[Ok Guys, here is the first post to open the thread, have fun, and if anyone reads this and wants to join, go to the App/OC thread, though I am not taking any new interest.  may open that up later.]<br/><br/><br/><b><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="color: DarkRed">Gears Of War: Depths of Hell!</span></span></b><br/><br/><br/>The gears had gathered in the 'conference room' to hear the briefing for the mission that the squad had been put together for.  Well, ok, it was more like a tent near the temporary CIC, about a dozen salvaged chairs around for people to sit at around a table in the center where a map of the area was displayed with notes drawn on the surface.  It was pinned down to the table and ready for Captain Smith to brief the newly formed Squad, Foxtrot-6.  Darion himself would lead the squad in the field, and thus had ordered everyone he had been listed as being under his command to this tent and to be ready to depart with all their kit.<br/><br/>He was looking at the map itself when everyone piled into the room.  The one person from his old squad that entered to tent for the briefing was Private John Carmine, and one he would trust with a sniper rifle to save his life every time, and he hated for haw good he was with women and getting in their pants.  It was annoying how he loved to always wear his helmet, even when not in battle, Darion's blue colored helmet was sitting there on the table with the map while the Captain was going over potions of the mission.  The rest of the squad came in in the short time before the briefing would start, and darion couldn't help himself but take a longer look at the women who entered the room, all younger than him.  And the immediate thought that John would flirt his way into one, if not two of their beds before the mission was over.  That guy was a Casanova.<br/><br/>The scars on the one who carried the med-kit though drew his attention as they looked fresh compared to the ones that covered darion.  Her scars had to be only under a few months old.  Might be an interesting story to hear someday.  Honestly she had probably been a pretty good looking woman before the scars.  That inspection only lasted a moment though before the pilot, and the other woman entered the tent through the flap, their King Raven pilot.  He had heard rumors about her, how her flights always seemed to turn into roller coaster rides.  Should be fun, the man had never been on a roller coaster before.<br/><br/>His inspection of the Squad wasn't able to last much longer though as the captain spoke up to get attention and begin the briefing.<span style="color: Sienna"> “Listen up ladies.”</span>he half yelled a moment, looking around at them all.<span style="color: Sienna">“As you all know we are having supply issues, especially with weapon kits and food.  The stores we were able to salvage and bring with us are barely able to keep the civilian rations as they are.  And I know you have seen the trouble with obtaining extra parts for incontinence of your weapons when they malfunction.”</span><br/><br/>He walled a little behind the table and map, he was giving some reasoning for the mission itself, and what the gears were going out to do.<span style="color: Sienna">“While the engineers were working on some of the buildings, they located some documents that hinted at the location of an old COG Base in Ilanir.  The bunker under the base  operated as a warehouse, was sealed tight when word was given that the hammer was going to be used.  We have no reason to doubt that it isn't still sealed and the supplies are still there.   The Stranded would have not been able to gain access to the bunker, and the walls were reinforced, so the Locust couldn't dig into it even if they knew about it.  It is unconfirmed if this information is correct though.</span>”  With those words he pointed to the map specifically for darion.  The Dot that was Ilanir was about 10 miles to the north at the edge of an elevation change on the map.  That couldn't be good.<br/><br/><span style="color: Sienna">“You are being sent because you are all we can spare to scout the city for threats and determine the validity of this information.  We have no reports of any Locust inside the city limits, or any threat beyond the Stranded that are no doubt in the city.  It should be a cake walk according to the intel, and a previous fly by from a Raven a few months back.  You mission is to deploy into the city via King Raven, KR-562, Piloted by Corporal Kriegzehr”</span>when the captain said the name, he pronounced it Kreegzer,<span style="color: Sienna"> “and locate this Bunker from the base near the city indicated on this map.  You will also be provided with a Jack class bot to provide support and allow access to the base if you locate it.”</span><br/><br/><span style="color: Sienna">"There is no confirmed threat for this mission, but keep your eyes open Gears.  Locust raiders have been attacking our people and it is possible that there may be some based in that city.  Your Squad leader will be Staff Sergeant Syler.  He will brief you are the particulars of this mission en-route.   Good Luck Gears, Dismissed.”