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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 19, 2017 10:51:16 GMT -6
The Xiphos sat in a high orbit, not far from the satellite, which the techs had managed to render useless for the pirates' purposes (please, techs, post details in your opening post). Meanwhile, the Shadow Star and Vengeance streaked out of the vessel's shuttle bay, each carrying its own crew. On the Vengeance were Maelstrom, Naetilia, Geneenh, and Ghorith, while Izahm, Emily, Lysander, Fischer, Xan, Thrak, Purius, and Rula'an sat aboard the Shadow Star. From space, the planet looked like a jewel, the vast swaths of bioluminescent flora painting it a brilliant purplish blue.
The teams were using a comm signal on an extreme high-band, knowing that their opponents, while formidable, were unlikely to possess the same technological limitations as the Collectors or Cerberus had before. The VI on Maelstrom's shuttle- having been renamed "Em"- kept in constant contact with Lori'ar, as they descended to an extreme low altitude several kilometers from the dig site, using the mountains to screen their approach.
As the shuttles slowed gradually, the passengers were better able to see the exotic life around them. All of the plant life glowed from within. Though much of it resembled tall grasses- about waist high- there were what appeared to be giant mushrooms with long tendrils scattered all about. In a few places, large orb-like structures floated two meters or more in the air, secured to the ground only by a wispy and fragile-looking vine. Animals were scarce, though flocks of insects flew out of the way in a dark cloud as the shuttles set down by their respective caves.
The subterranean warrens were spacious enough that they needed not fear any claustrophobia, and lichen-like plants covered the walls, providing generous illumination. The maps provided by the Shadow Broker were freakishly accurate, showing every twist, turn, side passage, and fault. Everything so far had been a walk in the park.
At nearly the same time, both teams hear voices coming from further down the caves.
[GM Note 1]
The infiltration team is team A (Emily and Izahm) and are approaching from the east. The eastern combat team (Fischer, Xan, Thrak, Purius, and Rula'an) is team B. Lysander is accompanying these teams as sniper support. The western combat team is team C (Maelstrom, Naetilia, Geneenh, and Ghorith)
Upon exiting the caves, team A will first plant charges on the dropship by the science building before proceeding to the ships on the landing pad. As a secondary objective, team A will begin sabotaging the life-support systems for the habitats once all vessels are grounded. As a tertiary objective, team A will then provide sniper support. They will signal once the primary objective is complete, though detonation will wait on confirmation that the other teams are ready to go.
Team B will hold back upon exiting the caves. Once team A has signaled, team B will continue to the science building and clear it. Purius, Xan, and Rula'an will be left to secure the data, becoming team D. The remainder of team B (Fischer and Thrak) will continue through the camp as a wrecking ball of destruction.
Lysander, during all of this, will be on watch, directing the teams, calling out threats and targets, and providing sniper support as he deems necessary.
Team C, upon exiting, will see Geneenh immediately begin climbing to reach the AA towers. It will be difficult, but she should succeed with just enough time (barely) to rejoin the rest of team C prior to team A giving their signal. Team C will then proceed to clear the habitats.
[GM Note 2- Round 1]
Team A and B are approaching a patrol consisting of one krogan (sentinel), one human (infiltrator), and one asari (engineer with drone active).
Team C is approaching a patrol consisting of one human (vanguard), one asari (adept), and one volus (adept).
Both enemy groups are to be treated as mini-bosses (though they will have low health), with actions being declared. If the groups work well together and strike quickly, no one should take damage, and the engagement will be over this round. These are highly-skilled combatants, though, and should be treated as near-equals.
While in the caves, teams A and B are not able to contact team C (and vise versa).
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 19, 2017 11:05:08 GMT -6
Maelstrom was wary, walking through the caves. In one hand, he clutched his geth-modified SMG, while his other clung tightly to a grenade. What he had read of the caves suggested that they were quite stable, yet they were also large enough that he felt certain an explosion inside them would not be heard at either end. He checked his helmet's readout again, marking not only their position but also making sure that his faceplate hologram was deactivated. Changing the colors to perfectly match the flora had proven more trouble than it was worth, and he had decided instead to come up with a setting that would on command flash the ghastly grin, as a means of intimidation.
Though he was as ready as he could be, there was still a sense of unease. He disliked being out of contact with the other team, especially since the mysterious Miss Moore was with them. Oddly, he thought he felt more concerned about her safety than what she might do to the others.
