[IC] Starfall | Below A Thousand Shadows

[NewSun]

Pinocchio

The corvette lurched out of the wormhole, shuddering as it reoriented itself with normal space. Alexis had spent most of the time once again battling with the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, trying to break through its system to pry something, anything of its plans for the Ephemeral.

It had been a year since Alexis was contacted by the mysterious AI, one of the first chosen to be picked for its ragtag group of freedom fighters and it had revealed little of its plans since. The most Alexis had ever received was a few cryptic hints and what little he could glean from the odd jobs the AI sent him in. While it was nice and all to make sure the universe wasn’t enslaved, sometimes a guy needs to know a little bit more of his employer to make sure they won’t try and pull the same thing.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a series of whirrs and chirps which approximately translated into “Hey, you [poop]head we’re [expletive] here. Now get your [poop] together and get your [expletive] [butt] to the [expletive] briefing room. [Expletive.]”

Alexis' fingers continued to fly across the hard light interface without breaking a stride, still trying to pry whatever he could from H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, as he replied in a condescending tone, “Now, now Jemini you know there’s no need for such language. Really, I don’t know why you insist on keeping that silly little subroutine.”

The little drone aggressively whirred and chirped in reply.

“Listen Jem, we’ve had this conversation before. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean anything, and you very well know I could attach a voice modulator on you anytime I want. Just not with that mouth of yours.”

Angrier whirring and chirping, followed by successive plasma shots to Alexis’ back.

Having already expecting such an attack, the plasma washed off of the armored titan’s kinetic field, briefly outlining its spherical shape. Normally Alexis wouldn’t have a need to needlessly waste his power, but knowing Jemini and having been the subject of such attacks before, the precaution was needed. It also helped that she did warn him before hand, although the way she worded it wasn’t quite as nice as a simple warning.

Luckily Alexis is a forgiving man, for indeed he had to be considering that this wasn’t the first time, he just clicked his tongue and continued working on pulling anything he could from the corvette’s system about H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, which disappointedly contained nothing. It also helped that Jemini was pretty much his only friend.

“Now that wasn’t very nice. I know! How about you go to the briefing for me? Meet the new crew. They all seem like a nice bunch of people, if in need of help of some dire fashion advice. I mean, did you look at that girl with the buckles? It’s just tacky. Why would you ever need that many buckles? And that Marc fellow’s gas mask, ugh. I mean, I’ll commend him on his stealth suit but really, that gas mask? In this day and age? And don’t even get me started on that Riftosian.” Alexis shuddered at even the thought of the Riftosian. “But we can talk about their fashion choices later. In the meantime, you have a briefing to get to!”

More whirrs and chirps from Jemini, but the tone of the drone died down a bit, albeit not by much as Jem continued to fire plasma at Alex.

“Okay yes well, you don’t have to. Of course I can hear everything there from my console, but I thought it’d be nice if you went and said hello to everyone. And honestly, you should consider stopping to try and harm me with the pistol that I fitted on for you. You might miss and create a hole in the hull, and then where would we be?”

This last comment seemed to send Jemini into a rage as she attempted to ram him as hard as she could, but Apollo was made of tougher materials than she. There was a loud clang! of rebounding metal, followed by several attempts of attempted bodily harm to the armored suit before she gave up and went grumbling to the briefing room.

"Good girl," Alexis muttered as he continued to try and learn something, anything about H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H. He had never lost before, and he didn't intend on doing so now.

[NewSun]

SIMULATION

“Greetings, Ephemeral. Today we begin our cleansing of the Starfall Sector, designation MG-271-K. Your mission is to infiltrate the Kolasses-7 Facility and eliminate Star Marshall Hayden Kolac. Kolac, or ‘The Archangel’ as his men call him, is a veteran of the Empire War, famous for his bloody defection to the successful side. In an event known as ‘Kolac’s Frenzy’ he and his one hundred of his most loyal soldiers announced their desertion by killing over one thousand Empire soldiers, though the true figure is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. With such a devastating blow dealt to the Empire under his belt, the Arakath quickly granted him sanctuary within their ranks, and quickly rose up through the ranks to become one of their Star Marshals. He must be eliminated for his traitorous past, and his men must be made an example of. The Arakath do not represent safety, especially for those who are disloyal.