</span>With that Captain Smith finished his briefing to the gears and departed the tend, Giving darion the chance to move o the front for a few words.  He was not even trying to be as eloquent at the officer.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkRed">“Well, you heard the man, we are on a shopping trip, let's just hope the store hasn't already been looted.  Jeanette, your raven should already be on the pad ready and waiting for you to take the drivers seat.  That's why I asked you all to come with your full Kit ready to the briefing, we are leaving immediately to the mission zone.  Alright everyone, head out and mount up.”</span>The way he spoke to the squad was obviously not professional at all, he just smiled a bit.  As he finished, darion reached over and took the standard helmet that matched his full armor and replaced it onto it's proper place on his head.  Ok, he may have to take it off again if the stories were right about their pilot just to not make a mess.  On his armor were all his usual combat attire down to the knife in his boots, and the ammo packs along his belt full of clips for his Lancer and Gnasher.<br/><br/>Darion made his way first out of the tent, holding it open so the others could leave before following after them to the Raven where they were mounting up, and securing the safety lines to their armor.  He made sure he was the last on. The sun was just starting to peak over the far horizon, making look like it would be dawn and they would have a little light   As they mounted, he couldn't help himself but take another good look at the new women in his squad, and imagining what they looked like under the armor that mostly hid their features.<span style="color: SandyBrown">“Wow, we got lucky this time man, finally get something nice to look at in the squad.”</span>John spoke as he mounted just before darion.<br/><br/>The sergeant couldn't help but smile and reply, their words barely heard over the distinctive sound of the Raven blades spinning up, getting ready to take off.<span style="color: DarkRed"> “I know John.  It's about time.  Just try saving one for me.”</span>ok, he knew that was unlikely to matter because he was not as smooth with flirting as Carmine.  It wouldn't matter.<br/><br/><span style="color: SandyBrown">“Don't worry, you can have the one with the scars.”</span>he replied before the noise became too loud for them to hear each other as Darion climbed into the bay.  John was sure to have timed that correctly so that if darion was to reply to what he said, it would have to be over the radio.  No, the sergeant was unlikely to do that since thye would all hear that.  He just grumbled a bit under his breath as he secured himself and put his finer to the ear area of his helmet so he could speak into the radio.<span style="color: DarkRed">“Ok, Jeanette, we are in and secured, ready to go as soon as we are cleared.”</span><br/><br/>It was another minute or so of conversation between Jeanette and CIC before clearance was given and she could take off.<span style="color: Purple">“CIC to KR-Five-Six-Two.  Cleared to lift off.  Good hunting Foxtrot-Six.”</span>came the voice over their radio headsets.  It would be impossible for them to hear any voices if it wasn't over the radio due to the Raven's blades.<br/><br/>Darion himself waited a moment before putting his hand to his ear again.<span style="color: DarkRed">“Alright, switch radios to open channel so we don't all have to keep out hands jammed in our ears.  Jeanette, try keeping the raven steady for the inflight briefing, I'll ask what the movie is later.”</span>ok, the last comment to the pilot he couldn't help but grin a bit at himself for making before continuing.<span style="color: DarkRed">“Ok, this shouldn't take long.  I just have to add some details about the topography of the city.  Ilanir, is a coastal city, before E-Day is was a common vacation spot, but only half of it is actually on the beach and on flat ground.  The base itself that the bunker is under is 800 Meters above sea level, on top of a cliff looking out over the ocean.”</span>he said, going from memory of what he had been briefed alone on the city.<span style="color: DarkRed">“It is a small base, made for maintenance of Sea Ravens for NCOG.  The Bunker under it was a secret emergency operations center should all hell break loose.  It was never used, being abandoned by the gears stationed there when the Fortification act was put in place, all the ravens returned to Jacinto.  So there is a landing place inside the base we should be able to use.”</span><br/><br/>After a pause, him trying to remember what else he needed.<span style="color: DarkRed">“Because of this, it should be a Cake walk, easy land, look around, find the doors and call in the vehicles to haul supplies out.  I don't know much about the rest of the place other than the road from the lower part of the town winds up the steep hills and bedrock up to the elevation of the base.  It looks like part of the town was built into sides of the cliff, and the roads crisscross that elevation where they had room.  Intel I guess figured we didn't need to know much about the city itself.”