Futuristic .Ever Further. [MAIN THREAD]

[Yamarashi]

RECEIVING INCOMING TRANSMISSION
...
<-.-.OPENING COMM SYSTEMS.-.->

...

​

.SALUTATIONS TO WHOMEVER THIS MESSAGE FINDS.
[THIS IS AN AUTOMATED BROADCAST FROM THE NHER. CO COMMUNICATION AND RECRUITMENT CENTER IN THE STORM SECTOR...]

...
GREETINGS TO THE RECIPIENT OF THIS MESSAGE FROM NHER. CO, THE NON-HUMAN ENTITY RESOLUTION CORPORATION. WE BELIEVE YOU, YES YOU, HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE AMONG OUR RANKS, AND AS SUCH HAVE BEEN SENT THIS CALL FOR ACTION UNDER THE PRETENSE THAT YOU MAY HAVE JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

DO YOU HAVE:
EXPERIENCE WITH A WEAPON?
TEAM AND COOPERATIVE SKILLS?
A HARD WORKING ATTITUDE?
NEED FOR FUNDS?

NO MATTER YOUR REASONING, WE HAVE A HOME FOR YOU HERE AT NHER.CO! A FUN AND REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL, EMPLOYMENT AT OUR COMPANY IS AN ENRICHING
EXPERIENCE. AS THE UNITED SECTORS FEDERATION SPREADS SENTIENT HABITATION ACROSS THE GALAXY, NATIVE FAUNA ON PLANET SURFACES HAVE CAUSED CERTAIN, COMPLICATIONS, WITH
ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION OR SURFACE CONTACT. SUCH ISSUES HAVE RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF VALUABLE LIVES. HERE AT NHER. CO, WE BELIEVE IN THE MOST HUMANE AND EFFICIENT RESOLUTION OF SUCH ISSUES WITH THESE NON HUMAN ENTITIES, AND SHOULD YOU TAKE A POSITION WITH US, YOU COULD BE THE ONE MAKING THAT DIFFERENCE! RACE, SPECIES, ORIGIN, NONE OF THAT MATTERS HERE, WHAT WE'RE AFTER IS YOUR SKILL. NEVER HAD FIELD EXPERIENCE? NO PROBLEM! WE PROVIDE EMPLOYEE TRAINING TO PREPARE YOU TO BECOME A BUILDER FUTURE! WE HOPE YOU CONSIDER OUR PROPOSAL, YOUR EFFORTS SHOULD YOU ACCEPT A PLACE AMONG US WILL BE REWARDED, AND YOUR TIME HERE WILL BE MADE WORTH YOUR WHILE. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, TAKE UP YOUR ARMS, AND JOIN OUR FAMILY!
THE FATE OF THE FUTURE STANDS WITH YOU!

...
TO CONFIRM YOUR EMPLOYMENT AT NHER. CO AND COMPLIANCE WITH OUR ENDEAVORS, ENTER YOUR PROVIDED CODE INTO THE INCLUDED KEYPAD.
------------
-[YOUR NHER.CODE IS 8657]-
------------
UPON YOUR CONFIRMED COMPLIANCE, AN IDM_13 BOURBON-CLASS AUTONOMOUS ESCORT , WILL BE DISPATCHED TO YOUR POSITION TO DELIVER YOU TO OUR RECRUITMENT CENTER.
GOOD LUCK OUT THERE, FUTURE HAPPY LITTLE WORKER, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU OUT IN THE FIELD!

SIDE EFFECTS DUE TO WORK AT NHER. CO MAY INCLUDE:
INJURY
SEVERE INJURY
DISMEMBERMENT
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESS
PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE
EXTREME INJURY
DEATH​

