The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Urbanzorro on 11-04-2011, 05:22:39</h2>
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				Title: <strong>The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 05:22:39</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Chapter 1: Planet Fall </strong><br></span><br><br>LV-6329.... a minor colony on the edge of charted space, financed by Weyland-Yutani for years it has been productive, secluded, and peaceful. A model ‘shake and bake’ colony, it has also been a secret home for a Weyland-Yutani research facility. Having achieved breathable atmosphere 15 years ago some areas of LV-6329, specifically a number of valleys and canyons, are already beginning to flourish into jungles while the remainder of the planetoid's surface is with the exception of rock formations and caves, quite barren. At last contact LV-3629&nbsp; had reported an unidentified ship entering orbit, then all contact was lost. The colony of “Ades's Folly,” the only human settlement on the planet seemed to simply fall off the grid. After a week of non-responsiveness the USMC was notified and appraised of the possibility of this being an act of 'corporate sabotage.' A platoon was sent to investigate what exactly happened. This is their story.... <br><br><hr><br>The formation of three US Navy starships moved silently through the blackness of space. As the USS Mitchum, USS Johannesburg, and USS Vendetta approached LV-6329 each ship began to activate it's dormant systems and slowly come fully online, first the life support, then the lights, several minutes later the cryo tube rooms came online, slowly defrosting the sleeping marines. <br><br>After a few more minutes the tubes opened up. FATHER, the supercomputer system in charge of and connected to all US Military computer systems had completed the resuscitation procedures and every marine’s bio-signs were reading at 100 percent. Kilo platoon has survived their journey through space and now there was scarcely enough time to eat, square away gear, and receive orders before they reached LV-6329.<br><br><hr>Roughly three hours had passed since the ships had awoken their human cargo and now as the three vessels began to enter orbit of LV-6329 the mission could truly begin. Since entering sensor range the task force had scanned and re-scanned the system and the planet for any signs of enemy activity. Each squad leader had been given a brief on the information collected so that they could disseminated it to their squads as they saw fit. <br><br>No ships had been detected, but wreckage that matched several of Weyland-Yutani's private security ships had been identified, in addition to this brute force jamming equipment had been deployed to cover nearly all of the planet's surface preventing the ships from determining possible positions of enemies and civilians. Given this data FATHER had determined that someone or something had attacked the Weyland-Yutani security force present at LV-6329, deposited forces on the ground, and then retreated out of scanner range of the planet.<br><br>Each squad had been given immediate objectives to carry out in order to lay groundwork for the re-taking of the planet and the elimination of any hostiles. 1st Squad was to be dispatched to the location identified as the main source of the jamming signal with orders to identify and neutralize the device creating said signal. 2nd Squad was to be dispatched to the small arms factory in order to secure a position for an eventual assault on and clearing of the facility, while&nbsp; 3rd squad would secure the civilian colony.&nbsp; <br><br><hr>In the hanger bays of each ship the marines began to board their drop ships. FATHER dutifully, counted down the time till departure, announcing as each minute passed. At the two minute mark each drop ship's engines began to run, as each ship prepared to depart from the belly of it's transport. As the final seconds passed by FATHER said, in his ever consistent monotone voice "All preparations for planet fall are now complete. Initializing combat drop."<br><br><br>The ramp into the drop ships slowly closed with a precision of timing that only an operation run by a computer could achieve.<br><br><hr><strong>3rd Squad APC, inside Dropship</strong><br><br>The drop ship's pilot's voice came loud and clear over the speakers "All right ladies and gents....lets do this!" The drop ship was slowly lowered down by it's docking arm. FATHER opened the belly of the Mitchum, "Prepare for docking release in T minus 5....4.....3.....2.....1......Release!" the pilot called out. <br><br>The drop ship gave a hard lurch as it pulled away from it's docking harness and began to move under it's own power. Flying smoothly for a few seconds before it hit atmosphere. "The atmo's a bit thick on this world! It's gonna be one helluva ride!" the pilot called out his voice betraying his excitement and obvious adrenalin high.<br><br><br>A second later the craft began to shake, first only slightly almost imperceptibly so, but after 30 seconds it was almost as if the drop ship was jumping around in midair, jerking from left to right, up to down, and every direction in between. The drop ship's hull could be heard groaning under the stress of breaking through LV-6329s atmosphere. As it moved closer and closer to the planet's surface its trajectory began to change. The pilot did his best to keep the change as unnoticeable as possible. Just like he had been trained to, ideally the marines' bodies wouldn't even notice that they had stopped 'falling' and were moving on a horizontal path until it had already happened. The shaking seemed to get worse and worse as the ride went on until finally three minutes later the shaking gave way to a sudden stillness "Now THAT was fun!" the pilot called out. Grinning as he did "Alright I'm bringing her in towards the LZ touch down in T minus 30 seconds. You'll be about 5 clicks from the colony......once you've disembarked I'll fly a holding patter for 3 hours then head back up to the Mitchum for refueling." The pilot was a Captain and as far as he was concerned he didn't need to follow some ground pounder's schedule. "if you need evac or fire support at any time just give me a call."<br><br><hr><strong>1st Squad Drop Ship</strong><br><br>"Orders confirmed, combat drop commencing" the pilot said into her coms head set, her attention never drifting from the controls she was checking and rechecking before the drop. She knew her orders for this mission, they'd depart from the USS Johannesburg and then she'd fly 1st Squad to within 2 clicks of their objective. Once they'd departed it would she'd be flying close air support as enemy ground forces were expected. <br><br>She flicked the switch to connect her to her cargo's coms system. "We'll be dropping in a minute and breaking atmo soon after. So strap in marines." She then flicked the switch off, a smile spreading across her face. This was what she lived for! This was a combat drop, and that meant there was no reason for her to do it any way but fast!<br><br>Throttling up the engine to full power she began to guide the dropship to it's LZ. The small craft passed through the atmosphere, also shaking and jarring like the other two ships. For some reason LV-6329's atmosphere was considerably rougher on entry than the standard 'shake and bake' colony's. And this made for a very rough ride.<br><br>Eventually the jarring and turbulence stopped. Roughly two minutes later all those inside the ship found their transport suddenly jinking hard to the right. G-Forces working hard on the marines' bodies. "Hold on tight!" the pilot shouted over the intercom "We're taking fire! I repeat taking fire, expect a hot LZ!" This sentence was followed by another hard maneuver this one to the left. A second later a near deafening BOOM could be heard through out the dropship and the craft suddenly began to list and tip to the left. "We're hit!" the pilot shouted, her voice betraying her nervousness at the sheer amount of fire being directed at them. "Brace for crash landing!......."<br><br>As the dropship impacted with the ground below the pilot realized she wasn't going to make it through this one. They were heading right for a large patch of jungle with far too many trees, one of them was sure to hit her windshield and impale her..... But she'd done her job as a pilot, and even when they'd been hit she'd managed to keep enough control to avoid simply squashing themselves on the ground. As the dropship hit the ground and practically bounced back into the air for a moment before hitting the ground again and sliding its way into one of the jungle covered valleys she saw exactly what was going to kill her, it was a large tree branch that practically seemed to be aimed right at where she'd be in less than 3 seconds. With no time to get out of the cockpit, or do anything else to save herself she simply closed her eyes... The ship slid another 30 feet before finally coming to a stop. As soon as it had stopped the emergency charges on the rear hatch blew and the door opened for those who were still alive in the dropship to be able to escape. <br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 06:31:38</strong>
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				Cryo Freezing was the least enjoyable part of being in the Marines. Getting shot at, getting yelled at, and getting shot at while getting yelled at were all very doable parts of the profession, but if there was one thing Arca hated above all else, it was cold. She hated <em>being</em> cold, she hated <em>looking</em> cold, she hated <em>walking through</em> cold, and she loathed ice, as it was simply water, that was cold. If they would let her wear a damn parka into the cryo tube, the whole 'freeze you for three months' thing would be so much more bearable, but no, every time she sees a damn cryo tube, she's gotta listen to Mengsk's usual order to 'strip to the skivvies.'<br><br>Arca was one of only two women in Third Platoon, and she always felt as though everyone else had thought lower of her. Maybe it was because she chose her computers over living people for conversations, or maybe it was because she actively <em>spoke</em> to her computers. She slowly awoke from the Cyro Sleep, for the first time being the first up. Grappling a shaking hand on the side of the pod, she pulled herself up with a slight amount of difficulty, sitting slightly in the pod, rubbing her face to get the sleep out.<br><br>She shivered, in a mixed of cold and lack of clothing, and looked around. She had given up her modesty when she joined, so sitting in her underwear didn't bother her much. "Good morning... or... afternoon... or... something..." She muttered, not knowing who would hear.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 06:32:27</strong>
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				Cryosleep was the goddamn worse thing about being a marine.&nbsp; No matter how many times she went through it, Gunnery Sergeant Riska Danko always felt like a freeze-dried scrap of meat by the end of it, as stiff and as worn out as overcooked bacon. She’d lay down good money that whatever spook had dreamed it up had never actually gone through it themselves, otherwise it would be a hellavu lot nicer.&nbsp; The tubes were always small, the cushions hard as rocks and no computer she’d ever known could warm up the floor decently before anyone set foot on it.&nbsp; Ah well, it was all part of the job, wasn’t it?<br><br>Sitting up, she shook the last of the cryosleep’s effects from her head and then peeled the various medical leads from her body before swinging her long legs over the side of the tube and setting her bare feet on the floor.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Good morning... or... afternoon... or... something..." She muttered, not knowing who would hear.</em><br><br>Because she expected the cold it didn’t faze Riska.&nbsp; Instead, she sighed a rough, "Morning," to the other woman and simply padded off towards the lockers without another word, searching for a bar high enough off the floor to do a few pull-ups.&nbsp; A few minutes of exercise and her blood would be moving enough to bring her back to 100 percent.&nbsp; Jumping up to a pipe that ran alongside the lockers, she began to pump out a dozen overhanded pull-ups, as the muscles of her back and biceps contracted, standing out around the lines of her standard issue A-shirt.&nbsp; She continued on until her copper skin was lightly sheened with sweat without giving a fuck who was watching.&nbsp; They could look all they wanted as long as they stayed the fuck out of her way.&nbsp; And then she dropped back down to the floor and retreated to her locker to get into her gear.&nbsp; A hurried and largely unfulfilled meal later and the members of the squad were all given time to check their equipment and gear up.&nbsp; Their orders were straightforward, rushed, and there was no time to waste.&nbsp; Soon, the entire squad had poured into the APC and was ready to make their drop. <br><br>Riska had strapped on her advanced personnel armor with care, knowing that she was likely to be wearing it for some time and it wouldn’t do to have something loose.&nbsp; The last time she’d hurried through it she’d had blisters in several extremely unpleasant places for weeks.&nbsp; The armor was well-broken in and fitted to her exact measurements, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t turn around in bite her in the ass from time to time.&nbsp; <br><br>Across the front of her polymer chest plate were the words, <em>Te lolirav I phuv mure ratesa, Martiya</em>.&nbsp; “May my blood redden the earth, Martiya.”&nbsp; A call and a challenge to the Romani spirit of the night, the angel of death to come and get Riska if she wanted her.&nbsp; The last thing she put on, before strapping herself into the M56 harness was her Romani granmother’s <em>mulengi dori</em>, the dead man’s string made out of the sheet that had been used to measure the old woman’s coffin.&nbsp; Seven knots were tied in the length of cloth, ready to be loosened should Riska ever have need of her grandmother’s <em>mule</em>, her ghost.&nbsp; Her father didn’t like that she carried the thing, but it was all she had left of the woman that had practically raised her, and she carried it everywhere.&nbsp; It was a ritual now, to wrap the thing around her left wrist and tie it off before going out on a new mission, all carried out in silence as she suited up.&nbsp; And she didn’t give a good goddamn if anyone in the squad thought it was odd. It was never good to tempt fate.&nbsp; &nbsp;Across the barrell of the gun was another reminder of her grandmother:&nbsp; <em>Akana mukav tut le Devlesa,</em> the gun said.&nbsp; "Now I leave you with God.<br><br>With the smart gun in place and the safety on, locked and loaded and with plenty of ammo to spare – including the radioactive rounds that some other gunners wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole - Riska headed to the hold and climbed into the APC for the upcoming drop, trying to quell the uneasy <em>prikaza </em> feeling the crept up her spine.&nbsp; The squad was hardly a tightly knit group and now they had a new Lieutenant. Fun times.&nbsp; Anyway it didn’t matter.&nbsp; There was no point worrying about something you couldn’t change. She’d adapt, like she always did.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>As drops went, it was relatively easy.&nbsp; Strapped in tight, Riska spent the time getting her game face on.&nbsp; As the squad’s heavy gunner, she’d bear the brunt of the heavy attacks, if needed, and it was time to put up or shut up – and Riska never walked away from anything.&nbsp; Several deep breaths had her cool as a cucumber, and ready to rock and roll. <br><br><em>"Now THAT was fun!" the pilot called out. Grinning as he did "Alright I'm bringing her in towards the LZ touch down in T minus 30 seconds. You'll be about 5 clicks from the colony......once you've disembarked I'll fly a holding patter for 3 hours then head back up to the Mitchum for refueling." </em>&nbsp; <br><br>Danko acknowledged the information without commenting on the derision in the pilot’s voice.&nbsp; She’d heard it all before, and he was damn good at what he did, so she was willing to tolerate his less than steller attitude.&nbsp; <br><br>“Orders, Sarge?” Riska asked, still locked into her seat.&nbsp; She’d release the restraint once they were dirtside.&nbsp; “Just what the hell are we in for here, anyway?”&nbsp; Like everyone else, she’d read the files that were provided, but she was well aware that the Sergeant and the L.T. were privy to more intel than the rest of the squad.&nbsp; She’d take all she could get if they were willing to dish it out.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br>&nbsp;<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 07:37:16</strong>
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				“Fuck, I want a cigarette.”<br><br>Private First Class Marcus Jones’ voice was little more than a growl as he drifted back into consciousness. Despite having quit smoking over a year before, at the insistence of one exceptionally mean and sadistic recruitment officer, coming out of cryo always brought with it an intense craving. While it wasn’t impossible to find relief on a ship the size of the size of the Mitchum, Marcus knew he was on a short leash. Groan as he might about the rigors of Marine life, he had to admit it was a hell of a lot better than spending the rest of his life locked up on Tartarus. <br><br>As he pulled himself from the pod and looked around, Marcus heard the faint murmur of voices from down the line. Tilting his head, he forced his eyes to focus and did so just in time to see the retreating form of the squad’s smart gunner, Gunnery Sergeant Danko, heading off toward the locker room. He made no attempt to hide it as he settled his cool gaze squarely on the woman’s behind.<br><br>“Damn nice piece of ass,” He muttered to himself, not particularly caring who heard him. He had joined the Marines to get out of prison, not to make friends. As the Sergeant moved quickly out of view, Marcus glanced around and quickly settled sights on Fields, the squad’s so-called electronics specialist. <br><br>With his most debonair grin, he added. “You too, sweetheart.” <br><br>Looking down at himself, Marcus grunted. <em>Standard issue boxers, standard issue undershirt, standard issue fabric and standard issue color. No creativity, no imagination. Gotta love the Corps.</em> He thought to himself as he stretched out weeks of cryostatis from his muscles. If it wasn’t for the prison tattoos that covered him nearly from head to toe, Marcus wouldn’t have been distinguishable from any of a thousand Marines. <br><br>Without waiting for either a response from Fields, or for anyone else to awaken, Marcus followed the smart gunner’s path out of the stasis room and made for the lockers. He took a quick shower before strapping on his own armor and then headed out to the mess hall. He wanted to make damned sure that he got some chow in him before they made the jump. <br>***<br><strong> "Alright I'm bringing her in towards the LZ touch down in T minus 30 seconds. You'll be about 5 clicks from the colony......once you've disembarked I'll fly a holding patter for 3 hours then head back up to the Mitchum for refueling." </strong><br><br>Three hours later, Marcus sat in the APC, listening as the pilot’s voice spoke to the squad over the com system. The turbulence had never bothered him, it was more like riding a roller coaster in some amusement park than anything. From the time he was a kid, he’d always had an iron stomach. He’d had to, in order to keep his head level on the streets and then in the slam. <em>This ain’t no scuffle over who controls the block,</em> He thought to himself as he did one last visual inspection on his pulse rifle. First he checked the power pack, making sure that it was fully charged. Then he turned his attention to the under slung grenade launcher and side mounted flame caster which he’d requested be mounted on his weapon. When he was satisfied that everything seemed to be in order he sat back and silently waited for planet fall. He was vaguely aware of Danko’s voice questioning the Sarge and the L.T. about the nature of the mission, and with a slight snort he spoke.<br><br>“Does it matter?”<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 08:21:25</strong>
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				"Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>O'Shay got up out of cryo sleep as quick as he could.&nbsp; Age had refused to slow the Devil Dog down, mostly because he wouldn't let it.&nbsp; He walked back and forth between the cryo pods of 1st Squad.&nbsp; He still had most of his old outfit, except for Mengsk, Widow, and Reaper.&nbsp; '1875' as he referred to it, had been a total shit storm. <br><br>Nightmarish aliens.&nbsp; Acid blood.&nbsp; Their young bursting out of the still living bodies of anything they could cocoon, including people.&nbsp; He was still having nightmares about it all and the people he lost.&nbsp; Widow had been killed saving Rome's life.&nbsp; She had knocked him out of the way of a charging alien the size of an elephant.&nbsp; Reaper had sacrificed his life by staying on the ramp to buy time.&nbsp; Unfortunately, it was a few seconds too late.&nbsp; He died impaled by a flying alien and covered in acid burns.&nbsp; He and the LT had requested they both be given medals and rank posthumously, but the suits at W-Y had seen the whole thing hushed up.&nbsp; The deaths were called 'accidents'.&nbsp; Fuckin' suits.&nbsp; Speaking of the LT, he had been transfered to another outfit suddenly.&nbsp; Who knows why, but it's easy to guess.&nbsp; At least, he still had the rest of the unit.&nbsp; He had gotten a new LT fresh out of Annapolis.&nbsp; He was green as green got, and he hadn't had the chance to learn his name.&nbsp; He hadn't had the chance to even learn his name.&nbsp; He at least still had Gizmo, Rome, Zippo, and Senjo so he had people he knew would keep it together.&nbsp; <br><br>O'Shay quickly ate a ration bar as he pulled on his gear.&nbsp; He always kept a few extra with him for situations like this.&nbsp; God knows they would last through the Apocalypse.&nbsp; "Stow your gear! Get strapped in! MOVE IT!" Now they were about to hit the shit again.&nbsp; LV-6329 had fallen off the grid.&nbsp; "How familiar..." O'Shay sarcastically thought.&nbsp; He couldn't help but wonder if it was more of the 'dickhead' aliens as Rome called them.&nbsp; It wouldn't be too shocking all things considered.&nbsp; He knew his Marines could solve the problem, but if they became alien chow, W-Y still gets a loose end tied up.&nbsp; They win either way.&nbsp; "Fuckin' suits...," he thought again.&nbsp; Innocent people were losing for their lives so they could make a buck.&nbsp; Yet, they always came out just saying that it was 'unforeseeable' or some shit and come away from it like nothing happened.&nbsp; <br><br>"We're taking fire! I repeat taking fire, expect a hot LZ!"<br><br>"Aw,fuck me...," was the last thing O'Shay could say before being jostled and banged around.&nbsp; The FUBAR drop had happened so quickly he had no time to even bark to 'brace for impact'.&nbsp; He wasn't sure how much time had passed before they took incoming fire and when they finally landed.&nbsp; He wasn't sure how long he had been out or if the turbulence had simply screwed with is sense of time, but he had to take action.&nbsp; <br><br>The scene around him was a mess.&nbsp; The drop ship inside was a mess.&nbsp; Sparks flew and lights flickered.&nbsp; He could see his Marines all around him, followed by weak groans.&nbsp; O'Shay had a job to do still.&nbsp; They were in a hot LZ, but at least the pilot had managed to land them as beast as she could.&nbsp; With a great strain of effort, he pushed the restraints off of him.&nbsp; <br><br>"Shit, Marines are you with me?!" he yelled, but didn't get much more than groans.&nbsp; He began to check on the closest member.&nbsp; It was Gizmo.&nbsp; Who had been strapped in right next to him.&nbsp; His eyes were wide open, looking at him.&nbsp; "Gizmo! You all right?" Nothing.&nbsp; Just blankness.&nbsp; "GIZMO! Damn it! Snap out of it!" It was only then O'Shay noticed something was off.&nbsp; He waved his hand in front of his eyes.&nbsp; No response.&nbsp; He felt his neck and confirmed what he hoped hadn't come to pass.&nbsp; The sudden impact had snapped Gizmo's neck.&nbsp; He hadn't even had a chance.&nbsp; <br><br>There was no time to mourn the dead just yet.&nbsp; There were still people he could save.&nbsp; "1st Squad! Talk to me!" he yelled as he began to check his men.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 09:18:15</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Mengsk and Squad 3 introduction&nbsp; </em></div><hr><br><strong>"My name is Tiberius Mengsk! To you fresh face maggots it is Sir." </strong><br>Tychus had yelled out to third squad when he met them all for the first time. The large man paced around in front of them forcing them to stand at attention the entire time as he spoke.<br><strong>"We are dropping down to secure the assets of our benefactor, this is no walk in the park. Corporate piracy is no joke, make sure you all are properly geared and ready to kill." </strong><br>He dismissed them and wandered off to prepare himself for the mission. After coming out of Cryo he was always confused and dazed it was part of the process but the memory loss was something all together. Something was in his head or had been which gave him long periods of nothing. Some days he could not even remember what meal he was sitting at even if he had his corn flakes right in front of him. Information had remained, kept a secret, knowledge he tucked away within the small pockets in his brain like a mama spider hiding her eggs but other memories where just gone. Because of this he had been forced to sit at a desk until he was told that he was back on the field. Tychus knew why, he was to dangerous with what he knew and they where sending him off to die. It would explain why half the squad where fresh out of boot and that really pissed him off. If they wanted him dead they should have sent him in alone. <br><br><hr><br><em>On the drop ship...hoping they all took their dramamine</em><br><br><hr><br>The rumor that Tychus was a seat warmer would have been discredited the moment he stepped into the APC in his officer's armor. The gear was battered to hell, it was not shiny and new as some might have expected, the man had seen combat it was just a damn shame he could hardly recall it. He sat seated in the APC with the rest of the squad, ignoring the communication with the pilot most of the trip. He loathed pilots, it was always some bull shit with them so he did not even bother addressing the one with their lives in his hands. If the ground was not under his feet he was not happy, even in a starship it put him on edge.<br><strong>"Copy that captain."</strong><br>He said as they team was dropped onto ground at last. Mengsk had asked for an APC&nbsp; this time around.<br><strong><br>"Man those guns grunts, first come first serve."</strong><br>Tychus ordered as he got in the driver's seat.<br><strong>"I need whoever calls shotgun to tell me where the hell I am going, if I like this rock I plan on being buried here." </strong><br>He added with a little humor, masking the cold bitch none as truth from them. When they all seemed to settle in and the drive towards the destination arrived he finally answered. <br><strong>"We are just going to make sure these civilians are paying their dues to the Weyland-Yutani Corp and if we need to rough them up so be it." </strong><br>Tychus said with a sarcastic tone but it was not addressed towards Gunnery Sargent Riska, if it was truly analyzed they would note his absolute hatred for WY and the Corps. <br><strong>"The locals must be getting restless." </strong><br>He added as he gunned the APC in the direction of the facility. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 12:28:24</strong>
