[IC] Trespassers of the Multiverse DC; XCOM 2 Subplot: Return of the Traitor

[DragonRage]

"If we went to the Imperium as we are now, and attempted to bring about meaningful change, we would all die," Sister Rachel states, "Even assuming we could convince the Imperium of our good intentions, which I believe is possible, the moment the forces of chaos thought we might have a chance of succeeding they would dispatch servants against us that we have no hope of defeating.  All of us together might best a single traitor Astartes, I think, with... fifty percent casualties.  Acceptable losses by any metric considering the damage a chaos Space Marine can do.  Traitor marines usually deploy in squads of five, frequently led by a Terminator, Techmarine, or sorcerer to add extra punch to their formation.  If they truly wish for us to die ignominiously, it might even be a Techmarine sorcerer in Terminator Armor.  Our numbers, skills, power, and wargear are utterly insufficient for this task.  Perhaps one day...  No, I dare not allow myself that measure of hope.  Too often have I seen it snatched from me so that chaos may laugh at my folly."

[StormLord]

"I don't know what an 'Astartes' or a 'Techmarine' is but I don't like the sound of the words 'Terminator' or 'Sorcerer' being used to describe something that we would have to fight in multiples of five.  Even with the rest of the group Harry, Proditor, and I are from we'll definitely need to grow some before we even consider returning to your world."

He was sounding more like Ignia every day, willing to fight for any hopeless rebel cause that might have the off chance of improving whatever world they were on.  In fact she'd probably jump at the chance to help out, and say "I told you so" while she was at it.  Tempest would probably help too, though she'd take some convincing that is was a good enough cause to break that many rules.

"I've also got some friends that might be able to lend us a hand with that or other problems later down the line."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Firebrand/The Avenger

 

“That would be pretty good. We get more intact Sectopods, then ADVENT is pretty much done for” Database joked as Firebrand jolted a bit, before finally setting down, the back hatch opening up. 

 

Immediately, Database stood, moving to unload the ship as the Sectopod began to make its way out of the ship, before being stopped by Lazarus, “You’ve done enough of the box lifting. Just make sure Sandman gets to the medical wing” he said, getting a nod from Database, before the two went to do their own thing, Lazarus now unloading the ship’s new supplies, while Database slung one of Sandman’s arms over her shoulder, helping him to the medical wing despite his protests that he could walk himself.
 

[Strider]

"Probably a good idea to keep an eye out for shit that might help your world in particular. Probably find more of that in worlds more versed in magic than this one, but something to keep in the back of our minds." After exiting the firebrand carrying his meld cannister, Harry inquired of one of the people in the hangar where he might find the commander.

 

Once he'd arrived, he knocked, and when he was certain he would not be interrupting, he entered. A few steps into the room, he set down the cannister on the floor.

"Hello, Commander Zhou. Database told me you knew what this stuff is. Apologies if I'm interrupting anything, but I wanted to know what you can tell about it."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Zhou Hua

 

Thankfully, by the time Harry reached her, the Commander had finished up her current work, closing communications with one of the Resistance Outposts before turning to Harry, taking a few steps forward so they could talk face to face, "It's fine, I have a short delay before I need to reconnect to my contacts again" she stated, eyeing the canister of Meld, "... I'll spare you the long story, but essentially, the only reason I know this exists is because I was plugged into the ADVENT database for years as a tactical mind, using a simulation of the invasion of Earth. Up until now, I thought that this was simply a part of that simulation, something to make things interesting for me. Turns out ADVENT is advanced enough to make this" the Commander explained, gesturing to the canister, "This is Meld, a substance that contains billions upon billions of intelligent nanomachines, capable of connecting different biological parts to an organism without harm, alter genetic makeup, and even connect machines to people" she finished, folding her arms as she did so, "Arguably ADVENT's greatest creation, by far."

[Strider]

"First of all, that does not sound like a fun time, how the hell did you get out?"  It was probably nice, Harry supposed, for her that they'd arrived, from more than simply a tactical perspective. It was something that presumably ADVENT would not have simulated, maybe even could not have simulated. Depended a bit upon how many records of humanity they'd actually picked up and looked through. Or they could have built something from the commander's own mind. Harry guessed that she would not be the type to imagine Rachel or Aquila though. It was at this point that he realized that he was considering how someone else might go about proving that he himself was not an illusion.  A waste of time.

