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       #Post#: 357--------------------------------------------------
       USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Slick Date: August 20, 2025, 10:32 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       On a frigate floating deep in the vacuum of space, a computer
       consul slowly hummed to life. Hardware came to life and a
       cooling fan sped up, the sound deafening amidst the low,
       continuous hum of the vessel’s passive systems. The dull light
       of a black screen  flicked on in the otherwise pitch black
       Cryo-Sleep Bay. Green, pixelated text would begin to populate on
       the screen.
       <Mother - Initiating System Check>
       <Loading…>
       <Loading…>
       <Loading…>
       <System Check>
       <USS Nellis - Kestral Class Frigate - Destination: Sector 6158 -
       Ghoul Stars
       Status: Arrived>
       <Reducing Engine Speed - Engaging Forward Thrusters>
       <Engaging Life Support Systems>
       <Engaging Defensive Shields>
       <Engaging Bio-Sensors>
       <Engaging Gravitational Field>
       <Navigation: Operational>
       <Communications: Operational>
       <Shields: Operational>
       <Bio-Sensors: Operational>
       <Artificial gravity: Operational>
       <System Check: Complete. All Systems Pass QC>
       <Mission: Classified>
       <Mission Purpose: Classified>
       <Mission Length: 65 Stellar Years; TBD>
       <Crew - [9]>
       <Caretaker - Mr. Quint; Synthetic. Military Prototype
       XO - Weyland-Yutani Liaison- “Orion”
       Pilot - “Ace” - Captain, USCMC
       Navigator - “Jaeger” - Lieutenant, USCMC
       Crew Chief - “Wrench” - MSGT, USCMC
       [USCMC Marauders]
       Fireteam “Whiskey”
       - “Bandit” - MSGT, USCMC
       - “Vulcan” - GySGT, USCMC
       - “Deadeye” - SSGT, USCMC
       - “Stitch” -  SSGT, USCMC>
       <Cryo-Sleep Ready to Disengage. Passcode Needed>
       <Caretaker Authority Redirected - Command of USS Nellis
       authorized for CAPT. “ACE” and XO “ORION”. Initiating Caretaker
       alert.>
       Florescent lights began to flicker on throughout the bay as the
       readout went on, illuminating floors of eggshell white, padded
       hallways of beige, and walls of gray. Tables, chairs and stools
       surrounding medical stations were a sterilized metallic, or a
       muted olive green. As a chime rang through the frigate, a well
       manicured finger came down to press a button on the yellowed
       keyboard below the monitor, just as Mother began to read off a
       command.
       [I] *Mr. Quint, please report—*[/I]
       The Android smiled flatly as he used both hands to start typing
       out commands. The passcode needed was entered. A hiss came from
       the cryo-tubes as their cooling agents ceased flowing. Soon, a
       cocktail of fluids that would aid in the rehabilitation process
       would be administered. Finally, hydraulics would his as the lids
       of the tubes lifted open. All the while, Mr. Quint walked by
       each one, standing by a monitor at their side and going through
       a series of data scrolls. When he had checked the vitals of each
       crew member, he would go and sit upon his own already opened
       cryo-chamber. It had been activated 24 hours prior, when the
       hyper-drive had been disengaged upon entry into the Chthonic
       System, giving him a chance to prepare for the crews' awakening.
       Jason “Bandit” Rollins was the first to stir from the deep
       sleep. It was with a jolt, head raising quickly, looking around
       with a twist of his head. The shadows that had chased him were
       forgotten in the fog of Cryo-Fatigue. Instead, he was looking at
       an African-American Man who swung his legs almost childishly
       from his perch on an already opened chamber. The man tilted his
       head, examining Bandit curiously before the Marine winced as a
       throbbing pain shot through his head. The tilt of the Android’s
       head only exaggerated as the marine leaned over the side of his
       chamber and vomited.
       “Uh oh. Musn’t move too fast, Sergeant. Give yourself some time
       for the cocktail to work itself out.”
       Mr. Quint was moving, finding a drawer and retrieving a towel,
       going to Bandit’s Chamber while the Marine laid back, pulling
       off the electrodes on his chest and arms. The IV in his arm had
       retracted their needles, so he pulled the tape off the tubes.
       Quint finished cleaning up the vomit and went to wash his hands.
       “We goin’ by rank on this mission?”
       “Oh, most likely not. But you and your fireteam are all
       Sergeants, so I figured it is just as nondescript as your
       Callsigns. Would you prefer I default to your designated
       markers?”
       “Bandit is just fine. What’s your name, again?”
       This time, Bandit sat up slowly, taking his time to swing his
       legs over the side of the bed. Down the line, the others started
       to stir, slowly, groggily.
       “Mr. Quint. I’ll leave you and the rest of the crew to get your
       wits about you. Fresh clothes are in your lockers. I’ll get
       started on breakfast. Don’t worry about the nausea, I’m sure
       your appetite will return.”&#8232;
       Bandit felt around his chamber, finding a pack of smokes tucked
       underneath the flimsy pillow, and shaking it loose. He seemed to
       search for something else, as well.
