• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2
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Orso gave a sign to his men to stop and not pursuit the retreating kanads. "We'll settle this later, now we follow TBC's orders." [QUOTE]Nice to see friendlies![/QUOTE] "Anytime." He noriced Taylor wasnt exactly geared for battle, while he was reloading."Ehh, not to tell you how to do your job, but you might need put on something else. Down the ramp, to the left we have an APC. Spare armor in there. At least a helmet." --- "Dont run you little shit!" Alex yelled with a mocking tone "The fun is just getting started!" He looked towards Taylor. "What are the orders captain?" --- "Kanad ship is circling arround. Looks like they want to move in for the kill." "What do we got?" "Big ass misiles that could connect with us and blows us out of the sky." Seth didnt waste much time with his orders. "Attempt evasive maneuvers. Scramble fighters. Tell the boarding crews to get on their dropships and to get a move on. Patch us through the enemy ship and prep the package for a drop." "The package? That thing can level a 3 city blocks and you're gonna drop it on the enemy ship?" "Not the enemy ship." He pointed at the map. "We're gonna drop it here." His finger was right outside of the Aurika's position. "You can't be serious?..." Tarvis went pale "You are serious." "Patch us through."
"Ah!" said Valk, examining the burn to her shoulder. Not too bad of a cut, but it stung like hell from the plasma burn. Would make a pretty wicked scar, though it did fuck up one of her tats. Shit. She then looked to her cutlass. Sliced clean in half. Anger started to boil up, forcing her to mutter a string of curses, before looking up to see where that Kanad had went. He was nowhere to be found, having disappeared off into the snowy void. "God [B]DAMN IT!![/B]" she blurted out. Her attention switched to Alex, hearing him ask Taylor for orders. "Yanim bolted off into the snow after something. We have to go get her and make sure she gets back to the ship. [I]Maybe gut that little cock sucker while we're at it, and plug his merry band of pussies too.[/I]" said Valk, as she sheathed what was left of her blade and racked the slide on her machine pistol. And with that, she trudged off through the snow in the direction that the Yanim had gone before. - - - - - - - - - "Yeah, I did have some power armor, but it was shot to shit earlier. I'm Taylor." said Taylor, standing up after seeing the kanads disappear into the snow. She stood up. "Orders are to defend Yanim, and make sure she makes it back to the ship. So that means we have to go get her. I'll take you up on that armor offer." she said, as she glanced over to Orso. She gave him a thumbs up, then headed out into the cold weather. As she landed in the snow at the bottom of the ramp, the rest of the crew could hear her shout [I][B]"FUCKING SHIT, ITS COLD!"[/B][/I] A few seconds of trudging through snow later, she was at the APC. She knocked on the side as she came around to the door, to let those inside know she was coming. "Hey, your boss said you had some spare armor I could use." she said, as she poked her head around into the opening.
Orso noded after Taylor gave the order. "Right, we'll go after your boss and the can of angry crazy you have in your team. The name is Orso, by the way." Orso and his men ran down the ramp and towards the fleeing kanads. Valk and Yanim. --- Alex followed Valk. Last thing he needed was Yanim to die. After all this. One thing he couldnt explain however was the feeling of power he was feeling. Like he was ready to tear a mountain apart. --- The Boome in the APC noded when Taylor poked her head in. "Take what you need. Best grab something from that case. Helmets there have thermal."
[QUOTE]"Take what you need. Best grab something from that case. Helmets there have thermal."[/QUOTE] "Got it." said Taylor, giving them a thumbs up before slipping in and grabbing the armor. She grabbed a helmet from the case after she finished suiting up, and slipped it on. Its HUD lit up rather quickly, cycling through vision modes before switching to standard color vision. Not too different from her power armor's setup, so she wouldn't have to worry too much. She gave them a thumbs up, and climbed back out. Outside, she cycled to thermal vision, looking around and spotting Orso and his men heading off after two other red figures. Alex and Valk. Then, she herself chased after them, high stepping through the snow.
Markus had come down from the walkways above and joined up with Sting at the ramp. They overheard Valks intentions before the group of people split up and went their separate ways. "I love that gal" Markus said with chuckle. Markus and Sting joined up with Taylor as she began heading in the direction of the other party. "I reckon ya got thermals in that thing" he shouted slightly, "Cause I can't see a fuckin thing in this mess. he said as the snowstorm raged on.
Jason walked down from the ramp and joined with Taylor's party. "How's the suit feeling, Capt?
Iron moved down the ramp and formed up next to Markus. "Don't worry pal, I'll spot 'em for you."
