[IC] Eternal Galaxy: Shards of Starlight - Part I

[SUSTIC]

Helios System
Zephyr-Old Continents-Unknown Cave

Hajime just sighed and rolled his eyes as he kept following the man, jumping down from ledge to ledge. Trying his hardest to keep up with the strange man he looked down. "You know... I would ask more questions, but I don't think I will get a decent answer out of you. At least tell me one thing... who the hell are you, and where are you taking me?" He said as he kept trying to follow the man.

[Kristia]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Main Observation Deck

Mara started walking towards the office when she noticed Cortana stopping and not coming "Still getting used to your body donīt you?" she asked knowing the feeling

"At first you will feel everything like if it was a mirage or a wonder, but by practicing, you get acustomed with it, the pain on the other hand will be a hell in the first times you get injured, but again, practicing will regulate your nerves to a comfortable level." the bioroid explained for a bit and then had an idea

"Maybe we can start a simulation to test your abilities and know your limits, that is if you want to though" Mara offered to the AI

[S121]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Main Observation Deck

Cortana looked over to Mara and quickly thought about it. For a normal person, it would have taken a couple seconds to think about, but for Cortana, it took a single instant, almost as if she hadn't thought at all.

"Okay, as long as it's not the kind of simulations they're doing. I still have to get the basics down.", Cortana said to Mara.

[Kristia]

Helios System Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur Main Observation Deck

Mara nodded "ok then, Im sure they will let us have a simulation like that, their injured men and women have had a rehabilitation test for their recovery" she said ti the blue eyed woman

Walking to the office, the white haired asked to the person in charge "Excuse me, can we have a simulation to test my friend's abilities and limits?"

[Koishi]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur

---

Mima made a whistle. "Pretty fancy security stuff here. I take it's for safety purposes, with all this flying stuff and energy walls?" Mima asked.

[MyHatismyFriend]

CPRT89220//LOG-8-3226-3565-25407
SNT:UNDISCLOSED
REC: UNDISCLOSED
//
TEXT ONLY
//

MESSAGE BEGINS

Chairman,
As per ORDER LOG 78998 I have initiated Stage 1 of the Starlight Project. Conveniently there was a Operator close by, in orbit, even. Her code is B-108, Class 7 Full Action Handler. The one associated with the Ulysses affair. Seeing as you mentioned a Juliet-class Priority on the project I have taken the liberty of reactivating her employment contract and requisitioning one of COMPANY-678C's routine trade flights for transport- it's already on its way. She'll be awake any minute now. I look forward to presenting you with results.

Sincerely,
GM-14

MESSAGE ENDS

***

Celestora System
Asteroid Thicket | Alcyon

SIGSAWA INDUSTRIES built their products to last- and it showed in how the small cryochamber hidden within the asteroid had only lost a light (and even that to a micrometeor) during a hundred years of inattention. Indeed, the core functions had remained intact- that being the life support, communications line and power systems buried deep within the rock. Now a microburst transmission crackled across the vacuum of space and was picked up by an aerial disguised as a bit of debris, and machinery thrummed to life. The first piece of hardware brought to full functional status was Combat Intelligence Officer KINGMASTER, a Handler-class artificial intelligence program. Written with over sixteen billion lines of code, the self-learning AI had been bestowed the persona of a slightly cynical male, an exact copy of the famous human pilot that had given him his name from eons ago. KINGMASTER took a few minutes to sort out his subroutines and conduct a security scan of the small facility and its immediate surroundings, then opened the transmission.

