Futuristic Titanfall: Final Push of the Frontier (Secondary IC)

[ThrashMetallix]

[This is a secondary IC thread for "Final Push of the Frontier". The Main Thread is linked down below in the "Other" tab. DO NOT POST IN THIS TAB UNLESS WARRANTED.]

October 15th, 2241
MCS Revenant

The bridge was bustling with activity, as the Revenant slowed and held its position in deep space. The ship could not risk a closer position. They were already closer than Marcus Graves would have liked, but there was a risk that just needed to be taken here.

Marcus Graves stood on the bridge, overlooking his crew. Age had caught up with the CIC of the Militia. His hair was starting to grey, as was his short facial hair, which gave a colors similar to that of black pepper. But underneath that aged skin, was the mentality of a veteran who had seen decades of conflict on the Frontier. From his early years of fighting the Militia during the days of the Titan Wars as a Vice Admiral for the IMC, to his days of aiding the enemy he once fought against. His eyes focused on a screen ahead displaying information on why they were here. An old distress beacon was still active on a planet not very far from their position, and he intended to figure out what it was about.

It could have been anything. But one thing it could be, was the beacon of survivors who had been left behind. This seemed highly unlikely. Valinor III was one of the IMC’s most highly guarded worlds, and if any Militia had survived the initial battle that took place there over 25 years ago, and been left behind, how they managed to evade the IMC for this long would be a mystery. And even if the IMC hadn’t established a presence there, the planet was a frozen wasteland, where temperatures could plummet to fifty degrees below zero, and that was absolutely normal for the planet. How anyone could survive down there, 25 years, with such limited supplies would be nothing short of a miracle. But Marcus Graves had a duty to make sure there was nothing there. After the battle for Demeter back in 2211, he made himself a promise that no soldier would ever be left behind again.

He didn’t intend to break that promise now.

The mission would be risky, and it meant putting what few pilots they had left in the Militia right there in IMC territory for a mission that could be just a wild goose chase. But Marcus needed to know what was going on down there...

 

[Rcticwolf]

Alexis reported to the bridge as requested. She was in full pilot gear already, save for her helmet which waited with Bruticus. Her wingman elite in its holster as her DMR was also with her titan. She waited by the door to the bridge until she was spoken to, a bit of habit from being in the IMC military

 

[Crimson Blade]

Taron awoke, feeling the ship come to a halt, blinking a few times to clear his vision before he arose from his bunk, being one of the few pilots that the Militia had left he felt it was his rite to do pretty much as he pleased, he finally dragged himself up into a sitting position, glancing around the small room, he rubbed his face to try and wake himself up before getting up and staggering over to his work bench, where several empty liquor bottles lay scattered, he placed both palms on the desk for support before looking up at the clock.

06:47

"Ahhh crap" he thought to himself, shambling over to a small sink to splash water on his face, in an attempt to rid himself of the stupor the previous evenings drinking had inflicted on him.

It didn't help much, but it'd have to do, so he donned his pilot gear, choosing not to put on his helmet just yet and turned to his weapon rack, selecting his R-97 and Hamming P2016 from the array of weapons he had collected during his years in the Militia.

After leaving his room he strode through the various corridors toward the bridge, there was alot of activity, more than there had been on any previous deployment which set his mind wondering what this mission could be all about, he eventually reached the titan hangar, as he walked through he scanned the various titans that were present, his eyes falling on his own titan, a prime scorch class, the personnel working on him, stowing Taron's charge rifle in the cockpit.

"Soon my old friend" he though to himself.

Taron eventually reached the bridge, he glanced at the clock, 06:58, just in the Nick of time.

Noticing another pilot as he walked in, he gave a slight nod as he made a B-line for Marcus

"Pilot Weaver reporting for duty sir" he stated, giving a half salute, without waiting for it to be returned, he turned on the spot to introduce himself to the other pilot.

 

[catburglar]

Mishil opted to review the Militia Intel sent to her by Commander Graves one last time, still vaguely amused by the misspelling of her name, though “Mishka” did have a ring to it. She left her quarters geared in her pilot uniform, safe for helmet which stayed hooked on her belt, and armed with her usual weapons. She headed to the bridge where she would meet the rest of the squad. Considering how little pilots there were left nowadays, she couldn’t help wondering if there would be any familiar faces.

