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Rolled 14, 5, 20 = 39 (3d20)

>>41941038

Inari is significantly better off, although her armor appears to be a bit singed. She’s alert, and holds her SMG carefully in a one-handed grip. They’re only about a block or so away from the doors that lead to one of the Maintenance Tunnels.

Cycling through the cameras again brings up the location of the enemy. A little over a dozen heavily armed and armored Turians stalk down a burning street, firing at anything that move., A trio of YMIR’s and a score of FENRIS mechs trails at their rear. Your mouth stretches into a grim smile as you eye the robots. Checkmate.

It takes you a trivial amount of time to hijack the mechs and have them begin attacking the troopers. Half of the soldiers go down when the FENRISes pounce on them and activate their built in EMPs. The other half are torn apart as the YMIR’s open fire with their chainguns and rocket launchers. With the enemy threat neutralized, you flip back to your squad’s location.

Takeo has joined Aiden and Inari, and is protecting them as the Bastion devotes all her efforts to hauling Aiden’s massive form up a ramp to the Maintenance access. The Slayer has his blade drawn and a pistol in his off-hand, and is scanning the alleyways that lead to his position. You check the buildings through the cameras yourself, and don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Most are deserted, likely abandoned in hurry by their occupants when the battle erupted.

>[CONT]

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Rolled 13, 2, 11 = 26 (3d20)

>>41941061

Looking back towards the rest of your team, you see that Inari and Aiden are through the Airlock to the outside and Takeo has started up the ramp to join them. The smoke has gotten thicker as the fires spread, obscuring most of the cameras in your view. And the, you see a flicker of movement on the roof of one of the buildings overlooking Takeo’s position. It’s momentary, just a tendril of smoke that’s interrupted at the edges. But it’s enough to tell you that someone is there.

“Five, check your-” You begin, but by then it’s too late.

All you see is a slight shimmer as the cloaked figure fires. Takeo, activating the Airlock, doesn’t get a chance to react as the massive spear pierces through the back of his helmet, through his skull, out the front of his faceplate and into the wall in front of him. He slumps, blade and gun falling from his nerveless fingertips, but his body remains suspended on the haft of the harpoon that killed him.

>Action?

>>41941077
>>41941038
Can we get the companion sheet as well?

Rolled 6, 14, 5 = 25 (3d20)

>>41941195

>{Ah, yes. http://pastebin.com/f4uADinc }

>>41941077
Head for the escape ourselves, we've accomplished our objectives, right?

>>41941077

Warn the others then get off the station. They may be safe, but we're still inside.

>>41941077
>They have cloakers.
>5 is down.
>Delamere, get to the extraction point ASAP.
And begin getting ourselves there as well.

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>>41941077
>>Action?

>>41941077
>Action?
Unlock Blitz with our rage and fly down the hallways through to extraction. Joking aside, inform the rest of the team about 5 and the cloakers and GTFO ourselves, maybe after taking a quick glance to see if there's a location monitor for them in the system.

You immediately squash your emotions into a box in the back of your mind and lock it. Can’t think about that right now, still got a job to do. Standing up from the console, you dash for the Security Post’s exit, pulling up your Omni-tool on the way. Six minutes to make it off the station.

Comms chime as you run past the fallen YMIR, and Leo’s strained tenor fills your ears. “Successfully Extracted.”

“Acknowledged.” You say as you charge out the front door, keying Inari and Aiden into the channel as well. “Five is down. Extract now. Be on the watch for any cloaked units.”

“Fuck.” Leo mutters, echoed by Inari a moment later.

“We’re almost to the outside ourselves.” Inari says a moment later. “But Aiden’s condition is plummeting.”

“Just make it out.” Leo says. “We’ll handle the rest.”

Pulling up the station map, you find the closest maintenance access and begin running towards it. The streets are deserted, aside from a few armed individuals, most of the locals probably hiding from the firefight. You draw a little attention as you race on by, but you can’t be bothered. They’ll all be dead soon enough.

Just like-.

You clench your teeth, biting that thought off and spitting it into some corner of your mind. Something you’re very good at.

>[CONT.]

>>41941995

You make it to the Maintenance Airlock and wait for it to cycle. As soon as the outer doors open, you’re off again. It’s not too far to the exterior access now and you ping your location to the Trenton, receiving confirmation in response. It takes a moment to break through the exterior access point’s flimsy security, but you make it out into the void with a minute to spare. The Trenton silently pulls into view above you and the starboard airlock opens up. Your armor’s Zero-G thrusters propel you towards it and you make it inside just as time runs out.

