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

((Could say the wounded stayed with Taylor, along with Amy and Iron. Markus and Karl could have went with Valk.))

((Calling now: Ira stays with Taylor. Karl stays with Valk.)) Karl kneeled down and scanned the area. He then looked at Valk. He shook his head. This would be very difficult. "Boss? Can you hear me?" --- Ira helped one of Orso's men with Alex. "Hang in there Chef, we'll get you patched up." She then handed some biofoam and other meds to the mercenary tending Alex. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Taylor glanced back at the others. "Lock and load, people." she stated, before climbing up into the opening. Heading towards the fighting. - - - - - - - - - - - Valkyrie tried to think of some options as they peered down at Yanim. [I]Shit, I don't like this at all.[/I] "Can you guys see anyone else in there?" she asked, looking for a more stable spot away from them. She was gonna try something tricky. She engaged her plasma sword again, then slammed the pseudo-blade into the hull. Maybe she could cut a hole in it if the crash and shelling had weakened it enough, and they could drop through into where Yanim was.

((I'm going to handle it by putting Markus and Karl up top with Valkyrie while the rest remained with Taylor.)) Markus and Karl rushed in to help Valkyrie as she began cutting away at the hull, pulling and prying on the loose plating to make a larger entryway into the deck below. As they worked, there was a heavy shudder through the entire wreck as something deep below was breaking apart, but it wasn't altogether obvious what. Behind them, Ryvik and Vixe stood and brushed themselves off, and began to sprint toward the open hatch the others had come through before, when suddenly, the floor beneath them gave way and Ryvik slipped into the opening. The sound of metal crashing against metal finally got the attention of Valkyrie and the others, who turned to find Vixe holding onto Ryvik's arm as the latter dangled over the pit he had created. "[Just let me fall!]" Ryvik urged. "[I'll meet you on the deck inside!]" Vixe glanced at the hatch and hesitated. "[What if we can't find each other inside?]" Before Ryvik could answer, however, she lost her grip, and the lieutenant fell through the pipes and cables into an officer's quarters below, leaving her alone on the roof. He called out to her, "[Keep moving, no matter what! Don't let the enemy catch you.]" "[Okay... Okay, I'm going! See you on the other side!]" Vixe said with a nod. Meanwhile, the trio at the nose of the ship managed to fully-breach the armor plating and made a path for themselves to drop through safely. --- Taylor was the first to enter the top deck from below, rolling out of the hole before grasping Orso's arm, who followed her. Once they had surfaced, they found Jag and Beta locked in a fatal struggle- the sanghvi had pinned the kanad by her neck and was strangling the life out of her, while she in turn had brought her tail blades to bear against its neck, burning and slicing and creating a foul-smelling fume. With another one of its tentacles, Jag held down Beta's YSV rifle while the latter kicked fruitlessly with her bladed heels. "The universe does not pick winners [I]or[/I] losers, Yanim. We are all in control of our fates. You have chosen poorly." "You... can't... survive... this..." Beta grunted, almost blue in the face. "I know," Jag replied, its implant-controlled voice unwavering despite intense pain. "This is the fate that I have chosen. It brings me closure."

For fuck's sake, some of the people they were hunting were up there on the roof with them! Valk grunted, but focused on dropping through the hole. Yanim needed help. They'd take care of those other fucks later. A moment later, she landed, inside the ship a short distance away from where they had seen Yanim. "Boss, you still alive?" she asked, trying to keep a low profile as she moved towards Yanim's location. - - - - - - - - - - - - Taylor found a spot to kneel, taking aim at Beta as Jag pinned her but keeping her eyes on the move. Looking around the area for any sign of Arkadam. She didn't dare fire at Beta at the moment, as she ran the risk of hitting and killing Jag as well. "Where the fuck is Arkadam?" she muttered to herself as she searched. Where could he have disappeared to?

