Crimson Canines (Complete!)

[LocoBlock]

Jace looks up from the inspections. "For what? I was kinda trapped in a cave with a titan than an elevator. Where have you been anyways?" Jace continues inspections while waiting for a response.


@thespacekid

 

[CkSmalling]

"Yes he is weird and that's why i kinda like him. I mean he is no angel.. thank god for that..but he is a sweet guy." Assassin said in response to Jace's comment.


Robert smiles and hold her close. He looks around and sees Vikram coming in with a guy whom he has never seen. He thrusts his hands up in the sky and shouts, "Vikram!!!!!!!!Ohhhh buddy i have missed you!! Damn its been a while. Never thought you were part of the dark side." He moves in close and whispers, " Are they recruiting?" he smiles as he stretches his hand towards him.


@thespacekid @LocoBlock

 

[Orpheus]

"AHHH!!! SIR YES SI-!!" simon nearly suffered cardiac arrest at the Sudden Shriek of his last name at his right side. The built in mental wirings that were primed in his head echoed the proper response to the well worn pattern of responses back to the sender. Only to tilt his head and get poked by artemis


which in effect doubled the attack to his heart as he flinched a little backwards seeing her face


"Whoah!! jeez! Dont do that to me! Ahhhh!" The sudden scream in his voice caused his vocal box to white noise causing an irritating screech everywhere within the vicinity. simon Quickly fiddled with the dial to either lower the volume or turn it off, performing the former as he readjusted it a bit more to reestablish his voice


"Ahh, frick You scared me man"


he remarked as he got his bearings back seeing everyone gathered round


@Zer0

 

[LocoBlock]

Jace holds his ears in pain. "Ahhh Simon that hurt. Also you just called Artemis a sir so you know ummm. Yeah. So any ways you mind If I do the safety inspections on your mecha before we leave. We need to do that you no so we can make sure it's safe. Actually I just need to do inspections on everyones mechas I know that I have permission from my self. So anyway if you wann......" Jace kept rambling on about inspections. Then realizing he was he goes over to his mecha and starts doing inspections on his.


@Orpheus

 

[Zer0]

Artemis burst out laughing and doubled over. "Y-your face . . ." she chortled, pointing up at Simon lively. She had a warm, hearty laugh that boomed all around the uncommonly deserted hangar, causing a few curious heads to turn.


She removed her helmet and rubbed a hand over her ear to ease it from the sudden voice-box screech. "And yes, I caught that on video." Artemis grinned, tapping a finger on her helm.


She glanced back when she heard her name being yelled from behind. "Morning, Assassin! Morning, Robert!" she waved at the couple.


"Hi, Jace." she added when he approached. Apart from Simon who was the only soldier she knew who used a bow, Jace too was the only soldier she knew to wear a cloak. His question seemed to crack the cheerful resolve Artemis had been trying to build up ever since she learned about Vikram's involvement with the cult. She sighed, "I think I'm fine, I'm just trying to cheer myself up because of, " she lowered her voice, looking around carefully, "you know, Vikram and everything . . ." she smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "And yes, by all means, please go ahead with your inspections."


Artemis spotted Connor and was amused once more. "You look like you're about to fight old man winter and a yeti at the same time . . . You'll let us all snuggle up to you when we get too cold, right?


Her smile dropped when Panzer Dragon and Vikram, who had two different looking twin blades, a new black suit with a dark visor that made it impossible to see his face, arrived, but she hitched it back on a moment later, though she couldn't help but be stiffly formal with him.


After Jace inspected her mech and Hikaru had arrived with a bit of bed hair sticking out, Artemis stepped into her Dynasty Scarab and the maroon metal beetle crawled out of its bay flexing its parts; Panzer Dragon mounted his crimson Vulcan, a three-armed pyro prototype still in the experimental stage that's built for anti-infantry and close quarter combat, and once again had that battle hungry look; Hikaru, yawning, vaulted into her black wolf Okami and for fun just had it yawn and stretch as if it was a real wolf.


"Everyone ready?" Artemis asked the team. "Let's go."

