AO-Universe

NPC chat, introduces telecryptology as a science or skill, I googled it and searched online to see if it existed, it doesn't.The young woman before you motions hastily, hand waving you closer.

I selected Area A to start, wish me luck!


Lance Corporal DeGeus: Quick, get over here! Don't let them see you!
Once you're fairly well hidden by the rock formation her eyes close tightly, lips pursed into a frown as she peers over your form.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: You... don't look like a Duster. You wanna tell me what you're doing out here? Or for that matter who the hell you are? This is a secure area.
Noticiero: I could ask you the same thing...
The young woman furrows her brow as you speak, shoulders pushing backward as she stares you dead in the eyes.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Hey pal - In case it slipped your attention or something I'm the one in a uniform here. Lance Corporal Erin DeGeus of the Unicorn Brigade. You, on the other hand, just happened to wander into a high-security area without any notice of arrival from HQ. So maybe you want to start talking before I send you back where you came from. The hard way.
Noticiero: Doesn't look that secure to me...
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Yeah, yeah, real funny. Now you wanna tell me who the hell you are before I start giving you a few new breathing holes?
Noticiero: I was... told you might could use some help.
Her brow furrows as she looks down to her wrist-pad, lips still curled in a deep-set frown. Tapping against its display for a few moments she flicks her vision between you and the screen, nodding to herself.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Huh. Noticiero, is it? Can't believe they finally got someone sent out here... even if it isn't the backup I was hoping for. Shoulda known I would have gotten the short end of the stick with this one.
Noticiero: What do you mean?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Everyone and their mother is so focused out in the Arid Drift section that they haven't had any time to send any backup here - Hell, they probably haven't even read my reports. This is such a load of crap. I keep telling them that I need help here, but nooooooooo, "the aliens are the bigger threat, DeGeus". "We need everyone here, DeGeus". "You just go keep an eye on them for us and if there's anything wrong don't bother to call!" Gah! Stupid friggin' sons 'a....
Her words pretty much degenerate into random muttering at this point, without anything of too much coherence coming out.
Noticiero: Um... right.
The Unicorn sighs, head shaking slightly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Sorry. Just insanely frustrated at this point is all. I've been trying to get lead command to send ground troops out here to help me for god only knows how long now, and they all seem to have their head shoved up their rear. At least they managed to send out something...
Noticiero: So what's happening here, exactly?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: The Dust Brigade, and lots of 'em. That's what's happening. They've managed to entrench themselves into the area really, really well, and we've got no idea what they're up to. I've been trying to track down their activities for a while now but to no avail - There's only so much I can do by myself, and high command isn't giving me the backup I need right now. Granted, after the incident with the bombing run I guess they have kind of a good reason to be a little gunshy...
Noticiero: Bombing run?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ugh. Yeah, not our finest moment, lemme tell ya. When I say they're entrenched I mean they're really buried in. We tried to send a few bomber ships in to just clean house, but... well, they didn't last too long. High command figured it was best to wait until they've got Arid Rift cleared out before sending me backup, but I've got the sneaking suspicion that things here require more drastic attention than they realize.
Noticiero: What's with the area over there with all the fences?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Oh yeah. Whatever you do? Stay far, far, far the hell away from that. Seriously. There's no way you're getting in through the front door. It's basically the entrance to the main quarters of the canyon, but the Dusters have it locked down tighter than a bank vault. Laser fences, turrets - The whole nine yards. Trust me when I say stay outta there. It's part of the reason Command isn't sending anyone else out here - Far as they're concerned, if they can't just waltz through the front gate, it's too much effort for them at the moment.
Noticiero: Well, you have me now at least. What can I do to help?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Oh. Oh, right, yeah. Sorry. The note from command says they didn't really brief you on the situation, so... guess it's best to fill you in on that first. Here's the deal: We're not entirely sure what the Dust Brigade are up to out here, but whatever it is it can't be good. This canyon area seems to be pretty much their main base of operations right now, maybe even their central command - I don't know because I haven't had a chance to really dig in yet and find much out. What I do know is this: They're working hard - and I mean really hard - to dig up as much Xan tech as is possible. We - well, I - think it's related to the excavations they had going on back toward the Perpetual Wastelands area, but I can't be sure yet because I don't know what they're looking for.
