Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Games

[QUOTE]"Just ironing out some minor details but my plans should be available to you within the hour, First Officer Taylor."[/QUOTE] "Fantastic. I'll gather the combat team together after you finish and go over the mission details, then call the non-combat members of the crew together so we can tell them about the training program." said Taylor, with a nod. With the right training, the crew could defend itself from attacks with relative ease. [B].... [/B] [QUOTE]"How does 'N-X spidermine' sound to you?"[/QUOTE] "N-X Spidermines? Sounds devious." said Valkyrie, looking at the box Mad had brought over. "If they don't detonate, they'll at least scare the hell out of someone. Nothing like seeing a mass of explosives crawling after you." She chuckled at the thought of a group of soldiers running from a lone spidermine. She looked around the armory. "We'll need a last resort weapon too. Just in case we're not able to get in close with the explosives...can we build a rocket launcher?" she asked as she looked back at Mad. Her eyes had lit up and she bore a sly grin.

Maddox nodded. "I think we can do that. What do you need?"

[QUOTE] "I think we can do that. What do you need?"[/QUOTE] Valkyrie pulls out her tablet, cycles through a list of schematics that she had stored on it before stopping on one particular schematic, then handed it to Mad. "Made [URL="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/RPG-29_USGov.JPG"]that[/URL] a few years ago. Pretty simple, easy to use. Nasty backblast though. Can be constructed from simple parts, and I think we have the parts to make one along with some rockets for it. Should last us till the end of the mission, then we can scrap it. Unless you plan on making an improved version."

[i]Johannes makes his way to Hariim's quarters and, upon arriving, knocks on the door.[/i]

Maddox nodded. "I'll get to it."

The door opens for Johannes. He finds Hariim watching a holo-screen with quite a large number of tabs open on it showing vast walls of code and long lines of text. Next to Hariim sits a neat little nicely put together package of computer hardware that softly hums away. "Welcome to my little slice of heaven. Whaddya need?"

[i]Johannes walks in and pulls his helmet off, gently setting it down on the desk in an open, out of the way space.[/i][b] "Looks fun. Maddox upgraded my suit's hardware, he said you'd need to add in control interfaces for the shield emitters and jump jets. He also mentioned you'd need to program and tag the new HUD-Link chips in my firearms to my helmet."[/b]

Hariim nods. "Yeah, already done. I've got the computer upgrade package built up and ready to go, just coding together what I need to make it work for you. I've put in my own custom-built tactical management software on the computer package already. Everything will be done by about 0700 shipboard time tomorrow."

[b]"And the nanites will function the same right?"[/b]

Thinking Valkyrie and Bucky won't need him as they upgrade his fighter, Frosty wanders off elsewhere in the ship. Since they're going up against a proper army of sorts and not a criminal organization, it'd probably be a good idea if he went towards the armory to get even more acquainted with his weapons, and see if he could improve his accuracy. He greeted the others inside as he entered.

Taylor turned and waved to Frosty as he greeted everyone. "Ready for the mission? You might be doing some close air support when we take out the AA guns." she said, facing him. .... Valkyrie simply flashed Frosty a 'peace' sign, and returned to talking to Mad. "Alright. So explosive sandbags, N-X Spidermines, and a rocket launcher as a last resort. Got our bases covered, I think, so lets get to making some fucking [B]bombs.[/B]" she said, pocketing her tablet and rubbing her hands together with a sly grin.

"Almost. Bucky is working on upgrading my fighter. I asked her to fix anything she could find wrong or outdated with it. Hopefully she will be finished once this mission starts. As she's doing that though, I thought I might come here to practice shooting." Frosty also replies to Valkyrie's peace sign with a wave.