[div class=keypad] [div class=instructions]ENTER YOUR PROVIDED NHER.CODE[/div] [div class="key numkey"]1[/div][div class="key numkey"]2[/div][div class="key numkey"]3[/div]
[div class="key numkey"]4[/div][div class="key numkey"]5[/div][div class="key numkey"]6[/div]
[div class="key numkey"]7[/div][div class="key numkey"]8[/div][div class="key numkey"]9[/div]
[div class="key numkey"]0[/div][div class="key resetkey" style="width: 60px;"]RESET[/div]
[div class=pin]____[/div] [div class=access]TASK CONFIRMATION ACCEPTED[/div] [/div] [class=keypad] background-color: #F0F0F0; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1; margin: 10px auto; text-align: center; width: 200px; [/class] [class=instructions] box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c4c4c; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; padding: 15px 10px; [/class] [class=key] background-color: #D0D0D0; box-sizing: border-box; color: #000000; display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; height: 30px; line-height: 0; outline: solid 1px #b7b7b7; padding: 15px 0px; text-align: center; width: 30px; [/class] [class name=key state=hover] background-color: #A0A0A0; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; [/class] [class=pin] background-color: #212322; box-sizing: border-box; color: #25b925; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 10px; margin: 10px auto; padding: 10px 0px 10px 10px; text-align: center; [/class] [class=access] box-sizing: border-box; color: orange; display: none; font-family: 'Courier New', monospace; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 0; [/class] [script=keypad] set curChar 0 set firstChar _ set secondChar _ set thirdChar _ set fourthChar _ [/script] [script class=numkey on=click] if (le ${curChar} 5) (inc curChar) (stop) set keyText (getText) if (eq ${curChar} 1) (set firstChar ${keyText}) if (eq ${curChar} 2) (set secondChar ${keyText}) if (eq ${curChar} 3) (set thirdChar ${keyText}) if (eq ${curChar} 4) (set fourthChar ${keyText}) setText "${firstChar}${secondChar}${thirdChar}${fourthChar}" pin // Check if the correct value was entered. set numCharValid 0 if (eq ${firstChar} 8) (inc numCharValid) if (eq ${secondChar} 6) (inc numCharValid) if (eq ${thirdChar} 5) (inc numCharValid) if (eq ${fourthChar} 7) (inc numCharValid) if (eq ${numCharValid} 4) (fadeIn 1000 access) [/script] [script class=resetkey on=click] set curChar 0 set firstChar _ set secondChar _ set thirdChar _ set fourthChar _ setText "____" pin hide access [/script]

 

[Yamarashi]

The NHER. CO Recruitment Center, a large, industrial ship nestled among the debris strewn across the Storm Sector. Although it was a bit of a leap to call it a ship, more of a station, as the engines were clearly blown apart, parts drifting in a jumbled cloud at the ship's rear. You stare at the screen in front of you, a view from the front camera of the almost comically small transport you find yourself cramped and confined into. A sigh of relief rises above the sound of the air conditioner as the monitor displays the docking bay door sliding open. Slowly, the small Bourbon-Class Transport comes to a halt, one of the robotic docking arms latching onto it as a sound not unlike the *ding* of an oven signals your journey has reached it's destination.

: "WELCOME TO THE NON-HUMAN ENTITY RESOLUTION RECRUITMENT HEADQUARTERS, DON'T FORGET YOUR SPACE HELMET, THERE'S NO OXYGEN IN THE DOCKING BAY! HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR [SPECIFIED TIME MEASUREMENT NOT FOUND]!"

When the voice finished speaking, a compartment above you slides open, causing an astronaut like helmet with a transparent light blue visor to come tumbling out and land at your feet with a dulll *THUNK*. As soon as the helmet was on your head, the transport's hatch springs open, flinging you out of the craft. Standing up and dusting yourself off, you glance around the docking bay before heading for the exit door, seeing the various other Bourbon-Classes locked into their spots. Some of the arms are empty, looks like those ones are still out picking up recruits. Up the stairs you go, your hand dragging across the cold railing. As you approach the door, the circular lock in the center begins to twist on it's own, recognizing the helmet you have on. You're let into the airlock, a stark, white room with only a bench on each side, and two doors. The one you came through locks behind you, and through the porthole on the one opposite you, there appears to be somebody standing at the end of the hall. Deep breath. Onwards you proceed, finding yourself in the hall as the airlock hisses at your back. The figure looks up, their glasses glinting. Despite standing at the edge of a circle of light cast down from a lamp on the ceiling, they're somehow completely shrouded in darkness.

"Oh? Hmmmm... I think I know why you're here, I don't believe I've ever seen your mug around before. Yes you must be new. This way please..."​

 

[Sandy Von Wich]

Slick was no stranger to tight spaces. V'zikt infantry are packed like sardines before a drop, pretty much shoulder to shoulder in a cramped, rumbling vehicle. Only difference was that he was alone in this one and a shower of rail slugs didn't pepper the transport as soon as it touched down. And rounds didn't start to ping and spark against the interior (or punching into infantry) once the hatch opened.

