[OPEN] mod plot | sacking of olympus: harbinger descends

[unplug]

CHARACTERS ▶ All characters opting in
LOCATION ▶ Olympus
SUMMARY ▶ The Zion Defense Grid with civilian relief corps arrive at 1100 6/18, and Commander Gwisin gives the orders for rescue, assault, and investigation. This log is player-run and includes The REAPER simulation option (1 of 3) in the Matrix, as well as rescue activity in the Real. Kill some zombies, save some abducted babies.
WARNINGS ▶ Violence and reference to human experimentation, possibly R.
NOTES ▶ This is Part II of the Sacking of Olympus plot. Questions/investigation here, for example, what happens when you shoot compartment x of the centipede

▶ Sacking of Olympus Part II

REAL: THE ZIONITE RESCUE OPERATION ◀

Gwisin's orders are terse over the comms, two hours before the fleet makes Olympus. Make contact and communication to the best of your ability, restore comms if possible. Provide emergency care, fire control, and evacuation, before the unidentified bogey arrives at city center.

Pandemonium reigns over the populace of Olympus, civilians trapped by fires, drones, and debris. Olympus’ forces have rallied but remain thin on the ground, and the Zionite reinforcements are direly needed. Electronic communications remain down except for the Matrix pirate signal, darkening the panic and despair that have descended over the city; REAPER drones harry every human or ship that tries the ground or air.

Organizing this wide-scale rescue in the face of explosions and still-unexplained abductions comes down to ingenuity and manpower.

REAL: HARBINGER DESCENDS ◀

Thirteen hours after the Zion rescuers arrive in Olympus, the Harbinger does too. The cavern ceiling, dead center, cracks, crumbles, boulders the size of hovercrafts hammering down on the city center. By now, thankfully, the heart of the city is empty of civilians, but as the Machine breaks through, it's instantly clear that isn't going to be enough.

Harbinger is massive. Digging mandibles up front could eat a squid whole, and have room left over to total a hovercraft; its name emblazoned on red on each segment. Scarlet optics glow against its black chassis, and drones flush out of the gasping ports in its sides the same way insects give birth in dozens. Ponderous but unmistakably powerful, the centipede-shaped robot crawls out into a dangle into empty air. Keeps dropping its head toward the city in neat, clockwork degrees, almost elegantly, to let itself down onto the rubbled cavern floor. Erratic gasps and comments sound off across the disrupted networks: the oldest of the humans, civilian or otherwise, have never seen a Machine like this in the Real.

But maybe you remember dreaming a monster like this, from another lifetime.

Pilots throughout the city gun their engines, preparing for a feat of comms-blind synchronization. The battle truly begins.

MATRIX: REAPER COMBAT FREE-FOR-ALL ◀

When the Harbinger arrives, the Matrix pirate signal augmentation doubles in strength. Triples. The operator reports start to come in, distorted from the REAPER signal jamming, but unmistakable. There's a simulation out there, like a bridge to-- what? The Matrix? The programming language carries unmistakable similarities to the Dowager's feed from Kitty Jones' call to the Atalanta, but there's nothing specifically like that strange, consuming pattern in the girl's neuro-output. At least, not on this level of the sim. Not yet.

Jack in, and the first thing you see is the cold belly of a spaceship. What you hear are the screams, bouncing echoes off catwalks and cold corridors. Next, figures coming in a wave of seemingly unstructured attack. In the vanguard, the Husks, screaming zombies-- sinewy, discolored flesh mingled with useless tech components and bioluminescence. Not far behind, the bulbous Scions with their single energy weapons. Bringing up the rear, the Banshees float in deceptively slow at first, only to accelerate into a dazing flash of teleportation, skeletal-faced, real death waiting in their razor hands.

One thing is certain: they're guarding something, though where in the recesses of this ship, the operator must largely guess.

Comments

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[For once Luke finally feels like he's in his element in this place, the Real, away from his powers and his friends (most of them anyway) and the Alliance. He's taken to the hovercraft like a duck to water and being back in the pilot's seat in a battle is giving him the confident, competitive edge he's been lacking since he arrived.

He guides the ship in clean arcs, controlled turns, but with the speed and grace of a seabird. It's not quite as agile as an X-wing fighter but Luke manages to get just about the best out of the Phoenix that it's capable of. His expression is utterly focused and eerily calm. The stress of the past two or three months has melted away and Luke has found his zen.

