UEEF - The Shadow Chronicles - IC Thread

[Sherwood]

Gelth shrugs. "We are not the best fighters out there, but we can hold our own if it is needed. My people do have some weapons of note, but obviously they were not enough to stop the Invid from taking my world. But if you give us a broken machine, I will bet you that one of our engineers can get the thing working again. My people are good with their tools."

Bella says, "A Paraxian warrior is trained in the use of the spear, sword and bow, and we have the ability to make these weapons able to pierce even the armored hull of mecha. Our armor is strong, and is able to take several powerful hits before it fails. But, while I am interested in learning more of your Veritechs, the vehicles that will be coveted by my people will most likely be these Cyclones. Small, fast and maneuverable, they sound like they will fit our style of fighting well."

Once the group gets to the main hangar bay, the two large aliens both find themselves very focused on the various mecha there, each with their own special focus. Bella wants to learn more of their weapons and armor, while Gelth is focused on the mechanical and technical aspects of the war machines. The impression that they give you is comparable to kids in a toy store with a large bundle of credits to spend.

 

[jaydude]

Ian gave an eyebrow raise. "That's certainly impressive metalwork your people have, if you can pierce mecha hulls with bows and melee weapons." he said. "And yes, the Cyclones would give your people greater speed and agility on the battlefield, at least in their motorcycle forms. They also double as personal armor, but I don't know how much that would compromise your existing agility and speed. I don't think we've ever designed mecha for humanoids of your size."

As the two aliens began with their questions, Ian did his best to answer them.

Spoiler: OOC

What level of technology are the Paraxians at? Just curious about whether or not Ian will have to explain to Bella how things like guns and mecha work, and what terms she's likely to understand.

 

[Sherwood]

As the two aliens 'ooh' and 'aaah' over the Veritechs, Ian learns that the Paraxians are an interesting dichotomy of high and low technology. There are no male Paraxians. They reproduce by means of what sounds like a artificial insemination procedure performed at one of their 'Temples of Life'. Also, many of their large cities are airborne, using some anti-gravity technology to stay floating, and their spears use some sort of high frequency vibrations to be able to penetrate the mega damage armor of mecha.

But at the same time, their lifestyle shows a preference for low technology, and out of all the high tech stuff that they have, the Paraxians seem ignorant of the inner workings of most of them, bringing up the question of just how did this strange lifestyle start in the beginning.

Looking at Gelth, his people will clearly never be able to fit into the small cockpits of the Alpha and Beta, let alone be able to use the Cyclone. But the bigger interiors of the Destroids would suit them just fine, assuming that they don't take to the field on foot as heavy marine style strike teams. Their technology is based off of a heavy metal that they have been mining in their solar system called Sekitan. It sounds like that this metal is a lot like uranium, and is prevalent across their system. The Karbarrans used to use it to power their machinery, but it is not as efficient as Protoculture, and Sekitan produces a lot of pollution, making their atmosphere rather dirty and hard to breathe without using some kind of air filter.

The rest of the tour is less exciting, but is very informative for both Gelth and Bella as they learn more about human culture and the technology used by the UEEF.

By the end of the day, Bella and Gelth head on their way to the guest quarters on the MacArthur and let you de-stress over the pressure of being the tour guides of the two aliens. As everything seems to be settling down and the team flops down in their seats, the squad is called to the Command Deck once more to speak with the Admiral. Going through security to get to the command center, you notice that with the various aliens on the ship, the Captain has increased the number of Cyclones standing guard over the secure locations on the ship. Probably an unnecessary precaution, but why take a chance?

The lot of you are ushered into the Admiral's ready room where you find the old Russian is waiting for you behind his desk. He glances up from his terminal as you come in, and he motions for you enter. "Ah, our ambassadors have arrived. At ease. Take a seat." He stands and goes over to the wood cabinet behind him and pulls out a handful of glasses and sets them down on the desk. "Care for a drink? It is vodka from my home."

 

[Psychie]

Of all the things she expected to do in her career as a second LT, having drinks with the Fleet Admiral after a day escorting a couple of alien VIP's was never on that list. Hell, in training, getting noticed by the company commander was something you wanted to avoid as much as possible. She is not big on drinking vodka, but when your Admiral offers you a drink, by God you accept it.

Motoko nods, and says, "Yes, sir. Thank you. That would be wonderful." I just need to know what the hell is going to happen now.

