The Law of the Jungle [FT|IC]

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE
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Archive Thread

OOC Thread

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Defence Platform Ares, Orbit of Eskaria

Orbital Defence Platform Ares lay in orbit of Eskaria, capital of the Sector bearing the same name. Ares was armed with anti-ship weaponry, capable to destroy ships that were to bombard Eskaria's service. It was home to several docking bays, all of which had been reserved for use by the Eskarian Sector-wide army and had thus been neglected, the sector not having seen conflict for many years. As such, it had been lost within the first few days of rebellion within the sector, disgruntled navy crews seizing the Defence Platform, the rebels thus getting an orbital presence. Led by an individual known only as "Major Wilson", a former security employee on merchant ships, the initial attempts by the Sector Army to reclaim the Platform were defeated, after which Sector Command decided to let Ares be. The rebels remained without any resistance - and to this day still populate the Defence Platform.

Thus, when a Signstone fleet arrived in the Eskaria Sector, it was the Orbital Defence Platform of Ares that the company set their eyes on - the Fleet no doubt soon needing to resupply, and Signstone preferring to not require aid of the Eskarian government, it was swiftly decided that Ares was to be taken by force, removing the rebel presence and establishing it as a Signstone holdout. Signstone had brought with them their own private army, as well as an amount of (insanely well-payed) mercenaries and the initial assault was launched against the unsuspecting occupiers of Eskaria. Before any reaction was possible, Signstone's experimental Void-Troopers, more robot than human, seized the anti-ship weaponry in a lightning assault, the heavily armored soldiers' capable of withstanding most of the small arms fire thrown at them, with their weaponry dispensing death among the Platform's rebel crew. With the anti-spaceship weaponry taken, several ships of the Signstone fleet began to move in, sending in more and more of Signstone's troops to seize the station.

Now, two hours and nineteen minutes after Signstone's arrival into Sector Eskaria, Defence Platform Ares is almost entirely under Signstone control - keyword being almost. "Major Wilson", the rebel leader, has been keeping up the defenses around the Platform's command 'bridge' - although power has been cut off to prevent him from doing a thing, the Major still holds the bridge. Signstone, fearing for delay and finding loss of time unacceptable, has now dispatched some of the 'finest' mercenaries it has contracted to Defence Platform Ares, the ships carrying these contractors having just landed in one of the Platform's many hangar bays, where any and all gear they could desire has been prepared, with their first mission in Sector Eskaria waiting...

[Cylarn]

In the mind of Jimbo Dyer, DP-Ares was still a "hot" zone, even though the brunt of the rebel garrison holding the station had been eliminated. Their commander was another story, and it was imperative that they took control of the bridge from the bastard. The whole station was crawling with Signstone personnel, who were already solidifying their foothold on the station as more shuttles and carriers were landing, and it was from one of the ships that Jimbo Dyer and his K9 "Chuckles" exited, making their way towards the pre-determined staging area for their operation.

The man and dog were just one of many MWD teams in Signstone's possession. Like his handler, Chuckles had been prior-UE Marines, serving as both a scout dog and an MP dog during its tenure with Unified Earth, and now the 6-year-old Czechoslovakian Wolfdog was a valued Signstone employee. The creature walked with a distinct canter as it matched its master's rather swift walking speed, its head raised high and its mouth shut as it gave off a rather intimidating air, seemingly ignoring the sights and sounds around it. Around its waist, it wore a light-armored vest, patterned in the standard Signstone camouflage pattern, and it was secured by a black leash, held tightly by its master.

Just like Chuckles, Jimbo looked as serious as he could be as he walked through the station. His face was looking forward, as he held his back and head high. His stride was long and somewhat quick as he effortlessly moved to his location. His right hand was gripped around the top frame of his assault rifle, which hung from a sling around his right shoulder, barrel pointed down at the ground. Unlike the other "elite" contractors, the veteran chose instead to wear standard camouflage fatigues and a black tactical assault pack on his back, and light ablative/bulletproof armor that allowed him freedom of movement. His helmet was strapped to his left hip, the loop of the helmet secured around one of the straps on his armor vest. In his left hand was his dog's leash, gripped tightly in his hands.

For Jimbo and Chuckles, the rebellion was little more than just another day on the job. They went where Signstone said to go, whether it be to secure some refinery on a jungle planet, or to subdue a gang of pirates aboard their captured cargo ship. They weren't paid to speculate and give protest to orders they disagreed with, after all. Jimbo had an idea of what was going on: the monarchy of the system, long-detached from the needs and desires of their own citizens, were now facing a full-fledged rebellion that had practically upset their entire control of their system. It wasn't just the workers that were protesting; anyone who felt they were wronged in some way was out for monarch blood.

Signstone wasn't there to put down the rebellion; they were there to protect their own assets. Allowing rebels to take vital economic interests or secure sensitive Signstone intelligence? That couldn't happen.

[New Caermyr]

Marius awoke from his brief nap on the transport to the Defense Platform Ares. As the ship landed in the hangar and looked about at the numerous mercenaries around him. All hired by Signstone, his rival to his home world many light-years away. But that was unimportant at the moment. He stretched, checking his gear as he yawned and disengaged his harness. Lifting his face mask over his mouth and nose and pulling its hood over his head, he then attached his head gear. He activated his armors power systems, as well as Archimedes. His flying combat drone, equipped with twin submachine guns, an infrared and multi-spectrum camera. It started to hover, and chimed a few times to signal it was prepared.
"Are you ready buddy?"

Chimes again while moving as if it nodded

"Good. Now lets get it done."

Marius began to walk down the ramp into the hanger following another mercenary with a dog. A dog. Marius was shocked to see another combat dog outside of Kol. Interesting but still, a dangerous place this is. Only a few feet of steel or glass separating them from the cold void of space and a brutal death.

"Glad its bulletproof" Marius said quietly.

He stepped up to the gathering area where the other mercenaries were. Standing, looking at all the other Signstone soldiers. Weaklings compared to many of Kol's warriors. But, they get the job done, I'll give them that.

He looked over at the man with the dog..

"Hey, enjoying the scenery?"

[Arkandros]

Aboard a Signstone destroyer, Seth prepared for his first deployment into the Eskaria sector. Standing at ease alongside the Signstone soldiers, he listened to their initial briefing from one of Signstone's lieutenant commanders, in person.
"Looks like they really want this sector under control," Seth thought to himself. "They're having a politician give us the briefing." Turning his attention back to the officer, Seth caught the last portion of his bombastic speech.
"... The security of this sector depends on you. Now, our first objective will be to secure Defense Platform Ares. Until the platform is secure, the company is unwilling to deploy a battleship, or even cruisers, in support of ground operations. Once the platform is under control, it will act as our headquarters for operations in this sector. Company, dismissed."
Moving with the crowd of soldiers, Seth joined them in the armory. Dressing in the same black and gray urban camo and black bulletproof vests as the soldiers around him, he sighed. Unfortunately, his exoskeleton wouldn't arrive until the transports started docking, so this engagement would have to be done without it. Loading his SMG with 10mm hollowpoints, Seth watched and listened as the soldiers donned their armor and loaded their rifles. They threw jokes and jibes at each other, getting revved up for the upcoming combat, short as it might be. Seth joined in the jokes, killing time until they docked at the defense platform.

