Tales of the Sophronia IC

[Rettu Skcollob]

[OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94107)]

The Command deck of the Sophronia was an interesting place. The large room was in the shape of what you would get if you hollowed out a quarter of a sphere and filled it with random equipment. A chair and small bed were placed next to the door, so as to provide a place to administer emergency medical care to an injured officer without needing to withdraw to the medical bay. Immediately above the lift, constructed into the wall lay a large, high-definition viewscreen, designed so that video transmissions could be played. (Also, it gets Cable.)

Arranged in a circle facing inwards were the control panels that operated all equipment within the colossal ship. They ranged in appearance from a computer interface screen and readout for the Engineer to a chair, covered with direct interface plugs that would lead straight into the body, with numerous panels and readouts allowing the Sensor Control Officer to operate the eyes and ears of the ship as an extension of her own body. On a raised platform in the center of this circle sat the Captains chair, behind a huge interface screen that would allow her to interact and give orders to anyone under her command, as well as see the battle as it unfolds. It was also the only place where Silvernet could be directly accessed, the hub of less than legal information needing to be at the Captains fingertips at all times.

The walls are covered with numerous computer screens and miscellaneous electronic equipment, (including a very dangerous vending machine) and the effect of an active bridge made faint shadows everywhere from the conflicting sources of light. A faint hum permeates the room from numerous pieces of outdated equipment, and the room is lit dimly for the ships sleep cycle.

Outside, the large ship moved throughout space gracefully, in orbit around a small moon known as New Titan, around the Gas Giant Ungoliath. The privateer vessel had recently completed a mission to deliver some 'sensitive' materials to Lahmu, a moderately settled, independent world in the Divirik System, and were currently taking a short breather. The moon itself was also populated, but not by the usual colonists.

New Titan was commonly known among privateers as a rogue station; a place containing a spaceport that had either been constructed by privateer friendly, private elements, had control wrested from its original owners, or even made by the PU themselves. They were common places to get repairs, obtain new components, or just get drunk. The Sophronia had managed to gain a decent handful of recruits from the spaceport, filling up their depleted numbers. Occasionally work could be found there, offered by those who did not trust Silvernet or were in bad standing with the PU. A weeks leave had been declared for those who wished to go to the surface and have a good time while the ship was being restocked. The shuttles had finished arriving back on the Privateer vessel a few minutes ago, and everyone is returning to their stations to await information on their next job.

The universe is wide, after all. The possibilities are endless; who knows what will come next?


I do!

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

A sleek shadow crossed the Sophronia's bow, barrel rolling over the top of its many needle-like antennae and sensor protrusions and then snapping up onto its port wing to hug the mother ship's length heading back down towards the massive engine cluster. Those looking out the windows might catch a glimpse of the assault fighter streaking only about ten meters outside the transparent plasteel viewports. Just a flash of bluish-white light from its maneuvering thrusters and it had already moved out of sight, leaving the viewer to wonder what it was they actually glimpsed. Once the slender craft had gained the heavy cruiser's stern, the pilot pulled hard back on the stick, cutting thrust briefly, and pulled an immelman turn to point it back towards the ship's bow.

The fighter was a streamlined craft, thirty-two feet long from nose to stern. Its forward-swept wings, designed so that the assault craft could be used in the atmosphere, were rear mounted, assisted by a pair of stunted, independently rotating wings directly in front that were more glorified thruster housings than anything else. The smaller wings would maneuver up or down, decreasing the angle and time needed to pull off a turn. A "V" shaped tail, the craft's crimson, polarized cockpit canopy, as well as the hammerhead shape of its nose gave it a predatory feel. Its weapons didn't consist of obvious wingtip mounted missiles or long gun barrels protruding from the front, but nonetheless it was formidable for its size. A pair of forward-facing gunports flanking the cockpit housed fire-linked particle beams while the port in the nose concealed a plasma missile launcher with a magazine of eight missiles. Both weapons could be easily obfuscated from the naked eye by simply closing the gunports, leaving it a sleek but seemingly harmless personal shuttle or recreational vessel.

*Marauder Lead to Control, all supply shuttles are aboard. I'm returning to the hangar.* filtered a bland, very businesslike voice into the bridge, made even more inhuman by the mechanical quality the speakers provided.

The assault fighter banked cleanly and angled back towards the fighter hangar in the middle the Sophronia's forward port side. The hangar had originally been another cargo bay like the many on either side of it as well as on the starboard side, but with the ventral shuttle bay pretty much full some modifications had been made along the way. Paralleling the mother ship's course and speed, Marauder Leader slid right into the bay and set down neatly and professionally in its assigned landing space. Other fighters, whether they be the smaller Mosquito Class fighter, bristling with thrusters with two large engine pods on either side, that was the mainstay of the Sophronia's defensive fighter squadron, or the flying wing design of the Stingray Class assault bomber, lined the walls in specially designed racks. They were stacked on top of each other to maximize the space available. Before launch one of the automated cranes formerly used to move cargo would lift them out of their cradles and set them on the deck. Marauder Lead, or the Red Phantom as the other pilots had taken to calling it, was the only ship with a clear landing space set only with restraining clamps to keep it from sliding around rather than a rack. The squadron leader had his privileges.

Once the magnetic field had been activated once more to separate the void of space from the hangar bay itself, the assault fighter's canopy shifted forward toward its nose to allow its single occupant, clad in a black flight suit and helmet, to maneuver himself out. Crewmen ran up and began attaching various hoses and power lines to the strike craft as well as a yellow ladder for the pilot, who stepped down with a brief nod to his mechanics before he headed out of the hangar.

Reaching up, the pilot freed his helmet of the attached hoses that connected it to his emergency air supply and lifted the snug-fitting apparatus off of his head, revealing a shock of red, spiky hair and a matching, cleanly trimmed goatee. His crystalline blue eyes darted from one side of the hangar to the other in an almost paranoid gesture while his small mouth remained locked into a tight line. His hawkish nose completed the image, giving him a very severe appearance. (OOC - Think Tony Curran.) He didn't speak to anyone as he stalked the corridors to the lift that would take him several decks up to the ship's bridge. The officer on duty would be awaiting his report and even though he would be submitting it in triplicate digitally a few hours later, he had made a habit of performing a spoken recount as well. It helped him filter through his missions with a fine-toothed comb when he was forced to verbalize it.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

The woman who sat in the captain's seat did not look like the usual captain. One typically expects a captain to be tall, physical imposing- fit and muscular. And, depending on the time period, male. Brasche was none of these things- she had never grown to be especially tall, only making the average height for a woman. Her frame was slight, and it was easy to see that she was not the most healthy in form, a bit too pale and underweight to even be considered unexercised. She looked like a good punch might snap her neck.

However, only a dullard could judge her by appearance alone. Some people have an aura about them, a force of personality which cannot be denied. Such people had nothing on Brasche- her presence was palpable. She had eyes and a voice that could make the most confident and self assured instantly become submissive, a level of social force that could bring a man to his knees if he raised her ire. If someone tried to pick a fight, they usually wound up fleeing in the opposite direction when she so much as glared at them. Her authority was nearly legendary among the crew... and even outside of it, rumors flitted around about her. She wasn't someone you wanted to cross, despite her appearance.

Luckily for everyone nearby, the captain wasn't in a poor mood at the moment, nor even talkative. She seemed more thoughtful and introspective, one hand lightly placed under her chin. Vivid green eyes peered down at her computer as she thought quietly to herself, contemplating the next mission. There were still a few things to be sorted out...

"Officer Black."
Brasche's voice was like the crack of a whip- instantly demanding attention, potent authority behind it. The captain was speaking into her universal communicator, so that she could get Isabel's attention no matter she was on the ship, or even if she was outside it.
"Forward any information you have on the planet Yavanna to me."
She flips a small switch on her communicator to connect with the varied communication systems of all the officers, as well as the speakers installed within the Sophronia, so as to get everyone's attention.
"Officers, be at the command deck within ten."
Ten what? Hours? Minutes? Stars forbid- seconds? Whatever unit of time she referred to, it was clear she expected all the officers to arrive soon. Best to just hurry up to the bridge as quick as possible.

Brasche, meanwhile, stood up from her seat slowly, stretching out muscles that almost seemed wasted, the edges of her form a little more defined than would be healthy. Crossing her arms behind her back, she took up a passive, patient and formal pose as she waited for her officers to arrive.

[UglyPanda]

Nate

Nathan enters his work quarters and sets up a monitor. He is a tall and skinny man with dark blue hair and eyes. He looks rather unfriendly, and the assortment of tattoos on his arms increases his foul-natured appearance. Once he has everything set up, he stares at the screen, hardly believing his eyes at what needs to be done. He picks up his instrument and begins making the complex combination of presses required to complete his task. Hammering away at the buttons, he finds the challenge almost insurmountable. Then, the singing starts.

♪On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light,
In flames of death's eternal reign, we ride towards the fight.♪
"Officers, be at the command deck within ten."

"Frak, what does she want now?" Nathan exclaims to no one in particular. He puts his game on pause and sets down his polymer guitar. He takes a second to update his blog and then heads off to the meeting. "Stupid fraking military organization on a private vessel."

N8_t3h_Gr8
Location: Middle of nowhere.
Age: 29
Gender: M
Status: Bored out of my mind.
What I'm listening to: Black Flag, Rise Against,
and all the other classic soft rock bands.

Torture Rach is calling a fraking meeting. I'm going to have to sit there all politely when all it means is I have to bang up some repairs as we head off to the Forbidden Zone in The Galaxy of Terror
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 2 minutes ago. Show 0 replies (It's a joke)

Shipping out again. I'll bet anyone fifty quid that at least one crewman dies before our next landing.
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 8:12 am today. Show 3 replies (It's a joke)

Crazy nurse-lady tried to gouge my eyes out today when I asked her what res she gets on her display glasses. I've decided to start avoiding her.
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 at 4:30 pm yesterday. Show 12 replies (It's a joke)

[Sicarius]

Mobile Emergency Labratory and Integrated Surgical Support Automaton - MELISSA. aka. Dr. Melissa White

The medical facilities of the Sophron were clean enough to eat off of. Cleanliness was not godliness, it was merely a reduction of a factor to eliminate disease. The beds were all neatly made, the machines were all optimally organized to maximized response times with the equipment they had. The medical staff of the Sophron were not numerous, and mostly considered a subset of the Science team. There were few volunteers to assist with procedures, even support. The on-call circulation was brutal, with shifts and call times eating up much of anyone's time. Then, there was only one other, minor problem.

The woman in charge, Melissa White, was quite possibly the most infuriating boss ever. She never had a nice word for anyone. If a procedure goes well, she does not dole out any praise, and shuts down any attempts at it with her dry "That's what we're supposed to do." She ran colder than the depths of space, and was quick to chastise anyone for even a single fault in any procedure, no matter how minor. Still, she was inhumanly talented at medecine. Unlike the other doctors, she was never on call. She merely worked for 14-hour shifts, and usually extended the hours when she needed to, and read books when she wasn't.

She was short and slim, and frequently wore a white lab coat. Her blonde hair was short to keep it out of the way during surgery. Her fingers were very long and accustomed to holding surgical instruments, often spinning a scalpel in her fingers. She had a plain appearance, which was emphasized by her refusal to wear makeup. An amazingly dedicated woman who never tired while working.

At the time, the beds were empty and so she was merely in the infirmary reading, as was her custom. She never read a book more than once, and was a quick reader beforehand depending on the topic of the book. She enjoyed reading all sorts of medical and biological text books. She adjusted her glasses, a rarity in this day and age and one that no one spoke about, if they were smart. No one asked Melissa about herself if they wanted to remain in her good graces.

"Officers, be at the command deck within ten."

The order was issued. Technically, Melissa was an officer. Illogical. There is no quantifier. Melissa did what she always did with illogical orders and ignored them. If the Captain wanted her, she would call. But the Captain had to learn to be logical. All she needed now was to think up an excuse.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

The cracking reports of a plasma pistol echoed around within the firing range attached to the ships' armoury. The shooter was a tall, well-built man with short-cropped brown hair, standing in a two-handed braced stance, brilliant red energy bolts zipping downrange and crackling against the electrostatic field that protected the targets and provided scoring.

Finishing firing off the clip, he powers down the gun and tucks it away into the holster strapped to his belt, slipping off the noise-cancelling headset he was wearing and setting it aside. His movements aren't as smooth as you might expect from his build, more slow and careful, and a more-than-casual look will show that he wears a brace on his lower back under his clothes.

The loudspeakers of the ship's internal communication system crackle.
"Officers, be at the command deck within ten."
The man looks up at the speaker and sighs.
Cap'n, I love ya to pieces but ya really need to learn to be more specific. Heaven knows how long we'll be waitin' on Doc Liz this time...

Shaking his head good-naturedly, he carefully makes his exit from the firing range and to the Ship's Lift station, where he climbs into a cab, selects the bridge and leans against the wall as, with a slight jolt, it starts on its way to his destination.

[The_Snark]

Dr. Isabel Black

... poikilothermic mice selected for breeding experienced 84% death rate. Offspring almost universally dead even when born. Compare to control group, under 15% parental deaths and under 20% miscarriage rate. Stricter environmental controls needed for reproductive viability.

Note: test with animals that bear single offspring. May be easier to thermoregulate such species during pregnancy.

"Officer Black. Forward any information you have on the planet Yavanna to me." The command from the Captain pulls the doctor out of her notes with some annoyance, but after a moment she mentally shrugs, calling up the ship's astrological files and entering a general search in the computer for the name Yavanna.

"Officers, be at the command deck within ten." Now that was annoying. Isabel Black was in the midst of her work, and it wasn't work she could delegate to one of her new assistants. A simple request for astrological data lost her less than a minute; a summons to the command deck would take much longer.

Ten minutes. Fine then, she could take a couple minutes to try and bring her notes to a close. Isabel barely remembers to send the compiled information on Yavanna to the Captain's monitor before delving back into her notes.

"Tisling!" The assistant named stands to attention, as does the other. Dr. Black was not as harsh a superior as , and was perfectly capable of giving praise in the rare event that someone's work pleasantly surprises her, but she could be overbearing and caustic nonetheless. And she was always brusque. Laziness in responding to instructions was especially likely to bring out the worst in her, possibly because her previous assistant had been unfailingly attentive and punctual.

Many of the flaws in her assistants, actually, boiled down to the fact that they weren't MELISSA: they were not tireless, nor endlessly patient, nor possessed of unfailing memory or an internal calculator. One of the biggest sources of irritation aboard ship to Isabel—aside from the necessity of performing mundane shipboard duties—was that her former assistant had been assigned her own post, and now spent the majority of most shifts in the medical bay. Of course, she could (and sometimes did) request Melissa's help in their off hours, but that was wreaking hell on Isabel's sleep cycles.

"Keep an eye on the mice. If any of them die, especially the newborns, record the time and temperature, and take a scan of the body." The doctor strides from the room, on her way to the command deck seven minutes later than she'd planned to be.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche flicks her arms around in front of her, examining the time displayed on her omnitool. As the others begin arriving, she remains how she is, continuing to watch the time until it runs out, at which point she flips the tool back neatly into her hand and folds her arms behind her back, noting the absence of a few officers... but she doesn't comment on their absences, or even act as if anything were amiss. However, those that know how she runs her ship know that she definitely knew, and she would take action as she saw fit later....
"Officers. We have a new mission."
She gestures that they can take a seat and relax wherever they want, obviously not intending for this to be a terribly formal meeting. She does have her own methods to things, but stiffness and formality often just get in the way- she just has expectations about the work to be done, and if you don't meet that, then she makes her opinion known. Otherwise, all is well.
"The Federation of Civilized Space has offered a reward to anyone who investigates what happened to a Scientific Colony on the planet Yavanna. If there are survivors we'll be expected to rescue them.
"The only information we have is that their last transmission was a fragment of a distress signal. We could be heading towards anything. We'll be heading through a number of systems hostile to the FCS, but as we're not allied with them, I don't anticipate any problems as long as we lay low."
She looks over the group with her vivid green eyes.
"My initial thought on a plan is to send in recon robots to scout out the area before sending anyone in, and developing a plan from there. Besides that, the plan is unrefined and will largely be determined by what we come across.
"Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on the mission?"

