Getting up, Za'che flips her hood back up over her head. What was I thinking. That was a stupid maneuver that I did. fading back into the shadows, Za'che looks for another opening. I don't know why I don't just let these guys take care of it. But some of them don't look the most capable. Maybe that's why.
"You think that you can tell us apart? Many have tried, but then again, many have failed. What do you think the price for that is?" The Three Sisters Lylie-governess to a child of the first plain "You grew up. Thats a shame. The carousel never stops turning. You cant get off either. Its a shame."
Summmer smiles a bit inwardly. Her opponent backed away from her. He was going for Ted. He was stupid. He had not won the fight, nor had she. He had not disarmed her in anyway either. She still had her weapons at her side. This... Karl.... must have some sort of honor system being a hand to hand fighter that he thought all other people he fought shared with him. Maybe he thought to much of him self and wasn't threatened by her, maybe he felt sorry for ted. Didn't matter, he had walked away from combat and somehow expected her to do the same.
He was wrong.
Not only was he wrong he had given her the opportunity she had wanted. She played along for a second. As soon as he stopped taking steps towards her she stopped moving towards him. She took two steps back and watched as he sifted his focus off her and towards Ted. Then she drew a pistols in both hands and fired at him, twice.
She might hit Ted. She didn't care. His purpose was going to be that of a human shield anyway. All that mattered to her was that her people walked out of this thing alive. That and this man had prevented her from killling the man with the weapon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post
Snarling at the little man before her, the PGC's nine weeks of basic training resurfaced in her mind. With a precision shot, placed squarely into the center of mass, George squeezed the trigger. Unleashing the power of a small sun upon Thomas, the shotgun shuddered and released it's deadly payload into the air. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DAMN YOU!!" Her voice rang out loud and piercing, like an unforgiving angel of death, falling upon the ears of her mortal foes.
As far as he was concerned, Karl had already finished this battle. He just needed some time to clear up loose ends...and Ted just happened to be one of those ends. Obviously in captivity and with no sign of Regis, the rules were quite clear on his situation. To ensure that no information would be gleaned from Ted in anyway, he must die.
Karl had decided that he would make it quick...as quick as possible anywho. -----
"Its all over for you!"
"Shut your mouth, DAMN YOU!"
Xi'ku recognized one of the voices vaguely, followed by an explosion. As a matter of fact, he wasn't quite sure where he was right now. He only knew that he wished he could stay still for a little while longer.
-----
Georgiana Ureon and Thomas Gilbert faced off in mortal combat for the last time. Both were on the offensive despite the facts, both were utterly obsessed with the annihilation of the other and most importantly, neither were backing down.
From the third person, the exchange would have been somewhat humorous. The projectile from the Grand Magnum is the first to leave its host, it is answered by a spray of charged particles from the PFC. The grenade is assailed by projectiles and detonates mid-flight, knocking both combatants to the ground.
Thomas lies still. -----
Karl's eyes flew open when he heard gunshots. Didn't he disarm that woman??? He should have had more then enough time to...pain. Karl Lee dropped to his knees, his vision blurring. How could he have made such a critical error in judgment? How could that...that woman have beaten him so easily? And and...how could the last thing he see be Ted's stupid face!?!
Well, atleast Karl wasn't captured. -----
Aoi looked around puzzled. She had briefly zoned out on how many ways she was going to kill that cowardly pink-haired wench when she witnessed the most horrible sight of her short life. In an instant, her group had been wiped out. Aoi was shocked for a good ten seconds before fear took over.
Aoi's training came to head at that point. Rolling out from under the cot she was under, Aoi deftly drew a small flashbang from her belt, armed it and threw it into the middle of the room.
"R-R-Remember this!" Aoi said somewhat weakly as she darted from the room, defeat on her mind. Shawn was not going to be happy. ----
Last Edit: Aug 20, 2007 21:36:19 GMT -5 by antaeus
"4) Lastly, there were some video games that also weakened the MMMG. Most of these games were played at John's house be they video game or rpg." -Celest
"Damn you, Big Brother. Damn you." -Curulambe
"I was told our base was for the Black Man." - batman
Summer had turned to look at others right after watching Karl fall. She wasn't entirely sure he was dead yet but atleast he was a minimized threat. She watched Thomas die, she thought. And she took aim with her weapons on Aoi as the woman appeared from under her cot. Unfortunatly that woman was prepared and set of the flashbomb before she could get in a shot. Summer shielded her eyes and waited for the little smoke to clear, coughing a little. Time to get a hold of the situation.
