UEEF - The Shadow Chronicles - IC Thread

[jaydude]

[OOC: If you were waiting for a post from me during the introduction of Valyria, I apologize. Odds are I just missed something in that post.]

The CAG nods, saying, "Of course you can ask. I would be surprised if you didn't. She is doing well, recovering from her injuries. Unfortunately, she did lose her arm, but the good news is, she will now be a candidate for a cybernetic limb. It may be that she will be ale to get back in the cockpit once she is acclimated to her new arm. In the meantime, Lt. Grimsbury should be here any time now . . . "

And speaking of Ian, as you arrive at the office, you are quickly shown in, and waiting inside is the Commander, and another pilot that you recognize. One of the Zentraedi pilots that have joined the UEEF back on Earth, she is a Valkyrie pilot named 2nd Lt. Valriya. She's been out of the cockpit for a while, recovering from an injury that she suffered trying to get another member of her squad safely to medical after a bad hit.

Commander Reynolds says, "Thank you for responding so promptly, Lt. Grimsbury. This is Lt. Valriya, and she is finally cleared for flight ops again, and is in need of a new squadron to fly with, so I'm placing her with you. This will place your squadron with two Alphas, two Betas, and two Valkyries. Make sure that your team is ready to take the fight to the Invid. We are going to be making the jump to fold space soon, but you can spend plenty of time in the simulators to get your team flying smooth."

Ian nodded at the commander to show he'd heard her words, then turned to Valriya.

"Welcome to Manticore Squadron, Lieutenant." he said, giving her as welcoming a smile as he could in the current circumstances. With the recent history between their two races - not least the near-genocide the Zentraedi had committed against humanity - he was wary about how the other human members of his squad would react to the presence of this woman.

Over the next few days, the six members of the squad spend some time getting to know one another, and under the watchful eyes of the Mac's training officer, you spend some time in the simulators before getting some in space flight time together. All of this is going on during the time that the 3rd Armored Expeditionary Division is loading up supplies for the next step in the planet hopping campaign against the Invid: Karbarra. Elements of the other Fleet Divisions are staying behind to finish the cleanup work on Tyrol, freeing up the 3rd AED and other Fleet elements to fold space out.

During the time that the Fleet has been working to liberate Tyrol, the various engineers onboard the Atlas have been hard at work, incorporating new ideas and technologies into the front line combatant units, starting with the lightweight Cyclone. While the -010 series Rifleman Cyclone was expected to do well against Robotech Master Bioroids, the sheer numbers of Invid have rocked the light cycles back on their heels. Thanks to the brilliant innovations brought forward by the collaboration between the UEEF scientists and the engineers of the various alien races, a new line of Cyclones has been developed and is being mass produced for deployment to the front line fighters.

A variety of new models have come forward, including the new -030 series reconnaissance model, the -040 series Saber Cyclone, and the -050 series Battler Cyclone, including the Super Cyclone that is equipped with a heavy rail gun as its primary weapon. All of the new series' of Cyclones have more armor and are faster than the old Rifleman ones, and they are due to be phased out within the next few months. Only ones of the older models that are still going to have a place in the UEEF arsenal will be the Space Cyclones of the Nova and the Comet. [OOC the new Cyclones will be listed in the Lore section shortly.]

Next on the list for improvements are the larger Veritech fighters. According to the fleet scuttlebutt, the Haydonite ambassadors have said that they have in mind an advanced stealth system for the Alpha and Beta Fighters that will render them invisible to the Protoculture sensors that the Invid have, making it only possible to detect you by visual means. There is also word that there are some improvements that can be made to the main guns of the big ships, including advancements in the heavy Syncro Cannons that have proven to be so effective on the SDF-3 Pioneer flagship, including smaller models capable of being mounted on the Beta fighter in a detachable armor pack similar to the Super Valkyrie booster pack. Sadly, these improvements will not be widely available to the Fleet before the assault on Karbarra begins.


