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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 7, 2014 11:32:26 GMT -6
Esteban listened istudeiously, leaning forward with his elbows braced firmly on his legs. He occasionally made a small note on his datapad while Maelstrom laid out his contingency plans, not wanting to interrupt the mercenary while he delineated everything. It gave a fascinating insight into Maelstorm's mind, showing a keener intellect than Esteban was anticipating. Once the mercenary was finished, Esteban nodded thoughtfully and took a deep breath.
"These are good plans," he said, setting his data pad down on the table before him. His eyes lingered on the images on its screen: a shuttle surrounded by what could be stalagmites, Collector swarms, seeker swarms, and other horrors. "Hopefully everything will go well and we will not need it, but it is good to know something could be put into place. Please be sure to forward them to Lysander and the rest."
Esteban touched the screen of the data pad and slid it over towards Maelstrom. His continence turned grim. "My plans," he stated simply, directly. "Three teams. Team one will consist of Morgan, Meldom, Iskra, and you. Your goal is to find where they are keeping the prisoners. Iskra is needed to make sure they are healthy enough to travel. Try to get in and out without beinig seen. Let Morgan and Meldom worry about how to do that. You are there in case everything goes to hell and a quick exit is needed. Also..." he voice dropped lower. "If the prisoners are not in shape to be moved, it would be far more merciful to end them rather than leave them in Collector hands. You are the only one I trust enough to carry this action out. And please, do not tell anyone about this part. There is no way to tell how they would react."
[response, if needed]
Esteban left the other statement unsaid... the only one cold enough to do this... though it showed in his eyes, a grim respect that he had for the evil that only Maelstrom could do. He took a breath and continued.
"Team two will consist of Eric Lysander and myself. We will focus on disabling the base's security and life support systems. Eric will be able to keep me alive while we go about with this task. Team three will consist of everyone else. Their goal is very simple. They need to hold the extraction point, keep it clear of any and all enemies. Since they will be the ones that will stand out most, they will experience the heaviest combat. The Krogan and Mech pilot should more than suffice to hold that entire area. Having the Vengence as back-up there would be useful as well. "
Esteban fell back into his chair, his back supported by the soft cushions... he sighed again. "In order for your plans to work, it seems like we would all have to stick as one solitary unit. Can you modify your plans in any way to let it fit in with what I had planned? Or how should my plan be modified?"
Esteban watched Maelstrom, waiting for a response.
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 7, 2014 12:38:33 GMT -6
"If the prisoners are not in shape to be moved, it would be far more merciful to end them rather than leave them in Collector hands. You are the only one I trust enough to carry this action out. And please, do not tell anyone about this part. There is no way to tell how they would react," Bridges said.
Maelstrom held back the initial bile he wanted to unleash. It was one thing, being fully conscious of his past and the torment he had gone through, for him to consider it himself. For one of the people on the crew he was least acquainted with to simply suggest it was little more than calling him a cold-blooded murderer. That was not what he was. Every death he was responsible for had good reason, either a casualty in his personal war or an act of mercy.
He was wrong, though. "I'd already considered that myself. If you want me to do it the way you suggest, I will need a larger explosive device. I don't intend to leave injured people behind suffering from using just one or two of my weapons, and I don't intend to inflict the horror of shooting a whole room full of them in the head one at a time, leaving those yet to be killed aware of their fate."
Bridges continued with his plan, and Maelstrom listened intently. When the other man finished, Maelstrom said, "I see two major flaws. Each group needs a technically skilled person with them, to deal quickly with unexpected obstacles or booby traps. Second, no group remaining stationary will survive long. After the first few kills, their location will be known, and you will end up with them being swarmed by overwhelming numbers. I believe I explained during the Barce mission that the Vengeance is not a fighter craft. While its shielding and armor should keep it relatively safe to retrieve us during extraction, it will not survive the sustained fire it would take guarding an extraction point for an extended period."
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his gauntlet-clad hand. "The way I see it, we should be looking at two teams with evenly distributed skills. We don't know what the inside of that base might look like, so we should be prepared for either team to confront either challenge. That also allows for both teams to follow the general outline for retreat I've specified. As for our mech, I'm not quite sure what to do with him, though my inclination would be for him to handle an EVA and disable exterior systems on the base. Communications first so they can't call for backup, followed by any hangars with fighters, then sensors so they can't identify us, and finally weapons. The Vengeance could deploy and retrieve him with grappling cables."
