Aegis Force International

[fauxmarth]

WHO: Archie, Darin, Jacob (remotely), Lucina, Luke, Pidge, Poe
WHERE: Belgium
WHEN: during June's cryptid hoohah
WHAT: infiltrating, pilfering, and ultimately demolishing an OTO lab full of chimeras
WARNINGS: if necessary, in tag subject lines


What started as an ominous, anonymous contact has yielded a surprising result: From an ask to collect parts of poor, long-suffering Tessie, Lucina's once again been contacted -- not for another favor this time, but with information. A base, somewhere in Belgium, where the OTO operates. Now, the princess is riled up enough to want to swoop over there and smash it up herself, but that's not how things work. So instead of following impulse, Lucina brings the message to Jacob's attention, and from there, the intel is investigated and found true: a remote, oddly waffle-shaped facility stands besides a man-made lake.

After some initial satellite investigation, a plan is formed: calling upon the aid of some combat and tech specialists in Poe and Pidge, Jacob gets a team together to, with both governments' blessing, head out to the base. The hope was to find some useful data, but what they find being grown inside is...a lot...


PHASE ONE: Recon
Team members scout the perimeter, take out initial security, and scope the layout on the surface level!

PHASE TWO: Infiltration/Hacking
Escort our tech specialists to data sources (server room, main offices) to pilfer data!

PHASE THREE: Punch
Once enough of a disruption is felt in the building, all hell will break loose! And by hell, I mean the creatures. Time to fight. Go nuts. YEEHAW.

Comments

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Pre-mission (cw effects of trauma)

Before the team heads over to Belgium, Jacob's agents may notice that the Commander still seems off since his death and resurrection. He has always been dedicated, but lately he seems to withdraw from contact with the rest of the team, putting in long hours in the firing range or the armory or the gym when he knows he can be alone there, when he knows he can lose himself in the comfort of familiar, repetitive tasks. He's been staying away from the holodeck training, however- anything could be simulated in there.

It's clear to see he hasn't been sleeping well, the fatigue telling around his eyes and in the moments where he seems to disengage from what he's doing. He sometimes seems to startle easily at nothing in particular. And he has been barely involved in the planning for the upcoming mission, leaving most of the preparation to Lucina and the others when he would ordinarily have given the raid his full attention. His only real input has taken the form of a margin note added to an approval form: Good. Wipe it out. It's about all we can do.

Yet he still fully intends to go to Belgium, and to take the lead in the fighting that's coming. Someone needs to convince him it's best for him and the team if he sits this one out.


The mission (sitting this one out)

A quadcopter drone buzzes quietly over the area of the OTO base as Aegis begins the dangerous and unpredictable work of scouting, investigating, and demolishing it. Its camera watches everything that transpires below, relaying the images back to Jacob, sitting shamefully safe behind his desk back in Maurtia Falls. On the screen in front of him, Aegis agents are greenish-white figures in images enhanced by night vision, and the base is a blob of infrared heat.

He can communicate with the team through the Network as needed, but for the most part Jacob is silent as he observes the operation, trusting them to do their jobs rather than trying to micromanage them from afar. The last thing he wants is to distract his people at a critical moment, to be even more of a burden than he already fears he may be- since he let himself be talked into staying home while his team risked their lives far away. Jacob will only interject when he sees some surprise danger approaching an agent, sending them a quick warning, or responding to requests for information.

When the base goes on alert and the creatures are released, he feels completely helpless. His people go into battle against deadly monsters, and all he can do is watch.

walks in with rhinestone shutta shades

[fauxmarth]

"Jacob..."

Eventually, it's Lucina who appears at his door, already geared up in her armor and cloak, looking more like she's off to slay a dragon than infiltrate a lab (it'll server her well later, of course). Her expression is placid, but grim; she's noticed the slower, more distracted pace of his steps and other movements -- most especially in training, and it's put a great deal of worry in her heart.

It's not really her place to tell a commanding officer what to do, but Jacob's always been up front and insistent that she come to him with her concerns, no matter what they may be. She wishes it were something more harmless, like fan mail, but...

"May I speak with you a moment?"

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

"Lucina."

Jacob's wearing his armour too, even sitting at his desk. He wears it more often than not these days, actually. He could probably stand to wash it more with how much he's got it on.