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				1ST SQUAD SYNTHETIC HITAGI "SENJO" SENJOGAHARA. MEGATECH CHASSIS #23711-H/F-34. CPU LAWS-ANDREWS TYPE 17C #2112 -<br><br>- IN THE WRECKED DROPSHIP<br><br>The transit from the USS Johannesburg was unremarkable. Unremarkable that is, for me, an artificial person. While around me the marines were all rigidly holding onto the restraining straps and the contents of their stomachs, and cursing, I sat motionless, both arms raised and gripping the safety stirrups of the crew bench above my head in a relaxed gesture. I remained silent. My body shifted from side to side with the turbulence but my face remained blank. I looked neither to right nor left and shared no comments with the pumped up soldiers around me.<br><br>When the pilot called a hot El-Zee my attention shifted to the secured drums of the UA-571-C sentry guns for which I was responsible. They remained harnessed in their straps, the ammunition cases in their hold-all that could be carried back-pack style strapped in above them. I watched the gun drums and measured the Gee-forces as the dropship swung and turned. We pulled four point six three two Gee in one bank. With a mass of one hundred and thirty pounds the zylon fabric strapping would tolerate a sustained five Gee force and momentary forces up to six point five Gee. The guns and their ammo were secure.<br><br>While around me the marines sweated and waited and worried and the noises of combat outside grew louder, I quietly calculated equipment securing harness Gee-forces. My mind is at home with calculations.<br><br>The dropship rattled and flew erratically with a hit and the pilot crash-landed us among dense jungle. I observed green whipping past the side door porthole opposite me. No sooner did the craft come to rest and the smaller less secure items within the crewspace stop rolling around did I punch the release catch on my chest harness and move immediately forwards to the cabin, up four steps and pushed through the access hatch.<br><br>The pilots cabin was not there. No part of it was left. I was standing on a broken shard of carbon fibre floor panel and all around me was dense moist greenery. The heat and water content of the air hit me with a sudden rush of information. Thirty six degrees Celcius. Eighty three percent humidity. One thousand two hundred and twelve metres altitude above calculated datum. A large diameter tree branch which I calculated to be the cause of the trauma to the cabin lay across the space where the cockpit had been and heavy red smears informed me of all I needed to know.<br><br>I stepped back down into the crewspace and compensated my balance on the decking, walking uphill across the ship towards the leftenant's desk. Further down towards the ramp Seargant O'Shay was speaking, the tones of his voice evidencing mild panic and concern.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"... GIZMO! Damn it! Snap out of it!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> The sergeant waved his hands before Private Law's eyes. The rest of the squad were moving fast, stowing gear and moving to the ramp to secure a perimeter. I needed to check the leftenant only to stop a metre from his seat. The strike on the craft during the landing had punched a hole the diameter of a baseball through the armoured wall of the cabin. Whatever piece of debris or spent projectile had made the hole had contacted fractions of a second later with Leftenant Rastenburg's head. His combat helmet had provided insufficient protection. The right upper rear quadrant of his skull was missing. Blood clotted and flowed from the wound down his side and back. I pressed two fingers to his neck and confirmed by measurement what the visual signs made almost certain. He was dead, his hands still gripped the landing restraints, he had died instantly.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"1st Squad! Talk to me!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> <strong>"Here,"</strong> I replied, loudly enough to be heard, but with non-agitated tonal values in my voice. <strong>"Our pilot is dead. Damage sustained during the landing has rendered the dropship inoperative. The leftenant is dead. Sergeant, you are in command."</strong><br><br>I moved back down the spine of the vessel to unstrap and collect the sentry guns, slinging my pulse rifle over my shoulder as I worked. <br><br>(http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk137/HaibaneR/Senjo-10.jpg)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 15:24:30</strong>
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				<strong>G.S. Danko - Third Squad - APC</strong><br><hr><br><em>“Does it matter?”</em><br><br>Danko turned towards Jones and flashed him a sly grin.&nbsp; Though it bothered her to admit it, the man was damn <em>fine </em> and it almost – <em>almost </em> – made up for his unprofessional and cavalier behavior.&nbsp; Sooner or later she was going to hit that, and <em>hard</em>, if only to see if his abilities were as good as his bravado.&nbsp; If nothing else, it would get him out of her system and the way she saw it, that could only be a good thing.<br><br>“Of <em>course </em> it matters,” Riska drawled, reaching out to draw one hand lovingly along the length of the M56’s barrel.&nbsp; “I need to know if I should load with standard or hot rounds.”&nbsp; Leaning forward, she wrapped her fingers around the length of the barrel as her grin sharpened.&nbsp; “God knows I like it <em>hot</em>.&nbsp; Don’t you?”&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><em>"We are just going to make sure these civilians are paying their dues to the Weyland-Yutani Corp and if we need to rough them up so be it."</em><br><br>“Fuckin’ A,” Danko said, sitting back and releasing her restraint bar.&nbsp; The minute that the new Lieutenant had walked on board the ship just minutes before cryo she knew that Mengsk was no desk jockey, and the state of his armor had merely confirmed it.&nbsp; Unlike their last CO, this was a man who had seen plenty of combat.&nbsp; It went a long way towards soothing her apprehensions about the mission.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><em>"The locals must be getting restless."</em><br><br>“Ooooo, corporate discipline,” Riska drawled once she stood up.&nbsp; “My <em>favorite</em>.”&nbsp; <br><br>Leaving shotgun for the Sergeant, Danko secured her smart gun and crossed to the nearest door, taking up position at the gun system mounted there. “All right,” she called out.&nbsp; “Let’s get this party started!”&nbsp; <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 16:20:02</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br>Private Ed Cooper didn't want to die out here. But there were things he wanted even less, like coming off like a green recruit in front of his new squad. Boot camp had been harsh, sure, but one look at his squadmates told him they'd been through a lot worse. He didn't know any of them well. He'd only been with this squad a couple of weeks before this mission, barely enough time to get through all of the required hazing. He'd tried to take it with good humor. It wouldn't be a good idea to get pegged as a tight-ass. Reputation was important. Back in school he'd been the tough guy. No surprise, it looked like that slot was already spoken for here. About six times over. <br><br>He'd only had time to get to know his squad by stereotypes. None of them seemed overly eager to cut the new guy a break. It made sense, he figured. Get through a couple of combat missions first. No sense getting to know somebody just to watch them get killed. He'd have to prove himself, somehow. At least that's what he figured; he was making most of this up as he went along. There was a whole lot they didn't teach you in boot camp.<br><br>Like what to do when you came out of cryosleep. He looked around at the other marines, who all seemed to know where they were going. So he followed them. The cold didn't bother him much; it wasn't much worse than a Nebraska winter. But would it kill them to put up a couple of signs? He went down one dead end corridor and tried for a minute or so to make it seem like he had a good reason for standing there. Not that anybody was watching, probably. Eventually he found his locker and got suited up. No time to eat, which was just as well. He'd heard bad things about combat drops, and having his stomach growl was going to be a whole lot better for his reputation than blowing chunks over the dropship floor.<br><br>The Lieutenant was a piece of work. Cooper kept quiet, trying not to draw the man's attention. He was new to the squad too, and would probably be looking for a quick way to establish his reputation. Like kicking the shit out of the greenie. Cooper wasn't going to give him any excuse. From what he'd heard, there were about a hundred things that'd determine if you stayed safe on a mission like this. Training, luck, equipment -- all important. Staying on your commander's good side -- crucial.<br><br>The drop had gone surprisingly easy, he thought. Cooper kept quiet, trying not to look either too scared or too excited. He checked over his gear again, then stopped himself. Nobody else was doing that. And his pulse rifle was practically brand new. No reason to obsess over it. The weight of the medical kit was comforting, though. He'd only had basic field medic training, but he'd been pretty good at it. Everybody liked the guy with the med kit, right? Hell, if nothing else he could put a hurt on somebody with it; the thing must have weighed fifteen pounds alone.<br><br><br>Cooper didn't move to take either the cannon or the Gatling turret, figuring someone with more experience could do a better job. There was a seat open by a gun port, though, and he took it and strapped in. It was just coincidence that the position gave him a good view of GS Danko climbing into her own position. Goddammit. Marines weren't supposed to get boners looking at other Marines. He quickly shifted his gaze to study the terrain rolling by outside.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 20:43:17</strong>
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				Arca leapt in surprise at Megnsk's bellowing voice, more startled at the sudden audible stimulus then the actual yelling. She uttered 'yes sir' when prompted, but didn't put any heart into it (well, no more then the other marines did) and stood to wake up. Moving her blond hair out her eyes she listened to the daily rants of the other Marines. She walked to her locker and opened it, retrieving her gear she stashed there before she had gone into stasis. Arca was a specialist, and it offered her little time with any weapon expertise, so her accuracy and efficency with any weapon lacked severely, but despite the fact, she still kept it (Partially because she had to). Pulling the black t-shirt over her head, she gave a yawn, slowly trying to figure out how to put the armor on again.<br><br>With her armor loosely attached to her body, she heard the cry to strap in, and did so with a great yawn, feeling the dropship lurch as it hit the atmosphere. Her stomach churned with the ship. Fighting the urge to vomit, she kept everything down, repeating to herself <em>'You haven't eaten enough to vomit now'</em> Arca ate very little, only what some would consider 'chicken feed' to keep her stomach from eating itself, finding it easier to be hungry, and more mobile, then stuffed and lethargic.<br><br><em>'Man the guns?'</em> She continued to think to herself when the order was given, unlatching herself and stretching her legs. <em>'I think someone who can actually shoot should do that for me.'</em> She was nearly too weak to hold a Pulse Rifle on target most of the time, how the hell was she supposed to keep a ship-mounted turret on target at all? She'd just wind up shooting space, or the ship (Don't laugh. She did it in training). There was another newcomer who had the same thought as her. She didn't get to know this one all too well, but he seemed like a stand-up guy. She gave another yawn as Danko climbed into a turret to do her part. "Give 'em some for me, will ya Dan?" She called playfully to their Smartgunner, while she checked her gear, making sure her stuff was still all accounted for.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 22:08:35</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt. Marcus Jones – 3rd Squad - APC</strong><br><br><strong>“Of course it matters,” Riska drawled, reaching out to draw one hand lovingly along the length of the M56’s barrel.&nbsp; “I need to know if I should load with standard or hot rounds.”&nbsp; Leaning forward, she wrapped her fingers around the length of the barrel as her grin sharpened.&nbsp; “God knows I like it hot.&nbsp; Don’t you?”</strong><br><br>Marcus chuckled loudly and flashed Danko what could only be classified as a shiteating grin. She wanted him. A blind, deaf mute could have told him that. “Oh I like it hot,” He replied matching her tone. “Radio-fucking-active.” <br><br>As he spoke, visions of throwing her on the floor of the APC and giving her what she wanted filled his mind, driving him to distraction until the little voice in the back of his head sounded as it had countless times before. <em>This ain’t the time or the place to be thinking about getting your dick wet.</em> It told him. <em>Not if you want to live.</em><br><br>Since he’d joined the Corps, Marcus hadn’t seen much action. But the voice in his mind spoke from years of experience both in the gang wars which had ravaged his home colony and years in the slam. <em>The weapons might be fancier,</em> He thought to himself. <em>But war is still war, no matter where you are.</em><br><br><strong>"Man those guns grunts, first come first serve.&nbsp; I need whoever calls shotgun to tell me where the hell I am going, if I like this rock I plan on being buried here."</strong> Marcus didn’t know much about the L.T., but from what he’d seen thus far he was just dealing with another uptight pantywaste who was in love with the sound of his own voice. <br><br>Undoing his safety harness, Marcus stood and looked around. He made his way down the line, passing by Fields, who looked like she was completely out of her depth in front of her gun port. He then spied the new guy, Cooper, ogling Danko as she set up her weapon. With a sly grin, he slapped the man heartily on the back and leaned over to speak as he passed by. <br><br>“Nice ass, huh? 20 says I break her in before you do, game?.” Though his tone was mostly mocking, there was a slight hint of camaraderie to it. Cooper was brand spanking new, with nary a clue of what was in store for him. That reminded Marcus of a time almost beyond remembering, when he too was that innocent. Settling in to the gun port next to the new guy, he took hold of the turret and began a cursory search for targets. “<br><br><strong>“We are just going to make sure these civilians are paying their dues to the Weyland-Yutani Corp and if we need to rough them up so be it."</strong> There was a sarcastic note to the L.T.’s voice that was not lost on Marcus. At first he thought it was directed at Danko, but after a second of consideration he realized that the tone echoed many of Marcus’ own private opinions. <br><br><em>He’s not any happier about being here than I am.</em><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>11-04-2011, 22:48:11</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt. Cooper - 3rd Squad - APC</strong><br><br>Cooper nearly jumped off of the narrow metal seat, surprised as he was by Marcus' slap on the back. <br><em><br>“Nice ass, huh? 20 says I break her in before you do, game?.”</em><br><br>He didn't want to bet the man -- a bet he'd probably lose anyway. He just wanted him to shut the hell up before more attention was drawn his way. He'd been caught red-handed, sure. But the whole squad didn't need to know about it. Especially not the Gunnery Sergeant and.... he looked guiltily over at the electronics specialist, Arca, but couldn't tell whether she'd caught anything of the exchange. It was damn noisy inside this metal box. Maybe it'd be all right. He hadn't been with the squad long enough to get a nickname. It'd be just his luck if he got stuck with "Perv" or "Ass-man" or something worse.<br><br>It had taken way too long for any response from him to be considered a quick comeback now. So he just leaned over toward Marcus and tried to talk quietly enough that his voice wouldn't carry, loud enough to be heard over the grinding engine. "Ah... no bet, man. Just... um... let me know when you're done with her. So I can get my turn."<br><br><em>Smooth, Ed.</em><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 01:31:31</strong>
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				<strong>PFC Yui Sakuraba - 1st Squad</strong><br><br><em>VEEEP VEEEP VEEEP VEEEP VEEEP</em><br><br>Fucking alarm. <em>No shit, we're crashing</em>, I thought ... except there wasn't time to think. One second, I was holding onto a landing strap, waiting for touchdown. The next, I felt like I'd been hit in the side with a sledgehammer. I realized that I was smashed up against an emergency airlock, crumpled on the deck floor in a heap, somehow still holding onto most of my gear ... and I could feel heat. And smell bacon ... no, not bacon. I'd been a flamethrower operator long enough to know exactly what <em>that</em> smell was. <br><br>"Fuck," I muttered. I managed to get up on my feet, then immediately leaned over and hurled. And let me tell you, throwing up with a meal that's been sitting in your stomach through however many days of cyro sleep we'd been under - not pretty. Cursing, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand ... and that's when I got a little scared. Throwing up like that, usually Gizmo or Rome would be busy mocking me a couple of seconds later, calling me a wimp or a pussy and telling me to let real men handle the situation. And I'd tell them to go fuck themselves, and they'd just tease me more. But I didn't hear them. I didn't hear anything but the sizzle of sparks, the creaking of shattered metal, and the sounds of the wounded. Hoses fell down from the ceiling panels above, spewing coolant with a loud hiss, and I ducked out of the way, making my way up towards the front of the compartment.<br><br>I heard Sergeant O'Shay, and then Senjo. "HERE!" I yelled. I ran up next to Sarge, just happy to see a friendly that was still breathing ... and then I saw Gizmo, covered in blood. And I think I saw half his brain on the floor next to him.<br><br>"Shit, shit, SHIT!" I yelled. I slammed my first against the wall. I wanted to cry ... but I didn't. <em>Don't be a pussy</em>, I could hear Gizmo saying to me.<br><br>I grabbed what I could of Gizmo's gear and my own, and started dragging them towards what was left of the exit ramp.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 01:54:46</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt. Angelina DeSilva - 1st Squad - USS Johannesburg, cryo tube room</strong><br><br>“To sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub....”&nbsp; When all your dreams are nightmares, no solace can be found in the arms of sleep, where the once pillowy clouds of slumber have been transformed into a tortuous bed of nails. Angelina couldn’t remember a time when her dreams hadn’t been filled with nightmarish visions from her haunted past, when she didn’t wake from her uneasy sleep with her heart pounding, a scream clawing at her throat. That’s why for her, cryosleep was a godsend. While others may dread or simply grit their teeth through the induced state of oblivion and its perhaps less than pleasant accoutrements, Angelina welcomed it.<br><br>As consciousness began to permeate through the black nothingness swirling through her mind, Angelina’s dark fringe of lashes slowly lifted from their resting place feathered against her cheeks. Her luminous, deep brown gaze began to bring into focus her position within her cryo tube, her stiff limbs groaning in protest as she sat up, spilling her&nbsp; bare legs over the side of the capsule.&nbsp; As she peripherally began to absorb the sounds around her as the rest of her squad began to rouse themselves from their own deep freeze, she couldn’t help but notice the hulking display of Rome’s nude body emerging proudly from his cryotube. Quirking her eyebrow and shaking her head almost imperceptibly, she smiled inwardly at his strutting boastfulness. She actually liked the obnoxious giant; yeah, he did what he could to make it appear otherwise, but she knew he had a soft heart beating within all that hard exterior.&nbsp; Although she liked him - hell, she felt lucky that she honestly liked most of her entire squad - she knew he didn’t need any encouragement to his already bursting-at-the-seams ego.<br><br>Detaching herself from her tube, she pushed herself to a standing position, stretching her arms overhead then twisting out the kinks from her back, and finally bending over and curving her hands around the backs of her ankles, the stretch of her hamstrings feeling good to her long-inactive muscles. Clad only in an olive green tank and bikini briefs, gooseflesh raised along her arms in the cool air of the room and her nipples pebbled beneath the thin fabric of her tank stretched taut over her full breasts. She preferred to wear the more opaque color instead of the standard issue whites, it’s dull green color less of a contrast to her soft mocha-colored skin, and less revealing of her womanly shapes beneath. The choice wasn’t dictated by modesty or shyness, but stemmed from her desire to keep tensions around her at a minimum. Shit was hard enough as it was, without adding to it unnecessarily. <br><br><strong>”Mmm! Mmm! MMM!!… Damn, baby girl! Daddy like. You keep doing that, you and me’s gonna get along REEEEAL nice like, know what I’m sayin’?”</strong><br><br>Angelina had heard Rome’s approach and felt his towering presence behind her, but didn’t bother glancing back to view him taking up what she assumed would be some cock-sure pose behind her. Taking her time to finish up her deep stretch, she slowly stood up straight, turning to face him. No stranger to having to figure out a way to maintain that delicate balance where teasing camaraderie reinforced rather than eroded the brotherhood of a unit, Angelina knew the bawdy teasing was part of the bonding process and usually had fun with it. Calling the big man’s bluff, she positioned her much smaller body inches from his own, her fabric-covered hardened nipples a breath away from pressing into his chiseled chest. Her eyes locking onto his, she flicked her glance briefly downward between them as she spoke, amusement in her warm tone, “Too bad the brass didn’t upgrade you to a higher caliber weapon for this mission...<em>daddy</em>.” She spun away from Rome without waiting for his response, her long dark hair flicking lightly against his skin as she turned quickly to get on with her duties.&nbsp; <br><br>Chuckling to herself as she breathed in a lung-full of air deeply, she padded from the cryo tube room toward the showers, bringing her focus to getting ready for their as yet obscure mission.&nbsp; She was the newest member of the squad - a squad that had apparently been through some heavy shit together, so she assumed they were a pretty tight unit. Hopefully she wouldn’t be the odd man out for long though, it wasn’t a very healthy place to be in situations where everyone depended on each other for survival.<br><br>No luxurious bubble bath or leisurely meal awaited - the dance-and-dash in the shower and grab-n-go of what passed as food was the Corps at it’s most predictable. Quickly suiting up in her full combat gear, she hustled onto the drop ship with the rest of her squad.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>~ In the dropship ~</strong><br><br>As Angelina white-knuckled her grip on her seat restraints, her widened eyes watched the blue of the sky and the green of the ground careen wildly past the side portholes of the lurching ship.&nbsp; As she recognized the ground topography as a jungle landscape that was likely moments away from becoming her grave, she laughed humorously at the twisted hands of fate. “Madre de Dios!” she whispered, releasing one hand from it’s steadying grip long enough to press her silver crucifix hanging around her neck to her lips and then tuck it back within the cushioned safety between her breasts. Her hyper-aware gaze flitted briefly over the serene countenance of the squad’s synthetic...Senjo...the non-human face perfectly sculpted into a woman’s calm, beautiful visage.&nbsp; Angelina found herself acknowledging the definite advantages of existing as an emotionless machine, as her heart raced and her stomach plunged with each lurch of the plummeting aircraft. Even if the synthetic...Senjo....had the capacity for such musings, Angelina figured she probably wouldn’t ever want to trade her cold precision existence to be fallibly, disconcertingly human anyway. <br><br><strong>"We're taking fire! I repeat taking fire, expect a hot LZ!"&nbsp; "We're hit!" "Brace for crash landing!......."</strong><br><br>The frantic shouts of the pilot only underscored what was already more than obvious to the squad. Shit had definitely hit the fan. Angelina had a bad feeling this ride from hell wasn’t going to end with some male-bonding fist bumps on the heels of a smart-ass comment about letting a woman fly the plane. No, this drop-kick fuck fest had all the hallmarks of the beginning of a really bad day. As the dropship screechingly impacted with the ground, Angelina’s body was violently jolted within the confines of her restraints, the straps bruising her flesh and the jarring crash disorienting her momentarily. The ship came to a grinding halt, the rear hatch doors automatically blew open, and Angelina took in a deep, shuddering breath, not having realized she had been holding her breath since the shit started going downhill. <br><br><strong>"1st Squad! Talk to me!"</strong>&nbsp; The barking command of their sergeant permeated the haze of her mind, and Angelina spoke up - or at least tried to. Coughing to clear her throat, she tried again, “Here, Sarge” she replied, listening to other members of her team confirm they too still breathed.<br><br>Unstrapping herself and rising shakily to her feet, she bent over for a moment as a wave of nausea and dizziness hit her. Raising her eyes, she warily peered out of the back hatch.&nbsp; Her skin’s sensory memory registered the oppressive, wet heat of the heavy air, her eyes took in the fecund greenery surrounding them, and her nostrils flared with the familiar scent of damp, rotting vegetation. No, it wasn’t Columbia, but it might as well have been. She spit on the floor of the ship, trying to rid her mouth of the acrid taste lingering on her tongue, and again found herself laughing grimly at the irony of having travelled across the galaxy and yet ending up pretty much in the same fucking spot.&nbsp; Gritting her teeth, she stood up straight and glared around her, at the ready to take her place with the squad.&nbsp; Grimacing under her breath, she shook her head in dismay. <em>“Fuck. Me.”</em><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 08:25:38</strong>