[The Bushranger]

Marcus

Marcus takes a seat carefully when the captain indicates that's acceptable, feeling a little better once he's sitting.

Well, cap'n, you said they got off a fragment of a distress signal. Did that fragment say anything beyond 'come save our sorry hides' or are we really flyin' blind into this?

[UglyPanda]

Nate

Nathan leans against the wall, wondering exactly how much work he'd have to do now. He opens the can of energy drink he took from the kitchen and takes a few quick sips. He waits for Rachel to finish her speech, then begins to speak.

"Let me get this straight, Rach. There's a science colony in the middle of the slave labor nebula, and you want us to 'investigate'.
Nathan makes air quotes and then takes a sip of his drink before continuing to speak.
"We have no clue what happened to them, but it was bad enough that every single mode of communication on a highly technologically advanced area was completely wiped out before they could even start to scream."
He takes another sip.
"As a fun little bonus, on our way to this planet, we might run into people who might want to shoot us down for fun. Once there, you want to send scout bots, then our Mauve Shirts at them until we come up with some ideas of what to remedy this situation."

Nathan shakes his head, then starts drinking heavily from his can. Once there is only a single drop left, he tosses the can in the garbage and wipes his lips. After a few seconds, he begins speaking again in a breathless tone.
"I'm going to need some cash to upgrade the 1mp 4.0s, their current transmitters only have a range of around 300 meters which isn't exactly the best for our situation where we don't want to get into any unnecessary risks. I've got some specs on my desktop for a satellite version that would let us start watching it from the shuttles or possibly a low-flying bomber. There might be a good deal of interference on the planet, so it might be possible or necessary to attach a signal booster to one of them. Of course, we could always just send them down and come back for them, but they're so fraking stupid that I'm sure they'd get blown up or eaten before they can provide us with any useful information. Of course, we should send a couple of the 2.0s, we've got a bunch of them lying around and they're cheaper to replace than they are to repair at this point. Some crew members who shall remain nameless have star-"

It is at this point that Nathan is interrupted.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Officer Mccay."
Brasche's voice does not raise, but it is so clear and defined that it cuts through his words with ease. She's obviously a little displeased with his words and intends to speak her mind.
"You are aware that this is a Privateer ship?"
She crosses her arms behind her back and looks him up and down as if reconsidering him, walking up to him and look up into his eyes with her own. She looks like a predator, even if she is small and weak in comparison to him. It's easy to tell why she's the captain right now- that authority and presence of hers radiates from her.
"We're not errand runners, we're not keyboard workers who sit in front of pretty screens all day and shoot information off at the whim of some faceless corporate powerhouse. We're privateers. Risky is our business, and guns are our tool of trade. If you aren't willing to do that kind of job, you shouldn't have signed up in the first place."
She steps back from him and looks over the group in general.
"I am aware that our knowledge of the mission is extremely vague- all we know is that there was a distress signal. As such, obtaining more information on the situation is our first priority- which is why I suggested disposable robots, but if they are not suited for reconnaissance, we'll have to use something else."
She looks over the group coldly, displeased with the reaction they had displayed so far.
"Of course, if this mission is too vague and uncertain for you, I could take one that puts us in direct opposition to the FCS. Would you prefer investigating an unknown occurrence, or angering a very large Federation who would put a bounty on our heads? Of course, we have to pay to keep ourselves in the air, so taking neither mission isn't an option."
She paces around the group, looking over each one individually, appraising them with cold, narrow eyes.
"Does anyone else have complaints about our mission, or would someone like to actually offer up their assistance in getting the job done?"
She leaves a tiny pause before stopping in front of Hawkeye.
"Officer Terios. Perhaps you'd be willing to make a few suggestions in terms of reconnaissance?"

[UglyPanda]

Nate

"I'm not complaining, Rach. I'm just saying what needs to be done before we start firebombing the place."

"We are firebombing the place, right? Because that's my absolute most favorite part of any operation. And could you stop calling everyone by their last name already? We're not bloody fraking military. My name is Nate, I'd appreciate if you'd call me that once in a while."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

The fighter commander had kept quiet for the most part, as per usual. He stood ramrod straight, eyes focused but not staring at the Captain. He seemed peaceful, but alert, that bored kind of expression that those in law enforcement seemed to cultivate. The only emotion that crossed his features occurred when the FCS was mentioned, a slight tick in one eye disrupting the calm facade.

"I would rather not become involved with the FCS. If they found out I was alive they could make life very difficult for me, and by extension this ship. However, I will follow orders to the best of my ability, as always." Red spoke up, his voice pretty much deadpan, as if he was reciting points off of a list. "If the robots are not a viable option, I will fly the reconnaissance."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"We're headed for Yavanna?" asks Isabel as she enters the room at a brisk walk, just over two minutes late. Say what one will about her punctuality, it would be hard to accuse her of dallying once she gets going. She doesn't pause in the entrance, walking to her station and seating herself so that she's facing the captain.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche seems to ignore Nathan's plea for informality, instead addressing Black and Red. Seems she likes her officers color coded. Her first words go to Red.
"We don't really have to get involved with the FCS. We're just claiming a reward from them- it'll be easy to keep you hidden back on the ship whenever they're around. Your reconnaissance offer is noted."
She looks over to Black.
"We are. There was a distress signal from a laboratory there- the FCS has a reward for anyone who goes to check it out."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"If that's all, I'm leaving for my workbench to get things done." Nathan starts walking out the door. "You know how to reach me."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"That would be the research station," Isabel nods, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "I've already forwarded the entry on Yavanna in our ship's charts to your computer, Captain. Was there anything else you needed to know about it?" She is neither impatient nor disrespectful (to her mind, at least); while she would like the meeting to pass as quickly as possible, being sloppy or impatient would only prolong it with requests for explanation or reprimands. Best to complete her duties here professionally and quickly instead.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche crosses her arms, getting rather ticked off at Nathan in particular, not to mention the tardiness of various officers, their lack of respect, and just in general how they're conducting themselves. She wouldn't stand for it. She could accept that people might want more casual behavior, she could accept that she was, perhaps, getting them into a mission where a little more knowledge was desirable, but a continual, flippant attitude towards her in particular just got under her skin.

"Indeed. I think I have no more use for you just now, McCay. When I speak to you next, I'll expect a good argument as to why I should keep you on this ship."

Her green eyes flick over everyone else icily. She's clearly been put into a bad mood- MELISSA hadn't shown up, Black was late, Hawkeye was unresponsive, Nathan was dismissive of her authority and position-
In general, things had not started well.

"I hope the rest of you are more eager to actually do your job and gain my respect."

She lets that linger in the silence for a bit before turning to Black, returning her respect and efficiency with her own.

"What do you know of the research station there, Officer Black? Is it notable enough to be included in your report?"
Brasche, to save time in case Black's answer is positive on the second question, moves over to her computer to check on the report, wanting to see the highlights of it.

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"There's not much written up there, aside from astronomical information," Isabel says as the captain moves to her computer, presumably to bring up the report. She doesn't give an explanation as to why. "Yavanna is where abdoite was discovered, and it's still the only place it's found naturally. That's the compound behind most sensor-screening technology; any passive stealth screen you've seen uses abdoite as a base, and a lot of the electronic screens incorporate it as a backup. Very useful material. The research station has been there almost since it was first discovered, looking into its properties, why it repels sensors, and finding ways to improve on it. It's not actually lucrative enough to be FCS-owned, but they do business with them when they've made a marketable breakthrough."

Isabel looks thoughtful. "What kind of money are they offering? If it's anything substantial, they probably think the station has made some kind of valuable discovery."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

The ticked-off technician puts his headphones on and listens to the latest Vat-Grown Rejects album. He performs a few actions with his card computer on his way to his workbench and turns off his paused game once there. He doesn't need distractions right now. He goes over to the pile of shutdown robots and begins modifying the datalinks to temporarily boost their ranges. "Fraking sentry sapping chika." he mutters to himself in Technocant. He pulls out his card computer again and sends an instant message to all the people in his department.

Natey Boy: I've got to upgrade the datalinks on the scoutbots. I'd like to get this stuff done today, but nobody is forcing you to do anything you don't want to. Anyone know if there's chocolate in the pantry? I'm thinking of making brownies.
OOC: My modifiers for both Craft (Electrical) & Craft (Mechanical) are +12. Would I be able to complete this task (at all/quickly) if I took 10 on each robot? How much faster could I get this done with Aid Another checks and backup?

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

The fighter pilot walked calmly to where the captain was reviewing the information about the system they would be heading to and rather rudely began looking over her shoulder at it as well. Red didn't seem to notice that what he was doing might be annoying or intrusive. He just saw pertinent information and wanted to review it as well. "Does this information include recent meteorological data?" he asked, ignoring any other conversations that may or may not be occurring. He made a note to ask the Doctor for a copy of it for more in-depth perusal on the way to Yavanna.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

From his seat, Marcus looks over to the others clustered around the science station, and listens carefully. So that's where the stuff came from. I suppose if we run into anything we can count on it making heavy use of it, then, perhaps.

Sighing, he begins to run through tactical scenarios in his head, hoping they run into something just small enough that they won't have to run but just large enough that he can get a good shoot in instead of leaving it to the fighters.

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

The doctor snorts. "Recent data? The ship's database barely gives the coordinates. You're lucky I've heard of the place, or you wouldn't have anything more than an idea of what the solar system looks like."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

Red nodded as if the good doctor had just told him that it was half past three. "That makes the reconnaissance flight more difficult. If we send the robots they will need to be able to make a good number of spontaneous course corrections depending on the weather down there. That is, of course, assuming the research station is planet-side. A fly-by is going to be a lot easier if the station is an orbital installation. May I have a copy of whatever information on Yavanna and the surrounding space you have pulled up, Doctor?"

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Seeing that Red wanted a view at the material, Brasche shifted to one side, seeing no logical reason to deny him the data. It was more efficient to let him read than to recite it to him.

"Well, the reward was comparable to the other jobs we could have chosen."

Brasche thinks about that, then glances at Black.

"If they did find something, do you think it would be more worthwhile to gather what they collected and keep it for ourselves? Any thoughts on that?"

She glances over the other officers.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Well, Cap'n, that depends. Marcus adjusts his seat. On how much they have of whatever it is they've found. I'd have to know exactly what before I could tell ya anything else.

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"It's more likely to be a discovery than a physical object," the doctor says. "I think this can wait until we know whether it's more than pure conjecture. We know the FCS isn't given to spending money for altruistic purposes, and until we find out more we're wasting time speculating about it."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

While waiting for other crew members to arrive to help him work on the robots, Nathan types up a quick E-mail.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Hey Dad.
Body: I'm writing to tell you that I'm doing ok right now, and I just wanted to hear from you again. Traveling around the galaxy is kinda fun, and the work is good, but the boss still treats me like crap. Then again, I might end up with a criminal record by the time I quit. Maybe I should start thinking about going back to Grad School.
I finally managed to complete Tales of the Final Dragon VII the other day, I can see why you liked it so much when you were a kid. I'm a bit confused though, I never found the part you said made you cry. I was a bit pissed off when Maris died though, since I spent so much time leveling her up, was that the sad part?

Say hi to Phyllis and Karen for me. Tell Ray I'm still better at no-scoping.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche nods, then waves a hand.
"Very well then. Get ready for the mission- I expect speed and efficiency.
"Dismissed."
She begins sending the information they have to each officer via computer.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The co-ordinates are easily entered into the ships computer, and a course is quickly set. Most of the check-ups preceding any major course change pass without event. Well, save for the fact that it was discovered that a computer error had locked two Officers and a significant portion of the crew in their cabins.

The usual solution to such problems (That is; to find the ships engineer and shout at them until its fixed) is currently unfeasible, as the Engineering Officer was one of the unlucky personnel to be denied egress from their domiciles. The same Engineering Officer who is the sole holder of the over-ride passcode and key to gain control over the ships computer. The rest of the engineers seem to be doing well enough without him, having finished altering one of the boarding craft for atmospheric travel without many 'hiccups'. (Although, when you're falling into an atmosphere in essentially a metal box with thrusters, a 'hiccup' can be more than slightly worrying.)

That same ships computer seems to vehemently deny that there is any problem, but then again, this is the same computer that would've substituted the ships water supply for lemon juice last planet fall, if hasty interventions had not been made.

Work proceeds on cutting through the Chief Engineering Officer's door, but as the doors to the officers cabins are designed to stop anything short of a nuclear blast, progress is limited. The occupants are quite comfortable, if a little bored, in any case.

The trip through space passes without much to say of interest, which is odd, considering that the colossal craft approached five times light speed at her peak, and probably had enough momentum to smash an average sized planetoid in a way that would give its reptilian denizens cause to do more than pause for thought.


http://i36.tinypic.com/2eegb5x.jpg


Various instruments flicker in the bridge of the Sophronia, (indicating that either the destination had been reached, or that an engineer had spilled coffee on the wrong control panel. Possibly both, actually.) as the privateer vessel enters a stable planetary orbit above its destination.

As various technological devices hum into activity; an image of Yavanna flickers into life on the large viewscreen above the door.


http://i38.tinypic.com/efgx0w.gif


A small red box highlights the far easterly point of the smaller continent in view, indicating a position of human habitation coinciding with the records of the Research Station with whom contact was lost abruptly.


http://i38.tinypic.com/262la2w.gif


Besides the imaging however, it's difficult to glean much more about the planet from the sensors. Due to the huge concentration of Abdoite on the planets surface, the various sensor devices on board the ship say that it is everything from a supermassive black hole to a large cabbage.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

As is his habit, Marcus has taken personal command of the tactical station for the process of entering orbit.
Scans appear to be clear, Cap'n. Though with all that Abydoite down there this is a brilliant place to get ambushed from. He looks up from his computer console. If it's possible to do it, I'd suggest we don't dawdle in whatever it is we're here to do. I don't like not bein' able to see.

And, he adds to himself, I have this odd craving for sauerkraut all of a sudden.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Open up, you fraking door! RAHHHHHHHH!" Nate charges at the sealed door, trying to kick it open with his work boots.

He knows that it's not going to do anything, but he's sick of simply waiting for the Chief Engineer to come out. Besides, the odds are that he ate some of Nurse-Lady's cooking and went into a coma. "Who designed this fraking ship? Who the frak makes the bedroom doors as strong as the hull? I've got to get this stuff changed once we get everything fixed."

Nate takes a few deep breaths, then says "Who am I talking to?"

N8_t3h_Gr8
Location: Same place as always
Age: 29
Gender: M
Status: Frustrated at the sleeping engineer
What I'm listening to: Vat-Grown Rejects, New Robot Anarchy, & The Supermassive Cabbages

We're approaching our destination. Loading up eight modified scout robots along with 16 of the normal ones who are going to give feedback to the modified ones which we can communicate with and control directly. Any of you guys out there have a better way of doing this? Let me know.
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 15 minutes ago. Show 2 replies (It's a joke)

Those CENSORED are still locked up in their cabins. What the CENSORED is going on with that Engineer? I haven't been able to get a hold of him and I've been spamming him with every source of communication this ship has. I even tried Morse Code before I realized that nobody on the ship who matters knows it, including me.
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 8:01 pm yesterday. Show 17 replies (It's a joke)

I just finished watching the movie D-day with some of the guys in my department. I can't believe exactly how much of an absolute badass MechaPatton is in the film. The chaingun duel with RoboHitler and TojoDragon2000 was the most awesome thing I've seen in a year.
Posted by N8_t3h_Gr8 at 6:52 pm yesterday. Show 10 replies (It's a joke)

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

The hangar nearly vibrated with the whine of fighter engines warming up, but Red paid it no mind. It was a sound he'd gotten used to over the course of his life and could sleep by it easily. It was almost comforting. He'd even taken to using a fan in his room to simulate the engine sound a bit while he was sleeping on the ship. When he couldn't hear the engines everything just seemed too quiet.

