Exarch Hartford of Cygnus
Q1 MM0729
Turn 5
Politics: Prestige Gain
Military Action: Activate the Compiler!
Economic Action: Interceptor Production
Manticore
Q1 MM0729
Trails of blue fire spiked from the dropship's engines as it raced the coming sandstorm clawing higher in the sky as it rushed back towards the distant prick of light that was its mothership in the muddled twilight sky. The twirling pinpricks of it's escorts seemed light fliting fireflies as they rapidly disappeared in the distance. Eyes on the distant tenous link to the rest of the Mastery Commander Berat stamped out the last of his menthol cigarettes in the still warm sands surrounding the old compiler node, the distant roar of the approaching sandstorm robbed the beauty of the otherwise pleasant sunset as an increasingly large slice of the horizon filled with a rolling dark mass of sand. He took another quick glance around the enterence to the node as members of his Special Operations Cluster finished manhandeling the last of the ether cylinders and white clad scientists into the structure.
"Are the preperations on our end compete, Capitan Eymen?"
His second shifted next to him slightly watching the last still suit clad Sanjak vanish into the depths of the Node. "Yes, we've wired up the various entry and exit points with charges, hardlines and all. If things go seriouslly badly in activing this site we will be ready to bury the place."
And everyone inside it was left unsaid. They were playing with fire here, the Node's were poorly understood at the best of time, the fact they were trying to activate one that had sat derlect for what appeared to have been centuries only added to the potential problems that might occur as systems were brought back on line. The clean suited scientists that had been shipped in from Cygnus were of differing opinions, their excitment at getting a chance to work with the old Node was omnipresent, no doubt they would be chomping at the bit to begin trickle charging the Nodes primary systems and coaxing the site back to life.
Part of him appreciated the desire for speed, their had already been a number of flybys by various locals that had to be chased off by the Dignified Responses fighters, with things wraping up in the Verge there was a real possibility that someone would take intrest in what exactly a Mastery Battlefrigate was doing poking around a backwater light Manticore. The longer they spent tinkering and sitting in one spot the more likely someone else was to show up to see what exactly they were doing out here in the depths of the Verge.
"Good, pull the permiter scouts inside, I don't want them lost out in the storm."
The Capitan noded and spoke softly to his aid who dashed off up the sand dunes to releave the outter pickets. Soon enough half a dozen rusty poncho clad figures where half sliding half stumbiling down the dunes towards the enterence.
With a small sigh Berat turned and walked back to the Nodes enterence, past the door that seemed to whine open with an errie metalic screech as the small powerpack tucked inside the enterence struggled to open the 3 metere tall metal door.
Then he was descending down into the Node's depths, past black armored figures hiding in alcoves with their blasters trained on the Nodes enterances and admist the strange Cylord Carvings that doted the structure. Only his and Eymen's echoing footsteps to keep them company.
"What do you think it will spit out?" His subordonaite asked as they slid out of earshot of his people.
"Killbots. Obviously" Berat fought the urge to roll his eyes, he knew his Sanjaks were bored with a bady sitting mission but the entire business had gotten out of had over the last few days as the increasingly estatic engineers and scientists attached to the expidetion had confirmed that the Node could still be brought online.
"Going for the classics Commander? A safe bet I suppose." His second said with a small laugh.
"Oh and what are you betting on?"
"Reactor Failure! I think it will loose containment and take out half the continent!"
"I don't think that's how Cylord Reactors typically work Captain." He glanced at his watch in the dim light of the bare bulbs that had been hastily strung up throughout the structure.
"I suppose we will find out in 5 hours or so." A moment latter they emerged in a long hallway that seemed to splits, distant voices echoed from both spurs of the hallway.
"Go do a final check on our preperations and defenses then try to get some rest before they turn on the power for this place." His second paused behind him and fave him a full salute, armored hand grasped in a fist over his heart.
"Aff, Commander." A few moments latter his echoing footsteps faded into the low murmmer of voices and the clang of machinery banging around from the western tunnel.