Chemosh: CH Estimate: 3/5 x 3(Ace) = 1 Roll Passed. An old reaper was once again mounted on his pale horse. Chemosh could have snuffed the life out of every person on board the Chikaze dropship, but he chose instead to disable it, firing off a series of EMP shots which stripped away the ship's electromagnetic shielding and disabling the computer guidance systems within. It fell like a rock, until passive gyroscopic units activated emergency landing systems, and the dropship landed rough in the snow with a chemical blast of thrust. --- Valkyrie and Alex were the first to arrive at the growing crowd in the middle of the snowstorm, and they were exactly the wrong type of influence to add to such a volatile situation. The Boomes that arrived just behind them acted to temper them slightly and prevent the two from taking any rash action, a role they weren't use to playing. As they approached the reddish blotches on their infrared sensors, they found Kyrskada and the marines they had wounded before, and only when they were steps away did they see what they were watching: Captain Vixe at the end of a barrel and Arkadam at the end of another. "[We'll do this my way,]" Yanim insisted, "[or we don't do it at all. The moment I let you go is the moment your escort pounces on me, weapons or not... You all know I can't fend you off on my own.]" "[What do you want-]" "[Shut up,]" Yanim spat, pressing the gun hard against her head. "[Just listen- you and I, and all of my comrades will walk back to the Aurikha. Your soldiers will return to your ship, except that officer there, who'll bring my friend just as he has him. We'll trade once I know I'm safe.]" Vixe bit her lip for a moment as she considered the options. As fearful as she was, there was no way she could agree to Yanim's terms. Once she was from her escort, what was stopping Yanim from releasing her, only to recapture her once her friend was secured? She summoned what little courage she ever had and replied, "[I refuse. If we go to your ship, I'm as good as captured.]" "[We don't want you,]" Yanim implored. She and Vixe noticed the additional bodies appearing from the fog. Before she could say anything else, there were a series of booming explosions from high above, causing everyone to look upwards, but nothing could be seen through the weather. --- "[They're hailing on our frequency, sir,]" the comm officer said. "[Ah, good,]" Siyada said, cracking his knuckles. "[They're probably looking for a way out of this mess. Are we ready to interpret the human language?]" Another officer nodded, after which the commodore pressed a headphone against one ear and motioned for the signal to be put through. The weapons officer noticed an electromagnetic pulse elsewhere in the sky, but it appeared unrelated to the Boome/Kanad affair and so he waited for his commander to finish speaking before notifying him. Seth's face appeared on the holoscreen, looking far more grave than the relaxed Siyada, who spoke first. "[Gentlemen, this affair has gone on unchecked and has created animosities which I fear will spill far beyond this simple ship versus ship affair. I have word that your men on the ground have killed some of mine, and my allies, and furthermore you've damaged a ship of the Collective with reckless abandon. I understand your role as mercenaries, but unless we come to terms here and now, I will be forced to terminate your entire vessel, and additional action may be taken by the Black Fleet against your organization.]" --- The others, lead by Taylor, finally began to arrive at the scene. Jason, Iron, Sting, and Markus arrived from almost 90 degrees out from the others, and found themselves standing behind a line of fresh kanad marines, as well as Kovar, the officer holding Arkadam hostage. As they grew close, they could hear Yanim and Vixe arguing in their native language. "[A- And now your comrades have arrived. The odds have evened and you can release me [I]here[/I]-]" Vixe stammered. "[Will they move faster than plasma?]" Yanim overrode her. "[I've been on the run for years. I know how these things go and how little honor your uniform represents.]" "[And your colors mean more?]" Vixe demanded. Yanim paused for a moment, looking over the faces which greeted her at the edge of the crowd. When the word had gone out, at the very beginning, that the Muramasa needed a crew, she remembered the sort of scum she and Rask had been searching for. They [I]wanted[/I] killers, cheaters, thieves, [B]scoundrels of the interstellar highway[/B]. What she saw now was something completely different. Taylor departed Port Virtue a veteran of the human armed forces and a native of a hostile world. She was a natural leader, yet humble, and despite aliens of deplorable character dictating her orders until circumstances thrust her into her rightful role as captain, she bore the heavy weapons and the onus of protecting others as a human tank. When the Muramasa crumbled around her, she didn't waiver. Lesser crews and companies would be shattered by the loss of the ship, and yet she fought on, the foundation around which a new legacy could be built. Alex had been hired as the ship's cook, two years ago. Despite the high politics surrounding his family name, he was brought aboard as a former pit fighter, and at times his limited skill set prevented him from keeping pace. After everything Yanim and Rask had taken him through, there was no reason he should continue to fly with TBC, especially after the missions to Prospera and Voyak... through chaos and active war zones he was utterly loyal, risking himself for men and women he had only known for a short time, fending off traitors and remaining stalwart in unbearable conditions- a man of impressive character by any measure. Valkyrie had survived a trepanning. She was a robotics expert, having come aboard the crew to create tools of destruction, seeking riches and infamy... and yet there she stood, nothing but a machine pistol in hand as the raging blizzard threatened to bury her and the others, the warmth and the safety of the Aurikha behind her. She had fought tooth and nail to defend a crew and company which had almost lost her just weeks before, and now she had pursued the enemy into the cold. Maybe it was just to strike down a hated foe, but Kyrskada was only one face out of hundreds of millions of kanad sailors and marines, and enemy which could haunt her all her life should she continue to bite them. And yet she stood by, fearless. Markus... at times he had been labeled a coward, a misogynist, and an opportunist, and when the crew struggled to find an identity in the wake of Voyak, he had been one of the few who had sided with Rask in accepting the notion that he and the crew stood for nothing. Why then, when the fatal shots fell on Rask's head, had Markus been among the shooters? Maybe it was because Markus was a survivalist, a man that valued his own life above weight of loyalty or ideology. Did that make him a coward? No. A coward would have stayed home entirely. Markus was a different breed- selfish, yet brave, a rebel struggling to find a path through a hostile galaxy among so-called friends who suspected and even despised him. Yanim saw something of herself within him. And here he was again, when he could have stayed behind. Jason had known the mercenary life before. An adventurous spirit from another crew, he arrived just as the company was about to reach its darkest hour. He was quite selfless, and despite his naive demeanor, he had more than proved himself an asset to the crew, bringing intuition and a willingness to risk his life not because his survival depended upon success, but because he found a worthy cause in his actions and remained loyal to his positive qualities. Jason was simply a good man, one which the crew, in its cynicism, may have dismissed at times. But despite their skepticism, he came when he was needed. Iron and Sting seemed polar opposites, and yet they had joined the crew together. One, a haughty, impersonal bounty hunter with a tactical mindset and a contempt for failure, and the other, a swaggering, down-to-earth (if such a phrase was still valid in the reaches of space) gunslinger who was often drunk. Yanim barely had time to meet either of them before the whole company risked annihilation. What brought them here? Was it the promise of pay alone? The excitement of infamy? Yanim realized that her company was building a reputation for itself. Those who came, came because they saw