Red sat in his cockpit with the canopy open going down his preflight checklist. He'd be on standby with the rest of the Marauders in case anything went wrong and the Sophronia would have to defend itself or the robots malfunctioned and reconnaissance duties fell to him. He looked up at his second, a woman named Lorend Rixay, and received a smile in return from where she sat in her own cockpit. Lored was the only person on the ship that had been a friend to Red and ignored his eccentricities. She was also the sharpest pilot of the group outside of Red himself and he'd grown to trust her in a way. She also wasn't too hard on the eyes, but Red had difficulty expressing himself in that way so he'd never made any mention of the attraction he felt towards her. It was probably fear that held him back...fear that she'd stop being his friend if he said anything. He wondered if everyone went through that kind of indecision in life. It was all new to the in-vitro pilot...and it made him uncomfortable.

"Marauder Lead to bridge, standing by for further orders." he reported through his fighter's communications equipment to the Captain and the other officers.

[AmberVael]

Brasche

"Everyone keep an eye out, and not just on the sensors, unless you want to trust the ship and decide to think we're going to eat cabbage tonight."

Brasche's voice is dry as she references the obviously incorrect sensor readings.

"Red, standby for now. We'll send you in once we're a little closer, if we haven't seen anything."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

After her browbeating from the Captain, MELISSA ran a quick diagnostic output of her social matrix. As usual, her self-diagnostics units gave her the predictable output.

"A fatal exception has occurred..."

She didn't bother reading the error code for the general protection fault. She was definitely broken. No doubt about it. Just like human beings, bioreplicas needed maintanence, and she had lost many critical personality files when the bioreplica group reprogrammed her core diagnostics modules. Of course, the idiots didn't have an actual programming robot with them, so they ended up deleting critical empathy keys, not fixing broken or misappropriated links with appropriate AI patches. AI, contrary to popular belief, wasn't perfectly simulated human intelligence. It had the ability to make hypothesis based on sense data, and feed it back into it's algorithims. But that had limits. Just as a human couldn't breathe water, an AI couldn't do anything that it's capabilities forbade it to do.

Unfortunately, her AI lacked the capacity to fix her own problems. She had attempted the poor programmer's patch, brushing over the faulty code by telling her algorithims to ignore it, and referencing the damage parts with hastily constructed copies of code salvaged from other bioreplicas, but that didn't work. Even sense data and hypothesizing working around it hadn't yielded appreciable results. She still was one step removed from human conversation. While she normally didn't mind, and it certainly was no reason to angst as so many humans were fond of doing, it was seriously affecting her duties and her ability to keep her nature hidden. If Captain Brasche knew she was a bioreplica, only a quick escape would keep her from being butchered and turned it for a reward.

MELISSA hypothesized for a bit on how to find a qualified programmer not willing to fix her software, came up with no answer within reasonable measures of success, and reported to the command deck.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Cap'n, I'd suggest we launch the fighters and use them as recon birds. Having extra eyes out there won't hurt a bit, and if they go into a higher orbit their sensor scans might be just a little less scrambled.

Marcus glances up as "Doc Liz" arrives on the bridge. Desipte her, er, eccentricies, he actually rather likes her, in a way; perhaps in the way one likes a crazy uncle, but still...

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

Nathan turns on his headset and accesses his workstation through remote desktop. "Test 1 2 3, am I on? Attention pilots, this is your resident Wrench-Monkey, Nate McCay here. Everyone doublecheck your lists before takeoff, and pay close attention to what you're doing today. The sensor readings are royally fraked-up on our end, so keep your eyes and ears open upon approach. On those lines, don't panic if your readings are just as bad. This is a search and rescue operation, so keep your white flags up in case the security isn't down...so to speak. Don't attack anything until you know it's hostile, and try not to hurt any human survivors'

'If you receive any transmissions from the planet, notify an officer immediately. If you find something weird, notify an officer immediately. Most everything else can go to Redd, he's got your backs as always.'

'With that, I'm out."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"Thank you, Mr. McCay, but my pilots know how to do their jobs." filtered in the succinct reply from the strike craft commander. His voice didn't hold any rancor as always. Especially through the comm system Red was very manner of fact, very deadpan, and always focused on his job. He'd trained his pilots well, drilled them to the point that most of them didn't like him at all, but he had their respect and that's what counted. They'd all serve the Sophronia to the best of their abilities.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Not doubting ya, Redd, but Berta over in Human Resources has been bugging me about OSHA compliance. By the way, when's your birthday? Berta says that we owe you a cake."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

True to form, all Nathan received in response from the odd fighter pilot was the sound of the channel abruptly closing. Apparently, Red had chosen to stick to business at this point in time. Discussing personal information over the ship's communications channels during an operation was not an efficient use of power or computational ability.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"I'd considered that, Officer O'Connell, but it is better to keep everyone close. It's possible that we could lose a few fighters if we're attacked and not even notice because of all the interference out there- if everyone is consolidated, it keeps us aware of what is happening to us."

Brasche slowly has the Sophoronia lower towards the planet, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

[Rettu Skcollob]

So, you're not sending in the Strike craft to perform reconnaissance, but you're going to attempt to move into a lower orbit to see if that improves your readings?

Maybe it's whatever illness I've come down with that I've woken up at 4:00 AM feeling like a wet tissue that is also on fire, with an inexplicable urge to log onto GitP that's talking; but I'm not sure what you're trying to do.

[AmberVael]

Brasche isn't sure what exactly took out the research station- she is taking the precaution that it could, in fact, be something which is now orbiting the planet or is otherwise capable of space travel (and nearby).
(Or just that there are other enemies nearby in space).

If that were the case, and she sent out the fighters, it is quite probable that due to the poor sensor capability in the area, she'd lose quite a few fighters before even realizing they were missing.

As such, she is keeping the fighters and crew on the Sophronia while moving to a lower orbit, waiting to see if anything shows up.

Now, is the Sophronia the type of ship which can actually land on planets, or will it just orbit while we beam down or otherwise move to the surface?

[Rettu Skcollob]

Okay.

The Sophronia is technically able to operate engines in an atmosphere, but is primarily designed for space travel. The ships design make it more dangerous than normal to enter an atmosphere of decent thickness. The ships mass also makes it difficult to fuel-efficiently thruster out, and most pilots are wary of causing the damage that using even the slightly safer Particle Impulse Engine will do to the surrounding area; given that after many planets were being damaged by them, their use in atmospheric planets was deemed illegal a few years back.

I mentioned earlier that some of the Engineering crew have altered one of the boarding craft for Atmospheric travel.


As the colossal ship moves into a lower orbit, the sensors continue to show the planet to be various vegetables, waterfowl and popular twentieth century entertainers. Abruptly; one of the transceivers that had been set aside earlier after breaking last week starts picking up an odd signal which seems to be dropping in and out. It seems to be mainly static, but a syllable can definitely be made out occasionally. The whole transmission appears to have a strange, high pitched whining noise, almost on the edge of hearing range, accompanying it. The noise is not painful, but slightly discomforting.

A low beep is heard, as the ships scanners indicate that they have found something. Automatically, they display it on the scanner screen, an image of the space above the planet lighting up. appearing against the void of space and the glow of the planet is a large, white satellite in an apparently geostationary orbit above the planet.


Anyone who is trained in Knowledge: Technology can make a check now to determine the satellites purpose.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

The ticked-off technician is in the kitchen, making himself an FLT (falafel, lettuce, and tomato) pita. Checking the readings on his screen, he tries to think of what it could be.

He opens communication with his fellow officers, and says "The satellite on the screen is a commsat. It receives signals from the planet and beams it Mod knows where. It's using a Laser Array, so it's getting the signals from a specific spot on the planet. It's probably communicating with that research station. Are we right on top of the research spot right now?"

OOC:
[roll0]

[The Bushranger]

Marcus

Understood, cap'n.
Marcus frowns a bit as his sensors now say the planet is a giant metallic mallard...

Making a decision, he switches central targeting to optical, as the sensors are useless, and swings the main turret around to point at the satellite, just in case. (Although the weapons are not powered up, of course.)


Cookie for the reference. :smallbiggrin:
and:
Knowledge (Technology): [roll0]

[Jalor]

The transceiver suddenly begins to broadcast a clearer signal. The static is still thick and pervasive, but more than single syllables can be made out.

"...quake. *skreee* Everyone is mi... quipment badly... no sign of *ffffft* or fight... can't send a *bzzt*...nal. As far as... "

The sound is far too distorted to identify so much as the gender of the speaker. The message continues to repeat.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"It appears that they've somewhat addressed their communications failure." She states in a way that could almost be considered snarky. "From that message fragment, it sounds almost like some sort of natural disaster has taken place. Your orders, Captain?"

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Know. Tech check: [roll0]

Captain Brasche frowns, not answering anything just yet, considering the situation. What would be best to do...

Her player suggests that she would totally send out a red shirt scout team to see what was going on, because that would keep her safe, and it doesn't seem like they'll get many answers while staying in space. On the other hand, being a smart, realistic captain doesn't seem to be the most fun way to go right here- ordering a few flunkies around from outer space isn't very exciting, you know?

Brasche gets to her feet, as her player decides Brasche is a very hands on person. What with her demand for perfectionism, it makes sense that she would abandon safety to make sure that the job gets done right.

"We're relatively close to the station, McCay."
She dispatches an order to the appropriate crew members to see that the landing craft is prepared to reach the surface of the planet, and that a few of the crew accompany them.
"Officers, I'm taking a trip down to Yavanna. Anyone interested in coming along may do so.
Officer Red, I want a patrol of fighters surrounding the Sophronia while I'm on the surface. If you choose to join us, make sure they have good orders.
Officer White, your presence is required. We might need a medic.
Officer McCay, I'll want a few of your bots to accompany us.
Officer Black, I'll need constant contact with you even if you do not choose to accompany us. There may be things that require your expertise."
The slight framed captain heads off to get her suit, gun, and other various items as she issues orders.

[The_Snark]

Dr. Isabel Black

"Acknowledged, Captain." Dr. Black's reply is immediate. She has been following the sensor feeds on the planet quite closely, possibly out of a fusion of professional camaraderie and survival instict—if she is ever on a research station in distress, she'll want the relief/rescue party to be extremely attentive. "Will one of your group be taking a video feed?"

Knowledge (technology) [roll0]

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Affirmative." The doctor moved out of the bridge and toward her quarters, which were right next to the medical quarters.

"I will be the assigned medical personnel for the ground team. You are all to continue your shipboard duties. I will hold you to the same standard in my absence as I would in my presence. I have noticed that you perform at a lower standard than you do when I am present. That is unacceptable."

None of her staff dared question what would happen if she required medical attention. Some of them probably secretly hoped that she would. The others knew that Dr. Melissa White ignored her own injuries, to the point of superhuman strength and fortitude. Even with a lacerated torso, she could operate perfectly as long as she was performing something medical.

She removed her lab coat and her operating scrubs once in the privacy of her own room, dressing in a light concealed vest she had taken from a police bioreplica after he had ceased function. After all, he wasn't going to do anything with it. She put on a pair of gloves, and wore a vest with the universal symbol for medic. Legally it made her less of a target, for the few opponents in war that followed law. But it was powerful psychological relief for any injured persons. The sight of a medic brought them comfort. It made them more inclined to trust her and less inclined to panic, aggravating injuries or potentially causing her harm.

She made sure her synthetic hair covered much of her forehead, making her glasses less prominent on her face. She holstered her ballistic pistol, a horrifically outdated weapon but the only firearm she had. She also sheathed a long katana on her opposite hip, the blade fully charged and ready to vibrate at a moment's notice. She tested her installed components next, everything except her OS was functioning just fine, as it was supposed to. Her firmware was fine. Time to see what was going on.

She reported to the captain after changing her clothes. She wasn't a doctor now. She looked more like a medic, her clothes less drab and sterile, more military. "Reporting."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines/Marauder Lead

"Roger, Captain. I'm going to escort your landing into the upper atmosphere and break off. If you require reinforcements I will join you later." Red responded as he flipped a few switches on the panel above him to disengage the clamps holding his strike fighter to the deck. "Marauder Flight, launch and form up on Marauder 2. Marauder 2, lead a combat air patrol ten klicks out, watch the gravity well." he ordered, receiving a chorus of acknowledgments in reply. It was standard procedure for their small flight of fighters. Lorend would lead the formation while Red would utilize his superior craft's stealth abilities to fly silent. In the case anything made a run on the ship or its support craft, Red would be there to ambush it. Before that, however, Red would be the one escorting the landing craft into the planet's atmosphere.

The Red Phantom shot out of the hangar and immediately snapped up onto its port wing. Red pulled back on the stick and directed his strike fighter towards the Sophronia's aft before rolling under the ship's belly and holding there to await the departure of the landing party. Meanwhile, two pairs of fighters shot into space as well, starting a patrol of the surrounding space.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Stop calling me McCay already, I've said it a million times by now, it's Nate. The bots have cams, you'll be able to keep a constant feed on us once we land. Let me put on my coward suit and I'll meet you guys at the shuttle." Nathan carries his food to his quarters, puts on his tool belt, changes into his active camo flight suit, then turns on his projectile deflector attached to his wrist. He heads off to the hangar, trying to finish his snack before they head out.

[Rettu Skcollob]

As the various officers finish their preparations and make their way to the hangar, they see the newly modified boarding craft ahead of them, gleaming. It seems someone in engineering wants to impress, the whole ship had been scrubbed, probably for the first time ever. Emblazoned on the side is the ships name; 'Girl Scout' newly painted to fit on the modified boarder. New retractable wings designed to provide maneuverability and slow descent protruded from the ships heavy bulk, and the large modified weapons designed to blast a soldier sized hole in a ships hull now lay on the hangar floor, replaced with an aerodynamic cone. The almost cylindrical ship was now fully fitted to operate inside an atmosphere, as opposed to the vacuum of space.

The inside of the craft remains mainly the same as it always has, two long rows of low seats a foot apart from each other designed to ferry soldiers from ship A to ship B, without the bothersome middle man of a hangar. A ladder near the center of the inside, leading upwards and downwards to the cramped, separate quarters of the pilot and copilot. Designed so that if one died, the other could continue.

A handful of crew members sit near the end of the ship, talking about the upcoming mission.

-by a space monster with nasty, sharp, pointed teeth!

I highly dou-

Ey; OI, man.

The speaker and the rest of the crew members move to the exit of the ship, jumping the one foot drop to the floor and standing to attention. The first speaker looks to be a young, heavily built man dressed in protective armour. It appears to have been spray painted red.

Sergeant Anton; Assault Crew.

The second speaker looks to be a slightly younger, but considerably more lean man, dressed casually in a white shirt and blue denim jeans.

Edgard Kontrat: Emergency Response techie crew.

The following speakers all continue to introduce themselves, making ten in total. In all, there are three members of the Assault and Defence crews, one Emergency Response Crew member, two Pilots, and one member of the Scavenger crew.

We're here to make sure nothing goes wrong.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Hey Eddy, how's life been treating ya?" Nathan hands Ed a small remote control. "Hook this up to a console and you'll be able to control some bots once we're down there. Just don't use the same ones I'm using."

Nathan looks at the shuttle and shakes his head. "You couldn't find a name that makes us seem even wussier? If you're going to make a ship feminine, you have to go beautiful or badass. Name it 'Lady Serenity' or 'The Asskicking Amazon' or something like that, don't go halfway. Who names a ship 'Girl Scout'? And don't tell me it was Rach."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"The male urge to attach feminine names and characteristics to inanimate objects confuses me. Are men merely attempting to compensate their lack of success and control over females by assigning feminine personalization to an object that cannot disobey?" MELISSA speaks to both Ed and Nate, the latter of which had been poking about in her personal affairs entirely too closely for her taste. Delivered in MELISSA's trademark deadpan tone, there was no indicator of whether that question was meant to be rhetorical.

