While within the cascade's hold, Jag used the brief period of time to mediate and ready itself for planet fall.
Another time where it's crystalline body would be put under the harsh stress of enduring an world's gravity.
Nevertheless, Jag continued onward and walk out towards the open airlock and dropped onto the surface of Voyak.
It's pointed ends of it's segmented tentacles stabbed and begun to sink into the formless mud below.
It's body arched sightly forward while it filtered out excess oxygen from within it's outer shell.
[QUOTE]"Take point."[/QUOTE]
"Understood, Weaponsmith Maddox," Jag coldly replied before shrugging it's body, letting out a deep creek from it's body.
After an second had passed, Jag then sprinted up ahead in it's usual agile fashion.
Though Jag acted sightly more sluggish and was slower in it's regular movements. Still, Jag tried it's best to keep the element of surprise for the rest of the team while keeping it's sight open for any surprises that kanads might throw at anyone trying to help out this 'Jason' and his lone stand against them.
The TV had been turned off and Frosty was spread out on the couch, asleep and dreaming. He dreamt about what could be going on back at the Muramasa, and just what would he say to the crew when he returned... if he returned. Either way, it's where he most definately would rather be right now.
He imagined himself walking down the corridors of the ship towards the bridge. Everything about the ship had an unpleasant feel to it. The metallic walls felt cold and looked rusted, ready to fall apart if they felt any amount of pressure. The ground was dirty and dusty to the point where Frosty was leaving footprints. The lights were barely functioning with some fading in and out. It all looked like the Muramasa was going to roll over and die at any moment. He expected a warm welcome from the crew, but nobody came to see his return. He was walking to the crew quarters to see if anyone else was there, but he noticed some of the doors had red X marks drawn on them which made Frosty's heart sink a little. Some of the doors were either locked, or the respective crew member wasn't in their cabin.
Frosty decided the mess hall would be a better place to see if anyone was still around. Fortunately, there was! There appeared to be signs of life as there was food on some of the tables. But, it looked as if no one was around to eat any of it.
"...Hello? Anyone here?" said Frosty, attempting to break the silence. There was no one to respond but the cold air.
Not wanting to soak in this abandoned and desolate atmosphere anymore, Frosty stepped out and walked to the bridge. Clearly something awful has happened while he was away and he'd have to talk to Captain Yuga to find out more. That is, if Frosty only noticed her cabin door had an X. At the bridge, all he found was Taylor. She was slumped in the captain's seat staring blankly outside the front window into space.
"Taylor, what on earth happened here?! Where is everyone else? Is the captain ok?"
No response.
"... [i]Taylor?[/i]"
He pressed his hand against her neck. There was no pulse, no life. She was cold. She was dead. Seeing his crewmate dead infront of him made him feel awful. Frosty might not have very well known some of the other crew members, but he still cared about each of them very much, and considered them his only friends. How could this have happened? What disaster ruined the crew and the ship? But his mourning was interrupted by a strange noise.
[b]TICK... TICK... TICK...[/b]
Something was ticking, it was getting faster, and frosty started to panic.
[b]TICK. TICK. TICK.[/b]
He was lifting Taylor's body off the chair and that's when he saw it. A bomb was crudely stitched into her back. Someone embedded it there as a way to kill whatever unfortunate person it was who discovered the Muramasa in it's sorry state.
[b]TICKTICKTICK. [i]TOCK.[/i][/b]
There was no use. Frosty was running, but the blast was faster. The force of the explosion tossed him outside a window as it ripped him apart, turning him into a yellow smear all over the outside of the ship.
And it was strong enough to wake him up.
His TV was on. It was playing some combat footage from the Children of God's golden age from when they were still on Terra all those years ago. On it, an artisynth suicide bomber had just detonated his bomb vest, taking out an entire truck full of soldiers. Chants and cries of artisynth voices praising their god followed the loud noise of the explosion. He hadn't been sitting on the remote, nor did he accidentally hit it with his foot. Instead, it seems that Frosty had received an unexpected guest.
[media]http://YouTube.com/watch?v=y6uPw35j-Ok[/media]
"Oh, don't mind me, Mr. Frosty. I'm just... [i]waiting.[/i]"
The Sermon Giver from Frosty's vision was sitting on a chair right next to him, watching the carnage on screen. His face concealed by an iron mask, and adorned by the outfit of one of CoG's elite, one of their Ayatollahs. Frosty reeled back.
"Hey, [i]what the hell?![/i] Who are you and how did you get in here?"
The sermon giver looked at Frosty.
"Why, Mr. Frosty, you already know the answers to those questions, don't you?"
Frosty stood up to deliver his response. "No, I do not! Get out of my cabin!"
The sermon giver shook his head. "Now, Mr. Frosty, This is [b]my[/b] cabin. [b]You[/b] are the one who is not allowed [b][i]here.[/i][/b]"
"Get out before I call security!"
"Have you lost your temper, Mr. Frosty?"
Frosty clenched his fists, ready for a fight. "I'm going to beat you if you don't leave!"
"You have lost your temper." said the sermon giver with a very unsubtle hint of smugness in his voice.
Before Frosty was able to do anything, the ceiling shook a little and the noise of a loud explosion barely came through the cabin walls. Something was happening on the surface. Frosty looked at the sermon giver.
"It appears your attention should be diverted [i]elsewhere[/i], Mr. Frosty."
Frosty shook his head and scoffed at him as he turned on his radio. He spoke "Moloch, I'm going outside."
No response but static. It looks like he'd have to find his way out of the flagship himself. He unlocked his cabin door and went on his way.
As Jag took point the rest oft he team followed. Traversing the rough terrain on foot was no easy task, traversing it stealthily even less. Maddox leaped over a rotten log, causing mud to splash up on his legs.
"I can't wait untill we leave this rotten planet." He muttered to himself.
Before anyone could say anything rapid gunfire could be heard nearby. Maddox pointed. "Over that hill! Move!"
-Snip-
[video=youtube;pcWjLa_nWxo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWjLa_nWxo[/video]
Jason could feel the truck taking a heavy beating from all angles; there was no telling whether it would hold out for the entire battle, but he wasn't about to bail out until the absolute last moment. Abandoning the driver's controls as a matter of futility, he focused on increasing the lethality of his defenses, and this meant re-arming the truck's built in grenade launchers with something fresh from the ammo compartment. Slamming a set of incendiary charges into two of the launchers, he scrambled back over to the monitor and honed its targeting reticules on the current positions of the RPG-carrying troopers.
CH Estimate: 2/3
[B]Actual: {2, 3}[/B]
2 Rolls Passed.
With a loud pop, the two mortars were launched into the air, arcing a distance of about 10 meters before exploding just overhead of the two troopers, who scarcely had time to react before the phosphoric fire engulfed them, sticking to the plates of their battle armor like molten paste. [B]30 DMG[/B] Their screams, metallic and distant, nonetheless could be heard over the gunfire all around. They threw their weapons onto the ground in a panic, trying to keep the cache of unfired rockets within away from the flames.