A voice echoing through the caves brought him to a halt. Then he heard another, and he raised a hand to alert the team. It sounded like a man and woman were discussing something, and there was a distinctive volus respirator occasionally interrupting their words.
Knowing they would have to act quickly, Maelstrom settled into a cadeira, taking aim with his SMG while preparing to unleash a grenade from his other hand.j
The trio turned the corner, obviously more interested in their interactions than with the task of patrolling, and Maelstrom unleashed the grenade for the asari, standing in the center of the group. His helmet flashed on command. He then targeted the volus, emptying his thermal clip at the squat alien before taking to cover.
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Post by Ghorith Ghegranak on Aug 19, 2017 12:37:56 GMT -6
With the human biotic taking the lead, Ghorith had chosen to position himself at the rear so as to protect the turian and the asari.
Voiced echoed through the cave, alerting him and the others that they were not alone.
Both the asari and the turian ducked behind outcroppings for cover, but the human dropped into a squat, then lobbed a grenade and emptied his SMG at the group of pirates as they came into view.
He considered using his biotic charge to attack the other pirate, but dismissed it; it would put him in the blast radius of the grenade.
He considered using his own SMG, but the remaining pirate would have his shields up.
Only one option was left.
He activated his biotic lash and fired it, confident it would pass through his target's shields, yank him off his feet and drag him into melee distance, where the batarian would have the advantage with his blade armor.
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Post by Joe Fischer on Aug 19, 2017 19:40:46 GMT -6
Joe strode through the cave at the head of the team.
Before leaving, he had offered leadership of the team to Thrak, figuring the krogan's centuries of experience made him a natural for the position, but he turned it down.
Voices echoing through the cave made him stop, and he gestured for the others to do the same.
He picked up three distinct voices. One was the unmistakable bass of a krogan, while the other two sounded human, a man and a woman.
The challenge in using the Destroyer armor was not in how much death and destruction he could inflict but rather in restraining himself. Between the multi-frag launcher, the missile launcher and the weapons he carried wiping out all three of them was very possible but his surroundings kept him in check; he didn't want the explosions from the grenades and missiles bringing the cave down around them, so that meant using the weapons he carried.
He knew he would target the krogan but felt a slight shudder of disappointment ripple through him. Despite their violent nature, he felt a certain kinship with them because of their similar outlooks on battle.
And then there was the matter of the genophage. He understood the reasoning behind it but the collateral damage was something he didn't agree with.
But that wouldn't stop him from doing his job. If he didn't, there would be more trouble down the line.
He aimed the Typhoon and waited for it to step into view, then began firing a rapid series of bursts, determined to put it down before it could counterattack.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Aug 19, 2017 21:54:39 GMT -6
There was not much point in Eric leading his team into the cave since he would eventually be breaking off to take a sniper's perch alone so he left it between Joseph and Thrak to decide who would take point. Strangely Thrak turned down the offer, leaving the junior N7 with the task. Eric was at the rear with his Phalanx pistol drawn making sure nothing followed behind them. The glowing plants and lichen carpeting the caves reminded him of black light rooms in a couple of the clubs he had went to during shore leave. Festive looking but it was not the time or place for sightseeing.
Suddenly Joseph motioned for the group to stop; something got his attention. Eric tensed and quietly switched to his Viper rifle, aiming his scope down the way. A second or so passed before he heard voices ahead, one deep and resonant like Thrak.
Krogan.
The other two sounded human. Or humanoid. Neither had the clipped, rushed tone of a salarian or the metallic timber of turians. Nor the hollow, respirator-funneled voices of quarians or volus. So that left either human for both or the female was...
Joseph began firing a volley at the krogan pirate with his Typhoon, Eric tracking the action through his scope. One other pirate, a female moving with unearthly grace, circled around and brought her combat drone to bear. Eric radioed Rula'an as he fired three bursts at the asari's cranium.
"Rula'an - combat drone ahead. Fry it."
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Post by Urdnot Thrak on Aug 20, 2017 3:34:10 GMT -6
Thrak wasted no time upon seeing Jokes' signal. His tech armor shield was up, and he biotically charged his hammer. As soon as the enemies came into sight, he was off at full speed.
