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Post by Game Master on Jul 14, 2014 0:29:35 GMT -6
[GM Note: I wanted this up, but we are not beginning this yet until we finish up Chapter 9]
The Valiant shot out of fiery blue energy of the Mass Relay, wisps of Stygian energies bled from the hull like tendrils. The refurbished Turian frigate's engines exploded with a sudden violent burst of light before the ship disappeared in a blur of light as the ship's pilot activated the FTL drive brief moments after re-entering normal space. It was a dangerous move, one that every engineer on the ship prepped the Valiant for, making sure she could handle the sudden shift. No ship was built to withstand that sort of change without taking serious damage. But the engineers worked to mitigate the damage, redirecting the sudden spikes of raw energy into the ship's ablative armor, to vaporize harmlessly into space.
Within the Valiant, the crew prepared for the coming conflict. They knew what was going on. The Collectors had potentially dozens of test subjects, innocent aliens from every species in Council Space. They had to be rescued. The group need to locate the Indisputable proof of Councillor Udina's involvement with the Collectors, hidden on the base. The base needed to be destroyed, most likely with activating the self-destruct system, as it was doubtful even an army could clear the base successfully.
It was risky.
It was even possibly overwhelming.
But this was the mission that everyone signed on for. Search and rescue. Retrieve data. Kill evil. All that they had to do was charge into the gates of hell.
A direct assault would be suicide. Esteban emphasized this when he debriefed everyone. He could not get a map to the base as one did not exist. Every piece of data from Shepard's experience told him that the base was laid out close to an insect hive, and those things changed constantly. It would require expert hacking to infiltrate the Collector systems to determine where everything was at. Expert enough to avoid detection.
The Valiant closed in on the target... T-minus one hour...
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 15, 2014 21:00:10 GMT -6
Maelstrom found himself running pre-flight checks as usual. Emily had him patched into the Valiant's comms system, so he could take part in any of the planning. For his own part, he was ready for the coming fight. He was a bit short on grenades, to accommodate for his more unconventional armaments. One set for taking down Praetorians and the other set for silent kills.
As always, he was outfitted in his black Collector armor. The holographic display on the face-plate was turned off to draw less attention. On either hip were his geth-modified SMG and his Collector SMG, and his geth-modified assault rifle was mounted on his back.
The Vengeance's weapons were fully loaded and ready for launch. Bridges might have been a fan of subtlety, but Maelstrom would be ready if force was required. In his experience, a timely explosion was most often the deciding factor in a fight.
Most importantly, his review of Emily's updated combat protocols was finished.
As Emily ran diagnostics, Maelstrom turned his attention to selecting the right pieces of music to play during the mission.
Tapping his comms, he opened a direct line to Iskra. "Hello, Doctor. Is the anti-seeker swarm compound finished?"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Jul 15, 2014 22:12:41 GMT -6
Having finished preparing his gear, Joe lay on the floor of one of the observation rooms. To an outsider, it looked like he was sleeping, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Before any battle, a good Marine would take some time alone to gather himself in order to focus on what lay ahead. Anything that could be a take away from that focus--fears, worries, concerns, doubts, distractions--he imagined he gathered them up and went downstairs to a very large and very secure trunk where he would put them away, lock the trunk and then throw away the key.
That done, he then imagined dying in every possible way he could think of. This wasn't to unnerve him; he had once read a book written when men fought with swords and bows, and one thing it said was that every day a warrior should imagine himself dying in order to accept it and therefore make peace with it. When that was achieved, he could function without fear.
With that peace achieved, he just lay there, living in each moment as it came along and ready to do his duty.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2014 23:32:11 GMT -6
Iskra's dark armor shimmered in the dim light of her quarters, its reflective scales catching moments of light in the otherwise dark room.
The young doctor took in a deep breath as she tried to meditate, the last of the glass orbs floating barely above her outstretched hands. She was trying so hard, the biotic aura wavering unsteadily around the smooth glass. It had been days of sitting on edge, but she did not know what for.
Why her heart beat was in her ears...why she heard a soft whisper everywhere she went...why her soul felt like it was a match waiting to be struck...
The whisper came more as a scream in the calm room, her reflexes barely fast enough to catch the falling orb. She hugged the small glass object to her chest, panting in fear, her muscles shaking with sudden adrenaline.
"Hello, Doctor." Maelstrom's voice crackled in her ear. "Is the anti-seeker swarm compound finished?"