The details of the mission were peculiar, to say the least. The idea that a two-decade signal appeared on sensors on an IMC-heavy planet at a time when the Frontier was at its weakest was all sorts of suspicious. Even when she entertained the idea that there were stragglers on Valinor III, she couldn’t begin to fathom how the hell they had even stayed alive that long under the circumstances.

Regardless, she supposed it was the reason why Graves had put together a squad to get to investigate the anomaly and report back to the Militia.

In a few minutes, Mishil entered the bridge and quickly found the small group of pilots hovering around the only familiar face she could make out. Not that she knew Graves personally, but she’d seen him about on the Revenant, had read about him and his endeavours; it was probably unsettling how much she knew about him when he knew zilch about her.

“Commander Graves? Mishil Park, here for the briefing.” She looked to the two other pilots and waved casually. She eyed them with curiosity, noticing their weapons - or lack thereof - and their pilot suits, and came to her conclusions about what type of fighter they were. Neither faces were familiar, much to her disappointment, though she figured that was to the benefit of the Militia; the more the merrier.

 

[ThrashMetallix]

(ooops, did I misspell the name? My bad)
Marcus turned to see three of the four pilots he'd had assigned to this ship for this mission. He recognized them easily from their profiles he'd read up upon and studied. "Ah, Pilot Wulfe, Weaver, and Park. Welcome aboard the Revenant, and I appreciate that you were able to get here as quickly as you were."

Marcus trailed off, and looked around. One pilot was missing. He'd assigned four pilots for this mission, and the fourth had yet to show. Marcus sighed and simply said, "I don't suppose any of you have seen Pilot Rahkonen... have you? It would be pretty hard to miss him..."

 

[Obsidian Dragon]

Consciousness did not come to a machine in the same way as it would for a person. There was no warm drift from oblivion to groggy wakefulness in a soft warm bed as eyes open to ones hopefully familiar surroundings. There is only an abrupt awareness behind a cold dark screen which is quickly filled with a scrolling diagnostic routine as core systems are analyzed and activated one by one until the Simulacrum went from feeling like a blind and deaf lump of Metal into a fully functioning Imitation of a human being.
The process takes about the same time as the blink of an eye, unless you were the one personally experiencing it.

"Good morning Pilot Rahkonen."
Chimed a calm feminine voice from within Draugr's head as his HUD Fizzled to life.
"Your digital biometrics appear to be operating within optimal parameters." She continued as the 'man' exited the storage pod, taking stock of his surroundings. His internal comm equipment immediatly identified the voice as Surma, his Partner and Titan. For better or worse, With the fact that much of Draugr's combat and communication systems resided within his metal skull without requiring a Helmet, the 'man' had a Neural link that was constantly active. Due to his Machine mind, the pair were bonded in a manner no flesh and blood person can begin to imagine.
"Current time is-"
"-Oh Six Thirty, Yes Surma. Thank you." He interrupted with a silent sigh as he checked his gear and ensured that he was presentable. "You seem to be up early...."
"I am currently undergoing maintenance in preparation for the upcoming mission. Pilot Rahkonen?"
"Yes Surma?"
"The Engineers appear to be speaking ill of you."
"Oh are they now? PiP me please."

As Draugr exited the Simulacrum storage deck and began making his way silently towards the Ships Bridge. As he walked The Static Image of his Titan on his HUD quickly flickered into a live Camera feed from her optics. Sure enough, a pair of engineers stood before the massive Tone class Titan upon a metal gantry.
"-Last of his unit. More machine than man now."
"Wait, this is HIS!?!?!"
"Yup! Came back and they gave him a shiny new Tone as easy as you please."
"Fucking Ghoul. You think he's fighting for us? Or does he just love killing like every other machine?"

Draugr was used to this. Thanks to the IMC's Prolific use of Spectre Attack Drones, the Militia found itself gripped with a ridiculous predjudiced view of Similacrums even among their own ranks.
"I do not appreciate the words they are speaking Pilot." That familiar feminine voice interjected. Never wavering from that calm demeanor as it added "May I kill them?"
"Ha! No Surma, that will not be Necessary." He chuckled silently from within his secure Neural Link. It had been a few months since Surma was able to make him laugh.
"Then My 'Joke' Has succeeded?" She asked with all the subdued excitment as a daughter showing their father a new trick. "Have I improved?"

