Mission Eleven: Sakidō

Care had followed Hoshi with rapt attention, her motions as she flew swift and direct, explicitly robotic in a clear 'follow the leader' pattern rather than a simple trail. While others acted with agility, Care's form moved with concrete firmness, every act and motion having a clear purpose that either shifted or balanced her form. Her facial plates formed stiff, the bodysuit seemingly adapted well to her otherwise synthetic form. It seemed that the synthetic aspects of Care melded quite well with the artificial aspects of the suit. Rising above the clouds, her gaze remained tilted to observed the angle of below and ahead of her. "I'm with you, Hoshi-Chusa."

Her voice tapped once more to the connection they all held, offering once more advice that might aid them. "While exploration is invaluable for new areas unknown to us, it may be beneficial to us if someone were to directly contract locals, to see if their more personal information could assist us in some way." It felt less like Care, more like tips and tricks she had read from some site or book.
 
North

Eden shouted, "Woah, there..." at the two leaving for caves. She wanted to say more, such as, 'Don't go off alone!' but that did not come out, instead, she watched while dizzying patterning effects around her caught her peripherals and she felt like her vision was failing her, so she spoke out.

"Belmont-hei. A little research into the effects of this," she struggled for the words as she looked around herself. "This... this drunken stupor I feel myself caught in. I can't quite flush it from my system. Er, I feel like there is nothing to flush, anyway. Hey!" Her attention had been caught by the other Mindy wearer's teal blue running lights disappearing from her peripherals, which were still significantly blurred. "No wandering off, Emiko-hei and Schultz-hei. How are you both feeling? Let Darwin perform some scans on you if you're..." She had started speaking rapidly and had lost her breath and train of thought. A moment's thought later and she said, "If you're not feeling well."

West
Plains

Those that were running through the plains would notice that the trees and shrubbery all had fruits and round objects of some sort hanging from them.

Forest

As Nora, Gravity, Katsu, and Alastair came to the edge of the tall, dense, dark, and sparkling forest, they would all feel a pull towards it. In the forest to the West of Fort Miller, the Shibui suits and Mindy armors overhead would begin to notice strange disturbances in a lone clearing of the forest. To Gravity it could remind her of the strange moving slush they had recently seen during their time in the Temple of the Stars. But, this time, the movement in what, upon further inspection was a swampy clearing, was not a mirror of the movement of the suits far overhead, but seemingly was moving of its own accord in the small pools of tarry, dark, dank liquid below.

South

Hoshi nodded as she flew in front of Sacre and two infantry Neko who had chirped about their presence for Hoshi to note.

Hoshi spoke to the medic over open comms as they flew, saying, "Very appropriate assessment of the current needs of the mission, Sacre Ven Sanssinia. We should begin science scans of the area. Did you bring a scanner, Nitô Hei?"

Ft. Miller

Leeta and Muyomi had both suited up and looked to Mark and Leeta asked, "Want us to show you around?"

Muyomi said, "Do you know where you're going, Leeta?"

Leeta chuckled, "We'll find out," with a smile.
 
West
Forest

Gravity sidled up next to Nora, on the look out for horror-film monsters and anything else that could possibly kill them. Like dragons.

'Oh crap! I really hope there aren't any dragons here...!' the azure Neko thought fearfully. However, another thought crossed her mind that truly excited her. '...But what if I learned to ride one?! That would be so! freaking! sweet! I could pick up... like eight chicks with a dragon!'

Everyone present would be treated to the sight of Gravity starring off into space with a stupid grin on her face, occasionally giggling as she envisioned how she would mount a stereo system to a giant, flying reptile. She was snapped back to reality by the sudden movement of the swamp liquid. She placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at the odd substance.

"Oh, look! It's just like that magnetic slush from the Temple of the Stars!" she explained to the rest of the group. To demonstrate what she was saying, she activated her armor's combined field system and raised herself off the ground, expecting the liquid to rush harmlessly to her.

Except it didn't.

It kept moving erratically on its own.

Which meant it was probably demon-water.

"Okay, screw that. Like, screw all of that." Gravity stated very casually, then turned on her heel and moved to stand behind Katsu so that he would be the first to die and distract the demon-water long enough for her to bail. She touched a finger to her nose and said: "Who's going to be the meat-shield? Nose-goes!"
 
"Of course, it would be good to figure out what's causing these effects and why it differs between peop-hic-le..." Miles went quiet as he realised what was happening, the effects had built up and even his strange resistance had begun to falter as a wave of giddiness passed through him before leaving once again. "Oh no, not now, not when I need to stay sane." The minkan scrambled to get above the treeline in a vain effort to escape its influence and continue his work.

Shasse meanwhile was getting louder and a little brash as she dragged her new friend along dodging trees and giggling as she went with all concern for their safety abandoned and her thoughts focused entirely on going faster, which quickly led to her taking flight in the mindy as she jumped over a mossy log. "Ahahah, we have to go faster Darwin, unless you want the monsters to catch you!"

