UEEF - The Shadow Chronicles - IC Thread

[Psychie]

Bigs glowers at the fact that she never even got a shot off in the attack against the big ship. With a series of angry curse words, she works to reset her wonky missiles to be ready to fire again. These Zeeks may be playing nice for now, but that might change in a heartbeat.

She calls out over the radio, saying, "Bigs here. Ready to go with our escorts to the transport ship. I wonder what we'll find inside?"

 

[Sherwood]

It takes Motoko only a few moments to reset the problematic missiles to be ready to launch, so your payload is up to full once more. As she is doing that, a trio of Robotech Master Bioroids, two Green and one Red, come flying up along side you on their hover sleds. You get a communication signal from the Red one. "Micronians, I am Battle Leader Tyung, and I have been ordered to escort you to the transport. Stay in formation with us, and do not deviate from your course or that will be regarded as a hostile act and you will be fired upon. Come this way."

The three Bioroids spin off and head towards the damaged transport, expecting you to fall in with them. As you get closer to the ship, you can see that it has been blasted hard by the other aliens, and is in real bad shape. Its hull has been breached in multiple locations, venting precious atmosphere out into space before the ship's systems were able to seal off the damaged sections.

The landing bay that you are being led to is large; easily big enough for you to house over a hundred Alphas in it, but you also see that you'll need to shift your mecha into a mode capable of VTOL operations in order to be able to land. Passing through the open doors, there is a slight amount of resistance, as if you were going through something sticky. Once you are in, the large room is pressurized, despite the main doors being open to space! It must have been that strange field you passed through that is keeping the air in.

Normally, you would expect that the hangar bay to be neat and orderly. This is anything but. There is signs of damage in here, along with literally hundreds of people that have been crammed into the room, and I'm not talking soldiers. These are obviously civilians, as there are more women, children and the elderly here than anything else. If this is any indication of what to expect, this ship is packed with non-combatants as a lifeboat. But the question remains of why? What threat could make these people run like this?

When you land, the Red Bioroid also sets down in the little open space remaining and opens up its cockpit, and out jumps a young man that looks to be in his early twenties and is in very good shape. He is standing off to the side, waiting for you to exit your mecha and join him.

 

[Psychie]

Bigs sets her Alpha down in Guardian mode and cracks her canopy, making sure that her pistol was securely fastened on her hip before climbing down. "LT, Bigs here. I advise against using our Cyclones at this point. I think it would give a bad message to the civvies here, and give them a scare that is not needed at this time. Besides, I just don't see a major firefight going on here."

 

[jaydude]

Following the lead of Bigs - or Mokoto - Ian shifted his Beta into Guardian Mode before landing. He opted to wait in the cockpit after hearing her address Victor, wanting to hear the squad leader's response regarding the Cyclones first.

 

[D. Rex]

Victor grunts unhappily. "Dont they know we could blow them out of the sky if we wanted to? A bunch of ungrateful prices is what they are." He complained through the team radio.

"No. No cyclone. We will go in on foot. They won't dare try anything, not in their sorry state. Still, keep your sidearm off safety. And keep your eyes open for everything. Command will want a full report of everything we see."

With that, he exited his Beta. Hopping down and meeting with his squad before finding this Battle Leader.

 

[jaydude]

"Acknowledged. Gloomy out." replied Ian, as he disembarked from his Beta and walked over to where Victor and Motoko were.

 

[Rykon]

Jake disembarks from his Alpha on the Robotech Master's vessel and turns on a body cam. "Understood sir, might as well see if we can be of any use while we're here."

 

[Sherwood]

As everyone is climbing out of their mecha, Springer asks, "Hey boss? Should one of us stay with the Veritechs, just in case? Or do you want all of us with you?"
D. Rex

The Bioroid pilot called Tyung looks like he's been sucking on something very sour as he looks at the six of you. He is clearly not happy with your presence on the ship, but is following some orders to play nice with you. When you approach, he says, "I have been instructed to give you full access to the ship so you can see for yourselves the conditions on board. Come with me, and I will escort you."

