Futuristic The Keepers: Unity [Two more writers Needed!]

[duegxybus]

"Roan Cropper, Joshua Caine, EM. Glad to see someone who can handle themselves. I'll show you to the barracks." At this, Sierra perked up and followed Joshua, silently mocking his arrogant attitude towards anyone who wasn't a human. 'Racist and oblivious.' she had decided, and simply would have to let it go. As they walked (ever so slowly in her eyes) towards the barracks, Sierra toyed with the idea of Jack or (if it went that far) Apollo beating the shit out of Joshua for being an asshole. It sounded kind of funny in her head.


Eventually, she couldn't take it so she stormed past the humans and went to the first empty bed. 'Now...what was that thing Apollo did to set the bed to the correct size?' While she had almost no idea what she was doing, Sierra opened the bedside panel and hit the settings, which had scanned Roan's body specifications. She hit the panel, and the bed molded into what looked like the backside of Roan. "Apollo!" Sierra's voice echoed throughout the halls. "Aren't you forgetting something you told us earlier?!" Sierra had actually forgotten whether Apollo promised something, rather she could do with the present protection of a figure with higher authority than Joshua. She had already figured that he would be the beginning of a whole host of trouble for the entire trip.





@DJGomez @Anaxial @AACS

 

[LesDom]

"Apollo! Aren't you forgetting something you told us earlier?!"


"Jesus. The kids are already at each other's throats." Jack got up, groaning with effort as he pushed off the table. He strode to the barracks, holding up a hand.


"I guess I need to let all of you know one more time. We have a mission in a few hours. What you were before this doesn't matter. Legally, all of you have no authority. The commanding officer, the captain, the boss, whatever you wanna call me, I am that. So's Apollo, but he's more of a backseat man." He looked at Roan. "I know you're not gonna be a problem, Cropper. Not many active soldiers have a personal letter of recommendation by an EM general embedded into their file. Plus, I know from personal experience that cowards who avoid the fight don't get scars like that."


Jack had his own fair share, a long jagged cut running down his right eye, various burns across his face. He turned to Joshua. "And I know your file too. Stubborn head, alone nature, rough childhood. If I weren't standing right here, 'Pol would probably mistake you for me. Play nice." Finally, he went to Sierra. "I know you're worried you're not qualified enough to be here. What you've told me, the psychiatry report, everything. But here's a little secret, between you and me." He leaned in closer, mock-whispering in her ear. "You didn't beat those pirates cause you've got ascendii blood in you. You beat 'em because you're a damn good soldier." He backed away, sighing.


"I think that just about covers everything. Dismissed." He left for the kitchen again to finish his fucking drink.


Kaero smirked, having been sharpening his knife on his bed the whole time, watching the debacle. "You just got in troooouble." He sang like an elementary-school child.


"I heard that, Talistor!" Kaero stopped smiling.


@AACS @JPax42 @Anaxial @DJGomez

 

[DJGomez]

Caine nodded at Monroe before going back to showing Crooper his bunk. He pressed a few options on the panel as it went back to normal before going to his own bunk and opening his locker. He pulled out his Mass accelerater rifle and set it on his bunk, beginning to dissemble it for some routine maintenance. "You know Seirra, if you have a problem, next time bring it up so we can settle it like adults, not go running to mom and dad." Caine was inclined to say more, but years of combat and training were to ingrained in him and shut himself up, it was also why he didn't argue with Monroe. He went about cleaning his rifle like an edge lord.





@Anaxial @JPax42 @LesDom @AACS

 

[LesDom]

Cato clenched his fists, sitting on his bunk as he tolerated these meatheads.


"She wouldn't need to if your kind didn't mark us as second-class citizens."


@DJGomez

 

[TAINLA]

"Apollo! Aren't you forgetting something you told us earlier?!"





Apollo perked up at this, and quite clearly remembered that he had not promised anything. 'Damnit...'


