Benny wasn't keen on stepping back into the meeting room with the Alliance jarheads, but they all needed to be briefed on the plan. Stepping back inside with the others and leaning against the wall, he listened to the more detailed info given by their leader and the Alliance lapdogs.

[color=gray]"Target two, Quinlan Kifear... He's military. A high-ranking commander of the Shrekeer. There's a military supply depot on Teravainen, he's scheduled to make an appearance there and inspect the place. Sergeant Gunnarson will be leading an assault squad to attack the depot. Standard formations and all of that. Collateral damage will be a bonus. Stryker, the team?"[/color] Captain asked. 

[color=orange]"Benny, Tobi, Sadaet, Henry, Harriet and Varrus."[/color] Stryker replied.

Benny raised an eyebrow at his assignment. Direct attacks were never really his thing, but the prospect of watching a military base go up in flames... excited him, and made him feel a pleasant twitch in his organic arm. Now with his undivided attention, he paid attention to the rest of the briefing up until the conclusion.

[color=orange]"We've got a couple of days before the targets arrive, but there's a lot of work to be done. Grayson, I need you to tune up all the guns. Amy, the Federation may still be working on old broadcasting stations and using codes from your time, can you get on signal analysis, see if you can turn up any extra intel? Benny, we're gonna need explosives, and lots of them. Sadaet, we're going to need a few mobile hack kits, that something you can rig together? Varrus and Harriet, prep some med kits. Everyone else, we're gonna be doing daily combat training. That'll be all for now."[/color]

Benny nodded when Stryker called him out. [color=darkgoldenrod]"I'll get to work on makin' what we need. Do we want a few charges with a big wallop? Or are we going with dozens o' smaller Timmies?"[/color] Benny asked. Stryker turned towards him before replying with [color=orange]"A bit of both. We'll need something with a lot of kick for a few things, but we also need a lot of diversionary explosions"[/color]

Benny nodded with a wicked smile. [color=darkgoldenrod]"As long as the rest o' the team's smart enough ta' stay clear of a blast zone, consider tha' place a junkyard"[/color] He replied as he went out of the war room to make ready

[hider=Preparations Underway] 
[i][A Collaboration between me and [@iTem]][/i]

Throughout the week, Benny had gotten busy crafting his explosive arsenal in preparation for the big operation. It wasn’t difficult to make both standard charges with conventional items stocked in the Revenant, and IED’s with more unusual parts he found lying about, but in the end he felt he had enough ordnance to level the ship if placed correctly.

Now came for the other concern, which was talking to Matija to examine her gear for the sake of Harrison’s jetpack idea. He wasn’t sure yet if he would use it himself, but the idea piqued his interest. The problem however, was he was pretty sure she still hated his guts. He decided it would be best if he asked Koren to speak to her on their behalf. It just seemed safer for the whole group’s well-being.

The man approached Koren on the dormitory hallway. It was no surprise for the Juz’ to see Benny there since their room is next to theirs so the young man greeted Benny with a casual [color=7B68EE]“Hey.”[/color]

[color=B8860B]“Hi so uhh… ya remember that thing with Harrison’s jetpacks, aye?”[/color] He asked, getting straight to the point of his visit. Koren looked at him curiously and nodded. [color=7B68EE]“Yeah?”[/color]

[color=B8860B]”Yeah uhh, we needed Matija to share her gear’s specs with us for that right? As ye said. So… Think ya could ask her fer it?”[/color]

Koren shook his head in response. [color=7B68EE]“Nah. You have to ask her yourself. She’s in our room right now. Anyway, see ya.”[/color] With that the Juz’ left, leaving Benny flabbergasted at the direct and cold reply.

[color=B8860B]”Well fuck ya too, blue boy…”[/color] he muttered as he went towards their room. Taking a deep breath before knocking on the door and waiting for them to answer. Matija was quick to open the door, muttering [color=DEB887]“Ya forgot your tools again, K- Oh.”[/color] She stared at Benny for a moment, seemingly confused on why he would grace her with his presence. [color=DEB887]“Wait. Why are you here?”[/color] she asked while placing herself in the door’s opening and another hand kept the door close to her side.

He sighed before responding. [color=B8860B]”Okay… I know yer probably just trying not ta’ tell me to fuck off, right now, but… me Koren and Harrison have this little side-project ongoing before tha’ mission. And… we were hopin’ you could help us by err… letting us examine yer gear,”[/color] he said, getting to the point so as to avoid the awkwardness that was nagging at him from their meeting. Matija paused, then quirked a manicured eyebrow up. [color=DEB887]“That’s it? Okay,”[/color] she said nonchalantly.

He was looking away as she spoke, and he had to do a double-take at how quickly she responded positively to their request. [color=B8860B]”W-wait that’s it? No… bargaining? No askin’ fer any favors or demandin’ anything?”[/color] he asked, in legitimate surprise. The confusion made Matija look away, almost annoyed at how stupid the question is before she started laughing mirthlessly. [color=DEB887]“Heheheh! Yeah of course… NOT!”[/color] The Mecorian’s tone changed into something more abrasive by the end. [color=DEB887]“Why the fuck would I let you or your friends, especially [i]you[/i], to touch my shit? Are you retarded?!”[/color] With that she tries to shut the door, hard, at his face.