Soon enough, the 3rd AED led by the MacArthur are making their final approach in fold space to the outer reaches of the Karbarran system.

Prior to the third AED's arrival at Kandara's outer reaches, Ian did his best to focus on preparing for the next stage in the conflict; he kept up to date on all the new tech, made sure his squad got along well with each other, and joined them in being put through their paces in both the simulators and in space.

 

[Mineczka]

As Commander Reynolds spoke of Amanda, the lead of Manticore Squadron came in, Ian Grimsbury. The man was substantially taller than Valriya, and had a grin on his face from ear-to-ear, in an attempt to welcome her into the squadron. As nice as his smile was, Valriya knew how she was seen, most of all how her race was seen. It was only about fifteen years ago that those of her kind had nearly wiped out humanity, and other factions of her own kind, on Earth. As such, Valriya kept her head down, minding her manners and keeping herself from being trouble. Yet, a glimmer of light came in that, Valriya felt some ease knowing that there was a Praxian, and Karbarran on the same unit.

It was different, having other species of life in the same squadron. There was a small bit of comfort for her knowing the two, especially right off the bat as well. As the days passed, Valriya's new team would come to learn of Valriya's relaxed, yet formal disposition, and of her skills in the field, not just in the Varitech, but as an individual.

Hearing updates to the Cyclones and Varitechs was nice, though. It put Valriya at ease to hear the UEEF was getting better resources to keep their forces alive. With that knowledge, the Third AED were making the final approach to the Karbarran system. It'd be her first combat maneuvers outside of simulations since the fall of the Mad Red Devils, and knowing that, Valriya was focused, the Invid had some hell to pay from the Zentradi...

 

[Random Word]

"Yes ma'am! I won't disappoint you," declares Tisiphone as she salutes enthusiastically. "The High Ones made us for war. The Invid deceived us for a reason. You use your star ships to get me to the field of battle and I'll show you why."

"Oh, Praxia is beautiful! I hope you'll survive to see the day we crush the cowardly deceivers and retake it. At aelus-rise the clouds under Melisopolis - that's where I was created - have this beautiful pink-orange colour and we can strap on a pair of wings and fly like the birds until eos-rise. You just have to be careful not to stray too far from the city where everything gets heavier or a skimmer will have to be sent to fish you out of the sky and everyone will laugh at you. Oh, and only wear red if you're okay with full contact sky-wrestling. Some mornings you just want to enjoy the view. I mean, you can keep flying after eos-rise if you want to, but it's not as pretty and usually I get hungry by then. After, we can visit the Palace of the Orsinian Mysteries. It's a shifting labyrinth in the sky where down becomes up and sometimes left and right. There's a special draught the priestesses give you and it's such a profound communion with the High Ones and the self. Don't worry, we don't have to race the first time because it wouldn't be fair..."

A dozen drinks in it becomes apparent why the Praxian military is careful about handing out alcohol. Tisiphone clearly doesn't think human 'beer' holds up to Praxian spirits, and scoffs at the low alcohol content, but alcohol clearly has a much stronger effect on Praxian neurophysiology than human and it takes no encouragement for her to start giving impressive renditions of a mixture of Praxian songs no one in the bar has ever heard and requested human songs after being shown a video of the performance. The bar doesn't cut her off because she seems coordinated and coherent - if obviously manic - right up until about the twenty fourth beer, where she abruptly passes out at the end of Queen's Under Pressure. This prompts a minor panic and the summoning of medics, whose poor understanding of Praxian physiology only leads to more confusion, but eventually it's determined she's simply asleep and seems fine a few hours later. The incident prompts Contact and the AIP to draw up new guidelines for mess staff regarding Praxians. It is later explained to her that refusing when the bartender asks, 'Would you like another?' is not the grave insult she believed it to be.

Tisiphone is dedicated and almost unnervingly focused during team simulator runs. She only sleeps a few hours at night when she bothers at all, and spends most of her waking hours in training of some form or another. She's trained her whole life for real war, and she isn't about to slack off on the eve of her first true battle.