[quote]January 18th, 2385: We've arrived at a safe location in the northwest quadrant, placing the Aurikha in orbit around the aquatic planet Seloveha. We've acquired a number of small shuttle craft in order to visit the local trade ports and make landings when and wherever possible, and we have done so on several of the planets in this stellar cluster called the Foxglove Region in the human trade language. Annoyingly, the name refers to some sort of plant, and not the animal depicted in our company's logo, and while it may bear a particularly attractive flower, I see no resemblance. I digress- the acquisition of the necessary machinery went smoothly and we have already begun interviews to fill needed positions within the new ILA Staff Office. Accordingly, we've taken on a human, a former commodore of the UGC's peacekeeping forces, to head up our nascent recruitment and basic training program. His name is Constantine, hereby a Lieutenant of the ILA. Speaking of which, Rask is enjoying his promotion to General. To be clear, these ranks mean very little in such a small and, in truth, flat company. Nor will they entitle the rank-holder to silence those who work beneath them. It is only an organizational device. I was already forced to explain that, despite technically outranking Neasha, I will not permit Rask to issue petty orders to the serek for his amusement, such as getting coffee, as he attempted almost immediately after receiving his promotion. He says I should learn to laugh. I ordered him to clean the ship's eighteen latrines- he changed his tune. Regardless of the bickering, Rask has been installed as Chief of Operations. Neasha will remain a lieutenant until we are able to acquire combat simulator systems needed for a pilot training program, and for that matter, fighters themselves. Finally, there is the matter of the mission to Voyak. Our team will be arriving at the planet today, hopefully to continue the impressive conduct they displayed on Prospera. I cannot supervise them directly, but in between management duties here, I will be providing occasional long-distance support. Captain Shuur and her crew will officially fall within the newly-created Special Operations Office. Since we have not recruited anyone more suitable as of yet, Rask holds direct command of this office as well, and if we create or recruit additional teams like the one we have unleashed aboard the Muramasa, their captains shall be equals, all reporting directly to the chief of that office. -Yanim Terika[/quote] [video=youtube;uGVaDUMJMqI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVaDUMJMqI[/video] The Muramasa slowed from warp, revealing a sickly dark planet with a hazy atmosphere- Voyak, a world choked by its own poor decisions long before the fighting of the Kanad-Sanghvi War devastated its population and disrupted the social order to total dysfunction. Long ago, the planet was Earthlike, and the dominant gohva race had carved out a society from the rugged, semiarid terrain. Being large, squat creatures with sub-human intellect and long lifespans, the gohva were complacent slow to adopt industrial technology. They were prime targets, and were eventually invaded and subjugated by the ahra-phi, an arachnid race possessing mysterious metaphysical powers hailing from Sirgas. Many enslaved gohva were brought back to the homeworld, and two societies became an inverse mirror: one rich, and the other impoverished. One advanced and desirable, the other exploited and polluted. The injustice was finally corrected by the Sanghvi Mantle, which easily overwhelmed and conquered the petty Ahra-phi Empire. Under their new masters, there was no longer travel between the two planets, and the subjugated peoples were separately ordered to construct more ideal societies. Sirgas, cut off from its wellspring of cheap labor, quickly stagnated. But Voyak fared far worse- the gohva, no longer fearing reinforcements from the ahra-phi homeworld, overthrew their colonial masters and won nominal control over the planet. Unfortunately, their physical might was far greater than their capacity to lead. The planet regressed into an industrial dark age, over-taxing the planet's resources and failing to advance into the information age. The remaining ahra-phi population gradually lost its own technological legacy, and by the time of the Kanad-Sanghvi War, were regarded as no more capable of bringing about change than the gohva leadership. Sirgas recovered and began to advance, but on Voyak, hope vanished in a cloud of acid rain. The planet is now in the hands of the UGC, or what is left of the once great organization. Kanads, operating under the legitimacy of its banner, have moved in to direct "redevelopment," and are now referred to by the locals as the Arakapka, or "Ara-rulers," the old gohva slur which was once used to describe the ahra-phi. Peacekeepers police the streets to stave off racial tensions, but also watch the skies and listen for air raid sirens. Somewhere behind the oppressive blanket of clouds above, the Black Fleet is fighting again with the Mantle's resurgent forces. Bombs could fall at any moment and level the battered world's cities. Somewhere in the capital city of Vohmdash, a phirin Peacekeeper stands at the center of a crossroads in his hazard suit, his life-support pack keeping him warm in absence of the sun. He gestures to the sky with both hands in a rare moment of prayer. His family are on another world; he is alone in toxic wasteland, two steps from the very end. It's been months since he's seen anything green growing from the landscape, and he cannot wait any longer to commune with the gods. Between his fingers, in the valley of the palms of his raised hands, a dark shape pierces the clouds with a sonic boom. For the briefest moment, the sun shines through the hole left behind and the phirin smiles madly from ear to ear. "Dobomah, Atva," he cries, "hear me- please put this world out of its misery!" The Muramasa careens through the air en-route to Dyatiq. [quote]The fighters have taken the bait. You are being tracked, but not followed.[/quote] The voice belonged to Captain Cheng, leader of the allied ship [I]Sparrowhawk[/I], which had joined the Muramasa shortly after the latter had sneaked past border security by entering from the poorly-guarded western frontier with the Ayr Empire. While the TBC crew streaked past ground radar on its way to assault its target, the Sparrowhawk provided a distraction of eight remote-controlled drones which drew away UGC attention. For the time being, the Muramasa was safe, and so long as its crew remembered the lessons learned on Itara, it could survive the fight and flight to come.