He scanned the message in an instant and initiated thawing and revival procedures on the lone cryopod buried deep in the core of the asteroid. Dust billowed from a blocky life-support module as its vial container cycled, swapping out mixtures of fluid that were being pumped through a mess of tubing into the naked figure beneath the frosted glass of the capsule. Red-tinged serum coursed through the tubing, and into the woman's body. Even in the cold of the dormant facility, condensation began to form on the glass as the temperature gradually warmed. Her right eye opened as her body began to restart. Eventually the woman could feel extreme pain shredding her nerves as cells thawed and regained their life- she lay unmoving and waited patiently for the sensation to subside. The condensation turned to mist in a matter of minutes and the lid began to rise. The power hadn't been restored to her artificial limbs- her grey and yellow, steel and plastic left arm refused to budge, nor did her legs. The Operator waited. The camera system that had replaced her left eye blinked on and diagnostics scrolled up her field of vision as KINGMASTER moved several subroutines back into her electronic-neural pathways. Finally the microfusion reactors on her limbs hummed to life and the Operator slowly eased herself out of the cryopod. The entire facility was chilled to exactly zero degrees. A normal person would have shivered. The Operator waited.

"Rise and shine, pretty lady." drawled KINGMASTER in her head. The Operator touched two fingers to her lower jaw, a steel replacement which contained connection ports with a helmet's OS systems, and traced two circles on the cold metal- signage for exasperation. She could technically communicate with the Handler through thoughts, but the Operator was too busy maintaining the emptiness of mind which allowed her to stand the freezing cold and excruciating pain. "Whatever." sighed Kingston, looking at her from the security camera feed. "Alright, new assignment from the Grey Men, Priority Juliet. Snatch and grab, on the planet Alcyon, right below us. I'll give you more details as we get rigged up. Undersuit over there, TOJIMBO over there. Transport from Merchant Trade United inbound in six minutes, so you'd better step on it." The Operator stepped in the baggy undersuit and pulled it above her shoulders, then pulled a ripchord that vacuum-sucked the suit to her body with a obscene slurp. KINGMASTER continued to chatter as she slipped into the TOJINBO Force Suit. "Alright, we're looking for intelligence on the Shards of Starlight. Know what that is?" The Operator zipped up her suit and checked the airtight indicators- nothing like decompressing yourself in the cold vacuum of space- and shook her head. "Jesus, you're hopeless. Alright, these Shards supposedly have the power to destroy or create galaxies- silly, eh? Grey Men think some nasty people are looking for it and don't want it getting in the wrong hands. No further details of yet." The Operator gathered up her long hair in a bun and dusted off the CORVUS helmet hanging on the wall. She put it on and flipped the jaw connectors into position, then felt around the back for the on-switch and activated the OS.

The cameras dotting the helmet flickered into life and more diagnostics scrolled up the screen. The Operator froze in mid-step as the suit tested its Physics-Fabric by hardening unexpectedly, crashing onto the floor in a awkward statue-like pose. "Let's hope you don't do that when we're engaged." muttered KINGMASTER as the suit blinked all-clear and assumed a cloth-like texture again. The Operator got to her feet and drew two lines down the front of her face to mime tears. "Relax, 108. Your guns are over there." A locker clicked open and the Operator retrieved her rifle and pistol, wrapped her Battle Cloth around her neck like a scarf, and slapped a silencer on the FM-204. "All set?" asked KINGMASTER.

Yes.

"Oh, she speaks now- oh shit, that'll have to wait. The transport is just around the corner, so grab that MAVE Frame and we'll rendezvous with it as it passes the facility. We don't want to have to have it stop for us." The Operator grabbed the MAVE and dashed out of the room, climbing up the stairs that led to the airlock while simultaneously clipping the MAVE into the TOJINBO. She arrived at the armoured doors just after running self-diagnostics and performed a quick vacuum-entry check on her equipment. Satisfied that she wasn't going to decompress as soon as she went outside, she activated the airlock and KINGMASTER disabled artificial gravity- the Operator hit the exit button and the airlock vented with a loud pop, pulling her and bits of debris out of the facility and into the cold darkness of space. The planet Alcyon spun lazily just below her as she fired a puff from the MAVE's rockets to orient herself. The transport, a blue and white-painted cargo shuttle hurtled towards her- the Operator spread out her hands and slammed into the hull as the small shuttle slowed slightly. She entered the shuttle's airlock and worked the controls. The doors opened and she let herself inside. The interior was empty save for a small message stick floating in the middle of the room- the Operator snatched it and flicked the display on.