"A Zentraedi?" Tisiphone is clearly confused when Valriya is introduced to the squad. "The priestesses said you were our giant sister-daughters, but you don't look so big to me, ma'am," she says with a warm smile, "You have our blood in your veins, so you must be formidable regardless of size. Be welcome, sister."

 

[Psychie]

Motoko quickly gives up in her effort to keep pace with Tisiphone's drinking binge, wondering just how it is possible for someone to pack away so many drinks. Then the Paraxian passes out. Concern turns to amusement once the medics give the all clear, whereupon she does her best to try and get the other woman up to speed on the various social conventions that humans take for granted.

But once you get them all into the cockpit of their mecha, all awkwardness fades away as they begin to work on their team building, getting Manticore Squad up to 100%.

 

[WlfSamurai]

During drinks, Brac finds the UEEF ‘beer’ quite to his taste. So much so that he drinks quite a few. His massive bulk and enormous constitution keep him from truly feeling the effects, though, he doesn’t attempt to keep up with Tisiphone. He’s more than happy to nurse eat beverage.

But it does loosen him up. He hasn’t felt this mentally ‘untied’ in a long while. It is nice to allow himself to relax. He’s more than content listening to Tisiphone talk about Praxia while he lounges.

When there is another lull, he decides he should speak up. Motoko had asked him as well.

”You probably know enough already about Karbarra,” he says. “There’s little that’s ours anymore with the Masters and then Invid ravaging it. There was probably a time it was a flourishing planet filled with life. Now… It’s a mud pit covered with smog and battle scars. There’s too much pollution for it to be pretty anymore.”

Brac sighs and pauses by taking a swig from his bottle. “But it’s our shitty planet. And I’m glad the UEEF is here to help us fix our Invid occupation.”

 

[Sherwood]

After several weeks of being locked inside the MacArthur for the fold space journey to Karbarra, the ship goes into yellow alert as you approach the Merak system. Before exiting fold space, there is a briefing ordered for the pilots of the Mac in the large meeting room designed to house all the pilots of the ship at once. Looking around, you can see that while the bulk of the pilots are human, there are now a small smattering of newly trained pilots from the refugees from Tyrol. It helps to add some color to the squad room.

At the front of the room, the CAG stands off to one side at a podium as she presses controls to light up the main display viewscreens with a 3D display of the solar system.

Commander Reynolds begins with, "Karbarra is a large, terrestrial world in the Merak star system, about 80 light years away from Earth. The Bear Men are, in fact, Earth's closest known extraterrestrial neighbors. The star itself is more than twice as large as the Sun and about 60 times as bright.
Because of the size and heat of Merak, Karbarra orbits at about the same distance from its primary star as Jupiter orbits from the Sun. Any closer and it would not support life."

"Merak has several asteroid belts, suggesting it is an overall young star system whose planets have not finished forming. The planet Karbarra has plenty of volcanoes and tectonic activity to suggest it is overall fairly young, and there is little fossil record. The other two planets include a "Hot Jupiter" orbiting just a few million miles from the star itself, and a cold, rocky world at the edge of the system. Everything else is in The Bands; rocky dust clouds that circle Merak like the rings of Saturn."

"The Fleet is set to exit fold space at the outer edge of the system to begin a careful reconnaissance of the Invid force disposition, and to get an updated view of our targets. This is recon is going to be vital, since all of the data we have about Merak from our allies is decades out of date. As we approach our breakout point, the fleet will be in full alert mode and all pilots will be in a ready to launch status. If it is determined that there is no immediate threat to the fleet, we will start advancing into the system while using all of our sensor assets to garner information."

