Eclipse Phase - The Babylon Initiative (GameThread)

[Lunar Templar]

"If we see anything we like, can we bring it home?" she heard one operative say

"Dibs on the power supply schematics" Shanoa quickly retorted, figuring what ever was powering the ship would be of great benefit to her experiments, future builds and what ever else she could dream up. She would need to devote time to building a smaller 'transformer', as one firewall tech called her morph in passing, for these kinds of missions, something like a motorcycle, and had to stop her self from blueprinting a design on the spot, as that would take a lot of time she didn't have to spend yet, but maybe the ride on the rocket would give her time to least draw up a rough design.

 

[hiei82]

"If we encounter live Xenos, do we have reason to assume hostility? Or should we begin with Picard Protocols?" The Archivist asked, sending a small data packet in explanation

Proxie quickly read the jargon translation, maintaining her smile. "That is based on the X-risk assessment. If you determine that any extraterrestrial presence is an immediate threat to Sol or her planets then you have the jurisdiction to destroy them as you see fit. If they prove or appear a non-threat, than... Picard Protocols seem particularly wise."

"That said; we don't anticipate any Xeno presence. The moon shows no signs of habitation, nor do any of the other planets in the system. Only the object has been seen and it appears to be acting reactivity - as though in autopilot." she said; taking the question in stride.

"Has my equipment been added to the convoy yet?" Ryle asked simply.

Proxie nodded slightly, saying "All requisitioned equipment has been placed with the convoy; I saw it to myself. I put all said gear in Transport 3 for your inspection should you like to see or take any of it."

"If we see anything we like, can we bring it home?" Hugo asked jokingly. Proxie would have ignored it, save that Shanoa added "Dibs on the power supply schematics" more seriously.

"All xeno-tech and scans there of are to be returned to Firewall for detailed analysis - to confirm no X-Risk agents are present. The last thing Transhumanity needs is another strain of the Exsurgent Virus." Proxie said, her smile gone for the duration of the speech - returning only after she was done.

"Now; if there are no other questions..." she said, leaving the statement open for any other comments.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"All xeno-tech and scans there of are to be returned to Firewall for detailed analysis"

'That's disappointing' Shanoa thought, she understood the 'why of the reasoning, but still was a shame for this tech to be locked away for who knows how long before some one starts delving into it. "Then lets be about this, the mission isn't going to complete it self"

 

[Bmb]

"Yeahhhh, about taking the Consortium head on...." said Adelin on a friendly tone

"...I'd really advise against that. I mean, not that I'm blowing my own horn but they've got some pretty powerful gear and it would also be a...personal...desire if we were to avoid any conflict. I could pull a few strings and try to find out if they still have military presence there, wouldn't that be best?"

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"I could pull a few strings and try to find out if they still have military presence there, wouldn't that be best?"

Hugo turned his head to see a relatively interesting operative on board, a Slyph of all choices. He looked familiar but then again it had been awhile since Hugo had the time or the patience to go entertain himself with the latest the entertainment industry had to offer. Still it was an interesting choice of operative.

"Sounds like a good idea..." Hugo added. "Just don't leave them wondering why you're asking for the information in the first place."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

>INVIDIA<​

As the others brought up their concerns and questions, Invidia simply reviewed the mission data one last time, before glancing up at something that caught her attention.

"Yeahhhh, about taking the Consortium head on... I'd really advise against that. I mean, not that I'm blowing my own horn but they've got some pretty powerful gear and it would also be a...personal...desire if we were to avoid any conflict. I could pull a few strings and try to find out if they still have military presence there, wouldn't that be best?"

Her gaze was immediately locked onto the Slyph and she crossed her arms as she turned to face him properly. "

Will it prove to be a problem if we do engage the Consortium, due to this 'personal desire to avoid conflict'?

", she asked flatly.

Though her voice usually carried little in terms of emotional inflection besides snark and sarcasm, this time there was mild suspicion in her tone, and though her helmet hid it, her expression was similar. If one of them was invested in preventing hostilities with Consortium Forces, she wasn't sure they could be trusted, should hostilities occur. And she was near certain that hostilities were going to be inevitable.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Arya and Sansa debated internally for a few moments before posing another question.

