Location: Bridge of the HNS ahd-Dhib
The bridge was quiet and dark, the lights of the vessels control panels blinking and strobing various different colors and patterns, throwing light around the room, and illuminating the faces of the skeleton crew on the bridge, all transfixed to their work. Captain Fayaz Aafah stood silently, watching one of the screens over the shoulder of the technician in the chair. He strocked his beard in a calming manner as he watched the various lines of text and reports come across. Maih approached him from behind, waiting for him to acknowledge her before interupting.
"Go ahead sister, I apologize, I cant really give you my full attention yet." His voice was calm, but she heard the stress.
"I have recovered thanks to the doctors, I was wondering if we had orders yet? If not, then you being the Captain of the vessel are considered High Command." Maih said.
Taking a few moments of silence, Captain Aafah nods, and turns towards her, his face was gaunt.
"This AI is probably the greatest threat this ship has faced in some time. I would rather be back on the blockade of Concillium wormhole than dealing with this Brutus assaulting the quantronic walls of our ship. The Nomad contingent is doing Allahs work in our defense. If only we could get the locks off this damned ship, but he has us sealed up tight." Walking over to the central Captains chair, he flops down cursing,"Yakhsaf allah bih al’ard..."
Rubbing his temples, Captain Aafah passes Maih a piece of paper, "Some friends of yours used a bird of all things to deliver this. I didnt read it, but it did have The Old Mans seal."
"Did you say a bird? Like a beak and feathers, bird?" she asked incredulously, taking the letter.
"Yup, flew right up onto one of the spinal batteries and began pecking one of the sensors."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Maih opened the small letter and read.
"Hexadrome, enemy amassing, armory too full, contact in red dress, grab."
"Looks like we have our mission Captain, the hexadrome complex and an armory near it." She passes the letter to her brother, who reads it quickly then pulls up a map of the city.
Zooming into the Caligo Hexadrome, he highlights a few structures, before speaking into his commlog, "I need a blue beam drone sent over the Caligo Hexadrome."
Looking to Maih, he explains, "A blue beam drone is none quantronic drone, its a line of site binary connection, nothing Brutus can do to it. The mast should have the height to keep it line of site, it was basically made for these types of missions. The Hexadrome isnt far."
As if on queue, the front view screen on the bridge came to life, and they could see the flight towards the large structure, not far in the distance. As it gained alititude they were able to see the stockpiles of equipment and manpower. Mercenaries from all over the sector. One large, and well guarded structure caught their attention though, and zoomed in.
"That, looks like an armory." Maih said.
Nodding, her brother sent over the coordinates, "Keep the Roc quantronically disconnected, and on line of sight radio. You might have to go a bit old school here, this rogue AI is a problem."
"Good call, I am going to take Raqib El'Mofty to keep an eye on our quantronics, can you spare him?" she asked.
"Yes, I think we can. It looks like a Yujingese mercenary group is defending the armory....ah and this must be the red dress." Captain Aafah said, zooming in on a young Yujingese woman in an elaborate red dress, wandering the area with a tablet in hand. "Good luck, Allah bless your hunt, sister."
"Inshallah, brother." Maih responds, leaving the bridge, and begining to ping the information to the squad she is taking. "Grab gear, and meet at the Roc, were hunting Brutus mercs, Pixie, do you know if Carmen is in the area?"
Deployment
The Roc dropship roared towards the hexadrome, leaving the Haqqislamite ship, locked in its docks.
"Objectives are simple, fight towards the armory structure, verify its contents, blow it up. Secondary objective is to secure a high value individual. I am sending a picture of them to your devices. Give final equipment checks, and hold a thumb over your head to denote readiness." Maih had to yell into her radio. The squad was utilizing older radio frequencies on their commlogs, and the two rafiqs were functioning on isolated geists using near communicaitons.
The unit did their final checks and before long everyone in the dropship was holding a thumb up over their head. Nodding, Maih responded with her own thumbs up.
The Roc touched down with a roar of its engines and a thud, disembarking she began spreading the unit out and noting their required positions on the overlay map. Haley, recently inducted into the Zhayaden, and her missile launcher on a roof in overwatch of the armory alongside a newer individual in the unit, a Ghulam soldier named Talibah Hassan. Harun El'Mofty and his hacking device joined them safely tucked inside the structure, while Asil Tilki, and another newer member of the unit, a Doctor by the name of Neema El-Amin.