"Private Ureon, what is the status of that weapon?" she barks out the question like a drill sargent. "Miss Hardzel, what is Xi'ku's condition?" she had seen Hannalore check him before entering the frey. She would have to complement her on that shot in a moment. The woman looked like she needed encouragement.
Waiting for the replys she walked over to Karl. Holstering one weapon she keeps one drawn and ready at the back of Karls head as she kneels down to check his pulse. Smiling, she stands back up.
"Your death was your own fault." she speaks softly to the body. "That will teach you to underestmate a woman." Standing straight she points her weapon at Ted.
"I'd stop moving if I were you." she almost growls. Her weapon still pointed at Ted her eyes begin scaning the room. Now where did that She-cat get to?
The ringing in George's ears compelled her to figure out where she was.
She was caught between two very massive pressurized bubbles. First, from the detonation of Thomas's shell. The second was from Aoi's flash bang. Unable to take the dizzying level of pressures, Ureon remained on the ground watching the bulkhead above her face.
Once the wave of nausea passed, Georgiana slowly managed to rise to one knee and hastily recovered her weapon. In thorough, by-the-book fashion, Private Ureon checked Thomas's life signs. Meanwhile, her barrel hovered inches from what remained of his torn body. He was a foe, but he had fought nobly in the end. Georgiana snatched the weapon away hastily and checked for spare ammunition. Commander Kletch called out her new orders, and Private Ureon hastily replied, "Ma'am! Weapon is a 3.55 caliber Grand Magnum with a complement of explosive rounds." She looked to her CO. "If you don't mind, Commander, I'm going to hold on to this one." Momentarily, George took some down time with the rest of the team to reorganize her strategy and her equipment.
OOC: I figured a weapon that fired a 3.55 inch shell was large enough for our purposes. And, yes, I am recalibrating her CL as we speak. Big Brother, check your inboxes, please. This is dire.
Staring down at her fingers, white clenched from holding the pistol, Hannalore slowly calmed her breathing, breathlessly replacing the gun in its side holster. Trying to comedown from her adrenaline rush, the young medic crouched down next to Xi’ku and checked on his condition.
He appeared to be awake, though perhaps still confused at to what was going on around him. Slowly waving her hand over his face, she was relived to see his eyes following her hand, indicating that he hadn’t gone into shock or anything more critical. Smiling down at him, Hannalore slowly helped the big Keshian sit up, encouraging him to move a little. “Welcome back to the realm of the conscious, Xi’ku”.
Popping her head up from behind the bed they were behind, Hannalore scanned the room briefly before he eyes set upon Summer. “Xi’ku appears to be doing ok, though I’m not sure he’s up for too much more hits like that.”
Looking around the room, she called out, “Is everyone else ok?”
Ted, meanwhile, heard her call out, and smiled to himself as he realized that the battle had ended. He had the leader woman threatening him again, which was good, and they even did him a favor and removed Karl. Ted never really liked the swaggering braggart…
Summer smiles. Things were already coming around. She walks over to Hanalore and Xi'ku keeping her eye out for Za'che "Well done Georgiana. Good to know that I can count on you. I couldn't think of more capable hands than yours for that Magnum. Perhasp Xi'ku can carry your shotgun for you if he's up to it."
She turns to Hannalore. "Thank you, Hannalore. I took a couple of hits, but I should be fine for the moment. Make sure the others are fit first. By the way, that was a really good shot you took." She gives her a smile before kneeling down next to Xi'ku.
"How are you feeling big guy. Glad to know your still with us. You really had me worried for a while there."
Xi'ku didn't know where in the hells he was currently. He did know he was being helped to his feet by Hannalore (whom he did remember), that the Instr...Commander Klecht was addressing him personally, and that there were no gunshots going off around him. One of those worried him greatly.
"I am unfarmed. My apologies for being uncable to follow orders." said Xi'ku through gritted teeth as he stood. The big Keshian shook his head clear and took a head count. Private Ureon was checking over some weapon, unharmed, Hannalore had the strength to help him up, the Commander was as direct as ever...
"Where is Za'che? What of our captive? What of the enemy? Just what happened while I was trout?"
----
"damn damn damn damn!" yelled Aoi as she ran back to her command post, defeated.
