Heklor Hunting

[Anomalie]

[member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Shae Kalin"] [member="Kenna Raine"]

Arrik had kept silent as the mando captain issues his command. He seemed uncomfortable with the idea of having to garner the approval of a crew, likely having only had to associate with the two who were with him. Arrik nodded slowly, he moved the cloak back over his shoulder revealing the blade and his sleeveless right arm.

"Aye...sounds good to me. I Don't...feel anything nearby...but keep your guard up...we don't know what were going up against quite yet."

Arrik kept silent, his face quiet and not revealing the discomfort on his face as one of the mandos crew started to...smell him. He almost shivered when the hot breath touched his neck and ear. "I'd prefer you not eat me miss, especially not in a situation where we are dying."

Using the force he pulled his saber from his belt into his right hand and nodded to the Mando. A silent go ahead for the man to move whenever he wanted. Though Arrik tried to hide it, he knew for a fact that this thing knew he was uncomfortable.

 

[Jaster Awaud]

[member="Arrik Terran"] [member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Shae Kalin"] [member="Kenna Raine"]

A group of Mantanites approached the group from the tree line. They carried weapons and the center on carried a Rodian in a White and Yellow lab coat, they were moving taped them. The group was made of several Drones and one that slightly looked diffrent then the rest. It wasn't until it approached close that they could tell he had a jaw, while the rest didn't even have mouths. With its weapon placed on its back and the rest passing them by, the Overseer walked up to the Merc group who Jaster had sent.

"Greetings, I am Overseer 125, we are on grid patrol 1-2 alpha, proceeding to extraction point beta, Overseer 12 wishes to know why you are not at Base Center?"

The drones stopped only to look back at the squad of Mercs. This was the hives first mission, they had not left their nest in the last 12 years and seeing other humans outside the company was interesting to them. Through telepathic means however they were driven back to their mission and stood at attention waiting for their Overseer commander to continue their extraction.

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Spoiler

Jaster....you sir are now the Illusive Man! Congrats!

He gave a nod to the group as everyone agreed with the plan. Shae's action merely prompted Malcom to shake his head and move on. Her dietary habits were still a little disconcerting at times. But for the most part, he had gotten used to it. As long as she didn't start noming on himself or any of his crew, he was fine with it provided it didn't endanger the crew or a mission. Secretly he was still trying to find a more....civilized alternative for her.

As he turned to begin carrying out the plan, they were approached by those weird bug looking things that Mr. J had mentioned. They still made him uneasy, causing him to cock his rifle and make sure the safety was off before the creatures had closed in. "We've been hired by Mr. J to make a sweep of the area looking for TG personnel in hopes of rescuing them at best, or simply confirming their deaths at worst. Logical place to start looking for clues is at the scene of the disaster."

Something in the back of his mind struck him as odd. Why was it that these bugs didn't know about their purpose, or even arrival? Weren't they supposed to be working for Mr. J?

"So, if it's all the same to you, we are on a bit of a clock here and need to get moving. We clear to go?" He tilted his head curiously at the....thing in front of him.

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Arrik Terran"] | [member="Kenna Raine"] | [member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Jaster Awaud]

The Overseer looked on to [member="Malcom Renolds"], his head cocked slightly to adjust his 4 eyes to see the man. After confirming its memory with the telepathic link to other drones and overseers if looked to the sky's. After a few minutes passed and the Overseer looked back to the Merc, it spoke, "You mission has been confirmed, Royal Mind Echo has suggested to patrol the area North East of this position, it is where we lost the trail and returned to original mission," It nearly dislocated it shoulder pointing in the direction to where the North East was.

"Or you can continue to the central base, 126 meters to the west, we will continue to our objective of extraction of Dr. Felmer body, continue your mission Mercinary Renolds."

It started to walk away, still able to he stopped if the group wished to ask the creature more questions.

 

[Kenna Raine]

Kenna raised an eyebrow as one of the Mantanites came over to ask what their purpose here was. Weren't they already supposed to know that? They seemed surprised to see lifeforms here which made her feel uneasy. This situation was getting sketchier by the minute and she was wondering what sort of mess the group had gotten themselves into. Luckily they were all still together and Kenna seriously hoped that it would stay that way. This place was seriously too unknown and dangerous to go alone.

"I don't think we should go to the North East position. What if it's a trap. It didn't even know we were coming." she whispered to Malcolm. All the same she could be paranoid but it was best that she tell the group her thoughts on the matter. She didn't like the sound of going to central base either. The sooner they got out of here the better for all of them.

They had no time to ask but Kenna was curious about this Dr. Felmer. Who was he? How did he die and why was it taking a crew to extract the body? She had a feeling that she didn't want to know the answer to any of those questions though they may help them out later.