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Malevolence) = 2/3
[B]Actual: {3, 2}[/B]
In a stroke of luck, the launchers each landed on wet ground, saving them from the scorching heat as the burning operators each searched for salvation from their burning armor. All around them, the scene was raging with fire which burned regardless of the lack of kindling. From their position at the edge of the battle, the Muramasa team began to see the eerie orange glow of the battle ahead. Jag had sprinted ahead, as per usual, and would be the first to encounter opposition. The commandos, in fact, had spotted their approach with the use of a small aerial drone, one which was undetected by the proximity radar of Yadahr's truck. The two teams clashed as a set of previously-blinded kanads now sought to guard the flank of their comrades and fired down at the approaching sanghvi, joined by the NSK operator who had now switched to a standard rifle.
Commandos 5, 8, NSK: [B]{2, 8, 1}[/B] + (3 x 10) = {12, 18, 11}
Jag: DEF Rolls = {1, 3, 1}
[B]37 DMG[/B]
Jag HP: 33/50
Jag took a number of painful blasts in its approach to the edge of the battle, but in doing so, it opened up the corridor for its comrades, which it then attempted to secure with a deployed shield-
CH Estimate: 3/4
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
But as the small device impacted the ground, it bounced rather than laying flat as expected, and as it unfolded improperly, the electromagnetic barrier was discharged into the mud rather than being projected into the air. Regardless, Jag was forced to press on, urging the rest of the team: "Squad, forward. Suppressive fire." It then pounced on one of the commandos for a melee attack.
Jag: [B]4[/B] x Dismemberment(CH1/2, 1, Failed, x1) = [B]4 DMG[/B]
Its opponent, well trained in hand-to-hand combat, was able to predict the sanghvi's aggression and deflect a potentially lethal attack by rolling with it and scrambling back, escaping a grapple, and pulling out a VRI pistol for the coming fight.
Maddox, Markus, and the others were close behind, and now had the opportunity to attack.
Inside of the kanad perimeter, the battle was less like a series of volleys and more like a constant stream of lead and plasma, a veritable cloud of violence. The troopers carrying armor-piercing rifles now had a perfect chance to fire as the drones had yet to change target despite the flames which were suppressing the OBS troopers. With their OBN rifles, they aimed at the windows of the cabin, which were quite bullet proof, but weren't designed to resist something like this...
OBN Troopers 1 and 2:
CH Estimate: 3/5 x 2(Malevolence) = 1
2 Rolls Passed.
The rifles easily penetrated the windscreen and driver's side windows, exploding the glass into the cabin and wounding Jason with plasma and shrapnel even as he ducked to take cover behind the dash. [B]25 DMG to Yadahr's Truck, 10 DMG to Jason[/B]
Yadahr's Truck HP: 351/500
Jason HP: 38/100
Meanwhile, the burning troopers were being stung once again by the drones, zapping them with bolts of electrical power.
Drone 1: [B]6[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = [B]6 DMG[/B]
Drone 2: [B]8[/B] x (No Feat Applicable) = [B]8 DMG[/B]
The armored troopers hardly seemed to notice this additional agony while they were busy with their current predicament. Unfortunately for Jason, the two of them were doing a good job soaking up damage that would have been better-applied elsewhere, and for the moment, the kanads had the initiative. As all available fighters, having recovered from their temporary blindness, took up position to fire, a grenade of sorts fell from out of the blue, landing near one of the two burning troopers.
Unknown Enemy:
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Malevolence) = 2/3
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
The canister exploded into a splatter of chemicals which could extinguish the fire, but had unfortunately done so in such a way that very little actually reached its target. The flames continued to eat away at the armor worn by the trooper. Then, all of the commandos opened fire on the truck:
Commandos 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7: [B]{10, 5, 2, 7, 7, 7}[/B] + (6 x 10) = [B]98 Total Damage(!)
[/B]
Yadahr's Truck HP: 253/500
The truck was beginning to glow in several areas from the repeated punishment dealt by the plasma rifles, tearing away at its armor and revealing the chassis underneath. Inside, an alarm buzzer began to sound as a cryptic error message (in the kanad language, of course) flashed on the display gauges. The tires finally gave out after numerous impacts to each, the thick, steel-reinforced rubber exploding with such force that they literally turned inside-out and wrapped themselves around the rims. The vehicle hit the ground forcefully and began to smoke, but Jason didn't break concentration as he unleashed a counterattack using the mounted gun.
Jason: [B]{6, 7, 6, 10 x Crit (CH1/2, 1, Failed, x1) + 3(Assault) = 13, 3, 8 + 9(Assault) + 10(Assault) x Crit (CH1/2, 1, Failed, x1) + 8(Assault) + 1(Assault) = 36}[/B]
Despite the veteran commandos expecting the response, some were still unable to get out of the way once the turret began firing. The consequences were devastating for two of the enemy fighters, especially the last one caught in Jason's reticule. Having tripped in the mud on his way toward safety, the unfortunate kanad was pinned against a rock and had a number of rounds puncture his torso from behind, piercing a lung. He collapsed to the ground in agony.
[B]Enemy Neutralized.[/B]
Shortly thereafter, Jason witnessed the body seemingly slide under its own volition across the slick ground and out of harm's way through the monitor's camera. He blinked, unsure of what he had just seen. He then attempted to flick the turret back into its computer-controlled mode, but a second error appeared on the dashboard, this time with obvious connotations: it was a flashing yellow light featuring a series of bullets. The gun needed to be reloaded- manually.
---
Shortly after Yuga's suggestion, Wilson's voice suddenly broke in over the comm:
[quote]What armaments? Lady, I'm just a bus, here. You Muramasa people and your commanders need to stop using me and my vehicle as a pawn..![/quote]
As Wilson berated them, Taylor simply muted his input. It was a simple misunderstanding and could be corrected later. In the meantime, the captain relayed the plan to the other two ships, and all agreed to set it in motion. The fighters were just out of range of the Sparrowhawk when it suddenly turned away, and as the kanads gave chase the Cataract U-turned and thundered away. Only after having bitten on the Sparrowhawk's trail did the flight leader realize that she had made a tactical mistake. Now, as the fighters screeched in at Mach speed, the three ships rendezvoused somewhere in the sky above the furious battle on the ground and prepared to head them off. With their resources divided, the flight leader gave a fateful order: focus everything on the (presumed) enemy flagship: the Muramasa!
Vakarus was ready for them, however, and unloaded the newly-repaired flak cannons on them before they could get their rockets off.