Karl kneeled down next to Valk. "Room clear! What's her status?" --- Ira fanned out to get a better view of Beta but otherwise held her fire unless told otherwise.

Orso and his men aimed their weapons towards Beta. Amy, on the other hand, began to look around for any signs of Arkadam.

After Yanim didn't move or acknowledge Karl and Valkyrie's attempts to speak to her, it wasn't even clear if she was still alive. A check of her wrist, however, revealed that her entire body was locked in a tetanus-like state. She was alive, just barely, but not breathing. In the past, she had been rescued from this sort of state through the use of antitoxins, but no one on hand was carrying any, with the possible exception of the Boome medic currently attending to Alex on the deck below. Valkyrie turned around and looked toward the nose of the craft, and realized that she and Taylor were now within sight of each other, separated mainly by crumbling structures and fissures in the floor panels. As more Boomes entered the room from below, the number of weapons trained on Beta grew, but they failed to accelerate the situation's resolution. They were forced to wait until Beta was rendered unconscious or dead from the strangling before they could approach. Instead, they looked for Arkadam. "Found him!" Amy shouted as she noticed Arkadam tucked between a computer console and the wall. "Kyehhhh... you're... mis... taken..." Beta taunted at Jag, and with one more kick, she managed to lodge the tip of one of her heels into Jag's exoskeleton and pull her leg completely out of the boot. A VRI pistol she had been keeping in the shaft came sliding out, tumbling into her reach. Jag knew that action was now necessary. Lifting its tentacle off the YSV, Jag lifted Beta closer to itself while reaching around behind and grabbing onto the computer pack. Beta discharged several plasma blasts at point blank, hitting the same spot in Jag's exoskeleton each time. The sound of screeching and hissing reached an apex in an instance, and suddenly the sanghvi turned and hurled Beta across the room, straightened up, and then collapsing into a pool of its own draining fluids, computer pack in its grip. With a final measure of strength, Jag tossed the package up to Valkyrie. The onlookers unleashed their combined strength on Beta as she bounced off the wall, falling onto a loose panel and tripping over a pipe. When she realized what had been stolen from her, she let out a noise which sounded truly fearful- her tail had been attached to the computer, her jetpack controlled by it. Even her deadly aiming ability could be attributed to the computer's control of her nervous system. Only thanks to the large amount of debris did she avoid being shredded by the fire, but nonetheless she was bleeding profusely, and was desperate to escape. While forcing herself into a crawlspace between the deck floor and the ceiling of the deck below, she removed a device from her pocket and pressed several buttons. The crew closed in around her as she shouted into the handset. "I need help! Do it now!" And the space around her erupted into blue-colored fire. The crew hesitated for a moment, unsure if touching the flames would harm them.

Ira hesitated and looked at Taylor with a angry expression. "Orders?" If they were gonna shoot this thing they'd better do it quick. Meanwhile Karl observed the pack thrown towards Valkyrie with curious eyes. "What in Odin's beard is that?"

"Its a fucking CNS Controller. Some of the mechs I've worked on use 'em, except those are more complex. We have to hurry, help me get this shit off her." said Valkyrie, quickly looking the device over before setting it to the side and attempting to lift the debris off Yanim. If Valk could swap out the broken one for the one that Jag had ripped off Beta, then maybe there was a chance to save her. - - - - - - - - - [QUOTE]"Orders?"[/QUOTE] "We kill the bitch, [B][I]WHAT ELSE?[/I][/B] Orso, get your medic over there to help Valkyrie with Yanim." spat Taylor, furious. Valkyrie and the others would have to deal with Arkadam and Yanim for now. She looked for some debris to poke at the fire with, eventually finding a broken piece of steel and shoving it into the blueish-fire. If it were just an illusion, they'd go after her. If not, they'd have to do something else.