Shakily placing the orb down on the soft bed, Iskra rose and placed her sniper rifle on her back. "It is ready, Maelstrom. Each person going on the mission will need to come to me for application."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 16, 2014 0:53:40 GMT -6
His reptile was curled up quite contentedly in the co-pilot's seat. Maelstrom reached over and pet the creature's neck. It startled at first, baring its teeth momentarily, but it calmed instantly at the sight of him. Though it was silent, there was something about its expression- the posture of its neck and the look in its eyes- that told him it was rather content with the affection it was receiving.
"Each person going on the mission will need to come to me for application," Iskra replied. Maelstrom hoped the doctor could bring the compound down to the ship rather than requiring him to go to her, but he was not altogether surprised.
"Understood," Maelstrom said, before closing the channel. He snapped his fingers, getting the reptile's attention.
"You heard the doc, Emily," he said, getting up from his seat and starting back towards his cabin. The animal, which he named Zuko, after a character in an old animated entertainment program he watched with his father as a child, followed after him. "Keep running last-minute diagnostics until I get back, and don't let our newcomer in until I'm here."
"Want me to give her a good zap if she tries?" the VI asked playfully, its feminine form flickering into existence in the main compartment. Though he did not have details, he was aware that Morgan must have been in possession of considerable skills to get on the Valiant and remain hidden as long as she had. He programmed Emily to be cautious and take appropriate precautions against all skills he could think of which would allow such a feat. When her simulated personality was running, it translated as a dislike of the young woman.
"No need to be cruel, Em. Just keep it locked up and give warning zero one zero," Maelstrom said, as he motioned for the reptile to get into their quarters, which it did without protest. He closed and locked the compartment behind it.
"And if she ignores me? Then I can shock her?" Emily asked.
"A mild shock. I think Bridges is planning to use her for the mission," Maelstrom said, heading for the hatch to the shuttlebay.
"I don't like working for someone else. It's more complicated," the VI said. He grinned, knowing it meant that the program found it more taxing to simultaneously run all the additional security programs required for being aboard the Valiant. She still had more than enough capacity, but it did take away resources generally devoted to analyzing extranet data, examining the Cerberus databases he managed to obtain, and scrub his tracks behind himself. Those were all tasks given extremely high priority, and completing them seemed to result in some form of positive feedback for the program.
"Think about it this way. We leave a smaller data footprint this way, and we have more resources to use in bringing Cerberus down," Maelstrom reminded, just before hitting the buttons on his omni-tool that opened the hatch.
The projection disappeared, but she piped in, in the voice of her simulated personality, "I guess."
The hatch closed and locked behind him, as he made his way up to the med-bay. The others were either ready or readying themselves, and he was not stopped by anyone along the way. He hit the door chime when he arrived at the medical compartment.
"I'm ready for my application, if you have time," Maelstrom called over the intercom.
(Can assume he enters, if welcomed.)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2014 19:33:53 GMT -6
Iskra ran her hand over the smooth faceplate of her helmet, the curved glass free of niches or scratches. She looked in vain for her reflection and found nothing but darkness.
"I'm ready for my application, if you have time." Maelstrom's voice boomed over the intercom.
"Please come in." She responded calmly.
The young doctor heard the man come in but did not look from her reflectionless reflection. There was a long moment of silence before she set the helmet down onto the counter along with her sniper rifle.
"You are quite eager." She gives the man a soft smile finally, pulling out the replenished serum.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 17, 2014 1:20:21 GMT -6
"You are quite eager," Iskra said, pulling out the serum. Though Maelstrom knew it was essential to the mission, it brought back bad memories.
"Just trying to make sure everything's in order," Maelstrom said. "Not being prepared is a good way to get killed."
Something had been growing on his mind the past several days as well. Before he knew what he was saying, he blurted out, "And I really wish someone had been there to do this for me when I needed it."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 2:01:28 GMT -6
Iskra stared at Maelstrom for a long moment after his outburst, her sunset eyes studying him. His helmet yielding no more answers than her own empty faceplate laying on the counter behind her.
She calmly walked behind him, gently touching his back, letting him know where she was. The small tube fitting into a port on the shield generator, her voice unsure as it answered him.
"We do appreciate it. I doubt any of our missions would run as smooth without you and Emily." She didn't think that was the answer he wanted but it was all she was going to say. She hope he trusted her enough to tell her anything but...
