Imperial Ambitions

[Greek Fire]

"Svilvir, get away from the door. It's going to punch through it!" Galia warned the engineer. "Everyone, get ready!"

Click to shrink...

The Crab jumped back from the door, just in time as well. The massive security mech smashed through the bulkhead, clipping the Crab with its knee. The smaller engineering mech spiraled into the wall, sheering one of its legs clean off. The larger mech turned around, focused on the Crab, intent on finishing it off. The Crab raised it's hand and fired its cutting laser at the security mech bearing down it. It bellowed something in a strange language of grunts and clicks. It hadn't noticed the others yet.

"OPEN FIRE!" Cobalt bellowed.

The 11 Mechions raised their weapons and sprayed the mech with plasma bolts and high-speed alloy rounds. It turned towards the Mechions and started stomping towards them, firing its plasma beams at the Mechions, not caring for the plasma searing its armor. Cobalt turned to duck into cover, before realizing there wasn't any.

"Shit! We need some cover!" Sheath shouted.

Svilvir nodded and the Crab plunged its free hand into the wall, ripping out a large sheet of thick metal and bending it at 90 degree angle so the other Engineers coudl take cover behind it. Now that his troops were safe, Cobalt could focus on taking out the mech. He grabbed a grenade from his belt and thumbed the primer button.

"FRAG OUT!" He shouted and tossed the now glowing cylinder hard enough to embed it in the armor plates covering the mech's chest.

The mech turned towards Cobalt and fired. A beam of red hot energy slashed across his chest, shattering his shields like glass.

"...Shit!" Cobalt said before making his own cover by ripping out a wall panel and ducking behind it.

Sheath took cover beside him and sprayed the mech with more plasma fire.

"Running out of options here, didn't exactly bring any anti-armor weapons!" Cobalt shouted to the Asguardians.

 

[Icywinter]

"Fire!" Galia shouted, rallying the seven Asgardians to battle. She unleashed fire with her MAG weapons, denting the armour of the machine. The rest of the Asgardians followed suit, their rounds pockmarking the metal covering the mecha.

"Not doing much over here!" Erika swore when her gun clicked empty. "Ice!?"

"Running out of options here, didn't exactly bring any anti-armor weapons!" Cobalt shouted to the Asgardians.

Click to shrink...

"Don't need any," Samantha said, calmer than the dead-empty space outside. She carefully lined up her Gauss Rifle, before depressing the trigger once, sending a single 12.7 mm slug racing out of her gun.

It flew true, slamming home with a gigantic spark and explosion, knocking the mecha down to the ground, dead.

"Target eliminated." Samantha thumbed the safety of the gun back on, before holstering it.

 

[Greek Fire]

"Target eliminated." Samantha thumbed the safety of the gun back on, before holstering it.

Click to shrink...

"Report, anyone hurt?" Cobalt asked.

All the engineers reported no injuries, even Svilvir, who was already repairing the mech with her armor's storage of programmable matter. Cobalt was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard a whimper behind him. He whirled around to see Sheath collapsed against the makeshift cover, gripping her shoulder. Blood was leaking out of her armor and dripping to the floor. Cobalt knelt down beside her and gently brushed her hand aside, what he saw make him freeze. A large shard of metal shrapnel had punched through their cover and through her armor when the mech exploded. This wasn't her first injury in the field, but she never got used to taking wounds like this.

"Shit, this is bad." Cobalt murmured.

Sheath held back another whimper as Cobalt started removing the armor plating on her shoulder. As he did, it soon became clear that the wound was far worse than it looked. The chunk of shrapnel had only stopped after going completely through her shoulder. Cobalt grimaced. He wouldn't be able to remove that, not with the possibility of potential barbs in the shrapnel. She would need a medical evac. Cobalt raised a hand to his ear.

"Seraph, this is the boarding team, we need a medical evac on the dreadnought, Commander Sheath Razor has been injured." Cobalt ordered, his voice steely calm. "Transmitting coordinates."

"Roger that Admiral, sending a medical shuttle." The comms officer of the Seraph responded.

Cobalt turned towards the Asgardians.

"We'll have to wait for the medical team to arrive."

 

[Icywinter]

"We'll have to wait for the medical team to arrive."

Click to shrink...

"Roger." Samantha turned to the rest of the crew. "Galia, Erika, set up a defensive perimeter. Scope out this level and report back if you find any more of these things."

"Copy that Captain."

"Got it Ice."

The seven ran off, leaving Samantha alone with the Mechions. Once they were out of sight, Samantha made her way over to where Sheath and Cobalt were kneeling on the floor.

"You alright?" she asked the blonde, sitting down in front of her.

 

[Greek Fire]

"Roger." Samantha turned to the rest of the crew. "Galia, Erika, set up a defensive perimeter. Scope out this level and report back if you find any more of these things."

"Copy that Captain."

"Got it Ice."

The seven ran off, leaving Samantha alone with the Mechions. Once they were out of sight, Samantha made her way over to where Sheath and Cobalt were kneeling on the floor.