You look back at the station, and watching as shimmering blue fields envelop it and begin to silently tear it apart. The outer armor peels away in strips while the sections buckle and pull away from each other, their supports collapsing under the oscillating Mass Effect fields. A series of soundless explosions rip through several of the blocks, scattering debris into space. That’s all you see as the outer doors close and the Trenton pulls away.

For a few moments, it’s just you. All you can hear is your ragged breathing and your racing heartbeat. You can feel the emotions escaping from their prison, invading the forefront of your mind. It’s a confusing storm, but what dominates is:

>Rage
>Grief
>Shame
>Anguish
>Hate
>[Write-in]

>>41942017
>Grief

>>41942017
>Grief

>>41942017
>>Hate
Cloked units are OP and they know it! It was such a dick move.

>>41942017
>>Hate

>>41942017
>>Rage

>Writing

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Grief. Takeo was your squadmate. He’d been with Epsilon through thick and thin, fighting at your side. He’d been a friend, laughing and joking along with the rest of you. He’d been a warrior, cleaving through his foes with skill and fervor.

He’d Been.

And now he was dead. Struck down from behind.

Hate fills you. Hatred for the bastard who killed your friend. Hatred for the battle he had been drawn into. Hatred for the pirates and their blasted station. And Hatred for yourself, because you failed to save him.

It hurts, these feelings. You can’t show them to your team. You’ll have to deal with them later.

Swallowing, you turn to the inner airlock door and motion to the control. With a hiss, it opens, revealing Leo standing on the other side. He’s still wearing his armor, the plates slightly scored, but his helmet hangs from his belt and his blue eyes find yours. You can see he's hurting under his calm facade but he's hiding it remarkably well.

“How are you holding up?”

>Action?

>>41942871
Been through worse. We'll manage. How's the rest of the team?

>>41942871
>I'll live. How's everyone else doing? Aiden stabilized yet?

>>41942871
"I'll manage. How's the rest of the team?"

>>41942871
I'll survive, how's the team?

>>41942871
I'm going to continue vital functions. What is the status of the other members of this operation?

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“I’ll live.” You grind out. “How’s the team?”

Leo grimaces, “Aiden’s in Surgery. It’s too early to tell if he’ll make it so it’s touch and go. Inari is… not doing so well. Taking it really hard. She’s in the Armory, if you want to talk to her.”

You nod, “How about you?”

He sighs, “Like you said, I’ll live.”

“Lieutenant Commander,” a feminine voice calls from behind Leo.

You look behind him to see Captain Isabelle Reynard, the Trenton’s Captain. Slim and very pretty, the woman is a good pilot with an unfortunate case of stick-up-the-butt. You heard that her rather unusual hair color is a result of some genetic tinkering and actually completely natural.

“I see you made it back alive.” She says, her surprisingly deep voice still cold as ever. “I believe you and Lieutenant Delamere need to be debriefed.”

Normally, one of you would make a dumb joke about not wearing briefs, but today, you aren’t feeling it.

“We’ll be right there.” Leo says. That seems to be enough for the Captain who walks off to the Comms room.

You sighs and looks around the bridge, noting that the Helmsman’s seat is empty. You briefly wonder where Madison would have gone before turning your mind to other things. Walking past the Galaxy hologram set in the center of the CIC, you note with some interest that the plotted course is taking you to the Citadel.

>[CONT.]

>>41944163

Entering the Comms room, you take a seat in one of the chairs circling the room and look to the Captain, who stands in the center. Leo takes a seat next to you, his body language indicating support. Pressing a button on her Omni-tool, she folds her arms behind her back, waiting for you to begin. Sighing, you provide her with a quick rundown of how your portion of the Operation went. She then turns to Leo.

Leo crosses his arms, “My infiltration went off without a hitch and I managed to get into the station’s ventilation system early on. I disabled all the security I came across then neutralized all the threats manning the control rooms. Sabotaging the reactors was not particularly difficult, but getting to the second room proved to be a bit more of a challenge. I hitched a ride in a cargo tram and made it to a another section of the air shafts that allowed me access to the third target. Once again, I neutralized all the security measures in my way and sabotaged the Reactors there. Afterwards, I made it to another Maintenance Shaft for extraction.”

The Captain gives him a cool look before turning back to you.

“Lieutenant Commander, could you tell me why you decided to take such a... public route to your objective? This was supposed to be a clandestine operation, last I checked. Yet you deliberately made your way through high traffic areas without any attempt to conceal yourself.”

>Response?

