[IC] Metroid: Final Protocol

[Kazemitsu]

Kaze watched Amber and the marine wander off with a raised brow. He was genuinely surprised they both hadn't jumped at the thought of leading the group. The woman might have been capable but he knew that marine was not up to the task. Mental instability and an apparent hatred for bounty hunters and non-humans. The android might be a problem if it goes nuts like any other Federation AI, but the human marine needed to be watched just as closely.

Cassius spoke up which got him to shrug. "Leadership and a plan are both needed. The leader will keep everyone focused but not blindly so. We don't need everyone going in a separate direction and accomplish nothing." He said, then Zen spoke up about preparations being complete and they should get moving. The talk of ships popped up which made him think a moment.

"I've got plenty of room on my ship. It's also able to dock two small ships. I'll inform the others when they arrive at the docking bay." He stated before starting to move out. No point making all these discussions with some of the party absent.

[SimpleWriter]

While walking, Amber was looking down at her Datapad. She was most likely going through her notes again before she'd share it with anyone. Still, even while looking at her pad David would notice that she seemed to know exactly where she was going and even evading some of the people that were in her way. Although, them moving aside due to the marine's presence helped on that account.

Regarding the marine, she did not react too much to his presence. The fact that he followed her did not seem to bother her, nor did she seem like she wanted him away. In fact, there was too much things on her mind to really stop and wonder about it.

'Worried, intrigued and a little bit excited at the prospect of studying the X.' Amber answered as they finally reached a door. It opened upon her showing her ID, leading inside her private quarter. There were papers everywhere as well as a lot of metal boxes. Some full, some half packs with equipment scattered about.

'About the rest of the time...' for the first time since they had left the group, she stopped to take the time to think. All be it, only a second or so. 'I don't think much of them.' Realizing what she just said, she quickly added 'I mean, not as in... not much. Just, I don't know. We are to be teammates, I hope we can come to trust one another despite our differences. We'll see.'

Finally setting her pad down, Amber got her hair in a ponytail as she was getting ready to finish this packing job of hers. 'By the way, I sent my notes to your data pad as well as the rest of the team. Now...if you have things to gather I suggest you do it now. If not, then I could use a big guy like you with some of those.' As she said this, she pointed to some of the boxes containing her researching gears.

---

One Hour or so later...

Amber had just finished moving quite a few metal crates to the Base landing docks. She, and her gear, was standing not too far from her own ship. It was big enough for a crew of up to 10 persons or so, but at that number they'd be cramped. It was best used as a shuttle that you could dock on another bigger ship that would stay in orbit (wink wink).

Now, to wait.

[Eviledd1984]

@SimpleWriter

"If they plan any sort of betrayal then i have something for such a occasion" He said having removed his helmet, Holding it and smiling widely for her to see. "And i appropriate your enthusiasm about em but they are dangerous and we do not know what kind of havoc they could bring if they escape" He was walking along with her ignoring the nervous looks the other soldiers were giving him.

"I am also asking you if i can accompany you on a ship" He asked her nodding his head and agreeing to help her bring her things into the ship. Although he didn't think in this sort of mission she will not need such things. As they were much more high tech and more resourceful tech in the labs of the federation HQ. However he was not going to stop her form bringing her research material if they could find a cure or something useful with her things.

One Hour or so later.

Waiting beside Amber having placed her and his own things placed near the ship, Speaking with her about him being a leader of one squad and appointing another of the team as a leader of another team. He had the plan of splitting into two groups and trying to find Samus. Waiting for the others but wanting to talk of a game plan with her.

[AlternateMan]

An hour later.

Vekt had no much time used for getting any new cargo on his ship. He had stacked up on supplies to get himself a handful of explosives. His ship had gone through maintenance before he paid a visit to the Federation, which was right now. And now he was sitting at the pilot seat, playing with a small bolt in his hand.
Luckily the team didn't get into a fight which was something he was worried that it would happen, from the first few minutes he walked in. Instead they were going quite smoothly. All he had left to do was to finish the job, save the universe from a wave of killer parasites, find and capture a legendary figure of a bounty hunter, and come back in one piece. Every time he reminded himself of it he doubted this'll end as well as he wanted it to.