She presses come keys, and the display slowly zooms in to focus on the first of several asteroid belts. "The problem that we've been warned about is that due to the heavy metal composition of the asteroids, our long range scans will not be able to penetrate the fields. This means that the Invid can have a large force hidden in there, ready to strike, and we won't know it until we are right on top of them. In order to map out a safe approach path, we will be launching several Raven-class electronic warfare ships to begin a fine scan of the belt. Due to the lack of ordnance on the Ravens, each will be escorted by a squad of Veritechs. Escort assignments are being sent out now."

A quick glance at your data pads show that Manticore Squad is one of the teams slated for escort duty. You also see that since the older Valkyrie class Veritechs are slower than the combined Alpha/Beta fighter teams, each will be equipped with one of the Super Veritech Booster Packs. It will be your choice as to which version of the Booster Pack you have on your Veritech, along with what combination of ordnance you load on your wings.

"Each Raven has its own particular search area, and with as large as they are, if there is any trouble, it will be a while before any help can be vectored to your positions, so keep your heads on a swivel and watch for targets. Intelligence gathering is the primary goal, so keep your Raven in one piece and get back to the MacArthur in one piece."

"Any questions?"

 

[WlfSamurai]

Eyeing the 3D display, Bracca feels exhilaration coursing through his veins. This is it, he considers quietly to himself. I can take the fight to them. They have to be out on those asteroids. It’s too perfect to leave empty. And too dangerous to leave unprotected.

He glances at the rest of the squads for reactions. Not seeing much—he figures most have seen their fair share of battle for this to make them react—he shifts his gaze to his squad-mates. Folding his arms over his massive chest and looking back a the display, he pushes the in appropriate secret hope for action aside and tries to focus on memorizing the tactical readout.

The anxiousness to check his Beta and her weapons builds in his skull. Like an itch he can’t scratch here. The mental image of her technical plans shift through his mind and he mentally chooses a loud out and makes a checklist on which systems to double check.

 

[Psychie]

Motoko listens to the CAG's briefing, and finally raises up her hand to indicate she has a question. "Ma'am? If and when we run into Invid activity in the belt during our recon run, what is our priority? Is it to engage and destroy Invid, or stick with the Raven and keep the intelligence ship safe? If we can do both, what is the Rules of Engagement?"

 

[Sherwood]

The Commander says, "Your first priority is to protect the Raven and its crew. Engaging the Invid is secondary to that order. If and only if you can do both, feel free to go weapons hot. Any you kill now is one less that we have to deal with later on. As always, the decision to engage is left up to your squad leader. Are we clear?"

 

[Psychie]

Motoko nods. "Crystal, ma'am." She is already running through her Alpha's ordnance loadout to see what she is going to request before they launch.

OOC I'll go with a full load of short range HEAPs. What kind of Cyclones do we have?

 

[Sherwood]

What kind of Cyclones do we have?

Right now, you can have any Cyclone except for the Super.

 

[Sherwood]

There are a few other questions from other squads for the CAG, then when it seems that they were all done, the CAG dismisses the briefing with the final note that the ship will break out of fold space in two hours, so make sure that you are all ready for deployment.

 

[Psychie]

Motoko snaps to attention as the Commander leaves the room, then relaxes as soon as she is out of sight. "Well, I guess we have our marching orders. Time to go and make sure our mecha are all set to rock and roll." She pulls out her data tablet and begins to push buttons on it, signalling to the deck crews her missile selection and to load one of the Nova Cyclones in her Alpha. The odds of her needing a Cyclone on this mission are slim, but if she does, why not take one of the models built for space? Its not like they are going to be making landfall anytime soon.

Heading down to the hangar, the Alpha pilot takes her time in suiting up into her CVR-3 armor, going through the proper motions to make sure her suit is fully pressurized for space. Her armor is her last gasp for life if things go tits up, and she is by God not going to have her life ended because of a faulty seal on her armor.

Once Motoko is suited up, she heads for her Veritech to do her pre-flight checklist. Another place where anything less than 100% can be lethal. Its not that she doesn't trust the techs to keep the bird up and going, but its not their asses on the line in hard vacuum, is it? So she goes through the list, not skipping anything until she is ready to fly. Keying her radio, she calls out on the squad band, "Bigs here. Radio check. Everyone read me? My Alpha is showing green across the board."