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				<div align="center"><strong><em>Lance Corporal Roman “Rome” Beneke – 1st Squad – USS Johannesburg – Cryotube Room</em></strong></div><br>(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/Corvus269/Characters/Roman.jpg)<br><br>Calm. Still. Quiet. Cryo sleep was the only time in his life when these words could be used to describe Lance Corporal Roman Benke, affectionately known as “Rome” to anyone who knew him at all. Rome was a big man, to put it mildly. At 6’3” 253 lbs, Rome easily dwarfed nearly the whole platoon. Rome was loudmouthed, shit talking, badass… and he knew it. He had been with Kilo Platoon going on two years now. Kilo had seen some bad shit. They’d been through the grinder and had new faces in the squad to fill the roles of fallen squad mates to prove it. Rome was no stranger to losing friends in combat, though he never really let it show how it affected him. He was good with that; masking his true feelings. Most people were just scared of him, thought of him as cold, ruthless, fearless… even heartless. But Widow’s death back on LV-1875 had affected him more than any other and he was finding not quite as easy to turn off the emotions that flared through him when he had flashbacks to that moment.<br><br>As he sat on the side of the crytube capsule stark naked, he clenched his eyes shut and shook his head briefly; an attempt to purge those images of Widow from his mind. He had never dreamed before during cryo sleep, at least none that he could recall. But this time was different. Nightmares of Widow haunted him for the duration of their journey and it had taken its toll on him. He&nbsp; suddenly came to his senses, becoming keenly aware of the goings on around him as 1st squad spilled from their cryotubes and set about making ready to launch planteside. <br><br>Pushing the nightmares and the images of Widow from his mind he gave a cough and stood up. Lifting his arms high overhead and back behind him, he stretched his whole body, having no shame in his nakedness. In fact, Rome was rather proud to flaunt. He was a large man, after all. His old squad mates were used to it by now and wisely demanded that he take the capsule at the far end so that didn’t have to look at him when they came out of suspension. This time, however, there was the replacement LT and two replacement squad members. Ever the prankster, Rome beat them to the punch, thinking it would be funny to give them an eye full of Rome at the end of their journey. He had got a good look at Pvt. DeSilva and was determined to get some action out of her in the near future. This would be an opportunity to show off a little.<br><br>Turning around to face her, he was just in time to catch a glimpse of her bending over and clasping her hands behind her ankles as she enjoyed a much needed, long stretch. <strong>”Mmm! Mmm! MMM!!… Damn, baby girl! Daddy like. You keep doing that, you and me’s gonna get along REEEEAL nice like, know what I’m sayin’?”</strong> He had reached up with both hands to grab hold of some piping that ran along the ceiling, giving a good stretch himself. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">“Too bad the brass didn’t upgrade you to a higher caliber weapon for this mission...daddy.”</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> Rome remained undetered by DeSilvia's comment, secure enough in his manhood to know that any comments alluding to a diminutive phallus was merely an attempt on her part to save face. His gaze followed her as she sauntered away, remaining silent to allow her this small victory. Noticing Pfc. Shaw, another replacement, glancing his way, he smiled a big, toothy grin at the man and giving him a wink. <strong>"She likes me."</strong><br><br>Playtime ended much too soon. The new Lieutenant, Lt. Rastenburg was a real by-the-book stick in the mud and promptly put a stop to Rome’s shenanigans. Rome didn’t much like the man and missed having Lt. Mengsk as his CO. He still couldn’t understand why the Marine brass had decided to transfer him to another squad within the same platoon. Didn’t make much since to Rome, but as he was often reminded when he tried to make sense of the hows and whys, <em>‘his was not question why, his was just to do and die.’</em><br><br>Three hours later Rome had taken a much needed shower, scarfed down a couple bowls of his favorite military slop and was back at his locker. It was time to gear up and Rome was very serious about gearing up, paying special attention to each strap and buckle, checking and rechecking every piece of equipment. After several long minutes, the big man, fully geared, strode towards 1st squad’s assigned drop ship with determination and a fierce, hungry look in his dark chocolate eyes. <br><br><div align="center"><em><strong>~Inside 1st squad’s Dropship~</strong></em></div><br>Rome marched up the loading ramp, looking around once he was inside. He pummeled a fist against his chest plate, whereon his blood type, O positive, was stenciled in red at the top left. Painted in white at center mass was a particularly creepy looking Death’s Head design with the word <em>‘Minister’</em> painted above and <em>‘of Death’</em> below. <strong>FUCK YEAH! What a badass looking bunch of marines, baby! And another glorious day to die for the Corps! WOOOOO!</strong> He had that crazy look in his eyes again, that big, freakish smile with those gleaming rows of pearly white teeth. This was a ritual with Rome; a means to psyche up both himself and his fellow marines before they embarked on a mission. He spotted a vacant seat next to DeSilva and shoved Shaw out of the way. <strong>That seat’s taken, private,</strong> he said matter-of-factly to Shaw, flashing another toothy grin at the man.<br><br>He positioned his M56 between his legs, the barrel pointed straight up along his torso. He grinned playfully at DeSilva as he stroked his hand slowly up and down the barrel, which had the words <em>’Sexy Beast’</em>crudely scrawled along the length of the feed cover. Painted onto either side of the frame of the stabilized articulation arm where the gun itself is clipped and secured are a pair of hatefilled, glaring red eyes and a fearsome, gaping jaw filled with jagged rows of teeth. He patted the custom, side mounted motion tracker and winked at DeSilva. <strong>”I had this custom installed, compliments of good ole’ Giz.”</strong> He glanced across the aisle to Gizmo who was seated opposite him. Gizmo simply gave a soft smile a nod.<br><br>After a few minutes, Rome finally shut up for a few minutes during the drop, then he glanced back to her again, seeming to have forgotten everyone else onboard. <strong>”This is one of my favorite parts, ya know? The plunge.”</strong> He wasn’t sure if she was paying him any attention or not but that didn’t stop him from talking to her. Never did phase Rome. <br><br><strong>”Now take Giz, here… he’s not to f…”</strong> He was cut off in mid sentence as the ship lurched hard to starboard, throwing him back against the his seat back. <br><br><strong><em>"We're taking fire! I repeat taking fire, expect a hot LZ!"</em></strong><br><br>Rome instantly went into combat mode, becoming rigid and alert as he glanced out the ships port hole as though he might be able to kill whoever was firing on them with a mere look.<br><br><strong><em>”WE’RE HIT!”</em></strong><br><br><strong>”Suck my cock! Who the fuck is firing at us! Gets us on the ground!”</strong> Rome roared angrily, anxious to return their fire. His shouts were lost over the deafening shudder of the ship and the whine of its engine as it spiraled ever closer to the jungle canopy below. <br><br>There was a sudden, blinding jolt, and then blackness. The next thing Rome knew, he was coming too, crumpled in a massive heap near the front of the ship, mere feet from where the cockpit had once been. He had a nice, deep cut across his bicep, marring his SPQR tattoo that was set against a laurel wreath. Blood trickled freely down his arm as he collected himself, instinctively grabbing his helmet though he was still not sure where he was or what had just happened. He looked up at as he set his helmet on his head and saw…. <strong>”Widow?”</strong> He asked out loud as he looked at Senjo, checking Lt. Rastenburg’s pulse. He closed his eyes and shook his head and when he opened them again, he saw Senjo and suddenly remember where he was.<br><br>He thumbed the power toggle on his M56 Smart gun and picked his way through the debris towards the loading ramp. He noticed Gizmo’s still, lifeless body still harnessed into this seat and took a moment staring at him. His expression grew fierce and he swung the M56 rearward, towards the ramp, stomping hatefully. He noticed that Shaw was dead too. It wasn’t hard to miss as a large chunk of metal that had once been part of the ship’s interior had become a lethal piece of shrapnel that had cleanly decapitated Shaw, catching him just beneath his helmet. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"1st Squad! Talk to me!"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Rome didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Stepping into the loading ramp opening, he squared up and lowered his smart gun, firing blindly into the thick foliage that surrounded them. <strong>”Ya’ll want some of this, motherfuckers?!&nbsp; Ya’ll want some?!? WELL HERE I AM, BITCHES! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?&nbsp; ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BABY!!!! WOOOOO!!!!”</strong> Rome was enraged. Another squad member dead… and just when he was staring to like the kid too. Fuck.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 11:01:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				SENJO – FIRST SQUAD - EXITING DROPSHIP WRECK AND TAKING LEFT FLANK<br><br>Private Sakuraba was uninjured and as I worked at un-strapping the sentry guns and their ammunition bags, punching the quick release covers and slinging the ammunition back pack over my shoulder, I watched her reaction to Private Laws' death. Her eyes for a second had a look in them that I knew registered the emotion known as sadness and then in a moment her face was filled with frustration then rage. I marveled at the flow of emotions through humans. At times I wished to experience them… at others I was grateful that I could not. Now I was grateful.<br><br>Private DeSilva who I did not yet know was also uninjured. She was readying herself for action and looked to be about to move down the ramp also and take up a defensive position.<br><br>Behind me Corporal Beneke had fallen from his seat and was cut on the arm. He looked at me and called out the name of the deceased Lance Corporal Mitchell. The look on his face made me curious to understand what was passing through his mind at that moment. I stopped working and from a side pouch drew out a field dressing, holding it out to him.<br><br><strong>"Here,"</strong> I said calmly, <strong>"You're hurt."</strong> The big man, ignoring the proffered dressing and his wounds, at once readied his gun, cursed in the way only Corporal Beneke can curse and ran out of the ramp to begin spraying the jungle randomly with M56 fire. I put the dressing back in my pouch and continued working.<br><br><em>Wasting ammunition, but if it helps him deal with this…</em> I never ceased to find the human response fascinating and I knew that on one occasion on LV-1875 I had also responded with a fully human action and curse; a result of the cultural databases loaded into me and the ongoing process of assimilating data around me, assessing it and reusing it at the appropriate juncture.<br><br>I was ready to move out. I stopped beside the deceased Private Laws and set my sentry gun drums down.<br><br><strong>"Sergeant. I will take some of Private Law's equipment with your permission. His electronics pouch and laptop is useful. I believe I am the best person to make use of it. He also has demolition charges. I have capacity to carry them."</strong> It was a fully logical suggestion. With the bulky sentry-gun drums I was not useful on point or in the front line of an advance. It made complete sense to load me up with the charges to free up others to move more easily. My voice was raised over the intense chatter of Beneke's smart-gun as it defoliated the planetoid's jungle at the rear of the drop-ship. I took the satchel of explosive devices from the clip on the dead man's belt and attached it to my own webbing. As I was doing so the body shifted and I saw the glint of metal at his neck. As squad commander, Sergeant O'Shay was responsible for the IDs of the dead men and I gave him the dog-tags from Private Laws and Leftenant Rastenburg. Then I saw something else on Private Law's neck chain. Unclasping the chain I drew it from his neck. Looped onto it was a small metal device, It had a slender cylindrical shaft about ten centimeters long and a flat head that forked into two spikes, each fearsomely sharp and some three centimeters long. I had observed Private Law looking at this object on board the Mitchum seven months ago and had intended to discuss it with him. Circumstances of that mission had precluded the opportunity and I had never found out where he obtained it.<br><br>Even though I had seen this object just once, when Law had taken it out in the mess deck before the drop, I had seen one before, in photographs. Though I had never had the opportunity or clearance to see the original, I knew it was stored in the armoury of the Los Angeles Police Department, Seized Weapons Evidence Storage, Chamber Four, Cabinet Eleven, Drawer Seventeen.<br><br>I also knew from my database that it had been there since 1997, over four hundred and fifty years ago.<br><br>I had dwelled on these facts many times but had few answers other than the ancient history LAPD reports which were inconclusive. I had however seen a third example of this device… recently… on LV-1875…<br><br>Putting this train of thought aside, I nodded to the Sergeant, slipped Law's chain around my neck and collecting the sentry gun boxes again, and moved rapidly down the ramp in a crouch. At the base I turned left, dropped the drums and unslung my rifle, going down on one knee behind a tree and from within cover began sweeping the area of jungle in my sector. If the rear ramp of the disabled drop-ship was our twelve o'clock, then I was scanning from six o'clock through to ten. The jungle was variable. In some areas I could see three hundred metres, in others, no more than three. Using my software to filter out the harsh noise of the smart gun to a less distracting level I began methodically scanning the jungle, my rifle's sight to my eye. Moving in short sweeps of a few degrees each and pausing to interrogate the lush broken greenery, both at ground level and at an elevation. Since LV-1875 and the incident with the unknown alien I knew that they liked to move in high places. The old LAPD report suggested too that high buildings and rooftops were their preferred avenues of mobility; they eschewed ground travel as much as they could.<br><br>My eyesight was excellent and my brain as well. I looked intently and calmly. If there was anything visible out there that was not flora or natural mineral I would see it; non-natural colours, shapes, structures or motion.<br><br>(http://blogs.sundaymercury.net/weirdscience/rainforest-jungle_0247.JPG)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 21:32:55</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong><span class="bbc_u"><em> 3rd Squad, entering Abel's Folly </em></span></strong><br><br>As the APC drew closer and closer to the colony, the structure's basic shape began to appear, this shape slowly became more and more detailed until the APC's heads up display and scanners could offer anyone who looked at them a near perfect view of the civilian colony. But rather than offering answers to the situation this clearer view only seemed to bring up more questions. The colony appeared, for lack of a better word, to be totally deserted. There were no signs of battle damage on the walls or the gate, nor were there any signs of a hasty evacuation. <br><br>Upon pulling inside the colony's outer walls the colony itself revealed simply the same scene. Several civilian tractors were parked in their correct places inside the open-walled garage, the main doors into the actual colony building were shut and appeared to have not been opened in quite a long time. All around 3rd squad's APC there was an eerie air of stillness as if they were disturbing a ghost town rather than what records showed to be a prosperous and productive young colony. <br><br><strong><span class="bbc_u"><em>1st Squad, In the Jungle</em></span></strong><br><br>The chatter of Rome's smartgun cut through the natural noises of the forest in all directions, alerting nearly anyone who wanted to listen to the fact that at least someone had survived the crash of the dropship. The thick vegetation of the forest surrounded 1st squad in nearly every direction, in fact the only real area that wasn't a sea of green branches and leaves was the path through the forest that the dropship had dug during its final moments in the air and it's crash landing across the ground. <br><br>Sgt O'Shay was now the man in command, and it was obvious, from the fact that his communications bead was active, that he was receiving new orders from FATHER. <br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 21:35:13</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Yui Sakuraba – 1st Squad</strong><br><br>I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard the gunfire. I hit the deck, expecting the worst … and then I looked up and saw it was Rome.<br><br>“Fuck,” I muttered as I clambered to my feet. Oddly enough, though, I felt better. Rome was being, well, Rome, and that meant he was okay. <em>All he needs to do now is hit on DeSilva and life’s just fucking peachy,</em> I thought, and I let out a nervous giggle.<br><br>I took a deep breath. <em>Relax, relax, relax … don’t let anyone know how scared you are …</em><br><br>I helped Senjo and Sarge get whatever extra gear we could salvage out of the hold. Once that was done, I went up to Sarge, to get my orders. Senjo was already out establishing a perimeter, which was standard protocol, and Rome looked like he was about to follow suit, but I … well, I wanted to make sure that other things didn’t need the squad’s attention as well.<br><br>And I wanted to ask a question as well.<br><br>“Hey Sarge,” I said quietly, “ready for duty. Secure the surrounding area, and then head out, I guess?” I licked my lips nervously. “Um … are we gonna be able to bury those who d – who aren’t with us anymore?” Already I was beginning to sweat from the oppressive heat and humidity. I couldn’t imagine bodies being allowed to stay out in those conditions … they’d rot, or be eaten by scavengers. And I …<br><br>I shook my head. “They deserve better than to just be left here, Sarge,” I said bitterly. &nbsp;
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>12-04-2011, 23:13:53</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - APC</strong><br><br>"Abel's Folly.&nbsp; What fuckin' idiot thought <em>that</em> was a good name for a colony in the middle of bumfuck nowhere?&nbsp; They're practically sayin' it was a bloody stupid fuckin' mistake to settle down here!&nbsp; On a scale of one to ten, one being mildly autistic and ten being straight up retarded, I'd put this place somewhere between <em>Paradise Falls</em> and <em>Deadman Crossing</em>," the Flamethrower toting soldier said suddenly, a potent South-African lilt to his tongue and crisp sarcasm at his lips.<br><br>Mathias was fully suited up by this point, face and frame hidden under a bulky flame-retardant Ape Suit (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/rcburner/FutureSoldier2.png), the mechanized joints purring softly with every motion and the sharp yellow visor set like an overturned cat's eye into the intimidating skull plate.&nbsp; The man underneath all that gear hadn't seemed all that special back when the crew was dethawing like a bunch of Thanksgiving turkeys, all lean meat and burn scars and jutting ribs, and a face that would have been a pretty sort of androgynous if not for the thick scruff lining his jaw and upper lip.&nbsp; Then again, they didn't issue out <em>that</em> kind of equipment to any old rookie either.<br><br>He'd been almost lucidly quiet up until now, saving most of his words for the cast iron cross now hidden away beneath the breastplate of his armor.&nbsp; The way he'd clutched that thing one would think it had been fused to his hands, but it wasn't with the sort of nervous tension of new blood that he'd fervently prayed.&nbsp; Everyone had their own rituals before a mission, even if they didn't recognize it themselves.&nbsp; That's all there was to it.<br><br>The Lance Corporal turned back to look at the monitors, noting the eerie stillness in each one.&nbsp; "Reckon there's a chance they all went for a community picnic?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 03:27:57</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>GS Danko - 3rd Squad - APC, outside the colony compound</strong><br><hr><br><em>"Give 'em some for me, will ya Dan?" She called playfully to their Smartgunner, while she checked her gear, making sure her stuff was still all accounted for.</em><br><br>“Consider it done,” Riska replied with a fair amount of camaraderie as she brought the gun online and began to scan the terrain outside the APC.&nbsp; Though there was only five years separating her and Fields, to the gunner it seemed like a lifetime.&nbsp; &nbsp;The difference between them was like night and day.&nbsp; Though she was eminently likable - pleasant and well meaning - and Riska enjoyed her company off duty, she found their new electronics expert to be incredibly green and what was even more troubling in her opinion, fragile.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>During their meal Arca had barely eaten more than enough to feed a bird, yet on the drop Danko had noticed how she struggled to keep from tossing her cookies through the worst part of the ride, and this hadn’t even been a bad drop.&nbsp; Riska herself had only managed to stay awake because she was sitting directly across from Marcus and she wasn’t about to waste the view.&nbsp; By all accounts, they had just touched down in a fucking jungle.&nbsp; It was going to be hot and not exactly comfortable to trudge through it.&nbsp; Fields also seemed to be more than a little hampered by her weapon, as if it was just a bit too much for her, and that made Danko wonder just how the hell she managed to lift the damn thing up and aim it, let alone fire.&nbsp; Plus, how she reacted to a combat situation was an unknown and so far, it didn’t look like there were a lot of pluses in the girl’s favor.&nbsp; Riska just had to hope that what she lacked in muscle she made up for in brains.&nbsp; Otherwise, Fields might was well go put on her red shirt now.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br><em>"Abel's Folly.&nbsp; What fuckin' idiot thought that was a good name for a colony in the middle of bumfuck nowhere?&nbsp; They're practically sayin' it was a bloody stupid fuckin' mistake to settle down here!&nbsp; On a scale of one to ten, one being mildly autistic and ten being straight up retarded, I'd put this place somewhere between Paradise Falls and Deadman Crossing," the Flamethrower toting soldier said suddenly, a potent South-African lilt to his tongue and crisp sarcasm at his lips.</em><br><br>“You always say that, Mathias,” Riska remarked dryly, her softly accented contralto a direct contrast to the cadence of his speech.&nbsp; “Have you ever met a colony name you actually <em>liked</em>?” <br><br>Eyes on the targeting scanner on the door gun, Danko frowned as the main structure of the colony came into view.&nbsp; Turning, she glanced over her shoulder at the head’s up display that showed the live feed from the APC’s scanners to verify what she was seeing.&nbsp; There was nothing out of the ordinary.&nbsp; Not a goddamn thing.&nbsp; No signs of a struggle, no damage to the buildings or the main gate and most importantly, not a single sign of life, or one goddamn clue as to where anyone had gone.&nbsp; “Bloody hell,” she murmured.&nbsp; “Where the fuck <em>is </em> everyone?”&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Reckon there's a chance they all went for a community picnic?"</em><br><br>“I’d say the chances for that having happened are about as good as me getting down on my knees and blowing you right here,” Riska drawled in reply to the pyro’s question.