Operation Fairhaven FOB - Charlie Team - RPLOG

Participants

• Greyson
• Junes
• Narwen
• Sugarkitten
• Xerxia

Date

17/5/2025

Log

(Narwen) It's early in the morning, and the California sun is still mild, offset by a light breeze. A small crowd is gathering close to the Eastern edge of Fairhaven. Many of them look tough, toting weapons, armour, or heavy tools. A handful of vehicles are pulled up: a couple of minivans, one or two battered cars, a pickup, and some heavier construction equipment: a tractor, a backhoe, and a bulldozer. A rhino and a horse heave a jackhammer into the back of the pickup with a clang; a rat in coveralls standing beside the vehicle ducks down to check on the axel and then yells something at them, shaking her head. There's a sense of tension in the air: most everyone here's aware they might not come back, aside from a few who look too relaxed. Hardly anyone is having sex. One woman -- she looks human, but she's covered to her neck in heavy armour, so it's hard to be sure -- moves through the crowd, checking on each group systematically; most of the relaxed mutants get sent home after a quiet word from her, or, in one case, a knockout punch. Eventually she gets to the work crew by the truck, exchanges a few words with them, then beckons impatiently to your group to join them.

(Narwen) "Listen up! We're going to an old power substation, a hundred miles East of here. There's a damaged nanite server in there. You're Charlie team, and your job's to clear the rubble so we can get inside and fix it up, WITHOUT collapsing the whole place. Bad news: it makes golems to attack intruders. Good news: some other poor SOBs are gonna take care of them. When they're done, you go in. Go slow, go safe, do NOT trash my server, got it? You got six engineers to do the real work," she says, gesturing to the crew next to the truck, "and five mercs to do the babysitting and keep them and their gear in one piece. There's no real nanite bubble out there, so nothing's gonna work and nothing's gonna keep you alive if you screw up. So don't screw up. Now get your asses in gear. Bobbie? You're in charge," she says to the rat. "You got the blue van."

(Narwen) Bobbie nods -- seems like both she and the rest of the crew were expecting that. "Kate, you got the backhoe. Jo, 'dozer. Wink, tractor. Rest of you in the van with me. You need anything, grab it now." Kate seems to be the heavily built rhino who was hauling gear earlier; Jo is some kind of lizard, maybe a gecko; and Wink is a lemur in a reflective jacket who scrambles up onto the tractor with ease, grabbing the wheel with his hands at the same time as he turns the ignition with his dextrous feet. The rest shuffle into the van with you: Mike, a beaver who's brought along a hockey stick and gnaws on it nervously; Legs, a tall, stacked Clydesdale who takes up most of a row by hirself; and Bobbie herself, who takes the driver's seat. As well as you, there's one other merc: a jumpy-looking coyote named Red, who keeps checking the bolt action on his rifle.

(Sugarkitten) Sugarkitten shuffles along through the groups of people into her assigned team, carrying everything she thought she'd need for this outside the bubble mission. The supplies were light and easilly fit in the van, she stacked the welding rod packs quite neatly into the space in the van, just her own preferred ones but she could make use of other materials in a pinch. She wears a black leather zip front jacket and black leather form hugging pants, and has a single holster on her left hip with Enhanced Laser Pistol on standby. She felt nervous about her first time leaving the bubble and takes a seat in the van pulling on her shades, but sliding them up to rest on her forehead for now, her feline ears twitching as she glances around at the others in her team. "Hi, I'm Sugar." she states in a flat tone, her tails and body language showed her nervousness and trepidation.

(Junes) Junes sits near a van on a cooler making sure their holsters and gear are tight and secured but otherwise seem relaxed or even eager to be out here, the scaled hissune is clearly a chimera featuring scales and patterns from other types of lizards and scalies wearing a black hoodie with purple accents on the arms and some black tights contrasting the white and highlight of color from their nine fluffy tails that sway gingerly. once finished checking things over they got up and waved to the new arrivals and other mercs joining them and returning the introduction "junes, good to have you!" moving a stray hair back to tied ponytail for now as the chimera smiles!

