By Fox on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 10:28 pm:
| By Fox on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 10:28 pm: |
Fox silently tapped his foot on the cockpit as they cruized with the shuttle towards the planet. He wished they would do something other than wait but orders have not yet been given.
He switched on his mini-disc player to kill his bordom then hummed with the tune. It has been over an hour since their "encounter" and nothing had happened nor any news since then.
| By Jade on Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 02:27 am: |
The Falcon's sensors picked up the incoming VF long before any commication. As soon as the first warning light had flashed, Jade put aside her search of the star charts and disabled the Falcon's autopilot.
So focused on getting a reading on the incoming valkyrie, she barely registered Sanderson's discovery and resulting announcement. The tactical display showed nothing but friendlies but considering the day they'd had, Jade wasn't about to take anything for granted; she had the weapons deployed, armed and had her mouth open to challenge the newcomers when the young pilot announced herself.
"Attention UN Transport this is 2Lt. Natasha Darkstar of the SVF-241 Black Aces. We are stranded out here like you and detected you crash. We have one non fold capible shuttle with us." There was a short pause before she continued. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
She inhaled, about to respond when Vagabond beat her to it.
"SVF-241 Black Aces, this is Vagabond of the UNS Eagle. I've been running the recovery operation. Who is your senior officer?"
Jade had gotten used to being outranked, though a strange transition, it was still counter instictive to her nature to let others handle some situations. This was one of them. Something left over from officers training she supposed.
Still, she was charged with the care of those on board the Falcon and normally, when addressed, the craft addressed responded first. Not that she blamed Vagabond for taking lead, she'd likely have done the same although she wouldn't have parked infront of the flying arsenal that was the Falcon.
Jade ignited the engines and pulled up and towards starboard to keep a clear shot of the VF. It was inferred in the next communication that Vagabond believed the young pilot but Jade did not relax her grip on the trigger. With all the uncertainties and double agents that abounded in this sector of the RIM, she'd be stupid to have done otherwise. She waited paitently, watching.
Something about the Pilot's story, as it unfolded, just didn't sit well with her. A Squadron of Thunderbolts and one non-fold capable shuttle out in the middle of nowhere with no way home. AND they just happened to end up in the same system as the Eagle. Not that anyone could have predicted the Eagle's demise or location but she'd seen stranger coincidences on the Aerie.
"Bishop..." Jade's tone was that of the Falcon's pilot to the co-pilot. "...check the long range sensors for signs of other VFs and a shuttle."
So far she'd refrained from getting missle lock on the VF but she didn't need one with the Valkyrie transmitting it's IFF signal. It'd be swarmed with missles marked as friendly fire unless the pilot had manually changed the Falcon's signature like Jade had done to hers. Either way, the pilot wouldn't know the Falcon was ready to loose hell.
For now she just waited for confimation of the other supposed VFs and Shuttle. It didn't really make things better but it did add credibility to the girl's story. You don't give numbers to your enemy in most cases unless you're demanding surrender or bluffing. And right now, 10 Thunderbolts and a shuttle against the Falcon and the 2 nearby Silverhawks would be a tough fight. Merely a gust in their hurricane.
| By Yamada Jiro, 1st Lt. on Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 05:19 am: |
Despite the seeming stillness of a valkyrie floating in space, the cockpit of the Tin Man II was ablaze with activity, none of it good.
One hand danced over the radar, calling up target after target, affirming the friendly IFF, yet continuously rotating through the list, as if searching for something that he had missed. The other hand jittered about the cockpit, never quite touching buttons, but always come ever so close. And in his mind, the scene where his valkyrie knocked Prather's valkyrie into the midst of the fire fight replayed endlessly.
I didn't mean to! The thought echoed hollowly through his skull, randomly bouncing about and unlocking memories from the neurons where they were stored. A thought of seeing Prather for the first time, nearly six and a half feet of blue-haired scarecrow. A thought of his favorite childhood TV show. His sister laying on hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her head. The bullies who had pantsed him in front of the older seventh grade girls.
A continuous stream of random memories, all playing a tune around the single horrifying moment when Prather's Thud had been decimated by a million pointed lights.