Disembarking, Seth marched rapidly through the pallets of weapons and supplies to the staging point for the elite mercenaries. Only two had yet arrived, but they seemed to be talking, and Seth didn't want to interrupt. Putting his SMG next to him, he leaned back against a pallet and waited for the operation to begin.

[Nachfolgia]

In one of the back corners of the recently taken over hangar of Defense Platform Ares, Kizurra sat at a work bench. Ignoring the incoming transport ships, the blonde headed woman wearing a skintight mechanic jumpsuit continued to worked on her gadgets. Equipped with a welding torch, Kizurra was welding two metal half circles together. Thanks to her years of rummaging through junk piles and her father's technical know how, she was able to create anything out of nothing. Since she was a little girl growing up in the slums, Kizurra was fascinated with engines and useless junk. Under her father's tutelage, she learned to work on spacecraft engines. Through the years, Kizurra gained the knowledge to make any engine she comes across run like it was brand new.

It was these skills that caught the eye of Signstone, a very large and lucrative company that has business in all fields, including combat. Though the only reason they noticed her was because Kizurra was trying to steal from one of their security contracts. That was 4 years ago and Kizurra is one of the best engineers in the company. Not satisfied with staying cooped in an engine room all day, she forced one of her fellow contractors to teach her to use explosives, feeling that her tinkering skill would greatly benefit from explosives training. Now, Kizurra is the only mechanic that doubles as a demolition expert. Hopefully the conflict in Eskaria will provide Kizurra with some entertainment.

Finally done welding the metal halves together, Kizurra began to pack the sphere with C4 explosive through a square hole that was cut into the side of the sphere. After packing the sphere, Kizurra grabbed a small touch screen display with several wired coming out of the back. She carefully connected the wires to a couple of blasting caps. She then proceeded to slowly connect the touch screen display to the explosive sphere, making sure to not accidentally detonate it. As she did so, another engineer walked up to her.

" Ashford, I want you to-" The brown haired man tried to say, but was interrupted by the sight of a revolver pointed at his face.

" How many times must I tell you, I don't like being ordered to do anything. I'll get around to it when I can. I have more than one job you know. Now...if you insist on barking orders to me, I can just put a bullet between you eyes, making this hangar a little bit more bloody. Or I could Blow you legs off with any one of these devices and make sure you never walk around barking orders ever again." Kizurra said menacingly without ever looking at the man.

" A-alright Ashford, calm down. I-I'll be going then. " The man said as he put his hands up before quickly turning around and walking around.

" Yeah, you will." Kizurra muttered to herself as she glanced at the man and holstered her revolver.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Centauri Light Cruiser ‘Ragnarok’
Nearing ODP Ares
Special Representative Aleen Dvorak
Now

Aleen Dvorak looked in the mirror. What he saw pleased him, that much could be said. He looked no different than he did five years ago, when he was still First Commissioner. Of course, some things were still off. He lacked a certain air, a certain aura, and aura that came only with might and power. Might and power… Those he did lack, at the moment. As Special Representative, he was nothing more than an asset. A pawn, talking in the name of Signstone. Striking deals, making money so the company could flourish. The pay was not bad, sure, and he made even more money from his knowledge of the local markets, but that was not the matter. Being ordered around was not the strong point of Admiral Dvorak, as he had once been known. He was a giver of orders, not a receiver. Alas, those times had to wait a bit longer. He needed more money still, more assets, before he could stage a countercoup. One that was long in the making.

“All passengers, ‘Ragnarok’ will soon dock in the hanger of the Ares. Be prepared to transfer within twenty minutes, please. Signstone has a schedule to keep”

The voice over the intercom was a familiar one. Captain Mundrakka, an older man from the Centauri system, had been a part of Dvorak’s armada ever since the first mission they did together. The Ragnarok had been the only vessel that Dvorak had taken with him into exile, putting it at the command of Signstone while his contract lasted. In return, Dvorak got to keep it close, and he used it as his personal transport. Of course, not so personal, as Signstone made use of such a vessel more than gladly. Besides Dvorak, other officers and dignitaries from Signstone were also present, as well as a lot of cargo and supplies. The cargo hold was filled to the brim with tanks, smaller craft, weapons, tools, gear and munitions, as full as they could load her. Captain Mundrakka felt nothing for this, he felt he was better suited as a troop transport like in the old days. But Dvorak had given in. He was glad enough that he could keep ‘Reggie’ close, as the crew called her lovingly.

Dvorak put on his gloves, tightened them, and looked into the mirror one more time. He smiled. Yes, he was ready for another task. Maybe this was the last one. Maybe, he could collect enough money this time to go back home. To assert his rightful position. One could dream, after all. Would the fleet follow him? That was a question he had asked himself many times already, and every time he came with a different answer. Would they? Partly, perhaps? How would the ground forces do? Would the civil war take long, or would it be over in a day? He took a sideways glance at his InfoWatch, a gadget he’d received when he became a Special Representative. A blue line was crawling upwards on a graph, a number increasing every second. When Ares fell, his stocks would skyrocket. With a quick flick of his fingers, Dvorak ordered a thousand more to be bought. A proper investment.

When Reggie landed in the hangar, Dvorak was the first to get off. His face had become stern, his eyes grown hard. A new situation meant meeting new people, and a good impression was key to respect. With the face of an officer and the walk of a leader, Aleen moved down the doors to the hangar floor. He let his eyes roll, slowly, from left to right, back to left, to observe everything he could see. In the hangar, the activity was bustling. Hundreds of Signstone soldiers hauling large crates, moving around mech suits and fighter ships. Some were repairing damaged equipment, others were just marching around in columns. It felt a bit like his own armada, back in the day. With a lot less salting for him, of course. Thinking about saluting, Aleen saw a pretty strange salute indeed. A blond woman pointing a revolver at the face of some other bloke. Engineers both, it seemed. Not Dvorak’s favourite people, at all. He’d walked away immediately, if he hadn’t recognised the blonde woman’s face from one of his reports. This was one of his new… Associates, it seemed. Part of the new team. Seeing it as an opportunity, Dvorak walked straight at her, and gave her a small wave of his hand. Small, mind. Very small.