(Xerxia) Xerxia heaves a dragons breath Dart loaded Shotgun onto the van they are getting in while they make sure they have clipped all their medical kits to their armor making sure they wont come undone or falloff

(Greyson) A wolf-beast, completely naked but for a satchel and a comms unit strapped to his wrist, sits against the back wall of the van, taking inventory of a satchel full of equipment, a compact chainsaw with alloyed teeth set beside a fully-stocked toolbox, old-world manual equipment set beside new-age looking power tools, a bouquet of grenades, one marked with a T, the other an S dangling from a chain on his bag. A closer look at his now mostly-emptied belongings would reveal a carton of hand-rolled cigarettes labelled 'C.Y.T.', which lie atop a small, hard-drive-sized device that reads 'S.U.C.K.', which faintly whirrs along.

Waving a hand to the arriving crew, the man bows his head, never turning his eyes from his work. "Greyson Robertson, technical and logistics support from the Merc N' Tails, planning to help out Alpha team today, but time's running short before we get this show on the road. Pleasure to be a part of this, whatever the case. If you end up needing any equipment before I run out and get the details sorted on my end, you let me know, yeah?"

(Sugarkitten) Sugarkitten returns the smile Junes gives her, and it has a reassuring effect on her. Sugar's purple hair was tied in a practical bun up top and she was glad to see that Junes was also tying their hair back, which gave the impression she was with somebody sensible. For a while she sits quietly, simply admiring the patterns of scales and variety and counting the tails in her head. Her own two tails were flagged to the side where she sat. Sugar also looks to Xerxia and gives a wave gesture while she braces herself for the vehicle to start moving. Then she remembers Greyson from the recruitment tent, her ears perking up. "I may require some long-range weapon as s just in case, something light enough to sling over my shoulder, since my pistol isn't going to be doing a lot unless I'm up close. Perhaps a sniper rifle?" she requests up front, based on their prior discussions.

(Junes) Junes looked at sugar with a slight familiarity but, shrugged not being able to quite pin it down and returned the smile right back but saw she spoke with someone that looked and smelled like someone they knew and leisurely got up closer to him "glad to see you again! but more importantly being able to help on this end of things." waving over the other canine that was heaving a shotgun into the van along with the coyote mercenary "come meet the team! ill be doing some support and generally working on keeping the enemies tied up or the crew safe, junes!"

(Xerxia) Xerxia notices the familiar face's and wave's back saying "hey if worse comes to worse i got plenty of medical kits" as they pat the medical kits while also seeming a bit nervous.

(Greyson) Greyson rifles through his bag, muttering as he snaps his fingers, "Think I left it with Cait, but given she's gonna be in some hot water if I stick around with you guys, it's... probably just best that I leave it with her, no offense. So long as it's gear you've already /got/ on you though I might be able to tinker with it..." He calls up to the front, "Bobbie, you got a bench back this way I could borrow! Not sure how bumpy the ride's gonna be, but I figure I could get some work done while we're movin'!"

Bowing his head to Junes, he murmurs, "And in more- placid circumstances, thankfully. Fingers crossed it stays that way, knowing how work can get out here sometimes..." The lupine grumbles, sorting a few different sizes and types of screwdrivers.

Finally, canting his head to Xerxia he muses, "Just- keep your head on your shoulders and make sure we get home in one piece, yeah? Rather not be staring at Cait out of the confines of a soup can." He snickers, glancing to his comms unit as he whistles, "Looks like I might be staying for the ride on this one... get comfy, yeah? Gonna be a few hours."

(Narwen) "Hop in," calls the rat. "We're leaving either way. Butts in seats time."

(Narwen) The convoy begins rolling, one at a time. Alpha and Beta take the front, and someone lets out a whoop as they accelerate. The heavy machines are next, and your van brings up the rear. The diesel engine judders to life, sputtering and grumbling at the load, and Bobbie pulls out onto the highway. The assembly area behind you is empty now, just a few logistics people packing it up. As it disappears out of view, those peering back behind the van might see a skunk beast wearing a hard hat tromp up, panting, and gesturing about -- and then the van accelerates and he's left behind.

(Narwen) "Anyone else thinking we'd make a pretty good target for an ambush?" the coyote asks, breaking the silence.