He had thought it would be easier with each passing of a comrade. He had almost hoped that death would be a common occurence for him, leaving only dried tears and a solemn farewell, before the implications of his selfishness shattered him into a million panicked pieces. Slowly, his mind trickled down to a blur, then a drip, then nothing. Words failed him. Thoughts failed him. Even concepts failed him. And he had failed his own squadron. Here they stood before him, broken toys of an errant god that played at war with firecrackers. Twisted hunks of metal peppered the area, twinkling in the reflected light of the planet. Here and there, bright streaks of color erupted across the planet's skin as various objects burned up upon entry.
So pretty, came his first thought in the past few minutes. People will look up and see the multitude of streaks, coloring the sky in a blaze of light.
It was comforting to him, somehow, thinking that the destruction of something so great could be a small joy in some innocent person's life. He latched onto the thought, ignoring the other, grimmer complications of the Eagle crashing into a planet. What he needed was peace, relief from the pains so recently inflicted. He needed to retreat from the horrors outside. He needed the coward's path.
| By Capt Bernard Gerling, -Ronin- on Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 06:22 am: |
Out in the far reaches of space, a countdown had finished.
Laser Link "Club flight, directional sensors have indicated that Spade flight has reached orbit. Hit your boosters and catch up to them."
"It's estimated that we'll arrive in orbit about an hour and a half after you arrive. So we'll be right behind you."
He hated this, being stuck so far away from the action, but this shuttle wasn't equipped with even a short range fold booster. Somewhere along the line something had happened...and it wasn't good. He found himself again fiddling with the power distribution systems wondering if he could milk more thrust out of the engines. And of course having already done all he could with those systems a while ago, he couldn't.
| By Rembrandt De Los Santos on Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 08:17 pm: |
Remy grunted, "There's nothing for you to do, sir." The last word came out rather bitingly, "We're gonna depressurize and push it back into space. You don't have a suit. We'll get him out. It would be best if you'd go into the main cabin. You know, lack of oxygen and all..."
Remy turned to face Rivel's direction and looked to him. "Just a bit longer Nick, I'll have ya out of there." Remy took Nick's grapple and secured it to a bracket on the hold.
He spoke into the TacNet next, "Jade, if you get any..." he searched for the word, "funny alarms from the hold. It's just me... so don't worry."
Remy moved to the Bay controls and waited for the others to clear the bay so he could begin depressurization.
| By Warlock on Friday, September 20, 2002 - 07:38 am: |
(OOC: This is a reply to Kanzaki Kyoko's post and hopefully it will bring Murdoch up to speed.}
From his vantage point, it took Murdoch a few moments to actually realize that something was wrong. In the jungle below him there was the wreckage of a downed Valkyrie, which given the circumstances wouldn't seem to be strange. However it seemed out of place and actually echoed the whole situation, cause it was a Nightmare. Unfortunately the Eagle didn't officially carry any as part of her mecha complement, which caused him to be concerned. Perhaps the enemy weren't too far off...
The loss of Ishtar still weighted heavily on his manhood and it would take him some time to get over it. So the trek through the jungle was difficult and physically demanding, Murdoch's crash landing took more of a toll then he realized and it would begin to show in the long run. More than once he'd have to stop to catch his breath, but the thought of what he might find kept him going.
Murdoch finally arrived to his destination just in time to see an apparently wounded female take cover behind the Nightmares leg thrusters. Something about her looked familiar, the sweat in his eyes made it hard to identify her. But then something clicked and he remember a talk long ago with Ivanov...
"Have a safe trip, Kid..." Murdoch said with his traditional sadistic grin, as he placed a hand on his young friend's shoulder. Ivanov had just been promoted and he knew she'd stand out among the crew of the Corsair. "Just try to stay out of trouble, I hear the Captain can be difficult at times."
Her response had been just a smile and an innocent wave, unfortunately that would be there last encounter. Murdoch remember this day because she was the second and last Phantom he had said goodbye to that night. But behind her stood another pilot...
...the young women who now stood hidden in the shadow of her Nightmare and she looked like she was in trouble. So Murdoch knew he needed to help, but he couldn't from his hiding place in the jungle. So he'd have to introduce himself...
"Don't be alarmed, I won't hurt you." Murdoch said as he approached her position, he took off his sidearm and held it out to his side. He walked slow in attempt to avoid coming across as being hostile. "My name's Murdoch, I'm here to help..."
| By Mark Sanderson (Bishop) on Friday, September 20, 2002 - 04:17 pm: |
Bishop brought up the radar screen on the console in front of his chair. Doing a quick sensor sweep a few blips showed up on the screen. He switched off his channel with the major.