>>41944178
It was a much faster route, and given the end result, collateral damage didn't seem to matter much.

clandestine operation,? I thought we were blowing up a pirate fortress, are you sure your reading the right file?

>>41944210
>Got my support.

>>41944302
It was a clandestine operation, yeah.

>>41944178
I passed myself off as a mercenary. Much easier, especially on a pirate station, than pulling Splinter Cell shenanigans.

>>41944178
sometimes the most obvious route is overlooked and therefore less guarded. Besides the other routes were either much longer around or had much higher security. Figured if things did go south having non security around if things got hot would provide enough chaos and confusion for me to slip away opposed to the other options where I would be pretty much out in the open so to speak.

>>41944363
it was a sarcastic response for asking a stupid question

>>41944473
It's better not to assume the captain of our ride home is a fucking idiot. Even if she is a bitch.

“Sometimes the most obvious route is overlooked and therefore less guarded,” You answer. “I passed myself off as a mercenary. Much easier, especially on a pirate station, and the other routes were either much longer around or had much higher security. Figured if things did go south having non-combatants around if things got hot would provide enough chaos and confusion for me to slip away. And, in the end, collateral damage didn’t seem to matter much.”

The Captain’s nostrils flare slightly but she doesn’t ask for elaboration. Instead she asks another question.

“After Lieutenant Keita, Ensign MacRossa and Warrant Officer Niten were caught in the Security Lockdown, why did you recklessly assault a Security Post on your own in order to lift it?”

>Response?

>>41944665
To save my team, ye cantankerous cunt!

This bitch.

>>41944665
"Because the longer the mission went on, the worse it would have gotten. Plus getting control of the station meant locking out their actual security."

>>41944665
Was that a question or an accusation? Forgive me for not abandoning my team.

>>41944665
The opportunity was there, I was capable, and recovery of personnel was a priority. Reckless in what capacity Captain?

>>41944751
Keep it cool and collected.

>>41944665

Your eyes narrow. This bitch…

“Was that a question or an accusation?” You hiss, now thoroughly pissed off. “And reckless in what capacity?”

Reynard doesn’t bat an eye. “A Question of course. And a single soldier, no matter how skilled, assaulting an unknown, but superior, number of enemy combatants in a fortified position would be an excellent example of Reckless, Lieutenant Commander.”

“Well, forgive me for not abandoning my team!” Your voice rising considerably.

Reynard’s eyes narrow and you would probably have jumped up and punched her in the face if Leo hadn’t placed a hand on your shoulder. Looking at him, you can see the anger in his eyes but the restraint he puts on it as well.

Taking a deep breath, you calm yourself. “The longer the mission went on, the worse it would have gotten for everyone. The opportunity was there, I was capable, and recovery of personnel is always a priority.”

The Captain sniffs before continuing, “Lastly, Warrant Officer Niten’s death and Ensign MacRossa’s injuries occurred under your command and, in some ways, be attributed as a failure on your part. What do you have to say for yourself?

>Response?

>>41945136
ill be filing the paper work to transfer me out of your command ASAP

>>41945136
This is the most unprofessional debriefing I have ever had your behavior is unbecoming of an officer, you a re a disgrace to that uniform.

>>41945136
>get ready to punch this bitch

>roll for self restraint

>go and beat the shit out of stuff to calm down

>>41945136

Every soldier knows the risks going into any mission. With three objectives and four team members I expected at least one injury. A kill wasn't in the plans, though.

Fucking cloakers, man.

>>41945136
I did everything within my power to make the best of the situation. Attribute fault as you will, but any other team would have called this a suicide mission.The lack of intel on the presence of cloaking devices on some members of the security force as well as unforeseen rioting which put the station on higher guard than expected were the primary sources for our complications, not some lacking in either skill or leadership.

>>41945136
"An intel failure and an unfortunate result of unforeseeable pirate stupidity, respectively. Everyone on the team did the best they could given what we knew of the situation. Aside from that, I believe this entire line of questioning is breaking several regs."

>>41945136

>>41945312
This.

Then say >>41945249 and >>41945283 before we leave.

>>41945312
Second this
>>41945283
And then this afterwards before storming out while shes still mad about it.

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You feel rage simmering in your gut. You’d like nothing more than to break Reynard’s face right now, but you hold back.

“Every soldier knows the risks going into any mission.” You grind out. “With three objectives and four team members I expected that things wouldn’t go perfectly. I didn’t expect to lose a man though. I did everything within my power to make the best of the situation. Attribute fault as you will, but any other team would have called this a suicide mission.”

“We’re N7’s,” Leo adds. “This is what we’re trained for, this is what we do.”

