[IC] NCQuest: Smith's Rest

[LHG100]

Just like every other day, it was a cold and snowy one in Smith's Rest. The teeming hundreds of over-worked, underfed, and under-educated people that were in the town, were working on various things. A few of the towns' maintainers, were salting the freezing roads to make them somewhat safer to drive around on. Of course, salt, just like everything else, was expensive these days. The very sparse foliage surrounding the independent township was also being discarded, to be bargained with on the slowly developing inter-settlement market. Wood was also expensive. The only reason they weren't using it directly was that they simply couldn't maintain them anyway.

One thing that was expensive these days, but beneficially so, were mercenary contracts. It was quite obvious to everyone, in the entire world even, that the Corporations are days away from beginning to war with one another. To seize the opportunity, many mercenaries began to sprung up. Obviously, each Ruling Company would pay big, big money for any advantage. Additional soldiers, such as mercenaries, would be a major boon, especially for 'black operations'. It would be totally doable for one Ruling Company to hire mercenaries to attack another Ruling Company while pretending to be on a third ones' payroll. Of course, many other benefits existed.

In any case, a lone military truck, mounted with a snow-plow, was rolling through Smiths' Rest. Seven individuals total were inside. Two in the front drivers' compartment, and five in the back, sitting quietly. The window connecting the two, audibly, anyway, suddenly flipped open. The passenger inside, a woman with sunglasses, glanced aside towards the people inside. "What a ragtag bunch of misfits, huh? So what are all your stories exactly?". The people there were trained in the arts of NC's. Not very well, but it was something. It took a few months, very short by most serious NC users' standards, but they knew the ropes.

The training was difficult, but it had to be to make up for its' short timeframe. "Well, to be fair, I'll tell mine first. Hell, both of ours. Me and Slinky over there-", the driver quickly looked back, a nice looking fellow. He waved, and if anyone was being particularly attentive, they might notice one of his fingers was a decent prosthetic. A bit off-tone, but it actually moved alongside the rest of his fingers properly. "-Used to be a part of Denver-Vegas, actually. After an OP that went way too bad, we decided to go AWOL. Wound up here. Been itching to ferry NC's again ever since. Hahhahah. Slinky doesn't talk much, but he's nice."

"So yeah, where you folks from? If you care to tell, of course. It's a long drive, might as well keep us occupied. Rednecked facility had to be remote for safety concerns. Y'know, what if ammo accident? Don't want an NC grade missile blowing up in the middle of a residential area."

It likely was going to be a bit of a long drive. Really, might as well talk for a bit.

[NuttsnBolts]

Madison Cole

"It's god damn cold!!!" The young girl spouted out in annoyance as she sat in the back of the truck breathing warm air onto her cupped fingers before reinserting them into her gloves. "You want to hear my story? Well here I was asleep in my beautifully warm bed when one of you guys decided that it would be a 'great idea' to come in and tell me that I was running late! That's also right before they ripped off my blanket and flipping me onto the cold floor! And to top that off someone used up all the hot water!!!"

At this point in time Madi's hands were up in the air, narrowly missing her two neighbouring passengers with an accidental uppercut as she aimed her attention to the skies with an expression that announced "Why me?". It had clearly not been her morning and in any case she wanted everyone to know about it.

This was Madi, a young girl who's guardian was one of the engineers who worked at the facility where the NCs were being stored and maintained. Being old enough Madi could have moved out and found a place of her own, but she enjoyed his company way too much and felt that it wouldn't be right to leave him alone after everything he had done for her over the past 17 years. A few days earlier, however, he had left to go help make the final preparations for both her NC and some of the other's, leaving Madi at the barracks so that she wouldn't miss her departure time for the long trip.

A plan of action that clearly failed on multiple levels, except for the possibility of missing the transport truck as well.