"For Urdnot!" he cried out, as much for the psychological effect as anything. Most people feared a krogan with a battle cry, no matter what it was. He could have just as easily yelled "For pony!" and terrified his foes.
His legs carried him with the speed of a much younger man, as he threw himself headlong into the fray. When within a dozen meters of his quarry, he hurled his hammer directly at the human's midsection using all the strength and speed he could muster. He then put his shield to the asari, as he drew his Raider and unleashed hell on his krogan foe. His attacks were direct and carried the full threat of lethality, despite being spread among multiple members of the opposing group rather than just one. His goal was not an overwhelming assault of one lone individual but to focus the attention of all three on him, freeing his team members for a full assault without regard to their own safety. And those attacks of his which did connect would be crippling.
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Post by XanDorak on Aug 20, 2017 3:45:23 GMT -6
"Damned krogan," Xan grumbled under his breath, as he braced his Revenant against his shoulder and focused not only his combat-display but iron sights on the asari female, the member of the opposing team furthest from his teammate's reckless charge.
At this range, his sniper rifle would have been too unwieldy, aside from not being the weapon in-hand at the time. The limited accuracy of the Revenant determined the asari as the target, as targeting either of the other two would have carried too much of a risk of hitting Urdnot Thrak. As close as even the asari was to the mad krogan, he decided to limit himself to a series of well-aimed, short bursts of weapons fire. Even with such short bursts, he was able to fire them off rapidly enough to quickly deplete his thermal clip.
"Far more effective to use concentrated gunfire," he grumbled at the krogan's brutish strategy and how it deprived him of his ability spray the field and suppress his enemies with his assault rifle's unrestrained hail of bullets.
As he ejected the spent thermal clip and slammed another home without hesitation, he realized that the human woman had not fired a single volley. In fact, she did not seem to have done anything to help the team at all in the engagement. He made a note to take her unhelpfulness up with the Lysander human at the earliest post-mission convenience, as he once again sighted down the barrel, once again looking for the most ideal target.
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Post by rulaan on Aug 20, 2017 8:48:10 GMT -6
Upon exiting FTL the Xiphos stealthily made it's way to the satellite. As soon as he connected Rula'an began piggybacking routine signals to gain access to the root hub. Once there it was a short hop to the more encrypted base coding. It took him five seconds to anylize the overall code five more seconds to work up a way to break through, twenty seconds to actually implement his virus then the next minute and a half he spent layering incoming signals with copies of the virus which in turn weakened the encryption firewalls enough that with a thrust of hyper dense code he gains unrestricted access to the Satellite. Once he had access Rula'an uploads a special virus he built to mask the Xiphos and also allows Geneenh full access as she had the tougher job of keeping the counter cyberwarfare VI from him while he worked.
Once on the planet Rula'an takes up a middle position following close to Xan the female Turians mech trotting beside him when the massive armored figure that is Fischer motions for them to stop. Rula'an's helmet audio receptors pick up voices approaching. As the team readies them selves a human most likely an infiltrator like the pair accompanying them a Krogan with full tech armor active, and an asari engineer with a drine acive turn the corner. Their two powerhouses and Volus warrior immediately jump into action. Rula'an had his Predator out But Lysander called out, "Rula'an combat drone ahead fry it." Rula'an didn't even hesitate slippin to the right more he flicked on both his left and right Omni-tools then with his left he summoned first hiz own combat drone which immediately went and harrassed the infiltrator then a second later his own defense drone using a special command on his right Omni-tool before finally firing off his heavy overload at the oncoming enemy drone with his left Omni-tool. He then sighted the drone and pumped half his clip into it for good measure, "Drone is out of commision."
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Post by spartan560 on Aug 20, 2017 9:01:56 GMT -6
Izahm after having a short talk with his now permanent shuttle pilot and friend Lori'ar he takes up a position just a little behind Thrak as they move through the caves. Izahm's audio receptors picked up faint voices. He was about to say something when Fischer noticed the voices too. He motioned for the teams to stop and then three combatants walk around the corner. The hulking tech armored Krogan was immediately set upon by both their own tanks Thrak and Fischer. Thrak with all the tact and grace inherent to his race. The asari engineer had both herself and her drone targeted by Rula'an and Xan respectively, while the Infiltrator had yet to be targeted.