 

Shaking  his head, he continued after his pause. "Second, that sounds incredibly useful. It'll be a hassle if they're preprogrammed, but maybe with Alan's help. . . Certainly not impossible. With that variety of options I'd assume there definitely would be a number of very specific. . . activation mechanisms. Connecting biological parts means rewiring the nervous system, and presumably some connectivity through muscle or ligaments, probably some sort of apoptosis at the connection point. Altering the genome would require some kind of base strand to implant, or some complicated methods for targeting and removing snips. . ."

 

"Shit. Sorry about that. It's just, it's almost too versatile, and I'm trying to think how it'd work on that scale. Mind if I abscond with some of this? Or are you going to need to confiscate it or something?"

[GodofGamingRWBY]

At Harry's question, the Commander closed her eyes, remaining silent for a time. Said time being a good five seconds before she reopened them with a sigh, "I'd rather not speak of it. Ask Bradford if you want to know the details" she stated, before continuing, "In the simulation, however, Meld was the most valuable material we could find on the field, due to its vast amount of resources. It wasn't even that difficult to use them ourselves, they do not have the levels of firewalls most ADVENT machines have" she explained, before pausing, "... That being said... I would love to confiscate this. Don't let our recent victories fool you, we've been in a losing battle with ADVENT. ADVENT is cracking down hard on Resistance Outposts, which are mostly just shelters for those not wanting to live in ADVENT controlled cities, and with each one they take out, we lose a source of supplies to use for the fight. Meld could easily help us begin turning to tides, let us sink our claws deeper into ADVENT's skin... Especially if we can figure out how to manufacture it ourselves."

[Strider]

"I don't need to know. Sorry for asking." Harry closed nodded apologetically before continuing. "I don't need it, but I would love to have it. If it's possible--I don't know how much of this cannister is  full, and how much is dedicated to stasis and storage measures--would you care to split it 75-25? Me taking the twenty-five percent of course."

 

It was a material of unparalleled possibilities. However, he wouldn't need much to begin investigating it, or so Harry hoped. On other worlds he might come across the tech to replicate it, or a way to trigger replication--though that would need to be done exceedingly carefully. XCOM did not have this capacity. It looked as if their only hope was to steal it.

 

"If it's not possible to split it. . . well, I suppose you can keep it."

[DragonRage]

Sister Rachel, spooked by the large amount of close quarters combat with things easily capable of eviscerating her without the support she's used to, decides something has to be done to help fix that.  She takes her Nemesis Force Sword and communes with its machine-spirit.  She isn't expecting much, as the spirits of Astartes weapons are always prima donna drama queens who refuse to work with anyone who doesn't meet their exacting standards.  However, to her surprise the ancient sword seems to have gotten over her not being a Space Marine and agreed to cooperate.  Emperor yeah!

 

Resting the sword, which would be a light shortsword for a Space Marine but is a bulky claymore for an ordinary mortal, Rachel goes and tracks Aquila down.  "Hail, friend Aquila!  I have appeased the machine-spirit of this mighty blade, and it has agreed to serve me!  However, I fear I've gotten a bit rusty.  It's been a while since I last wielded a sword.  Perhaps you might be willing to assist me in honing my skills once again?"

[kj1225]

Aquila looks up from the scribe box he's been using for the time being. If Rachel cared to look she'd see that he's apparently had a similar thought as the screen shows two men in armor similar to his sparring. The eyepatched man gives her a smile before nodding and beginning to stand, removing the black kitten from his lap as he does so.

"Aye, I was hoping to ask one of the quartermasters about getting something a bit less specialized for a weapon. Perhaps one of those "shotguns" I've seen.... but I'm happy to assist! Not to brag but I like to think I'm rather good one on one."

Aquila grabs his shield and flail from their spots nearby as he speaks, quickly getting himself together.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Zhou Hua

 

For a few second, the Commander remained quiet, thinking about the situation, "I suppose since you did help us find the Meld in the first place, you're due to compensation..." she stated, before nodding to herself, "I'll have Tygan and Shen examine the device. If it is possible to split what we use, you will be allowed 25% of the canister."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

The Avenger

 

Overall, after the successful mission to the downed UFO, the Avenger was rather peaceful, if busy. Most of the crew were busy putting the new resources to use, while the science division had stopped their previous work to investigate the Meld, quickly figuring out how to safely separate it, giving 25% of it to Harry, as the Commander had promised. 