He leads you into one of the corridors leading away from the hangar bay, and it is a tight squeeze with all the people packed into the ship that have spilled out into the halls. Tyung talks as he leads you through the ship. "As you can see, we are overloaded with refugees from Tyrol. A ship that normally carries four hundred now has several thousand clones packed in. Our life support is overtaxed, and we are short on food and water."

While he's talking, a massive alien comes walking up; looking like a humanoid bear that is over eight feet tall. It speaks to Tyung, "Battle Leader? Clone Master Rand is on the bridge, and wishes to see you and these newcomers. I can escort them there for you if you'd like, since I have damage reports to give to him."

Tyung nods. "Very well." He looks at the squad and says, "This is Pygar, a member of the Karabarran race and a master engineer. He will be able answer any questions you have on your way to see Clone Master Rand."

 

[Psychie]

Bigs looks at the masses of people and is both glad that they are there to help and horrified at the sight. This was just too much, a look at a side of war that she had never thought to encounter. She then says, "Pygar? What caused all of these people to pack into the ship like this? I thought that Tyrol was under the control of the Robotech Masters, but the forces that were attacking were not any race that we have ever encountered before."

 

[Sherwood]

Pygar motions for you to follow him as he heads through the hallways. "You are most fortunate to have not run into the Invid before. They are a blight on the universe, and have succeeded in doing something that I had thought to be impossible: They have overwhelmed the Robotech Masters and have taken control of their empire, complete with conquering their homeworld of Tyrol. We are just a handful of refugees that are on the run from the Invid, trying to find some safe shelter from their storm."

You know that the planet of Tyrol is where the fleet is currently bound for in their mission to negotiate with the Robotech Masters to try and find peace between the two peoples.

 

[jaydude]

"So much for negotiating peace with the Robotech Masters..." Ian muttered when he heard the news. He didn't see any further chance of that, unless they could find out where the leadership of the Robotech Masters had escaped to, assuming they had managed to do that.

 

[Psychie]

Bigs looks over at the others and says, "Well, if that is true, the fleet is heading into a real shit storm. We need to get this info back to the MacArthur soonest."

 

[jaydude]

"Agreed. If they don't know what's happened on Tyrol, they won't be expecting the Invid when they arrive." said Ian, before he looked at Victor/Ursa Major, wanting to know how their squad leader would react to all this.

 

[Sherwood]

D. Rex Mirgris Rykon You guys have anything to add? You've been very quiet so far.

 

[Rykon]

"Speaking of the MacArthur... weren't we told we were coming out of fold space for maintenance? This all seems a little planned. You think leadership knew we were coming out into this battle specifically?" Jake holds a hand to his chin as he looks over the situation. He turns back to their escort to address him rather than the squad. "Either way... Pygar, what's the state of the ship right now? Mechanically speaking at least."

 

[Sherwood]

Pygar lets out a snort. "I know nothing of a plan, other than to get away from the Invid. That is all that we were doing." He turns down another passage and heads to a bank of elevators, but walks past them to a set of emergency stairs. "Power is very erratic at the moment, so taking the stairs is the wise choice. The ship is in bad shape. It was near abandoned before we commandeered it, barely flyable. We have multiple hull breeches, life support is on its last legs, and our reactor is questionable at best. I don't know the status of the Zentraedi ship, but I know it is in bad shape, too."

Springer looks around, and makes the comment, "Wow. All this damage, and the ship is still holing on. Guys, I bet the Atlas could fix this baby right back up no sweat. That's what its made to do, after all. We just need to get her there."

He leads you up two flights of stairs before stepping off at what must be the command deck. With a bow, Pygar greets a older man that looks like he's about fifty-sixty years old, bald, but with a thick beard. Pygar says, "Clone Master? These are the ones you wished to see. Do you wish my report on the ship before or after you have had a chance to speak with them?"

The old man turns in his seat and says, "No need to wait, Pygar. There is much to be done still, and I do not wish to keep you. Thank you for your time." He turns to look at the team and says, "I am Clone Master Rand, the only one of the command staff that survived the attack." He gestures at the damage done to the ship's control room, with technicians working desperately to fix it up. "I am grateful to your people for coming to our aid. If it were not for your intervention, we would all be dead now. We need help or else many lives will be lost. Can we count on your people to provide the aid we need?"