CH Estimate: 3/4
[B]Actual: {1, 4, 1, 4, 1}[/B]
2 Rolls Passed.
3 Rolls Failed.
The guns boomed like thunder and could be heard echoing throughout the halls of the craft. Two of the enemy fighters were caught by shrapnel bursts which tore into their wings and flight surfaces, damaging them, but none were shot from the sky. Having cleared the first wave of attacks, the fighters blasted the Muramasa's weak points in hopes of shooting it down once and for all!
Fighters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5:
CH Estimate: 1/3
[B]Actual: {1, 1, 2, 3, 2}[/B]
1 Roll Passed.
4 Rolls Failed.
Four consecutive rockets were blocked by the electromagnetic shielding surrounding the craft before one finally penetrated by hitting the exact same spot as the rocket before it, and slammed into the underside of the ship's nose, directly under the bridge. There, the shields were stronger in order to make up for weaker armor plating, which proved to be a liability in this instance. The explosion tore directly though the armor and deep into the hull, massively damaging the ship's computer systems but thankfully failing to pierce the reinforced firewall into the bridge itself. The crew there, Taylor, Yuga, Vakarus, and Owen felt the shock roll through their bodies as practically every piece of "intelligent" data available to them disappeared completely from the HUDs.
Owen was no longer flying by wire, and only had a few tiny, mechanical backup gauges located at an inopportune angle, making it difficult to know his altitude and heading without craning his neck. Topography disappeared from the navigation console, replaced by a downright ancient radar display reminiscent of early 21st-century air war. Vakarus still had full control over the flak cannons and machine guns, but had no data regarding the missile battery in the back. For now, this was no problem, but could prove to be a major problem if/when the Muramasa must face a larger enemy or bomb its ground targets. And finally, all information previously available to Taylor was gone. The captain's chair was just a fancy seat with a radio in the armrest.
Onboard the Cataract, Reece watched as the flight of enemy fighters cleared the Muramasa and emerged on the opposite side where he could get a lock. Aiming for one which appeared to be smoking, he pulled the trigger:
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
The fighter burst into flames and careened out of control toward the rocky ground. Reece yelled in triumph, "Aw yeah! He's sushi now!" as he scanned for another opportunity to attack. However, the fighters were now in the Sparrowhawk's range. It was a meaty vessel, as in, it was heavily armored. And, to everyone's surprise, Captain Cheng was willing to prove just how well-armored it actually was by simply maneuvering into the path of one of the fighters and allowing the enemy to slam into him.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Failed.
Had it succeeded, the insane plan would have surely taken one of the enemy fighters completely out o the fight, but unfortunately the enemy realized what was happening and at the last moment made a desperate turn, scraping against the Sparrowhawk like a skipping stone but just barely clearing it fully intact. The numerous reactions of "what the hell, Cheng?" alerted Rask that something interesting had happened, but given that the Muramasa's computer failure had rendered him essentially blind to the operation, he was forced to put it together from context clues.
[quote]Get those computers back online, Taylor![/quote]
Markus had stopped behind a rock a good distance away from the battle.
As he used his binocular he could see the two troopers who were still burning, but in cover and trying to put out the flames. Scanning the ground, he noticed the rocket launchers still lay in the muck as nobody had had the time to recover them in the heat of battle.
Being conveniently placed in the center of the Kanad perimeter, he decided that he would take them out, both to neutralize the launchers, create a distraction and possibly even injure some of the troopers.
He carefully took aim at the ammo compartment.
"[I]Oh fuck.[/I]" muttered Taylor, as the loss of their computer systems set in. They were practically blind now, save for a few analogue systems. Rask's voice sounded over the radio.
[QUOTE]Get those computers back online, Taylor![/QUOTE]
"On it!" replied Taylor, before she flipped to the ship intercom. "Bucky! We just lost all computer systems on the bridge! We need a system reroute and reboot ASAP, or this fight is going to be[I][B] a helluva lot[/B][/I] more difficult!"
Maddox pushed on through the mud and opened fire with his assault rifle, attempting to neutralize the OBN troops.
-----
Vakarus cursed as he lost control of the missile launchers but continued to track and engage targets with the remaining weapons.
Bucky hops-to and mutters curses as she starts rerouting and rebooting things to try getting the affected systems on the Muramasa back online. She supplements the quick work of her hands with a direct link to the ship's functioning onboard systems. She disdains linking with a half-dead computer system, feels like the grave to her. "[I]Already on it![/I]" She yells back at Taylor.
--------------------------------------------------
Hariim, who had been working EWAR and managing suit systems for his squad, takes some initiative. He creates a localized secure mesh network between his suit, and those of his squaddies to facilitate full battlefield awareness through the sensors and computer systems in the squad's own gear; albeit with less overall processing power and function with the loss of the link to the Muramasa.
While his daemons finalize the link, Hariim uses his airburster rifle to assist Maddox's attempts at killing the OBN troopers. He has his slugs set to detonate spherically, and half a meter away from their set targets.
Aw dammit, The Turret needs reloading. But first.."
Jason looks at the monitor pad as the Turret has stopped firing due to it running out of ammo, He grabs 2 Flashbangs and inserts them into their separate launchers, grabbing two repair drones in the Utility box and a medical pack and tries to heal himself while grabbing a new ammo case for the turret as he makes his way into the Truck's top hatch where the Turret's empty magazine should be.
"Once this thing starts firing again, You're all going to be sorry!"
((I hope to Sol you're not going to pull a shit roll and flash the extraction team.))
((Let's just wait and see, i guess.))
Jag quickly lashed at the nearby Kanad, striking at his handgun wielding arm with it's left arm while having the end of it's right arm spit into individual, separate digits for violently griping onto the Kanad's neck. Then Hastily using gabbled Kanad as shield to deflect incoming fire from the Kanad's allies.
"All units, report." Said Varia as she and her team slowly made their way towards the target.
[i]"B section, one minute out."[/i]
[i]"C section, in position."[/i]
[i]"D section, we're setting up now. Out."[/i]
She nodded and sighed. "Roger that. All units hold untill further orders."
"Vahagn, anything on screen?" She asked her AI companion which was installed to her mech, the Aegis.
"Negative Captain. All screens clear." Replied the AI with his monotone voice. [i]"Expecting trouble Captain?"[/i] Asked Aquino over the comms.
Varia glanced quickly at the squad of MechForce troopers walking next to her mech. "Always."
[i]"Captain Reyes, General Harkin here. I just wanted to wish you and your soldiers good luck once more while also letting you know that the ECV Hoplite is three clicks out and ready to assist should the need arise."[/i]
"Understood general, thanks. Reyes out." Replied Varia, feeling slightly more confident now that one of Eridia's prototype railgun cruisers was available as backup.
A couple of minutes later the squad had made it past most of the rocky terrain native to the mountains surrounding the city of Jadom. The mech HUD alerted Varia that the squad had reached the ridge where they had planned to set up an observation post.
