mrvillain | for siriusly

for siriusly

siriusly ♦ threads below

[A series of distress calls start coming in directly to the SDF. Official lines from a particular 'Homeworld', but no identity or rank attached. These calls always have specific details relating to pirate attacks in Homeworld space.]

-Binary Cluster colony 12, population 10,000-10,200 depending on commercial traffic, under attack by five ships. Vega Platoon recommended. Map of stable solar jetstreams for rail establishment forthcoming.

-Former pirate outpost abandoned. Reviewed by Homeworld officials already. Location information and investigation permissions unlocked for use by Spica train. Shared analysis delayed until full review is concluded.

-Asteroid 37 mining colony, population 200, Sirius Platoon recommended with additional evacuation cars. Stellar coordinates forthcoming.

[There are several of these over the span of a few months. What they don't know is that on Earth, it gives the general the opportunity to speak to leadership. To say that any Earth invasion has to be delayed indefinitely while the SDF is working to resolve the pirate problems. Because, while the General is strong, many Homeworlders are on par with humans. Just a few of them are exceptional; each outpost has some sizable representatives of the leadership, and there usually aren't enough of them to hold off entire pirate fleets.]

[It eventually even comes out that the death tolls that the SDF counts are incorrect. It's shared by some medical staff that the Homeworld has a program where willing participants will carry someone's consciousness into space, the two of them essentially doubling their experience while one body stays on the Homeworld. They share a body and exchange use of it, but if that shared body should die, the body on the Homeworld dies as well. The death tolls by the pirates are actually a quarter larger than what has been recorded by the SDF, and too many empty husks had to be removed from stasis because their owners would never be returning.]

[It's enough to drive the leadership to trust a military with more experience with a shared enemy.]

[Not all of the Homeworlders can be convinced to trust humans, though, and warned of an incoming pirate attack a security leader acts on too quickly. He sees humans coming, no matter their mode of transportation, and decides it's a cover for the pirates.]

[The moment the General hears about this absolute idiocy in the process of it happening, and realizes what platoon was supposed to be in charge of that mission, he's having a ship launched from Earth with some valuable staff on board. He knows if he doesn't hurry, those pirates will still be coming and that platoon will be doubly fucked.]

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[In a horrific twist, they do fire. Volley one is off, speeding towards Manabu's ship, not even fully letting him get within necessary detail scanning range, the range that surely would have told them everything they need to know. But that one extra second of watching, waiting, and being suspicious of the incoming target has bought some valuable seconds.]

[Volley two doesn't hit its mark. Volley two is intercepted by a large Homeworld ship that swings out of FTL right between Manabu's craft and the facility, its shields already up for what it thought would be incoming pirates, not friendly fire.]

[What anyone with open comms hears is a livid, volcanic booming voice. No visual of the speaker yet. The insignia of the Homeworld is the only accompanying image.]

Ceasefire! Everyone stationed here will be punished. The speed at which you adjust your cannon trajectory away from the train will dictate the severity!

["General! We're sorry, sir. We thought that-"]

Your ability to think has failed us so now you only obey. Understood? My apologies for their conduct, Captain. Proceed.

[The General has no idea that it's Manabu in that wayward craft but he really should have suspected it. Right then, he's just focused on stopping any hostile actions before the situation gets worse. Behind him, a waif of a woman who looks like the embodiment of everyone whose dreamed of an aethereal pixie alien princess is going over some health files, reviewing human anatomy (not too dissimilar from theirs) that was intended to be used for torture, now it would have to be used to save people. Several other workers, including Rooney, mill around him in preparation for defense and evac.]

[The lines are now full of various departments trying to apologize to the General, save for the leadership, who is now being soundly ignored.]

Edited (little oopsies) 2025-08-26 21:39 (UTC)

[skill is what has Manabu spin the jet out of volley one's range, but good fortune is what spares him for the second. he's swallowing his heart back down his throat, needing a second to parse through the messages from his platoon and the one being patched in from the arriving ship which, admittedly, Manabu's first thought was the pirate fleet they'd come in advance of to try to cut off.

well. since he's not currently exploded...back to business, right?]

This is SDF's Sirius Platoon, and we're trying to get a confirm of readiness for an incoming pirate fleet - one that we're not part of! We have fleet details we can share when ready. [not a virus or whatever that other guy was convinced of!]

And not to sound bossy, but our estimates put their warp-jump arrival pretty close to the wire here, so!