       &#8232;“Not my first deep-freeze, Quint. But thanks. Hey, you
       got a light?”
       “No,” Mr. Quint smiled flatly before turning and walking out of
       the bay. Behind bandit, Ace, a Latina woman and the pilot,
       leaned up on her elbows and lit her own cigarette, tossing the
       lighter to Bandit.
       “Ain’t he just a doll,” she grunted. Bandit gave a humorous
       grunt back before lighting up.
       The nausea had already dissipated. Breakfast sounded great.
       #Post#: 358--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Cherie Date: August 21, 2025, 8:50 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]-There was that slow pull back to reality from a
       dreamless slumber. Behind closed eyes she could see what felt
       like an almost blinding light. Eye lids fluttered slowly, a hand
       coming up to rub her eyes and block out the intrusive light. The
       top of her chamber lifted but she didn’t yet move. Moving to
       fast would upset her already delicate stomach.  It was best to
       take it slow. The last thing she wanted to do was vomit in front
       of the marines. They already looked at her as different. Also
       not happy she was XO. They made that very clear before they
       tucked themselves away for sleep.
       The cocktail worked not as fast as she would like. Orion started
       to stir. One hand was over her eyes the other rested across her
       stomach. Her body writhed slightly to the right where she would
       move her over the edge of the bed at a slow pace. She heard
       someone vomit. The conversation between Bandit and Mr. Quint
       seemed muffled from her still adjusting to being awake.
       Unsure barefeet touched gently upon the cold floor.  The
       instinct to pull back was high, but her will power was stronger.
       Bandit and Ace were on the other of the circle. She woke up
       between Wrench and Jaeger. There was barely any eye contact mad
       as she stood up. So far she was holding down the contents of her
       stomach. She pulled her tank top down over her stomach. There
       was no room to care how much skin was showing as they all were
       in different types of under garments. She was standard issue
       tank and underwear.
       The air wasn’t as cold as she was expecting but cold enough.  As
       Mr. Quint was leaving they had made eye contact before she was
       left in the cryo chamber with the rest of them.-
       “Get cleaned up, eat. Debrief is in 45.”
       -she said as she had moved her way over to her locker. There was
       always time to prep. They were asleep and food was important
       after waking up. Even with the slight discomfort she felt in her
       stomach she needed to eat. She felt weak and also as if a new
       eco system had been created in her mouth.
       When she had spoke to them it wasn’t with authority. But it
       wasn’t meek. It was just a plain statement which when her back
       was turned at her locker caused a few of the marines to roll
       their eyes or pretend to mock how she spoke to them. If she knew
       she didn’t seem to care.
       She had only grabbed her shower caddy and made her way to the
       showers. Apparently she put being clean over eating. But there
       was a simple joy in eating and not having to worry about
       showering after. It also gave her time to prep for the debrief
       with them and of course her own. She glanced over her shoulder
       as the men and women were waking up. Almost sizing them up
       before she headed to the showers. There almost an urgency to get
       there before anyone else.
       Once there she did a quick glance around know she only had a few
       precious seconds. She reached into her mouth and started to tug
       at something which was causing her to gag. There was a reason
       she did not want to throw up in front of everyone. She was just
       thankful she didn’t choke but she was pulling something up from
       her throat and at this point she did wretch all over the shower
       floor. But she held something small in her hand and quickly
       tucked it away in her palm and as she undressed she put it in
       her caddy. It was something small and black and it blended with
       the caddy.
       As far as the vomit on the ground she was using her foot and the
       water to try and push it down the drain. But some of the crew
       were coming in. She didn’t care if they knew she threw up but
       she pretending she did care by trying to hide it- [/center]
       #Post#: 359--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Slick Date: August 21, 2025, 4:01 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The crew began filing out of their chambers with varying degrees
       of alertness and speed. Cryo-Fatigue was hard to shake off, even
       for some Synthetic models. Special Forces Operators were no
       different. The members of the Marauders were all bionically
       enhanced in some fashion, and were administered the cutting edge
       of performance enhancing drugs in order to enhance performance,
       boost recovery and metabolic functions, even get better sleep in
       shorter spurts. While such drug cocktails were rather
       commonplace amongst Infantry Marines, they were a means to an
       end. For the Marauders, it was an investment into well honed
       assets utilized by the United Americas and The Company. While
       still expendable assets, Weyland-Yutani was less eager to throw
       away specialized veterans of their black-ops campaigns.
       The cyborgs had to ween themselves off of the PED cocktail a
       week before prolonged stasis, so as not to crash out while in
       transit. Once they had eaten, they could be administered again
       in time before they set off on their mission.
       Bandit tossed Ace her lighter back. She was late 30s, dark brown
       hair pulled back into a messy pony tail, her face hardened and
       handsome.  the pilot climbed out, padding towards the lockers as
       the cigarette hung out of her mouth. [I] “You heard her, ladies.