Rolling to the left Izahm decides to change that and brings out his Widow dropping to one knee keeping it off the ground but tight to his body then brings his other leg up and slightly forward. He then brings his Widow to bear resting the barrel on his slightly outstretched knee for added stability. Centering himself for a second he activates his right Omni-tool funneling residual energy from his tactical cloak into the mass effect generators in his Widow super powering them for a few seconds. He fires off two shots both to the chest of the infiltrator before quickly reloading his Widow recentering his target and firing off a third shot to the head. He then keeps his eye on the scope ready for any more targets.
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Post by Naetilia Bolanis on Aug 22, 2017 18:55:34 GMT -6
Naetilia trailed carefully behind Maelstrom, her SMG at the ready.
She was nervous, but she remembered her objective and maintained her focus; giving in would only hurt the rest of the team.
She heard voices and she immediately stepped behind an outcropping, waiting to see the forces arrayed against them.
Maelstrom, however, had no such inclinations; he dropped into a squat, threw a grenade and emptied his SMG at the enemy group in a matter of seconds.
A tendril of biotic energy erupted frpm Ghorith, snaking towards one of the enemy.
Between the two of them, their attacks appeared to be enough to eliminate the enemy, but she charged her warp power just in case any of them survived.
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Post by Geneenh T'Loris on Aug 22, 2017 20:57:24 GMT -6
Geneenh followed behind Naetilia, her demeanor much more relaxed than that of the turian doctor.
She may not have been a soldier, but over two centuries' worth of experience had taught her about how to conduct herself in a hostile environment, and at the moment her senses told her they were alone.
Sbe wondered for a moment why she had agreed to such a mission. From a technical standpoint, the tasks were not overly difficult, and they were outnumbered at least six to one.
The answer came back almost before she finished thinking the question: the money. When it came right down to it, they were all there for their own reasons, and saving the hostages was way down on their list.
Pure altruism, in her experience, was the rarest thing in the galaxy. People always carried out actions that benefitted them; beneifts for others was just a happy side effect.
Voices interrupted ber musings, and she immediately activated her omnitool while stepping behind an outcropping.
Maelstrom sprang into action, lobbing a grenade and following up with his SMG while Ghorith used his biotics to yank one into melee range.
She drew her Scorpion heavy pistol--payment for services from a Salarian client--and aimed it, ready to finish off any survivors.
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 22, 2017 21:17:36 GMT -6
[GM Note]
The two groups were successful in fending off the hostiles before they could even attempt to raise an alarm or retaliate. Though the Xiphos' crew had drawn first blood, there was now an additional element to the mission- their foes would be expecting to hear back from their patrols once they finished making it through the caves.
[The groups may continue on or stay to examine the bodies.]
Outside, the flora and fauna are much the same as where they landed. The incline of the mountains is extremely steep both ascending and descending the great landscape, leveling out to a more forgiving terrain only around the area of the landing pad, housing areas, digsite, and science building. There are clearly groups of pirates patrolling the areas below, but they are too distant to clearly make out except through binoculars or a sniper's scope (contact the GM for specifics regarding this, if desired- information will be made available to the characters asking and it will be up to them how to disperse that information).
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Post by Joe Fischer on Aug 23, 2017 12:06:37 GMT -6
It was practically over before it started, all three pirates going down under the withering display of firepower unleashed by the team.
Joe swapped out the Typhoon for the Crusader, strode up to the motionless krogan and fired until the heat sink was expended, targeting its brain and hearts.
He looked back at Thrak, his expression unreadable under his mask.
"I've lost a couple of battle buddies to krogan we thought were dead," he said by way of explanation.
He turned back to the corpses and examined their weapons. They were all high quality as he expected.
He activated his omniblade and drove it through all of them, rendering them inoperable without a lot of work from a skilled gunsmith.
He could see the end of the cave a short ways up ahead and made his way to it.
*****
He stepped forward enough to look into the valley and see the dig site laid out before him.
He could see movement around it, but was too far away to make out any details.
He looked back at the team and almost called Lysander to scan it, but then his eyes fell on the volus.
"Hey Xan, scope out the site with your rifle and tell me what you see," he said.
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Post by Maelstrom on Aug 23, 2017 12:51:10 GMT -6
Maelstrom walked up to the bodies and stood over them, surveying the dead bodies. They were all still, but that was not what was running through his mind.