[His heart nearly jumps out of his throat as he realizes that the person who nearly was perforated by fire from his own people was Manabu. If he'd been hit- there would have been a dead security leader, outright.]

I am aware, Officer. They should cooperate now.

[The word 'officer' is still in tone with command, but close enough to how he usually says it that it might give some pause. But he's not wrong. Some of the facility security are crying like Taylor Swift just said she was disappointed in them.]

I've brought my medic. If you allow her to assist the she'll bring her primary weapon and in the event of invasion, hand control to her brother who would then defend the infirmary. [She's one of the people carrying two people inside of one body.] I'll direct half of the reinforcements I brought to the facility. If your train gives permission, I'll bring the other half aboard.

Eh-? [Eh??] You...you getting this, Captain?

[let the boarding logistics get handled by Captain Bulge ~~that's his name i didn't pick it it's not my fault~~ while Manabu veers to fly back toward the waiting Big One.

the official response: "Big One fully intends to engage the fleet directly; having your personnel board would put them at immediate risk and inhibit their means to support your vessels."

which...tracks with what Manabu was thinking anyway. he exhales, trying to shake off that weird tingle on the back of his neck. probably aftershock of that near-hit.]

I request just Ur's presence on board your train then. I assure you, she is uniquely equipped for this role. I intend to board the flagship personally if not aboard your vessel. Good luck out there and I'll see you at the end of the battle.

[He turns off the comm to go prepare for his own mission. Sometime months ago, Manabu received a bear with a note that wished him good luck out there. The General has come out to ensure that himself.]

[He strides off towards a moderate hangar bay- the ship is large, but not a massive floating fortress like the Homeworld could be capable of. However, they do have a smaller, faster vessel with a front designed specifically to drill into a sealed hull. If he's not on the train, then he's going to drill directly into the damn flagship as soon as it comes out of FTL. Whether he's just intending to slow the fleet with no intention of getting off, or whether he's fully confident he can ransack the place from inside and get off, it's hard to say. Either way, none of his people seem to be doubting his intentions.]

[that bear? currently in Manabu's bunk on one of the respite cars. sadly stuffed animals don't see a lot of action behind a turret or a jet navsystem.

as for those who do...rebuffing the offer at this point is probably not a good look, so the Captain orders Manabu to turn back and go fetch the CMO. he holds his tongue on complaining (We have like two minutes and Big One's turrets need time to charge and I need to be able to field fire--)(let's be real this actually keeps Manabu from getting lit up immediately so--)

not a lot of time to be fussy about things; Manabu veers toward the General's vessel, hailing it.]

Ready to receive directions on where to board and collect your officer.

[Another officer responds with, "Permission granted."]

[The hangar bay doors open, and the General stops short of getting into his craft. Shadows of the hangar bay manage to hide his face, just skillful accidental positioning. Waiting to join Manabu in the designated open spot is that young woman, holding a scythe blade as long as she is tall and a collapsible handle to it. And she's holding it pretty easily. She's one of those that's a lot stronger than she looks.]

[She gives him a little confirming wave, ready to catch her uber back to the ship. She calls out, "See you later, General!"]

[The general, who is taking time to see if he can see Manabu (and if he looks intact) before he leaves. This particular immodest outfit is very much unlike what 'Taro' usually wears, and freakish monster weapon cape breaks up his form. He takes long enough to tell it's the human he's been missing before he starts climbing in his own craft. The tail of the cape slides in after him like the end of a snake raiding a nest.]

[Holy crap. That thing...isn't going to fit in this jet. unless it shrinks. maybe it'll shrink. he hopes it will.

the glass canopy opens up and Manabu, helmet and visor still on, straightens, holding out a hand to help the girl up and into the rear seat, waiting for her to situate before closing up.]

Helmet's on the headrest.

[he waits for clearance to disengage from the hangar, drop back out into space, and blasts back toward Big One]

Medic, right? I guess CMO Yuki's getting a partner... [hopefully the android won't be bothered. not that Manabu's ever seen Yuki particularly bothered over such things.

it's not the smoothest ride, given he wants to get the dropoff done quickly in order to get ahead of what's already rippling the space ahead.]

I see incoming-- brace for preemptive fire!

["I'm looking forward to it," Ur says, neatly fitting her scythe into an exact fitting placement. "And I know it's big. But the General has had my brother cut off a lot of entry points with it." She snaps on the helmet and straps herself in. She's five-foot-nothing, so even Manabu is taller than her.]