The helmet kinda fit. It was uncomfortable, so as soon as it was on, he was waiting for a chance to take it off. This place looked kind of derelict. For such a big company, wouldn't they have the money for a proper base or something?
If this was a scam...
He should've smuggled in a gun.

It was one guy. One guy in an empty room. Yeah, this was a scam.
He was instructed to follow... and for now he did, but at the first sign of trouble, he was gonna start breaking necks.

"Listen pal, this better not be a scam."

His English was pretty good. Not even an accent. The only trace that it wasn't his first language was the hard click that came at the end of 'pal' and 'scam'. It came at the same time as the word, rather than as a pause. It came at the same time as pal's L sound and scam's M sound. Clicking an internal mandible while speaking was part of V'zikt grammar. Old habits died hard. But his English was still pretty good.
He'd spent some years on a human industry world, working different kinds of "security" jobs for different kinds of scum and he'd picked up the language. And all of it's colorful choices. Most of which began with F.
He was a fast learner.

 

[Yamarashi]

Sandy Von Wich
"Oh, what's this now? A scam? Your humor's entertaining, really it is. Now I know you must be new..."

His gruff, almost raspy voice is crisp, cutting the silence. The silhouette crosses their arms, laughing to themselves a bit and shaking their head, before returning their shrouded gaze back to the recruit at the end of the hall. They begin to shift forward, taking small steps as they slink around the illumination. Their boots clap against the floor, filling the hall with the sound of echoing footsteps. They take another look at the recruit, putting their hand on their chin and scratching, before nodding silently.

"I assume based on the way you speak that you don't know who I am. That's okay, we'll become much acquainted with eachother sooner than you know..."

​

 

[RoarkSouth]

Zeep Biki was glad hat the ride was over. For whatever reason, the ninnies in charge of this place thought it had been a good idea to cram a full sized Veenet into a half-sized human transport ship. He just counted himself lucky that the helmet the provided was in fact for his species, even if it was somewhat restrictive in his beak movements. Cheap-tailed monkeys.

The station itself was rather derelict for a spaceport by Zeenet standards. Barely a soul in sight. Just what type of outfit were these humans running here anyhow? If they had lied to him, there would be feather's raised.

A quick jaunt to the nearby airlock let him inside to an almost empty room, only two people inside. One of them was obviously a human, the other humanoid, insectile in origin.

"Well I'll be..." Zeep chortled as he waddled into room. "What be a grubber doin in a place like this?" His voice booming with Scottish energy. "Get lost lookin fer another world to fight with?" He chuckled to himself, looking from the V'zikt to the human. "And speaking of another world, when will be gettin down to business and goin to yer problem planets? I'm itchin fer somethin to do."

 

[Yamarashi]

RoarkSouth

:"Ah, well looks like the others are arriving. And a Veenet too, yes I'm quite familiar with your kind. Especially after, well- anyways, I admire your enthusiasm, that's what we like to see. However there's some things to attend to first before I throw you gunmonkeys into the frying pan. Take your V'zikt friend and head into the Briefing Room, it's further down at the end of the hall on the right. I'll be there shortly..."

The figure turns away, walking hastily away. Their coat flaps behind them, their hard footsteps echoing until they're lost to the silence as the man disappears around the corner. The dead, derelict silence of the Exit Hall hangs like a ghostly curtain, not unlike the exposed wires that hang from the ceiling, some of them sparking in their broken futility. The faint sound of muffled voices float hauntingly through the corridor beyond, seeming to come from somewhere at the far end. It almost sounds like, singing?​

 

[Yamarashi]

The man returns a short while later, the sound of his boots hitting the cold floor signaling his approach. He turns his head to face the two recruits as he comes into view, making a beckoning motion with his hand.

:"Well, are you coming? Don't tell me you're already giving up. Trust me that feeling comes later. Anyways I suggest you make haste, we don't have much time before you load up and ship out, and I suggest you get yourselves informed beforehand... We're ready for you in the Briefing Room, your escort is dying to meet you..."

His vanishes into the wall, the sound of an automatic door sliding open causing the singing to become louder, before becoming muffled once again. It's definitely a song.
​

 

[Sandy Von Wich]

Feigning amusement at suspicion that this might be a scam was probably in the first ten pages of every con artist's handbook. It didn't convince him.