&nbsp; “People don’t just get up and walk away, not without a damn good reason."&nbsp; It was all the more <em>prikaza</em> as far as she was concerned.<br><br>“So,” Riska began, looking between the Sergeant and the Lieutenant, “are we going in, or what?”<br><hr><em>prikaza </em> - unlucky, bad luck<br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kevben Battleheart</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 05:06:23</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Sergeant Arillo Amandil, 3rd Squad, USS Mitchum Cyro tube room</strong><br><hr><br>Cyrosleep, it was always the same for him. He always awoke from a dreamless sleep where he felt like he was just floating in black nothingness and with nothing to occupy him. Not even the dreams he used to have years ago before he joined the Marines. Now he was used to it though, although it used to bug him in the beginning. The feeling was foreign to him. Climbing out of his Cyro-tube though, Arillo wore a bit of a wicked smile as the single braid that he kept wrapped around his neck fell down around the right side of his face, almost touching the floor as he looked down. "Ahhhh, glad to be out of that personal torture chamber." he said, his voice filled with a bit of glee as he looked around. Other members of Squad 3 were coming out of their slumber and one of them was even doing some pull-ups to warm herself. Arillo watched her for a few short moments before he went over to his locker and began to don his gear. His armor he put on carefully as he made sure that everything fit perfectly together as he didn't want it chaffing him in places he rather prefer be left alone.<br><br>Next came all of his gear. He had a shoulder strap for his Pulse rifle that he quickly slung over his neck and pulled until the weapon was on his back and then picked up his next weapon, his 357 Magnum Revolver. That weapon had saved his life more times than he could count on his two hands and on the grip of the weapon he had 57 tiny marks on it, each marking a kill he had made with the weapon. He replaced the Revolver back into its holster and then attached it to his belt before placing the rest of his gear on his person. Quickly he checked over his gear and made sure that it was all in tip-top and working condition and smiled when he was sure it all was working and then left the Cyro room to meet 3rd Squads new Lieutenant. He stood at attention as he was trained to as he half listened to what Mengsk said to them all as he was more interested in what kind of man Mengsk was by watching him and his body language, but he was a hard man to read. The only thing he could pick up from the man, and he was iffy on this, was that he loathed some of those that he was leading. When Mengsk left them all, Arillo broke his salute and turned to look at the rest of them. "You heard him men! Gather your gear up quickly then make your way to the APC in the dropship." he said and then quickly made his way to the drop ship.<br><br><hr><br><strong>In the APC</strong><br><br><hr><br>Arillo sat confidently in his seat near Megsk within the APC, his hands idly polishing a few rounds for his Revolver. He liked to keep them all cleaned for reasons he kept unknown to others. His braid was now threaded around his neck like a necklace and the end was hidden in his armor, to keep the thing from getting in his sight. He listened to the conversations around him as their dropship made the transition from space to planetside. The trip as bumpy, although the word bumpy was a clear understatement, but Arillo had gone through rougher landings and even hot landings when the situation called for one. Soon Arillo could feel their transport deposit them and he heard what it was that the pilot said to them and reached for his communication's gear. "We'll keep that in mind neighbor. We'll call you in should things get too hot down here and we need a fast evac." he answered back before falling silent as the APC started to move.<br><br>Arillo remained in his seat for a bit as he took the rounds he had just polished and slowly loaded each one into the Revolver before he spun the chamber and then returned it to its position with a flick of his wrist and holstered it, just like in those silly, old Western movies. Releasing himself from his safety harness, he watched as some of the squad took up positions at the gun doors, leaving him with the duty of helping Mengsk drive the APC to the facility. "Head north for about 2.3 clicks before changing directions to north by north-east for another 2.7 clicks. The facility should be in view by then." Arillo informed Mengsk as he drove. The dreary landscape, at least it was to Arillo, left one's mind numb as he called out various orders to the Lieutenant. "Watch those rocks, rough terrain up ahead," he would occasionally say before he heard his title called.<br><br><strong>“Just what the hell are we in for here, anyway?”</strong><br><br><strong>“Does it matter?”</strong><br><br><strong>“Of course it matters,”</strong><br><br>Arillo heard behind him and he turned around in his seat to address the two that were talking, looking over at the Squads Smart Gunner and one of the Privates. "Indeed it does matter. It helps to know what one is getting themselves into, so they can be prepared." he said before he cleared his throat, repeating what he knew. "Three squads have currently been deployed planetside. Squad 1's mission is to find whatever is jamming our scanners and to neutralize it so that we may better understand what kind of situation we're dealing with. Squad 2 has been deployed to secure a location where backup can be dropped and act as a temporary base camp. And we are being deployed to secure a civilian colony. That's about all I can really tell you at this point. Don't want to say something and then have something else completely happen. Just keep your trigger finger loose and be ready for an ambush."<br><br>Arillo sat back into his seat and continued to guide Mengsk by avoiding obstacles here and there, but for the most part the ride had been smooth. No guerrilla fighters appear out of nowhere and bombarded them with RPG's, no train of hostile vehicles come driving up and pepper them with rounds. Nothing. You would think that with nothing happening would be a good thing to Arillo, but that was quite the opposite. It set him on edge as he expected something to happen to them sometime, although he would prefer that something to happen sooner rather than later. To him, the entire planet was a battlefield since they were going in blind and something always happened on the battlefield. But that was currently the problem, nothing was happening and Arillo could feel his skin practically crawl as he felt that nagging feeling at the back of his head. "It's too calm for me." he muttered softly as the APC drove on.<br><br>Arillo had remained silent for the remainder of the trip except for the the occasional warning about rough terrain or some other impediment until they arrived at their destination. Arillo examined the various monitors like Benjamin did. He heard what it was that he said and grimaced as he tried to process what was before him. The colony looked abandoned but the tractors were in their proper place. No sign of a firefight of any kind, major or small, was evident and there was no sign of any kind of life at all. It was like all the colonists had all just been whisked away by some unforeseen hand, never to be seen again. "This doesn't sit right with me Sir." Arillo said as he stood up from his seat and moved towards one of the side doors and looked back at Mengsk.<br><br>"Sir, while this idea certainly doesn't sit well with me, I would like to put out on the table that a small group of 3 or 4 find a way inside the colony and then get the main gates to open so that the APC an pass through, and since I thought of the idea I would like to volunteer myself to lead this small group.....unless you have another idea in mind Sir?" he asked as he brought his strap around until he had his rifle in hand and waited for permission to go ahead with his idea.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 05:26:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Arca went to a monitor near Danko's station and started surveying the area around the APC, putting headphones on to listen. After a few tentative seconds, she put the headphones down and looking inwardly. "Uh... sir...?" She started, looking back to the screen. "Where are all the birds? And all the animals? I'm not even getting so much as a chirp from anything alive." She paused, and started to speculate.<br><br>"Honestly, sir, the people here didn't just pack up and leave, and I don't think they're planning a surprise party for us. Whatever happened here, wasn't friendly." She thought for a moment. "Sir, if you'd allow me to take a look at one of their security monitors in the Security Office, I could try to crack the tapes and we can see exactly what happened the the people..." She felt her stomach grumble as a feeling of discontent washed over her. This mission was going to be everything except 'run of the mill'.<br><br>She was filled with an equally strong feeling of the need to feel like she was a needed member of the squad. She was frail, yes, she was about as accurate with the Pulse Rifle as you can be and still pass, and she wasn't the most calm member of the team, but she had her strengths, and she wanted to flex those strengths for a bit, if for no other reason then to feel as important (Or, for that matter, as pretty) as Riska.<br><br>"That... uh... is of course if you'd allow it... sir."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 06:32:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Tychus, 3rd squad about to enter the facility</em></div> <hr> <br><br>"They all flew south for the winter, private."<br>He answered Arca's question.<br>"We are all going in Sarge, don't want one of ya'll running off with my APC, I just got this baby commissioned."<br>Tychus said with a light chuckle since the helmet hid the grin on his face. <br><br>The APC was driven to the main doors that led into the facility parked about 75 feet from it as he heard all the concerns of his squad. He did not answer right away it was a feeling of Deja'vu that had his stomach in a knot. The Cryo sleep, the landing the ride over nothing had shaken him like seeing an abandoned facility. Mengsk knew what was waiting inside and as FATHER'S orders came to him on inside of his polarized helmet he called out. <br>"On your feet apes, make sure you bring everything you came with." <br>He ordered as he got out, scanning the area as a precaution and reached for his shotgun making sure it was fully loaded and ready to go. <br><br>"Private Fields, move that tiny little ass over here and open those doors, I'll do what I can to get you to that office but first we need to get in. The rest of you...safeties off and ready to maul down anything. In the event we have some colonist with a bad case of cabin fever. If you see anything not human or hell any threat put it down...kill it first and ask questions later. If you have any questions I will address them later!"<br>Tychus said as he moved towards the front of the doors with his shotgun ready and pointed. He might have sounded like a mad men to the rest of squad 3 but he knew what the fuck was behind those doors, he could feel it in his gut. It was the reason he was the whipping boy of the core with the higher ups and he was PISSED! <br>"Sarge when those doors open you get our six, I'll take point with Mathias" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 07:05:08</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt. Marcus Jones – 3rd Squad</strong><br><br><em>APC – Travelling to the facility</em><br><br><strong>"Ah... no bet, man. Just... um... let me know when you're done with her. So I can get my turn."</strong><br><br>“Suit yourself, lover boy.” Marcus chuckled softly at Cooper, shaking his head slowly and adjusting his gaze back to his turret. The kid was trying hard to fit in, he had to give him that. But he rattled far too easily, and that made Marcus twitch a little. It was possible that would be something he would quickly grow out of, but if he didn’t he might freeze up when there was a hell of a lot more at stake than a simple joke. <br><br>Turning away from Cooper, Marcus listened to the rest of the squad while keeping an eye out for anything unusual. The APC had just entered the colony and Mathias, the squad’s flamethrower man was regaling G.S. Danko, and anyone else who would listen, with yet another tirade about the colony’s&nbsp; name.<br><br><strong>“You always say that, Mathias,” Riska remarked dryly, her softly accented contralto a direct contrast to the cadence of his speech.&nbsp; “Have you ever met a colony name you actually liked?”</strong> <br><br>“Yeah,” Marcus interrupted with a laugh. “That one where all the ladies went around topless, Shelly’s tits I think it was called. Or maybe that was a porno. I don’t remember.” Despite his jovial tone, a sinking feeling was beginning to settle in the pit of his stomach. From what he could see, there wasn't so much as a cockroach moving out there and that was strange. From his experience, strange was bad.<br><br><em>Very bad,</em><br><br>Redoubling his focus on the monitor in front of him, Marcus barely even heard the Sergeant as he turned around in his seat and started talking. <strong>"Indeed it does matter. It helps to know what one is getting themselves into, so they can be prepared."</strong> As the man spoke, Marcus tried to keep from rolling his eyes at the preachy tone. Even as he did so, his ears perked up as Amandil ran through the other squads’ assignments. You could never have too much information.<br><br>“Good to know,” He replied simply when the Sergeant finished.<br><br><em>Exiting APC – taking up firing position behind and to the right of Tychus.</em><br><br><strong>"Private Fields, move that tiny little ass over here and open those doors, I'll do what I can to get you to that office but first we need to get in. The rest of you...safeties off and ready to maul down anything. In the event we have some colonist with a bad case of cabin fever. If you see anything not human or hell any threat put it down...kill it first and ask questions later. If you have any questions I will address them later!"</strong><br><br>Marcus levelled his pulse rifle at the door and slowed his breathing. Though his weapon was set to standard semi-automatic fire, he was poised to switch to either full automatic, the grenade launcher or the flame caster, whichever the situation called for. His piercing eyes narrowed dangerously as he waited for Fields to get the doors open, not sure of what they would find but determined to be ready for anything.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 07:28:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Practically throwing herself from the seat at Tychus's command, she muttered a 'yes sir' and scrambled over to the door controls, sweet talking them into opening for her. The door hissed and complained as it opened, the heavy door creating a ramp for the Marines, Arca lining up at the very back, with only the Sergeant behind her, despite how horrible a position it was. She felt better knowing there was seven people in front of her, and one behind, who were all better shots then she was. Despite the weapon's weight, she thought it best to at least appear to anyone inside she belonged with the platoon so, shrugging off the discomfort it gave her, she unlatched the Pulse Rifle from her back and readied it, making sure not to point it at any of her squad.<br><br>She took a few quick breaths to slow her heart, hoping this would just be a babysitting job...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 08:39:03</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				O'Shay<br>"Here," I replied, loudly enough to be heard, but with non-agitated tonal values in my voice. "Our pilot is dead. Damage sustained during the landing has rendered the dropship inoperative. The leftenant is dead. Sergeant, you are in command."<br><br>"...Understood," he said flatly.&nbsp; He'd barely known him.&nbsp; "Senjo, get the gear ready.&nbsp; I want those sentries ready to move." He saw Zippo's movement.&nbsp; Other than a few bruises she looked unhurt.&nbsp; However, Rome, being the unstoppable force that he was came barreling out.&nbsp; O'Shay couldn't help but overhear him say "Widow?" He had no time to complete the thought as Rome started blazing away into the jungle.&nbsp; <br><br>"ROME! CEASE FIRE!" he barked, "Fuck...now they'll know for sure we're here," he muttered.<br><br>"Sergeant. I will take some of Private Law's equipment with your permission. His electronics pouch and laptop is useful. I believe I am the best person to make use of it. He also has demolition charges. I have capacity to carry them."<br>"Granted," he answered flatly as he took the dog-tags.&nbsp; <br><br>His comm-bead began to wax to life.&nbsp; FATHER was now confirming what he already knew.&nbsp; He was in charge now and he still had a mission to do.&nbsp; They would need to finish the mission on foot and then wait for further orders.&nbsp; FATHER was just repeating what he had been briefed on until he was told the objective was 2 km south of their current position.&nbsp; "Confirmed, FATHER."<br><br><br>“Hey Sarge,” I said quietly, “ready for duty. Secure the surrounding area, and then head out, I guess?” I licked my lips nervously. “Um … are we gonna be able to bury those who d – who aren’t with us anymore?” Already I was beginning to sweat from the oppressive heat and humidity. I couldn’t imagine bodies being allowed to stay out in those conditions … they’d rot, or be eaten by scavengers. And I …<br><br>I shook my head. “They deserve better than to just be left here, Sarge,” I said bitterly.&nbsp; <br><br>"You're right, kid.&nbsp; They do deserve better, but we've got a mission," he said as he snapped off Gizmo's tag as well as his claw medallion.&nbsp; "We've got a job to do right now for those who are still with us.&nbsp; Get the squad together and salvage as much as you can.&nbsp; Get the demo charges and whatever extra gear you can carry.&nbsp; Tell the rest to do the same.&nbsp; I got one more thing to take care of." He shut Gizmo's lifeless eyes to at least give some peace in death.&nbsp; He moved to the bodies of the replacements: Willard and Benn.&nbsp; He knew nothing but their names and they were already dead.&nbsp; Willard had had an AA blast pulp his abdomen while Benn had also had his neck snapped by the impact.&nbsp; "I never even got to know you poor kids," he said.&nbsp; No matter what, this never got easier.&nbsp; He hadn't had sufficient time to get attached to these kids and they were already gone.&nbsp; He snapped off their tags and went.&nbsp; <br><br>O'Shay had seen the splayed tree branch where the cockpit would have been.&nbsp; He stepped out of the drop ship and saw the smoking remains of the cockpit about 15 feet away.&nbsp; No one was shooting at them and that was a good sign so he decided to go over.&nbsp; He had seen the pilot only briefly and only barely caught her name.&nbsp; Hawkins.&nbsp; Her quick thinking had saved at least some of their lives.&nbsp; Her body was a bloody wreck, impaled by a piece of wood as well as the wreckage from the dropship.&nbsp; Her body was bloodied and broken, but her dog-tags still shone in the light of the sun against her chest.&nbsp; "You saved our lives, darlin'.&nbsp; 'Wish I coulda bought you a drink," he said as he snapped off her dog-tag.&nbsp; <br><br>He opened the comm back up to FATHER.&nbsp; "ID: O'Shay.&nbsp; Acting squad leader.&nbsp; Confirm: Lt. Rastenberg, Flight Lt. Hawkins, Pvts. Law, Willard, and Benn KIA in the crash.&nbsp; Synthetic Senjo, Pvt. Sakuraba, Lance Cpl. Beneke, and myself proceeding with mission." <br><br>The squad was there salvaging and securing the perimeter.<br><br>"Listen up.&nbsp; We have our orders.&nbsp; Our mission remains to destroy the tower jamming our communications.&nbsp; Our objective is 2 clicks south of here.&nbsp; Rome, watch the perimeter and keep your motion detector on.&nbsp; The rest of you, finish the salvage...and find some bodybags for the fallen." This was normally against the grain but they had all been shaken up very badly.&nbsp; It would restore their spirits to bury the dead.&nbsp; <br><br>He also took Senjo aside.&nbsp; "That thing is Law's.&nbsp; Hold onto it for now, but once the mission's done, be ready to give it back along with the computer.&nbsp; Those were his and I want to make sure his folks get 'em back."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 13:30:26</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Pvt Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br>Cooper was looking out of the window, but listening intently to the conversation inside the APC. He was starting to form some opinions about the others in his squad. First impressions could be deceiving, but it was something to go on, at least. The LT seemed to know what he was doing. Jones, Danko and Mathias too - their joking back and forth helped put Cooper at ease, even though he wasn't participating. They'd worked together; they'd know what to do when the shit hit the fan.<br><br>That left the Sarge and Pvt. Fields. Sarge was already starting to rub Cooper the wrong way. He sounded like a college boy. But unless he lost that eye in a card game, Cooper guessed he'd earned the right to talk however he wanted. Fields, though. She seemed even greener than he was. She reminded him of his little sister back home. Cooper resolved to keep an eye on her, partly to watch her back, and partly to make sure she didn't fuck anything up.<br><br>He scrambled out of the APC and took up his position as ordered. It wasn't his job to suggest plans to the LT. If there was one thing they beat into your head in basic, it's that the Marine Corps wasn't a democracy. If somebody wanted his opinion, they'd tell him what it was. <br><br><em>The rest of you...safeties off and ready to maul down anything. In the event we have some colonist with a bad case of cabin fever. If you see anything not human or hell any threat put it down...kill it first and ask questions later.</em><br><br>Cooper looked over at the LT, trying to see if his was kidding. If he was, he was sure selling it well. 'Not human'? What the hell? Did a bunch of synthetics do this? Cooper swallowed his questions. Need to know basis. Right now what he needed to know was just what he'd been told. Keep your eye down your rifle sights, and shoot if there's a threat.<br><br>He said the only thing anybody needed to hear him say: "Yes, Sir."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 15:21:13</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal - 3rd Squad - Outside Civilian Colony</strong><br><br><strong>“Have you ever met a colony name you actually liked?” </strong><br><br>"No," he said dryly.&nbsp; "As far as I'm concerned, any fuckin' jackass what settles further than Mars doesn't have enough sense to string three words together, let alone come up with a snappy name for a town."&nbsp; Then, jabbing a finger at Marcus, "And that <em>was</em> a porno.&nbsp; I lent it to ya months ago and you have yet to return it, wise ass!"<br><br>The back and forth did little to lighten the atmosphere, as though their frequent joking was simply a mechanical reaction.&nbsp; The moment Mathias' feet touched the soil he was all business, military-grade flamethrower unit held at the ready at his front and sweeping cautiously from side to side.&nbsp; He nodded dutifully to Tychus on his orders, moving up to the front between Fields and the rest of the squad.&nbsp; Front line work seemed to suit him just fine.<br><br>"Not human?" Mathias drawled, as though voicing the concerns Cooper had wisely kept to himself.&nbsp; "Well shit, now you've got me worried.&nbsp; I'm half expecting a rhinoceros to come stampeding out the front door." 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 15:33:38</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em> "Indeed it does matter. It helps to know what one is getting themselves into, so they can be prepared."</em><br><br>Snorting softly, Riska shook her head.&nbsp; “Gee, ya <em>think</em>?” she muttered under her breath.&nbsp; Arillo was such a fucking boy scout, but more than likely he was saying it for the benefit of the two new grunts in the squad.&nbsp; At least he’d better be.&nbsp; She didn’t take being patronized that well.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Uh... sir...?" She (Arca) started, looking back to the screen. "Where are all the birds? And all the animals? I'm not even getting so much as a chirp from anything alive."</em><br><br>Danko glanced at Fields, brows knitting together and the turned back to the gun turret’s sights for a second look.&nbsp; The girl was right, there was nothing moving out there.&nbsp; “Jeezuz …”&nbsp; <br><br><em>"We are all going in Sarge, don't want one of ya'll running off with my APC, I just got this baby commissioned." Tychus said with a light chuckle since the helmet hid the grin on his face. </em> <br><br>Danko let out a soft laugh as a grin split her face.&nbsp; Man had a sense of humor after all.&nbsp; “Roger that, Sir.”&nbsp; <br><br>The LT gave his orders as the APC pulled up with one hundred feet of the colony’s doors.&nbsp; Riska took the time to plug in the electrical firing pin on her M56 and check the ammo readout.&nbsp; Six hundred, and lord knew she had a lot more stored in her pack.&nbsp; Once the APC doors were open the squad poured out into the hot, heavy air and Fields ran up to the door to bypass the security system and open her up.&nbsp; As she moved, Danko flicked off the safety on her gun, carefully checking everything around them as they moved.&nbsp; Not a goddamn bird in sight.&nbsp; But then again, maybe they hadn’t imported them in yet.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“ … The rest of you...safeties off and ready to maul down anything. In the event we have some colonist with a bad case of cabin fever. If you see anything not human or hell any threat put it down...kill it first and ask questions later. If you have any questions I will address them later!"</em><br><br><em>"Not human?" Mathias drawled, as though voicing the concerns Cooper had wisely kept to himself.&nbsp; "Well shit, now you've got me worried.&nbsp; I'm half expecting a rhinoceros to come stampeding out the front door." </em> <br><br>"Maybe he means your ex-girlfriend."&nbsp; Riska’s expression dissolved into one of pure professionalism, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that crept up her spine.