[UglyPanda]

Marcus

"Actually Nurse-Lady, we name them after women to show how much they really matter to us and how we have to take extra special care of them. Of course, naming my bots after monsters is something I picked up from my old flatmate and not some social thing." Nate doesn't look at Melissa when he speaks, instead trying to see how hard it would be to scrape off the paint.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"My name is Dr. Melissa White, not Nurse-Lady. Am I somehow exempt from 'mattering' and being taken 'extra-special care of?' MELISSA asked him, flatly. She must have had superhuman control over her facial muscles, because she certainly did not appear annoyed, when she had every right to be.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Not when you prescribe Morphine for a stubbed toe, you don't. Course, if it bugs you, I'll start calling you Liss instead of Nurse-Lady, how's that?"

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Your compromise is unacceptable. I call you by your preferred name, Nate. I expect you to call me by mine, Dr. White."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"My preferred name is SniperN8K, but the name I was given was Nate. And last I checked, you weren't a certified doctor."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus carefully moves to extricate himself from the tactical station. I'd like to accompany the away team, Cap'n.
After all, that way, if somebody gets shot, he'll know whose behind needs to be kicked, the behind in need of kicking being his own, of course.

He'll then head to his quarters to get his body armour and hand cannon.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche arrives at the shuttle and takes in the name of it, and its crew with a single, judging glance. It's interesting to see how her appearance changes with the addition of all her gear- she suddenly seems much more imposing. With the addition of some very advanced armor, she has suddenly gained a couple of inches. Combined with the increased bulk of the armor, she doesn't look like a twig in the least.

Various gadgets adorn her, making her seem ready for almost anything. A small matter shield shines a steady green light at her side, while the omnitool next to it sits ready to be used. On her back she wears a jetpack- small enough to easily carried, while large enough to give enough thrust and power. On her other side are a few canisters of various chemicals- about five in all. Two read 'plastiflesh,' while the others seem to be neutrads, antitoxins, and a canister labeled 'sporekiller.'
Lastly, her gun is placed underneath her left arm, the sheath neatly clinging to her armor. Interesting placement, but no doubt she has her reasons...

"Your lack of formality during your work continues to be irritating, Officer McCay. What you call us on your own time doesn't matter to me, but while on duty I insist that you act like you are on duty.
Furthermore, your tone and lack of respect towards me do not make me inclined to accede to your wishes- even if I weren't your captain. As it happens, I am your captain, and I will have your respect. Is that clear, Officer McCay?"

Brasche doesn't even look at him while she speaks, just focusing on getting her gloves adjusted just right, still holding her helmet under her arm.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"I may not have a piece of paper stating that, but I do not need a mere trinket to state whether or not I can perform my assigned duties. I have the experience and ability of a talented surgeon, which the combat crew can attest to. Your prejudice based on an irrelevant piece of paper is unwise. However, you may make whatever judgement you please. If you cannot abide calling me Dr. White because of it, then you may call me Ms. White."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus, arriving at the shuttlebay, just shakes his head a bit at the conversation he's walked in on. And decides that commenting that he thinks of her as 'Doc Liz' probably wouldn't be the best of ideas, either.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Got it, Ms. White"

"Rach, call me Nate and I'll call you The Captain. Until then, you're..." Nathan takes a long look at Rachel. "You look like you're going to fall over or something, wouldn't most of that stuff be better in the trunk?"

[Rettu Skcollob]

Love the banter between MELISSA and Nathan, lol. "My preferred name is SniperN8K, actually". :smallbiggrin:


Edgard shrugs, giving a nervous glance to captain Brasche before replying. He'd probably been on the receiving end of her glare before.

Dunno about the name, you'd have to ask the engineers that built it. I'll find out for you later, if you'd like. In any case, the ships ready to go. Had some trouble with the OxyGen unit for a while there, but I think it's working now.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche seems extraordinarily calm.

"I take my job seriously, Officer McCay."

She puts on her helmet and clicks it into place, continuing to speak, her visor slid up so she is easily heard.

"Whenever I step out to do my work, my life is on the line. Skill and preparation reduce risk of death, and so does my control of a situation.
Control. As Captain, I command my crew- thus gaining control. Without that control, things suddenly begin falling apart, and everyone is placed into danger. I ask for formality, routine, and dedication to ensure that control remains."

She slips her gun out of its holster and points it at Nathan, her expression still placid even as she holds the weapon ready to fire.

"Anything that gets in the way of that control is a threat to everyone aboard this ship. Officer McCay, if you cannot take your job seriously, I'll have no hesitation of getting rid of you one way or another."

Her green eyes are hard and glittering, like twin emeralds in a silver statue.

"Do I make myself clear?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"You make it clear that you want to shoot me, pretty much. I've gotten that same reaction from my stepmom. I don't work well under this kind of pressure. If you want me to do work, you treat me like a person, not a cog in the machine."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Captain, you have stated that your objective is to maintain control over your crew. Attacking Officer McCay at this juncture will cause much of the crew to leave the ship at the first opportunity. This will cost the Sophronia much time and money in restaffing those who leave due to that action. It will also cause you to expend much personal effort merely to establish the control that you have at this current moment. The effort is much larger than the average perceived psychological value and comfort gained from executing an insubordinate and frustrating person. Captain, you are thinking irrationally."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Wait, you're honestly thinking of shooting me? Calm down a little, Cap'n. I'll be serious, so long as you stop with that stuffy 'Officer McCay' stuff."

Nathan turns towards the shuttle and says in a much sterner tone of voice "Edgard, tell Vorck in the Scavenger Crew to pass out those robot controllers in his department. Tell him that nobody in his crew is allowed to take their eyes off of the robots' data feeds. We don't know what we're up against, we need to be safe."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus (who is standing so the captain can't see him without turning around, it might be noted...) can't help but smirk a little bit. He's finding it rather amusing seeing McKay* put in his place.

How about we just agree that the Cap'n is the Cap'n and the Cap'n runs the ship, and get on with this mission? The longer we wait the more likely it is whatever prize there is to be had is going to be snatched up by someone else before we can get to it.**



* - :smalltongue:

** - Ah, yes, he knows how to motivate pirates and mercenaries***.

*** - There's a difference?

[Rettu Skcollob]

Edgard, who had been standing, frozen as the two officers had it out at each other, nervously nods.

Uh, yeah, will do.

Scratching at the back of his head nervously, the member of the scavenger crew turns to Brasche.

With all due respect, uh, ma'm, McCay is a good guy, and I don't think that shooting him would be a good idea. Most of us joined up with a privateer crew out of a desire for freedom, and while we're grateful for how your organisation of the ship has gotten us better profits, you really don't need to feel obligated to run it like a military... Once again, with all due respect. Don't, er, don't shoot the messenger.

Despite his evident nervousness, Edgard manages a small smile. Anton waves his hand above the smaller mans head, making him duck involuntarily. The burly assault crew member grins.

You got more balls than I thought you had, Ed'! You're alright.

Still smiling, the sergeant moves ever so slightly in front of the smaller, unarmoured man, turning to face Brasche.

I'm afraid I gotta agree with shorty here, Cap.

Hey! I'm not tha-

He's just tryin' to stop you from doin' something you might regret.

He smiles in a friendly manner, holding his palms out in the universal gesture for non-aggressive friendliness. The fact that he has a large plasma rifle strapped to his back slightly alters the effect, but it is an admirable attempt none the less.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"If he won't even submit to a simple order and request from his captain on the threat of death, clearly there is more here than just a desire for freedom. I don't tolerate such a lack of respect, or insubordination."

Brasche puts her gun away, her point with it seemingly made. She shakes her head at Nate and waves a hand at him.

"You're dismissed from this assignment, Nathan."

Her emphasis on his name makes it sound very belittling. Apparently formal address, in her mind, is very much related to respect.

"Take the time you have to reconsider your priorities, and your job on this ship. I'll speak to you in private after this is over."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I'll be around the ship then."

Nathan returns to his cabin and changes back into his normal clothes. He picks up his diagnostic equipment and tools and starts doing a full maintenance check-up on the Sophronia. Sometime in the middle of this task, he goes to deliver a plate of brownies to Isabel.

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

The researcher in question is in her labs, sitting in front of a blank screen and jotting down something with a stylus. She intends to follow the mission quite closely, but doesn't care to do absolutely nothing while the video and audio feeds are off.

She looks up at the tray of brownies with some surprise. "What are these for?" she asks, as opposed to a more normal "thank you."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"These...are for eating. I thought you might be bored on monitor duty rather than experimenting, so I thought you might need some simple sugars and caffeine to switch up your body chemistry. Also, do you have any cigs on you? Someone told me he thought you smoked."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

She looks exasperated. And maybe a little amused. "I know what they are. I meant why are you bringing them here, and now, in particular."

"Someone was wrong." She shrugs. "You smoke? I'm surprised Melissa hasn't given you a detailed lecture on what it's doing to your lungs. Had an intern who chain-smoked once, and she recorded him as a health hazard. There's a coffee machine somewhere around here, though, I'm pretty sure."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Well, I guess my reason for giving them to you is that I'm bad at flirting." Nathan gives a slight smile, then his facial expression quickly returns to normal. "Actually, you're the only other officer not going on the mission."

"I quit when I was sixteen and I thought this might be a good time to pick it up again. Back home our line of work did worse to our lungs than a burning tube ever could."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"Mmmm. That'd be, what, industrial work?" She raises an eyebrow, brownie poised in front of her mouth. "FCS world, I take it? They take the term "human resources" a lot more literally than most."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Asteroid Belt Miners. Life in FCS was fraking terrible. I thanked Mod for OSHA compliance once I got out of there. How about you? You're one of the few people I've found who does science for science's sake rather than making Killbots."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"Sol system. Nice place, but it's impossible to get anywhere. I preferred independent work, so I ended up with the FCS for funding." She makes a wry face. "Which was cut the instant they realized there wouldn't be any short-term profit, of course. Idiots."

She dusts brownie dust off her hands, and takes another. "Mining, mm? I can see why you took up robotics. Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be running the scout robots with the landing group?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I've heard you can get some decent funds from the space-pope so long as you claim it disproves evolution. Course, you also have to make sure it can cause planetary atrocities, but hey, it's an option." he says with a smirk.

"Rach is mad at me because I keep calling her Rach, so I have to stay up here. My department is running the show remotely, so I'm giving the ship a check-up since the engineers are indisposed. Sides, the robots know what to do, they're just not very good at it without someone at the reins."

Nathan rubs the left side of his lip with a finger.
"You've got some chocolate on you right here."

[The_Snark]

Isabel

She dabs at her lip. "Hah, yes. I wouldn't be surprised to hear they burn geneticists at the stake."

She glances up at Nate, fixing him with an appraising eye. "You irritated the captain again? Really, why bother? Calling her Captain isn't that arduous, is it?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"It's not that bad, that's what they all say before they have to work fifteen hour shifts in the dark. It took me forever to leave FCS, and I'm not in any rush to go back. It wouldn't take her much effort to call me Nate, and I don't think she actually treats anyone as a person. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to give us all lobotomies so we couldn't disobey. To me, she just doesn't act human. She doesn't have fun, she's always at attention, she's skinny as a twig despite being some sort of space mar..."
Nathan pauses for a few seconds, then says "You think she's a bioreplica? I mean, if that's true, then it all makes sense."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Captain, every second we delay on enacting this mission reduces the survival chance of any members of the research station still presently living. Their survival will make understanding what happened to that station far easier, and there is a chance that our paymasters will desire to question the survivors or confirm all of their deaths.

Dr. White was unusually eager to get this mission started.

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"What, the captain?" Isabel looks taken aback. "I... doubt it. Most of the ones left have probably learned to stay low by now, and captaining a mercenary ship isn't really keeping a low profile." She leans back again, having sat up at Nathan's odd suggestion. "I suppose it's possible, but look at her. Short, frail woman in her twenties, not really typical captain material, and she's trying to keep control of a shipfull of mercenaries. Maybe she thinks she can't afford to be too familiar with the crew. Or maybe she just doesn't care whether they like her, I don't know." She shrugs. "My point is, you don't have to care what she thinks of you, much less what she calls you. I'd prefer Doctor to officer, but she could call me Izzy and it wouldn't matter."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I meant that as a joke. I have seen her eat before, so that rules out that she's a cheap robot. Wetware isn't too expensive, but most of those models were the first on the chopping block.

Nathan sits up straight and lowers his voice. "You look cute when you're scared, is there something you're not telling anyone? Specifically Miss White?" He stares at her for a short time, then reverts to his usual aloof expression.

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

Oh, so this is going to be that sort of conversation. Isabel peers at Nathan with a half-smile on her face; although she looks friendlier than before, her eyes are sharp, and that smile has a flinty quality to it. "No, I shouldn't think I have anything to conceal from Doctor White." Her tone shifts from almost coy to blunt. "Why do you mention her?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"You're probably not a robot though, you're too close to the uncanny valley. And if you were, then you wouldn't be hiding anything from Miss White, it would be more likely that she's your secret-keeper of sorts." It appears he is completely missing the subtext.

Nathan relaxes in his seat a bit more, voice and posture completely returning to normal. "Meh, it'd take a minute to find out if anyone was really a robot on this ship with my scanning equipment, but forever if they had wetwork. Honestly, it's more trouble than it's worth in that case. Hey, you want to know a secret?"

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Quite correct, Officer White. Lets get started."
Brasche says as she moves to enter the landing craft.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus nods and, after Captain Brasche enters, pauses by the shuttle door and makes a quick motioning gesture inside.
Ladies first.

It might be noted, for the record, that that hand-cannon he's so fond of is in its holster on his hip, and his high-frequency sword is strapped to his back in its scabbard. Be Prepared...

[Rettu Skcollob]

The Officers and crew members enter and strap themselves in, the two pilots enter their separate cockpits and prepare for takeoff. After a brief check of the new flight systems, the thrusters activate moments after the airlock doors shut and seal themselves. The antiquated OxyGen unit in the corner activates with only a little fuss and a small kick. As the ship lurches steadily into the air and retracts its landing gear, a sudden feeling of weightlessness is felt by its occupants as the ship leaves through the hangar bay doors. A crackly voice filters through the low-tech speakers at either end, and the middle of the ship.

"O-Kay. Looks like we've got green across the board, folks. Looks like you get to breathe another day. I can take her planet-side now, Captain, with your permission. Any preference for where to land, Captain? No-one's been kind enough to inform me as to where we're going. Although the folks watching the planet tell me there's a nice beaches on the smaller continent."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"We're headed towards a research station that lost contact with civilization."
Brasche taps a few buttons on her Omnitool to give the pilot the rough coordinates and brief mission statement.

[Rettu Skcollob]

O-kay, can do Captain. Bringing her down now. Hold on to something; the ride may be a little bumpy.

The pilot switches off the intercom, focusing his attention on bringing the ship down to the planet without scanner assisted guidance. As the ship begins to get closer to the planet, the effects of gravity once again begin to make themselves felt, requiring a quick stifling of the primal terror that occurs as the mind insists that it is falling fatally rapidly.

The ship travels quickly through the atmosphere of the out-of-the-way planet, the interior becoming uncomfortably hot for a little while as the improvised heat dispersion mechanisms on board struggle to keep up with the sustained heat from atmospheric entry. A slight lurch is felt as the craft levels out, the particle impulse drive stabilising the crafts descent. The pilots voice once again comes over the intercom.

"Manual sensors are returning a bit more viable data than before captain... Contact with the ship's become pretty much impossible now... Guess that was to be expected. Anyway; looks like just over standard 1G gravity, atmosphere a little thicker than Earth... conditions outside look sunny and fine, if a little warm. You might want to brace yourself, we're coming a bit too close to the surface to use the primary drive now... Activating thrusters in 5.