What at first looked like a small vehicle trying to crawl into the tunnel then turned out to be a Veneet. He had met only two other Veneet in his life. The first had been a shuttle pilot back on Tyr, the industrial human world. The second had been a beggar. One of those had met with a stroke of bad luck and angered Slick's old boss back on Tyr. So, Slick had killed 50% of the Veneet he had met. Well, 33% now.

"That's the job description." he said dryly.

He stepped aside and let the Veneet go first, following him and the shady human towards... music?

 

[Yamarashi]

The door shudders for a moment, before flinging itself open with a soft ding. You would expect the room to be brighter than the dimly lit hallway outside, but somehow the Briefing Room's even darker than that. The music is definitely coming from within and appears to be an old Terran song. "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by The Drifters? No, The Ink Spots. Why does it even matter? Two figures begin to shift as they hear the door opening, one of them looking to see Veneet and the V'zikt standing just before the door.
: "Kase, music off, our guests are here."

The music ceases, leaving the dark room in complete silence. A single, bright, glowing green eye suddenly turns, focusing on the two. The body it belongs to is shrouded by shadow, but based on how high it is off the ground, they appear to be quite tall. The man from before claps sharply, harsh lights suddenly flooding the space. The Briefing Room is moderately sized, rows of cushioned industrial benches stretching from front to back, and monitors adorning each wall. At the very head, a podium and elevated platform, with a huge screen behind it. The man quickly makes his way up to it, straightening his glasses as they sank a bit on his face. The other who had been the room with him, now uncovered by the light, jumped up in excitement, causing a loud metal *BANG* as they connect with the floor again, shaking the room a little. They certainly were tall, exceeding 7ft. They appeared to be a robot, either that or something in a hell of a lot of power-armor. Their entire mechanical body was covered in heavy armor, making their broad frame appear even larger. The matte, dark blue paint chipped in little bits and scuffs all over, this guy had definitely ran the gauntlet before. Various offensive and recon attachments adorn him, making it quite apparent what the robot's interests were. They run up to the door, booming footfalls and the jingling of ammunition vibrating through the room as they stop just in front of the new recruits. They through their hand up in a salute, taking a slight bow.
"COME ON IN BOYS! I think... gosh I hope one of you isn't a girl, that would be awkward."

 

[fuil]

Grov squeezed out of the small shuttle, with more than a few sparks and looked around. "This place looks.......delicious." He said to himself in a deep rumbling voice as he walked towards the exit door. "So many tasty minerals." As he walked threw the air lock and dow the hall he could hear what sounded like voices and then a loud clanging. Hearing this he quickend his pace a little until he came to a door way that housed two squishey looking organics and a tasty robot. "Excuse me but is this where new recruits are supposed to be, and also may I have a bit of your robot? I'm starving."

 

[Yamarashi]

Kase suddenly takes a step back, seeing the new recruit standing even higher than him. His armored body shudders a bit, creating a sound not unlike the chattering of teeth. He rotates his head around, glancing at the man standing behind the podium. The human narrows his eyes at the robot, motioning towards the hulking being standing at the doorway. Kase turns his attention back to the new addition, returning back to his confident stance.

: "Hah! I'm not exactly on the menu, but I can cook some pretty mean dishes! Yeah you're in the right place, welcome to NHER. CO. Boss Man was about to give us the lowdown our first assignment, have a seat."

Kase turns and walks back to the benches, plopping himself down with a heavy *THUNK*. His armor rattles for a moment, shaken by the force. He pulls what appears to be an RPG warhead with an a smiley face painted onto it from off of his back, nuzzling it lovingly up to his face before rolling it into the corner. The man shoots Kase a confused look, to which the robot merely shrugs.​

 

[The Pattern]

By the time Solomon's shuttle arrived, he was fast asleep, he had been so almost as soon as he stepped into the shuttle. He was stirred from his nap by the sudden, painful sensation of the helmet being dropped on top of his head. After exclaiming his pain, Solomon began to wake up.


"Would y' mind waking me up in a gentler manner in future?!" The old man's gruff voice and half-heartedly annoyed tone matched his stupor. Although, as soon as he heard the chirpy voice's rather unpleasant message Solomon scrambled the helmet onto his head with an alerted concern before the door opened and he was flung into the docking bay. The induction Solomon originally had in mind for a well-known company like NHER was a lot fancier then a cheap, tiny shuttle trip into a derelict vessel's docking bay whose owners didn't even have the courtesy to provide oxygen.