Noticiero: So... basically you don't know what's happening either?
The Lance Corporal shoots you a rather pointed glare, frowning deeply.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: You're a comedian. That's why command sent you out here, to give me a good laugh. Great. I've got gods only know how many damn Dust Brigaders out there and you're here cracking jokes. Beautiful. If you're done trying to be a friggin' wiseguy how about we actually discuss what's going on, ok?
Noticiero: Ok, ok, sorry...
The Lance Corporal shakes her head again, tapping quickly against her wristpad.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Here's what we've got right now. You see those pads behind me? They're teleport pads the Dust Brigade have been using to transport people in and out of the area. I've had 'em under survelliance for a little while now, but they haven't seen any use in... well, a while. I think they're bunkering down in there - Either because they're afraid to come out or because they don't need to come out. So since they aren't using them at the moment... well, let's just say I did a little creative rewiring.
Noticiero: You hacked the Dust Brigade's teleporter system?
The Lance Corporal flashes you a bright smirk, tapping against her temple with an index finger.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Didn't major in telecryptology for nothin'. Well... I guess I should be fair - I've hacked most of 'em so far. Take a look at the pads - See the letters over the top? They all lead to different, closed sections in the canyons. And while I can get into the first few areas, there's one I can't crack. The encryption's just too good, and I don't have any kind of information that could serve as an unlocker key.
Noticiero: So what do we need to get in there?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Same thing everyone needs sooner or later. Information. I'm willing to bet that if we can get into the areas I've managed to hack open we can find enough to let me break open the seal to the last sector. I've done a little scouting here and there with unmanned probes, but that only goes so far. I can't get what I need on my own, and HQ hasn't sent me any help. Until...
Noticiero: Until... me?
The Unicorn grins, nodding.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Until you. Whaddaya say, Noticiero - You interested in getting your hands dirty?
Noticiero: Just tell me what I have to do.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: That's the spirit. Can't say it's gonna be that pleasant of a ride, but you look like you can handle yourself pretty well. So! There's six areas I've got access to. Which one do you wanna check out first?
Noticiero: Area A.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Area A. Alright, here's what I know so far. Probes turned up a lot of the Dusters in there, think it may be some kind of camp area for them, maybe where their main barracks are. What I know for sure is that it's also where their heavy equipment is stored, and that's of a lot more interest to me than where they sleep. Like I said earlier, they've been working hard at doing some excavation in the area, and part of this involves some really massive digging machines they've managed to slap together - Two of 'em total that I know of. One of them is... somewhere, not sure where. But the second one is currently parked in their supply depot, getting some minor repairs and refueling. What this means is that its a sitting duck, ripe for the plucking.
Noticiero: So you want me to go blow it up?
The Unicorn shakes her head quickly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: That's a negative, Noticiero. We blow it up, we attract too much attention right now. What I want is to disable it, without them knowing something's wrong off-hand. So here's what you're going to do.
Reaching into a small pouch near her waist, the Lance Corporal pulls out a tiny device, tossing it toward you non-chalantly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: That's a specially-modified Unicorn hacking device - Been tinkering with it the past couple of days. What you're going to do is go in, find the digging machine, and apply this hacking tool on their main supply terminal - The station that controls the thing. Reason is two-fold: First, it'll upload a targeted virus onto the machine, designed to keep it in perfect running order... except the actual drill. This will keep 'em wondering what the hell is going on for a while without drawing too much suspicion to ourselves. Reason two, though, is that it'll also do a data dump of the memory logs from the terminal itself; we may be able to learn something useful from it, maybe something that'll get us through to the last area. Any questions?
Noticiero: None.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Glad to hear it. I've uploaded the access codes for the area into your NCU - Just head through the teleporter marked "A"... and be careful. The Dusters aren't something to screw with. Watch your back.

