Splicers - I Am Legion - IC Thread

[Purr]

Chaska wonders at the freak storm that suddenly turned their realm into a mud-laden swamp. Examining the two options given them, he offers. "Deliveryman way say, 'Try not to take the same route twice.' But way back is defended by Machine. Think tunnel is best way to go. What say you?" Chaska turns to everyone present.

 

[Psychie]

Toni thinks for a moment, trying to picture the route back in her mind. “The tunnels seem to be the best route. With the rain, any tracks we might leave down there will be quickly washed away, and few machines will work well in the water while we can function much easier.” She looks to at the thick clouds that are dropping rain by the bucket and adds, “Besides, this mud sucks big wet donkey butt. Let’s get to the tunnels and move our own rear ends before some toasters find us.”

 

[Sherwood]

Taking a circumspect path back to the tunnels to avoid the ever increasing force of robots in the area seems to take forever as you duck and cover to keep from being discovered, but it is only late afternoon as you make the final sneak to a tunnel entrance. At this point, the rain has let up a bit but is still coming down, and even better for you is the thick fog that is rolling in. Visibility is low, so as long as you don’t send up any signal flares for the Machine to spot, you should reach the tunnel undetected.

Just as predicted, these tunnels are nearly full of water rushing along towards the nearby lakes and the distant ocean. The rapidly flowing water helps to propel you along like twigs in the flow, but the downside to it is that the stealth field leaves a visible void in the water where you are, so unless you are totally submerged you will be able to be spotted by the gap in the water where you are.

It soon becomes clear that you are going to have to take some time to let your Host Armor rest, taking some downtime in shifts to keep watch so everyone can get some sleep.

You can either anchor your armor to the bottom and rest in the water or make your way up to the surface to get to some relatively dry land and make a temporary shelter. Each choice has its own set of advantages and disadvantages to it, so which would you like to choose?

Eonivar Purr Psychie Mirgris One of Hearts

 

[Eonivar]

Jin looked up and down the dark tunnel of rushing water. The rushing water rendered her motion detection useless, but the concealment down here for the whole team was good. Up at the surface they could dig in and camouflage if need be.

"I am good either way. I do not need to rest and can go on for another few days, so I am happy to stand guard while everyone else rests."

 

[Psychie]

Toni says, “We will rest in the tunnels. It gives us cover from above, and keeps the Machine from being able to approach us except from two directions. Everyone, try and get comfortable and catch a few hours of sleep and let your armor rest. Jin, if you start to feel that you need some sack time, let me know and I’ll give you a break.”

She then tries to find a spot to lay back at that won’t be too uncomfortable, puts her head back against the wall of the tunnel and closes her eyes to get the sleep that her body and armor crave.

 

[Eonivar]

Jin nods. "Chaska position on one side of the team and I will position on the other and that way we have both ways up and down the tunnel cover. "

Jin settles down on one side of the team and positions themselves against the wall looking down the tunnel of rushing water. All they had was their base enhanced senses as the rushing water made their motion detection useless.

Jin peered around and familiarized themselves with the space and did an assessment as to what sort of weapons would work effectively here while keeping an eye down the tunnel.

 

[Purr]

Chaska and Woodstock slip into the waters quietly and with as little disturbance as they can make. He tries to find a spot with great cover and at least two exits if it exists.

Over the Bio-comms, he simply says, "Woodstock sleep 4 hour. As JinLi say, Chaska watch here. JinLi watch there. Is good?"

 

[Sherwood]

Several hours of uninterrupted rest goes by, giving everyone some much needed time to unwind. After everyone is rested enough to continue on, the squad moves out once more. The water continues to rush through the tunnel, indicating that the rain is still pouring down topside. Several times the tunnel you are in opens up to a larger chamber, sometimes quite large, giving you brief moments not having to be completely submerged.

