4037/Jupiter: Infested Outbreak (P1)

Jupiter: Infested Outbreak (P1)
Date of Scene:	22 April 2016
Location:	Void - Deep Void (North)
Synopsis:	The first encounter with the Infested also demonstrates how severe of a threat they are that old hostilities are put aside in a bid to draw attention off other operatives in order to escape.
Cast of Characters:	Kotone Yamakawa, 255, 824, 942, Kushiko, 967
Tinyplot:	Infested Outbreak (Jupiter)

---

Kushiko has posed:
ELSEWHERE--

Normal circumstances tend to dictate that for the Corpus at least, the Tenno tend to be a threat to them when they appear. That case is not quite what's happening here today.

Jupiter, or at least it's stations in orbit, have been under siege in a sense; an outbreak of Infested, farflung space-launched swarms that took root, then multiplying over and over again, in equal measure consuming and replicating and generating technorganic tissue in horrifying amounts and speed. Those Corpus and humans that weren't infested outright found themselves killed and consumed to become the horrific amalgamations they were now.

        CONSUME. REPLICATE. ASSIMILATE.

When outposts stopped issuing regular earning reports and status updates, standard investigation protocol revealed the presence of the Infested, and extermination protocol was initiated. Intelligence operatives of the Lotus became aware before the Corpus did, ensuring a rapid response, as it was only a rapid response that could even hope to stem the endless tide.

Unfortunately, in such incidences, there are those who sometimes are left behind. Operatives and soldiers, Corpus and Tenno-aligned alike find themselves in places they really shouldn't be. It was a mercy that they hadn't been sensed or felt by the Infested, but it was only a matter of time in the darkened, emergency-lit corridors of the orbital station.

There was a way out, but they would need a large distraction. Something that the Corpus and the Lotus now sought the aid of Tenno and inquisitive Elite alike to undertake.

Kushiko has posed:
NOW--...

What /were/ the Infested? Requests for information had been /fairly/ forthcoming for what it was worth, but some of the information was guarded reasonably well and for good reason: people who experiment with them have a tendency to follow the adage about attempting to consume an energy field bigger than one's head.

More to the point: the infested in varying degrees were former humans, Corpus, Grineer and other beings that no one /really/ has any idea what they are. The 'Infestation' as it's put describes both a disease and its victims -- a metamorphic affliction without cure. Living organisms are consumed and merged into rabid amalgamations. Individuals are violent and animalistic yet the larger whole exhibits signs of coordination, with multiple swarms converging on ships and colonies. Historical records are unclear about whether or not there was an uncontrolled outbreak before the collapse of the Orokin Empire.

Behaviors are further varied and broken down--Chargers, quadrupedal abominations that hunt in packs sound like they're what happen to animals, but details are vague about that. Runners and Leapers sound like they're former Corpus crewmen. Crawlers seem to be a catchall term for Infestation that took root in bodies that were not necessarily whole when they started.

As far as combatting them, the following is known with absolute certainty: fire. Lots, and LOTS of fire is the preferred method for dealing with them. Anything that deals high heat damage, such as lasers and the like also do a dual-effect element of cutting and slashing: dismembering the Infested and tearing them apart is a well-established factor by the Tenno as well. And due to their organic nature, it goes to show that while cold doesn't affect them as much, corrosive and toxic gasses to degenerate the flesh and melt it altogether is a viable option.

This leads us to those who have elected to answer the request for assistance. Transit means are varied, transport ships provided by the Lotus are sleek and efficient, Corpus one are mass-produced angular, blocky shuttles. The operating procedure is fairly clear though: if you wish to assist, you are here to help kill and draw attention in a wide variety of ways.

Because there are hundreds, if not thousands of Infested here, and completely excising the problem will be difficult while there are still people here trapped here and needing just enough of a diversion to get out safely.

Furthermore, while it is understood that the Elites probably have a stronger ability to resist their flesh being infected by the Technocyte Virus (or Plague, the terms feel interchangable) it's still recommended to not let them get too close, and to bring any measures that ensure air purification as well, though life support to ensure no airborne elements are going to impact sustained operations are going to be available.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko Kaminagi has not yet met either the Corpus or the Infested. Her personal experience with the denizens of Kushiko's solar system is relegated to the Grineer, of whom she does not have a shining opinion, and the Tenno, whom she is... more respectful of, but also perhaps a bit more wary.

    But even without having met either in person, she can feel the conflict from a long ways away on her dropship. She can feel that /hunger/, the fierce violence of the predator clashing with the desperate struggle of the prey. She knows that coming here was the right choice, even if it was only on a curious whim regarding 'a space station named Amalthea'. Her blade is needed here. She won't question the providence.

    And indeed, it seems that her blade, in specific, will be useful, according to the Tenno's info. So as soon as her dropship is close, she opens the hold, leaps out, and hurtles towards the nearest point on the station that she can tear open and climb in.

    Minutes later, a ventilation grate buckles and drops to the ground under a combat boot. Her way open, Setsuko drops down to the ground, one hand on her blade, and uses the other to send out a coordination ping. The Tenno, Union forces, Unaffiliated, anyone who needs to know she's there.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
Under normal circumstances, having a high schooler on a space station overrun by a swarm of crazed monsters probably isn't the best idea. Kazuko is no regular student, however, as the naginata strapped to her back is any indication. She's probably talked the ear off of the Corpus pilot that was unfortunate enough to actually get her as a passenger, but at least she had been asking relevant questions regarding the Infested's weaknesses and what to watch out for.

     As for whether she's retained any of it... That's harder to gauge at a glance. Either way, at least she's taken some of that information to heart, having dressed in a spare Corpus crewman uniform! It's even bright yellow, but where's her sniper rifle? Hell, where's her GUNS?

     Kazuko needs no guns! It's probably safer for everyone involved that way, really. The opened helmet and the odd choice of weaponry are probably the only clues that this Corpus Sniper is anything but. And if that's not enough?

     The loud kiai followed by the clanking of a broken door being kicked open not far from Setsuko's position would probably announce her presence easily enough.

Fiora Laurent (824) has posed:
    Fiora decided it would, perhaps, be best to accompany Setsuko. She's had dealings with the Tenno before, and given her reputation, has no problem going along with whatever plan she might formulate. Thus, she comes along, with some borrowed equipment, that should keep the disease well enough out of her system for the time that she's here. The helmet, sleek battle armor, are of mixed design. While nothing like the Warframes the Tenno use, it's enough that Fiora shouldn't have issues related to the hostile environment.

She drops in after Setsuko, sword drawn, and ready for.. well. Whatever these infested might be.

Kushiko has posed:
In the here and now, there is room for observation. What is known about the station and complex network of Amalthea (the moon, not the robot unicorn) is the following: the Tenno is going to already be there--it is known that, for some reason beyond anything to do with Elites, that the Warframes are immune to the infestation.

The station itself, at least the part that the Elites will be arriving to is under lockdown. There are going to be datafeeds available on these ships for people to perform remote observation and command and control, typically due to the Lotus herself because there's going to be a need for additional life support because frankly, the presence of the Infested means normal life support won't be, how shall we say, consistent.