A is a quick run to tab a dig terminal, stay north & all will be well, you can even blitz thru (it's possible to jump the DB turrets snare field (but not 100%))

Snake, I think you missed the point of this forum.

Chat from Area A success. Area B is next.

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Noticiero, good to see you again.
Noticiero: The digging machine has been taken care of.
DeGeus quirks an eyebrow upward, the beginnings of a smile forming on her lips.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well well. Nicely done, Noticiero. You mind if I see the device?
DeGeus looks down to her wristpad as she holds the device, nodding to herself as a stream of information flies by.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Hm... well, this is interesting. Very interesting, actually. It doesn't look like the Dusters are the ones who've been programming its locational information... in fact, the data's being transmitted from somewhere else, off-site. It's in the area, but the formatting of the code isn't the Brigade standard - It's too... well, frankly, it's too advanced.
DeGeus shakes her head slightly, mouth curled into a slight frown.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: No, this isn't them at all. I've spent a long time studying their transmissions - They've got a certain way of piggybacking information that's easy to spot if you're trained. This is way beyond their level of sophistication. Hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost say it looks like some of the encoding I've seen coming from the alien ships - Difference there is that they use... whatever the hell their language is. This is all in standard. Friggin' weird.
Her shoulders shrug as she tucks the device into a spare pack at her hip, fingers switching off the display on her wristpad.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Either way, beyond what I can really make heads or tails of. Interesting none-the-less.
Noticiero: I also found this keycard...
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Oh? Do you mind if I take a look?
Noticiero: (show DeGeus the card fragment)
DeGeus tilts her head to one side as you pull out the keycard, relaying the story of how it fell from the panel of the digging machine.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, definitely something I think we can work with, but it isn't complete - We'll need to find another one of the same type before we can even begin to repair it, but it seems to be a good start. In fact, if my eyes serve me right, it looks like an all-purpose piece; more than just a keycard. Looks like it also holds its share of informational data as well, maybe even used as a personal recorder. You hold onto it for now and then we'll see what we can do when you find its counterpart.
Noticiero: Now what?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now we're got other areas left to check out. If you're up to it, that is. Where do you want to head?

Area B mission:

Noticiero: Area B.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Area B is, from what I can tell, not a natural formation within the canyons - The scouting I've done makes it look like most of it was excavated by the Brigade themselves. I haven't been able to get too far into the area due to heavy security, but I'll tell you what I can.
DeGeus taps against her datapad for a moment, reading over some of the text. As she reads she mutters quietly to herself - something about the "damn fences".
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Yeah, this place is a real pain. Alright. From what I can tell it's their main supply depot here in the canyons - Food, armour, weaponry, the whole nine yards. Problem is that it's fortified to hell and back - they've got a weird key system kicking in there that revolves around a series of towers that are generating power for laser fences they keep up to block unwanted visitors. That said, though, I've got an idea that's just cliche enough to work...
Noticiero: Wait, wait. Lemme guess. Take out the three towers, and then I can get in?
DeGeus looks a little taken back by your response, an eyebrow quirked upward.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Yeah, actually... I knew it was cliche, but didn't figure you'd guess it that quick. You've done this kinda stuff before, haven't you?
Her head shakes quickly before you have a chance to respond.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Anyway, yeah - That's pretty much the plan. Thing is, I've been monitoring the data traffic in the area - they've got backups online and prepped to warp in within seconds of a tower going kerblewie. I'll say this much for the Dusters - They stay prepared. I think, though, that if you manage to take all three down quick enough and dash in the door, you might just stand a chance of making it through before the laser fences get powered up again. Once you're in I want you to take out their supply master - Whoever it is that's in charge of doling out their equipment. Put 'em down and hopefully we can slow down some of the Duster's supplies. Either way, you'll probably need some backup to help you out, so I don't reccomend you go this one alone. Any questions?
Noticiero: Take out the towers really quickly, duck in the door, and take out the supply master. Right?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: That's the long and short of it. I've uploaded the access codes for Area B into your NCU, so whenever you're ready you can get to it. Good luck, Noticiero.

Finished area B, NPC chat:

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: That's one dead supply master.
DeGeus smirks as you relay the news, head nodding slightly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Excellent work, Windguaerd - You're doing a great job out there. With any luck, taking down their supply chain should make things a little easier when we go through in force and try to flush the rats outta this hole. Plus, hey - Any dead Duster is a good Duster.
Windguaerd: I also found this keycard...
DeGeus tilts her head to one side as you pull out the keycard, relaying the story of how it was found on the body of the supply sergeant.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, definitely something I think we can work with, but it isn't complete - We'll need to find another one of the same type before we can even begin to repair it, but it seems to be a good start. In fact, if my eyes serve me right, it looks like an all-purpose piece; more than just a keycard. Looks like it also holds its share of informational data as well, maybe even used as a personal recorder. You hold onto it for now and then we'll see what we can do when you find its counterpart.
Windguaerd: Now what?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now we're got other areas left to check out. If you're up to it, that is. Where do you want to head?
Windguaerd: Area C.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ok, Area C is a bit... strange. It seems to be where they keep some kind of research and development lab, from what I can tell - At the very least, I know they've got a lot of really high-tech equipment heading in there, and it looks like they're running experiments of some sort. The really interesting part is is that they also seem to be shipping in some kind of... well, to be honest, I'm not sure what they are. But I've seen transport ships flying in once in a while headed for Area C - The kind that hold the cargo underneath the belly of the vessel. In fact, to be honest with you, they almost look like some kinda Xan vessels - The metal looks really strange, and the style doesn't look all that different from the other Xan ruins I've seen around here. Either way, whatever it is they're shipping in, it can't be good.
Windguaerd: So where do I come in?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Right now what I need is some reconnaissance. I need to know more about what's going on in there and what they're up to. So your assignment on this one is to head into Area C and do a full scouting run of the area. Once you find the laboratory where they're conducting research see if you can break in and get more information on... well, whatever it is they're doing.
Windguaerd: You can count on me.
The Lance Corporal taps quickly against her datapad, a small jolt surging through your NCU as she finishes.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: There. Sorry about the discomfort - Just made a small tweak to your NCU that'll let me do a more complete data dump once you return. Remember, I only really need some recon - Feel free to smash stuff up if you want, but I'm more interested in the information than busting heads. Now, hop to it!

Finished C area, NPC chat:

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: Yeah, that was... strange.
The Lance Corporal quirks an eyebrow as you relay the story of your encounter, fingers tapping against her wristpad as you speak. Her mouth twists into a small frown as you finish, eyes locked onto the digital display on her arm.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Yeah... I'm watching the battle now. Definitely very strange. I can't say as I've got a lot of information on this one - Did you find anything while you were in there that might give me a better clue as to what's going on?
Windguaerd: I also found this keycard...
DeGeus nods as you show her the card, a bit of a smile on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Looks like the same one you found out in Area B. If you don't mind tossing them over, I think I can get it working again - Maybe we can get some good information out of it if we do a datadump.
DeGeus takes the two fragments from you, pulling a small tool from within the pouch near her hip. Her fingers work extremely quickly, almost too fast for you to follow, sparks of light flying from the card as the tool works over its surface. Within a few moments she nods, flipping the tool over in her hand.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well then, that should do it. Let's see what this little bugger has to tell us, shall we?