"Sure, what's up?"

mission!

[h2no]

At one point, it might seem like the drone has come across a terrible error in its functionality. The camera goes wild, spinning and fuzzing as something grabs it out the air. An OTO guard, perhaps? One of the cryptids?

Fortunately not.

If Jacob has sound, he might recognise the familiar chittering of Archie's Crobat from somewhere above, then again when the camera keeps spinning but rapidly gets closer to a hapless guard. Archie grabs the drone before it hits the ground, holding it as Crobat's shape descends on the enemy.

"Uh... sorry, Jacob!" he says a little lamely into the mic. "Drone's fine. Ah... side from that hair. Lemme just... pick that out..."

In the background, there's a lot of noise as Crobat works his way through the corridor, either knocking the guards out or... well. Let's just say the vampiric bat'll be full up on blood for a while.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

For a moment, Jacob freezes with anxiety as the drone plummets. Has something gone wrong? Is his one link to his team about to be severed, forcing him to listen to the Network for news like old-time radio?

Nope, it's just Crobat. "No harm done, Archie," he says comfortingly once his heartbeat subsides a little. "How are things going there? Crobat okay?"

Ordinarily he might have had something to say about those screams in the background, but Jacob is 300% past giving a shit about the lives of the OTO right now. Crobat, on the other hand, is a good boy.

Pre-mission

[faithfulson]

Of course, Luke noticed Jacob's mood, for lack of a better way to describe it. It hovered around him like a cloud, heavy and overbearing, to the point where he was a little worried for this commander's overall health. It was why, after meetings and debriefs and forms filled out and signed, Luke lingered, waiting for the others to leave before approaching Jacob.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" he asked softly, an open invitation to have someone listen, or whatever else Jacob may need.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob kept his head down, seemingly focusing on the briefing on Belgian political context in front of him, but his shoulders hitched slightly at Luke's offer. Because deep down, he had been anxious about this. About the power of the Jedi to see thoughts and feelings that one might prefer to remain hidden.

"Actually, yeah," he says, not looking up, voice carefully even. "Would you mind doing a quick check on our... antivenom supplies? Just in case we've got any run-ins with poisonous cryptids coming up. I've been meaning to get to it, but you know how it is."

Please go away, Luke.

im here to punch

[fauxmarth]

1. one of the sublevels full of critters
[all that effort in attempting to be restrained and stealthy sure didn't amount to much, did it? now there's alarms blaring, lights flashing, and cryptid pods slowly opening, spewing steam (and cryptids) all over this sublevel!

it's somehow both fortuitous and unfortunate that Lucina's so strong now: for one thing, this pair of yetis trying to bulldoze into her? she can just deck them straight across the room.

but, uh, for another thing: she can deck them straight across the room, into the terrarium that was housing a bunch of the mothmen, who are already upset about the lights.]

...Oops.

[and now they're losing their shit and going on a frenzy.]

Look out!!


2. outside in the lake bc i want to fight that krakaconda
[something something scene transitions, somehow getting sucked through the piping and spit out into the lake, etc. etc. SCENE TRANSITIONS.

anyway. here we are, exploding out of the water, being pursued by dozens of anaconda-tipped tentacles! she is fast enough for the most part, her armored ankle does get nipped along the way, prompting her to whirl and slash at the offending head with Falchion.

once she's got enough height, she sees some of those heads changing course for a friend along the shore and she plummets, sword and feet first, plunging the blade through the soggy head and pinning it into the sand, water spraying everywhere on impact.

she can't exactly spare a chance to look back without risking getting caught by surprise from one of the other heads, so:] You okay?!

1

[h2no]

Shit!

[possibly quite predictably, archie has not been doing great with actually doing anything about those cryptids. mightyena knocks a mothman that was going for him into a wall and he skids over-- looking like... he's healing it?]

We need to-- fuck! I don't know! Set them on the stupid OTO pricks here, not us!

[fauxmarth]

[Lucina more or less knows where Archie's heart at when it comes to all manner of wild creatures, but as far as she's concerned, there's definitely a time and a place for that...and it's not right now.]