something more than the bread and butter of mercenary life, or the chance of quick riches on some kind of criminal score. They came because TBC meant something in their imaginations, and it wasn't the lofty aspirations Yanim had assigned to her business. Yanim had once felt that the galaxy was so fundamentally flawed, so intrinsically wrong, that to be good was to be naive, to take on weight which gradually drowned the heart in an ocean of sorrow. She had watched the good people of her life, like those on the Archius crew who had been cut down in their misguided quest, like Virin, a soldier and a gentleman, and others she had briefly known, perish and have their accomplishments lost on the wind of change sweeping the galaxy. She believed that she could rescue their legacies not by living as they lived, but killing those responsible for their deaths. Yanim, and her followers, would live evilly so that others might live well in peace. She scripted a dream. Once the biggest evils were brought down, made mortal, and overwhelmed by rebellion, then the flaw could be mended. Good could finally strike out and claim the galaxy for itself. But she was so small, even with the small fortune Harken Saw had left her. And as her health declined and her moral code decayed and became contradictory, she became smaller and weaker. The strength of the company she built didn't come from her dream. It came from the crew. They were always good people underneath the burdens of life in the playground of space, and adversity had brought forth their better nature. The company's identity took a life of its own, independent from Yanim. Far from the ideological champion of the lot, she was a follower just like the rest. On Itara they found a world free from the politics abroad, slowly being eaten away by the Collective's machinations. Yanim had gone there to kill, and had to be saved. The crew she summoned wasn't a benefit to the rolling fields of grain and the simple way of life on that world. The crew was a cyanide pill, they were dropped into the roll they believed they were meant to live, and they left the galaxy a bloodier, more bitter place. This could have continued everywhere they went, had they allowed it. On Prospera they were tasked with humbling a criminal empire. It was supposed to be simple, a razor blade intended to relieve the swelling. It went badly awry, and madness overtook the whole planet. While the crew was paid and continued to grow stronger, shades of contrast began to appear between them, and between the crew and its foes. By the end, the revelry Yanim felt for the living hell she had created was something she felt alone while Amelia looked on in horror. It was first sign that something greater would unfold. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew was busy celebrating Owen Jackson's miraculous victory at the Grand Prix, a dream of his brought to fruition. The rest of the galaxy cared very little for the outcome of that staged event, but just for a moment, Owen had become exactly the person he had always wished to be. And that's all anyone in the crew really wanted. A chance to be the very person they themselves could be proud of. Voyak was a mission so maligned that it felt ill-fitting. The crew that had gone to Itara could have easily been the same as the one which went to Voyak, but by the time the latter mission had rolled around, the crew had gained a taste of something worth aspiring to, and Voyak would never give to them. They reluctantly carried out their tasks, and left yet another bloody nose in the poorer reaches of the galaxy. Now, all the evil they had been a part of was catching up to them, just as they were gaining the resources to turn a new leaf. Rask had stolen their money. Yuga and Vakarus had come to euthanize a malignant company. The Collective was committed to stamping them out for good. In the face of such potential, something so great and so beyond herself, Yanim knew that her aspirations of liberating whole planets was just a temporary insanity. It was a dreamy vision of the future, just like the promises of immortality offered by the Archives of Starvis. Arkadam had arrived as well, reminding her of what it felt to care for others far more so than herself. All the damage which had been done by the loss of her friends, and to some extent, her brother, to the suffocating evil of the galaxy, was being bled out of her, and she was remembering more and more what sort of person she had been when she was Head of Engineering aboard the Archius. She wanted to pour out her heart's contents and reveal immediately the capacity for healing that the crew now possessed. [video=youtube;E8DBJirlEh0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DBJirlEh0[/video] Looking at the man she had come to rescue, through a mop of hair at glittering, soulful orange-colored eyes, she knew that the time was quickly coming when she should end her crusade. The crew could carry on her banner now, better than she had ever done, and what little life she still possessed as her nerves were slowly dying within, she would spend rekindling her heart. If Arkadam should stick around, then maybe, just maybe, she could find time to start a family, before the end. She knew, in many ways, that it was a death sentence for herself. A resignation to the fate she had been prescribed, but with so much having been accomplished, even with every mistake she had made, with so much potential in the hearts and minds of the crew she had helped assemble, she knew that it had finally been worth it. Taylor, Alex, Valkyrie, Markus, Iron, Sting, and all the others... "[Yes... I believe they stand for something far greater...]" Yanim said, her voice quivering. [quote]Boss, this is Constantine. We're running through the main reactor startup sequence now. We're pretty sure we can get the rig off the ground right now. Where are you?[/quote]
"[!الله أكبر]" yelled Chemosh over the comms. The Flying Serpent of the Artisynth landed his hit and now it was time to finish this before the Ryojin notices. He starts flying circles around the dropship, armed and ready to unleash a hailstorm of missiles and lasers upon it. -------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, Moloch reloaded his MAG as he slowly followed the rest of the crew outside, occasionally dropping spent casings and leaving markings on the snow just so he could find his way back to the hangar in the events the weather became worse somehow. But he heard something over the comms that made him stop. And it was spoken by [I]Frosty [/I]of all people. [quote][Glory to God!][/quote] ... [I]Since when did Frosty ever learn to say that?[/I]
One of the Vakr warriors tried to shake off the light headache sustained from the crash. "Pilot! What is happening?" He turned towards the Ayr marines. "We need to repel the enemy before they strike once more!"
Taylor studied the situation that sat before her and the group that had just arrived. Yanim apparently had the Kanad force's commander as a hostage, whilst nearby Arkadam was being held at gunpoint. A situation that could get really ugly really fast. Luckily their numbers were close to even. She didn't know what they were saying, since she didn't know any Kanad, but hopefully it was Yanim trying to work things out. She spoke up after a few moments. "We can settle this peacefully. Simple swap once we get back to our ship. I promise that no harm will come to your commander if no harm comes to our people." she said, looking towards the Kanad sergeant that had retreated from the conflict minutes ago. "If you harm so much as a [I]skin cell[/I] on them, we'll retaliate and won't stop until you and everyone else is dead." Her grip on her rifle tightened a bit. "Once the swap is done, we go on our way. That's all there is to it." Valkyrie, nearby, didn't like those terms. "I like the alternative. Lets do that. Fuck diplomacy." she spat, glaring at the Kanad sergeant. She glanced over at Markus across from them. [I]"HEY, MARKUS! EVER HAD KANAD LIVER? GOT A FRIEND BACK IN THE HELLIONS THAT SAID ITS [B]REAL FUCKIN' TASTY.[/B]"[/I] Taylor cut her a look, which earned her a maniacal grin from Valkyrie. "Shut the fuck up. This doesn't need to escalate." she said, before turning her attention back to the Kanad sergeant and the others. "Take the peaceful way out. No more bloodshed today. I'm sure none of you want to die." Taylor then heard a voice over comms that sounded like Frosty's. What the hell was he doing?