       Deficate, exfoliate, and masticate.”[/I]
       Jaeger, her co-pilot, tall, lean, Nordic, had walked past Orion
       to the locker area, reaching up to the pull up bar with minimal
       effort and letting himself hang, having to draw up his knees to
       clear the ground. He smiled goofily at them all.  [I] “But do
       not masturbate.”[/I]
       [I] “Behavior unbecoming of a Jarhead,” [/I] said Vulcan in a
       rumbling baritone, a catcher’s mitt of a hand simulating the
       motion. Vulcan was large, six-five and muscular, a mix of
       hispanic and native with black hair kept in typical Jarhead
       fashion. As he stood, the servos in his cybernetic leg whirled.
       [I] “You’re not a marine, you’re a bear we found on Ursa Prime,”
       [I] from Deadeye, a Korean-American woman with short cropped
       hair, throwing the comment over her shoulder as she walked to
       her locker, pulling out her own caddie.
       [I] “I didn’t know you were into bestiality,” [/I] Stitch said,
       touching the tips of each finger to the pad of his thumb as if
       checking his motor functions. They moved at blinding speed after
       a few passes before he stretched them out, shaking them loose.
       The team’s medic was of medium build, bronze skin and a well
       trimmed beard on an handsome face.
       [I] “Not even with your dick.”[/I] Deadeye gave a finger over
       her shoulder as she shut her locker.
       Bandit followed Orion with his light blue gaze, then stood,
       taking a drag of his cigarette and stretching his arms over his
       head. His right was a sleeve of tattoos, some crude and faded,
       similar to gang ink or prison tats. Others were more
       professionally done, and military related, matching a few more
       on his person. His left arm was devoid of any ink, but instead
       had what looked like tech and electrical ports. The flesh over
       the arm looked real enough, but on close inspection of his
       shoulder, a jagged, yet faded scar around the cap showed a
       slight different in pigment. In fact, they all seemed to have
       numerous battle-wounds and surgical scars.
       Wrench had ignored Orion to focus on a black and gray lump in
       his bed. Felix the cat breathed deeply as the mechanic pet him,
       the animal’s eyes heavily lidded and unfocused. The older,
       mustachioed black gentleman pulled an unlit cigar from a ball
       cap, putting on the hat and the cigar in his cheek. He whispered
       softly to his pet while the others moved about.
       Ace sat at a consul, idly smoking her cigarette and looking at
       various readouts while the others filtered into the latrine.
       Deadeye being first barely suppressed a snort as she caught
       Orion trying to hide her mess. She placed her bag in front of a
       mirror at a sink, pulling out an eye dropper and tilting her
       head back, giving a few drops into each. A sniper and tracker,
       she had ocular implants that increased her eyesight and provided
       a wide vision spectrum range.
       Bandit came up beside Deadeye, stubbing his cigarette out on the
       stainless steel. The sniper offered him the eye drops, and he
       took it, putting a few droplets into his right eye only. He
       blinked a few times, then slapped the side of his temple. An
       amber shimmer flashed over the iris, and he looked through the
       mirror towards the XO before walking towards a urinal.
       Everyone went through their own routine, washing up and grooming
       themselves to a somewhat presentable state. They fell into a
       rhythm with each other, bantering, but paying little mind to
       Orion. She likely wanted away from them as much as they did from
       her.
       Bandit only gave her cursory glances, but tried to focus on
       remembering the pre-mission brief as he got dressed.
       A research vessel crash landed onto a planet somewhere in the
       Chthonic sector. Intel suggested the planet in question was
       possibly a manufacturing hub for the United Progressive People’s
       backwater colonies. A company of Colonial Marine Raiders had
       been sent as escorts for the vessel. No contact had been
       established with the crew, if there were survivors. Likewise,
       the UPP had not made news of the crash in their domain known,
       either to the public at large, the USCM, or The Company.  Given
       the bloody history between the United Americas and the UPP,
       Weyland-Yutani could only assume that they were taking advantage
       of the situation given the intergalactic ramifications of a
       military presence aboard the USS Calypso.
       ——————
       At breakfast, everyone was dressed in black fatigues with gray
       shirts, a departure from the green and tan of the standard
       Marine uniform, devoid of identifying patches or rank. The meals
       themselves were not bad. The MRE Bio-printer created synthetic
       organic, nutrient dense meals that resembled bacon, sausage,
       eggs, breads, fruits, and beverages to the crew’s desires. One
       of the many perks of specialized warfare units: real food, or as
       real as it could get in deep space.
       Mr. Quint would sit next to Orion with only a mug of coffee. He
       gave her that default smile of his, before looking up to see
       Bandit munching a piece of bacon, taking the seat across from
       the XO. He nodded once, to be polite, before he salted his eggs
       and stabbed his fork around the plate.
       [I] “Do you normally get sick after a ‘deep freeze’, Bandit?”
       [/I]
       “Every time. Sorta expect it now. How about you, Boss lady?”
       He glanced up from his meal idly. Quint turned to examine her
       answer, sipping his coffee politely.