Taking the left flank, was Ein-213, the Refiq beeping a tune while it waddled towards its assigned position, his partner, the Namurr Kepri, teaching him new notes. The two of them treating this outing like a small walk rather than a mission. Another Rafiq headed towards the right flank with Palavi, the large Khawarij, Fahim, and Maih herself. On their way over, the sound of a motorcycle roared up, followed by the loaping gait of an antipode. Screaching to a halt, the dark skinned woman smilled, "I hear from Pixie you got a job for me?"
"Aywa." Maih says, nodding, "Standard rate for RTF assignments, agreed?"
"Hah! You hear that Batard? You're getting steak tonight bud!"
Turn 1
Kepri and Ein-213 advanced quickly on the armory through the lines of shipping containers. The Rafiq feeding sensor data to the Namurrs overlay as they moved forward. Crossing an open area they took cover on the wall of the complex, and Kepri tapped some keys quickly, the doors hissing open. She gave a quick command to the remote who moved quickly up the wall, gaining sight of a shadowy form sitting on overwatch. The Rafiqs advanced sensors took no time in determining it as a Long Ya and its Red Fury erupted into fire, reducing the machine to scrap before pulling back along the wall. With the Long Ya down, Carmen saw her chance to advance some, and roaring up along the shipping containers on the right side, she dropped smoke, obscuring the path for the auxilary remote and Maihs team to move up.
Movement along a rooftop on the far side of the complex caught Haley's attention as she readied her Missile Launcher, it moved to quickly though for her to get a good look, "Careful, I saw movement in the Yujingese lines!"
Contact was suddenly reported by one of the Fanous remotes, its targetting systems were apparently finely tuned as it sent a laser directly into the optics of Major Lunahs multispectral visors blinding her as she tried to take a shot. The Long Ya next to her decided to try and break its stealth by taking shots of its own, only to have its targetting system blinded by the accurate laser of the Fanous. The mimetic form of a Beasthunter suddenly darted over a shipping container and behind the armory, taking cover along the wall and crawling around the corner to catch Ein-213 by surprise. The mercenaries axe disabled the remote, its heavy form crashing onto the ground as it stood up and dashed into the army. Kepri's feline eyes flashed as she grinned at the Beasthunter. As the axe came down she slapped the it aside with her bracers, the metal blade bitting intot he floor of the structure as she drew her scimitar and in a flash, buried it in the would-be assassin.
A burst of fire passed the door into the Fanous on the left flank suddenly announced the presence of a dangerous foe. The thermal optic camoflouge that had previously been hiding the Hac Tao machine gunner fell away as the hunter began to take action. Kepri dodged around a central pillar of the Armory room to put some cover between her and the doors. The sinister form of the hevay infantry suddenly appeared at the door, his machine gun roaring. not even her enhanced reflexes were able to entirely dodge the stream of bullets, one ripping through side. Grimacing she took full cover behind the pillar. The soldier stepped into the armory room, pulling his pistol and trying to put shots into the super soldier, but her reflexes were too quick as she dodged the pistols shots.
Turn 2
"Could use some help here, Ra'id!" She yelled over the radio.
"Yea we're on the way to you already." Maih responded, as Carmen dropped a smoke grenade in the alley to cover their movements from the opposing Long Ya.
Moving quickly, her heavy coat trailing behind her as she activated her multispectral visors and readied her marksman rifle. Crossing a street leading to the armory, she slammed her shoulder into the building to stop herself as she raised her rifle onto the Hac Tao's form. The soldier dropped his pistol, trying to raise his machine gun in time, but he was too slow. Several rapid shots from the AP Marksmans Rifle from Maih slammed into the heavy armor and breaking through, dropping him to the floor of the Armory. This allowed Kepri to continue ransacking the armory and planting charges. Along the alley Fahim advanced, his spitfire raised as he rounded a large storage tank. He got sight of an automated turret and a quick burst of fire reduced it to scrap. Pulling back again, he aligned his sights on another remote, a Yu Jing repeater remote, and another quick burst of fire reduced it to scrap.
The fast, stomping form of a Su Jian suddenly came bolting around the structure that Lunah and the Long Ya were shooting from, moving quickly up the street and around a large tank structure. Carmen and Batard tried to dodge away, but in a swift action it transformed, its heavy shotgun roaring. A quick shot from Carmon hit it solidly, but so did the the heavy spread of the assault weapon. Ducking back into cover, a shaolin monk came bolting out towards the armory. Haley's rocket roared from the tube smashing into the monk mid air as it tossed a smoke grenade, covering the su jians path across the street. The remote trooper took advantage of this moving swiftly to the armory complex, Krit Kokram right on its tail. Tucking against the wall, it swiftly transformed, pulling up its shotgun. Kepri dodge quickly, trying to take cover in a corner to cover the door, raising her heavy pistol.