Shawn would know what to do from here, though he would probably never giver her command again. She'd be lucky if he ever trusted her again, especially after losing Karl and Thomas. At the very least, she wouldn't have to hear Thomas' ramblings about 'toys' and 'playmates', or make fun of her diminutive size, or how he always kept Clark and the rest of the pilots from ganging up on her...Aoi's vision began to blur.
"I'll pay them back for this. If it costs me my life I'll pay them back." said Aoi, tears beginning to run their course down her face.
----
OOC: Lets keep the OOC comments in the OOC thread. Link to the post if its important.
"4) Lastly, there were some video games that also weakened the MMMG. Most of these games were played at John's house be they video game or rpg." -Celest
"Damn you, Big Brother. Damn you." -Curulambe
"I was told our base was for the Black Man." - batman
Summer smile grer talking to xi'ku. He common confusion with words always brought that smile to her face. Sometimes she wondered if he did it on purpose. "No apology needed, Xi'ku. I never would have asked you to do what you did. As for your questions, Miss Za'che has appeared to disappear like she does so often in combat. Though I will give her credit for atleast trying this time. Our captive remains so, he is still bond and over by the entrance we came through." Summer nodds her head in ted direction.
"And as to what happened while you were trout, we enganged in combat with the enemy and won. We took out two of their group and the thrid fled. Miss Georgiana has securced herself a better weapon, so I'd like you to take her old one. I think it will help you take fewer hits like that last one. Once Miss Hannalore gives everyone persent the ok we will follow our enemy as I believe she fled to the engine block. We may still catch her."
"I did not dissapear. I just hide in the shadows. I am a person that is not combative but more secrecative in nature. The one that got away went down there." She points to the corridor. "That leads to the part that lets you.... Ohh it goes to the engine room. We need to go now. I would apprechiat it if you would not talk about me as if I were something that is not worth anything. I am specilized in what I do. Combat is not it. Communications and explosives are. So if you wouldn't mind following an order for once in your little life, Move out." She heads out the door and down the corridor before Summer has a chance to reply.
"You think that you can tell us apart? Many have tried, but then again, many have failed. What do you think the price for that is?" The Three Sisters Lylie-governess to a child of the first plain "You grew up. Thats a shame. The carousel never stops turning. You cant get off either. Its a shame."
Summer stands, her eyes focused sternly at Za'che. She lets her walk off before turning to Hannalore, shaking her head slowly. "Hannalore, we leave when you say everyone is good. I don't want to take any more risks than nessacry. We have encountered a good deal of combat and I don't think it's over. I want everyone at full possible health. I don't want to lose any of you. Miss Za'che took command of our team to send a message. That message has been sent."
She walks back over to Ted and pulls up on his arms slightly, forcing him to stand. She still has one pistol drawn, so make sure he stays in line.
Pressing the weapon up to her shoulder, George tossed her Jackhammer to the Keshian Lieutenant. "Catch!" Her voice sauntered through the air to Zeke's ears. With her newly acquired weapon, she moved towards the doors that the team needed to move through. Viewing a clear corridor immediately ahead, the Private signaled to the others an all clear.
Xi'ku noticed that his former Instructor was regarding him as she had a couple of years ago, which meant either he had said something unintentionally humorous or had messed up on a test. With his current mental state, Xi'ku had no idea which one it was.
"Catch!" he heard. Then a shotgun flew at him.
Xi'ku caught the weapon and examined it, he almost audibly gasped. This thing was deceptively heavy. The young Private must be just as deceptively strong to pull of that maneuver in the hallway as it would have significantly encumbered him. The big Keshian momentarily tossed around the idea of traveling lighter, then immediately threw it out upon the realization that his armor and UMP shield were the only reasons he was still alive.
"Well done, Private, but no thank you." said Xi'ku as probed the energy device for its power core. He then snapped it over his knee, effectively destroying the weapon. Such dangerous tools were best not left for the enemy, if they could not be used prop...
"If she moves. Kill her. Do not hesitate. Just do it."
Xi'ku couldn't help but draw a similarity between himself and the gun. --------
Sophi Marseux went over her Sorder 6900 Series rifle one more time. It was a nervous habit of hers, to continually check her equipment when she was anxious. Like Lars, she was left behind to wait for Aoi's report in what appeared to be this ship's observation deck, Cadre Astra Delphi's current on site HQ.
She knew that it was all a lie.
Sophi played with her long red hair absently as she mulled over her situation. Karl hadn't reported in like an hour and Regis...she hadn't heard from him since the beginning of this operation when he said that he had something important to tell her. Sophi tried to put the thoughts of 'Code Kappa', the Vanguard equivalent of "we are all dead", out of her mind, but Sophi knew somewhere in her heart that a great many of the people she had known her entire miserably short existence were no longer with her.
