"Plus Burgodal, don't lie to the poor thing. I have it on good authority that many people find me scary." She says with a laugh.
Regis laughs back. "Perhaps when you're in a HUNTER suit, but that's hardly unique in this group, darling."
"Still, my vote's also for the wall mission. It does seem more urgent, and dealing with this mysterious threat will be a good look for us. Especially if we can find and rescue the scout."
Hive stares blankly as the group converses about the job. As it notices a majority vote its antenna droop as it gets up and buzzes off down the P-way toward the lab.
Moments later Domino emerges from the lab with Hive on her back. "I believe there may be more to the dump issue than what the post lets on. However, that's the fault of the poster, and they will have to deal with the repercussions of that. But I concur that the wall issue does appear to be the more pressing issue." Domino says without looking up from her PD. With Hive's head peeking over Domino's shoulder looking at the rest of the group.
"Ugh. Put me down for 'not the dump', thank you. I'm pretty sure Seracorp would actually kill me if the first thing I did was send their new designer Suit wading through literal garbage."
Regis clasps his hands. "Then it's unanimous! Hopefully some other hunters will handle the Dodogama problem before the garbage starts piling up."
He begins the process of signing the team up for the "Something outside the walls" job. It's slightly more frustrating than it needs to be - clearly this job board was not designed to be intuitive for touchscreen interfaces.
A pity I don't have the use of my optic anymore. Best to keep acting like I'm using this archaic smartphone as a fashion statement.
As all of you come to an agreement there is a ping in all of your optical HUD's. the GUILD sending out a confirmation. About an hour later the client calling in to a communal line playing over the loud speakers.
Hello? This is Col. Hildebrand on the southern wall. The GUILD said this was a good contact line for the team that will be aiding us going forward
Domino locates the Com Box to reply to the announcement. "Your information was correct Col. Hildebrand."
Col. Hildebrand continues. "Good. Currently our scout is out in the southern forest. Last known location is 35.461W, -78.569N. His position hasn't moved in 23 hours; Life support indictes stability though o2 in the cabin will only last for another 6 hours on low power mode. Sending over information." in the holo deck of the main living area shows a strange cavern only slightly underground about 100 miles due south of the main southern wall.
"Will we also lose comms when entering the area of concern, are there any updates we should be informed of, and are there any known hazards in the area we should be aware of?"
there is a moment of pause before the call returns "I'll be honest, I can't answer that. Your com link might be better than what our scouts have. As well he was a freelancer, who knows what set up he has.There is a bit of distortion any time the monster is around the cameras. Not uncommon with monsters with electrical powers.
" Very good, we will need topographic maps of the area and any blueprint of the cave system sent to us as soon as possible. We will be in route momentarily." domino motions to see if anyone has anything to add.
In a moment there is a loading screen and you hear Amanda on the other line. "Please note no sortie has been authorized for this squadron! standby for authorization." after about 20 minutes the map loads
" Green light! for.....wow! you don't have a team name yet...you guys got anything? I need something for the books...
"We're Team Sirocco Bolero." Eleanor states with ironclad determination that tolerates no arguement.
If anyone looks at her, she looks back with her arms crossed.
"What? I dance. What of it?" She says snappishly.
"It is a fine name as long as I do not have to dance." He comments looking through his optics and interfacing with the mech hangar to begin powering up and system checking his suit.
Amanda talks over the loud speaker "Okay...and registered. Sirocco Bolero, set to commence sortie at 0530 hours. Still need to give the maintenance teams a proper turn over on the HUNTER suits. Take some time to review the map. As well you may need to try and do a little research on what kind of monster you are hunting since a positive ID was not established. In the meantime we will work to establish drone coverage in the area to begin searching the last known location for the scout. Now that the GUILD is officially involved we can dispatch a small medical extraction team to get the pilot out.
"I have a feeling I might know what we could be dealing with" Domino plus out her PD searching the database for a thunder-type monster that prefers to live in dark cave systems, like the Khezu. Also cross-referencing habitat range.
"You can never trust basic data on these things. Could be anything and everything. Variants, mutations, an elaborate set up by a third party." Eleanor is in a much chipper mood now that she has an official deployment time. She decides to spend her time getting the lay of the land from the Guild database while humming a tune.