Finally, this particular pipe lets out into a large lake, giving you all the first look at the outside in almost a full day. Right now it is still grey and very wet, but at least the rain is letting up a bit but for now it is helping to provide additional cover to keep from being spotted by the robot patrols.

Two different times as you travel you are able to spot a sizable force of robots moving along, but thanks to a watchful eye and Woodstock flying along giving you some advanced warning, you were able to go to ground and engage the camouflage of the suits and hide well enough to avoid detection.

As you near the coast of the Great Ocean, you know that the Machine fortifies the beach against human incursions so it will not be an easy feat to get past unless you use either the same hidden sewer tunnel that you used to get on dry land or find another way past the beach defenses.

What do you do?

Eonivar Purr Psychie Mirgris One of Hearts

 

[Purr]

After hours of traveling and speaking only when absolutely necessary, Chaska seems to take to evading the Machine as if he has done it his entire life. It does not make him an expert; he simply has an edge many who lived underground their entire lives might lack.

He stares out toward the ocean. "Machine definitely on beach. So... we go sewer? If no Machine, we safe."

Here, he checks on the House Shiva channel which he will do once every 10 minutes until they reach the Kraken. Chaska and Woodstock are also looking for evidence of movement. Sure, the rains will mask much, but it is better to watch instead of falling into that often-deadly sense of complacency that has slain many a soldier.

 

[Psychie]

Toni looks off at the distant ocean and nods in agreement with Chaska. “Yeah, as much as it would be a shorter trip, there is no way we’d make it through the gauntlet of security in the way to the sea. We still have time to make it to our rendezvous with the Kraken to jink over to the sewer pipe. Let’s go.”

 

[Eonivar]

Jin wordlessly (Bio-comm-lessly?) nods and moves along being watchful and quiet, accepting the decision of the others.

 

[Sherwood]

Moving out once more, it will take you several hours to reach the hidden entrance/exit to the pipe you used to get past the robotic forces on the shoreline. Chaska has more experience on the road than the rest of you, and he can see that the Machine patrols are much increased in their frequency, probably due to the destruction of the industrial plant. Ducking the patrols takes you longer than you expected, but finally, you are once more in the familiar tunnel leading out to the sea. It is still a full day before the Kraken will be in range of the shore for you to be able to get in bio-comm range of it for your recovery. At this point, Axel says, "Well, lets settle in and relax. No sense in going out and getting the notice of the toasters out there."

Hours pass uneventfully, and everyone is struggling to deal with the boredom of sitting around in a rocky cavern as you wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally, time comes for you to head out into the sea to meet up with the giant War Mount of House Artemis, and with a sense of relief everyone sets out. Swimming out underwater, you get in touch with the Kraken and they give you instructions on rendezvous coordinates. Soon enough, the large turtle construct comes up and the large landing pad opens up to recover the team. Once the water is evacuated from the chamber, multiple people start to rush in, all asking how the mission went, since at this point they have no idea on the results of the attack. This comes to an end when Chief Rybeck comes up. "Alright! Give it a rest. They have gone through a lot, and they have to debrief properly, then they can tell the rest of you the stories that you want to hear. C'mon. Lets get you out of your armor and into some regular clothes, then you can tell me where the rest of Eschelon Squad is and how well the Trailblazers and Squealers worked."

Eonivar Purr Psychie

 

[Psychie]

Toni is thankful for the Chief's intervention from being swamped by the excited crowd of technicians. She isn't one to want to live in the spotlight, and hopes that whatever fame she has picked up from this mission will fade quickly. In the meantime, she says, "Understood, Chief. Once we've gotten our gear put away, we'll meet you in the ready room." She heads off to the locker room to slip out of her Host Armor and get cleaned up. After a hot shower, she dries off and gets dressed in a simple jumpsuit and heads for the briefing, ready to go over everything that happened on the way there and back. She hopes that there will be some snacks to eat; field ratios get old real quick.