[FalloutJack]

Things were beginning to move along, though it was hopeful that Amber would not dash off everywhere in a moment's notice like she did just now. This mission, as Zen would put it, required a solid effort on all parts. Moving forwards alone seemed like a bad idea. It would certainly compromise the mission protocol to support the team by destroying X Parasite creatures when the team was running off like that. At least, in this instance, they knew where she was going, what she was doing. Others were splitting off, as well, to inevitably reach the hangar area that housed not only their vehicles, but any that would be signed out for additional need. It seemed that anyone NOT with an adequate ship was welcome aboard whatever substantial one that the dragon had. Alright then. That just left Cassius addressing the android, with a tall, but reasonable, request.

"Your request is feasible to the factor of whatever data has been transferred over to me. Immediate thought: Asteroid landing unlikely. The planet identified as SR-388 has not exploded. It has been scorched. The chances of any X Parasite colony leaving the planet on debris ejected from it, either before or after the atmosphere has been destroyed, is miniscule according to data. However, the chances of the world of their origin being penetrated deeper than the scorching could have effectively destroyed is high. It is the X's home world, and the dead planet could theoretically house them still, as they wait for the temperature to cool. Fortunately, the Federation has thought of this and will likely deploy ships to finish the job."

Meaning that SR-388 and would probably be completely eradicated to make certain that it did not hold anymore surprises. Cassius would find, even as the android was talking to him, that his data device was being given his requested files. In fact, everyone on this mission was getting - if they lacked it - the files mentioned, which would pretty much cover Samus' entire contribution to the universe, good OR bad, insofar as Zen could gain access to. For instance, Zen had been given all the documents on the X Parasites, but nothing on the fact that certain high-ranking members of the Federation wanted the X to experiment on themselves. He had given over the known history of the Metroids, and that this DID include the fact that Metroids were being bred on the BSL Station as Admiral Garrett had said. However, it maintained that this was in response to X infection issues like with Samus, and nothing to do with weaponization OR that they had achieved accelerated growth. They also had Mother Brain's History, the history of the Space Pirates, dossiers on Ridley, Kraid, Phantoon, and the creation of Mocktroid, the lesser clone species of Metroids made on Zebes.

Most importantly, there were nearly-complete details on the events of the BSL Station, starting with Samus' infection and the transfer of materials to said station. The crew would find out what Admiral Garrett had neglected to tell them: How the X got out in the first place. Much like the distress calls and the recordings of all station personnal panicking and being devoured by the X, this was footage that was NOT on official documents or files. It was important to allow them to know just how serious this was. They had a camera view of some quarantined crates in storage. Suddenly, one of the large ones in the recording exploded! There, as the smoke cleared...

...Samus?! No, that isn't possible. During this time index, Samus was recovering from infection, not inundated by it. This was was...some type of X-related creation. It had to be. Now, everyone would have to go through all of the information to find this, but yes, that is the truth. The AI installed within Samus' gunship confirmed that the cause of the station's overrun was an X Parasite immitating the bounty hunter, made from the remains of her powersuit! Chozo technology, integrating strong biotechnology to synch up with its genetically-augmented user... It must've read enough of Samus to be able to create this abomination after the initial infection. Important dossiers on important X forms and infections followed the transcript, including that of the SA-X. If Kaze were also browing this, he'd notice especially that BSL Station had Ridley's body, and that the X ate that up, as well, creating a savage replication of the space dragon, as well. All information regarding how Samus managed to gain control of the station and destroy it in an atmospheric blast that scorched the entire planet of SR-388 was not present. Everything cuts out after fight with Ridley-X. The AI stopped transmitting, having gone rogue. The Federation also did not include the fact that the AI was a copy of the mind of Adam Malkovich, Samus' former CO.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Well, with that exposition out of the way, we move ahead to the hangar. After giving out the information to every member of the team, Zen had made his way to find the blue gunship, which anyone who was already there would have seen parked there. As soon as he arrived within its vicinity, all members of the team had access to Zen's audio communication channel, which was presumably the frequency that other people would be speaking on. They could speak with him at any time, though obviously if there was anything to interfere with signals, that would be a problem. Several vessels were now ready, and between them they all had the capability to reach SR-387. Oh, speaking of which... Nearly forgot that Cassius had ALSO asked about the life on board this multi-environment planet. Sadly, it hasn't been explored quite as much as SR-388, but it IS the natural habitat of the creature referred to in the files as Serris.