&nbsp; “Sounds like the new LT likes to throw my kind of party,” she said to Marcus as she came up next to him, “but why do I get the feeling he knows something we don’t?”&nbsp; <br><br>Danko moved to take up her position near the front of the squad, just as the doors were opening.&nbsp; &nbsp;Behind her, Fields was struggling with her gun.&nbsp; “Just try and relax girl, and keep the strap over your shoulder. Let your upper body carry the weight."&nbsp; Then, she turned back to the yawning maw ahead of them. <br><br>“Come out come out, wherever you are,” she whispered under her breath, as the squad began to move forward.<br><br>&nbsp;<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>13-04-2011, 22:47:42</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Yui Sakuraba – 1st Squad</strong><br><br>“Got it,” I said to Sarge. My voice shook a little. I wasn’t sure if that was because I was scared, or a little bit relieved. Probably both. “Salvage, body bags, perimeter … I’m on it.”<br><br>I finished dragging what I could out of the drop ship. The last things I took were the demo charges. Those, I brought over to Senjo. I never liked holding onto stuff that went <strong>boom</strong> – I learned in basic that flamethrowers and explosives didn’t mix nicely, at least not when they were personal possessions. And everyone else was pretty much on edge … so I figured Senjo was least likely to want to blow shit up just ‘cause she was pissed off. ‘Cause <em>nothing</em> pissed off the synthetics. At least I didn’t think so. Even if you shit in their cereal, they wouldn’t get mad. I think I only heard Senjo raise her voice once, the whole time I’d known her.<br><br>“Present for you,” I said to Senjo, sliding the explosives next to her. “For a rainy day. And I think a storm’s brewing.”<br><br>The others in the squad seemed to be setting up the perimeter just fine, so I helped put some of the bodies in bags. I dragged them out of the ship, towards the trees. We didn’t have time for a proper burial, so I just quickly chopped some brush and branches from some nearby trees, and covered the body bags with them.<br><br>“Rest in peace, you magnificent bunch of bastards,” I murmured as I laid the last of the branches over the black vinyl bags. “Don’t worry. We won't forget you.”<br><br>Heading over to Rome, I started the systems check of the M240B. Fuel hoses were good, pressure was okay … I found myself smiling. I was in the mood to fry some shit with the flamethrower, and I hoped I’d get my chance soon.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>14-04-2011, 02:14:35</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				SENJO – FIRST SQUAD<br><br>I did not agree that Lance Corporal Beneke was the correct choice to hold a perimeter while the rest of us worked. My calculations told me that I would make the most effective observer of the jungle around us and given the emotional range Private Sakuraba's face had shown on seeing Private Law, and the noisy response by the Lance Corporal I thought he would be better suited for the work of dealing with the dead. For a reason that tickled frustratingly at the edges of my understanding but would not fully form, I thought… it was right that he should.<br><br><em>"Widow."</em> There. There it was. That expression he had worn then. I stopped working – I was near the dead Leftenant's desk pulling field dressings and drugs from a locker and adding them to two belt pouches I had selected. Now I paused, quite still, the objects held in my hands but forgotten.<br><br>There it was. A connection the living keep with the dead. One I could not understand but one I could infer was powerful. I remained motionless a few moments, then finding no mechanism inside myself to empathize with these emotions, I resumed working. I added some of the drugs to my own equipment and offered the Sergeant and Private DeSilva additional belt pouches of medical supplies as well. I then went around the burst-open lockers and pulled out all the useful ammunition, splitting the stash into equal loads and passing it among the squad. There were boxes of shotgun shells but only Private Law had used a shotgun. I left the shells where they lay. The squad had no use for them now.<br><br>I stepped down the ramp and found, with a mild notion of surprise, that I had spent the whole time inside the crashed ship, busy with… things that I had found to keep busy with.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">“Present for you. For a rainy day. And I think a storm’s brewing.”</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> When the flamer soldier had given me the extra demolition charges to add to the satchel I had already taken I said nothing, merely held her gaze a moment and nodded silently once.<br><br>The others had laid the four bodies in a depression in the ground and Private Sakuraba was covering them with brushwood. I stood a small distance away and did not… <em>intervene</em> was the word I was seeking. I was thinking the word was <em>help</em> but had corrected myself. Something alien to my experience was transpiring here and I did not wish to intervene. Something <em>human</em> was occurring. I was not part of it.<br><br>The Japanese woman finally turned away and put her armoured helmet on, hiding her face but in that brief glimpse I had as she turned, I took in the message in her eyes. I marveled at the flow of emotions through humans. At times I was grateful that I could not experience them, at others I wished I could. Now I was wishful.<br><br>Unlike Private Sakuraba I didn't have any words for the fallen. There were none inside me. Perhaps a lack of programming? Perhaps a deliberate choice during my schooling. Feeling Private Law's cool metal forked dart at my throat I moved across to Lance Corporal Beneke and offered him an M56 ammunition drum and two batteries, fully charged.<br><br><strong>"Here. Ammunition and power. Would not want you to run low when you need them."</strong> I slung my rifle, picked up the two bulky UA-571-C cases and balanced my weight carefully, ready to move out.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>14-04-2011, 03:06:42</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div style="text-align: left;"><strong>~LCpl. Roman “Rome” Beneke - Outside downed ship near crumpled loading ramp~</strong></div><br>Rage. Rome hadn’t felt this much rage since he had witnessed the death of Widow back on LV-1875. She had saved his life, shoving him from the path of a behemoth of a beast straight from the pits of hell itself. The shear force of the attack had instantly snuffed the life from Jennifer’s body. She was the only person Rome had allowed to get close to him, his only true friend and now she was gone. She had sacrificed herself in his stead. Rome was no good with emotions, that is, save for anger. Anger, rage... he knew them well and this is how he coped with the confusion that plagued him.<br><br>Seeing Gizmo’s blank stare, the familiar visage of death’s pale hand claiming yet another life brought back a sudden flash of Widow’s wrecked body to his mind, her blood smeared, expressionless face staring back at him. As though it might somehow undo what had been done, he bellowed a primal roar as he sprayed the dense jungle foliage with 10x28mm casesless ammunition at over 1200 rounds per minute. His smartgun barked and snapped emphatically, spitting fire and vibrating his massive arms viloently. The weapon’s incessant buzzing easily drowned out all but the loudest of shouts even from close proximity.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"ROME! CEASE FIRE!" he barked, "Fuck...now they'll know for sure we're here,"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Emptying the full 600 round drum, the deafening roar of gunfire was sunddenly replaced with the much softer, mechanical noises of his weapon’s firing mechanism cycling the empty drum magazine. Finally releasing the trigger, Rome raised his weapon and whipped around towards Sgt. O’Shay who was still inside the drop ship. Casting a dangerous glare at the sarge, he kicked away some debris and stomped back inside the wreckage, coming face to face with the Sergeant in a threatening manner.<br><br><strong>“I think they fucking knew we were here when they blew us out of the godamned sky, or haven’t you noticed that we just got fucked up the ass, our dropship busted all to shit and Gizmo, El Tee, our pilot and this poor bastard are all dead.... SIR!”</strong> he yelled through clenched teeth, gesturing his hand towards Shaw, spraying spittle as he shouted. Rome was having a difficult time reining in his emotions. This whole deal with Widow was taking it’s toll on his combat effectiveness... and he knew it. Seeing Gizmo only exacerbated the problem further, knowing that his squad relied on him to have their backs and here he was struggling with his own emotions. <em>”Get a fucking grip, Rome!”</em> he screamed at himself silently. <em>”Stop being such a pussy. Man up!”</em><br><br>Tearing his furious gaze away from Sergeant O’Shay, he knew was out of line. He ripped the spent ammo drum free and tossed it aside, slapping a new one in its place, and marched back out of the ship through the crumpled loading ramp. He couldn’t look at anyone right now for fear that he would lose what shred of control he still manage to maintain. Leveling his weapon once more, he surveyed the perimeter, trying hard to focus on his job.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Listen up.&nbsp; We have our orders.&nbsp; Our mission remains to destroy the tower jamming our communications. Our objective is 2 clicks south of here. Rome, watch the perimeter and keep your motion detector on. The rest of you, finish the salvage...and find some body bags for the fallen."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Rome thumbed the power toggle to the motion tracker that Gizmo had mounted to the framing of his M56 back on the Mitchum before they had gone planetside back on LV-1875. He hadn’t noticed until now that the wreck had destroyed the tracker’s display. He said nothing of this to Sergeant O’Shay as he ripped it from it’s moorings and tossed it aside.<br><br>There was a quick and crude burial of the dead. Rome said nothing as he looked down on the four body bags, his nostrils flaring in a hateful scowl. Part of him was furious at those who had done this, part of him was mad as hell at Gizmo for dying. Their bodies now marked and covered, Rome turned to take up his postion at the point and came face to face with Senjo. He stopped, staring silently, that angry grimace dominating his features.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Here. Ammunition and power. Would not want you to run low when you need them."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He glanced down to the offered ammo drum and batteries, then back up to her synthetic, emotionless face before swiping the proffered items. <strong>”fucking machine”</strong> he muttered as he pushed past her, unsure if he was pissed at her incapacity to feel or pissed at his own inability not to feel.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>14-04-2011, 08:07:33</strong>
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				<strong>Pvt. Angelina DeSilva - 1st Squad - inside downed dropship</strong><br><br>Angelina stood momentarily motionless at the top of the loading ramp, her stomach clenching sourly, while all around her the others were acting out in varying degrees of agitation and order. With her pause in activity, she noticed that the deep welts etched into the tender skin of her chest from the restraining harness were starting to sting as beads of moisture began to trickle in unpleasant rivulets under most of her clothing.<br><br>The sudden burst of thunder from Rome’s M56 startled her back into action, and she instinctively whipped her pulse rifle into business mode from its position slung over her back, finger clicking off the safety as she pointed the muzzle to match the direction Rome was aiming in, her heart thudding in her chest.&nbsp; Dark hair flew riotously around her face as her head jerked from left to right, frantically peering out into the dense greenery trying to ascertain if he was actually shooting at something or just freaking out. His face a mask of rage, the firecracking of the smartgun seemed to continue an unnatural length of time, until he finally expended the full canister of rounds, mowing down a half-moon clearing in the jungle out at the back of the ship.&nbsp; Angelina shook her head at the extra dose of drama, calming her pounding heart as she thumbed the safety back on and slung her pulse rifle back into position over her shoulder. <br><br><strong>"ROME! CEASE FIRE!"</strong> Master Sergeant O’Shay had hollered above the deafening discharge of the smartgun. Stomping up to the Sarge, Rome’s threatening glare and vitriol didn’t seem to phase the other man. As the only new member of the squad, Angelina didn’t know any of them well enough - or their relationships with each other - to feel confident about stepping in to ease Rome’s confrontation with O’Shay, so instead she moved to make herself useful elsewhere.&nbsp; <br><br>Working beside Senjo as she quickly and efficiently salvaged everything possible from the fallen ship and marines, they gathered anything useful and relocated them in organized piles outside the ship. Finally, Rome ended his tirade and again exited the ship.&nbsp; Angelina accepted the belt pouches of medical supplies that Senjo handed her, and moved to follow after Rome’s retreating broad back. The man was a giant, but he wasn’t invulnerable to injury. He had been sitting next to her in the dropship, and she saw the hard knock he took to his head and the bloody cut gouged into his bicep.&nbsp; Stepping up right beside him, she didn’t think he even noticed her there and didn’t want to get hammered out of any instinctive reaction he might have. “Hey, Rome, I’m gonna dress that wound you got there, so don’t fucking freak out on me, okay?”&nbsp; Pulling out some antiseptic wipes from the supplies Senjo had salvaged, she gently but efficiently cleaned the cut as good as she could. Growling to make sure he didn’t give her any grief about it, she made her point clear, “You don’t want some fucking jungle rot to take hold in an open wound, take my word for it. It ain’t pretty, and I know how you like to keep your pretty.”&nbsp; Relieved that it wasn’t serious enough to require sutures, she smeared antibiotic ointment over the cut and covered it with non-adherent sterile dressing held in place with adhesive tape. Concern flitting over her eyes at his unresponsiveness, she stashed the supplies back in the pouches and secured them in the webbing of her uniform. <br><br>Since she figured she was the one least effected emotionally by the deaths, Angelina moved to assist Yui as she bagged and dragged the bodies from the ship, where they laid them to rest as respectfully as they could under the circumstances. She hadn’t really known any of the dead, but she still felt their loss acutely since they were now down three men that they could have really used in this fucked-up situation, and she knew that her squad would take the deaths hard. It was never easy to lose a fellow marine.<br><br>As they conducted their makeshift burial expediently, Angelina’s glance watched the members of her squad closely. Handling mayhem, death, extreme situations...it was all in the job description of being a marine.&nbsp; But still, if someone lost it during a FUBAR mission, a marine turning into a loose cannon could easily take down the rest of the surviving team. She didn’t think that was the case - these marines were hard core through and through - but still, being the only one without emotional attachment to the dead, she was in the best position to objectively observe for any chinks in their emotional armor. Well, except of course for Senjo. Speaking of which, as Angelina’s gaze swept over the synthetic’s lovely face as she watched the burial process, she would have sworn the synthetic’s expression appeared almost...wistful. Shaking her head to clear any residual fog muddying her thoughts, she ridiculed herself for projecting emotions onto a machine.<br><br><strong>”Fucking machine.”</strong>&nbsp; Almost as if he spoke the word from her own mind, Rome’s growled curse had her thankful that Senjo was immune to emotional injury.&nbsp; Taking a quick measure of the emotional state of the <em>human</em> members of her squad, she started to feel her chest release some of the tense constriction she had been holding there. Sergeant O’Shay appeared in control. She had confidence Rome would quickly work his way back from dousing his pain in the flames of rage. And when she saw Yui’s hands lovingly readying her flamethrower, an eager smile on her face, Angelina knew the team would be alright, each marine finding their own unique way to safely stash their heartbreak in their own personal hurt lockers, at least for the time being. They would be good to go, whatever the next command.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>14-04-2011, 08:35:21</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				SENJO – FIRST SQUAD – AT THE DROP SHIP<br><br>As Lance Corporal Beneke stomped away I looked impassively at his retreating back. I had an entire planet's worth of data compressed into my mechanical brain, all manner of files and media. One of them was a piece of fiction film – <em>science fiction</em> – about a future world under the control of machines, with one of them, called a <em>Terminator</em>, sent back in time to kill the mother of the man who led the human rebellion that overthrew the machines. It was a timeless tale of the human endeavour and psyche facing its own fears and even simple stories such as that one had lessons for me to learn.<br><br>There was one scene in that story where the Terminator, damaged after combat, was repairing itself in a motel room. The janitor outside complained of the smell and in response the machine cycled through a menu of appropriate retorts applicable to the situation to finally choose a curse that sent the meddling janitor away.<br><br>My reaction to Beneke's retort was not entirely dissimilar. There was no emotion, but there was the opportunity to improve the situation for squad morale. I found, in my data storage, a suitable reply and used it. I raised my voice and spoke to the big man's retreating back.<br><br><strong>"I prefer the term <em>fucking sweet cheeks</em> myself."</strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kevben Battleheart</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 01:44:07</strong>
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				<strong>MGySgt Arillo Amandil, 3rd Squad, Disembarking APC</strong><br><hr><br><strong><em>"We are all going in Sarge, don't want one of ya'll running off with my APC, I just got this baby commissioned."</em></strong><br><br>Arillo couldn't help but grin at the comment and nod his head, glad that while he appeared to be a hard-ass Mengsk also had a humorous side to him. "Aye aye Sir." was all that Arillo said as he turned his only eye at the Lieutenant and he let his rifle hang from its strap to give him a quick salute before turning back and stepping off to the side. He was going to wait for the others to get off before him before taking up the rear as he had been instructed, and as he waited he quickly removed a clip from his belt and slammed it home while Fields, or at least the one he assumed was Fields as she was the one that hopped to it and opened the back to the APC. "Don't worry <em>belle dame</em>," he said while giving her a friendly wink and a wide grin and pointed to his eye patch, "I may only have the one eye, but I can assure you my aim is just as good as anyone who still have both of theirs. Your sixes will be safe with me." he finished as the grin grew a little wider.<br><br>Watching as some of the squad hopped out of the APC, Arillo soon joined them on the ground and stood off to the side with his back to the APC, hand hovering over the button that would close the door to the vehicle once they were all on the ground. "Just don't want anything sneaking in and stealing your ride is all Sir."<br><br><hr>Belle dame- French for Beautiful lady
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 02:01:07</strong>
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				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Outside Civilian Colony</strong><br><hr><br><strong>"Maybe he means your ex-girlfriend." </strong><br><br>Mathias made an exaggerated flinching gesture to compensate for the expression-concealing helmet, as if the very idea was physically painful for him.<br><br>"If that's true we'd be better off callin' in that air support!&nbsp; <em>Mal goffel</em>, it'd be just like her to travel a couple hundred light years just to screw with me."<br><br>He didn't seem too eager to stray too far from his position without further orders, and it wasn't likely because of regrets over horrible relationships.&nbsp; The way he kept scanning the area was more than just the cautious behavior of a soldier.&nbsp; It was the kind of wary tic that a dog might get when it senses something's off before everyone else in the room.&nbsp; <br><br>"This seems less like the site of a struggle, and more like an evacuation.&nbsp; God only knows why.&nbsp; Do we have the layout or floor plans for this place?&nbsp; Any idea where folks would fall back to?"<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 21:04:45</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>1st Squad Chapter 2: El Demonio Invisible&nbsp; </strong></span><br><br>As first squad finally approached the believed location of their objective thick jungle which had practically formed a wall of green seemed to suddenly to give way to an obviously man made clearing of the jungle's underbrush and smaller trees. But the scene that greeted 1st squad was anything but what could have been expected. At the center of the clearing stood a strange looking device (http://www.avpgalaxy.net/images/games/avpextinction/predators/predator10.jpg). Instead of the technicians and mercenaries who would have been expected to be working on the machine there was only emptiness and silence.<br><br>Beside the machine lay a pile of what looked to be the remains of several rifles and other guns that had been melted and destroyed under extreme heat. They were little more than useless slag, after a moment or two a single wet drop of liquid landed on Yui's shoulder. If any of the squad looked up they would find the source (http://media.cinemasquid.com/blu-ray/titles/predator/344/screenshot-lrg-05.png) of the drop of liquid. <br><br>As the bodies swayed there was a sudden explosion of noise! The distinctive report of a pulse rifle firing on full auto could be heard. Along with the terrified shouts of a man on the verge of losing his sanity. "Die you mother fucker!!" the voice shouted as the shots continued "Just fucking die!!" The shots grew louder and louder, anyone looking at their motion detector could see that there was someone or something on squad's right flank. Then almost as suddenly as the firing had started a new sound could be heard. It was only made once, and it seemed to be a mix of an electrical discharge and the hiss of steam. As soon as it sounded the pulse rifle firing stopped and a split second later a man (http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs37/i/2008/283/1/6/Hyperdyne_Contractor_by_ChainsawDroid.jpg) fell through the brush into the clearing. A large hole blown straight through his chest. The firm THUD of something heavy landing just behind the body. Every motion detector in the squad confirmed it even though each marine's eyes did not. There was something in the area of the body!<br><br><br><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>3rd Squad Chapter 2: Its a Trap!! </strong></span><br><br>The door to the colony slowly began to slide open, on average it took roughly 15 seconds for a door of this size to open. It was a massively thick device, built to a pre-determined standard for all Weyland-Yutani colonies and designed to be able to protect any colony from any hostile environment, weather, or natural animals. As such the door, and the walls of the colony, had proved more than enough to insulate the building's inside from motion sensing devices, but as soon as the door began to open and there was now a crack of air between the door and the wall each person's motion sensors began to ping out the movement of at least 4 contacts behind the door. <br><br>Five seconds later the source of the motion was no longer in question. From just inside the colony the sound of three pulse rifles and a shotgun began to ring out as whoever was inside opened fire on the marines. The projectiles whizzed past the squad, one shot impacting with Cooper's body armor. While the man's vest did manage to catch the bullet and save him. The concussive force of the round was more than enough to knock the wind from anyone. <br><br>Suddenly from behind the sound of an electrical discharge could be heard, this sound was followed immediately by a loud whine. A bright red beam, no thicker in diameter than a dime, impacted against the back Mengsk's shoulder. Burning through his armor, through the skin and muscle below, and through the other side of his armor as if it nothing even there. While the beam was obviously powerful, it's lack of size meant that the wound was nowhere near fatal, or even extremely damaging. The weapon was obviously meant to kill in one well placed shot. Which had been meant for the Mengsk's head but for what ever reason had managed to miss. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 03:43:01</strong>