Relaying the info to the rest of the squad the troopers got to work quickly, spreading out into the natural cover.
Down below was a small clearing which was empty aside from one single sleek black ship sitting in the open. There were no guards nearby and no open ramps nor doors.
Varia looked up and scanned the cliffs surrounding the small clearing. Once again the mech HUD came to life and marked hundreds of friendly signatures as green diamonds.
"A section. In position."
Varia gestured with her hand, something which the mech repeated thanks to the impressive pilot-mech connection.
"Varshokk, prepare the rocket launcher. One rocket, EMP payload."
The bulky khergian nodded and set to work. After sliding a blue-colored rocket into the launcher next to him he shouldered the weapon and cautiously moved up to the ridgeline.
"Rocket, ready."
"All units, weapons ready. Corporal, fire."
As the hundreds of [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/EAF%20MechForce%20Mech.jpg]MechForce troopers and dozens of mechs[/url] aimed down their weapons Varshokk pulled the trigger.
With a loud [i]swoosh[/i] the rocket left the launcher and was sent flying towards the mysterious ship.
Everyone followed the rocket with their eyes as it streaked through the sky and impacted into the ship, sending a visible EMP pulse which momentarily jammed Varia's HUD for a few nanoseconds.
At first nothing happened but then the ship began to spark. A lone dish on the roof the ship sparked, having short-circuited, which caused a massive shadow to appear above the clearing and the surrounding cliffs.
Varia looked up. Varshokk looked up. Aquino looked up and widened his eyes. "They have a second ship!"
Above the clearing was a massive black ship. It was the same size as a Eridian battlecruiser but a hundred times more menacing. Dimly lit red lights ran across its otherwise black surface with no visible viewports, ventilation exhausts and the like.
Suddenly a hidden hatch retracted, revealing a weapon. Then another hatch retracted. And another. At the same time the ship on the ground deployed its ramp and released a swarm of [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Fists%20of%20Sol%20Trooper.jpg]soldiers[/url] which began to take defensive positions on the ground.
Varia could feel her pulse spiking. "All units! Scatter and engage at will!"
Wasting no time the EAF MechForce soldiers and their mechs opened up both on the grounded ship and on the battlecruiser above. Shots from the mechs and their troopers tore through the enemy soldiers with ease however when the battlecruiser opened fire the eridian soldiers began to scatter.
"Aquino! Head back to the dropship! Prepare for immeadiate dust-off!" Yelled Varia as she unloaded a salvo from her kinetic cannons into the battlecruiser, scratching some paint.
"On it!" Replied Aquino. He got up and pointed back towards the way the squad came. "You heard her! Move your asses!"
As her squad retreated Varia opened up a channel to general Harkin. "Sir, the objective was masking a hostile battlecruiser of unknown model. We neutralized the objective but we're going to need much more firepower if we're going to take this thing down."
[i]"Understood captain. Disengage and fall back, the Hoplite is on her way to assist. Harkin out."[/i]
Varia could only nod in response. She fired another salvo at the grounded ship, causing some internal component explode, before falling back. Up in the sky the blocky shape of the ECV Hoplite became visible.
[i]"Hoplite, moving to assist."[/i]
The much smaller but heavily armed cruiser opened up with its front-mounted railguns, a design inspired by the classic nose MAC- a weapon commonly mounted onboard SDF vessels, which did indeed cause some damage to battlecruiser.
Suddenly the entire ground shook as four more battlecruisers appeared, having made a jump from a unknown location straight down to the surface of Eridia.
Varia turned to see two more eridian cruisers join the fight, backing up the hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned Hoplite. One of the cruisers launched a supersonic bomber craft.
[i]"Reaper zero-six heavy, inbound on priority one target. All units be advised, fusion munitions are now in play. Hold on to your helmets."[/i]
The bomber flew above the first battlecruiser and opened a small set of baydoors. Had it not been for the mech HUD Varia wouldn't have noticed the tiny black object which was catapulted out from the belly of the bomber.
[i]"Bombs away!"[/i] Said the pilot over the comms before activating its boosters.
Meanwhile above the battlecruiser the bomb was heading straight towards it and, with a blinding flash, detonated into a large circle of pure energy with nearly the same amount of heat as a star.
Varia looked on in awe as the battlecruiser was literally torn in half. Loud alarms went off as the two ship pieces began to fall down.
"All unist! Brace!" Yelled Varia as she kneeled down, causing the Aegis to hunker down. With a deafening sound the battlecruiser touched down and obliterated several nearby cliffs and mountains while also creating a massive shockwave.
Several trees were completely ripped from their roots and sent flying as the shockwave spread out around the crash site.
"All clear." Said Vahagn. Varia got up just in time to witness the remaing four battlecruiser opening up several hidden hangar doors which released a black swarm of [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/Fists%20of%20Sol%20Stealth%20Fighter.jpg]stealth fighters[/url].
The fighter squadrons went head-to-head with the eridian vessels. One of the fighters caught up with the bomber and turned into a flying ball of smoldering metal scrap.
More eridian vessels appeared, including the only eridian carrier called the ECV Athena. While the Athena deployed its own fighter and bomber pickets the rest of the eridian vessels took up a defensive formation around the ECV Hoplite which was struggling to maintain its altitude. Lifeboats and dropships began to leave the Hoplite moments before the bridge exploded, setting off a series of chain explosions.
Once the Hoplite hit the ground there wans't much left to even call it a wreckage.
On the gorund Varia was rushing along the cliffs as the HUD counted down the meters left to the extraction zone.
Finally the [url=https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71236376/Starpath%20RP/EAF%20Dropship.jpg]dropships[/url], alongside the surviving members of the EAF MechForce, became visible in the distance.
Varia let out a sigh of relief.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ZhdpV73lY[/media]
"[i][b]BURN IN HELL! BURN IN HELL! BURN IN HELL! BURN IN HELL![/b][/i]" came the chanting from the crowd of synths that have gathered to see the captives that were being brought out before them. Several pirates, their cruiser now a burning husk in Karbala's desert, were chained inside a cage that was meant to protect them from the angry mob outside.
Earlier, three pirate vessels entered Artisynth space in search of a crashed cargo ship containing millions of credits and untold masses of cargo. The two ayatollahs in their shuttle were forced to flee as their warning was met with lasers and missiles. The CoG savages lurking in the darkness of space in their scrapships were busy peeling off the hulls of two of the pirate vessels while the third evaded them and headed straight towards the planet. What the pirates did not know was that the planet was under CoG control, and so every single Artisynth that could see the vessel attempt to land had all fired upon it until it crashed and burned. The survivors of the crash that were too wounded to fight back were pulled out of the wreckage and beaten, then were chained inside a cage to be sent off to Karbala's main mosque to be sacrificed.