So, you can expect that there will be some fast-moving serpents, although the outpost is located in a desert. They had plenty of time to go over this, of course, on the way. Hyperdrive or not - and they DID all have them - it was still a trip. Discussions on how to proceed would also be handled in transit, to only be altered by the factors which changed the situation around them. The ships would all arrive in the SR System of space, able to see the still-molten 'corpse' of SR-388 on their way to the nearby planet, SR-387. Naturally, there was no response to anny hails of the outpost. Nothing but static. They needed to go down there and retrieve the data, as Zen informed them that he himself could establish no computer connection with anything on the ground either. They had coordinates, reasonable expectation of enough space to land, and - unfortunately - a sand storm. Not a severe one, but unless you liked the idea of filling your suit up with it, better seal up before exiting the ships.

[Kazemitsu]

In the hour of waiting for people he had Federation jockey's transport supplies to his ship that was in orbit. While they did that he went over the information Amber had sent to everyone on the team. He'd look into it with more detail but what he saw made him curious. How did one kill a floating gelatinous blob of varying colors? Why did they even have various colors and what function did it serve? He'd probably find out eventually.

As he shifted about he glanced up to see everyone was gathering now. "Seems everyone has a personal ship. Mine can dock two and if your ship is particularly small you can mag-lock to it as well." He said as he tucked away his data-pad. That giant belt around his waist opened up and held it in a slot before closing. A handy utility belt for those without pants or pockets. "I'm going to assume everyone is going to be on my ship given it can hold ten of me." He continued as he tapped a button on the bracer that was on his wrist.

Outside the group could see a giant ship descending slowly. It stopped well above the flight traffic of the base, incoming and outgoing. The hull of it was painted black and was speckled white to look like it was a part of space. It seemed he enjoyed being camouflaged despite sensors being a thing.

[CAS1006]

The Information was abundant, and apparent. The correction about the Scorched planet also did help him quite a bit, granted, if they were having a hard time purging the X, it probably was a more harmful solution seeing as the planets themselves could more than likely have had valuable resources-- Seemed like a Commission of the Collective would have to help cultivate a world, to salvage and remedy... But now was not the time to ponder that; it didn't help anyone get to the Answer.

Samus was a myth to him moments ago; her exploits seemed very beneficial to the universe at large. It was hard not to have developing respect,even if met with slight skepticism... Cassius pondered for a moment. "Just what kind of woman does all this?" He looked through the more personal information... The Space Pirates, the Chozo... Where did the Chozo go? He read on, and like the records, it seemed they met an end. But Samus Endured. The Tribunal nodded at this mere fact. Some things just are not meant to endure forever.

He read about the Baby Metroid, The Pirates... Kaze looked very unique when held next to Ridley in records. It fascinated him, and told him there was much more to a people, that do not fully form a collective of an idea... Kaze was indeed not a Space Pirate. Kraid was... Well, he was something, he just wondered how it got around. Same could be speculated about Phantoon. Was it even fully dead?

Motherbrain however struck the most curious cord... She was an Artifice created by the Chozo, that turned on them, aiding the space Pirates on Zebes. Seems more like a Mad Overseer... He shook his head before reviewing the incomplete report of the Biologic Space Laboratories Research Station. He blinked at the madness he saw, the SA-X... He wasn't sure what to make of it. But if the suit is mostly Robotics, or a frame, it made him worry that his suit could become compromised to turn against him...

He was thankful of the data received, and event sent a brief message to Zen as he made his way to the Hanger.

"The Data is very concerning in a few places, mostly regarding the X integrating into a suit. I do have a question regarding you. While you have no organic compartments in you, is it possible for an X to break itself down and hide in your parts? Would they compromise your components internally? I feel it is a worthy caution to be aware of. Person, or no, I will look outfor you with the greatest of respects. And just like that, he hit "send".