You nod in agreement before continuing. “The lack of intel on the presence of advanced cloaking devices on some members of the security force as well as unforeseen rioting were the primary sources for our complications, not some lacking in either skill or leadership. Everyone on the team did the best they could given what we knew of the situation.”

Anger bleeds into your voice. “Aside from that, I believe this entire line of questioning is breaking several regs. This is the most unprofessional-"

“Hold that thought.” The Captain interrupts you and quickly turns away to approach toward the holoprojectors mounted on the far wall. “Was that satisfactory?”

>[CONT.]

>>41945995

The projectors shimmer to life, revealing the forms of Councilor David Anderson, Admiral Steven Hackett and Ambassador Donnel Udina. You jump to your feet and salute, Leo following a moment later.

“It does indeed Captain Reynard,” the Admiral says. “Thank you for your help. We’d like to speak with the Lieutenant Commander alone.”

“Yes Sir.” The Captain salutes before making her way to the exit. As she passes by you, you hear her whisper, “Good Luck.”

“You as well, Lieutenant Delamere.” The Councilor says.

Leo salutes before turning in place and leaving, quirking an eyebrow at you in confusion on the way. You take the opportunity to approach the projectors, your previous anger completely forgotten.

“We apologise for the subterfuge Vasusena,” The Ambassador begins.

“But we needed a preliminary assessment of your ability to maintain a clear head when under character attack,” Hackett continues. “Especially from a person in a position of power greater than yours.”

“Don’t hold Captain Reynard’s actions against her,” Udina says. “She was only doing what we asked of her.”

“Before we get to the meat of this meeting, do you have anything you’d like to ask us?” Anderson asks.

>Any Questions?

>>41946020
Why was this attack on my character needed minutes after I lost a member of my squad, sirs?

>>41946020
"I suspect most of my immediate questions will be covered by 'the meat of the meeting.'"

>>41946078
He /just/ answered that, dude. Also, some degree of 'unfortunate, but needs must.'

>>41946166
Apologizing for doing it and explaining the reasoning are not the same thing.

>>41946020
"The intel on cloakers. Was that truly unknown or intentionally absent? Forgive me the implied accusation, but i'm getting the impression that the fake debrief wasn't the only test I experienced today."

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“"I suspect most of my immediate questions will be covered by 'the meat of the meeting.'" You answer dryly, “But why was this attack on my character needed minutes after I lost a member of my squad, Sir?”

Anderson frowns, looking distinctly unhappy. “It’s quite likely, if you accept what we’re about to propose, that you’ll be subject to a great deal of adversarial questioning, some when you’re in a negative headspace. We wanted to make sure that you’d keep your cool, no matter what.”

“And, while you performed admirably, Captain Reynard was, in fact, going rather easy on you.” Udina adds. “Compared to some of the grilling you’ll get from the Council and the Media, that was positively gentle.”

You purse your lips as you consider the next one. “The intel for the mission. Was the fact some of the troopers had Advanced Cloaking Devices truly unknown or intentionally left absent? Forgive me for the implied accusation, but I'm getting the impression that the fake debrief wasn't the only test I experienced today.”

Hackett’s lips draw tight across his face, making his scars stand out in sharper relief. “No, we would never interfere with mission intel in that way. All the intel provided was what AMI was able to uncover.”

>[CONT]

>>41946732

You sigh, mollified, “Alright, that’s everything I wanted to know then.”

“Very well,” Udina says. “First things first, I believe you have heard of Commander Sigrun Shepard, yes?”

You nod. You’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard of her. Hero of Elysium, First Human Spectre, and a ton of other stuff as well. She pretty much was responsible for stopping Saren and the Geth from capturing the Citadel. “What about her?”

“With her death, Humanity is left without an agent in the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance,” Hackett answers. “We’d like to fix that.”

“Commander Sonali Vasusena,” Councilor Anderson intones. “We are asking you to be Humanity’s new Spectre.”

>[End Thread]

{It's awfully late on my end and I'm going to need to get up early tomorrow. I can address some questions and concerns for bit if you guys want.}

>>41946753
A fine end, thank you.

>>41946753
Thanks for running OP.

>>41946753
Just happy to see this continuing. Thanks for running OP, you can spin a mean tale if this is any indicator.

>>41941077
What the fuck, why even bother with us having choices if your just going to kill everyone off without any chance for us to act?

>>41947306
because sometimes story trumps agency, and this story's only just beginning.

>>41949259
That wasn't story, that was a single dice rolled by the QM deciding everything, no story, no agency, just stupid random chance taking the wheel and telling the players they don't matter at all.