“That’s what I got so far…There’s a few more with active transponders doing nothing. They must have been some of the evacuated crew. I’m not picking up anything out of the ordinary.”
He took a long look at the planet below them.
“We can’t stay here forever. I wonder what’s taking so long?”
| By Drache (D) on Friday, September 20, 2002 - 10:58 pm: |
One of the few things Kim prided himself on was his ability to read people. To know their emotions and sense their intentions. Araika was someone he'd spent more than a fair amount of time observing since New Pen and even more since leaving Shangri-La.
Although he was far from total understanding of the rebellious wildfire, a blind, deaf mute would have been able to tell she was hurting. He just couldn't tell how bad. More than she'd ever let on which meant it was fairly serious. Not that there was anything he could do about it yet. She'd have to hold on by herself which he had no doubt she could do. She was a survivor that relied on no one if she could help it.
Must be eating her up to have to be saved like this and after our last conversation, maybe it's best her VF can't fight.
Kim's thoughts were right to the core of the irony. Whether she had any connection to recent events or not, Kim was not about to let her die, though her strained attempt at humor was likely sent to gauge his intentions. Which could only mean that his message had been understood.
Kim rubbed his chin thoughtfully, partially remorseful. He still truly hoped his fears about his old classmate were just that, fears but he still couldn't disregard the information in his head. The memories neither.
"Alright Spades. Here's what we're gonna do..."
Though it had only been a few seconds, Kim's response was delayed enough that Araika would know that Kim had been weighing options. She probably had been expecting him to dump her at first chance and was expecting it still.
No, that's not what he'd do but he was going to have to dump her Valkyrie. But not yet.
"In about five minutes we're gonna come back around the planet, close to where the Eagle folded in. I'm gonna use the planet to slingshot us out of orbit so we can pick up Cedua."
Kim's inner tactician has easily planned everything up to this point but once they picked up Ced he had no idea what to do except get everyone planetside somehow.
"I've got to use your VF to balance Kit's during that manuever but once we've reached escape velocity there's little point in holding on." He almost paused but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea so he didn't stop for breath. "We're gonna need to get either you or your cockpit out of there."
This time he did pause as he knew full well what his next question could mean.
"So, does that thing have integrity enough to detach? And what's your life support status?"
The last part was added as an afterthought though an important one. Just detaching the cockpit didn't mean it was capable of supporting her for very long. And this time he hoped she'd be open with him. Her life very well depended on it.
| By Kanzaki Kyoko on Saturday, September 21, 2002 - 05:27 am: |
Kyoko heard the muted roar of another VF's engines and looked from her place in the shadows to find yet another VF-11 hovering and circling the sky above her. It bore the same markings as the one which had landed and there was no doubt in her mind that they were definately a team. Shimatta! There's no way I can take on two of them without my 17 fully operational... She kept her eyes opened for the grounded VF-11's pilot as she waited in the shadows and mulled over her options, however little they seemed to be. Face them and maybe get out of here alive or be killed in the process... Or surrender.
The foliage directly opposite of her, near where the beach ended and the forest/jungle began, rustled and a man stepped out into the open expanse of the beach. Kyoko stiffened and brought her weapon to bear on him, her hand shaking ever so slightly even as she fought to steady it. She was quite a sight to behold, what with her short, shoulder length tea-coloured hair framing a naturally pale face which showed clear signs of fatigue and pain. Her flightsuit still bore streaks of dried blood, a disturbingly dark crimson color against the suit's black, which was especially prominent along a foot long gash that ran down her left thigh and was obviously the reason why she was leaning so heavily against the Nightmare's leg.
"Murdoch? Just wh-who are you? Which unit were you attached to?" Kyoko spoke up, watching cautiously as the man approched her slowly and held out his sidearm to show her he wasn't hostile. He was close enough that Kyoko could identify his flightsuit as that of the Spacy's but couldn't make out his unit patches. "Stop right there. Answer my questions first and put your sidearm on the ground or I'll be forced to shoot." Kyoko gestured for him to comply with her demands as the man named Murdoch reached the ground 10 feet away from her. Her voice was wavering and her vision was blurry as she repeated her request. "Do it now."
| By Blaze on Saturday, September 21, 2002 - 11:35 pm: |
"Alright, Spades. Here's what we're gonna do..."