Not having heard Eden, or possibly just ignoring her words in her current state Shasse flew upwards with her firm grip remaining on Darwin's wrist, as they broke the treeline she released him, "Race ya to that big tree over there." she said pointing to a distinctively taller tree before taking off at top speed towards it spiraling around in the air. As she flew in a loud drunken state Shasse unsealed her helmet to attempt at getting a breath of the unfiltered air, she turned back to look for Darwin and see if he was following and as a result smacked into a large tree that had been in her path losing her helmet and falling to the forest floor bouncing off branches as she fell unconscious.

Miles having moved to hover around 100m above the treeline began to run a number of checks on the air and the plant data he had gathered to try determining the source of the strange phenomenon which was affecting them, he considered trying to contact the other teams to confirm the effects were only local but decided against wasting time. "Eden, uhh. Teien uhhhh ahah well this is awkward, what rank were you again?" As the minkan's mind began to feel his own version of intoxication he tried contacting Eden to report but found he was unable to recall anything past the last 10 minutes.
 
West
Forest

Hovering just over the dark, mossy ground, Nora would slowly float up to the edge of the forest. As her helmet swiveled around to take in as much of the view as possible, she would glide into a space between shrubbery and branches, her mindy being swallowed into the shadows of the thick, almost willow-like canopy of dark leaves. Her mind was swirling with wonders, like how there appeared to be sparkling lights all covering the inside of this forest that sucked in all the light like a black hole. 'Bugs maybe..? Like fire fli-' the daur would think just as her head turned to see Gravity now just a couple feet away. "IIAAGH" The last of her thought would finish as a yelp of surprise from her mouth. She grips the plating of the chest of her mindy as she audibly heaves out a sigh. "You scared the shit out of me." But it was obvious the neko wasn't paying attention, for she was looking off to the side as if we were really enjoying the sight of that bush over there, and didn't give any hint that she had heard.

Just as Nora was about to look away, the neko would suddenly perk up and shout something about..magnetic...slush? As the daur turned her head in the direction Gravity was looking, she would see just what she was referring to when she said slush. She watched in awe as how the water seemed to bubble and sway on it's own accord. Man this place was indeed weird. Without much thought, she would lean forward and start to drift over closer to this "demon water", as Gravity so eloquently puts it. "I'll take the lead on this one!" She says as she pushes through some low hanging branches. Nora's armor covered tail, protected by her mindy suit, would occasionally wiggle up and down before going still again for a couple seconds, only to repeat the same movements as her eyes stuck on the swampy water. By now she would be hovering a couple feet above the surface just at it's edge.
 
South

Sacre responded to Hoshi's question. "Yes Ma'am. I've downloaded the profile of a pomegranate tree, and with the sensor in directional mode, I should be able to pick up any pomegranates that are within a kilometer or so." She said as she flew behind Hoshi, sweeping the sensor from side to side.
 
Chlorate noticed Hoshi and only a few other people going to the South. She turned to Mark and asked "Father... Can we head to the South? I am not sure if there is a sufficient amount of people heading in that direction.

Kiki, casually inched closer to Mark and Chlorate, hoping to get a closer look at the action. She had never seen a robot adopted as a daughter before, let alone mentally linked to their parent.
 
"Not feeling well... I could... hhhardly say otherwise t' that." His words would fall from his mouth as though they were sipped from a cup only to be dribbled down his chin. Despite his words, his head had begun to pound, and his skin felt warm as ever, cheeks turning from rosy to crimson. "But I can do scanning. Scanning... Sc-" He'd be cut off with a yelp as he was yanked from the forest floor.

He did not expect her hand to release his wrist. He had forgotten about the Mindy's flight characteristics. To him, it was a large suit of dead weight, but it was too comfortable to take off. Take off... He plummets down towards the treetops like a disposed first stage of an olden-days rocket. Despite his stupor, instincts would tell the human that the patch of green directly below him was getting closer to his face at an alarming rate. His limbs would flail like that of a marionette, and eyes darting about his HUD in a desperate attempt to gather what all of the pretty colors and confusing numbers meant.

One word emerged in his head: Up

And up he went. Well, not so much up as stuck, his body remaining motionless a measly two inches from the ground, eyes gazing deep into the blade of grass just pecking a kiss to the tip of his helmet. A deep green one, with just flecks of brown where the caterpillars have nibbled. That peck would become a lot more intimate as Darwin flopped onto the ground, knocking every liter of oxygen right out of his lungs as though the ground had punched him for coming off too strong. He sword. He rolled on his back. He popped a joint in his back that had been bugging him for the last half hour. His head was still made of cotton and his body refused to really do much besides let him stare up at the sky through his HUD.