WlfSamurai Rykon jaydude Random Word Mineczka

 

[WlfSamurai]

Following the briefing, Brac heads back to his bunk. Soon, it would be time to gear up, check his Beta, and go over checklists. But in this moment, he drags his duffel bag onto his bed and opens it. The object he pulls out fits in his palm and is wrapped in a fine blue wool cloth; his sister’s scarf. He unwraps it revealing a piece of a crumbling, blackened brick. He places the brick piece on the table and sets his tribe’s patch next to it.

Brac eyes the table and the items on it. Then he takes a deep breath and sits in front them. “Mom, Dad, Freya,” he says to no one in the room, “this is it. My first mission. It’s taken a lot to get here, but you’ve seen me past it. I don’t know if I’ll make it through today. And I’m okay with that. Then I might be able to see you all again.”

He stops and lowers his eyes. Taking another breath, he adds, “Listen, I’m not asking you to keep me safe. I know that’s way beyond what you’re probably … able to do. But, if you could lend me your strength—or give me more of my own—to do what needs to be done. To keep my team out of harm. Or at least so that I don’t put them in harm’s way. And kill as many of those Invid bastards as I can. I’d appreciate it. I promised I’d bury you all properly when we got our home back. I plan on keeping that promise. It’s just going to be a bit longer. Just a little longer. This is just the first step.”

He pauses again and looks to the wall, remembering a time when they were all together. His father throwing Freya in the air. Her belly-laughs as he caught her. His mother smiling while cutting the ingredients to stew. It still feels real. Even after years of knowing it isn’t.

“I love you,” he says finally. He kisses his paw and puts it on the piece of brick from his family home. Wrapping the brick back up in his sister’s favorite scarf, he puts it in his bag and pockets his clan patch.

Then, he turns out the light and heads for the hangar.

 

[jaydude]

Motoko snaps to attention as the Commander leaves the room, then relaxes as soon as she is out of sight. "Well, I guess we have our marching orders. Time to go and make sure our mecha are all set to rock and roll." She pulls out her data tablet and begins to push buttons on it, signalling to the deck crews her missile selection and to load one of the Nova Cyclones in her Alpha. The odds of her needing a Cyclone on this mission are slim, but if she does, why not take one of the models built for space? Its not like they are going to be making landfall anytime soon.

Heading down to the hangar, the Alpha pilot takes her time in suiting up into her CVR-3 armor, going through the proper motions to make sure her suit is fully pressurized for space. Her armor is her last gasp for life if things go tits up, and she is by God not going to have her life ended because of a faulty seal on her armor.

Once Motoko is suited up, she heads for her Veritech to do her pre-flight checklist. Another place where anything less than 100% can be lethal. Its not that she doesn't trust the techs to keep the bird up and going, but its not their asses on the line in hard vacuum, is it? So she goes through the list, not skipping anything until she is ready to fly. Keying her radio, she calls out on the squad band, "Bigs here. Radio check. Everyone read me? My Alpha is showing green across the board."

WlfSamurai Rykon jaydude Random Word Mineczka

"This is your boss speaking, and yes, everything checks out for me." Ian replied to Bigs, once he too had gotten suited up and set up within his Veritech.

"Remember everyone, our job this time is to keep the Invid off the Raven as it carries out its scan. So in case it's not obvious, stick close to the Raven." he said to everyone.

 

[Mineczka]

Meeting her new teammates, Valriya took note of the hesitation of some, and the response of another, Trisiphone, the Praxian in the team. Whom mentioned the micronized size of Valriya, "It's not uncommon, that we Zentradi become micronized, if not 'born' as such. But, though my size isn't as the size of my previous brethren, my abilities remain. The name's Valriya, my callsign is Devana." She kept her words brief, Valriya knew that her kind wasn't looked at too keenly, and she didn't want to say much to cause any issue, not until there's a level of comfort between the squad and her...

