Erie shuffled some of her reports, flicking through pages. "At the current rate of ammunition expenditure, we should be set for another two to three weeks, though this greatly depends on combat intensity and sufficiently heavy fighting could in theory reduce that to as little as two days. We are running lower on ordnance than we are on ammunition." She stopped to consider her options, her tactical mind working out what she could do with the forces she had. "I still think we should target the main Lodgerite base being set up in the north-east. Perhaps not the base itself, but from contact reports, the logistical supplies to the base itself are a softer target given there only being one route upwards. In my estimations, we are more than capable of blocking these supply lines and effectively force them to retreat. They are semi-rear-line squads with less equipment and cohesion, carrying heavy weights. This would have the added benefit of reducing supply availability to troops in the entire lower sector. Not to mention, we could take some of the weapons which was intended for said base.”

Erie paused for a moment, looking over the map before pointing towards the northern parts of the floor they were on. "We may apply a similar approach to the FOB construction. The high concentration of enemy forces makes a frontal assault out of the question, but we are still capable of harassing the work parties and supply deliveries to slow construction and reduce its viability as an operating base.” Having given her thoughts, she joined her hands behind her back and waited patiently for her superior's assessment. Alexandra had listened attentively to everything Erie had to say. "Hmmm, you make a good point. I think sending two small squads out together would work best. One group can take down supply forces and the other group can sabotage the base. Though, I think we should have the rest of our group meanwhile set up somewhere else. Or at the very least, prepare to evacuate and head to a new location. Suppose we should set up a plan for tomorrow then." The two would plan things rather elaborately. Who would go, what equipment they'd take to deal with the targets and how and at what time they'd strike.

After all was discussed, Alexandra would compile everything. "Alright, I'll give a sitrep to our forces in the early morning during breakfast. We'll then assign roles to everyone so that everyone knows what has to be done." Alexandra looked confident, soon after giving a far more sisterly smile. "Thanks for the input, Erie. It's tough as hell to plan these things out, but your assistance makes everything way less stressful." Alexandra put a hand on Erie's shoulder. "Suppose we should both get some rest in before tomorrow. Unless if you're on guard duty tonight." Alexandra kind of hoped that Erie would be on guard duty. It'd mean that she could accompany Erie a bit longer and have a more casual chat instead... along with discussing tactics for tomorrow.

Erie preened slightly at the physical affection and praise, her ears flicking up and her tail swishing slightly even as she kept a straight face. Her professional demeanour started to fade as she slowly "switched off" for the evening at the conclusion of the planning session, shedding her cool, stoic and tactical persona for her more awkward off-duty self. "I... yes. Yes, we should. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow, I think...lots to do, lots to do..." Before she’d completely relax though, her ears shot up and she took a more serious tone. “Ah, I must admit, I do not believe the enemy forces are currently aware of our location. I have instructed our soldiers to avoid engagement with them near our location and to lead them away when possible. Thus, there have been no signs of them actively searching. I believe we will be able to remain here a while longer, though it is likely we will be forced out before long by encroachment and we should still urgently consider alternative locations."

Alexandra gave a calm nod, clearly appreciating Erie’s more business-like attitude. Though with Alexandra not really elaborating much further, it seemed the discussion had mostly died down. Thus, Erie slouched a little bit and her ears and tail drooped again. She’d let out a soft yawn as the day caught up to her "Anyway, I'm pretty knackered now. I think I'll grab some food and, uh, head to bed. Ah, I'm on the graveyard shift for guard duty too, since you asked. And, well, I'd like to have a good nap before then." Alexandra smiled and nodded, before calmly remarking: “Not the shift I’ve got. Bit of a shame, but... well, it is what it is, really.” Despite Alexandra seeming rather relaxed, Erie recognised Alexandra’s smile well enough to know that she wanted to hang out. As difficult as she found it to be casual around her CO, she’d still try her best. "Hmmm, I'm sure you could swap with one of the others for the shift if you want to do it together. I know one of them hates nights and would love to not have to do it."

The suggestion made Alexandra pause. "Hm, if one of your fellow soldiers hates the timing so much, I'd gladly take over for them." Alexandra seemed a bit more motivated now, Erie also hoping that Alexandra and her could continue spending time together. For now, they started heading back to the main dining area their forces had set up, Alexandra continuing their casual chat. "So, how are things going between you and your cadre, by the way? I've heard them speaking rather fondly of the tactics you've employed." Alexandra wanted to do a bit of small-talk, knowing that Erie wasn't the best socially speaking. Admittedly, Erie's smaller group had been rather neutral about the wolf, praising her tactics but finding her a little stiff. But, Alexandra knew that Erie had a ton of potential and just needed to gain a bit more people's skills. And what better way to train those, than to discuss how she's faring leading her group?

Hearing the question about her group, Erie slipped back into her more formal duty persona. She considered how she should respond, doing her best to analyse her people. "Hmm. They have performed relatively well, admirably under the circumstances considering their lack of formal military training and disparate equipment. Hazan was not suited for leadership, though Goodwin and van Buren have proven themselves as capable squad leaders. Group cohesion has been improving and their performance on the latest raid was a marked improvement." Alexandra smiled and patted her friend's back. “That’s great to hear!” Though, Erie’s calmness soon faded, her looking around before sharing some more personal thoughts. "They are... far from the elite troops I was designed to lead, Commander. Most of them are capable yes, but the gap in skill and professionalism is there and it is large. I worry my leadership style may not suit them." She looked down briefly as her tail drooped a little. "I feel like I am... struggling to connect with them.”

Alexandra remained quiet, simply nodding and letting Erie continue to talk. “While they respect my leadership, they do not respect me like they do you. I am... unsure how to resolve this" Erie's confidence started showing cracks. She confided a key problem with her lack of social skills, feelings of inadequacy reopening some of the mental scars Roraima left her with. Alexandra paused to think, before speaking reassuringly. "Well for one, don't compare yourself to me. We're both designed with different tasks in mind, so of course there will be areas where one of us is better than the other. Just look at your skills in managing logistics compared to my skills in that field." Alexandra said reassuringly. "It takes time to form bonds between soldiers. You just have to keeping talking with them and maybe focusing on other things than combat." Alexandra knew Erie was smart, and hoped that her remarks wouldn't be seen as patronizing. But to Alexandra, it really was the best advice.

Erie looked down, feeling a little dejected. Roraima told her she was a failure for anything less than perfection, and, as much as she had been told that wasn't true, was this not a personal failing? "I... feel like a metalworker attempting to carve wood, I lack the fine touch needed to manage these men and women effectively. But... I will do my best.” Alexandra smiled brightly and patted Erie on the back. "Doing your best is all you have to do, Erie. If you mess up or struggle, you don't have to worry. Our soldiers and I will help you deal with whatever hurdles you may be facing, understood?" Alexandra remarked supportively, soon giving her best friend a quick hug from the side. Erie again felt a bit more at ease, enjoying the hug for a little while before continuing on their merry way. And soon enough, the two reached the kitchen, a few soldiers who acted as chefs still active. The soldiers there saluted them, Alexandra taking it more casual.

"Good evening, Martin, Layla." Alexandra sniffed the air. "Mmm, that smells delicious! Is that the sauerkraut and sausage combination you mentioned not too long ago, Martin?" Alexandra naturally struck a conversation with the soldiers before getting her dinner. Meanwhile, Erie’s tail rose again and began to wag as she smelled something good wafting from the kitchen. It seemed they’d have plenty to discuss over some pretty good food. She approached the counter as Alexandra chatted, trying to shed her soldier mode again and relax back into her off-duty self, she was surprised when Layla, a fierce little woman who was a terror with a spoon in the kitchen, saw her and smiled brightly and piped up "Erie! How have you been? I haven't seen you in a bit, how's it going with you and Alexandra? I heard Katie speaking quite highly of your ability to lead. Oh, and before I forget..."

She reached beneath the counter and brought out a plate clearly set aside for her with extra sausage and only a little bit of cabbage for the obligate carnivore, seasoned and with bacon strips wrapped around the sausages. "We know what you have to eat, so we tried to make you something extra." She looked up at the taller wolf and offered it to her "Let me know what you think!" Erie was taken aback and sent spinning by the gregarious woman and thoughtful token of appreciation she was unused to. Unsure how to respond, she was immediately knocked out of her soldier persona and tried to think of something to say, deciding to put Alexandra's recommendations to the test. "I... err, thank you, Layla." Alexandra on the other hand had a few more words of kindness to the guardsmen-turned-chefs which were part of their squadron. "I am shocked what you have been able to do with the few rations we have.” Alexandra mumbled casually. Afterwards, Martin would also join the conversation. "It was tough to find some good quality bacon, but I think it came out really good with what we got."