She rounded back around him, her hand leaving his shoulder. She definitely understood if he couldn't. She had seen the twins leaving his ship often. If they were even half of what the Consort was, they were thousand times better at helping Maelstrom than a broken doctor was.
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 17, 2014 2:27:38 GMT -6
He was far more at-ease than he expected to be with Iskra touching him. There was a time not too long ago that almost any touching put him on the verge of a state of fight or flight response. He wondered how much of it was his growing familiarity with the doctor and the rest of the crew and how much of it was the frequent ministrations of Anelya and Enaya. In either case, he had said more than he meant to, but he knew that even that little bit begged more.
He looked up, seeing the drell doctor in front of him. "It's a process, doctor. One I'm not sure I'm strong enough to follow through to the end. If I make it there, though, you'll be one of the first to know."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 2:53:23 GMT -6
"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing." Iskra quoted to the air before looking back at the man hiding behind his armor. "There is a good man inside you, Maelstrom. I know, I have seen it." She hesitated a moment, her voice choking slightly as memories flooded her mind. "Do not think you need to go through it alone."
The younger doctor straightened up with a deep breath, restoring her normal carriage with a soft smile. "Perhaps, when you are ready, I will show you a Hanar drinking game."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 17, 2014 10:12:32 GMT -6
"Perhaps, when you are ready, I will show you a Hanar drinking game," Iskra offered.
Maelstrom wanted to laugh out loud at the last comment, but he did not want her to think that he did not take seriously the words that preceded it. With Shala'Bekk and Cruendi'has gone, she and Lysander there were only the two members of the crew he felt he could trust as much as he trusted them, whether or not they realized it.
"Sounds like fun," he replied. "Are we done with the application?"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2014 14:22:56 GMT -6
Iskra blinked at Maelstrom's question, her mind having been pulled from the reason he came. "Of course. Sorry for keeping you."
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Post by Maelstrom on Jul 17, 2014 15:11:31 GMT -6
"Of course. Sorry for keeping you," Iskra said, seeming momentarily taken aback.
"Nothing to be sorry for," he said, realizing he might have come off more direct than he intended. He could not think of a quick way to undo the damage which would not seem contrived, so he stood and made his way to the door.
Maelstrom paused for a moment once there. He was just violating all sorts of personal rules today. "You're probably aware that I programmed Emily to contact Lysander and Shala'Bekk in the event that I was incapacitated beyond her ability to remedy, on the last mission. I hope you don't mind, Iskra, but I've replaced Shala with you as my 'emergency contact.'"
Any more emotional conversation would only serve to distract him, and that could be death before a mission, so, before she had a chance to reply, he exited the room. Once the doors were closed behind him, he took a deep breath. He imagined it was the parallels between the prisoners inside the base and his own past, but he had a very bad feeling about the mission.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2014 2:31:57 GMT -6
"I hope you don't mind, Iskra, but I've replaced Shala with you as my 'emergency contact.'"
Iskra opened her mouth to protest but Maelstrom was already gone. She looked down at the glass tube in her hand, her thumb sliding absentmindedly against the glass. Why had she agreed to this again?
"He trusts you, you know." Anelya spoke from the door.
The young doctor did not have to look up to know which of the Asari were addressing her. Anelya and her had found much common ground in the few days they had shared a ship together. Both practiced Siarism as well as studied many other religions for the sake of enlightenment. They had attended the same university, though at different times. And they shared a calm, logical mind which had to lead to many a relaxing discussion, something the Drell had missed on the mission up until now.
"No. He respects what I am doing...Sees someone in need of saving." Iskra found herself hurt, she hadn't known of his promise in the last mission. But she supposed he had found kindship in the Quarian, like so many on this ship had.
"Ai'a me!" Iskra jumped at the sound of the surprise in the normal level voice. "Your hand!"
Jagged shards of glass that use to be the tube now had buried themselves into her hand, her clenched fist dripping dark blood. Iskra couldn't believe it herself as she opened her hand, there was no pain, only this dark twisting in her heart.
...Hate?...Jealous?...No...just...anger...
"Do not worry," Iskra responded shakily, already pulling glass from the black armor. "Only one broke through the mesh. I shall be fine. I apologize for scaring you."
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 5, 2014 12:34:42 GMT -6
Soft breathing rippled throughout Esteban's dark, silent room, escaping from the sleeping Asari's parted lips. Anelya was curled up on Esteban's soft azure L-shaped sofa. Esteban laid in his bed no more than twenty feet away from her, listening to her breathe. He was enjoying the quiet moment, staring up at the ceiling with a satisfied smile of his face. He spent the evening talking with Anelya, just talking.