       #Post#: 360--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Cherie Date: August 21, 2025, 7:39 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Orion stood under the warm cascade of water, letting it wash
       away the remnants of sleep. This ritual was more than just a
       cleansing; it was a moment of solace, a brief escape from the
       world that clung to her. She wished she could rinse away the
       weight of Weyland-Yutani's grip, but freedom was a distant
       dream. Unlike the Marines who had served their time, she was
       still bound by her sentence. Working for a powerhouse like
       Weyland-Yutani had its perks, but the price was her soul. This
       mission felt different, a turning point. She had always been
       trusted with critical tasks, but this one was unique. It wasn't
       just about working with the Marines; it was about proving
       herself in a new way. Orion had always been quick in and out,
       grabbing research data and specimens like a thief in the night.
       But now, she was more than a corporate officer; she was a key
       player in a high-stakes game.
       She noticed the snort from Deadeye, but pretended she didn’t. At
       this point she had put her head under the water. The shower
       stalls didn’t offer much privacy, but there was no shame in
       anyone. They had short dividers and that was about as much
       privacy as one got. She had caught Bandit’s eye in the mirror
       for a brief second before turning around to wash her face under
       the steady stream of water. There was what looked to be three
       gnarly scars going down her back. It apparently wasn’t her first
       rodeo with violence, if wanted to make any assumptions about
       her. They would most likely be wrong. She allowed them. She
       never corrected anyone. She had heard the term “corporate
       princess” thrown around a few times. Mostly because there was a
       small bit of nepotism there.
       The banter was kept away from her. Orion saw no need to join in
       as it wasn’t camaraderie she was looking for.
       Once she was dressed, in a different outfit then the rest. She
       wore a black flight suit with a black long sleeved shirt
       underneath it. It also had no markings on it. No brand of
       Weyland-Yutani, no badges or strips. Just plain black. Though it
       was tailored to fit her while still giving her room to move
       around.
       She had taken a seat at the table, sitting across from Bandit
       wasn’t exactly in the plan, more then likely she would have
       wanted to sit alone but he had sat there and she couldn’t
       exactly tell him not too. She already had a bad report with the
       team, that would most certainly put her on the outs. Instead she
       seemed to pay close attention to toast on her plate. She had
       pretty much the same as him, eggs, bacon, but with toast.
       As Mr. Quint sat down, her body tensed slightly, but quickly
       relaxed as she gave him the same flat smile he had earlier. Must
       be a corporate thing.  There was a hope that they would contain
       the conversations to themselves. The look of surprise on her
       face couldn’t even be hidden when she was spoken too. Reaching
       for her coffee she spoke.-
       -She would correct him as he called her boss lady.- “Orion.”
       -she stated. She kept her tone cool and even. Perhaps the synth
       sitting next to her might seem to have more personality then she
       was exhibiting in this moment. She took a sip from her coffee
       and decided to engage in conversation. Even when it might seem
       she checked out.-
       “It’s delayed for me. Never right away. I can sometimes make it
       to the bathroom in time.” -she said as she then put her coffee
       down. Her blonde hair was still wet but pulled back into a neat
       low ponytail that if her flight suit was lighter would probably
       have a dark wet stain where her locks sat. She was trying to be
       Corporate, that much was clear. Except there was something off
       about it. It could just be the vibe she was putting out, but she
       was cold to them. Even to Bandit and Mr. Quint. There was no
       reason to build a relationship with the walking dead.-
       “It would be nice to wake up and not have to vomit.” -there was
       a glimmer of personality there, and the small smile she had when
       she said it vanished just as quickly when it came, especially
       when she glanced over towards Mr. Quint. The rest of the team
       were chatting idly in the back ground. She seemed to right
       herself.- “I debrief before breakfast.” -she said and there was
       a short period of time where she had seemed to disappear before
       she came into the breakfast area but figured nobody really had
       took notice of it. She mostly spoke to that Mr. Quint to let him
       know she was ready when the time came. For now though she wanted
       to focus on her breakfast. She threw some eggs on the toast and
       continued eating but her eyes were constantly scanning the rest
       of the team. Watching them but not with to much notice it could
       just have been mild curiosity but him being in the USCMC, he
       might know better.-
       "23 minutes before debrief of the team."
       #Post#: 361--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Slick Date: August 22, 2025, 5:17 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       The USCM was a viable, respectable job amidst the Galactic
       Frontier. A steady paycheck and benefits most civilians outside
       of Earth could hope to have. Yet, despite the numerous
       recruiting stations across the moons, a dirty secret of the Corp
       was that most of their enlisted ranks had been drawn from
       prisons and penal colonies. Orion likely knew that. She likely
       had read Bandit’s file, and knew that his callsign was very much
       tied to his forced enlistment. He wasn’t alone. Weyland Yutani
       rewarded excellence and loyalty. Why not? It gave people the
       impression they weren’t expendable. Everyone on that ship had
       been on clandestine missions that showed just how expendable
       most people were to The Company. But the checks always cleared.
       He had a condo on the moon with a view of Earth.