He paused, hesitating for a few seconds. Araika couldn't help but flick her eyes back to her console. He was improvising. She knew that hesitance well. The Malak Cunning was well in the works, and if she had the strength, she would groan. She closed her eyes momentarily, before opening them again once he continued speaking.
As risky as the plan sounded, Araika took it in good stride. She weighed the suggestion inside her head, though it was given more like an order than anything else. She gripped her control stick tightly, and grunted with effort as her other hand came up to work whatever remained of her cockpit. Fire spread through her limbs, but while it tended to fog any other person's senses, it only sharpened hers to the moment. This was crucial, after all.
There were a few moments of silence. Her eyes flicked over to the life support systems gauge that had been beeping red in the last half hour or so. She didn't have much left. But it was intact enought to detach. Red continued to swirl in her vision.
"I don't have much time left," she told Kim bluntly, in the steeliest voice she could muster. "But I can detach. If it'll take y'more time to get us planetsi', I'll -make- th'goddamned time stretch. S'long as you get Jones."
| By 1st Lt. Krystal Thornton (Doc) on Sunday, September 22, 2002 - 10:53 pm: |
Krystal waited.
"Sir, permission to ask all Spacy personnel out there to make their way to Lt Kanzaki's position? I want to set up a First Aid point and it would be the perfect spot for rallying." She hoped Major Martin would agree.
| By Warlock on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 09:49 am: |
"Special attachment, UNS Eagle..." Murdoch replied as he took one final step, but his weapon still remained holstered and out to his side. Only if the situation actually deteriorated to the point of no return, would he surrender his weapon. "...under the command of Colonel Craig. You have no reason to be afraid Lieutenant, I'm here to help. But if the Major hits the deck and eye's you holding me at gun point, then I'd wager he'd court martial you for not pulling the trigger."
Murdoch finished with a smile and gave Kyoko a sincere puppy dog look. He was fatigued and needed to rest, but he knew she was in worse shape than he was and needed to be looked after. But having the gun pointed in his direction, wasn't the way he wanted to end this day. So he'd do his best to get her to relax, cause the wound needed to be attained too.
"At ease, Lieutenant..." Murdoch said calmly and with as much charm as he could have mustered. He wasn't aware that the Corsait shared the same fate as the Eagle, for the simple fact he had been stuck in the hangar bay for the duration. "What's the status on the Corsair and have you been in contact with Captain Kage?"
| By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 10:23 pm: |
Taking up position between the Falcon and the newcomers had a dual purpose: first, to set himself up as the authority and main point of attention, and second, to mask any appearance the Falcon had of being fully operational and dangerous. If there were enemies here, then the Falcon could very well be an ace in the hole.
Of course, that all appeared to be moot. For all the information Amaris had available indicated quite strongly that this woman was who she claimed to be. Her story--at least, the technical details--matched the sensor readings. Why the hell they'd been sent here from Shangri-La and subsequently abandoned was something else entirely. The story was so ludicrous that it almost had to be true. Even the worst liar could have come up with something more substantial.
Still, Amaris was wary. If she was telling the truth, and they'd been sent out here on a rescue mission...then who were they sent to rescue? Was there someone else in trouble out here? If so, who, and where were they? And if not...then what was the real reason the Black Aces were brought to the ass-end of space?
For that's where they were. The man on the Falcon had said it, and the woman hadn't contradicted him--he'd really have to get them to identify themselves later, but for now this would have to do: they weren't in UN space. They were in uncharted territory, perhaps a place the old REF might have one day surveyed, had it survived to do so. But there was nothing out here. Nothing at all to help them.
A fold communication to High Command back on Earth was really the only thing Amaris could think of. There was nothing close, so he may as well send a communiqué to one place he knew he could trust. Even Shangri-La, the main staging point for the Eagle on numerous occasions, was now suspect.
That could wait until the rescue and salvage operation was finished, though. And for now, his top priority was his own people. If there was a ship out here that had sent a mayday--well, perhaps they would hear that distress call eventually. Regardless, they had to get planetside and regroup.
With all that had gone wrong today, the fact that there was a planet capable of sustaining human life below them gave Amaris a creeping, prickling sense of foreboding. But they had no other choice...just as they practically had no choice but to accept the help of these Black Aces. Without those FAST Packs, none of them but the Falcon, Malak, and Murdoch could break atmosphere. Even if they did get that signal out to Earth, Amaris didn't like the idea of being trapped on-planet unnecessarily.