Esteban calmly rolled out of bed and threw on his plain white robe. Normally, he would have been awake for at least three hours, feverishly double checking every piece of equipment he owned. But right now, he did not feel up to it, though he read the pilot's message about the target being an hour away. His hand drifted over a set of pocket tools he kept on his end table, grabbing them before walking quietly over to a seat beside his coffee table.
Wisps of light came from the ceiling over the table, giving Esteban barely enough light for him to work. He carefully set the tools down onto the table, lifting his eyes over toward Anelya. The Asari was blanketed in shadow. Her fingers twitched, her eyes darting left and right under shut lids. She was as peaceful now as she was when she first drifted to sleep.
"Data," Esteban whispered softly so not to wake her. "Play Coltrane. Blue Train mix."
The silky smooth jazz of Coltrane filled the air. Esteban smiled, scooting his chair closer to the coffee table. There was a small cylindrical object that he kept there as a centerpiece, never explaining to anyone what it was. Anelya was sure that it was something Esteban found as salvage and was working to restore it. He shook his head at the memory. Nothing could be further from the truth, though he never admitted to it.
His foot tapped to the music as he set the device down in front of him. His fingers traced the rough, uneven finish of the exterior, searching for the activation panel. All at once, soft white light shone up from the top. A small woman floated within the beam, her hair freely moving as if within water.
"Hello Lal," Esteban mouthed, not daring to put voice to this. Especially with company in the room. The holographic figurine changed so much since Esteban made her over thirty years ago. This was supposed to be his magnum opus. His legacy.
Lal's eyes opened. She smiled her special smile to greet Esteban before spinning around in suspended light. She danced like an angel. Esteban was so transfixed on his creation that he did not notice Anelya was awake and watching.
"Who is she?" the Asari asked innocently, stretching out and yawning.
Esteban shut off the device immediately, setting it down roughly back in the middle of the coffee table with an audible clink. Anelya frowned.
"She's nobody," he quickly responded, rising up to his feet.
"Rob..." she started to say gently before Esteban cut her off.
"I have a busy day ahead of me, Anelya," he said as professionally as his agitated voice would allow. "It would be best if you left."
"I... " she started to say before nodding. "Alright."
She rose up without saying another word and headed for the exit port. Esteban quietly cursed himself, using his omnitool to kill the music. He did not know what he was thinking, trying to work like that with another person in the room. He felt inspired to work. But...
His dark eyes drifted over to the exit port closing, seeing that he was alone. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Data," he finally said out loud. "Send Maelstrom a message. I need to talk with him about the mission. Tell him that we need to talk exit strategies in case something goes wrong."
"Yes sir," his VI replied, sending the message immediately.
Esteban set his tools back down on his end table before heading to his shower to get cleaned off and ready for the coming mission.....
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 5, 2014 21:03:23 GMT -6
"Priority message," Emily piped in through his helmet's audio, as Maelstrom was still a deck from his ship. A small gesture, which his VI recognized through its interface with his suit, brought up the message, a summons from his employer along with a route through the ship's ductwork and Jeffries tubes to reach his private room. It made Maelstrom reconsider his preconceptions about the man. Such a convoluted route just to reach one's private quarters suggested someone deeply obsessed with security.
The entry point was not far away, and Maelstrom quickly found his way into the narrow passages meant to service the ship's vital technology. The route took him up a deck, back down two, and up again, weaving past life support systems, squeezing past fuel injectors for the the thruster systems, and ducking under power couplings. Finally, he reached the last access point, a narrow vertical passage and ladder that spanned all decks, servicing several vital computer systems. He laughed as he realized that no one in heavy armor would ever be able to make it through.
When just a couple meters from the top, one of his loaded grenade carriers caught on the edge of a access port that was not completely closed. Maelstrom turned his head just in time to see one of his kinetic-detonator equipped grenades eject from the the case. He tried to catch it, but his elbow slammed into one of the metal walls, blocking his attempt. The weapon was not armed, but the explosives used in the device could still detonate if significant kinetic force were applied... a force like falling four decks down through a ship. Straightening his harm, he summoned a powerful pull field. Leaving only one hand and one foot on the ladder, he flattened his body against one wall of the tube, just in time for the grenade to fly past him. A few feet above his head, its momentum dissipated, and it fell back into his waiting hand. Releasing a held breath, he slipped the weapon back into its container and climbed the last few rungs.