After János finished cleaning the ship with little help from Owen, he mostly stayed in the Brig, continuing his search into the red herring symbol. He would come out if someone called him, like if tensions were rising somewhere or if Bucky needed more players for vidya gaming, but he did just stay in the Brig. After searching the [URL="http://i.imgur.com/xe55cCS.png"]image[/URL] itself online with no results, he began searching sections of the image in an attempt to find something hidden. He finally struck gold with the fin, or more specifically, what appeared to be two diamonds on it. According to the net, the two diamonds in this specific arrangement were once the symbols of an old tycoon family that existed years ago, so old in fact that the family name itself was missing. As he looked at the symbol, he couldn't help but get a feeling that this was what he was looking for.

Maddox went through the checklist on his tablet with Valkyrie and Tayllr next to him. He and Valk had worked nonstop, something which had paid off. The work wasn't pretty, but they had finished it. "Ok, so, ten N-X charges disguised as sandbags with separate detonators. Three N-X spidermines for distracting and/or taking out secondary targets. One Type 950 RPG launcher with three N-X grenades. Two Firecracker-class shaped explosive charges for when something really needs to go boom." All of the above had been neatly laid out across one of the equipment tables. Maddox turned to Taylor. "We're gonna need someone imposing like Porter or Sledge to control the sandbag hovercart. We're also going to need someone who can place the detonators as soon as the sandbags are placed around the targets." He pointed at a heap of sandbags. "These are non-N-X bags filled with rice. They're marked with a tiny red label while the N-X ones have a green label. We need to place the red bags amongst the green ones, soldiers dumping two bags before moving on will look suspicious." Maddox then fished out a large controller from one of his pouches. "This is the masterkey, it controls all of the detonators. Do you want it or should I carry it?"

"Ladies and gentlemen" Yuga stood in the centre of half moon of the crew in the cargo hold. "This mission should remind you of our stay on Itara. Those of you who were not there, it is fairly simple. Fast movements and steady procedures." She looked towards Taylor who was standing with Mad and Val, "I suggested making small, inconspicius explosives that and engineer could plant without raising any suspicions and instead I am greeted with spiders, sandbags and..." Yuga sighed rolled her eyes "... A rocket launcher". Valkyrie had a sly gin on her face and gave Yuga a playful salute. She began walking slowly around the circle with her hands behind her back. "But never mind that, as long as you are able to complete the objectives. Try to remain undiscovered for as long as possible. This, as I must remind you, will give us the element of surprise, a less hindered environment to work in with a greater chance of success, spare me a terrible headache and less attempts will be made on your lives." She stoos infront of Taylor "I've procured a forged order for you and your squad to pick up an APC from the depot. Captain Cheng informs me that we are being tracked but not followed and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. We will set you down close to the depot and resume our flight as not to raise suspicions." She handed Taylor a small holochit the forged order. She walked back into the centre of the circle, she took a look qt the part of the crew who would be going on the away mission, "Good luck"