FOR B-108 EYES ONLY.
PROJECT NAME:
STARLIGHT
OBJECTIVE:
RECOVERY OF INTELLIGENCE RELATING TO TARGET A
CAPTURE OF TARGET A OR COMPONENTS. ALL COERCION TACTICS VIABLE.
SUPPORT PRIORITY:
JULIET
INSERTION
TYPE -7 PLANETARY.


She snapped the message closed and dropped to the floor as gravity began to affect the shuttle. Right on cue, a prerecorded message began to play from the empty cockpit- "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday- Merchant Trade Shuttle B-750 suffering catastrophic engine failure, no control, no control, no radio either, I repeat, no external communications. I repeat, Mayday, Mayday, Mayday..." A hash of emergency response messages began to come in over the radio but the Operator ignored them. Instead, she climbed up the rapidly tilting deck to the airlock again. The Operator waited. The temperature steadily increased as the transport sliced through the atmosphere, glowing red with reentry friction. The shuttle pitched up and deployed airbrakes and braking parachutes- her rate of descent slowed, and the Operator stepped through the airlock.

Countdown.

KINGMASTER started a timer on her HUD. Six seconds. The Operator waited. "Now." said KINGMASTER. She hit the exit button and jumped, firing the MAVE for a two-second burn to get her clear of the shuttle as it spun away, airbrakes failing. The Operator fell, hurtling towards the ground as she brought the MAVE's shielding online. Landing Point was two metres off target- but still tolerable. The Operator slammed into a perfectly round lake, raising an impressive pillar of water and steam from her impact. She avoided coming to the surface for oxygen, lest people may see her- hopefully any witnesses would have assumed she was an asteroid or something. She triggered the MAVE's internal oxygen supply and activated the TOJINBO's stealth arrays, rendering her invisible to the naked eye and most forms of detection. "Research on this planet indicates several temples scattered underground. Might be a good idea to start with those first."

How far away is the first one?

"I'll keep you updated." replied KINGMASTER cryptically- a sign he didn't know. The Operator shook her head in the water and began to swim towards the shore.

[bookdragon2000]

Sol Inceneron
Inopia - Temple of the Lost

Nhiome quickly dropped the sword the moment he could and sat back. He stayed frozen thus, his expression blank, but within his mind was in turmoil. Test...Revere mentioned a test too...the test has something to do with the sword...? I will never escape this will I? He looked at his arm, rolling back the sleeve, the crystals had reached even further now, perhaps due to the earlier extreme output of energy to power the limited shields on KuroiKaze.

Light in the darkness...well, it's the only lead I have, and since there is only one source of light... Nhiome sighed and quieted his rebellious self that did not want to follow instructions, it wasn't like he had any choice right now. He returned the sword to its sheath using a pair of large tongs he got from his digital bag lest the same thing happened again. He knew he was just being paranoid, but paranoia had saved him in the past. He then looked towards the blue light. He reached down and picked up Dalia, then started carrying her in that directions. But when he had barely started, he slumped, he just did not have the strength to carry her. So he put her down and after making sure it would not hurt her, started half-dragging, half-carrying her. It was unceremonious, but it was practical.

[NeoFox]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur | Hangar Bay M
___________________________________________


As the hangar bay opened Terra saw the guide lights and proceeded to follow them, eventually landing her ship in the Hangar Bay. Once she had landed successfully the cockpit slid open as she hopped out. She looked around the busy docking bay, her blades sheathed, and on her back. "This place seems busy... figures for a ship this large... now all I have to do is find someone who can help me..." She said as she began walking through the hangar bay. She kept watching the many mechanics who were busy working on the ship.

[Cucoo5]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
The Spine

"Pretty much. It's the highest security area on the entire ship. The only reason we're still alive is because of my status and a little microchip I have." Nero then walked up to the main gates to the central core and the barriers went down. In the next room a massive column of energy could be seen. surrounded by more barriers and turrets. "Inside that energy column is the main core of the entire ship. The Crystal is about 150 feet in diameter, and can be over exerted to double its current output capacity. In other words, the ship as it is right now is only drawing half of its energy and is recharging at such a rate we could run at this level for eternity."