“Mrs. Ashford, I presume?”

He extended his gloved hand at her, going in for a shake.

“Special Representative Aleen Dvorak. I’ve been told we’ll be working together over the next period. Pleasure to meet you"

That last sentence? Nothing more than pleasantries. It was far from a privilege.

[Nachfolgia]

(Image)

Centauri Light Cruiser ‘Ragnarok’
Nearing ODP Ares
Special Representative Aleen Dvorak
Now

Aleen Dvorak looked in the mirror. What he saw pleased him, that much could be said. He looked no different than he did five years ago, when he was still First Commissioner. Of course, some things were still off. He lacked a certain air, a certain aura, and aura that came only with might and power. Might and power… Those he did lack, at the moment. As Special Representative, he was nothing more than an asset. A pawn, talking in the name of Signstone. Striking deals, making money so the company could flourish. The pay was not bad, sure, and he made even more money from his knowledge of the local markets, but that was not the matter. Being ordered around was not the strong point of Admiral Dvorak, as he had once been known. He was a giver of orders, not a receiver. Alas, those times had to wait a bit longer. He needed more money still, more assets, before he could stage a countercoup. One that was long in the making.

“All passengers, ‘Ragnarok’ will soon dock in the hanger of the Ares. Be prepared to transfer within twenty minutes, please. Signstone has a schedule to keep”

The voice over the intercom was a familiar one. Captain Mundrakka, an older man from the Centauri system, had been a part of Dvorak’s armada ever since the first mission they did together. The Ragnarok had been the only vessel that Dvorak had taken with him into exile, putting it at the command of Signstone while his contract lasted. In return, Dvorak got to keep it close, and he used it as his personal transport. Of course, not so personal, as Signstone made use of such a vessel more than gladly. Besides Dvorak, other officers and dignitaries from Signstone were also present, as well as a lot of cargo and supplies. The cargo hold was filled to the brim with tanks, smaller craft, weapons, tools, gear and munitions, as full as they could load her. Captain Mundrakka felt nothing for this, he felt he was better suited as a troop transport like in the old days. But Dvorak had given in. He was glad enough that he could keep ‘Reggie’ close, as the crew called her lovingly.

Dvorak put on his gloves, tightened them, and looked into the mirror one more time. He smiled. Yes, he was ready for another task. Maybe this was the last one. Maybe, he could collect enough money this time to go back home. To assert his rightful position. One could dream, after all. Would the fleet follow him? That was a question he had asked himself many times already, and every time he came with a different answer. Would they? Partly, perhaps? How would the ground forces do? Would the civil war take long, or would it be over in a day? He took a sideways glance at his InfoWatch, a gadget he’d received when he became a Special Representative. A blue line was crawling upwards on a graph, a number increasing every second. When Ares fell, his stocks would skyrocket. With a quick flick of his fingers, Dvorak ordered a thousand more to be bought. A proper investment.

When Reggie landed in the hangar, Dvorak was the first to get off. His face had become stern, his eyes grown hard. A new situation meant meeting new people, and a good impression was key to respect. With the face of an officer and the walk of a leader, Aleen moved down the doors to the hangar floor. He let his eyes roll, slowly, from left to right, back to left, to observe everything he could see. In the hangar, the activity was bustling. Hundreds of Signstone soldiers hauling large crates, moving around mech suits and fighter ships. Some were repairing damaged equipment, others were just marching around in columns. It felt a bit like his own armada, back in the day. With a lot less salting for him, of course. Thinking about saluting, Aleen saw a pretty strange salute indeed. A blond woman pointing a revolver at the face of some other bloke. Engineers both, it seemed. Not Dvorak’s favourite people, at all. He’d walked away immediately, if he hadn’t recognised the blonde woman’s face from one of his reports. This was one of his new… Associates, it seemed. Part of the new team. Seeing it as an opportunity, Dvorak walked straight at her, and gave her a small wave of his hand. Small, mind. Very small.

“Mrs. Ashford, I presume?”

He extended his gloved hand at her, going in for a shake.

“Special Representative Aleen Dvorak. I’ve been told we’ll be working together over the next period. Pleasure to meet you"

That last sentence? Nothing more than pleasantries. It was far from a privilege.

Finished with her explosive charge, Kizurra was about to work on creating a wall charge when a man in a trench coat walked up and started talking. She sighed heavily and removed her protective googles. She then turned around in her chair and looked oddly at the man who introduced himself and held out his hand. To Kizurra, the man looked like a typical official, having no qualms sending people to die in his place.

" You look like someone who gives orders and not receive them, not wanting to go out in the front lines and get your hands dirty. We definitely need more of you here." Kizurra said sarcastically before turning back around to work on her gadgets.

[New Caermyr]

Aboard a Signstone destroyer, Seth prepared for his first deployment into the Eskaria sector. Standing at ease alongside the Signstone soldiers, he listened to their initial briefing from one of Signstone's lieutenant commanders, in person.
"Looks like they really want this sector under control," Seth thought to himself. "They're having a politician give us the briefing." Turning his attention back to the officer, Seth caught the last portion of his bombastic speech.
"... The security of this sector depends on you. Now, our first objective will be to secure Defense Platform Ares. Until the platform is secure, the company is unwilling to deploy a battleship, or even cruisers, in support of ground operations. Once the platform is under control, it will act as our headquarters for operations in this sector. Company, dismissed."
Moving with the crowd of soldiers, Seth joined them in the armory. Dressing in the same black and gray urban camo and black bulletproof vests as the soldiers around him, he sighed. Unfortunately, his exoskeleton wouldn't arrive until the transports started docking, so this engagement would have to be done without it. Loading his SMG with 10mm hollowpoints, Seth watched and listened as the soldiers donned their armor and loaded their rifles. They threw jokes and jibes at each other, getting revved up for the upcoming combat, short as it might be. Seth joined in the jokes, killing time until they docked at the defense platform.

Disembarking, Seth marched rapidly through the pallets of weapons and supplies to the staging point for the elite mercenaries. Only two had yet arrived, but they seemed to be talking, and Seth didn't want to interrupt. Putting his SMG next to him, he leaned back against a pallet and waited for the operation to begin.

After witnessing the officer give his rousing speech. Marius removed himself from the crowd of soldiers, as he saw he was not alone. Witnessing another mercenary leave the crowd. Approaching while partially collapsing his assault rifle and attaching it to the mag-holster on his back. Archimedes was cloaked and hidden from everyone except Marius.

"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"

[Shnercropolis]

ODP Ares
Jacob Metz

Jacob hopped off the transport and immediately set off at a fast trot to where the other hackers were struggling to enter the station's network. Apparently they were having problems with unresponsive nodes. He wore only light bulletproof armor and a sash for his gun, the minimum necessary for combat. He liked to be able to move without all the baggage.