 

[Zer0]

It was a six-hour flight south-west from the Crimson Canines mother base before the squad's mechs touched down in a civilian camp in Murkwood Forest some miles from a volcano. Here, steam vents hissed as they issued a humid fog that floated above wide hot pools that seem to be bubbling hot springs.


The civilian camp had some small habitat modules, a few industrial mechs for excavation purposes, a civilian spacecraft, and about ten people who wore simple civilian suits under layers of fur jackets. They were armed with simple blue-laser rifles usually used for competitive shooting and were huddled around a large red-hot electric fire pit that was powered by a small generator.


The snow had melted around the boundaries of the area, but the air was still wintry cold. To the south was a river where the pools flowed into and here the rocks were a brownish ochre yellow. The entrance of the ruin was just barely visible from where the group stood about a mile away, it's surrounding area was a space too small for all their mechs to fit together.


There was the sound of splashing and baboon howling. Near the river where a hot-spring pool was issuing clouds of steam, there was a clan of large Makazarus frolicking and bathing. According to the data base, Makazaru's are a type of "snow monkey" that like to fling poop at things that annoy them. They aren't territorial, but they are curious, and for some reason hate to lose.


One of the civilians in the camp welcomed the group. "H-hi, there!" said a freckled man through chattering teeth. "I'm Professor E-Ernie! S-so glad y-you all c-could come and help us!"

@CkSmalling, @thespacekid, @Orpheus, @Beowulf, @DJGomez, @LocoBlock

 

[LocoBlock]

Jace looks around as he feels the chill through his mecha. "How do you guys survive out here in the cold? It's freezing out here and I'm in a 25 foot suit of insulated metal. How do any of the things out here survive. I think maybe I might just go stand in the volcano to warm up." Jace continues to look through feeling the cold creep it way into his body.


@Zer0

 

[Soviet Panda]

"Nope." Connor said with no hesitation. Then he thought about it, bobbing his head back and forth as he worked it out. "Maybe." If they were single and female or absolutely needed to be warmed up. And joke all they want, he'd be the one laughing when they were shivering in the cold and wishing they had another layer or three. Better to have then not need then to need and not have.


During the flight, the heater kicked in, using the heat the engine produced, and he shed a couple layers while the Rook was on auto pilot. And he was just getting comfortable when they landed. So, refusing to get out of his nice and warm mech, he stayed sealed up in the driver's seat and ready to head out. He was looking at the Makazarus when the Professor spoke up and said something about a problem. "We'll see what we can do about it, but we weren't sent to help you." At least, he was pretty sure that's what the case was. He might have missed something, so there's that.

 

[Zer0]

"W-we've got winter coats, h-habitat modules and electric fires, sir." Professor Ernie told Jace. With a shaky finger, he pointed at a few white inflatable domed shelters that were as big as a five-man tent and linked together. They were like the habitat module the squad had stayed in during the Civy Outpost mission when the U.S. Civy Outpost was still a construction site, except much smaller.


@LocoBlock


The rest of the civilians huddled around the large electric fire outside waved at the squad in welcome.

Spoiler

​

This is a concept design of a habitat module. It's like the deep-space shelters you see in realistic moon or mars exploration movies. They have a galley, toilet, shower, sleep stations, and medical facilities. The ones the excavation team have are smaller and have only the most basic commodities.


When Connor spoke, Professor Ernie became confused, "Y-you're not t-the soldiers Mr. B-Bhram h-hired to g-go inside the ruins and look for the C-C-C-Christmas decorations?" he asked him, sounding a little bit worried. "We're part of the excavation team that stayed behind to w-watch over the campsite and b-brief you on the current s-situation. Wh-where's SgtMaj. Artemis?"


@Beowulf


"Here, professor." said Artemis climbing down her mech.


"Oh, good. Phew!" he laughed shrilly. "I thought for a moment I was mistaken. Anyway, we have a problem, ma'am, one of our members, Brad, got kidnapped by a Makazaru last night." he pointed at the clan of large snow monkeys.


