|
Post by Maelstrom on Mar 6, 2017 6:26:58 GMT -6
Maelstrom listened as Joe gave his plan. He paid attention to Geneenh's plan too, though he found himself staring back and forth between Arcus and Naetilia while she talked.
"Um... Fischer... I don't think we could hide those..." he paused, at a loss for words. Turning to Naetilia, he said, "I'm sorry. What do you call those projections on the back of your calves? Spurs?"
"The word is not in the human vocabulary," she said. "But 'spurs' works well enough for now."
Turning back to Fischer, he said, "I don't think we can hid the spurs, and the body shape is all wrong to fit with human armor. Maybe if Geneenh could rig up more of those holographic displays..."
"What are we going to do with the Vengeance? I can't just leave her behind. There's someone who needs... let's say supervision. Unless, maybe, Naetilia would be comfortable putting said passenger under, and I could direct the shuttle to hide in deep space. Then we could swing by and pick it up after. Still, I'm not terribly fond of that idea."
|
|
|
Post by Arcus on Mar 6, 2017 6:46:45 GMT -6
"But Thrak, you'd look so much prettier and more photogenic if we couldn't see you." Arcus chuckled before turning to Fisher-man. "Tall-Dark-And-Collector is right, our carapaces are too large to pass for a human, then there's these love-handles. . . ." He gestured to his hips. "I can't say I'm fond of the idea of a cloaking device either, though I'll concede if need be. Is there any way we can get our freighter into the same hanger as that of the Okinawa without raising an alarm? Perhaps if we drop off a bomb somewhere tender on our approach, then set it off once we are in position to transfer the crew?" We could take over the frigate during the ensuing chaos."
|
|
|
Post by Joe Fischer on Mar 6, 2017 9:14:32 GMT -6
Naetilia's eyes narrowed speculatively as she considered the biotic's question.
"I could look after your passenger, Maelstrom," she said. "But now I wonder if all of us nonhumans should simply wait in your shuttle while the mission is conducted. That would prevent our ruse from being discovered prematurely."
"Not a bad idea," Joe said. "It would reduce our combat power if things go sideways, but still, if it prevents them from figuring us out beforehand..."
He then looked over at Arcus.
"I'm all for blowing up the shipyard, and I'm sure Maelstrom would second and third that motion--maybe even fourth it--but I think we should wait until after we get the frigate out of there before using weapons of mass destruction. We don't want to risk damaging the ship, although I'm sure the Collectors will be more than happy to oblige us on that."
|
|
|
Post by Geneenh T'Loris on Mar 6, 2017 9:21:24 GMT -6
"I won't speak for anyone else, but I would rather accompany the team into the shipyard," Geneenh said. "If things do go bad, my skills will be needed more than ever. I could probably access the systems through your shuttle, Maelstrom, but my physical presence would allow me to do more."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Mar 6, 2017 10:11:43 GMT -6
Maelstrom nodded. "It makes sense for you to go, Geneenh. So long as you stay in a suit of armor, they'll have no reason to think you're not human. Best stay in the armor until the mission is fully concluded, though."
"It would probably work best to dock Vengeance in the freighter; block it all around with cargo crates and keep it powered down," Maelstrom said. "Once we get enough control of the Okinawa, we can open the shuttle door and they can fly right in." He paused, "Or, if there's a blind spot we can take advantage of, maybe the others could use the Vengeance's stealth systems to plant some bombs while the rest of us are doing our thing. This is the Omega-4 relay, after all. It makes sense that they'd guard the relay, but would they really need to bother with an excess of sensors in close to the base? They should feel pretty secure."
Planning for this group, for people whose lives he did not count as expendable, made him nervous. Hoping for someone to help take some of the pressure off himself, he turned to Lysander, "What do you think?"
He stole a moment to bring up a quick display on his omni-tool, the feed to he inside of his shuttle. She was sitting where she had been last time he checked on her, still watching the same vid. Only, now... How'd she get her hands on my popcorn? Wait... I had popcorn? He deactivated the display and shook his head, trying to focus back in on the meeting.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Mar 6, 2017 19:29:44 GMT -6
The tone of the room underwent a further change once the mission objectives were laid out, becoming more active and lively. The krogan and turian mercs - Thrak and Arcus – seemed to relish the idea of pitting their might against one of the most dangerous organizations in the galaxy. Ideas were pitched back and forth about who would take point and who would provide backup. Joe advanced the suggestion that the non-humans in the group would disguise themselves either as Cerberus personnel or as prisoners, given the “no aliens allowed” policy. Naetalia remarked that they could comprise the secondary strike team, swooping in on Maelstrom’s ship after the initial assault. Geenenh preferred joining in with the first team; her form could pass for human so long as her helmet was not removed. Eric found himself swept up in the discussion, or was it the asari’s countenance, when Maelstrom jolted him back "What do you think?"