 

[Sherwood]

Mirgris D. Rex jaydude Rykon Psychie

 

[D. Rex]

"We did what we could, Clone Master. Is is fortunate we got here when we did. I am First Lieutenant Victor Beckett of the Manticore Squadron."

"I can make no promises as to what can be given, as I am here to see what aid you need. Of your ships, your crew, and the refugees. I am not in the position of being able to give that clearance. What i can say, is that if you can cooperate with us, it will go a long way in getting any help to you in a quick and timely fashion and in the best way we can. I can also say that we are here to help. "

"How bad is the situation among your fleet, Clone Master Rand? And are we looking at emergency repairs or immediate evacuations?"

 

[Mirgris]

I dislike the situation. I have become an ambassador. I was aware that soldiers represent their nation or world in an abstract, and yet...
It was not something I wished to do. People who outrank me are talking and I have no technical expertise to offer outside of combat so I am of little help here.

I look around feeling oddly naked out of my cyclone. This place has the space for so many robotechs, it could be quite the carrier ship. Yet, it is not bristling with steel war machines like it should be.

These people fleeing did not take every weapon they could, or rather they could not more likely?
They prioritized clones over guns in a war. I suppouse it's the humanitarian choice but with weapons they could of won that last battle possibly.

I don't know if I believe what they are saying, it's a little to clean, a little to simple, a little to easy of an answer. War rarely has good guys and bad guys just people being monsters and this time it is supposed to be different?

I suspect command will have us help them, more dammingly I now have *Experience* with them so am likely to be a point of contact with them forever, as commands think they are clever sending the same people to build relationships.

I sigh audibly and make sure to shake my head lightly as I look over all the people, so it seems to be out of concern for the refugees.

 

[Sherwood]

"We did what we could, Clone Master. Is is fortunate we got here when we did. I am First Lieutenant Victor Beckett of the Manticore Squadron."

"I can make no promises as to what can be given, as I am here to see what aid you need. Of your ships, your crew, and the refugees. I am not in the position of being able to give that clearance. What i can say, is that if you can cooperate with us, it will go a long way in getting any help to you in a quick and timely fashion and in the best way we can. I can also say that we are here to help. "

"How bad is the situation among your fleet, Clone Master Rand? And are we looking at emergency repairs or immediate evacuations?"

"Fleet?" He chuckles, a sad sound from the old man. "You give us too much credit. We had other ships with us, but they were destroyed by the Invid before you arrived. Now, all that is left is this broken-down transport and the Zentraedi destroyer that escorted us. So many lives lost. Quite the tragedy." He is quiet for a long moment, then says, "The ship is barely functional, and is in need of much work. I am more worried about the refugees on board than the ship, though."

Springer shakes his head. "I doubt that the Mac has enough room to fit this many people, but the Atlas is certainly big enough. We just need to get a signal out to them."

Over the course of the next several hours, you are able to look over the ship in its entirety. It is in bad shape, and is in need of serious repairs. But the real issue is the refugees. There will need to be many off-loaded to spare the struggling life support system before it fails under the strain of so many living bodies in the ship.

Returning to the Veritechs, you get a good signal sent out to the Command Cruiser, and send your recordings and general reports. It is not long after that you are ordered to return to the MacArthur, and to stand by while several shuttles are launched to start to offload many of the refugees and transfer over repair crews and supplies to aid the survivors that remain on the transport.

As you wait on the ship, the reports you are hearing from the Command Deck is that a hyperspace signal has been received by the bridge from the flagship of the 3rd AED, and several ships are on their way to support the rescue operations and to get the Mac's fold space engine repaired. More reports are starting to filter down that a full briefing is due to take place very soon.

 

[jaydude]

"Well, I'd say that the people on that transport finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel." Ian said to the rest of his squadmates once he heard the news that other friendly ships were on the way, thinking of everything those refugees had doubtless been through.

His expression soon became a slight grimace. "And now I'm afraid that everything's going to start going to shit because I've said that."

 

[Psychie]

Motoko nods in agreement. "Yeah, they say that war is hell. I guess I've never been one to think about it from this point of view before. Well, we'll take good care of these people."