"Jesus. The kids are already at each other's throats." Apollo followed Jack right out of the room and to the area with the "kids."





"I guess I need to let all of you know one more time. We have a mission in a few hours. What you were before this doesn't matter. Legally, all of you have no authority. The commanding officer, the captain, the boss, whatever you wanna call me, I am that. So's Apollo, but he's more of a backseat man." Jack glanced at Roan. "I know you're not gonna be a problem, Cropper. Not many active soldiers have a personal letter of recommendation by an EM general embedded into their file. Plus, I know from personal experience that cowards who avoid the fight don't get scars like that."


Apollo looked at the scars, then back to Jack. He knew very well how human skin can be torn into permanent imprints, as well as how it can be stroked both ways.


Jack left after mildly scolding Joshua and awkwardly praising Sierra, leaving Apollo with the bickering group. Apollo moved into the room and started hovering (literally) near Sierra. Joshua piped up from his bed.


"You know Seirra, if you have a problem, next time bring it up so we can settle it like adults, not go running to mom and dad."





"Play nice. You aren't a child-" Apollo was interrupted by Dominic's hissing comment.


"She wouldn't need to if your kind didn't mark us as second-class citizens."





"I said NICE!" Apollo flared his leathery wings, the dimness of the room contrasting with the dull glow from his blood vessels.





"In the battlefield, you will all respect each other, regardless of race or skill, or else we'll be fucked. Joshua, for eff's sake, you need to stop triggering Sierra." Apollo lowered his voice and folded his indigo-orange wings comfortably on his sides.


A flat bleep issued from the system computer, which Apollo recognized as the old trajectory calculator. "Jack, is that still what it was?"





@DJGomez @LesDom @JPax42 @Anaxial

 

[DJGomez]

"She wouldn't need to if your kind didn't mark us as second-class citizens."


Caine Talked as he cleaned, not looking up. "I can say the same for you. You immediately classified all humans as racist for treating Ascendii or hybrids as sub par. Yet here you are judging someone you know absolutely nothing about and damning them for the sins of the few. The very definition of racism."





Caine cut his little lesson short and listened to Apollo, he continued cleaning and reassembled his rifle with an amused look on his face





And I fail to see how Ive triggered her. All I've said about her is her apparent lack of combat experience. Which I know everyone else finds just as unsettling."





@Anaxial@LesDom @JPax42 @AACS

 

[LesDom]

Cato stared at the human, and smiled. He would kill this sack of useless flesh himself.

***

​

Jack was back at the command center, looking at the screen. "Goddammit. We're there. Hear that? Suit up!" He shouted, alerting the whole crew. He jogged to the equipment room, signaling Apollo. "Betty, how long do we have before landing?" Jack asked as he hurriedly undressed his heavier clothing. "Fifteen minutes before shuttle breach." He nodded, opening the cabinet with various armor pieces and jumpsuits. "Cropper! Your Mech's in the hangar area downstairs. Get into it after the debrief and standby." He pulled his jumpsuit on, fitting the heavy armor over it.

***

​

A short period later, he was standing in front of everyone, geared up. To his back was strapped a shotgun and an assault rife, a pistol on his thigh. His intimidating helmet was in his arm as he spoke. "Here's the situation. This is an ex-EM soldier. He's a genius, a weapons expert, a strategist, and a damn scientist. Ex-Keeper too." He took a drag off his cigarette, holding it in his free hand. "He vanished twenty years ago after the incident on Solehrii and Earth. Presumed dead. Evidently not. We have intel he's working for the OGA, he's alive, and that he's camped out on an abandoned colony that was destroyed quite some time ago in an OGA raid on a planet in the outer reaches. This is where our intel says he's hiding. This is a very, very tense political matter. We're going in blind here. The colony base's perimeter should all be on your interfaces. Here's how this is gonna work." Behind him on the screen, the map of the colony was pulled up from a bird's-eye-view.