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 7, 2014 16:22:42 GMT -6
Esteban liked Maelstrom, despite himself. Yes, he was violent and had an unnatural obsession with Cerberus, but he could hide his feelings behind a mask of indifference. Though this time, Esteban caught a very faint twitch of his lips when Esteban was asking Maelstrom to kill. Esteban was not sure if that was him suppressing a smile or a sneer of disgust. If it was disgust, Esteban could not fault him. He was not entirely comfortable with the thought of killing the helpless. But mercenaries, at heart, were murderers. They just had the excuse of calling it work. When the illusion was cut aside, nobody outside of Krogan seemed happy about it.
Maelstrom's answer put Esteban's thoughts to rest, much to his grim satisfaction. "I'd already considered that myself. If you want me to do it the way you suggest, I will need a larger explosive device. I don't intend to leave injured people behind suffering from using just one or two of my weapons, and I don't intend to inflict the horror of shooting a whole room full of them in the head one at a time, leaving those yet to be killed aware of their fate."
Esteban was able to continue on with his plan, satisfied that Maelstrom was not just a killer... that he still had a touch of humanity in him. Once he finished, Esteban quieted down to listen to Maelstrom's response, hoping his plan was not too far off the mark. "I see two major flaws. Each group needs a technically skilled person with them, to deal quickly with unexpected obstacles or booby traps. Second, no group remaining stationary will survive long. After the first few kills, their location will be known, and you will end up with them being swarmed by overwhelming numbers. I believe I explained during the Barce mission that the Vengeance is not a fighter craft. While its shielding and armor should keep it relatively safe to retrieve us during extraction, it will not survive the sustained fire it would take guarding an extraction point for an extended period."
"The way I see it, we should be looking at two teams with evenly distributed skills. We don't know what the inside of that base might look like, so we should be prepared for either team to confront either challenge. That also allows for both teams to follow the general outline for retreat I've specified. As for out mech, I'm not quite sure what to do with him, though my inclination would be for him to handle an EVA and disable exterior systems on the base. Communications first so they can't call for backup, followed by any hangars with fighters, then sensors so they can't identify us, and finally weapons. The Vengeance could deploy and retrieve him with grappling cables."
Esteban rested his elbow on the armrest, leaning comfortably against it while he considered what Maelstrom was saying. Consolidate and make better environmental use of the Mech. His attention shifted between Maelstrom and the data pad as he thought.
"Meldom, Eric, Karn, and myself on one team," he finally said thoughtfully, still looking at the data pad. "We will look for a central processing room or a way to take control of the systems. You, Iskra, Joe, and Morgan will look for the prisoners. That should be an even split..."
He looked up at Maelstrom. "And the mech will wreck havoc on the exterior. Does the split work for you?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 7, 2014 22:00:04 GMT -6
"Does the split work for you?" Bridges asked.
Maelstrom considered the question for a moment. Were this his operation, he would have contracted with the Blood Pack or Blue Suns for a team three times the size. To him, they still seemed woefully under-armed. The question had not been if there were sufficient resources allocated to the task. It was if the split of what was available was satisfactory.
Maelstrom nodded. "This gives both teams a decent chance of survival, and our mech's operations will safeguard our escape. I would suggest we keep our omni-tools on active scan and constant datastream burst transmission, and I can set Emily to provide random millisecond-long gaps in her jamming of the enemy's communications, averaging two tightly grouped windows every two minutes or so. This will allow her to receive our data, process it, and distribute updates during the second window. While we'll be taxing our omni-tools heavily, this will let us know if one of our teams is in trouble and help us coordinate a meet-up and escape when we have to extract."
He paused for a moment. What he had to say was not appealing to him, but it needed to be brought up regardless. "While you're obviously both in command of the mission overall and the team you're in command of, you should appoint someone to oversee the running of the team I'm on."