 

But, this merely served as the calm before the storm…

 

 

“Shen, status?” The Commander asked, watching the hologlobe continue to scatter its image, unable to work properly. This had been going on for nearly a half hour, and every second it continued dug more worry into her soul. This wasn’t normal, and even though they had been having a lucky break, this could easily turn into another disaster at a moment's notice.

 

Shen herself pressed a few more buttons, before letting out an annoyed sigh, “It’s nothing on this end. AI systems check out. It’s almost as if…” Shen began, before stopping, eyes widening as she began to realize, “... Almost as if someone’s bouncing our signal right back at us". Needless to say, that statement caused a mass silence to fall over the room, with the Commander immediately straightening in her seat.

 

At that exact moment, however, the lights in the Command Center turned yellow, an alarm blaring through it, “Crap, perimeter alert!” Bradford yelled, moving over to one of the computers, along with Shen, who furiously began to snap through the Avenger’s outside camera system.

 

“Looking for the breach… Oh shit” she began, before the breath left her as she saw who was standing far outside the Avenger. 

 

The Hunter.

 

At the sight of one of the Chosen, the Commander stood from her seat, “We need to retreat. Get the Avenger fully online, I want out of here as soon as possib-” she began, only to be cut off when all the lights and machinery in the room powered down.

 

“That can’t be good” Shen commented, almost needlessly. However, shortly after everything shut off, it came alive again, the intercom forcing static through the entire ship before a single voice spoke,

 

“So… THIS is the Avenger. Not quite the prize I had imagined. Listening to the rumors, I had expected it to be 10 times this size. To think of ALL the effort I had to go through in order to get here… I even had to go through the trouble of the Elders having to talk US to work together for a change” the Hunter spoke into the Avenger, before a loud burst of static came alive, before a slightly more feminine voice took over,

 

“Commander… You have repeatedly underestimated us. I made sure you knew we were coming, and yet you made no effort to prepare. How disappointing…” the Assassin stated, before control of the intercom switched back to the Hunter,

 

“Well, as you can see, we’ve decided to give our dear old brother a big of… Rest after his failure. That said, I do hope you enjoy the gifts I’ve brought for you this time Commander. It’s going to be a real FUN hunt…” the Hunter explained, letting out a small chuckle before cutting off communications.

 

Back at the Command Center, the Commander looked down at Bradford, who was desperately trying to get the systems back online, “Bradford, I need to see what we’re dealing with!” she called out.

 

In response, Bradford let out a loud “I know!” before smacking the computer he was working on… Watching as all the power and control came back to him, “Huh… Shen! Visuals!” he called out after a second of surprise, watching as Shen turned the cameras back onto the Hunter, watching as him and the Assassin stepped to the side… Just as a large railgun and several ADVENT ground forces were teleported in with them.

 

The Commander, upon seeing this, stared at the screen as the railgun swiftly turned its main gun towards the Avenger, before charging up a shot, “... You have to be kidding me..” she muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes for a second before lowering her hand, face set and determined… Just as the railgun fired, “BRACE, NOW!” she yelled, sitting back into her chair and gripping the sides. A second later, a single resounding boom hit the Avenger, shaking the entire ship with its impact...
 

[StormLord]

When the lights changed Frigus started slowly putting away his notebook and pen, it wasn't like yellow was a terribly urgent color right?  Well he decided it was time to go when the Alien champions started talking over the intercom.  He left his wherever he'd been writing(Study?  Barracks?  Room?) and immediately headed for the bridge, picking up any of the team members on his way that he might meet.

[DragonRage]

"The ship's under attack!  Get ready to repel boarders!"  Sister Rachel shouts, stowing her sword in favor of her flamethrower, "The ship's power supply is compromised, which means we're either about to fall out of the sky and die, or have hostile company!  We need to find where they breached, and kick them off the ship so repairs can be made!  Failing that, we need to protect the medical bays.  Xenos scum always go after the wounded." 

[Strider]

As soon as the alarms had started blaring Harry had unslung his rifle and headed out of the room in which he'd been practicing some of his psionics. If this was an attack, as the sudden and resounding boom confirmed, there would be two options. A long range bombardment, or boarding. The latter made sense, given the teleportation that had been displayed previously, and it was better for crushing morale anyway. There would be two possible targets in that case. Either the engine rooms or the bridge. Both would give some control over the ship.