"I'm beginnin' to regret this..." Solomon mumbled aloud as he picked himself up, proceeding to then dust off his dark green justaucorps coat. After a brief glance around, Solomon quickly made his way to the exit door, admiring the ship's interior design. Solomon soon slowed his pace when he heard voices and saw what looked like a giant bundle of boulders turn a corner. Solomon figured those hanging wires could either make a serviceable noose trap or a stunning surprise if this turned out to be a trap. Although as soon as he entered the room he realised any trap he could set up wouldn't occupy the glorified scenery, let alone the others. The sight of a V'zikt, Veenet and giant robot all in the same room was a definite surprise to the old man... At least he knew he hadn't signed up to a diplomatic organisation.


"Afternoon." Was Solomon's best go at a greeting, his tone didn't even hide his surprise at seeing such a diverse group. Since he caught the robot's last sentence, Solomon just took the robot's advice to the animated hillock and shuffled past the peculiar gathering to get first pickings in where to sit. From a little cybernetically enhanced look at what'd be the best seat to take, the old man sits down on a bench near the middle.

 

[RoarkSouth]

"Oh, well now we have a thinkin' pile of scrap, a graveler, and most of a human joinin up on this here venture. Now it startin to get interstin." Zeep laughed as he waddled into the room. Of course, their were only human benches, no Veenet style waiting nests. Typical. Instead he decided to stand next to the sitting human.

"Nice to meetcha, ya flat-faced old timer. Name's Zeep. Zeep Biki. Guess we'll be workin together." Zeep said before turning back to the V'zikt and shouting "Hey grubber, might as well come and take a seat. Same for you too gravelboy. Let's get this briefin over with so we can get goin."

 

[Yamarashi]

"Well, looks like we've got a good lot here, let's get started, shall we? Welcome to the Non-Human Entity Resolution Corporationn, CEO Ryland Greyfield, pleasure to make your acquaintance. That tin can sitting there is Kase, he's been assigned to make sure your squad stays alive. Although judging from your team composition, you won't need him for that."

​

The robot stands up, giving an exaggerated theater bow, causing some bullets to fall out of his lap and onto the floor. Greyfield rolls his eyes, signaling for the machine to sit back down.

:"Normally this is the part-"
:"This is the part!"
:"Kase..."
:"...sorry."

:*AHEM* "Normally this is the part where I'd explain to you how things work around here, and then send you through Basic Employee training, but we don't exactly have the time for that at the moment. Here's the deal, The United Sectors Federation started setting up a new installation on Nakor-B last week. Within the past few days, a Mother Coceopod and her eggs have taken up residence in the reservoir and water filtration system. There's a possibility that a male may be there as well, but they've yet to confirm that. She's quite aggressive, and a few people have already died. Bottom line for you gibdolls, your first task is to get in there and take out the beastie. They want it gone in a timely fashion, so don't take too long. Stop by the armory on your way to the launching bay, you'll be given your arms and optional equipment. Make yourselves look good out there, the USF is a valuable client. Ask Kase any further questions, he's been around long enough to know the ins and outs. Get a move on boys, I want you out of the building and on your way ASAP."

The man throws a small salute before walking out of the room hastily, sharp footsteps slowly fading away into silence.​

​

 

[The Pattern]

Solomon had been paying close attention to every word spoken in the room after he arrived, from Zeep's introduction to the majority of Ryland's briefing... that was until after the CEO mentioned a reservoir and a water filtration system. He also mentioned something about needing it taken out which Solomon didn't really care about as the old man's mind was already racing through rough plans, although being told about an armoury snapped him back into reality with an almost childish glee. He made sure to wait for Mr Greyfield to leave the room before he spoke up.


“Everyone, we should get introductions outta the way before we loot the armoury. I'm Solomon, and judgin' by everyone else in here I'm probably the explosives, hardware and traps guy. Also, Kase, y' know if the Federation cares about the water still in the filtration system or not? If they don't then I already have some beautiful ideas." The old man sounded confident and full of life to a surprising degree when he introduced himself, probably due to the nap he had on the way.