 

[Eonivar]

Jin had mixed feelings about leaving her host armor. When she was in her host armor she did not need to eat or drink, and only needed to sleep every four days. The transition to becoming a "normal human" was jarring. She would get very hungry upon leaving and her energy levels would drop.

She carefully extricated herself out of the suit. A tech handed her a handful an energy bars to eat, then she was ushered into a shower, then to a medical bay where her body was coated with a healing gel with her raw skin basically being new since the parasitic suit ate away the upper layers of her skin. After the gel treatment and drying, she donned a jump suit and cap and then she proceeded to the debriefing room.

The tall, heavily built, asian woman who's skin was a very light pink color at the moment stepped into the debriefing room, came to attention, saluted and looked at Chief Ryback. "Private First Class Jin Li, Echelon Squadron, reporting for debrief sir."

 

[Purr]

Earlier...

Hours pass uneventfully, and everyone is struggling to deal with the boredom of sitting around in a rocky cavern as you wait. And wait. And wait some more.

This is where Chaska is likely different from his squadmates and most other fellow human beings; Chaska honestly enjoys the quiet, the stillness, the inactivity. They are above on the surface of the world, not in the Kraken, not underground.

Inside WyldKat, the Deliveryman smiles peacefully. Living in the moment is important to him. Chaska takes the opportunity to meditate a great deal in the manner of his ancestors and his fallen house. This he does out of remembrance of what he was taught about them and... simply because he takes joy from the moments of doing it.

Now...

Chaska bows reverently to the magnificent and awe-inspiring bio-creature, the Kraken. He gives a few moments of thoughtful appreciation toward those who keep the Kraken moving, especially at the Kraken's core.

Once the group enters, a deep feeling of relief bathes his very soul - he had kept his promise. But then there are his fellow people who come rushing in with question after question, and Chaska finds himself grateful when Chief Rybeck appears. Chaska bows to him and follows his orders.

Not long afterward, Chaska is cleaning. Cleaning Woodstock, cleaning his Host Armor Wyldkat, his weapons, and his gear. He treats them all with such care as if they are part of his own body. Only once they are taken care of by his own high standards does he look to cleaning himself.

When Chaska reenters the fold, he is his normally-calm, attentive, and quiet self; Woodstock often has more to say than his human friend does. He salutes Chief Rybeck, offers a grin to his comrades in Cerberus and nods to the others formerly of Echelon Squad. Then he pays close attention to whatever anyone has to say - especially Chief Rybeck, this Splicer-survivor and the closest thing Chaska has ever had to a living master.

 

[Sherwood]

Once everyone has properly taken care of their gear and cleaned yourselves up, you make your way to the ready room where you find Chief Rybeck and two other members of the Kraken crew that you recognize as bioengineers that help keep the great War Mount and the other bio-constructs working at top efficiency. The Chief motions for you to take a seat, and he leans back and clears his throat. "First off, welcome back. Cerberus Squad, I do hope you have some good news for us regarding the Trailblazers and the Squealers, and I suspect that there is some not so good news about Eschelon Squad. I want to hear from all of you in detail as to what happened out there. After you go over what you encountered, we'll ask some questions about anything that might not be clear. Understood? Alright. Lets begin."

Over the course of the next several hours, Jin, Chaska, Axel and Toni all give out detailed descriptions of what happened to each of you. For the first part of the briefing, Chief Rybeck says very little, mostly just offering up an encouraging nod of his head every now and then. Once you have all gone through the story once, then he and the two scientists begin asking some questions about the two missions that your teams were on in precise detail, drawing out facts that you didn't know were important but apparently was. The whole atmosphere of the debriefing session is friendly, and there is even snack and bathroom breaks as needed to help keep you going. As you all describe the effects of the Kamikaze Worms on the various parts of the industrial plant, the Chief offers up a slight smile, and from what you know of him, that is the equivalent of wild whoops of joy from another person.