They were all in this together, and they'd get out of it together.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I can use your help, and that of the others, if they can boost ahead to offer assistance. We need to get these damaged VFs down to the planet. We have an LZ picked out near where the ship crashed. Coordinate with my people to get us all down there, and then we'll work out a survival plan for our wait for a rescue. I have a VF-19 slinging back around in orbit of the planet. That's our first priority, making sure it is able to slow and join our position, and that the Thunderbolts it was assisting are secured. If you could go and help them, I'd appreciate it. There must be something wrong with the Excalibur, as it doesn't seem to have enough power to break its own inertia. Your assistance is most needed there." He paused. "Thank you."
Amaris cut the line and opened a direct laser to the Falcon behind him. "Falcon, I see you're ready to handle these guys if there's a problem. Good. Keep weapons powered up and ready and watch out, but don't acquire any locks yet. I don't want them to know that you're viable. If worse comes to worst, you'll be our backup. Keep an eye on the Black Aces as they assist us. If you spot any treachery whatsoever, you have the authority to blow them out of the sky. Understood?"
He took a long, slow breath, mind racing. "And go ahead and give them the LZ I asked you for. Oh, and one other thing. Have you been tracking the VFs? I know it's been hectic, so I'll understand if you haven't, but I was wondering if you knew how many had made it out, and if they're all accounted for. I...wasn't able to keep track. Vagabond out."
That last had even surprised Amaris as he'd said it...but he knew by now he could trust the woman at the helm of the Falcon to be professional and careful. There was no point in playing politics with her. He only hoped that his straightforwardness would be met with cooperation.
Amaris craned his neck around Thornton, checking to see if he could find the location of that Aces XO who had ignored him and streaked down to the planet. There were a few metal signatures down there...Overtechnology...but his sensors weren't quite good enough to tell him which mecha they were, and he sighed.
At that point, Lieutenant Thornton made her suggestion, and he smiled affably at her. "Yes, Lieutenant, that would be best. I think we have more damaged craft than undamaged, though, and that means if we can hold off for just a few minutes until the Aces can help us down, we'll likely be able to salvage everything. I don't want to take any chances in that atmosphere."
He opened up a general channel, boosting the signal as best he could so that it would reach to the incoming shuttle and fighters. "Black Aces, this is Vagabond of the UNS Eagle. I'm coordinating the regrouping and rescue of all Eagle and Corsair personnel. 2nd Lieutenant Natasha Darkstar has offered her services to us, and we would appreciate the assistance of the rest of you as well. I haven't been in contact with your XO, as he is currently on the planet attempting to assist a mecha that crashed down there, but I assume he is at or near the position where we will all be convening. In any case, I'd like the authority of whoever is in charge of your group to officially assume command of the Black Aces for the duration of the rescue operation. Your CO will maintain direct command, of course, but we need some organization here."
That was an understatement.
Amaris paused. He didn't want to assume agreement, but given the condition of his people's mecha, he didn't want to waste time, either. They were going to the planet soon...and an assisted fall would be preferable.
"Our first priority is getting down to the planet. If possible, I need as many fighters as you can spare to burn ahead and assist us in getting our damaged mecha through the atmosphere. Your FAST Packs will be quite helpful here. I've sent Lieutenant Darkstar around the planet to assist one of my people in a slingshot maneuver, but the rest of the mecha up here needs assistance as well. My wingman and I will be coordinating, as we don't have the FAST Packs necessary to get us out of the atmosphere if needs be. Hopefully, since there are so many of you, we can get everyone down at once, but if multiple trips are necessary, we can deal with that."
Hopefully he hadn't just said all that in vain. But if the Aces cooperated, it should be a snap for himself, Sirocco, and the Falcon to remain up here, watching as the Aces and the Hawks who were relatively undamaged carted all the damaged mecha to be salvaged down to Kanzaki's position near the downed Eagle. The Falcon would be in the perfect spot to shoot down any traitors, should that be necessary, and from this vantage point Amaris would be able to keep track of everything. Once everyone was through the atmosphere, Amaris would follow, and then finally the Falcon.
Then, once on the ground, they'd set up some sort of structure, and Thornton could begin treating the wounded. It was a good thing Amaris had managed to get the medic off the Eagle. He couldn't help a surge of guilty pride at that thought, but he clamped it down. There was enough about this day to atone for that one singular achievement wasn't anything to be happy about.
He sucked in a breath and waited for the response from the Black Aces CO.
