinging his hammer with futile, dwindling strokes as his nanites struggled to counteract the horror of space itself, when the Viokhmar's close-proximity turrets engaged and fired a rocket at the slow-moving, fleshy target. Sledge was blown into a fine mist of pinkish particles surrounding a metallic skeleton which hurtled back toward the Aurikha in the exact opposite direction. A few seconds later, the goopy mess splashed back into the hangar, slowly and methodically molding itself back into the Sledge we know and love. But something was wrong. His hammer didn't return. It continued on its voyage, clanging against the armor of the Viokhmar harmlessly, floating there. As Sledge regained consciousness, he knew it was out there, and that he needed to get it back.

"NO." Sledge HURLS himself back out after his hammer. (ROLL FUCK YOU)

Maddox grunted and continued to scan the corners of the stairwell with his gun as the group descended. "No but I figured we have a bigger chance of getting out alive if your friends knows where we are." ----- Iron remained solid in place, almost like a statue, while SULP workers ran around him. He watched some of the crewmembers set up defenses while the ones called Moloch and Frosty rushed ahead to track down the escapees. The bounty hunter sighed and glanced at his holster. His gun was fully loaded. For a brief moment he considered joining the two madmen on their hunt but eventually decided against it. "Not my bounty to catch." He said to himself. "Sis, you need me anywhere special?" Asked Iron while radioing in to Taylor. ----- The boxy yet nimble dropship deployed from the Ryojin. With extreme focus the Ayr navy pilot began to navigate through the field of debris and swarms of weapons fire. Vakarus looked over the pilot's shoulder. "There." He said, pointing at a large piece of scorched armor plating from the destroyed kanad frigate. The pilot nodded and approached the large piece of armor. When it was but a few meters away the dropship deployed a heavy magnetic hook which buried itself into the debris. Slowly the ship reeled itself in and all became quiet. Vakarus opened up the comms channel. "Yuga'atvan, team Bladedancer is ready to strike."

Yuga raised an eyebrow as she looked out of the observation ports to see a bright ball of flame as the Tyrta exploded, "Typical..." she taught to herself. She received the message from the Orikodzek and noted as the Viokhmar veered off course to search the wreckage of the former battleship. Yuga contact the armory once again, "[Battery, fire the void cannons at the Aurikhas engines. Follow up with another salvo of disruptors, this time to cripple their engine control.]" She then contacted Vakarus, "Enter behind the batakya. Extract the informant and disengage. The rest of this fight does not concern us." ---- Markus perked up when he heard that Moloch and Frosty would chase after Maddox and ran after them. Sting, excited by the sheer aspect of running and the promise of shooting someone, followed close behind with all her four guns drawn.

Vakarus bowed his head (even though Yuga could not se him) before responding. "Bladedancer acknowledges, Yuga'atvan." He patted the pilot on the shoulder. "We have our orders. Begin the mission." Vakarus pointed at the Kanad vessels. "Use them for cover during our approach. Stealth is key." The Ayr pilot nodded and detached the hook. Quietly navigating the debris field the [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Vakarus%20Chikaze%20Dropship.jpg]Chikaze dropship[/url] painted in dark colors approached the Kanad vessel which launched a swarm of missiles at the Aurikha while its fighters deployed to provide a distraction. "Our Kanad comrades are eager to honor their house it seems." Said Vakarus. The Ayr pilot grunted in response while continuing to focus on flying. Soon the stealthed dropship was in range of the Aurikha. "Hold." The dropship began to slow down untill it situated a small distance from the ship. Vakarus opened up the communicator and switched channel. "Bladedancer to [i]Dagger[/i], do you acknowledge?"

[quote]"I- In the hall near the meeting room!" he answered with an overly dutiful, almost-cartoonish salute. "This way!" he shouted as he sprinted over toward the door. He paused for a moment, skidding clumsily across the steel floor, to prep his rifle for fire. With a herky-jerky move, he yanked back the charging handle and sent a half-dozen unspent bullets flying out of the receiver. With a slap to the side of the weapon, he nodded and struck a [I]battle pose.[/I] He was as ready as any fool could be.[/quote] Oh boy. While both Moloch and Frosty were prepared to fight, Ravis would probably end up shooting himself on the foot by accident. At least, he'd make a good meatshield in the events Rask and Maddox are armed. Moloch took a look around the group. Markus, as well as some scorpion person dressed as a cowboy showed up. While it was good they'll be joining the hunting party, he was still the most armored and protected out of the bunch. He then looked back to Ravis, still in his battle pose, and spoke up. [I]"Perhaps, I ought to be the one in front. Lead me, but follow."[/I] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZwfVZ1UXI[/media] He looked back at Frosty, though. He was looking rather... strange. Frosty had his oxygen mask on, and had his sunshield down. But as Moloch moved in closer, he could see something was wrong in Frosty's eyes. They were wide open and looked as if they were rolled all the way up. [I]"Something wrong, Frosty?"[/I] said Moloch, trying to break him out of this trance. Frosty twitched and spasmed for a moment as he regained focus. He removed his oxygen mask and... vomited on the floor. Moloch reeled back in disgust. [I]"Oh no... Frosty, listen to me. I understand you do not want to do this, but we need to. For the safety of all of us."[/I] He moved in a bit closer, avoiding the puddle of puke. [I]"If you really feel as if you need to stay behind, then by all means. I don't want you to force yourself to fight if you can't."[/I] Frosty, wiping away his mouth, looked back at him. "No, no... I'm fine." Moloch didn't believe that, but pressed onward. [I]"Let us move!"[/I]