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[industrious]

Book
"That's very...interesting." The man shrugs. "I've always thought that morals of some sort were inherent in sentience; but apparently not. I wonder if there was any opportunity to meet the natives."


Jayne

"Gorram box...I'll show you whose boss..." Reaching into his bandolier, the mercenary takes out one of his grenades, begins to prime it...

"Jayne, don't!" Kaylee tugs on his arm. "What about not causing too big a disturbance?" The man shakes her off, clearly disgusted with the situation. Then, an idea hits his head. It only hurts for a moment.

"Mebbe we could try the code for the cargo we're supposed to pick up."

Simon
The man is clearly unconvinced, but doesn't seem suspicious. "Hmmm. I wonder. Which MedAcad did you get your degree? You look like I guy I knew in Osiris."

"If I got a degree from Osiris, I wouldn't be the doctor on some luh-suh freighter, would I? I got my degree at the Beaumonde MedAcad; the only reason why I'm even halfway decent is because of my father; he taught me more than those go-se professors."

Thankfully, Simon's story is backed up by his change in clothing. Ever since his mishap in Ariel, he's changed to more casual, rougher clothing. Still nice, but not much better than what the captain wore. He'd be a dead giveaway in his usual vest and crisp white shirt. And his shoes were ruined ages ago.

Zoe

Interesting. Of course. But really, that made the job better. The payment was half here, half at the drop point; it would be fairly easy to claim the cargo was "lost" and then sell it on the open market. And that half was still more than enough money to keep them flying for a while longer. Quickly but thoroughly, Zoe closes the files and sets off to find Mal. This sort of information wasn't to be trusted over the comms.


Mal

All and all, this place was better than a good deal of the bars he usually had to go to. Smiling at the men, he walks up to one of the groups.

"Howdy. Mind telling me where I can get some grub?"


Inara

Ignoring her feelings(a Companion was a master of emotional self-control), Inara takes the call in her shuttle.

[darkblade]

Shinji

Shinji sighs at the landing site. Whoever landed on that ship couldn't have been much bigger than a human being, sending an Evangelion after someone like that seems, excesive but he doesn't let it bother him yet. Instead he opens a comm signal back to base.

"The target is gone. The ship is left abandoned? How should I proceed?"

[The Tygre]

HK-47
"Mission Statement; Facilitate communications, and bring about the termination of hostilities.Objective Statement; The neutralization of target. Gleeful Indulgence; Showtime!" At that, the HK-47 starts to look for a way out of the room... and a weapon.

Kreia
"You're all patched up ma'am." The junior med. at the NERV base had found the old woman wounded and wandering around the base. He had taken her to a first aid tent. She had rested for a few hours, and then he healed her wounds. And just as suddenly, she was on her feet again, weary and worn. He looked back at her as she gathered her belongings, "You-uh, you can heal that hand, you know. We have regenerative surgery. If you'll just come back you'll be good as new."

"No. This is the price I payed for my own weakness. It is the price I will endure. Now, I have wasted enough time here. I must go."

"It's not safe out there, ma'am. You'll get yourself killed!"

"Hardly something new to me." With that, Kreia walks off. She had slipped on a ship to this world. The whole planet was alive, coursing with the Force. She could see like she had her old eyes back here. The old Jedi had tried to go into the forest, but the terrain and the beasts were too much for her. And her target was moving too fast.

Something here had caused a disturbance in the Force, an echo she hadn't felt since the ripples of the Exile. But that so long ago, and so far, far away. The movements of whatever it was sent shivers down her spine. She needed to find it, whatever it may be. To see, to know. And with that, Kreia braves the forest again.

[darkblade]

Asuka

The teenage would be savior of Earth's claim over the unobtainium Asuka wanders the halls of the base before finding Kreia making her way towards the door.

"Ugh. Is everyone on this planet a moron? You can't go out there, the atmostsphere isn't breathable." she smirks at the jedi.