"Do we know anything about the object's chemical composition?" Sheryl asked, finally, trying not to let any emotion escape, "Or its structural integrity? Or the exo-world's structural integrity for that matter?"

What's on your side of the mind?

I'm not sure... we'll probably need to analyze on site but... those temperature readings seem... a little off, somehow. I'm not sure yet...

 

[hiei82]

"Do we know anything about the object's chemical composition?" Sheryl asked, finally, trying not to let any emotion escape, "Or its structural integrity? Or the exo-world's structural integrity for that matter?"

Proxie shook her head. "I'm afraid we don't know much about the object itself. We know it must be ship or space station of some kind given it's ability to move, but little else. The moon itself is very small - less than a third the size of Luna by diameter - and doesn't have much gravity. Preliminary investigation suggests it started as an S-type or X-type asteroid before it was caught in Agade's gravity well a few hundred million years ago. Of course, there's a lot we still don't know about astrophysics and whoever built the Pandora Gate in the system must have done so for a reason." Proxie said, voluntarily giving what information she had.

"The most notable feature of the moon itself are the uniform crater marks across the surface. They are all approximately the same size and have a distinct pattern to them. The Sirius Survey showed that the craters are of different ages; suggesting that there is some kind of occasional event that happens on the moon in some kind of consistent cycle." she continued, trying to give as much information on the planetoid as she could.

"The moon seems to be geologically stable - it has a surprisingly strong magnetic field for a moon, but shows no sign of tectonic activity - suggesting it's a mostly solid object with a very rich iron core spinning quickly in the center. It's surface is heavy carbon-based rocks, though the inner parts of the moon remain unknown - no deep digging equipment has been brought in as of yet." she said, nearing the end.

"All in all; high integrity and radiation protection. If it wasn't for the low gravity, the lack of atmosphere, and the unnatural cratering it might make a good summer home." she finished with a smile.

 

[Bmb]

"Sounds like a good idea...Just don't leave them wondering why you're asking for the information in the first place." heard Adelin from one of the other agents present there.

Adelin looked casually at the agent "Relax, they won't suspect a thing. I mean what? The movie star, a real secret agent? Pff...as if anyone would ever conceive such a thought. Besides, I've got a pretty convincing piece of dialogue I'll share with them." he said with a small smile on his face.

He then proceeded to analyze the agent from head to toe after which he stared at the agent and with a subtle grin he implied "Nice morph by the way, looks highly deadly. Seems to also come with one hell of a poker face, remind me to never play against you" he ended with a smile.


Looking the other way, Adelin heard another agent, this one female in appearance

"Will it prove to be a problem if we do engage the Consortium, due to this 'personal desire to avoid conflict'?"

Adelin turned to face this other agent. "Not at all, actually. They knew what the risks are when they signed up, as we did, and more to the point, if anything, it would benefit me. The more damage we do to them, the more repairs and new equipment they'll need." he replied equally flat. "And that mostly puts the food on my table..well..that and mesh-movies" he ended on a friendly tone.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

>INVIDIA<​

The Sylph's reply was anything but reassuring, and if nothing else, it only served to cause a rare spark of irritation in her, though she kept it in check. After all, she would have to work with him for the duration of the assignment.

"Not at all, actually. They knew what the risks were when they signed up, as we did, and more to the point, if anything, it would benefit me. The more damage we do to them, the more repairs and new equipment they'll need. And that mostly puts the food on my table... well... that and mesh-movies.".

She was tempted to remind him that this was no game, and he wasn't playing in a movie. The fact of it was however, if he didn't realize that already, he would only serve to get himself, and possibly others, killed on this mission. She was determined not to be a casualty.

"

Very well.

", she replied simply after a moment, turning to face Proxie once again.

You do not trust him. Why keep silent about it?