Frosty was lost in the crowd and didn't understand the commotion going on. He missed the fighting earlier due to being lost inside the flagship and had surfaced to [i]this[/i]. A synth threw a severed head from a slain pirate into the cage, and was yelling curses at those inside it. Another leaped on the cage and shook the bars rather violently. A third revved up a chainsaw and began to slam it's blades against the ground repeatedly, sending sparks everywhere. Moloch gleefully drove the cart carrying the cage while yelling his heresies into a built-in loudspeaker.
"God speaks to us, asking us where our faith has gone! Today is the day we show Allah we are not a lukewarm people! We will not allow ourselves to be spit out from his mouth! Our passion for him must burn hotter than the stars! It must burn hot enough to scorch the infidels who dared disturb this hallowed ground!"
"What in the world is going on? Why is everyone screaming at these people?" asked Frosty to an Artisynth next to him.
"Pirates! Filthy pirates come to steal our planet to turn it into a den of iniquity! We give them a traditional Karbalan welcome!" chuckled the synth.
A CoG imam on the other side of Frosty overheard and gave a reply of his own. "It's a blessing! A blessing from God! He has allowed us to overtake these infidels and smite them! Their lives will be offered up to God and our prayers will be answered!"
"But... Don't you think this is a bit, ah, [i]extreme?[/i]" replied Frosty.
The imam had a look in his eyes as if someone had just told him that breathing air is bad because air has feelings too. "You wear the armor of the [b]Quds Force[/b]! Have you not done more extreme actions during your operations?... Are you sure you are really one of them?" He grabbed Frosty's arm.
An ayatollah behind Frosty stopped the imam. "Easy on him, imam. Moloch has spoken to us about him. He's one of us who has lost his memories, and can't remember a thing!"
"Well then! In this case I will be certain to mention you in my prayers during the offerings!" replied the imam.
The trail of hacked off limbs and blood of all colors trailed through the city streets as the cart and cage finally reached their destination, as did the large crowd following them. Frosty tried to get away but the synths surrounding him refused to let him through and demanded him to stay.
The inside of the mosque was exactly like what Frosty saw in his vision. The crowd eagerly listened to the imams deliver their teachings as the ayatollahs began the ceremony. It was madness. One by one, the captives were brought before the crowd and beheaded. What caught Frosty's attention however was the presence of the sermon giver. He was up on the altar living up to his name as he went on about the reasoning behind such horrible rituals.
"God calls for a sacrifice! He calls for an offering of the lives of the infidels as a display of our faith to Him! Now I ask of you, who are we to deny His most simple of desires? We are none else but His divine chosen! We must submit ourselves beneath the almighty as that is what He demands! Today we offer Him the lives of these infidels who dared disturb our holy land! These unbelievers who think they can rip us out of our holy land and turn it into a den of sin! But God has once again shown us we are His most favored of creations! He has sent them here to be smitten at the neck! It is as I have written: Those who believe the least in God will bleed for Him the most! This is the word of God! Behold, the lives of these infidels will answer a prayer today!"
Oddly enough, the congregation responded and reacted to the ayatollahs when they preached, [i]but not to the sermon giver.[/i]
However, today's mass was also a special event. An ayatollah was being promoted to sorcerer, and Frosty was going to learn why a sorcerer's coat is so red. They had captured pirates, true, but some of them were humans. Since humans were beyond loathed by the Children of God, they received a "special treatment" by the ayatollahs. They did not cut their head off entirely, but cut deep enough to cause excessive bleeding. They were then hung upside down and their head pulled back so the cut in their neck would bleed further. The blood was collected in a container and then placed off to the side where it was mixed with a few chemicals and dyes to preserve the bright red color. Then an ayatollah's coat would be dipped into the container, turning it from white to red. This was the ritualistic method used to create the red dye on Moloch's, and the sorcerer's, coats. This new coat was given to an ayatollah whom was recently bestowed psychic powers and had joined the ranks of the sorcerers. Once the coat was fully red, the sacrifices stopped as their God was finally stated to be satisifed. Those who were left of the pirates were sent into a holding pen in the basement. The mass concluded with songs of praise towards their God, and a message of peace from Moloch to the congregation.
Frosty finally understood what it meant to be an Artisynth, and a follower of the Children of God. He was beginning to understand who he once was, and it disturbed him deeply.
Jag wasted no time attempting to gain control of the situation. Its opponent posed an immediate threat, and others in the area could prove lethal if the sanghvi were to leave itself open again.
Jag: [B]1[/B] x 1.5 x Dismemberment(CH1/2, 1, Failed, x1) = 1.5... [B]2 DMG[/B]
CH Estimate: 1/4
[B]Actual: 4[/B]
Roll Passed.
First striking unsuccessfully at the commando's gun toting hand, Jag then surprised its foe with a sudden lunge for the neck. The kanad was caught off guard and rendered defenseless as the huge sanghvi began to use him as a shield. This worked out brilliantly as one of the other two commandos currently engaged against the away team attempted to fire on Jag, but struck a comrade instead.
NSK Commando: [B]1[/B] x 2(Malevolence) + 10(Numbers) = [B]12 DMG[/B]
Jag's "kanad shield" absorbed the plasma burst with a angry, but choked shout of pain. Meanwhile, Markus, having successfully found an angle on the burning troopers, aimed (literally) to destroy the rocket launchers which had been dropped in the mud. It wasn't a bad plan; the tubes had roughly the same diameter as a human head, a familiar target. Still, as with any long-range shot, it wasn't a sure thing.
CH Estimate: 2/5
[B]Actual: 5[/B]
Roll Passed.
It was no problem for the experienced sniper, who blasted the canisters one by one, detonating their payloads and unleashing an unholy fireball on nearby enemies- especially the ones who had been wielding those launchers to begin with. The only issue came as flecks of shrapnel pelted the truck, smashing more windows and tearing up the interior. This time, however, Jason avoided injury. [B]40 DMG to OBS Troopers, 10 DMG to OBN Troopers, 10 DMG to Yadahr's Truck[/B]
Yadahr's Truck HP: 341/500
Maddox pushed on, sprinting right past Jag on his way to take aim against the OBN troopers, but he wasn't fast enough to stop them from firing another deadly salvo. Planting their feet once more after the shakeup brought by the RPGs exploding, they kept the heat on as help came to their comrades.
OBN Troopers 1 and 2:
CH Estimate: 3/5 x 2(Malevolence) = 1
2 Rolls Passed.
The armor-piercing rifles tore through the panels of the truck, shredding the broken-down armor as it was no longer effective at stopping large-caliber projectiles. Jason was struck in the body by a ricochet as smoke began to pour in from the engine compartment. Some combination of the exploding OBS rockets or damage done to the batteries contained within the truck had started a potent fire which was eating away at Jason's remaining protection. Worse yet, the computer systems within the truck fell completely offline, disabling the turret's ability to fire automatically, and causing the drones to cease responding. [B]25 DMG to Yadahr's Truck, 10 DMG to Jason[/B]
Yadahr's Truck HP: 316/500
Jason HP: 38/100
Maddox then opened fire on both OBN operators, taking them by surprise as he burst in out of nowhere!