"We will be split up into two teams. Talistor, Perr, you're with Apollo and will be entering the south side. Caine, Taylor, you're with me on the north. Cropper, you'll be waiting in the transport shuttle above the base for a mech drop in case things escalate. Reminder, people. Feed is dead down there. We're going in blind. We search for Odysseus and we find him. Don't kill unless I give the explicit order to. Cropper, now's the time to get suited up. Everyone, we're entering orbit in five." He put his helmet on, the red lights glowing. "Dismissed."

***



​

Cato left, putting the comm to his mouth. "They're coming."


@AACS @JPax42 @Ulysseus @Anaxial

 

[DJGomez]

Caine popped a power cell into his rifle as it glowed and hummed to life. He drew his pistol and checked the charge count before putting it back in his holster. Caine then opened his locker and pulled his duffle bag out. Unzipping it he pulled out two items, a body suit and his armor itself. He de clothed to his underwear, revealing a wide array of various scars around his body. Putting in the body suit, it meshed and formed to his body. It would protect him from some enviromental hazards and any sharp objects. Then his armor. He pulled it out and looked like a large tangle of mess. With a few flips he slipped the cheat price over his body, clamped the belt, clamped the shoulder and knee areas and slipped on the gloves. The armor then came to life as it tighter and formed to his body, making a perfect fit. Then protective plating ejected from the chest, belt, knees and shoulders to protect his vital areas such as his femoral, groin, jugular, etc. and major joints. The prototype smart armor was the latest the EM had to protect its troops. The next gen layering and mircotantium gave durable yet lightweight armor was a happy medium. It was no where as protective as a battlesuits, but it would protect you from most things. You may have a hell of a bruise or something broken, but you'd be alive and that's what counted. The special thing about the chest plate was it monitored vitals of the user. If Caines heart stopped it would automatically begin chest compressions until a proper medic could revive him. Caine then loaded his standard equipment into the pouches along with extra power cells and attached his TACPAD to his forearm. The final piece was his balaclava and cross com unit. The balaclava had a stitched smile in it and his cross com fit on his ear, it ejected out ward and a blue display came over his eyes. It would give him anything a normal HUD could provide along with Comms. With a crack of his knuckles he grabbed his rifle and headed out without a word.


@Anaxial @JPax42 @AACS @LesDom

 

[Ulysseus]

Ulysses sat at a long, wooden table in a small, outdated room, staring at the holographic images displayed by his security and aerial cameras. He stroked his bow-tie patiently, expectantly. The dull artificial light buzzed dustily above him, and, just as he was about to stand up to proceed to the barracks for some rest, a buzzing metallic voice resounded from his pocket watch. "They're coming." At this, Ulysses smiled, relaxing again in his chair and pleased with Cato's work. "Excellent. Time for a show," he muttered to himself.

 

[TAINLA]

Apollo tossed up an electronic pack and flared his wings, the pack swinging around them and clipping around his waist. Two pistols, modified to be held like laser cutters, were attached to the belt. An electrical field surrounded his vital organs and cased his limbs. For Apollo, wartime preparation was more biological than technological. He took out a bottle with the Exansis insignia engraved on the cap and put an ounce of the boiling liquid on his left hand. He then handed the bottle to Sierra.


"Give it to Kaero after that, it makes a dandy hand grenade once it's done." Apollo smiled and rapidly rubbed his hands together, the silvery liquid going through his skin. Inserting two energetic electronic cartridges into the laser pointers, he powered them on and spread his wings. While the smooth pattern of electrical armor encased them, he turned to his group of Sierra and Kaero. "Alright, we're going in south side. Jack's details are streamed directly to your comms, and I'm going to give you as much information as I can see."


He looked at both Kaero and Sierra. "Exansis brand weapons, switch to Incapacitate. EM brand weapons, stun. Remember, Jack's order before mine."