 

[jaydude]

"Yes, thank you, sir." replied Ian, sitting down and then taking a glass of vodka, while also wondering what this was all about.

 

[Sherwood]

Admiral Kutuzov sets a small glass down in front of each of you and takes a glass for himself, swirling the alcohol around in slow circles as he watches it. He then turns to look at the members of the squad and says, "Too often it is that all that is heard is the negative, and never anything positive is said." He takes a small sip of his drink, then motions over at you. "Today, you have acted in a manner that is of the highest order of competence, both on the battlefield and off of it. I have already read the reports of the other members of the security detail, and how you handled the 'informal' talks with the Paraxian and the Karbarran was exceptional; just the way I would like all of my junior officers to act."

He gives a rare smile as he takes another sip of his vodka, then says, "A commendation is being placed in your service records by my own hand, one that will undoubtedly draw some extra notice to you from your CAG and other senior officers. I do hope that you use this recognition to your best advantage."

With a swift gulp, he finishes off his drink, then says, "In the next few days, the fleet will be making another fold space jump to the Karbarran system where we will work to free their world from the Invid occupation. Learn what you can from this Gelth, and send your reports to me. There are several orbital facilities that will need to be cleared before we can move to the surface of the world, so prepare yourselves for space combat in the very near future. Now, I have kept you long enough after a long day, so unless you have any questions for me, I shall dismiss you to go on your way."

 

[jaydude]

Though he'd remained politely stoic at the Admiral's praise, Ian couldn't help but give a little, satisfied grin at the news that he'd been awarded a commendation. He then promptly made it disappear.

"Only a couple of questions, Admiral." he said. "Do we know what we're looking at in terms of countermeasures and defenders with regards to these orbital facilities? And do we have a strategy in mind for the Invid on the planet itself?"

 

[Sherwood]

The Admiral replies, "We are gathering intelligence from the Karbarrans here on this world, but their information is several years out of date. The Fleet will have to do some reconnaissance prior to committing our full resources to the fight. The reports we are getting so far indicate that there are several asteroid belts in the system that have mining operations working in them. It is my hope to try and make contact with one of the outer facilities and see what the locals can tell us. Once we have some idea on what we are dealing with, we can then move forward with planning for the assault on the orbital facilities and Karbarra itself."

He pauses for a moment, then says, "With the alliance that we are starting to build with the races we've just encountered, there has been a push by both the UEEF High Command and the allied aliens to incorporate them into our fighting forces as members of our military and as independent operators. Over the next weeks, we will be giving our various allies a crash course (pardon the pun) in the operation of both our aerial forces of the Veritechs, and of our ground forces of our Destroids."

"In fact, there has already been a request made to my office here by the Acha Gelth to have one of his Karbarrans in Manticore squadron. I do hope that there will not be any problem with having a readjustment of your team to include one of these Bearmen. Due to the large size of these Bearmen, it will only be possible for them to pilot a modified Beta Fighter, and it is also quite clear that the Cyclone is going to be far too small for them. It has been proffered up that the bomb bay of the Beta be replaced with a Silverback ATV, a vehicle that they will be able to fit into and keep up with the rest of the squadron operating in their Cyclones. These modifications will not take long, so by the time that we make our fold space jump to the outer reaches of Karbarra, we should have the first of many allied aliens joining our fighting forces."

 

[Psychie]

Motoko blinks a few times, taking in Admiral Kutuzov's words. At least we have some aliens that we are not shooting at for once. It might be nice to have some allies working with us, instead of having to deal with this Invid threat all on our own. With a glance over to Ian, she says, "Sir, I am sure that I speak for the whole of Manticore Squad when I say that we are excited at the prospect of having some new blood joining us in the UEEF, and having one of the Karbarrans as a fellow pilot with us will certainly open up some new opportunities for us all."

 

[jaydude]

"Bigs is right." Ian said with a nod. "That said, sir, I'd much rather meet with this Karbarran and put them through their paces in one of our Betas before bringing them into live combat. Wouldn't want them to be unable to handle themselves during a fight to the death, after all."

 

[Sherwood]

The Admiral nods in agreement. "It is going to be a rough go of it for a while until these new recruits learn our ways and we learn theirs. But I have confidence in our flight training program and the quality of our squadrons. I am certain that you will be able to handle the issues that will arise with the integration. Well, I have kept you long enough. Thank you for humoring an old man and letting me share my vodka with you. Unless you have any other questions for me, I shall dismiss you back to your squadron areas."