Erie made a show of sniffing it, her enhanced nose taking in the smell of well-done sausage and bacon "It smells delicious. And...uh, thank you for thinking of me. I will try it and... let you know." She searched for possible avenues of conversation, settling on one she could meet halfway on "Uuuuuh, how is the, uh, kitchen operation? How are you managing with the supplies you have? I might be able to...to look out for things if you have, huh, requests". Layla was already smiling after the compliment, whilst Martin would quickly respond to Erie’s questions. "Ah, no need to worry, Miss. We've got several basic recipes figured out and planned out." Afterwards though, Layla did give some requests. "Admittedly, I have been thinking of working with some more proper meats, rather than just minced stuff and sausages. But, it's not like we're likely to find any steak just... lying about, hehe."

Alexandra scoffed in amusement at the suggestion, after which Martin jokingly responded: "Didn't someone already suggest we should find Hapi for that?", which made Alexandra wheeze a little and Layla raise a bemused eyebrow. Erie was also unable to quite help herself from chuffing at the notion of Hapiburgers, even as she noted: “I imagine the meat would be inedible due to how metallic it’d taste... Should we ever pass through the cooler section, I'll try and see if we can find some still properly frozen meat. A good steak night would be good for morale, after all". She relaxed a little, enjoying the interaction even if such casualness didn't come naturally to her at all. With a couple of people coming up behind them, the two wolves would take their plates and cutlery and find a table. Erie dug in, finding the sausages themselves a little bland but was made up for by the seasonings and the bacon was surprisingly good.

Normally Alexandra would be the one to break the silence over the table, but this time it was Erie making a concerted effort to make conversation. "So... the people. How do you do it, Alexa? You talk to people so freely when it takes so much effort from me to sustain a conversation. I need to improve... I must change how I communicate. So, sister, I need advice. How do I become more personable without forcing it? I may never be like you, but I must correct my failing like this." She leant back and chewed, hoping her best and only friend had some sage words for her. "Oh come now, Erie. This isn't a 'failing'.” Alexandra responded in a bewildered tone. “You just need to spend more time chatting with people, getting more used to casual conversation and the like." Alexandra looked around, before getting an idea. "See how Layla provided you with food specifically made for you to enjoy? Perhaps, you at one point brought up something regarding what you enjoy eating. It's these small interactions, revealing more about yourself and opening up about small things which helps strengthen bonds and create more personal relationships.”

It was, again, rather obvious advice. But, Alexandra imagined it’d help Erie out a decent bit. “Of course, you don't just wanna keep asking questions and dumping little details on people, it's... it's pretty complex. But, one thing I do suggest to get started is to just ask people around you questions about... well, how they're feeling, what they're up to and what they're thinking about. Use that as jump-off points to maybe learn more about them and to show interest in their lives outside of being a soldier." Alexandra neatly cut a piece of sausage and took a bite, before smirking. "Trust me, it's easy for me to... give this advice, because I've always been used to interacting with others. Just give it time and don't worry so much, Erie. You’ll do great." Alexandra again patted Erie on the back, Erie taking in what was said before sharing her thoughts.

"I...understand, sister. I'll give it a try next time on a squad outing, much to the shock of my team I imagine. If it will improve cohesion and help me become more than a soldier, it's worth trying." She went to start on her next sausage, only to realise she'd finished without even realising it and pushed her empty plate to the side. "I think I will also organise some special training sessions to get them working better together and provide an opportunity for me to integrate myself too.” Having finished her meal and with something to chew on, she turned to Alexandra, telling her: "I'd like to get some rest now. You should get some rest too, if you're going to be joining me. You might be good, but even you need sleep. I'll think on all this and see you later." Alexandra raised an eyebrow. “Oh come on, Erie. Stay here a little longer. We’ve barely gotten seated!” Erie looked at her empty plate as well as the soldiers who were also seated and having dinner.

And knowing that Alexandra meant well, Erie gave a quick nod. “Okay. I’ll stay for a few more minutes to chat.” Alexandra smiled brightly, as Erie returned her plate and cutlery to the washing-up pile, before again getting seated near Alexandra, the two chatting a bit more. Once a few minutes had passed and their conversation had died down a little, Erie finally decided to head back to her barracks. But not before heading to the kitchen to speak to Layla and Martin. "Thanks for doing that for me, you two. It was much appreciated... and really good." Erie said, the two guardsmen-turned-chefs nodding. "Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Erie." "If you got any requests for in the future, please let us know!" The two responded, after which Erie headed back to the barracks. Despite being a subject, the survivors who slept in the same barrack treated her with kindness and respect, even if they did sometimes feel a bit odd at her nature. Still, she insisted on resting in the same place the guardsmen did.

And as she prepared to sleep, she decided to follow Alexandra’s advice a little. Her bunkmate Surelda was there, the raven-haired woman not giving her a second glance as she changed into her nightclothes, all of them having dropped expectations of privacy and gotten used to one another in the tight quarters. Still, they were just acquaintances, not in the same squads and their chats having so far been minimal. In other words, a perfect opportunity for Erie to improve her social skills. She'd speak up, asking "How did things go today, Sura? How'd your group do in the CQC exercises today? I heard Harman sprained his ankle without even seeing the other team..." This was met with a bit of surprise, Sura looking around before responding casually. "Yeah, he's fine. The poor guy was really embarrassed but we thought it was pretty funny all things considered." After Sura responded, she'd hesitate before asking: "What about you? How was your day? Did you... plan some more things out with Alexandra?"

"Oh yeah, we had a strategic discussion. Talked a lot about the death squad bases, how we'll deal with them and our next moves. More of the same, we may even be moving base again in the next few days so don't get too comfy here. Have you been to the canteen today? The two there, Layla and Mavin I think their names were, did better food than the usual fare today." She noticed Sura's slightly bewildered expression, realising how unusual this must seem to her bunkmate. Sura wasn't the only one who seemed shocked, her looking at a few of the other folk in the barracks before giving an answer. "Uhhhh, yeah, I had... dinner not too long ago. Admittedly, it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to me. It just good though." Sura responded calmly, going a bit quiet again. Erie took a moment to think about her next move, trying to come up with a topic to talk about to keep the conversation going.

In doing so, she realised she was surrounded by faces she knew of but did not know, acquaintances and allies but not friends. "You know...I, uh, never really took the time to actually, uh, talk to you. Or...anyone else. So...how about we...uh, rectify that a bit, huh? Tell me a bit about yourself, Sura. I've never even heard where you came from..." Sura was again rather surprised, but thankfully didn't hesitate to respond. "Well, I'm from a jungle planet called Rahu-2... It's relatively close to the Capital of the federation. Quite a lot of people, lots of whom were pretty dedicated to the Federation. It's... kind of ironic, a ton of people there were vying for this job, but... I didn't really care too much for it." Sura scoffed, before softly asking: "I take it you're not too familiar with other planets? I mean, you've been stuck here on Valulori for... who knows how long, so..."

Whilst Sura spoke, Erie listened to her conversation partner talk, her head propped up on her hands and elbows as she lay on her bunk. Her tail lazily waved back and forth as she soaked it up, enjoying the interaction. Perhaps, she considered, she could even share some things about herself. She had many stories to tell from her life in the Facility that she'd never thought to share with anyone except Alexandra, after all. Though, the sudden question about other planets made Erie’s though come to a halt. She really did know very little about, well, many things. Roraima hadn't taught her much "superfluous information" and much of what she knew came from Jabal, but even then she'd suffered from a lack of curiosity. She only barely knew the name of the Federal capital and only knew of a handful of worlds elsewhere, of which Rahu wasn't one. And how long had she been here? What kind of life had she even had? She realised her tail had conspicuously stopped wagging and she was staring off into space, struggling to keep the emotions from her face. She needed to be strong for her men, officers weren't supposed to be sad.

