mcd900

Laniva to (18, 26), hold. Seila to (20, 18), hold.

Laniva to (23, 26), Iron Greatsword Pirate 6. Seila holds, Lightning Flash Pirate 2.

Here wasn't quite the place to reciprocate in full, not with dozens of engineers around; but he set a hand on her shoulder as Vivien leaned against him, giving her a small squeeze. "Sure, that's fine, just... don't push yourself too hard. Just because it was a long time ago doesn't mean you need to rush for that missing time. Especially if it means that you don't end up, well... doing things properly." He paused for a moment, sighing. "Ah, but as for your question... well, I'm just checking up on things, here. The Captain..." Alrenne smirked for a brief moment, unable to forget Vivien's... creative... nickname for Sia. "...well, she's gone into town, and things are all quiet up on the bridge. We're probably going to end up in another battle tomorrow, so everything needs to be in good order, here especially." The XO glanced around at the hustle and bustle in the hangar. "Well; want to come with me as I go around? I'll be inspecting things; we can say you just wanted to tour the hangar, if you like?" Mick fiddled with a loose thread on his uniform as the two women mused over the situation, evidently taking the facts of what had happened to the ambassador as news - and not good news. "Yes, the details of what happened to you all were in Ensign Nishimiya's report. It seems you came out of that without too much of a scratch, fortunately - but I can say that nothing nearly that drastic had occurred besides what happened to the ambassador until you arrived. Your ship's arrival is undoubtedly some kind of impetus, though as to what or why, I couldn't say..." He crossed his arms. "I know the two of you have your suspicions about AHI, but it wouldn't make sense to me. There was clearly some kind of fight - and even outnumbered as our single security HEX might have been, Viktor was no slouch. He would've dropped at least one of them..." He clicked his tongue. "Look here." He swiped his comm, the projector switching display to a slideshow of still images depicting the smoldering wreckage of what could have been nothing other than the ambassador's convoy. "The damage is precise." He grimaced, tapping again, zooming in on the wreck of the HEX-2, a clean hole through the cockpit. "Beam weaponry. It couldn't have been a ship, there's no way we could miss anything big enough to mount a beam. And unless AHI picked Ambassador Shiva's convoy as their first testing ground, AHI hasn't got beam weaponry in any real production. To our knowledge, anyway." He paced for a moment, then his lips drew into a thin line. "Done in response to your dispatch... they'd have to have some extreme information capabilities to know to do that before you arrived, or a fast ship." He scrolled through his comm for a longer moment this time, then held it up, letting the retinal scanner run. "...There. Alright, now this... well, I think it speaks for itself." The scene now playing before their eyes was grainy, but what was happening was apparent enough. It was grainy footage, a full third of the image not displaying - shot from the shoulder subcamera of a HEX-2, muzzle flashes from its rifle nearly blinding - but between them was a faint outline. An outline in the sky - the commander paused, scrolling to a frame between roars of the rifle. "Flying. From the silhouette it seems to have some massive boosters - we were only able to pull a few seconds from the black box. Have you ever seen anything like that before? Using a beam weapon with that kind of precision, moving at that speed - damn. We're just lucky whatever it was didn't come back for Ensign Nishimiya when we had her searching." He stared at the projection, scratching his chin. 17:02 Industrial Zone 16B, Remansburg Outskirts Norbert groaned, leaning back on the shipping container he'd climbed on top of, tossing a cigarette butt over the side. Two past five. They're late, but what do you expect, I guess. He dug his hand into the paper bag at his side, rustling around in it without looking. He had his problems with AHI, sure enough, but they ran every food joint for miles around. And, damn it, if the Jupiter Rings as Starsliders weren't wheels of fried golden goodness he could've said there wasn't a thing he cared for about the company-- An eighteen-wheeler started backing into the open warehouse lot - it wasn't on the schedule, not any of the official ones, anyway. It was on his schedule, though, and he slid off the side of the steel cargo container, flipping his baseball cap on, waving it over. It was a well-trodden ritual for him by now - little mishaps he'd run across here and there ever since he started as a supply manager for this zone had led him to the realization that actually you could get away with a lot around these parts, and if that meant odds bits and bobs fell off a truck now and then for a couple extra zeroes in his account - well, how was he ever gonna complain about that? It had started off as a neat little side business - replacement parts that were on weeks backorder, a small generator for someone's home greenhouse... then he met some people who were just a touch more jaded than he was, and then it was HEX parts - hell, even weapons, after a minute. And somewhere along the way he'd run into some R&D people who were a little ideologically motivated, and, well... The back of the container on the truck popped open, and a hand beckoning him over popped out. He jogged over, peeking inside, giving a quick nod to the shades-wearing man inside. What've we got here...

There was an opening beginning to form in the enemies' ranks, and there was pressing little reason to waste this ground. Forward-- Laniva to (25, 24) Iron Greatsword Myrm 9. Seila's healing hadn't been enough for the Clouded to find his feet - her allies had the situation handled, so she could spend her focus here. Seila holds and casts Heal on Ullr.