Listening to the briefing, Valriya kept her eyes on the information at hand, any advantage that she could get over the Invid was always a boon. Though, the acknowledgement was made, her VF-1R was much slower than that of the Alpha and Beta fighters on it's own, though the addition of the Booster Pack gave it comparable speed. Equipment, however, came to mind... Though Valriya decided it best to remain with the standard array of weapons, a fair balance of weaponry should be enough in her mind.

After the briefing, the Zentradi changed into her flight suit, by this point, she had everything down to a rhythm, step-by-step. After which, Valriya took it upon herself to double check her Valkyrie, last she saw it, it was a little worse for wear, the scars of the last battle had faded, healed of her wounds, the fighter was much akin to her pilot. Placing a hand over the new emblem painted where a Red Devil used to be, Valriya took a moment, whether it was a prayer, or a promise, what befell her last squad wasn't to happen again, and Valriya wanted to be sure of it. Taking her position in the cockpit, Valriya watched as her systems lit up, adjusting her controls, and eventually hearing her teammate, over the radio, Makoto, was it?

"Bigs here. Radio check. Everyone read me? My Alpha is showing green across the board."

Then, Ian came in,

"This is your boss speaking, and yes, everything checks out for me. Remember everyone, our job this time is to keep the Invid off the Raven as it carries out its scan. So in case it's not obvious, stick close to the Raven."

Finally, Valriya took up her radio, saying the same words as she always had with the Red Devils, "Devana, ready to hunt." Pausing for a moment, "All systems operational"

Mentions: WlfSamurai Psychie Random Word
Interactions: All?

 

[Random Word]

Before the ritual initiation into the mysteries of Oriphime, Goddess of war and honour, her excitement is palpable. When she arrives in the little cargo hold, lit by candles and thick with the smoke of incense, she can barely contain herself. She doesn't care that it isn't the spectacular temple on Praxia, with little candles instead of massive braziers, or that they had to get special permission just to light the candles at all. This moment on the eve of battle, when Bella hands her the chalice and the blood wine touches her lips, is the crowning achievement of her life, and yet afterwards she feels nothing. The wine ensures it. No fear, no excitement, no elation, only peace. A little bit of chemical aid to ensure she doesn't disgrace herself in her first battle. The human officers had tried to insist an intoxicated pilot had no business being on the flight deck, let alone sortieing, but Bella had shut that down.

She doesn't remember donning her flight suit, but somehow finds herself swiftly ascending the ladder to the cockpit of her Valkyrie, laden with the shortest range payload she could persuade the officers to assign her. Only a few kilometres - she would be able to see the enemy with the naked eye when she engaged. She flows through the pre-flight checklist, just another set of steps in the extended ritual so well practiced as to require no thought at all.

She completes the ritual call and response chant initiated by Lt. Grimsby, using the war-name the instructors had given her for just this purpose when they were initiated into the mysteries of the Valkyrie, "This is Inanna. Pre-flight checks complete. All systems green. Orders understood." She hadn't known what the war-name meant, but the ship's oracle had told her it was a human war goddess, and she had been flattered her instructors thought so highly of her. She couldn't bring that feeling back, or the anticipation she had felt this morning at the thought of killing Invid, but neither did she feel any fear at the thought of death at their hands. There was nothing left but her training and her duty. She would become the weapon she was born to be. When the launch indicator lit up on her HUD she calmly hit the acknowledgement button and felt the kick back into her seat as the launch catapult hurled her out into the void.

 

[Sherwood]

With everyone's Veritech fully inspected and loaded, Manticore squadron moves into launch position on the flight deck of the MacArthur. Moments later, you are boosted out into space and take up positions as you wait for the Raven to be deployed. Soon enough, the electronic warfare bird takes to space, and there is a signal coming from it for you.