Kolac himself usually dons Mark-XV Ironside Power Armor, augmented with an arm-mounted Ripper on his right arm with an attached personal anti-personnel chain gun. He also carries a monoatomic pole arm which is capable of rending through most armours. It is advised you do not engage Kolac head on as he is a seasoned fighter; doing so results in a 95% chance of being defeated and killed. Advise you strike from the shadows or distract him. Kolac is known as an extremely paranoid individual, who greatly fears the prospect of assassination. Use this to your advantage. It will be possible to throw him into panic, greatly increasing your chances of terminating him.
His powered armour is nearly impenetrable to small-arms fire. The designation, however, leaves a small exposed area below the neck that, if disrupted or damaged, will cause the suit to reactively seize up, eliminating motion and causing the facial panel to open as a safety precaution. It may also be possible to exploit this as a means of eliminating him.

Hayden Kolac

Scans show a guard compliment of approximately 65 individuals. Their initial locations have been marked on the provided map data as the smaller red points.
Be wary of Kolac’s guard compliment. They are highly trained and dangerous, each wielding an Adaptive R-5 combat rifle and R-3 side-arm pistol that are both capable of punching through armour at an alarming rate. Data on these armaments have shown devastating effects on biological tissue with few rounds. Avoid letting them get a shot off at you. All the guards are also battle veterans, with 80% of them being the same individuals who defected with him during the Empire war. They wear simple Bio-steel and Kevlar armour that covers all major areas, with a weaved mesh protecting joints and flexible areas. The armour can withstand a small amount of small-arms fire before it will give way. They should not be difficult to dispatch.

Guards

Kolac has been traced to the Kolasses facility, at the opposite end of the designated drop-point floor. Most rooms are used for storage of both data and unstable compounds. There are many explosives in the larger rooms. You may use this to your advantage, but be weary of attracting attention if utilising such environmental assets.

Kolasses Facility Map

The Iron Hulk has pre-programmed commands to arrive at the drop-off point upon target termination. Elizabeth Colt will guide you back to the Hephaestus as the designated pilot upon reaching the extraction zone.

You are Ephemeral. The Galaxy depends on your success. Do not fail. “

— — — — — — — — — —

Name: Hayden Kolac
Age: 346
Race: Human
Status: Alive - Active
Designated Objective: Terminate

— — — — — — — — — —

And with the distinctive sign-off tone of the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, the dropship which carried the deadly team of Ephemeral slowly and subtly engaged it’s inertial dampeners, softening it’s acceleration until it did little more than creep forward with a dull lurch. Touching the lonely corner of the Kolasses facility, which was built into the side of a particularly large asteroid within the inner ring of Tyosis-1, the shuttle finally stopped completely. There was a minor whirr, and a click, and finally a mild drilling sound before the airlock began to depressurise. What was before solid panelling of the outer structure’s wall was now an entry point: the shuttle had accessed and opened a hidden anti-invasion airlock, which would provide a point of insertion and escape for the Ephemeral. The Assassins within quickly exited the cramped entry shuttle as the lock closed behind them.
They found themselves in a small junction corridor, with a northern door and a western door leading out. Somewhere within the facility was their target.

Blood would be spilled this day.

[Raptorman]

As the visisth departed from the shuttle her humanoid form was already clad in what looked to be a perfect copy of the standard guard uniforms and armor that was worn by the defenders of the facility. The helmet served to cover her head and face, obscuring the few features that were not exactly right for a human and she appeared to only be carrying a weapon that looked quite similar to the guns used by the guards as well. In reality the Mal-Synth armor that she had used to disguise herself contained her other weapons within small enclosures in the metal that could open with a thought to allow her access to them. Unfortunately this necessitated that the URVI be left behind for the mission as it was too large to hide and too clearly alien to fit into her disguise.

After she had disembarked from the shuttle her hands quickly ran over her body as if to check and make sure that the disguise was fully intact before they ceased their motion and she picked up the rifle once more, holding it in a professional grip. Her voice sounded perfectly human and completely at ease as she spoke quickly to other members of the team. "The plans show a higher concentration of guards in room 15 and you all don't blend in." She had checked the sight lines based on positioning and judged that it would be difficult to kill off the guards along that path without an alarm being raised. "Our alternative path is through room 28." The sight lines indicated that the guards would not have vision on each other and quick silent kills would likely be possible. "I will enter and subdue the two guards in the room."