[Tell your interpreter to take the day off. You dont need him when I can speak your language. Right, we should end this little spat and get on with our lives. You tell me your terms, I'll tell you mine.] [You dont get to-] [I do and I am. You see, you are putting me in a position where I will lose a major payday I need. So I'm returning the favor. Right now my guns are trained at the ground bellow me. You have your big super guns that can take me out of the air. But those misiles will take time to hit us. I'd say 10-15 seconds from your distance. To turn the downed ship and whatever is near it to ash, I need seven. Yes, I am that spitefull, just ask the Creed.] His face turned from the initial grim to neutral. [This ship carries enough bombs to level 3 city blocks once dropped. Not only will I be killing the target you're after, but your men and mine. As soon as we detect you firing, those bombs drop and my guns pointed to the ground start firing. Whatever is you came here for, will be gone.] He took a drag before continuing. [But your troubles dont stop there. I can guarantee 3 things happening. First you came all the way here and go back empty handed and embarassed. Your reputation is gonna take a hit. Second. My men in the air will be off the leash. They will want blood. You might take down about half of them, which you wont. The damage they will cause to your ship's inside will be the equivalent of the grey flu going through a child. It might not kill you, but it will make you a life-long cripple. Now the last thing that will happen, probably not this year, but if I know the man, he will probably do it soon. The Death Vigil will see you, not the Black fleet, but you, as its enemy. They are offering around 500 000 000 creddits for the Bloody fox alive. Now I know the man in charge of that group of cutthroats. He will know who is to blame for the denial of his pray and will most likely go up, down and sideways on your family tree and leave you for last. And thats just because he doesnt like your race. Otherwise he wouldnt make this personal.] All this was said in a calm tone. Like a lecturer giving another lesson to a room full of bored students. Inside Seth was regreting ever giving Yanim that dagger, but he couldnt let that get in his way now. He leaned closer to the comand console. Finger resting slightly above the button that would drop hell on everything bellow the Fang. He noticed the change of expresion on Siyada face. [ Now my terms. We both turn our respective ships arround and leave. You first. Followed by me. We dont do anything to each other and we send 1 dropship each to pick up our own. We both leave the TBC to their own devices. We both lose out, but we both get another shot down the line.] --- Alex stood the cold waiting for what was going to happen next. Orso was near by anticipating the same. Both he and his men had eyed up who to go after on Yanim's demand. They just needed the word.
János, having gotten the gist of what was happening through the others, had decided to stay at the ship and keep to his current position, in case things went south and he had to suppress fire whilst those outside fell back towards the ship. He watched as Moloch left to join the others in the snow, before hearing Frosty's voice over the comms. As Moloch stopped in his tracks, János' non-existent heart dropped.
Markus shifted when Valkyrie spoke up and looked at Sting, "Heard it tastes like fish." he said with a chuckle. Sting chirpped and licked her lips, "A real delicacy". He then looked over to Yanim and the officer, "Fortunately for you I fuckin hate fish an' I'm gettin right fed up with yer shit so I suggest ya listen to the Cap'n". --- Yooshu righted himself inside the shuttle, "[We're an easy picking here. Get the auxiliary power up and running and get us out of here!]" The pilot started scrambling with the controls to get the ship up and running again whilst Yooshu made his way into the crew compartment. "[Tend to the wounded. You two pick up the anti air launchers and double out with me.]" Yooshu and two marines opened the door and headed outside to spot the assailant. A difficult task, since they would have to rely on the manual targeting systems to repel the enemy aircraft. --- The signalist looked over to Yuga, "[Kapu, we've lost contact with the shuttle! Most likely an EMP]" Yuga frowned as hard as she had ever done. Frosty's fighter. She looked over to the laser point defense operators. "[Scan the area and eliminate any small craft you find on the radar!]"
Three Vakr commandos followed Yooshu out the ship. "We must protect our comrades!" Purple auras of energy appeared around the warriors as they channeled their psionic energy in an attempt to raise a shield around the dropship.
"[Captain,]" Kyrskada said as Taylor finished making roughly the same offer as the one made previously by Yanim, "[the enemy is still trying to lure you to their ship. I've seen nothing but savagery from them. Don't agree to it.]" After he had spoken, Valkyrie made her joke about eating kanad liver, causing Kyrskada to twitch uneasily- unafraid, he was merely overwhelmed with the task of restraining himself from attacking. When Taylor appealed to him directly, realizing he was the closest thing to a translator for his side, the sergeant grew even more frustrated. "We came to apprehend a criminal. You all carry the blame for the loss of the Tyrta, so don't talk to us about peace and ending bloodshed!" "[Control yourself, sergeant,]" Vixe ordered. "[Terika, neither of us can win without placing some trust in the other. If we don't make a decision quickly, everything will end in disaster. I don't even know who that man is,]" she said, looking in Arkadam's direction. "[I tell you- I don't want him any more than you want me.]" "[I know,]" Yanim answered, "[but you're a captain of the Batakya, and you can be replaced. That man is irreplaceable. Only you have the power to break this stalemate.]" "[Irreplaceable? What do you..?]" There was silence for a moment as clarity began to set in. "[Isn't there someone out there you'd do anything for?]" Vixe sank a bit. The truth was that she had no one. She had been rejected a few times when she was young, and set aside any aspirations of companionship for work several years prior... Now she suddenly realized how terrible it would be to have died without having ever experienced the sort of feeling her foe was speaking of. "[Not yet,]" she answered. Meanwhile, the soldiers were beginning to fidget and grumble. It was abundantly clear that tension was about to boil over. Kovar, having watched it go on for too long, finally accepted failure as it was clear that no one else would. "[Mercenary,]" he said quietly, "[I've had enough of this deadlock. I'm going to release you. No sudden movements, now.]" As Kovar lowered his gun, Yanim noticed out of the corner of her eye. "[Someday,]" Yanim said as she lowered her own gun. "[We're not [I]really[/I] monsters, after all.]" The prisoners