       The Marauders Vulkan, Deadeye and Stitch sat caddy corner to
       Orion, Quint and Bandit. There were looks given as their team
       lead joined the XO, but he did outrank them. They mostly just
       talked about what dreams they had while eating their food. They
       were taking in as much as they could. The ship’s wardens Ace,
       Jaeger and Wrench sat at the opposite end of the XO’s table. Ace
       nursed coffee and a cig, seemingly talking about business
       already with Jaeger, who nodded along agreeably over his food.
       Wrench shared bits of his well stocked plate with Felix, half
       listening to the Captain.
       Bandit, likewise, had no shame in curing his famous as quickly
       as possible. But he seemed attentive enough to her, and parsed
       his words out when he wasn’t chewing.
       “Pretty sure I should just keep a barf bag in the chamber,” he
       replied, shrugging nonchalantly and scarfing another mouthful.
       The plate was emptied quick, washed down with coffee.
       Ace got up from her stool and walked by the three of them,
       speaking up after Orion, though directly at Quint, [I] “Speaking
       of… Mr. Quint, can I borrow you to talk about my ship before the
       brief?”[/I]
       [I] “Gladly,”[/I] Quint said, giving a polite nod to his
       breakfast guests before standing and walking off with Ace.
       Bandit would push his plate away, leaning forward on his elbows
       holding his coffee mug.  “We don’t normally get pulled from our
       unit like this. We usually have a different Company Handler, one
       we’re familiar with, and… we usually have a different synthetic.
       All that’s to say… we’re grumpy, but it’s nothing personal.
       We’ll get over it, and do our jobs.”
       #Post#: 362--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Cherie Date: August 22, 2025, 5:50 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       -In between their small talk about vomiting she was half
       listening to the other conversations around her. Only snippets
       were caught. She watched Ace sip her coffee, she watched as
       Jaeger looked like he was talking but she couldn’t make out what
       he was saying. He was a large man, but he spoke softly
       sometimes, when he wasn’t being crude. That seemed to be a going
       theme with them. It made her miss her friends back home. The
       ones she had before she got involved. They would go out drinking
       and dancing. They talked about guys, work, their struggles.
       Sometimes they could be a bit crude, except it was nothing to
       this level. It was also mostly confined to the group of ladies
       and not for everyone to hear.
       Her eyes went to Felix but her heart went out to Wrench. He
       seemed so kind. He took care of that cat with genuine love.
       Granted she fought for him to bring his cat, but apparently she
       had lost. It wasn’t that she didn’t like animals, it just wasn’t
       fitting. Wrench was very good at what he did, which was why he
       was able to override her wishes and bring Felix along.
       Bandit continued the conversation and throwing up, and honestly
       she felt as though she might throw up her breakfast if they kept
       talking about it.  He seemed so cavalier. Everyone seemed more
       relaxed then they should be. Or it could have just been her
       projecting.  The moment Ace moved, Orion’s eyes were on her.
       Even more so when she came up to speak to Mr. Quint. Orion’s
       gaze moved to Mr. Quint for a moment as he stood and left with
       Ace. Her head had turned watching them. When Bandit spoke her
       head was turned watching where Ace and Mr. Quint went, so she
       almost didn’t realize it.-
       “Huh?” -she asked as she was turning to face him. Again he was
       just sitting in a relaxed position. They all were, she then
       sighed out and picked up her coffee. Might as well try to blend
       in with them. There was an attempt to relax her posture.-
       “I’m the best fit for handler on this mission.  It’s just a
       research vessel. There was no need for a whole Company or your
       normal handler. It wasn’t necessary to pull your normal Handler.
       Mr. Quint was..” -she paused for a moment.- “He was also best
       fit for this.”
       -Orion leaned forward a bit, her eyes moved to his arm, his real
       on. She had caught some of the tattoos on his arm in the
       bathroom, then they moved towards his other arm. The one that he
       wasn’t born with. She had read all their files, and the worst
       part was they knew she did. When she was handed the files she
       was told: ‘everything you need to know about them is in these
       files’. Except sitting across from Bandit, watching Wrench with
       Felix. She knew those words were a lie. Putting her coffee cup
       down she leaned forward a short ways.-
       “I don’t take anything personal. I work for Weyland-Yutani. If
       you believe I’d be upset about people being grumpy. Then you
       truly have no idea what it’s like to work for them.” -she leaned
       back again and started to stand up picking up her plate. She
       wanted to know where Ace and Mr. Quint went.-
       #Post#: 363--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Slick Date: August 23, 2025, 11:25 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       “We both know that’s not true,” Bandit said as he set the
       coffee cup down. Direct eye contact was given. He knew she read
       all their files. If she was any good at her job, she would have.
       The Company wouldn’t waste sending them to babysit some
       incompetent suit. He didn’t antagonize any further, in case she
       was pettier than she made herself out to be. He may have been
       wrong about her, but he wasn’t wrong about others like Orion.
       Quint and Ace didn’t travel very far. The android followed the
       captain to the coffee dispenser, each getting a refill as they
       went over basic flight status and capabilities. Given the
       opportunity, they would make their way to the elevator to check
       the cockpit.