When he came to the hatch, rather than just fling it open and let himself in, he rapped his middle and index finger against the metal plate.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 6, 2014 11:35:15 GMT -6
Esteban finished dressing, pulling a plain black fitted shirt over his head and down his body in one smooth motion. He stared at himself in the full length mirror for a moment, inspecting himself. His outfit was designed for function rather than form, something that he preferred to wear underneath his armor for missions. The fact that it was Thessian cotton was a nice plus, one of the softest materials in the known galaxy. He brushed away a brown hair from his shirt before heading over to his chair by the coffee table.
The table was set, ready for his meeting with Maelstrom. His dark eyes went from piece to piece, making sure everything was in place. Two porcellin tea cups. A fresh pot of earl grey tea. Honey and sugar for sweeteners. Two silver spoons. Four data pads with information on the Collectors. And finally, his centerpiece. He stopped, staring at it for a long moment. Lal, he thought to himself, lost in thought. He planned on updating her eyes, giving them more of the Drell look that Iskra had. And maybe experiment on her cheekbones so it would come closer to the Asari twins.
The sounds of the grating moving pulled him back to the present. He rose up to his feet and headed over to where Maelstrom was crawling out of the jeffery's tube.
"Thank you for coming under such short notice," Esteban said as a way of greeting, extending his hand to help Maelstrom get up to his feet. "I have concerns about the coming mission that I think only you can address."
He gestured, inviting Maelstrom to take a seat on his sofa. "Please, have a seat."
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 6, 2014 12:10:17 GMT -6
"Please, have a seat," Esteban offered, as Maelstrom crawled out of the tube.
Maelstrom surveyed the setting laid out before them. It took him aback. He was already in his armor, with his helmet on, ready to go. With less than an hour to the objective, it seemed somehow wrong to take the time to relax to a pot of tea while going over strategy. Still, he did not wish to appear rude, so he removed his helmet, setting it down beside himself as he took a seat. The scent of the earl grey was familiar and normally smoothing, but he was in his battle mindset. Anything that was not a goal or threat was barely registered and certainly not lingered on.
"Thank you," Maelstrom said, before arranging two of the pads in front of himself, giving them a cursory glance. Tactical data on the Collectors. Looking back to his employer, he asked, "Do we have some new data on our target, or are you merely wanting to go over general contingencies?"
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 6, 2014 13:38:10 GMT -6
"Thank you," Maelstrom said politely enough, taking a quick read of the tactical data before looking up and over to Esteban. "Do we have some new data on our target, or are you merely wanting to go over general contingencies?"
"The second," Esteban answered without a pause, reaching over to take hold of one of the datapads. He flipped it over so the screen was facing him and tapped it, turning it on. "What options are available if the team gets swarmed?"
His finger traced one of the Collector images on his screen, pulling up one of the thousands of contingencies Esteban envisioned. This one was one of the most basic. It showed hundreds of Collectors crashing down onto the team, swarming them like insects. Esteban turned the pad so Maelstrom could see it as well.
"I imagine you have been arming yourself in preparation for this mission. This is one of the three scenarios that concerns me."
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 6, 2014 14:48:05 GMT -6
"I imagine you have been arming yourself in preparation for this mission. This is one of the three scenarios that concerns me," Esteban said, showing a computer generated image of the team being swarmed by hundreds of Collectors.
"Tactical retreat is the key to our first two options," Maelstrom said, knowing it without a moment's thought. "That many wouldn't be taken care of by most heavy weapons, and any ordinance sufficient to deal with such numbers would be powerful enough to kill any team members remotely close by. In the first two options, we call for the Vengeance and do our best to keep to cover while keeping fire on the Collectors.
"As a matter of course, I would place yourself, Iskra, Meldom, and Morgan at the head of our group, the furthest from the chasing Collectors. Not only are our techies better defended, but you can work on opening locked doors. It also lets Iskra and Meldom use their sniper rifles effectively. And, frankly, you and Morgan losing accuracy if there are this many Collectors after us isn't going to be much of a problem. It would be more of a challenge for you to miss than to hit.
"Karn and Fischer should be on the front lines. Their shields and armor give them the best protection against heavy fire. They buy time for the rest of us without sacrificing themselves. If we can manage to get our mech into the station, he should be there too.