 

[WantYourSoul]

Aurora Harding was used to space travel and had been casually debugging a string of code for a data mining bot for the majority of her ride through the Storm Sector. With all the junk clogging the sector, she could train the bot to collect whatever data bounces off of the long forgotten scrap metal. AURA was contentedly buzzing about the cramped cabin, it was very good at entertaining itself. Aurora sadly did not have the hyperactive 'mind' of an AI, and had to do much more mundane things to quell her boredom. Some days Aurora wished that she were able to alter her code as easily as she could reprogram a faulty robot's circuitry. But alas, she was born a human and had no intentions of joining some dangerous experimental program to try her chances at becoming more efficient.
Aurora! It looks like a big ship! I've never been in something that looks like that before! The AI's excited chittering was hard to ignore, and soon the young woman had closed her work to peer out the window alongside her little glowing companion.
"Huh, I never pictured it to look like that," she says aloud, mostly to herself. It was a bad habit she had from working on code, she found that if she said the block of code aloud she could figure out what was missing.

The heavy helmet dropping heavily to the floor with a dull thud damn near scared Aurora out of her seat, but she quickly recovered despite the impish laughter emanating from AURA and put the helmet on her head. She had taken a moment to collect herself once she was standing in the stark white room, it would be a bad first impression if she walked in with hair mussed to the nines. AURA, however, saw no reason to wait up and zipped ahead, weaving between recruits with ease.

She entered the room in time to see the CEO leaving briskly, and allowed AURA to fill her in on what she had missed. Her eyes lit up blue as the AI almost overwhelmed her with a transcript of the debriefing and all the information it had stored about Nakor-B and Coceopods. While Aurora hated the shortcomings of her human mind, she loved that she had a little helper to bridge the gaps. Skimming the information with one eye, she takes in the rest of the recruits with the other.
One of the recruits-- Solomon-- spoke up, and Aurora couldn't help but agree. AURA was, as always, two steps ahead of her.
"Hello! I am AURA and this," she pauses to flit around the tan coder, who offers anyone looking a lopsided grin,"is my human Aurora!"

Aurora holds out her fist for the little blue owl to bump with a claw-- something they had obviously worked on before.

 

[Yamarashi]

: "Well then, it's a party now isn't it! Welcome aboard new girl! I think... gosh I hope you aren't a boy, that would be awkard. Anways, Solomon was it? The Fed usually gives us permission to mess with their crap as long as we get the target asset outta there. Odds are, they're not gonna care what we do to the filter, just as long as it's repairable. Besides, it's probably already ruined from having a bunch of slimy eggs inside it anyways."

Kase's gravelly voice is clear, sounding like it's coming from a brand new speaker, despite what his outer appearance would suggest. The green light that represents his "eye" fluctuating in brightness with his speech and inflection. He walks over to the corner, retrieving the rocket he discarded earlier and tossing it into a large tackle box he has slung over his shoulder.

 

[WantYourSoul]

Aurora nods at the bot with a grin, her grin quickly being replaced by one of curiosity when he brings up the water filter."Slimy eggs? I'm pretty sure those aren't on the list of preauthorized materials to pass through the water filter." She wasn't giving anyone a hard time, simply teasing.
She angles her attention to the older man, it appeared as though their expertise had some overlap."Heh, and if you need me to rig anything up with some more advanced tech then I'm your gal." She gestures to the glowing form of AURA, who appeared to be playing beeps of varying frequency down an air vent to see which one rewarded the greatest echo.

The young woman moves casually through the room, eyes flashing blue for a moment as she tells AURA to stop goofing off around her fellow recruits. The AI's owl form rotates its head to look at her for a long moment before flying down to rest on her shoulder, a soft gust of wind blowing the neon blue hair off of her neck. Not being immediately spoken to, she urges AURA to pull up what information they already knew about the mission.

 

[RoarkSouth]

"Great, ye be clippin me wings on the first rumble" Zeep muttered to himself. He hated fighting in enclosed areas, every Veenet did. Their wings were next to useless in such areas and their size made every maneuver difficult. It was only in recent years they had developed methods to fight in close quarters environment. They could thank the V'zikt for that. Damn grubbers loved their tunnel fighting.

Zeep watched as the new girl with bright plumage came in. and introduced herself and her flying machine. He also watched as the robot her, then threw a rocket over his shoulder into his pack. Zeep released his breath he had been unintentionally holding and yelled, "Hey! Be careful you lumberin junk pile! How can you be so daft as to toss heavy ordinance around like a toddler with a pair of keys. And in an enclosed environment in space no less? You want to get us all killed ye ninny!?! Eh?" He glared at the robot for a bit before turning around to face the rest of the group.