 

There was no great way of choosing which way to go, so Harry headed in the direction that he thought the medical wing was first. He could check whether the life support systems for the wounded were still functioning, and then if all seemed well there he could head to the bridge or the engine room, since those were the most obvious targets when boarding.

[kj1225]

Aquila just sort of assumed the yellow lights were a normal thing on this ship. That was a bad idea as he fell when every thing shook and nearly cut himself on his sword, which he'd been getting a feel for. That said, he ran over to the intercom system (He'd asked what it was that was happening. Presumably getting a response akin to "we're being invaded by advent and the Chosen" he'd start running out of the training room and towards the breach.

[Yours Truly]

Alan had just finished applying the finishing touches to his recently made drones when he noticed that the alarm had gone off, and he had still hoped that it was all nothing but a glorified systems check when a loud rumble almost sent him tumbling down to the floor as he ran over to where his Sectopod was being kept.

 

It briefly occured to Alan that the Sectopod's internals might have contained a tracker that would have allowed ADVENT to get a scan on them, but he quickly decided that this particular piece of info might be something he should mull over when no one is trying to geek him, which is technically right now as no one is shooting at him yet, but shush.

[Powder Miner]

The first thing that Nader had done after arriving on the Avenger with the rest of the team was to find a wall to sit down and lean against for a few minutes: Nader felt that the fact that he was getting shot, blown up, and practically left hanging by a thread sometimes was probably toughening him up a bit, but damn was it ever tiring. He could probably give himself a few minutes of rest, but the fact of the matter was that he had things to do and no idea how much time he had to do them in. Ah, damn, he was starting to miss those seasonal deadlines back at the Bureau of Engineering... but he didn't have all day, did he? Well, hell, maybe, but he couldn't be sure.

 

So he'd beelined over to the Armory, and he had immediately got to work on some new guns: recent encounters had convinced him of a role for something to deal with close combat besides just punching things in the face, and as for the other gun he was itching to put some of the principles listed in Rachel's Uplifting Primer to use. Even if the book was the propaganda tool of a hopelessly theological totalitarian dictatorship, he HAD noted that it had some pretty useful little tidbits. First, though would be the shotgun. UF-XW (XCOM World - he couldn't exactly go naming his guns after years, so dimensions would do)-US (Underbarrel Shotgun)... "Gut Punch". Yeah, that'd do. And then he'd try to build the laser cannon, UF-XCOM-AAL (Anti Armor Laser, for he already had some ideas)... "Tigerseye."

 

...by the time Nader actually finished, the results were... mixed. On one hand, the Gut Punch had gone rather similarly. It was a simple gun, so Nader was absolutely in his area of expertise, and it showed. He'd created a shotgun (and a somewhat more modern one than the ones at home, to say the least), and he'd created a nice rig to attach it to the underside of the Sorraia even though the Sorraia didn't exactly have attachment rails on it like some of the guns he'd noticed in Australia. Sure, the Gut Punch was actually a full-size shotgun, with absolutely no quibbling on that front, but if he was carrying the Horsekiller on one arm he could carry that too.

 

When he'd taken it to the range, he'd been impressed, too -- both with the gun and himself. It had a fairly accurate spread, though the barrel was a bit short, and when firing the gun he'd noticed that he was getting much more accurate himself -- he'd even managed a double gun fire, for the hell of it. Nader hadn't been some ace fighter in his days of the twilight of Moskurg, but he had been a younger man and after that he hadn't fought for most of a decade, and he'd gotten slow and rusty in his movement in the Rabid Tiger Armor. But now, Nader finally felt that he had worked himself back up to peak condition, there!

 

If only he had had the same kind of success with the Tigerseye. He'd completed the shell and even much of the exterior laser work just fine, because he'd had his notes from the Primer and XCOM's own laser work to use, but... god damn. Electronics were not his specialty by ANY means, even though he'd participated somewhat in the radar projects like everyone else in the bureau, and trying to figure all of this shit out was maddeningly difficult. In the end, he had to leave it half-finished, because the complex mess that was the internal wiring was... it... it was just unworkable for now. Of course, he hadn't actually left it half-finished out of choice...