He arrived on the scene to find other hackers standing around a terminal they had set up, talking. One of them saw him and said, "Hey! Metz, it's great you're here. The routing on the ship is totally broken, we can't do anything useful. We're hoping you might fix the problem." She motioned to the screen, which had a list of available services available to whatever node was there. Indeed, the list was very incomplete: most security and weaponry options were offline, and it seemed like the other options were lacking as well. The hacker continued, "We tried to map the network, the requests keep bouncing at certain nodes." She brought up a node map, which clearly showed that there were a few nodes that were causing the traffic issues. "We checked them all physically, they all looked fine. We can't figure out why it's routing so weirdly."

Jacob saw the issue here. The problem, as an old saying had it, was between the terminal and the chair. These people were all rookies, used to just plugging in some premade virus and continuing the fight. They didn't have much experience with their virii failing. This was an old station, and thus its onboard network was primitive. Instead of being distributed evenly around the ship, it was in the old centralized layout, with the single authenticating node in the command deck. There were whole sections of the ship that were invisible to the hackers because they couldn't authenticate with that one node. He said as much. The hackers around him were embarrassed, as they should be; that should have been their first guess.

"It's all right, I'll go get someone to fix the power. You work on getting ready to take over the main node." He jogged off to go find someone, and came across an engineer talking to an official next to a big pile of equipment. He banged on the wall to get their attention and said, "Hey, you got any time? We need to restore power to the command deck."

[Setinel]

As the signstone employes worked diligently, they couldn't help but pause and watch as a transport ship came in. But this one was odd. On both sides, a flaming skull had been spray painted in an anarchic manner. It was the trademark symbol of a good soldier.

"I'm here now bitches!" Demon yelled diving out the side of the ship with a small crate, rolling forward then springing up. "Where are my partners I'm working with huh?"

He smiled, before striding off to a corner, where he began preparing himself with equipment in his small crate. He pulled out a light frame exosuit. All black with red streaks spray painted on it that reminded many people somewhat of a tiger. He strapped himself in, the metal frame twisting with his motions. He followed by pulling a black long-sleeve shirt over it, and pants. He snapped on metal and cloth pads after, on his elbows, knees, forearms and shoulders. On his left arm, he strapped on a linen touch screen device. He tapped it a few times, making sure it was in working order, then turned it off. With all that through, Demon pulled his black mask over his face, and snapped the last of his armor on. The base of his neck was now well protected, and his hood and mask had the same intimidating flaming skull as the ship which ha just left. Demon finished by placing his mask on his head, with 3 scopes over his left eye. One for normal vision, one for night vision, and one for heat vision. With that finished, he slung his bolt action rifle over his shoulder, and pulled his gas mask over his mouth. One last thing. Demon pulled out an aerial reconnaissance drone, armed with nothing, and folded it's wings in. He hooked it to his belt, and was ready to go.

Demon began a walkthrough of the station to see if there was anyone else around to help him.

[Arkandros]

Aboard a Signstone destroyer, Seth prepared for his first deployment into the Eskaria sector. Standing at ease alongside the Signstone soldiers, he listened to their initial briefing from one of Signstone's lieutenant commanders, in person.
"Looks like they really want this sector under control," Seth thought to himself. "They're having a politician give us the briefing." Turning his attention back to the officer, Seth caught the last portion of his bombastic speech.
"... The security of this sector depends on you. Now, our first objective will be to secure Defense Platform Ares. Until the platform is secure, the company is unwilling to deploy a battleship, or even cruisers, in support of ground operations. Once the platform is under control, it will act as our headquarters for operations in this sector. Company, dismissed."
Moving with the crowd of soldiers, Seth joined them in the armory. Dressing in the same black and gray urban camo and black bulletproof vests as the soldiers around him, he sighed. Unfortunately, his exoskeleton wouldn't arrive until the transports started docking, so this engagement would have to be done without it. Loading his SMG with 10mm hollowpoints, Seth watched and listened as the soldiers donned their armor and loaded their rifles. They threw jokes and jibes at each other, getting revved up for the upcoming combat, short as it might be. Seth joined in the jokes, killing time until they docked at the defense platform.

Disembarking, Seth marched rapidly through the pallets of weapons and supplies to the staging point for the elite mercenaries. Only two had yet arrived, but they seemed to be talking, and Seth didn't want to interrupt. Putting his SMG next to him, he leaned back against a pallet and waited for the operation to begin.

After witnessing the officer give his rousing speech. Marius removed himself from the crowd of soldiers, as he saw he was not alone. Witnessing another mercenary leave the crowd. Approaching while partially collapsing his assault rifle and attaching it to the mag-holster on his back. Archimedes was cloaked and hidden from everyone except Marius.

"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"

Behind Seth's closed eyes, gears were turning. The station's holdouts are located in the command tower, so there's only two-no, three- ways in. Space boarding is right out, not worth the damage to the station. Through the blast doors? No, too aggressive, too obvious. Corporate won't be happy if shit gets broken. That leaves the air system. But how? Assault through the vents or tear gas? Gotta prevent damage. Tear gas first, then nonlethal takedown, I think. I'll have to talk to the engineers, see if they can get us into the vents.
A sudden kick of his foot rousted him, and a man in a black trenchcoat stood over him.
"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"
Standing, Seth looked over the mercenary who had disturbed him. Just a tad shorter than him, the man had all the hallmarks of former military; from the ramrod-stiff posture to the pristine condition of his boots and armor, he looked ready for inspection. Seth, however, didn't care about inspections. He cared about results. Unfortunately, the young eyes in front of him showed brilliance, but lacked the gaze of a tried soldier.
Finished with his inspection, Seth decided to respond. "I'm not avoiding the group. Just trying to figure out a plan of attack."

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Heavy Transport Hangar
ODP Ares
Special Representative Aleen Dvorak
Now

Dvorak didn’t take long to remember why he disliked engineers. Disliked? Despised was the better word for it. The engine rats worked deep in the dark, in bellies of the ships, within an entire world of their own. Their seclusion from the rest of the crew, so he thought, made them live a fantasy of their own. An arrogant fantasy, wherein they were the centre of importance in a ship. Engineers were egocentrics, a disloyal bunch by heart who were deserving of the highest suspicion and the least care. Dvorak had no love for engineers, which made it far more obvious to him that he needed these people. He couldn’t wait until drones were capable of entirely replacing these people.

“Madam, I must ask you to restrain yourself a bit. You’re still a contractor, remember that.”