Hopefully they would both loose their bets.
Q1 MM0729
Turn 5
Politics: Prestige Gain
Military Action: Activate the Compiler!
Economic Action: Interceptor Production
Manticore
Q1 MM0729
Trails of blue fire spiked from the dropship's engines as it raced the coming sandstorm clawing higher in the sky as it rushed back towards the distant prick of light that was its mothership in the muddled twilight sky. The twirling pinpricks of it's escorts seemed light fliting fireflies as they rapidly disappeared in the distance. Eyes on the distant tenous link to the rest of the Mastery Commander Berat stamped out the last of his menthol cigarettes in the still warm sands surrounding the old compiler node, the distant roar of the approaching sandstorm robbed the beauty of the otherwise pleasant sunset as an increasingly large slice of the horizon filled with a rolling dark mass of sand. He took another quick glance around the enterence to the node as members of his Special Operations Cluster finished manhandeling the last of the ether cylinders and white clad scientists into the structure.
"Are the preperations on our end compete, Capitan Eymen?"
His second shifted next to him slightly watching the last still suit clad Sanjak vanish into the depths of the Node. "Yes, we've wired up the various entry and exit points with charges, hardlines and all. If things go seriouslly badly in activing this site we will be ready to bury the place."
And everyone inside it was left unsaid. They were playing with fire here, the Node's were poorly understood at the best of time, the fact they were trying to activate one that had sat derlect for what appeared to have been centuries only added to the potential problems that might occur as systems were brought back on line. The clean suited scientists that had been shipped in from Cygnus were of differing opinions, their excitment at getting a chance to work with the old Node was omnipresent, no doubt they would be chomping at the bit to begin trickle charging the Nodes primary systems and coaxing the site back to life.
Part of him appreciated the desire for speed, their had already been a number of flybys by various locals that had to be chased off by the Dignified Responses fighters, with things wraping up in the Verge there was a real possibility that someone would take intrest in what exactly a Mastery Battlefrigate was doing poking around a backwater light Manticore. The longer they spent tinkering and sitting in one spot the more likely someone else was to show up to see what exactly they were doing out here in the depths of the Verge.
"Good, pull the permiter scouts inside, I don't want them lost out in the storm."
The Capitan noded and spoke softly to his aid who dashed off up the sand dunes to releave the outter pickets. Soon enough half a dozen rusty poncho clad figures where half sliding half stumbiling down the dunes towards the enterence.
With a small sigh Berat turned and walked back to the Nodes enterence, past the door that seemed to whine open with an errie metalic screech as the small powerpack tucked inside the enterence struggled to open the 3 metere tall metal door.
Then he was descending down into the Node's depths, past black armored figures hiding in alcoves with their blasters trained on the Nodes enterances and admist the strange Cylord Carvings that doted the structure. Only his and Eymen's echoing footsteps to keep them company.
"What do you think it will spit out?" His subordonaite asked as they slid out of earshot of his people.
"Killbots. Obviously" Berat fought the urge to roll his eyes, he knew his Sanjaks were bored with a bady sitting mission but the entire business had gotten out of had over the last few days as the increasingly estatic engineers and scientists attached to the expidetion had confirmed that the Node could still be brought online.
"Going for the classics Commander? A safe bet I suppose." His second said with a small laugh.
"Oh and what are you betting on?"
"Reactor Failure! I think it will loose containment and take out half the continent!"
"I don't think that's how Cylord Reactors typically work Captain." He glanced at his watch in the dim light of the bare bulbs that had been hastily strung up throughout the structure.
"I suppose we will find out in 5 hours or so." A moment latter they emerged in a long hallway that seemed to splits, distant voices echoed from both spurs of the hallway.
"Go do a final check on our preperations and defenses then try to get some rest before they turn on the power for this place." His second paused behind him and fave him a full salute, armored hand grasped in a fist over his heart.
"Aff, Commander." A few moments latter his echoing footsteps faded into the low murmmer of voices and the clang of machinery banging around from the western tunnel.
Hopefully they would both loose their bets.
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