Orso pointed to one of his men. "You heard the lady. You! Move! I want that cleared out 2 minutes ago." Down to two now. His squad was spread thin throughout the ship's shell. Hopefully his man and the injured Koronov were already on their way back to the real doctor. Amy cursed under her breath as Beta slipped away. She had a clear shot and she missed it due to a second of hesitation.

It was only a few second's delay, but by the time Taylor and the others realized that the flames were merely an illusion, it was too late to stop what was occurring. They stepped into the blaze, aimed their guns at the monster, who held her arms in front of her face to seek shelter from what would have been a fatal attack. Bullets and plasma flew, but there was no payoff; only a single round struck the kanad in the hand, knocking loose the mysterious device. The next thing any of them knew, as they stood there, blinking incredulously, the enemy had vanished before their eyes, leaving nothing but the handset behind. Nearby, Valkyrie and the team hoisted the heavy beam off the ground together, finally freeing Yanim from the jaw-like trap. Valkyrie immediately set to work detaching the dysfunctional computer pack from the Boss's back; there was a cable which ran along the length of the spine and connected at the base of the neck. With a tug, it popped free from a socket stitched under the skin. The new pack was plugged in just as the old one was- an absolutely perfect fit. Valkyrie stood back in amazement as the pack began powering up the neural bridge as the others began to cart her off toward safety. There was another dull rumble which shook the room. "That's got to be the reactor again," one of the remaining Boomes muttered. "We should get out of here." --- János stood near the Cascade, watching the wreck of the Viokhmar intently as the groaning, burning, and hissing mountain of scrap appeared to grow more unstable by the minute. A few kanad survivors finally trickled out, only for many to be gunned down by the khergian militia. Vixe and Ryvik had become separated in the chaos of the escape, and while the former was able to leave the battlefield undetected, Ryvik was detected and pinned down near the same exit where the crew would soon be emerging. He turned to check on Amelia and Ravis; the latter was still struggling to survive, but was growing more stable as time went on. They received word that more would be coming with an unknown chance of survival.

"...what the fuck just happened, did she get teleported out?" said Taylor, stunned as she looked back to Ira. The rumbling forced her to change her focus. "We need to go. Everyone, lets move. Quickly and carefully, outside to the Cascade. Someone alert János that we're comin' out, I lost my comms in the crash." she said, loud enough everyone could hear her. She patted Ira on the shoulder, before heading over to get Arkadam out. Valkyrie followed along with the others that were carryng Yanim.

Ira gritted her teeth and lowered her weapon. "Roger that." She activated her headset. "Iron to Cascade. Exfil in progress. Visual in five, over." As Valkyrie plugged in the back Karl grabbed Yanim and begun to carry her. "I got her, just make sure I'm covered."

After giving Porter and Jason their tasks, János went ahead and grabbed his MAWS, switching it to its machine gun mode, and set it up so that he could give suppressive fire from his position, which would prove useful as some kanad survivors trickled out, with the Khergians gunning most down, partly to his dismay. Porter, noting Ravis' growingly stable condition, headed out with Jason behind him, to meet up with the others at the starship and provide added assistance, but also check on kanad survivors pinned down and, if need be, neutralize them. After checking on Amelia and Ravis, János turned his sight back towards the two heading towards the Viokhmar, watching the starship worryingly as it groaned ever louder, when he heard a message from the comms. He got up from his position and quickly headed to the station to respond. "Cascade to Iron, we heard you clearly," he responded, "we have two more approaching your position for any more needed assistance," he explained. He turned towards Zerbya: "Make sure to watch your fire, friendlies are coming."

"Wait a second." Amy knelt down to where Beta was standing before teleporting. Looks like whatever that thing was, it dropped something important. She picked up the device and examined it for a few seconds. "Its a little banged up, but looks fine. Wonder what this is." "Keep it. Probably important." Orso answered, standing next to Jag. He motioned to his men. "Help me carry him."