⠀

Seila to (24, 19), Heal Ullr. Laniva to (24, 20), Iron Greatsword Myrm 7.

The lance struck deep, but though she staggered from the wound - she did not allow it to fell her, and she returned the strike with flashes of light. Clutching her side, she gasped for a moment, the axefighter rushing forward to finish what Rina had started. This is no time to allow weakness. Duty must come first... the wound can be tended later. There was another bandit yet ahead - she raised her open hand, a gleam growing within her palm... Rina to (12, 18), Light Bandit 3.

The witch had hardly finished her treatment of Cass before she rushed off in search of yet another fight, and just behind where she'd been stood a wolf Clouded. He shared Cass' former state of injury, it seemed, and she went to assist. "My, it seems you've all made rather a mess of yourselves. Keep up the pressure on them - I'll be right behind you all." Seila to (22, 17). The lines were shifting readily. Seila had made her way over to their little eastern group, and she felt a bit of relief - they'd been sorely missing a healer. The fight was turning now - forwards! Laniva to (24, 21), Iron Greatsword Archer 6.

Alrenne sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he made rounds through the winding hallways of the Dawn. With little to do upon the bridge but idly stare out the viewport at the shipyard they were currently docked in, and the Captain away in the city for... something - well, no matter what it was, it left him ill at ease. In all reason it made sense that there would be little danger in allowing her to do so, and not to mention she was with Lieutenant Park, but - simply put, it didn't quite feel all as if they were dealing with reasonable people in the first place, and that set every conclusion they'd made at risk... His idle wandering had set him on a course towards the hangar, and he paused for a moment outside it, debating whether to continue on a more solitary route or duck into the hangar to inspect the machines (and the engineers), though after a long moment's consideration eventually settled upon the latter. The personnel-sized door slid open with a quiet hiss, and the first thing in his view was the sight of their HEXes in various states, standing, kneeling; engineers bustling about in a frenzy to get the machines fully in spec for the next day's expected combat, Chief Warrant Officer Howe exchanging shrugs with Amy as they gestured up at one of the HEXes - Lt. Vhane's, from the squad numberings tagged on the machine. It took him a moment to hear the heavy breathing coming from the nearby wall over the din of maintenance, and he glanced over to find Vivien slumped against it. Nobody in particular had noticed, it seemed, which was rather concerning, but putting that aside - he went over to her, worried. "I didn't expect to see you here at this time of day, Vivien..." He glanced over his shoulder at the rather significant amount of people. "Too many people all at once? Pushing your limits is good, but this is a big jump..." Commander Mick was slowly working through finalizing the personnel transfer documents for Ensign Nishimiya and the nurse, Manami, when two women walked into his office; one dressed casually, the other in uniform with a lieutenant's rank pinned to her lapel. "Ah... It seems our little embassy is quite the destination today." He blinked for a moment as the lavender-haired woman introduced herself, standing and snapping a quick salute - professionalism not lost to him during his time on Callisto, though he had grown quite used to interacting with civilians that casual dress had become rather tightly associated with leaving aside matters of rank. "Captain. Yes - of course, ma'am. I spoke with the ambassador earlier today about the general state of matters, but if you have any specific questions I will of course answer." He nodded towards Louise as she continued Sia's line of inquiry. Right to the point, Lieutenant; and confidently, too. Perhaps she's the Captain's adjutant? They're certainly on the same page... "Ambassador Shiva... yes. The particulars of his location are something of a mystery to us as well - I can tell you we last saw him some time before he arrived. About a month, I'd say. He was on a regular route that he took between Remansburg and a couple of the smaller outlying settlements - goodwill, outreach type of things, I'd suppose. The CEN doesn't run Callisto, but that doesn't mean we close our eyes." He sighed. "Security was relatively light. He was traveling along well-known routes between the towns, his vehicle, a truck of security personnel, one HEX carrier with a standard mark 2." A grimace, now. "He didn't check in one night. We sent Ensign Nishimiya out the next day, and the convoy... well, it was in the state you might expect. Not a lot of signs of who it could have been; no idea of how many of them, even, but they left all our guys there." He pulled up a map, projecting it on the wall behind him, highlighting a road. "About... here. We'd been sending out the Ensign to look for him, but with only one HEX and no clues there's been not even a hint of the man around." He turned back to face the two of them, a grim expression on his face. "I won't lie. We haven't officially declared anything as of yet, but about two weeks before you arrived we sent a message along with one of the passenger ships bound back for Earth reporting the situation - we didn't stop looking, but the outlook is not optimistic; even with your ship here."

Laniva strode forward - it would be her first opportunity to test her steel against this group of louts; though this one in particular was already weakened. Still, it was good - she was nearing the front now, where she did her work best. Laniva to (23, 17), Iron Greatsword Merc 6. Seila sighed internally; what an assumption to make - though... at least in her case, it was far from incorrect. And in any case, she wasn't feeling much like correcting the woman when she was rather significantly injured, drawing a staff from one of the belts on her robes. "Just a moment. Try not to move until I'm done." Seila to (18, 18), Heal Cass. (flavor pending)

Laniva to (23, 14). Seila to (16, 16).