You look over the map, nothing exciting, the land is slightly uneven, and that might cause issues if you weren't in hunter suits, there is a decent clearing outside of the treeline that is still inside the designated hunt zone. If you look into any notes about who controls this area, after "The Families War" of 2146 (current year is 2235). An off limits area designated by the GUILD, for the purpose of reestablishing an ecosystem in the region. The section of land was designated to expand with rate of growth for a period of 100 years before having a final cut-off. in that time it has tripled in size, much to the dismay of Seraph LLC. who owns the neighboring land.
Hmm and who are Seraph? Eleanor's eyes glow softly as she uses her optics to search the Guild database and the interwebnetz for anything on Seraph LLC. She leans on the railing in the hangar as she does so, partially watching the preparations for the mission.
From what you can dig up on public channels, Seraph LLC is a research and development company. working to advance technology for the betterment of the world. GUILD files turn up something a bit more interesting. Seraph LLC primarily is a weapons manufacturer, sometimes the tech they produce can be used more in the medical sphere, so they market themselves as such, offering a number of medical products on the consumer market. Seems that one document in the GUILDS possession is for a gun for a HUNTER suit that would destroy things at the atomic level without the harm of radiation. Turns out it couldn't eat shields quickly enough for the client but it was shockingly effective at destroying cancer cells. Now Seraph LLC is seen as a hero amoungst those who can afford it.
They seem to be in good standing wit the guild and a number of donations are on the books, but there are a few blackout out notes, from the small bit of context you can dig up you see they have been charged a few times for some strange fee that doesn't quite correlate to a poaching charge.
Domino collects data on the Tobi Kadachis, and saves the info on the Khezu and the Zinogre in case an anomaly occurs or her evaluation is possibly incorrect.
" Based on a statistical analysis of monster movement in the area, cross-referenced with minimal data received in the report. I deduce with some level of certainty that we are dealing with Tobi Kadachis. There is a much smaller possibility that it could also be a Khezu or a Zinogre but unlikely. I can't say with enough certainty to completely rule them out, however. " she says while completely focused on her pad and paying little attention to the rest of the room.
"We're Team Sirocco Bolero." Eleanor states with ironclad determination that tolerates no arguement.
If anyone looks at her, she looks back with her arms crossed.
"What? I dance. What of it?" She says snappishly.
Damn, that's actually a good name.
Regis shrugs at her with a placid smile. "It's just not a hobby I would've expected you to have. It seems too...oh, what's the word...Gentle? Peaceful? Reasonable?"
He spends most of his remaining time down in the hangar, working with the engineers to ensure that his HUNTER suit is properly equipped and polished to a mirror shine. "And make sure the cockpit insulation is in good shape. I don't want to be fried by whatever electric beast we're up against!" If they complain about him being in the way, he'll back off. But even so, he will insist on his suit's cloak being placed in a way that covers its left pauldron until deployment.
As you all set up your rooms and turn in, you drift off to sleep prepared for your mission.
An alarm sounds suddenly, with flashing red lights. After a few chimes of the alarm an automated voice is heard over the speaker.
Urgent mission inbound....Prepare to receive mission directive
After another couple of chimes the sound stops, and you can hear the director.
Good morning team, I am sure this comes as a shock to all of you. You mission has been moved up in the scheduling. Seraphim Corp. in now directly involved and has asked for our discretion in this mission. You are now in a Black File mission. This isn't uncommon but usually green horns don't get stuck with these. We are fairly confident your team can handle it based on the information we have been given....Sadly we aren't at liberty to share too much with you at this time. Our drones have located the target and your HUNTER suites are being loaded into the tram system at this time. Get dressed, tram leaves in t-minus 15 minutes.
The communications cut and the alarm continues, emergency lights direct you to the drop pole in the main living area.
Domino rolls out of bed and gets ready. She gets ready at a normal pace ensuring she has everything she needs. Then Domino and Hive make their way to the Tram.
Hive, assists Domino in collecting her gear to help expedite the process.Placing her lab coat over her suit and resting on her shoulder once preparation are complete.
Eleanor's eyes snap open. Finally. She rolls out of bed, already wearing her usual skintight bodysuit. A wide grin spreads across her face as she goes about her preparations.
After sliding down the drop pole, she pops open her locker and sets about gearing up. Her heavy hardsuit takes a moment to put on in pieces but snaps together and locks in place. The magnetic clamps engage as she hooks her two pieces of weaponry in place. Gods help us if we're forced to fight on foot, but the Charged Blade Greatsword and a shouldered cannon might be enough to finish the job if Titaniklad goes down.
Her piece de resistance is the MBB-Mark 20 thermite charge. She gingerly places it into a reinforced compartment on the back of her hardsuit.