Taylor motioned towards Mad. "You take the masterkey. Someone else should hold the launcher and rockets for Valkyrie, since she'll be the one posing as the technician for the AOPN systems. Sledge can push the cart, since we'll need Porter's guns in case things go wrong." Taylor slips the holochit inside a small pocket on her powered suit's belt, and looked amongst the away team. [QUOTE][video=youtube;UkmEgdJPZqo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkmEgdJPZqo[/video][/QUOTE] "So lets break it down one last time. We head to the armored vehicle depot, grab an APC. Next, we head into Dyatiq Range Missile Base and find out how many AOPN systems there are. After we do, we state that we're here to check the systems and perform some maintenance if needed. Gotta make it sound nice and convincing. We set the explosives, then get in the APC and get out of there before remote detonating them. [I]THEN[/I] comes the tough part. We head towards Yovek UGC airbase, about fifteen clicks from the Missile Base. There, we disable the AA guns, so the Muramasa and Frosty's fighter can provide close air support. We get into the base, and locate a package called [I][B]'Archive I'[/B][/I]. Rectangular, 'bout the size of a footlocker. We find it, take it, and get back to the Muramasa. Escape the planet, and we're all set." explained Taylor to the various members of the away team. Each bore an arm band, bearing the mark of the Sympathizers. "These armbands will allow us to wander about easier, since the UGC will think we're Sympathizers and here to help them. That doesn't mean we can get away with everything, so act like you're supposed to. We'll be alone at the Missile Base, but we'll probably have help assaulting the Airbase. We need to find out where [I][B]'Archive I'[/B][/I] is being held inside the Airbase, as well as scout out the Airbase's defenses." She shifted her stance, and continued. "If we should be outed before we're able to set the explosives on all the AOPN systems, we run and gun. Destroy as many as we can. Half will do. We get out of there, detonate the explosives, and get to the Airbase. Valkyrie and Mad will be coming with us to make sure the explosives are set and detonated. At the airbase, we [B]MUST[/B] destroy those AA guns. Otherwise, none of us will be leaving this planet alive. If you have any explosives left over from the Missile Base, use them on the AA guns. If not, destroy them any way you can. And we will [I]NOT[/I] be leaving without [I][B]'Archive I'[/B][/I], so we have to get into that base and get it. If any of us should go down in the fighting, do not leave them behind. I don't leave anyone behind, and neither will you. Understood?" [editline]11th June 2016[/editline] [Heading to bed. You guys have control of Taylor and Valkyrie for now.]

"Yes ma'am!" Nodded Maddox. He turned to the crew. "All weapons have been prepared and are ready for collection at the armory."

Amy had joined the away team a bit late due to some last minute changes to her steath suit. The toxic nature of Voyak, had send alarm bells in her head and the last thing she needed was to get poisoned while performing her tasks on the mission. Toxisity resistance needed to be increased, they would probably need some way to make sure they didn't breathe in whatever fould fumes were on the planet and she needed to fix a few things concerning her helmet. The suit itself was modifiable and the changes to better fit the new enviromet were done, but it cost her some time. She made it to the cargo hold as Yuga nad Taylor were giving out their instructions.

Moloch was scanning the planet for a place to land so he could inspect his shuttle. The surface was toxic, so he would have to wear his respirator as to not breathe in the poisoned air. After not finding a suitable place, he kept moving forward. A ship much larger than his came down from the sky. At first he was slowing down so as to not crash into it, but... there was something about it which caught his attention. He couldn't help himself but look closer to confirm what it was he was seeing. This was something he hadn't seen for centuries, something he prayed day and night to see again, something which reminded him of better times during the glorious days of his people. He flew right past the Muramasa, almost colliding with it, just to get a better look at what was on it's back. He couldn't believe what it was he saw. ... Could this really be him?