Apollo looked directly on the HUD map generated by his ED and waited for the go signal from Jack.


@JPax42 @LesDom

 

[LesDom]

Abandoned Colony, Outer Reaches
​

"Joshua, Dominic. I wanna make this real easy." Jack checked the contents of his shotgun, clipping the belt of additional ammo to the side as they stood in the bumpy shuttle, on it's way to the colony. "If you receive fire, give fire back. Stun, bullets, don't matter. Just don't harm Ody. I'll keep point in front when we make it to the north side. Joshua, you keep an eye on the skies behind on my left. I'm talking rooftops, cover spots. Dominic, you're behind on my right checking any corners and doorways as he push ahead." The shuttle door opened, and they stepped out onto the stormy night, the ground muddy and wet. Jack stepped out, looking around at the large broken down colony as rain splashed across his visor. "Weapons up!" He grunted, lifting his machine rifle and slowly walking forward. "Apollo, we're in." Jack waited for a response, only receiving static. "Dammit! They're blocking our comms. Be on guard."

***

​

Cato padded through the gates of the colony, knowing he was so close to his leader. If he played this off right, everything would work out.


@AACS @DJGomez @Ulysseus @JPax42 @Anaxial

 

[TAINLA]

Apollo commed Jack over and over. "Hello? Blocked? Damn." He turned to his team. "Alright, for now, Jack's no good to us until he's online." He lead his team outside, towards the south side. The electroplates slid over his mouth. "Closed circuit feed is online. Sierra, tell Kaero what's going on, I can't link to EM HUDS." Apollo pointed forwards.


"Stay close to me. If encountered with gunfire, duck and fire back. Don't kill unless you are going to be shot." Apollo looked back at the hybrid and Kaero. "Let's go."





Apollo raised a pistol and advanced forwards.





@JPax42 @LesDom

 

[Ulysseus]

Ulysses watched the two groups exit from their shuttles on his holographic feed and took a sip of his coffee. He leaned forward, drew out his pocket watch from his pocket, and, placing it on the ornately table-clothed table, said "SAL, please deploy seven sentry swarms and two of our mechanical firing squads. Not too much resistance, but just enough to tire them out a bit. Let's see what this new arrangement of Keepers can do." A metallic voice responded in a deflated Scottish accent, "Of course, sir. And I have also taken the liberty of reheating dinner." Ulysses replied with a short "Thank you, SAL," and closed the pocket watch, returning it to his coat. He picked up his copy of Suetonius' Twelve Caesars and again leaned back in his chair, as Holst's The Planets resounded on the record player adjacent to him.

 

[LesDom]

As the group walked forward, there was a sudden burst of gunfire around their feet, water puddles splashing upwards from the impact. Jack dived behind a shipping crate, raising over it and firing at the hovering drones. "Three sentries!" He shouted, blasting one out of the air.


@DJGomez @JPax42 @AACS @Ulysseus @Anaxial

 

[DJGomez]

Caine followed close behind Monroe with his rifle raised as he scanned the rooftops. When the gunfire let out he insticvely crouched down and returned fired at the point of origin while Monroe and Taylor moved to cover. His HUD lit up three sentries and outined them in red. Caine switched his rifle to tungsten and rolled into a nearby crate to pop back out and keep fire superiority, taking out another.


@Anaxial @AACS @LesDom @Ulysseus @JPax42

 

[TAINLA]

Four drones whirred above the group and immediately fired at the ground ahead of them. Apollo could've stood to watch the first bolt fly out of the barrel, but instead he jumped aside, shoving an empty crate ahead. He switched on his pointers and shot at the drone, destroying it. "Three left!" He signaled his team behind the crate, which had been riddled by gunfire.


@JPax42 @LesDom

 

[LesDom]

Kaero fired until his rifle was empty, clearing the bleak skies of the machines. "Well, I guess that means someone knows we're here."