"Manticore Squadron, this is Raven-04. We would like to thank you for flying with us today. Our in-flight movie is the sci-fi hit Aliens, and drink service will begin shortly."

A second voice hits the airways with, "Cut the comedy, Wilson. This is serious business."

Wilson replies, "Uh, yes, sir. Manticore Squad, we have our flight plan and all radio frequencies being synched up with your computers, and we are ready for mission start. Prepare to boost."

With that, the Raven begins to accelerate up to a flight speed of Mach 6, giving you time to match velocities with them. It takes you two hours of uneventful flight time to just get to your search zone, and once you are there, the Raven begins its radar sweep of the area, maintaining speed through the edge of the asteroid field.

Another two hours of spaceflight goes by before the Raven signals, "Manticore Squadron, we have a large return off of one of these asteroids at the extreme edge of our radar. Could be a large ship, or possibly a mining base. Alter course to the following vector so we can get better intel on it. The Captain may want you to get closer so you can do a visual inspection of the possible target."

 

[Psychie]

Bigs keeps her mouth shut as the Raven's comm tech makes his reference to the movie, but by golly its hard not to add some smartass joke. Soon enough, the moment passes and her self restraint is rewarded by not getting yelled at. In the meantime, she settles into her seat for a long flight. At least the pilots in the Alphas and Betas have the ability to switch off who's got the stick and throttle; the two Valks are stuck having to fly their birds the whole time themselves.

Then the Raven reports that they have something on their scope that might be trouble. Bigs' idle daydreaming is cut off as she focuses her attention on the possibility of contact with the enemy. She looks at the data feed coming over to them from the Raven, and wonders what this huge contact might be.

OOC how big is this radar signal? Is it moving? Is it on the asteroid, or floating out in space on its own?

 

[Sherwood]

OOC how big is this radar signal? Is it moving? Is it on the asteroid, or floating out in space on its own?

The radar signal is stationary, and it is on the surface of the asteroid. It looks like it is either a large ship that has landed, or a smaller ship attached to a mining station.

WlfSamurai You are aware that the asteroid belt is thick with heavy metals that make mining a very valuable enterprise, so a mining station is not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[jaydude]

With everyone's Veritech fully inspected and loaded, Manticore squadron moves into launch position on the flight deck of the MacArthur. Moments later, you are boosted out into space and take up positions as you wait for the Raven to be deployed. Soon enough, the electronic warfare bird takes to space, and there is a signal coming from it for you.

"Manticore Squadron, this is Raven-04. We would like to thank you for flying with us today. Our in-flight movie is the sci-fi hit Aliens, and drink service will begin shortly."

A second voice hits the airways with, "Cut the comedy, Wilson. This is serious business."

Wilson replies, "Uh, yes, sir. Manticore Squad, we have our flight plan and all radio frequencies being synched up with your computers, and we are ready for mission start. Prepare to boost."

With that, the Raven begins to accelerate up to a flight speed of Mach 6, giving you time to match velocities with them. It takes you two hours of uneventful flight time to just get to your search zone, and once you are there, the Raven begins its radar sweep of the area, maintaining speed through the edge of the asteroid field.

Another two hours of spaceflight goes by before the Raven signals, "Manticore Squadron, we have a large return off of one of these asteroids at the extreme edge of our radar. Could be a large ship, or possibly a mining base. Alter course to the following vector so we can get better intel on it. The Captain may want you to get closer so you can do a visual inspection of the possible target."

"Acknowledged. Altering course now." Ian replied over the airways before adjusting the movement of his Veritech accordingly. He continued to stick close to the Raven while keeping an eye on his scanners, half-expecting the Invid to start jumping out from behind asteroids.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Brac keeps pace and formation. Eyeing the radar feed being broadcast to his HUD, he considers its size and shape. It isn't moving, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. He marks it to be tracked and rendered in his FOV. It will be easier to create a firing solution if it's already tracked.