"By Leaps and bounds friend." He responded warmly as he approached the entrance to the bridge.
Draugr immediately took stock of the area the moment he stepped inside. Three pilots, The Commander and Legend himself Marcus Graves and the rest of the Bridge Crew.
"I appear to be the last to arrive." He stated plainly. His Synth Voice Retaining his Scandinavian Accent as well as a complete lack of concern towards his situation.
"I do hope I am not late."

With mechanical grace, Draugr approached and snapped to attention before Admiral(?) Graves.
"Draugr Reporting for duty Sir."

 

[Crimson Blade]

"Pilot Weaver, and y-" Taron was cut off by the sound of the bridge access opening, the third pilot entered and nodded in their direction, he returned the gesture and watched as the third pilot walked across the torward the Admiral.

"I guess there's no time for small talk then" he said to pilot that had been in attendance before him with a slight grin, so he strode across the bridge to where an few unopened crates lay, and leant against them, rubbing his face again and exhaling to try and remove the remnants of his hangover.

The doors went again, and Taron straightened up, noticing immediately that the forth to enter the room was a Simulacrum. "Seriously" he thought to himself "they've partnered me up with that"

Taron distrusted machines, save for his Titan, the events on his home planet planted that seed, the bulk of the force that attacked was composed mainly of Spectre drones, he witnessed as his friends were lined up and executed right before he could do anything to save them.

He decided to keep his prejudice to himself for the time being, at least until he found out the fine print of the mission they were to be sent on.

 

[Rcticwolf]

(Oh shit, I forgot to watch this thread, what I miss???)

 

[Rcticwolf]

"Now that everyones here, can we get this started" Alexis stated

 

[Crimson Blade]

Taron still had his eyes fixed on the simulacrum, he was barely aware that he had placed his hand on the grip of his sidearm.

He snapped out of it when pilot Wulf spoke up, surprised at the volume of her voice given she'd been silent the entire time she was there, he glanced back at the simulacrum, before bringing his eyes to rest on the Admiral.

"Seconded, what exactly is all this fuss about?" He said, gesturing toward the busy crew on the bridge.

 

[ThrashMetallix]

Marcus was about to express some slight annoyance to the slight tardiness of the simulacrum now standing with the group, but just took a breath in, and let it go. Marcus turned away from the group and spoke with a stoic tone in his voice, “Pilots, you’re going to be paying a visit to Valinor III to investigate a distress beacon we’vve Detected.”

Marcus turned back to the group and said, “I know this mission seems unusual, and I wouldn’t blame you if you thought this mission was straight up insane, but we have a cold case we need to close. You’re going there to investigate the possibility of survivors of a battle we fought there, while some of you might not have even been alive yet. Valinor III was a battle that which did not bode over well for the Militia in the long run.”

Marcus then reached into his pocket, and pulled out a very small shard of what appeared to be a strange crystal. “Do any of you know what this is?”

(Feel free to roll a knowledge check or something heh)

 

[Rcticwolf]

Marcus was about to express some slight annoyance to the slight tardiness of the simulacrum now standing with the group, but just took a breath in, and let it go. Marcus turned away from the group and spoke with a stoic tone in his voice, “Pilots, you’re going to be paying a visit to Valinor III to investigate a distress beacon we’vve Detected.”

Marcus turned back to the group and said, “I know this mission seems unusual, and I wouldn’t blame you if you thought this mission was straight up insane, but we have a cold case we need to close. You’re going there to investigate the possibility of survivors of a battle we fought there, while some of you might not have even been alive yet. Valinor III was a battle that which did not bode over well for the Militia in the long run.”

Marcus then reached into his pocket, and pulled out a very small shard of what appeared to be a strange crystal. “Do any of you know what this is?”

(Feel free to roll a knowledge check or something heh)

(Knowledge check? When did this become D&D?)

(Also I know a few types of crystals throughout sci-fi)

 

[Crimson Blade]

"Cold case indeed, you know it drops to 50 below down there" Taron stated matter of factly "if you ask me the odds of anyone being left alive in those climates, with no supplies and heavy IMC presence are incredibly slim"

Taron had let his mouth run away with his mind before his eyes fell onto the strange shard in the Admiral's hand. "What do we look like? Geologists? What the hell is that?" Taron asked in an exasperated tone.