 

[jaydude]

Ian gave another nod, then stood up. "Just let me know the identity of this Karbarran once you have it." he said, before turning and leaving.

 

[Psychie]

Motoko stands with Ian, saying, "Sir, thank you for the drink." She turns and heads for the door, keeping quiet until they are well out of the Admiral's office. Then, in a quiet voice she says, "Well, damn! That didn't go the way I had expected it to. Drinks with the Admiral of the Fleet, and a commendation in our records from him for the good work we did today? Holy shit. That will certainly look good on our next performance reviews for promotion!"

As they head back towards the pilot barracks, she wonders out loud, "A Bearman in the squad, huh? I wonder what kind of pilot he or she will be, and what other surprises we are going to be faced with."

 

[Rykon]

"It will look good for sure. I just hope we don't get in the crosshairs of competitive types. Career aces with something to prove. Last thing we need to come home to after a field operation is military politicking and petty pilot drama. Then again, I may have just went to flight school with a couple of really toxic folks." Jake added with a shrug. "Either way boss man, I'm lookin forward to new hands in Manticore. 'Specially those with a fresh perspective on weapons and armor. I like the copperfield missiles and all, but I can't help but think we can build a better bug zapper with enough time and effort."

 

[Sherwood]

WlfSamurai and Random Word

Bracca and Tisiphone are currently on the UEEF ship Atlas, the Three Star Mobile Repair and Construction Facility, along with several hundred other pilot candidates. It is easily the largest vessel of the fleet, and it has been home to you for the past several months of your time training with the UEEF Veritechs, first in the simulators, then in live fighters flying in the airspace around Tyrol. After many long days being flogged through the flight training program, the two of you are among the first graduating class of volunteers that have signed up for the Accelerated Training Program that the humans have set up for the various races that have been encountered in their efforts to free the planet from the Invid.

It has happened none too soon. The Invid presence on Tyrol is large, and the UEEF force is vastly outnumbered, and the humans have never faced a foe quite like the Invid before. Despite those burdens, the battle for Tyrol is going in the UEEF's favor, but there have still been casualties among their fighting forces, and having the reinforcements added to the ranks can't happen fast enough.

During training, both Bracca and Tisiphone have been under close scrutiny, both by your human flight instructors and their superiors, but also by Gelth, leader of Bracca's Clan of Karbarrans, and by Bella, the highest ranking warrior of the Paraxian fighting force here on Tyrol. The two aliens have formed an unusual friendship despite being so different from one another, with Gelth being the voice of calm and reason to Bella's exuberance. Together, they have pulled some strings to get the two of you assigned to the same squadron, stationed onboard the flagship of the 3rd Armored Expeditionary Division, the MacArthur, led by the venerated human, Admiral Laventri Kutuzov.


Psychie Rykon jaydude

For the members of Manticore Squadron, things have been just as busy, with daily sorties being made to hit the Invid forces here and keep them reeling from the onslaught of blows being dealt to them. It is a sad state of affairs that your team has not been immune to the losses of combat. Dennis 'Springer' Murphy was shot down by massed weapon fire from the enemy, and did not survive the crash. It has left all of you feeling drained of energy as you feel the loss of the young man every day that you wake up and shuffle your way out of bed.

The Karbarran leader Gelth seems to have taken a real liking to your team, along with his new friend, Bella. It has become a common sight for one or both of these aliens to be hanging out with you, be it on the flight deck or in the pilot's ready room. But even with the time they are spending with you, they are not freeloaders. Gelth is earning his pay on the flight deck, working on keeping the fighters and Veritechs airborne, and Bella has volunteered to be a combat instructor in various hand to hand fighting styles.

One morning your team gets the summons from Commander Erin Reynolds, the ship's CAG to report to one of the briefing rooms. When you get there, you see that you are not the only team to have gotten this call, with about eight squadrons currently here. When the Commander comes into the room, everyone leaps to their feet.

The dark haired former pilot takes up her position at the head of the room and says, "Take your seats. Ladies and gentlemen, I won't lie to you. We came to this planet hoping to be able to negotiate a peace treaty with the Robotech Masters, but instead, have been swept up into a wholly unexpected war with the Invid. It has given the UEEF a bit of a black eye, and we've suffered for it despite our training and advanced mecha. But as bad as things have been, there is a ray of hope. The battle for Tyrol has been going well, with the Invid taking heavy losses, and we have been recruiting new volunteers from the population here to help us with the liberation effort."