"And since we be goin around introducing ourselves, I be Zeep Biki of the venerable Veenet starship clan Seep-Hree. In case you don't know it, that means that I'm one of the best pilots in the known galaxy, so I recommend you let me do the flyin. I'm also versed in tactical recon and small arms. Speakin of which" he said as he turned towards Aurora. "Little lass, you think you and that flyin fellow could help rig together a close-quarters combat harness fer me? Fightin in a water plant might be a wee bit more difficult without one."

 

[Yamarashi]

Kase stares blankly at the Veneet, his "eye" wide. He reaches to scratch the back of his head awkwardly, but quickly retracts his hand upon realizing that there's no itch or hair to speak of.

:"Heh, um, yeah... Alrighty then! We can finish introductions on the way, let's get a move on to the armory. My darling Veronica is waiting for me!"​

Case grabs a hold of the strap keeping the tacklebox over his shoulder, straightening it proudly and marching out of the room, old Terran jazz faintly beginning to play from his speakers as he strides on, heavy metallic clangs and the small *clinks* of ammo sloshing about following him. He holds his hand up, making a motion for the group to follow.

 

[The Pattern]

Solomon was trying to gauge who he was going to be working with exactly, Zeep and Aurora already said what they're best at so the old man's confirmed list consisted of Kase, Zeep and Aurora; the heavy weapons expert, pilot and part-time bruiser, and a techie... Solomon's probably going to be having a word with Aurora about that overlap. Best guess for the other two is they're both the direct muscle, Solomon knew nothing about the lively boulder's species and those insects only seem good for destroying things. In his mind it seemed a well-rounded gathering, but only time and an infestation could confirm it.

"If y' insist." Solomon conceded quite calmly as he picked himself up from the bench. "What kind of explosives will I be lookin' at in this armoury?" The old man questioned as he walked over towards the door. For a brief moment after he asked, Solomon almost began daydreaming of fantastically potent explosives before he remembered the fact that he was only recently recruited into an organisation whose headquarters is a derelict ship which doesn't even have an air supply in the docking bay... Unless they spent the budget on copious amounts of immeasurably powerful explosive devices.

 

[Sandy Von Wich]

The thing that surprised Slick the most was not the shoddy venue, ramshackle speech, or even the lack of oxygen. It was the fact that they were going now. As in now now.
Was he concerned? Kind of. If this company was so big, why were they:
1. Outsourcing.
2. Working out of a derelict with no oxygen. And
3. Giving said outsourced employees a few sentences of briefing and being sent out with a slap on the back?

It just seemed unprofessional.

At least they were fighting in close quarters. That might come in handy. The Veneet wasn't fond of it, though. Something about V'zikt liking their tunnels. Not necessarily true. The Hives are called Hives but they're not literally hives. It's just a name. But Slick didn't say anything.
Still, the way he talked about it made it seem like he'd been there. Maybe he had.

Slick hadn't been part of the latest V'zikt - Veneet war. Slick was born into the Hive of Teeth. That war had been against the Hive of Moons, a different faction of V'zikt. Still, he'd heard the stories. It had been ugly. But when is war with the V'zikt ever nice?

When introductions were going around, he gave a small wave when it came to his turn, "Hey, I'm uh, you can call me Slick. My real name's... kind of long. Used to be a scout and commando for a Hive. Now I just track things and then make them dead." he said with a nod.

To be totally honest, he was feeling somewhat socially awkward here. The V'zikt lifestyle taught you things like how to drive a bayonet into someone else or keep shooting at a tiny line on the horizon regardless of how many of that horizon's shots almost take your head off. It does not prepare you for meaningful social interaction. At least not outside of saying, "Yes, captain!" and then dying for your race.

As they walked towards the armory, he fell into step beside Solomon. To Slick, he seemed to be the most interesting of the bunch. His eyes (all six of them) traveled around the cybernetic arm.
Maybe the question was a little too direct. But he asked anyway.
"How'd you get that arm?"

