Eridas relaxes as he makes it through the last of the slugs and lasers, and gently brings the Makkuro in for a landing. <"Had to do something, we've got a job to do."> He responds, then lands the ship and takes a few moments to compose himself.
"Another happy landing." He says with a smirk, letting the Makk shut down. <"Sounds like it. I suggest we move light, stow whatever we don't need here on the Makk and get moving with the container. Bring a gun each and a few cells."> He responds to Cass and moves toward his bunk to do just that.
OOC
I'm not sure if I already did this prior, but Creed will leave the laser rifle behind and instead take the spike thrower and laser pistol.
<Nobody still alive on this planet is a pushover,> Cass responds to Kaze. <But I guess I don't need to tell an Anthean that.>
He takes the lift to the cargo hold, packing up the Void Hawk and fitting its bulky case into his combat pack. He shoulders it, feeling the weight dig into his bones but he tries his best to ignore it. Once she's in the air, it won't be too bad on my back, he considers.
<Everyone got enough teeth?> he asks over their radio, triple-checking his considerably-modded laser rifle after power-cycling it with a fresh cell. His nerves are getting to him, but obsessing over things like his small arms helps keep him grounded. <Leena, don't move a micrometer from that comms desk until I'm back. We should all keep an open channel.>
Tess grips the arms of her seat tightly, hanging on for dear life despite the seat straps doing all of the actual work to keep her in place. She closes her eyes as Creed begins his evasive maneuvers, mostly unfazed by the incoming projectiles, but finding the sudden, quick movements of the ship difficult to stomach. She gulps several times, trying to resist the urge to empty her stomach contents. God I hate flying, but goddamn am I glad he's in the pilot seat. Holy shit, that was close.
<No offense, Creed, but not taking that advice bud. We're going into an active warzone, and just nearly died in the sky. I am bringing all the firepower I got,> she responds to the pilot's suggestion, grabbing both of her pistols, her rifle, her knife, and all of her meds to take with her onto the planet. Can't do much when up against anti-air batteries, but I sure as hell am not going into a firefight unprepared.<Pia, let me know if anything comes into your sights while we're gone. Hopefully you don't have to shoot anyone, but whoever shot at us might be coming to find us.>
<Copy that,> Leena replies to Cass. <Just because we're off people's scopes for now, doesn't mean they won't be able to work out roughly where we landed. The sooner we're on the move again the better,> she adds.
You gear up and assemble in the Makkuro's cargo hold a few minutes later. Once everyone is ready you open the cargo ramp, its hydraulics hissing as the ramp slowly descends down to the ground. As the ramp opens, the Anthean atmosphere rushes inside, mixing with the sterile recycled air you have been breathing for several weeks if not longer. The new air has an earthy, almost herbal, musk to it.
"That's going to linger in the air filters for a while," Martine comments, having joined you along with Marko to assist in offloading the grav container.
"It's a little different to Idarete," Marko replies. "There's no ice overhead for a start," he adds, pointing to the blue sky visible on the horizon outside of the hold as he starts the process of releasing the container's mag clamps and powering up its grav cells.
Cass pulls the fresh atmospheric air into his lungs, the first time his bloodstream has received such since abandoning Alldis those many months ago. He closes his eyes for a rapturous moment, the light and warmth from Mardis soothing his aching shoulders like an embrace from Mother. And then the moment ends.
Eyes open, Cass scans their horizons. The danger of their situation ways down on him almost as much as his own pack does. The tech winces, slinging his rifle and instead sliding out the reinforced steel and hardened plastic shell of the void hawk. "Up we go," he mutters, giving the weighty drone a brisk toss before palming the control unit. "Gave her a name, by the way. Black Owl."
He pilots the drone up and ahead about a hundred meters, creeping along the ridges where any ambushes may lay in wait.
As the Black Owl ascends, your view screen starts to scramble slightly, warning of active QECM in the area. Ubiquitous in high security areas and on the battlefield, the QECM will limit the drone to LOS use only. That said you are still able to pilot it up and ahead, getting a look at the terrain in front of you.