 

[Sherwood]

Over the next twenty four hours, there is a flurry of activity around the three ships. The Robotech Master transport has a group of technicians from the MacArthur come over and start doing emergency repairs on the damaged critical systems of the ship, along with shipments of supplies of food, water and medical supplies. The Command Cruiser is now playing host to a large number of the Tyrolian refugees, along with some other alien species that had tried to find refuge on the transport.

During this time, the Atlas, Arc Royal, Ryoga, and Roger Young exit fold space nearby, and they immediately move into position to provide additional support and guard the wounded ships. The transport is slid into one of the docking cradles of the Atlas and serious repairs begin right away. As this is going on, there is a notice sent out in the MacArthur that the ship captain will be making an announcement for the whole crew, and all work comes to a stop to listen to what he has to say.

"Attention all hands! This is the Captain Ramius speaking. There has been a lot of speculation as to what is going on, and I am here as rumor control, and these are the facts. First, the incident that made us drop out of fold space was a sheer accident, and was in no way sabotage, deliberate or planned. It was a failure of the cooling system, and the ship had to make the transition to normal space or suffer a catastrophic explosion. Luckily, the safety measures worked as designed, and a major disaster was averted."

"Next, the presence of the other ships that we encountered was a billion to one coincidence, and was in no way expected. It was just the good fortune of the refugees that we arrived when we did, or else many more lives would have been lost."

He pauses to let these two items sink in, then the Captain continues. "Now, after communicating with both the survivors on the transport and our own ships that have made it to the Fantoma system where the planet Tyrol is, we have received much information on the current status of the Fantoma system, and Tyrol specifically. Normally under strict control of the Robotech Masters, the main fleet of ships protecting the planet and the rest of the empire left the region, leaving only a small garrison force to maintain control. It was at this time that their old enemy, the Invid, made a series of decisive attacks and have captured multiple worlds, enslaving the surviving population."

"When the ships of the UEEF entered the system, they were immediately attacked by the Invid, and it was only due to the skill, training, and quality of the mecha our pilots possess that the loss of life was not horrible. Despite multiple attempts to communicate with the Invid, all efforts were ignored, and a fight for the very lives of the fleet was ensued."

"Our original mission was to go forth to Tyrol and make contact with the Robotech Masters and sue for peace between our two peoples. Now, that mission has changed to liberation, to bring freedom to the people of Tyrol from the claws of the Invid. Within the next five hours, the MacArthur and the escort ships will be reentering fold space to join the fleet at Tyrol, and participate in the attack against the occupying forces on the planet. Pilots, expect to be briefed on the full nature of our new enemy by the CAG as we close in and begin combat operations in the Fantoma system."

"In conclusion, let me say that I have full confidence in all of you to do your very best, no matter what your duties are. We will succeed in our mission to bring freedom to the people of Tyrol. Thank you for your time."

With that, the PA system cuts off.

 

[jaydude]

"Why did they feel the need to specifically inform us that our stumbling across those ships was entirely a coincidence?" Ian would ask jokingly after hearing the announcement, the conspiracy theorist within him taking the chance to stretch his legs. The marine was sat down at a table in the mess hall of the MacArthur, taking a moment to have a quick break from the rigors of military life.

Spoiler: OOC

Deliberately leaving it vague who Ian's talking to, because I don't know if the rest of you would rather have your characters doing something besides chat with him right now.

 

[D. Rex]

"Why did they feel the need to specifically inform us that our stumbling across those ships was entirely a coincidence?" Ian would ask jokingly after hearing the announcement, the conspiracy theorist within him taking the chance to stretch his legs. The marine was sat down at a table in the mess hall of the MacArthur, taking a moment to have a quick break from the rigors of military life.

Spoiler: OOC

Deliberately leaving it vague who Ian's talking to, because I don't know if the rest of you would rather have your characters doing something besides chat with him right now.

"Transparency." Victor said, setting his tray down at the table. "And keeps the crew up to speed. No sense in hiding it."

Sitting down and unwrapping his fork. "Though a bit long winded for the speaker, if I do say."