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 8, 2014 11:37:18 GMT -6
"This gives both teams a decent chance of survival, and our mech's operations will safeguard our escape. I would suggest we keep our omni-tools on active scan and constant datastream burst transmission, and I can set Emily to provide random millisecond-long gaps in her jamming of the enemy's communications, averaging two tightly grouped windows every two minutes or so. This will allow her to receive our data, process it, and distribute updates during the second window. While we'll be taxing our omni-tools heavily, this will let us know if one of our teams is in trouble and help us coordinate a meet-up and escape when we have to extract."
And after a brief, thoughtful pause, Maelstrom continued. "While you're obviously both in command of the mission overall and the team you're in command of, you should appoint someone to oversee the running of the team I'm on."
Esteban smiled very slightly, approving of most of what Maelstrom suggested, safe one thing. "I was thinking someone similar with keeping in contact, but I want to double check the algorithms that you'll have Emily use to jam the signal." Esteban spoke carefully, cautiously. Maelstrom seemed to be quite protective of his ship. And while he was not certain, equally protective of that VI. It would be like walking on broken glass here, no safe way to suggest it so better to get it done with. "I am a believer in double checking these sorts of things, for safety's sake. Could you have that sent to me?"
[response, argument, etc here]
Esteban leans forward and poured himself a cup of tea, pausing to glance up at Maelstrom in case he wanted one as well. (if so, Esteban will pour. If not, he won't). He poured a spot of honey into the steaming liquid before taking the cup and sipping.
"Who do you think should be in charge of the team you'll be on?" He inquired, curious to hear the answer. Esteban was expecting Maelstrom to appoint himself, as the mercenary was quite confident.
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 8, 2014 12:11:57 GMT -6
"Could you have that sent to me?" Bridges said, his tone cautious.
It caused Maelstrom to smirk. There were an number of different algorithms he used, and they were merely settings on a transmitter that Emily would turn on or off. Giving away this information would never allow a backdoor into his program, making the caution unnecessary. Maelstrom quickly transferred via omni-tool algorithm number two. The second most secure he had. He was a believer in having something in reserve.
Bridges poured some tea and looked questioningly to Maelstrom. "I'll take you up on it some other time. Now's not the time for me being soothed."
After taking a sip of the beverage, Bridges asked, "Who do you think should be in charge of the team you'll be on?"
Maelstrom had expected the question, and, if Bridges was expecting Maelstrom to be like almost any other merc, he was expecting one specific answer.
"My suggestion would be Iskra," Maelstrom said. "While I'm accustomed to running my own ops, I almost always leave command of the merc bands to a higher-ranked individual within their own ranks. That lets me devote more attention to actually fighting."
Leaning back and laughing, he added, "Besides, people look at you like you're crazy if you disobey your own orders in the middle of a firefight. Much more normal to disagree with someone else."
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 9, 2014 9:42:58 GMT -6
Esteban set his cup down onto the coffee table just as Maelstrom answered with one of the most unexpected suggestions he heard. "My suggestion would be Iskra. While I'm accustomed to running my own ops, I almost always leave command of the merc bands to a higher-ranked individual within their own ranks. That lets me devote more attention to actually fighting." He leaned back confidently and laughed while Esteban was still processing his recommendation, "besides, people look at you like you're crazy if you disobey your own orders in the middle of a firefight. Much more normal to disagree with someone else."
Esteban nodded slightly, more to show that he heard Maelstrom rather than agreeing, before calling up his omnitool. "Data, run simulation omicron," he said. His omnitool immediately flashed once and went dark.
"Iskra is an unexpected choice," Esteban commented after a couple seconds, mentally rifling through his files on her. "She is a perpetual loner with little practical experience leading a squad. Though she has experience with organizing and planning under extreme pressure. And she would not take unnecessary risks nor ask others to. She might be up to the task..."
He was about to continue, but his omnitool flared back up to life. Data's friendly, monotone voice rang out from it. "Fifteen minutes, thirty six seconds, eighteen microseconds sir."
"Thank you Data," Esteban responded automatically, taking a glance down at the readout with a satisfied smile. The data from Data verified Maelstrom's confidence. "It will take the Collectors no more than fifteen minutes to break through. Should be sufficient time. I will transfer over one of my jamming algorithms to use as backup. It will take the Collectors about the same time to crack that one as well."