Her armor's heavy footfalls resound as she loads into the Tram.
Tyson casually climbs into his suit, and it's only after the suit closes and hides him from view that he allows his nervousness to peek through.
I've never driven one of these damn things, why did they pick ME of all people to be their representative? Whose stupid f%%@ing idea was it to make a fashion mech in the first place? This aesthetically overwrought piece of junk is going to get me killed. And worse, prove that cold b+&+~ with the bee-bot right.
At that thought, he stiffens his spine and clamps down on his emotions.
That's right, that's what we're fighting for: to prover her wrong. Prove them ALL wrong.
Yoshimitsu stands up slowly from his morning meditation and walks to his armor stand. He begins the process of donning his carapace armor fashioned into traditionally styled plates. With his Helm in place his hardsuit makes him look more like some kind of insectoid creature. For his weapons he takes his charged okatana and energy cannon which he slings on his back all of which was manufactured by his sponsor Corp of the Manji clan, Kurita tech Inc which the clan have protected for generations. Now was the time to prove that the clan still deserved their support. He walks to the tram and grabs one of the hanging handhold his other hand gripping his sheathed sword. "FINALLY THE HUNT BEGINS!"
Regis lurches out of bed, then drags himself to the bathroom and splashes cold water on his face. After taking a brief second to check the mirror and slick his hair back, he sprints into the living area and slides down the pole. He retrieves his hardsuit from his locker, testing its stealth function before he slips it on. Last but not least, he slings an ornate sniper rifle over his back, and holsters a nanocarbon shortsword at his hip.
He makes his way to the tram, glancing briefly at Undaunted as it's loaded in, before he steps into the passenger car.
"I wonder why we're in a rush all of a sudden..." he says as he takes a seat.
As you all get in your respective cars, almost instantly there is a ping on you personal communication device. An NDA addressed from Seraphim Corp LLC. And over the tram cars speaker you hear
"Good morning pilots, I am Dr. Aniela. Head of R&D for Seraphim. The GUILD allowed me to assist on this mission due to our....complicated involvement. Ill keep this short. The target is property of the Seraphim Corp. It escaped containment, while we thought we had cordoned off the area well enough it seems that we miscalculated. As this is property of Seraphim we have dispatched our own HUNTERS, should you fail we shall take over the mission. Legally we are required to allow the guild to operate before intervention. Due to the sensitive nature of this we have requested this to be a "black file" mission. As a result you are required to read and sign the provided NDA's. We appreciate the GUILDs discretion in this.
Amanda comes over the individual ear pieces.
With that out of the way, Ill be on coms for the rest of the mission as your handler. Sending drone scan... If you are in a HUNTER suit you see this on your main display, what ever that may be. else wise you see this in you ocular implant. The view shown is a forest, you can see soemthing moving in the trees and if gets to far there is a pulse of energy and then the movement heads in another direction. ...For this mission we were able to create a operation space in the forest. while it is trapped for now this is not a replacement for any actual trap. When the drones lose power the fence will drop. This shouldn't be an issue with the current schedule. Once at the deployment sight, you will me catapult deployed. You will be allowed to designate you drop site once loaded, the device will do all the math to get you there. Once inside it is paramount that you do not kill the monster, we need it alive.
Regis cocks an eyebrow. "So we're chasing down a monster that Seraphim let slip out of captivity? For a weapons and medicine R&D company, that seems very careless of them. But it shouldn't be too difficult to clean up this mess for them."
He signs the NDA without delay. Then he starts browsing the hunter message boards, looking for reliable methods of taking down monsters nonlethally.
"Eugh...we have to capture the thing? That wasn't part of the original dossier. AND it's just a glorified lab rat? They should be embarrassed. Whatever, monsters are tough enough right? We pound it into submission and they can send whatever clean up crew." Eleanor is displeased with the change in parameters, but her foot still bounces with contained excitement.
Gandy - Dandy, he reminds himself now that he's in the cockpit - grimaces.
"If this thing is some Seracorp experiment there's going to be more to it than meets the eye. They're probably sending us newbies as the recon crew so when we die a less expendable team can come in."
"I'd say it's been nice knowing you all but..."