At the great ship that was Kaze's, he looked to Federation men hauling what looked like a locked chest, he pointed to Kaze's ship. "Place it in the Cargo hold." he instructed the men to take a smaller boarding craft over, mostly to haul his tools.

Cassius nodded at Kaze. "I will be joining you in your craft. But if no one is volunteering to act as a governing leader, permit me... For I'm no stranger to such pressures. It is in the Title I bare." He politely bowed, almost theatrically so to which his bent forward with more than just a bow of his head, his back out, right hand over his heart, where the left was as a fist that rested on his lower back before rising up in due proper.

[UltimoScorp]

Kathrine Vale

"You're so old fashioned, Cassius. It's cute!" Kat laughed gently as she gave the Eclysian a playful nudge.

Her HUD notified her of a file transfer, and she looked over the data while her ship was attached to Kaze's. She'd heard tales of Samus's exploits, most everyone had, but to see it all laid out like this was something else. By almost every measure, Samus Aran was a force for good, detailed reports of her accomplishments over the Pirates, the Metroids, and even the insidious Phazon mutagen. It was honestly a little crazy how much Samus had done for both the Federation and the galaxy in general. Which made the last report stick out. It was incomplete, missing a significant chunk of time between the destruction of the X-Ridley and the decimation of SR-388, which according to the report had been the result of Samus' actions, but failed to say what actions those were. Kat frowned inside her helmet, an expression that only grew as she read on about the SA-X. Powerful, deadly, and without humanity, it destroyed everything in its path. Kat wondered if Samus herself hadn't destroyed the facility, the SA-X certainly would have at some point. She supposed it hardly mattered one way or another in the end. The fact that it had copied Samus' suit was much more concerning, and after the display she'd seen earlier, she wondered if they were not simply being thrown to their own deaths by the Federation. She shook the thoughts away.

"Do you think.... Do you think we can actually find her out there? And what happens if we do find her, just be all, 'Hey Samus, we're a bunch of people the Federation hired to find you, would you mind saving the Galaxy for us again?'?"

She shook her head once again, "How do you even ask one person to do something so... Huge?"

[SimpleWriter]

''That would be on mine.'' she said to the marine as she pointed behind her to her ship ''Although, I will probably have to dock it with Kaze's ship. I believe it would be best not to travel space our separate ways. Especially now that we know the X may somehow space travel...''

Amber kept on messing with her notes for a good while before she received a notification of incoming data. Which she immediately opened...only to find more classified Federation information. She could not say she was surprised at the Federation,s decision regarding the eradication of the planet, but it still seemed a little bit extreme. Since no 'cure' for the X, or weapon against it, were found however...what else could they do to ensure safety?

The video footage took Amber by surprise, but she quickly barred the possibility of that entity being the real bounty hunter. It was impossible, for many a reason, that she would have been there at that time. The rest of the data confirmed it. If it was able to make near perfect replica of whole entities...Amber looked down at her protective device they were given. Hidden under her hair, which fell over her as she looked down: a glance of anguish in her eyes. A copy of everything that I am? The thought brought on feeling of uneasiness. The idea of her person being duplicated was scary on more than just the physical level. This entered Philosophy and Morality domain, of which she was not ready nor equipped to deal with right now.

Shaking it off she stood up as the rest of the team made they way into the hangar. She briefly addressed a man working in the hangar and directed him to load her things into her ship and ready it for departure. After which, she turned to David ''Come, let's regroup with the rest.''

As the duo was approaching, she overheard the Tribunal mention that he was ready to accept the title go governing leader. The very moment she got close enough, she answered before the Dragon could ''I think that is actually a very decent proposition. From what I have seen so far anyway.'' then, realizing she cut into a conversation again - for it happened often to her - ''...Sorry to interrupt.''

After the rest of the exchange, she would turn to Kate on what she said on Samus.
''I do not think that is how it would go.'' it almost sounded as if the sarcasm went over Amber's head, but she continued ''While I respect what previous exploits Samus did, I really do, I find it unlikely that she would be unaware of the whole situation in Federation's space. And if she decided not to act on it on her own...well, I will not repeat what I previously stated.''

''Kaze, may I also dock my ship to yours? It transport all of my belongings and necessary material for possible scientific research on the field.''