Dvorak turned around, preparing to walk away. Yet, he made one sideward glance over his shoulder, one more look at the blonde female. It was below him to get into an argument, but… he couldn’t let this one pass, could he? A lowly contractor, a mere mercenary with a superiority complex, telling him off. He was an officer, yes, a leader, but he was also a proud man. What took priority? What was more important in this matter? Who would tell? At last, he made one final remark, before walking away into the hangar.

“Miss, I have a history in the navy. We do not deal in front lines. Space is our front line. If you have seen a tenth of the ships that I have seen burning, you would understand. I don’t expect you to understand the burden of command, but I expect you to have some kind of emotion”

Then, Dvorak walked off, leaving the engineer to cope with the soldier that asked her for help.

[New Caermyr]

After witnessing the officer give his rousing speech. Marius removed himself from the crowd of soldiers, as he saw he was not alone. Witnessing another mercenary leave the crowd. Approaching while partially collapsing his assault rifle and attaching it to the mag-holster on his back. Archimedes was cloaked and hidden from everyone except Marius.

"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"

Behind Seth's closed eyes, gears were turning. The station's holdouts are located in the command tower, so there's only two-no, three- ways in. Space boarding is right out, not worth the damage to the station. Through the blast doors? No, too aggressive, too obvious. Corporate won't be happy if shit gets broken. That leaves the air system. But how? Assault through the vents or tear gas? Gotta prevent damage. Tear gas first, then nonlethal takedown, I think. I'll have to talk to the engineers, see if they can get us into the vents.
A sudden kick of his foot rousted him, and a man in a black trenchcoat stood over him.
"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"
Standing, Seth looked over the mercenary who had disturbed him. Just a tad shorter than him, the man had all the hallmarks of former military; from the ramrod-stiff posture to the pristine condition of his boots and armor, he looked ready for inspection. Seth, however, didn't care about inspections. He cared about results. Unfortunately, the young eyes in front of him showed brilliance, but lacked the gaze of a tried soldier.
Finished with his inspection, Seth decided to respond. "I'm not avoiding the group. Just trying to figure out a plan of attack."

"Well what are you thinking then?" Marius asked, "cause I feel we have a half dozen mercenaries with about 20 different plans. And I dont know about you, but I intend on getting to that bridge first. Quickly and Quietly."

Looking at the man checking his gear, watching his method, by that alone he knew he was a man that appreciated one thing, The end results, and not how he got there. But its men like him that has brought the ruin of countless worlds. Thank the gods this isn't a planet Marius thought.

[Cylarn]

"Hey, enjoying the scenery?"

Man and dog turned to confront the presence. Chuckles turned his body towards the strange, his head raised and ears perked up as he analyzed the stranger, suspicious of his intentions. Jimbo turned his head towards the man, examining his garb, his posture, demeanor. The trench coat, high-priced armor, 3 guns, knightly air, drone; this guy was a Kol freelancer. Jimbo had seen many a Kol soldier during his tenure in the pantheon of violence that is the story of galactic struggle, and while no one could doubt the martial abilities of Kol's sons and daughters, Jimbo knew well of the holier-than-thou, "douchy" persona that permeated the Kol attitude.

Jimbo gave a nod, but before he could speak, the Kol freelancer whisked himself away. Jimbo shrugged, and went back to people-watching. Chuckles took a seat next to his master, glancing around occasionally at the others in the room.

More freelancers and Signstone contractors were showing up now, and Jimbo hoped that a Signstone bigwig would show up soon, and give orders to prevent a clusterfuck. The longer that Signstone held off on briefing the freelancers and outlining a proper, unified plan of action, the probability of casualties would be growing. Thinking outside of the box and doing things your own way was fine; a bunch of people going into a combat zone, everyone with a different plan was not a good idea. There was always the possibility that the freelancers were simply a "softening" measure; sacrificial offerings meant to whittle down the rebel defensive positions before they sent in their Void-Troopers.

Jimbo knew full-well about this fact, and if he was truly concerned, he would not be working in this line of work. He had entered the profession of arms with the desire to help folks, but the universe was not black and white, not in the slightest. He griped and he complained about being expendable, but it was what he was good at. All he wanted was at least a remote chance of survival. For that remote chance, he needed direction. He could plan and organize tactics with the best of him, but he wasn't in charge right now. He knew when to be a leader, he knew when to be a commander, and he knew when to be a follower.

Right now, he was simply a follower.

[Arkandros]

Behind Seth's closed eyes, gears were turning. The station's holdouts are located in the command tower, so there's only two-no, three- ways in. Space boarding is right out, not worth the damage to the station. Through the blast doors? No, too aggressive, too obvious. Corporate won't be happy if shit gets broken. That leaves the air system. But how? Assault through the vents or tear gas? Gotta prevent damage. Tear gas first, then nonlethal takedown, I think. I'll have to talk to the engineers, see if they can get us into the vents.
A sudden kick of his foot rousted him, and a man in a black trenchcoat stood over him.
"Hey man, why avoiding the crowd?"
Standing, Seth looked over the mercenary who had disturbed him. Just a tad shorter than him, the man had all the hallmarks of former military; from the ramrod-stiff posture to the pristine condition of his boots and armor, he looked ready for inspection. Seth, however, didn't care about inspections. He cared about results. Unfortunately, the young eyes in front of him showed brilliance, but lacked the gaze of a tried soldier.
Finished with his inspection, Seth decided to respond. "I'm not avoiding the group. Just trying to figure out a plan of attack."

"Well what are you thinking then?" Marius asked, "cause I feel we have a half dozen mercenaries with about 20 different plans. And I dont know about you, but I intend on getting to that bridge first. Quickly and Quietly."

Looking at the man checking his gear, watching his method, by that alone he knew he was a man that appreciated one thing, The end results, and not how he got there. But its men like him that has brought the ruin of countless worlds. Thank the gods this isn't a planet Marius thought.

Turning to the munitions pallet he'd been leaning against, Seth grabbed a knife and started prying open a box marked 'C13H2-CS'. Putting three of them into a cargo pocket, and scanning the rest of the crates, he replied. "I'd rather avoid the corporate chewing-out we'd get for going through the command deck's blast door, so I was figuring use the vents. Drop a couple of tear gas grenades, jump down, and secure the deck."
Grabbing a gas mask from the pallet, he turned back to Marius. "I just realized, I don't even know your name." Seth offered his hand, introducing himself. "Name's Seth."

[Nachfolgia]

Heavy Transport Hangar
ODP Ares
Special Representative Aleen Dvorak
Now

Dvorak didn’t take long to remember why he disliked engineers. Disliked? Despised was the better word for it. The engine rats worked deep in the dark, in bellies of the ships, within an entire world of their own. Their seclusion from the rest of the crew, so he thought, made them live a fantasy of their own. An arrogant fantasy, wherein they were the centre of importance in a ship. Engineers were egocentrics, a disloyal bunch by heart who were deserving of the highest suspicion and the least care. Dvorak had no love for engineers, which made it far more obvious to him that he needed these people. He couldn’t wait until drones were capable of entirely replacing these people.