Archie-- [she steps over him, hopping to avoid his scrambling feet before planting her own firmly back on the ground, just in time to catch a heavy, two-armed downswing from another yeti, holding it in place as Falchion bites in.] Unless! You can communicate reason to them! [she swings, and off go the forearms with geysers of blood and a deafening howl. she turns her head away to avoid some of the spray. some of it.] Then we fight! Otherwise we're not getting out of here alive!

2 The moment you've been waiting for

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[After making landfall, tearing off his shredded coat and shirt in the most shounen way possible, and declaring his plan, Darin's doing his best to get as much attention from the anaconda headed tentacles as he can.]

[Currently, he's dead-ass sprinting up the length of one while two other close in on either side. They snap forward like hydra heads, one missing his calf, but the other catches and sinks its fangs deep into Darin's shoulder, latching on and attempting to jerk him off of his footing.]

[Unfortunately, it's caught his right shoulder, he can't seem to pull that arm back to unsheathe his dao. And he can't bring his left arm across with enough force to punch the snake head off of him. All he can do is try and keep his footing on the very slick, scaled tentacle neck...thing. Which he's somehow managing. However, three more snake heads are eyeing him from behind.]

it IS, actually

[fauxmarth]

Darin!

[racing forward, Lucina's buckler is brandished and catches the jaws of one of the three just in time -- the other misses low and the third catches her legs, all safely guarded from poison by the armor she wears, thankfully.

it does make for a very awkward position to be in, however, having to plant her hand - still gripping Falchion - on the neck just below where Darin's perched so she can hold back the snake jaws still affixed to the buckler.]

If you can...get any of them...at the moment, then...by all means!

[flightforfreedom]

The Flight There

Members of Aegis may notice that you have a +1 for this trip. Poe Dameron is here to serve as your Uber driver to Belgium, and for that purpose has comandeered an old Hercules plane from a native friend (and fan) for the purpose. First class flying, this is not, but it’ll suit for their purposes.

Poe will be in the cockpit, of course, but there’s something weird about this flight. The engines are off. Where normally the sound of the propellers would be deafening, any movement from them is not powered, just happenstance from how fast they are moving.

“I’ll turn them on when I go to land,” Poe will tell anyone who asks. “But I don’t need them in the air.”

What he does need? Coffee. And he might need someone to be his eyes on the horizon if he needs a piss...

[h2no]

Unfortunately for Poe, Archie is not bringing him coffee. He is just coming into the cockpit to spend some time with his good pal. He sets his ass down in the co-pilot's seat, crossing his legs up on the flight equipment. Figures it doesn't matter if Poe's not actually using it!

He doesn't say anything for a moment, just appreciates the view from the front of the plane. Like sitting at the front of a double-decker bus.

"So, uhh... what's up?"

[flightforfreedom]

Poe seems pretty focused on his flying, which is not always that usual - when he's flying carpet, a lot of it has become so instinctual that he doesn't need to think about it, much. This, though--

"Just trying to fly this whale without hitting anything else," He mused, his eyes on the horizon. "Keep getting flocks of birds trying to join in, and I'm like - guys, just because the engines won't suck you in doesn't mean I can see all the bits of this thing that might smack you."

[fauxmarth]

"Poe..."

Lucina, who has stepped in to check in on him, frowns as she glances around the cockpit.

"Are...are the buttons and lights supposed to be...lit? Or making sounds?"

Because they certainly aren't. She has just the barest understandings of planes, most of it from TV, yet she's fairly certain that there's usually lots of colorful buttons and lights on display?

And maybe an inflatable person in one of the chairs? It's unclear.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin, of course, has heard of Poe, but he's never had the opportunity to make his acquaintance. So, at some point early on in the flight, Darin pokes his head into the cockpit to introduce himself.

"Hey, I don't think I've been able to formally introduce myself. Name's Darin Altway, Master Blacksmith. I just really wanted to thank you for giving us a lift on this mission."