The senior N7 twitched in his seat and straightened up.
“Well-ah… I’m hearin’ some good stuff so far,” he began. “Eric Lysander. Been the acting exec on our previous missions with Mr.B, uh… Esteban Bridges... so I’m familiar with how half of our team operates.”
He motioned to his friend. “Maelstrom’s more accustomed ta bringin’ th’ pain than callin’ th’ shots. But his background with Cerberus is key so I’d lissen ta’ anythin’ he hasta say on them. Divvying up the group’s actually worked for us in th’ past. Joe’s fought alongside a krogan before and they were pretty much a steamroller that mowed down anythin’ in their way – sneaking Thrak in as a prisoner along with him can really stir up some mayhem.”
“And if… Gennenh, was it?” He indicated her. “Is as good as her word, she can screw up the dock systems and maybe even get th’ Okinawa warmed up n’ ready ta fly. That could be the secondary team’s goal apart from providin’ support. Meldom and our other stealth specialists can board n’ pilot the Okinawa out. Anyone that can’t make it aboard her can hop on the Vengeance to make the getaway. All that, plus a few well-placed devices, should make sure nobody’s in any condition ta come after us.”
Eric thought a moment. “Do we wanna hold on to th' freighter, too? If not… maybe we can rig it into a giant firecracker." He then smirked "Or a remote-controlled wrecking ball…”
|
|
|
Post by Joe Fischer on Mar 6, 2017 20:01:12 GMT -6
"Ten credits says Maelstrom votes for firecracker," Joe said with a smirk, his eyes flicking once again to the biotic.
"But then again, it isn't our toy," he said, looking back at the drell. "Would the Broker prefer we return the freighter intact?"
|
|
|
Post by Feron on Mar 6, 2017 22:09:37 GMT -6
"Once the freighter has delivered you to the destination undetected, its usefulness to the Broker will be ended... Well, aside from its potential utility as a standard freighter. That places it extremely low on the Shadow Broker's list of concerns."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Mar 6, 2017 22:14:58 GMT -6
"I do like extremely large explosions," Maelstrom said, playing as though it were a difficult decision to make. Getting more to the point, he added, "If we loaded it with a kinetic-triggered nuke and set it on a course for somewhere... tender... then that would be our best bet for destroying a significant portion of the shipyard, assuming any defenses can't intercept it first. If we time it right, and depending on their defenses, that could give us the opening to take out the dreadnought too. Make them choose between chasing the vessel that's going to destroy one ship or the one that's going to destroy their shipbuilding capability."
"About bringing Thrak in as a prisoner, though... Cerberus is intolerant of aliens, but they don't see themselves as bigots, regardless of the facts. We'll need to have a damned good reason for bringing a krogan prisoner to a shipyard rather than another installation. I mean, they tend to be divided up into cells, with each having specific tasks. I doubt interrogating prisoners is part of this cell's assignment."
|
|
Lekuhn
N2
"Let me see if I can remember...yeah, I can."
Posts: 27
|
Post by Lekuhn on Mar 7, 2017 21:36:17 GMT -6
Lekuhn sat sipping his Baratian ale and taking in the room.
Afterlife, he thought
I hope the real one is better.
Lekuhn examined his kinsman carefully. The Drell sitting behind the desk had interesting markings. Lekuhn could sit there for hours trying to guess his lineage, but he knew not to go down that rabbit hole. Besides, his attention kept getting drawn to the rather foreboding pair of Krogan that stood like big scaly testicles next to their little blue penis.
Maybe I’ve had too much ale.
He figured he should do more listening than talking in this meeting. Something about the recent events had rattled him and he couldn’t drink the feeling away.
It may be time to say goodbye to Batarian ale or any other drink for that matter.