His eyes widened at the sudden rant, and as she tried to shut the door he quickly pulled up Skelly and held it open, keeping her from shutting it, and exerting a lot of pressure on it to stop her slam. Matija on the other hand was trying to shut the door despite Skelly’s superior power on it. She hissed a [color=DEB887][i]“That’s fuckin’ unfair! Let go!”[/i][/color] while slapping Skelly off and hissing other expletives at him.

 [color=B8860B]”Okae fine! Fuck me fer thinkin it was actually that easy then! But is there really nothin’ I can do ta’ get ya to change yer mind? Don’t need anything I can make fer your job in the mission?”[/color] He said quickly, keeping Skelly in place. She responded with a deadpan look of done-ness and groaning before recovering and grinning. [color=DEB887]“Weeell...”[/color] she started, [color=DEB887]“You cain get on yer knees an’ ask for forgiveness for bein’ a douche ta me,”[/color] she finished.

Benny’s eyes widened again at that, and his expression flashed from surprise to anger, with Skelly squeezing onto where they held the door, causing a small dent. [color=B8860B]”If… if I fuckin’ do this… you’ll let us look at the gear?”[/color] he asked, through gritted teeth at the audacity of her reply, asking him to basically shove his pride up his own ass.

Matija leaned on the door frame, letting Benny have his way with the door, she didn’t want it anyway. [color=DEB887]“Hmm… yeah. I’ll let ya look through my gear. I’ll even list all the mods that I’ve done and gone with it. What do ya say?”[/color] She had crossed her arms, and waited smugly for the bomber’s reply.

Benny looked down, taking a couple of deep breaths, taking Skelly’s hand off the door slowly and lowering it, though its palm remained in a claw-like position and seemed to be twitching at the fingers. [color=B8860B]”fff-fine…”[/color] he said, taking a step back and knelt down slowly. [color=B8860B]”I’m…”[/color] he started, hissing from the mental strain he was exerting on himself to do what she asked, and to keep his robotic arm from responding to the signals in his brain willing him to just deck her. [color=B8860B]”I’m… sss… sorry fer… bein’ a douche…[/color] he continued, bringing his other organic hand to clasp onto Skelly as he made hissing breaths. [color=B8860B]”Please… fff… forgive me…”[/color] he finished. She harrumphed and stepped closer to him, [color=DEB887]“..an’ for forgetting prior commitments to me,”[/color] she added for him to copy.

He inhaled deeply again before continuing. [color=B8860B]”An’... fff-forgettin’ commitments to ya…”[/color] He said, Skelly’s palm now on the floor, making more twitches with their fingers. Matija watched Benny and Skelly, noting that the robotic hand tended to be erratic when he’s emotional, and finally sighing. [color=DEB887]“See? That wasn’t so bad,”[/color] she said as she gave him an assuring pet on the head. Benny felt himself burn up with embarrassment at the seemingly condescending gesture. [color=B8860B]”Oh fuck off…[/color] he muttered under his breath. [color=DEB887]“C’mon in. I’ll list the modifications for you. The hell do you need it for anyway?”[/color] she said as she finally gave him room to enter when she did.

Benny took some more deep breaths, as he stood up, Skelly now being calmer as well. [color=B8860B]”It was… Koren’s idea really. We needed a harness system to base off a… compact jetpack design on. He said yours was probably our best bet,”[/color] he said as he stepped inside, looking around her room. [color=DEB887]“Huh… I guess that’s true… I did a lot of trial an’ error with mine an’ the concept’s the same. I guess,”[/color] she said as she opens an app on her holo with a flick of her left wrist while her right hand reached out for a plasteel box that contained her gear from under her bed. She sent a list of modifications and even some old notes of hers when she made her gear towards Benny and opened the box with the other. [color=DEB887]“You gonna take this with you or..?”[/color] Matija asked, looking at Benny for a response while asking through gestures if he’s going to just look her armor over in their room.

He examined the gear as she took it out, taking note at what parts of it he could make sense of, and some that seemed to have more exotic modifications. Regardless, it certainly didn’t resemble any kind of military-grade gear he’d ever seen or stolen. He decided he’d have to refer to the list that she had sent him. [color=B8860B] “Might need to look this over in the lab… Just ta’ emulate how the harness works. I’ll call Koren an’... I guess ya can come with if ya want…”[/color] He said, thinking how he wouldn’t trust other people with his gear without his supervision. Matija shrugs at his suggestion but she found it comforting. [color=DEB887]“Ain’t got nothin’ to do before we get there, anyway. I’m still waitin’ on more intel if there’s any.”[/color] She gestured at Benny to place her armor back in its crate before closing it and awkwardly drumming her fingers on top of the lid. [color=DEB887]“Ya… cain’t really see how it works unless it’s worn, you know… Er… I-if it’s for Koren... well, I guess I won’t... mind puttin’ it on,”[/color] she said with her voice weakening with every word while avoiding eye contact.