He passes under the belly of the beast to give the starboard-side guns an ideal angle, then tilts his head in Wedge's direction while keeping his eyes on the viewport.]

What do you think, Wedge? TRD?

[ex_paragon697]

[ Luke's smooth flying certainly makes it easier to see out from the bridge at the thing, Steve clutching a handhold less out of unsteadiness than a grim, well, steadying, the familiarity of the creature not lost on him. Yeah, he's seen something like this before. ]

And let's hope there's only the one.

[ This is to Wedge. Turning to Luke with a frown, he asks, ]

TRD?

[last_ofthe_jedi]

Trench run defense.

[Luke's focus never wavers and he guides the hovercraft between the Harbinger's legs, keeping the targeted leg joint in their sights.]

It means I keep close to this thing's body to make us harder to hit. All we have to worry about are the drones. The downside is that a wrong move could send us careening into the hull... but I don't think we have to worry about that.

[A faint smirk is just barely visible.]

[lostsoldier]

[ What Bucky thinks about flying so close to the hull that one wrong move could send them all careening into it is expressed in one flat looked slid from Luke to Steve as he makes his way by the cockpit.

Fantastic. This is the perfect ship for you, Rogers. ]

Worry about it.

[ At least a little. For him. ]

I've got the drones, [ he grumps as he swings up the ladder to the turret. ]

[sfoils]

Named after the trenches on the surface of many space stations and warships we flew against. [ Wedge grins, the memories as bright as laser fire. ] We called it 'trench run disease'.

Yeah, TRD is fine, Luke. If that doesn't work, you can just... [ Wedge looks at Bucky, mildly worried. Wedge knows these are the growing pains of a newish crew, but it's hard not to take the comment as some sort of slight against Luke; he can outfly Wedge, Force or no Force.

There's nothing to worry about at all. Luke and Wedge have saved each other's lives so many times they've both lost count somewhere around Endor.

Of course, there's no way for the crew to know that. They'll have to built their own rapport with Luke. ] Alright, thanks.

[berserkergang]

[ The possibility of careening into the hull sounds-- fine, honestly, you can't obtain glory any other way. Luke's hair is cut suspiciously close to his scalp for all the confidence he is exuding about flying what cannot be a familiar craft, probably, but where's your sense of adventure, one-armed companion of Steve.

These things Thor only barely thinks as glances after him, and apparently decides that's where he's meant to be. ]

I'll best your score, [ he proposes, jovial, for all that he is fully cognizant of the terrible destruction that has brought them here. A battle is a battle, whether he's on the ground and mastering it with his fists, or in the seat behind gun turret controls.

He breaks towards the other ladder, flashing a wide grin. ] The shores of Hel will be ruin with burning metal!

[ex_paragon697]

That include ours?

[ Steve's amusement is visible in his eyes more than the slight uptick of his lips, so that it's in turn more wry than jovial, but the look that follows Bucky until he's situated behind the turret is softer and speaks to something good in what was said, even if he's apparently the only one who understands why. If anyone is even glancing in his direction, instead of at the massively destructive undulations of the machine outside and the swiftly curving trajectories of the drones as they seek targets. ]

You can worry plenty for all of us, Buck.

[ Whether that means they'll find their way through the fight or are simply all certifiable is a matter best left to interpretation. Either way Steve isn't himself much more willing to be distracted from the swarm beginning to harry the ship, and he faces forward again to watch Luke evade them, ears taking a pounding at the firing of the turrets, though he doesn't flinch. Closer, they can all see that these are different from sentinels, lacking most of the reach but probably making up for it in their grasp. As though echoing the thought, a hit reverberates through the metal of the ship, louder than the guns and rocking them all as the aft end is thrown upwards, enough to knock any one of them off their feet. Steve barely keeps his own.

The sound of tearing metal is more muffled, but immediate. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[The tactics of this hovercraft are very different from that of a small fighter. There's less maneuverability and speed and more surface area that can potentially be hit. The loud clunk and dip in the ship's flight path makes Luke tighten his grip on the steering and he lets out a growl of frustration at the rending metal.]

HANG ON!

[That's all the warning anyone's going to get before Luke takes the ship into the tightest port turn he can manage, attempting to throw the drone off of them with inertia.

They can't let that happen again. One hull breach is bad enough. Assuming that someone else is going to go take care of that drone if it's still there, Luke focuses on the others that are still out there, endlessly assailing them.] I need half the guns on the leg and the other half on those drones. Keep them off of us.