[She doesn't complain, just watches out the window at the space ripple. Even smiles some as she sees that vehicle with the general carefully aiming itself so it'll launch the moment those shapes appear. The back end of it is charging up to launch in a burst.]

["He wants to get intelligence so they can predict the fleet's movements. He's the strongest one of us on Earth. Probably in the entire Homeworld empire. I can't wait to see what he does." She sounds as loyal as any of the rest of them from a little warrior culture. She nods at the warning, gripping the arms of her seat and planting a foot firmly against the blade to keep it in place. Nothing she's touching is moving, dammit.]

Edited (forgot the whole bracing part???) 2025-08-26 23:29 (UTC)

Well, Big One sent over what we have on this fleet. Not that there's much time to read up--

[and the conversation will have to wait as that fanfare of lasers signals the pirates' arrival, as boisterous and messy as any drunkard in a tavern. typical pirate fare.

Big One had its shields on max, so the train is fine, but Manabu has to do a lot of weaving and veering to evade errant blasts. all this hullabaloo isn't going to let the train keep its runway cars level for a landing, Manabu notes.]

Sorry, ma'am-- I can't drop you off just yet. Hang tight!

[this may actually be for the best: Manabu can't be as reckless when he knows he has someone with him that could suffer the consequences of his freewheeling, but he can't just hover around waiting to drop her off.

instead, he's moving to flank one of the smaller vessels barreling into the scene for a bit of pew-pew. while the General's vessel blasts on in a streak of light.]

[The flagship is hit so immediately they genuinely think the ship is just more fire or turbulence. They don't have time to see it as a ship. From space, though, there's an extra bit of sparks where it lands before it stills, jutted out like the end of a bullet.]

[Meanwhile, Ur doesn't seem stressed at all. She can't do much to help. She closes her eyes for a moment, and they snap back open, and her entire tone's changed. He's now Ashe, ready to cover them if they do land. He didn't physically change, just facially, tonally, now it's the brother instead of the sister. He'll occasionally, tell Manabu that he's doing a great job! Look at how he got that one! Ooooh that looked fun. He must have had a looot of practice. He keeps his body braced to snap up that scythe as soon as they do find room to land.]

[The flagship is doing it's usual 'Turn over your blah blah' sort of warnings as more and more ships with potential boarding parties leave. But it's not long before they start stumbling up. "What the hell did you put on our ship!?" comes through, eventually, with a "It's in the maintenance room!" being yelled in the background.]

[Rather than being even with the other ships, the flagship slowly starts to tilt. Some navigational thing in their engine room is broken.]

[the disorientation does give Big One time to fully charge its cannons, which then respond to the rude entrance with a string of lengthy beams that scatter the clustered, smaller fleet, giving Manabu chances to hound them further out of formation.

so much for surprises and scare tactics.

Manabu doesn't really have time to unpack the change of persona behind him playing cheerleader, especially when he's trying to keep tabs on the comms when his team patches the pirate's frequency in.

IN the ship...? But if it blows--

he veers the jet back toward the largest ship, searching for the hole that was blasted into it.]

Your guy gonna need a ferry out of there or what!

[Ashe's face twists up in thought. He probably could get out on his own! Buuuuuut... His dainty little brows come down as he smiles a jagged grin on that sweet, sweet angel face.]

["Let's go get him!"]

[The General isn't afraid of asking for back-up- often he insists on people not acting alone. So Ashe feels that it's also the only logical initiative. Also... Come on Manabu. Violence. Pirates.]

["He'll try to get back to the pod, so we could make sure it's not compromised or help him steal one of their escape pods if it is. Do you know how those things are laid out inside? I had train specs to look at but not those." He indicates the pirate ship.]

No, but it can't be that hard. [why study when you can just go?

and go he goes, doing the barest courtesy to his platoon in telling them he's going in for an extraction. one that he wasn't cleared for, but it's honestly nice of him to at least say what he's thinking instead of just doing it. that's growth.

the jet is vastly smaller than the damage dealt the flagship, so after a few fly-bys just to divert focus, Manabu pivots and steers into the busted hangar. everything being open to space means no chance to depressurize; Manabu checks the life-support mechanisms on his suit, moving to open up the canopy before re-remembering there's another person here and he's actually endangering them and oops.]

Wait here! Keep the helmet on and the engine running. [he points to one of the panels.] Weapons array here, if you need to make a scene.