Windguaerd: (listen as she scans the blue keycard)
DeGeus slides the keycard into a small slot on her datapad, tapping briefly against her datapad. Before long a stream of information begins shooting across the screen, her eyes darting rapidly as she reads.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Let's see what we've got here. Looks like some standard requisitional stuff... yadda yadda yadda, yeah sure, you need more turrets out in Area E, whatever... some requests for additional hazsuits... whoa, whoa!
DeGeus taps quickly against her datapad, halting the flow of information.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Now this is damn interesting... looks like they dug up a huge chunk of notum not too long back - There's a shipping request here transferring it from Area B over to Area X. Holy crap that thing is massive. It's at least fifteen meters high, around eight meters wide - That's a big damn chunk of notum. Makes me wonder why they needed it in Area X... Alright, I'll worry about that one later. Let's see what else we've got.
Windguaerd: (continue listening)
DeGeus taps against her wristpad once more, the flow of information continuing.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Now we're getting into some of the more interesting stuff - That weird thing you fought out in Area C; they're referring to it as a Mezzorash. It looks like... huh. Nah, no way. That doesn't make any...
DeGeus pauses the data once more, brow furrowed as she looks up toward you.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: I've heard of these things before. Rashan, I think they're called - Usually find 'em in the Shadowlands, right? The Dust Brigade are... they're kidnapping them. And then running some kind of weird experiments on them. It looks like they're tampering with some kind of NCU chips in them, entering in some kind of programming... I can't say I really understand it offhand.
The Lance Corporal looks back down to her wrist, mouth curled in a slight frown.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: There are a lotta references in here to something called "Species Zero-One"... no idea what that means. Either way it seems kinda important - I'll make special note of it in the next report to high command, see if I can't get some researchers on it. Either way I don't think it's anything we need to spend too much time worrying about at the moment.
DeGeus shakes her head, removing the datacard from the pad and handing it back to you.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: I just don't really get what they're up to out here... Anyhoo, you can have this back now. I've got the data dumped and I can browse over it from here.
Windguaerd: Now what?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now we're got other areas left to check out. If you're up to it, that is. Where do you want to head?
Windguaerd: Area D.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Area D... alright, Area D isn't too bad. Well, "bad" being a relative term here. From what I've been able to find out, Area D is their main communications hub - Their entire Rubi-Ka comms grid is based out of there. Amazingly enough it doesn't seem to be that well protected... kinda stupid if you ask me, but whatever. Makes our job easier.
The Lance Corporal fishes a small device from a pouch at her waist.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Here. This is an official Unicorn Company Quantum Information Nano Inhibiter Device - Long name for a pretty simple piece of equipment. This doohickey contains six individual sub-chips in it - These attach themselves to the communications relay terminals and feed the information into a central sub-processing unit back at HQ. This information then gets relayed to me via a se...
Her words fade out as she sighs, shaking her head.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ok, yeah, not important. Basically, this lets us hear what they're talking about. Best part is that it's virtually untracable and comes with an emergency termination switch packing a nice little punch - When we say the word, we can kill off their entire communications grid across Rubi-Ka. Now - Got any questions?
Windguaerd: No questions from me.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Glad to hear. Remember, you need to apply the U.C.Q.I.N.I.D. to all six of the terminals. Come back to see me when you're done.