Spoiler

UF-XW-US Gut Punch: The UF-XW-US “Gut Punch” deals 1d6+Dex damage, but an action can be used to pump the gun, which lasts until Nader is attacked/the gun is fired. If Nader is attacked in melee, the “Gut Punch” will automatically fire and deal 3d6+Dex damage, which is applied before the opponent’s attack lands.

 

Unfinished “UFS-XCOM-AAL “Tigerseye””: An outer shell for Nader’s laser cannon design. Several parts of it are still being worked on, judging by unfinished wiring and inner mechanisms.

 

6 Merit is spent to increase Nader's CON by 3. 4 Merit is spent to increase Nader's DEX by 2. 2 Merit is spent to purchase the "Akimbo" passive, an extra move passive. 2 Merit is spent to upgrade damage on the Gut Punch.

---

The reason that Nader left the Tigerseye unfinished was that, as he was at the workbench muttering under his breath and trying to make sense of a mess of wires, the intercom snapped to life and what was clearly the voice of one of the space alien colonialists was transmitted over it. With a violently shouted "MOTHERFUCKERS!" Nader burst into action, taking the unfinished shell of his laser gun, shoving it a little bit violently into a drawer and then slamming that drawer shut. He looked around for the key to the drawer, letting a second curse loose, but he couldn't find it. And yet he wanted to keep the aliens away from the gun, so as he emitted a "I KNEW they'd come at some point!" he found a metal spike loose within the room, took the spike, lined it up with the drawer, and used a heavy kick with one armored leg to drive the spike through the front of the drawer and into its top, rather thoroughly jamming it shut. They weren't going to get to the Tigerseye!

 

Then, with that taken care of, Nader cursed a "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck," and rushed into another part of the armory, to start gathering all of the standard guns he can get his hands on and carry. He was going to head to the hospital wing from there, because he was going to give those stupid alien motherfuckers a very unpleasant surprise. And by a very unpleasant surprise, Nader meant setting up a bunch of traps and a bomb in the entrance to that wing, because he was going to fortify that place like it was 19 fucking 39.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Medical Wing

 

The Medical Wing itself was… Surprisingly empty. Only a few doctors were around at the time of the impact, and they knew they needed to remain where they were. However, the one who seemed adamant about not staying around was a single XCOM soldier, clearly russian with a thick, black beard and unkempt black hair, his torso covered in bandages as he forced himself off of his bed, grunting as he attempted to make his way to the door, before pausing at the sight of Harry and Nader, “Making sure any wounded are fine. Thoughtful” he stated, before continuing his way out if not bothered.

 

 

Rachel & Aquila

 

Both Rachel and Aquila would find the breach at the Science Division of the Avenger, in almost complete disarray from the impact. Most of the tools and materials they had been studying were scattered along the ground, though the more volatile things were, thankfully, already secured.

 

However, probably the biggest warning sign the two could see was the Avenger’s main reactor, which was currently barely functioning, roaring loudly as it let out several sparks of green energy. Dr. Tygan himself, in contrast to most of the non-combat facility members of XCOM, was busy at the controls for it,trying to get it under control before it exploded in all of their faces.

 

 

Alan

 

One Alan made it to the engineering bay, he would find the engineers scrambling for safety from the assault, his own Sectopod already reactivating and up, only a few panels on the side of it being removed. It didn’t seem like XCOM got too far with their investigation of it yet.

 

 

Bridge

 

It didn’t take long for Frigus (and/or Harry) to reach the bridge, his progress only being halted by a second hit to the ship that, once again, caused it to rumble. Upon entering it though, it was clear that the Bridge had not at all been hit, but was suffering the effects my the multitude of malfunctioning machinery that were just managing to fix themselves, along with several ruptured pipes above, letting out multiple bursts of steam.