[Eviledd1984]

@CAS1006@Kazemitsu@UltimoScorp@FalloutJack

David looking over at the feline wanting to become leader of the group, "I think that can work, Let's see how you do kitty cat" He said usually wanting to suggest he lead. However in this case he would have to bite his tongue and let politics take the lead. Reading the information he was given having a worried look on his face, The whole situation was worrying to him because of the innocent lives taken and the devastation of the X. He felt a bit of sweat running down his face, The thought of all of those people's death made him think back to happier time of his life.

"No way she will go quietly unless any of you can talk her into helping humanity, I personally do not think this will happen. In case we do have to use force i have studied her movement, technique and some of the documented weapons she has used in the past" He stated thinking about the flash grenades, and other traps he could use to capture her. Although he is not very good with the diplomatic approach, One thing was for sure he was a apex predator and Samus would be the prey. And the second part of his mission would be to finding some way to ride the galaxy of X and Metroids.

"So let's not waste anymore time and get this show on the road" He said starting to bring the crates of Amber's research materials, her things and his gear into the ship. Although he did not trust being on Kaze's ship as he did not trust that, He would be more comfortable with a federation ship. But for now he would have to swallow his pride and team up with these "Criminals". While he got on the ship finally he thought of the figure that looked like Samus but was not, He swore he could see the face behind the face plate and it sent shivers down his spine. The thought of being infected and a copy of himself walking around scared him, And from what he had experienced he did not want that traumatic event to happen again.

[Kazemitsu]

Kaze just shrugged when Cassius mentioned he was going to be on Kaze's ship. "As I said I'm expecting everyone to be one my ship. It's big enough to handle everyone, has the best defenses of the crafts I'm seeing so far and the heaviest armament." He said before raising an eyebrow when the feline man said he'd take the role of leadership. "That's also fine by me. I'd have taken the position, but the two Feds don't like me so there'd be opposition to everything." He continued on as he brought up his bracer again.

A tap of a button and every member of the group got his information. Essentially it has said what he has done, both legally and illegally, and his 'stats' so to speak. Namely his healing factor, how much damage he's capable of handling without 'shutting down', how much physical damage he can deal, and some of his equipment. Every piece of equipment was high end and very deadly. He classed them as his toys. He had clearly played the get to know everyone game. The only thing not listed was his age, which he filled in as I stopped counting after four hundred years. Whether it was a joke or not, they'd have to ask.

Amber approached, followed by the space marine. She requested to be docked to his ship. "Sure, we'll use your ship as a shuttle to go planet-side. All the shuttles for my ship are single passenger." Kaze said while pointing to a rather banged up ship slightly smaller than Kathrine's. While he spoke he watched the others and noted how they seemed to be tense, but it was after looking at the X reports. He didn't seem to be fazed at the thought of something mimicking him. They could mimic his form, they could mimic his physical abilities, but he doubted they could mimic his tactical thinking. Either way it seemed the group was starting to set out, so he followed suit.

[CAS1006]

Cassius nodded at Kaze, before taking note of Vale's amusement -- which was nice to see. He chuckled at his own theatrics before pondering her question.

"I believe we have a chance, and that possibility is enough to warrant trying, is it not?" He felt it was within rational, and cohesive reach. He survived his own version of a calamity, his own version of rising up to an occasion. To him, this was no different, but each trial had it's own scar, and with each scar, there was a lesson. Pain was a good teacher, as was failure... Needless to say, failure was not something he was too acquainted with.

He acknowledged Amber's statement. Rational line of thought, natural conclusion; cool headed. Cassius didn't really say anything here, he agreed with her, she more than likely is expecting such company, but what he may think is that it is possible she is unaware of the X and how far their reach is; which is understandable seeing as they do not have the whole report of the BSL from her side. The problem is, if she were unwilling... Then that is when it would become complicated.

But it was David's responses that started to show visible tension, which was a first from Cassius due to his calm demeanor, his brows furrowed slightly. "I'm going to say this once... Do not address as such, it would be the same as me calling you a 'muscle bound pea brain'. I don't think you'd enjoy that very much, so don't compare me to your domesticated creatures." It was clear that he did not have a high opinion of David. Especially when he heard of his tactics.