"Today, I am here to tell you the good news that the first of these new recruits have successfully completed their flight training, and will now be able to take their places along side the other pilots and crew of the MacArthur to bring freedom from the Invid across the galaxy. Your squadron leaders will be receiving your new assignments to your data tablets, and later on today you will be able to meet your assigned pilots as they make their transfer from the Atlas. These recruits are still learning the intricacies of human culture, and I fully expect all of you to do your best to help to integrate them into the fold. Even so, there will be friction, but we are all professionals, and we have a job to do. If there is any issues that cannot be dealt with by your squad, my door is always open."

 

[jaydude]

As he and the others listened to Commander Reynolds's speech, Ian felt like it was only yesterday that he and the rest of Manticore Squad were raising their glasses to the late Dennis Murphy within the mess hall. He let out a little sigh; he'd gotten a lot more used to losing comrades since his first days in the UEEF, but it had yet to become something he could completely numb himself to. And the day that happened would be the day he lost the last sliver of his humanity.

While the speech continued, he considered who might be assigned to the squad. He knew that there was a Karbarran among them, but he'd also heard talk that there might be a Praxian as well. Still, he wouldn't be able to find out any details until they were sent to his tablet.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Brac sighs and finishes putting the last of his giant fatigues into his duffel bag. He had included his labor jump suits as well, just in case. Everything he “owns” now sits in this one bag, capable of going anywhere with him. Life of the military, he considers quietly to himself.

Since receiving the transfer orders, Brac has been flooded with various emotion. This transfer was the first step toward getting to actually take the fight to the Invid directly. No longer would he just be repairing the Veritechs for someone else to do the fighting. He could stand up for his family. For his Clan. For his oppressed people.

The memory of slipping through the Invid network as a child and taking up with the freedom fighters always seems close at hand. He was assigned to learn his craft as an engineer and the secrets of protoculture from his mentors. Working to keep their weapons and mecha in order.

The UEEF had proven more effective. And now, because of them, he finally has the chance to get in the action himself.

He takes one last look at his bunk and heads out. To be a pilot. To fight.

 

[Psychie]

Motoko's confidence, once on a high note, was sorely shaken by the death of Springer. It hit her hard. It one thing to say that this is war, and there will be casualties, but it is a very different thing to actually see these losses in person. The whole thing made her mad. Really mad. The damn Invid have truly pissed her off, and that fact is the biggest thing keeping her going in the face of it all. She will get payback for Springer.

The meeting with the CAG with the various squadrons makes Motoko sit up and take notice. New trainees, from the various races we've encountered here. At least Earth and the UEEF are not fighting this war all alone. She glances over at Ian, wondering what he's thinking about. From what they were told by the Admiral that night, it is very likely that they would be getting at least one Karbarran in the squad, and perhaps one of the tall Amazonian women from Paraxis.

 

[Random Word]

Tisiphone is waiting outside Bracca's quarters when he finishes packing, as she had nothing to pack. She has been packing her travel bag every day since she could walk. There are no personal effects inside for she has never had any, only crisply folded uniforms and now flight suits. She is warrior caste, genetically engineered martial perfection, tempered over centuries and honed to razor sharpness over a lifetime with nearly every waking hour spent in some form of training.

She defines statuesque, proud of bearing, standing ramrod straight with flawless posture in her new uniform and the newly attached shoulder patch of the MacArthur's CAG. The smile she favours Bracca with when he leaves his quarters lights up the corridor and has been known to significantly worsen the snarls in shipboard traffic she causes wherever she goes. This has become such a headache she's been ordered to avoid traversing major ship thoroughfares during shift changes and mealtimes, and anyone caught impeding ship operations staring at her gets a dressing down the next day.

She watches a midshipman give Bracca a wide berth in the hallway, and as she turns back - and up - to him her brow furrows, "Do you think I should pretend to be afraid of you? The oracle says you superficially resemble an apex predator from their home world that occasionally hunts them." Much as it galls her, she must attempt to keep a low profile and blend in with the humans to avoid bringing shame on her family as an oathbreaker for fighting the hated Invid. She's never deceived anyone before, and has been agonising over it for days. She feels the absence of the reassuring weight of a shield and spear strapped to her back, and it provokes a brief spike of panic whenever she reaches for them and finds them missing, but for their own unfathomable reasons humans don't seem to go about their shipboard duties armed, and certainly not with spears.