 

Not long after Frigus entered, Shen had rebooted the main systems to the ship, furiously working on getting the situation under control, “Commander, that cannon is already keyed to the Avenger’s critical systems. We can’t take many more hits like this!” she informed, before turning to them, “Intercom systems are back under our control” she stated, watching as the Commander nodded, standing up from her seat,

 

“All operatives, this is a Code Black situation. All operatives are to report to the main exit as soon as possible to deal with the perimeter threat” she announced, her voice now traveling through the entire ship. Once her quick announcement was done, she sighed, then looked at Bradford, “I want all links to every single operative we have active” she ordered, before turning to Frigus, having just noticed him, “Frigus, I’d like your team to focus on eliminating the canon focusing on the Avenger. As long as it’s active, we can’t lift off and get out. My forces can divert ADVENT’s forces for you” she stated, before sighing, muttering to herself: “Of course they’d decide to find us today…”

 

 

Proditor

 

Before the impact, Proditor had simply been reading through a treatise about rapiers. Partly to settle his own curiosities, partly because it was time he learned how to fully use the world his psionics with other weapons. However, once the alarms went off, Proditor had looked up, lacing the treatise, placing it down as the intercoms came alive, two familiar voices.

 

The Hunter, and the Assassin…

 

Not long after the two spoke, Proditor felt the ship shake around him. He himself was spared from the effects, thanks to his natural floating, but the sight of it was enough to cause him to begin floating out of the room he was in, towards the bridge.

 

The Commander could use his knowledge at this time.
 

[DragonRage]

"Emperor preserve us, the reactor's been damaged," Rachel observes with horror, "If that cannon hits us again, the ship will be destroyed, but it might go be anyway with this much damage.  Friend Aquila, please do what you can to reach and destroy that cannon.  Of the two of us, I am by far the most qualified to help keep the Avenger from exploding.  may the God-Emperor and this vessel's machine spirit guide my hands, for if they do not we will all likely die."  Assuming Aquila goes along with this she approaches the reactor and the frantic doctor on the consoles.  Rachel has never served on a starship before, but she has worked on power sources.  Wounded Astartes and inquisitors don't always take off their powered armor before seeking medical attention, even if that armor has a reactor breach, and she's done maintenance on her own armor's power supply before.

 

"Please, honorable machine spirit, I know not what litanies you are accustomed to," She calls out to the Avenger itself as she heads for the reactor controls, "But you and your crew are in grave danger, under attack by horrible xenos and their artillery!  As you depend on us, we depend on you, for if either fails, we shall all surely be destroyed.  Please, give us a sign, great machine!  Guide our hands, that we might bring you back to good repair and smite these xenos from the face of Holy Terra!"  A bit hammy, maybe, but all strong machine-spirits are total drama queens, and eat up that sort of thing.  It's like dealing with nobles, except with actual gratitude when you do things the spirit likes.

 

[Strider]

"Nader, didn't expect to see you here." Harry commented, though he seemed to have nothing to add beyond that. Thinking for a moment as he surveyed the peaceful wing, Harry stepped to the side, and activated the comms unit still in his ear from the previous mission.

 

<"Harry here. Does anyone read? Anyone still wearing these? Over.">

[DragonRage]

"I hear you, Harry,"  Sister Rachel reports in over her voxcaster, "I am with Aquila at the hull breach, and we are in grave straits.  The ship's reactor is badly damaged, there is a huge cannon pointed right at it, and we have no backup.  I thought I was a bit overdue for a last stand.  I am attempting to assist in repairs while Aquila distracts the cannon crew, but he has no backup and I am not a tech priest, and I've never worked on a system this big before.  Reinforcements would be greatly appreciated, as would an actual tech priest to help repair the reactor."

[Yours Truly]

Alan quickly typed out a response to Harry's inquiry as he waited for the engineers to reinstall the plates they had already removed on the off chance that not doing so might get him geeked later.

 

<"Alan here. I am currently getting my Sectopod up and running for the inevitable in the engineering bay, I could try and help Rachel fix the reactor but that is more than a little outside of my A.O.E.">

 

He then proceeded to yell at any nearby engineers until he could volunteer a satisfactory amount of people for reactor repair duty.

[Strider]

<"Cannon? Got it. I'll be heading towards the breach. At the very least we should be able to keep Aquila alive while he hits the thing with his flail. Though. . . Alan! Got any quick drones that can carry. . . maybe a kilo of weight? Needs to be fast enough to get up to the cannon without getting hit.">

 

Harry started walking out of the hospital wing heading for the breach, after relaying the info about the cannon to Nader if he hadn't made it clear that he was on comms.

 

[Yours Truly]

<"I can't spare any of my drones for what seems to be a suicide run, but I think I can requisition a GREMLIN from the engineering bay, what did you need it for again?">