She softly spoke again, her voice measured and controlled to keep the wobble out of her tone. "Indeed, I...was never told much. So, er, tell me of your homeworld, Sura". She looked around, seeing the handful of other people in the dormitory watching them, either gathering around or failing to hide their curiosity from their bunks. "And all of you too. Tell me of your homes", hoping it would be a catalyst for further conversation and getting to know people further. "Well, Rahu-2 is a jungle planet, like I mentioned. It has a lot of history related to the first interstellar human colonies and was an important source of various farm products for the main capital..." Sura gave a lengthy and fascinating explanation as to what her planet was like. The urban landscapes, the exotic wildlife imported from other planets, the various cultures, religious practices and their role in the Federation. Sura would not be the only one, as some of the other soldiers also gave their stories. Some told of the snowball planets they came from, or the industrial powerhouses of the federation. They asked questions to one another and even made jokes as well. Two of them even realised they were from the same world and began jabbering excitedly at each other.

The energy in the barracks seeming very positive, Erie also slowly losing her anxiety as people talked. She frequently asked questions about them, having no context for many of the things they spoke of. Still, a truth made itself more apparent and her uncomfortable. And after a bit more excited chattering from the soldiers, Erie spoke up in a more sombre tone again. "I've... never been beyond the Facility, unlike a few like Titania, Eleni or...or Idalia. I've never seen the sky and stars... felt the wind or sun. I've never seen, uhhh, a tree or a... er, wild animal or the sea or the snow..." She sighed sadly, her ears flattening before she had a bold idea, one she'd never have had before. "So how about you all describe your favourite places? Let me imagine them instead."

The rest of the group went rather quiet, seeming pretty disheartened by what Erie had to say. Still, Erie’s last question did give the survivors a bit of hope, Sura not hesitating to answer the question. "There was this river running through the capital, with beautiful homes built onto the banks of it. The homes were... all painted beautifully, looking extremely rustic, and they all had these vines creeping over them, along with waterfalls which cascaded off the roofs." Afterwards, the rest of the group continued telling about their favourite locations. A gorgeous cliff overlooking a vast blue ocean dotted with large spiky rocks. A massive glacier which stretched between these elegant orange mountain ranges. Beautiful forests surrounded by clouds with huts built under the upper foliage layer, overlooking the entire surrounding area. It all sounded incredible to Erie...

Erie directed her imagination to her mind's eye, trying to imagine the wonderful places she was being told of. It was easier said than done, her having few personal reference points to use but, drawing on her limited pool of media she had seen, she imagined as best she could, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be taken away. She brought up her hand and realised the skin under her eyes was damp, wiping it before she could be seen like that, even if her ever-expressive ears and tail betrayed her true emotions. Though once the final description was given, one of the soldiers responded in a more determined tone. "Erie, once we get out of here... I'm gonna try and show you my favourite place in the universe, alright?" The rest of the soldiers all seemed to agree, clearly hopeful that they'd be able to show Erie their worlds...

Erie kept wiping away the teardrops around her cheeks, still feeling a little emotional. "I... hope I will see all these places with you all. They all sound wonderful, and... I may endeavour to see more of the galaxy once this is over. I hope all of you will come too." The guardsmen remained calm and optimistic. Even as Erie looked down, looking more sombre. "I... I... know I have often been... distant from you all. Aloof, robotic even. I thank you all... for taking the, uuuh, time to talk with me. I hope to be able to do this more...” The guardsmen nodded, all of them agreeing they’d gladly do this again. “Hell yeah, let’s do this tomorrow when you wake up.” “Or perhaps on our next mission or something? I’ve really enjoyed these talks!” Erie nodded, thanking them one final time before wishing them good night and settling down in her bed, her mind replaying things at her. She fell into a sleep better and more restful than she had in a long time. Though, a part of her did worry if she and everyone down here would ever get the chance to break free from this place...

Survival was one thing, but escaping this place... was something else entirely.

--------------------------------------

This quest is mostly story focused, with no really deep mechanics aside from basic dice-rolling in the background. The story is rather freeform in terms of what choices you can make and what direction you want to follow. What your goal is in this place and who you choose to trust is mostly up to you. Do you want to explore the place and figure out its mysteries? Or do you just want to shoot shit and cleanse this place of monster girls? No matter what you opt to do down here, I will always try to give options for what you can do. You can also always send in your own choices and suggestions on what to do. Either way, I hope to provide a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone. My writing ain't perfect, so I always do appreciate it when feedback is provided so I can improve further.

Shared docs:
You, your men and your allies:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_NoldE7zglICEuon-YZNhxjXcqvjszveOsz4u8jz-is/edit?usp=sharing

The monster girls sheets as provided by the government tablet (HAS SOME MINOR UPDATES):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sIrSAkYFN57njvPYKcWzpjnme2nMD6Bzgkl-j4wU3LE/edit?usp=sharing

Sheets of monster girls you've befriended:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CPSZp0MxftcNaUFSfBxzkRh7MfEiPnA7G6Wzfm9dkSQ/edit?usp=sharing

Sheets by based documentation anon (Rentry link for those who do not wanna use docs):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PaR_fOFnzAJnY57V71OM-g9mbPhPtGNOeV2ZrI73T-8/edit?tab=t.0
https://rentry.co/i8bbb2h8

Also, a reminder that, if the site goes down again, that you can check the shared docs for updates from me still. I am also on the /qtg/ discord, where I am more than happy to chat with you guys.

Previous threads:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Monster+Girl+Facility

Based artwork from anons:
https://catbox/. moe/c/1ajcpw

The text Annie does NOT want you to read!!!!!!!!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/192lqCy6s6Q6o4GU_GQDga6nf_spmoqccajlaUxFyOHk/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ymvqbg3otDTyb0pxPLNx7W5OHgPqYve6-CI5Bj-RIm4/edit?usp=sharing

Artist I commissioned for this thread's thumbnail: None. Goated artanon drew this.

>Recap from the previous thread.
After Oreas woke up from being envenomated, you managed to convince Iliara to join you on your travels towards the communications sector. You headed down via the training sector, ending up in a large storage area. There, you would find a completely untouched and intact vat, something which you immediately decided to take along after a quick chat with Logan. Heading eastwards, you’d soon encounter a miniature green sector which looked to be a tiny bit refurbished. It turned out to be the work of Codaline, who hoped to return the facility to a semi-functional state to continue testing. The friendly Roraima subject was happy to join you, as you continued your trek east and finally reached the large office south of the southern-high-threat level area. There, you began to spot the shy demon subject Pyrena, who mostly wanted to be left alone, but still showed some curiosity towards you and your group.

After leaving her be, you and your group settled down for the time being and decided to do some firearms practice with a few of your girls. You also informed some of your girls of Mona’s passing, and ran some tests with Morgan’s armour. After getting some rest for the night, you’d give Pyrena some food and brought the vat downstairs for Annie and Logan to pick up. You also heard news of Sarah having managed to fix a vat to ‘create’ a subject. Though after reaching the southern high-threat-containment-area, you decided to turn back after discovering that the place was covered in hyphae and had zombie-like scientist wandering around the area.

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Instead, you headed down the very same elevator shaft you used to bring the vat downstairs. However, you’d soon discover that Annie and Logan and their allies had been captured by Edith. Annie sneakily informed you she had a plan, you playing along with Edith and deciding to accept the risks of giving the priestess subject access to the vat you had found. You kept moving eastwards, passing by a dismantled subject storage area before finally reaching the communication centre. There, you’d discover a massive power generator containing none other than the thunderbird subject Zephyr. She was the reason the combat sector above was being powered, you and your men starting to work on getting her out. During your attempts, you managed to disable the alarm system to the Zephyr-sphere, as well as figure out a bit about the panels which lined the sphere. Eventually though, you decided to head back downstairs, leaving a few of your men to keep working on breaking Zephyr out.

Whilst downstairs, you’d discover a hivemind ant subject, Ecaterina, having set up base in the communications sector. She was fortunately rather friendly, and was happy to work with you. In fact, you trusted her to protect the vat from Edith and her forces. Afterwards, you took the time to explore the communications sector one last time, discovering a disk drive with surveillance throughout the entire facility, as well as a file containing info about all subject chambers and their locations. More strange was a form filled out by Tengri regarding the termination of a subject known simply as 8-CM right on the day of the disaster. Once you had investigated as much as possible, you finally headed upstairs, closing the one-way metal doors behind you and finally heading up into the combat sector...