She isn't, though. An oathbreaker. The oath was sworn before she was decanted, and she only swore it under duress. That doesn't count. She just hopes the gods agree.

 

[Rykon]

Jake joins the meeting, bags under his eyes from spending much of his free time double-checking the Veritechs. His breath smelled of dark coffee and smoke. His hands betrayed a slight tremble. Much of his smile and playful jokes have been far less frequent in the days since Springer's loss. It was one thing to enjoy the job when things went well, it was another to appear as if he didn't take the gravity of the job seriously. As if to atone for some failure that cost a fellow pilot his life, he instead spent extra hours in the hangars tuning and maintaining their hardware.

He snaps a crisp salute, keeping his commentary to himself until Manticore was alone. "Well, we knew we'd be getting new hands eventually. How's everyone holding up on this one?" He looked to Ian and Motoko with unconcealed fatigue. "On the one hand, I'm happy for the help. On the other, I've no idea what to expect or how we'll adapt to a Karbarran or a Praxian alongside us."

 

[Sherwood]

With the announcements from the CAG done, she sends the aforementioned information to the squadron commanders about your incoming transfers as she dismisses you. Apparently, Gelth has had his beefy paw in the selection of Bracca as a member of Manticore Squad, and there is a note from the Admiralty saying that while there is some pressure to make sure that this Karbarran is able to integrate well with your team, if there is any trouble, they will back you 100%. Not that they are expecting any, but just to be sure, they have your back.

The other new arrival to your team is a Paraxian named Tisiphone. Her scores in the flight training program were phenomenal, enough to make the high command drool at the thought of these tempered warriors joining the fight.

From what you can see, both Bracca and Tisiphone have done well together in training. Bracca has a Beta fighter that has been modified to haul a Silverback ATV in its bomb bay since his species is far too large for a Cyclone. Tisiphone has gravitated to the older Valkyrie, and with the Super Valkyrie FAST Packs or the Armored Valkyrie add-ons that are available, this will help to add an extra level of flexibility to your team.

The transfer notes show that these two will be arriving in a shuttle from the Atlas in just over thirty minutes, since their Veritechs are already onboard the MacArthur. This gives you time to either meet them as they disembark from the shuttle or have them come and find you.

 

[jaydude]

Ian glanced down at his datapad once the information had come through, looking at the information about the new additions to Manticore Squadron. He chuckled at Tisiphone's chosen callsign, thinking that an ancient Mesopotamian goddess thought to be associated with war was a fitting choice for a Praxian Warrior.

Random Word WlfSamurai

When Bracca and Tisiphone's shuttle docked at the MacArthur, Ian and the rest of his squadron were all there waiting for them to disembark, Ian eager for everyone to start getting to know each other as soon as possible.

"So you're the new guys?" he asked Bracca and Tisiphone, grinning a little as he looked up at both of them with folded arms. "2nd Lieutenant Ian Grimsbury, but you can refer to me as Gloomy. Welcome to Manticore Squadron."

 

[Psychie]

Motoko is also there, looking around curiously to see which one of the passengers of the shuttle will turn out to be their new team mates. She wonders how well things will go with the two new arrivals on the team. Apparently, the higher ups are all satisfied with the test scores of these two, but how well will they do in the cockpit when the heat is on? Hopefully everything will be golden, and we'll have a great welcome party after their first live mission.

 

[Random Word]

Tisiphone salutes the officer of the deck sharply, and after being granted permission to come aboard descends the gangway smiling brightly at the small crowd waiting below. She stops and salutes when one of the officers steps forward and identifies himself as her squad member. "Thank you..." she hesitates for a moment scanning his face, eyes coming to rest on his chin. Only the men maintained visible facial hair, right? "Sir. It's an honour, sir." Clearly he was having some difficulty himself, which she could empathise with. It was so hard! Especially the ones without facial hair. How did they do it all the time? "If I may, I'm not a guy, sir," she clarifies helpfully. Her eyes widen with the alarming realization that perhaps Lt. Grimsbury had been confused because Bracca was a guy. The guides from the contact corps had only explained how to identify human males. "Wait, Bracca, are you a guy?"

 

[jaydude]

Clearly he was having some difficulty himself, which she could empathise with. It was so hard! Especially the ones without facial hair. How did they do it all the time? "If I may, I'm not a guy, sir," she clarifies helpfully.

Ian gave a little chuckle. "Oh, I know that. It was just an expression I decided to use." he explained.