Maddox: [B]{10 x 1.25(Machinist) x Crit(CH1/2, 1, Failed, x1) = 12.5... 13, 6 x 1.25(Machinist) = 7.5... 8}[/B]
Each OBN trooper took a shot which rang through their armored bodies, but surprisingly, they didn't seem all too fazed. Maddox was now standing in a vulnerable position and it wasn't long before the commandos responded in kind. While several raised their rifles to take out the intruder, they hesitated. Before Maddox could figure out why, it became obvious- one of the commandos had vaulted onto the top of a tall rock and had then leapt like a freak, with a plasma-enhanced knife at the ready!
OBV Commando 3:
CH Estimate: 1/3 x 2(Malevolence) = 2/3
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Passed.
OBV Commando 3: [B]7[/B] x 2(Malevolence) + 10(Numbers) = 24
Maddox: DEF Roll = 1
[B]23 DMG[/B]
Maddox HP: 153/156
Maddox felt the commando slam into his back at the same time the knife sliced into the chest piece of his armor, ripping upwards and leaving a deep gouge in its wake. Pain followed, and Maddox was almost too stunned to prevent his foe from stabbing him once he had pulled the knife out and tried to thrust it into the human's neck. Maddox caught the arm, first, though, and began to struggle.
Hariim was following in Maddox's footsteps, mapping out the battlefield for the rest of the team. Using his sensors, he mapped out the positions of the crew's 15 remaining foes, although with all the cover involved with this firefight it was impossible for the crew to refer to this information effectively. They had difficulty getting line of sight on their foes, and by the time they had, the others had easily changed positions. Keeping track of so many targets was difficult for anyone, anyway- regardless of cover. Nonetheless, Hariim had an easier time than the rest, and he knew that Maddox had failed to take out the enemies he had aimed for. He arrived a moment later, sending several shotgun blasts toward the OBN operators.
Hariim: [B]{10 x 1.5 x Crit(CH1/2, 2, Passed, x2) = 30, 8 x 1.5 = 12}[/B]
The troopers once again displayed their effectiveness by taking the shots and holding their ground, something Hariim didn't expect, especially after the first shot had appeared to have been a nearly perfect headshot. Now, the enemy did respond, having held off to give their comrade a chance to pounce on Maddox, the two which had trained their rifles now shifted their attention to Hariim instead. Two bursts of plasma followed.
OBV Commandos 1 and 2: {6, 9} + (2 x 10) = 35
Hariim: DEF Rolls = {2, 3} = 5
[B]30 DMG[/B]
Hariim HP: 90/120
Then again, Hariim was also able to display his own effectiveness by taking both shots and standing tall. The enemy instantly knew that they were facing a dangerous opponent. Inside the truck, Jason knew that help was on the way, as Maddox and Hariim were now within sight of the truck. He had just loaded flashbangs into the launchers, however, and it was too late to stop them from deploying.
CH Estimate: 2/3
Actual: {3, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 3}
7 Rolls Passed.
2 Rolls Failed.
There were a large number of personnel nearby, both friend and foe. As the flashbangs detonated, Maddox's eyes were covered by his opponent's left hand and slightly protected by his helmet's visor, and so he escaped unharmed. Hariim was not so lucky, and neither was every other nearby opponent, from the OBN troopers and their OBS comrades on the ground, all with the exception of a single Commando who reflexively covered his eyes as the truck's grenade launchers popped.
The good news is that Maddox wasn't blinded. The better news is that his nearest foe, the stab-minded fellow on his back, was actually caught in the trap. He now had a very good chance of overpowering him and rejoining the main fight. Jason, meanwhile, had succeeded in stopping another round of armor-penetrating blows. But now he fumbled with a first aid kit in one hand and a repair droid in another, before dropping both in frustration and manning the turret again.
((Players can only make one type of CH roll per round, excepting those with applicable feats. Jason could use one or more flashbangs, but he could only use flashbangs [I]or[/I] heal. Not both.))
He couldn't get it reloaded before the kanads unleashed another salvo on the truck.
OBV Commandos 4, 6, and 8: {5, 8, 9} + (3 x 10) = [B]52 DMG[/B]
Yadahr's Truck: 264/500
The rifles unloaded on the increasingly-vulnerable machine. Those who weren't blinded by the flashbang were witnessing proof of its crew-survivability, however, as Jason continued to prep the machine gun for fire within. Now able to return fire on a large and vulnerable enemy presence, he did so:
Jason: [B]{7, 9 + 1(Assault) = 10, 7, 3, 2, 8 + 6(Assault) = 14, 9 + 5(Assault) = 14, 5, 1}[/B]
And in that stroke, the odds began to shift heavily in favor of the Muramasa team. Bullets tore through the enemy ranks, piercing flesh and shattering bones, leaving them far more wounded than before. One of the burning OBS operators was struck again by a large caliber bullet and died as it blasted into his cranium.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
The other OBS trooper had managed to put out the fire but was now so bloodied that he stayed on the ground, practically dead already.
[B]Enemy Neutralized.[/B]
It seemed that it couldn't be much longer before the crucial cargo and the new addition to the crew could be recovered by the team. They were still confronted by the resilient OBN operators and a number of wounded (and a few healthy) commandos armed with plasma rifles, and few others who hadn't really been seen much... Speaking of which:
HV Commando:
CH Estimate: 1/4 x 2 = 1/2(Malevolence)
[B]Actual: 1[/B]
Roll Failed.
Seemingly out of the blue, the solid rock next to Markus's head exploded into a splash of plasma which briefly caught the sniper's clothing on fire. Calmly, he patted his shoulder down to prevent the fire from spreading, but the implication was clear- the enemy had a sniper with them!
((Update to the air battle will be posted tomorrow.))
"Fuck Yeah! now that's what i'm talking!"
Jason cheers as the turret has star firing again, Killing 2 commandos however. his work is not done yet, He goes back inside the truck and sets the turret to auto and takes opens the medical kit to ease some of his wounds. while doing so, he grabs a small recon drone from the ammo box an pops back in the top hatch. He sees Markus looking to where the Sniper had impacted
"I guess you needed help for the Sniper. here!"
Maddox used the window of opportunity provided by the flashbangs to pull out his baton which he attempted to slam into his opponent's neck.
It looks like there is a big battle, is the time now for me to be introduced? Will the time ever come? The world may never know. I may never decide.
(( it's never too late to join, you big goobis ))
[QUOTE=Sparkeagle;51106957]It looks like there is a big battle, is the time now for me to be introduced? Will the time ever come? The world may never know. I may never decide.[/QUOTE]
((Squish V2?))