Amy turned the device over in her hand. From the outside, it looked astonishingly primitive- despite a shimmering, crystalline exterior, the tiny screen near the top of the device was a monochromatic LCD screen, the cheapest solution imaginable. It appeared to be controlled by an array of small buttons which contained English lettering, numbers, and symbols of unknown meaning. The name "Damya" was displayed on the screen. --- Ryvik sat with his back to the wall, an exit, and daylight, just around the corner. The khergians had stopped shooting randomly at the shadows, which allowed him to catch his breath. Nonetheless, it was clear that he would need to do something to avoid being caught in the minutes ahead. He got back on his feet and began to crawl, backtracking toward where he had seen some dead troopers earlier. He needed a weapon, but more importantly, he needed a comm device. No doubt, the Viokhmar had already broadcast its distress signals, and the Batakya would be sending some kind of force to secure the site, but how long it would take for them to arrive, especially since the nearest base had been sacked, was unclear, as was whether the next wave would be able to handle the forces of the enemy which were currently encircling the ship. There was another explosion from somewhere in engineering. As Ryvik finally found and looted a body, an eerie sensation began to trickle through him. A bitter, copper taste formed in his mouth. He switched the device into all all-channel broadcast mode reserved for emergencies and began calling for help: "[If anyone is hearing this, the Viokhmar has lost control of its prisoners. We were forced to scuttle and were unable to do so successfully. There are still survivors but we're being picked off by khergians! We need help-]" As he continued to signal for help, the crew began to emerge from a nearby stairwell, several of which were carrying the fallen. There was a brief pause as the two sides encountered each other once more, before Ryvik tossed the rifle he had looted away from himself and held up his hands. He had only planned to shoot back at the militia that was keeping him pinned inside, and knew it would do him no good against the TBC force inside the wreck. "The reactor is right under us," he said, feeling sick. "There should be an emergency hatch at the tail; I can show you where it is," he pleaded. At this point, leading the enemy to safety seemed like his best chance of survival.

"Do you really fucking think we'd trust [B][I]YOU[/I][/B] of all people? [I][highlight]I should scatter your guts all over this god damned shi--[/highlight][/I]" spat Valkyrie angrily as began to march down the stairs towards Ryvik with her plasma sword before Taylor stopped her. "Valkyrie, stop." she said, before looking back to Ryvik. "If you so much as think of doing something stupid, I'll break your fucking skull in. Do you understand me?" she said. She didn't know of any other routes out besides the one that Orso and his men entered. And by now, it'd probably be really dangerous to pass through there. "Where's that other one that was with you?" she asked as well. She hadn't seen Vixe since before the riot in the mess hall. Valkyrie spoke up then. "Bitch was up on the roof with him. If he's down here, she's still around somewhere...or she left his ass." said Valkyrie, giving Ryvik a rather evil look.

While Taylor and Valkyrie began arguing on the situation Ira stepped forward and quickly frisked Ryvik. "Don't move." She ordered him. Karl, who was carrying Yanim, made sure to stay shielded behind the others as not to provoke Ryvik.

Ryvik glared at Valkyrie until Taylor intervened. She was wielding a kanad-built saber, no doubt the same one Kyrskada 'the ship's most adept fighter' Sidikan was carrying when the two had been arguing earlier. "Captain Vixe?" Ryvik replied to Taylor before shaking his head. "We got separated. Honestly, my best guess is that she took the same hatch."

"...Fine, we'll go to the tail's emergency hatch. Lead the way. Like I said, though. Try anything funny, and I'll kill you myself." said Taylor. Valkyrie grunted, putting her sword away and folding her arms. She [I]really[/I] wanted to kill Ryvik. Taylor glanced over to one of the others. "Let the ship know that we're heading to an emergency hatch in the tail section. If they don't see us in a few minutes, assume the worst."