Current group:
Mikhail
Mike
Alan
Anon
Artyom
Lars
Antonin
Sigit
Ignacy
Reika
Chrys
Idalia
Kenai
Vinisha
Sibilia
Iliara
Codaline

>Continuing from the previous thread...
It was eerily quiet as you and your men walked down the surprisingly well-lit hallways of the combat sector. You had left the massive doors to the communication sector behind a short while ago now, as your men cautiously headed forward. Your girls stayed in the back, you not wanting them to be at the front where they could quickly get spotted. “Man, I really hope that the death squads have remained near the upper combat sector and that the deeper parts remain untouched.” Artyom mumbled, making Sigit add: “Guess we’ll have to see where this place leads us. If we’re lucky, it’ll be a pretty unexplored corner of the combat sector.” Anon meanwhile checked the tablet, as you walked past a few more defensive checkpoints. “At least we’re in luck with this place having power. Means we can see everything clearly and that we aren’t completely in the dark.” Alan soon commented, making Ignacy remark: “Bit of a double-edged sword. We can see things well, but that also means our opponents can see things well.”

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Some of the girls looked a little uneasy at the idea of being easy targets. Still, they kept closely following you, undeterred by the threat of being spotted. Eventually though, you’d spot some large elevators in the distance, along with some large stairwells you opted to take just to be safe. And after heading up a bit, you’d finally reach a large and well-lit reception area of some kind. Looking around, you already heard soft alarms in the distance, as well as seeing several well-lit lights going off. “That’s... not because of us, is it?” Chrys worriedly asked, Arty shaking his head. “This entire place is probably on lockdown. Whatever the hell this place even is.” Looking around as to where you were, the reception area was far more secure and well-decked out than other areas you had been to. For one, you saw a few abandoned security checkpoints nearby. Even what you presumed to be the nearest exits had well-guarded gates with several types of scanners in front of them.

Ahead of you, there was a very simple and small reception area, the logo of the facility untouched and undamaged on the wall. And of course, there were two hallways leading left or right. Fortunately, one of your men would already look near the reception and quickly found a map of the place. “Alright, this will help.” Anon remarked before signalling everyone to come close. Once you got a good look at the map, it didn’t take long for you and your men to realise where you were. This seemed to be the central control hub of the combat sector. The hallways nearby led to rooms designed to monitor the various spaces within the combat sector. In fact, you could already get a glance into some of the rooms, spotting plenty of still working computers and functional large screens. “Well, this makes things a whole lot easier. Where should we start looking, Mik? Medbay that’s right outside? Maybe the nearby barracks?” Antonin remarked, the rest of your group continuing to inspect the map.

Of course, there were some... other texts of interest on the map. For one, there was a major warning in the bottom left which read: “WARNING: Access to subject spaces is prohibited unless if given specialized training clearance. Automated security systems CAN AND WILL be used against unauthorized personnel.” And given that the power was still active in this place, these warnings of ‘automated security systems’ were certainly worth considering. Still, you had only just gotten here, so there was a lot to discuss and plan out. Your men were already discussing a variety of options on what to do first, your girls also wanting to make suggestions as to what would be best to check out right away. And given your current location, you had numerous options to go to. Of course, the possibility of death squad encounters were something you’d have to seriously consider as well now, given just where you were.

>What do you do next?

>Choose a direction to head towards first. You could explore everything one location at a time, but you wanted to decide where to begin. Maybe you already had some ideas on where Alexandra was, or where you could go to avoid death squads? (Write in where you try to go to.)
>Ask your men or girls where they wanted to go to first. Your men probably had some reasonable suggestions based on where you’d be most safe or find the most interesting items. Your girls could also give suggestions based on what they knew of this place. (Write in if you ask anyone specific for advice.)
>Explore your surroundings first before heading anywhere. This place was probably relatively safe from death squad incursions and gave you a bit of a better idea as to where enemy forces may be. That, or you could check and see what these ‘automated security systems’ entailed. (Write in what you try to look for in the area you currently were in.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Took a bit longer than expected, but we're back with thread number 16! And at last, it's time to enter the fabled combat sector! I hope this simple map can help you guys decide on where to head to first... There's a lot to do here, so I am eager to see what the plan will be.)

>>6471412
>Explore your surroundings first before heading anywhere. This place was probably relatively safe from death squad incursions and gave you a bit of a better idea as to where enemy forces may be. That, or you could check and see what these ‘automated security systems’ entailed.
Ooh, computers! Things I want to look for in here:
Current CCTV feeds as well as recordings from the disaster. Maybe pull the tapes as well.
Spare security passes, or blank ones we can program.
Testing, security incident and access logs
Security control panels or programs that can lift the lockdown or control doors and turrets
Any and all subject and pertinent sector information
Other buttons and dials for various sector subsystems

If we need authorisation to do any of these things, I'm sure Logan has some spare security codes we can borrow.

>>6471416
Just a bit longer. Soon, her feathers will be mine.

>>6471395
>soon giving her best friend a quick hug from the side
So, Alexandra knows the secret technique too...

>>6471423
+1

>>6471440
Clearly the autistic operator wan needs more hugs

In other news, there's a new appearance in the MGE. I'm 99.9% sure the little dragon knight who just ate shit is Jeanne.

>>6471412
>Explore your surroundings first before heading anywhere. This place was probably relatively safe from death squad incursions and gave you a bit of a better idea as to where enemy forces may be. That, or you could check and see what these ‘automated security systems’ entailed. (Write in what you try to look for in the area you currently were in.)
Obviously the security.

>Explore your surroundings first before heading anywhere. This place was probably relatively safe from death squad incursions and gave you a bit of a better idea as to where enemy forces may be. That, or you could check and see what these ‘automated security systems’ entailed.
Seeing that there were plenty of functional computers here, you told your men you wanted to check those out first. "But, what about finding Alexandra?" Idalia asked cautiously, you explaining that they could give you a ton of information about what was going on here both right now and during the disaster. Current CCTV feeds, past recordings, spare security passes, logs, security control panels, control over doors and turrets, sector information, perhaps even buttons to control various sector subsystems. There was too much down here to miss out on. "Okay, but... how sure are we that we'll have access to all of that?" Mike asked more sceptically, you agreeing that could be an issue. Fortunately, you could always contact Logan for help, since he most definitely had access to the whole sector before the disaster.

Hearing all of this, your group quickly agreed that this was your current best option. Anon, Antonin and Sibilia had already suggested checking out the various computers, and your suggestions was all you needed to really convince the others. Thus, you started heading down the nearest hallway to check out the various computers and screens. Entering the nearest room, you'd see dozens of cameras from what looked to be a vehicle storage location. Though, strangely, some of the cameras seemed to only produce a black screen. For some, you could see error messages indicating that the cameras were no longer connected, possibly due to being damaged. But for a few, it seemed the cameras were still active, but that the camera feed had just been completely reduced to complete darkness without any errors.

You quickly headed to the nearest computer, finding that they still worked and thankfully automatically were logged into the system. There were already a dozen or so error reports, including a more ominous warning message: "WARNING: SUBJECT ESCAPE IN NORTH-EAST OF SUB-SECTOR 91. ALL STAFF ARE ORDERED TO PAUSE OPERATIONS AND HEAD TOWARDS DESIGNATED SAFE AREAS." Thankfully, the message didn't block you from checking out anything, the rest of your men also starting to check the various computers as you reminded them what to look for. The girls meanwhile started looking for any on-paper information about testing, security incidents or other written incidents. However, it seemed that the current sector you were in did not offer much in terms of CCTV playbacks or subject intel. The space you were currently in just focused on the vehicle hub, giving info about what was stored there, the state of the vehicles there and what they had been used for. There was no intel about subjects in these systems, or any really useful CCTV tapes.

That wasn't to say that the area was completely worthless for you. For one, you found that you could very easily check through the last few weeks of CCTV footage. Though, anything past a month did require some clearance which Logan could probably provide you. More importantly, you also could see the weapon and security door systems in play around the facility, and how they were controlled or programmed. It seemed most turrets were designated to only take down subjects. Unfortunately, when you tried to disable these systems or force the doors open, you found that you needed extremely high levels of clearance from multiple high ranking officials. However, as you and your men looked through these systems and took notes of what you saw, Anon pointed out something which did make you hopeful. "If I recall correctly, these systems were already hijacked by Annie at some point. She probably already can control these weapon systems for us. Especially with nobody here to manually force her out of the system."

Since you were likely to need some clearance codes from Logan, asking Annie for advice was probably your best choice. Regardless, whilst you had some success in gaining access to CCTV files and old recordings, some of the things you were looking for were just not in this system. Subject testing, controls over various subsystems and sector info were seriously lacking. Not to mention, having no control over the weapon systems yourself. Fortunately, you knew that the other nearby control systems would potentially give you far more intel, meaning it was probably for the best to check them out. For the time being, you wrapped up your search through the area by checking the current CCTV feeds, finding that mostly the cameras to the north of the vehicle hub were blocked off or damaged, as well as some cameras on the eastern side. After looking at the CCTV feeds for a few minutes and spotting nothing of interest though, Arty spoke up: "So, what's the plan now, Mik?"