***

​

Cato stood above cover, unafraid of being shot. He pulled out his pistol, firing on the last remaining sentry and watching it explode. He holstered his weapon, pressing forward.

 

[LesDom]

"We're here." Jack held up the scanner, detecting portions of a person burning red through the gray storm that showed someone was in the basement of one of the colony living quarters. He switched to his shotgun, holding it in front of him as he carefully went to open the door, which slid open at the slightest touch. "Somebody left it open." He stepped inside, suddenly distracted in awe. The inside of the house was nothing like the signs of neglect and abandonment outside. It was warm, clean, and had working lights. In front of them was a large hall with a long table and exquisite chairs, a chandelier on the ceiling. "This keeps getting weirder and weirder..." He heard the door open behind him, twisting back with his gun raised. At the sight of Apollo and his crew, he lowered it. "You seem to have found the place too."





@AACS @DJGomez @Anaxial @JPax42 @Ulysseus

 

[Ulysseus]

Ulysses heard the door open before he saw anyone enter, but this was no matter. Not looking up from his book, he removed his pistol and two batons from their holsters and placed them on the table, aside from the plates and silverware. Music still continued to play lightly behind him. He was actually beginning to grow dimly excited; everything was going according to plan, and as the Keepers entered the basement complex any ground forces still pursuing them shut off and smashed into the damp ground.

 

[DJGomez]

Caine proceeded with caution, as he entered the building with Monroe and Taylor he ignored the lavish designs and proceeded to clear the room, his Cross Comm unit lit up the outine of a figure as his thermal sight in his rifle showed a glowing Orange and yellow mass as he moved towards the end of the table. Caine switched his rifle to stun and noted the weapons Layed out on the table, keeping his weapon and eye trained in the figure sitting there, he reached down with his left hand and slid the weapons one by one down the table and away from the figure before stepping back and keeping his distance from the figure. "Found him. we bag and tagging or what."





@AACS @LesDom @JPax42 @Ulysseus @Anaxial

 

[TAINLA]

Apollo went through the door and found Jack and his team. "Nice. Kaero, if you have any close range weapons on you, now would be the time to be ready with them." Apollo advanced and eventually caught glimpse of Odysseus.


Apollo saw that Joshua soon had managed to aim his rifle at Odysseus. "Found him. We bag and tagging or what?" Apollo quickly raised a hand and spoke silently. "No. We're not here to steal him." He gripped his pistols a bit more loosely and walked ahead a little.


@LesDom @JPax42 @Anaxial @DJGomez @Ulysseus

 

[LesDom]

Jack kept his weapon raised, staring at his back. "It's really you, isn't it...?" He took his helmet off, dropping it to the ground. "Ody."

 

[duegxybus]

Sierra nervously looked around to Jack, then to Apollo, to Kaero, and then back to Apollo. "Jack...I'm getting a really bad vibe from this place." She nervously raised her incapacitating rifle and turned the safety off, aimed directly at Ulysses. Her hands were shaking, yet the point of the rifle still pointed at Ulysses.


@Ulysseus @LesDom @AACS @DJGomez @Anaxial

 

[Ulysseus]

Ulysses did nothing as the group surrounded him, taking away his weapons and his helmet. As they stood in front of him, he continued staring at his book and raised only an eyebrow in response to the situation. "Hello friends, old and new. I'm delighted to see that you got my invitation, although I must ask. Where is your seventh party member?"

 

[LesDom]

"No way you'd know that. So, someone's a spy. Figures." Cato unsheathed his sword, grabbing Jack's shoulder and pressing his blade over his neck. "Good call, shithead." Jack scowled, dropping his heavy shotgun to the floor noisily and raising his hands. "Now's the time, Ulysses. We have them! Let me gut this pig." Kaero raised his pistol aiming it at the hybrid. "Try it. The second he drops, I drop you."


@AACS @JPax42 @Ulysseus @Anaxial @DJGomez