"Do literally everyone a favor, and just do not think about attacking her. Chances are she would not kill an innocent willingly; but seeing your headstrong, and brutish thoughts, your have the 'shoot first, never ask questions later' mentality. When -- or if we encounter her, I want you to look to the exits or even just behind us to keep track of X, or other creatures that may prove hostile, because I'm beginning to wonder if you are more of a danger than a asset to getting her cooperation -- and I mean that in the nicest way... and stay close in a fight, your aggressive thoughts make me fearful you'll run out of range of me to support you in the event you come under attack. So please, keep your inner beast on a leash." Cassius made his thoughts very clear, still somewhat skeptical of his companion. That aside, he walked over to Kaze, getting a move on to the vessel in question.

[UltimoScorp]

Kathrine Vale

"Hey if the guy wants to fight Samus so bad, let him, plenty of others have done it, and it turned out soooo well for them."

She'd joked about the Marine's overly aggressive tone before, but hadn't expected him to maintain it once they'd started getting ready to go. She harbored some doubts about his ability to keep a level head. Sure, he'd be useful if a fight broke out, but there was more to life than fighting. Kat just hoped he could keep his aggression in check.

Mostly for his own sake.

"Well, no sense hangin' around out here, let's see your cool ship from the inside, Kaze!" She said excitedly, moving to board the large vessel.

[Eviledd1984]

@CAS1006@UltimoScorp

"I have been in more battles and heard and seen things that will make your blood curdle, Don't lecture me about surviving in a war zone. In case we cannot talk her down, I have a Plan B but that will be a last resort. As i don't want to ruin the chances of getting her. All i want to see how you are as a leader, I can already see ya got some balls. You got potential kiddo" He said chuckling. It seemed or presumed that he was testing Cass or just messing with him, But no one really knows his intentions but David.

Ignoring Kat's comment and heading into the ship heading to the very back of the ship, He was thinking about protecting his team members. He was of course going to protect them as the tank of the group. But his main concern was protecting Amber, Kat and Samus when he acquires her. But them back sassing him for his mistrust of them was getting on his nerve, But he was going to try and get passed petty squabble. So for the rest of the mission he was going to try and be on his best behavior.

Sitting down on one of the seats of the ship, Looking at some image in the inside of the pendent smiling to himself, Starting to chew on some chewing tobacco sitting it in a small bowl that he brought with him. Staring at the image and could be approached if anyone wanted to speak to him. He was a bit deep in thought about his past and the mission.

[FalloutJack]

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.

-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.-

In response to Kathrin asking about trying to convince Samus of their situation.

-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.-

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, Zen lowered himself down to the ground. Did he have to 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 itself. 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 additionally 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 now. 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...

"Stop, imediately. No movement. We are being hunted."

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!

"You must all escape to the facility. Authentication software to enter has been implanted in your quarantine belts and Zen's system."

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.

[UltimoScorp]

Kathrine Vale

Deserts had always fascinated Kat, life had to, of course, adapt to their surroundings, but the demands of a desert were so different from other biomes, and she had no small amount of respect for desert flora and fauna. Here was no different, the ground occasionally broken up by short scrubby bushes and the occasional alien cacti equivalent. What was strange, however, was the lack of animal life. Even a desert like this should have some small creatures, especially with a potential scavenging supply like the base being so close by.

Kat furrowed her brow and took a look at the base in the distance. Unpowered perimeter fences, disabled and even destroyed gun emplacements, and some kind of graffiti, referential maybe? Certainly, nothing she'd ever heard of. Her helmet snapped a picture of the words, on the off-chance that they were important later.

She froze upon Zen speaking and turned her head slowly to follow his gaze. when he raised an arm, her eyes widened, and she started, "Wait, don't-" but was cut off by the robot blasting the outcropping and the subsequent appearance of the Serris.

Don't ask the woman who encounters dangerous animals in the wild anything, no, that would be the sensible thing to do.

To be perfectly honest, Kat would love nothing more than to listen to the robot's suggestion to leave, however.... the idea of leaving him behind to face off against these Serris alone was... well she didn't like that thought at all. She wasn't really comfortable around the robot, but she could hardly be angry at him for what he was programmed for. So instead, she moved to Zen's left, and readied her Micro-Missile Launcher. She'd never encountered a Serris herself, but she'd read up on the creatures from documentaries of others.