OOC: Assuming the Aces agree, I think we can all get down to the planet in just a few posts. No need to drag this out any longer.
| By Kanzaki Kyoko on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 11:01 pm: |
Kyoko blinked once to clear her blurry vision, then another time but nothing changed. Her arms and legs felt weak, her breathing was light and shallow and she felt a cold sweat break out on her brow. ... All the symptoms of shock... She had seen this happen many times before as a nurse before joining the Spacy and she knew that it could be fatal if left untreated. The blood loss had taken it's toll on her body, so it seemed. The man named Murdoch kept talking but Kyoko's hearing kept fading in and out and she only caught the tail-end of his sentence and his question about the Corsair. Kyoko visibly relaxed at that final sentence; Only the Eagle crew knew that the Corsair had been the only PT-Boat within a lightyear of the final battle.
"Th-The Corsair's go-gone." She stammered, finding it harder to mouth the words through lips blue from lack of blood. She licked her lips to moisten them and realised just how thirsty she was. The hand holding the gun fell to her side and the UNSpacy Lieutenant leaned against the VF with her head tilted back, looking up at the clear, blue sky.
"It speared itself i-into the Eagle and they both went down together, right into the lake... I think." She closed her eyes and thought of AJ and Slade, their bodies stuck within the watery tomb that was the last remains of the two UNSpacy ships. The fingers of her right hand clicked the safety on and she let her sidearm fall to the ground with a dull thump. "Captain Kage... No, I haven't been in contact with any of the Corsair's crew. When I woke up in my Nightmare, I-I was the only one there, as far as I could tell. I'm sure the Captain made it off alive with the rest of the bridge crew..." -- Kyoko smiled with her eyes closed as she remembered the first time she had met the Captain and the first time she had boarded the Corsair -- "He-He's the sort of man who wouldn't let a small thing lik-like crashing into a capital ship kill him. I-I'm su-sure they ma-made it out, al-all of them...."
Her last sentence tapered out into silence and she swayed slightly, like a candlelight flame dancing in the wind, before she stumbled and fell forward, unconcious...
| By Warlock on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 01:09 am: |
"No..." Murdoch exclaimed as he reached out to Kyoko, as he watched her slip into unconsciousness. Without a second thought, Murdoch raced to her side and lowered her into a supine position. The loss of blood and her wound would make it difficult for him to treat her by himself. But the first thing you learn in any life support course is if they don't breath, they don't live. So he began to breath for the young pilot and after a few moments of oxygenating her system, he left to retrieve the medkit from the fallen Nightmare.
Not again, I'm not losing anybody else today...
"Lieuteant, don't you leave me..." Murdoch demanded as he placed the nonrebreather mask on her face, then watched her chest rise and fall. He felt relief that at least her breathing was under control, now he'd have to attend to the wound which had covered her flight suit in a crimson bath. "Come on Kid, stay with ME!!"
(OOC: I hope I wasn't too forward, but it's kind of difficult to judge the advances in life support technology. So I'd at least figure there's a nonrebreather mask now that doesn't need that huge oxygen tank.)
| By Drache (D) on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 02:19 am: |
"Don't you worry about Jones. I'm not letting someone as cute as that drift out into space without saying goodbye."
Kim would have winked into the pickup if Araika's VF was accepting visuals. He was really only trying to keep her focused and conscious. Fortunately, he had some cards in reserve.
"Besides, you, Ced, Fazia and I never finished those drinks..."
Kim kept talking for the next few minutes, recounting the incident with the ladies at the SL bar and remarkably, later on, he'd barely remember any of it. Not that it really mattered. His surface thoughts were far from anything of import. The whole time he talked, Kim was busy at work setting things up for when they exited the planet's pull.
The trio of VFs rolled, pitched, and altered course and speed all at the direction of his central Excalibur. As he finished his last calculation, the planet's horizon started to glow with the light of the nearby star. The dayside and their exit point approached.
"...so I never much got anything out of Walker if you know what I mean. Struck me as kind of a washout."
Kim shook his head when he realized he'd been recounting their training at New Pen. How he'd migrated to that time period he didn't know and it kind of creeped him out that he'd let his mouth wander so.
It wasn't like him to be loose lipped at all but considering the circumstances, it was a choice he'd made in trade. The payoff...he'd worry about later.
"Alright...hang on over there. Commencing burn in 5...4...3...2...1...mark."