"They're not hurting him, he's just inside the hot-spring, but they're not letting him l-leave either, and we're afraid to try to get him out because the Makazarus would hiss and growl and we think they might get violent and we're not exactly trained to f-fight them?" he said very quickly.


"You have to get Brad out quick. He hasn't eaten, nor slept, and has b-been in that hot-spring since last night, he's really tired. But if possible, please don't maim or k-kill the Makazarus? They're just animals after all, they don't understand what they're doing."


Artemis looked at one Makazaru that was lazying about the hot-spring's edge scratching its butt. It was twice as tall as a man and three times as wide, but it barely reached the waists of the squad's twenty-five foot mechs. There were about forty large snow monkeys all in all. If they get violent, Artemis couldn't guarantee the monkeys won't be harmed.


"We'll handle it, professor." said Artemis assuredly. "But if worse comes to worse, we'll have to put them down." Professor Ernie reluctantly agreed then walked back to his group who listened with hopeful faces as he relayed his conversation with the sergeant major.


Artemis turned back to the team. "We may have to fisticuff these snow monkeys. Some of you go ahead and look for Brad, it's hard to see through the steam and all the monkeys from here. And be careful not to get too close and spook them."


(OOC: @CkSmalling, @thespacekid, @Orpheus, @DJGomez, whoever goes ahead to scout, you'll see Brad in the hot-spring looking stiff and horrified in the arms of the biggest and scariest looking female Makazaru, and being held as if he was her precious baby. Some Makazarus were also playing around with large sticks, using them like clubs to bang on the rocks that surrounded the hot spring. They seem to like the sound.


@CkSmalling, if your character decides to scout, Robert's keen eyes actually spot a very old and weathered plastic Christmas tree, one of the mission items to retrieve, being played with by another Makazaru. It was slowly being destroyed as the snow monkey nibbled on it and playfully banged it around the rocks and on the heads of its fellows, but it still looked good enough to hand over to Mr. Bhram for now.)

 

[Zer0]

Some miles above the civilian's excavation camp, Pequod's hovercraft was flying through Murkwood forest. "Heads up, team, reinforcement coming down." came the transport pilot's voice through the comms.


The hangar doors opened, letting in the swirling, crisp, cold winter air.


Pequod turned to look at the new private and yelled through the whirring of the hovercraft blades. "Ready for the para-drop, Stephen?! Go, go, go!"


(OOC: @SSgt Goodrich, mission leader is SgtMaj. Artemis)

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Over the deafening whirs of incredible aviation, the Private had no even taken the time to listen to the final "Go" by his officer, taking off the hovercraft backwards and spiraling down toward ground level. Cool, calm, and collected, with the help of a parachute, Goodrich pulled a greased landing in the snow. Upon arrival, and a quick snap of his rigging, he checked the perimeter for any hostiles, and upon seeing none, radioed Pequod with his observation. In the headset of both Pequod and the hovercraft pilots, a familiar gravel, and static-y voice shouted in comms. "SPIRIT here! No bogeys in sight, over!"

 

[LocoBlock]

"Calm down new guy were just standing outside a civilian camp. Anyways if we had to worry about anything I think Connor would have all ready blasted them to Mars." He points at Connor's large gun. Jace decides to put his mecha on lock down and go into the camp. Being the worst dressed for the environment he immediately feels the cold set in and realizes that he should probably get in his mecha again.

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Turning his head, Goodrich looks at the man who addressed him, and for a moment, all Jace could see is Stephen's ocean blue visor—an endless abyss, churning and rolling in waves of reflection. His vision bore into the man who stepped out of the mecha, but it wasn't long before the disturbingly deep visor was cut in half by a simple thumbs up. In the light snowfall of the planet, the thumbs up shone brightly to the man who greeted him, and with his free hand, he switched his communications channel to Jace, talking into his headset. Now, he could hear the gravel toned voice blast into his ear. "Loud and clear, boss! Though, you can never be so sure, the weather out here is prime for insurgents. The names Goodrich, I'm the new mecha auxiliary here! I'm looking for Sergeant Major Artemis, do you know where I can find him?"