Four seconds after the pilot speaks, a violent lurch shakes the craft as the thrusters activate; the ship begins to enter a considerably more rough descent before it reaches the ground, coming to a slow halt as the the landing gear engage, the craft safely reaching the ground. A low whir fills the cabin as the first airlock door opens. The various crew members all let out sighs of relief.

The intercom once again flickers to life.

"Optics have found only two probable points of human habitation nearby, Captain. First is about a kilometer away, some kind of structure, looks pretty damaged. Second is some kind of mine or something, didn't really get a chance to look at it for too long, but it looks abandoned."

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

She relaxes slightly. Mentioning Melissa like that couldn't be a coincidence, but if he didn't want to say anything, that was fine by her. "More secrets, Nathan?" She raises an eyebrow. "You're very focused today. Go ahead, yes, if you like."

[Jalor]

Suddenly, the message being broadcast by the "broken" transceiver changes.

"...ied ship, do you *screee*...ated in the dam... *ffffft* ...at *bzzap*...e eart... ...base. Eve... ....e is gone. Th... ...cher Malcolm Lane, last remain... *chhhhh* ...down here."

The voice is again unidentifiable.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Someone get a read on where that signal is coming from."
Brasche orders, urgency in her voice. She gets up, starting to move to exit the landing craft. On the off chance that she can manage it, she tries to use her universal communicator function on her Omnitool to connect with any sort of communication frequencies nearby.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus discreetly moves to exit the shuttle first.
If I may, Cap'n? Don't know what might be out there for sure...
Wouldn't do to have the captain et on his watch, nope.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche pauses and looks at Marcus, glancing over his robust, but lightly armored form, then down at herself, and her own high powered armor complete with jetpack, environmental seal, and matter deflection shield.
"Thanks for the offer, Officer O'Connell, but I think it will be safer if I go first."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I have more than one secret? I always thought I was a bit of an open browser."

He lowers his voice to a whisper, moves his face closer to Isabel's, and begins talking.

Once he finishes whispering, he moves his face away and says "Now that I think about it, it's not so much a secret, it's just that nobody asked."

OOC: Check for PM.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Aye aye, Cap'n.
He motions for her to go on ahead while he peforms a final check of his weaponry and prepares to exit.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

The Red Phantom had been flying beside the landing shuttle the entire way, off to a distance of maybe two kilometers, keeping watch over the rest of the crew like a very protective hawk. Red had angled her nose up and away as the landing craft had entered the atmosphere, choosing instead to begin a geosynchronous orbit over the intended landing area. He opened up his sensors over the thousand-square mile operational theatre, looking for life forms, technology, and generally charting the topography and meteorological conditions of the planet with his fighter's Class V Sensor Array. He wanted to run a check himself since Red Phantom's equipment worked perfectly most of the time while the Sophronia was lucky enough to tell a planet from an immense water fowl. He'd stay until the scan was complete, relay it to the landing team, and then head back to the ship to join in the CAP.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Dr. White grabbed her equipment. Exiting the shuttle, she took a very sharp survey of her surroundings, trying to ensure that nothing would sneak up on them. The shuttle landing probably scared off any indigineous life, but there was no way to tell for certain.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The shuttle appears to be in a large field, which stretches onwards south farther than the eye can see. It appears to be mainly composed of some sort of indigenous plant, a brown coloured, tough plant that appears to grow to about waist height in large clumps. It is burnt and blackened in the area where the shuttle landed, heavily damaged from the thrusters. The day presses inside the cool interior of the craft, a hot, sweating heat enveloping the shuttle and its crew.

To the north there lies in the distance what appears to be some kind of malformed structure, but the heat distortions of the day make it difficult to fully make out.

Edgard and the rest of the crew hang back. Edgard speaks for the rest of them.

"We'll stay here unless you need us."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Melissa White stared in the distance of the structure. Her glasses nigh instantly polarized themselves to reduce glare. "The structure is damaged. There does not appear to be any signs of repair. I cannot ascertain the likely cause of the damage from this distance. We should move closer, Captain."

[Jalor]

A glimmer of light passes over the group, obviously reflected off of something. It seems to be coming from the structure in question.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche nods to Melissa and points out the glimmer.
"A rather primitive signaling method, but a signal nonetheless. There is a high probability that it comes from whoever was sending the messages to us.
"However, there is a chance that they caused the station's destruction to begin with, so act with caution."
She looks over her crew.
"Rescue is a secondary priority. Our job is to get in there, find out what happened, and get out without casualties. If helping people out aids that job, or can be achieved without substantial risk, then we'll do that as well."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus has his pistol out, just in case. You can never be too careful.
He looks over the crewmembers, and nods in the direction of the ruined structure.
Alright people, you heard the Cap'n. Careful of ambushes, somethin' could be using this crud for cover, an' once we get close we don't know if the folks in there are friend or foe, so be ready for anythin. Move out!

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"We've been sitting around and talking for a while, shouldn't something be coming up on that screen or something? Is something wrong down there or are they still hanging out in the hangar?"

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Understood. We shall proceed with caution." The bioreplica in hiding starting to move forward, toward the site. Her sword and gun were ready, but what she kept her hands on, quite understandably, was her medical kit.

[Rettu Skcollob]

As you leave, the pilot quickly jumps out of the ship to catch up to you before you make your way to the structure.

"Captain - We've lost contact with the ship due to the nature of this planet, and I think the robots won't work either, but I have an idea; I could fly the ship up into the atmosphere, and we could use it as a relay for all the signals. Sound good?"

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"They might still be in transit. We'll check." Isabel activates her comm unit. "Landing party, what's your ETA?"

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Good thinking, pilot. Permission granted- get that ship into the air."
Brasche actually gives a small smile and then begins heading off with the rest of the crew.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The pilot smiles, grateful for the praise, and scampers off back into the craft. A few moments later, the thrusters fire up, bringing the craft shakily off the ground and propelling it slowly upwards. As it reaches a decent height, it activates its primary drive, moving with considerably more speed and control, before disappearing into a moderately sized cloud bank.

--
The mission comm unit on board the Sophronia flares to life as a message is received. The quality of the communication is fairly low, and it occasionally drops out, but it can still be understood.

<This is Girl Sc---, currently in atmospheric fli--- on Yavanna. Interference too high on surf---, so have begun transmitting -- atmosphere. Girl Scout ---ing as relay for communications; ---thing you'd like to say?>
--

While the pilot begins his communications with the ship, the rest of the mission crew make their way through the strange field, heading towards the damaged building. The heat of the day presses onto them heavily, making travel uncomfortable for most. After a short walk, however, the crew manages to make their way in front of the structure.

It appears to be two floors tall, mainly comprised of some sort of concrete - made for function, not aesthetic pleasantness; as the ugly grey exterior shows. A row of windows lines the second floor of the building, but otherwise it appears to be quite featureless.

The damage mentioned earlier is extremely obvious now, even to the less keen-eyed among the crew. The roof appears to have collapsed, most likely when that large laser-communications array on the top fell in. Cracks and breaches are dotted around the building with alarming frequency, and the structure looks none too stable. The buildings foundations seem to have suffered some sort of damage in the east side, giving it a very noticeable slant.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Jeebus, why doesn't anyone know how to talk into a bad connection?" Nathan activates his headset and starts giving instructions.

"Attention pilot, attention pilot, attention pilot."
"Robots can compensate, robots can compensate, robots can compensate."
"For an intermittent connection, for an intermittent connection, for an intermittent connection."
"So they'll still work, so they'll still work, so they'll still work."
"Thanks to your efforts, thanks to your efforts, thanks to your efforts."
"We are having trouble, we are having trouble, we are having trouble."
"Communicating with your craft, communicating with your craft, communicating with your craft."
"Use the keyboard, use the keyboard, use the keyboard."
"In the glove compartment, in the glove compartment, in the glove compartment."
"Text uses less data than speech, text uses less data than speech, text uses less data than speech."
"So it won't be as interrupted, so it won't be as interrupted, so it won't be as interrupted."
"And you can send it multiple times, and you can send it multiple times, and you can send it multiple times."

"God that was annoying, god that was - Oh, I can stop."

[Rettu Skcollob]

"Er, yes sir. Uh, yes sir, y-- sir."

A few moments later the screen starts displaying text, transmitted from the ship.

{Sir, am I doing it right? Uh, repeating now: Once again; is there anything you'd like to say to our ground crew? I'm not sure if I can relay text to them - do you know if any of them have a readout they could use?

Once again; is there anything you'd like to say to our ground crew? I'm not sure if I can relay text to them - do you know if any of them have a readout they could use?

Once again; is there anything you'd like to say to our ground crew? I'm not sure if I can relay text to them - do you know if any of them have a readout they could use?}

[Jalor]

The reflected light seems to originate from one obvious point by the structure. There's motion that could be someone sitting and moving an object, but it's hard to tell for sure. If it is a person, they're wearing earth-toned clothing.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"All right then." Nathan takes out his card computer and begins to type.

{I'm getting you clear as day on the text. Turn on the overlay algorithm, it's Tools - Options - Connection - Advanced, then check off "Activate interlay". It'll automatically send the message a couple of times and mash them back together on our end.

Get the ground crew to have the bots scout ahead. Make sure the bots take pictures of everything down there. Once everything is done, I want to send the scavenger team down to take the factory apart. If there is any data or experimental machines, they might be much more valuable than the rest of the reward.

I don't know if any of them have a display or anything of the like. Boss-lady probably has something on her Hud, she's carrying a mule's worth of gear. Ms. White wears specs, but I think they're just for fashion.}

"So Isabel, if I weren't here, would you be ripping your hair out of boredom, or am I keeping you from doing something?"

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus shields his eyes from the sun and tries to get a better look at where the signaling appears to be coming from.

Looks like somebody might be over there, it's hard to tell at this distance.

Spot: [roll0]

[Rettu Skcollob]

{Okay, done. Relaying text now. So sir; where exactly are the robots? Are one of the crew carrying them? Are they still on board the landing craft?}

After a few moments, a data signal on the Sophronia's general frequency band is broadcast to the planets surface.


{
MESSAGE RELAY: 'Officer Mccay' VIA: 'Girl Scout' TO: 'Sophronia Ground Crew'
--
Get the ground crew to have the bots scout ahead. Make sure the bots take pictures of everything down there. Once everything is done, I want to send the scavenger team down to take the factory apart. If there is any data or experimental machines, they might be much more valuable than the rest of the reward.
--
}


OOC

I may just have to refer that Spot check to Jalor, Bushranger. He hasn't told me where he is, or what he's doing, and I couldn't accurately give a DC. Besides; it's his opportunity for a cool entry.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

{They were in the trunk. Someone probably unloaded them on their way out of the shuttle.}

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

MELISSA kept pace with the group, trying her best to make it look like she wasn't capable of going as fast as she actually was able to. She noticed the lights in the distance. "Confirmed sighting of a survivor." Dr. White pointed in the distance.

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"Oh, boredom." Isabel leans on one side of the desk, watching Nathan type to the ground crew. "Fellow researchers in distress is a mission I feel obliged to pay close attention to, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to get a video feed from the surface very easily."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche raises a hand to signal the group to halt.
"Send a robot in before we go any further."

((Or did we actually just abandon the robots? Did we even test out if they worked with the interference around?
If we don't have those, she'll send in a few of the armed/armored crew members with a warning to be cautious.))

[Rettu Skcollob]

The small, hovering reconnaissance robot is quickly made ready for travel to the structure. Preliminary tests show that the robot can be controlled remotely in the interference field, but does suffer noticeable lag. The video feed returns a workable, if slightly lower resolution than optimal, video stream. The small unit begins transmitting the stream to the landing craft, who in turn relays it to the Sophronia, the screen in front of the control crew flickering into life, broadcasting an image of the building surrounded by the seemingly endless field.

As the robot moves closer to the structure, a few additional details become apparent. It is evident now that the majority of the damage seems to have occurred at the bottom of the structure, the destruction elsewhere seeming to have happened through the lack of support below much of the building, causing multiple collapses.

At the entrance to the structure, the scout robot pauses, and scanning downwards, highlights an extremely thin wire in its vision, suspended between two nails driven into the door frame on the opposite side. It is about to progress further into the building, following its scouting protocols, when a sudden noise from above halts the unit. It draws back, and realigns its optical sensors to face the roof, trying to ascertain the source of the sound.

After a few moments filtering the glare out of its sensors, the scouting unit reveals what looks to be a figure crouched behind the low cover that the raised perimeter of the roof offers. It appears to be holding some kind of long object that could easily be a weapon, but it doesn't look like it's aiming it at the group. It's difficult to make out any real features of the figure, due to the rather poor quality glare filtering software that the robot is employing.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Speak of Mod and Mod shows up. There's your video feed, and there's your researcher-in-need." Nathan stares closer at the screen. "Or maybe some sort of hobo with a shotgun."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus frowns a bit as he peers at the structure.
I saw somebody run into the building, looked like he was carrying something. I'm starting to not like the smell of this, Cap'n. Smells like trap.

[Jalor]

A voice issues from the building, loud but even-toned.

"Don't come any closer until I know who you are. There's a trap, and I wouldn't want it to hit an ally. If you're friendly, you wouldn't have anything to hide anyway. I'll disable the trap if you identify yourselves."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche grins as she hears the voice, then communicates back through the robot, hoping it wouldn't transmit poorly.
"Captain Brasche of the Sophronia. The FCS sent us to figure out why they lost contact with the station here."
She makes a subtle motion for the crew to spread out a bit so as not to present a single target.

[Jalor]

"There was an earthquake. It damaged the facility, as well as misaligning it from the distress satellite. After the earthquake, everyone at the base vanished. I didn't see what happened, but there were no bodies. Everyone was just missing."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Frowning, Marcus follows the captain's direction, while trying to determine how plausible the fellow's story sounds.

Sense Motive: [roll0]

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Isabel, I've been wondering. You always have cages full of lab rats for whatever reason, and I don't really know what you're doing with them. Are you trying to isolate a gene or are you trying out a new mutagen?"
"Normally I wouldn't ask, but you don't have the same mad science genes I've got. Every little thing I make just seems to make the universe a scarier place to live in. You're trying to make things better, and I like that about you."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"Captain, it appears my initial hypothesis was correct. This disappearance puzzles me. I have some thermal imaging equipment. Perhaps we could use it to track down the missing personnel and discover what happened to them." MELISSA offers to her captain.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Noted, Officer White. As soon as we conclude negotiations, I'll let you get started on that."
Brasche communicates through the robot again.
"A strange story from an unknown person. How do we know we can trust you?"

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

I think he's telling the truth, at least as far as he knows it, Cap'n. But I have to wonder exactly how a buncha people are supposed to have just up and 'dissapeared' like that. During the quake, coulda fallen into a fissure or somethin', but after? And all of 'em? Makes ya wonder.

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"I think that's a bit hard on yourself. There's nothing wrong with robots." Any thoughts she has on the goings-on down on the surface are lost in Nate's question, which she is clearly happy to answer. She's still watching the viewscreen from time to time, but theoretical scientific fellowship and ship's duties apparently don't rank with talking to someone about her work.

"It's not one gene so much as a set of genes; I'm working on a way to make homeothermic organisms more energy-efficient by removing some of their temperature regulation routines. Homeotherms—that's warm-blooded creatures, in layman's therms—require a great deal more energy to maintain their body heat. The consistent heat affords them all sorts of advantages, of course, but we're more than capable of creating controlled environments, in which the temperature need never change more than a degree or so."

"It's a lengthy project, because there are a lot of different ways to regulate temperature, and all animals use more than one. I'm using various species of rodent to isolate some of those means now, simply because they breed fast and they're conveniently easy to keep. It'll be a lot harder, logistically, with larger lifeforms, but I hope to have some decent funding by that time."