---

Helios System
Zephyr-Old Continents-Unknown Cave

"For you, my name would serve as a death sentence. No one likes my kind. That's why I'm the only one left. I'm just a bit more devious than they are....than he is. Heheheh...they would try...oh how they would try~" He slowed his pace to a casual walk down a straight portion of the passage which seemed to be man made and he put his hands in his pants pockets. "As for where we're going, you'll know soon enough."

---

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Main Observation Deck

"Of course, of course! We can easily modify a rehabilitation simulation for you. Here, would you like to modify it yourself?" The officer offered. "You could select whatever you wish as a base and then adjust according to your own tastes. You have a telelink? Its a basic device that taps into your neurological systems and allows you to interface systems with your thoughts-" The officer stopped what he was saying as soon as he realized that the two were bioroids. "Or do you ladies already have a system built in?"

---

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Training Area

The group left the lift and headed towards the simulator hubs along the one wall.
"Alright...time to have some fun." Joe smiled. "Been awhile...feels like being a rookie all over again."
"Aye, though this time we have plenty of experiences to say otherwise....It'll be interesting to see how it adapts this time..." Aion had a far away look as he sat down in one of the pods. "Has it really been that long...?" He pulled down a visor system over his eyes and relaxed. The other Hunters did the same. The female officer looked to John. "If you would take off your helmet, you could proceed into one of the pods. Once you settle in, we'll begin the simulation."

---

Celestora System
Alcyon - Forest of Spirits

As the Operator swam to the shore, a man with a red bandanna, glasses, red jacket and yellow shirt sat in a tree eating a strange looking fruit. "Hmm what do we have here? Ah...its her..."

---

Sol Inceneron
Inopia - Temple of the Lost

And so they eventually reached the central chamber with what seemed to be a sort of shrine with two torches with blue flames. An intricate scene was carved into the stonework of the wall which resembled a people standing around a pedestal. On top of the pedestal was what appeared to be a clear orb with a crystal embedded within it and had intricate patterns within. The orb glowed faintly with a fiery light. The water was shallower, being only a few inches deep in front of the stone platform where the pedestal was.

---

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Hangar Bay M

A few Maverick Pilots were nearby where Terra was, conversing and telling stories of past exploits.
"Oi, Oi! Here's one! So there was this gunship, ya? It had a few good missile pods on it. They were homing type. So- So it went down like this: I was flying perpendicular to it, ya? And then- and then it fired off ALL its missiles; All 20 to 30 some! Well I didn't like their gift, so I returned them."
"You flew right by em so the missiles would hit them? Classic..." The pilot that just spoke high fived the girl who was telling the story.
"You know it! But seriously...around 20 missiles? I felt bad for em... 20 missiles and one gunship..."
"And there wasn't anything left, Am I right?"

[NeoFox]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Hangar Bay M


Terra stopped and turned to the pilots who were talking about their exploits. "Sounds like you know how to pilot a ship." She said as she not so politely intervened.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting you men as you converse about your past exploits, but I kind of need some help..." She said as she politely sat down. "Mind helping a young lady?"

[S121]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Training Area

John did as he was told and removed his helmet. After that, he then entered the pod and relaxed. To him, it was similar to a cryopod, making it easier for him to ease into a relaxed state of mind. John laid in the pod, waiting to be taken into the simulation.





Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Main Observation Deck

"Yep, I already have that ability.", Cortana said to the officer, confirming his suspicions.

"And yes, I would like to modify my own simulation, thank you.", Cortana then added.

[Cucoo5]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Hangar Bay M

"Do I really sound like a guy?" The female pilot that had been telling the story leaned forward into view. Other girls and guys who were sitting on a cross beam above the area jumped down.
"Aye, what ya need, lassie?" One of the guys spoke up.

[MyHatismyFriend]

"Contact, eleven o'clock high."

The Operator froze. Threat parameters?

"Unarmed, but looking right at you. I think he sees you."

Alright. The Operator stayed perfectly still. We'll wait him out.

