Coalition Operations III: Deception of the Iron Bear

[XIII]

While she and Eisenberg were lifting to the Pods, Ori has carefully listened to Minthe and the things she was telling. And the she-warframer didn't like the fact that a sick General was the head of Pods' security. Why didn't Weyland retire him or send him on healing? They either didn't care, or Rykov didn't tell them at all in fear of losing his job. Or both. Well, bad for Rykov as he will be in charge of what happened here. To do so, Ori needed some proofs, and the doctor might help with it inadvertently.

"I've heard you, Minthe. Did Rykov ever tell to Weyland about his problem with his back? Regardless of it, thank you. Stay vigilante down there.". The UNSC female said before entering the building while she was still processing intel from the ram. The interior was clean and looked nice as for Weyland facilities in general. Because usually, it was grey walls everywhere. And so Ori decided to ask Eisenberg before they approached the lab. "I know little about Xenomorphs. Only that they're not super friendly and their blood is acid. But I'd like to know about their history and anatomy. The way they appeared and similar stuff."

But once the two entered the lab, what in reality was pods with eggs in stasis, the galaxy-skinned has petrified for a moment. There were a lot of eggs. But why so many? What were they supposed to do with them? Ori couldn't resist but asked.

"Is that Xenomorph's eggs? Why so many?". Observing the eggs, she asked.

[Sohdakin]

Sohdakin's head tilted to the side a bit when Minthe had walked up to the row of monitors and mumbled something, almost under her breath. "Who is?" he asked and stood up slowly to peer at the same screen Minthe was starting at.  However, by the time he looked at it, the doors to the capsule had closed.  He was about to protest when Minthe informed him she needed to get a breather but stopped the moment he saw her smile at him.  The large Rohkah would take his seat again, his services were not needed right now and the last thing he wanted to do was intimidate the guards outside, he knew how intimidating his presence could be. A 10' tall armored leviathan would put anyone on edge, especially if or when they saw what weapons he could field.  The same could be said about Krystel as she did, to many, look like a Spartan and they did strike fear in many who found themselves on the wrong side of the fence.

The large Rohkah looked over at Krystel when she stood up, grabbed her rifle and chambered a round.  "They would be foolish to attack us right now" he said over the com channel so the guards outside could not hear him.  "Minthe, get back in here and close the door" he said, hoping the sheep would listen to him and shut the door.  He brought up the camera feeds to his internal hud, observing all that was going on around them and looked for any tell-tale signs that something was amiss.  It could be something as simple as one of the refugees finger hovering over the trigger or how they fidget or lack of fidgeting.  "Val, can you man the turret? Controls are simple and Im sure you have used them before?" he asked as he figured having one of them on the turrets would help them should an ambush be on the horizon. 

[Weaver]

There wasn't much to do at the moment. It would probably be a while before anything did happen, unless that Predator thought it was a good idea for an ambush right now. Otherwise, Lithian was already well acquainted with how long and boring meetings could be. Especially anything corporate. Viktor and Rykov would probably be in there for hours. Why not spend the whole night? Could go for a corporate dinner. Whatever it took to waste more time.

Perhaps out of sheer boredom, Lithian started fiddling with his comm unit. Yes, it was linked with the team, but it was also still linked to the rest of the station too. Since they weren't aware that Lithian was even alive, maybe he could overhear some of the surviving staff talk trash about him, or the new team. Snoop in on some details he wasn't supposed to be privy too. Of course, any transmission that wasn't shared with the general staff or security Lithian would not know of. He didn't have anyway of breaking encryption either.

[Romulan_Furry]

"History, we don't know much ourselves - Anatomy, that much we can accommodate," Eisenberg responded. When Ori asked about the eggs, he answered, "Well, we tend to need a lot of specimens for study. That's why we need a supply of eggs."