[Jalor]

"You can trust me because I'm going to disable the trap that could have killed you. Move the robot out of the entryway, so I can shoot out the trip wire. I only have a concussion rifle, so it would trigger the swinging blade."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"You haven't seen what I used to do. I worked for Cyberdyne, their slogan was 'War isn't fun, so why play fair?'. We designed weapons for Killbots that used to be on starships. We made railguns that could shoot through walls the old-fashioned-way: Everything in the path of the path of the bullet gets a hole in it, civilians included. We shoved turrets in children's toys: After an EVAC, the toys would be left in the middle of a playground, so soldiers who weren't doing their jobs would get mowed down. Then we figured we'd go a step further, shove guns in bioreplicas that looked like children. The company got in a frakton of trouble for that one, but you know what corporations do, they just bribed the politicians. And as much as I try, I can't get that kill-everything-in-sight mentality out of my head. Hell, right now I'm trading parts with some guy in engineering so I can light people on fire from across the room."

Nathan sighs, looks at the hobo on the screen, then tries to speak in a calmer voice.
"So, I'm assuming the metabolic rates of the rodents go down, so they require less food, so that's good. And it's harder to cool down a spaceship than it is to heat it up, so I guess it might have some use for space-faring folk. Now, if humans become cold-blooded, how capable would they be of surviving in the wilderness without an external apparatus?"

"And I don't know if you've realized it yet, but your work will fulfill one of the requirements for a techno-organic symbiotic society, humans that think of machines as essential life-givers rather than replacements. I'd love to look at your papers when I'm not in your way."

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"Never thought of it that way before, but given that the symbiosis would be obligative, I suppose it would be. You're more than welcome to look at my work. Probably won't make much sense without a background in biochemistry, but still."

"Wilderness would be a very hostile environment. Natural ectotherms can handle internal temperature changes to a degree, but we can't. The enzymes in 'warm-blooded' animals almost always function best at that animal's standard temperature, give or take a couple degrees. Internal body temperature changes any more than that, and the animal's metabolism slows down fast. Dead. Without anything to prevent losing body heat—even ectotherms regulate body heat somewhat—any environment that's not within a degree or so of human body temperature would eventually be lethal."

"Limited in scope, obviously, but it would be useful for long-distance colonization, and invaluable for growing livestock more efficiently. I haven't really developed my funding pitch yet, but I'm sure there's more applications."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I've got a healthy knowledge of organic chemistry. My knowledge really only extends to explosives and superconductors, but I can look up anything I don't understand."

"The thing about enzymes was something I was about to mention. Why not turn humans completely cold-blooded? Is there some sort of biological advantage to the blood and organs we have now? And we would still need some heat regulation systems in place, just to make sure boiling blood is never literal."

"How much livestock is being raised these days? I know milk and eggs are still useful commodities, but there was never much meat when I was growing up and I can't eat it without puking nowadays."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche steps back and moves the robot to one side and out of the way.

[Jalor]

A concussion blast is fired from the man's hiding place, pounding the wire. A large log with a triangular metal blade comes swinging across the entrance. The admittedly primitive blade swigs back and forth for at least a minute before coming to rest; it must have been precisely balanced.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

The ticked-off technician is leaning back and staring at the ceiling, getting bored. "Isabel, you want me to pinch the hobo's nose with the robot's pincers? He's holding a gun, we could call it self-defense."

[The_Snark]

Isabel

Isabel snorts. "Let's not go starting fights for the ground crew."

"You wouldn't have gotten meat if you grew up in FCS territory, no, but it's still out there, especially on Green worlds. It's a luxury item in the Sol system, but with this, it might start to be energy-efficient enough to be widespread again."

"You ought to stop thinking in terms of warm-blooded and cold-blooded; both of those are simplistic names for quite a few different ways to regulate temperature, and there's a lot of overlap. The only definite boundary is that warm-blooded creatures can't survive much of a shift in internal body temperature, and cold-blooded creatures can. In that sense, no, I can't make mammals cold-blooded; I'd have to find a way to change the enzymes used in thousands of reactions, to make them less temperature-sensitive. It might be easier to design an animal from scratch. The altered creatures will be more than cold-blooded in some senses, though; they'll have fewer ways to self-regulate than any reptile or amphibian. They'll have just enough to keep themselves at an optimum stable temperature, given an unchanging environment, and nothing more."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche glances over the ground crew, then gestures for them to begin moving forwards towards the station again. She moves with them, keeping an eye on the man waiting for them, gun ready.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Without any hesitation or fear, MELISSA begins moving forward, keeping a watchful view of her surroundings with her sensors. Unlike normal humans, she did have eyes, or rather, sensors, in the back of her head. She also had the added luxury of being able to pay attention to more than one thing at once, true multitasking was of course, beyond human capabilities at the present time.

Just one of the many reasons why people were afraid of bioreplicas. MELISSA covered the distance to try and speak to the survivor.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

His gun ready, but safed at the moment, Marcus heads forwards with the others, keeping a sharp lookout for any further trouble, or, for that matter, collapsing ground and/or buildings.

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

The repugnant robotician continues to stare at the ceiling. This time, his eyes are focusing on a computer screen that isn't truly there. "Are they really only using one robot? What a waste." He quickly types his override code, obtaining temporary control of the robot inspecting the hobo and forces it to speak to the crew.

"Attention, ground crew. Mission control has determined an underutilization of mission resources. Scout robots are capable of moving a mile of territory in under five minutes. Half of the deployed robots will be doing a rudimentary search of the area shortly. This will take approximately 40 minutes and will provide thorough information about the surrounding half mile radius. If you have objections, contact mission control through the robot who is currently speaking to you."

Switching the channel on his headset, Nathan communicates with his department. "Send the odd-numbered robots on recon. Keep two autonomous bots with each manually-controlled bot in the spiral formation we discussed earlier. If they see or hear anything interesting, anything at all, even lizards, report it to me and Isabel."

OOC:
Twelve robots are traveling in a spiral stretching outwards. Two autonomous robots are traveling with each manually-controlled robot. All the robots are taking 10 for spot and listen 14 and 14 respectively. According to my calculations, in 40 minutes the twelve robots can cover a half mile radius of the landing spot.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Swiftly moving through the field, the ground crew makes its way to the ruined structure without any significant incident. Stepping gingerly around the trap, the building can now be explored from within. Corridors lead around the perimeter of the inside of the building, branching off into what looks like living quarters. These all appear to be in various states of disarray, but don't seem to have suffered significant damage.

The outside corridors also have inward doors, leading into what appears to be, as far as you can make out, some sort of shared laboratory. This has obviously been hit extremely hard. Rubble litters the floor, smashed computers and machinery lie everywhere, and numerous pieces of scientific equipment and machinery are in various states of being damaged, broken, or completely obliterated.

Stairs lead down into a store of some sort - the smell of earth is prevalent here. It is evident that the tunnel has recently been dug out to gain access to food supplies. The store appears to be decently stocked, with a mixture of pre-packaged long life food and native plant life. In an adjacent room is the currently inactive generator, which looks to have suffered a moderate amount of damage, and sparks occasionally.

Stairs leading upwards from the ground floor lead into crew relaxation quarters. Books, games and numerous leisure equipment dot walls and cupboards. There are a good deal of potholes and weakened areas of floor here and the crew must take care not to fall through. The final set of stairs lead to the roof; a flat affair with a low concrete wall running around the perimeter.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

Some time later...

Raising his voice slightly, the messed-up mechanic says "Anyone know where I left my portable drafting board? I lent it to some guy in...um...the strike crew? I don't know. Who else on this ship would need one? And does anyone want anything from the kitchen while I'm running around the ship?"

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Dr. Melissa White, for the benefit of those who hadn't seen her, was dressed like a military medic. She did not appear to wear armor, but it was more than likely that her medic's vest was armored to some fashion. She looks over the installation (and assuming our survivor doesn't show), she taps her glasses a few times. This was for the benefit of herself and the crew, her true thermal imaging sensors were internal to her sensors. She 'takes a moment' to get adjusted to the thermal images of the base, and immediately begins looking for signs of thermal footprints.

[Jalor]

A man descends the steps from the roof, looking tired and ragged. He looks very young, maybe only eighteen. He is wearing earth-toned survival clothes and carrying the most basic of wilderness gear. On a strap around his back is a heavy, powerful-looking concussion rifle. He has blue eyes and curly brown hair, but seems like he hasn't rested in days. The more heavily damaged research equipment in the area shows signs of attempted repairs, which he must have done. His hands are open and outstretched in the universal "I come in peace" gesture.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche moves up to the unknown man, feeling less threatened now as she sizes him up.
"Can I get your name and position here at the research lab?"

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

(Ix-nay the thermal imaging until after we pick up nature-boy).

MELISSA sized up this survivor. His eyes were sunken, the classic sign of a person functioning on little sleep. His clothing was wrinkled in such a fashion as it was obvious he had slept in them. It coincided with the mission report. She surveyed his externals first, and then looked at his posture and the way he carried himself to see if he had any external injuries. She also logged his visual, auditory, and olfactory signals, and awaited a name.

[Jalor]

"Malcolm Lane. Physicist and psychiatrist for the station. I've been working on making a transmitter that can send an abdoite-penetrating signal. Did you get my messages?"

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

We did in part, yes, however I suspect it wasn't quite as effective at penetrating the interference as you probably hoped, Doc Lane.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Looking over the doctor, MELISSA observes Malcolm with a critical glance, like an appraiser sizing up a piece of pottery. "You do not appear to have any life-threatening medical conditions. No external injuries. Captain, it appears safe to engage in conversation with this Dr. Lane."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

Red had been monitoring any transmissions to or from the Sophronia as he led the combat air patrol through space. It was dreadfully uneventful up off of the dirt, but Red was ever the patient one. He concluded that excitement would most likely constitute danger, and only a being lacking in mental faculties would hope to be exposed to it. Better for things to remain boring and the away team to return safely than anything coming to threaten the ship. Still, he couldn't help but rue the monotony of flying circles for hours on end waiting for something to happen. He'd been running battle simulations in his head, going through training manuals he'd been forced to memorize, theorizing on strategy for certain goals and enemy strengths. He could keep it up for hours, but even for Red it was beginning to bore. Maybe he should run another low-level flyby of the planet and check up on the away mission?

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Redd, you there? Space to Redd, come in Redd! Are you available for doing a clean sweep of the area? Please respond. And do you know what happened to my drafting board? Did I lend it to you?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

Using a tight beam transmission so that it wouldn't be intercepted by anyone on the ground, Red responded to Nathan's transmission. Hopefully, Nathan or Doctor Black would notice what he was doing and reciprocate without needing to be told. "Marauder Lead to Sophronia. Negative, Nathan, I'm onto something. I'm sending you a copy of a transmission I just received. It's built from bits and pieces of the captain's voice blended together in an attempt to deceive me. They wanted me to head to these coordinates." he elaborated, sending them everything else he had received as well. "I'm attempting to track the source. Anything you could tell me about the transmission would be appreciated."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

The crass constructionist listens to the relayed messages and is slightly more confused than usual. "Me and Isabel have been watching the goings on down there and there are no 'negotiations' going on. All the crew has seen is a hobo with a shotgun, the whole place is deserted. Wait a tick..." Nathan thinks about the exploration he has been performing with the robots and has an idea. "By any chance, would the coordinates be near some abandoned mineshaft? There's some sort of interference signal emanating from it and I can't tell if it's natural or man-made. Now here's what worries me, that transmission has Rach's voice. Someone is following them, and whoever it is is doing a damn good job of not being seen. Do you have some of those paint bombs that they use to simulate bombing runs?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"The coordinates I sent you were directing me to a mineshaft, yes. Did the signal originate there? My computer is still working on that." Red responded, still using the tight beam transmission. Marauder Lead is loaded up for combat air patrol. No paint in this boat. I already acknowledged their order so they wouldn't suspect that we knew it was a fake, but given enough time they'll figure it out. We have to do this fast. If I start heading down to the surface will you update me on a target?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"I checked it over with a scout robot, all I found out was that the interference got stronger the further down the robot went. It's an open-air mine, so our worst-case scenario is that you'll have to fire a air-to-surface missile and/or a bunker buster straight down into it. What makes this situation worse is that there are probably some fraking hostages that we won't find until it's too late. I need a recap, what weapons do you have on your fighter? We can't risk sending a bomber down there, it's too suspicious. And do you think you can risk doubling back and picking up some equipment? Our possible plans depend heavily on logistics."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"My craft is outfitted with linked particle beams and a single plasma missile launcher with a magazine of eight missiles. The missiles should be enough to collapse the shaft, but civilian casualties are most likely unacceptable considering who we're working for. If I absolutely have to re-equip then I will, but it has to be fast. What did you have in mind?" Red said as he continued his slow patrol for now, not heading towards the planet but circling back around towards the Sophronia as he had been. His wingmen formed up on either side of him, all pinging him for status updates, but he silenced them with a single signal. No matter what happened, they would have to remain around the ship to act as a first line of defense while he was gone. "Should I tell the 'Captain' that I have to re-equip for rescue procedures?"

[The_Snark]

Isabel Black

"Remember, we're here to find out what happened to the base, not blow up the responsible party," Isabel puts in. "We need to find out who's sending these messages and what they want from us."

"It's odd; they have recordings of the captain's voice, but they don't seem to realize the landing party is in communication with the ship. If we can figure out how they got the voice recordings, that might help..."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Ok, all I have to do is remember my cryptography classes and we'll be fine. We're Bob and Redd is Alice, now Carol is trying to intercept our communications to Dave and..." Nathan freezes up for a moment, then lets loose a gutteral yell. "RAAAGGHHH! Ok, we need a way to communicate with Rach that only she can intercept. Now, if they have Rach's voice, it's more than likely that they'll be able to hear the message. What we need is a method of communication that only she'll understand."

Nathan smiles quite widely and says "I think I know a way to confirm if Rach is a robot. I'm going to send a short message to the ground crew using a scout robot. It will consist of a short analog message that would only be interpretable by a robot. I'll play some Novacore Rock over it so that it'll be less likely to be interpreted as anything substantial to anyone but a robot. It will simply be an instruction to Rach that she should cover one ear and ask where the bathroom is and then begin communication to us in the ship. Once she goes to the bathroom, the resulting communication would be harder to intercept."

"For future situations like this, we're going to need a codeword. For this mission, Redd is going to be referred to as Durwood in any communications to the ground crew. If our messages are being intercepted, they'll call Redd that too."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"...Durwood?"

[The_Snark]

Isabel

Dr. Black adds her own expression of incredulity to Red's. "... Your plan hinges on the captain secretly being a robot?"

"Perhaps we ought to figure out a backup plan, in case the captain can't decipher analog code in her head. Then, we can use that plan first."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Who said this was my plan? We're running on incomplete information, I want to see exactly how smart these guys we're dealing with are. If you haven't realized, the mooks down there aren't O-Sevens or anything. They're not going to figure out what's going on unless we tell them and we need to find out how we can tell them this crap. This will take me all of five minutes to do and it's not going to prevent us from doing anything else."

While in full view of all of the ground crew, for thirty seconds the scout robot releases a grating noise, similar to that of a second millenium internet connection. This is subsequently followed by "Burning Souls - Live at East Titan City Stadium" by New Robot Anarchy.

<If you can understand this message, put your right hand on your right ear. After one minute, say you have to go to the bathroom and open a direct connection to the ship once there. Tell no one you heard this message.>

[The_Snark]

Isabel

Isabel shrugs. "Fine. Remember we're working on a time limit, as well as incomplete information—the longer the fighters sit out there without flying off to this rescue, the more likely whoever sent the message will realize we're not falling for it. Maybe we should just send the full wing of them in there, and see why they wanted someone to head near the mines." It's not a great option and she knows it, but it's an option—and so far, it's the only full plan they have.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"I'd rather not leave the Sophronia without a fighter screen. We have more bombers than fighters as it is. Order two bombers to launch and I'll lead them down to the coordinates. They have enough heavy ordinance to level the entire area several times over. If we are attacked we will just flatten it and worry about the possibility of any hostages later." Red said, still deadpan, talking about the possible murder of a lot of people as if he was reading a grocery list. "If you like, I can run slow to escort the bombers into the atmosphere, giving us more time to figure out a plan. I should remain in contact for some time yet."