Ahead the slopes of the gulley rise upward, becoming rocky canyon walls. The canyon cut the rock in a relatively straight line toward your objective but it does appear to grow narrower and more winding in the distance.
You are also able to see that, if you backtrack a couple hundred metres or so from your current position, you would be able to get up and out of the gulley. Taking a more circuitous path over what looks to be rocky terrain, but avoiding the low ground of the canyon.
"Way I see it," Cass begins, pulling Black Owl a few meters closer as a patch of QECM scrambles his screen too disruptively. "There's two paths. Ahead and through this gulch is the quickest option, gives us visual cover from any crews searching for us by shuttle or landrover. But if they do find us, they'll have no problem putting a healthy dose of slugs through our domes."
With his free hand, he waves behind them, away from their intended drop zone. "But if we go back, give it two hundred meters, we're out of the gulch. Good cover, no chance of being shot from above, but it's slower. And more importantly, anybody passing by will have easy eyes on us."
Cass turns back to the rest of the crew, namely Hikaru. "What's the play?"
"That was some smooth flying, Creed." Warner compliments the pilot, after the coast has cleared.
After landing and gearing up, Warner steps out into the all to familiar Anthean air. With every breath, Warner feels both more at home and on edge.
"There's a third option, a smaller group goes up to scout for potential ambushers in the mountains while the others move through the gulch. Spreads ourselves thin, which is a risk, but it can prevent a single ambush ending it all. " Warner replies.
Tess takes a deep breath and stretches a bit as she steps onto solid ground and breathes natural atmosphere for the first time in months. It may be a warzone, but it is so nice to taste fresh air again. It almost doesn't feel real after so long with the recycled stuff. She checks her pack and holsters to make sure everything is in its place, following after Cass as she watches their drone sour into the sky. He's getting real good with that. And naming it? Almost like he's sentimental, she thinks, chuckling lightly to herself.
"I am also more keen on the second option," Tess responds in agreement with Kaze. "We can't do a whole lot if we're spotted from the sky, but going with cover only leaves us open to a potential - possibly unlikely - firefight, and we can put up much more of a fight on land than against anything aerial."Maybe not everyone here, but most of us have a some experience in a scrap now. Definitely seems the safer option.
"Damn, smooth flying indeed," Hikaru mentions, relieved that they seemingly avoided the worst of it on their way in. Not out of the woods yet, but at least we didn't get shot out of the sky. I'll take what small victories I can.
He breathes in the fresh air, almost forgetting the peril they're in as a pleasant sensation washes over him. Wild how it just feels more alive. It's still just air, but... it's just more. Good thing this is a dusty, wartorn hellscape or it'd be hard to wanna leave again. He casts a steady gaze across the horizon, almost forgetting what it's like to have land seem to stretch on forever. Space just don't have the same vibe. Just so much more desolate.
The idol listens to Cass, followed by Warner, stating their thoughts. He tilts his head side to side, considering their best option. "I'd say the second option, yeah. This is a planet that most of us aren't familiar with, so splitting up might just put us at even more risk than any possible ambush. And we'd have even fewer numbers to deal with any threats. Better to play it safe and then get the fuck out, together and in one piece."
"Well - good luck out there," Marko says, giving Hikaru a parting peck on the cheek. You set off back up the gulley, slaving the grav container to follow after you, its slightly slower than walking speed setting the pace. After about ten minutes of walking, with the rear of the Makkuro still in sight further up the gulley, you reach the shallow slope Cass had identified on his drone feed.
Ascending up and out of the ancient riverbed, you find your selves on a flat rocky plain that stretches out to the horizon in all directions. To the North, several large clusters of hexagonal basalt pillars reach skyward, weathered by millennia's worth of sandstorms and winds. You press on towards them, keeping watch for any signs of movement as you do. The rough terrain slows your pace further, but another twenty minutes later you make your way through the rock formations.
After passing several of the pillars, the Black Owl is able to get a clearer view of the terrain ahead. Half a kilometer or so ahead lies another cluster of pillars, while in front of them an offshoot of the canyon, carved out by an old tributary, runs across your path. The twenty metre or so gap blocking your way.