Problematically enough, people might notice the lighting is basically crap; emergency lights are here and there, but it's dark. And there's a buzzing, sometimes hissing sound, and a chilling silence in the immediate vicinity of where the people are dropping in at.

Valkyr on the other hand, upon the arrival of Setsuko and Fiora through another grate, merely cants her head slightly. She's armed with a long, katana-esqe blade, a flower-like hilt that melds itself into the blade that disappears into the sheathe. A quad-chamber looking shotgun on her back. (Eagle eyes might think it resembles Grineer tech) If she had a sidearm, it's hidden, the feline-like frame merely waiting. Silently, next to the terminal.

Some of the Corpus who came here to fight along were moving in as well--there were grates, sure, but there were other points of entry, corridors and the like, and this particular high-ceilinged room was a utility station room; lockers for people's gear, etc. When Kazuko makes her.. entry known, one of the blue-suited Corpus seems to snarl a few things off in coarse language.

He's pointing to the fact that the door could've been opened with a blinking-green thing and that it's entirely plausible the door-busting was not necessary.

Damnit Wanko.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
The locals had been mostly forth comming about the infested, the level of horror of these things was not shown in what they did but because everyone put everything else aside to /stop/ the outbreak. That alone spoke loudly of how serious this whole situation was. Kotone wasn't sure what to bring weapon which were loaded with incernary rounds, hell she'd even brought a hastily fabbed sword, she didn't want to have only a knife for backup if she ran out of ammo. She'd brough as much as her matter maniplator could carry and she's even carrying a weapon one might not expect someone her size to have an XCOM Mek issue mini gun, and she carries it without a single bit of trouble

She beamed in and was ready as she ever was going to be here. She knew some of the people coming, and she was as ready as she could be.

<<COpy that I am on site now.>>

She'll link into any loccal friendly networks and share what data she can hopefully she shouldn't be in too much trouble right?

X (967) has posed:
X decides to take one of the offered transports. The data packet has him sickened. Disgusted. HORRIFIED. Letting this Infestation go means more might fall victim to it, that it might spread.

    And as much as he hates fighting anything - living or robotic - one thing's pretty sure, if these data packets can be trusted.

    The Infested aren't people anymore.

    "Why do I keep plunging at situations like this?!" He argues with himself. Well, in this case it's pretty clear.

    There might be survivors. Who definitely aren't getting out of this without help. Can he abandon them, in good conscience?

    No, not even a bit.

    Now that they're on final approach, X begins a final systems check. And everything's pretty green.

    With clinks and clanks, docking is achieved, gangplanks are lowered, and the whole business. X steps out into what will be a battlezone, expression full of anxiety and worry... "This is worse than I thought..."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko meets Valkyr's eyes... or at least, looks where Valkyr's eyes should be. The tilt of its head is responded to with a simple nod, before blue eyes briefly look over that katana-like sword. Interesting.

    But they have a job to do. The silver-haired woman turns her head to look at Kazuko and Fiora briefly, confirming their health and status; then she turns to set off. They've got a job to do. And she's not worried about her health or wellbeing, but she doesn't want to subject others here - X and Kazuko in particular - to the hell she can sense this place is, any more than they have to be.

    Though X was talking to himself, he gets a response from Setsuko. "Because you have a good heart."

Kushiko has posed:
Kotone linking into networks would discover such a thing wasn't a bad idea; most of it was under lockdown it seemed, and the juncture point it's basically wearing the equivalent of, IF YOU ACTIVATE/OVERRIDE THIS, THE INFESTED WILL KNOW YOU'RE HERE' in so many words on the Corpus systems.

X, at the very least might discover that actually dealing with things here was a far better option than the average compared to before once he's been entangled in before. There was one other individual that came in, though that was.. not the typical one. A distant little *WOOF!*, nice and guttural could be heard leading to a black and almost orchid-furred horse--well, maybe not that big. But the Kubrow that arrived was pretty damn big, it's eats long and almost batlike like it's snot reaching up to the tips of Valkyr when she stood fully upright.

And it's not like Valkyr's very short either.

Data synchronization happens without much trouble whatsoever. The Lotus it seems, has very extensive systems that, later recollection will have /reams/ of data for review because she's also hooked into the systems not unlike Kotone but on a much.. /vast/ scale. A map of the place is made known to those with any kind of HUD or AR rigging as well because there'll be waypoints marked for that regard.

Kushiko has posed:
Speaking of actually getting underway, once Valkyr is confident of those here: Elite and Corpus alike, she turns to the terminal she's next to, situated not too far from a square, automatic door that's currently lit with red lighting indicating the lockdown status.

AS her fingers finish gliding over the terminal, Kotone who might be hooked into the system, watches as the lockdown protocol goes down and the alarms blare in a distant fashion. When those alarms go off, the silence of the station gives away to a cacophony of feral roars from so many directions at once as the doors open.

They know you're here now.

The utility area opens up into a wide series of catwalks and other supply-oriented structures from the look of it. There's swarms of yellowish-amber insects that are flying about, this is distressing enough as the sound of quadrupedal feet could be heard, even as Valkyr heads forth.

Valkyr seems to be completely uncaring, or maybe just doesn't seem to be bothered by the growths already showing up on a nearby column. Living, infested flesh, corpulent and wavering lightly as the darkened area is given to some light due to her suit's lighting casting beams forward. IT's not pitch black, but..

Those who aren't moving forward immediately would have a sense of the infested flesh nearby being akin to them trying to almost terraform or consume what they can't in that inorganic mass, the fleshy pockets and pods resembling some twisted form of spongy, underwater calcification.

A single charger is why the Valkyr sprinted forward quickly. Before the Dragon Nikana sinks into it, slicing it in half down the middle with a damn near elegant motion and flourish of blade, Setsuko would catch sight of what.. looks like a Grineer lancer's helmeted head sticking out of it's underside, before others might get closer.

There's three paths in varying directions--to the west, on maps, an icon has shown up, accompanied by the Lotus giving a missive about continuing life support. "A steady stream of toxic spores is being released into the area. Hold on, emergency life support is inbound; you should also look for personal life support modules left behind."

Right now, there's no issue with breathing, but it's probably a good idea to not dawdle overmuch. Especially when it appears to be a dozen Infested: runners, chargers and leapers alike, coming from each of those three directions as the Corpus MOAs head towards the east end, firing their lasers at those funneling through that side.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
Although Kazuko can't quite understand the Corpus in blue (or just isn't trying this time), the tone is enough to get her to stick her tongue out at him in response. "My way's cooler." She mutters before slipping the helmet closed.

     She really was listening! At least to the warnings earlier, anyway. Regrouping with the rest of the group isn't too hard, at least, and X gets a familiar grin and a wave. Granted, he might only see the latter what with the toaster covering her face, but the gesture's still there!