Sophi also knew that she did not want to join them. Ever if possible.
The sound of boots hitting the metal floor accompanied by labored breathing caught her ear. This was it, they were coming to kill her like the others and she had let them by not paying any att...
"SOPHI! We...We couldn't stop them! They'll be here shortly!" yelled Aoi, scaring the living daylights out of the daydreaming soldier.
Sophi realized that even if she lived through this ordeal, it was going to be a long day.
"4) Lastly, there were some video games that also weakened the MMMG. Most of these games were played at John's house be they video game or rpg." -Celest
"Damn you, Big Brother. Damn you." -Curulambe
"I was told our base was for the Black Man." - batman
Hannalore sighed as she followed the group, restlessly palming her handgun in its holster. This was going on far too long, and they had already fought through two groups of enemies; she knew that sooner or later, someone was going to really get hurt again, and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to fix it. Pushing away the unbidden sight of Pace’s face, she clenched her teeth.
“I-I… I wish we could stop this with out fi-fig-combat. W-why are all of the-these people so insist-sistant on fighting us, an-anyway?” She looked up at George, hoping that she could pull some strength from the other woman. It looked like the situation wasn’t going to end quickly, or perhaps anytime soon…
Georgiana thought about Hannalore's comment, "I imagine that they feel we've wronged them, somehow. Not necessarily us, on a personal level, but our society as a whole." She maintained a vigilance on her patrol while still conversing, "I expect that we should meet more of these kinds of people. I hope not, but it's still what's likely to happen." A frown dotted the singer's face, replacing the youthful expression with a soldier's grit. "A soldier is the only occupation that actively works to put itself out of a job." Upon reaching an intersection in the gangways, she paused and inspected the two perpendicular paths.
Za'che looks behind her and see that they were being slow in following. Leaning up against the wall she sighed.
How did I get stuck with a bunch of half-witted lazy soldiers that don't understand how to take orders. That commander, it's her fault. If she knew how to then her people would follow orders better. Now those people are going to get away and the engines are going to blow up. I'll have to put in a word about her if we get out of here.
"You think that you can tell us apart? Many have tried, but then again, many have failed. What do you think the price for that is?" The Three Sisters Lylie-governess to a child of the first plain "You grew up. Thats a shame. The carousel never stops turning. You cant get off either. Its a shame."
Summer walked along the coridor. She was thinking. Her mind was recalling things she had been hearing. She was a Commander, that was true, but she had been assigned as an Instructor and therefore was some what out of date with current information. That didn't mean that she didn't hear rumors. She was recalling some of those rumors now.
"I wonder," she began thinking out loud. "I've been hearing things. That woman said something... the Vanguard. I think I've heard something about them. I seem to recall nobody thinking much of them."
She sighed. She was getting that weid feeling in her gut that always made her think of things.
"There have been rumors. Things have been happening in other systems. I don't know any details but things have floated around, and well I must say that up until a little bit ago, this evacuation was going rather smoothly for being so short notice to the public. I know that there have been problems in other systems, big problems. I wonder if all of these things are connected."
After Hannalore gave him the OK to continue, Xi'ku had been considering the path that his group had been traveling. Taking into account several zigzags and backtracks due to battle damage, they had almost come full circle since he had been given the role of messenger to the engine room. Their current passage along a primary corridor leading towards the main observation deck, where quite a number of the Ulysses' compliment of the evacuees from Xualla were being housed.
There was no way, tactically speaking, that there couldn't be an enemy presence there. At the very least it was a simple hallway's travel to the engineering section of the ship, where their big plan was to be hatched. And with the escape of that human woman, those forces were probably expecting them.
And if they took hostages...
Something else was also bothering him. There should have been a sizable relief fleet with medical supplies and food for the evacuees waiting for them upon their arrival in system. Instead, they were met with an enemy attack force and boarding parties. Of course it was a trap, but just how much planning and blind luck would an operation of this size need to... ---------- (Reflection)
Marshall Prost found himself laughing bitterly from his temporary command post in the deck master's office in the Ulysses' hangar. On one hand, he had managed to round up and account for every civilian on this boat. He even managed to get them off ship by mating several heavy cargo containers with escape pods and a re-entry shuttle craft (that would have to be something he filed away for later) and sending it to one of the other ships. He even sent one of his men with them to get some backup while things here started to quiet down, but he just couldn't shake the fact that something was wrong.