I do not [i]know[/i] him. My suspicions could very well be wrong, and unfounded. Voicing what I suspect would only serve to draw more attention to myself, attention I would rather not have. We will have to see as things progress.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Shanoa would have rolled her eyes if she installed the kinda that allowed that "If we have time for such idle chat we should be getting under way, we're wasting time other wise." She said, getting annoyed at the useless chatter 'And people wonder why I prefer solitude...'

 

[hiei82]

Before another question could be asked; Proxie turned her head to look up - distracted by some invisible, inaudible message. She stopped smiling. She paused for a few seconds, taking the unknown information in, she began to smile again.

"The expedition reports all vehicles, personnel, and systems are ready." She said, before making her way toward the door. She opened the doorway into the massive hanger around the gate; uttering "Shall we?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The gate facility consisted primarily of open space in a massive manmade cavern of plastics, steel, and rock. Were it not for the dozen or so APCs, transports, people, and the mighty glowing wormhole generator - it would be entirely unremarkable.

As the gate shifted, the security personnel shifted - both into their ideal positions. No one knew what exactly to expect; so everyone expected the worst. After much twisting and turning, the gate roared to life in a flash of green and black lightning as unnatural in look as in feel. Gate travel it seemed was not for the faint of heart.

Proxie turned the the team of Firewall specialists after a few moments and said "they're under your command now; good luck and Godspeed."

 

[TheDoctor455]

Well... here we go... first big Firewall mission...

Yep.

Let's... go then. In the name of... SCIENCE!

Sheryl giggled to herself momentarily, which she hoped the others would write off to nerves. She checked her armor one more time, confirmed structural integrity, built-in air supply, and briefly tested the cloak again. Everything seemed to be working. She checked her weapons; both fully loaded and primed.

Sheryl started walking towards the Gate, and readied her chain-pistol. For the moment, she held it in both hands, aimed at the ground in front of her, but she kept herself alert in case it needed to be snapped up to aim properly. When she got closer to the gate, she held a hand outstretched towards it for a moment, then readied her weapon again, and stepped through.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Time to go? Good.

Ryle pushed the mask onto his face and his suit began to close on itself fusing and incorporating the systems into eachother. It was vacsealed now, his enhancements were analyzing the gate fruitlessly, they were impossible in reality. He flicked on the Faraday systems to further protect himself, readied his pistol and marched through the gate.

COLD

SYSTEM ALERT - UNKNOWN - UNKNOWN

Transition was always a weird feeling.

 

[Bmb]

"Right, the final frontier. Time to boldly go where no man has gone before" said Adelin jokingly and excited.

He took a few steps back, doing a last minute check on his suit.

"See you on the other side!" He said as he began sprinting towards the gate

"Woo-hoo-hoo!!!!" yelled out Adelin right before diving into the gate.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

>INVIDIA<​

Before any more questions could be asked by the other Specialists, Proxie seemed distracted for a moment, her expression changing. Then her smile returned as she started towards the doorway behind her.

"The expedition reports all vehicles, personnel, and systems are ready. Shall we?".

For the first time behind her helmet, Invidia herself smiled as well, though only slightly. She was anticipating this. "

Lets.

", she said, nodding and following her into the hanger before them.

Inside was the rest of the expedition team, the forces that were unaware of their true goals, or of the Specialists affiliation. She reminded herself that they needed to remain that way as she moved along with the others at a steady stride.

But the Fissure Gate was what drew attention. It was either Xeno-Morph or TITAN in origin, and it looked wholly alien, its machinery shifting, almost warping as the wormhole was formed at its center. Then it fully came to life with an unnatural roar and a flash, before being completely open and stable. As she stared at it for a moment, then turned back to Proxie as she spoke one last time.

"They're under your command now; good luck and Godspeed.".

She nodded, and then looked back at the forces behind them, even as some of the other Specialists strode through, one whooping in excitement.

"

Acknowledged. All Expeditionary Units, proceed into the Fissure Gate!

", she called out to them, taking hold of the Shredder hanging at her front.