[i]Johannes salutes and barks a harsh, disciplined "YES MA'AM" at the end of the briefing. His suit, newly modified with the new computer system installed, has been altered slightly in terms of decoration. The color scheme is the same, white and muted grays with some yellow accents, but it has been changed to be more akin to a urban camouflage scheme. The unit on his back hums quietly as it revs up to full power. He nods at Maddox's note of the armament availability in the armory and, when the crew is dismissed, he makes his way there with haste. He retrieves his rifle and hoists it over his shoulder and onto his back, where the maglock grips it securely, muzzle downward, alongside his condenser pack. Next he retrieves his revolver, and slips it into the magnetic holster on his dominant side. On his non-dominant side goes two pouches each holding four speed-loaders for the revolver. On his chest rig, four pouches sit above his pecs and upper stomach, containing magazines for the rifle and grenades. On the outside of each thigh, the two knives Maddox gave him earlier sit in their sheathes. He grabs his helmet off the desk, disconnecting it from the computer from which it had been updating and slips it onto his head, locking it in place with a quiet hiss.[/i] ((Let's FUCKIN DO THIS Infab remember to have Taylor forward Johannes' drill pod idea to Yuga))

[quote]June 30, 2088[/quote] The elite members of the Children of God were seated around a table, with their Holy Father Most High among them as well. The summer festival was fire bombed, the DMZ at the river was crossed, and now war was declared on them by the rest of the world. One of them grew a little too ambitious, too big for his cage, and the Holy Father was here to address that. "[I]What happened[/I]!?" He cried. "I thought we all agreed we were never going to cross the river into their land! Now millions of them are dead and they're all pointing their fingers at us!" The elite guard were turning their heads, uneasily looking at one another, until all eyes focused on Chemosh, leaning back with his feet on the table and starting at the Holy Father with murder in his eyes. "Chemosh... what have you [I]done[/I]?" The Holy Father spoke softly. He really didn't want to think it was his most favored of the elite that caused all of this. Chemosh took his feet off the table and leaned in very close towards the Holy Father. "What I did was something you were unwilling to do. What I did was something you could [b]never[/b] do. I showed our people our true potential to carry out the will of God!" he barked. "True potential!? You just murdered an entire city full of innocents!" "Why should any of us care for the lives of these people? Why should we care about those who spit on us, who mock us, who burn down our holy places and burn our holy books? The moment they showed nothing but disrespect towards us and God was when we were given a sign to strike by him." said Chemosh very dismissively. "Don't you realize what you have just done? For as long as we've been around, i've been trying my best to keep everyone off our backs! I've been doing my best to keep peace among our people! Now you've went and signed all of our death warrants!" "Hardly. This is our chance to bring in a new age for our people, to usher in an era where [I]WE [/I]are the ones who run the world, to face it with no regrets, and I will not let it slip away!" Chemosh stood up and stared at him. The rest of the elite did the same. The Holy Father realized what was going on. They wanted to overthrow him. "No... [B]NO![/B]" He began to panic and tremble. The peace he had worked hard to achieve with the rest of the world, even knowing how violent and zealous his people were, was falling apart rapidly. These were his last moments as their leader. Chemosh pulled out his pistol and aimed at the Holy Father's head. "Chemosh... [I]why[/I]?" "You've been holding us back. You've been preventing us from carrying out the will of God. No more of this, I say. Unlike you, I [B]do [/B]have what it takes to lead our people. Goodbye Father, we don't need you anymore." With that, they ran him out of the building and into the desert. There was nothing he could do now, the takeover was complete. The Holy Father Most High has been deposed. The Artisynth war has begun. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frosty felt something very odd. When that strange shuttle nearly collided with the Muramasa, he seized up and became petrified. He didn't know why, so he tried to shrug it off as best as he could.