     "Miss Kaminagi's right. We just gotta make sure everyone that's still here gets out safe, and it'll all be worth it!" She's still holding onto hope for that, isn't she? At least the martial artist is prepared for a fight physically, as she draws that naginata and takes position with Setsuko and Fiora as the apparent close-range fighters today.

     And then there's the Kubrow. Although the helmet keeps her face blocked, it's probably not too hard to tell what Kazuko's thinking as she practically bounds over to it with an excited noise escaping her. "Ohh! Hi, doggy. We'll get you outta here, don't worry." She boasts, smacking her chest once before looking up at the roars echoing around them.

     It's time to start cutting. And cut she does, going from AW LOOKIT THE GIANT PUPPY to a trained fighter in the span of seconds as she twirls that naginata around rapidly, slashing at the Infested coming from the north that are foolish enough to get close to the hyperactive teenager with the sword on a stick. Her moves are certainly faster than they are graceful, and it doesn't take long for a yellow aura to surround her weapon, augmenting her attacks!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa sees the network and the warning she'll keep linked but she's not going to mess with anything else she doens't want to well set it off unless she has to. She is also making note, to get an idea. She gets the scale of Lotus skill and the hardware she has, she's quite impressed and there's improved level of respect for the mysterious woman. However she's now ready as she's ever going to be as she checks her ammo one last time.

<<This is seriously bad mojo though the Corpus are at least showing? They get they can't make money if they are all dead or worse than dead.>>

She does watch wiht intres taking a momen to learn more about the local systems it might be useful later.

Fort now they know they are here and she makes ready as she moves forward. She looks at the alien flesh on the walls and shudders. Part of her is very glad for a very rare moment, that she's no longer flesh for the most part. Next time she's bringing the synthmorph tht Rory made her that much is vertain. She'll move on ahead.

"X with me."

X (967) has posed:
A better question, X will ask himself in the future, is, 'why do these things keep happening?!' Because that's a much better question with even less of a clear answer.

    His AR HUD comes alive with data that his systems have no problem interpreting. Maps and waypoints swirl and blink within his digital mind.

    A mighty clank resounds through the sealed chamber as X slams a fist into an opposing palm, trying to steel himself up for the horrors to come.

    He's GOT to get in there. Got to stop the INfested before they spread elsewhere! Got to rescue people before they're murdered.... or suffer fates WORSE than death!

    A quivery look's cast Setsuko and Kazuko's way just briefly. X has little fighting spirit and his thoughts are definitely clouded... but he's here to help.

    "Be careful out there! I have no idea what's happening past these doors."

    A similar look's given to the Warframes that show up. With how inexpressive they are... he only peeks their way to see WHAT they're doing more than how they're doing.

    Well what they find is pretty gross, even to a robot's standards - and X doesn't really suffer nausea. He doesn't, but this makes him almost do so anyways. Mechanical eyes go wide with very living fright and worry at the twisted columns of flesh and their strange texture!

    "And we'd all be better off not knowing... no choice now!"

    Immediately detecting the problems, he rushes over to the crossroads and takes a position there. North, it seems? He's not sure if he likes Kotone calling the shots for him, but he likes the idea of letting her go off on her lonesome even less. So he steers her way and levels the X-Buster at the charging creatures and FLOODS THE CORRIDOR with shot after shot of hot, noisy plasma!

    "They also look worse than I expected! What ARE these things?!"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    That thunderous roar of a collective beast awakening - it's the kind of sound that sets the hair on the back of your neck on end. It's the noise that tells even those with no supernatural senses, that violence is coming. Fury is coming. War is coming.

    Anyone who happens to be looking at Setsuko's eyes when the cry goes out, will get to see them shine a faint, glimmering blue for a moment or two.

    The room beyond is, for lack of a better word, hideous. The sight of a place of hard work, of industrial, purposeful steel taken over by an aggressive, hostile cancer of biomatter is unsettling even to someone like Setsuko. But she does not- will not- cannot stop. Not ever. It is her way to keep moving forward no matter what lies in her path. When the Tenno moves, the demigod is right alongside her. Just as fast, five steps behind, moving in complement. She gets to see that Dragon Nikana flash out, her gaze appreciative; shifting to quiet distaste when she realizes that used to be a Grineer.

    The other Infested won't wait for her to take in such a thing, however, so she simply takes it in within the space of a heartbeat, accepts it, and moves on. Valkyr will find her just as mobile as any fellow Warframe; perhaps moreso in some ways. It enables her to leap from one spot to the next, providing cover, carving apart a Leaper here, a Crawler there.

Kushiko has posed:
As Kazuko goes off into the north direction, she is accompanied by the good doggy. Surely the doggy is here to get out of here, right? No, that 'dog' is a Kubrow, trained and genetically enhanced companion to Kushiko both while she's in and outside of her Warframe. Because as that sword on a stick is used to relieve a Runner of it's limbs, the Kubrow rears back, and leaps at a charger, teeth tearing into as she tackles the Infested, toothy maw ripping off an arm with almost careless ease, a squeal of feral pain erupting from the charger as it crumples into a heap.

Kazuko and the Kubrow are doing an excellent job, with maybe just a few stragglers coming their way, one of the runners--a volatile one, attempting to get close enough to explode violently all over the suited Kazuko, while a pair of chargers try to swing one of their mutated limbs at her as a distraction, but that is cut short by X's oncoming plasma fire burning through flesh, staggering the volatile runner that hunches over preemptively, only to melt under the hot plasma without that explosive release.

Towards the west is a good plan for the interim once some of the first waves of Infested are dealt with--that way lies the life support capsule that was being matter-transported in by the Lotus' systems, something that others who are monitoring, such as Kotone, would notice is, while somewhat time based, at the same time can get it into a location currently not immediately swarmed with Infested.

There's an absolutely murderous series of actions at the behest of both Setsuko and the Valkyr working in concert. At times, it's the swing of the Dragon Nikana, a brand of iaijutsu having Valkyr flow like water as she cleaves, sometimes striking right as Setsuko does, ending the existence of the a few of the Infested instanteously.

There's an odd kind of little syncup the others might notice between the two; no wasted series of movements, every action has a purpose as the two weave and carve a line through the chokepoint of the Infested in the westerly direction. From the east, the group is rapidly approaching the center-focused X and Kotone, however, but it shouldn't be too much trouble, even as they roar and howl at the pair, a pack of Chargers attempting to leap at Kotone unless she and X react quickly!

Beyond the north lies a supply room from the look of it and where some of the Infested might have come from; otherwise it's a dead end. The east also goes on a little ways but it seems some Infested are still funneling from there, a mauled MOA losing it's leg as they attempt to waylay the Infested that broke their their line.

X (967) has posed:
X reacts quickly alright. Creatures fall and the halls are filled with probably awful stenches... but he's not going to drop his guard when he has full help from navigators and every advantage he could wish for. When MORE CREATURES - these fierce Chargers - come barreling from the east corridor? He grits his teeth and switches targets, firing bolts their way. However it won't be enough to stop them, he doesn't have enough TIME. So as they approach...