The Excal's powerful engines ignited with full force, pushing at Kim and everything else.
"First one...to pass out...buys the next bottle."
The words were forced out through clenched teeth but he dare not let the silence linger during the next few seconds. The Gs were unavoidable and things would be easier if Araika were still conscious after the burn was over. He had to take a long, slow breath before he could speak again.
"And...no one re...tires...until the bottle is finished." He finished suddenly as the pressure eased.
Maximum thrust had been achieved, the trio emerged, and there, way in the distance was Cedua's VF.
It wasn't visible to the naked eye but Kim had locked it in before slinging around and his calculations were right on. Using the planet's gravity, along with a controlled burn, they were on a high speed intercept course to pick up the departing VF.
Now, he needed to dump some ballast or he'd never slow down when the time came. He killed thrust, released his grip on Kit's VF and loosened the one on Araika's, keeping just enough hold to keep it from drifting away.
"Still with me Spades? Time to detach that thing and lose the weight."
They had a little time before they intercepted Cedua so Kim took a moment to check the sensors for any of the others. He couldn't get a reading on Warlock but Gideon was still in orbit where he'd left him and he was picking up random signals amongst the debris. There were a few active signals coming from Vagabond, Sirocco, Jiro, the Falcon and a VF from Shangri-La.
"Shangri-La?" Confused irony laced his offline comment.
They were all quite some distance away and his course would take him further. The planet was no longer blocking signals however so Kim fired up the Silverhawks frequency once more. And since he had no way of knowing the current situation or whether there were unwanted listeners, he improvised.
"Drache here. Prodigal son and daughters returned from the darkside. Harboring a weak Blaze, an unrisen Phoenix and got a Maniac waiting."
Hopefully Vagabond or at least Jiro would understand. He didn't believe it was possible to be too cautious. Anyway, he got his Excal ready for Spades while he waited for a response.
| By Capt. Bernard Gerling ~Ronin~ on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 09:12 am: |
Gerling sat and listened to the communication from Vagabond. So it was the Eagle as well as the Corsair. That explained why the mass was too big for it to just be the cruiser.
Flicking as much power into the transmission as he could, to reach the planetary area, he replied.
"Acknowledged Vagabond, Black Aces Club flight is en route, and they should be at your position within the hour. ETA for my shuttle to arrive at your position is a little over two hours from now. We have a emergency response medical team on board and will join you at the rendezvous point on planet as soon as possible. Over."
It would seem good fortune had fallen on someone, the four emergency medical technitions strapped into the passenger's seats back in the hold would probably go a long way to helping save lives. As for the shuttle....the thrusters would need time to cool down before she would take off again. But they had to arrive first.
| By Jade on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 11:45 am: |
"Roger Vagabond, transmitting now."
She had to switch hands, left on stick with her right taping keys, sending the coordinates to the new arrivals. She was used to making that type of transition and though she didn't remember if she'd been born ambidextrous, there was so little difference between which hand she used it really didn't matter. Years of piloting and working with her hands had given equal use with either hand.
Coordinates sent, Jade went about the second task. The Falcon had a better sensor package than most VFs and had done rather well at keeping track of the Eagle's survivors but there was only so much debris the Falcon could sift through.
"Vagabond..." Jade kept the private laser link active. "...I'm not able to pierce the debris field but I'm getting scattered signals from that area. Could be anything. As for VFs, I've got positive IFF signals from Lts. Yamada, Al Hamza, Jordan, Jones and yourself. And of course our new friend."
She was just about to comment on the missing VF-19s that had been around earlier, it hadn't quite registered with her that one of those was John's, but before she could say anything, 3 new readings popped up on her screen and a signal came in on the Silverhawks frequency.
"Drache here. Prodigal son and daughters returned from the darkside. Harboring a weak Blaze, an unrisen Phoenix and got a Maniac waiting."
The familiar voice was that of John's wingman but Jade still got no reading from John's VF.
"That would be Malak, Faloise and....Malak?" Jade finished slightly confused. There were two Malaks?
"That's all I'm getting Vagabond. Sorry."
She was sorry for two reasons. One, that she couldn't confirm more survivors and sorry that she couldn't find the one she was looking for.
