Laser Cannon Deth Sentence

It's not uncommon to wake up at the house and be alone, even Tali leaves me by myself sometimes to do stuff with the organization. But today the place felt...colder.

M: Where is everybody? Something feels off.

I still haven't rolled out of bed but something in the greater cosmos is reaching out to me. I ping Ravi who normally answers, Stone is always on the horn and ready but even they aren't responding.

Org contracts show a single REDACTED listing and the only reason it's still on here is because it's got a FAT payout on it. But why wasn't I woken up?

M: Somebody out there has to be on the comms, hello?

...M-...lp...s...

My brain tingled and fired on all cylinders.

M: Hey! Are you all okay?!

A data packet blipped my mobi, sealed with Ravi's love and my heartrate shot up. If a blind packet is sent and encoded it means trouble, and given how everything lately felt I needed to act fast!

I ran to the armory only to find out that it was locked down tight with Ravi's handiwork. Kicking, stomping, screaming as I try to break into a room with no windows or other points of entry. Last thing I could think of was a Stoneskin suit and helmet in my room under the bed, along with an LH-86 and two mags.

Wait.

Mobi shows I'm locked out of the hangars too, something about this stinks. Callie wouldn't put things on such a lockown unless it was a long-haul job.

-Send for: Pisces rental

-DENIED

-Send for: Pisces Rental

-DENIED

-SEND FOR PISCES Rental

-DENIED

M: STONE! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

Silence.

M: Stone! Ravi! ANYBODY OUT THERE?!

D: I asked Ravi to remove us from this, who are you?

M: Minerva, I work for Spacemoms! HELP!

D: Hold on, what's happening? Is everybody okay?

M: Armory is locked! Hangar is locked! I can't request a rental delivery and nobody is responding!

D: Maybe it's a day off?

M: Wait is this Deacon?

D: Mostly, sounds like Callie put the place on a hard lockdown which is typically to keep people in or out. Need a ride?

M: Don't you have a pregnant wife? I would love the help but you have a family to take care of!

D: We may have left the org but all of you are still family. I can be over at Cascom within the hour, sit tight for me okay?

G: Marshal! No! You have a daughter to raise!

There was a solid ten minutes of silence before it broke.

D: We got you a rental Pisces, they aren't normally available on loan but it should be there within the hour.

A massive roar came in from outside followed by a horrifically loud crash then a boom.

//EMERGENCY SHIP LANDING DETECTED. PLEASE CHECK THE -Pad 03- FOR SURVIVORS OR BODIES//

M: I GOTTA GO, SOMEBODY JUST LANDED

In a massive panic I head out the building and see a smouldering wreckage on the pad, Mustang Alpha with our signature Morozov hanging out of the canopy. I see red on their leg, a hemozal pen along with orange, pink and green so I know this goober is well-trained.

A sprint across the outdoor pads before their marker pops up in my lens' hud: Lauromine.

We called her mousey, mostly kept to herself but the fact that she was brought on for this says it was SERIOUS. She was barely moving and vitals were barely hanging on as I snatched the pen from her hip and stabbed her with Hemozal.

"Hnng, ow...thank you for...Moira?" She sounds weak and at death's door.

"Yeah, let's get you to a bed!" I yell helplessly before she hands me a small piece of tech: a cryptokey. Hardware that Ravi came up with that will override anything she locks and typically only if she allows it.

"This will open everyth-thing...they...the...m-moms need h-help."

D: We heard everything, we're dropping the baby off with my cousin and we'll meet you there soon!

M: You're retired!

G: FAMILY FIRST! I MET HIM THROUGH THIS ORG AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I LET THEM DIE DURING A REGEN CRISIS!

Never been yelled at by a mom, so naturally I tensed up and felt like great crimes were committed.

M: Yes ma'am! I'll suit up and see you here!