"Okay Shasse. You won... won that race." He grumbles.
 
West

After Katsu arrived next to Nora, he looked into the dark forest. Coming from a planet with a star with only about three percent the brightness of a "normal" sun, he was used to darkness. In fact, he was at home in it, was literally born and raised in it. As such, seeing a black forest didn't bother him in the slightest.

As Gravity moved behind him to use him as a meat shield, he chuckled a bit. The other Shukaren moved forward already, and as such Katsu only chuckled and said "Don't worry, Wing Leader. Your two foites* will be your Points.**" before he drew his metal knife and moved forward to follow close by after Nora, staying ready and looking around carefully. "Try not to rely on walking here. Never know how deep a swamp goes. So stay floating while possible." he said to Gravity, Nora, and Alastair, basically everyone he knew that they were here with him. The drones on his back spread out like two wings, their point defense lasers activating in preperation.

**Point: Those that walk first in the group's line, in front of the commander, to see if there are ambushes.
 
North

Eden began calling into comms, "Everyone, get yourselves together..." Her breathing stiffened and she had trouble thinking and speaking. "I—I—would like us to go into the Northern mountains. We'll see if we feel better there... okay?" She looked around at her team that was half-splattered on the ground. "Okay?"

West

From the clearing that was full of movement and characteristically spooky happenings, a great, black, many-eyed, globulous creature rose up. The giant tar monster opened up a maw of a mouth that was pink and tongued like the inside of a human mouth. It was dangerously close to several infantry personnel, including Nora and Lauren Strong!

South

Scans would show a small handful of life forms further South inside of a bay's inlet that they were heading towards as well as several energy weapons.
 
West

For a short moment Katsu froze as he saw the creature rise in front of them, but then he drawed his aether submachinegun, which wasn't outfitted with the bayonett, and braced it against his left lower arm, where he still held his knife. Swiftly he moved forward to get between Nora and Lauren to protect both of them, while his drones detatched from his armor. The four Sylph drones hovered around him, targeting the black thing with their lasers.

"Both of you, get back. We'll retreat." he said, making sure to not talk too loudly. "Gravity, cover our route out. Requesting permission to engage if necessary." With a little command, the small assistant drone that Katsu had floated forward to be between the fronts, seperating Nora, Lauren, and Katsu, from the unknown beast. Surely, if it was hostile, it would attack the drone first. Or at least it was worth a try. It seemed that Katsu stayed rather calm, even his voice was calm, as he hovered there aiming at the monster-like thing.
 
West, Murdertar Pit

Arete inhaled sharply. For a while now, she's just been staying silent in her Mindy, getting used to the strange systems controlling this piece of protective technology. Even with her somewhat accelerated training, the sage found herself quite nervous of entering the shell - the way it was squishy and wet on the inside reminded her too much of a giant mollusk which would want to eat her alive. At least her Mindy, though not properly kitted out to the extent of everyone else, could help keep her alive if things went poorly.

Speaking of things going poorly... There was that thing. "Ugh, we couldn't go ten minutes without being considered food. Mmmmkay so I'm just gonna back up a lil' bit..." She sighed, shaking her head a little bit. At least she knew if things went horribly she could wreak some havoc in the area, but generally it's not a very good thing to open up with a gravity well...
 
Alastair was just at tree tops when his eyes picked up movement not far from him. His eyes caught sight of the monster that looked to be covered in tar. "Welp, seems we woke up the locals and damn is that monster looking thing sure is ugly." He commented over comms.

A moment more and he noticed how close this thing was to Nora and Lauren. He figured they had this covered as they were all armed but just to be sure he floated down and closer to them. His drones popped off his armor and started to hover around him. His weapon drawn and aiming down range at the forehead of the monster.

"Go on, just try and make a move." He said under his breath.
 
East

The technician was supposed to attend the meeting with the others, however he purposefully kept himself out of it. He had no idea why, but his fine-tuned instincts were telling him that he shouldn't be there with the crew he had joined recently. The Minkan trusted his instincts.

He had been in Fort Miller for months, applying his skills to maintain equipment. Granted, he didn't need to go through Fort Miller's training program, but at that time? The Minkan couldn't bother making a case for himself, he just wanted a place to stay until he can figure out what to do next.

Months later, the technician now has a "first assignment"; which is to look around for a pomegranate. He scoffed at the idea, preferring to go somewhere that he has yet to visit on Ayenee. The others can have their fun with the native wildlife, if they so wished.

So, out of personal interest, and to keep his instincts from rattling his nerves, the raven-haired Minkan followed a lone crewmate to Memorial City. It would be a intriguing trip, to say the least.

As he approached, he activated the cloak around his person, blending with the open sky, allowing his orange eyes feed upon the downtrodden scenery.

"A city that celebrated the death of heroes," Walter Hyde spoke to himself. "It is quite the item to take note of. Let us see what is here..."