“Madam, I must ask you to restrain yourself a bit. You’re still a contractor, remember that.”

Dvorak turned around, preparing to walk away. Yet, he made one sideward glance over his shoulder, one more look at the blonde female. It was below him to get into an argument, but… he couldn’t let this one pass, could he? A lowly contractor, a mere mercenary with a superiority complex, telling him off. He was an officer, yes, a leader, but he was also a proud man. What took priority? What was more important in this matter? Who would tell? At last, he made one final remark, before walking away into the hangar.

“Miss, I have a history in the navy. We do not deal in front lines. Space is our front line. If you have seen a tenth of the ships that I have seen burning, you would understand. I don’t expect you to understand the burden of command, but I expect you to have some kind of emotion”

Then, Dvorak walked off, leaving the engineer to cope with the soldier that asked her for help.

" You think that I have not been in those same burning ships, trying to keep the vertical lift engines alive so the damn thing doesn't fall out of orbit? A ship is an engineer's home, more specifically the engine room and an engineer doesn't abandon her home. I have more emotion for a ship because I consider it my home as well as my own child. You're right...I know nothing about commanding a ship, but I do understand that lives don't need to be sacrificed for petty reasons." Kizurra said without even looking at the man.

The officer reminded her of all the high society folk in her home city. Looking up at the tower skyscrapers from the filthy, smog filled streets below, she always knew that those untouchable people high up in the sky knew nothing of the world below them. Some of them didn't even knew that their was a entire parallel world right below them. Kizurra hated all the pomp and circumstance with a passion and wanted to prove that those godlike beings were touchable. That's why she decided to rob the man who put her father out of business and inevitably come in contact with Signstone.

When the man walked away in anger, Kizurra glanced back at the him. " Typical Officers. " She mutter to herself as she put her googles back on and began welding some metal together.

[Novum Alexandria]

Lucien had already made his entrance, and he had made it with as little show as possible. The man wasn't keen on being noticed right away. Half these characters looked like loons, and they all looked at least a bit dangerous. Sure, he'd put a bullet in more than a few people, but his favourite environment was the comfy kind where lots of people were praising him for his medical expertise. On the other hand, at least a few them looked absolutely delectable. Eccentric, enigmatic things with all sorts of fun bits tucked away in their little heads.

Well, maybe not all of them have little heads.

Come to think of it, more than a few of them weren't little at all. Lucien's expression went through varying stages of intrigued, amused, and worried in a matter of seconds. For better or worse, the mask obscured all. He gave a long, drawn out yawn that was a herald for some stretching and some increasingly lazy lounging. Crates weren't the best couch, but one could do worse.

[The Nuclear Fist]

Arnaud Roussell was having a good day. Hell, a good week even. Eight days previously, he'd been sitting at home, drinking himself into a stupor and throwing money away at the horse races, waxing nostalgic with his drinking and gambling friends about all the glorious heists he'd committed during his time as a pirate, and all the battles he'd fought and won as a privateer for Signstone. That was all he really got the chance to do anymore, Signstone didn't contract privateers like him out very often. They were a major corporation, if not the major corporation, in the galaxy. Oh, he was plenty good on the ground, yes, but it was in space that he shined. Arnaud could make a ship sing and do all manner of things most folks didn't think possible, and when Signstone bothered to afford him the chance to outfit and crew his personal vessel, the Good Ship Venus, there were few ships elsewhere in the galaxy that could withstand him.

So when Signstone had contracted him to head out to Eskaria for work, he'd been ecstatic. He hadn't managed to convince them to let him crew the Venus, but they'd paid fully to renovate all his old gear and bring it up to snuff. It didn't wrankle him too badly that he wouldn't likely be getting a chance to do much pirating yet, perhaps after this business with the orbital station was complete they could be convinced to bring him the vessel he loved so dearly. After all, a good pirate could make things very hard on rebel trade and supply. This was how Arnaud contented himself on the long trip to Eskaria, aboard some beaten up transport. Not that the trip itself had been bad, he'd spent the entire time bedding every whore he could get his hands on in between bouts of feasting and drunkenness. It was a good life, Arnaud's.

He emerged from the hold of the transport and into the hangar bay, he did it in mostly good spirits. He'd been forced to put a slight damper on his revelry, since he was about to take part in combat operations. That meant spending the last few hours not drinking and eating and whoring, but doing last minute upkeep on his equipment, taking stock in all his gear, and getting ready. That meant that when Arnaud finally exited the transport and made his way to belly of the bay, he was decked out in full combat gear. Each lumbering step he took was like a crash, bringing down the mighty weight of his heavy powered armor.

He wore the the heaviest, thickest set he could get his hands on, every inch of him covered in massive slabs of expensive armor, with servo motors in every joint and moving plate whining. His armor was colored a deep burgundy trimmed with white gold, the pauldrons colored black with silver trim and each bearing the jolly roger that the Venus wore: A leering, white skull above a cutlass crossed with a rose, the petals of which were themselves red. On one hip he wore his plasma pistol, encrusted with rubies and plated with chrome. On his other hip he wore his sword, a cutlass that when unsheathed emitted a crackling field of energy. But it was the weapon in his hands that truly put fear in the hearts of men.

Brown Bess, he called it. A hulking, six barreled gatling laser gun he'd looted off an armored vehicle whose owner had sadly tried to resist boarding by the sailors of the Good Ship Venus. The thing spat lasers so fast that it sounded, and looked, like it fired only a single continuous beam, and could mow down entire crowds of unarmored or lightly armored people with ease. It was powered by an equally large battery pack, which Arnaud wore like a back bag. On it was the portrait from which the weapon got her namesake: A dark skinned, large breasted naked woman in the throes of ecstasy. With all the armor he wore, and the size and power of the weapons he bared, no one would confuse Arnaud for a subtle man, fond of stealth, speed, or out-maneuvering the enemy. That was not Arnaud was. He was a juggernaut, a rampaging tank. He liked the look of shock and terror on the faces of his enemies when they threw everything they had at him and he kept coming, turning them and everyone around them into smouldering chunks of hamburger meat. Their cries of panic warmed the cockles of his heart.