[Alessia Starfurr]

Krystel was still on high alert, her senses telling her something was wrong ,but it was quiet outside, almost too quiet. Ever since they had gotten to this world something had her on edge, and she couldn't figure out what it was and that had put her even more on  edge. She continued to whatch the outside cameras though the wireless feed in her helmet  'nothing nothing nothing nothing what the hell is going on?' she thought to herself, biological alerts flaring inside her head.

[XIII]

"Ideals are peaceful, but the history is violent. Have you ever heard about this metaphor, dr. Eisenberg?". Ori asked, observing the eggs. In her experience as a UNSC operative, learning the past of every foe was an affair that always comes into play first. It's always nice to know what drives your enemy to behave. Xenomorphs are not an exception. On the contrary, understanding the deadly nature of these creatures, their background is what Eisenberg should unveil first. It could be even better than knowledge of their anatomy. "Tell me everything you've discovered so far, please. As we both share the same enemy.".

But then happens a thing, no one of two has expected. Near an air shaft, three ovomorphs cracked, and the Facehuggers rushed into the shaft with a blink of an eye. It happened so fast that Ori couldn't react quickly enough. And if she could, the female Orokin wasn't familiar with security protocols here. Perhaps, Eisenberg should be aware of them as everyone here now in danger. But accidents might happen now with no doubt. The she-warframer hoped that the first victims of the Facehuggers wouldn't be her teammates.

"Suggestions, sir?". Ori asked with her typical calm, looking on the scientist. Of course, she wanted to burn this place to the ashes, but that would make the situation only worse. Simply because it will mark her team as enemies for Pod's staff as well.

[Rayleonarde]

Valentine tilted her head. “A turret..? It’s...a little below my skills, but...I suppose...” She quickly shuffled into the turret’s control pit, pulling the seals shut, though a good bit of her robes stuck out from behind the seals. The turret swung lazily to and fro as Valentine acclimated to the controls. “Bit more complex than the Mongdrigan standard...and no cranial jack. How does...oh. Electronic display screen...but what..ah...projected crosshairs. I’m not going to lie, Rohkah, I’m not a fan of this thing.”

[Sohdakin]

Sohdakin looked over at Krystel as she seemed rather tense and uneasy as if she sensed something, what it was, she did not seem to say as he watched her just stand there with her fist clenched.  He did not like waiting either and while he did feel something was amiss, he kept calm as being on edge would only cause him to simply react to danger rather than respond to it.  No, he had to keep a cool head as he needed to be that rock for the squad.  That was his job afterall, the fall-back point, the solid ground for the squad to regain their footing should they lose it or get turned around in the chaos that was battle.

When Valentine spoke up about the turret being beneath her skills he couldnt help but chuckle softly and wink at the Mongdrigan.  "Mmmmmm, it is a skill worth having tho as you are one of the few that can operate the turret.  Add your...unique skills to the equation means you are a better turret operator than the rest of us." he hummed and winked at her again as he did have to agree that the controls and interface could do with some upgrades.  "Definitely not up to Rohkah standards either, do what you can as I may need to step out if things go south and we do not have time to train Minthe on the controls so you are it and I know I can count on you" he hummed and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder before going back to look at the screens and gave Krystel a gentle nudge "What is it?  You sensing something or did you see something?"

[Alessia Starfurr]

Krystel turned her head to Sohdakin a look of worry on her face ."I cannot tell, as I don't know but I feel something is amiss, like a deer before the ambush of a pack of wolves I sense something is going to happen ,however I cannot tell what, and that is what worries me the most, the unknown."

[Romulan_Furry]

"Get clear," Eisenberg said as the alert klaxons sounded, "Security will handle this." Moments later, Eisenberg was hurried away from the scene, but another corridor was left open and unguarded, beyond which was a hall leading to a shaft and one particular room that was left open and unguarded, a terminal inside, leaving Ori with a choice: Follow Eisenberg, or head into the unguarded corriror. It'd be easy to assume her innocence in light of this event.

*** Elsewhere in the Pods ***

Away from prying eyes, a body was carried on a stretcher - a wolf, unconscious, dressed in a convict laborer outfit, the number 16 on his back. What set this wolf apart was the scars on his face, and a hastily-treated injury to the back of his head...