[without waiting for a reply, he snags his sidearm, opens the canopy, and hops out, kicking off the vessel and toward the half-open door further into the ship, toward areas still locked-down for safety.]

[Dutifully and delightedly, Ashe is watching Manabu's ship, having hopped up and moved into place immediately. Silently cursing that his sister wears her hair down all the time and with the helmet on there's not much he can do about that. But eh, maybe he'll have some fun.]

[Past that door, in areas still pressurized, there are some doors that had been closed and, like something out of a horror movie, had been torn open. Just pried apart with what looks like claws. There's are gauged claw marks in the walls leading up into a big duct, chunky limb prints in the duct like something scrambled violently through, and a vent broken out where it exited. It's not hard to follow the path that the General cut through the ship. There are still people scared after that. Already prone to violence, they're ready to fire at and fight anything that's not more than passingly familiar. They'd even try to hit a stranger with a lamp if they couldn't find a gun to shoot them with.]

[It's in a long corridor with damaged gravity that, at the end, the General makes his appearance jumping backward and away from something shooting at him, pushing off walls and being the hardest target possible. Even with the tail giving his and his cape's combined form a lot of surface area, it's like trying to shoot a fluttering ribbon.]

[Again, much to the inconvenience of Manabu's ability of recognition, the General has a respirator so now the only identifiable part of his face that the other man has seen are his eyes, and the respirator would be adding that small amount of muffled distortion to his voice if he spoke. He can't even tell it's Manabu at this distance himself. Just an SDF soldier. So he turns the corner and sees an apparent ally is on here and starts bee-lining to get out with them. More shots whiz past, snap him out of it, and he uses a lash of the tail against wall, a scrape of his clawed hand against the floor, to propel him his way.]

[Manabu's glad this guy's on his side - he's not so proud as to think he'd have been able to tackle him on his own the way some of these pirates may have thought, and they're in packs!

while the General's back is turned, Manabu provides a few covering shots to scare peeking heads out of hallways and doorframes, alerting both Ashe and his platoon that they're about to get clear of the flagship.]

Just give us eighty--nngyah-! [he flinches, having to scramble to catch himself from falling forward before throwing himself around the nearest corner.] Ninety! Seconds! Guh--

[he takes his finger off the trigger so he can point with the gun safely.] This way!

[When is the absolute stupidest moment to realize that you aren't just smitten anymore? Is it when you're in real danger of being blown up? That's might be normal, from what stories say. Is it watching someone look very badass while they give you covering fire? Perhaps it's not a bad moment. It's definitely when you realize you're in a huge stupid pirate ship bordering on exhaustion because of one goddamn man when you could be at home having coffee. But no, instead you had to wage an emergency mission and lie your sharp teeth out about why you needed it. That's not just smitten anymore.]

[But he damn well better get off this ship because if he went through this just for Manabu to end up dead he'd reconsider all that goodwill with humanity he'd bothered to build up and just go back to the original plan out of pure spite.]

[~~He wouldn't.~~]

[The moment he sees Manabu, though, and recognizes it's him, there's a well in his chest that's dizzying that's not just the path of rage he just tore through door after door. It's mostly the solid little human he's become irritatingly fond of. Exceptionally fond. Fond in italics, because any other four-letter words will send him into a crisis that won'd do anyone any good in this harrowing moment.]

[At this point he can barely even tell the man even a small portion of his feelings, even having not been recognized, he's not entirely sure he wants to point it out (he knows he'd have to), so this three-second mental interlude gets compartmentalized for later use. He gets a good look at him through his helmet as he catches up to him, a flicker of smoke running over the monstrous claws and leaving them a set of human-like gloved hands again so he can actually grab handles and such.]

How many of the boarding parties managed to land?

Of-of yours? Dunno, not patched in. [he gingerly touches at his side, regrets it, and shakes his head.] One sec--

[he listens in on Big One's comms while he catches his breath; if he doesn't acknowledge the pain blooming up, it's not that big a deal. adrenaline covers much of the problem for now.]

Two...two got past Big One. The rest are coming back here to salvage and evac. [so if they want to not get blown up when the pirates detonate this thing to smokescreen their escape, they gotta move.

Manabu hops into a run until he can't, up to where the pressure's leaking out through busted doors on the way to the hangar.]

They tend to blow these things up if they're this badly compromised, so let's get clear and make sure whatever's gotten through the cover fire isn't going to get back. [slippery as they are, gnabbing pirates alive is always a bonus.]