    He also switches weapon modes.

    Golden light cascades down his Titanium-X casing, changing it from a pleasant blue to a wild yellow theme with some greys. The X-Buster seals over, reshapes and whirls into a gauntlet-like mechanism.

    "I won't let you through!" His response...

    Is to charge straight at them. "Ember Celica!"

    What follows? For at least ONE of the chargers... is probably going to be a very bad time. X swings that gauntlet with some surprising martial arts manuevers, each blow accompanied by a piston-like HAMMERING of incredible extra force applied, the unmistkable sound of a shotgun firing driving all that energy into the blows.

    That... will hurt. Even if X finds himself slammed into a wall from underestimating these things, that's prooooobably gonna hurt a lot.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is going top put her mini gun to urse the moment I can.

"I don't know, but if there's anything left of who they used to be this ia a mercy kill now as much as I hate to say it"

Kotone's weapons warms up and she just starts hosing the corridor with rounds which hopefully wull set these things on fire. It's kinda odd seeing a small woman like Kotone use such a huge weapon. She doesn't let up either as she doe sthe best she can with it. She also keeps an eye on the network even as she's laying down fire.

"Did they get all this biomass from the crew?! Or did it come from somewhere else?!"

She prays its the ltter if not? What in god's name? Wait that's silly God has nothing to do with this nightmare at all.



<<Thanks X!>>

Shes' very glad X is on point but then X charges on in and just lets lose an crazy amoutn of force, she'll check her fire and she inend sto fire the weapon till she's out of ammo.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Setsuko needs no advice or familiarity to fall into sync with Valkyr; it comes naturally to her, fighting in such a way to complement those she stands alongside. Her style is not dissimilar to what the Tenno would know as the 'Decisive Judgement' style, but it is a bit less wild, for lack of a better term. Less wild spinning, more methodical strikes. Simultaneously fast and ferocious, swung to carve apart Infested with a single strike. She is, in this instance, simply following the Warframe's lead, trusting its Tenno operator to lead the flow of battle for at least the two of them.

    Unlike a Warframe, however, Setsuko has no shields. So any blow, even a glancing one, draws blood. For an ordinary person, this would be of deep concern. But as the two of them push on, the earliest nicks and glancing cuts quickly cease to bleed, far sooner than they would for an ordinary human. A half-divine immune system, strong enough to close her wounds as the battle goes on. No wonder she shows little concern for being affected by the Infested plague.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
The main problem with fighting with a melee weapon against monsters you'd normally want to stay away from is getting close to said monsters in order to actually do anything. Kazuko's keeping a good, steady pace with her swings, going a bit wide-eyed beneath her helmet at the Kubrow as she tears apart one of the Chargers. It's both an amazing and startling sight, what with the cute doggy actually being a dangerous beast all on her own!

     Surely Kazuko's not getting any ideas from this.

     As the pair of chargers swing at her, she backs up quickly to let their swings go wide, but instead of staying back to avoid the volatile runner? She charges back in to stab at the chargers, and the explosive goop nails her right in the everything. Although she lets out a startled yelp at that blast, it's more out of surprise than actual pain: The suit and the helmet have taken the brunt of the damage. She's still wincing a bit, however, from the infected spray getting on her arms and one of her legs.

     Naturally, she's more worried about the Kubrow. "Let's get back to the others!" Kazuko calls out to her impromptu partner in the hallway, trying to goad her into her going westward while thrusting and slashing at the stragglers still coming by.

Kushiko has posed:
On the one hand, they're doing an excellent job of taking down the waves of Infested that have been coming their way.

The only problem is, that lingering here might not necessarily be a good idea. IT's true that the meter monitoring life support stability, due to fallen capsules found and beyond is keeping it somewhere between 80 and 95 percent (and sometimes all the way to maximized!) but being a diversion means making lots of proverbial noise.

Which is good, in the way of X bringing fire to the fore, some of the Infested just DO NOT react well at all, being set on fire and the sickening smell of flesh might make it's way to people's olfactory senses before fading out. When Kotone adds her potent firepower to the mix, the rounds tear into and slash apart Infested with dizzying efficency from range, which is an excellent complementary angle to keeping the Infested at bay and drawing even more to them.

That was the point, after all! Kazuko does get the right idea in her case, as much as nearby chargers and walkers attempt to get in edgewise on her, the combination of her attacks plus the Kubrow in support along with further coverfire from the others ensures she's able to at least begin withdrawing, though at first the Kubrow's being a delightful murdermachine in pouncing and tearing into Infested flesh with wanton abandon before turning about to head towards the others.

Which there are still some Infested coming down that way, but the lion's share of that wave was largely dealt with. A straggler, in this case. Before, the infested seen so far could be guessed at for their hosts. Humanoid bodies repurposed in a variety of ways. Hell most seem to be Corpus crewmen, but the elements are still somewhat guessable after they've been killed.

That changes when ... /something/ lumbers it's way out of one of those industrial corridors as Kazuko turns about. It's strange. A tentacle-like 'mouth' and face as it seems to groan, a wave of greenish energy released from it in order to shore up the straggling Infested as they chase down towards Kazuko before it throws out a long limb, a tentacle in order to try and grab and yank Kazuko back where she was fleeing from!

It's when it does this that anyone might be able to focus more attention on this Infested: it's /large/, taller and heavier than most, any sense of the original being is simply /gone/. Perhaps simply it is an infested host so old, so mutated and twisted that it's not able to be recognized anymore other than a simple term: 'Ancient'. Some of the chargers heading to try and intercept any incoming aid for Kazuko if she were so unlucky, or just hound after her otherwise.

Now, the question Kotone posits is answered by the Lotus over comms as well; she and the Lotus would both be seeing and showing that the group that was trapped is finally able to move as the lion's share of the Infested are inbound. A much larger number, from the look of it. "Both the crew here and elsewhere. Infested are capable of generating and reproducing with only time being a factor."

Kushiko has posed:
On the other side of the coin, it seems the Infested coming from the North, while they might be tapering down, isn't the only place the Ancients are beginning to come from; a trio of them are amidst the swarming mass of bodies and Infested facing down the Warframe and the Demigod to the West.

It's at this point that Valkyr foregoes her sword, though this is within reason. She too, while she had shields, some of the Infested struck. For a few, precious instants, there were no shields, and there could be blood that flied away from the Valkyr's body that Setsuko and perhaps other keen observers might see. But when even a little bit of blood was shed, she *howls*. Not once, but twice. The first time bathes Setsuko in the energy from her Warcry, ensuring that she'll be hurt just a little bit less, making that regenerative capability even more useful.

The second? Her weapon is sheathed behind her as she erupts with a cacophonous energy that wreathes her body, ending in five long energy claws upon her fingertips. Setsuko would know, in an instant, something.. /wronged/ this Valkyr. Or maybe some ancestral wound was drawn from like a well, that power answered with it. Berserk fury somehow controled as she launched herself into the air, only to land and slide forward, slicing through the initial throng of Infested alongside Setsuko, but now her movements were so rapidfire she may as well be a humanoid buzzsaw.