       Bandit finished his coffee, standing up and collecting his
       things.  “I’ll see you in there. Just be as straight with us as
       your authority allows. The less bullshit, the better we can do
       our jobs. Ma’am,” he nodded, walking to put his items in the
       dirty bins before heading to the elevator himself, headed for
       operations. The rest of the crew took their time with their
       meals, smoking or just soaking up the hum of the ship until
       about five till showtime.
       #Post#: 364--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Cherie Date: August 23, 2025, 1:54 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       -It was clear to see her attention was divided between Bandit
       and the other two, Ace and Mr. Quint. She wasn’t trying to make
       it obvious but there was an obvious distrust there. Whether it
       was for Ace or for Mr. Quint, maybe even both it was clear her
       attention wasn’t solely on Bandit. If this was any other
       mission, she might have kept her attention on him. He was a
       little older, good looking, seemed to have a good head on his
       shoulders. Except he wasn’t part of her plan. There was no need
       for any ancillary interaction.
       If any of them knew the full truth, either about her or their
       mission. They would have put a bullet in her head and rightfully
       so.  In the end she thought maybe that’s what she deserved. How
       many cover-ups she had done. How many people she had hurt in the
       name of Weyland-Yutani. Bandit might think he understood their
       reach but unless you were in the trenches with corporate, one
       could never fully understand their misgivings.
       When he started to move it caught her attention once again even
       if she was already clearing up her area. Her attention was on
       him, but her lips were slightly parted as if she was about to
       say something to him but she caught it in her throat and only
       gave him a nod of her head. Before she headed off. She had
       disappeared on the ship. This was not the ship that would be
       landing, this was just their headquarters. They would have to
       take a smaller ship down to the planets surface.
       ________________________________________________________________
       _________
       She didn’t appear again until the debrief. She would handle the
       first portion of it just reviewing their mission and then Ace or
       Bandit would take over to talk about the military aspect of
       their mission. While on the ship she was in charge, but she
       wasn’t in charge of the strategy.
       “Alright everyone, settle in.” -she announced as she was trying
       to get their attention, once she had it she would continue
       speaking. She held a tablet in her hand and brought up the
       planet on the screen.-
       “As in your previous de-briefing, we know that three days ago
       the USS Calypso, a deep space research vessel charged by
       Weyland-Yutani and a Raiders detachment crash landed on a
       terrestrial class planet in the Chtonic Seconit. It appears to
       have dropped fast and hard. There was no warning, no mayday and
       only seventeen minutes of beacon transmissions before it cut to
       static. However, we were able to ping it’s location based upon
       the beacons last transmission. We were able to isolate it to
       this area here.”
       -She pushed a few buttons and the holographic planet moved to
       show an area on the surface.- “We believe there might have been
       catastrophic failure. There is yet to be any word from the crew
       and as far as we know no recovery attempt from the UPP. We also
       do not believe that the UPP has made mention of the crash, there
       have been no alerts or broadcasts. Nothing has come through on
       their public channels that we are aware of.
       We believe that their silence is intentional. They are not
       wanting anyone to get to the wreck, especially not us. They will
       lose whatever opportunity they think they have inherited. It is
       not the first time, nor will it be the last time that the UPP
       has attempted to steal proprietary information from Weyland-
       Yutani.
       When we land, we’ll land under sensor blackout. There will be
       minimal communications with Mother and this ship. We will have
       access to our own comms on the surface, but since this is
       black-ops we do not want to broadcast our presence in using
       large open communication systems.
       We will  secure the crash site, recovery what remains. Priority
       one is to main the integrity of the company research, data and
       most importantly the assets. Any hardware or records are to be
       secured first along with any assets. Second priority is
       survivors. If you find survivors you are to secure them.
       You are not to initiate engagement with UPP assets unless fired
       upon, and you will not, under any circumstances, expose our
       military affiliations to public broadcast. If the UPP arrives,
       you disengage. You do not provoke. You do not show them who you
       are or who sent you.
       You’ll be provided tactical and recovery loadouts. Standard
       Weyland-Yutani doctrine applies.”
       -At her last words she looked over towards Banit before allowing
       her gaze to move over the rest of them.-
       “And if you’re thinking I look more like a suit than a marine,
       remember that I’ve survived prior black site extractions, two of
       them with no backup and no recovery window. So don't mistake
       civility for softness.”
       -She put the tablet down then glanced over at Ace.- “Your show.”
       -before stepping away.-
       
       #Post#: 365--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Slick Date: August 24, 2025, 4:32 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Just as in the mess hall, the Operators sat to one side, the
       crew to the other, with Bandit and Ace sitting closer. Mr. Quint
       stood in the middle, hands clasped in front of him, ready to
       assist at a moment’s notice.
       At the mention of the UPP, Orioin experienced a minor
       interruption.
       [I] “Fuckin’ commies,”, [/I] said Vulkan.
       [I] “They’re Socialists. Belters are communist,”[/I] Stitch
       corrected.