He instinctually opens and closes his right paw, trying work out the tension he's feeling. He had known he'd feel on edge and in some ways excited. He did not, however, anticipate the fear. It took more time than it should have to admit to himself what the feeling was. Fear; for his life; for his squadmates. It wasn't until they catapulted out of the hangar that it hit him: this is life and death. Of course it is. Always going to be. Yet, it didn't sink in until the void of space was out in front of his viewscreen on this first mission.

He tries to focus his attention. Check gauges and sensors, he tells himself. Good, now, visual sweep. Good. Keep up the movement. Call in eyes on.

"This is Papa, Boss," He radios. "Radar signal locked and tracking."

 

[Sherwood]

As you are approaching the asteroid, Bracca is getting more and more convinced from the size and sensor return that this is a mining outpost on the asteroid, probably drawn to the heavy metals and Sekitan deposits that fuel the industry of Karbarra. Also, as you get within a few hundred miles, you start picking up a navigation beacon, most likely designed to help mining cargo ships to make a safe landing at the outpost.

From the Raven, you get a signal. "Attention, Manticore Squad. We are getting a good indication that this is a manned outpost. We are now going to attempt to contact the outpost. Stand by for a potential hostile reaction." Switching to a wide band signal, the Raven begins to broadcast. "Mining outpost, this is Captain Rooke from the planet Earth, calling from a reconnaissance ship from the UEEF MacArthur. Please respond." This signal is sent first in clear English, then in Zentraedi and Karbarran.

After several rounds of this broadcast going off, there is finally a return signal in Karbarran, which is quickly translated by your computers. "This is outpost 375, operating under charter for the Ibarra Corporation. We have no data on file for a planet Earth, nor any UEEF ship named Mack Arthur. Who are you?"

It takes a few minutes of careful back and forth signals before the nature of the UEEF force in the system is understood by the person on the other end of the radio. Once that is done, you get the troubling report that there are several Invid on the rock ahead of you, keeping the workers on the asteroid working at a terrible pace as they are forced to dig into the mine for Sekitan deposits, and any failure to meet their quota is met with punishments being leveled by the Invid there.

You are aware that any attempt made by you to get within one mile of the asteroid will make it possible for your active Protoculture power systems to be detected by the Invid, even through layers of rock and metal.

There is a report from the Karbarran on the radio that there is a total of ten Armored Scouts, twenty Soldiers and four Garn Inorganics in the mining complex and down in the mine itself, keeping an eye on the multitude of workers down there. You also hear that this force of Invid is keeping sixty Karbarran miners under the gun.

Capt. Rooke switches to the squad only channel, saying, "Lt. Grimsbury, I may be the ranking officer on the Raven, but Manticore Squad is your responsibility. I am hesitant to leave this Invid force with so many civilians held hostage, but it is your call to make as if you feel that your team can take that many Invid. What do you think?"

jaydude

 

[jaydude]

Ian considered his next choice of action. The altruistic part of him didn't want to stand by and do nothing with regards to the enslaved Karbarrans, but he also knew that he had a responsibility to keep his squad safe.

Then again, he thought, the purpose of this mission was intelligence gathering. Who's to say those Karbarrans don't have some information for us?

"Let's try and get close for now, see if we can get a good visual on this outpost. Everyone on me." he ordered, before turning his Veritech and flying towards the outpost. As he did so, he sent out a message to whomever was in command of this operation.

"This is 2nd Lieutenant Grimsbury. Our group has detected signs of Invid within an asteroid mining outpost at [asteroid's co-ordinates]; an estimated 34 hostiles. We are moving to engage them, and would appreciate additional reinforcements once we get there."

He couldn't help but think that they were going to end up fighting.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Brac kept format as the squad shifted to their new vector. Hearing the radio chatter about the ground situation at the outpost had sent his mind through flashbacks. Now, as he maintains his speed and distance, he realizes just how tense his body is and how tightly he is gripping the controls.

He shakes his head, trying to focus and begins checking his gauges and sensors again.