were exchanged without a single shot being fired. Somehow, everyone knew that the end of the standoff meant the end of the battle, at least between the Aurikha and the Viokhmar. While Yanim and Arkadam embraced, Vixe hung her head and was attended to by her personal guard. The latter raised her head and looked Yanim in the eyes for the first time. "[You're a Sidikan, too, aren't you?]" Yanim nodded. "[The accent gives it away,]" Vixe explained. "[I won't forget this,]" she said as she turned away, ordering her troops to follow. Yanim wasn't sure if she ever learned the captain's name. "Everyone, back to the ship. Let's hurry." --- Siyada briefly appeared confused and frustrated as he placed his headphones away. He listened to Seth's entire diatribe, his expression continuing to sour as his mercenary enemy revealed his gambit. When Seth had finished, he was convinced that the commodore would agree to a compromise. Seth: CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 1[/B] Roll Failed. "[Sir,]" Siyada replied, bitterly, "[I cannot fathom why you would choose to insult my intelligence as you've just done.]" Siyada made a motion with his hand and the connection was severed. Seth and his men stood gawking at the turn of events. What just happened? Meanwhile, aboard the Orikodzek, the comms officer had confirmed with the help of the Ryojin that an EMP attack had just downed the ayr dropship, meaning that Seth was now threatening to drop a large bomb on a retreating ship full of wounded soldiers. As far as Siyada was concerned, this was a war crime, and he would have little difficulty convincing others of his position regardless of their race or nationality. He quickly surmised several conclusions about his foe's position. The first is that the Fang had no more tricks up its sleeve that could potentially destroy the Orikodzek, or else Seth wouldn't be threatening to attack the very people he had arrived to protect. The second was that Seth fundamentally misunderstood Siyada's mission. While capture was the ideal goal (and, judging by Seth's willingness to kill his allies rather than abandon them, it was somewhat clear that Seth either already considered them lost or imminently close to being captured), the commodore had already lost a whole frigate in the course of this fight- the [I]only[/I] way he could leave "empty handed" was if Yanim Terika and her crew somehow avoided capture or death. In other words, the only way Siyada could lose is if he backed down- should the Fang drop its bombs, Siyada still considered himself the victor. And finally, there was this business with the Death Vigil... Here, Siyada had little more than a hunch that if Seth was already trying to bullshit his way out of this, that there was no reason to believe that any of the extreme, personal reprisals he had mentioned would really manifest. Regardless, Siyada knew that there would be very real consequences if he turned back now, from his own commanders within the Batakya. Being fearful of doing his job because some mercenary boogieman is going to track him down and assassinate him was remote and unlikely by comparison. Siyada looked to his bridge officers, who were waiting expectantly for an order. "[It's a bluff. Fire when ready.]" "[Aye sir!]" The Fang's radar lit up like a Christmas tree. The battleship was targeting them with [I]everything[/I], weapons meant for fighting other capital ships. Above the ground-level clouds and fog, they could just barely make out the silvery shape of the Orikodzek, which grew into a bright mass of rocket trails from the number of missiles having just launched. Seth would now have to decide whether or not Siyada had assumed correctly. --- Yuga: CH Estimate: 1/2 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Passed. Reacting quickly to news of the dropship's fall, Yuga ordered for a scan of the surrounding clouds for small craft. Within seconds, technicians had identified the enemy and the Ryojin was primed to fire. Meanwhile, Chemosh zero'ed in on his target and prepared to blast it to pieces when his starfighter was blasted by a barrage of laser cannon shots. It felt to him like riding a bicycle over a pothole, and for a moment he was blinded by the flash of light. Alarms sounded throughout the cabin that the fighter's shields had barely sustained the hit and could not ward off another attack. Chemosh would either need to flee, or die. Shaking the impact off, he realized that he had lost his target lock and would need to make another pass if he wanted to strike at the dropship. Given the circumstances, it would be lunacy to even try. Chemosh: [I]Action Invalidated.[/I] On the ground, the vakr surrounded their damaged dropship and powered up a shield that would help to prevent total destruction. The ayr took manual control of their guns. They watched and they waited.
Though Chemosh might be blinded by his zeal and fanaticism, even he understands the insanity of taking on the Ryojin with his starfighter. Though agile and quick he may be, it's going to be very hard for him to dodge a laser the size of a football field coming down at him from above. No matter how far the serpent stretches his jaws, there's no swallowing prey that's this big. He immediatley turned tail and hit the afterburners towards the Aurikha. He vowed to himself he'd come back for Vakarus one day, and slice his arm off slowly and just as painfully as it was for him. -------------------------------- Moloch shook off the shock of hearing "Frosty" yell out his religion's infamous battlecry and kept moving forward towards the rest of the crew. Upon seeing the situation be resolved peacefully, he moved about the crew, asking if any of them were injured. [I]"Is everyone alright? Is there any one of you that requires healing?"[/I]
Yuga was relieved when the barrage of fire forced the fighter to turn back. "[Set us down next to the shuttle. We will bring it aboard from the ground.]" The pilot maneuvered the battleship into position and set it down slowly. The hangar doors opened up and a crew with a tow vehicle emerged to bring in the shuttle as well as a a cadre of medics to assist with the wounded. --- Kruhok sat in the driver seat while Zerbya manned the periscope. She turned to the woman who sat next to Kruhok, "[It's gone quiet over there]". The woman nodded and tapped Kruhok on the shoulder. The vehicle roared to life and began slowly moving towards the Aurikha. The woman grabbed the radio and flicked through the channels until she found the one that seemed to be the right one. "Is Iska Volgrim, Warboss from Stalnazyp Militia. Iska wants to speak to person in charge."
"Start evading as much as you can! Every capable gun, start firing at those missiles direction!" The bluff didnt work and now he was paying the price for it. Funny enough. The one thing he was certain about was the Death Vigil part. Tarvis looked at his commander with a pissed off look. "Nice bluff, boss." "Just shut up and hold on to something."