In front of that still sit four vehicles of some kind, haphazardly scattered across a 100 metre area. On the drone's feed they appear to be military in nature and in damaged states - peppered with holes and scored with carbon burn marks.
Wish I had taken some geology courses, Cass considers. He navigates the Black Owl ahead and through the basalt pillars, their strange shapes reaching up like titanic fingers, clawing from beneath. The tech's eyes narrow as inorganic joins organic on the drone's feed.
"This is some weird shit, check it out," he says, offering a view of his screen to the others. "Hey, Tess, did you bring your sniper? You wanna scope those trucks out?"
"Could be a wreck or something," Hikaru considers, raising an eyebrow as he looks at the display. "But yeah, not a bad idea to get a better look first. Would rather not end up full of bullet holes too."
"Of course," Tess says, amused by Cass' question. Did he not see the huge case? Maybe he was just too busy paying attention to his own, she thinks, smirking at the man in amusement. "What better time for a high caliber rifle than an active warzone? Figured I'd need it at some point, though admittedly not so soon." She places her case on the ground, retrieving the rifle from within and aiming its scope towards the wreckage in question. Now what do we have here?
"It doesn't look like much to me," Tess says, after scanning the distant wreckage. She begins to disassemble her rifle and return it to its case as she continues talking. "Looks like fighting definitely took place, but the dust seems to have settled on whatever went down. Who knows if anyone else has eyes on the wreckage, though. Might be good to avoid getting too close."
"Yeah..." Hikaru says, not taking much comfort in Tess's words despite her findings. "For all we know, there's a field of landmines or something around it too. Or automated weapons that somehow survived whatever happened." You see stuff like this all the time in movies, but damn if it isn't surreal to actually see. Fuck this war.
Cass makes no notice of Tess' amusement, his eyes glued to the drone control unit. "For a civilian, you've got a good mind for this, Glitter," he admits to Hikaru. "Even if it's not as dramatic as a mine, it could be anything — a frayed line on a fuel tank, a dud mortar round — just waiting for a little kinetic shove to shake it loose. I agree, let's steer well clear."
Kate breathes in the desert air, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. It ain't home, but it's damn close. Fuck, never thought I'd say it, but I missed the dust. Beats a jungle though, hate that humidity. She muses, double checking the grav container before following the others out. "For sure, no sense in takin' extra risk." Kate agrees, between pulls of her cigarette. Wonder what kind of salvage we could get though, might be worth that risk. She considers, eyeing up the wrecks in the distance, before shaking her head and taking another drag. "So, which way we goin', Captain?"
"You see a good path around them and into the pillars?" Tess asks, turning back to Cass and his birds-eye view of the terrain. "Would be nice if we can keep cover for as much of the trek as possible."
The Black Owl ascends, circling the area overhead at Cass' command. Its camera shows that the vehicles are relatively easily avoided, however the terrain around them is relatively open, compared to the cover granted by the larger rock formations. Additionally, the offshoot of the canyon appears to continue off over the horizon, meaning, short of a long unplanned detour, it will need to be crossed whether you avoid the vehicles or not.
Cass glances up at his drone controller, sensing the security chief's anxiety. "Just hang tight, killer. Once we get closer to the canyon, we'll figure out the best way to cross it."
"Seems like we are out in the open, then," Tess says hesitantly, a sinking feeling in her throat at the idea of moving through such dangerous territory without any form of cover. "Keep the Owl on alert, the last thing we need is an ambush while we are traveling unimpeded, and unhidden."
Opting to skirt around the battlefield wreckage, you set off once more, the red desert sun of Mardis beating down on you, now you have left the relatively frequent shade of the rock formations. This adds several more minutes to your journey, but thankfully exposing yourselves in the open doesn't seem to attract any unwanted attention.
You eventually reach the edge of the canyon offset, the ground falling away before you with about a 60 metre drop. The canyon curves and winds as it cuts through the terrain, with its narrowest point seeming to be about twenty metres wide.