[The Tygre]

Kreia
"I have breathed in far worse conditions, child. I have inhaled the venoms of Malachor V and slept for days without a breath. I have feigned death and walked across the surface of a dead world. If there is even a trace amount of breathable air, then I will live. I can only hope that the disturbance is not too far off."

[darkblade]

Asuka

Asuka now gets a better look at the woman. NERV brought just a skeleton staff for this operation so there would be very few staff members she wouldn't know.

"I don't reconize you. How did you get onto this world without clearance?" the girl asks accusingly.

[The Tygre]

Kreia
Kreia all but snorts in contempt, "Hmph. Do you really think you are the only humans on this world? There are others, armies, and they are already here. I got here the same way you did. I walked."

[Cracklord]

Halo
"So be it. You know your own tactics best. You will retain your independence, but for purposes of co ordination I will be supreme commander. Understood?" Gendo Ikari replies.

Book
"They only even talk to us when we look like them." She replies with a laugh. "Sort of the world's biggest double standard. And the only way to get near them without spending two years specially training and an expensive cloning project is to go out in one of the patrols."

Jayne
The code works. Inside is a carefully packed series of rough, unrefined ingots, either silver, titanium or aluminum. The air seems to hum as the box slides ope, you feel yourself pulled towards it, but you, who can instantly gauge the stret value of everything from albino kittens to rare medicine, are lost.

Simon
"I suppose so. But hey, I graduated top ten percent, and here I am working as a military surgeon!" He laughs. "Take care of yourself. Wherever you graduated, you are a lot better then any of us at this!"

Zoe
Mal is easy to find, the cafeteria one floor down. Somehow, in the twenty minutes you've been gone, he's become the best friend of the off duty soldiers.

Inara
((That's right. I went there.))
"Is that companion Inara Serra?" A sharp, deep, clipped voice asks. "This is Gendo Ikari. I would like to... I would like t purchase your services for my son. He needs confidence, something to relax him and show him the world isn't all painful. I am, not to boast, a very wealthy individual, and can easily pay your fee."

HK-47
You had decommissioned yourself near a crew armory, and so had no trouble obtaining the former (Any weapons from the Halo games that aren't alien only). The latter was far more problematic. The ship was in high orbit, and no landing craft had yet been released.

Shinji
"Very well, a threat for another day." Kozo Fuyutsuki reluctantly says. "Based on your sensors, a nuculer blast was fired in the area. Small scale, but not an enemy we want running around. Return to base, your patrol is over for the moment."

[darkblade]

Shinji

"Understood." Shinji replies with his standard lack of enthusiasm. He turns the Evangelion around and makes his way back to the NERV base.

***

Asuka

"Those armies are here under NERV's authority. Unlike you." Asuka makes an attempt to restrain the woman. Of course being an unarmed teenager going against a jedi master she is going to fail hard.

[Cracklord]

Predator
The beast, with the speed of a striking cobra, lunges at you, it's head larger then your body. As it does, an odd crest flexes around it's armored skull, protecting it's neck, ears and throat.
A giant robot blunders around, but it misses the two of yo, returning the way it came.

Shinji
((Christ, I hate him already.))
You make it back with no further encounters. Gendo Ikari is waiting for you, dressed in a pristine black suit, his glasses catching the light in such a way to hide his eyes. His only consideration to Pandor was a face mask that covers his lower jaw and mouth, that he breathed into noisily.

[The Tygre]

HK-47
The assassin droid looks for whatever will cause the most wanton destruction and still be usable. He picks up the machine gun turret with glee. HK starts moving around the ship, searching for a way down.

Kreia
The old Jedi was about to unleash a Force wave on the insolent girl when she sensed something. The disturbance... was moving towards the base? Yes... better to wait and see. Quietly, without a fight, Kreia submits to the girl. She can always get away if she needs to.

[Cracklord]

HK-47
It detects a dropship being loaded ahead.