[h2no]

flight and fight feel free to tag at any point

[possibly quite predictably on the flight to their destination, when archie isn't in the cockpit chatting with poe, he's either trying to strike up conversation with the other aegis members along on the journey, giving his pokémon solid instructions, or laying across the bench-like seats, napping the flight away.

when the time comes to jump, archie and crobat go out the back, both of them hollering excitedly at the stupid stunt they just pulled.

that's not to say he's not stealthy when he needs to be. between crobat's keen hearing and mightyena's sense of smell, he manages to follow the team without bringing any kind of attention himself.

until it doesn't matter anymore and he's trying to avoid being shot in the face by angry OTO agents while also answering any calls there might be for healing. expect to see mightyena and crobat around as well, their supernatural pokémon level strength making them formidable foes; crobat especially. the giant predator bat seems to take a sort of glee from ambushing OTO personell, either throwing them across the room, blowing them away or... uh. draining them of blood. he has no mercy. mightyena, at least, is just knocking them out and biting through their vital gear.]

they're not pokémon, but close enough

[eventually, there would come a time where he had to fight one of the cryptids the OTO have been holding in this facility. his pokémon have gone off on their own-- their orders clear, and they've fought a few but archie personally... he's been avoiding them for a reason. he knew he would hestitate; unable to treat them the way he might not when it comes to the enemy OTO agents.

any of his fellow agents that find archie in the predicament he's in might not even be all that surprised if they take a moment to think on it. if not-- well. it's what he's in. one of the yetis has him cornered as he was trying to reconvene with someone else in the team. he's not horribly injured, but judging by the blood running down his cheek he has been slapped around a bit already. yet he still doesn't look like he's actually willing to fight back.

he can't stop thinking about the suffering the OTO put them through, how they're only fighting because they have no other choice. very much like what aegis are even doing here, right?

help this idiot, please.]

2

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Pidge turned a corner to see Archie pinned between a chimera and a wall and just reacted.

Her bayard was already set to shock and without hesitation she shoves it into the Yeti's side. It's not strong enough to knock the cryptid out, but it's muscles do seize long enough for Green to come around the corner and aim her new cannon. The cannon starts glowing and Pidge throws herself out of the way while shouting ]

Duck Archie!

[ Vines shoot out of the cannon and engulf the cryptid fully causing it to fall over and try to escape. Luckily the vines hold.

Pidge moves to Archie to check on him, worried he may be injured. ]

You okay?

[pidgewidgeon]

Walking alone down a dark hallway, what could go wrong?

[ Pidge had gotten separated from the group when the first set of cryptids attacked and had been making her way through various rooms with only Green and Rover. Luckily she'd had the foresight to upgrade Rover's camera so it streamed directly to her communicator, and she'd been able to scout ahead using him. Green's camouflage ability was immensely helpful as well.

Unfortunately her luck did eventually run out. The group came upon an intersection they weren't able to clear quickly enough. The first two passages were empty, but the third had a group of reptile Bigfoots?... With a LOT of teeth, and the group ran, scattering as they did in order to try and slip up the group.

Luckily it worked, and Pidge only had one follow her. Unluckily, she only had her bayard on her and she was willing to bet it wouldn't be enough to kill the monster behind her.

After a few twists and turns Pidge found an empty room to lock herself into and she does so. ]

Please don't let this thing be able to work doors.


Oh Thank Quiznak, A Computer

[ It had taken longer than she'd expected, and more than a few close calls, but eventually Pidge did find the computers they'd came for. Green and Rover had found her after the Bigfoot encounter and she set them to guard the area.

Within seconds she was typing away, concentration only on the computer in front of her.

Hopefully Green and Rover would let her know if a chimera approached. ]

Computer

[faithfulson]

[ There was a lot more to this place than he had sensed, that much was for sure; a lot that under normal circumstances, Luke didn't even want to think about. Still, he kept his senses alert, keeping tabs on everyone on the team along with whatever else was possibly lurking in the halls. Even still, he hadn't picked up on anyone being in the room he was approaching until he heard a low growl, followed by a familiar flash of green that stopped just short of pouncing on him. ]

Green! It's just me.

[ He held out his hand, like... green was a real cat that needed a sniff to remember who he was. ]

[faithfulson]

[Recon]
While others were busy scouting out the grounds, Luke had himself tucked away out of immediate view, with one other there to look out for him while he was busy with his own kind of reconnaissance. He was sitting on the ground, eyes closed and stretching his senses out, encompassing the facility before them. It didn't take very long before his face scrunched up, like he smelled something foul.

"There's... something, down there. A lot of something, and none of it good," he murmured softly to his companion, his hands gripping at his knees as he tried to push past it, maintaining his focus.