At this point in time she had slowly bought her hands down and placed them between her lap before looking down to her knees. "I'm Madison Cole..." she spoke in a dreary voice, realising that opening up the conversation with an expression of frustration might not have been the best course of action. She cleared her throat and began her proper introduction this time round "I've grown up around mechanics and machinery for as long as I lived in Smith's Rest, but I've seen NC componentry before and when I heard that there was an opportunity to pilot one, I just thought 'Hell yes!' and placed my name down on the list."

[Mcmolly]

Eli

If they'd have spent the whole ride in utter silence, with nothing else to focus on but the bumpy road ravaging their tires and the cold air sticking to their clothes, Elizabeth would have been content. In fact she would have been arguably more content with that then the apparent 'round of introductions' they were being sent through. It seemed a bit ridiculous to her, really, they weren't kids and there was at least a notable chance some of them wouldn't be alive at the end of the day. Not her of course, she wasn't about to die, not on the first day and not on the one-thousandth day. For the rest of the passengers she couldn't say, but judging purely from the reaction of the girl to her right, she thought she could see those chances dropping.

Her energetic neighbor -Madison Cole, as it turned out- did at least have the advantage of growing up around machines. But technical know-how wouldn't make up for actual inexperience, and if the girl was this hyper behind the controls of the massive machines, Eli didn't have too much hope for her.

When Madison when quiet, Eli felt that familiar social pressure that came with round-robin introductions. Did a random person go next, or the one beside the previous speaker? As much as she liked the quiet, there was a distinct difference between peace and the awkward silence of indecision. So without too much hesitation, Eli pulled the rim of her scarf down to speak.

"Eli. Smith's rest, born, raised."

Well, she never determined that she would speak much. With that done she pulled her scarf back up to ward off the cold that brought the first color to her cheeks all year, and tossed an expectant gaze to the rest of the passengers. Someone would be going next, it was only a matter of who caved first.

[M127]

Joe thought it was best to remain silent unless asked directly, since all relevant information for a mission is either provided in the briefing beforehand or by the NC's computers once the communications were established.

To protect against the cold Joe had simply retracted his arms from the sleeves of his jacket; it looked strange but was effective.
He used the time to think about how to deliver as much damage as possible while taking the least amount of damage, and since the best way to not take damage is to not be detected, he ended up thinking about how he could establish a LoS(Line of Sight) to his target without being seen himself.

Still, Joe listened to what the other said, even though he didn't focus on it, information is information after all.

[Voltus_Ventus]

Jingo

Jingo sneezed into his sleeve. For the first time in his life he was wearing his thermals outside of an NC, the last time he had worn them was back home, inside the frigid cockpit of his mining NC. He sneezed again, cursing under his breath right after, winter was never his season, not even in Falcon Reach, where the temperature only dropped by 10 degrees or so from it's normal 40C but out there driving through the cold, his body was not ready. The cold of the outside was much stranger then the cold of his NC, in the NC it was a dry cold that bit at your skin and made your teeth chatter but this cold, it was like his bones had been soaked in ice water.

Soon, the silence of the ride, that was mostly punctuated by Jingo's sneezing fits, was broken when a woman sunglasses in front leaned back and began talking. It relived him that people began to talk, the quiet had been driving him mad but he was too embarrassed to start the conversation, first impressions and all. Though suddenly it didn't seem to matter how people made their first impressions, the Madison individual in front of him burst into a loud tirade and Jingo couldn't help himself from cracking a smile but it quickly vanished as he sneezed again. He decided it was his turn to speak, leaning off the duffle bag he had used as a pillow, he regarded everyone with a warm smile, ironically it did nothing to warm up the temperature.

"Nice to see another cripple," he said, spotting Slinky's false finger, he lifted up his prosthetic arm and waved it at him before continuing, "The Name is James, James Strange but I prefer Jingo," he spoke deeply in a soft, Sea (Scottish) Accent, "I use to be the pilot of a mining NC back in Falcon Reach, but had a bit of an accident fourteen years or so ago," he smiled sheepishly and the hole in the side of his face contorted not so pleasantly before he continued.