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				<strong>GS Danko - 3rd Squad - Outside the Colony Compound</strong><br><hr><br>Flicking the targeting lens for the smart gun down over her eye, Riska brought the gun into position as the doors began to slide open, leveled right at the widening space.&nbsp; Her grip on the gun was firm, muscles bunching, standing out in relief against the coppery skin of her bare arms as she took a wide stance and then dropped her weight, ready for the familiar feel of the gun’s eventual kick.&nbsp; <br><br>When the motion sensors began to go off, Riska set her thumb against the M56’s trigger and shifted position to get a clear shot of whatever was coming around the other members of the squad.&nbsp; Shots rang out from inside the compound before anyone even had a chance to sneeze.&nbsp; There was more than one type of gun by the sound of it, pulse rifles and at least one shotgun.&nbsp; As usual, Danko was glad of the advanced combat armor she wore, along with the heavy-duty polymer chest plate, trusting both to protect her from the worst of the incoming fire. <br><br>Most of the shots went wild, suggesting to Riska that whomever was firing was either inexperienced or scared to death.&nbsp; Their targeting was for shit.&nbsp; One round took Cooper square on, but it looked like it had failed to penetrate his armor, thank fucking god.&nbsp; Without hesitating, Riska opened fire directly into the dark chasm between the open doors in a series of controlled bursts as she swept the opening from right to left.&nbsp; <br><br>It was as she moved that Danko caught sight of a flash of red light in the rear view mirror mounted to her gun frame.&nbsp; Ganked from an old motorcycle that she’d owned several years back, it had saved her ass more than once.&nbsp; There was a strange sound then, almost like a fuse blowing and she glanced back over her shoulder just in time to see the beam cut across the air above them at an angle and then drive straight into the Lieutenant’s shoulder, go right through his armor and come out on the other side.&nbsp; <br><br>“Holy shit!”&nbsp; Danko rumbled, turning towards the source of the thing that had hit the L.T., stepping out to one side to avoid the Sergeant at their six.&nbsp; As far as she was concerned, what was behind them was far more dangerous than what was behind the doors. Just a few inches higher and the man would have been dead on his feet.&nbsp; Standard guns and rifles she could understand.&nbsp; Whatever this was, she’d never seen anything like it before and she didn’t appreciate the almost casual way whatever the fuck it was had fired on her commanding officer.&nbsp; No wonder the colonists had sealed the compound up tighter than a virgin’s ass at a rodeo. <br><br>Trusting that her squad would dish out the hurt on whoever was firing from inside the colony, not to mention cover her back, Riska raised her gun and began to fire in the direction of where the red beam had come from.&nbsp; The rounds from the M56 tore into the rocky outcrops behind them, blowing apart the formations and chipping the stone as if there were paper while Danko watched.&nbsp; As the rubble flew into the air, she could have sworn she saw something that looked like the surrounding rocky outcroppings, but at the same time was just slightly <em>off</em>, as if a heat mirage wavered over its surface, causing a rippling distortion.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 04:13:57</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Pvt. Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br>Cooper crumpled and hit the dirt. He'd have liked to have played it off as a defensive maneuver, but in truth the force of the shell had just taken him by surprise. It hurt like hell. The pain was spread over a quarter of his torso, though, which he dimly recalled was a very, very good sign. It meant his armor had held. And that meant that after he managed to catch his breath, he could get back into the fight. Not just yet though -- he couldn't even speak, not enough to tell the rest of the squad that he was all right. It sounded like they had enough on their minds already.<br><br>He heard the thunderous sound of Gunny's weapon releasing a cloud of hot death in front of them. And then, for some reason, behind them. Had they walked into an ambush? He rolled onto his belly, but all he immediately saw was ankles and assholes. And nobody else on the ground but him. God dammit. New guy takes a dive on his very first combat. If he lived long enough to get up, he'd never live it down.<br><br>Cooper was panting, almost hyperventilating, his bruised ribs protesting as he forced deeper and deeper breaths. Gotta get back up. Gotta <em>do</em> something.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 05:12:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Outside Civilian Colony</strong><br><hr><br>"Fuckin' tossers!" Mathias yelled at the top of his lungs, the speakers in his mask crackling irritably.&nbsp; He made to move himself out of the killzone that the opened doors had offered to whoever was firing on them from the inside, getting the APC at his back to (hopefully) get him out of the sights of whatever the hell it was that shot the Lieutenant.&nbsp; Making sure no friendlies were in his own line of fire, he lifted his flamethrower, flicked the nozzle from <em>Narrow</em> to <em>Wide</em>, and let loose with a literal wall of fire at the open gap.&nbsp; He didn't expect anything to come running right into the flames, but if their accuracy had been incompetent before it sure as hell wasn't going to be any better if they couldn't even see what they were firing at.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 05:18:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Jones – 3rd Squad – Outside the Colony</strong><br>-------- <br><strong>“Sounds like the new LT likes to throw my kind of party,” she said to Marcus as she came up next to him, “but why do I get the feeling he knows something we don’t?”</strong><br><br>Marcus chuckled and glanced over at G.S. Danko, giving her a quick wink. “I’m guessing he know plenty of things we don’t, for instance what the inside of mental asylum looks like. Not human? Give me a break. Besides Mathias’ ex, what could that <em>possibly</em> be? Rabid space dogs maybe?” Marcus had never liked scare tactics. Sure, something strange was going on but he knew exactly how dangerous humans could be and didn’t need some big, scary monster built up in his psyche to know he had to watch his back. <br><br>He returned his gaze to the door as Fields finished bypassing the locking mechanism. As the door began to open Marcus furrowed his brow and brought his rifle up, scanning for signs of life. For a few seconds, everything remained in the same state of eerie calm. Taking a slow breath, Marcus was just about to let himself blink when the incoming fire came. The unmistakable sound of pulse rifles and shotgun blasts filled his ears, as deadly projectiles whizzed passed his head. <br><br>“Fucking hell,” He growled as he saw Cooper take a hit and fall to the ground, sparing only a fraction of a second to see if the kid was still alive. “Deep breaths, lover boy!” He called out when he saw that Cooper was still breathing. “You hurt? If not, get your ass up and kill something!”&nbsp; Even as the words left his lips, another blast came from behind them taking Mengsk through the shoulder. Though it looked painful enough, Marcus knew with a glance that it wasn’t a kill shot and returned his eyes to the front, firing in response several three-round bursts with his pulse rifle. <br><br><strong>“Holy shit!”</strong> He heard Danko shout as she turned to meet whatever was behind them. A predatory smile crept across his lips as he moved in to block the smart gunner from the frontal fire, with his life if necessary. He fired again and again at anything that even remotely looked like it was moving.<br><br>“You did say you liked it <em>hot</em>,” He called to her over the din of battle.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 06:28:17</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Fuckin' tossers!" Mathias yelled at the top of his lungs, the speakers in his mask crackling irritably. </em> <br><br>"Oh, here we go ..."&nbsp; At the sound of the pyro’s curse, Riska instinctively shifted to the right as he passed to give him a wide berth.&nbsp; With all the ammo she was carrying on her back, she sure as shit didn’t need the man to shoot his wad anywhere near her.&nbsp; Her intuition proved right as Mathias let loose with a virtual wall of flame.&nbsp; It was right after that caught a glimpse of Marcus in her mirror, taking up position behind her to guard her back, firing all the while.&nbsp; It was good to know someone had her covered.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><em>“You did say you liked it <strong>hot</strong>,” He called to her over the din of battle.</em><br><br>“Hot?&nbsp; I’ll show you hot,” Danko shot back, swiveling the huge gun in her hands as she followed the feed from the targeting system and opened fire once more. The sound of the heavy gun echoed against the walls of the colony, bouncing back into the surrounding crags of stone, where it cascaded off into the distance.&nbsp; Other than turning rock into gravel, she was sure she hadn’t hit a goddamn thing.<br><br>“But ask yourself this,” Riska yelled over the fray, “Just how the fuck did whoever shot the L.T. get in here without our trackers picking them up? Makes me think they were here the whole goddamn time.”&nbsp; <br><br>Just then movement caught her eye, and Riska let loose with another round of high powered fire straight into the distance.&nbsp; <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 07:02:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lt. Mengsk with a nice new piercing to show off- 3rd squad. <hr><br>"Cease Fire, if you haven't hit it yet you won't now, don't paint a target on your head!"<br>He barked. <br><br>Upon hearing the opening fire he was quickly able to asses that he had found the locals and they had fired first so he did not blame his unit for opening fire, he had issued the orders. He had shot as well but did not lose himself to that instinct to shoot and ask questions later, that was what his marines where for, he was supposed to stop them. It was not until he saw the red beam go through him like nothing and a sudden jolt of pain which lingered as an ache afterward that had him having to think fast.<br>"Matthais, Sargent get in there and open a path, Cooper on your feet and help them out! Arca you set that door to close in 25 seconds starting now. Jones, Riska cover my ass, I don't need any more holes in me today!"<br>He ordered.<br><br>Years of control and service as an squad leader came to him naturally as he turned and sprinted towards the APC. Whatever was hunting them was outside and he needed to get his unit in. The large armored vehicle was turned on and shifted forward and moved to get into the garage.<br>"Everyone inside the facility and get some damn lights going, close the doors on the double! Go Go go!"<br>Mengsk was careful not to trample his own soldiers in the process of getting them to safety, that would have been ironic. Tychus would have time to check what damage that beam had done to him once everyone was no longer out in the open and under direct fire.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 07:48:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				MSgt. Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>This, this was really wrong.&nbsp; All of it.&nbsp; Coming to attack an objective to find no one guarding it.&nbsp; Than, finding all equipment unattended or melted to slag.&nbsp; Than...the skinless bodies.&nbsp; Zippo had nearly jumped out of her skin.&nbsp; Girly as she was it didn't matter.&nbsp; He had seen alot in his time, but he had never seen humans skinned and hung like sides of beef or...warnings.&nbsp; This was wrong.&nbsp; Then, the enemy they didn't get a chance to kill, destroyed by an energy weapon.&nbsp; Than, the Motion Detectors go off.&nbsp; What the fuck.&nbsp; <br><br>"We're not alone," he whispered.&nbsp; Something should be there.&nbsp; He needed only look at the motion detectors to see that they couldn't all be malfunctioning.&nbsp; After 1875 between dickhead aliens and big game hunter aliens, he was taking no chances.&nbsp; Wait...invisible alien.&nbsp; He remembered the big hulking hunter alien that had been with Jane back at 1875.&nbsp; He remembered how it was working together towards a common goal, but that didn't make it friendly.&nbsp; <br><br>He communicated in an urgent whisper"Zippo! Hose the blip area! DeSilva! Watch her back! the rest of you watch each other's backs! It's one of those hunter things!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 16:51:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was all a blur to Arca. One minute, they're opening the colony door, the next minute everyone's firing at something as Mengsk falls to the ground, a smoking hole in his shoulder, and Cooper's on his butt more then a mite bit dazed. Unlike the rest of Third Platoon, Arca instantly starts to look around, seeing if she can spot something... <em>anything</em> past the bullets zipping about in all directions. When Mengsk calls for a cease fire, she finds her surroundings easier to survey.<br><br><em>"...Arca, you set that door to close in 25 seconds starting now..."</em> His voice boomed in that commanding voice. Snapping out of her trance, she mutters the usual 'yes sir' and starts to fiddle with the door's controls, putting a short timer on the closing lock. She was a little confused as he went back to the APC, she thought to retrieve something, leaving the rest of them inside.<br><br>"If we want to get lights reactivated... we'll have to head to Administration. It's usually pretty far inside." She spoke to everyone, showing off her intimate knowledge of W-Y facility layout.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 17:36:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva - 1st Squad - Approaching jungle clearing to discover unidentifiable device...and more ~</strong><br><br>With Rome taking position at the point, all five members of 1st squad marched single file through the dense jungle, eyes and ears focused in search of any sign of the enemy that had blasted their ship out of the sky.&nbsp; Humping out all the salvaged gear along with them in case they weren’t returning to the downed ship, they each trudged with their extra burdens south for 2 km, with no idea what to expect as they approached their commanded destination.<br><br>Angelina’s body was a tightly coiled spring of tense nerves and apprehension, her hands aching with her white-knuckled grip on her pulse rifle. The eerie familiarity of this foreign jungle was definitely messing with her state of mind. The claustrophobic denseness of the foliage, the oppressively heavy wet heat, the musty organic smell of naturally composting plants - it was all conspiring to overwhelm her senses with the haunted spectre of her past, breathing life once again into her Columbian nightmares. <br><br>As the team suddenly breached the unrelenting denseness of the jungle upon reaching what could only be a man-made clearing, Angelina strategically fanned out, keeping close to the perimeter so as not to expose herself as an easy target in the open clearing.&nbsp; Watchful eyes full of questions took in the hulking shape of an unidentified device squatting menacingly in the center of the clearing. Angelina peered uncomprehendingly at the pile of weapons twisted into useless melted heaps beside the device, eyes searching the clearing for any sign of movement.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>As her seeking gaze moved over the expanse of clearing and around the perimeter, an almost imperceptible movement to her left out of the corner of her eye brought her focus to the small, dark stain that had suddenly appeared on Yui’s shoulder. <em>What the fuck?</em>&nbsp; Trying to catch the flamethrower’s eye, her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the appearance of what looked like....<em>ah shit.</em>&nbsp; Slowly, with dread heavy in her gut, Angelina raised her eyes over Yui’s head, lifting her gaze higher toward the jungle canopy, where her eyes widened in horrified shock at the gruesome visage dangling high above their heads. “Oh, fuck!! What the <strong>FUCK!!</strong> she shouted in sickened alarm.<br><br>Before she could really register the significance of the macabre discovery, there was a sudden explosion of the report of a pulse rifle firing on uninterrupted auto, the noise bursting from within the jungle on their right flank. Terror unmistakable in his voice, a man could be heard shouting over the continuous report of his rifle. <strong>"Die you mother fucker!!&nbsp; Just fucking die!!"</strong>&nbsp; As the shots grew louder in approach of the clearing, Angelina subconsciously registered the sound of Yui’s motion detector mechanically confirming the movement of the approaching shooter. Her heart pounded wildly as an unidentifiable sound preceded the abrupt cessation of the report of the pulse rifle, and a split second later a man in what looked like some type of hazmat suit plunged into the clearing. A hole punched through his chest, the unidentified shooter remained motionless where he fell. The heavy thud that sounded like something had fallen into the clearing behind the prone shooter preceded the deafening silence broken only by the menacing clicks of the squad members’ motion detectors, issuing warning that contrary to lack of visual confirmation, <em>something</em> was moving, and it was within the clearing perimeter.<br><br><strong>"Zippo! Hose the blip area! DeSilva! Watch her back! the rest of you watch each other's backs! It's one of those hunter things!"</strong> Master Sergeant O’Shay’s urgent whisper propelled Angelina from her momentary frozen stance to move to take up defensive position behind Yui, as she waited for the flamethrower to unleash the cleansing fire of hell onto whatever the fuck was out there. <em>One of those “hunter things”? Had 1st squad encountered this enemy before?</em> Somehow the thought that it was just herself that had no fucking clue what the hell was out there, and that the rest of her squad might have experience with this particular enemy gave her a little comfort. A very little comfort.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 17:58:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Entering the Civilian Colony, come hell or high water</strong><br><hr><br>The shimmer wave of fire and plasma melted away at the lieutenant's orders.&nbsp; Mathias moved immediately after, holding his free arm up to shield against any stray shots still pinging from the interior until he was fully through the doors and able to wave the others inside.<br><br>"Hold your fuckin' fire, or I swear to the damn Holy Ghost I'll roast each 'n every last one o' you!"<br><br>As if to make his point abundantly clear, he switched the flamethrower back to a long-ranged stream and sprayed a few long, billowing jets of fire overhead, making them dance in a controlled arc to keep the attention well off the rest of the squad.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>17-04-2011, 01:23:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				PFC Yui "Zippo" Sakuraba – 1st Squad<br><br>We headed to the tower. We moved slow but steady, moving with purpose. I felt oddly proud of our squad. I think the crash would've broken other squards. They would've been running scared, or manning the comlinks for help, forgetting the mission. Not us. The mission was the mission, and we'd go on with it and follow it through, despite our losses.&nbsp; <br><br>As we headed into a clearing - or at least an area with less trees - I suddenly felt something go splat on my shoulder. Ordinarily, I don't think I would've given it much thought. Rain, maybe. Or birdshit, given my luck. But on today, of all days ... I glanced upwards. I wasn't taking any fucking chances.<br><br>I wasn't sure if I was glad or not.<br><br>Bodies swung from the trees, like big bloody slabs of meat. Their guts had been ripped out, their bones cracked and shattered ... whoever they were, they just hadn't been killed, they'd been eviscerated.<br><br>My jaw dropped. I let out a cry or surprise, and for a moment, I thought I was going to be sick. But there wasn't time. Gunfire immediately erupted, and off to our right, a screaming guy appeared. And ... a blip. An invisible blip, since I couldn't see with my own eyes what was making it. But it didn't take a genius to realize that whatever it was fragged our screaming guy, as a big smoky hole suddenly appeared in his chest.<br><br>"Oh, no," I whispered hoarsely. It was one of the zeeno-whosis thingies. I <em>knew</em> it.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=103426.msg4512453#msg4512453">Quote from: CmdrRenegade on 16-04-2011, 07:48:37</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Zippo! Hose the blip area! DeSilva! Watch her back! the rest of you watch each other's backs! It's one of those hunter things!"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>"No problem," I said, nodding as I took a few steps towards the area. "I'll roll this fucker up like a big fattie and smoke it for you, Sarge."<br><br>I flipped open all the safety valves. I could feel liquid fuel coursing through the hoses. It felt great. I pulled the trigger ... and flames erupted out of the nozzle of the M240B. The blip area was enveloped in lovely hot fire, and so was the blip inside it.<br><br>"How about a little fire, scarecrow?" I yelled. I was pissed. The zeeno critters probably brought down our ship. And killed my friends. I didn't just want the thing to die, I hoped it suffered, too.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 06:24:38</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>LCpl. Roman “Rome” Beneke – 1st Squad – Leaving the wrecked dropship</strong><br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"I prefer the term fucking sweet cheeks myself."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Rome had paused and glanced back over his shoulder at her, one corner of his lips curling in a near smirk.<br><strong>"Yeah."</strong> he said, simply. He afforded her a subtle nod before turning again, leveling his weapon once more as he lead the column of marines south towards their objective.<br><br>Picking his way carefully through the dense foliage, Rome was really at a disadvantage with both hands on the big M56. He weaved the barrel side to side, pushing the brush aside where he could and using his size to simply trample over everything else. Sure he was clearing a path for everyone behind him, but it wasn’t his idea of a fucking good time either.<br><br><strong>”Hey Giz why don’t you ge…”</strong> He cut himself off, suddenly realizing his mistake of calling out to Pfc. Shaw, aka “Gizmo” or in his case, “Giz.” It had become customary for him call out to Giz, giving him a hard time whenever possible to fix anything he could find to gripe about. It was almost as if he had forgotten to be angry about Gizmo’s death for a few minutes and the mere thought of that only served to make angrier that had been before, if that were possible. <strong>”Mother fuckin’ sonsobitches. I’m gonna kill every last one of ya, so help me God,”</strong> he muttered to himself as he trudged through the jungle.<br><br><strong>Approaching a clearing and strange object</strong><br>After a short time of trapsing more or less blindly, Rome came into a clearing where a strange looking device sat in the center. <strong>”Hey, Sarge… I think you’d better get up here,”</strong> he called over the squad radio comms. As he waited for Sgt. O’Shay to arrive at his position, he heard Pvt. DeSilva yell out near the perimeter of the clearing where the entire squad was now gathered.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Pvt. Angelina DeSilva:<br>“Oh, fuck!! What the FUCK!!</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>He heard DeSilva exclaim with trepidation in her voice. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t like that they were bunching up and was about to say something to the fact as he followed their gaze upward. He was now second in command in the squad and it was his job to maintain order. But before he could say anything, there was a sudden, unmistakable burst of M41 pulse rifle fire from a short distance off to his right. Rome dropped low in his battle ready stance, thumbed the trigger and spun the barrel in the general direction of the gunfire. <br><br>The thick cords of muscles in his arms bunched, glistening with the perspiration caused by the humidity and hot temperature. He wanted to squeeze the trigger and smoke whoever it was, wherever they were, but he was in a little better control of his emotions at the moment and knew that wasn’t the best move to make. That would only serve to give away their position and blow the element of surprise. No, he would remain calm this time; waiting; watching.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><strong>Die you mother fucker!!&nbsp; Just fucking die!!"</strong></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Rome remained silent, glancing around briefly to the rest of his squad to make sure everyone was in position and there were no problems. He was really missing his motion tracker now, busted during the crash landing. <br><br>There was curious sort of sizzling blast sound and the gunfire went silent. Moments later a man wearing what Rome could only describe as a hazmat suit, burst into the clearing and crumpled to a heap. There was a hole bored clean through his chest.<br><br><strong>”Oh, fuck me.”</strong> Rome said to himself as he looked at the dead man. <strong>”Everyone check your trackers! I think it’s one of them hunter fucks! Fan out! Don’t bunch up!”</strong><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 12:07:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				SENJO – FIRST SQUAD – REACHING THE SOURCE OF THE SCRAMBLER SIGNAL<br><br>As First Squad moved south through the dense greenery I was near the rear of the column which was spread out in a long tactical formation, several metres between each marine, enough distance to not catch more than one soldier in a burst of fire or mine blast, close enough to keep visual contact and give fire support. On the march I had no function but to carry the heavy sentry-gun drums and use my sharp senses to observe the world we were passing through.<br><br>The terraforming of LV-6329 had begun fifteen years ago, but studying the jungle around us, the trees and plants gave the impression of being older. Of course the resources of Weyland-Yutani would be sufficient to install atmosphere changer units that would accelerate plant growth relative to Earth normal rates. I marveled at the company's ability to deploy equipment and resources to such a degree, being able to practically mould the universe around it into the shape it desired. My programming told me that somewhere in the heart of W-Y's board of controlling officers must be a powerful desire to compensate for something. A lonely ineffectual childhood possibly. A small sexual organ perhaps. The things that drive humans provide endless material for study.<br><br>Such are the thoughts that run through my head when little data input is available.