[QUOTE][I]"Is everyone alright? Is there any one of you that requires healing?"[/I][/QUOTE] "Arkadam probably does, but we'll worry about that when we get back inside out of this blizzard. Lets get moving, guys." said Taylor, a bit relieved by the turn of events. She loosened up and turned around, motioning for the others to follow. She could see through the blizzard, due to the thermal vision granted by the Boome Marine armor. She then heard a voice over friendly comms. [QUOTE]"Is Iska Volgrim, Warboss from Stalnazyp Militia. Iska wants to speak to person in charge."[/QUOTE] "Hey, boss. Someone's asking for you on comms. Says her name is Iska Volgrim." said Taylor, turning back to Yanim. - - - - - - - - - - [I]"For fuck's sake..."[/I] muttered Valk, watching the Kanads depart before flicking on the safety on her pistol. She holstered it, before cutting Taylor and the others a glance. She was pissed off, and really wanted to slaughter those Kanad bastards. Especially that sergeant of theirs. Maybe she'd run into him again? Small galaxy after all. Valk flipped the hood of the jacket up over her head, and felt around inside one of the chest pockets. She then groaned. No toothpicks. [B][I]Fuck.[/I][/B] She grumbled a bit, before shoving her hands in her pockets and following after Taylor and the others.
Iron holstered his revolver and walked up to Arkadam and Yanim, forming a human shield. "You okay, boss?" He eyed the Kanad marines with suspicion for a brief moment.
Alex sheated the sword before going over to Yanim and Arkadam. "You either have some balls on you." He said as he helped him walk. "Or are just plain stupid." He added with a friendly tone. --- Orso and his men stood between the Kanads and the TBC, keeping an eye on things. Last thing he needed was more surprises. [QUOTE]Hey, boss. Someone's asking for you on comms. Says her name is Iska Volgrim.[/QUOTE] And there it was. Orso turned around. "Did you just say Iska Volgrim?"
At the moment the missiles were released, the operators of the Fang plunged the ship into a diving, evasive maneuver which relied upon a tight, vertical barrel roll to change the ship's heading. The difficulty was in the ship's relatively low altitude, which for such a large vessel made evasive maneuvers practically impossible. The ship's targeting computers were unable to cope with the speed of the kanads' weaponry and the remaining starfighters had no chance to intervene in time. It would all come down to the guidance systems on the missiles themselves. Siyada: CH Estimate: 3/5 x 2(Malevolence) = 1 Roll Passed. As it would turn out, they had kept their lock despite the ship's sudden dive, and closed in short order. There was no way for Seth to escape his foe completely, but he could still escape with his life, if he could only create enough separation... Seth: CH Estimate: 4/7 [B]Actual: 4[/B] Roll Passed. ...and after a series of pounding blows from the chasing rockets, he found himself at the helm of a dying ship, engines sputtering out as systemic damage to the electrical grid overwhelmed the machine's ability to recover. Emergency control surfaces sprung from the hull of the ship, some flaking off entirely in charred and burning sections as the Fang impacted the ground tail-first but with great forward momentum, at first appearing to wheelie through the snow before finally slamming into the ground in a titanic belly-flop that knocked everyone inside off their feet. Seth eventually found himself lying on a computer console on what had been the wall of the bridge, but was now the floor, and as blood trickled from a split in his brow, he couldn't tell if the ringing in his ears was the ship's ground proximity warning or a symptom of concussion. At the very least, he and most of his crew were still alive. Back on the Orikodzek, the weapons and sensory officers confirmed- "[Enemy ship has been destroyed!]" A chorus of cheers erupted from the bridge staff as Siyada crossed his arms. "[That's more like it!]" Siyada remarked with a grin. "[That was for Captain Kiu... Now then, let's refocus on our main objective.]" "[Yes sir, and I should inform you that the ayr have reaffirmed the safety of their dropship. The EMP attack seems to have been a diversion.]" "[Excellent!]" Siyada replied. He flicked open the comm link to the Viokhmar. "[Commander Ryakir, has the Captain reported in yet? What is the status of the target?]" --- Down on the ground, just as the crew had begun their walk back to the ship, there was a terrifyingly loud rumble in the sky followed by the unmistakable sound of something crashing to a halt, not unlike a derailed train. They froze, their momentary calm following the peaceful prisoner exchange disrupted by the reality of battle. "What was that!?" Ravis yelped, having hit the deck instinctively. "I doubt it was anything good," Yanim replied. "Come on, get up... Constantine-" she said, opening her comm line to the Aurikha, "what's your status? Everything okay over there?" [quote]We're still waiting on you. Bucky says the reactor passed diagnostics with radiation leakage 'only' 12 percent above safe levels. She says it can fly, so I'm assuming...[/quote] Yanim stopped paying attention, having only asked out of fear that the Aurikha had been attacked by one of the nearby battleships. Iron attempted to ask her about her condition but she was even less interested in speaking to him after his callous disregard of her injuries beforehand. She mainly wanted to ask Orso about the Fang's current whereabouts, but there was another surprise in store. While Arkadam did his best to joke away the throbbing, body-wide pain he was experiencing with Alex's help, Taylor and Orso were reacting to a contact on another frequency. Iska. There was no logical explanation for how Yanim continued to bump into old acquaintances with such frequency, but it was a welcome extension of the pattern, for sure. When Yanim left Kannadys behind, what seemed like an eternity ago but which was only a few years, she hadn't predicted how much space would differ from her childhood fantasies. Having received a state-approved version of history and culture from her educational curriculum, Yanim had once been dismissive of human capabilities and achievements. This went double for the khergians, who, due to their longstanding resistance to kanad attempts to control their planet, were portrayed in kanad media as cave-dwelling beasts with no real society of their own. Although Yanim had always been slightly skeptical of the most ridiculous exaggerations, it took direct interaction with humans and khergians to demonstrate just how similar the races could be. And yet paradoxically, even as she found herself identifying with the alien races she crewed with, she had trouble forming meaningful friendships with them, as overthrowing the yoke of prejudice wasn't a one way street. All the horrible things the Collective was doing, things she would grow to despise from the bottom of her heart as well, had tainted the way others viewed her. As this threatened to drive a wedge between her and her newfound comrades, the crew of the Archius- the people whose approval she sought more than anyone she had known on her home world, she reached out to the newly-hired