Benny found himself momentarily surprised by her suggestion, before slightly blushing upon realizing she was offering to be examined to study the suit. [color=B8860B]”O-oh… Uhh… I guess that would help a lot with the data… Would take a lot less simulation and calculation…”[/color] He said turning away from her. [color=B8860B]”I’ll uhh… give ya room to change then?”[/color] Matija tapped her fingers on the lid again before nodding. [color=DEB887]“Yeah. Get out,”[/color] she said finally with a smile.

The rest of their “day” aboard the ship was spent with the trio of Benny, Matija, and Koren, running tests and simulations of movement in the lab, taking advantage of the large containment chamber in the middle as it seemed to have various scanners in place within it for examining any organism that may have been contained inside, using it to see how her body and muscles reacted to the suit, and taking notes on how they could emulate it with the jetpack design. Benny decided it was best not to call Harrison for this as Matija was not on good terms with them either, and Koren’s presence was probably the only thing that was keeping her cooperative with the various tests they were running.

The research continued til the next day, and between the two of them, they seemed to already have a working simulated model of an improvised jetpack design that wouldn’t fuck up their bodies at high speeds and sudden turns. All that was left was to construct it, and, if there was enough time before the mission, test it out.

Harrison showed themselves to be particularly useful in helping cobble together their designs using anything that was on hand, and with all 3 of them working on it, they managed to make a functional model that could be tested in the cargo bay. Naturally, Matija was the best candidate for it, given her natural agility. Harrison volunteered very eagerly to try it out, and while Benny and Koren weren’t opposed to potentially seeing their chattery crewmate fly straight into a wall, they figured Matija would be able to give the most useful test results from her better body control.

Surprisingly, the harness worked well enough, though the thruster controls had a bit of response-lag, but it was understandable given its improvised nature. It would at least serve the purposes of short-term flight which was Harrison’s original idea and purpose for the gadget. Using what was left of the week, they quickly created 4 more identical copies of the jetpack, one for each person who contributed to the device, even Matija. [color=B8860B]”Neva’ know when ye’ll need a quick getaway in that undercover op o’ yers”[/color]

With most of their gear now in order, they made their last minute checks on their roles and missions, studying data on the location of their operaitons along with potential threats as the day of the operation closed in
[/hider]

[b]ONE WEEK LATER...[/b]

Benny was putting on his armored suit and securing the locks on it within his room. The week had been a lot more exciting and productive than he had thought. He glanced at the ramshackle-looking jetpack in the corner of his room and grinned, thinking back to all that they had gone through to make that shitty-looking thing. Once his suit was one, he grabbed it, and secured the harness around his body, moving around a bit to get used to the weight of it. He had tested it out a bit in the cargo bay along with the others after Matija’s successful flying, just to make sure he wouldn’t be flying wild when he did have to use it in the field. He was glad he did because the feeling of individual flight was disorienting as Hell, but yet the thrill of it made him feel giddy in the air.

With that secure, he began packing his chosen explosives for the mission. He had around 4 high-power charges for things that just really had to go up in smoke, while carrying around a dozen small-time explosive charges to make noise and cause havoc. [i][color=B8860B]Get one of these next to an ammo stash or fuel reserve and I can cause some real damage…[/color][/i] he mused, causing a wicked smile to form on his face upon imagining the catastrophic results.

He had already planned and marked potential areas as good spots for setting off charges based on the rough satellite map data of the military depot in order to maximize confusion. So long as they weren’t detected by the guards before things started exploding around them.

Due to the amount of explosive ordnance he was carrying, he had little room for grenades to carry. He grabbed 2 Incendiary grenades and 2 EMP grenades as his throwables, mainly for temporarily suppressing and removing potential threats in the mission, while he packed only 4 HE grenades for his rifle’s underslung grenade launcher. To free up space for these, he only carried 2 extra magazines in spare ammunition for his gun. He was hoping his allies would do most of the shooting for him while he took care of turning the military base into a blasted wasteland.

With his arsenal packed and secured in his equipment pack, his grenades and spare mags attached to the front of his torso, his helmet in one hand, and his RWC-BR7 in the other, he jogged outside to join up with the rest of his assigned team in the ship’s shuttle bay to get ready for the drop. He hoped to pass by Matija or maybe Koren on the way, to get a few parting words with them before they all went off to unleash their own brand of mayhem across this sorry planet.

[i][color=B8860B]Sure as shit hope the rest of these bastards prepared for this as much as I have, or I’ll kill ‘em myself…[/color][/i]

[hider=Tags]Not sure if I missed any [@iTem] [@superservo27] [@BKburke] [@TheEvanCat] [@Strange Rodent][/hider]