The Santo Hei flew slower, still invisible to the public from afar, and observed.
 
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East- City outskirts

Mikael as he flew closer to the city, was fascinated with the sites. In some ways, it reminded him of his home in Nepselia. But less...chaotic. He will have to make an attempt to infiltrate it in the future, but for the time being, it seemed best to observe from a distance. As far as he was aware, what he was doing was not prohibited. But there is no point in stirring things up.

As he watched the ongoings from above, he noticed another mindy trailing him. Looking at the IFF identification, he realized it is a name he is completely not familiar with. Not that he socialized much, but he had a basic idea of who everyone is.

"Santo Hei... did not see you are the briefing." Mikael said as he watched.
 
East - Memorial City Outskirts

Alright, so the fellow soldier Walter followed apparently had keen eyes. Though this was nothing to be nervous about; it was still one person. Walter can handle a handful of inquisitive Yamataians, all he needs is his charisma.

"Yeah, I can't say it wasn't all unintentional. I forgot to update my daily schedule to account for me being a technician for you guys, rather than for the Fort. I slept in late, did system checks, and then found out I was supposed to be elsewhere." Walter changed his tone of voice, which would give people the subtle indication he is a friendly fellow. "When I got there, I saw a bunch of people in fancy uniforms and just noped out. So many new faces really gets to me."

"You know, with that being said," Walter spoke once again as he caught up to him, "I just know your identification, Mikeal. What else's up with you? What do you like and all that."
 
East - Memorial City Outskirts

If Walter could see Mikael's face, he would realize he just screwed up in one of the worse ways with him. While it is true that the SAoY have always been fast and loose with their discipline and military bearing, Mikael has always done his best to not allow that in influence him. His grandfather would rise from the grave and rear naked choke him otherwise. With those massive ID-SOL arms.

Corrective training will need to be scheduled later, but for the time being he just simply logs it as a thing to do in his mind. "That is Nito Heisho Harris or Harris-Heisho, Santo Hei..." Mikael says flatly. "And I was going to ask you the same thing, your personnel record is... sparse."
 
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East - Memorial City Outskirts

Granted, one can't see expression through a Mindy, though body language is a still a good indicator.

Walter's heartbeat increased, his body sweated, and his brain flash freezed. Now the Santo Hei realized that he didn't get off easy; if anything he chose the worst person he could ever follow right now. He thought of attacking the officer right there, but he suppressed the reflex. Judging by Harris's flat tone, he doesn't like seeing slobby behavior, and yet here Walter is, feigning such a thing.

Come on, this is just one guy. He is a high rank, and his experience definitely surpasses mine, but it may not be by that much. I could still lie my way out.... No, I can't. How would I know another lie won't just dig me deeper? I hate feeling cornered like this!

The recruit's tone shifted again, now cold. "Is it too much to ask for you to stop asking such personal questions?" Walter asked as he slowly put distance between himself and Harris-Heisho. "That delicate information, and my motives for not attending the meeting, are reasons enough for me to remain silent and do my job for the Army. For that reason, I can't comply."

Meanwhile, Walter's brain has been grabbing all of the towels to soak up all of this sweat.
 
East - Memorial City Outskirts

Walter's tone and language started to set off alarms SAINT had programmed into him. Maybe this individual was just a very defensive individual made worse with the remoteness and apparent lack of enforcement of discipline due to that remoteness. But he would be negligent if he did not do a through counter-intel investigation if one was not conducted.

Via his armor's AIES, he makes an encrypted SAINT level inquiry to the databases. He would not be shocked if the system returns with a "database not found" result.

"It is not personal, I simply want to know what everyone is capable of. So technician..." Mikael says, both being cloaked he is not entirely sure where he is other than that the IFF tells him.

"You have been here at this outpost for how long? What is your experience with the local populace?" Mikael says, partially stalling while he waits for the result and also out of curiosity. The more information he has, the easier starting up operations will be for him.
 
East - Memorial City Outskirts

"Four months, sir." Walter said simply, slowly dropping his defensive tone. "I take my time outside of basic training and daily maintenance checks to see some destinations nearby. Truth be told, I have already been to the destinations the others have been to; I haven't seen much of the universe, but so far this might be a fairly dangerous world. Magic complicates matters."

"For instance, us technicians have to also carry around pliers due to those strange Greasevines growing between the walls. They're a fire hazard in a place as old as Fort Miller, and yet cutting down is all we can do. Chemicals don't have an affect on them, and fire makes them... Well, it's grease."

Walter paused, and resumed, "So far, I haven't been out very often to meet the locals. Only once, and I just went around without my Mindy. They appear mellow, but something about it didn't feel real to me. It isn't my place to guess why."

After Walter Hyde finished, he remembered that Harris-Heisho still has one suspicious eye on him.
 
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