</span>He said finishing with a shrug, the last part sounding like a sigh of annoyance.<span style="color: DarkRed">“I wouldn't doubt the Grubs would tunnel there and because it is above sea level it won't be flooded, so definitely keep your eyes open.  Especially since the high hills become mountains about five miles further along the ocean, do not be getting complacent...”</span>he paused a bit to make it seem like he had something else dire to give, but far from it when he spoke up again.<span style="color: DarkRed">“...So now that the seriousness is out of the way, What's the inflight movie Jeanette?”</span><br/><br/>The said mountains were just barely coming into view on the horizon, they had about another 10-15 minutes till their destination.  Darion hadn't discouraged any questions about the mission coming up<br/><br/>….................................................<br/><br/>A stranded hunter that aided the Small enclave in Ilanir was out hunting for animals outside the city, a few miles from it.  The bow he carried pulled back as he sighted down the shaft of the notched arrow at a rabit that had come out of the bush it was hiding in to move cautiously.  The hunter waited patiently for it to stop before he let loose the arrow, pinning the white hare to the ground with a loud squeak.  After a few moments it went silent, and the hunter moved over to start gathering it.<br/><br/>It was while he was doing that that he froze solid upon a distant sound carried to him by the wind.  It was too distinctive to mistake for anything else, even out this far from any COG operating bases.  He heard the very distant cutting sound of a King Raven approaching.  Not a good thing.  He stopped cleaning his kill to wipe his hand off on an old rage before reaching for the old radio he had that was tuned to a different frequency than the COG's radios.  Someone in the Enclave would pick the thing up and hear it.<span style="color: MediumTurquoise">“Hey, anyone there to Pickup?  I can hear a COG chopper coming.  Best warn an old geezer to do something.”</span><br/><br/>He only waited a moment before there was a pick up on the other end.<span style="color: Gray">“Ok Mack, I'll tell the old man.  I think he may want to get someone in a bell tower to look for Grubs.”</span>Mack put the radio away before going back to cleaning his kill, deciding it was better to stay out here where he could hide than return too soon.  Wherever the COG were, the Grubs weren't far behind.  The stranded in Ilanir would go into hiding.<br/><br/>…................................................<br/><br/>Ilanir was an old town before E-day even was close, built at least a decade before the Pendulum wars started, and the design of most of the older buildings showed this easily.  The rustic buildings had a kind of charm to them that made the city a tourist destination to Tyran citizens  about half way through the human on human wars.  The Hotels and resorts were built mostly on the beach outside the old town sections, and some even on the cliff sides along the higher elevations above the bulk of the city.<br/><br/>Now though, with the lack of maintenance for 15 years, had made much of the pastel and other older colored building actually look old and unused.  Dilapidated would best describe them all now.   Old and unused in the arches canal bridges and homes that made up the old town section of the city.   It looked like noone had lived there since the COG abandoned the base.  Lifeless with only the random animal scurrying around every once and a while.<br/><br/>Battle damage was also seemed to be a minimum in the city where many had fled away from before the hammer strikes, not wishing to stay there without the protection of COG forces.  The only damage was from when a Locust patrol would come through and the Stranded that had stayed didn't hide well enough.<br/><br/>The appearance that the city was lifeless would be shattered though as a young thin boy ran down one of the streets towards the road that wound its way up the side of the steep incline to the clifs above the whole town before dashing into an old building built along the said road.  There were still people here, maybe about a few hundred stranded who were really good at hiding spread out and hidden in many of the buildings.  They were this city's enclave of Stranded.  Their apparent leader was one of the oldest men their, and he was only their leader because people just tended to listen to him.<br/><br/>The boy who had entered the house ran up the single set of stairs and began knocking on the door of one of the stranded who still had a good working weapon, and was a marksman.<span style="color: DimGray">“Vyk!  Vyk!  Kleiner wants you to go up into the old church’s bell tower!  He said 'COG fascists' are coming and that your should watch them to make sure they don't bring any monsters with them.”</span>As he called, it was obvious at some parts that he was just repeating what the old man Kleiner had said, the boy wouldn't know what a fascist was.  It was still early Dawn, and there wasn't much light when this boy came running with the warning.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>