 

[Yamarashi]

The tank of a machine stops in front of a heavy steel door, the increasingly familiar logo of the Wendign-nor wrapping around a Stelladon seeming hastily spray painted onto it's exterior. Kase suddenly straightens up, placing a finger on the receiver attachment on the left side of his head. The sound of crackling static rises and falls, the robot nodding occasionally. He places his hand onto the key pad, metal fingers furiously typing various codes. The door hisses open, freezing half way and shaking before slowly progressing the rest of the way. Kase throws his arms up in a grand gesture, stepping to the side and pointing into the room.

:"Alright everybody in, grab a main and a side arm. Make it snappy too, Greyfield says we're scuttling this place in '10. Oh and I'd grab a ballistic vest too, Coceopod Mothers really don't mess around when they're swingin' those meat claws about."

He strides in, heading immediately for the corner where a dingy locker labeled, "Kase's Scrap and Crap" stands, slightly lopsided. He grabs the lock and yanks it off, crushing it in his large metal hand and discarding the thing like a crumbled piece of paper. He reaches into the locker and pulls out a firearm, a nice one too. The killing instrument appears to be a heavy, stockily built, Semi-Automatic Shotgun with a large revolver styled barrel. It's matte exterior is a dull gunmetal, with occasional panels of brass painting to make it pop. The name "Veronica" is written in cursive on the right side of it, the bright white of the letters making it unmistakable that his gun indeed has name. Kase snuggles it up to his face, slowly running his finger along a row of tally marks. He hooks it onto his thigh, hurrying out of the room to go prepare the Dropship​

 

[fuil]

"I'm Grov and I like to punch things and use really big guns." He said as everyone said what they where good at. He was about to go into more detail when Zeep yelled at the robot about being to rough with explosives. Grov shrugged and walked over to Kase as they motioned for them to follow. He walked in silence until he saw the armory. They had any weapon you could want, Grov scanned the room having a difficult time choosing until he saw it. A large slightly rusted M134 GAU 17 gatling gun. "I call dibs on the gatling gun." He said as he pointed to the large weapon. "Hey does anyone know if this thing comes with incendiary rounds?" He asked as he looked it over like a kid with a new toy.

 

[The Pattern]

Slick had definitely surprised Solomon with that question, most people tended to ask about the eye... and considering what did that to his eye, the old man had hoped Slick wouldn’t ask about it, the arm was a pleasant surprise in comparison.


“Prescribed to me from a hospital on me homeworld, had to have a casin’ since I was a toddler. Some birth defect or somethin’ stunted it’s growth early, now it’s just a useless strand of flesh in this.” Solomon definitely sounded earnest as he answered, and on the rest of the way to the armoury the old man began looking at the casing, touching a a few of the casing’s fingers against the metal palm just to get some sensation out of it.


As he reached the armoury, Solomon had a good look around the room, and noticed a shelf dedicated to explosives conveniently packed into bags ahead of time and beside it a cargo trolley. The rest of the armoury had more boring things like dozens of main and side weapons that seemed practically identical to Solomon, there were also the vests. Since Solomon already had a ballistic vest on he didn’t bother with the supplied ones. Then came the explosives.


“I’ll sort out the explosives. Also, the trolley’s mine.” Solomon’s voice was filled with an earnest excitement when he stated that. “I’d advise grabbin’ grenades too! Just check the opened bag!” Was Solomon’s advice to everyone as he began his favourite bit of the packing.


Within about three minutes Solomon has checked many of the bags and filled around three quarters of the cargo trolley with three bags of mines and high explosives, two bags of traps and trap-related bits and bobs as well as three bags of grenades. He’s had a lot of experience with packing up. The old man may have also taken five grenades from a bag he opened up for the others to plunder, those five grenades were hidden in dedicated grenade pockets in Solomon’s current coat. The final bag from the explosives shelf Solomon took was one more backpack dedicated to traps and trap-bits which the old man slung onto his back.


After that Solomon picked up five pistols and some form of shotgun, and after loading them with their required ammunition he slung the shotgun’s strap over his left arm and hid the pistols in the coat’s numerous holsters, filling every weapon holster in the coat... the old man’s overprepared like that. A sword akin to a cutlass and it’s sheath may have found itself with Solomon, he wasn’t good with swords but he looked like a pirate with it and the juataucorps coat so he couldn’t resist. Solomon also packed a few boxes of the ammunition he’d need on the trolley. The final two things Solomon did in his mad rush around the armoury was place a toolbox into the trolley and move his veritable arsenal out to the dropship.