With this simple matter of fact set of statements Alsia turned, activating the first door and walking through into the hall that connected rooms 14 and 28. When she came to the door to room 28 she activated it to open and walked through, looking to all the world like one of the many guards in the complex.

[horrordaily]

Shadow finished connecting the mask covering his face with the electronic slots on his chest piece. Once connected he twisted his head to either side, snapping his neck twice, to confirm it didn't limit his movement. He slid off the shuttle and landed silently on the floor.

"I agree with the con-job, our best bet is south. I got your back."

He input a three button command on the panel built into the wrist of his suit. Shadow lost all manner of solidity, becoming nothing more than shimmering space to the naked eye, as he pressed his back to the right side of the south facing door.

[Synthorian]

It had only been three hours since Thalos arrived at the Hephaestus, and already she was shoved into the Kodiak shuttle for an insertion. She guessed the Boss AI didn't have time to waste and wanted to get the ball rolling. None the less, she was here, sitting in this cramped shuttle surrounded by dangerous yet unknown characters. And that awkward silence, it made her uneasy. That silence was quickly broken by the AI as a holographic display flared up in the middle of the hold, showing detailed information as the AI briefed the ragtag team of killers and soldiers alike. It didn't take long for the AI to finish it's rant, and for the ship to hit solid steel with it's belly. The side door slid open with a hiss and Thalos was the first one out, though her exit was casual, despite that she appeared prepared. And with the map downloaded directly into her skull, courtesy of H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, she definitely was.

"Room 28 is the best option," Thalos said calmly as she drew her Tiger Claw titanium blades and spun then several times on her palms before grabbing the handles. "59 and 60 will be a concern but we will get to those later." With that in mind, and the hitman and the Visisth bounty hunter, her fancy disguise and all, heading in first. Thalos chose to wait beside the door, and wait for the two to clear the room.

[TTwoThumbsUp]

The moment H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H contacted the corvette Alexis latched onto the signal and tried to trace it back to the source, but the frequency bounced back and forth between multiple planets on multiple galaxies. Alexis considered the possibility of the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H being comprised of many different parts located on each planet, but to make his job simpler he tried to focus the signal down to a single point. Unfortunately his time was running out as the Terriarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H was almost done with its briefing.

Alexis took a moment to calculate his chances of attaining a single location in the estimated allotted time he had left and deemed that he would be unsuccessful. Nevertheless he took a moment to record the locations he traced the signal back to, noting that it was a different set than the last time he had tried to do something similar.

The room fell silent as the all-too-familiar sign-off of the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H reverberated against the walls. Alexis breathed a sigh of disappointment and flexed his fingers, chastising himself on how slow he was getting. His age was getting to him.

This was disconcerting.

But he had a job to do. Judging from the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H’s briefing the enemy complement would be easy to handle, it would just be the mark that would prove to be the problem. Perhaps a kinetic beam, but that was only if everything went FUBAR. Alexis grabbed two of his EMP grenades and a XD-40. Jemini was carrying his plasma pistol for self defense and distraction should the need arise as the noise it created would be too much for this operation. She also carried the rest of his explosives. A final check on his rifle, making sure the silence was tight and uplinked onto his HUD proved he was ready before he ventured out with the rest of the crew.

He did his best not to comment on any of their fashion choices.

---

Buckles walked out of the airlock first, but it was Creeper that provided the base plan. Looking at the map provided by the Terrarial H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H, Alexis agreed with it. They would need an exit plan though, and Alexis already had one in mind.

As Creeper and Gas Mask went ahead to secure 28, he, Buckles, and the rest of the crew stayed behind to wait for them to clear the room. He also sent Jemini ahead in all her stealthy glory to follow the lovely couple and connect to the soon-to-be dead guards’ helmets so that she may tap into their communications network and provide the Ephemeral access to enemy chatter.

“We’ll also need an exfil plan. Getting to the Star Marshall will be one thing, leaving will be another. If all goes to plan we’ll be in and out like ghosts, but chances are with this guy, it’s not happening. So once we eliminate the mark I propose that Jemini Cricket, my lovely companion, go into one of the large rooms and set off a nice series of explosions, giving us a big enough distraction so that we can escape. Good luck Ephemeral.”