Before you could elaborate, Codaline remarked: "I think we oughta go explore the sector properly now. I really couldn't care less about these dumb fucking camera systems." You argued that there was still plenty to find down here, and that it was probably better to maybe keep looking around. However, you'd be surprised to find a tiny amount of pushback to this. "Mik, we can't exactly sift through ALL of the CCTV recordings from the past... who knows how long. Hell, I don't even think there was much of the disaster recorded in this place, given how far away it was from the crater or what I believe to be the actual site of the disaster." Anon calmly argued, most of your men nodding along. You did suggest maybe taking along some of the CCTV tapes, but this was also shot down by Lars. "Mik, we'll be carrying god knows how many drives containing CCTV if we were to take even a tiny percentage of everything that's available here with us. It's not feasible."

Perhaps taking material from this place wasn't the most effective option. But, checking out the other sectors in the control zone was probably for the best. Even seeing some footage of where death squads were and getting a better idea of what areas to avoid would be a huge boon. Not to mention, incident reports and control over other areas could tell you far more about the sectors and who might be found there. Hell, you could still maybe find out why some of the camera systems were not working or completely blocked off if you just did a quick check through the saved CCTV footage.

>What do you do next?

>Head to a specific part of central control to get a better idea of a specific sub-sector. You already had a map of the entire combat sector, so maybe you could find control spaces for the extreme environment zone, or the manufacturing and weapons testing area. (Write in what specific part of the control centre you'll look for.)
>Ask your group what they want to do most of all. Whilst you could explore this area for hours and hours and hours, your men clearly didn't want to spend the coming week combing through CCTV footage or security systems to search for something which might not even be there. (Write in if you ask your group something specific.)
>Contact Annie or Logan for help. Annie could probably give you easy access to the weapons systems and whatever security measures were put in place here. Meanwhile, Logan could help you get access to some of the more restricted system parts... aside from the ones which required access from multiple staff high ranking staff members. (Write in who you ask for help and what you ask them.)
>Investigate a certain part of the vehicle hub which still interested you. Maybe you could quickly check back through some of the CCTV for any noticeable changes, or figure out what the purpose was of this area. (Write in what you try and look for.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6471835
>Head to a specific part of central control to get a better idea of a specific sub-sector. You already had a map of the entire combat sector, so maybe you could find control spaces for the extreme environment zone, or the manufacturing and weapons testing area.
Teeny bit more CCTV. Rewind the transport hub to see what took the cameras out and when, check the live feeds from urban combat and inspect the tapes from the subject holding cells just before the disaster to see who was in there at the time (as well as putting faces to names). If we need any buttons pressed at a later date, we can ask Annie to do it since she's already hacked all these computers.
After this, let's get going to the vehicle hub. The cameras being apparently methodically disabled is sus, could be wan activity.

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Atraxia's knitting a blanket while having small talk with Artyom.

--

Arty: "You, uhhh, seem a lot less murderous than expected."

Atraxia: "I made this blanket out of the hairs of my previous victims."

Arty: "... nevermind."

Anyone else want to comment? We kinda need more than one to proceed.

>>6471846
I would have preferred heading into the medbay but I'll support this.

>>6472108
We'll probably loop around a couple of times so we can visit the medbay next if you like, I just slid it down the priority list since I want to check out the possible wan activity first. I don't think we need much from it right now (aside maybe some nanites, but we have Iliara for healing) and I doubt it's a place where subjects would live.

>>6472112
It's fine, I just think it's likely we could find someone in there.

Also, I wonder if Cirra and that group of guardsmen from ages ago ever made it here?

>>6472128
That's a good point, Cirra might have wanted to set up shop there. We'll give it a visit.

We did get confirmation that Joaquin's lot did reach the combat sector, though we have no idea if they're still alive or where they are. They would have come in on this level, at least.

>>6471835
>Contact Annie or Logan for help. Annie could probably give you easy access to the weapons systems and whatever security measures were put in place here. Meanwhile, Logan could help you get access to some of the more restricted system parts... aside from the ones which required access from multiple staff high ranking staff members. (Write in who you ask for help and what you ask them.)
Security systems are already designed to only target subjects (how? nanite detectors?), so we just need Annie to add anyone in our crew to a whitelist or disable them completely if that's not possible.

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>>6472161
Jeanne has manage to scavenged a crate of stale baguette somewhere in the facility.
She like to share this one to a guardsmen. What honor to seek this share.

--

Jeanne: "Mes amies, I've discovered zhis crate of baguette. Zhey are only un petit peu stale, mais zhey ouill still be trés bienne to eat!"

>Head to a specific part of central control to get a better idea of a specific sub-sector. You already had a map of the entire combat sector, so maybe you could find control spaces for the extreme environment zone, or the manufacturing and weapons testing area.
Since your men didn't find it feasible to prune through all the CCTV footage of the area you were in, you decided to just focus on the camera feeds which were either completely disconnected or were still working but just showed black. You looked through their past recording, speeding through it until you found the moments where they were disabled. And sure enough, you'd spot one of the camera feeds dying after some guardsmen shot at it to disable it. Though the ones which had gone black were obscured by a relatively small and harmless looking bird girl with blue-ish feathers and hair. She looked into the camera, inspecting it before taping something over it, rendering it completely unable to see anything. Seeing the bird girl, all eyes went to your subjects to see if any of them knew who it was.

Most of your girls didn't seem too sure as to who it was. The one exception was Kenai, who let out a gasp before remarking: "That's probably Patty! Yeah, Mona worked on some birds, and... maybe that's her?" Kenai didn't appear too confident as she continued, probably realising that it could be plenty of other birds made by Mona. Still, the fact you had specifically heard from Annie that Patty was in the combat sector meant that you didn't have too much doubt. "So, we know Patty really is down here. Should we go looking for her? Based on her appearance, I imagine her not exactly being built for this place." Mike remarked, you remarking you'd do so soon enough. Tracking her down would be tough, so you first wanted to continue checking out central control for a little while longer. Though to reassure your men, you stated you just wanted to check out the feeds from urban combat and subject holding.

"Alright, that seems doable. Let's get going." Alan eagerly remarked, wanting to get going quickly. Whilst you wandered past more control rooms, you continued seeing most systems still working relatively well. There were some errors and a few cameras which had also been obstructed. But for the most part, you had a relatively clear view of each sector. That was, until you got to what you imagined to be the control rooms for the urban combat sectors to the north and north-east. These cameras were all HEAVILY obstructed or damaged, with only a couple still working. "Looks like someone has been busy smashing the cameras. I highly doubt Patty's the only one who did this." Lars mumbled, making Idalia remark: "We did also see other staff obstructing the cameras as well." Lars nodded to the semi-obvious remark, whilst the rest of your group looked at the few cameras which were still working, covering only a tiny amount of the sector you were interested in.

Checking through the backlogs and stored data of a few cameras, you found that most were indeed sabotaged by guardsmen squads. Most of the footage just showed the same guardsmen, but you did spot a few groups which were led by what was clearly a subject. More specifically, a wolf girl with brown hair, a custom rifle and wearing thick white military garbs. "Is that... Alexandra?" Mike asked curiously, which made Sibilia scoff. "Doesn't seem like a 'hellhound' to me." Iliara was thankfully there to immediately inform you: "That's not Alexandra. Does that look like a flaming wolf girl to you?! Nah, that's Erie. It's nice to see her leading a couple of guardsmen by herself!" You did check a few more camera feeds and played a few more back to get an idea as to where everything was, but it was clearly not feasible just due to how much footage there was. Thus, you decided to do one final check-up in the control room for the subject holding cells, signalling everyone to follow.

"You know, I wasn't expecting the combat sector to be so... calm. It's kind of creepy in a way." As you looked around for the control room overlooking the subject holding cells, Chrys would quietly start talking about where you found yourself now. "Hey, it's preferable over firefights with death squads. Or running into sociopathic combat subjects, right?" Antonin remarked, to which Chrys chuckled a little sheepishly. "Yeah, true. But, it's still weird, y'know. I was thinking we'd get into combat or find lots of violent subjects." Hearing this, Sibilia scoffed. "I got a feeling we'll get to deal with all of that sooner rather than later. Just give it some time." Whilst your men discussed the sectors they expected to be the most 'violent', you kept looking through each area before finally finding the main control room for the subject holding cells. Looking through the various backlogs as quickly as you could, you found that there were indeed a few subjects stuck in the cells right before the disaster.