"Been in Smith's Rest ever since, Worked for doctor Tom if any of ye remember him. Saw that ye guys needed people with experience piloting NCs, so I penned me name down, though it nee occurred to me thought ye would take a man a few bits short of a person." He stopped to scratch his head with the hooked claspers of his prosthetic, "Just thought it was time to get back in the saddle as it were, try my hook at piloting again." He sneezed once more before settling back into his seat and leaning on his duffle bag, pulling his legs up onto the bench as he did. Upon resting his head on the bag, he heard a little clonk, he thought to himself, 'Now I know me skull ain't that empty.' Then it came to him. He rummaged around in his bag and produced a metal tin, he opened it up.

"I almost forgot! I brought Tea Cakes!"

[LHG100]

A new voice, rough but friendly, coming from the person driving who looked the same. "Around here, aren't we all a bit broken at this point? In my opinion if anyone really cares about that they're just shallow.". His friend snorted.

"Hah, Slinky, that's the first time you talked in weeks. I almost forgot what you sounded like."
Slinky chortled himself before focusing again on driving.

"Hey, pass around those tea-cakes. I never had one of those. Are they any good?", the still-nameless woman inquired. Jingo took mock offence, his face looking a bit taken aback before it cracked into a smile.

"I should hope so, I made'em me self." Jingo fumbled around with the lid for a few moment before leaning towards the cab window and shaking the tin at the woman, "here ye go."

Slinky's Friend reached into the tin and grabbed one, retreating into the drivers compartment with it and eating. "Huh, not so bad, in all honesty. Better then what I can cook.". Slinky seemed to agree. After a moment, he gave her a 'hey wait' sort of look. "Ah, right. I keep on forgetting to say my own name. Alexandria, his actual name is Bill. In any case, nice to meetcha, Jingo. We'll make sure to not get shot down with you tied in, assuming we ever do get a helicopter like the old days."

"Wouldn't that be great, Slinky?" Slinky nodded in agreement, his mind going back to their days when they did that for Denver-Vegas, transporting NC's, even into combat zones. "T'was quite exilherating, but that was years ago." Of course, he continued really focusing on just driving. Jingo nodded, retracting the tin away from the cabin window and shaking it invitingly at the others.

"Apparently, I arrived at Smith's Rest on a chopper," Jingo said, still holding out the tin and feeling a bit let down as no one took a cake, "Falcon Reach 'ad a bunch, used 'em for everything really, cranes, transport, chopping down trees."

Alexandria seemed to reminiscence, "Ah, yeah. Piloting a chopper.. especially back when they weren't as expensive as they are these days. if I remember correctly, Denver-Vegas accidently produced too many, probably why Falcon Reach had that many themselves. Sold 'em to everyone."

Slinky spoke up. "Hey, I've been wondering. Jingo, is there a toilet in the cockpit of an NC? What if you need to take a shit during guard duty? Do they have tubes that go up your arse?"

"Fucking really, Slinky? That's your question about NCs? 'Durr, how do you poop?" she scoffed In return jokingly, smacking his arm playfully.

"Well, yeah. That's all I care about. Driving, shitting, and eating."

"That's all that men care about, aside from one other addition huh?" She raised an eyebrow at Slinky as he answered.

"Yeah, pretty much. Ahehahah."

"Ah, about a third there, by the way.", Slinky called back to the group, turning the truck into a forested stretch of road, "...Really, though. Do they?"

Joe Verona sighed at the remarks.

[LHG100]

After finishing off her tea-cake, Alexandria looked back from the compartment, into the back, at that hooded girl who was so quiet. "Hey, something wrong?", Alexandria inquired. Bill, better known as Slinky, also wondered if anything heavy was on that ones' mind, but less so. As it was his job, he was quite absorbed into driving. He loved him some driving.

Eli's attention turned when she was addressed, having been settled on the metal floor of the truck during the prior conversation. It might have also been a bit because the man missing chunks of his body creeped her out. Just a bit.