<br><br>While the squad moved along the trail Lance Corporal Beneke was so noisily crumpling for us through the living wall, I stepped carefully and slowly with the two bulky guns, searching out the optimum foothold for each pace and avoiding plants that crossed the trail or those freshly broken ones the Lance Corporal has left across the path.<br><br>I moved silently. Not a sound, although given the decibels being generated a couple of tens of metres ahead of me, there was little need for caution.<br><br>In my position towards the rear of the formation I could not see the clearing initially but the squad halted and fanned out like… like a thick cake mixture being poured in a slender stream from a bowl and landing on a flat surface to form a pool around it's centre. I put my head briefly on one side and found myself fascinated at the internal imagery and analogies that constantly seeking comparisons from prior data generates.<br><br>At Private DeSilva's warning shout I instantly dropped the guns and had my rifle unslung, going down onto one knee behind cover and looking… up. I looked up. Already my instincts towards this place filtered by previous experiences were causing me to adjust my tactical priorities. The enemy was not necessarily around us on the two-dimensional plane of the ground. He functioned in three dimensions. The rooftops of Los Angeles slum tenements 450 years ago, the upper catwalks and roof-space ventilation ducts of colony outposts, the treetops of an alien jungle on the far quadrant of the galaxy.<br><br>From where I was crouching I saw the raw red meat of the skinned bodies, hung up by vines around their ankles. Again my database fed back to me a similar incident of bodies reported dragged up to high places and hung upside down. The LAPD files had records of similar processes. Why did they do this? My internal records lacked an answer.<br><br>Then the firing and shouting broke out, somewhere within fifteen metres to my right. I swung in that direction, placing the threat to my front only to hear a sound I had not expected to hear in the wild. I had recordings of these devices in my database. A plasma weapon, electrically powered by extreme high frequency oscillations to ionize a gas layer in the core of the weapon and then project it at speed as a pulse or bolt of intense energy. I had data covering such devices built in laboratory environments but the power required to run them demanded extensive arrays of super-conducting power cells. A building was needed to house them. For a portable device to be practical you would need an intense lightweight power source such as a fusion reactor. It was technology beyond human ability even now, hundreds of years after we became aware of the theoretical potential.<br><br>To convey in written language such a sound requires this: <em>CHAUUUOHM-SSSSSP!</em> with the sizzle ending being terminated sharply as the high frequency emitter is closed.<br><br>Sergeant O'Shay loudly gave orders. They did not include me and setting up the sentries here would not be tactically wise. Instead, I carefully scanned the jungle to my left front as a long jet of yellow flame shot from Private Sakuraba's flamer gun, igniting the jungle in a narrow arc. As the greenery sizzled and crackled and popped and recoiled from the heat I thought I saw an outline. It appeared visually as though someone had taken a segment of jungle and polished it until it shone in cut-out form then shifted it a few centimeters so that what you thought you were looking at was actually displaced a little away, bending the light around it. It was a figure, large, humanoid and bulky wearing some form of head covering like an angular helmet.<br><br>I watched the shape as it moved. I released the safety on my rifle and tracked the shape but did not shoot. Not yet. I was gathering data.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 16:33:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Pvt. Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br><em>“Deep breaths, lover boy!” [Marcus] called out when he saw that Cooper was still breathing. “You hurt? If not, get your ass up and kill something!”</em><br><br><em>[Lt. Mengsk:] "Matthais, Sargent get in there and open a path. Cooper on your feet and help them out!"</em><br><br>There was nothing Cooper would rather do. First live fire he'd ever seen, and he was lying in the dirt. The pain didn't matter right now - he had half a dozen little pills in the medkit that would take care of that, as soon as he had a chance to breath. With a muffled grunt he got his feet under him and pushed himself up and forward, toward the door. That was where the shots had come from, but the LT knew that as well as he did. If that's the direction he was ordered to go, then that was where he was going.<br><br>Cooper fell in behind Mathias, coming into position just as the gouts of flames finished splashing off of the ceiling above them. If whoever was inside had any sense, they'd hold their fire. And if they didn't, then Cooper reckoned he'd have a lot more patching up to do real fast. The kit had six small tubs of burn cream. It'd be a real shame if he ran out just before he got to the bastard who'd shot him.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 17:06:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>1st Squad</strong></span><br><br>The flames from Zippo's weapon erupted in a superheated blast of life cooking death. No sooner than had the area around the dead man, and the unknown source of movement, been bathed in flames than what ever was in the area made its presence known. Preceded by an inhuman roar of pure rage, every motion sensor in the squad began to ping madly with sudden, speedy movement. <br><br>Before Zippo had even let up on the tiger, what appeared to be a steel net flew through the flames and made contact with her body. The device almost instantly wrapped around the woman's body and began to constrict. The servos on her ape suit whining as they fought against the pressure of the net only to give in as the marine found her body being constricted by the device despite the power of the ape suit's mechanisms. <br><br>A split second later something landed in the midst of the squad. Even though nothing could be seen three things confirmed this fact to every member of the squad, the first was the motion detectors, the second the near instinctual feeling of something being close. And the third the actions taken by the creature among them. The first to feel the creature's wrath was Sarge in the form of a blow from some sort of blunt weapon directed at the man's chest. The weapon struck with extreme weight and force, bending Sarge's chest plate as he was knocked off his feet. Next was Rome, the same device now struck him on the back of both shoulders as if the weapon's wielder had known that with the smartgun in front of him Rome would be easily stumbled and overbalanced in a forward direction. <br><br>What ever was concealing the unknown creature suddenly dissipated, either though over use or the simple desire of its user to be seen. As its form (http://www.hit.ro/lib/uploads/image/an_2009/luna_05/zi_21/aliens_vs_predator_pcps3xbox360_seg_artwork_02_-_predator.jpg) shimmered into existence the warrior locked its gaze on Senjo. Three&nbsp; red dots appeared on the synthetic's forehead and the device on the unknown warrior's shoulder began to glow bright blue as if charging up.&nbsp; A moment later a small ball of bright blue energy propelled itself in her direction!<br><br><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>3rd Squad</strong></span><br><br>As the squad entered the colony complex they found themselves face to face with the men who had opened fire on them. There were five enemies in all, each one standing behind a large barricade of bullet proof glass and firing from around it. Rather than ceasing fire when they saw that it was the Colonial Marines that had entered the squad of hostiles seemed to become even more determined to eliminate their targets. <br><br>Benjamin's display of pyrotechnics, which would surely have proved intimidating to civilians and wild beasts, did not have the desired effect on the enemy that his squad was facing. Rather than panic or cow them into surrender it served to paint a large target on the flamethrower man. Even before he had finished his sentence two of the hostile soldiers had zeroed in on him and directed their fire to his center mass. Within seconds several rounds impacted with his ape suit. One managed to punch though and into his right thigh. <br><br>The snap and whiz of rounds passing by and impacting near filled Riska, Jones, and Cooper's ears as the remaining enemies focused their fire on them rather than the other squad members who were obstructed by the APC. Each man was wearing strange armor (http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs37/i/2008/283/1/6/Hyperdyne_Contractor_by_ChainsawDroid.jpg) more akin to a space or hazmat suit than it was to combat plating.&nbsp; But despite its odd design it seemed to serve some purpose as Riska's smartgun was unable to auto-target their heat signatures. <br><br>The enemy holding what appeared to be an advanced shotgun (http://th01.deviantart.com/fs15/300W/f/2007/006/5/a/Plasma_Rifle_2_by_ivangraphics.jpg) took aim at Riska and opened fire. The cone of projectiles that flew towards the smartgunner seemed to glow a bright blue. The blast caught her directly in her center mass, blowing several holes in the outer layer of her chestplate, even though none of the rounds punched into her skin what ever the shotgun was firing it had managed to make Swiss-cheese of the layer her armor that was supposed to stop such weapons, and could obviously blow through every layer of it with enough tries. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 17:15:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Entering the Civilian Colony, royally cheesed off.</strong><br><hr><br>"Sonova!"<br><br>Mathias hissed as the round blew entered his thigh, sharp pain that brought him down hard on one knee.&nbsp; Unlike Cooper he seemed bitterly determined to stay in the fight, bracing himself with his other leg to keep from collapsing.&nbsp; It wasn't his first time getting shot, but it wasn't quite something a guy could get used to either.&nbsp; Switching the flamethrower to maximum range, he took aim just over the top of the bulletproof glass and began unloading another stream of roaring fire, sweeping it towards anyone that dared raise their gun over it.<br><br>His eyes flicked left and right in the meantime, trying to find cover--any cover--that he might be able to throw himself towards.&nbsp; Spying the APC to his right he grit his teeth, gave one final spray of deadly flame in the hostile's general direction, then made a leaping roll towards the back end of it to get out of the LoS.&nbsp; <br><br>"Who the <em>fuck</em> are these <em>kaks</em>?" Benjamin swore, more to himself than anyone within earshot.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 00:43:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				SENJO – FIRST SQUAD<br><br>The time for thinking was over. The time for doing was here. The moment the heavy large humanoid landed with a crunching dull sound in the jungle in the midst of our squad I was turning, turning and raising my rifle. The creature still wore some form of visual disruptive camouflage and the shimmer of its presence was all that could be seen as it first knocked Sergeant O'Shay down and then tumbled Lance Corporal Beneke forwards using the Marine's own overbalanced equipment to aid his fall.<br><br>My rifle was still turning and lifting and my mind told me that slicking the selector from auto to full would be the correct choice. My small motions seemed to take a long time in comparison to the swiftness of the unknown attacker but then my eyes registered an emotion – very rare for me, very rare indeed – as the visual camouflage was disabled and a creature I recognized was inside our squad's formation.<br><br>On the creature's shoulder some form of auto-targeting powered cannon swiveled around. I had wasted valuable moments by locking my gaze with the dark slanted eye holes in the helmet, wanting to discern a personality there and now time had run out. My view was filled with bright red light as a targeting laser was painted on my forehead and there was only one thing to do. Summoning all my energy and checking to the side for a landing place I jump-rolled to my right as quickly as I could, as that whine and clap of sound we had heard before filled the clearing. The second I landed and could orient myself I squeezed on the trigger and fired at the shoulder canon itself, trying to disable it, before shifting my aim to the left a few degrees to select the creature's neck and chest as a target. The appearance of the metallic helmet informed me it was advisable to aim elsewhere.<br><br>Beyond the humanoid life-form I sensed that not all our squad was out of action. There was movement there. Private DeSilva. She had a perfect shot at the back of the creature's head. If I could only keep rolling and shooting at the opponent long enough for her to react, to absorb it's attention, the loss of the squad's synthetic might not be without benefit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 00:54:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva - 1st Squad under attack in the jungle clearing ~</strong><br><br>Complete chaos suddenly exploded around her, and fear sunk it’s cold claws of dread into her heart, fibrillating the hammering organ with sharp, icy fingers. In the blink of an eye, Angelina’s adrenaline-fueled brain registered several things at once...one - Yui was in the process of possibly getting sliced and diced within some kind of retracting metal net; two - Senjo was apparently about to get blasted in the head with probably the same weapon that had punched a serious fucking hole in the chest of HazMan, said weapon being leveled at the synthetic’s forehead by a fucking <strong><em>MONSTER</em></strong>, fuck you very much; and three - Sarge and Rome had been forcefully struck by the...creature, and looked to be at least momentarily knocked off their feet. Which left the wide-eyed new recruit as the only fully functional 1st Squad marine not currently not taking fire from the singular enemy.<br><br>Screaming a blood-curdling battle cry in the desperate hope of distracting the creature from it’s laser-guided attack on Senjo and possibly disrupting its accuracy, Angelina simultaneously ran directly toward the creature with her rifle belching its rounds non-stop at the now materialized form of their attacker. “AIYEEEEE!!” she screamed an almost inhuman shriek, her voice cracking at the end as her hyperventilating lungs ran out of air to sustain the yell.&nbsp; <br><br>Hoping that her attempt at distraction combined with Senjo’s accelerated precision reactions would enable the valuable synthetic to evade the blast - and also wanting to avoid taking fire herself - Angelina quickly dodged right and began running in a deviating non-linear pattern toward Yui, continuing to fire her rifle over her shoulder at the creature. Hearing Senjo returning fire behind her, a cool wave of relief washed over her, even as she shouted in concern to the men as she ran, “Sarge! Rome! You okay?”&nbsp; At least everyone appeared to still be alive at the moment.<br><br>Coming to a screeching halt beside Yui, Angelina’s gaze quickly assessed the flamethrower’s situation. If the constricting netting trapping her was made out of steel like it appeared to be, and wasn’t composed of some indestructible alien material, Angelina hoped her Ape Suit would withstand the obviously tremendous force being exerted. However, she didn’t want to take any chances with their flamethrower’s life, and with Yui immobilized like she was, it put her in an extremely vulnerable position with the rampaging hostile still remaining. “Somebody kill that fucking thing!” she shouted in exasperation, hoping the creature would be distracted enough by her fellow squad members to give her time to help Yui free herself.<br><br>Maneuvering to a safe position, Angelina yelled for Zippo to blast her flamethrower at the netting, all the while keeping a wary eye on the creature’s position and actions, rifle at the ready.&nbsp; Angelina knew that the marine would be safely protected in her flameproof suit, and hoped the superheated flame would weaken the metal enough to allow her to use her combat knife to cut through the steel and help Yui extricate herself from her imprisonment. Panting through gritted teeth, Angelina focused on doing her best to succeed in helping Yui escape from her constricting restraints without either of them getting killed by the creature in the process, so the two of them could retake their positions with the rest of the squad.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 03:43:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Jones - 3rd Squad - entering the colony and shooting the hell out of people</strong><br><br>------<br><br><strong>“Hot?&nbsp; I’ll show you hot,” Danko shot back, swivelling the huge gun in her hands as she followed the feed from the targeting system and opened fire once more. “But ask yourself this,” Riska yelled over the fray, “Just how the fuck did whoever shot the L.T. get in here without our trackers picking them up? Makes me think they were here the whole goddamn time.”</strong><br><br>Marcus snorted as he fired one final burst at the still unseen hostiles. “They probably had someone sitting out there for days, waiting for someone to come along.” He replied simply, a grudging respect evident in his tone. “Gotta admit, they’re patient bastards. Though it seems to me to be a little overkill for your garden variety case of corporate espionage. Plus all that planning just to fuck it up at the last second? Wierd...”<br><br><strong>"Cease Fire, if you haven't hit it yet you won't now, don't paint a target on your head!"</strong><br><br>As Mengsk’s harsh voice came down the line, Marcus took his finger off the trigger and lowered his rifle a fraction. He let his attention drift for just a second to get a feel for everyone’s position before he refocused on the open door. As he listened to the L.T. dish out orders to the rest of the squad, he felt a little of that grudging respect extending to him. <br><br>“Man operates well with a hole in his shoulder, eh?” He muttered to Riska.<br><br><strong>Jones, Riska cover my ass, I don't need any more holes in me today!”</strong><br><br>Marcus didn’t bother acknowledging the order, since as soon as he turned his head the officer was already making a dash toward the APC. As the rest of the squad made their way into the colony, Marcus stepped back and to the side, keeping his rifle up and his body between the L.T. and the open door. <br><br>As Mengsk slowly began to drive the APC toward the opening, Marcus took up a walking position between the vehicle and the colony, only a few paces behind Mathias and the rest of the squad. Before he’d even had a chance to take in the surroundings, the enemy opened fire once more. From behind a grouping of barriers, Marcus counted at least five hostiles all wearing what looked like some kind of contamination suits and carrying an assortment of weapons.<br><br>Rounds from various weapons whizzed by his head, and Marcus instinctively took a knee and raised his rifle. In front of him, he heard Mathias shout. <strong>"Sonova!"</strong> The flamethrower man took a round to the leg and dropped involuntarily to his knees, but he was far from out of the fight. As flames erupted in retaliation, Marcus focused his eyes taking a half second to search out his target.<br><br>He noticed one of the targets aiming a shotgun towards their position. “Oh no you don’t,” He growled and set his sights on the man, switching to full auto and firing directly at him even as a spray of glowing shards slammed into Danko’s vest. <br><br>“You’re gunna pay for that one, you son of a bitch.” Marcus vowed, as he got into a crouch and moved forward to cover the Gunnery Sergeant’s position, firing the whole time. He hoped she wasn’t hurt, but he really couldn’t afford to turn and look at that moment.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kevben Battleheart</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 06:07:35</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>MGySgt Arillo Amandil, 3rd Squad, Open Fire!</strong><br><br>Arillo cursed under his breath when all hell seemed to break loose, something that he had been hoping to happen since this mission of theirs on this damned rock began. He watched as Riska open fire on both whatever was firing at them from the colony and whatever had shot Mengsk. Reacting out of instinct he turned and fired off a few rounds in, hopefully, in the direction of whatever had fired upon. His anger flared up as he did so, his fingers staying on the trigger longer than he had intended and spent half of his clip before he heard the order issued from the Lieutenant. "Yes Sir!" he replied curtly and turned to glance at the opening door to the colony. His orders, along with Mathis, had been to clear a path for Mengsk and he damned well would do just that.<br><br>Using the APC as cover he followed behind it as he wanted to see what it was that they would be dealing with and then smiled when he saw that it was just a few humanoids, although how they dressed was a little odd to Arillo. Not that it mattered in the slightest. They each had their jobs to perform and he wasn't about to fail in doing his part to help with the squad. Watching Mathias come under fire, he cursed as he watched his fellow Marine kneel to the ground, but not before he sent a gout of flames over the barrier that was protecting before diving back behind the APC. Arillo's anger flared up again as he came out from behind the APC and aimed his rifle upwards. "Let's see how much you lads like a HEAP round!" he shouted and then fired the grenade, propelling it over the barrier and hopefully amongst the hostiles as he aimed his sites at them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 06:35:15</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>G.S. Danko – 3rd Squad, entering the colony compound</strong><br><hr><br><em>Marcus snorted as he fired one final burst at the still unseen hostiles. “They probably had someone sitting out there for days, waiting for someone to come along.” He replied simply, a grudging respect evident in his tone.</em><br><br>Riska shook her head.&nbsp; Jones’ explanation was possible, but something about the situation just wasn’t sitting right with her.&nbsp; <br><br><em> “Gotta admit, they’re patient bastards. Though it seems to me to be a little overkill for your garden variety case of corporate espionage. Plus all that planning just to fuck it up at the last second? Wierd...”</em><br><br>“More than weird,” Danko corrected as she stilled her gun, eyes scanning the terrain for any sign of movement.&nbsp; “Stupid.&nbsp; Damn, fucking <em>stupid</em>.”<br><br><em>"Cease Fire, if you haven't hit it yet you won't now, don't paint a target on your head!"</em><br><br>Riska instantly pulled her finger away from the trigger of the huge gun in her hands.&nbsp; She’d obey orders, even if she didn’t like it.&nbsp; There was no point in wasting ammo on something she wasn’t even sure she’d seen.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“Man operates well with a hole in his shoulder, eh?” He muttered to Riska.</em><br><br>Danko heard the undercurrent of respect that colored Jones’ voice and silently agreed.&nbsp; “Anyone with armor in that condition has seen his fair share of hurt,” she remarked.&nbsp; Though she hadn’t paid much attention to the new L.T. when they defrosted, she would’ve laid down good money that he had his fair share of scars – and several interesting stories to go with them.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><em>”Jones, Riska cover my ass, I don't need any more holes in me today!”</em><br><br>“Affirmative,” Danko called out over the comm. system, settling into formation beside Marcus as Mengsk climbed into the APC and slowly drove it forward into the colony compound.&nbsp; She followed along with the smart gun held easily in her hands, at the ready, despite the orders to hang fire.&nbsp; She heard Mathias call out his warning as he sprayed the garage with fire.&nbsp; Riska barely had time to note the way the welcome committee was dressed, covered head to toe in what looked like chemical suits behind a glass barrier before they opened fire on the squad again. <br><br>One round hit Mathias, who let out a burst of fiery payback as Jones dropped to his knee and opened fire.&nbsp; Danko moved to take up a peripheral position at his nine to keep the squad from bunching up, raising her gun join her firepower to that of her teammates.&nbsp; Then the shot came.&nbsp; <br><br>Normally, a shotgun blast should have been stopped by the heavy armor she wore.&nbsp; Reinforced and stronger than the average grunt’s combat chestplate, it protected her from the brunt of the heavy fire she received as the squad’s heavy hitter.&nbsp; This, however, was far from normal fire.&nbsp; Several projectiles exploded from the modified weapon in the hands of one of the suited men, in a tight formation and illuminated with a blue glow as they shot across the open space.&nbsp; Weighed down by the M56 and the harness she wore to carry it, Riska was only able to murmur two words before they hit home.&nbsp; <br><br>“Oh, <em>fuck</em>.” <br><br>The rounds hit her square in the chest, knocking her off her feet and tossing her back several feet to land on her back in the dirt.&nbsp; Danko grit her teeth against the pain of the impact, glancing down as she hissed a harsh breath through her teeth.&nbsp; The goddamn things had gone through her chestplate as if it was nothing, leaving the high-density polymer riddled with holes.&nbsp; “Christ on a fucking <em>bike</em>,” she rumbled, tentatively taking a deeper breath and moving her upper body to check for damage.&nbsp; Aside from feeling like she’d been kicked in the chest, and if the lack of wet warmth running down her body were any indication, she didn’t seem to be any worse for wear.<br><br><em>“You’re gunna pay for that one, you son of a bitch.” Marcus vowed, as he got into a crouch and moved forward to cover the Gunnery Sergeant’s position, firing the whole time.</em><br><br>Though she appreciated Jones’ chivalry, Danko could fight her own battles.&nbsp; Later, she'd remind him of that fact, maybe even thank him for covering her ass.&nbsp; Maybe.&nbsp; If she was feeling generous.