 

[LocoBlock]

"SHE is over there." He points at her walking in the distance. "By the way that girl over there." He points at Assassin. "Never get on her bad side. Actually that goes for any female on this team or Caine. Caine hates me currently anyways. Maybe he will like you . Just so you know he's probably the only one with military stiffness like you." He points at Caine. "So anyways if you wast to find me I'll be in my mecha." He gestures towards the Invisible Eagle.


@SSgt Goodrich (This is how we refer to people on this thread.)

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Goodrich froze for a moment, consuming the new information. A woman as a commanding officer? He has served in two mercenary companies, and only now has he ever heard of one. It was a little bit of a shock. He set his hand down and put his arm over a sling, which held his backpack with the modular parachute, also giving a nod toward the man. When he spoke again, his voice hiccuped slightly before returning to its usual smooth vernacular. "Noted, soldier. Keep your eyes peeled!"


With a final salute, the new guy takes off, heading toward Caine initially to meet some more of the team before approaching his commanding officer.


@LocoBlock


@DJGomez

 

[DJGomez]

Caine walked his mech over as it loomed over the new guy, examining him Caine jumped out of his mech and met the Man visor to visor. Caine hazard suit was keeping him warm and cozy in the winter enviroment as he listened to everyone else bitch about the cold. "Names Caine." He shook the guys hand and went back to climb into his mech.


"Ok super trooper, you're with me. Hop on and keep up. Artemis I'm taking the new guy to get the scientist, go in ahead and we'll catch up with you."


@SSgt Goodrich

 

[LocoBlock]

"Hey Artemis you mind if I camp outside of that camp. Looks to cramped for me." He gestures at what in his eyes are tiny buildings. "Robert I recommend you not eat the monkeys. You'd probably try it to." He sits in his mecha waiting to get permission from Artemis to set up camp.


@CkSmalling @Zer0

 

[Zer0]

"Go ahead, Jace." nodded Artemis.


@LocoBlock


She had been spying on the Makazarus with her binoculars when Pequod gave the heads up on the new friendly. The transport pilot sent Stephen "Spirit" Goodrich's profile to her suit as she watched him parachute smoothly down to the civilian camp. She smiled when she saw him check their surroundings and was glad the new guy was vigilant. Most of this squad's worse injuries came from sudden attacks or catastrophes.


@SSgt Goodrich


Beside her, Panzer Dragon seemed to be checking Spirit's profile too. "He's clear." he said to her when he spotted her looking at him. She was also appreciative that Panzer Dragon, who was from the Intel Sector, was here. With him around, Artemis didn't have to worry if the person she was talking to was someone she could trust or someone who was secretly part of the cult.


"Copy that, Caine." Artemis told the corporal and mounted her mech. She, Hikaru, Assassin Marmot, and Panzer Dragon approached the forty Makazarus bathing in the hot-spring, but kept their distance so that the snow monkeys just turned to look at them curiously.


@DJGomez


"I see Brad." said Hikaru from inside her Okami. "He's at the far back of the hot-spring being hugged by a large female . . . I think she thinks he's her baby . . ."


The cockpit of Panzer Dragon's Vulcan opened. "One knock-out smoke grenade should put her and most of the surrounding snow monkeys out of order." he threw it at Assassin Marmot who loaded it into her grenade launcher.


"I'll make my way above the spring." said Hikaru, drawing a digital path on her mini-map that showed up in the squad's synched navigation systems. "I'll drop down, then fly him out of there."


"Good." said Artemis "Remember, everyone, don't maim nor kill the Makazarus unless you absolutely have to. Hikaru, the rest of us will stand by in case something goes wrong."


"When has something never gone wrong?" asked Hikaru, chuckling. Her black wolf Okami bounded off then stealthily made its way above the ridge looking like a real huge predator from this distance.


POHM


Assassin Marmot fired the knock-out smoke grenade. The Makazarus suddenly began howling, hissing, and scattering, confused, as smoke blossomed around the hot-spring. Artemis activated her thermals and saw around thirteen of the forty snow monkeys drop to the ground, unconscious.