engineer from Rigel, Iska Volgrim. The two quickly became friends in spite of all the factors working against them, and overcame many challenges while fighting side by side. Yanim even gave her a nickname in the kanad fashion: Sekadera. "Understanding One." The last time Yanim saw her, they were on Kuromo, Rigel's moon. The Archius crew had [I]just[/I] had a hostile encounter with the GKVR, which came without warning after learning of the ship's mission, when they were baited into another trap by elite soldiers of the Crimus. In one day they lost their Captain and four other comrades, leaving the rest in confused anarchy and distress. Having gained her criminal record on that day, Yanim arrived at Kuromo already disturbed, already bent by rage. But oddly, it was the miraculous [I]return[/I] of two of those lost comrades which finally broke her. In her mounting fear and paranoia, Yanim believed that they had only cheated death because they were never really in danger- that is, that they were spies, working to eliminate the crew from within. Yanim was wrong. But at the time, no amount of convincing could change her mind; there were facts about the situation which had been withheld from her, but even more importantly, Yanim couldn't accept that the tragedies suffered by herself and her crew were largely unrelated to each other. Yanim [I]needed[/I] the Crimus, the GKVR, Lion and Dwan, the gangs of Duroma, and Perra Clarke to all be related by some sort of nebulous, galaxy-wide evil so that she could have a target and an inexhaustible outlet for all the violence stewing inside of her. Iska and Viper, another friend and a sanghvi, were the last to see Yanim before she departed Kuromo with the first members of what would eventually become the Terika-Belladonna Company. Yanim reached into the breast pocket of her dress uniform and removed a memento she kept with her since that day. It was a necklace bearing the Volgrim clan's emblem that Iska had given her with a parting word: "Inside there is beast of light and dark and they fight," Iska warned. "Beast who is fed, wins." In the heavy snowfall, Yanim remembered where she was, following in close proximity to her current crew back towards the Aurikha. There was a dull rumble as the Ryojin set down on the ground behind them, some distance away, lost in the void. She opened the comm link and was silent for a moment, both warmed by the memory of her friend but also ashamed of the absence she had created. "This is Yanim. Spaska, sekadera." She spoke slowly. --- "[I've tried pinging her three times, sir, she isn't-]" Ryakir was in the midst of explaining why he had no word on Vixe's whereabouts when she finally answered his repeated calls. [quote][I have her and she's alive. We will be with you shortly.][/quote] "[Sir, did you hear that!?]" [quote][I did and I couldn't be prouder! Excellent work, Captain, Commander. What is her condition? Is she wounded?][/quote] Vixe replied mysteriously. [quote][We hear a lot of close fire. Please cease fire for our safety, Commodore. I will issue my report once we're safe within the Viokhmar. I have also made contact with the current operators of the enemy vessel and they have agreed to relocate their ship to a safe port for search and seizure due to dangerous weather conditions.][/quote] Ryakir looked to the other bridge officers, confused. Something sounded amiss with their captain's tone. She didn't seem happy at all, considering she had just made an arrest of such a high-profile criminal. Perhaps the loss of life sustained by the crew was weighing heavily on her conscience. The Commodore replied: [quote][That's... that's outside our mission, Vixe. We'd need an SS attachment to handle such an action and we don't have one. I wasn't even aware the vessel was flight-capable.][/quote] Again, Vixe took a bit longer than usual to reply. [quote][I had to tell them something, sir. They offered their surrender on the assurance of due process under law. Perhaps there will be an SS attachment on a nearby vessel? I am assuming reinforcements have already been called for in the wake of the Tyrta's loss...][/quote] Ryakir lifted his cap to scratch his head. This didn't sound like his captain at all. He was beginning to worry that there was something untoward happening and was ready to speak privately with the commodore about it as soon as he could get his undivided attention.
"Did someone get the number of that truck?" Seth said as he gripped his head while stumbling off the console. The punch snapped him back into reality. Tarvis gripped him by the collar and slammed him against the floor, now wall. "The hell were you thinking back there?" He was furious, Seth couldnt feel anything but dissapointmet. "Your macho bullshit and 'silver tongue' nearly got everyone here killed?" He pulled tighter and got closer to his face. "Well? Where is that witt, boss? Where is that smartass attitude that you carry yourself arround with?" Seth grabbed Tarvis by the wrist. "Its called buying time, pup." His eye staring deep into Tarvis own. "For the people we came here to assist. For our fighters and dropships to load up and get out of the ship that had a target on its back. US!" With a quick motion of the leg, Tarvis was face down on the ground, Seth still gripping his wrist and a boot on his back. "I fucked up, I am more than willing to admit that, but I dont have the luxury to second guess myself in heated situations. Now get up!" Seth released his grip and let him get up on his own. The actions had taken far more effort than they usually did. The damage sustained during the crash were taking their toll. "Are the comms still active?" "You can call to our guys in the field, but nothing off-planet." "It will have to do." after some thinkering, he could relay orders again. "In case you missed it, the Fang is down and out for now. Meaning that we are fucked when it comes to air support. Our objective is still the same. Orso, you're with TBC. The kanads are too tough for us to break through, you're better off with them. Fighters, start circling the Aurika, guard duty. Dropships, you're on transport duty. You're gonna get us and the wounded out. Those who can walk, start helping. Take the taggs off any of the dead." "Boss, there is something you should know." This ought to be good."What is it Orso?" "Iska Vulgrim just made contact." Seth was dumbstruck for a moment. "Well, fuck me sideways."
[I]"Alright, you are Mr. Arkadam, I presume?"[/I] said Moloch as he positioned himself at Arkadam's rear, covering him from behind. ------------------------------- Now that the snake was back in its pit, it no longer needs to worry about being hunted. Chemosh narrowly avoided dying a second time, and while he [I]really[/I] wanted to blow up that dropship, it wasn't worth the risk. If only he had his fighter wing supporting him, then he could've seriously messed up both. Speaking of his allies, he had forgotten about Moloch! His friend! He lowered his altitude and speed, coming to an almost complete halt. He silently hovered by the crew on its way back to the Aurikha, ensuring no harm will come to them... hopefully. Moloch glanced at him in his cockpit and wondered why it was he flew off and then suddenly returned.