"You alright?" she asked the blonde, sitting down in front of her.

Click to shrink...

Sheath turned her head to look at Samantha.

"Y-yeah, next time don't make it explode okay?" She said with a weak laugh.

Cobalt shook his head.

"It's bad, the shrapnel went clean through her shoulder, and it tore up the tissue as well. I gave her a stim-pack to numb the pain, but that's about all I can do until the medical team gets here." He said with a sigh.

 

[Icywinter]

"It's bad, the shrapnel went clean through her shoulder, and it tore up the tissue as well. I gave her a stim-pack to numb the pain, but that's about all I can do until the medical team gets here." He said with a sigh.

Click to shrink...

"She'll make it, Cobalt. She's made of sterner stuff than this."

Samantha checked her rifle. "My gun wasn't loaded with HI-EX rounds, so these things explode once they're down. We better be careful with the next one, before it kills someone."

 

[Greek Fire]

"She'll make it, Cobalt. She's made of sterner stuff than this."

Click to shrink...

Cobalt nodded absentmindedly, as he was focused on keeping his wife, who was now leaning against his shoulder, comfortable.

Samantha checked her rifle. "My gun wasn't loaded with HI-EX rounds, so these things explode once they're down. We better be careful with the next one, before it kills someone."

Click to shrink...

Cobalt looked up at Samantha.

"I have a few EMP grenades, those could work." Cobalt said as he gestured to one of the said devices on his belt.

Then Sheath, in her pain muddled thoughts realized something.

"Wait, why haven't seen a-any of this ship's c-crew..." She murmured.

 

[BlackHadou]

The bodyguard stared in shock. She could understand... like the meaning was being conveyed directly into her head.

"Captain!" she waved Leeja over, "I think they have a psychic over here!"

"A psychic?" Leeja instantly came over, leaving the other two diplomats perplexed... and they came over too.

"Hello!" Leeja greeted the Admiral, "I'm Captain Leeja of the Umrazi Extragalactic Exploration Fleet!"

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Cales nodded once, then twice, before turning to his admiral.

"That is a name, Admiral." He stated. "Leeja."

The sound of a little Usagi mangling the name was, in truth, a odd one. The Admiral nodded.

"And it's rank?"

"Her, Admiral. She appears to be this vessels commanding officer."

"Captain, then?"

"Yes."

There was much twitching noses and floppy ears as the two Usagi conversed.

"Their purpose?"

"She called the fleet the Umrazi Exploration Fleet. Or something analogous. She used a word in there that doesn't directly translate. The idea seems to be that of existing outside of ones star system."

"I see. They must be a expansion fleet."

"Like us?"

"Like us."

The two fell silent for a long moment, before Snooky looked at the Ensign thoughtfully.

"Ask them where we are." He finally declared. "Without information of the local area, we are left in a most unhoppy position."

"Yes, Admiral."

The Ensign turned, his nose twitching as his attention fell on the Captain of the Umrazi once more.

"Can you tell us where we are? We have become lost and require assistance regaining our bearings of the local systems."

Admiral Snooky stared for a long moment, then his hand, smashed into his forehead. That was far too blunt.

 

[TheBleachDoctor]

Cales nodded once, then twice, before turning to his admiral.

"That is a name, Admiral." He stated. "Leeja."

The sound of a little Usagi mangling the name was, in truth, a odd one. The Admiral nodded.

"And it's rank?"

"Her, Admiral. She appears to be this vessels commanding officer."

"Captain, then?"

"Yes."

There was much twitching noses and floppy ears as the two Usagi conversed.

"Their purpose?"

"She called the fleet the Umrazi Exploration Fleet. Or something analogous. She used a word in there that doesn't directly translate. The idea seems to be that of existing outside of ones star system."

"I see. They must be a expansion fleet."

"Like us?"

"Like us."

The two fell silent for a long moment, before Snooky looked at the Ensign thoughtfully.

"Ask them where we are." He finally declared. "Without information of the local area, we are left in a most unhoppy position."

"Yes, Admiral."

Click to shrink...

Leeja watched and listened to the small furry creatures converse in little cute noises.

"How fascinating," she muttered. They obviously had some form of complex language!

The Ensign turned, his nose twitching as his attention fell on the Captain of the Umrazi once more.

"Can you tell us where we are? We have become lost and require assistance regaining our bearings of the local systems."

Admiral Snooky stared for a long moment, then his hand, smashed into his forehead. That was far too blunt.

Click to shrink...

Leeja was able to understand the request. Psychics were really useful when it came to communicating across language barriers, but the Umrazi preferred to work through the translation process...
Although it might be wise to request someone from the Ulomas. They had psychics.

"Oh, of course," Leeja sat down cross-legged on the floor, and pulled out her thin handheld computer. A few taps on the touchscreen triggered the hologram projector, and it displayed the star system they were in. She let that show for a moment, then tapped to zoom out, showing the position of the system in the galaxy, then tapped it again to show the galaxy in respect to other galaxies.