[Then Luke suddenly remembers himself and gives Wedge a quick, sheepish glance.] Oh. Sorry, Wedge. That's your call. [This will take some getting used to. Luke is just so accustomed to making all the orders, especially with Wedge around.]

[sfoils]

Can we keep him? [ Wedge chuckled after Thor made for the other turret—now that's more like it, someone cheery, someone who looked at danger and wasn't afraid to laugh at it.

Not that Wedge thought the rest of the Phoenix was afraid of danger, but laughing at it always helped keep some degree of sanity on this extended walk on the wild side.

Wedge doesn't flinch as the guns go off. Instead, he turns his head to the sound of tearing metal, already too familiar for comfort. He feels the turn more than he hears Luke's warning, digging his feet into the soles of his combat boots for some semblance of purchase with their metal floor. It works, somewhat: Wedge keeps his balance, at the cost of coming back at the middle of Luke's 'order'.

He doesn't need to guess what it was, though. ] It's alright. [ He shrugs. No offense taken because no offense was meant; and it is the exact call Wedge was going to make anyways. ] Alright, you heard him: one gun on the drones, another on the leg.

[ Wedge looks out the hovercraft. ] I think we're onto something here. More drones are dropping now that we're targeting the leg.

[ex_paragon697]

I'm going out there to get it off of us.

[ He half yells this through the continued high-pitched screech of tearing metal; Luke's maneuver was good, but the moment the drone got its legs into the ship it was probably a futile one. It also threw Steve's right side against the panel next to him, and it's presumably this that colors his statement with the shortness of pained irritation, but both the tone and impact are easily missed right now. One would think he preferred it that way.

He doesn't give Luke any instruction to keep the Phoenix steady, and if Wedge is looking for a measure of faith in their pilot, there it is. Granted, there's no small measure of the fact that he'd go out there even if he had less than full confidence, but nevertheless the understanding that Luke will capably attempt to keep Steve from getting thrown off is implicit enough as he moves back toward the armory for a rifle, going past Bucky without looking in his direction. ]

[lostsoldier]

[ A ratatatatat of gunfire is all the answer Thor's challenge earns for now, but somehow it sounds practically enthusiastic. Sparks ricochet off a flurry of metal and electricity, drones swooping around them to claw and twist. Wedge is right; they're swarming. And Steve's going out there.

Like hell you are is on the tip of his tongue as arachnoid bulb after bulb burst into blue flame against the Phoenix's hefty hull, but the shriek of metal doesn't stop. The soldier's teeth clench. There's one the turrets aren't finding, and he should be going out there, he should be protecting Steve, but even a second to swap gunners is a second none of them have. ]

Не один, [ he bites out over the racket instead, more plea than order, presumably to the only other Russian-speaker on board, although whether the language swap is intentional or just a particular brand of stress response is anyone's guess. ] I'll keep them off your back.

[ex_spins462]

[ Wedge isn't the only one with concerns about crew cohesion, trust placed and misplaced. Black Widow's stood quiet and steady for most of the ride, observing the interactions of people she knows well and barely at all. Fading into the background is practically her signature skill despite the fact that today her hair is its natural cropped red and she's combat outfitted. Not that she feels entirely combat ready: her belly is tight with anticipation; all her training lately has been focused on becoming an operator, reading the code and protecting the jacked in bodies. It feels like déjà vu when she sees the machine, kind of regrets that Tony isn't here to make a quip about a party. Still, it energizes her, gives her confidence. Reminds Widow that she's had worse odds than this and made it through alive.

Even before the Matrix, no matter how innovative and capable she was, Widow has always been more the type to take orders than to give any, so she doesn't snap out of standby mode until Bucky's truncated remark, and then she swings to her feet and crosses the metal floor. ]

Permission to follow him?

[ She directs crisply at Wedge, because she does understand the chain of command here unlike that punk from Brooklyn. Maybe she doesn't look like she can add much, since she's shorter and smaller even than Steve, but she's got a gun and whatsmore her devotion to the guy probably came clear way before now. If Steve's doing something rash and stupid, she wants to be on his six.

Of course, if Wedge has a better idea, now's the time for it. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[Luke purses his lips softly at Wedge's affirmation and keeps his eyes on the viewport. He should have guessed that Wedge wouldn't take offense, or even disagree with his order. They'd spent years being in each others' heads. They had to be while they were flying, anticipating each other's every move and making daring and calculated attacks without even needing to signal.