"Time is r-running out...get the-m..." Lauro says before collapsing from her injuries. Her body isn't too heavy even with the full Morozov but it's still gonna be a bitch dragging her to the medbeds. It took me a solid ten minutes to get her over to the clinics and into a bed to make a full recovery when I heard a ship set down on the nearby pad.

Origin 85X, pretty swanky vehicle for parents to be flying but it works for transport. They are rolling up in their old gear, same uniform Lauro and most people in the org wear but theirs look like they've been through a few wars.

"Where's your gear?" Grendel says with her long hair in a bun and helmet resting on her hip.

"I just got hardware-level access, Lauro brough back Ravi's cryptokey so-"

"HURRY THE FUCK UP! NOBODY TOUCHES THAT BUT HER!"

I reflexively straighten up and salute before spinning around to head to the armory. My locker isn't usually kept locked because everybody here I trust, Red Alert Artimex core and helmet with Red Alert Morozov arms and legs, sinkhole backpack carrying my trusty Karna and P6 with Ascension Coda on my hip.

One step out of the door and I see the wall known as Deacon at attention.

"You're out of regs, we don't have time for this!" He barks like a drill sergeant but it oddly doesn't affect me.

"Callie loosened up field dress regulations, this is my standard gear." I say through the helmet mic.

Lauro rounds the corner clutching her ribs, barely standing.

"Beds aren't working, it cut off after a few seconds and didn't finish." She groans.

Fuck.

A few taps and the "Care-a-pin" comes up in my blue with green accents.

"If that doesn't work, I can only say sit it out." I say but her demeanor seems more angry.

"She's coming...home. I'll take you down if I have to." Lauro says in a growl out of what we normally hear from the meek, shy mouse.

Can't help but feel out of place right now, I tap my mobi and the Terapin's door comes down.

"We need a boat. An 85X isn't going to do shit." Grendel says before looking around at the pads. "Y'all still got the Andromeda?"

System shows we do, hasn't moved in almost a month and it's fully-ready.

"Need me in the snub?" I ask and Grendel shakes her head.

"No, we need you in the medical to pick people up. We'll take uh...Lauromine? Am I saying that right?" Deacon says and I nod back as I see her take clear, healthy steps out. At least we know those beds still work.

"I need to restock ammunition." Lauro says as she walks to the armory and disappears for a bit.

"The andy is all ready, it should be up on a pad within the minute so you three can cover me." I say and Grendel nods. "I know you were Callie's second-in-command, but I have a feeling you're taking over here too."

With a smile and nod, she confirms it. "Yup, and I run a tighter ship than she does so be prepared for yelling."

"And when we're done you're just...outta here?"

She nods and heads towards the Andromeda coming up.

G: Lauro, you're with Deacon and I. Pick a turret and get cozy. Minerva will be in the Terapin. Where are we going?

L: We were in a Xenothreat colony asteroid, they got the jump on us and somehow I got out.

D: You abandoned the team?!

L: No, Callie issued the order to come get Minerva out of the radio silence and bring her back.

G: What's their status...

L: Unsure, but we need to get back to Pyro quickly!

Something stank, but I wasn't about to complain about why I was left out and they took my keeper.

I double-checked my gear, made sure I had my paramed and multitool on my hips along with a ton of red Hemos on my thigh.

M: I'm on my way to the boat, flick me the location when you can and we'll meet at the gate.

G: Copy that, we're getting everything sitched and we'll meet you there!

In VTOL the Care-a-pin can move like mad vertically, not nearly as much as the cutty red does but it still goes like no other so I'm off the planet in a column of vapor and smoke.

Quantum is spooled up and my thoughts start creeping in.

Why didn't they cal me? Or wake me up?

Why didn't they leave Ophelia with me?

Why all the secrecy?

It sure is beautiful here in the void of space...

It's going to be fine, Kyl.

Oh, hello again, Moira.

I missed you, hope you're okay.

They took my girl.

Oh? YOUR girl? When did that happen?

I forgot my medication again...