"Despite the time crunch on this mission I suggest we all stick togeather."


[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Arrik Terran"] | [member="Shae Kalin"] | [member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

He tilted a head to listen to Kenna's concern. "That's what we're being paid for darlin'." He said with a wink. "Our job is to spring traps and wipe them out. We are the clean up crew in this instance. Courage now. I do agree we should stick together though. There is enough weirdness about this mission that I don't want anyone wondering off alone." He gave a casual glance around to his crew, knowing they would obey. The Jedi, well. It was up to him whether her wanted to lone wolf it or not. Though admittedly, even Malcom wouldn't mind his assistance and him staying with the group.

Hearing the bit about a "Dr. Felmer" piqued his interest immediately though. "Woah, wait a minute. Uh...Overseer 125. What is that body you are referring to? I mean who is he or she? What did he or she do? How did he or she die?" Suddenly they had new information, new data to analyze. He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away. As they had answered the overseers questions without a fuss, Malcom hoped the over would be as obliging.

[member="Kenna Raine"] | [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Arrik Terran"] | [member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

Shae had to suppress a hiss as the Mantanite spoke, the fur on her tail puffing up. This thing unnerved her and every instinct within her was screaming not to trust it. And considering she had just asked Jedi-man if she could eat him, it seriously gave new meaning to creepy!

But then Malcom was asking it a question, entreating the Mantanite to stay to answer. While Shae was not pleased her Captain wanted more of this creature, his questions were valid and she very much wanted to know the answers as well, though she suspected that this disposable soldier had no answers to give, whether from lack of knowledge as they mindlessly carried out their orders or simply from being ordered to remain silent on the subject.

[member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Kenna Raine"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] [member="Arrik Terran"]

 

[Jaster Awaud]

[member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Kenna Raine"] [member="Shae Kalin"]

The overseer stopped in his tracks, his mind was buzzing with all the orders he was given as he and his hive left the main ship. Nothing contradicted answering the man, so he spun on his heels and looked back at the Mandalorian. "Dr. Diane R. Felmer, Nicknamed Fel by her colleges was a Chemical Engineer at Outpost Alicade, she was found 50 kilometers south east of the outpost, fatality and cause of death was suffocation due to puncture of the lungs caused by a large hole, 3 centimeters in diameter located in her upper right abdominal area, possibly caused by a projectile, investigation not current mission, extraction of body current assigned mission," the creature turned its head at a 45 degree angle to the left still looking at the man, then straightening it agains, "Will that be all Mercenary Rneolds?"

 

[Malcom Renolds]

"As part of our investigation, I request to see the body before you remove it, please. Should only take a couple minutes." At three centimeters in diameter it was no normal projectile. Something that size would be akin to a small artillery round and would have cut the doctor into two pieces. He supposed it could be something like a spear however....or a horn...antler perhaps? Whatever it was, he wanted a look at the body. Might turn up some evidence on what they were dealing with, maybe even give a location. Who knows, but it was worth checking.

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Shae Kalin"] | [member="Kenna Raine"]

 

[Jaster Awaud]

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

The overseer shook its head, he was on a time schedural like the rest of the Mantanites. He needed to get to the extraction point or he would be punished by the Royal Mind as their culture dictated. "I can not take more time out of this mission as I already have, this cluster must move on to its objective point and finishe their mission and move on to the next mission assigned, if you require investigation, Overseer 019 can give you information and data on the murder scene, this cluster will move on with its mission of their are no more questions."

 

[Anomalie]

Arrik didn't like this, the lack of information. The brutality of the job in general. They were going in blind and deaf...and these cockroaches weren't helping. He knew something was off...something was wrong. Arrik cast a glance at [member="Malcom Renolds"], [member="Kenna Raine"], and [member="Shae Kalin"].

They all seemed to have the same expression on their faces. He shook his head and turned back to the overseer. "...give us the data then overseer and continue on your mission."

Arrik turned back to the group, his cloak shifting on his arm to cover the sleeveless right arm. "I don't like this Renolds...but we don't have time to sit around debating about what we're up against. We have a maximum of fourty eight hours...maybe. Maybe they'll bomb us into oblivion. The only chance we have is to get this done and then haul ass off world."

Arrik turned towards the three other mercenaries. They seemed uncomfortable. But the new data would shed some light on the situation. They had the base, or the trail. One seemed like a trap. But the other would take longer to complete...a trade off that Arrik wasn't willing to change when working for such a shady group.

Clean up crews rarely kept their hands clean of situations like this.