*** Down on the surface ***

Also away from prying eyes, and under dilapidated surveillance cameras that conveniently shorted out for the time being, Rykov underwent what seemed to be a medical administration of pain medicine. He groaned, quietly, then commented as quietly as he could given his evident pain, "Damn cheating Black Market... dammit, Eisenberg! Each batch is worse than the last!"

"The pain will subside, General - and you'll be back to operational status in no time," stated a red-haired mercenary officer. There were a few moments before Rykov asked,

"Ivan... you prepared the rosters, yes?"

"Yes, sir," Ivan replied.

"Will it hold up to investigation?" Rykov inquired.

"Without witnesses, who will be able to say anything to refute it?" Ivan scoffed.

"We do what we must... go, then," Rykov commanded. Ivan nodded, and started for the door of the bunker they were in.

[XIII]

Ori set off the scientist with a smirk; it was what she wanted. The she-warframer wished to help Eisenberg with no doubt. However, the female Orokin would never find out what's going on this planet by merely talking with Pods' staff. Or it could take months. It's a task she must to accomplish with a cunning and dirty tactic. So once Ori checked by looking in adjacent corridors, that no one was around, she quickly rushed to the nearest room with a terminal inside and various control panels. Luckily, the room was empty, but the UNSC' operative suspected, that won't be for too long. Once Eisenberg realizes that Ori is gone or she is a spy, he will alert the security team. Hence Viktor's fiancee should act swiftly.

The old-fashioned terminal isn't locked, not a surprise in such a facility. Security violation Ori would say, but for now, it's only a benefit. All in all, security breaches were here everywhere. Inside the computer were two e-mails that addressed to the Pods' security team. Both messages have one-word subjects: Viktor and Jeri. Because the first e-mail has contained the name of her beloved wolf, the female Orokin resolved to open it first.

"As soon as Captain Horgus and his team arrive, isolate Viktor by any means necessary. We must get him away from his team. The team is immaterial - they will be dealt with later. Viktor is a top priority. As soon as you have him alone, incapacitate him any way you can, then dress him up in a Convict Laborer uniform and throw him in cell 31B. Assuming the other cons don't kill him, laboring in the implantation labs will.". The message said. In spite of her desire to leave no single living rock from this building, Ori perfectly aware of the possible consequences of her actions. For putting Viktor in additional danger can't be considered. But why those who supposed to separate the Ice Wolf from the rest of the team started to operate only now? Frankly, the e-mail spawned a lot of questions in Ori's head, and she was unsure who can give answers to them.

The second e-mail was about a synthetic Xenomorph named Jeri. Designed by Dr. Mayakovsky, the description of the artificial alien looked promising. But the message left a question - is Jeri a robot who is wearing an exosuit very similar to Xeno's skin. Or the creature has been raised by Mayakovsky, and its DNA changed somehow in a way that makes Jeri a docile alien. Like a dog. Aside from testing results, the message was saying, that Jeri now on an object called Peragus III. A misfortune, but even if Jeri was here, Viktor and his team have a lot of things to do. And likelihood, they would never face the synthetical one. But Being swallowed by reading mail, Ori was unable to hear like a Praetorian has broken the ceiling and started to walking around in search of prey.

[Weaver]

Well. Not much was happening. Other than Rykov's injury maybe. Lithian never noticed before, but then again, he wasn't too acquainted with the higher ups. Well, most of the team was parked outside, but Lithian had an advantage in that regard. He was an employee, he could legitimately show up and pronounce his status as not dead. Maybe even get a few merits for trying harder than anyone else. Or rip into everyone for leaving everyone outside the pods to die. Keep calm, anger was still in his veins, and Lithian wasn't the best at hiding his emotions. Still, he'd try to keep a calm demeanor towards his comrades.