He had heard all kinds of rumors about Batarian systems going dark and he only usually drank genuine Batarian ale. Maybe he wouldn’t have a choice. Hopefully the meat and two veg behind the desk would shed some light on these rumors.
Yep. Too much ale.
|
|
|
Post by Joe Fischer on Mar 7, 2017 22:14:21 GMT -6
Fischer shrugged.
"Okay," he said. "I was kind of liking the ideas the doc and Geneenh were coming up with anyway, now we just have to pick which one and fine tune it a bit."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Mar 8, 2017 8:44:25 GMT -6
"Well, where things stand now, I think our best idea would be to do this.
"If Geneenh feels up to it, once we get on the freigher, she sets it up to be able to be programmed with a destination quickly and in such a way that it can't be overridden remotely. We also get everything ready to set up a nuke with a kinetic trigger, but we need to keep that disassembled until we're nearly ready to use it, so Cerberus won't detect it. We'll also need to power down most of the systems on the Vengeance.
"The freighter pulls up to the Cerberus shipyards. We use the excuse of having the captain's personal affects to deliver to the captain or something of the like to dock as close as possible to the Okinawa. Us humans plus Geneenh suit up in Cerberus armor, and we rush over a sled with some cases on it- there can be a bomb in there, so long as it's not assembled yet. As soon as we get on the Okinawa, our main objective becomes guarding Geneenh. Her jobs are to quickly get the shuttle-bay door open on the Okinawa, send a message to the Vengeance telling them to depart, and then working on getting the ship detached from the spacedock. If possible, Lysander pushes a big bomb out the airlock as a goodbye message.
"Back on the freighter, any human members of the new frigate crew stall the Cerberus folks; they'll want to do an inspection of the ship. If they aren't able, the rest of the team will have to be ready to neutralize them silently. At the same time, the Vengeance will need to powered up, and the nuke should be assembled and installed somewhere a bit out-of-the-way. As soon as they receive the signal, they need to head out and bring the Vengeance in to the Okinawa's shuttle bay. With the rest of us guarding Geneehn, we'll likely need their firepower to finish taking the ship and getting the crew into position.
"About this time, Cerberus is really going to know something is up. By now, the Okinawa's comms system needs to be down and a jamming field in effect; Cerberus loves to have electronic countermeasures on their technology to keep it from being used against them. We also need to almost immediately get the freighter headed to the most vulnerable point we can, while at the same time getting the Okinawa underway. On our way out, we destroy the dreadnought or do as much damage as we can. Then we launch whatever remaining explosives we have before making our way back out the Omega-4 relay.
"Basically, we start by making sure nothing is out of the ordinary, and then we overload them with so much that their heads are spinning. At least, that's my thinking."
|
|
|
Post by Geneenh T'Loris on Mar 8, 2017 19:24:48 GMT -6
Geneenh cocked an eyebrow at the human's plan.
"I am tempted to use one of your sayings when I say, 'It is in the bag.'," she said to him. "A curious expression, but I digress. Now is not the time for ego, considering where we will be and who we are dealing with. I am not so proud that I am not willing to ask for help when facing such high stakes."
She looked over at the salarian.
"It's Meldom, yes?" she asked. "Do you have any experience in dealing with Cerberus? I think your assistance during this job would be most helpful."
|
|
|
Post by Eric Lysander on Mar 8, 2017 20:41:25 GMT -6
Eric listened as Maelstrom offered a revised strategy that accounted for Cerberus procedures and countermeasures. "Basically, we start by making sure nothing is out of the ordinary, and then we overload them with so much that their heads are spinning." he concluded. "At least, that's my thinking."
"Pretty good thinkin', Mal," the senior N7 concurred. "Rigging some high-yield ordnance won't be a problem. As for a nuke on the freighter, with some assistance, we could have it spliced in with relays and regulators near the drive core, using its ambient radiation to mask it until it's armed using some of those same systems shifting to top gear when we bug out. Cerberus' goons'll be worried 'bout what would piss off Illusive Man more: not being able to kill us or letting his new rides get vaporized!"
"I am tempted to use one of your sayings when I say, 'It is in the bag.'," Geneenh said to Maelstrom. "A curious expression, but I digress. Now is not the time for ego, considering where we will be and who we are dealing with. I am not so proud that I am not willing to ask for help when facing such high stakes."