 

[Shae Kalin]

"True, we don't have an abundance of time," Shae replied, considering their options. "But the Captain wants that information, and if we need to go find Overseer 019 to get it, then that means we have our task," she continued firmly. The vulpine woman looked to Arrik with a grin, showing just a hint of fangs. "Care to take a stroll with me?" she asked.

After getting the last known coordinates for Overseer 019, Overseer 125 was dismissed to continue on with his objective. Or was he an it? "We'll meet you at the outpost once we've retrieved the data regarding Felmer's remains and the scene. I'll see if I can sniff out anything else useful," Shae said to Malcom, being somewhat literal about the sniffing part.

[member="Arrik Terran"] [member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] [member="Kenna Raine"]

 

[Kenna Raine]

She hated the idea of splitting up the group but perhaps it would help them. They could double their efforts and get out of this hellhole sooner rather than later. She didn't like the idea of all of them being pressed for time they did after all have a deadline to deal with. One they couldn't just ignore if they wished to get out of there alive. It was worth brining up.

"What if we did split up? Two go on to our mission and two collect the information from Overseer 019? We could than all meet up later. Keep in contact with our com links." Over the months with Malcolm she had become more vocal. If Kenna did have a suggestion on something she had no trouble giving it. If they took her suggestion was an entirely different story.

[member="Shae Kalin"] [member="Arrik Terran"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] [member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom nodded his head in agreement. "Aye, I agree. Shae, thanks for volunteering!" His gaze turned toward Arrik. "Would you mind heading over there with Shae to retrieve that data? Kenna and I will make a sweep of these buildings here really quick, but I'd rather not have us in anything smaller than pairs." His tone indicated it was only slightly a request, as it really wouldn't be prudent to go solo on this one. Looking to the group as a whole, he checked his chrono for the time.

"Alright, we'll meet back at the start of the North East pathway in 1 hour, and go over what we got intel wise. From there, we'll move out and check the trail for any survivors." Giving a nod to everyone to make sure they understood, he brought his rifle up more into a ready position and added, "Good luck. See you two in an hour. Kenna, let's move out."

And with that, Malcom began marching off to the first building.

[member="Kenna Raine"] | [member="Shae Kalin"] | [member="Arrik Terran"] | [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

With her Captain's approval, Shae darted off into the untamed wilderness surrounding the outpoast, fully expecting Arrik to follow her. She was fast and agile as she moved around outpost buildings and through surrounding underbrush, feeling liberated now that she was off that stuffy old boat and free to run wild. While she did not share the anxiety of space travel that her seemed to remain so prevalent with her kind, after while she would start feeling somewhat claustrophobic, longing for fresh air in her lungs and grass and dirt under her paws. If only she could see for herself how beautiful she looked as she ran free, letting the wild out as she let the forest in; truly she could belong in a place like this where beasts and monsters roamed.

She slowed her stride, then stopped to kneel near some tracks on the way to the coordinates for Overseer 019.She could tell the tracks weren't old, maybe only a couple of hours, and the prints looked to be the right shape for the Mantinites, which the lingering scent confirmed. It was probably a small search group judging by the number of overlapping prints, both coming and going. She hadn't got enough of a good whiff of Overseer 125's group to know just how distinct each individual was from one another so there was no way to be absolutely certain, but looking at the direction of the path, she surmised that it had been Overseer 125's squad that had come through here. She was curious to see where they had come from, what they had been investigating before running into her team, but she had her orders and a time limit, so she chose to move along.

Shae's stop had been brief and then she was on the move again, glancing back to see if Arrik was still with her before continuing on. her ears remained erect, swiveling to catch any sound that might indicate danger as the continued her search for Overseer 019.

[member="Malcom Renolds"] [member="Kenna Raine"] [member="Arrik Terran"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]

 

[Kenna Raine]

Kenna hadn't expected things to go her way or anyone to take her suggestion. Normally people listened and told her what they were going to be doing after that. The young woman was happy for once to be able to say that she was the one to come up with idea and even better she got to go off alone with Malcolm. It didn't surprise her much though as the two always seemed to work well together like a well oiled machine. She assumed no different in this situation. They would be back with the group in no time. She very much hoped that they didn't find any nasty unfriendly things here but something told her they were about to find something.

"Think we will find anything," she questioned as she had done a little jog to catch back up to him as he headed towards the building. If they didn't find any actual people here than perhaps something else was left behind. "What do you think this is all about? It's like one big project that went wrong and we are now the mop up crew."

As they stopped at the door Kenna pulled from her bag a smoke grenade. She wasn't going in there without first ensuring it was clear. She wasn't about to take any chances here and she knew Malcolm would appreciate it. They had to be cautious especially here. "I'm going to throw this and on the count of three we run inside. Ready?"

[member="Shae Kalin"] [member="Arrik Terran"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] [member="Malcom Renolds"]