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"Don't bomb them into the ground before we find out anything about them, please. I meant send a fighter in to see what they wanted with it, with others nearby enough to watch if anything happened to it."

She keeps half an eye on the video feed from the robots, more to see if Melissa gives herself away than because of any feeling that the captain will.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines


The transceiver on your craft once again flickers to life, the same strange sound being heard before echoing through the cockpit once again, before transmitting another message.

"Pilot: Get that ship in there!"

Red piped the latest transmission to the Sophronia to keep the others updated. "The 'Captain' is getting impatient. Keep the bombers on standby. I'll take a single fighter and run a reconnaissance flight to see what they want me to see. Keep the away team updated in the case you lose contact with us." He switched channels to the fighter frequency and keyed up his best pilot, the woman he'd want watching his back on this run. "Rixay, form up on my wing. The rest of you, continue your patrol."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Completely unaware of the strangeness going on in her ship, Brasche turns to the robot as it squawks at her, wincing a bit at the sound.
"What the hell is that?"
She glances at her ground crew.
"Someone figure out what's up with this. Last thing we need is for our robot to break down in the middle of a mission."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell.

Marcus eyes the squalling robot with a distinctly raised eyebrow. Maybe all the crud in the atmo' finally got to it and it's cryin' for it dies?

He actually started to say "cryin' for momma", but at the last moment realised the Cap'n probably wouldn't appreciate that too much. :smalltongue:

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"My specialty is in people, not robotics. I suppose I could examine it, however." MELISSA picked up the scout robot and examined it. She informed it to replay the message, and could immediately understand the binary code behind it. But the message made no sense. "It's very noisy. Like the music my interns keep listening to." MELISSA, of course, couldn't lie very well. Behavioral inhibitors were a pain, and she lacked the engineering knowhow to operate on her own OS. However, this was technically not a lie. A subtle distinction, but an important one for her.

"I conclude that a transmission was garbled. Perhaps the engineering crew is using the beacon to broadcast illegal pirate radio signals again."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche narrows her eyes at Melissa, her honed intuition picking up on the fact that something is off about her words. The 'lie' was good- but Brasche was very good at picking up meanings and intentions.
"You know something else about this transmission, don't you?"

Sense motive: 1d20+9=28 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1851698/)
Considering Melissa's normal modifier to Bluff is 0, I think I'm not too far out of line to be assuming that Brasche knows something is up.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"There probably is." MELISSA relents. "A pattern of underlying sound, like ancient Morse Code. I'd need time to decrypt it." MELISSA again lies to cover it up. "Why there would be music over it, I have no idea."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"From what I can tell, the ground crew rendered this piece of espionage meaningless. I knew they weren't O-Sevens. For now we have to consider the ground crew a complete liability in all of our plans." Nathan starts pacing back and forth, not really knowing what to do. "Maybe we should look at this from a different direction. Instead of trying to get out of having to go to one spot, figure out why they would want you to go to one spot in the first place. You guys do whatever it was that you were doing, give me the coordinates and I'll scout out the area using some bots."

Nathan commands any scout bots in that region to search the area while attempting to maintain stealth.

OOC: Robots take 10 for hide, listen, move silently, and spot while making double-moves.
Totals - 23 Hide, 14 Listen, 15 Move Silently, 14 Spot

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"Belay that, Sophronia. I'm already in the air and it'll be faster if I go. Rixay will report back with more information if I disappear. Just make sure the real Captain is aware of the situation. Marauder Lead, out." Red said, shaking his helmeted head in a quick negative even though Nathan wouldn't be able to see him. "Marauder Two, Rixay, get your ass on my wing, now." he said again over the Marauders' own channel.

[Jalor]

"Is there anything I could do to help? I am a scientist, even though robotics isn't my specialty. I do know sensors and communications though; maybe I can find something in that message."

[The_Snark]

Isabel

"He's right, Nathan; the robots would take a little while to get there, and they're already getting impatient. If they don't see someone start moving pretty soon, they'll catch on. We'll see what they wanted with a fighter in a few minutes."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Go ahead. But if there's anti-air, it's not my fault, got it?" Nathan grabs a brownie and heads off to the kitchen for a can of Powerthirst.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Lorend's fighter gracefully pulls away from her wing, silently gliding through the vacuum of space and forming up behind Red Nine's sleeker craft. Lorend's voice crackles through your transceiver.

"Ready to go, Marauder Lead. I'll be right behind you. Good luck. Let's hope you won't need it."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"If they have something that can hit me then they deserve it." Red responded to both Nathan and Lorend, his eyes narrowing a bit on the view of the planet that was quickly filling the viewport in front of him. He switched to a private channel between himself and his wingmate, excluding the others from the rest of the conversation.

"Marauder 2, Lorend, if I go down don't come after me. Make sure the others know what happened. I'll be fine on my own if I can eject." he felt he had to reiterate, since she really was the only one, in his limited human experience, he felt cared about what happened to him a little bit. "That's an order, pilot."

The Red Phantom turned its nose up, presenting its belly to the atmosphere so that the heat shielding could take the majority of the punishment the reentry had to offer. Those on the ground might even see the falling star of his craft, as well as Rixay's right behind him, or the sonic booms as they broke the speed of sound.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Lorend's voice filters through in reply almost instantly.

"If you-" For a moment, you think she is about to object, but after a few moments of silence, she speaks up again. "Understood, Marauder Lead. Ready to follow."

She remains silent as the planet envelops the two tiny craft, though you get the feeling she would like to say a lot more.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

Emotions are distracting. Now I know why they trained us not to have any... I'll talk with her when we get back. Red thought as he oriented with the horizon and punched up the terrain maps he'd made from his earlier scans. He overlaid the coordinates that the "Captain" had given him and pinpointed the location of the old mineshaft. Would it be large enough that he could just fly right into it? Would they attack him before he'd even reached the objective? Did they have only ground-based defenses or was a fighter wing waiting for the two pilots? He'd have to wait and see.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The flight passes fairly quickly and without incident. The planet below is rather pretty, when viewed from up high. Despite the uniformly brown colour of the field where the ruined building is, you can see a forest far in the distance that looks to be in bloom - a vibrant purple sea of colour, tinting the horizon.

As you close to about eight kilometers from the shaft, Lorend's voice is heard on the open frequency channel.

"Uh, getting some kind of interference... Some kind of weird noise? All systems look to be fine... Are you getting this; Marauder Lead?"

Red's cockpit is silent, but before he can answer to the negative, a slight humming sound is heard... One that is eerily familiar to the ace pilot. The faint, otherworldly music from before has returned, and is just as profoundly disturbing as when it first was heard in the inky depths of space. No message follows this time, however. Just a rising intensity in the noise that wakes something primal within the man.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Then take that time, Officer White. I want to know what's going on with the robot."
Had someone hijacked it? Or was something else going on? Brasche frowns down at it, wondering what exactly was happening...

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"ListIN U.N.Do fans, their latest album, 'You've been impersonated' has just gone gold. Now we're going to start playing our song block for Godwin & The Strawmen with 'Big Brother is Watching You, You Dumbfraks' Enjoy listening to N8MK, the best fraking radio station around!"

After sending that message, Nathan wonders out loud "Is Redd going to overshoot the destination to be dramatic yet again? It's less than a mile away from the landing spot."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"No need...apparently we are 'dumbfraks' for the inability to translate it immediately." Sometimes pretending was so frightfully tedious. "It appears McCay has lost none of his acrid tongue over the distance. He believes we are being observed."

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Next up: 'The Pilot is Flying Towards Danger' which is better known as 'Learn to keep secrets' Stay tuned because we're giving away Fifty Quid in our 'Get a secure line' call-in contest."

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

OOC:
Just a question, UglyPanda. Are you adding the extra "d" to Red's name on purpose or what?

"I hear it, Two. Keep one eye on a swivel and the other on your scopes. This might be them trying to lock onto us. Report in if anything changes in your readouts, internal or external, no matter how small. We're going to drop to the deck as we come in, that should shake them a little." Red said as he nosed his craft down until he was flying barely meters above the forest, sliding right or left every now and then to dodge the taller ones.

[UglyPanda]

OOC:
My character honestly thinks your character is named Redd the Ninth and he puts emphasis on the D when he says it. He also prefers to use nicknames that are exactly four letters long. It's because he used to play a lot of really old video games as a child.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"I...don't think he's even trying anymore." MELISSA sighed. "I don't think he is aware of our limited resource capabilities here. Egocentric like a typical male of his age." MELISSA's sympathy and respect, which was low to begin with, had now entered a quantum state.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche grits her teeth and clenches her fist.
"That idiot. If he had a hint of patience-"
She takes a breath and looks over the rest of the ground crew.
"Alright, I want a search of the station. Spread out, but keep close enough to cover each other. Keep up constant contact with me so I'll know if something is wrong even by your silence."
She turns and looks to Malcom.
"Can I ask what was being worked on in the station?"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"And the ground crew is missing the point yet again. I wouldn't have bothered with that crap if I knew they were just going to give us away anyway. I should have just left them out of the loop."

"Durwood, listen to me, you have to pretend that you have no contact with the captain or the ship. Say there's some sort of heavy interference or your communicator is busted, it's all up to you."

[Rettu Skcollob]

As Red and Rixay continue to hurtle towards the mineshaft, the strange sound intensifies, becoming louder every second. The instruments show no changes, or even any transmissions that could be being picked up. You begin to feel light-headed, lethargic. Your vision blurs in and out. Strange sounds, memories, begin to make themselves heard on the edge of your perception. The mineshaft begins to loom closer now, only a few kilometers away.

"Red. Something's wrong. I...

[OOC]

Roll a Will Save.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Suddenly, the noise is no longer localised to Red and Lorend's cockpit. The scout robots sent down with the crew begin to receive and transmit it, permeating the surrounding atmosphere with the strange sound. It is transmitted back to the Sophronia, the transceiver washing the Officers on board with the unearthly sound. The effects are felt almost immediately. Light-headedness. Lethargy. Vision blurring in and out. Legs suddenly become unable to support those standing. Elsewhere on the privateer vessel, that which was silent, now moves...

[OOC]

Will Saves for All!

[Sicarius]

Is this a mind-affecting effect? Is this one of the following: mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necromancy effects, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or the effects of massive damage

[Rettu Skcollob]

Nope. Gah, I mean yes. So I guess MELISSA gets off free.

[Sicarius]

That list was the stuff she's immune to, not the stuff she's susceptible to. So is it a robot-affecting thing?

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

Nathan scrambles to shut off the scout robots' feed.

OOC:
[roll0]

[Rettu Skcollob]

Argh, I misread that list. No, it isn't a robot-affecting thing, so MELISSA gets off. Sorry about that.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Marcus is about to comment about the whole message thing, but grabs his head as the noise starts, dropping to one knee as he tries to keep his balance...

Will: [roll0]

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"Two...grrngh..." Red gritted his teeth against the sound as it suddenly ramped up and tried to affect his mind. He'd been ready for an anti-fighter attack, but this kind of anti-pilot attack was completely unexpected. He had been conditioned for years so he knew what mind-effecting frequencies and drugs sounded like, so he hoped he could resist it. Rixay, however, might not be so lucky. "Two, focus your thoughts, bite your lip, start singing, anything to take your mind off of the sound!" Red said as he took his own advice and bit through his own tongue. He tried to isolate the sound, wherever it was coming from, and either shut off the signal or generate an opposite one to cancel it out as he flew.

Will Save: 1d20+4=23 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1853465/)
Computer Use: 1d20+12=21 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1854400/)

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Apparently undeterred by the noise, MELISSA looks to the scout robot and begins to turn it off. If it's a signal, I wonder if I am transmitting it as well? MELISSA simultaneously runs a diagnostic to see if there's any foreign code.

[AmberVael]

1d20+3=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1853944/)
Oh joy... :smallsigh:

[Jalor]

"I think we should tr... GUUUUH!"

Malcolm lurches and stumbles, trying to shrug of the effects of the sound.

[roll0]

[Rettu Skcollob]

The Bushranger; Marcus O' Connell

The strange sound seems to fill your entire mind to bursting point, and you begin to slip deeper and deeper into the void. For a moment, you think all is lost, but suddenly, with new determination, you grip onto consciousness with all your might. Not giving an inch, you retain your consciousness while your comrades fall around you.


Chronic Lunacy; Red Nines

The alien noise fills your entire mind, your vision blurring, and your limbs losing the power to operate the controls of your fighter. You can feel yourself sinking lower and lower to the ground, losing altitude rapidly. Your willpower is strong, however. Years of drills and training leap into action at your situation, your conditioning working against the strange effect. You manage to force strength back into your limbs, dragging yourself from the brink of unconsciousness and forcing your fighter back into a safe altitude.


UglyPanda; Nathan

The rhythmic noise seems to occupy your consciousness in its entirety, your mind filled with its alien pulsing. Your limbs begin to lose all strength, and your vision swims, blurring, before it goes black. Inevitably, you are dragged into the abyss of unconsciousness.

The_Snark; Isabel Black

You resist the sound at every turn, trying to keep control at all costs. Stubbornly, you fight the noise, but you can feel yourself losing ground with every moment, and inevitably, your limbs lose their strength, and your sight becomes fainter and fainter, before finally drifting into the black abyss of unconsciousness.

Jalor; Malcolm Lane

The sound saturates your psyche, the effects becoming more and more marked by the second. Your limbs fall limp to the ground as you collapse, and your vision grows smaller and smaller until your mental defenses fall, consciousness slipping from your grasp.

Vael; Ray Brasche

The otherworldly music relentlessly saps at your strength, your limbs becoming limp and your vision blurring. It fills your mind as your collapse to the floor, your attempts at resistance futile against its effects. Your last vision before sight fails you is of the twisting brown flora of this alien world swaying in the heat laden breeze.


Lorend emanates a final groan into her transceiver before unconsciousness takes her. Her fighter, already flying low, begins to lose altitude at an alarming rate as her fighter begins to drop and list to the right. With a sickening bang, the right wing of her fighter is torn off with the impact of hitting the ground, her fighter spinning out of control and smashing into the field of brown plants about a hundred meters from the mine shaft with a cacophonous series of bangs.

[Those of you who failed the checks, don't worry, the effects are quite short term, you won't be out of the game for long.]

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

"LOREND!!" Red shouted at the other pilot, his eyes widening a bit as her wing dipped lazily into the forest. After that it was an explosion of frantic movement as she lost the wing and went spinning like the bad throw of a frisbee, chucking parts every which way until mercifully coming to a stop without exploding into a ball of fire. As quickly as the fighter could manage, Nines dropped the Red Phantom into the field some hundred yards away from the downed fighter and popped his canopy. He had the presence of mind to gather his pistol, equipment, and medkit as well as locking out the ship's systems and setting the canopy to seal as soon as he left. Then Red vaulted out of the fighter and sprinted towards the downed Marauder Two, hoping that there was enough left of Lorend Rixay to pull out and save.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"...oh hell..." Unable to stop the transmission, Nathan collapses to the ground in the middle of a hallway.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Seeing the others collapsing as he shakes off the effects of the attack, Marcus quickly tries to gather his thoughts. Doc, you check on Dr. Lane there, quick! He hustles over to the captain and carefully checks her, trying to see how badly she is affected and if she can be helped.

Treat Injury: [roll0]

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

If Marcus was expecting something different, he'd be sorely disappointed. "Illogical. You are not trained for this. Step back and let me do my job." MELISSA had already theorized what had happened. It was pretty much impossible to do lasting harm with a burst sonic transmission. The sound likely had disoriented her and Dr. Lane.