After the briefing, the two scientists make the observation to the Chief, "For future use, we shouldn't stagger the launch of the missiles as long as they were this time. It gave the robots of the plant time to prepare for the later missiles and interdict some of them. For whatever reason, only two of the Kamikaze Worms didn't make it to the target zone from their launch point with three of them getting shot down before impact. I would have to count this as a rather successful field test, wouldn't you?"

The Chief nods, commenting, "Yes, indeed. Given time, we can investigate why we didn't have a 100% success rate on missiles to target. Otherwise, yes, it was very successful deployment of the Trailblazers and Squealers. I would have to say that this particular mission was well accomplished. The only downside to this was the bad news about Eschelon Squad." His expression darkens a bit, looking at Jin and Axel. "Rest assured that I don't hold you responsible for what happened to the squad. The fact that you were able to make it out in one piece with your information for us is a testament to your survival skills, and to the sacrifice of your commanding officer for delaying the Machine long enough to let you escape. We do have the additional issue of what to do with you. I feel that the four of you have done an exceptional job in working together. To that end, it seems to be most prudent to have you assigned together in one team. We also need a set squad leader. From what I've heard, Private Cruse, you were able to adapt and improvise to the ever-changing situation out there with aplomb, and not everyone would be able to sit back and let someone else shine in placing the Squealers in the factory and sit it out. Congratulations, Corporal Cruse. You are officially placed in command of this squad. As for the rest of you, I am also granting you the rank of Corporal. Well done. Well done indeed."

He then looks at Chaska and says, "Now, I seem to recall that you were interested in training with me. I also recall that I told you all that once you made it back, you would all be welcome to join me on the sparring mat. I can show you a different style of fighting and hone your knife edge to a razor sharpness. If you are still interested, be in rec room number two at 0600 tomorrow morning and we'll start your education in pain. Remember, only show up if you are serious in learning how to face your opponents and win no matter what the odds are against you." He gives you one more half smile and offers each of you a hearty handshake. "You are now free to and move about the cabin and relax as you wish. You have all done exceptionally well, and I am proud of each of you. Now, unless there is anything else you wish to bring up, you are dismissed." Chief Rybeck waits expectantly for any questions you may have.

Purr Psychie Eonivar

 

[Psychie]

Toni does her best to answer all the questions posed to her by the Chief and the two scientists as possible after she gives her own statement about the whole of the mission, from start to finish. She doesn't try to sugar coat anything, so if there are any criticisms, she is willing to take her lumps from the Chief as he analyzes the choices she made. If anyone is to be faced with discipline, it should be her first before anyone else. She is the Dreadguard, and as such, Toni holds herself to a higher standard than she expects of her fellow Resistance fighters. But from the way that the briefing is going, things are looking good for her and the rest of the combined squads of Echelon and Cerberus. The missile plant is destroyed quite decisively, and it will be a long time before it can be rebuilt. That is excellent news for all the Resistance, and her team and the remnants of Echelon are the ones that are responsible for it, and it would appear that the test run of the new bio-tech of the Trailblazers and Squealers worked quite well. Overall, she places this into the outstanding win category.

Her two concerns is, first, the presence of the soldiers and War Mounts of House Shiva in the area, and second, what happened to the Retro-Village that Echelon Squad went to investigate? Did they do the right thing in not engaging the Shivans? Should they have tried to follow up on the missing people of the Retro-Village? In hindsight, Toni feels that they still did the right thing in holding fire on the Shivans, and her own primary responsibility was to test the Trailblazers and Squealers. It is a good feeling that this decision seems to be endorsed by the Chief, so there is that bit of good news. And as for the missing civilians, there is little that Jin and Axel could have done besides struggle to get away from the mass of robots chasing after them. That is a mystery to be followed up at a later time.