Hikaru's black wolf dropped down from the ridge and into the smoke screen, but didn't re-emerge into the sky. Then it burst out of the smoke chasing the groggy, howling female that was holding Brad.


"She didn't get knocked out!" came Hikaru's voice from the comms. At the same time, More than twenty large Makazarus alerted by the female's distress launched themselves at the Okami, while some threw poop.


Artemis, Panzer Dragon, and Assassin Marmot immediately rushed into the fray, just as the rest of the Makazarus spotted them and flung themselves at their mechs. The crimson Vulcan landed a jarring right hook at the first Makazaru that collided with one of its three mechanical fists.


"One down!" yelled Panzer Dragon, energetically.

 

[LocoBlock]

Jace sees the commotion going on and sees Brad being taken off. He activated his jets and flew off towards the monkey before slowing down right next to it. He realized that he had no non lethals so doing the last thing he thought he would he hit the Makazaru in the side of the head with the hilt of his tactical knife.


@Zer0

 

[Zer0]

The groggy female Makazaru went limp, and Brad tumbled out if its arms and scrambled up towards Jace's mech. "Help!" he cried, then ducked as four enraged snow monkeys jumped on the Invisible Eagle howling and trying to pull and scratch at the metal.


@LocoBlock

 

[LocoBlock]

Jace grabs Brad and starts taking off into the air until the Makazarus either fell off or let go. As he does this he flies towards camp too trying to take Brad there. The only worry being that the monkeys wouldn't let go until it was to late.


@Zer0

 

[Zer0]

Something malfunctioned as an angry Makazaru pulled something off the Invisible Eagle while it was flying in mid-air. @LocoBlock, your character sees a chunk of an external component of your mech's bio scanner fall to the ground.


The other three were trying to pull away the arm holding Brad. The three large snow monkeys were heavy and tilted the Invisible Eagle to the left threatening to crash it into some trees.


(OOC: Gonna' wait for the others until I reply again)

 

[LocoBlock]

"Hey Brad if you see anything larger than my mech tell my I think I just lost my bio scanner." He grabs at the one on his back while shaking his arm with the other three.

 

[CkSmalling]

Robert was drawn back to reality when he heard the commotion at the hot spring. He took put his binoculars to observe what is happening and saw Brad, the kid who was missing being rescued by Assassin, Artmemis and Panzer Dragon. He saw that they were capable of handling the situation until he saw Brad being pulled by three monkeys. He jumped out of his mech, took out his sniper rifle and fired three warning shots at the monkeys latching on to Jace's mecha arm.


"Artemis come in. I may have found one of the artifacts the professor mentioned. A plastic Christmas tree if i am correct. I need your permission to acquire it but i cannot do so without killing these creatures. Is there a chance the professor might have a tranquilizer gun in his possesion?"


@Zer0

 

[SSgt Goodrich]

Having climbed up on Caine's mech, after a few seconds of scrambling about the mess of moving parts, Goodrich found a comfortable nook to rest in—holding tight to the mecha that would soon begin to move.


The battle began to unfold as the squad engaged the monkeys, and much to his confusion, began to witness as three monkeys began to cause trouble to the mecha holding Brad.


Jumping into action, Stephen left the nook of Caine's mech by jumping to the ground, catching a running start to not fall over, and using his own suit's jumpjets to begin his ascent to intercept. Thanks to the crafty design of his suit, with jumpjets set near his center of gravity, Stephen is offered unparalleled mobility in the air and within seconds, he crashes into one of the monkeys clubbing Jace's arm, and begins a wrestle match for the arm. Stephen, holding onto the right shoulder of the monkey, gave the primate a full left hook to the temple, knocking off the balance of the monkey, and sending them both spiraling to the ground. But, as fate has it, Stephen kicked his suit back into gear to return to Jace's mecha, this time landing near the hand that held Brad.


During the endeavor to fly back up to the mecha, Goodrich had switched his communications to combat comms, and shouted to Jace, despite the fact that their headsets made it possible to issue orders without loud vocals.


"Jace! Drop Brad, I'll take'em to the ground!"


@Zer0 @LocoBlock @DJGomez @CkSmalling