Finished D area, NPC chat:

(Hard to do all these missions solo, except B, had a little help there)

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: That's six hacked terminals.
DeGeus grins, nodding quickly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Excellent work, Windguaerd - This should help us do a bit more pinpointing for other Dust Brigade cells across Rubi-Ka. And, assuming all goes well enough, shut 'em down when the time is right. I know it's not the most exciting work in the world, but trust me - Even the mundane stuff like this is important.
Windguaerd: I also found this keycard...
DeGeus tilts her head to one side as you pull out the keycard, relaying the story of how it was found on the body of the supply sergeant.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, definitely something I think we can work with, but it isn't complete - We'll need to find another one of the same type before we can even begin to repair it, but it seems to be a good start. In fact, if my eyes serve me right, it looks like an all-purpose piece; more than just a keycard. Looks like it also holds its share of informational data as well, maybe even used as a personal recorder. You hold onto it for now and then we'll see what we can do when you find its counterpart.
Windguaerd: Now what?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now we're got other areas left to check out. If you're up to it, that is. Where do you want to head?
Windguaerd: Area E.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ugh. You sure about this? Area E is a bit... rough.
Windguaerd: Trust me, I can handle it.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Alright, if you're sure...
The Lance Corporal taps against her wristpad for a few seconds, frowning deeply.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ok. We've been getting some weird readings coming out of Area E... some kind of unknown toxicity infesting the entire place - Really nasty stuff if you get a good dose of it, from what I can tell. Works off of inhibiting certain parts of the brain, causing natural automated process in the body to stop. Or, in other words, your heart suddenly decides to stop beating, your lungs no longer breathe for you, the whole nine yards. In fact, we're thinking it may be linked to the same virus that inf--
DeGeus stops herself short, frowning slightly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Sorry. Can't really comment any further on that. Classified stuff, you understand. Now, for the most part, this isn't a big deal - The concentration here in the canyons is diluted enough to where normal purifyer nanos can counteract the issue. But if it was just that simple... well, neither of us would be here, now would we?
After another quick series of taps against the screen on her wrist, a small holographic projection of a bright, shining crystal appears, flickering in mid-air.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: This is a type of notum crystal we recently discovered out in Sector Ten - If you've been there then you're familiar with 'em. In a lotta regards they're just like regular notum, but for some reason they also seem to have a strange similarity to the novictum the JAME guys have been messing about with in the Shadowlands.
DeGeus shakes her head quickly, hand waving away the small hologram.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Anyway, not important in the long run. What you need to know is that we're seeing some interesting similarities between the notum formations here in Neretva and the ones out in Sector Ten. Problem is that there's one major difference..
Windguaerd: Which is?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: See, the crystals popping up in S-Ten are giving off this weird... gas stuff. I don't know, I'm honestly not that read up on it. But it's been locked to only those particular crystals. Here, we're starting to see the same thing. Major difference is that there are none of the novictum-like crystals around - Whatever's leaking through the area is coming from the regular notum. And to be honest, I think that may be why its toxic - Coming off the weird crystals in Sector Ten, it's relatively harmless. But coming out of standard notum, its toxic. Which makes me wonder a few things: First, why its coming out of the notum here, and secondly why its toxic all the sudden. From what we've been able to tell there isn't anything strange at all about the notum here except for the fact that its slowly turning toxic over time... and if that was to spread?
Her words trail off slightly at the end of that sentence before shaking her head, a deadly serious look on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Yeah. You can tell why I'm wanting to get some info back to HQ about all this.
Windguaerd: So what do you need me to do?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: A couple of things, actually. I've managed to get a little scouting done with drones - Not a lot, but enough to let me know that Area E seems to have some kind of link to it all. It looks like they've got a specialized team in there, working with the toxins and prepping them for shipping. At the moment it isn't too bad because they're limited to spreading it around Neretva... but I'm more worried about the chance of them weaponizing it and spreading it across Rubi-Ka. Hell, maybe even further. So what we need is a good, concentrated sample of the stuff - Fresh, directly from the Dusters themselves. Because every attempt I've made at capturing a sample hasn't gone that well. The stuff seems to have an insane half-life outside of very controlled circumstances - If I can't get a fresh, stabilized sample of it all, then there isn't much I can give to the guys back at the home office.
Windguaerd: So... again, what do you need me to do?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Oh, right. Sorry. Ok, like I said, there's a specialized team in there that's been dealing with the neurotoxin. So we'll go at this two seperate ways. First, take out the team and their leader. Then, check on their corpses to see if they have any sort of... sample, or vaccine, or... something. Hell, even I'm not sure. Keep in mind, though, that it's like I was saying earlier - Part of the problem I've had with getting things from there is that samples don't tend to survive for very long outside of the area - By the time I get them back here they seem to be inert, or their properties have changed somehow. I think I've gotten a storage unit scrabbled together that'll help preserve anything brought out, but... well, they need to get back here first.
DeGeus shakes her head, hand waving dismissedly in front of her.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Either way, not important. Like I said - Get in there, take out whatever you can, and see about bringing back anything you find that looks important as soon as you get your hands on it. Any questions?
Windguaerd: None from me.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Glad to hear. Remember - these canyons are a maze. Always memorize where the exit is, or you'll get lost! As soon as you manage to get some kind of sample, get back here as soon as possible. If not, this whole thing may be a waste. Now get to it!