This chain of command might get confusing.

As Steve announces his plans Luke raises his eyebrows in mild alarm. Out there? Perhaps there really isn't any other way to take care of the problem. Luke shouts after him.]

Anchor yourself! I can't guarantee anything.

[He hopes Steve fully understands that Luke won't hesitate to make a maneuver that will protect the rest of the crew in exchange for a single life, as much as he's going to try to protect everyone. He glances at Widow out of the corner of his vision and then briefly at Wedge before returning to the viewport. He can already anticipate Wedge's response.]

[sfoils]

[ Steve wants to go out there. Wedge weights the pros and cons like laser fire in his head—if the drones penetrate the hull, if they enter the ship, it'll be a two-front battle they can't afford. It'll lessen their odds to a point where even Wedge, who's made a career out of impossible odds, balks. ]

Go. [ Wedge says to Steve, jaw tight. The drones aren't just swarming, they're throwing themselves like sacrificial lambs to keep them for getting to the leg. This will test their gunners' ability to the max and, if Bucky wasn't at one of the turrets, Wedge would've taken his chances with the thickened hull instead.

Which is why, when Black Widow requests to go with Steve, Wedge's stomach returns to its rightful place. ] Take whatever you need. [ He reminds her, unwilling to babysit a crew that's career by telling them what weapons they should use. They all know their own strengths and weakness; Wedge's job is only to make sure everyone is in their rightful positions, doing their duty.

It always sounds so much easier than it actually is. That's why he hates command, and why he avoided it for so long—while his people are out there, taking risks, he sits pretty inside.

It feels like letting them down. ] Take evasive actions, Luke. Try to minimize the amount of area we give these drones. [ So it'll be harder for them to anchor themselves to the ship and, with that, an easier time for Steve and Black Widow.

He's not going to lose two crew members today. ]

[berserkergang]

Which leg?

[ --bellows Thor, while people are having anxieties about nerds with guns. But he doesn't really wait for clarification -- the left one, at that segment, Wedge had said, and whenever the ship dips in a way he can angle the turret, he lets off a steady stream of gunfire. ]

That leg.

[ Dohoho.

But meanwhile, fancy flying is happening to avoid extra attention, and Thor is forced to steer his guns to glance machinegun fire passed Bucky's, covering him off. ]

[ex_paragon697]

[ Permission isn't unwelcome, if maybe a little more unexpected than Steve's willing to dwell on at the moment — though it still manages to catch him at an odd angle, like anticipating a climb up and stumbling on even ground, delaying his slight nod to Wedge in response even as he's strapping the gun to his back. ]

You get a chance to take that thing down, you shouldn't wait up for us.

[ If this were his command, it would be an order. As it is, it should at least assuage Luke's concerns. Steve grabs some of the grappling gear that would ordinarily be used for ship repairs in the field and starts to hook himself up. Looking down at the straps as he adjusts them, his tone is light but his volume for Natasha's ears only this time. ]

So I've been thinking I oughta learn some Russian.

[ex_spins462]

[ Natasha only has time for a quick grateful smile at Wedge before she too is 'suiting up': she's been equipped with her weapon ready since they took off. but her fingers fumble a little with the delicate clasps, and she frowns at them as she tugs the harness on. ]

Hе бежать впереди паровоза.

[ She murmurs in an ironic tone, looks up and tightens the buckle at his chest. ]

Pretty sure you don't need to speak Russian to know we think you're an idiot.

[ She adds, a little warmer, as they turn and head out. ]

[last_ofthe_jedi]

[Wedge's command gets an eyebrow-raise out of Luke, though he doesn't turn his eyes away from the battle. The drones have been swarming in and out of the viewport since they got here and Luke has found a small amount of frustration with how big and slow this ship is compared to his familiar fighter.

His knuckles are white and he's already fighting to stay out of the swarm but they keep coming back.]

Would you like to go outside and put up a 'wide load' sign for the drones?

[There's some good-natured sarcasm in his tone.]

Or should I just tell the ship to suck it in?

[But his frustration is getting the better of him too. Normally Luke would draw on the Force to calm himself but...

He knows Wedge can take it. He'll continue to evade as best he can while simultaneously keeping the leg in sight for the gunners and avoiding any sudden movements for Steve and Widow's sakes. This isn't as easy as it looks, folks.]