 

[ThrashMetallix]

(I guess I was just seeing if anyone wanted to potentially know what he had)

Marcus offered a bit of a look at the Pilot before saying “This crystal is the reason the IMC has been making as much progress as it has on the Frontier these last few decades. It’s a mineral we call Biolite. It may not look like much, but it’s been a new source of development for the IMC for about two decades now, and guess where the IMC found it...”

Marcus put the crystal back in his pocket. “Biolite is found on other planets, but the IMC has been quick to lay a claim to most known sites. Even though we’ve managed to hold onto small claims, we just don’t have the knowledge or the technology that the IMC has to make use of it. The IMC has used this mineral to enhance almost everything they have against us in this war. Field for their fleets, armor for their ships and Spectres, even their grunts wear vests that are fortified with this crystal. Biolite has singlehandedly turned the tide of this war in favor for the IMC, all because they found it first, and had the resources we lacked to figure out what it was...”

 

[Crimson Blade]

"So what are you telling us exactly?" Taron interjected "are we here to look for survivors? Are we here for more of that or are you just warning us about a potentially tougher resistance?"

He glanced around the bridge at the the other pilots looking for some contribution from them, maybe they knew more than he did, before leaning back against the crates that stood behind him, placing his helmet upon one of them before brushing his long hair out of his face and tying it back in a loose ponytail.

 

[catburglar]

Mishil found herself remaining surprisingly quiet during the briefing and the reveal of Biolite technology. She listened intently as she studied the crystal, and turned her head as the pilots questioned the potential ulterior motives of the mission, cracking a smirk at the thought of Nova throwing missiles into the ground and catching rocks trying to play geologist. God, she loved that broad.

"Biolite is a pretty badass name for a crystal," She said when one pilot seemed to want someone else's input. Her gaze turned to Graves and she extended her hand. "Can I see it? Should we bring back a sample of armour or Titan equipment if we can?" There had to be a reason Graves was talking to them about this crystal. Admittedly, she felt as though they should have been briefed on it earlier because this seemed like a pretty important element in fighting against the IMC.

"Will our Titans be able to penetrate the armour of IMC Titans built with Biolite?" If it wasn't the case, Mishil didn't know why they were being sent down. "Does it have a known weakness?"

 

[ThrashMetallix]

(I apologize if my posts today have seemed... inconsistent. Had a lot on my mind today)

Marcus finally gave a bit of a glare to the soldier and said rather coldly “If you’ll let me explain why you’re here, perhaps some of your questions would be answered, soldier.” Marcus did not like such outbursts from his own pilots. Was it essential that knew this information? Probably not for this mission, but he had hoped they'd appreciate the information as to why Valinor III was such a strategic location, and why the battle that had taken place there 25 years ago was so important.

Marcus regained his composure and said “When the IMC found Biolite, they established a mining operation on Valinor III and we had to figure out what it was. The battle was one of our harshest losses in the Frontier War. We haven't been to Valinor III since the loss. The fact that a Militia distress beacon is coming from there after all this time is... well... it's unbelievable."

He turned away and said "I'm sending you all to Valinor III to investigate this beacon. I don't expect you to find much, if you find anything at all. I honestly don't know if this trip you'll be taking will do much for our situation. It's highly unlikely anyone survived on the planet all this time, but we have a duty to find out why this beacon has been broadcasting all this time, and perhaps get a little insight as to why things happened as they did all those years ago."

Marcus sighed. 'What a load of shit...' He knew damn well he was sending pilots down to see if there were survivors, no matter how he dressed it. He knew there was likely no one alive, but since the Battle of Demeter, he'd promised himself never again to leave anyone behind. He owed whoever had broadcast this beacon enough to investigate.

"You'll be taken to the surface of the planet via a dropship. We've outfitted the dropship to emit the common signals used by IMC supply ships, so if you're detected, they shouldn't investigate. But to be on the safe side, your titans will be joining you for this mission, especially since we can't spare any additional reinforcements. Any questions so far?"