The first subject you'd see was a massive red-ish centipede girl with spindly legs and massive spikes running across her back. She mostly just brooded in the corner of her chamber, only becoming active some time after the disaster hit, which you knew happened because the cameras died before 'emergency power' activated them again. The centipede girl broke free from containment without much hesitation. The second subject appeared to contain an average sized drake subject of some kind with large black horns, spikes and massive claws. She did not hesitate to break free from containment at all once the disaster struck, her also easily punching her way out, despite only being half the centipede's height. The third subject you spotted was another dragon girl, this one pale and much smaller than the other subjects you had seen. She had pinkish purple claws and almost white hair. She didn't break free on her own, instead seeming to escape after the centipede subject broke her free.

The same was the case for the fourth subject in the cells, an average sized harpy subject with ornate golden armour and black and blue hair and feathers. She was making some small objects levitate whilst in her chamber, pausing and hiding when things started to shake and the camera feed momentarily died down. Once the feed was restored though, she was seemingly freed from her containment, the four subject escaping down the various hallway whilst being fired at by automated defensive systems. Though, the black-horned drake would easily smash the turrets, the centipede doing the same before disappearing from view. "So, we got some destructive giant centipede subject, a destructive drake, a smaller dragon and a blue harpy girl... anyone have any ideas who these girls may be?" Ignacy asked, Lars remarking: "That harpy has to be Aello. She fits the description we got of her from Wilhelm." To which Codaline and Reika nodded to confirm it.

Afterwards, Vinisha pointed at the dragon and drake girl. "The drake girl... that's Anastasia, my sister. The smaller dragon looks like Ceridwen, a-a half sister made by Tengri. At least, th-that's what I think." This just left the centipede, Iliara thankfully giving an answer: "That's Poppy. If she's still down here, that's gonna be a bit of a headache, since she fucking hates people and is a massive asshole." Unfortunately, the cameras couldn't tell you much about where exactly they went in the combat sector, given that it'd take potentially hours to comb through all that footage of their path. Still, you now knew of four subjects who had been down here and who might still be here. With that in mind, you decided it was time to head out to the vehicle hub to get a good look at it from up close. “Finally, some action!” Reika eagerly remarked, whilst the rest of your men and subjects got ready to finally get into some action against enemy subjects and death squads.

>Contact Annie or Logan for help. Annie could probably give you easy access to the weapons systems and whatever security measures were put in place here. Meanwhile, Logan could help you get access to some of the more restricted system parts... aside from the ones which required access from multiple staff high ranking staff members.
Seeing that there were automated defensive systems, you wanted to get an idea as to how they worked and if Annie could control them. Thus, you'd ask Anon for the radio so you could chat with Annie again. "Of course." Anon remarked, as Kenai eagerly asked: "What are you gonna contact Annie for, Mik? Is she gonna watch over us with her spy abilities?" Her tail wagged a tiny bit, optimistic to what your plans were. You told Kenai that you'd ask Annie about the security systems and if they could be disabled entirely. "Ooh, that does sound good!" Kenai responded in turn, as you tuned into Annie's radio station. You'd hear more classical music, asking Annie if she and Logan could quickly help you out in the combat sector.

“What’s up, Mikhail?” You heard Annie ask, before hearing Aulikki also barge into the conversation. “Heya Mik! How long has it been since you contacted Annie, huh? An hour and a half?” Aulikki seemed mostly excited, as you stated that there was something important you wanted to discuss. “Ooh, I’ll stay quiet! Unless if it’s about me, of course, hehe.” Aulikki responded, as you shifted your focus to Annie, asking her about how the security systems worked and how they only targeted subjects. “Okay, so outside subject designated areas, the turrets generally are designed to sense any NARI bands worn by subjects and then fire immediately. So, don’t let subjects walk in front of them.” You asked if she could simply disable them completely or make them no longer target subjects. “I can disable some of them. But, they tend to reset after a few hours for some reason. I can take manual control over a few of them, if need be.” You thanked her and said you’d be happy if she could do that.

“By the way, what did you mean with ‘outside of subject designated areas’?” Artyom soon after asked, Annie quickly responding: “The combat sector’s floors are divided into an upper ‘non-subject area’ for up-close monitoring and lower ‘subject designated areas’ where subject testing actually happens. They follow the exact same paths and layout, but the lower parts are usually able to be traversed by subjects without getting immediately shot at. Emphasis on ‘usually’ here. Because the facility is on lockdown, I imagine that the sector now just shoots at anything that moves down there and is seen as a threat. Which might also include non-staff members such as... you guys.” It seemed that the lower subject-designated areas were... going to have to be avoided, unless if you got Annie to take control over the turret systems. Worse, you were also going to have to worry a bit about turret systems targeting your girls right about now, adding another layer of difficulty to what you were doing.

>What do you do next?

>Ask Annie some questions now that you were talking to her anyway. Maybe you could ask her for some codes to access sensitive systems, or if she could watch over you at a certain point. Or maybe ask her where she and Logan were right now. (Write in what you ask Annie.)
>Head over to the transport hub or some other area to see what was going on down there and if there were any guardsmen or subjects of interest there. (Write in where you head to.)
>Chat with your teammates and girls whilst making your way over to the next area. Perhaps the girls could talk about the subjects you just saw on the camera feed, or your men could share their thoughts on what would be the best course of action. (Write in who you chat with and about what.)
>Plan ahead to account for the gun turrets, or enemy subjects which might nearby. You couldn’t just run into the next area blindly without doing some prep-work. (Write in an action plan.)
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

(Given that I couldn't easily post all the images of the subjects in this update, I've opted to post them in the docs if they haven't already been posted in there. I imagine documentation anon will also post them in his file and the rentry files.)

>>6472210
>>Ask Annie some questions now that you were talking to her anyway. Maybe you could ask her for some codes to access sensitive systems, or if she could watch over you at a certain point. Or maybe ask her where she and Logan were right now. (Write in what you ask Annie.)
>>Head over to the transport hub or some other area to see what was going on down there and if there were any guardsmen or subjects of interest there. (Write in where you head to.)
While we have her on the line, Logan's access codes? Probably not gonna go through the CCTV now (or ever), but it could be useful elsewhere considering how restricted this sector is.

>Head over to the transport hub or some other area to see what was going on down there and if there were any guardsmen or subjects of interest there. (Write in where you head to.)
Transport hub sounds good - oversee the area and since it's high traffic the turrets shouldn't be on a hair trigger.

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>>6472210
I'm sorry Annie, can you say that again? I think I heard some interference, like our wiretap was interrupting the connection.
>Ask Annie some questions now that you were talking to her anyway. Maybe you could ask her for some codes to access sensitive systems, or if she could watch over you at a certain point. Or maybe ask her where she and Logan were right now.
Access codes for other systems and where we can obtain security passes or some other form of authorisation to not have to deal with turrets.
What targeting system do the turrets use? Thermal or optical, so we can fool them with Vinisha or Idalia?
How busy is the lower combat sector for death squad activity?
>Head over to the transport hub or some other area to see what was going on down there and if there were any guardsmen or subjects of interest there.
To the transports!

>>6472162
Stale baguettes are offensive weapons

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[CASE FILE: Catastrophenia 2.0 aka Annie for uppie]

--

Kimmy: "Sorry Annie, dear. You got four ears so no matter what, you're going to be listening to your sisters luscious, sensitive voice."

Annie: "Stop talking! Stop talking! Stop talkin!"

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>>6472403
Logan saw Annie get uppie by Kimmy.
He holding his breathe, not to laugh.

--

Annie: "Put me down."

Kimmy: "Hmmm, why should I, my precious little Annie?"

Annie: "Put me down!"

Kimmy: "You're so adorable, Annie."

Annie: "Logan, make her put me down!"

>Logan struggles to contain his laughter.

Annie: "Put me down! Put me down! Put me dooooown!"

>Annie squirms and tries to whack at Kimmy... with little to no effect.

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>>6472405
>Logan wheeze a laugh.

--

Annie: "STOP LAUGHING, DA- LOGAN! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

>And yet, Logan keeps wheezing at the adorably angry fox.