[He's running as well, the tail behind him knocking things over whenever it can so it's harder to follow them on foot. He can't focus on getting a good look at Manabu's head, but he tries to get a glance as they run by.]

[The general isn't as protected as a normal human should be, but he doesn't exactly seem to have the same fortitude as a normal human and definitely knew this was a risk he'd be engaging in.]

If grav is completely broken in there, I could launch you towards your ship. Block their route. I'll not be far behind you.

[The tail swats against the floor, indicating what he means and how it had been propelling him by shoving off of things. Ashe, in the meantime, has both happily acquainted himself with a whole new weapons system and loosely braided his hair to keep it from getting everywhere, with it now wrapped around his waist.]

Ehh? [he puffs a laugh.] What do you think this thing on my back is for! [to be fair, it doesn't look like much, but it is the emergency propulsion system affixed to his suit.]

Don't lag behind, we barely got half a minute! [he pings Ashe:] You hear that? Make some room for one more!

[good thing they're both small - that's gonna be cramped as hell.]

[Probably more difficult with the tail. Which, at the moment, he kind of needs. After a second of consideration, weighing the balance of safety, he finally says-]

I'll improvise.

["Do I hear the General? I have the hangar cleared of hostiles! You should be good!"]

['With the grace of a shooting star', the moment they're in the rough hangar environment, the General launches himself off othe wall and twists in a spiral towards the SDF ship. Once he gets there he climbs into the back. The far back. And seeming to guess what's about to happen, Ashe climbs out of the fun shooty seat and back to where he belongs, making himself as small as possible as the chitinous tail wraps around them both. General on one side, held in place by the claws at his shoulders and tail, back to the back of the seat, and Ashe reasonably buckled.]

["How did it go! Did you run into a lot of pirates-"]

Not now, Ashe. Ur, come out. Officer Yuuki is injured. Keep an eye on him.

[with markedly less fanfare, Manabu's propulsion pack sends him after him, putting the safety back on his sidearm before holstering it. he hesitates only to check behind him before slipping into the pilot's seat, startling a little when his leg finds a tendril--no, tail-- coiling through. okay, fine. whatever.

he can wonder on how "Officer Yuuki" hits in the General's voice when there's less peril to evade, for now he foregoes his own safety processes to speed up closing the cockpit and getting the jet drifting backward out the hole in the hull. he'll disregard the pirates trying to get the actual doors open for a few of their own fighters now that Ashe has stopped playing shoot-em-up with them - their destinies are in their own hands now.]

Disengaging. Prepping to-- [he double-takes at a flash of light coming from within the flagship he can see. forget prep.] Launching, hold on!

[he twists the ship as it drops halfway out of the hole and then rockets out, shaving the jet's belly a bit in the process before being able to speed away with the impending implosion to their backs.]

[Right before the explosion, one of the hands on the General's shoulders shifts to protect his head. Not something it told it to do, it just moves into position.]

["Yes, sir! Ready for duty." One sentence said in one tone, one in the other, as Ashe switches out for Ur again. But she has to scrunch and look away immediately, squirming so the tail is in the way of much of the brightness.]

[If Manabu didn't have time to buckle in his processes, the tip of the tail would slide across his lap to keep him firmly in the chair when the blast hits.]

[good thing for that tail, or decelerating would've thrown him forward, and veering past some of the debris blasting by would've had him near out off the seat. there's a few alert sounds and a flashing marker on the jet's body map, lighting up where part of a wing's been clipped. not a big deal in space, just when there's gravity to worry about. Manabu ignores it. it's easy to ignore, head a little foggy from the cocktail of adrenaline and ongoing bloodloss.

How many stragglers was it? Two? Three?]

Your people still need those stragglers picked off? Which ship--

Dock. Your injury is worse than I thought. Either they'll catch them or we'll catch them later.

[In the balance of things that are worth it, Manabu's health takes precedent. And the facility's not completely inefficient, now those turrets that had been aimed at Manabu are aimed at the fighters prepping to leave.]

[The tail slips out of his lap and as it relaxes, Ur can move and starts craning to look at Manabu. "The General's right. You need medical attention now."]

[Meanwhile, the General shifts in place, preparing to either help Manabu out as soon as they land or physically remove him from the seat and have Ashe take over if it looks like he's unable to keep his bearing.]

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wow the one adult shorter than manabu. in all the galaxy

I am legally obligated to make fun of tiny characters and I don't want to end up in court

i respect the dedication to justice (bullying manabu for his height)

just so much tiny violence

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