[Stalked]
Something was following him.

Once the fighting broke out, Luke found himself separated from the others, the distractions of battle and perhaps a bit of the Force pulling him away. He let out an annoyed noise once things quieted down enough for him to realize what happened, stretching out his senses and trying to see where the others were. He thought he nearly found someone when something moved, just on the fringes of his awareness.

Luke stopped, turning toward the source of the disruption, only to find there was nothing there. He frowned to himself, feeling like everything around him was on high alert, that there was something dangerous here and he needed to leave, now.

He hefted his lightsaber in his hand, but didn't ignite it, slowly moving toward the wall so he could keep something solid at his back as he glanced around.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

-Transport and Drop Off-
[For most of the flight, Darin appears to be tinkering with something and running simulations on a data pad. He's oddly quiet, which is never, ever a good sign.]

[But when Poe announces that they're closing in on the drop zone, Darin hurriedly reaches into a duffel bag with some gear in it.]

Time to suit up~

[What? Since when did they have uniforms? No, wait, Darin's pulling something else out of his bag. He pulls it on over his clothes and straps all of the appropriate straps in place.]

[The lunatic made himself a wingsuit.]

Alright, who's ready to do this thing??

-Ground and Pound-
[Amazingly, Darin didn't fall from the plane and die on impact, nor did he overshoot the landing by several miles and impale himself through a tree. Which means that, naturally, something else had to go wrong somewhere to keep Darin from becoming a smear on the ground. That's just how cosmic balance works, right? That must be why this quiet infiltration went south super fast, and now the crew is dealing with an alarming amount of chimera cryptids being released to otherwise stomp them.]

[Not many people have been given the opportunity to watch Darin in a real fight. Of course there's always been the simulation battles and the sparring, but the problem is that sense in the back of one's head that nothing was on the line. That's the problem with simulations; the worst that can happen is that you lose and try again. When success and lives are on the line though, it's a new ballgame entirely, and that's when Darin's quick thinking and adaptability come screaming to the forefront.]

[When the cryptids are released, he goads as many of them as he can towards him. He makes as much noise as he can, tears things down from the ceilings and the walls, anything to lure the monsters his way. When he's hard-pressed to take on more, he starts to fight seriously. He parries swiping claws deftly with the flat of his dao, bobs and weaves between over-sized limbs, cutting at tendons and hamstrings. He doesn't want to outright kill the beasts, but he can't let them escape or go on a rampage. He'll flip from beast to beast, bringing them down low with sword slashes before leaping atop them, using his great strength to attempt to knock them out. He's doing good too, until a Devil Mothman flies by with a screech, shaking some of the dust off of its wings in a cloud, causing Darin to start to lose his footing. Gasping for breath, he drops to a knee.]

G-Guys...Gahk! A-A little...ghk! Help!

-Krakaconda Rising-
[If you had told Darin this morning that he'd be facing off against some sort of horrible Sea Hydra later, he probably would have eaten his Wheaties and then spiked the bowl on the floor, pumping a fist into the air. Past!Darin is an idiot. There's nothing fun about this. With scales like platemail, entirely too many heads with fangs as long as your arm, and spitting acid venom? Yeah, this thing could go straight to hell.]

[He'd already been trounced enough that his gear was getting tattered and worn out. His shirt basically draped over his shoulders in tatters thanks to the claws of those giant yeti panthers, and now he's staring down a dozen set of eyes that want to liquefy his insides and have him for a snack.]

[Frustrated, he tears off whatever the hell is left of his shirt and coat, in true shounen fashion, and tosses it away.]

Guys, I think I have a plan. It's not gonna be easy. Or pretty. And it's not entirely smart...but hey, what part of any of this is smart?

Transport - I'm sorry, I had to

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Pidge takes one look at the wingsuit and can't help herself: ]

What the hell is that?!? You gave you wings?

krakaconda

[h2no]

[having just send out sharpedo and completed the mega evolution process, both archie and sharpedo are a little punch drunk, in a way. archie was about to issue an order to sharpedo to make him jam the creature and bite through it, but he stops, looking at darin.]

What? Hurry up! We wanna take that thing down! [we being him and sharpedo, of course.]