Measuring the distance with his meta-tool, Cass winces. "Sixty meter drop, and the narrowest we're looking at is twenty meters wide. The grav-con could take that fall, no problem. But I don't see an easy way to get it, or us, across." He stares across the chasm a moment longer before turning toward Kate, the mechanical whiz. "Anything brewing, Chief?"
Kate eyeballs the distances, nodding as Cass confirms her estimates. Her eyes squint slightly in concentration, the gears in her mind turning thoughts and ideas into plans.
After a moment, her eyes come back into focus, and she looks over at Cass. "Way I see it, either we bite the bullet and hoof it the long way, or..." She pauses a beat, like she's weighing the options. "We could check the wrecks out, might have somethin' salvageable."
"Longer we spend out here, the longer House Eedlon has to send an assault shuttle right up our ass," Cass warns. "We triggered their fire, and they saw us go down and stay down. To them, either we crashed, or — worse — we didn't, and we're sticking around. Either way, they're going to come for answers. Point being if we want to check the wrecks out, we should do it quickly. I can send the Owl ahead in case anyone's worried about a fuel leak."
He pauses. "Okay, yeah, I'm worried about a fuel leak."
Kinda worried about everything out here. Never was planet-side during an active war. Feels wrong not having the benefit of fifteen thousand tons of steel bulkhead surrounding you when the fighting starts.
"I'd almost rather keep moving than get caught with our tails between our legs while we're checking out those wrecks," Hikaru adds with an uneasy shrug, frowning as he casts a glance across the canyon. "Could be something useful in them, but could also be cleaned out. But I guess if you think you can be quick and thorough, and safe, we could try."
He lets out a sigh, looking back toward the way they'd come from. "Cass is right though. Can't waste a ton of time or we could have fascists breathing down our necks. And then even more fascists once they realize we've got special forces munitions or whatever's in that crate."
"Fair 'nuff, I was figurin' that we'd be headed back that way, and I'd be able to tell quick if they're FUBAR. I've got experience with, vehicular mechanics." Kate says, barely catching on the last two words. It's not a lie, she's had plenty of time to work on all kinds of vehicles, both at home and while serving, but the unwanted memories of her mechs still bubble up from the back of her mind. She looks to Cass again. "Fuel leak's a reasonable concern, though, be a good idea to check first."
"Either case, we should get while the gettin's good, I'll leave it if it's too much risk for y'all."
Eridas spends a lot of their walk being quiet, his use being mostly locked to the sky. He feels a little stung by Tess's comment but keeps his feelings to himself.
As the group stops to figure out the next course of action, Eridas takes a few moments to gather himself. "I'd trust Kate to find out what's wrong with those vehicles. Maybe if we can patch one up enough we can make this trip a helluva lot easier." Eridas says, looking between Cass, then Kate, and the rest of the group.
"Sure, I suppose," Hikaru says with a shrug, keeping his pace steady to not waste anymore time. Let's just hope the Diktat ranks have as much dumbass bureaucracy and protocol as the League. That'd at least buy us some time before they come looking.
He looks over to Cass, trying to steal a glance at the display screen on his module. "Just let us know if you find anything, yeah?"
It takes a couple of minutes to backtrack, during which the area around the Owl's sensors remain clear of any movement. Approaching the vehicles you are able to get a better look at them and the scene around them. The vehicles themselves appear to be a couple different variants of gravtank marked with a traditional Anthean noble symbol, identifiable as belonging to House Eedlon for those familiar.
The tanks appear to have been knocked out and destroyed by an assortment of weaponry, with the hulls showing signs of explosions, laser fire and kinetic impacts. Wreckage lies scattered in the sand, torn from the tanks by the force of whatever disabled them.
As you get closer, you are able to see that scrap metal is not the only think lying in the sand. Already obscured from a distance by the shifting sands of the desert, depleted powercells, empty mag rifle magazines and even bodies lay about the battlefield.
Cass frowns as he makes out the shape of corpses lying about the sands. "Pretty nasty up there. Looks like a couple Eedlon tank teams got their asses handed to them."Hate to come across whatever did that to a pack of gravtanks.
He swallows hard, glancing up at the skies momentarily. "We really shouldn't stay long out here. I'd bet the valley's the better option in the end. Don't see shit that will help us get this cargo across twenty meters of open air."