Ahh, its viper. So you are still here.
(( Hey, Sparkeagle. Please use around a double set of brackets around out of character messages. Also, we have an discord server for 90% of OOC conversations. Here's the [url=https://discord.gg/SF8g7z7]Link[/url]. ))
[QUOTE=Sparkeagle;51107627]Ahh, its viper. So you are still here.[/QUOTE]
((You almost sound dissapointed. :v: ))
((Updates are on pause until tomorrow evening at the soonest. I just pulled through a rough couple of days which included an all-nighter study session and an exam. I'm going to be spending the night in Orlando and going home tomorrow.))
Captain Cheng responded to the angry words of his comrades over radio, reassuring the wounded Muramasa that he wouldn't allow it to be shot down:
[quote]That was just an attack of opportunity, my friends! We won't let them shoot you down, you can be sure of it.[/quote]
Two air-to-air rocket batteries popped out of each side of the Sparrowhawk, revealing its primary armaments. Taking aim at the remaining 4 fighters, the guidance system within the well-armored mercenary ship let fly four missiles in quick succession.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: {4, 2, 4, 5}[/B]
Three Rolls Passed.
One Roll Failed.
The rockets roared through the wet air with absolute precision, and given the short distance to their targets, the enemy kanads were barely able to react. The flight leader's fighter was struck by a ring of shrapnel which almost downed her vehicle, but computer-assisted flight helped to correct for the sudden excess drag created by a tear in the metal skin of the aircraft. One of her wing mates wasn't so lucky, being blown apart in spectacular fashion just as a third comrade managed to deploy flares.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
The fourth rocket chased its target for a great distance away from the center of battle before exploding, tagging the craft with a glancing blow as it began to circle around. The Cataract now stepped in to head off the fighters before they could land another blow on the Muramasa, attacking them while they were still preparing their response. Reece, seeing the flight leader's craft in poor shape, decided to decapitate the leadership.
CH Estimate: 3/5
[B]Actual: 2[/B]
Roll Failed.
Unfortunately, as he zeroed in on his target, the Cataract suddenly changed directions, throwing off his aim. "Captain!" he shouted as his attack was rendered useless. "Warn me next time, would you!?" Sharpe glared at his gunner. As it would turn out, another fighter had been on a collision course with the Cataract's bridge, and Reece had ignored it due to his own tunnel vision. "Sorry, cap'n!" he yelled after getting the information.
This meant that Vakarus would finally get a chance to fire on the enemy, which he relished as it provided him the chance to do what Reece had failed to do.
CH Estimate: 3/4
[B]Actual: {2, 3, 4}[/B]
Rolls Passed.
The remaining trio grouped up for another barrage against the Muramasa, putting themselves into a vulnerably tight formation which Vakarus was easily able to use against them. With a quick simultaneous burst from several flak cannons, two of the enemy fighters exploded into a black and blue cloud of smoke and debris. Incredibly, one of the fighter pilots managed to eject successfully after the fact, but it definitely wasn't the flight leader. She was dead without question.
[B]Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
[B]Enemy Neutralized.[/B]
This left one small problem: the final remaining fighter was now close enough to launch another rocket at the Muramasa, aiming squarely at the bridge windows.
CH Estimate: 1/3
[B]Actual: 3[/B]
Roll Passed.
Some combination of the ship computer's inability to anticipate the rocket's arrival combined with the angle of the attack was enough to allow the unthinkable to occur. The rocket pierced straight through the shields at the bow of the craft and exploded on impact with the bridge, completely blowing out the frontal windows and engulfing the bridge in a deadly fireball, throwing bits of metal and other material hard enough that the wall separating the bridge from the main tunnel was perforated. Those who were standing were knocked off their feet as a menacing rumble could be felt throughout the entire craft. [B]100 DMG[/B]
Owen HP: 20/100
Taylor HP: 45/100
Vakarus HP: -30/100 [B]Total Incapacitation.[/B]
Yuga HP: -30/100 [B]Total Incapacitation.[/B]
((I really struggled with figuring out how to go about this in a fair manner. Check the discord chat to see me flounder. All I can say is, be happy we're almost at the end of the chapter.))
The bridge was at first filled with smoke and debris swirling about in the air before the rushing air outside began to suck it all away. The craft was beginning to list sickly to the right, falling over sideways in absence of input. Taylor found herself on the floor, head pressed up against the rear wall of the bridge as she had been thrown there by the impact, with Yuga's unresponsive, but thankfully intact, body draped over the captain's chair, her empty eyes staring straight forward with a look of terror. The rolling of the ship caused the body to slip away and fall to the floor as well, just as Taylor struggled to her hands and knees, her body so awash with adrenaline that she felt no pain at all.
A flame retardant foam was being dispensed into the bridge at the same time fire warnings were ringing against the sound of rushing air. The captain struggled up and onto her feet at about the same time Owen, dazed, deafened, and bloodied by the force of the explosion, finally snapped out of inaction and pulled on the stick using motor memory. At the same time that Taylor felt the ship begin to level out, she realized that a repetitive "echo" of the explosion was actually the sound of the flak cannons hammering away on nothing in particular. Vakarus was slumped over his own weapons console, his body keeping the guns going.
[quote]Sharpe to Muramasa, is anyone still alive in there!? I repeat-[/quote]
[quote]Captain Caine??? This is Cheng, answer if you're still in control-[/quote]
Outside, the final remaining fighter took off into the bleak horizon, having been recalled by base command. As the last survivor of its wing, it wouldn't be expected to fight on alone. After all, that was what the Tovokra was for.
---
The Tovokra was a frigate of the Black Fleet. At 250 meters long, it was almost double the length of the Muramasa and was far better equipped for direct combat: its tandem fusion engine configuration divided power between the engines and the armaments evenly, ensuring that the ship would not need to delegate power in mid-combat, even while preparing to warp. Four high-power lasers were positioned on two turret bases, one on top and one on the underbelly of the manta-ray shaped body. Smaller plasma cannons were built into the nose to deal with enemy fighters or drones, and the entire vehicle was coated in superior armor plating.
Captain Vixe Sidikan stood at the helm with a look of disdain as she finally caught sight of the sorry trio of ships which had been delegated to her. She hadn't fought in the great war, two decades earlier, but had gained her experience instead bringing pirates and private military thugs to heel during the interbellum. She was tired of such lousy quarries and was eager for the new sanghvi war to finally get underway, where she might finally have her chance at real glory. On a holoscreen to her right, intelligence regarding the wanted ship "Muramasa" appeared, fresh from State Security.
She ignored them; so what if the enemy had a trick up its sleeve? Maybe they would manage to do something interesting in the midst of their death throws... "[Weapons status?]"
"[Ready as always, Captain,]" the gunnery operator replied from his seat at the console.