Despite that however, she met the woman's gaze with her own. Eli had been taught young and taught well that superiors were called so for a reason, no matter how they conducted themselves. If she was called upon, she would answer, simple as that.

"No M'am," she said, bowing her head in respect.

"Are you certain? Having second thoughts on piloting a robotic deathtrap that could explode any minute?", Alexandria snorted a little at her own dark humor. Slinky countered her, however. "Eh, don't worry. Over both of our careers, we've seen NC's get torn in half, pilots were fine aside from some scratches. Good story. Story time, Alex?"

"Story time? Really? Nah. Maybe later, when we're sure this doesn't go horribly fucking wrong on the first mission.". Slinky nodded, a decent reason.

"With all due respect, I'd rather die in an NC than on the streets in the Rest," Eli said, flat. Maybe she was missing something in the response, but what mattered to her was making sure her superiors didn't think she was afraid to be a pilot. It was true what she'd said, Eli would infinitely prefer dying behind the controls than starving in some broken building, or getting mugged in an alley. Not that she thought she'd actually die out there.

Even if they were setting out to make Smith's Rest a better, safer place, it certainly wasn't there yet.

Percy was just hoping nobody would dare to call upon him, the fiery redheaded guy in the tacky green jacket, probably looking like he'd rather die than be in there with 6 other people.. He tries to just ignore the chatter of them, and the slight chattering of his teeth, and he leans against the back of the truck. The only reason he's in here is so then he can support his baby girl. He's not here to make friends. Making a friend so early would mean a very early heartbreak, if any of them died.

Alexandria would wait a bit before continuing her... friendliness crusade. "Hey, Greenie, care to join in on the conversation or continue sitting there all spooky-like?"

Percy felt his heart leap into his throat. Was she talking to him? With another look, and seeing that her gaze is set on him, he confirms it. He then looks down at his feet, biting down on nothing, his jaw tensing. God damn it, why can't he just speak? Just say 'no, I'm good, I'd rather not get attached to the people that very well might die within the next few hours thanks'.. But he just shakes his head, smiling politely. He so very obviously looks uncomfortable with this whole situation, it's almost funny. Or pitiful. Depends on what kind of person you are.

"Pfft... great. Three silent NC pilots, that'd be great in the field, not calling for support or actually giving a shit about each other."

Joe is forced to giggle at the joke slightly.

"Well, two and a half."

Percy gives Alexandria a glare while Joe laughs. It's not hostile, just.. maybe offended? And for the first time since getting on the truck, he actually speaks, "Just 'cause I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't care." His voice is soft, almost like he doesn't want to be heard, but it has a sort of firmness, almost like he's scolding her for daring to think that.

"Halfway there, ohhh, livin' on a prayer.." Slinky's quiet voice could be heard, audibly humming. "Damn, y'know what does suck about driving these days? These milspec trucks don't have any music players. I just wanna listen to some vintage, y'know? That's my dream. Just driving on an infinite road listening to some great music. Or flying, That's be fine too."

[LHG100]

The ride continued, oddly silently. The humming of Slinky died down, and an hour or two passed. Feeling relatively soon, they reached the destination. It was a very large rectangular structure, with a parking area, and five massive hangar doors. Each was nearly eighteen meters tall, and ten meters wide. They parked, with just enough space for four of the truck in the zone, and disembarked. It was, uniquely, a paved parking area, apparently made of concrete, like the structure it was attached to.

Bill and Alex showed them inside, the quintet of pilots seeing a relatively large amount of people working on various things. To their right were additional rooms, with signs above each set of double-doors marked 'Barracks', 'Briefing', 'Kitchen', 'Storage', and many other things. The left, or north side of the facility is dominated by five massive giants of metal. This, would be the pilots' first glimpse of their NC's in person. They certainly look larger then they heard.

All of them were pointed towards the east, which was the opposite of where Smith's Rest proper was located, to the west. Obviously, the hangar doors were on the east side as well. The NC's were also marvelously well cleaned and maintained, considering the circumstances. They actually gleamed and shined!

