Members of the team would find that Zen was rather quick to send messages to their receivers and datapads in reply to questions and statements made, if he had any viable output to contribute. If not, he was silent. So, to begin with, the concerns of Cassius warranted an almost-immediate return of information. [color=ed1c24][b][i]-Zen analysis of X-related files conclude that although there are potentially the means for X Parasite organisms to physically impede any mechanism through the act of growth or osmatic energy absorbtion, the possibility of the X deciding on this course of action is small, their ability to execute this to any useful degree minimal, and their chances of success nil. On the off chance that all of these things occur, this unit will radiate an energy surge at a modular frequency known to deter the X organism in order to deter penetration. It is not a dedicated quarantine field, but rather my self-cleaning protocol to remove possible waste or dirt from my system.-[/i][/b][/color] In response to Kathrin asking about trying to convince Samus of their situation. [b][i][color=ed1c24]-There is a likelyhood that Samus will not cooperate with the Federation, even though their resources and commitment towards ending this plague is clear. If you wish to solve this problem diplomatically - however difficult that may be - you must impress upon her that she alone cannot undertake this task, though she may be inclined to or has even begun in secret. The problem is too large and to complex for one bounty hunter. It requires large-scale resources and personnel along with her part in situations.-[/color][/i][/b] Zen had nothing to say about the friction between the group. He wasn't a social android, per se. He answered questions, had opinions... He didn't care who was actually in charge, as long as it was someone who would not compromise things. Having their support unit as the de facto leader made a kind of sense. He was charged with taking care of everyone that he could, so it seemed only natural that he would be getting people to do things, anyway. Along the way, they had a problem. Vekt had caught a bug. Not as in the X. It was the Vergesian Flu. It turns out that humans are compatible carriers of it, but it never did anything more than give 'em spots on their neck. Vekt, though... One reason he'd been kinda' quiet and out of it was that he had the early groggy stages of it when he arrived, but then started breaking out in splotches and Cas had to ask him to rest until it wore off. So, he'd be sitting this out at least until he recovered. The range of time needed for that was difficult to tell. Some slow-burn low on symptoms and spike hard. Others kind of go medium the whole way. Only time would tell. SO! Onto the mission... Assuming they were keeping Kaze's ship in orbit with auto-defenses engaged and using at least one ship for the drop into SR-387's atmosphere... Well, it looks like they were in for some chop, but not severely so. In fact, Zen's gunship deliberately acted as a wind-breaker for the others to make landing easier. Once they were down, [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pIUf70dGLQ]Zen lowered himself down to the ground.[/url] Did he [i]have to[/i] use that theme? He probably wasn't aware that somebody had put it in there as a joke, since he was using the same type of gunship that Samus had at this time. Still...here they were. Because of the storm and the distance from the sun, this planet currently in twilight levels of visibility, which wasn't bad if you were using your eyes, but...you can do better than that, right? The outpost was up north from them. They could see it AND see its perimeter. They could even see that its perimeter guns and forcefields were inactive. Some of the guns were actually destroyed. No word on the field itself. It could be off or it could be broken. This place was a standard sort of bunker situation, a facility basically drilled into the ground with an oblong armored bump that had viewing slots, defenses, scanners, and so on in it or mounted on it. You basically burrowed down, pulled out the drills, and then stuck down an armored facility with this bunker 'cap' on top. Better yet, you install the facility by having powerful drills on the bottom of it, so it buries [i]itself[/i]. This was probably one of those ones. The defenses being off - according to all scanners they had and Zen - was not a good sign. An [i]additionally[/i] not-good sign was more of a literal one: Someone had written 'Hadley's Hope' on the side of this bunker. It probably didn't amuse the men and women at this base before, and it sure as hell wouldn't [i]now[/i]. They would be able to proceed towards the bunker, the only location that mattered out here, but suddenly Zen told everybody to stop. In fact, his exact words were... [b][color=ed1c24]"Stop, imediately. No movement. We are being hunted."[/color][/b] He turned his head in a direction that was close to opposite the direction of the bunker. He had detected movement, and a bio-signature. By the way he was pointing his arm out there, it was clear that he had some idea of where it was. His hand slid up silently, and he fired a pulse at a rocky outcropping, then. What followed was three forms breaking the surface of the ground nearby, one of them outright launching itself at the point of impact. It was a serpentine critter, multi-eyed, and it was not pleased that it got a faceful of rock. It and its companions - all of them some desert-variety Serris - plunged back into the ground and geysers of dirt began erupting in the group's direction! [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ4lJ8eSzQc[/youtube][/center] [b][color=ed1c24]"You must all escape to the facility. Authentication software to enter has been implanted in your quarantine belts and Zen's system."[/color][/b] He began to fire pulse shots at the ground, the impact craters unsettling them and diverting their progress. He had not been designed for heavy ground penetration, so this would have to do until they attacked in proper.