"Damn," Hikaru manages as he scans over the carnage, wincing at the bodies left to unceremoniously rot in the scorching sun. "Yeah, I don't like the feeling of this. Let's keep moving." Hopefully whoever's responsible is long gone. Guess this is why they called for the big guns from above.
Tucking the end of an unlit cigarette in her mouth, Kate picks up her pace, pulling ahead of the group. "It's like y'all've never been boots-on-the-ground before." She breathes to herself, old habits coming back to haunt her. Cowardice like that woulda got you shot.
"Don't y'all worry now, I'm a trained professional. I'll be in'n'out before y'all know it." She calls back, as the distance grows and she sets about approaching and investigating the closest wreck. Mechanics
Kate approaches the closest tank, spending a minute or two examining its hull and peering inside through the numerous holes it was peppered with during its destruction.Kate
Examining the closest wreck's hull, and peering inside through the numerous holes, you are quickly able to determine some of it remains salvageable despite its current state. It's type B power cell appears to be intact, along with one of its four gravictic stabilisers, the source of its anti-grav capabilities, while some of the hull plating and other machinery and electronics could definitely be turned into useful spare parts with a some time spent disconnecting things.
Cass watches Kate stride forward, feeling both inspired by her confidence but also a gnawing anxiety that comes with it. "Yeah, make it quick, Chief," he calls after, but the words come out more nasal than he intends. He navigates the Black Owl in the air above her, scanning for threats. In and out. C'mon, Kate.
The gears in her mind already turning, Kate immediately gets to work disconnecting the one good gravitic stabilizer and a handful of spare parts, nothing extensive, just enough to get her by. "Oh you are just what I needed, let's find you some friends so we can get this job done, yeah?" She says quietly to the stabilizer as she hauls it up and out of the ruins of the tank.
Once finished, she'll lay the parts and the type B power cell somewhere up off the ground, safe from the dust but easily accessible for later pickup, before moving on to the next wreck.
Tess' nerves are tense as a decision is made, spending most of the conversation watching around them for signs of hostility, or even just eyes their way. The caves full of space bugs felt less unnerving than this. Wide open space, the remains of a battlefield, and ships that could be on us from above at any minute. Yeah, definitely never joining the army.
She watches Kate's confident handling of the situation, though, and her eyes widen both in surprise and a hint of admiration. Clearly she's got no issues with it, though. Knew she was a mech, but didn't know she had this level of comfort in such a dangerous situation. It's kinda hot.
Kate spends a few minutes stripping the wreck of its useful parts, before moving on, the rest of you trailing her and providing cover. The next two wrecks turn out to be heavily fire damaged and devoid of any useful salvage capable of being extracted without the tools of a dedicated salvage yard, though the final of the four tanks appears to have an intact stabiliser.
As Kate gets to work removing the stabiliser with her metatool, you hear pained grunts coming from inside the destroyed gravtank.
"Hey... Hey... Is someone there?" a feminine voice calls out, her words and breathing laboured. "I'm stuck in here, I can't move, you've got to help me!"'
Shit, survivors complicate things."Name and Rank, ma'am. What's the status in there?" Kate responds to the voice, keeping her voice steady while continuing to remove the stabilizer.
"Specialist Kuresa, House Guards, 2nd Armoured," comes the reply. "I'm pinned in my seat... I've lost a lot of of blood and... and I can't feel my legs,"' the soldier adds, straining to get the words out.
Cass hears the cries for help come across his drone controller unit and his stomach lurches. Shit, no, that's... We can't help her. She's Eedlon. That's trouble for the contract, and trouble for us.
As his internal processing ticks along, he half-listens to Kate's response, finding himself appreciative of the mechanic's consideration for op-sec.
"Remember, her House is the one that just tried to shoot us down," Cass says quietly to those around him as he cautiously approaches."But if she's injured and disarmed and in our custody, we might have an element of protection if and when the rest of Eedlon shows up."Or a complication. Last thing I want is to get drawn into this war. Unless, of course, the credit's worth it.