[NeoFox]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Hangar Bay M

"Oh sorry... it's kind of hard to discern between genders occasionally with this device I'm wearing." Terra responded as she removed her headpiece. As she did she turned to the man that just jumped down.
"I am with the New Genesis Hunter Force, and I have been tracking a certain someone. He is a very skilled fighter, and I have worked with him before. However he had gone missing a good few months ago, and I had tracked him to this very ship. Unfortunately my radar is not pin point accurate. All it shows is that he is on this ship right now. If any of you help me find him then there will be a decent reward."

[Cucoo5]

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Combat Simulation 1

Data uplink: Confirmed
Mental connection: Stable
Vitals: Optimal
Memory Modification: Processing...
.....
.....
.....
Done.

Beginning simulation.

CRASH!
"ARROW!"
"GAH!"
Aion had just hurtled himself into the main room of the building with the uplink terminal. He had his twin energy sabres, called D-Helix Sabres, combined into one dual edged broadsword he had rolled to a place along the wall out of the door as a sniper round struck the place where he was.
"Damn! They have snipers set already?!" Aion breathed heavily as he caught his breath.
"And their heavy armor just rolled in..." Said one of the Hunters, Eric.
"Looks like they're focusing on this building...we're trapped like rats..." Another man, Jonny, pointed out as he quickly peeked out a window.
"So we got the terminal secured and they just got reinforcements...now what?" Tom was scratching his head. "How the hell do we defend this place armed as we are with a bunch of rifles, your gunblades," He pointed to Aion, "...and whatever Chief has?"
"Ever the optimist, aren't ya Tommy?" Christina leaned against a stack of crates next to the stairs to the upper levels. "I say we get the hell out. We ain't cut for this. We're pilots, not foot soldiers. I personally would like to be looking at this from the sky."
"Aye...if we weren't on the ground we would have to just tango with their squadrons of Gunships..." Ian spoke up from the floor above.
"Well, we're not in the air. We'll have to make due. Our objective is to keep this terminal from falling into enemy hands. We just gotta figure out how to tackle Tanks and a lot of infantry." Aion checked his swords and made sure their edges energized correctly. "We could handle a handful of foot soldiers, but those tanks complicate things."
"Oi, Ace, one problem: We're surrounded. They got armor on the northeast and west sides. Everywhere south of here is open fields; no cover." Nic adjusted his rifle.
"What about the buildings to the north?" Aion looked sideways through the door, out of sight of the snipers. "Joe, what's your- Joe?" He then tapped his earpiece. "Joe, where you at?"
"Sitting nice and cozy in the buildings north of your position...there's a unit of infantry in the connecting building, but they don't know we're here. I'm with Elise, and we're thinking of ambushing these losers..." Joe spoke in a forced whisper.
"Easy mate, just sit tight a bit longer, we're trying to figure out how to manage this..."
"Alright, will do, Arrow."
"Ok...so any ideas?"
"You know mine, I say we go up north, plow through those infantry and get clear of this place." Chris shrugged. "Live to fight another day, I say."
"But if we run now, we'll lose this facility and that means losing the entire planet's defenses. We'd let the NGO get a major hold on this territory..."

---

Celestora System
Alcyon - Forest of Spirits

The man chuckled and jumped down and casually finished eating the fruit as he walked passed the Operator, as though going to someone else. Once he reached the lakeside, he stood waiting.

---

Helios System
Delta Division Flagship | Excalibur
Hangar Bay M

One of the girls that had jumped down threw an arm around Terra's shoulders. "Ha! Good thing you found us then! We happen to be some of the best trackers here! We'll find your man soon enough! We'll just need some information, some sort of DNA data...some Ha-"
"...or we could just ask one of the Hangar Management Officers for a Docking log of the past few hours." Stated a man with glasses who had a scholarly air about him.
"...Or we could just do that...! I was totally gonna say that!" The girl walked over to the scholarly man and messed up his hair.
"..............why do I put up with you..."
"Because you love us!" the girl hugged him and the rest of the group of 10 pilots laughed.