She turned once more to face the great black maw of the Gate, and then calmly stepped through.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Shanoa watched the group a bit more before before returning her attention forward, which put 'Proxie' back in her field of vision and after a few moments her expression changed then reverted 'must have gotten word on something' Shanoa thought and a few moments after that, her suspicions where confirmed "The expedition reports all vehicles, personnel, and systems are ready. Shall we?".

Shanoa simply nodded and followed Proxie to the gate chamber. The gate it self was an impressive piece of tech, outwardly her 'expression' didn't change, not that the body she was in conveyed much of that anyway, internally, she was standing in child like awe, while this wasn't the first time she'd seen a gate, they always impressed her and she's always wanted to study them. Soon after they entered the chamber the assembled force began through they gate and she followed.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Hugo followed his fellow operatives to the gate. He looked around, basking in the hurried atmosphere. The soldiers around them were mixed with apprehension and curiosity about leaping into the unknown. As his other operatives went through, Hugo took his time mostly because he could. Hugo remained calm and steady, taking in the last moments before jumping through the gate. He often did this, before and after jobs if he could. He would take in his surroundings, reveling in its intricacies but also its simpleness. He was about to jump into the beyond, a place where he wasn't quite sure if he would come back out but he preferred it like that. Ignorance is bliss and often too much knowledge would do Hugo no good.

Hugo walked forward into the portal. He let himself get enveloped, drowned in its infinite spectacle hoping to see what would be revealed. The jump before madness was always his favorite moment as it made him cherish the petty little life he had or changed. Somewhere his parents might still be looking for him, or not. Somewhere some could be hunting for him, or not. Infinite possibilities passed by him and he secretly wanted to live them all. Not for the sake of reconciliation but for the sake of simply living. He wanted to envelop, take in those infinite possibilities so he could live.

If Hugo could smirk right now he would as he walked through the gate.

 

[hiei82]

As the group stepped through the gate, they found themselves standing in a little crater - about 8 meters deed at the bottom where the gate was located - on the surface of the low gravity moon, sheltered from most of the surrounding landscape. The stars shined over head and the light of the unrisen sun blanketed the horizon in a harsh red glow most would find strange. the first few trucks in their caravan pulled through the gate a moment later, pulling toward the left almost immediately.

Signs of recent habitation were many - including a meager little pre-fab'd shack that acted as a sort of communication relay through the Pandora Gate - based on the number of antennae on the roof. A few dozen barricades had been set up around the gate to defend the moon from intruders; though these seemed to have been abandoned in favor of a more permanent defensive circle at the top of the crater. A roadway had been carved built into the crater to allow vehicles easy access.

The most notable signs of habitation however were the dozen heavily armed syntha-morphs standing by the make-shift comm-center, staring at the open gate in shock. Recovering quickly, half bolted for the nearest barricade for cover while the others took positions behind the comm-station to provide cover fire.

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the lack of images, but my internet is so slow it took me twenty minutes to get to this page

 

[Texas Joker 52]

>INVIDIA<​

The moment she stepped through the gate [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjbNQI-q26Q], she found herself in the middle of a crater with the others, with the moons gate behind her, and what appeared to be some sort of Comm Relay just next to it. She took a moment to look around, but once she spotted the armed Synth-morphs, she frowned just slightly behind her helmet. They weren't supposed to be there.

Then they moved to more defensible positions, and she knew something was wrong. She grabbed the nearest Specialist to her, the unusual looking Synth-morph, and tugged them with her behind a barricade even as she spoke through the secure tactical network between them.

Contacts! We've been engaged, I repeat, we've been engaged! All Expeditionary forces passing through the Pandora Gate, exercise caution and be prepared to terminate hostiles!

She had her Muse, Conquest, put that message on a loop for the people who were just about to pass through, even while she readied her Heavy Pistol. At the same time, she utilized her Multi-Tasking augmentation for some subversion of the enemy ranks, using both of the forks it made to reach through the local Mesh to touch two of the Synth-morph's cyberbrains, and immediately begun bombarding them with brute-force hacks.

As inelegant as they were, even if they were to fail her, they were sure to be decent distractions at the very least. But she judged the chances of their failure as unlikely.