Cia raised an eyebrow as the girl in front of her just about melted into her sweater at her greeting, raising an eyebrow. Huh. Real shrinking violet. How'd she get on board a ship like this? If she's someone's family, they got a real mean streak for bringing her along... "Ehh... no, I'm not gonna kick you out or anything. You're fine right here if you wanted to look." She wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead with the sleeve of her jumpsuit. "Not that it's that much to look at. They're not movin', or anything, and half of them are worse off than they might look right now... Well, don't let me get in your way or anything. I gotta get back to it." She turned, giving Vivien a quick wave, starting a jog back towards the center of the hangar, calling across it. "All good over there, Amy?" Security at the embassy entrance was light; a quick scan of the transport by a camera at the gate, and the doors slid open without any trouble. Mira was seated at the reception desk as usual; idle - there was a real lack of people around, lately, and the commander was not exactly the most personable of people... She sighed, spinning her digital pen, rotating in her office chair - though she straightened up with a smile as the two new faces came in - both dressed in casual clothes, but she'd known to maintain a touch of decorum before they arrived thanks to the embassy security systems. "Ah - hello, welcome, Captain, Lieutenant. The Commander...?" She gave a bit of a sheepish smile to the two women, not even bothering to pull up the schedule. "He's available. His office is through that door, on the right. Can't miss it." Their entertainer for the night had seen fit to sit down with one of the bar's customers for a while. It was no trouble for Reisa; as much as she recognized that the woman was quite a good performer, most of the bar's patrons had their attention directed elsewhere - their own conversations, mostly. She sighed quietly to herself as she cleaned a glass, setting it down behind the counter as two new patrons walked in - one bubbly woman, already bouncing her way over towards Marianne. Not that either of them were looking, but she gave them a deadpan stare anyways; really, that kind of size... I guess miss Marianne is drawing attention anyways, even offstage. The man, on the other hand... "I can do that." His request was easy enough, at least. She bit back the urge to say 'Got anything more specific?', settling instead for a sardonic eyeroll as she turned to find one of the nicer bottles with which to make Marianne's usual, dexterously pouring, already shaking the cocktail by the time she turned back towards Leon. "Just a moment, sir." The businessman from down the bar gave Leon a smile, raising his eyebrows. "Caught your eye, has she? Heh. She definitely looks to be pretty popular... good luck, pal." Reisa groaned internally, her aimlessly wandering eyes reflecting more of her similarly wandering mind than she realized. Oh, great. Not what you wanna see in a regular. And this other guy... wow. Talk about an old school kinda line... whole lotta weird people in here tonight. 'Least most of them are ordering... Her shaking complete, she poured the cocktail into a short glass over ice, setting it on the counter in front of Leon. "One drink for the lady."

Laniva to (24, 11). Seila to (15, 14).

The battle had come to a good start; the initial momentum from their limited surprise of the enemy had carried them beyond the entrance and split into the halls, but here was where the fight really began - no more tricks left to either. Amera wasn't holding back any, that was for certain. Seila made a note to herself; she'd have to make sure she got a proper reward later... Seila to (16, 10), Lightning Flash Merc 3. Onwards, onwards. The enemy would be holding these halls, and holding them with everything they could, for neither side was particularly inclined to mercy on this day. The enemy within their reach had fallen quickly; but she could see cruel blades ahead, the sting of which gave even her pause. Laniva to (24, 6).

Seila took a deep breath as the group strode deeper into the cave; she was no stranger to combat, of course, and with Amera at her side there was scant little to fear from the battle itself. There was little concern for their exit, as well; Bella was guarding the ship, not to mention it seemed their little attack party was squarely between the ship and the only exit towards it. She didn't know very well those she stood now shoulder to shoulder with; but that, too, was of pressing little concern - such was natural of course for most mercenaries, herself being no exception. There was blood on the ground - it was in the air, too; the moisture of the sea made its scent all too apparent - this had been a recent battlegrounds, and the guards would still be primed for battle. There would be few surprises today, it seemed. No; what she felt wasn't fear, but a softly smoldering fury. Within these walls laid a number some significant number of turns worse than the last mercenary company she'd spent time with, and for a moment she allowed herself to idly wonder whether they'd name her traitor to her kind or spare her a blade instead, but there was precious little time as there was - rather than ponder upon the answer, she stepped forwards, tome at her side in her left hand, her right raised high, uttering an incantment singlemindedly. Seila to (14, 8), Lightning Flash Myrm 1. There was a quickness to her step as Laniva disembarked from the Maelstrom, eager to once more set foot upon solid land, but more for the fight. Their purpose here was singular, unquestionable in its plainness, and by this day's end they would have delivered justice, or fallen in vain like those that had come before. The sounds of the beginnings of a battle rang out in the narrow halls; she closed her eyes for a brief moment, then stepped forward, throwing her cloak off her shoulder, hands finding hilt as naturally as she breathed. There was evil here, and today she would be their bulwark against it. Today, the next... and ever beyond. Laniva to (22, 4).