Finished E area, NPC chat:

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: Help!
DeGeus stares wide-eyed as you come close, jaw slightly dropped.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Holy crap, what the hell happened to your NCU?! Hold on, hold on - Don't panic. I think I can fix this. Just gimmie one second. Just try to relax - The more agitated you are the harder this is gonna be.
DeGeus reaches to a small pouch on her outfit, pulling out a strange-looking device. Quickly tapping a series of buttons on its side she presses it to your NCU belt, a quick jolt shooting through your body. Instantly you start to feel your throat easing, the constriction calmed and your ability to breathe returned to normal. She breathes a quick sigh of relief before her eyes pop wide again, a look of panic on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus:

Oh, crap - The sample! Quick, if you got something hand it over - I've gotta get it into storage as soon as possible!
You toss over the small vial as quickly as you can, the Lance Corporal deftly catching it in mid-air. After a couple of quick taps on her wristpad the vial dissapears in a quick flash of blue light, a soft sigh exiting her lips.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Whew. Ok. Wow. We actually pulled that one off. I have to admit, Windguaerd, I'm impressed. So, now that we've got a chance to breathe - Sorry, no pun intended - mind telling me exactly what happened out there?
Windguaerd: (tell DeGeus about your experiences in Area E)
The Lance Corporal listens intently as you relay the story of what happened in Area E, and your encounter with Chief Virologist McLaughlin.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Wow. Sounds like it was pretty rough... still, glad to know you made it out ok - Must have been a serious pain. Either way, though, you were able to strike a pretty decent blow - And on top of that, we even managed to get ahold of some useful materials. Luckily I was able to gridwarp it to the containment unit back at HQ before it destabilized... So yeah - I'd say you deserve a pretty big pat on the back for this one.
Windguaerd: I also found this keycard...
DeGeus nods as you show her the card, a bit of a smile on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Looks like the same one you found out in Area A. If you don't mind tossing them over, I think I can get it working again - Maybe we can get some good information out of it if we do a datadump.
DeGeus takes the two fragments from you, pulling a small tool from within the pouch near her hip. Her fingers work extremely quickly, almost too fast for you to follow, sparks of light flying from the card as the tool works over its surface. Within a few moments she nods, flipping the tool over in her hand.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well then, that should do it. Let's see what this little bugger has to tell us, shall we?
Windguaerd: (listen as she scans the red keycard)
DeGeus slides the keycard into a small slot on her datapad, tapping briefly against her datapad. Before long a stream of information begins shooting across the screen, her eyes darting rapidly as she reads.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Alright, let's see here. Some general information on digging procedures... looks like they're focusing solely on Xan technology related to the absorption of notum. Odd. There's already plenty of ways to get use out of notum - Don't need old tech for that. Let's see what else we got... A warning about being careful when digging around the contaminated sites, something about them being "volitile" - Wait, I think this is talking about whatever it is they're pumping into the air here. Yeah... yeah, it is. Huh. Says here that the toxins in the air are a... huh. They're a direct by-product of something they're doing with the notum in the area. That's strange. Why would they be focused on turning the notum toxic? Doesn't really make much sense, unless... nah, there's no way they could do this on a wide-scale basis. They just don't have the resources. I think. Let's see what else...
The Lance Corporal moves her fingers across the pad, various schematics popping up on the display.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now isn't this interesting. Take a look, Windguaerd - It's part of a blueprint for some kind of device of some sort. It looks like a funneling focus for a large energy beam, designed to gather a wide-spread source and convert it down into a very tiny stream of protons... it even looks like it's trying to convert them into a specific wavelength. something about matching some sort of energy frequency... I dunno, that part didn't make it through the retreival process.
DeGeus shakes her head, removing the datacard from the pad and handing it back to you.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Weird stuff either way... Anyhoo, you can have this back now. I've got the data dumped and I can browse over it from here.
Windguaerd: Now what?
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, now we're got other areas left to check out. If you're up to it, that is. Where do you want to head?
Windguaerd: Area F.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Area F... alright. Here's the scoop - From what I can tell, Area F is being used as a training grounds of sorts for the newer recruits - Something to put 'em through their paces. My probes haven't gotten too far into the area, but from what I can tell they use four chief commandos out there to help train up the youngin's. Well, last thing we need are more capable Dusters, so I say we go in and teach them how this really works. The area is a bit... strange - Twisty, kinda oddly shaped. Not sure if its a natural formation or not. But there are several areas with different hazards and such in 'em. What you need to do is track down the four trainers in the area and take them out. Any questions?
Windguaerd: None from me.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Sounds great. Just be careful out there, and bring me back any souviners you find.

Finished F area, NPC chat:

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: Four trainers, all dead.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well, well - Looks like you taught them a lesson they won't forget any time soon.
DeGeus frowns as she finishes her sentence, head shaking slightly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ok, yeah, sorry. That was bad. Anyway, nicely done - At this point, anything we can do to disrupt their activities is a boon to us. And, on top of that, more overt attacks like this one can do a good job of hiding the more covert stuff we're doing here in Neretva. If they're too busy looking at damage caused, they won't notice us being a bit sneaky in other places, now will they?
Windguaerd: I also found this keycard...
DeGeus nods as you show her the card, a bit of a smile on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Looks like the same one you found out in Area D. If you don't mind tossing them over, I think I can get it working again - Maybe we can get some good information out of it if we do a datadump.
DeGeus takes the two fragments from you, pulling a small tool from within the pouch near her hip. Her fingers work extremely quickly, almost too fast for you to follow, sparks of light flying from the card as the tool works over its surface. Within a few moments she nods, flipping the tool over in her hand.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well then, that should do it. Let's see what this little bugger has to tell us, shall we?
Windguaerd: (listen as she scans the yellow keycard)
DeGeus peers at her datapad as the card is scanned, a slight frown on her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Ok, well... uh... huh. Alright. This one is fixed, but it doesn't really seem to have that much information on it. Weird. Must have been a new model... either way, not a whole lot we can learn from it, I guess.
She shrugs and tosses the card over to you, frowning a bit.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Oh well. Guess you can't win 'em all.
Windguaerd: Now what?
DeGeus looks nervously behind her at the teleporter pads, taking a deep breath before speaking.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well... with everything you've brought me, I think I've been able to work up some clearance codes which will get you through to the last area. Area X. I'd say wait for backup, but I don't know if there's any actually coming or not... and to be honest, I don't know if we've got the time to wait.
DeGeus looks you square in the eye as she reaches down to her hip, removing a small keycard from her pouch.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: I want you to understand something before you go out there, Windguaerd. I can't ask you to go. I don't wanna put this on your shoulders - Not after everything you've done for us. But... someone has to go out there and take care of this. If they're planning what we think they're planning, then they have to be stopped. And I mean now. The entire planet is in danger... maybe even more. And if we don't do what we can to stop them here and now, we may not get another chance. So I won't ask you to go. I don't want that burden on your shoulders. But the chance is here if you want it. If you think you can do this... I won't stop you.
Windguaerd: I can do this.
DeGeus nods solemly.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Hand me the 3 keycards back, please.
She hands you a new keycard, eyes fixing yours as she speaks.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: This card will grant you access to all the areas here in Neretva, just in case you need to go back for some reason. But mainly, it includes access to Area X. I... I'm not going to lie. I don't know what to tell you to expect in there. If they're really building this... this thing, then you can damn well bet that it's going to be heavily fortified, and they'll have plenty of security up. So I sincerely hope you're ready for just about anything. It won't be easy, but...
DeGeus simply nods, lips pursed in a tight frown.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: You know what you're doing. Good luck, Windguaerd. I'm counting on you. We're all counting on you.

Finished area X, NPC chat:

The Lance Corporal nods as you come close.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Windguaerd, good to see you again.
Windguaerd: The bomb has been deactivated.
DeGeus quirks an eyebrow, lips curling up into the faintest of smiles as you relay the story of your harrowing mission into Area X. As you finish she nods, a look of pride crossing her face.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Well hot damn, Windguaerd. You know... I gotta be honest here and say that I wasn't totally sure that you could pull it off. I mean, yeah - You've done great work and all that, but still. Really, think about it for a second - You've just pretty much gone and saved everyone on this dustball... it's a hell of an accomplishment. Be proud of yourself - I am.
She takes a deep breath after her congratulations, mouth returning to the same familiar frown as always.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: That said, though... we aren't quite outta the woods just yet.
Windguaerd: Don't tell me there's more...
Lance Corporal DeGeus: You're not gonna believe this, but I finally got a runner out here from HQ - Gave me some information on another place that's looking like it has Dusters crawling in it. Thankfully for us it isn't too far away, but... well..
DeGeus shakes her head with a sigh, a soft grunt exiting her throat.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Idiots. I mean really, idiots. They found another installation and what do they tell me? They tell me they can't spare anyone to go check it out. This is after I told them about the whole "trying to blow up the planet" thing that's going on out here. Who knows what their problem is... anyway, look - They may not be sending anyone else out there to give a hand, but I figure you and I have seen enough here to know that whatever it is ain't good. I can't force you to go and check it out or anything, and to be honest I don't really know a damn thing about what's going on in there... but I can give you this.
DeGeus taps against her datapad briefly, a small stream of information flowing into your NCU.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: There. That should get you in the front door. Encrypted special-use Unicorn codes - They'll bypass the security on the gate leading out there. There really isn't anything else I can do for you from here, so... looks like you're on your own. But I definitely owe you one. So does the rest of this planet. Thanks, Windguaerd. Thank you for all the help you've given me.
Windguaerd: (turn to leave)
Just as you turn to leave, DeGeus raises a hand.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Wait, wait - I almost forgot. Here.
Her hand reaches down to a pouch at her waist, pulling out a very small package.
Lance Corporal DeGeus: Can you believe this? I requisitioned supplies from HQ to help out down here and this is all they gave me. Well, they gave me a bunch of 'em, but still - Not like there's a damn surgery clinic anywhere in this stupid canyon. Either way, it isn't doing me any good, so I figure I'll pass it to you - Maybe you can get some use out of it. Take care out there, Windguaerd - It's been a real pleasure to work with you.
And with that DeGeus waves a quick farewell, the dust of Neretva Canyons swirling about you both. The voyage up to here has been strange enough... and you can't help but wonder how much stranger it's about to become...