[Fan]

Mandallus gave a cry of victory as the Yeerk bugfighter finally went down, The Dreadnaught would require basic repairs, but those could be done in the field.... As for Battle Brother Darius, the one who had downed the first, and most skilled of the bug fighters that had drawn most of their fire.... He was down a entire arm, a wound that they could not treat here on the battle field, and one that the ship lacked materials to create bionics for....

Grand Chapter Mandallus then hefted the colossal space marine over his shoulders, carrying the large power armored man like a bale of hay, and he began to brief his battle brothers on his situation.

"Things are not well Brothers. Battle Brother Darius has lost his arm, and although the flow has been staunched by his powerful space marine genes... His body is failing. We will head out to the base 2 kilometers north east from our location. From there we will requisition what we can from the primitive humans on this planet. I want Thomas, and whomever else can to grab the inceinerators, and began clearing us a path. Dreadnaught Nathaniel. You will clear away any of that pesky xeno wildlife that dares attempt a attack on us, and the rest of you will form a tight circle around me as I carry the man to the base... and lastly. Watch your backs. The Xeno we have encountered here, and the Xeno in space may have sent reinforcements now that we have destroyed their first attack, and we may need to find cover quickly. Now let's move!"

With that, each of his Battle brothers preformed their orders flawlessly, swathes of fire being cut through the local fauna, and flora, and a always rotating wheel around the man who carried his injured battle brother as they made their way to Colonel Quatrich's compound.

[darkblade]

Shinji

((He hasn't even gotten angsty yet. ))

Shinji brings Unit-01 into the lift and it is locked in it's hanger. Kreia should have a general idea as to where it is, even though it's presence lessens greatly as Shinji's entry plug is removed.

Shinji himself goes for his debriefing with some unnamed officers. Nothing really of note occurs there. As he goes through this basic routine he goes through an angsty internal monologue.

"This planet, Pandora. Harsh wilderness unlike Earth. We killed our ecosystem with the second impact. Awakening a monster that was not meant to be awoken. Why do we always seek to destroy what we don't understand? Is it a threat to our being? Do we fear that they will cause us pain if we do not cause it unto them first? Are the Na'vi really our enemy or is it ourselves?"

Partway through the monologue he reaches his quarters. At first he was happy to have his own space separated from Misato and Asuka but before long the loneliness began to set it.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling."

***

Asuka

"Thats what happens when you oppose the order of universe old hag." Asuka drags Kreia to the brig, away from the disturbance.

[Cracklord]

Shinji
((the term you are looking for is wangsty))
As he comes int his quarters, he sees his father sitting there patiently, waiting for him. "I thought you could use some company," he says, very out of character, taking of his glasses. "What do you think of Pandora so far?"

Space Marines
((By the way, as Grey Knights are commanded by the Inquisition, Gregor Eisenhorn is running things from your ship.))
The alien let out a blood-curdling shriek as it lunged, crude spear in hand. This one's face scarred with ritual markings. It's unnaturally wide eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets, feral rage evident in its snarl. For primitive xenos, the natives of Pandora were incredibly resourceful and resilient. There were millions of them, and they were more than a match for any human in hand to hand combat. Their inhuman toughness and usage of their planets bizarre wildlife would have led to heavy casualties under any invasion.
Had the mission's commander been a Marine Brother-Captain or a Naval officer, the planet would doubtless have been subjected to orbital fire. But when an Inquisitor gave an order, he expected it to be followed. And lord Gregor Eisenhorn was not a reasonable man in regards to his orders.
There are perhaps a hundred of the natives, all throwing themselves at you, firing enormous composite bows or using enormous spears.

[The Tygre]

Kreia
Kreia, spiteful creature that she is at her core, pulls Asuka's feet from under her with the Force. "Pride goeth before the fall, child. Pride goeth before the fall."

HK-47
HK does a detailed inspection from afar. If he can, the assassin droid will try to smuggle himself aboard, or trick the crew into letting him on. (He's willing to lose the gun.) If he can't, then he'll just proceed to blow the frak out of the place and commandeer the ship.