Turning back to the asari, Maelstrom said, "Would it slow us down too much or interfere with our other objectives if you scanned their omni-tools and downloaded the contents? I'm wondering if maybe they have the frequencies used by the pirates and names of the ones we just killed. Maybe even a voiceprint... Enough for us to craft a false check-in so that they don't go on alert when these three fail to check in?"
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Post by Urdnot Thrak on Aug 23, 2017 13:06:50 GMT -6
Thrak reclaimed his battle hammer from the chest of the downed human, caved in such that the ribs jutted out of the ruptured armor of the man's back. He cleared the blood with a couple rough shakes.
His attention was drawn, as Fischer emptied more rounds into the dead krogan. "I've lost a couple of battle buddies to krogan we thought were dead."
"Severing or crushing works better," Thrak advised.
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Post by XanDorak on Aug 23, 2017 13:35:46 GMT -6
"Hey Xan, scope out the site with your rifle and tell me what you see," Fischer said, as the group arrived outside.
He quickly retrieved the weapon from his back, and it expanded to its full size. He felt slightly annoyed that the mass-effect-field generator near the end of the barrel was needed to offset its length and weight for someone of his size, but at least the blue glow of it would blend in with the flora around him. It took a moment longer for the scope to extend to his optics, interfacing with his suit and providing a combat-data overlay.
"There are places I can't see," he commented, as he scanned the area with his scope. "Other sides of buildings, ships, the random taller bit of flora. A few scattered rock outcroppings." He was fairly confident of his findings, but he re-checked, just to be sure. "I see four bodies on the landing pad. Split into pairs. Both have a turian and an asari, from the look. I'd say the asari look like adepts. The turians look like snipers."
"Two bodies each at the visible doors to the barracks. One pair appears to be a human sentinel and a elcor... whatever you call those tanks. The other pair looks like a human sentinel or soldier with a batarian vanguard."
"At the science building... Much the same. One group of two. Krogan sentinel and I'd say a turian specialized for close combat. Cabal?"
"The dig site..." he looked carefully. "Looks like a salarian sniper, quarian engineer, and volus adept."
"I'm also seeing four vorcha on patrol, led by a batarian that I'd say looks like a soldier. Can't tell about the vorcha."
He hated that his respirator caused so many interruptions in his report, but he felt it was accurate.
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Post by spartan560 on Aug 23, 2017 14:00:10 GMT -6
Izahm examined the bodies as the others went on ahead. Something bothered him as he examined the bodies. He thinks hard then it hit. These guys weren't here by chance, they were on patrol. "Hey Rula'an could you hack these guys Omni-tools and report a false check in," he asks, "The longer we can remain hidden the better."
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Post by Geneenh T'Loris on Aug 23, 2017 18:38:14 GMT -6
Geneenh was already moving towards the bodies when Maelstrom asked her to scan the omnitools of the fallen.
She chuckled to herself; that was one of her standing operating procedures, for such devices often held treasure troves of information.
She activated hers and hacked each one in a matter of seconds, then began scanning their databases.
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Post by rulaan on Aug 23, 2017 18:52:47 GMT -6
Rula'an looked over at Izahm and thought a moment before going over and connecting to one of the mercenaries Omni-tool. He easily hacked through to it and began downloading and scrubbing the data of all harmful or hidden programs. "I should have the proper information shortly," he says concentrating on his work.
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Post by Eric Lysander on Aug 23, 2017 18:59:39 GMT -6
Rula'an deployed an Overload on the enemy drone sent by the asari engineer followed by several rounds, destroying it. "Drone is out of commission," reported the quarian.
Thrak and Xan followed suit quickly with their attacks on the three pirates. The carnage ended as quickly as it began, Joseph ensuring that the slain patrol group remained so then proceeded to the cave entrance not far ahead with his own group in tow. Outside he paused a little ways past, briefly surveyed the valley and turned to face the group. Eric prepared to step up to the front figuring that Joseph would call on him to put a scope on the situation but relented when the junior N7 chose Xan who was much closer. The senior N7 listened on, marking up his holomap as the volus described the pirates stationed about key areas of the dig site.
"Duly noted," said Eric once Xan was done, rechecking to see that he had sufficient ammo types to deal with the various targets.
Izahm recommended to Rula'an that he should hack into the downed patrol's Omni-Tools to create a false check-in report to offset any suspicion.
"Looks like we've got the essentials covered," remarked Eric to Joseph. "Ready ta go when you guys are."
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