Esteban took a breath and his tea-cup. "I will be finishing up a small project up here. Could you do me a favor and send the plan to everyone for feedback and have everyone gather in the cargobay in twenty minutes? And, if possible, make sure everyone sees Iskra for the anti-seeker countermeasure, if she finished the latest batch?"
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 9, 2014 10:16:23 GMT -6
"And, if possible, make sure everyone sees Iskra for the anti-seeker countermeasure, if she finished the latest batch?" Bridges said.
"She has. I've already had my application," Maelstrom said. A small gesture of his hand signaled to Emily to relay their employer's wishes to the rest of the team. "I assume that's all?"
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Post by Joe Fischer on Aug 9, 2014 15:57:26 GMT -6
Joe was still in the observation room, not thinking, when a slight tingle ran through his arm; his omnitool alerting him that someone had sent him a message. He opened it up and read it.
"Iskra?" he said aloud.
The choice of leader had certainly surprised him. He thought it would be Maelstrom for sure, perhaps with himself as second in command. He knew that even with his experience, he was still a newcomer, an unknown factor; there was no way he would have been placed in command.
Even as doubt reared its ugly head, he quashed it just as quickly. The boss might be a little stiff, but he seemed to know what he was doing, so he must have had a good reason for putting her in charge; he would just have trust him.
He sent a short message acknowledging receipt of the message and went to get ready.
Iskra, you've been holding out on us...
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Aug 9, 2014 19:11:51 GMT -6
Morgan was dozing, an open magazine on her chest, her head-set sitting lopsided as it had fallen off one of her ears, an arm behind her head, as she swung lazily in her hammock.
The hammock she'd already had on-hand and had strung it up between two large pipes within the life support crawlspace on the Valiant. The lighting was dim, her things were collected neatly in one corner, and she'd scooted a few empty crates in for makeshift furniture. All in all, it felt homey amid the conduits, wiring and pipes. Most importantly of all, it was private, and quiet, other than the random hum of machinery or the occasional hiss of steam.
That is, until her omni-tool beeped and scared her half to death. The auburn-haired thief tried to sit up, but in her haze, forgot she was in a hammock and nearly send herself tumbling to the floor. Catching herself and finding her balance once more, she set the magazine aside and untangled herself from her headset before setting it aside and sleepily accessing the offending message.
It was from Maelstrom, who she learned was the man who seemed to be convinced she was a Cerberus spy, detailing the general plan for the mission. She was relieved to see Iskra had been assigned to the same team, for the Drell was the only crew she fully trusted at the moment. Joe would also be present, who seemed like a nice enough sort. Both were capable enough to defend her from Maelstrom, she reasoned, should the man decide Morgan looked a bit too Cerberus for his tastes and try off her during the mission.
Morgan was curious what this 'seeker-swarm inoculation' entailed, but that's when her eyes rested on the detail asking everyone to gather in the cargo bay in twenty minutes.
"Twenty minutes??" Morgan checked the clock before bolting out of the hammock to begin grabbing her things. They still had an hour until the mission, by her estimation. She sighed. These military types were always so keen on their briefings...
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Post by Eric Lysander on Aug 11, 2014 10:11:35 GMT -6
Eric went through one last diagnostic check of his Kestrel armor before clipping on his weapons, explosives and three sonic spikes. The weapons were the same used on the Barce mission: His trusty Phalanx pistol; a good weapon for when all the others were exhausted, unavailable or inoperative, with stopping power at distance or close range.
The Avenger assault rifle; his standard frontline weapon.
The Viper sniper rifle; while not as powerful as other models, Eric appreciated its ability to get off several rounds before a new thermal clip was required, excellent for sowing confusion and fear in enemy ranks from a hidden perch. All his guns had their compliment of standard, armor-piercing, cryo and incendiary ammunition. A packet with extra ammunition and thermal clips was clipped on to Eric’s front left thigh. Off to the side he attached a dispenser containing a rolled measure of standard det cord. On his right thigh’s side went a measure of plasma core det cord. On his left upper arm plate went the three sonic spikes; being right-handed he could grab and deploy them easily with omni-tool at the ready. Finally Eric attached a disc grenade dispenser to his rear waist plate, its right side loaded with three high-ex grenades of his own concoction; the left with one cryo grenade, one incendiary and one EMP.