[darkblade]

Shinji

"Father...I..." Shinji's eyes wander not making contact with his Father. He doesn't managed to answer the question before going silent and looking at the floor.

A few seconds later the base's intruder alarm goes off.

***

Asuka

Asuka falls on her ass letting go of the jedi as she falls. As she gets to her feet to give chase Asuka pulls the intuder alarm switch that one would be justified in mistaking for a more mundane fire alarm switch.

"And we fall so we can get back up."

[The Librarian]

Bond responds after a minute or tow passes.
So be it Commander Ikari. Just remember that both our groups seek a similar goal. The supplies are being brought down by two my frigates Commander. Vice Admiral Bond over and out.

The Vice Admiral then switches to Fleetcom.
All ships we have clearance, form up around the NERV fortress, save for Andraste and Madrid. You have orders to head to ground with Spartan Team Nova. All Albatross dropship prepare to drop we'll need our ground base up and running ASAP. Nova Team, I want you to get to ground and greet our allies. Those are your orders. If Commander Ikari ask any of you anything, please do comply. I would prefer not to have a fight today.

The Spartans hear their orders while sitting in the hangar prep-up. Alicia smirks combing her fingers through her hair.
Looks like the Vice-Admiral just got rank pulled on him.

Connor and Luther shrug checking their weapons
Its not like he really had a choice, NERV's the only other significant military presence here besides our own, and I don't wanna get blown out of the sky by that...death star of a spacefortress he has.
Doesn't matter, all I know is we've been given the orders to greet these guys. Besides, I like to think of this mission as a little R&R.

Linda smiles at Luther's comment
Amen to that.

Kurt steps into the hangar, with weapons all all holstered on his person and his helmet in hand.
Alright Team lets get a move on. Grab your gear, ready your weapons and get ready to go. Connor, rev up the Pelican.
I'm on it.

Andraste and Madrid break off from the fleet heading for the NERV base followed by 8 Albatross dropships and the Pelican holding the Spartan Team that head for NERV's base.

[The Tygre]

((Whoa whoa whoa! Who said anything about running? Kreia's just doing what she does best; be a sadistic old woman with Force powers. Which segues into...))

Kreia almost seems to smirk as she stands by and says, "Congratulations. You're victory over a crippled old woman is complete. Truly, you are a master strategos."

[Cracklord]

HK-47
The Spartans have made their way onto the ship. Launch in twenty seconds. Now is your chance.

Shinji
His father shrugged. "Let the others take care of it. It's their job, not yours." He sighs as he stands up.

[darkblade]

Asuka

((She still would have pulled the alarm.))

"A psychotic telepathic crippled old woman who can apparently breathe poison gas." Asuka corrects Kreia as makes another attempt at restraining her.

***

Shinji

Shinji looks up at his Father now. "It's not like I could do anything about it anyways."

[Cracklord]

Shinji
((Could you tell me a bit about his father on the OOC thread? I'm drawing a bit of a blank, as I'm sure you can tell, and need help before i get too out of character.))
The old man shrugs. "If you say so. Besides, you and I have more important things to worry about."

[Fan]

Shinji
((the term you are looking for is wangsty))
As he comes int his quarters, he sees his father sitting there patiently, waiting for him. "I thought you could use some company," he says, very out of character, taking of his glasses. "What do you think of Pandora so far?"

Space Marines
((By the way, as Grey Knights are commanded by the Inquisition, Gregor Eisenhorn is running things from your ship.))
The alien let out a blood-curdling shriek as it lunged, crude spear in hand. This one's face scarred with ritual markings. It's unnaturally wide eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets, feral rage evident in its snarl. For primitive xenos, the natives of Pandora were incredibly resourceful and resilient. There were millions of them, and they were more than a match for any human in hand to hand combat. Their inhuman toughness and usage of their planets bizarre wildlife would have led to heavy casualties under any invasion.
Had the mission's commander been a Marine Brother-Captain or a Naval officer, the planet would doubtless have been subjected to orbital fire. But when an Inquisitor gave an order, he expected it to be followed. And lord Gregor Eisenhorn was not a reasonable man in regards to his orders.
There are perhaps a hundred of the natives, all throwing themselves at you, firing enormous composite bows or using enormous spears.