Each was obviously very unique. From the closest to furthest, was Blur, a towering, mobile brawler, The Wessex, a shorter, but massively dependable scout, The Mad-e, a severely over-armored brute of a stand-off unit, the 'Papa Mike', a refreshingly standard design that could do anything required, and the Swarm, an NC that could accurately be described as an armored missile launcher with legs. Each of these may not be all that advanced or well-hewn, but dammit, they were something.

Nearly a dozen people were working on the NC's, two or three for each, and one was very familiar to Madison; a tall, ginger male tweaking one of the leg-motors of the Mad-e. Yet, before they could notice each-other and greet, Alex told the group, "First things first, you guys should probably confirm you're here with The Captain. She's probably in the briefing room right now. Don't worry, she won't bite. Probably."

"Yeah. Oh, you guys are going right from the frying pan and into the fire, by the way. If I remember correctly, they want you to make-up to Fairbanks, y'know, do a more or less freebie mission for them today. Good luck.", Slinky soon interjected.

OOC Notes:

Obviously, you have 'actual' control of Duncan, Nutts.

[Ladypug]

Percy sighed exasperatedly - but quietly, so nobody could really hear him over whatever hustle-bustle there is inside the hangar.

It sure would have been nice to know that he'd be obligated to speak with someone that was actually very important! Hell, he would have taken more time getting ready that morning and maybe would have even put on his best shirt! But no, he's in his tacky green jacket, dingy looking white t-shirt and dirty gray sweatpants, and is going to be talking with their captain. He looks to the right, staring at the signs. Not really reading them, just staring. Today's going to be hell on his nerves, he can feel it.

Why didn't I just become an engineer?

OOC Comment

alterate thought, if you'd prefer. I thought this one was funnier but decided against it. :P
Why didn't I just become a dentist?

if this is too short I'm sorry but I don't know what else to put in this post

EDIT:
@NuttsnBolts
I DIDN'T MAKE THE FACT PERCY'S WEARING A JACKET OBVIOUS BEFORE SORRY. I mean it's not a really heavy jacket, it's kinda puffy, but that's it. I'M REALLY BAD AT PUTTING IN ALL THE NECESSARY STUFF AND FILLING IT WITH FLUFF WEH.

ANOTHER EDIT: WOW I'M REALLY AWFUL OK SO I DIDN'T MAKE IT OBVIOUS HE WALKED IN
i'm so sorry guys
just
ugh
i'm gonna be that dumbass that has to edit in details and fucks everything up for everyone I'm so sorry.
@LHG100 you might wanna see the post too idk.

[Mcmolly]

Eli couldn't help the excitement when she finally saw the NC. Beforehand all she'd had was a file and a name: Blur. Neither did the actual thing justice, neither left her feeling like an ant standing at the foot of a titan. For the most part she couldn't wait to get behind the controls, but a tiny, anxious voice in the back of her mind squeaked out in protest. She was quick to silence it.

When she heard they were to report to the captain, Eli wasted no time in starting off, saluting both Bill and Alex. "Thank you for the transportation," she said, and then went on.

What kind of person was the captain? Alex had made it sound as though she was a tad on the harsh side, but Eli was aware enough that not everyone was accustomed to such behavior. Perhaps it wasn't the captain's character that peaked her curiosity, but rather what her role was. The only NC's Eli had seen so far were the ones she and her comrades would be piloting, were there others hidden off somewhere? Would the captain be commanding them on the battlefield, or would she be back here, safe and away from the conflict? Was she trained in the use of NC's? Eli found it hard to imagine they'd be put under the command of someone who didn't know about what they were commanding, but then this was Smith's Rest's first go.

Regardless, Eli would be quick to enter briefing room. Not only was the cold beginning to seep through her layers, but the promise of activity on day one was too tantalizing to fall behind on.