He took a moment to look himself over. He looked slightly more encumbered than on his last outing but considering the mission on hand he would need his full repertoire. His omni-tool then flashed to life with a message alert. Eric opened up the latest burst – everyone was to gather in the cargo bay in twenty minutes. He looked over the assignments, noting the balance of muscle and tech know-how in the two teams.
His team was to infiltrate and disrupt the base’s systems, clearing a path for the rescue team which Eric was a bit surprised to see that Iskra was to head up. Her medical expertise would be key to helping the prisoners and she was a very good shot. But could she direct others in a firefight? Esteban and Maelstrom seemed to think so. Even before he found his two asari companions the merc in the Collector armor began showing increased initiative, drafting up the plan to rescue the volus freighter. Now he and their mutual employer had collaborated on a strategy to shut down another Collector operation and expose a key Alliance official for the traitor he was. Eric surmised than Esteban felt that the former N7 might still be a bit unnerved by the revelations of the faked security vid to provide any insight. That or he wanted to build on Maelstrom’s growing trust of his teammates. In either case Eric felt relieved. He could just focus on his own role in the mission. And deal with the Zaicress problem afterwards.
Eric closed up his omni-tool and headed up to the medbay to get his inoculation, reminding himself to congratulate the doctor on her promotion and to wish her luck.
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Post by Esteban Bridges on Aug 11, 2014 14:28:29 GMT -6
Esteban stared at his custom armor, laid out neatly over his dark blue covers. Every piece was immaculate, all tests indicating each part was perfectly maintained. His fingers traced the arm joint almost reverently, appreciating the craftsmanship that went into designing and forging each piece.
"Data," Esteban finally broke the silence.
"Yes sir?" His VI answered him.
"What do you think the chances for success are on this mission?" Esteban knew asking a VI for its opinion was pointless, especially since he never programmed Data to be able to respond to an opinion question except with....
"I am not sure," Data responded exactly how Esteban programmed. "I will require far more information to make an informed analysis of the current situation."
"There is something that has been weighing on my mind with this," Esteban continued on, lifting the breastplate from the bed, testing its weight in his hands. "This mission. This entire thing should never have been a problem."
"I am not sure what you me-," Data started to respond again before Esteban cut him off, very much annoyed
"I was talking Data," Esteban reprimanded, sighing while he fastened the breastplate on, hooking it to the backplate. The electronics within hummed to life, magnetizing to secure itself. "There is a lot more going on than meets the eye."
"Udina selling aliens AND humans to the Collectors?" Esteban shook his head, slapping on the arm plates. Each piece of metal clicked, conforming to Esteban's arm near perfectly. "That does not sound like the move of a calculated man. There is something missing."
"Udina did secure Collector technology as part of the trade for the Alliance," Data spoke up, attempting to address the missing portion.
"That does not strike me as something Udina would do though," he sighed again, frowning. It had been bugging him for awhile, and felt better to at least hear himself say it. He finished donning the rest of his upper body with armor, now working on the leg plates. "And look at what happened. Even if he was doing this for the Alliance, he is not an altruistic man. He would have tried to take a small cut for himself or tried to make some sort of profit on this. But nothing in the records I acquired hints he did anything but send the technology to Alliance Intelligence with his inflated excuse. That is not a calculated move."
"It is benefiting the Alliance," Data spoke up again while Esteban struggled with the armor around his thighs, trying to hold it in place while it magnetized. "If you consider Udina's motivations as to equip the Alliance with the best possible technology, it is a calculated move on Udina's part."
"It has every appearance of a calculated move," Esteban semi-repeated his VI while stepping into his boots to complete the ensemble. "Except that it is not one. It cannot be one."
"Udina does not benefit from this move."
"Sir, would not Udina gain allies within Alliance Intelligence from this?"
"It is not enough," Esteban shook his head, snatching his helmet off the bed. He held it up before himself, staring into the vacant eyes of the helmet as if it were a person. "He already had allies all throughout the Alliance. It is one of the ways he gained his position. He plays the political game. This is not playing the political game. This is passing along technology. He is a go-between. The middle man. Why?"