Hearing this plan, Jemini naturally turned to cursing him out profusely as there was a high chance of her not coming back, or at least this version of her, but she knew very well that he had multiple copies of her back on the corvette as well as multiple replacement bodies. She’ll be fine.

[NewSun]

“And then she told me that I could take her credits and go fuck myself!”

The guard erupted into laughter, and, across the hallway his squad mate exploded into a similar cacophony of deep cackles.

“Stupid bitch!” He shouted over the cubicle structures blocking their line of sight to one another.

“Not the brightest fuckin’ mongrel the world has ever seen. I took my Are-three and took off one of her fingers. She screamed for hours!”

“Ah, that’s pretty grim, Arin. What happened to her?”

“No idea, I left her there, took her finger with me tho-“

There was a small shudder that reverberated through the floor, as if something has struck the outside of the facility very softly. It was barely noticeable, but it was an unusual enough occurrence that the guard’s conversation ceased at once.

“Did you hear that?” the one closest to the northern door asked, as the second began to loop around the room to meet him.

“Sort of,” the second shrugged as he came around the corner.

“Should we report it to Kolac?”

“Nah, probably just one of the rocks hitting the facility. No need to bother him. The paranoia is stressing him enough as it is.”

“Alright, want to check it out?”

“Might be worth it, just to see if there are any structural compromises- I mean we’re not dead, but-“

The northern door connecting 28 and 14 slid open with a distinctive hiss. Alsia, disguised as one of their own, had come through the doorway. The disguise was impeccable, and, suspecting nothing, the guards had bought the deception, albeit confusing them slightly.

“Greetings, Guardsman. We.. uh. Heard some commotion out there? Did you check it out?”

[horrordaily]

Shadow slipped through the door behind Alsia, still cloaked. The cloaking wasn't perfect so he was counting on hiding behind the con-job to limit his visual exposure. His right hand trailed down to the sheath on that leg, slowly easing the knife loose. Not out, but loose enough to be out in the blink of an eye.

Under his breath, almost touching the con-job's ear he whispered, "Take 10'o'clock, I got two."

[HeyNow]

“The weak spot in the Mark XV armor is intriguing,” Dying Star said as it exited the shuttle behind the other Ephemeral, pouring out of the airlock like a dense, creeping fog. It had kept to itself at the back of the craft during the briefing, ostensibly as a courtesy to its teammates, who still seemed a bit unsettled by its strange, soundless presence. Now it drew near to Thalos and the rest of the crew that remained behind. “If one of you were able exploit it and cause Kolac’s facial panel to open, I could easily eliminate him.”

As it spoke, the Riftosian’s indistinct form drew together and resolved into a towering humanoid silhouette, pitch black except for two bright spots set deep in its “head” - simulated eyes for the benefit of its comrades so that they could see where it was directing its attention. It seemed to fill the corner of the room where it stood, stooped beneath the low-hanging ceiling, smothering light and sound alike with its presence. Its voice, incongruously, was pitched as a warm, pleasant alto - unfailingly polite and precisely inflected.

"I expect Miss Alsia and Master Marc will have the first room clear in a matter of moments," Dying Star continued in its curiously formal manner. "Once the task is complete, I recommend we regroup and discuss how best to avoid detection. I assume the H.A.K.E.S.A.T.H. has taken care of the facility's surveillance system, but the radio silence of our targets will be sure to put the Star Marshall on alert sooner than later."

[Raptorman]

"Yeah," Alsia replied to the question, sounding serious like she had previously as she took a few more steps into the room. "Probably just another damn rock." She offered helpfully. As she continued to reply to the guards she adjusted her grip on her rifle slightly, nudging the cloaked man behind her slightly to her right as an affirmative response. "A bit of a dent but no hull breach. Else I'd be trying to breath without air right about now."

"And we all know how well that works." She made a gagging noise as she kept walking, now almost level with the guard on the left, barely a foot away as if she was just going to pass him by. Of course that wasn't going to happen. In mere fractions of a second the face guard of her helm had opened up slightly and something lashed out from within it with a force greater than that of a gunshot from extremely close range. The guard would have only a fraction of a second to react before the strange fleshy and ropey 'spear' would ideally punch through his own face plate and destroy his skull. The 'spear' in this case being Alsia's transformed tongue.