(Narwen) "Can it, Red," Bobbie replies, without turning around. She seems to know him. "Rest of you, you wanna tell me who you are and how you're gonna keep my guys alive?"

(Narwen) "I know how they can keep me alive," mutters the horse, stretching out a leg and adjusting hir kilt.

(Sugarkitten) Sugarkitten did indeed seem familiar to Junes, notable similarities to Gaiakitten were the purple colouration of hair, the shimmering tips, her tails and the horns were distinctively nekomata.. but the differences were that Sugar had no fur and instead white hydrophobic latex-like skin underneath her clothing and had a human-like face of Kemonomimi, and she wasn't pregnant.. Seeing Xerxia's nervousness she reaches out to give a pet on the knee of the armour. "We're all in this together. Honestly its great to have a medic on-board, although I hope it doesn't come to that." she states glancing around and nodding to the others. She listens to Greyson and then unpops the button on her holster, sliding her left hand around the grip of her Laser Pistol and pulls it out. "Sure, it would be nice to modify it, just don't mess with the settings called WLD, and CUT I've been working on them the last few days" she explains, and things the heavy guns probably were better suited for another merc with that talent.

(Sugarkitten) Sugarkitten hands the Pistol to Greyson

(Junes) Junes looks to the rat and assured her "ill be confusing and generally making the opposition have a worse time while keeping all of us up and taking potshots or threatening them with some special tricks i have, i can show one if you'd like but its...kinda strange and terrifying once you realize why" *they grin but those tails seem to swish for emphasis and then popping open the cooler they show some refreshments* "anyway, i also cooked a few things up and brought others so we can keep our reserves up a bit better!" packed with sandwiches, ice cream bars, juice, cans of soda, granola bars, colored juices in water bottles, a few containers that look like pasta salad, coleslaw and a few soda cans of soup along with more "the foods i made myself and a few of the drinks and ive got tunes for the road before we gotta get serious!" they said handing a box of strawberry frosted biscuits to the shotgun wielding canine being pet by sugar and handed a bottle to greyson

(Xerxia) Xerxia state's to the driver "me im great at providing first aid and with my armor it allows me to go near the dangerous conditions so im your local paramedic aka walking armored ambulance just never been out this far before truth is this would be my first time out of the safety of the zone"

(Greyson) Waggling the 'S.U.C.K.' at Legs, Greyson deadpans, before pivoting to address Bobbie's question, "Like I said- Greyson Robertson, Merc N' Tails. Not much of a fighter, but I'm here as technical support for our engineering team anyhow. Got a decent head for strategy and structure though, so I can at least tell the everyone else some of the softer spots to smack while I'm getting busy. So long as you don't plan on using me as a meatshield I'm happy to be here, yeah? Got a few smoke grenades if things get hairier than normal and we need to dip out, but if we're the /last/ to get here I figure we'll manage just fine without..." His eyes scan across the rest of the rat's rag-tag bunch, smirking as he muses, "Think we'll manage though, yeah? Only repairing something that could turn us into a second Vegas if we put a few zeroes where they shouldn't be."

Taking the pistol gingerly, he works a screw along the barrel, worming out the old aperture and slipping in a fresh one from a collection of salvage strewn about his makeshift workspace, cleaning the lens with a small alcohol wipe as he squints, "Well... not half bad, but I figure this oughta help it punch a little harder. Keep this thing handy, yeah?"

Setting the bottle from Junes down across from himself, careful to avoid the more delicate electronics nearby, the wolf bows his head in silent thanks, ears perked at the mention of music, "Ah? Don't got any Bee Gees rattling around in there, do you? Not that I figure everyone else'd be on-board with it." He snorts. Eyeing Xerxia, he bows his head, "Word of advice then if it's your first time- just keep anything nanite-related for emergencies only. Limited supply of em out here at-best, and even then they're not gonna be all that useful. Got a med-kit with a few bruise kits and bandages if you've got a need for em, know just enough to make myself useful, but in a pinch? I trust you with em more than myself."