Of course, this would be needed as she threw a hand up into another tentacle being thrown forward by an Infested, parrying it and giving Setsuko a brief aside lookas though to indicate who needed to die quickly. But it wasn't just the 'frame's movements no..

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Kazuko's attacker is the first thing Setsuko notices, even as far apart as they are. But even she can't cross that distance in an instant, and by the time she got there, either the situation would be resolved or it would be too late. So instead she keeps her focus on what is right before her, around her. If the younger Kawakami sister calls for aid, she'll go.

    That leaves her at ground zero to receive the enhancing power of the Void... and, to witness Valkyr unleashing its bottled fury. "...gods," she murmurs quietly to herself, before taking a step and shifting to one side, planning to come in at the horde of Infested from an angle- when her movement is arrested by one of those tentacles snagging her around the bicep. "Gh-!"

    It drags her for a good two meters or so before the dragging suddenly... stops. Setsuko never leaves her feet. They slide, until they don't. She plants herself. She reaches up, grabs hold of the tentacle. And then she pulls, with all her utterly inhuman strength. "HAAAAAA-!"

    Did you know an Ancient can fly? Well apparently they can.

    As the warrior woman yanks her towering prey towards her, she lunges forward herself, lashing out with Zanjintou in a slash that will cleave neatly through it at an angle.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
"Good doggy! Okay, let's get outta here." Kazuko lingers a bit longer to cover the Kubrow's escape before turning to leave that north side, missing the sight of that Ancient just at the wrong moment. Unfortunately for her, the scent of the infectedand burning flesh keep her from even noticing the creature's presence until it's too late. She's caught completely flat footed as the tentacle catches her around the waist, blinking a few times and yelping in surprise when she gets pulled right back into the mass of Infected!

     "Gyah! What... Stupid thing! Leggo of me!" Even as she dragged back, she's not going to go down without a fight! Kazuko starts slashing around with her naginata to try and ward off some of the Infected moving in around her, although getting a good vantage point is difficult while fighting from the ground with that sort of weapon. Between the disadvantageous positioning, the tentacle keeping her from actually moving freely, and her Corpus uniform barely existing over her school uniform, things aren't looking good for the martial artist!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa get the idea it might be a bad idea to deal with infested that are here but in the back of her mind she wonders. Do they just consume the dead and make more? No time to think about that she's laying down fire but she does think for a moment they may not want to stya in the same place for too long they need to keep with everyone else. She oes however get an answer there's more are coming.

<<So they just infect to speed things up? Got it Lotus!>> %R She's going to be staring to keep with X and track the pings on her allies which are on the mapp.

<<X we don't want to get cut off from everyone else we might want ot try to link up with the rest soon as we get a chance. As soon as the Lotus says we're done we're getting the hell out of here>>

Kushiko has posed:
Void energy begins to just... /roil/ off Valkyr in waves. Every kill in close melee range as she throws it ensures that Setsuko herself is kept ensconed in it, like a transluscent shell that ablates an attacker with it's armor enhancement; even if she doesn't necessarily /have/ much armor officially, she sure does now.

There's a moment where Valkyr twists about in concern first, before the sight of that flying Ancient sends the first one flying. She leaps herself, not so much to attack that Ancient before it gets cleaved through by Zanjintou, but to effectively leapfrog over one of the halves as it is sent in a bloody, flying heap in order to land on the remaining Ancient that's facing the pair.

And landing on it, whatever face it might have is reduced to /pulp/ thanks to her rapidly GUTTING IT with a series of quick thrusts before rolling off of it in order to rake her claws through a Runner that had the misfortune of being too close once that Ancient was down. Setsuko would catch sight of a column of white, about four feet in height that phases in.

<<Life support is now available, should you need it.>>

TIME REMAINING: 4:43
Life Support: 83%

So far so good at least. There's been some life support units that have been dropped from time to time, Corpus units utilizing them to ensure they're going to have proper environmental stability for the remainder of the time they need to be here. Indeed, such things are reflected on the HUDs of others--Kotone's among them. It's a pretty useful thing to have all this data, and it does indicate there's an overall source.

Something called.. Phorid?

Regardless, there's Infested to kill, and while the lion's share is taking pressure off the group that's making their way to extraction deeper on in the facility, that means there's more waves oncoming. Another pair of Ancients towers over two dozen-odd Infested Chargers and Runners and now /crawlers/ coming over. They're releasing bolts of electricity now, one of them zapping straight into Valkyr who seems to not even be dissuaded.

X (967) has posed:
The thump-whump of something BIG moving nearby's just distracting to make X blink and pause for a crucial second, just enough to take a blow to his gut from the freakish creatures. The blow stagers X, knocking him back into a wall. But he flips away from it in a hurry... only slightly damaged. Whilst airborne he flips around and unleashes a torrent of buster shots meant to suppress and hopefully destroy, buying Kotone time to use her own weapons better.

    "Definitely can't go wandering off on our own! These things are..."

    CUE THE REAL MONSTER.

    X whirls about in place to face what follows...

    If he wasn't a robot with the ability to process an amazing amiount of input very quickly, X would miss the Valkyr's berserk frenzy.

    Part of him wishes he had.

    VICIOUS!

    And what skill it must take. "They'd give Zero a run for his money alright." He murmurs to himself, not sure he believes what he just saw.

    For now, he focuses on laying down even more suppressing fire with the X-Buster. It seems to be quite effective on these things, startlingly enough!

Kushiko has posed:
Setsuko might notice, just on the hinge of her senses that.. whatever Valkyr is, despite the terrifying, Void-infused strength she's brandishing, they're after /her/, almost on an instinctual level first before trying to go after the Demigod and the others here.

Hey, Kotone, you remember the Ospreys, right? You probably do, which is why the shape of a few fliers coming down from the air vents might be a little bit unnerving; they resemble the Ospreys but they are carrying a volatile crawler since it can't quite move, and is seeking to bring the toxin-releasing torso closer to the group of X and Kotone than either might enjoy!

And Kazuko. Poor, poor Kazuko. We may honor her memory one day, but that day is not this day. She manages to not get dragged back as further as she could be in order to be pounded mercilessly by the Ancient at close range. But then there's the mass of Infested, but the naginata severing the tentacle of the Infested in bloody, messy ways means it topples over. And then there's a howl.

That Kubrow, the name of Kiras just launches herself into the Ancient as it topples over. It's a precious reprieve as the animal seems incredibly more durable than before, the dog nimbly jumping up and around as her naginata clears enough of the Infested away that, once there is just enough room to move, she doubles back, bringing her head under so that she might be trying to get her head underneath the Corpus-suit wearing Kazuko in order to help lift her up and onto her feet before helping fight their way back to the others.

Good doggy!