Chief Rybeck seems to be rather pleased with the results of the test, even if things didn't go perfectly with all the Kamikaze Worms getting to their targets, and when he turns his praise on them, she can feel her pride for her fellow squadmates about to burst out of her chest. He is a hard man to please, so knowing that they have his stamp of approval is a real good feeling. Then he continues to reward them with a promotion from PFC, and then places her in charge of the squad with Axel and Jin joining in with Cerberus. That is a real good jolt! Her head is spinning, so Toni barely hears Chief Rybeck say that he was going to keep his earlier offer to train them once the squad got back. Getting to work out with the Old Man of the Kraken? Done and done! She will gladly take him up on that offer! The man barely needs a suit of Host Armor to fight the Machine with as built as he is, so getting to taste a bit of his training regimen is a real perk.

Finally, when the Chief asks if there are any questions, she thinks hard and finally says, "Sir, I am proud of the work that we have done, and I don't believe that there are any questions that I have for you. I only wish we could have taken the Shivans out, but I didn't think that we had the ability to successfully engage their War Mounts with their Stealth Fields active. I have some upgrades planned for my suit that will help make their Stealth Fields less of an issue to deal with in the future." She is satisfied with her team's efforts to get the job done.

 

[Sherwood]

Chief Rybeck nods, saying, "Outstanding, soldier. You came across a situation that was over your heads, and instead of rushing blindly into a fight, you played is smart and held back. Just the kind of intelligence I expect from my crew. Well done. Jin? Chaska? Axel? Do either of you have any comments or questions to add in?"

Axel thinks for a moment, then asks, "Sir, will we be following up on the disappearance of the people from the Retro-Village? I would hate to have our team get torn up and not honor their sacrifice to see exactly what happened."

"I understand, and I feel for your loss. Rest assured, we will be looking into this. Right now, you have earned some relaxation time before we start your extra training tomorrow morning. Anything else you wish to bring up?"

With a shake of his head, Axel says, "No, sir. I'm good to go."

The big man then looks to Purr and Eonivar , waiting for the two of you to add any comments before leaving.

 

[Eonivar]

Jin was always patient but she did not like meetings. She remained quiet during the debrief beyond her part, while eating an energy bar and drinking an electrolyte drink. She was anxious to want to get away from "the mission" and forget about her worries for a short time with drinks and some friends, although most she already knew had been killed.

She also was not particularly fond of Ryback, there was no real reason other than there was something about him that caused a dissonance with her. Maybe it was just the fact she did not like authority beyond the mission. During the mission, structure was important to her and everyone's role's were defined. Outside the mission and back into the human dominion the prejudices and politics were in effect. So any officer in authority to her outside the mission made her uncomfortable.

She resisted rolling her eyes at Ryback and kept her face calm.

"No sir, I have nothing else to report."

 

[Purr]

Chief Rybeck nods, saying, "Outstanding, soldier. You came across a situation that was over your heads, and instead of rushing blindly into a fight, you played is smart and held back. Just the kind of intelligence I expect from my crew. Well done. Jin? Chaska? Axel? Do either of you have any comments or questions to add in?"

Chaska listens to everyone before he speaks. Then, he takes the floor. "Cerebus and Echelon work good together. Have each other backs." He nods with a sharp confidence in his expression. "During mission, we have no leader. Instead, best-qualify Splicer step forward against problem. Work good. More mission together mean better relationship with each other. I want this."

For whatever reason, only two of the Kamikaze Worms didn't make it to the target zone from their launch point with three of them getting shot down before impact. I would have to count this as a rather successful field test, wouldn't you?"

To the scientists, Chaska offers. "Cerberus lack way to record what we see. What we hear. Wish find way to keep evidence so you can experience for yourself. This way, you have more than our words - you see and hear the result with your own senses. If need in future missions, we can have?"

If you are still interested, be in rec room number two at 0600 tomorrow morning and we'll start your education in pain.

When Chief Rybeck offers this, Chaska gives a single grin. In his mind, five small words enter with casual ease.

"Pain is part of life."

To someone of his background, this is a fact to be acknowledged. Not feared. Not overthought. Just... taken for what it is.