>Ask Annie some questions now that you were talking to her anyway. Maybe you could ask her for some codes to access sensitive systems, or if she could watch over you at a certain point. Or maybe ask her where she and Logan were right now.
After Annie explained how the turret systems worked, you asked for a little bit of elaboration. You wanted to know how they targeted subjects specifically, wanting to know if they had optical or thermal cameras. "From what I gathered, they send scan for NARI bands or nanite activity, which they then determine are effective targets. I believe it's optical, but they may have special vision modes which allow them to see more effectively. As for the turrets downstairs, they just use optical systems to spot any sort of movement." It seemed you'd be relatively safe from the turrets in the upper sector if they only targeted subjects. Still, you wanted to know if there were ways to trick them just in case. "If you mean for the downstairs ones, you can probably avoid their line of sight. And if all else fails and you're stuck somewhere, I can try to disable them myself."

Since Annie was mainly talking about the lower parts of the sector, you asked how busy they were for death squad activity. "They're not that busy from what I've seen. Death squads mostly travel through the non-subject areas, using the observation areas to check for subject activity and what not. Subjects tend to be more active downstairs, since they were usually secluded to that part of the combat sector." You then asked for Logan's access codes, her responding: "Uhhh, gimme a moment." You heard her pause, before yelling: "Logan! Can I give Mik and his men your access codes? ... For the combat sector, yeah! ... Alright, thanks!" Annie quickly would respond: "His username is Logan_Gauthier2344@valulori.MSG. And his entrance code is !1H6A1D8A0L33%VIT60YAZ20&$." This was obviously a rather lengthy code, you asking her to repeat it whilst Anon noted it down.

Once Anon finally had noted down the code and repeated it to make sure you got it correct, you'd ask her if you could find security passes anywhere to avoid the turrets. "Ehhhhh, I'm not entirely sure about that. Most security passes were kept on person. And even then, they can't exactly be used to disable those systems, unless if you found a high ranking scientists' body." It seemed that getting security passes wasn't likely to happen. Still, you had Logan's access codes you could toy with later. You thanked her for the assistance and told her you'd head to a small nearby transport hub, letting her know where you were going so she could help if things got bad. "Don't worry, Mik. I'll be paying close attention. I may not be able to talk sometimes, but I will try and disable any turrets if you guys need help with that!" Annie responded, which was followed by Aulikki responding: "Trust me, Annie will absolutely help you guys out! She's incredibly talented with technology, hehe."

>Head over to the transport hub or some other area to see what was going on down there and if there were any guardsmen or subjects of interest there.
You thanked Aulikki for the reassurance and Annie for the intel, before finally turning off the radio and deciding to head to the transport hub. It was likely a high traffic area, meaning turrets were either disabled or set to a less aggressive setting. "Alright, let's go!" Chrys eagerly exclaimed, after which you led the way. You could tell Reika and Codaline were particularly excited, the two sticking close to the front of the group as you walked past the main reception area and past the inactive security gates. Until at last, you were wandering the corridors and well lit halls of the combat sector. Looking around you, you already saw plenty of signs of activity, with the main halls having been fortified with makeshift guard posts and clearly recently placed fortifications.

It was a bit jarring being in such a brightly lit space. Especially since you also had to deal with several flashing alarm lights around the place. Looking down, you also saw that parts of the floor were built out of extremely thick, reinforced glass. This gave you a good look into the subject-designated spaces, finding the area to be a bit more messy with more of the automated turret systems you had heard of. Though, most of them appeared to be completely destroyed by fire and other methods, leaving them inactive. The upper floors you were wandering through also had a few turrets, but many had indeed been visibly disabled or entirely dismantled, some even having been taken off the walls in their entirety. You wandered the massive halls for a short while, before finally spotting what you believed to be an entrance to the vehicle hub. The metal doors were thankfully left wide open, allowing you easy access to a large open hangar space. It easily stretched out over a kilometre, and it seemed there were more spaces like it adjacent to the one you were in.

The space wasn't empty though, as you spotted a decent number of relatively modern but cheap military vehicles used by the Federation. "Oh fuck yeah, this looks more like it!" Iliara eagerly remarked, Artyom speaking up in a more eager tone as well. "Those look like AR-80-Z light transport carriers. Though, not nearly as decked out as the ones the government uses." Looking around, you spotted a dozen other similar vehicles, your men recognising plenty of them. Unfortunately, whilst they normally had some weapons on them, these appeared to be non-weaponized variants. That, or the weapons they used were stored elsewhere. You also quickly noticed that some of the vehicles had been looted for parts, with some clearly missing huge chunks of the front and even bits of the bodywork. "Guess these vehicles were used in the urban combat testing area or something..." Lars mumbled as the girls curiously inspected the various vehicles.

Looking around, you saw that there were more spaces to the west which presumably had other vehicle types. Though for now, you had plenty of things to look for in this area.

>What do you do next?

>Look for anything of interest which could tell you if subjects had been here, what these vehicles were for or if you could maybe loot them of anything. Obviously, you wouldn't find any major intel in this place, but surely it had something valuable for you to take from it. (Write in what you look for.)
>Just quickly keep heading west to see what else this area had in store for you. It didn't seem like you'd have to worry too much about automated weapons in this sector, so your only real concern were subjects and death squads. (Write in if you prepare in any way for future encounters)
>Let Arty have some fun talking about the various vehicles which were there. The girls were clearly interested in hearing about the various vehicles which were there and could maybe learn a thing or two about government weaponry.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6472403
>>6472405
>>6472407
(Absolutely peak Kimmy, Logan and Annie interaction.)

>>6472517
>His username is Logan_Gauthier2344@valulori.MSG. And his entrance code is !1H6A1D8A0L33%VIT60YAZ20&$.
Damn he memorized that? And it's just for the combat sector, implying he has like half a dozen more for the others? MGF top scientists are built different.

>>6472519
>Let Arty have some fun talking about the various vehicles which were there. The girls were clearly interested in hearing about the various vehicles which were there and could maybe learn a thing or two about government weaponry.
I can also learn about government weaponry.

>>6472519
I assess Aulikki's Intelligence score as Low
>Look for anything of interest which could tell you if subjects had been here, what these vehicles were for or if you could maybe loot them of anything. Obviously, you wouldn't find any major intel in this place, but surely it had something valuable for you to take from it.
I'm going to guess this is Viola damage, considering we know she's with Alexandra and her forces have been here and by extension it could mean she operates vehicles of some kind. Could also be CF-40.
When we end up back in CentCon, we can have a look at the tapes for this area to see whodunnit. But in the meantime, look for scuffs and scrapes on the floor and see if Kenai can follow a scent trail for where these parts went.

>Just quickly keep heading west to see what else this area had in store for you. It didn't seem like you'd have to worry too much about automated weapons in this sector, so your only real concern were subjects and death squads.
Let Arty jabber away while searching this bay and others. I want some working wheels, dammit! Idalia ranges ahead at all times.

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>>6472161
based drawfag coloured Jeanne in too. Much to her annoyance, she's too young to be allowed actual wine yet.

>Look for anything of interest which could tell you if subjects had been here, what these vehicles were for or if you could maybe loot them of anything. Obviously, you wouldn't find any major intel in this place, but surely it had something valuable for you to take from it.
After Lars suggested the purpose of the vehicles, you suggested that it was the work of Viola or CF-40. They were in this area after all and probably could make use of the vehicles for whatever schemes they had. "Logan mentioned that Viola could control machinery, didn't he? I wonder if that also includes some of the turrets nearby." Mike added onto your suggestion, which was definitely something you'd have to look in as it'd be an incredible ability. Especially since it seemed likely she was with Alexandra and her forces. Regardless, you told your men to look for any scrapes on the floor or signs of conflict. More importantly, you asked Kenai to use her scent to see if there were any trails from the person who dismantled the machinery. "Uhhh, I can try and sniff it out." Kenai mumbled before looking to the nearest dismantled vehicle.

She'd sniff the around the machinery, as you and your men looked around some of the other vehicles. "It seems this place is relatively untouched, all things considered. I wonder if anyone down here has maybe taken some of these vehicles along, since I imagine they could travel this place decently well with them." Antonin soon asked, which made Lars add: "It might be possible, but it'd be pretty damn conspicuous. That, and I can only imagine them working for as long as their batteries are full." Considering that there was still power being generated by Zephyr, the vehicles could probably be recharged relatively frequently. Still, there probably was a reason as to why you didn't hear or see guardsmen driving around in transport carriers. Whilst this discussion was going on, Kenai kept sniffing the air, before looking westwards.