"Ms. Arnstein, I'm sure capturing the creature will present you with a much greater challenge than killing the creature." She says without looking up from her PD. " And Mr. Gandy, what happened to your zealous optimism? According to your earlier predictions, you are our most valuable asset. With your fancy new armaments and winning personality, this mission should be conducted with ease." She says as an attempt to boost morale. She then looks up from her PD and ponders for a moment "My only concern is that according to the previous report, there was no information or visual confirmation on the target, and now it's apparent our employer had a deep understanding of the target and all of its capabilities. Understanding that the situation is classified, I do hope they will give us more information on our target after we sign the NDA." She then signs the NDA.
As you all sign the NDA's Amanda clear her throat.
"You assessment of the situation is accurate "Dandy" Amanda now switching to call signs for the mission. " Seraphim has their personal hunters on standby at the launch site. As for the experiment in question, it behavior may be erratic, or organized, depending oh how you view the situation. She shares a heavily redacted version of a schematic that showcases a key feature. The Tobi wasn't completely shelled out. The normal Seraphim build, most of the muscles and bones are there, however, the computer suite is massively overhauled and the monsters brain is in tact. (Normally only critical parts of the monsters brain are left. "Seraphim has been skimpy on the details but pieces we have been able to pry from them is that brain was left in tact to be controlled by the new computer system, regulating impulses and hormones. Allowing the HUNTER suit to operate if something should happen to the pilot. As well there seems to be information on making an under-trained pilot better by allowing the monster to influence the pilots decisions. However they are very tight lipped about the specifics and the models true capabilities, be on your toes in the regard. Seraphim claims that its an older model that was being run against a newer, production ready model. Something went wrong and this one managed to beat containment measure in place at the time. They request our discretion, as they are presenting the "safer" model at the HUNTER showcase next week. As you can imagine news like this wouldn't do wonders for their stocks"
Yoshimitsu rubs his neck and leans back(even though he is incased in hardened chitin). "If I were distrustful and paranoid I would assume this is actually a scheme for them to test their new experiment against a group of real pilots but of course they would never do such a horrible thing and this is all coincidence, HA HA HA! He straightens up and looks off thinking to himself The scout is probably dead. Odd how this began as a rescue and now it is completely different mission.
Regis laughs bitterly, and starts pacing around the car. "So, putting an intact monster brain in a HUNTER suit, giving it control over the suit, AND letting it influence the pilot's mind...all turned out to be bad ideas? Who could have POSSIBLY seen that coming?!"
"If I were distrustful and paranoid I would assume this is actually a scheme for them to test their new experiment against a group of real pilots but of course they would never do such a horrible thing and this is all coincidence, HA HA HA!
"Oh, don't be so negative, Yoshimitsu! It could be that Seraphim finally realized how stupid they are, and have reluctantly allowed people with actual monster expertise to handle the situation!"
"And even though they're planning to replace it with a 'safer' model, I'm sure there's a very good reason they need it alive. Like maybe they're going to have the brain think of ways to cure terminal diseases!"
He starts pacing faster, now visibly upset. "Someone please tell me they serve drinks on this tram..."
Hive looks a bit distraught after hearing everyone's opinions on the target, Hive looks to Domino with concern.
Domino looks down at Hive and gives it a pat on the head. The sight is a bit out of character for Domino. "Seraphim likely tried to run before they could walk. Theoretically what they are trying to do is achievable, but it's littered with validity threats, which if not properly accounted for can lead to dire consequences. With proper research and further testing, the experiment could be an innovative success." She gives a subtle and reassuring smile to hive.
"Now now boys, our goal hasn't exactly changed. Beat down the monster. That's it. Everything else is secondary." She then opens a second private channel through her optics with just the other hunters.
"Though if I know corpo black dealings, I would mark the Seraphim cleanup crew and keep an eye out once the monster is disabled or about to be. Regroup immediately and stay alert till extraction. All those goody Academy guidelines for staying alive."
As you arrive at the launch hanger there is a small squad of Seraphim sponsored hunters there to greet you. One steps up, his suit is older, while still derived from monster parts it could best be classified as "frankenstined" together. Containing parts from other monsters, much in a way that clashes, while another hunter bears the symbol of the mourning star, showing off its more well put together form, the pair com over coms. The first is the man in the frankenstined suit, "Good morning I am Commander Vickers, and this is LT. Commander Sanchez, we are your back up in this mission. I am sure you have been filed in on the specifics of the mission. Sadly we are only on standby until the you either complete the mission, or it is obvious that you are unable to complete the mission. Rest assured we have your back and will intervene in the event you would "fail". He steps back not getting in the way of your progress.
This system will catapult you close to the position you would like to be around the monster. From this position you can see a Tobi down below in the clearing outside the forest. it seems panicked.