 

[Crimson Blade]

(It's cool man, no worries)

Taron straightened up again and was about to give another retort, but decided it best perhaps not to push it too far. "So our objective is to simply investigate this old beacon" he said curtly, putting on a balaclava he'd pulled out of a pouch on his chest rig, before scooping his helmet up and putting it on, still feeling that something was being left unsaid.

His HUD flickered into life as his gear synchronised to its wearer "are there any potential secondary objectives we should know about sir?" He asked with a sigh.

 

[Rcticwolf]

(I'm just pulling this out of my ass, cuz I'm sure this crystal didn't come from titanfall) (if I'm wrong, I apologize)

(Also sorry I wasnt posting, I haven't been getting notifications)

"Biolite is susceptible to high frequency energy pulses, tune an arc grenade to the right energy output, and it will weaken to allow you to cause damage" Alexis chimed in

"Possible secondary objectives if there are no survivors, would easily be to find out who and why activated an old militia beacon" Alexis added

 

[Rcticwolf]

"Also if we are going by dropship, I'm flying" Alexis stated

 

[Crimson Blade]

Taron nodded in agreement to what Pilot Wulf had to say "when do we deploy sir?" He asked, his hand resting on his sidearm again, tapping the grip with his thumb, his R-97 tucked under his left arm.

 

[Rcticwolf]

"I suggest we get going soon before IMC sensors pick up the ship" Alexis stated

 

[Crimson Blade]

"Not a bad call Admiral" Taron responded, aiming his comment at Marcus, still feeling somewhat sceptical about the whole mission, he felt it was simply a waste of valuable time and resources, both of which could be much better spent elsewhere on the frontier, at any rate he thought it best to keep his feelings to himself.

"Permission to be dismissed admiral, I have some last minute preparations to make before we go on this frozen goose chase" he said, tapping his thumb on the grip of his sidearm at a slightly faster rate.

 

[Obsidian Dragon]

'Enthusiastic.'
Draugr thought to himself in regards to the other pilots as he stood there and observed. Throughout the entire Briefing, the machine man would not betray a single emotion, his faceplate a smooth mask save for a cluster of three optic lenses close to the center of where his human eyes would be. Yes, enthusiastic and brimming with fire and guts.
It reminded him of his old squad and his old life. He wanted to hope that they weren't going to meet the same end, but with how this war was going......

Speaking of, how strange a thing it was for a briefing to involve a Rescue mission on one hand and a lesson in mineralogy on the other. What DID this Biolite have in connection to this mission? Were they going to hit a Refinery for the substance after? Would there even BE an after?

And why on EARTH did that Pilot want to fly the Dropship!?!?!?

"You do realize." Draugr explained with an almost infuriatingly patient tone as he spoke to Pilot Wulfe without even bothering to turn and face her. "If you were to fly the Dropship, you would not be able to participate on the mission with the rest of us? Militia Combat Procedure is clear. Dropships are to enter an Area of operation only for the Exact Purpose of Infiltration and Exfiltration and are to exit the Area of Operation immediately after."

 

[Rcticwolf]

'Enthusiastic.'
Draugr thought to himself in regards to the other pilots as he stood there and observed. Throughout the entire Briefing, the machine man would not betray a single emotion, his faceplate a smooth mask save for a cluster of three optic lenses close to the center of where his human eyes would be. Yes, enthusiastic and brimming with fire and guts.
It reminded him of his old squad and his old life. He wanted to hope that they weren't going to meet the same end, but with how this war was going......

Speaking of, how strange a thing it was for a briefing to involve a Rescue mission on one hand and a lesson in mineralogy on the other. What DID this Biolite have in connection to this mission? Were they going to hit a Refinery for the substance after? Would there even BE an after?

And why on EARTH did that Pilot want to fly the Dropship!?!?!?

"You do realize." Draugr explained with an almost infuriatingly patient tone as he spoke to Pilot Wulfe without even bothering to turn and face her. "If you were to fly the Dropship, you would not be able to participate on the mission with the rest of us? Militia Combat Procedure is clear. Dropships are to enter an Area of operation only for the Exact Purpose of Infiltration and Exfiltration and are to exit the Area of Operation immediately after."

"True, but we are going to an IMC occupied planet, they have very strict protocols regarding incoming and outgoing ships, if you want to have someone else fly, be my guest, but don't expect me to retrieve your burning carcass when you get shot down" she stated