When the shuttle had been loaded into the Ryojin's, it slowly began to take off and make it's way into orbit. Yuga viewed the Batakya's ship which was dancing with the Fang. The black fleet might have some objections, but this was no longer her fight. As the battleship slowly made it's way into space, Yuga decided to send a last message to Yanim's personal storage. "Killing you was never in our contract. And with Rask dead and his information gone, so is my obligations to the Batakya and your hunt. But make no mistake, should your actions in a clear way make its way into our empire I will no longer be an equal, I will become your nemesis. You and I differ in almost all ways possible, but I can understand your motivations and goals. Hopefully this encounter has made you evaluate your choices, and chart your indomitable being towards accomplishments that are less clouded by hatred and vengeance." There was a brief pause, then she continued, "There is a further part to the tale I told you earlier that you may take heed from. [I]All the world will be your enemy, princess with a thousand enemies. and when ever they catch you, they will kill you.[/I]. But first they must catch you. So be quick and be cunning and you will never be destroyed." After sending the message, Yuga stood silently on the bridge for a brief moment before leaving for the hangar to inspect her wounded soldiers and Vakarus. --- The armored truck rumbled over the snowy terrain and stopped a short distance from the ramp of the Aurikha. The weather had now calmed into a light snowfall. A hatch opened on top of the truck and Iska, dressed in her comabt pants with shin guards, tank top and flak vest, jumped down and began walking towards the crowd gathered at the base of the ramp. [quote][Media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cXsoRRYf5A[/media][/quote] As she walked towards them she inspected the crew. Some rugged, other polished. Mostly humans with one alien among them. In them she saw something that Yanim had absolutely loved, she saw the crew of the Archius. As she approached the crowd, some of them still stood between her and Yanim, not being familiar with her and Yanims history. After a long silence in the soft snowfall, Markus, Sting and Valkyrie stepped aside and a small corridor formed to Yanim, who was standing with Arkadam. Iska calmly walked over to Yanim and kneeled down to be on the same height as Yanim. In Yanims eyes she could see a mix of emotions. She could relate as she was not really sure what to feel herself. Iska slowly put her hand on Yanims shoulder, Yanims small form magnified against Iska's strong hand. "Spaska, Ice princess." she said in a slow, friendly manner with a small smile on her scarred face.
As Yuga arrived at the dropship several of the Vakr warriors and Ayr marines were already unloading their wounded and dead. One of the Vakr bowed his head. "Yuga'atvan, I am afraid that the enemy warriors have temporarily injured Vakarus'atvan. He requires healing for now." The warrior nodded towards the dead being laid out on the cold hangar floor. "Ranak and some of your own warriors also gave their lives." ----- Iron remained silent as Iska stepped up to Yanim. Inside his helmet his HUD was going crazy with bounty notifications popping up from several interested parties, including the B.C.B, the UGC and other major players. He shrugged and disregarded them. This wasn't the time to collect.
The wind slowed steadily, the drifting snow void ebbing and revealing part of the wide field of battle the crew was leaving behind. The blood, the debris, and anything else left behind was practically buried at this point; the whole scene was eerie in its stillness. The Ryojin was close enough that a portion of the ship jutted out from the fog, icicles already forming on its smooth metal surfaces. It, and the Aurikha close by, almost looked like part of the terrain, giant, sleeping mountains of conflict. There was a low rumble as the Ryojin finally stirred, carrying its wounded crew skyward. It was difficult for the crew to trust that the whole situation wouldn't melt down again, to turn their backs on the enemy and proceed into their own ship. It had to be done, however. "The enemy is still close," Yanim said to Iska. "Our ship is heavily damaged and needs to be moved to port for repair. We can't hide it from our pursuers forever and there will definitely be more to come, but this is a large world that they can't search freely. I'm sure there's somewhere we can take it." "...Am I missing something?" Arkadam asked. "I told you about Iska, [I]shdatra[/I]," Yanim replied. She had called him "dearest," and from the way they looked at each other it was clear to Iska that the two were a couple. "Oh," Arkadam reacted with a cautious undertone. He hoped that Iska wouldn't learn of his role on Duroma two years prior. "You're the one from the Archius mission." As he finished speaking, Chemosh's fighter quietly glided back into the hangar. "As I was saying," Yanim continued, "most of anything you've heard - if you've heard anything - about me or my company is an exaggeration or an outright lie. We want to do good. And I know it's sudden, but we're in trouble and we could use any help we could get. I've come to my senses since I last saw you... and, it's good to see you again." As they scaled the ramp, the two Batakya ships continued to argue over the best course of action. Neasha had been temporarily relocated to a temporary pilot's console (one which was, in fact, the controls of the Muramasa, which was still sitting disabled in the hangar) in order to control the Aurikha more carefully than her tablet allowed. Constantine and the SULP teams ran through the boot procedures again and again before their final ignition, with Bucky at the helm of the reactors themselves. It was clear that Iska would either need to get into the ship and ride with Yanim to a safe harbor, or meet with the Aurikha crew once it had reached its destination. There was no time for further introductions.
Iska got up and looked at the wounded Aurikha. She then looked back to Yanim with a stern look, "Iska has own things to care about. But Iska has heard." she said with a equally stern tone. It was clear to Yanim that some of TBC's exploits had reached Iska's attention, but since she had had such a short time to piece together that Yanim was the mastermind behind the company she wasn't overly pleased. She turned back to Kruhok and Zerbya, who were peaking out of hatches in the armored truck. [Go back to the base and tell Bubal and Nyck to ready the tools.]" With nods, the two comrades ducked back into the truck that roared to life once more, drove in a circle and started heading home. Iska turned back to Yanim, "We will go home to Iska" she said with a small smile, "Stalnazyp have room and tools for repair. Chernobog will keep [I]domov[/I] away." --- Markus walked over to Taylor and nudged her, "Do ya know how much this lass's worth?" he said in a hushed tone while nodding his head discreetly towards Iska.
Taylor glanced to Markus and replied faintly "Not really. Iron probably knows." As she finished, Valk spoke up behind them. "She's worth around ten million to the UGC. Kanads, probably a little higher." she said, in a not so hushed tone. Taylor looked back and glared at her a bit, to which Valk responded with a simple shrug. "We've all got a fucking bounty on us, so there's no need to be quiet about it." she said, brushing some of her bangs out of her eye before looking to Markus. "Got a cigarette? Cigar? Anything?"
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