"I do no..."
"That was not meant to be a question," Esteban said sharply. "That was a rhetorical statement. Never-mind," he shook his head, taking a deep breath. He programmed Data. He should know more than anyone else how Data could respond. Did he want to hear another person's voice that badly that he would treat his own VI as if it were something it was not? He rubbed his forehead for a moment, the cool metal soothing his skin. "Send out a message to Eric and Iskra. Tell them that I want to meet with both of them in the medbay in five minutes. We all need to have the seeker countermeasure installed, so it would be ideal to speak with both of them at the same time."
"At once sir," Data replied, sending the message to both Eric and Iskra.
Esteban took one last look around the captain's quarters with a sad smile before turning away, keeping his final thoughts to himself before he marched for the exit.
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Post by Joe Fischer on Aug 11, 2014 14:59:04 GMT -6
Back in the sleeping area, Joe prepped himself for the mission. He scanned his armor for any flaws--even though he knew there weren't any--before putting it on, then modding the grenade launcher for maximum capacity and loading it up with its usual complement of frag grenades.
He ran the Crusader through a functions check, making sure it was loaded with armor-piercing ammo, before attaching it to his armor, then did the same thing with the Typhoon and loading over his right shoulder.
He then loaded up his ammo pouches with heat sinks and checked his omnitool to make sure it was fully loaded with medigel.
The last thing he put on was his helmet. The heads-up display reported all systems functioning normally.
Confident he had done everything to prepare himself, he headed for the medbay to get his application of seeker swarm countermeasures.
"Hey old man," he said over his radio as he headed for the medbay. "Let's make sure we do good PCCs and PCIs before we leave, I'm sure you forgot something."
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: "PCCs" and "PCIs" are military acronyms which stand for "pre-combat checks" and "pre-combat inspections", which is normal for military personnel to do before any mission.]
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Aug 11, 2014 15:31:48 GMT -6
Although Morgan was fully ready for the upcoming mission, she hardly looked different than when the crew had found her. Her dark clothing was perhaps slightly more bulky than usual, but it was still a far cry from the heavy armor of soldiers and mercs. Her lightweight leather and synthetic alloy clothing was relatively form-fitting and allowed her the maneuverability that was necessary for her job. The long-coat was over it all, a few dots of light across her shoulder blades the only indication it housed anything more than mere fabric. A Raikou was strapped to her thigh for emergency purposes, but the rest of her gear was largely hidden in pouches on her person, or in the form of various gadgets. Even her holographic visor and re-breather were low-profile and switched off or removed as she traversed the ship intent on finding Iskra.
Hurrying up to the medbay, she was relieved to see the Drell was present within, but the scene as she entered gave her pause. One of the Asari, who's name she had yet to learn, was assisting with bandaging up one of Iskra's hands and it didn't take Morgan's acute sense of perception to notice the droplets of blood on the floor between them either.
"Uh... is everything okay?" she questioned as she slowly approached the two women.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2014 20:20:02 GMT -6
"Just a broken test tube. Nothing to worry about." Iskra responded calmly to Morgan's question. Her heart still clenched as her soul descended into chaos.
"Thank you, Anelya. I shall talk to you once we return." The Asari opened her mouth to say something but seemed to think better off it and turned, leaving the medbay.
"What can I help you with?" Iskra finally asked as she pulled her glove back onto her hand gently.
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Post by Morgan Bryn on Aug 11, 2014 20:33:47 GMT -6
Iskra's voice was calm, and the reasoning sounded logical, but... there was something Morgan couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't know the woman well enough to place it, but she'd made a living out of observing people, and something was off. Unfortunately, their unfamiliarity meant she also had no business asking, but if Iskra was to lead their team and something was bothering her...
"What can I help you with?" Iskra asked as she pulled her glove back on.
"Oh, uh... I got a message to see you prior to the mission. Something to do with bug swarms or... bug spray, or something?" Morgan commented, waiving her hand dismissively.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Aug 12, 2014 9:15:01 GMT -6
Bulldog helmet under one arm Eric made his way up the stairs to the medbay on the command deck, checking another message from his employer to meet up with him and Iskra. His wrist com then buzzed. "Hey old man," Joe said over the radio "Let's make sure we do good PCCs and PCIs before we leave, I'm sure you forgot something."