"[Excellent. Prepare to engage on my mark.]"
---
Meanwhile on the Muramasa, Bucky had been toiling to get some kind of response from the damaged computer systems. The exterior safety panels, meant to slam shut in the event of a window-breech, had failed to do so as the explosion had warped the plates, and the constant emergency alerts were interrupting her work flow. No matter how quickly the android worked, she was forced to wait and work at the pace that the failed computer dictated, with long pauses between failed attempts to reach offline components... she tried, and tried, to get it all talking to each other before attempting a fresh boot sequence all over again. There were no other options, and so Bucky committed.
The final working components in the bridge, including the archaic radar screen, went dark. Power in the core of the engine's reactors surged before dipping as the reactor entered into a failsafe mode and then...
CH Estimate: 1/5
[B]Actual: {4, 1, 5} (Multitasking)[/B]
Roll Passed.
The machine woke up. Across every holoscreen in the bridge, text in English and Kanad flowed by in a tempest of arcane glory, restoring the crippled systems one by one as Bucky's repairs and bypasses went into effect. Not everything was perfect, but the blinded ship was beginning to see again, and finally, Rask was able to tune in and see what had become of the Muramasa. He dared not say anything, once it was clear what had happened, as he didn't know what to do. He had never been in this position before.
Taylor stumbled around the bridge, trying to regain her bearings as the adrenaline surged through her veins. Missile detonation literally right at the bridge's window. Hell of a shot, she had to admit. She looked down as she grasped onto one of the control panels. Bits of shrapnel and glass poking out of her clothes...and skin. Fuck.
She pulled out the bits she could from her arms and such, then looked up to hear voices coming from comms. She also saw Yuga slumped over the chair, seemingly lifeless. She stepped over, and hit a button on the chair. "...This is Captain Caine. We uh...took a missile to the bridge. Navigation officer and gunner are down." she said, before groaning. Glass shard embedded in face. She reached up and pulled it out, then flicked it aside.
She then flicked to the ship's intercom. "Need support on the bridge, Yuga and Vakarus are down. Owen is pretty badly wounded." she muttered, before releasing the button. She looked over to Yuga for a moment. Well, she's still breathing. [I]Sadly.[/I] She reached over, and lifted her off the chair. She picked Yuga's limp body up, and carried her to a spot out of the way nearby. Now for Vakarus.
She walked over and pulled him off the gunner's panel, forcing the flak cannons to stop firing. Then, she did the same with him as she did with Yuga, pulling him over and setting him off to the side. Pains started to pulse through her body, but she powered through it. They had worse things to worry about. She looked over at Owen, who looked like he had been in a fight with a Terran Grizzly Bear and lost. "Hang tight, Owen, we'll get you patched up." she said, before glancing back at the gunner's panel. Porter could man the guns, maybe. She or Alex could navigate. Hopefully they can do the job right and get this shit over with.
Alex had spend the entire time of the operation in his quarters. Trying to find tasks to keep him occupied. He was lost for a while, thinking of where this crew is going after this mission. His sister was on board at least, so that put some ease on his mind, but the question remained. What the hell are they going to do with no navigator? Maybe the lessons learned on the pirate ship, the Steel Shillelagh would come to use. But he doubted that those would be enough to cover for a professional.
The latest explosion and the ship's behaviour after that snapped him back into reality. Taylor's voice over the intercom clued him in on what happened. "This mission just keeps getting worse and worse." He exited his quarters and hurried to the bridge. If nothing else, he could move the wounded.
[media]https://youtu.be/vOGsu9X3cbo[/media]
"Dearest, why must you embark on this endeavor?"
Yuga turned around in the foyer, gazing upon Ryuko who was dressed in an elegant kimono.
Yuga took her cap from Genji who was standing to attention as his master was set to leave shortly.
"You've told of your travels, how ruthless it can be. I urge you to reconsider." Ryuko continued.
Yuga squinted in a re-assuring manner and walked up to Ryuko, grabbing her hands, "Dearest, I do this because it is my duty to further our houses interest. By succeeding in what I'm about to undertake will secure our future, and our children's futures for generations to come. I shall usher in a new age for this family..." Yuga took off her hat, and stroked Ryuko's cheek. "And I want none other than you, Dearest, to stand beside me to witness it."
Ryuko went in for a hug and shivered slightly, "Return to me unscathed, Dearest" she said with a slightly trembling voice.
Yuga lifted Ryuko's head and gently put her forehead against hers. A brief silence and re-assurance came over them as they could feel each others psychic connection.
...ain Caine. .. .. ... .... . missile .. ... ..dge. Navigation off.... ... gun... ... down...
... "Your wish is my eternal command, Dearest." ...
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB9FSBcU3qU[/media]
The Karbalan scorpion. Presumed to be native to the hidden planet of Karbala, this insect looks quite similar to other scorpion species found on Terra. Perhaps they formed nests as they crawled into the Artisynth's ships as they fled Earth so long ago. Frosty examined one he caught. He was having a picnic all by himself outside in the desert watching the sunset when he found it trying to get away with a piece of bread. He placed the scorpion into an empty hummus jar, poking holes into the jar lid so it could breathe, and also giving it a piece of kebab meat so it could be fed.
"Hey, little guy. You want to join my picnic?"
The scorpion stopped eating and looked at Frosty. Frosty stared back.
"...You aren't from around here, are you? You certainly don't look like it. This planet seriously does not look like it was meant to support any kind of life. Barely any sunlight, low temperatures, sandstorms, high winds, inhabited by a group of madmen... Just what kind of animal would survive in such a harsh environment? Were you taken to this awful place against your will too?"
Frosty looked up to see the sun descend.
"I know that I was... Some evil man stole me from my friends and took me here. I worry what he did to them to take me away. I worry that he might have killed them all so he could abduct me. And I worry about what might be happening to my friends right now. They're on a very dangerous mission and need me now more than ever... and I really think I owe an apology to my captain for failing my mission. I disobeyed orders, and I was shot down as a consequence. I just hope she accepts."
The scorpion silently offered it's condolences.
"I need to return to them. This is an evil place, you know... You and I need to leave as soon as possible. We need to get away, especially from those monsters. Do you know what they will do if they find you? Do you know what they will do if they catch you [I]alive[/I]? They're going to gut you, and eat you, like this!"
Frosty took a huge bite out of his kebab and chewed on it vigorously.
"Mmmm. They do know how to make good food, at least, even if it is more than likely made from the flesh of their victims."
Frosty opened up the jar and let the scorpion crawl onto his arm.
"I'll tell you this, little friend. I'm going to do something very dangerous, something that will stop those monsters from claiming another victim in their horrible ceremonies. It's something that I need to do before I leave this place. But first, I need to get you somewhere safe."
Frosty put it back in the jar and went back to his cabin, along with his new pet.
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