And so Arnaud, having been caught up once again in his past conquests, wandered off to a metal crate he could rest his ass on. Once firmly planted he shrugged off Bess and pressed the button on the side of his helmet, the armored, glasslike dome that made up the front of it receding into his helm and exposing his face to the light of day. He rummaged through one of his packs and fished out a chocolate bar and his flask, filled to the brim with spiced rum. Enjoying the nice pre-fight meal, the privateer found his eyes gazing over his new compatriots. They were all manner of folk across the spectrum of the galaxy, most less armored than himself but still nasty looking. That elicited a smirk, he didn't think it was in the guidelines for Signstone to hire anyone but the meanest dregs the galaxy could offer. He was certainly an example of that. He could say one thing, though, this lot looked at least somewhat professional, like they wouldn't wilt and keel over after things got hairy. That made them better than some of the crews Signstone had stuck him with in the past.

Patiently, he waited for something to happen. Either a Signstone suit would brief them or one of their own number would rally them, either way he figured the mission was soon to be fully explained and the obligatory introductions were in order. Arnaud smiled again, introducing himself was the best part.

[New Caermyr]

"Well what are you thinking then?" Marius asked, "cause I feel we have a half dozen mercenaries with about 20 different plans. And I dont know about you, but I intend on getting to that bridge first. Quickly and Quietly."

Looking at the man checking his gear, watching his method, by that alone he knew he was a man that appreciated one thing, The end results, and not how he got there. But its men like him that has brought the ruin of countless worlds. Thank the gods this isn't a planet Marius thought.

Turning to the munitions pallet he'd been leaning against, Seth grabbed a knife and started prying open a box marked 'C13H2-CS'. Putting three of them into a cargo pocket, and scanning the rest of the crates, he replied. "I'd rather avoid the corporate chewing-out we'd get for going through the command deck's blast door, so I was figuring use the vents. Drop a couple of tear gas grenades, jump down, and secure the deck."
Grabbing a gas mask from the pallet, he turned back to Marius. "I just realized, I don't even know your name." Seth offered his hand, introducing himself. "Name's Seth."

"Name's Marius. " Nodding quickly "and that sounds like a plan to me. I think it might prove advantageous to have my drone move through the vent system, get a good mapping of it."

As he finished, Archimedes decloaked and hovered, letting out a few chirps and whirrs. Marius looks at it and says "Go on, scout the vent system leading to the bridge then report back with your findings, remain cloaked and try not to get into trouble."

[Setinel]

Heavy Transport Hangar
ODP Ares
Special Representative Aleen Dvorak
Now

Dvorak didn’t take long to remember why he disliked engineers. Disliked? Despised was the better word for it. The engine rats worked deep in the dark, in bellies of the ships, within an entire world of their own. Their seclusion from the rest of the crew, so he thought, made them live a fantasy of their own. An arrogant fantasy, wherein they were the centre of importance in a ship. Engineers were egocentrics, a disloyal bunch by heart who were deserving of the highest suspicion and the least care. Dvorak had no love for engineers, which made it far more obvious to him that he needed these people. He couldn’t wait until drones were capable of entirely replacing these people.

“Madam, I must ask you to restrain yourself a bit. You’re still a contractor, remember that.”

Dvorak turned around, preparing to walk away. Yet, he made one sideward glance over his shoulder, one more look at the blonde female. It was below him to get into an argument, but… he couldn’t let this one pass, could he? A lowly contractor, a mere mercenary with a superiority complex, telling him off. He was an officer, yes, a leader, but he was also a proud man. What took priority? What was more important in this matter? Who would tell? At last, he made one final remark, before walking away into the hangar.

“Miss, I have a history in the navy. We do not deal in front lines. Space is our front line. If you have seen a tenth of the ships that I have seen burning, you would understand. I don’t expect you to understand the burden of command, but I expect you to have some kind of emotion”

Then, Dvorak walked off, leaving the engineer to cope with the soldier that asked her for help.

" You think that I have not been in those same burning ships, trying to keep the vertical lift engines alive so the damn thing doesn't fall out of orbit? A ship is an engineer's home, more specifically the engine room and an engineer doesn't abandon her home. I have more emotion for a ship because I consider it my home as well as my own child. You're right...I know nothing about commanding a ship, but I do understand that lives don't need to be sacrificed for petty reasons." Kizurra said without even looking at the man.

The officer reminded her of all the high society folk in her home city. Looking up at the tower skyscrapers from the filthy, smog filled streets below, she always knew that those untouchable people high up in the sky knew nothing of the world below them. Some of them didn't even knew that their was a entire parallel world right below them. Kizurra hated all the pomp and circumstance with a passion and wanted to prove that those godlike beings were touchable. That's why she decided to rob the man who put her father out of business and inevitably come in contact with Signstone.

When the man walked away in anger, Kizurra glanced back at the him. " Typical Officers. " She mutter to herself as she put her googles back on and began welding some metal together.

Demon was prowling the ship, and taking it all in. He still hadn't seen anyone yet who seemed to be going to the bridge. E was sure anyone would like a scout. Give an excellent plan of attack, blow shit up, it was just what he was good at.

As demon moved along, he started noticing other mercs. But they weren't his caliber. Until he saw a woman, with the nerve to argue with an officer, and working on what appeared to be some kind of explosive device. They finished tier fight, and she went back to work. Now this was someone he could work with. Of course they had to deal with him in his stupid times. He'd have to do something only he would do just to make sure this woman wouldn't ditch him at the first chance.

Demon snuck slowly up behind the woman, and once he was close enough said a bit louder than necessary, "Hey baby! Ever seen a 3-incher?"

[Nachfolgia]

Kizurra was too busy working on her gadgets to notice the guy sneaking up behind her. With her googles on, her vision was darkened and all she saw was the bright light of her welding torch. She was delicately working on a wall charge that would be very useful create another entry way when the rebels are covering doors with heavy weapons. She had just gotten the casing done and was about to pack explosives in when the man yelled in her ear. Kizurra jumped from the sudden scare and dropped the package of high explosives that was in her hand. She ripped off her googles in anger and pulled her revolver out and stuck it in the man's face.

" Are you fucking stupid or something? You could have gotten up both killed. This is very delicate work you fucking moron. If you have a death wish, I can just shoot you in your stupid idiotic face right now." Kizurra said as she moved closer to the man, her revolver almost touching his forehead. The look in her eyes was that of pure anger for the man, wanting so badly to shoot him in the head.

" Now, what the fuck do you want?"

[Setinel]

Kizurra was too busy working on her gadgets to notice the guy sneaking up behind her. With her googles on, her vision was darkened and all she saw was the bright light of her welding torch. She was delicately working on a wall charge that would be very useful create another entry way when the rebels are covering doors with heavy weapons. She had just gotten the casing done and was about to pack explosives in when the man yelled in her ear. Kizurra jumped from the sudden scare and dropped the package of high explosives that was in her hand. She ripped off her googles in anger and pulled her revolver out and stuck it in the man's face.