X in the meantime is finding his X-Buster is doing a very, very good job of things so far--sometimes staggering, sometimes just making flesh hiss and melt as they're flash-burned and crippled, clouds of insects and other nasty things escaping their bodies as they crumple and melt away, bone and sinew in equal measure making them practically husk themselves.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is making use of every trick her body has, it's can certainly help her as heck of a lot. Stil she pauses and notices something else on there. She notices the source and tags the Phorid data afor later. For now however there's still shooting and her weapon's starting to overheat at this point and now comes the shocking? That could be an issue for her but she's going to dance back and keep with X for a moment.

"I got data something Ided Phorid it's source."

She gets moving now and keeps with X but her ammo counter is ticking down. She recalls the drones, at first were the Corpus sending back up? Then to her horror she stares.

"Dear god! X! They infested those drones! Those were part of this stations drone compliment! Wait that means...they could infect us!"

She tries to bring her big weapon about but the toxins hit her as she tries to open fire on the horrible monsters and there's fears. Her synthetic nature will not keep her ... safe now.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    A bolt of electricity catches Setsuko square in the chest. "Ghah!" It's enough for her to stagger back several steps, even through the protection of Valkyr's warcry, and it takes her a second to recover herself after that. But when she does, she lifts her sword up, looking between her Tenno fighting companion and the horde of Infested moving in.

    She had planned to avoid using her divine energies entirely if she could help it, but this merits a more forceful response than her katana alone can offer.

    They'll have to be short-range projectiles. She can't have them cleaving through the decks until they slice right through a bulkhead. Two should be enough to kill most of the big group, and the rest... the rest they can handle. So Setsuko Kaminagi takes one step forward. Her eyes seem, for an instant, to flash with azure light again. And then she brings her blade around, in a pair of fast swipes - one horizontal, one diagonal.

    The master of the Valkyr might be forgiven for thinking for a half-second she'd been joined by an Excalibur. Because the projectiles fired off, bright and compressed arcs of sky-blue light, could almost have come from an Exalted Blade. But they are wider, more coherent, more compressed, and rather than passing through and causing damage through the power of the void, they simply cut, as sharply and as cleanly as Setsuko's blade itself. Through Infested flesh, through the steel of handrail, floors and walls. She only puts in enough power for them to travel a short way forward. And even that should be enough to mow down a good number of the creatures.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
Kazuko's a tenacious, if not particularly clever fighter as she keeps thrashing about, trying to break free from that Ancient's hold with whatever means necessary. It's a good thing she gets that lucky cut in when she does and that Kiras comes in, because she very well could have bitten that same tentacle a few seconds later!

     That probably wouldn't have gone well for anyone.

     Getting helped back to her feet by the Kubrow, the high schooler gives the warbeast an appreciative pat on the head before charging back into the fray, working with her to get back to their comrades! She's even swinging around her weapon more deftly now, as if she had found her second wind or...

     Or she might just be taking things a little more seriously now that she's almost been torn to shreds by space monsters. That's something she can talk to a therapist about later, maybe. But for now?

     "We're coming, everyone! There's... Way too many of these things!" Kazuko announces their presence as she slices through another Charger and batters away one of the flying mutated drones, checking on Kiras every now and then just to make sure she's still there. "Phorid...? What's that?" That close shave with the Ancient isn't enough to force Kazuko into hiding from the front lines, at least, as she pours more ki into her slashes to try and cleave through as much Infected muck as possible.

X (967) has posed:
"That thought occured to me just now." X affirms, agreeing with Kotone's assessment. The robot yells the next moment as a few more Infested burst from air ducts. On pure reflex he leaps back and skids in further retreat, but maintains his balance quite well to unload shot after shot from his braced arm cannon! Yes, bracing it by using his other hand to absorb some of the recoil. Odd that an energy weapon would have recoil, but that's just physics in action!

    NOW X decides to switch approaches. His Buster's inner barrel whirls and reconstructs itself with a slightly different lens, waves of light cascading again down his body with a new color scheme of crimson and black.

    THIS time when he fires at the creatures a thick, pulsing BEAM. And this thing BURNS HARD. Things just tend to fall to pieces in its wake. Far more violent than the X-Buster. On the other hand...

    X is watching his Weapon Energy for the Phaser Beam deplete in quite a hurry...

Kushiko has posed:
One might finally arrange themselves to the fact that the Infested flesh, the growths, cancerous on the industrial floors and walls and just the haze of it permeating the local area atmosphere proves that.. the Infested must consume, must find any and all ways to grow stronger. Even when they consume the flesh of their fellows, the collective strength of the Infested grow.

So repurposing machines such as the Ospreys into Mutalist Ospreys. It's probably a lucky thing for Kotone's sense of fear that they aren't seeing any Mutalist MOAs, are they? ... probably nothing like that present, no.

Ammunition sometimes drops, cubes that could be, upon touch, be used by anyone with any sort of Matter recombination tech like the Warframes have could repurpose the charges later at some point. Might be good for study at some point for Kotone and others. X could definintely regain some X-Buster energy for what it's worth after some analysis and-or touching them.

The Mutalist Ospreys rather violently explode, and while they drop a cloud of virulent toxin clouds, they're at least not directly atop the cyborg and the Reploid as they could have been.

There's a momentary pause from Valkyr, the Tenno guiding the Warframe shifts. Its' not Void energy, it's not quite the same as Exalted Blade, but it does lend to her why she suspected things about Setsuko. And why, perhaps Setsuko might be someone that will seek a proper introduction for the Operator's benefit.

She pivots however, launching herself rather speedily as Setsuko breaks the back of the swarm that's been oncoming, letting her clawtips flay and strike in an almost majestic fashion, ensuring that what few remain, do not remain very long. Even then, she's already doubling back after the activation of the Life Support equipment, helping to purge some of the toxic mist that had begun to coalesce in the local vicinity.

Kushiko has posed:
The absolute total and combined efforts of the group, spearheaded by Setsuko and Valkyr has created something that resembles breathing room. To the north, there are no more Infested coming, but to the east and west there is a new, oncoming wave of Infested, roaring and screeching violently as they pad their way down the supply center corridors.

Yet it will be enough time to wait and brace themselves now.

TIME REMAINING: 2:13
Life Support Integrity: 93%

At some point, that life support system integrity had dropped down to about 60 percent--mainly thanks to the mutalist ospreys--before becoming resurgent once more. X's rapidly depleted firepower does earn Kazuko a rather sizable reprieve--the Ancients on the east and north side that were once there are collapsed in on themselves after they topple over backwards.

The sheer firepower is necessary--some of them flinch before the full brunt of slashing naginata's and thick pulsing beams skewer them in a wonderful cacophony of violence. The Corpus are sticking close now to Kazuko and Kotone and X as though to ensure they don't have any issues; a shielding Osprey brings about some shielding force--it won't do much versus toxins, but it'll at least help allay some further harm from direct slashing and maulings if one is too close to the Infested.

As the timer ticks down, there's one final collective roar. From the east and west they come. A perfect little pincer maneuver. A half dozen Ancients sprinkled on either side, volatile runners and a pack of chargers on either side are converging on this chosen point of a stand.