Having successfully convinced the enemy to follow him, Ryvik sighed and beckoned the crew to follow him. They walked around a corner and into what appeared to be a storage room, with loads of packaged supplies intended for feeding, clothing, and housing the troops aboard the ship. Now, many of the crates had broken loose from their restrains and were strewn about the floor, making for an awkward march. Karl was startled as Yanim suddenly began to breath again, heavy, labored breaths through clinched teeth. Everyone stopped for a moment, until Ryvik spoke up again. "Oh, hold on a minute," he said to no one in particular before silently reading the sides of the crates. He reached up and tugged on one of them, opening a compartment on the side of the crate and sliding out a thin, flat object wrapped in a plastic sheath. "Hold it," Ira warned, brandishing her weapon. "It's a blanket," Ryvik replied, annoyed. "She's still in her hospital gowns. Same as the other one," he explained, talking about Arkadam. "...and me too," he grumbled to himself as he fished out two more. --- A few minutes later, just as János began to worry about the crew again, a number of figures began to drop out of a narrow opening at the rear of the craft, landing in the powdery snow below. The hatch had already been opened before they got there, implying that at least one of the crew, possibly Vixe, had already taken the route. Once half of the survivors were out, they helped the other half lower the unconscious wounded down the remaining amount. The air outside was crisp and clear, and the sky was peachy and pink. A distant screech echoed from above- an unmanned drone was surveying the site. Ryvik turned away from the wreck and his foes and looked out over the majestic landscape. He hoped Vixe had put a great distance between herself and the horrible scene they had just endured. He wouldn't have to dwell on it long; as a clone and, likely, a doomed man, he knew he wouldn't have to carry the memory of this disaster with him for long. But Vixe... what would become of her? "So, what now?" he asked, quietly. "Is this the spot where I die, Belladonna Company?"

"I say we fuckin' shoot him." spat Valkyrie, her hand already on the pistol on her hip that she had kept from earlier. She was thirsting for more vengeance, but Taylor had other plans. "Nah...we let him live. He did what he said he was going to do, and I'm not gonna kill him now. Besides, doubt Yanim would like it if we shot her brother even after all the shit that's happened." said Taylor, glancing to Valkyrie before looking back to Ryvik. Valkyrie looked visibly frustrated, but didn't comment any further.

János was watching Porter and Jason when one of the Khergians pointed at the figures dropping out from the rear of the starship. He sighed in relief, as he saw the two hear the others dropping out from the opening, and head in their general direction. "Finally," János thought to himself, "we're in the home stretch."

Ira handed Ryvik a so-called "spaceblanket". She nodded for him to unfold it and wrap it around himself. "It'll keep you warm." She then turned towards the team. "Restraints?" Karl managed to wrap Yanim into the blanket while still holding her. He still held her pretty tightly. "We need to get her and Arkadam into the dropship." He said.

Markus looked up towards the Cascade and and looked through his binoculars. Spotting the khergians, he grinned and turned toward Ryvik and approached him slowly. "Stick yer 'ands out, little man." he said calmly, holding a zip-tie in one of his hands. Ryvik eyed Markus with suspicion, but concluded that handing over some blankets might not earn everyone's trust. He sighed and stretched out his hands slightly so Markus could restrain him. However, as soon as the zip-ties were secured, Markus gripped Ryviks blanket and pulled it from him, tossing it on the ground. He put his hand on Ryviks shoulder leaned down to his level, "Start walkin, cunt." he concluded, giving Ryvik a slight shove towards the Cascade all the while keeping a close watch over him.

Ira purposely pushed Markus slightly. "Ease up Ranger Rick." She grabbed onto Ryvik and put on the blanket. "He's an enemy combatant and, believe it or not, they do have rights."

Markus sneered and gripped his rifle, "Aye, accordin to the Stockholm Treaty. BUt what planet do ya think we're on?"

"A planet under UGC control." Replied Ira with a angry look.

"An the UGC ain't nothin but a skeleton crew wif 'ese fuckin goblin callin the shots." he replied with a raised voice. "An' last time I check'd, the locals ain't exactly fond o' these cunts."