His only question to Chief Rybeck? "Woodstock... can come and see too?" He explains. "Woodstock no want Kung Fu. But Woodstock is Chaska-friend. Not pet. But trusted companion. Chaska want Woodstock to watch and learn with Chaska. Is yes?"

 

[Sherwood]

If the Chief catches onto Jin's displeasure in any way, he doesn't show it, but instead gives her a nod, saying, "Thank you, Corporal."

To the scientists, Chaska offers. "Cerberus lack way to record what we see. What we hear. Wish find way to keep evidence so you can experience for yourself. This way, you have more than our words - you see and hear the result with your own senses. If need in future missions, we can have?"

The scientist says, "We are actually developing a biological analog to a video camera that is in testing right now. It has a limited amount of memory that can be imprinted onto it, but with continued experimentation, it is hoped that we can expand the length of recording time."

Turning his attention to Chaska, the Chief looks at Woodstock and raises an eyebrow. "Yes, your companion may come and watch as we begin. Perhaps your Woodstock might find this training educational in his own way. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you are all dismissed and are free from any other duties. Take the night off and enjoy yourselves doing . . . whatever it is that you wish to do that we have available to you here in the Kraken. Eat, exercise, take a nap, socialize with your fellow, whatever you want. I have work that needs to be done, so I will leave you to your evening."

 

[Psychie]

Toni offers up a salute to the Chief before she leaves the room, waiting to talk to the rest of the team until they were all out in the hall. "We should all celebrate with a drink to kick off our promotions. Nothing too extreme, since we have an early morning training with the Chief, but at least one good slug of the good stuff. C'mon, guys. Lets see what we can find for a toast to our futures."

 

[Purr]

The scientist says, "We are actually developing a biological analog to a video camera that is in testing right now. It has a limited amount of memory that can be imprinted onto it, but with continued experimentation, it is hoped that we can expand the length of recording time."

Chaska gives a faint smile at this news. On most other people's faces, it might have been a huge grin, but Chaska was far from most other people.

Eat, exercise, take a nap, socialize with your fellow, whatever you want. I have work that needs to be done, so I will leave you to your evening."

The young Deliveryman salutes Chief Rybeck, grins at Woodstock, and moves away.

"We should all celebrate with a drink to kick off our promotions. Nothing too extreme, since we have an early morning training with the Chief, but at least one good slug of the good stuff. C'mon, guys. Lets see what we can find for a toast to our futures."

Chaska knows nothing about bars. Being social places, he avoids them. He tends to go to the Mess Hall when the fewest people are around. And now Toni is promoting the idea of getting a slug of the "good stuff" before training tomorrow.

"Toni can have my 'good stuff drink?'" Chaska stumbles verbally as he walks beside her. "I... take tea instead. Is... 'good stuff' for... ah... Chaskas and Woodstocks. Yes."

 

[Psychie]

Toni shakes her head, saying, "No, I will limit myself to just one drink if I'm going to be up early, training with the Chief. I certainly don't need a hangover just before getting into it with him. But we can relax and raise a cup for our promotions, and say goodbye to comrades now gone." Too many people to say goodbye to, thanks to the Machine. But we struck a blow for them by blowing up the factory. One good hit dealt; the first of many.

 

[Purr]

But we can relax and raise a cup for our promotions, and say goodbye to comrades now gone."

The young Deliveryman's gray eyes flash wide for just a moment. They are calmer as he asks. "You... know... Echelon?"

It's only looks she will find Chaska looking right back at her as if she were some kind of ghost. Perhaps he is simply that filled with wonder and curiosity.

From his shoulder, Woodstock tilts his head and listens in the manner of birds everywhere.

However Toni chooses to answer, Chaska's follow-up question is the same. "Toni?" When he says it, it sounds like "TOH-neee?"

"Why people drink for dead? They die; they cannot share. Why not drink for living? Dead want us to... be happy. Yes?"