Time for one last blast of power: dealing with this group will buy enough time at last for the trapped operatives and civilians to get out safely.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa does take a moment to recover a few of ammo packs, she'll take them to Rory to poke with a stick and see how that goes. She'll keep shottong however when the infested pop back in she has to pause at times tp keep the weapon form overheating. She however hears the creature coming the Ancients come right for them and she attempts to bring her gun about, there's a wind up time. She lays down fire but she's going to make her self a target for their horrible dirty tricks.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    In her own way, Setsuko is at home. She is amidst enemies, with an ally fighting beside her, and more nearby. She keeps a shred of attention on the flow of battle, prepared to move off and lend support to the others if need be, but most of her focus is on the here, the now, the enemies before them. Enemies who have sensed their threat and responded in kind. A horde of Ancients, exploding Runners and angry Chargers. All of them moving straight in.

    All of them in a perfect array before her.

    There's enough horizontal room - barely. She'll end up cutting into the corrodor wall to her right. Can't be helped. There shouldn't be anything critical on the other side of it. The swordswoman gives her blade a quick, sharp shake to flick the fluids off of it, then returns it to its sheath and takes another couple steps forward. Out in front, out where she'll be the prime target of the oncoming Infested. Her hand rests around the grip of Zanjintou, tightening, and her stance lowers, deepens. It's a ready stance. She has gone from 'something reminiscent of Decisive Judgement' to 'something a distant echo of Tranquil Cleave'. Utter stillness. Utter calm. Patience, waiting for the perfect moment.

    They are a hair too far away when she draws.

    Even with her reach, the closest enemies to Setsuko are at least a foot beyond her blade. Or at least, they appear to be. But as Zanjintou clears its sheath, there is a snap-CLACK. In her grip, the handle of the blade lengthens. The crossguard extends outward in opposite directions. As soon as the blade clears the sheath, a shimmer of blue-white begins to rapidly pass over it. The shimmer leaves behind more steel, broader, straighter, replacing the human-sized katana with a flat broad blade that is much, much larger.

    The iaijutsu technique lends the blade speed, and as a result, the immense sword that takes shape in the blink of an eye is swung far faster than would normally be possible. By the time Setsuko finishes her swing, the massive true form of Zanjintou is complete, its blade twice as long as she is tall, visible for the blink of an eye before half its length embeds in the wall directly to the demigod's right.

    The arc it describes is not enough to carve all of the approaching Infested apart. But a significant portion are not going to survive a quick-draw slash of that sheer size.

    "CHESUTO!"

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
Kazuko appears to be getting more used to fighting with the ranged combatants around, keeping her stance even lower than before to give them more space to fire past her even as she continues slicing apart the Infested. Adrenaline is doing quite a bit to keep her in the fight instead of just collapsing on the spot, and the constant threat of maiming or death certainly helps to keep her from complaining too much. Still, the fatigue is becoming more evident, and her helmet has all but fallen off at this point from all the errant strikes and bodily explosions from those Volatile Runners.

     And yet, that yellow aura surrounding Kazuko's body just keeps growing more intense. That exchange between Setsuko and Kushiko is getting the martial artist fired up for one last push, and she's not ready to look like a chump with Kotone, X, and the Corpus soldiers around!

     "Alright... I'll put everything I got into this, too!" Clapping her hands together as she grips the center of her naginata, she begins spinning the weapon rapidly in front of her, the yellow aura blurring its movements and making it look almost like a solid mass rather than the weapon it really is. Her target: The eastern wave.

     "Kawakami Style: Daisharin! She waits until the Infested are practically upon her before surging forward suddenly, using her naginata something like a ki-infused lawnmower as she tries to carve a path to an Ancient. Once she's close enough, her grip shifts, and she spins the entire weapon around her before taking a massive swing at said Ancient, aiming to cleave right through it and any Infested still standing nearby!

X (967) has posed:
"Almost out of time. Hurry up!" With so many forces rushing in X's worry continues to increase. Exponentially. What if this goes wrong? What then?!

    And will nobody spare a thought for the poor people who've fallen victim to this? No, there's time to mourn later... "...have to keep focused!"

    He does indeed investigate the cubes. Finding them to be a compatible source of energy he grasps them and absorbs them into the X-Buster, refilling his reserve capacitors. Phaser Beam and Ember Celica have been bought a bit more use! "These are great! Just wish I knew what they--"

    *ROAR*

    "-are?!"

    X's worried face grows fierce even as he trembles with anxiety over this final wave.

    But the robot steels himself and readies Phaser Beam, raking it over the hordes in-between all the other violence while his eyes are half-squinted shut from the building HORROR over this plague's insidivious nature.

    "This better be the LAST of them!"

Kushiko has posed:
Do you want to see complete and total obliteration of a target rich environment? Good, because you're bearing witness to that with the efforts of the Elites here. It's a little disturbing, one might think in retrospect. Other than a few modest hiccups and damage incurred by the Elites, the Infested have been falling like paper.

More to the point, at the unleashing of Setsuko's power in the way she does, there's an unmistakable shudder in the station they're at. One can ascribe it easily to her, but it might be something else entirely. This station is probably going to be need of repair and refabrication of certain components.

What with the absolute /perfect/ measure of cutting that Setsuko's technique provides. It would be a hell of a thing for certain people to compare notes, even if they aren't quite aware of it in full just yet. There's a wet series of howling noises as they are cut short, bodies beginning to disintegrate /only/ after the most perfect cut has split some of these Infested down the middle.

Frankly, Valkyr weaves her way /out/ of the way and for good reason it seems, upon retrospect, letting Hysteria bleed out of herself and pulling out her Vaykor Hek shotgun, and using it to take down what Infested remain down the west corridor.

Kazuko is also doing a damn fine job, despite her assumption she should being doing bad. Given it's an entirely new kind of swarming opponent, she's acquainting herself well, especially working with the other ranged combatants. She utterly /decimates/ a good dozen Infested on her way to making the Ancient topple over in spectacular fashion. No more tentacling her, that's for sure!

It is in fact why Kotone herself isn't subjected to any more dirty tricks, that with Kazuko laying down melee prowess, there's no way they can get further into the huge supply room nexus. Supported by X's use of judicious fire by Kotone's own request, as Phaser Beam and Ember Celica shots ensuring that what Infested remain, do not remain any longer.

In the aftermath, one might doubletake. But only a hint of spores remain, even some of the infested pockets of tissue were utterly scorched from existence. At first.. there's a deadly calm. But.. ..nothing is coming? Have they bought the time they needed?

Kushiko has posed:
--ELSEWHERE...

Inwardly, and at such a far off distance, (technically) Kushiko was grinning a bit. Yeah, she was definitely, beyond anything liking what she had begun to see. From the time aboard that Grineer derelict, she had begun to suspect. Others seemed to need to talk--of all the people, Setsuko seemed to make her feel like she was fighting alongside another Tenno, recognizing elements of stances in her that she herself at times used with her own Dragon Nikana, and more.