"I smell something VERY faintly... It smells of... metal and something kinda oily? It's really hard to tell... and could just be something from the machinery. But, I can sense it having gone in this direction." Whether Kenai's trail was worth following was hard to say. But given that you wanted to head westwards anyway, checking it out wouldn't be much of an issue. "Is it a smell you can connect to the looting? Or is it something else?" Sibilia casually asked, Kenai nodding. "Yeah, it's definitely a scent like the one from the vehicles which were dismantled. I'm not sure if it's a subject though. It can also be... maybe a person? I don't know. It's moving though, so that's good at the very least!" You told Kenai to keep her focus on the scent, especially as you were going to make your way westwards where the scent might get stronger. "Will do, Mik!" Thus, you signalled the rest of your men to follow, as you walked past the vehicles and headed to the next section of the storage area.

>Just quickly keep heading west to see what else this area had in store for you. It didn't seem like you'd have to worry too much about automated weapons in this sector, so your only real concern were subjects and death squads.
>Let Arty have some fun talking about the various vehicles which were there. The girls were clearly interested in hearing about the various vehicles which were there and could maybe learn a thing or two about government weaponry.
Heading into the next part of the sector, you and your girls would look stunned as you saw what looked to be several types of Infantry Fighting Vehicles. "Woah, those look a bit more serious..." Chrys remarked, Artyom again speaking eagerly. "Those are KZ-20-L Agriogatas. They're common government infantry carriers. These ones are... sadly also disarmed, but they usually have a large variety of modular weaponry." Artyom looked relatively proud of his knowledge, the girls all looking fascinated.

You told Arty to keep going, since he was clearly teaching the girls a bit more about the government. That, and you also enjoyed learning more. "Ummmm, ah, you see girls. The Federation has always had a thing for 'modular' systems. These Agriogatas for instance are designed that their weaponry, treads and even their power systems can be adjusted depending on the situation they're called in for. Now, this modularity works well with the Federation's military policy since they're dealing with hundreds of planets with different landscapes and terrains, and they also got a huge military industrial complex which allows for huge varieties of weapons to be created which can be added to the base of the vehicle." The girls all looked incredibly intrigued by Arty's explanation, him giving a bit of a history lesson with some of the vehicles you spotted. Fortunately, he had plenty to talk about, especially as you soon were also able to see some KZ-05-KT Asvos light tanks.

"So, the Asvos is a pretty effective little light tank designed mainly for battle on tropical planets. Admittedly, they're not that common anymore since most planets not under the Federations control are planets with much harsher terrain and climates which they're just not built for. Regardless, the Asvos is still employed by some local militaries due to their relatively light weight and surprising robustness... Ah, there's a few over there still with cannons attached!" Artyom hurriedly approached some of the light tanks which still had cannons. "The Asvos was not as modular as some of the main battle tanks or even the infantry fighting vehicles. But, that doesn't change that they're incredible little things." You watched as the girls inspected the weaponry from up close, Chrys even flying over and saying: "Hey, can I stand on it?" Arty looked at you and your men before nodding. "I don't see why not." And thus, you watched Chrys land on the tank with a bit of a smirk.

"Sergeant Ili, Commander Mikhail, let's go kick some butt!" Chrys said whilst saluting with one hand, you watching as Reika soon also clambered onto the light tank, the manticore girl soon grabbing the top and mock-punching it. "What are you doing, Reika?" Iliara asked in genuine amusement, Reika raising her claws. "I wanna destroy this thing! I wanna show how tough I am and that I am not afraid of some stupid government tank!" Your men were obviously rather amused by how eager the girls were to check out the tanks. Even the usually quite Idalia would soon climb onto a nearby light tank and used her colour-changing ability to copy the sand grey colour of the vehicle. "Look at you, Idalia! Are you part of the weapons system on this one?" Codaline soon asked, Idalia smirking and looking around before leaping off the tank and showing her claws. For but a moment, you had forgotten that you were in the combat sector, experiencing a simple moment of joy with your girls. Though, you did soon hesitantly tell the girls it was time to keep going. You couldn't stop and play on the tanks for too long. Especially since... it did make the girls pretty easy to spot from a distance.

"Ah, right." Chrys softly responded, Idalia remarking: "I do wanna hear more about these vehicles. I have seen some of them in the past, but I never really tried to learn what they were." You smiled and told the girls they were welcome to ask questions still. More importantly, you told Arty he was still free to talk about the various vehicles and their history, which he clearly appreciated. "I'd be happy to tell the girls more, Mik." Thus, you kept heading westwards, Arty meanwhile talking more about the Asvos and the other vehicles you'd pass by in the next part of the vehicle storage sector. You'd soon even walk past some LI-1000 Jamus battle tanks, which were a rather surprising sight since they weren't exactly produced in large numbers. Though, just as surprising were 4 LI-1100h Alfahd hover-tanks, which were definitely a lot more advanced and difficult to get.

Before Arty could talk about them however, Kenai sniffed the air again. "Woah, the scent is... way stronger here... Whatever was back in the first sector must've been here recently." Kenai sniffed around, after which Arty remarked: "I think I know why. Look at the sides of the tanks where the hover-system was in place. Somebody dismantled them for... who knows what reason." It seemed that the person or subject Kenai had sensed had been busy here. Though, she kept walking around the place, sniffing the air a bit more before her ears pointed straight up. “It’s stronger closer to those tanks over there. Way stronger! In fact, I think the source of the smell... may be behind those very tanks!” Kenai said in a hushed tone. Her tail wagged in mild excitement, as you and your men looked at the battle tanks ahead of you. “Should we maybe go and take a closer look?” Chrys asked curiously.

Anon cautiously looked ahead as well before remarking: “I’m not entirely sure. What if it’s a trap of some kind?” Iliara added: “Even though we were having fun, we are still in the combat sector. Shit can turn around on a dime, depending on who or what might be there.” Alan then added: “Maybe it’s some sorta chemical leak?” It didn’t seem all that likely, but the point still stood that you were in a dangerous area. Whatever may cause the smell had to be taken seriously.

>What do you do next?

>Have someone head forward to get a close look. Someone who could tank a sudden attack or maybe reason with whatever awaited you behind the tanks. (Write in who you send in.)
>Just walk over to the source of the smell together. It hardly seemed like this was a lethal trap waiting for you. And if there was some subject lying in wait there, it was better to be there together in case it did suddenly attack. (Write in how you approach the source of the scent as a group.)
>Walk far around the source of the scent and just head forwards. There were still more sectors ahead of you which you wanted to check out. Besides, it was better to avoid any confrontation, lest you attract... other things in the combat sector.
>Discuss with your men...
>Something else...

>>6472784
>>Have someone head forward to get a close look. Someone who could tank a sudden attack or maybe reason with whatever awaited you behind the tanks. (Write in who you send in.)
Have Idalia, Kaenum and Kenai on this one. Kenai will track the scent, Kaenum will get a feel about whetever the source is hostile or not and try to diffuse if possible and Idalia will follow them to support/protect them in case they become hostile until we can regroup and assist them.

>>6472784
>Have someone head forward to get a close look. Someone who could tank a sudden attack or maybe reason with whatever awaited you behind the tanks.
Dispatch Idalia invisible to get a visual on who it is. If they're a known friendly, just have one of the girls call to them. If they're an unknown, send Haje as someone nonthreatening and tough with everyone else right behind. If they're a known hostile, weapons free.

>>6472820
Reminder that Kaenum is currently downstairs with Zephyr along with Morgan and Oreas and isn't with us right now.

>>6472823
ah feck Haje is downstairs too. Maybe Iliara. She's not the most diplomatic but she can take hits and might be appreciated by the sorts of people in the combat sector.

>>6472783
>Especially since... it did make the girls pretty easy to spot from a distance.
Not Idalia :^)

>>6472783
>You'd soon even walk past some LI-1000 Jamus battle tanks
>just as surprising were 4 LI-1100h Alfahd hover-tanks, which were definitely a lot more advanced and difficult to get.
Still operational? PLEASE.

>Look at the sides of the tanks where the hover-system was in place. Somebody dismantled them for... who knows what reason
FUCK

>Have someone head forward to get a close look. Someone who could tank a sudden attack or maybe reason with whatever awaited you behind the tanks. (Write in who you send in.)
Chrys takes a peek from a safe aerial distance.

>>6472856
Speaking of the vehicles, there's something distinctly bizarre about BEV APCs with limited range. I guess we'd have to strap a portable generator to the back?

I guess in a meta sense a goddamn hovertank was something we'd never be allowed to have. Hopefully some of the other AFVs are usable. Would make good doorknockers for Feng.