She then solicited Meldom for his expertise on Cerberus. "It's Meldom, yes? Do you have any experience in dealing with Cerberus? I think your assistance during this job would be most helpful."
|
|
|
Post by dargene on Mar 8, 2017 20:51:32 GMT -6
"It's Meldom, yes?, Do you have any experience in dealing with Cerberus? I think your assistance during this job would be most helpful."
Meldom Looked in the direction of the Asari and gave a smile,
"Geneenh Yes ? and Cerberus.. no, but many other things i assure you, not to brag, but i'm quite good at what i do, with hardly any injuries" he nodded, raising his finger to his chin, pondering a few moments "Usually"
He stared at the ceiling pondering a few more moments "For me anyway" he then shook his head "I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, i'm sure several people here will vouch for me" he nods to Maelstrom, Erik and Joe" he focused on Maelstrom with a determined nod.
"Plan seems acceptable, thought out, reasonable, I like it, willing to do whatever needed" he said placing his visor back on, believing they were nearing the end of the meeting, leaning in he rested his arms on his legs, opening his omnitool screen for a few moments, allowing text to start streaming down it.
"Believe i am ready to move out whenever" he said, turning the screen off, attention back to the group.
|
|
|
Post by Geneenh T'Loris on Mar 8, 2017 21:20:18 GMT -6
"I think the two of us should divide the tasks," Geneenh said. "Meldom, you can handle getting the shuttle bay door open and contacting the Vengeance while I work on securing the ship's release from dock. To assist you, I'll send you the Cerberus hacking protocols I've developed."
She activated her omnitool and began typing into it.
|
|
|
Post by Corwin Havens on Mar 9, 2017 1:31:55 GMT -6
Corwin stood back, listening carefully. It wasn't that he didn't have thoughts to add.... he knew most of the team was already familiar with each other. The former N7r proved him right, making comments about the skills of Fisher and Meldom. It was fascinating for him to see how the group was slowly coming together...
....though there was still one thing that concerned him....
"What sort of time frame are we dealing with here?" Corwin spoke up in a conversational tone, pushing himself off the wall and sauntering toward everyone else. "If Cerberus operates like any other military organization, their response time will be within 5 minutes once we are discovered."
|
|
|
Post by Maelstrom on Mar 9, 2017 3:51:42 GMT -6
The others contributed their bits to the plan, and everything seemed to be coming together nicely.
Maelstrom nodded, confirming that the salarian was capable.
Then the blonde-haired man spoke. "If Cerberus operates like any other military organization, their response time will be within 5 minutes once we are discovered."
Maelstrom nodded his agreement. "We'll be lucky if it's that long. That's why stealth is so important at the outset; we can't give them any extra time to get to us. Once the Vengeance deploys, we need to get out of the spacedock as soon as possible, even if the original crew is still on-board."
Sighing, he added, "We'll probably have to deal with some security forces, but that's why the Shadow Broker has hired muscle like myself, Fischer, and Thrak, if I'm not mistaken. The big thing is to make sure we're quick enough that we aren't dealing with their full force or any enemy spacecraft."
|
|
|
Post by Urdnot Thrak on Mar 9, 2017 3:56:00 GMT -6
Thrak listened to the others talk and grunted with disapproval, shaking his head. He was all for an easy payday, like anyone, and the gist of his part in their plan seemed to be "babysit the ship's crew and keep them quiet." That would be easily-enough accomplished with a stern glare. He had been hoping, though, when he heard the Shadow Broker had hired him that his hammer would be getting to see a lot more use. It did not sound like he was going to get to test himself against this challenging new foe.
At least there's still the Reapers to look forward to.
|
|
|
Post by Joe Fischer on Mar 9, 2017 5:22:13 GMT -6
Fischer nodded at the biotic's response.
"Maelstrom's right, it will take time for them to figure out what's going on and get organized," he said. "Plus it's not like all of their personnel there are dedicated to security. It's mostly mechanics putting the ships together, and most people usually run away from chaos when it shows up."
He looked over at the asari.
"Geneenh, perhaps if you and Meldom can get into their systems, you can activate every alarm for every type of emergency situation they have? That should slow them down as they try to figure out which alarm is real," he said. "Like Maelstrom said, we keep it on the downlow as long as possible but once the cat gets out of the bag, we need to sow as much chaos as possible as quickly as possible."
|
|