Seriously wrong.
He had seen them when they boarded the ships. They were panic stricken, rowdy, desperate people fleeing from a war. That kind of anxiety doesn't leave from a couple of weeks in space, certainly not when the war a people are fleeing catch up to them. There should have been a riot, but instead they were cooperative. No, it was like herding docile, drugged sheep. Hell, some of them even walked in step with each other. All of that could have been chalked up to shock had he not looked a young, light haired boy who couldn't have been more then 14 in the eyes.
Prost knew those eyes would haunt him for years to come. Cold, lifeless and even a bit dull in their color. And it wasn't just him, which lead the ranking UMP officer to his latest hunch, that the folks he loaded into the 'Gustavacuator' were not the same people he had risked his life and the lives of others to save and he had let the whole lot of them go free.
He hated situations. ----- (Absolution)
Shawn 'Blazer' Mayhem stood in front of the rapidly deteriorating fusion core currently powering the ship that he was on. He had been monitoring the battle currently raging outside...no no. It wasn't a battle, more like a...formality. He had heard the cries of his dying comrades from Lacy's portable comms array, unable to help the women and men he had flown with his entire life. They called to him for salvation, but all he could offer in return was a solemn, heartfelt apology to the communicator in his vector.
The Fireflys that the Vanguard forces used were produced and maintained in almost absolute secret, much like most of their operations preceding the Stampede Campaign. Like the other Cadres in the Vanguard, Astra-Delphi had been trained since they were toddlers to fight this war of liberation for mankind. They were to hide in plain sight and strike like vipers on the 20th anniversary of the Enclave War's end. Strategic targets were given to every Cadre with the most promising and efficient ones getting the high priority targets. Shawn never knew where Astra-Delphi ranked officially, but he knew that stopping a single nanotech research and development project couldn't have been too grand a task.
Shawn didn't ask any questions when everything went wrong. He had seen what Legion did to people. His people. It controlled them like puppets leaving nothing left of their former selves. On at least two separate occasions, he saw blood relatives turn guns on each other and fire with no hesitations. It was smart too. It knew who had the information it needed to survive, to thrive. It knew to stay hidden, undetected until it was time to strike for maximum damage. Shawn couldn't help but see the irony in that fact. Hell, it had explained it to him. Every time he caught a 'legionnaire', it would speak to him directly.
We are One. We are Legion.
Astra-Delphi started the Stampede Campaign at over two hundred men and women strong, they were now less than a tenth of that number and falling. Every woman or man or child that died was one less host for Legion. Shawn had seen its power wain with the fewer hosts it had, only to spring up in newer fresh bodies once the old ones had been...dealt with. He wondered if those armor pilots butchering his cadre were some form of absolution, allowing his Cadre to die as soldiers fighting for a cause and not as mindless pawns.
A parasite with no host organism can't survive for long, so what do you do when a parasite threatens your entire species? You get rid of its hosts. All of them.
"Project S...no...Legion. You will not escape." he said aloud going through the power-up sequence of his powered suit. It had been meant for heavy riot duty, but had been modified extensively for close combat. Shawn figured that the next hour or so would be the most difficult in his short life. Much more difficult then say, orchestrating the evacuation of an entire star system. ---------- (Redemption)
Traveling down a familiar looking passageway, you find yourself back where it all started. The Observation Deck looks like it had been turned into some sort of military HQ by its current occupants. Several pieces of logistical and information processing equipment lay strewn about in a very organized chaos. The dome is still partially destroyed, with a protective shield over the damaged half. A pink and white fighter-type armor can be seen gracefully engaging several of the red armors in deadly dance of spiraling contrails and bright, silent detonations. You are not met with mines in the entryway or sniper fire as you enter the domed area. Instead you see a large bedsheet attached to an antenna in the center of the room.
The proverbial white flag of truce.
There is a nervous looking woman with short red hair standing next to it, armed and in full battle gear. Behind her is a hastily prepared wall of chairs, benches and anything else that may stop a bullet occupied by a familiar blue haired woman and another large balding human male. Both figures are undercover and watch intently as you enter the room. The ship quakes from an unseen explosion as the flag bearer speaks.
"We should talk."
"4) Lastly, there were some video games that also weakened the MMMG. Most of these games were played at John's house be they video game or rpg." -Celest
"Damn you, Big Brother. Damn you." -Curulambe
"I was told our base was for the Black Man." - batman