" Are you fucking stupid or something? You could have gotten up both killed. This is very delicate work you fucking moron. If you have a death wish, I can just shoot you in your stupid idiotic face right now." Kizurra said as she moved closer to the man, her revolver almost touching his forehead. The look in her eyes was that of pure anger for the man, wanting so badly to shoot him in the head.

" Now, what the fuck do you want?"

Demon smiled a toothy, dirty grin, and lifted a finger, pushing the revolver barrel of his forehead.
"I like my irresistible face te way it is if you don't mind," he grinned harder. "I noticed you where working on an explosive. I take it your one of the mercs that's been hired to deal with the problem on the bridge. It doesn't seem like much of an idea to go in alone. I was wondering if you'd want to team up, seein as how you have the guns, and I have the speed, the looks, the charisma, and the scouting capabilities."

Demon pulled out a grenade, and tossed it to the woman. "But if you want my head next to that officer over theres in your refrigerator, be my guest. I'm not afraid to die."

[Arkandros]

-Deleted-

[Kylantha]

Keryth Westermarck

Before disembarking, Keryth took quite some time in his temporary quarters preparing for the operation. Last minute repairs and updates were made to Gustav the LMPD, and the DFender sentries were re-stocked with ammunition. Keryth also made sure his armor was clean and in near-perfect, if not perfect condition. It was part of his nature to be meticulous, among many other things. Combing his fingers through his neat reddish hair, the young mercenary sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to grown any older, but it wasn't like he had a choice in that part of his life, anyway. But his decision to join Signstone.. That was his choice. No one else's. Behind Keryth, Gustav forecefully yanked itself away from a tangle of cords and approached its creator. In a raspy, very robotic voice, it alerted Keryth to the time.

"Dear master, may I remind you that the rest of the crew won't wait for you?"

Keryth waved the drone away as he put on his lightweight helmet with one hand. "No need.." he simply says.

"Then why won't you hurry?" Gustav continued, the largest photo-receptor flashing bright red.

With a shrug, Keryth faced his creation and placed both gloved hands on its sides. "I'm not ready yet..." came his monotonous voice. Keryth wasn't normally like this, but he'd just taken a nap when he and all the other mercenaries on this ship were awoken to be transferred to their destination, some fortification that needed immediate clearing out.

Once it was released, Gustav hovered away and stopped right above the doorway. "Then I will await you outside..." it said, and left Keryth alone. Just then, the young mercenary started to get his equipment ready. His armor was already on, and now all he needed were his favorite weapons. The shotgun, the revolver, and the light SMGs. All made for different purposes, yet easy to carry. Keryth clipped his two SMGs on either side of him for easy access. His revolver was in place in the IPSC holster strapped to the rear of his belt. Right around that were five frag grenades. Keryth made sure his med-kit was fully stocked before putting it on, then he hefted his favorite shotgun and headed out. Gustav carried the small pack that carried two DFender sentries, ready for deployment.

"Hello, master." said Gustav enthusiastically, reigniting its anti-gravity engine to be at level with Keryth's head.

Keryth nodded to greet his robotic friend. As he walked down the corridor, Gustav followed. They both listened to the announcements as they walked and quickly exited the transport. Keryth did not expect to be dropped off on the defense platform right away. Perhaps he'd not been listening too well. Even still, he shrugged. All the better.

Stepping down off the ramp, Keryth looked around. Gustav was the first to remark. "Very diverse, isn't it, Master?" he asked.

Keryth nodded. He was frowning, but you couldn't see it through his visor. "Doesn't look like we're doing anything yet... Let's do another check, Gustav." Keryth told his droid. Its body rolled forward slightly, as if to nod, then lowered as its master fell to one knee. Gustav set the pack he carried onto the floor. Keryth took it and brought out the two canisters. They were so small, as Keryth had designed them to be. Although they should not be underestimated, for they carried a hell of a lot of firepower. Gustav scanned the area and noticed a drone smaller than itself. Its photo-receptor turned red, and it shifted to its combat configuration. This was its regular reaction whenever an unfamiliar automaton was in sight. This sudden reaction caused Keryth to looked behind him at Marius and his droid.

"Stand down, Gustav... They're allies, as you can see. Otherwise, we'd be shooting, right?" said Keryth, manually dismantling one of the sentries. He chuckled softly. Good thing he'd conducted a second check. It seemed that the first sentry was lacking a battery. It's lasers would not be able to fire correctly without that battery. While busy with his own business, Gustav seemed rather interested in that other droid and felt the need to make sure that it was not hostile. Engaging its shield, the LMPD hovered forward quickly and began circling Marius' drone, distracting it from what it was supposed to be doing. Gustav was giving off warning sounds in case the drone decided to attack. Gustav's automatic blaster was ready, but not yet exposed.

[Nachfolgia]

Kizurra was too busy working on her gadgets to notice the guy sneaking up behind her. With her googles on, her vision was darkened and all she saw was the bright light of her welding torch. She was delicately working on a wall charge that would be very useful create another entry way when the rebels are covering doors with heavy weapons. She had just gotten the casing done and was about to pack explosives in when the man yelled in her ear. Kizurra jumped from the sudden scare and dropped the package of high explosives that was in her hand. She ripped off her googles in anger and pulled her revolver out and stuck it in the man's face.

" Are you fucking stupid or something? You could have gotten up both killed. This is very delicate work you fucking moron. If you have a death wish, I can just shoot you in your stupid idiotic face right now." Kizurra said as she moved closer to the man, her revolver almost touching his forehead. The look in her eyes was that of pure anger for the man, wanting so badly to shoot him in the head.

" Now, what the fuck do you want?"

Demon smiled a toothy, dirty grin, and lifted a finger, pushing the revolver barrel of his forehead.
"I like my irresistible face te way it is if you don't mind," he grinned harder. "I noticed you where working on an explosive. I take it your one of the mercs that's been hired to deal with the problem on the bridge. It doesn't seem like much of an idea to go in alone. I was wondering if you'd want to team up, seein as how you have the guns, and I have the speed, the looks, the charisma, and the scouting capabilities."

Demon pulled out a grenade, and tossed it to the woman. "But if you want my head next to that officer over theres in your refrigerator, be my guest. I'm not afraid to die."

Kizurra looked oddly at the man as she holstered her revolver. Right off the bat, the man came off as a fool who thought way to highly of himself. The man acted like a fool and grinned like one. She thought to herself what kind of psychopath would scare someone when they're handling delicate explosives. Kizurra didn't say a word as the man handed her a grenade and told her that he wasn't afraid to die. Kizurra just gave a slight smirk as she held the grenade. " Maybe later." She replied as she set the grenade on the table. " You think very highly of yourself, don't you? What makes you think I want your help after you almost killed me?" Kizurra said as she glared at the man, placing a hand on her hip.