Eric came up over the top of the stairs. “Sure thing, Junior. Just need to get my anti-Seeker treatment and speak with the B-Man first. So you ‘n Morgan goin’ steady now or what?”
[Insert Joe’s response, if any]
The senior N7 peered into the medbay and saw Iskra inside along with Anelya and Morgan. He stepped back a few paces.
“Know what? Looks like we can get inspections outta the way first,” Eric said into his wrist com. “There’s a line ahead of me.”
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 12, 2014 9:33:00 GMT -6
"And this one?" Maelstrom asked, pointing to the heavy-weapons trigger.
He saw Anelya, who had just joined them in cockpit, smirk slightly, knowing the answer instantly. She was more familiar with the ship than her twin, but for some reason, he wanted Enaya as the pilot. That meant that the tactical controls would be at her station. When he thought about it, he imagined it was because he believed Anelya's more analytic nature would serve the crew better working on sensors and going over the data the team sent back as they forged through the base. Past experience had told him that organic minds could conceive of certain eventualities that Emily's programming, no matter how modified, would always discount. Using htat, she could help augment his VI in guiding the team.
Enaya furrowed her eyebrow for a moment before saying, "The Cain cannon." She then gestured to another nearby control at her station. "That's for fine targeting of the heavy weapon."
Maelstrom nodded.
"Are you sure you're comfortable with this?" Anelya asked.
"Comfort's not an issue," Maelstrom said. "Everyone else is going to be in the base or on the Valiant.
"Not exactly a singing endorsement," Enaya said with a sigh.
Malestrom paused, wondering if that were an asari turn of phrase or a botched attempt at using a human expression.
"As far as piloting the ship is concerned, our bond will help," Anelya said. It was true, she knew the controls far better.
"Are you sure you don't need me to show you how to use the turret again?" Maelstrom asked.
She shook her head. "Hold the trigger, and don't point it at someone unless you want to kill them. Pretty simple."
Maelstrom nodded. "Remember, if Emily gives you an order, don't disobey. You can try to argue, but if you ignore her, the security precautions installed on the ship could be... unpleasant... or final."
"You're joking, right?" Enaya laughed.
Her sister turned a serious gaze to her, and he could tell they were sharing knowledge.
"Oh..." Enaya said, somewhat shocked.
Maelstrom had not realized he shared with Anelya the extent of his security precautions. He guessed that she must have reasoned them on her own after he gave her warnings about which panels were safe to access and which were hazardous in case she needed to make repairs during the mission. Again, he marveled at how impressive the pair were.
"Emily," he said, prompting her to appear in her feminine, humanoid form. It had been a difficult decision, but he decided several days back to trust the pair with seeing his VI in her default form. It certainly sparked an interesting session. "Run training program alpha one one alpha delta."
The two asari looked at him with confusion, just before the lighting went red. He turned around and made his way towards the hatch. "Don't destroy the simulation of my ship."
He almost stumbled on the way out, as the gravity generators simulated a glancing blow, and the speakers in the craft aided the illusion. The pair started frantically typing in commands, eliciting a series of tones from the controls. He laughed as he opened the hatch and jumped onto the decking of the cargo bay.
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Post by Joe Fischer on Aug 12, 2014 14:20:22 GMT -6
“Sure thing, Junior," Lysander said. "Just need to get my anti-Seeker treatment and speak with the B-Man first. So you ‘n Morgan goin’ steady now or what?”
"Well, a gentleman never kisses and tells, but I'm a soldier, not a gentleman," Joe replied with mock pride. "She said she wanted to rip her clothes off and do it right there--but then again, I've never met a woman who didn't--but I told her, 'Morgan, let's be professional about this, let wait until after we complete the mission,' and then she said--"
“Know what? Looks like we can get inspections outta the way first,” Lysander said, interrupting Joe's reply. “There’s a line ahead of me.”
"All right," Joe said, all business. "See you there."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2014 15:17:20 GMT -6
"Of course." Iskra grabbed a tube full of the serum. "Where is your shield generator? And may I plug this into it?"
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