"The effects are not going to be permanent. They are experiencing an adverse reaction to the noise. An analysis of the offending noise would be useful. I predict that within a short time, they will be at their normal capacity." She looks at the scout robot. "Robot, trace that signal."

[Rettu Skcollob]

The robot beeps softly in reply to MELISSA's request, in that irritating way that robotics designers seem to think has never gone out of fashion. It shuts down its motor functions and drops to the ground, its small robotic mind working hard at the task it has been given.

Lorend's fighter seems to have suffered heavy damage, numerous sections are missing or crushed beyond repair and the cockpit canopy looks to have been crushed by a heavy impact. The right wing has been completely torn off, and the left has snapped in two. Mercifully, there seems to be no fires or other immediate dangers, the engines are off, and the fighter remains upright, the nose dug deeply into the ground. The opening mechanism grinds loudly against the jammed cockpit for a few seconds before finally snapping under the strain.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red

At the sight of the crushed canopy, Red tried to prepare himself for the worst. He fought the feeling of his stomach dropping like a brick into his feet and worked his gloves underneath the edge of the frame. With a grunt of effort, Red snapped the warped canopy out of its setting and threw it wide. "Two, talk to me, pilot. Tell me you're okay." he said, his normally deadpan voice dropping just a bit.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The canopy to the fighter is lifted away with some concentrated effort, the cockpit within. The electronic equipment inside has been completely totaled by the impact, and sparks occasionally. To Red's intense relief, Lorend Rixay lies within, looking fairly shaken, but otherwise alright. The fire prevention systems within seem to have malfunctioned, covering the ace pilot in flame-retardant foam, and giving her the look of some kind of snowman created by Picasso. In addition, the fuzzy dice that the young woman once picked up on planet leave within the cockpit have had their elastic snapped. She blows at her upper lip, the white substance spiraling out into the air. Scraping some of the foam off of her face, she reaches out of the cockpit and smears it down Red's cheeks, maintaining a serious face for all of two seconds before falling victim to uproarious laughter. She snorts, gleefully.

"That was fun! ... In a terrifying kind of way. Remind me to give an engineer a hug when I get back. Give us a hand getting out of this harness would you, Red?"

She grins up at the serious Strike Craft Commander.

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

I'd already figured that out, Doc. Not everybody sits around playing Pong 40,000 in their spare time, you know. Marcus closes his eyes and rocks back to give her room to work. Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that. I know you're the expert, it's just... He shrugs.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red Nines

Glad to see she was alive, Red released the breath he didn't even know he was holding. By the time he'd come to terms with the snowwoman seated in the cockpit before him she'd already smeared foam over his cheeks. Surprised, he jerked his head back, but the damage had already been done and Lorend was laughing in that full-throated, carefree way that got under his skin and made him feel uncomfortably warm. He wiped his face with his sleeve while trying to look reproachful and professional, but the ghost of a smile crossed his face for a second before he could flatten his expression back out. His wingmate was the only one who ever got to see that and Lorend knew it.

"I thought you were dead." Red admitted, shaking his head at her. "The fighter is a total loss as well. I don't think the engineers will be able to get her flying again." he said on a more somber note as he cleared away enough of the foam to find the catch on her harness. He tried to avoid any lady parts but the foam made it hard to do, resulting in a brush or two, much to Red's embarrassment. With Red's flame-colored hair and fair skin his blush was easy to see, despite his attempts to hide it. Finally he managed to get Lorend out of her crash webbing and unbuckled from the pilot's seat.

"The mineshaft isn't far. Grab your sidearm and we'll investigate it while we're here. Assuming my fighter is still here when we get back, we can use it to get back to the Sophronia when we're finished. I'll send the ground team a status message before we go." Red quickly changed subjects, setting them back on track where he was comfortable, and headed over to the Red Phantom to do just that.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Lorend gives a last giggle before exiting the crashed craft, wincing as she stretches.

"Ah, That's going to bruise." She gives the downed fighter a small pat, sighing. "I think you're right, Red. She's not getting back into the air without anything short of a miracle. The hangars on the ship'll be able to make me a new one, given time, but I'm still going to miss the old girl." Reaching back into the crashed craft, she retrieves her plasma pistol and her furry dice, stuffing the latter into her pocket, and checking the former to check if it had sustained any damage during the rough and tumble ride. "Looks alright. Ok, ready when you are Red!

She smiles slightly at Red's retreating back, glad to see the serious officer loosen up, even if just by a little bit.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"It was a normal reaction to someone experiencing a stressful occurrence. I know this, there is no need to waste time explaining yourself." MELISSA administered basic first aid.

Taking 10 for a 28

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche slowly comes to, blinking and putting a hand to her head, obviously not too pleased with the situation.
"Status?"
She looks around the area.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

"You appear to have been briefly incapacitated by a sonic wavelength designed to overwhelm and overcome the senses. It appears to have been transmitted by the scout robot. Myself and Officer O'Connell do not seem to have been affected to the point where we lose consciousness. I have not roused Dr. Lane as it is likely he may have been complicit."

MELISSA looked at the scout robot. "Currently, I have the scout robot tracing where it received the signal from. I have examined your vitals and you do not have lasting harm, although an examination would be advisable after the mission."

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

(before)
You're right, I reckon. Marcus eyes 'Doc Liz' as she works over the captain, wondering, not for the first time, just why she's so...different, from everyone else. As if her mind was on a different wavelength from everyone else's, perhaps.

(now)
Glad to have you back, Cap'n. There don't seem to be any immediate threats - physical ones, at any rate.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The robot once again emits a high pitched beep to signify that something had happened warranting a beep sound. It's vocalizer activates, speaking in a cheap, tinny, artificial voice.

"Sensors indicate sound originates north. Additional information impossible with atmospheric interference. Sensor range limited.."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Immediately, the medical officer's ears visibly wiggle for a brief instant. "I am glad that everyone is alright." Suddenly, and completely irrationally and unexpectedly, MELISSA charges a position about twenty feet away. In one fluid motion, she draws her high-frequency blade. A high whine streaks through the air as she slices at what by all appearances looks to be thin air. "Alert!" She shouts to Marcus and Ray.

[roll0]
Prediction: 5. The dice roller hates me enough to make me fail a surprise attack

EDIT: It's not physically possible in real life actions to suck as badly as I do at dice-rolling

[Rettu Skcollob]

There is a noticeable shimmer in the area that MELISSA suddenly attacks. Abruptly, a low sustained whine is heard.

MELISSA

MELISSA's sensors indicate a sudden rush of heat, whose source rises quickly up thirty feet in the air.

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Try to give us a lock on it, Officer White!"
Brasche attempts to use the motion tracking capabilities of her HUD to keep track of it.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Brasche's HUD targeting software struggles to keep up with the unseen object, the readings frequently showing nothing there at all. The motion of the object can be seen a little more easily, however. Brasche's sensors indicate that it appears to be flying through the air, and is currently at just under thirty feet above ground level, five feet away from MELISSA is standing.

[ChronicLunacy]

Red

Red used his fighter's communication system to attempt contact with the Captain's team. Seeing as the being or beings that had attempted to trick him had already attacked them, he saw no reason to use a code or disguise anything. He'd been stupid enough to run right into their trap anyway, despite the forewarning... "Captain, this is Marauder Lead. We've responded to a mind-affecting signal originating from an abandoned mine to your north. Pilot Rixay is down, but unharmed. We will scout the area, disable their offensive capabilities if possible, and report back."

Resealing the cockpit, Red checked the charge on his plasma pistol, authorized it for his use with his voiceprint, made sure it was set to safety, and holstered it at his shoulder. Then he joined Lorend as they both headed towards the mine. "Stay sharp. I'm reasonably sure they know we're coming by now."

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Melissa transmits the scan data to Ray and Marcus's HUD's, and drops her weapon in one smooth motion. She had a fairly good idea of what this was. Hell, if she was right, she had the same technology, built into her legs. But if the bioreplica rebels wanted to take her back, they should try a slightly nicer approach. A please help us card, instead of an attack.

MELISSA drew her Falcon .45 and fired off a single shot at the flying target. Hopefully, her attack algorithms would give her a better indicator this time.

[roll0]

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

whiiiiiiirrrrrrrr!
Marcus snaps his plasma pistol up to a firing position pointing at the distortion, deftly pushing the selector to make sure it's set to lethal before snapping off a shot using the information the doc transmitted.
BLAM!
A red plasma bolt races downrange...

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Rettu Skcollob]

MELISSA lines up a shot and fires, the sound of the bullet ringing out around the field. A dull 'thunk' is heard as the bullet rips through the unseen enemy. Electrical discharge covers the invisible foe, revealing their humanoid silhouette suspended in the air. Abruptly, with a last dull whine, whatever was concealing the suspended enemy fails, their form suddenly revealed as if it was always there. It looks to be a slim, humanoid robot, about the size of a full grown man. Its face and body are utterly featureless, its eyes blue, pale glowing circles in an otherwise bare face. It has no visible features you can identify as being weaponry. Its feet emit a steady blue stream of high-energy particles, keeping it afloat. There is a large hole in the center of its chest, presumably where MELISSA shot it. Sparks occasionally jump out of the cavity. Marcus' shot flies past the robotic creatures head, missing it barely. The mechanical being tilts itself forward, beginning to fly northwards at high speed, trying to escape the officers.

[Everyone roll initiative if you want to start chasing and attacking the robot.]

-Red and Lorend-


The walk to the mine is a short one, though the heat of the day is vastly different from your cool cockpits. Lorend walks a little slower than Red, her bruises hampering her movement slightly, but she doesn't complain, and does her best to keep a straight face. The open pit lies before you, a huge hole in the ground, with a large descending ledge spinning around the circumference of the pit to allow passage downwards. It looks as though the recent environmental disaster has caused damage here as well, small avalanches and rockfalls can be seen dotted about the pits edge. The deepest part of the mine is not reached by the fading light, and is shrouded in darkness.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

A bioreplica...typical. Now she definitely wanted to down it and salvage as many goodies as she could from it's chassis. She could really use that stealth system. And he probably had some nice integral components that she could upgrade her frame with. Maybe they even had a backup MELISSA unit that she could download a fix for her malfunctioning AI. The possibilities were great.

But right now, she was it's enemy. She lined up another shot and fired it at the bioreplica.


Initiative: [roll0]
Pistol Shot: [roll1]

[The Bushranger]

Marcus O'Connell

Cursing inwardly at his injury making it unwise to pursue, Marcus nontheless squeezes off another shot at the fleeing robot before it gets out of range.
BLAM!

Initative: [roll0]
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

[Rettu Skcollob]

Meanwhile, on the Sophronia

Nathan lay on the cold floors of the Sophronia, behind the chair where Officer Black sat. The rooms remained almost criminally dusty, despite several attempts to turn the scout robots into mobile vacuum cleaners. The cool darkness of unconsciousness was beginning to leave Nathan already, but its departure was much hastened by Nathan being picked up by his shirt and shaken violently. He awakes to a pair of glowing, blue eyes.

The robot before him stands at just under eight feet tall, obviously built for combat at some time in the past. Its make looks extremely similar to the one that the ground crew have just revealed, but of course; he doesn't know that. Its joints are thick and reinforced, heavy armour plating shines all along it. The robot is only loosely humanoid, and remains as featureless as its less combative counterpart. Nathan recognizes it as being all too familiar.

It has evidently sustained heavy damage at some point in the past. Numerous bullet holes, burns, and entire missing sections of its chassis and limbs can be easily seen, and spark occasionally. Several fingers are missing from the hand that grips Nathan, and one of the eyes that is looking into his flickers irregularly.

Seemingly satisfied that he is still alive, the robot hoists Nathan over his shoulder, holding him in place with an iron grip. It begins to walk down the corridor, moving with a noticeable limp, completely ignoring Isabel.

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

I feel like that girl in that movie with the giant monkey, what's her face...what happened to my drink?

"Geddoffa me, you damn dirty ape."

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

Brasche narrows her eyes, letting her HUD help her focus in on her target, then squeezes the trigger as she moves forwards, trying to keep up while also getting off a good shot.

Just to list up my bonuses... +2 BAB, +2 Dex, +1 Mastercraft, +1 Targeting HUD (which does stack with mastercrafted, it seems).
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Brasche will use her move speed to go after the robot.

[Rettu Skcollob]

[Reminder: In case you didn't see the OOC Message Jalor; it's your go. Is The_Snark still around, or has she just been busy?]

The large, damaged robot is deaf to Nathan's words, continuing to meander down the long corridors of the ship. It appears to be taking the irate Officer downwards... Towards the hangar bay.

[Jalor]

Malcolm, woken from his state, scrambles up off the ground and follows the others, weapon drawn.

"This is a close range gun! I need a clear shot to take it out!"

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Let go of me, or something will come to kill you."

The technician reaches for his card, and activates an emergency code.

{ALERT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. STOWAWAY IN MAIN HALLWAY 3. ARMED PERSONNEL MOVE TO CORNER AND CONTAIN.
ALERT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. STOWAWAY IN...}

He then puts his card back in his pocket, and removes his micro fusiontorch from his belt.

OOC: Can my character guess how much damage he would have to do to it to turn it offline?

[Rettu Skcollob]

OOC: [Your character has done some work on the robot himself, with the repairs and all that, so yes, make a Knowledge: Technology check.]

If the robot can understand, or even hear what you are saying, then it evidently doesn't care, continuing its plodding walk down the corridor. Elsewhere, alarms flash, indicating either an emergency, or that the roast's burning. Possibly both, actually.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Brasche's shot impacts the foot of the fleeing robot, destroying the internal fuel supply, which detonates with a cacophonous sound. The mechanical being spins out of control, smashing into the ground about fifty feet from its pursuers. For a moment it tries to get to its feet to escape, but only succeeds in falling prone once again, its right leg completely destroyed from the knee joint downwards. Turning to face the group, the robot vainly pushes itself backwards with its feet, extending an open hand to its pursuers beseechingly.

[Sicarius]

MELISSA

Sprinting off after the robot, MELISSA shows a startling amount of speed for a doctor. "Who are you?" She points her weapon at the bioreplica's face.

[Rettu Skcollob]

The damaged mechanoid is silent in reply. It taps its face where the mouth would be on a human, and makes an helpless gesture with its hands.

Meanwhile

The lumbering robot continues its steady walk towards the hangar bay. After a few more corridors, the entrance to the hangar is in sight. Evidently, however; the Defense Crew have guessed the robots destination, as they appear to have mobilized there. A large laser cannon mounted on a tripod stands resolute in front of the door, four armed and armoured men kneel on either side of it, weapons drawn, and five stand behind them, a wall of weaponry to stop the robots advance. The young man manning the mounted weapon shouts out confidently to Nathan.

"Don't worry sir! Reinforcements are due any minute." His tilts his head up, his voice becoming more threatening. "Unidentified robot! Put the Officer down, or we will shoot! You have ten seconds to reply!

[UglyPanda]

Nathan

"Wait till I get down first will ya?" The technician turns on his microtorch and rakes it across the eyes of the robot.

If the robot lets him go:
"Now you can shoot."

If not:
Nathan repeatedly strikes the robot with the tool, trying to melt away circuitry.

OOC:
Touch attack with microtorch: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Is it flatfooted against me?

[Rettu Skcollob]

[Yes, it is. However; a 9 isn't enough to hit it.]

The robot tilts its head to escape the microtorches attack, turning its glowing eyes to its prisoner. Reaching out with its left hand, it attempts to grab the weapon from the officers hands.

[Disarm Attempt; Nathan gets an attack of opportunity]

[Rettu Skcollob]

Meanwhile

Lorend looks over the edge of the mining pit, biting her lip for a moment. A rock slides out from a pile on descending road, tumbling down the sides of the open pit into the darkness below. She watches it for a few moments, then shrugs. She gestures towards the road.

"So, shall we?"

[AmberVael]

Captain Brasche

"Even if it is damaged I'm sure we can link to it with some communication device."
Brasche frowns as she moves closer, but not too close- staying back in case it randomly decided to detonate.