As the team was dismissed to get their weaponry, Taylor turned to Yuga as she put on her EHE suit's helmet. It locked and secured to her suit with a hiss, before displaying her HUD and various other messages. "Captain, Johannes had an idea earlier that he wished for me to run by you. It involves a sort of pod with a large drill mounted on it used as a boarding craft. It would probably be best if you spoke to him more about it after the mission." she stated, as Yuga appeared before her on her HUD. She then saluted, before heading off to the armory. She'd have to swap to a light machine gun on this op, since the [I]'Brahma Bull'[/I] (as she called her Heavy Autoshotgun after Mad's paint job) would probably take up some room in the APC. She fetched one of the rifles that Mad had made, converted it quickly to a LMG platform, loaded a box of ammunition into it, then slipped on a satchel for additional ammunition. Her revolver she already had on her, magnetically clamped onto her thigh in a special holster. She grabbed a basic pump shotgun from one of the other racks as well, magnetically attaching it to her back. For close encounters, of course. Valkyrie had already grabbed her weaponry from her room. Her machine pistol was tucked into her belt, and additional mags were tucked into her jacket pockets. The SMG that Mad had crafted for her was in hand, loaded and ready to go with additional ammunition in a small satchel on her side. She covered her tattoos with her jacket and shirt, and wore a makeshift scarf to hide the ones close to her neck. Anything to blend in. Gloves for the environment, and a helmet for the toxic atmosphere. "Make sure to cover up, everyone. If it starts raining, its gonna burn like hell. I suggest a self contained helmet, or at least a gas mask. Long sleeved clothes, pants, boots and gloves." said Taylor, as she stood near the armory's entrance. Her suit would provide MORE than enough protection, but she was more worried about everyone else that didn't have a proper suit and helmet. Johannes was fine. Amy, Jag, Frosty, and Abraxas would be too.

Mad folded down his visor. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine." He said to Taylor. His [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Maddox%20Graves.jpg]armor[/url] would protect him more than enough. In any case, he had chosen to wear a nanoweave poncho with digital camo ontop of the armor. He slapped his weapon and made sure that that all the ammo and gear was accounted for. He was carrying a large backpack which held the spidermines. With a quick glance he made sure that the armband was visible. He did a satisfied grunt, to the average UGC trooper he would look like local militia, possibly PMC and ex-military dedicated to support the UGC troops. He looked at Taylor who held her automatic shotgun at her hip while making sure that everyone geared up. "You good?" He asked.

[QUOTE]"You good?".[/QUOTE] "Ready as I'll ever be." she said. She glanced over at Valkyrie, who had finished gearing up. She looked more like your basic militia, while Taylor looked straight up PMC with her [URL="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51118976/Extra/ST-Power-Suit.jpg"]armored EHE suit.[/URL] Both of them were wearing their armbands, though Taylor's had to be made a bit larger to fit the powered suit's arm. "Who's carrying the rocket launcher and rockets?"

[Fixed.] Mad adjusted the sights on his rifle. "I'm not sure, I was going to give them to Valkyrie but since she's going to fill the technician role I might as well carry them as well. Still need someone to carry the Firecracker charges though."

[i]Johannes glances up at Maddox while adjusting his armband, his visor cleared instead of opaque, his face visible behind the red glow of the HUD going through it's start-up sequence and systems check. Various information flowing over the visor in front of his eyes.[/i][b] "Did someone say they were handing out explosives?"[/b]

Maddox nodded. "Indeed. You up for carrying two shaped charges capable of levelling a large building on their own?"

Amy was relived that she didn't get chewed out for being late to the meeting. She followed the others back to the armory to gear up. She had already made modifications to her armor prior to this and all she needed to do was put it on. Even tho she hated wearing the helmet, Amy followed Taylor's advice to do so. Last thing she needed was having fun in acid rain. A few adjustments to the armband and it stood right next to the faded Alpha sisters simbol. Mercenaries were bound to be on this planet and from what she heard last, the Sisters werent backing anyone in particular. Amy grabbed her sniper and the SMG Maddox had made for her. Good to have a plan B. Even a plan C. She checked the hiden blade again, just to be sure it functioned as intended. She grabbed a few mags of standart ammo and a few incendiery ones. She also grabbed a few armor piercing ones for the sniper. Just in case. "Anyone want special ammo? Got pleanty left before needing to resuply."

[QUOTE=Viper123_SWE;50498584]Maddox nodded. "Indeed. You up for carrying two shaped charges capable of levelling a large building on their own."[/QUOTE] [i]Johannes blankly stares at Maddox for a moment.[/i][b] "That is the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me."[/b]