Hell, Kazuko was doing much the same, even if she hadn't had quite the same experiences with her as she had with Setsuko so far. And maybe hadn't shredded her clothes that one time. Kotone was providing to be an excellent supporting agent, someone who would not fight the same way as she, but she and X were proving themselves capable allies.

TIME REMAINING: 0:00
Life Support Integrity: 93%

<<"Our operatives and civilians have managed to escape safely. There are no more individuals that the Infested can reach. They will be debriefed and measures taken to ensure they do not inadvertently spread any of the infestation.">> The Lotus is cut off, however. Because there is a roar like none other. At first it seems like just one, but it's the collective furor of ALL THE INFESTED on the station.

<<".. extremely high count Infested biosignatures inbound. Disengage now, get to extraction!">>

The information comes as they arrive. Ancients by the dozens, oversized chargers and crawlers, all of them resonating with energy as they take advantage of the brandishment of such firepower by everyone so far. The blood drew them in, you see. All of them before, were much weaker.

There is a classification for certain enemies in the universe where the Tenno come from: 'Eximus'. Simply fleeing will not do as they converge from damn near every direction.

And their presence can be felt immediately, as among these include Parasitic Eximus--a closing Charger is wreathed in this unique energy wave that is beginning to rapidly drain the energy of anyone nearby--including the Warframe and anyone who might use said energy to power abilities and more. Least it won't harm them directly save making abilities harder to use once they drain energy.

The further problems are the Ancients and even 'lesser' Infested that are Eximus; it's honestly better to figure out who isn't an Eximus than not. Fields of fiery energy, electric fields overlapping one another to reduce the effectiveness of eletrical, fire, and any toxin attacks and even draining health.

/Anyone/ with sensors can tell that the waves coming from East and West--and now North again.. are not something anyone should even think about dealing with. And fleeing is going to be painful as they pick up the pace and charge the group.

Everything was a feint. That's the only explanation. Sure, let the others go. But why not partake of delicious flesh that's presented itself here?

Kushiko has posed:
You know how a situation goes from almost acceptable to downright horrifying? This is one of them. Valkyr, no, Kushiko can feel the energy being drained from her even as they approach. The energy in her body, she had purposefully released the hold Hysteria had her with.

Yet still, there was hope: the way they came in. Extraction was very clearly marked as Valkyr brought herself towards the center where the group had begun to regroup at. And in face of the oncoming horde like this, there was only one solution she felt was useful. She lacked Nova; she could not release waves of Antimatter in order to slow them down long enough.

As the Eximus Infested approach, feet padding the cobalt blue industrial alloyed flooring, Valkyr suddenly goes limp.

Void energy gathers in a storm as a figure emerges from it. It's difficult to tell at first because whatever it is is glimmering, glowing with almost golden light, but more of the light and energy is that lilac-pink energy that the others have seen so far on the Valkyr Warframe. The figure is drawn like through a sieve of some sort, a distortion as ... he, she, it? Whatever is is manifesting just above and behind Valkyr.

But even then, it's moving. Floating forward, coiled around, knees drawn up as she's turned around at first, rotating itself around as he gathers some measure of energy that is very much /alive/, somehow, while being outside the scope of reality at once. And then there's the howl. An abslolutely voluminous WAIL of fury as the Tenno's power is made manifest, the figure unfolding her body, arms at either side as her body goes rigid with the focus necessary to release all that Void energy.

Waves. Waves of cascading energy washes over the group, but it does not harm them. It blossoms in a short distance, then with every passing second, another wider arc after wider arc, crashing into the group and beyond. It doese not destroy them but it does the next best thing: it grabs them. It suspends them almost in a shadowy halo of purple-white energy. Wind and force of energy can be felt in every direction around her, buffeting Infested back and rendering them suspended in the air. There may be a few she might have missed solely due to how far out they are.

And then that wailing cry echoes once more as the figure folds back into the frame itself, becoming upright as it does and quickly turning towards the exit, as everyone /should/ be doing.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The station shudders, and Setsuko grimaces faintly. She's a touch concerned that was her fault. The deep slash she's made in the wall might have hit an important powerline or... something. It's hard to tell. But at least she's cleared out a good number of them. It looks like they have a moment's respite. She uses that moment, returning her sword to its smaller katana form and re-sheathing it; the sudden and deadly calm would needle at her even if she didn't have the divine senses to know that they weren't done fighting yet.

    The deafening roar of the entire Infested force only confirms it. The calm is over - the storm comes.

    Zanjintou is clear of its sheath in an instant. They have the order to extract, but the Infested bar the way, and they are much stronger than those the group has fought so far. With power clawing at Setsuko's very body; her divinity stands strong, but her physical stamina can't hold up forever against that, even with her regeneration. This fight is going to be... brutal.

    But without warning, Valkyr goes limp. And for a moment, Setsuko glimpses what her instincts tell her is Truth. She can't help the quiet shiver that passes through her. So that's the nature of a Tenno.

    Even that display, though, can't tear her out of this fight - or rather, this onslaught. It's an opening. An opportunity to go. "MOVE!" Setsuko raises her voice enough to lend emphasis to it, and then she takes her own advice, running at inhuman speeds towards their exit.

Kazuko Kawakami (942) has posed:
Once things quiet down, Kazuko rests the bottom of her naginata on the ground to use for support, panting heavily from that last round of wild swinging and excessive spinning. She doesn't have much time to catch her breath, however, as the eerie silence followed by the deafening roars surrounding them cause the martial artist to actually flinch and even cover one of her ears painfully.

     Damn these overly sensitive hearing bits.

     "Even more...? This really better be the last of them...!" Despite bringing that weapon back up as if she's ready to fight once more, it's quite apparent that Kazuko's not in any condition to keep fighting. Between her injuries, the toxins wreaking havoc inside her, and the overall lack of energy? Even another wave of non-Eximus infested like before would be a huge threat to her, never mind these super-powered ones coming from who knows where. She takes up a defensive stance next to Setsuko, preparing for the worst when...

     Strangely enough, she's not the first one to fall even with her energy being drained from her body. No, it's... Valkyr? Except there's a floating screaming ghost next to her forcing the Infested back and... Kazuko's not quite sure what to make of that, actually. She doesn't need to be told twice to run, however, nodding at Setsuko before breaking into a run and waving at her comrades to keep up, Elite and Corpusalike. "R-right! Come on, everyone! Come on, doggy! We're almost home free!"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is there now lowering her weapon and banishing it into the storage unit of her matter maniplautor and she takes deep breath to calm her self as she moves to fall in with the others. IT's time to run, oh god it's time to run and she can haul tail about as good as the Tenno though with a bit less grace.

Kushiko has posed:
One really doesn't have to tell anyone twice; that Kubrow was quickly sprinting along Valkyr because somehow, someway that loyal companion needs to be aboard the ships when they leave.

No time to talk, no time for anything but /get the hell out of dodge/. The Void Pulse ensures they manage to get out, all of the surviving Corpus, and even a wee little Osprey manages to get it's way out.

        MISSION SUCCESS.