Since she had to wait for things in the Falcon's hold to be resolved, Jade set about a search for Ishtar.
| By Cpt. Forte Gospel (Cosmo_Dragoon) on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 03:12 pm: |
Forte quickly rushed to the scene as Lt. Kanzaki had begun to slip away into a deep sleep. as he arrived he had seen the sight of someone he had never seen before, that being Murdoch. "I take it you replied to the distress signal as well?" Forte said quietly as he set do the emergency lifesupport/firstaid equipment on the ground.
"We need to get her on lifesupport as quickly as possible, and judging from her condition I'd say we dare not move her untill a shuttle arrives." That being said Forte opened up the case and placed the oxygen mask over her mouth and activated it as quickly as possible. "All that's left now is to hope she pulls through till a med team arrives. I'm Captain Forte Gospel, name and rank please."
| By Warlock on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 04:29 pm: |
"God damn it..." Murdoch exclaimed as he glanced up from the fallen Kyoko. He had been thankful that the breathing had been so easy to get under control, but unfortunately the bleeding was not. The words of the new arrival flew past his head like a kite, Murdoch still suffered from the effects of his crash landing and his state would soon deteriorate. "What the HELL are they teaching you guys at the academy?! Leave the nonrebreather mask alone and give me a hand, I can't get her bleeding under control."
Murdoch then glanced up and took a second to let the image of the new arrival bleed into his sight, the sweat which still burned in his eyes made it difficult. It felt as if everyone and everything was against him on this day, which probably won't be that far from the truth. But he'd be damned if Kyoko didn't make it through the night.
"Captain, look around..." Murdoch said with a hint of frustration and the image of the burning hulk of the Eagle in the background. His cup was almost full of know-it-all officers and he'd rather be alone than have to deal with it anymore. However given the circumstances that just wasn't an option, he'd have to deal the cards he had been dealt. "I don't think any Med Team is going to be here anytime soon, we're all she's got and if you don't help me she'll die. Now get down here and help me, I need you to apply pressure while I try to get this under control. Captain?!"
(OOC: Sorry Gospel, I didn't mean to come across as an ass on our first meeting. But you'll get used to me style.)
| By Warlock on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 04:31 pm: |
(OOC: ...and the fact that I need to proof read me posts better.)
| By Cpt. Forte Gospel (Cosmo_Dragoon) on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 05:54 pm: |
Forte listened to the words Murdoch spewed out and replied in kind. "Actually, her distress has been heard and hopefully someone will arrive, moveover you need to take the bass out of your voice and focus more on the patient than ruffled feathers."
Quickly Forte began to apply pressure to Kyoko's wound, "Listen I need you to open that kit and we'll try to close up her wounds and best we can so we can concentrate on other areas. I know what you've been through and now isn't the time to argue, right now we've got to turn our attention to her."
| By Warlock on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 07:50 pm: |
"That should hold for now..." Murdoch stated as he glanced up at Gospel and then turned his attention back to Kyoko. It was with his help that the bleeding was now under control, but his body was beaten and the adrenaline had started to wear off so he'd begin to feel the pain. But for now it would be up to him to make sure his new friend was stable. "Next time Captain, do me a favor and save the lectures until after she's out of danger. Because until someone hopefully arrives, her life is in my hands and I take that responsiblity very seriously."
Murdoch checked the fallen pilot's pulse in an attempt to track her condition, her breathing seemed normal and the bleeding was controlled. So he double checked the nonrebreather mask and made sure she was getting enough oxygen.
"Kyoko, can you hear me?!" Murdoch requested as he leaned forward and called out to her. He found out her name from the patch on her flight suit and he hoped to get some type of response. The way she blacked out concerned him and he won't leave her side until help arrived. "...you're safe now."
| By Kanzaki Kyoko on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 09:02 pm: |
"Ugh..." Kyoko groaned out in response to Murdoch's voice but didn't open her eyes. Her body shifted slightly and she groaned again before settling down. Her chest rose and fell at slow, regular intervals and her face had lost the look of pain that had marked it just minutes ago.
The two men had done their job well and it seemed that the worse had passed for now. Her vitals were stable but they would have to get her real medical attention within the next couple of hours or her condition would deteriorate and take a turn for the worse. Hopefully, the aid that Captain Forte had mentioned would arrive here soon.
Her hair fell lightly over her face, framing and covering her oriental features with a tea-colored curtain. She looked so peaceful, a remarkable contrast against her torn and bloodied flightsuit. It seemed it would be best to let her sleep for the moment, until help did arrive.
| By Heather (Illusion) on Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - 09:12 am: |
OOC: Continued here.