Lithian made no attempt at hiding as he flew to a backdoor locked to all but those with a security clearance. He spoke in his comms as he entered through the door, directed specifically towards Minthe, "Minthe, you're an employee here. You don't have to wait with the others. Maybe catch-up with what happened in the past week? We're the only ones with a home-field advantage."

He greeted his fellow compatriots on his way in, making sure to both announce his status as not being dead, and throwing a small amount of shade of how he was only among one of two who stayed behind to help as many as they could. Only a subtle amount of shade. Now to find Rykov and ask him, or rather accuse him, of leaving everyone else out to die. Lithian got a few clues from co-workers with when they last saw him.

Though Lithian didn't quite see Rykov, he did hear a voice that sounded like him. Sounded like he was in pain, which would explain his behavior before hand. Also something about a black market? Lithian could only assume painkillers. Well, that was incriminating evidence to keep track of. He didn't have proof of the conversation, but he was sure mentioning it might cause an investigation. What was he talking about? Of course there was going to be an investigation. This was a disaster. The leadership would be lucky if they kept their jobs. Weyland would surely try to cover up the incident, but that didn't mean they wouldn't expel the people who allowed it to happen.

"Some juicy rumors here," Lithian whispered into the comms, again addressed to Minthe, "Nothing concrete, but leadership might be even more screwed up than I thought. Do you have access to medical records on Rykov? Surely his pain medication would appear there, otherwise, he might be using... uh... other sources. Illegal sources."

Spoiler for Hidden:

Romulan gave the okay to overhear the conversation.

[Alessia Starfurr]

"Where the hell is everyone?" Krystel grumbled mostly to herself "First Vicktor dissappears and now that wierd Elf, Ori." The vixen red grumbled. "Has anybody heard from either of them?" she asked 'feeling even more unnerved now. "I can't tell what the hell is going on but it doesn't seem good...Everyone stay on high alert, their either waiting for us to do something or their planning something like an ambush..."

[Sohdakin]

Sohdakin sighed as it seemed Minthe was in a bit of a trance again.  He didn't like this either, sitting in the APC twiddling his thumbs waiting for something to happen.  However, he knew that all he could do was sit and wait, Viktor had told them to wait and attacking the guards was not on the menu.  Neither was entering the facility as they had neither the access or the permission to enter. 

The large Rohkah looked to Krystel when she asked the very same question he was "Bah! Both Viktor and Ori leave to go inside and leave us to twiddle our collective thumbs. Would have been nice if they clued us in on what the heck they were up to so we knew what to expect if things go south on them......Are we to just sit here till we expire? Viktor tells Ori the plan and then Ori up and freekin leaves us to kiss face with the creepy Doctor.....with not a word on what they want us to do other than 'behave'.....Is this how the UNCS always operates?" he grumbled and looked to Krystel again. He looked to the monitors again and saw a brief glimpse of what could only be Lithian soaring high above them all.  At least it seemed the Gargoyle stayed with them....mostly.  That much was a relief to Sohdakin.

"Valentine, Krystel, do either of you know how to call our pickup?  If things go south we need to know how to get off this rock if we are unable to get to Viktor.....though we have no idea where either of them went since neither bothered to tell us ANYTHING..."  Sohdakin was very irritated at how the flow of information vanished when it mattered most.  He did not like the idea of leaving anyone behind but, did Viktor expect the team to die trying to find him or Ori with not a single clue as to what and where they were going inside the complex?

[Rayleonarde]

Valentine shook her head. “Unfortunately, my friend. I believe we are expendable defense, merely an early warning system for the creatures to grind their razor teeth against.” She sighed. “I have no trust in these people. They harbor ill will, I fear. This place is much more sinister than it seems.” Valentine studied the guards through camera feeds. The seer has no idea, but the fading pain in her head indicated that, unfortunately, the turret’s housing was beginning to coalesce her power. A gigantic reverberating bell, awaiting to discharge all that energy. If Sohdahkin or Krystel’s onboard sensor suites could detect electromagnetic radiation, the sensors would be steadily increasing their counts.