       “Lock it up,” said Bandit, and the Marines tightened their
       lips.
       When Orion finished her portion of the brief, the fireteam did
       not seem happy, but there were no further outbursts. No
       questioning the orders. They waited until everything was laid
       out. As Orion handed it off to Ace, the captain stubbed out a
       cigarette and stood up.
       [I] “Thank you, Ma’am,”[/I] she said,[I] “Since we’re on a time
       crunch, I’ll make this short. As you may have noticed, the
       Nellie here is working on a skeleton crew. We can hold 27 crew
       at max, but we can make do. She’s quick, she’s quiet, and packs
       a mean punch. But neither she nor we are equipped to take on any
       major planetary defenses, or a true Naval offensive, so please
       heed the XO’s Rules of Engagement so we can avoid an
       intergalactic incident,”[/I]
       She tapped at her own tablet, pulling up a map of their ship
       headed towards a planet.
       [I] “In two hours, we’ll be on the dark side of CS-576, a UPP
       outpost titled ‘C’tan’. Scans suggest there is a blind spot in
       planetary defense. While Mr. Wrench and I stay on the Nellie,
       Jaeger will escort the rest of you in the Spectre drop ship,
       where he will touch down here, on the other side of this ridge,”
       [/I] following a new map readout, she indicated a dot on the
       opposite side of a mountain range that started not far from the
       crash site, likely to use the terrain as cover of their descent
       and route.
       [I] “Should something go wrong, you will only have a short
       window to return to the dropship and get back to the Nellie. I
       am authorized to leave you if you are compromised. In the event
       you make it back, we just have to survive for 24 hours. The 5th
       Armada is ready to stage a naval Blockade of the Rylun sector if
       we can make it that far. So let’s make sure it doesn’t come to
       that.
       As stated, comms will be at a minimum. Jaeger will check in with
       me at scheduled intervals for mission integrity. Otherwise, Mr.
       Quint will be in charge of comms.”[/I] Ace would nod to the
       android before sitting down. Quint stepped forward. Without the
       need of a tablet, he was able to change the holographic layout
       to whatever he was talking about in real time.
       [I] “Thank you, Ace. Just a reminder, I am Mission Synthetic
       Quint, and I will be your comms specialist and Science Officer.
       I understand I am not the regular Synthetic Person any of you
       are familiar with. Just as each and every one of you are
       uniquely capable for this mission, so am I. Let’s get Comms out
       of the way: Until a secure channel can be obtained, radio
       transmissions will be limited. Anything that needs to be
       communicated to either Jaeger at the dropship, or Ace as the
       Nellis, can be given directly to me. My uplink with MU/TH/R can
       allow any messages to be transcribed to onboard HUDs. You speak,
       I text. Simple as that. But it means that the fireteam must stay
       together until otherwise directed. I am also equipped to fix any
       equipment malfunctions.
       But above all, my directives on this mission are to assist Ms.
       Orion in securing the Research assets. If any of you come into
       contact with an asset, please allow me to take point in subduing
       and transporting it. But, as a precaution, you were all given
       training in the KSG-AL. It is an an electrostatic arc weapon
       capable of firing taser-level voltage, though it is more than
       lethal if calibrated as such. It comes equipped with a
       pump-action under barrel, which can be fitted with anti-riot
       rounds, grenades, or shotgun shells. Your primary ammunition for
       this, however, willl be the Spider-Silk Slugs. Each round can
       cover a one meter area with a thick, organic binding agent that
       can act as a cocoon on whatever it is shot at. Under no
       circumstances will any other weapon be used upon the assets we
       are searching for. That being said, the KSG should be able to
       help suppress any UPP forces, should it come to that. And for
       now, I’ll turn it over to fireteam leader, Bandit.”[/I]
       Bandit was tapping at the tablet as the floor was handed to him,
       standing and making eye contact with everyone.
       “Obviously we don’t want to make this an intergalactic
       incident. There’s no love lost between the Colonial Marines and
       the UPP, but we aren’t here to drop bodies. That being said,
       given the highly volatile nature of the situation, we cannot
       fully guarantee a clean exit out of here. But we aren’t walking
       into this with our dicks in our hands.
       As Mr. Quint said, the KSG is a versatile weapon, capable of
       lethal and non-lethal functions. The COmpany has been nice
       enough to provide a variable arsenal. Mostly Hyperdyne
       weaponry,” That got a chuckle from a few people. Hyperdyne was
       the main competitor to Weyland-Yutani, and had been founded by a
       former WY scientist-turned UPP founder.  “Vulkan, as the
       armorer, make sure no weapon can be traced back to us. To help
       with Mr. Quint’s haul of the assets, our Combat Mechs will be
       used to transfer everything back to the drop ship once secure.
       Should things turn really bad, we have the mechs to help out.
       But that is only if the XO declares a Broken Arrow situation.
       They are transport mules, not the tanks we usually use them for.
       The Mechs are outfitted with cloaking technology, and we have
       the same privilege. Our armor for this has light-bending
       capabilities to keep us camoflauged with the surrounding areas.