Swiftly the feline like robot, moved across the door, the shotgun roaring again. Even at such a close range, Kepri deftly dodged the first volley, the rounds slamming into the wall behind her as she moved deftly towards the Su Jian, her blade flashing into her hand. The robotic beast was not finished though as the gun roared again, a round finding home in her gut, slamming her back against the wall, and knocking her out. Krit moved in quickly to ensure the armory was secured by Yu Jing.
Turn 3
Creeping quickly up a row of connex boxes, Pixie shouldered her SMG, a wild grin on her face as found the far flank of the Yu Jing forces. Unbeknownst to her though, Lunah heard her coming and quickly turned to face her with the Long Ya. The Nahabs SMG roared, as she began emptying the clip at the two foes above her. Unfortunately none of her round found home, a pistol shot knocked her in the leg. Looking to the left she saw a woman ina red dress and a tablet, cowering against a fuel depot silo. She looked nervously at the angry Nahab, and back at Lunah up ontop of the building.
"You're coming with me, chelb!" Pixie screams, grabbing the collar of the Yu Jing woman and dragging her back into the alley, her SMG suppressing.
Shaking her head, Maih knew at least Pixie had aquired the target person.
"Ra'id, can I end this threat now?" Fahim calmly asks, slamming a new cylinder into the Spitfires reciever, and ensuring a round is chambered.
"Inshallah." She responds, nodding, taking position near the large Khawarij.
The super soldier turns and leaps straight into the air over the connex they were hiding behind, his Spitfire roaring as it reduces the Long Ya to scrap. He then begins moving along the connex boxes towards the armory doors, bolting across the open street, he deftly turns as he spies Lunah leveling her rifle. Her shot goes wide passed him as he responds with the spitfire again, a stream of lead knocking her back onto the roof. The team quickly makes it to the side of the armory. Checking that Maih and Palavi were with him, he swings into the room, immediatly charging at Krit Kokram, leaping up onto him. The weight of the Khawarij, and the stream of bullets at point blank range bring the yujingese man to the floor, bleeding out as Fahims heavy form lands squarely ontop of him. A round from the Su Jian covering the back door hits him squarly in his armored chest as he throws his momentum into a tumble off of Krit. Bouncing back onto his feet, Fahim charges the back door and the mechanical beast, his spitfire again roaring, putting several rounds into the remote, but the heavy armor shrugs it off as Fahim pulls his scimitar from its belt.
Smoke suddenly blooms up behind the Su Jian as the confict soldiers advance. Both Haley and Talibahs missile launchers respond, blowing several of them up, but another runs into the smoke directly at Fahim. The Khawarij wasted no energy deflecting the unskilled attack and quickly cutting the man down with a flash of his blade. This unfortunately distracted him though as the robotic fist of the Su Jian connected with his chest knocking back to the ground in the armory and breaking his armor. Palavi and Maih both dodged into further cover, but the cat moved around the side and sent a slug into Maih's side. The Su Jian suddenly ceased though as El'mofty's emoticons filled Maihs overlay. A repeating character of a cat with a bandage over its mouth. Looking around the door, Palavi saw the frozen form of the Su Jian.
"Affirmative." Palavi responds ont he radio, "Maih! You okay?"
"No. But yes." Maih groans in response. "Fahim! Wake up! Grab Kepri and lets go, the place is rigged!"
Shaking his head, Fahim gets off the ground and grabs Kepri's collar. Giving a strangly cat like "murr" of protest, she remained limp as she is dragged out of the room. Stumbling out of the complex, Maih seals the doors.
"Ra'id, we have you on visual. Remotes retrieved." came the voice of the Roc's pilot as a spot light suddenly illuminates the team in the street, and with a roar it lands heavily on the ground. "Area is hot in 1 minute, get in now."
Conclusion:
The Roc ascends into the air about 30 seconds later and only a few more moments later, the armories explosion rocks the ship. In the front of the squad bay, a scared and bound woman in a red dress lays on the floor.
"Well done, mission successful. Lets get back, and deal with the wounded. El'Mofty, wire the payment to Carmen. She may need it for medical expenses." Maih says removing her visors, a green checkbox appeared from El'Mofty.
Kneeling down on the floor by the yujingese woman, Maih checks her physically for anything that might be a weapon or quantronic device.
"El'Mofty, is she clean?"
Three green checkmark boxes appear in her commlog.
"Good, she looks like she might be a handler for Brutus. We will let our friends on the ahd-Dhib deal with that."
The Roc flew quickly back to the Haqqislamite ship, still locked securely in its dock.
Scenario: The Armory
Result: Win (6-4)
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