5punk

Eraser wrote:Pay for the armour repair and you can take a few potshots at me to add value to a firefiight.

Do we have enough tranq to knock me out for the trip... please!

Well you dock with the ship uneventfully, and are ushered through the leathery corridors to a small passenger area. There's nobody else in there, but occasionally an Ebon will check up on you. You're waiting there for an hour or so. Dirk and Brainrot, especially Brainrot, feel quite at home. Everyone else is quite uncomfortable though, feeling like you're inside the bely of some grotesque whale. Eventually an Ebon arrives and announces that you're about to fold. Again, folding doesn't bother the two Ebb users at all, but for everyone else they feel like they're being pushed out of a rather unpleasant womb without actually moving anywhere. Before long you're back on another shuttle.

As the shuttle departs you can see a planet through the window. Lush green continents are divided by blue oceans, and not a trace of the stain of civilisation can be seen upon it. In orbit around it you can see several large stations and around a dozen warships of various types, from different sized Foldships to huge Shaktar ion-drive ships. The pilot announces that your ETA at the orbital admin facility is one hour.

Dirk wrote:Why are there so many warships around a planet that is used just for research?

Grimmie's skin crawls, screwing his fingers into palms as he squirms in place.

Grimmie wrote:Don't like it. Don't like it.
Don't want to do that again any time soon.

I guess we'll make a stronger plan once we touch down and see what goodies we have to play with, yes?

Brainrot applauds.

Brainrot wrote:Again! Again! AGAIN!

Mr Daniels wrote:It's convenience really. The Navy use this system as a depot for patrols in the area, and as a reserve for the nearby war worlds of Spectral and Feather. It suits us well.

It has been some time since I was last away from Mort. one of these days, we should take a journey to the Ice Worlds, and we can test ourselves against the fauna there. Anyways, I do not believe I will ever get used to this folding sensation. It is highly uncomfortable.

deej checks his coolant suit to make sure it's working properly.

If there's nothing else to be said, Daniels adds one last thing;

Mr Daniels wrote:Remember. Once we leave this shuttle, there is to be no mention of your task. Only the BPN.

The shuttle takes around an hour to reach the closest station and docks in a happily conventional port where you can disembark to yet more unloading of large explosive crates. Waiting for you is a man in a suit who is wearing a Karma ID. Of a similar SCL to Mr Daniels, he greets him like a friend before addressing the squad and introducing himself as Mr Vickers. Before any further business is conducted Mr Vickers leads you quickly to a briefing room overlooking the planet, where he stands in front of the window for effect.

Mr Vickers wrote:Welcome to Lilac. As you know you are here to deal with a potential uprising in one of our surface labs. I'm sure Mr Daniels has explained the sensitivity of the planet and thus the importance of your role here. You will descend to the lab using one of the orbital elevators anchored nearby. Once there you are to await instructions, and feel free to enjoy the facilities. You will, at some point, be given a patrol route on the planet’s surface. You are to follow this while causing as little disruption to the flora as possible. You must take your weapons but will be unable to wear armour as you will be sealed in environmental suits. The weapons will undergo a sterilisation process as they leave, but anything larger than an assault rifle won’t fit in the steri-chamber. While on the planet you are to only fire your weapons if you encounter hostile troops. In the lab you are forbidden to fire at all unless the facility has been breached. This is to reduce the risk of introducing contaminants to the atmosphere. Once the patrol is complete you are to await pickup again by the elevator. Does anyone have any questions?

Oh. No armour. Shit.

Can I keep my coolant suit on under the environment suit?

Mr Vickers wrote:If it will fit. The restriction is only one of practicality, not something we enforce. We've managed to tailor a couple for your larger members, but they were expensive to make.

Eraser wrote:Can we wear armour in the labs... in case of dis 'breach' that you just mentioned?

Dirk wrote:Ahem, I am sure that you're not including Deathsuits in the category of "armour that must be removed"?

Mr Vickers wrote:Oh yes, you can certainly wear armour in the labs if you like. Erm, if you can fit of course. Things are a little cramped. No need to worry though, the sealed environment and containment suits are to keep the planet safe. A breach would do you no harm whatsoever. I understand about your Deathsuits. As I said, the restriction on what you wear is purely down to whether it will fit under your suit. I don't imagine there will be a problem. However, nobody goes onto the planet's surface without a suit.

Mr Vickers wrote:Well, if nobody has any further questions shall we continue?

You're let to yet another shuttle where Vickers and Daniels see you off. Four more hours sat in this one and you approach a small orbital facility that appears tethered to the planet. An orbital elevator, the loadmaster explains. Docking with the facility you are presented with a small cargo area and a sealed door at the other end.

Loadmaster wrote:You guys going to get out, or are you coming back with us?

Through the door there?

Open the door, get on the floor, everybody walk yadda yadda yadda.

Loadmaster wrote:Yeah, through that door there. Has nobody explained? That's the space elevator to the lab. Once you go through there, sit in the lounge and hit the autopilot. It should take you down to the surface. There's two way comms in there both to the lab and to the station, although the station might have some delay.

Alright then.

deej heads through the door.

5punk

SLA Industries: An Inch From Eden