       As always, the plates are water-resistant, but avoid becoming
       fully submerged in liquid to protect the sensor-projectors.
       Beyond that, you’ve heard the directives, but remain flexible
       when we get down there for any unforeseen changes to our
       projected mission. Semper Gumby, Marines. Anything else I should
       cover?”
       Bandit would look towards Orion and Quint, see if there was a
       gap in their coverage.
       #Post#: 366--------------------------------------------------
       Re: USS Nellis - Weyland-Yutani Expedition
       By: Cherie Date: August 24, 2025, 5:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       -She had stepped aside to let the rest take over. She listened
       but she knew the basics of it all. It wasn’t something she
       needed to be prepped for. She wasn’t the one fighting, but she
       would be armed non the less. They didn’t send her because she
       looked good in a suit. They sent her because she had a track
       record of results and sometimes those resulted ended with her
       giving a final resolution to a problem. Orion wanted to make it
       clear to them she was not a liability to the team, but if
       anything she could be an asset.
       Ace took over, then Mr. Quint, and Bandit. Even as Mr. Quint
       spoke she kept her face relaxed and calm as if everything was
       status quo. Except it was anything but that. Her eyes moved over
       all the faces. She committed their names to her memory already.
       It was different seeing them in person as opposed to the picture
       in their file. Interacting with them humanized them.
       As Bandit asked if there was anything else he should cover,
       Orion shook her head.- “If the team doesn’t have any additional
       questions. You are dismissed. We will meet at the drop ship
       in..” -she glanced at her watch.- “In 1 hour and 58 minutes.”
       -she was specific with her times because they needed to be.
       Which was always important in missions.
       Once the team was dismissed she had stepped to go get prepped
       for the mission, but before that she had slipped up next to
       Bandit.- “A word?” -she asked him but it wasn’t given like a
       question, it was stated like an order. He didn’t really have
       much of a choice. Orion moved with out looking at anyone else.
       However, she could see them in her peripheral vision.  It just
       didn’t matter.
       She had exited the room with Bandit, probably confused and not
       saying it. Though most of the time it wasn’t unusual for the XO
       to prep with the fireteam lead. She had done it many times on
       missions.  This was a little different though, there was a
       quickness to her step and she had not yet said anything to him.
       There would be a small window for a quick talk before the rest
       of the team went into the armory. It was the best place she
       could think to go with out looking too suspicious. Perhaps that
       was just her paranoia, but if they all knew what she knew they
       might understand.
       Pressing the button to the door of the armory the doors slide
       open with a quiet hiss, before her fist hit the button to close
       the door. Again she had read their files, studied them. And what
       the files didn’t tell her she might have found out through other
       means. Certain networks run deep.
       Again she still hadn’t said anything even when she punched the
       button. Her eyes were glancing around and she knew there was a
       camera in here. There were camera’s everywhere on the Nelly. It
       was standard WY procedures to have all areas monitored and
       documented.  There was one thing she knew, that camera feed
       wasn’t working right now.
       Orion moved over to a locker with her name on it and started to
       rummage through it. There was a click, but her body was covering
       what she was doing. She pulled out what looked to be a
       modification for the KSG-AL. It wasn’t a very large piece of
       equipment. She walked over and handed it to Bandit.-
       “This is classified.” -she said to him.- “It’ll modify your
       weapon to lethal.”  -it wasn’t an explanation but one would come
       after.- “Don’t trust that your weapons can switch to lethal.
       Only use this if you absolutely have too. Do not tell the team
       because this is as I said classified.” -she used the term
       classified twice as if this order came from Weyland-Yutani.- “I
       don’t how this looks, and I know you what you are thinking, but
       if you want the best chance on the surface, you need to trust
       me. Even if it’s blind trust.  Also, monitor any communications
       with Mr. Quint. Do not trust him.” -she said and she was
       speaking softly, but then she watched as the green light of the
       camera blipped back on.
       She took a step or two away from him and motioned her arm to the
       weapons as if she was asking questions about them.- “And this
       one here, all the grenade launchers are equipped with non-lethal
       grenades. Gasses, fast acting paralyzing toxins.” -but as she
       was explaining he could see her foot tapping on a metal box that
       seemed to be in the correct place but also seemed out of place.
       She was trying to subtly tell him to bring whatever was in there
       on the mission. After all he was fireteam lead. The best thing
       she could do it was try to make it so he was a prepared as
       possible even if the rest of the team weren’t. Orion knew what
       they were hunting. Some classified information leaked down to
       her and lucky enough the Opposition was willing to take
       advantage of that leaked information. Except Orion didn’t want
       anymore people to die in the name of Weyland-Yutani and the
       Opposition. The competitors of Weyland-Yutani were also about
       the corporate greed and she thought the Opposition would be
       different, but they were proving themselves to be just as bad.
       If Orion was on this mission she would make sure it went
       sideways so that neither side go what they wanted. Either
       exposure or an alien species with a bunch of dead Colonial
       Marines.-
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