NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Greetings, as you may have guessed from the title this thread is for use of TCO members only. So we have a seperate thread for all you others to post on here: http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=348534

IC: Prologue: Mind Sifter looked up from the charts and glared at the others as they filed into the boardroom. “One elite strike team is lost, our second best team. This is a major blow! What are we to do now?” He hissed at them his tentacles lashing the air. No one spoke, his arms masters sat silently looking down. They had command of the Thundercorp Shock Legions and were at fault in this case. The other Illithids simply waited, tentacles writhing, for him to continue. “I have lost a prime asset to find out what was in a mine? This is shameful. And you did not even bother to try and contain the incident!”

“Lord,” the Arms Master General spoke,” we were weeks late in sending in a team, containment would have done nothing at this point.”

“Wrong! If you had made a show of containment we could at least appear good, we will loose credit, customers, and allies for this! How can I trust that you will see this done now? Hmmmmmm. I am left with only one option, and favours he owes me are in short supply! Arms Master, I will keep you on if only because you have proven yourself competent before this but if I ever again hear of something like this your death will not be swift or honourable by any means.”

“Of course my lord.”

“I want you to contact the Monolithian Government and the Spartan Government. Both have mining interests nearby, and they could ruin us if it they were not told and it later was known that we could have told them and had them prepare. I will handle our own men personally. Dismissed.” The men and Illithids filed out none speaking, none needing to. Mind Sifter turned and drew out his private Comm, he entered a number that only three men in all existence knew. “Typhus, I have a problem…”

The Present: Typhus and his Doomguard rested, they had made planetfall hours ago, yet still they lazed about the valley in the shadows of a rocky overhang. They had intended to immediately strike the Mining complex, enter, retrieve any data and send probes into the caverns that had been entered just before the entire operation disappeared, but it seemed several others had other plans.

They had placed a beacon and the forces of Crimson Sparta and The Monolithian Empire were expected. Typhus did not like the idea of working with outsiders but it was unavoidable, and Mind Sifter had asked it of him as a personal favour. And so they waited just under an overhang in the side of a valley.

Not three kilometers away the mining complex waited for them, its lights gone… the generator probably did not run, and completely devoid of Padmasan life. Whatever was inside had killed an elite strike team carrying heavy weapons and wearing armour. Typhus hissed with impatience, what was taking their allies so long, he had not met a challenege in so long that this one called to him. A call he felt keenly every second he waited.

Typhus tossed a rock out into the sun scorched valley and considered the amount of plasma fire it would take to carve his name into the rocky wall of the valley opposite him... it was good to have something constructive to do.

Orbital Station Above Crimson Sparta

"Bridge, we're receiving a signal from Pegasi I. It looks like a locator beacon of some sort. It's coded specifically for us."

The captain on duty had orders from Admiral Ogana himself to relay any information regarding Pegasi I directly to him. "Duty Officer, make a report and send it to Admiral Ogana, priority."

***************
Ogana was in a conference with some of the other ship captains when the call came in. He was at the brand new ground headquarters of the Crimson Navy, as the space HQ wasn't completed yet. They were going over designs for the new flagship when the message came in. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I have something I must take care of."

Ogana read the message and figured it correlated to what Mind Sifter had sent him earlier. Ogana had met Mind Sifter once, a few years back, and respected him greatly. It was the first Illithid he'd met, and therefore Mind Sifter left a lasting impression with the admiral.

He informed Kentaka and the others, and Lord Kage volunteered to take a team to the planet to check things out and hopefully meet up with some allied forces.

***************
The corvette arrived at the planet, and Lord Kage was donning his armor in the dropship. He was to lead a small exploratory mission and report directly back to Lord Kentaka. On the ship, in the captain's chair, sat Lord Meitou. He was looking at Kage on the viewscreen and explaining the mission details to him.

"There is a mining team missing on the surface, and we are here to make sure that the Padmasans aren't doing anything to endanger our mining operations. So you and your team take notes, and then we'll head back home to give a report. Understood?"

"Gotcha," Kage replied before putting on his helmet. He wore his own set of armor, not in any way similar to his subordinates'. "We should have this cleared up quickly enough." He loaded the ammunition into his gun and chambered a round. "The team's all ready. Let's get things going."

The dropship left the ship's shuttle bay and made its way down to the coordinates provided by the Padmasans. Kage sat with the other men, who were awed by his presence. It was unusual that a Lord of Crimson Sparta went on a routine mission, but it was probably for diplomatic relations with the Padmasans. They were all young, and for most this was their first mission. It wasn't easy being the inaugural class of the Crimson Guard, but somebody had to do it, and they were the top of their class.

"Captain, are your men ready for this?" Kage asked.

"Yes sir!" he replied. The men nodded in agreement.

"Very good, because we're about thirty seconds from the ground."

Typhus looked up out of the shadows as a screaming roar built above them. He was suddenly once again cloaked in the three meter tall armour of one of the doomguard, a cloak falling from his massive shoulders and a longsword that easily had a meter and a half long blade sheathed at his side. He rose gracefully and stepped to the edge of the shadows.

The screaming built to an impossible level until the filters in Typhus' armour began filtering it out. Fifteen seconds later the valley was suddenly cast into shadow as a ship began hovering above it. It was a large dropship, the kind used for landing parts of invasion forces and did a wonderful job of filling the valley... "Not exactly subtle these spartans," Typhus commented to no one in particular. His men snickered and formed up behind him waiting.

The ship touched down, massive landing gear deploying and sinking a foot or two into the valley floor. Almost immediatly there was a hiss of air and a ramp dropped down to the valley floor with a thud. Behind it a pair of large armoured doors slid open. When the doors were a few feet open five men in light battle armour ran out looking young and energetic. They quickly spread out toward the edges of the valley looking about with assault rifles held at the ready.

When the doors had opened thier full length, easily wide enough for a pair of tanks to pass through a man in a black body-suit that might have had a light armour coating began walking out a pair of guards flanking him. The man had a helm on, a sword sheathed at his back, and a rifle held loosely in at his side. Typhus noted several knives about his person and the pistol at his hip. With a flick of one taloned hand Typhus stepped forward out of the shadows that had concealed him and his men. The man descending the ramp stopped for a second upon seeing the armoured giants stepping out of the shadows thier eyes glowing with balefire and thier black armour covered in glowing runes, but to his credit he continued walking almost immediatly.

Typhus continued walking into the burning sun, the sand below his boots was more than hot enough to cook on. He stopped at the bottom of the ramp and nodded formally to the Crimson commander. "Greetings honoured ally. I am Captain Typhus," The man nodded and Typhus continued," It seems our allies will be late if they arrive at all. You had best gather your men up so we can head to the complex." Typhus then turned and drawing his guard about him set off to the east toward the closer way up into the dune sea.