(Narwen) It doesn't take more than a couple of minutes before you leave Fairhaven's bubble, and you feel it right away. Things that were effortless before suddenly seem like hard work. Even just sitting there is uncomfortable: you get aches and cramps from time to time, and the nanites don't smooth them away like you're used to. They also don't clean up sweat, grime, and fluids, and before long the van is starting to stink of horse. By silent agreement, the windows get cracked open one by one.

(Narwen) Abruptly, Bobbie pumps the breaks, jolting you forward. "What the hell?" she mutters, shading her eyes and slowing the van further until it comes to a stop, pulled up alongside the three heavy vehicles. The rest of the convoy is rolling on ahead, already half-hidden in a cloud of dust. Red snaps a round into the chamber and pokes his rifle out the window, eyes frantic. Bobbie winds her window all the way down and sticks her head out. "What's the hold-up?" she calls.

(Narwen) "Engine's dead!" calls the gecko, who has already hopped down off the bulldozer and is pulling at the engine cover. A belch of black smoke spills out, and they pull their hand back.

(Sugarkitten) Sugarkitten keeps her ears perked up and alert as she feels the van accelerate away and they all depart. She seems to be on high-alert already, her eyes and ears weren't always pointing in the same directions and she concentrated on the interactions going on inside the van while listening out for anything strange outside. She kept bracing for the moment they would physically leave the bubble and wondering how it would begin to affect her. On the other hand snacks were good, and would help to keep up the energy. "Mmm.. strawberry! I'm called Sugar and.. I totally love sugar!" she says and lightens up a little and digs into the box of strawberry biscuits perhaps it was her nerves but she seemed to enjoy them.

To the driver who asked how she'll be an asset she explains. "I'm more of a critical thinker, I'll be using my brain to solve any issues we may run into if things get difficult. I have limited damaging capacity, but there are tools I can use to my advantage. I'm also bringing some equipment to cut and weld metals if the engineers fuck something up, but we're all hoping that isn't the case.. and thankfully I can heal quickly, and I respond well to medication" she adds, in between bites. Those bites become more rapid as she feels things get more difficult, taking the pistol back from Greyson she nods with gratitude, then asks "Whats the fucking deal!" her tails not whipping with frustration.

(Junes) Junes offers as well "but yeah i can heat any of this food up in a pinch too" hearing the sound they check back and raise a few tails with the sound of a sputtering engine however hearing it was just that they calmed but tried to keep an ear out. the sound of an engine, snacking and the cloying scent of horse made it pretty difficult however and decided to focus on the inside of the inside of the van to avoid any fumes "okay...tech is one department that im not great in, plants animals sneaking and out of bubble excursions however? are right up my alley...so i would suggest we stay calm, figure out who works on it and do some stretches since nanites will not be making this any easier on us so limbering up is going to be important while running around" with that they stretch in their seat and lift those legs away from the others

(Xerxia) Xerxia state's "well i can say for one thing the rest of the convoy is speeding off but so far i see nothing wanting to harm us besides getting hungry and thirsty" now wonders if they can spot a cool rock and or birds.

(Greyson) Hearing the commotion, Greyson squints, the wolf's eyes peeled along the roadside for a moment before he resolves to collect his toolbox. Trundling towards the vehicle's front, a hand wafts smoke from his face, peering at the damaged innards beneath the hood as he grumbles, "This is why we oughta do stress-tests before-hand..." Flashlight in-hand, the nudist bends forwards, tail flagging over his backside to provide at least some modesty before he mutters, "Jesus Christ..." Looking up, he waves Kate and Bobbie over, calling out, "Gonna be a few hours, need some heavy lifting and a good spot by the roadside for us to peel this poor bastard apart, pack some snacks and keep an eye out, still a long ways out from the FOB! See if we can't get somebody on the line from the other teams to lend us a transport if things go well up there!" He turns, opting to mingle now amidst the group of engineers, sorting salvage and the equipment necessary to produce the impromptu repair bay they'll need for the forseeable future.

(Narwen) Stepping on the hot, hard asphalt barepaw is painful. The dirt by the wayside is better, but still studded with gravel. It _hurts_ here, in a way that it wouldn't seem to back in Fairhaven.