"Myself and Lysander belong in the middle. Lysander in particular provides a great advantage in this position. It allows him to set explosives on support structures without being rushed quite as much. This should limit the number of Collectors we have to deal with at any particular time, though I suspect they would just divert to other passages and could easily dig through the fallen material quickly. The reason for me being in the center is that it allows me to focus on both the leading and tail end of our group as biotic artillery. I can use my natural abilities to knock back Collectors that get too close to our team-members, and I can use grenades on those foes who are farther away. I should also suggest that in such a situation, you order everyone except Lysander to relinquish any grenades to me on command, since I can deploy them to great effect and at greater range than anyone else. When I run out of explosives and tire from my biotic abilities, I move to the front lines, using my SMG's to help cover Karn and Fischer.
"During our retreat, the Vengeance should be able to scramble communications frequencies. This might slow the Collectors' response and at least limit the number we're facing somewhat. The downside is that it's a blanket coverage. We lose communications ourselves as well, forcing us to rely on verbal and visual signals."
Pushing back the pads in front of him, he said, "When we reach a suitable point for pickup, we're relatively safe. The Vengeance's modified Cain would be capable of wiping out a significant number in one shot, and, if aimed properly, shouldn't cause casualties on our end. At that point, the pilot would use the two forward-mounted emplacements on my craft to eliminate and pin down as many hostiles as possible. Once the team is close enough, the Vengeance would turn to the side, bringing the firing arc of the turret into play and offering us a means to board the craft, but unfortunately taking the other two emplacements out of the way. I would also suggest deploying a significant explosive device, most likely nuclear, to cover our escape. It would send the base into such significant chaos that any defenses which survived would be unable to act in time to prevent our escape. I have such a device, if you require it. Of course, I would have to bill you for cost. They're not a standard piece of mercenary equipment, much less those that you can stow on your ship undetected while your shuttle is parked at the Citadel.
"Of course, things become a bit more complicated if we have too many prisoners with us. We can only fit so many on the Vengeance, and bringing in the Valiant makes detection more likely.... and I'm not sure how its weaponry would work at providing cover during our escape.
"Assuming the Collectors have crafts of their own in the area, and if we're on the Vengeance, I would suggest postponing docking with the Valiant. It would give them time to intercept. Given what we know of Collector ship-to-ship weaponry, we wouldn't have any chance should they detect us. Instead, I would suggest sending both crafts into FTL and rendezvousing in empty space, where no one would be looking for us. We could then rejoin the Valiant and make our way to a mass relay at top speed."
"That would be my option one," Maelstrom said. "Option two strikes me as more risky, but I'll leave that decision to you. We get into their ventilation or waste extraction system. More than likely, we'd be forced into single file, best in the same formation I mentioned before. That would also force them into single-file as well, negating the effects of their numbers. As I see it, though, there are five extreme risks in this situation, in order of likelihood. First would be if they could introduce a superheated plasma or powerful acid into the system, killing us without even needing to send anyone against us. Our only defense would be the skills of our techies attempting to prevent such a measure from being used. Second, they attempt to cut us off in the system with their own troops. In this case, we would more than likely trap ourselves between two piles of corpses, ending up stuck for the Collectors to deal with at their leisure. Third would be one of their people deploying a heavy weapon while we were in such confined quarters. One shot, and we're all dead. Fourth is if the Collectors are capable of out-hacking our techies to the point that they can route us wherever they want us via locking down portions of their system, such as a cell block. Fifth would be if their troops relayed our position. Any of their troops with a piercing mod on their weapon could start randomly spraying the exterior of the conduits in our path with their weapons, killing us without the benefit of being able to return fire. Of course, this would also require our Scot to leave his mech behind if this were used.
"Extraction would proceed as in the first plan.
"Third and fourth options, we surrender. In the third, we keep our locations transmitting and let the crew remaining behind track our position. We hope that wherever they take us is far enough from SOME point on their hull that our friends can deploy the nuke far enough away to throw the base into chaos without killing us. We then proceed to the Vengeance as quickly as possible and hope Iskra can treat our radiation sickness. Option four, if there's no hope of escape, is for the Valiant's crew to get on the Vengeance and load my nuke on the Valiant. Set the ship on automatic and engage FTL to act as a relativistic missile with an additional nuclear punch. We end up vaporized, but at least we don't have to deal with torture or experimentation.
"Obviously, I listed the plans in order of their appeal to me," Maelstrom added with a sigh.
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