They were the finest warriors the Imperium had to offer, the ever rotating wheel, and foreman guarded by the Dreadnaught with the inceinerator fired a swathe of burning death into the crowd, as kraken pattern penetration rounds ripped their way through DOZENS of them at once, the rounds designed for penetrating multiple tanks worth of modern armor, and the raging inferno of the inceinerator burning the natives to ash in seconds.

"Do not falter my brothers, for today we shall perserve through these foul Xenu, and emerge from this blackest night. Fight my brothers, and cut down all you see! Let your rage be your sword! Your faith your shield! And let all on this planet quake with the Emperor's fury!"

[Cracklord]

Space marines
The xenos were deathly afraid of flame-weapons, backing away, but then continuing the fight.
Two blue-skinned warriors were thrown back by direct hits, from the Stormbolter built into the Nemesis Power armor, their torsos vaporized. The ground shook under the dreadnought's boots as it advanced through the remains of the glade. Crushed trees were twitching in regular intervals, almost as though they were broken limbs. The clearing was filled with smoke from half-burned trees, vines burning where they dangled.
More appeared from the trees, whooping and shrieking debased warcries.

[darkblade]

Shinji

"Of course. Go, go conduct your business elsewhere."

[Cracklord]

Shinji
"I have arranged for you to meet someone. Try and do at least that, if you can." He replies, before straightening up and turning on his heel. "I admit I'm not much of a father, and you have little care for me. But then, you're not much of a son, so maybe it evens out somewhere. But as cold as we are, we have duty, and yours is to do as I say. Now, get some sleep. I need you healthy."

[darkblade]

Shinji

"Of...course." Shinji was caught off guard slightly by that. His Father seldom mentions his own flaws like that, especially not to Shinji. With a family as messed up as the Ikaris that exchange literally consitutes bonding.

"Goodnight Father." Shinji says as he prepares himself for bed.

[Executor]

"I have flown many Martian fliers, and captained Heliumite battleships many times. I assure you, I am no novice to flight." I assured the gangly lieutenant. I was about to say something else, when I was interrupted by a roaring from the jungle all around the complex. It was deep, full-bodied, grinding roar, almost like the snarl of a grizzly bear, but thousands of times louder and more ferocious. Almost all of the soldiers in the vicinity stopped what they were doing and looked up to the sky, or over to the foreboding trees of the thick jungle, as the roar echoed many times on the surrounding mountains. As the bellow died in the air, it left behind a great stillness, and an immense silence for a long moment, before life resumed on the small human complex.

I was escorted to the hangar by the lieutenant, and I found it to be a very large, open structure, with a long concrete floor. In long lines, there stood large mechanical suits, which the pilots controlled from clear glass canopies set on the torso. Behind these, there were more rows of almost innumerable flying machines. Mostly, these were large machines of a kind unknown on Mars. Each was about 36 feet long and 11 feet tall, and were solidly made of a kind of dark grey metal, with open doors on either side of the main chassis. They had two wings, of sorts, each of which was mounted with a pair of rotating blades that resembled an outsized steel ceiling fan. Rather than relying on the Ray of Propulsion, like Martian fliers, these Earth machines pushed air down powerfully with their two fans, lifting the machine up. As the fans could rotate along the axis of the wings, this provided the machines with great manueverability in the air.

Spotting a person who looked like a pilot, along with a small group of soldiers assembling near a group of the flying machines, or gunships as I would soon learn they were called, I approached them and introduced myself.