[NuttsnBolts]

Duncan Brown

Sparks showered next to Duncan as the worker above him grinded away at the residue slag that joined the various sheets of metal together. With each section that he finished he would pull over a spray gun connected to a pneumatic lead and it the surface with a hammer finish paint in order to protect the metal from the weather. It was the best they could do considering the resources that they had and every piece of rust they found had to be cut out individually and replaced with a new sheet, leaving some sections with more weld joins than actual metal.

Duncan on the other hand was working on the hydraulic lines, tightening the connections and ensuring that each piston had it's adequate amount of oil. The worse part about these old war machines was that they were prone to wear and tear so leaks and seals were a high priority on the list of maintenance. He let go of his wrench and felt it drop next to his side, gently tugging on the rope that connected it to the belt of his pants. He leaned over to grab is cup of coffee from it's precariously resting on the edge of the Mad-e and took a sip, tasting the warm sensation that helped fight off the cold weather.

"Ay Duncan, looks like we have visitors," spoke the worker above Duncan, pausing for a moment and lifting his welding mask to get a clearer view. Duncan looked over and could see the crew making it's way over to one of the briefing rooms, noticing the light pink hair that was Madison's. He took a sip of his coffee as another mechanic from the Wessex NC next door chimed in.
"They look like a bit of a rough bunch too with that guy that has one fake arm. I can see two of them look pretty pale too but that one with the white hair, is she one of those abominables?" the mechanic spoke out as he tried to eye off the pilots as best as he can.
"She's an abino, not an abominable snowman you dumb twat," the voice rang out of the cockpit of the Wessex as another individual exposed his face to enter into the conversation.
"Alright, alright... well I did hear that they had to go through some pretty tough training, like learning how to hold in your poop for three days straight."
"And you wouldn't last 30 minutes with the amount of bullshit that comes out of that mouth of yours! Jesus christ! Can someone give me a new partner already?" The frustrated man threw an empty paper cup at the mechanic, watching it bounce off his head and fall down to the floor below.

Duncan decided that it was his turn to step into the fray, noticing that everyone was beginning to chuckle at the bickering going on between the duo on the Wessex NC. "But you two make such a cute couple."

It was then that the hanger roared into laughter as the worker in the pilot seat and the numbskull mechanic continued to argue about the obvious facts of life. Duncan lifted his coffee cup to his mouth and yet again took another sip, smiling at the show. Simply being stuck out here for a few days with these clowns reminded him so much of his daily life with Madi.

Madison Cole

Madison leapt off the back of the truck and proceeded to jog in the spot for a moment in order to warm up her cold body. She held her hands tightly up to her chest and breathed out a cold fog that lingered in the air for a moment. There she heard Bill and Alex's recommendation to make their way up to the briefing room and meet up with the captain. Eli could be seen saluting the two couriers and thanking them for the trip before marching off into the room for their preliminary meeting.

Turning towards Percy she looked at him and wondered how a man like himself could walk around with a t-shirt and sweatpants in this climate. Still jogging on the spot she waved one hand at him to catch his attention. "C-c'mon freckles. Y-o-ou really need to get into a wa-warmer environment," her teeth chattered as she began to walk along to the briefing room with her feet thumping from the sound of her boots.

As she stepped through the doors the sensation of warm air wrapped it's way around her body. Instantly her muscles relaxed and she felt at ease as she made her way over to a hot water boiler next to the entrance. Grabbing a cup and a teabag from the tray she filled the cup to the brim with a mixture of hot water and milk before removing her gloves and cupping her hands around the drink. Satisfied, she made her way over to one of the vacant seats and sat down, waiting for the meeting to begin.

[M127]

Seeing everyone head to the briefing room rather quickly Joe silent followed. He didn't see a need to thank Alex and Slinky for the ride, they had simply done their job.
He also got a look at his NC in person, and surprisingly wasn't too impressed. All one could tell from a look at this distance was already described in the file of the NC.
Joe didn't recognize any of the engineering personnel, although he heard quite a lot of stories about his father's former colleagues from him.