"No offense buddy, but I don't think you can hold them all off by yourself! How familiar are you with these things?"

[Eviledd1984]

@FalloutJack

David was following them off of the ship (I presume), And onto the planet where they were searching a bunker. Having put away his pendent and putting on his helmet ready for some action, "Do you know of any hostile flora and fauna are on this planet?" He asked Zen walking with him flamethrower at the ready. But before his question could be answered the robot was attacking a Serris. Looking at the creatures and then the robot smiling behind his helmet.

"I guess that answers my question, And i'm gonna stick with you and protect your metal ass" He said readying his flamthrower, He was hoping they would get though this and go ahead with the search for any clues of Samus whereabouts. Staying close to the group and setting aflame to any Serris that was going in to attack them.

[CAS1006]

Walking through a desert wasteland wasn't his idea of a trip, but his suit kept him cool, and not melting. Carrying a pack his back, with a sarong on his leg with a crescent moon shape, an emblem really -- was a symbol of his status. Humans would not know what it means, nor the federation, but that was fine. His dark armor was more frame fitted, with slight bulk around the legs to not allow entry to other foreign bodies,a coat over the chassis to make him easily identifiable to his companions as well, it was sleeveless, and for the most part, nothing got in the way.

Reviewing Kaze's profile, he can't say he was surprised, but he was impressed... and clearly an opinionated man who did not tolerate too much animosity, and ignorant sense of heroics. Such should typically be the case, everything should remain uniform in a operation.

But with the sand parting ways for -- good god... What the hell was that? -- Wait... He's seen this in the BSL report... The head was the weakpoint, but with rapid rolling movement, and unfavorable terrain... he feared even if you could consistently peg one with his Gauss Rifle, that it would be an unwieldy waste of time. The only thing that made Cassius' blood curdle was ignorance, and seeing David run out ignorantly to face a treat where the terrain was not in their favor.

Others were eager to break into a suicidal fight, to protect a machine more than capable of getting away? Cassius was about to issue his first set of orders, and they better listen, or he was going to leave them behind.

"Fall back into the Bunker! Restore the turrets into working orders, and get that droid into that Bunker!" War is won through cunning, and understanding resources, not charging through them. Cassius began to hike it in fast gear to the Bunker, making a mad dash, if the others were smart, they'd follow him.

[UltimoScorp]

Kathrine Vale

"We'd never all make it, Cas! These things are way faster than us!"

Thoughts raced through her head and she realised that they also wouldn't be able to take the Serris head on, either. Of those who could fight and those who could move quickly.... They needed to split to make things work, at least for a moment. Her Hud tagged Zen, Kaze, and David as having the most combat power. Amber would be needed to get the station defenses running, she had the most experience with Federation tech.

"I have an idea! Zen, David, Kaze, if you can keep these things busy, Amber, Cassius and I can get to the defenses and get some firepower on these things!"

@CAS1006 @Eviledd1984 @SimpleWriter @Kazemitsu @FalloutJack

[CAS1006]

Cassius was not denying her -- however, a thought occurred to him. "At the very least we can get them closer to the bunker, staying far out is the most suicidal thing we could do! Move closer to the bunker, splitting up, or not!"

He would admit she isn't wrong, but one thing also occurred to him... These were creatures, not organized people, who they follow, or burrow around to, would not matter due to the fact of them not being able to predict where they'd go.

"If they can burrow, it would be wiser to collectively move to the bunker, if we can collectively get in, then the odds would be even better, worse case is we are stuck killing one off before we enter. Fight only what you need to, and leave the rest!" These were the most rational orders he could think of given the situation.

They could pass under sand, loop around, there was no real way to determine where they'd go until action was taken, and the reality is, split up, or not, their odds are better if they move to the bunker at any rate, if closer to the walls, it means the creatures have less chances to come from different angles. At least, that is how he rationalized it. "If we are closer to the walls, they have less directions to swarm us from, making them easier to hit!" He was trying to clarify his logic to them.