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« on: November 23, 2014, 08:01:53 PM »
Briefing start.. Time, 1:00 AM. March Seventh, 5502.
The AI announcer spoke fluently, with no sign of distortion between it and the intercom as it played into the mobile command center's main corridor. Six figures sat, three to each side, their armor humming lightly as the internal generators seamlessly fueled the high-tech shielding on each of them. They were covered from head to toe, though their apparel varied in color and size.
The two in red armor, nametags reading "Has'isos" and "She'sha", appeared more intimidating than the rest. Clung tightly to their APB projectors -- hulking heavy weapons capable of blowing a mechanoid to pieces -- they seemed to take the same posture, despite slight size differences. By their side was a soldier draped in blue with the nametag "Asher", not quite as large as the two reds but of a commanding figure, toting an electromagnetic railgun with the capacity to puncture starships.
"Alright, everybody", the blue-armored soldier spoke in an authoritative feminine tone, "the nearby Rimworld of Niyat has acquired some interesting gear. We all know how the General feels about sharing, but military equipment isn't everything. On top of Glitterworld skin suits and starship AI's, they seem to have found themselves a genetics lab. Usually we wouldn't mind cloning, hell, we wouldn't even pay a moment's attention to a Rimworld like this, but they have this kind of technology -- meaning if we let it go by, they might be showing up on other worlds trying to start an empire. Worst-case scenario, I know the unlikelihood, but the General's paranoid."
This earned a disapproving beep from the AI unit piloting the command center, but across from the Commander sat an orange-suited grizzly male who waved off at the shuttle camera. "Quiet, Mecha. Don't gotta be a thorn in everything. You pull another Rainbow op' and I'm scrapping you." The intercom's green light soon turned red, signaling it had turned off to allow the soldier's some privacy, though the camera zoomed intently on the commander.
"Can we go one briefing without insulting the AI, Beacon? You're an engineer, you're s'posed to work with the damned thing. Alright. So the colony is half-courtyard and half-caves. Mecha's telling me that as of two days ago we've got at least eleven batteries, four in the courtyard and the rest burrowed into the mountain. We don't know what /kind/ they are, but we know they take electricity. As much as I'm sure the Assaults would love to go in there and destroy them all.." she said, noting towards the two red-suits, "I'm sure it'd be safer to go ahead and disconnect them from the colony's power net. This is why the mission started so late -- we've detected a solar flare hitting tomorrow. Our suits should be okay, but Mecha has to pull out as soon as we land or we're not getting a shuttle out of here. Expect heavy resistance, and /stick together/. These suits won't help you if one of them gets a lucky taser shot off. We're moving as one squad, Assaults in front, no one else engages."
The final two soldiers, both of almost matching body structure and white coloration of their suits, both spoke up at once. Their voices matched one another's, both masculine but almost nervous as they quietly apologized to one another, ending their dialogue. "Mikinn, Tarkis. What is it?" the commander pried. "What of the medics? Shall we back the Assaults? Anything that gets in close range, our mag-pistols could easily destroy." The commander nodded, not at all estranged by their tendency to talk in unison.
The commander, sensing the lack of questions, reached over and clicked the intercom on once more. "Right, Mecha. Log briefing end." A moment passed before the intercom droned out yet another announcement: "Understood, Commander Asher. Briefing end. Time, 1:06 PM. March Seventh, 5502."
Something didn't quite click with the announcement in Asher's head, though more intent on the mission at hand, she continued. "Right. Pack your drop pods, run diagnostics with the medical droid to make sure your bionics are working fine, get a good meal, you know the drill. And Beacon, swap your SMG out for an RCD. We've got enough firepower to let you have the heavy construction tools." The engineer nodded in return, and the group stood up together to move through the corridor towards the medical room. The commander sighed as she watched the crew go, glancing over at the AI's camera before following behind them, airlock clamping shut as they exited.
"Triggering helmet cameras. Checking telecommunications... systems optimal. Forwarding data to Department of Genetic Research.." the AI played out, tone normal as ever, though the contents of the message hinted at a silent entertainment as it watched through each soldier's camera. As the day came to a close and each soldier entered their beds, Mecha softly whispered one final message: "Operation Red Prairie has begun."