"Hello gentlemen, my name is John Carter. I've just arrived here, by means unknown to me I must admit, and I was told to report to join your patrol this fine afternoon. I was also told that you could drop me off, as I would greatly desire to explore this world a little. I'm sure you understand that urge to see what's over the next ridge, or beyond the next river. If you could drop me off a few miles out of this base, I would be most thankful" I said, feeling a little bit self-concious of what must have looked like quite unusual garb and armament to the soldiers here, but otherwise quite confident.

[industrious]

Book
"They only even talk to us when we look like them." She replies with a laugh. "Sort of the world's biggest double standard. And the only way to get near them without spending two years specially training and an expensive cloning project is to go out in one of the patrols."

"Oh, well," the preacher muses. "It would be fascinating to meet one of them. But thank you for the information. And I apologize for my young companion's behavior earlier. He hasn't had the greatest luck recently."


Kaylee and Jayne
"What is it?"

"Dunno."

"It's so shiny."

"...Yup. Take out an ingot and help me put the lid back on." Working together, Jayne and Kaylee manage to secure the crate back on. "I think this might be our cargo. Be damned if I know what it is though."

Simon
"I suppose so. But hey, I graduated top ten percent, and here I am working as a military surgeon!" He laughs. "Take care of yourself. Wherever you graduated, you are a lot better then any of us at this!"

"Thanks for the encouragement." Simon smiles briefly. The doctor then lists a few of the more common medications that River needed. "I don't suppose you have any of those in stock? I'd be willing to pay for them."


Zoe

"...So we're on Beaumonde, and the Colonel is just raving. I mean, he wakes up, middle of the night, no hair except for this blue mohawk...."

"And the captain here spends the next three weeks digging latrines." Zoe finishes. She smiles in memory of the event. "But it was worth it. So, boys, is there anything at all to eat here, or does the planet's atmo just breathe food into our guts?"


Inara

She would have never guessed it. A potential client, here, in the middle of nowhere. Still, the father did sound worried about his son, and while the man seemed more than a little arrogant, Inara wasn't going to be dealing with him. Smiling at the vidscreen, Inara accepts.

"Money is not a consideration for hiring a Companion, Mr. Ikari. But I've dealt with young men before, and would be happy to accept your request. I'll need a time and location to see him..."

[Cracklord]

Book
"That's fine. Can I help you with anything else?" She says clearly trying to give him the hint. It is then the door slides open.
Colonel Quatrich swaggers in, staring at a holoboard he's holding in his right hand. "No then, we're going to need..." Glancing up, he see's Book and almost drops it. Suddenly he seems wary, like a cornered animal. "May I help you, sir?" He asks respectfully, and grimly, as though preparing for execution.

Kaylee and Jayne
The ingot is lighter then you expect, and seems to be oddly magnetized.

Simon
"Well," he announces, "I wouldn't be willing to accept recompense. You just saved us a lot of work, and perhaps saved a man's arm. Take what you can carry, it's all on the alliance's budget besides."

Zoe and Mal
Frozen food. Less then appetizing at the best of times, yet after having made do for so long, it looks like heaven. The soldiers are giving you part of their ration, so you wind up with plenty of chips, salad and drink, but not so much meat.

Inara
"Now's fine. The NERV base is located approximately 67'11 North, 41'21 South. Can I expect you in three hours?"

John Carter
Most of the soldiers seem dissinterested, but the pilot, an attractive women of Latin American descent smiles at you. "What do you know, officers aren't all *******s. Who'd have guessed?" A few of the men laugh.
"The colonel filled me in. Stick with the men, figure out what's going on, then do as you like. You're welcome back to the base anytime you want." She adds, then raises her voice to talk to the men. "Now, we're going further afield then usual, so sit back, relax, and try not to think about the ones that aren't going to make it back."
With that, she boards the cockpit, the men filing into the holding behind her, and revs the engine, the rotorblades spinning fast enough to form a hurricane like breeze.
The Samson steers over the jungle, giving you a look at the mass of vegetation, majestic tree's competing with each other for sunlight.