[Ladypug]

Percy follows Madison into the briefing room, shivering one last time as he walks into the warmer area. He sits at the farthest end of the table - probably not too far from Madison, really. He seems insistent on making himself as unnoticeable as possible.. which, ironically, is putting him in the spotlight.

He puts his hands together and breathes into them in an attempt to warm them up further.

I shouldn't have done this, I'm fucking up big time. Why the fuck did I decide this would be a good idea? Oh yeah, let's just basically put a gun to my head and hope there's not a round in the chamber! God dammit I'm an idiot. I'm a fucking idiot. Ana's going to be without a mother OR a father because I'm such a damned moron..!

He doesn't look up from his hands - which are now in his lap - for a while. He's too absorbed into his own thoughts.

OOC Comments

Percy wash your mouth out you have a severe case of sailor-mouth.

[LHG100]

While everyone was inside the briefing room, geeking out at having to meet their new superior, they were likely too absorbed to notice...

She was already there! Of course, she seemed to be severely focused on something herself, but quickly noted everyone getting seated next the large, oblong table in the center of the room. She began to speak, her voice pleasant, but very authoritative. "Welcome. I do hope everyone is ready for their very first briefing? I'll review the plan of our first operation."

"Before I start, I'd like to apologize that this all seems so.. slapdash. Mainly, because it is. I'm afraid I'm one of the few ones in the entire town that actually has real experience in this sort of thing. In any case..", she would quickly and efficiently pass around a few dossiers, "You NC Pilots will load up and rendezvous at one of Fairbanks LTD's outposts, an underground one. They want us to check out why it hasn't been responding in any way for a few days now. My personal guess is either a fatal reactor failure, or it was attacked. If we're unlucky, it could be both."

"The first picture there is the sole entrance, large NC-grade doors. Most of the interior is NC accessible, due to it being an NC production facility, and hangar. Verona, your job is to try and open it the regular way. It has a remote connection, try to hack into it. If that doesn't work, Eli, you have permission to use one of Blur's Demo-charges to blow it sky high. Set it at that red-highlighted area, a weakpoint in the design."

"When everyone's inside, you'll split into three teams. To your left will be the facilities' NC hangar and production area. Percy, Madison, Go in, and clear it out of any hostiles if any are detected. Jingo, Verona, go to the right, towards the material storage facilities and reactor core. Do note, as aforementioned, the reactor core could have had a malfunction. Verona, if you detect any radiation, get to the reactor and hack into the control system, initiate the failsafe. Jingo, as your NC is the smallest and least durable, if Verona detects radiation, get out of that area immediately and follow Eli instead. Eli, you will go directly forwards into the facility's barracks and control areas. If a reactor core failure was the problem, they'll likely be held up in the emergency room, highlighted yellow. Wait until any radiation subsides and save them from any hostiles."

"You'll all be launching in...", She checks her watch, "Four hours. Get a meal, then connect into your NC and run the simulation programs that have been installed. This OP is a very simple one, just get in, fix whatever issue, then get out. I expect a success rate of 98%, minimum."

"We'll likely get to choose what contracts we'll accept afterwards. We already have two contracts awaiting judgement, but we'll discuss them after this operation."

"Oh, finally, that last picture and its' captions, detail the plausible attackers, and what they'll most likely be packing. Good luck on the OP, but you honestly won't need it."

The possible enemies include...
Volkov would've likely sent out 3 Non-NC walkers, tanks, and 5~ Transports or Gunships. Alternatively, they might've sent one or two proper NC's alone. Verona's Swarm would be the best bet against Volkov units.
Denver-Vegas probably sent out one of their 'Siege Tanks' or two. They feature near-NC grade armor and kinetic weapons, but their rear armor protecting the engine is poor.
Red-star would send out two of their melee-focused NC's. Let Blur handle them and give fire support. One good hit from one of their heat-blades would likely kill, so don't let them.
Paragon would likely send out a few of their amphibious hovercraft, with a possibility of salvaged energy weapons. Mad-E's armor could tank them the best, so let her take the worst hits.

"Dismissed"