&nbsp; But first, she'd show him just what she could <em>really </em> do. Very, <em>very </em> slowly. So he wouldn't forget. <br><br>“Is that <em>it</em>?” she called out, swiveling the smart gun down into the supine firing position and then shifting over on her back to get Marcus out of her line of sight.&nbsp; “Is that the <em>best </em> you fuckers can do?&nbsp; <em>Bengesko gadje</em>,” Danko sneered.<br><br>Setting her finger on the trigger, Riska took aim as a fierce grin spread across her face.&nbsp; “<em>My </em> turn,” she growled, and then sprayed the area above the wall with a wash of fire from one side to the next to catch any of the enemy that was standing before lowering her aim and doing the same to glass wall that protected them, going back the way she’d come and adding her own brand of hurt to the grenade that the Sergeant had tossed into the mix.&nbsp; <br><hr><em>Bengesko gadje</em> - cursed non-rom, basically, 'fucking *insert your favorite derogatory ephithet here*'<br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 07:08:33</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Pvt. Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br>It had been only a couple of seconds. He'd heard that was how real combat was. It wasn't until afterward that you could piece it all together and figure out what happened. In the moment all you got were quick flashes, and a hell of a lot of noise. He saw their two big guns - Gunny and Mathias - go down. But not out. The damn APC was close, but far enough away to be useless. His first instinct was to make a dash for it anyway, to get some cover. Get out of the fight. He choked it down. There couldn't be more than a half dozen of these bastards, and they sure as hell weren't Marines. No fucking way was he going to run away from them.<br><br>Instead he dropped to one knee and thumbed the undermount grenade launcher. Just like snowball fights back home. You don't shoot at the snow fort, you drop your shots in over it. And sometimes you put a rock in 'em, just to keep the other guys honest. He didn't have any snowballs with him, but he had a couple of explosive grenades that should work almost as well in a pinch. One over <em>there.</em> One for those two fuckers <em>there.</em> And one skittering across the concrete floor <em>there</em>, between two of the barriers.<br><br>Next time, unless he had other orders, he'd stay in the car. There was a big fucking gun on top of the APC that was sitting there as limp and useless as his grandpa's dick. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>20-04-2011, 15:43:27</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Yui “Zippo” Sakuraba – 1st Squad</strong><br><br>I grinned as I heard something howl in pain. I didn’t know quite what it was, but I thought it might be something that brought down our dropship. And if it was … I was glad the bastard was in pain. Served the son of a bitch right …<br><br>My grin vanished fast, though. I heard a strange whistling noise, and suddenly, the barrel of my flamethrower smacked up hard against my chest. I couldn’t move. My arms and legs were bound together, somehow … and I could barely move my fingers. I could see a web-like lattice stretching across the faceplate of my apesuit, and I could hear the plating of my armor actually groan as the web stuff pulled tight against my body.<br><br>A thump. Something landed nearby that I couldn’t see. I tried turning to catch a glimpse of it, but I could barely move. Based on the shouting, though, I guessed it might be our new friend. And I guessed he wasn’t quite as crispy as I’d hoped.<br><br>There was gunfire. I strained against the netting, but realized pretty fast how stupid that was. I didn’t even think Rome could break out of this stuff unaided. I heard a voice, and realized that DeSilva was next to me, trying to cut the netting.<br><br>“Thanks,” I breathed. I watched uselessly for a moment as I saw the knife flash in her hand, straining to cut my bonds. We’d all be dead by the time she finished cutting … I cursed loudly, wishing I could help her.<br><br>I glanced down at my flamethrower, still pinning against me.<br><br>“DeSilva, get out of the way!” I shouted. “I don’t want to fry your sexy ass!” <br><br>I couldn’t quite see her … but I was aware of her presence. I’d gotten good at that in basic, after crashing stupidly into a couple of things while wearing the ape suit. I’d gotten better aware of my surroundings so I wouldn’t move about like such a klutz. Once I felt DeSilva step back, I managed to worm my finger into the trigger guard of my flamethrower and pulled it.<br><br>Fire washed over the suit, and I could hear the lovely whoosh of the flamethrower as my world turned red and orange. Sweat dripped down my brow inside the suit as the flames surrounded me. I could hear some of the surrounding vegetation crackle as it blackened … I just hoped the weird netting wrapped around my ape suit burned just as nicely.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>21-04-2011, 04:34:31</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>O'Shay heard the screech of the creature as Zippo's flame hit it.&nbsp; He sighted down his already leveled Pulse Rifle, but couldn't be prepared for what happened next.&nbsp; "Keep your eyes open!" he yelled.&nbsp; However, it wouldn't have mattered.&nbsp; The creature was as invisible as ever.&nbsp; He was not prepared for the launched net to wrap around Zippo.&nbsp; Before he could react or speak, he was slammed in the chest and knocked to the ground.&nbsp; If it wasn't for his plate, that hit might have crushed his rib cage and killed him.&nbsp; <br><br>As he came around, he could see Rome on the ground as well.&nbsp; His vision was still blurred from the hit he had took, but he could make out...Yes.&nbsp; It WAS one of those hunter aliens.&nbsp; It appeared to be aiming some kind of shoulder-mounted firearm at Senjo.&nbsp; He had to hope the thing would turn around to react to him if he was going to save Senjo's life.&nbsp; His Pulse Rifle had been knocked from his hands, but he still had his Magnum.&nbsp; He grabbed it and yelled, "Eat this, dreadlocks!" as he unloaded the magazine at the alien.&nbsp; This thing was inhumanly fast, strong, and armed to teeth.&nbsp; He needed to make every shot count.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Xenolord</strong> on <strong>21-04-2011, 08:42:56</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Arca Fields. 3rd Squad.</strong><br><br>This was going to hell in a handcart fast. Arca's mind raced for something, <em>ANYTHING</em> she could do to make this suck less. Danko went down, but she didn't stay there, which was something Arca respected. Marcus' chiverlic response was also a refreshing sight, but she felt Danko needed about as much protection as the Lt. did. Keeping her weapon close to her, she moved to provide back up (At least in a 'I got another person behind me who kind of knows what they're doing' sense), weapon at the ready. She wasn't ready for the loud burst of fire exiting Danko's weapon as it spat death towards her target (Which as far as Arca could see, was the wall). The wall separating those that were shooting at them, and the Marine team cracked and chipped with the combined effort of the grenade and smartgun fire.<br><br>Reacting more then thinking, she fired a few rounds from her own rifle at the cracked glass, watching the bullets finish what the explosive and AP rounds couldn't, the glass crumbling, one of the rounds knicking one of the targets in the leg, knocking it over. It was nowhere near fatal, but it also wasn't her initial plan. She just wanted to remove her cover...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>21-04-2011, 18:20:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size">1st Squad</span><br><br>As the flames washed Yui's body the woman could easily hear a faint popping sound. This was not the soft crack of wood and leaves catching flame but rather the sound of metal giving way to a combination of strain and heat. After another second or so the woman was able, with the assistance of her ape suit, to break free of the netting which finally fell away from her body.<br><br>Despite the best efforts of many of the squad members, the creature seemed to always be at least one step ahead of them. Even as the blast from the energy weapon flew past Senjo it was already moving to avoid both her and Angelina's attacks. It wasn't so much that the creature was fast enough to dodge the bullets as it was that it simply seemed to anticipate where and how the marines would try to attack it. As if it were drawing upon vast amounts of combat experience and knowledge. <br><br>It ducked down and to its right as Senjo and Angelina opened fire, their shots going wide and now harmlessly missing the target. As it rose from it's impromptu crouch it brought it's back squarely into O'Shay's line of fire as the man let loose with all 6 rounds held in his magnum. All his shots, each one by itself enough to knock over a man and take almost anyone out of a fight, punched into the creature's back in a tightly formed shot group. <br><br>In response the monster let loose what could only be described as a grunt of pain.... It then rounded on the sergeant, pivoting on it's feet with a level of grace that nothing its size had any real right to possess. Following through with it's pivoting spin the creature's left hand reached to it's waist and grabbed what appeared to be a menacing looking disc (http://images.wikia.com/avp/images/e/e0/Predator_smart_disc.jpg) which it then flung out in a similar motion to a man throwing a discus .&nbsp; The large staff it had used to attack both Rome and O'Shay was held firmly in its right hand as it used the pivoting motion to add extra force to it's attack. <br><br>The staff struck O'Shay hard on his hands and lower arms with enough force to knock the weapon from the man's hands and nearly break his arms. The disc flew out and towards Senjo, and two things became clear. The first was for what ever reason the creature had obviously decided she was an important target. The second was that the energy weapon had been meant to flush her out, to force her into moving as quickly as she could to avoid it in order to properly gauge her speed of movement for the creature's follow up strike.&nbsp; Even as she rolled and moved the disc literally changed course in mid-air. Altering it's trajectory in order to insure that it would strike it's target. With a whine akin to a high-powered saw the disc struck Senjo right above the hip and cut through her as if she were simply butter. <br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>22-04-2011, 04:56:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>LCpl. Roman “Rome” Beneke – 1st Squad – Fighting Predator</strong><br><br>(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/Corvus269/Characters/Roman.jpg)<br><br>Stars. Rome’s eyes was filled with stars as he was knocked with incredible force to the ground, the forward leaning weight of the M56 throwing him severely off balance so that he could not catch himself in time. He had just managed to swivel the gun barrel upwards, parallel with his body where he landed on the weapon’s frame with a thud, bouncing with enough force to force the breath from his lungs. His helmet rolled from his head, taking with it the squad comms and the smart gun’s aiming reticle.<br><br>He shook his head in an attempt to clear his double vision, the sounds of pulse rifle fire roaring in his ears accompanied with the muted shouts of Pvt. DeSilva. She sounded so far away at first, and then gradually the muted shouts became clear and focused, tuned in to crystal clear clarity once more. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">“DeSilva, get out of the way! I don’t want to fry your sexy ass!” <br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He heard Pvt. Yui yell in her high pitched feminine voice. Suddenly remembering where he was and what had happened, he heaved himself over onto his back, clutching the M56 as he turned. Glancing to his right, he saw Sgt. O’Shay on his feet again. He was pointing his .357 Magnum hand gun at the now visible creature; a creature that greatly resembled the same unusual beast they had encountered back on LV-1875, those many months ago, only this one seemed much less cooperative.<br><br>Still lying prone on his back, Rome raised one knee and aimed the M56 down his body at the alien. Without his aiming reticle, it would be much easier to miss, though the IFF transponders the squad members all wore severely minimized the chances of friendly fire, though the possibility still existed. Taking careful aim down the length of the barrel, Rome squinted one eye and thumbed the trigger switch.<br><br><strong>”Say hello to ‘Sexy Beast’ you ugly fuck!”</strong> Rome exclaimed through clenched teeth, the rage welling inside of him once more, making his focus singular; the destruction of the Alien creature in their midst. The M56 belched fire and death, spewing a wall of 10x28 caseless ammunition at the creature. Rome’s arms convulsed with the recoil of the weapon, his face cast in eerie shadows from the flames spurting from the end of his barrel, giving an even more sinister visage to his dark features than per usual.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>23-04-2011, 04:18:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>LT. Mengsk, out of the fire into the frying pan! Squad 3</em></div><hr><br>Even if it was only slivers of seconds to the APC in a full sprint and the unexpected shower of bullets from within the compound he knew that the squad needed to have some sort of safety at their backs! Being out in the open with an unseen enemy was much worse than an enemy they could see and equipped like them. The ones inside did not have one thing they did, a fucking armored APC! The seconds till the door closing was ticking and once in the APC he set a course that was clear of his own troops and floored the petal to the metal with a loud bellow from the heavy machine right into the facility! <br><br>Mengsk hit the high beams and roared along with his vehicle as he came pummeling into the facility in the direction of the hostiles. Those barricades might have been bullet proof but he doubted they where APC proof. <br><strong>"All in, get those doors closed! Stay Frosty!"</strong><br>He yelled over the com as he collided into the hostiles defenses with his vehicle and and backed a little to open the door and burst out of it like a demon out of hell with shot gun in hand! If there was one type of fighting he thrived in it was hand to hand combat where his shot gun was guaranteed to hit! With his gun in hands he charged into the nearest hostile and pumped a round into their mid section before sweeping for the legs and the disarm before moving to the next one. He was not going to get to far from the APC, no way they would get to turn those guns on them but he wanted to create a distraction for his squad to divert the fire over his way in order to turn the tide in their favor! If one stayed alive long enough to question, he would get to it...possibly, unless they really pissed them off. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>23-04-2011, 20:30:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>"Motherfucker!" Sarge yelled as the staff slammed down on his arms, forcing him to drop his pistol.&nbsp; This was getting worse progressively.&nbsp; He had hurt it, but not nearly enough.&nbsp; This thing had amazing constitution too it seemed.&nbsp; There wasn't much time to do anything else.&nbsp; He rolled away from the creature as it flung its disk towards his discarded pulse rifle.&nbsp; <br><br>"Let's hope the HEAP rounds are enough," he thought.&nbsp; Just as he rolled to pick up the rifle, he heard Rome let loose with "Sexy Beast".&nbsp; Thankfully, they weren't all dead yet.&nbsp; Either way, he wasn't taking any chances.&nbsp; One moment later, he grabbed the Pulse Rifle and rolled into a crouch and began to fire at the alien.&nbsp; "OPEN FIRE! Don't give it a chance to move!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>23-04-2011, 22:15:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The grenades went off and Riska cut her fire, rolling to cover her face from any incoming debris.&nbsp; The sound of a growling engine coming from behind her forced her to lift her head just in time to see the APC coming into the garage at full bore with the LT behind the wheel, high beams blazing a path in front of him.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"All in, get those doors closed! Stay Frosty!"</em><br><br>The LT’s voice was almost a roar over the comm. unit.&nbsp; Danko reacted instinctively.&nbsp; “You heard the man, give him room!” she barked through the system as she rolled and scrambled to the side to get out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.&nbsp; <br><br>The APC ran headfirst into the glass barrier, shattering it on impact.&nbsp; A second later the door flew open and the LT burst out like a wild man, shotgun in hand, firing at anything and everything.&nbsp; “Fuckin’ A,” Riska muttered, watching the LT act like a goddamn berserker, buying them all time to handle the rest of the enemies with his diversion.&nbsp; <br><br>“Back him up!” she yelled over the comm.,&nbsp; “and take the rest of those fuckers <em>out</em>!”&nbsp; <br><br>Rolling up onto one knee, Danko added her own fire to the LT’s, aiming for the chest of the man that had shot her and his motherfucking gun.&nbsp; It was time for a little payback.&nbsp; <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>24-04-2011, 01:30:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Jones – 3rd Squad – In the fray<br>-------<br>"All in, get those doors closed! Stay Frosty!"</strong><br><br>Over the blast of the grenades, Marcus felt more than heard the engine’s of the APC revving as the L.T. ploughed head on into the oncoming fire. <br>“Damn brother,” He muttered as turned to haul ass out of the way. “That guy knows how to party.” Looking down at the ground next to him, he saw that Danko was already ahead of him, rolling toward the side. <br><br>Moving quickly, he ran over to her and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, sweet cheeks.” He said, pulling her along with him out of the way. “Can’t have the gunner gettin’ all squished in the first five minutes of the mission. ‘Specially when she looks like you.”<br><br>Though he spoke in jest, there was little humour in his voice. All around him, rounds where whizzing by his head and it was starting to piss him off. As Mengsk jumped out of the APC a moment later and entered the fray, Marcus took off in a dead run, following closely and firing like a madman into the enemy positions.<br><br><strong>“Back him up!” she yelled over the comm.,&nbsp; “and take the rest of those fuckers out!”</strong> Danko’s voice sounded in his earbuds and was quickly followed by another long burst from her smart gun. He grinned as he watched the rounds tear through a hostile with no mercy.<br><br>&nbsp;“You idiots want some?” He shouted at them, his voice cutting through the gunfire like a razor. “Then come and fucking get it!”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>24-04-2011, 06:00:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva, 1st Squad, still battling the overpowering single hostile in the jungle clearing ~</strong><br><br>The stench of burning metal. The frantic report of gunfire. The primal cries and grunts of heated battle. The urgent movements of the marines as they each executed their individual deadly dance with the fearsome creature.&nbsp; Each soldier striving to deliver a feast of death to the beast, while simultaneously attempting to avoid consuming that malignant meal themselves. <br><br>Her long dark hair plastered against her sweaty skin and her face a grimace of impotent frustration, it was as if Angelina didn’t even exist to the creature or for her squad. The multitude of deadly cartridges she had discharged from her pulse rifle had harmlessly rained down on the jungle floor as the creature avoided her attack with impossible ease. <br><br>As Zippo’s flames began to dissolve the molecular bonds of the steel netting and she was able to free herself from the melting metal, Angelina’s relief was meager and fleeting as she shoved her knife back in its holster. Turning in time to see Sarge’s perfectly placed 6-round smackdown do little more than further enrage the creature, she&nbsp; grabbed for her rifle again, shouting her angry confusion to everyone and no one, “What the hell <strong>IS</strong> this goddamn thing?”&nbsp; <br><br>Seeing Rome regain his focus and take deadly aim with his powerful M56, and catching sight of Sarge rolling and grabbing his pulse rifle to take up an attack position, Angelina immediately hustled to close in rank as Sarge yelled to the squad, <strong>"OPEN FIRE! Don't give it a chance to move!"</strong> Crouching and taking a low knee to the ground, she brought her rifle into position and slipped her finger to the trigger of the underslung grenade launcher.&nbsp; After carefully lining up the creature in her sight, she launched all four grenades in succession directly at the beast, the three marines unleashing their torrent of deadly projectiles simultaneously.&nbsp; Hoping Yui and Senjo were able to do the same, Angelina didn’t let her focus leave the hostile for even a split second to check on their positions as she switched back to bombarding it with her rifle rounds, praying that the barrage of their combined firepower would at least force the creature’s retreat if they couldn’t actually kill the motherfucker.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>26-04-2011, 16:32:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Yui “Zippo” Sakuraba – 1st Squad</strong><br><br><em>Snap. Snap. Snap.</em> I felt the metal webbing give way as the fire around me burned. I kept the flames burning, trying to will my bonds to break faster. I could here shouts and screams and gunfire erupting around me, and I knew I needed to join the squad. Fast. If I didn’t, the zeeno-whosis would be slicing and dicing all of us quick.<br><br>I finally felt the webbing give way. Free at last, I whirled around … and saw Rome blasting away at our ugly new friend. DeSilva was up there with him, blasting away as well. And from what I could see of the new girl, crouched down beside Rome, she was about to introduce the ugly zeeno to the wonderful world of grenades. Sarge was shooting and barking orders too, although why he bothered with the orders, I didn’t know. <em>Kill the ugly fuck who’s trying to kill us</em> seemed kinda obvious.<br><br>Senjo was down. I didn’t know what happened to her, but she looked sliced pretty bad. Milky goop was leaking out of her side. Her mouth was moving, but no sounds were coming out. I shook my head in anger … she was a synth job, so I thought she’d be okay, but we’d already taken too many lumps. Another squad member down was almost too much.<br><br>Quickly, I moved to the left flank of DeSilva and Rome, hoping they were laying down enough suppressive fire to occupy the zeeno thingie. I made my way off to the side of the creature, keeping crouched down low, and hoping it didn’t see me. Once I was in position, I opened up with another burst of flame. I didn’t know what barbecued zeeno tasted like, but I was in the mood to find out. I bet it tasted like chicken, though. Crispy chicken.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>26-04-2011, 18:11:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>3rd Squad</strong></span><br><br>Between the grenades, the apc, and the literal hail of smartgun, pulse rifle, and shotgun blasts that the squad fired onto their targets three of the unknown hostiles had already fallen to them. The first blown away by shrapnel from several grenades, the second with his chest caved in from a point blank shotgun blast, and the third from several rounds to his center mass, arms, and legs. The remaining two enemies knew better than to simply attempt to hold their ground now that their position had been overrun and they were easily outnumbered. <br><br>Moving with the precision of well trained soldiers they began to fall back, using each other to provide suppressive fire until they were close enough to the exit to turn and run. As they did, one of them fell to a smartgun round to the back of the head. As the other one disappeared down the hall. With the nearly destroyed corpses of their enemies littering the ground around them 3rd squad now had the task of attempting to find out what the hell had just happened. <br><br>Each of the four bodies still held onto it's weapon, a total of three strange looking pulse rifles and one shotgun. One of the bodies, who's suit sported slightly more ornate rank insignia than the others,&nbsp; had a small data slate strapped to it's suit. The slate had been damaged by the shotgun blast that had claimed the man's life but it might still yield some information. <br><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>1st Squad</strong></span><br><br>Even as the creature continued to attack the squad with it's staff it was able to smoothly catch the disc which it had used wound Senjo as if the device posed no danger at all. As it seemed to prepare to launch the device again the sound of Rome shouting his curse could be heard, followed closely by the report of his M56. Within seconds the weapon's voice was joined by the voices of the weapons belonging to the other squad members. The loud chatter of pulserifles, the deep cough of a grenade launcher and even the angry hiss of a flamethrower. All of them firing on the position of the hostile. The dust and debris from the grenade rounds going off as well as the gouts of flame shrouded the enemy's location even as the squad continued to fire. <br><br>But these sights sounds were not the ones that would tell the squad what they needed to know. In fact it was the lack of another sound that would prove most important to their current situation. The constant and urgent chimes of the squad's motion detectors had fallen silent mere seconds after they had converged their firepower on the creature's location. What ever had been amongst them was obviously no longer moving......<br><br><br><br><br>As the last of the gunfire died off an eerie silence filled the clearing. Moments later the dust settled and 1st squad was greeted with two very unsettling sights. The first being that whatever they had been firing upon seemed to have simply disappeared. Aside from a few splatters of bright green blood...there was no sign of the creature there wasn't a body, nor were any of the creature's weapons&nbsp; laying around. In fact there wasn't even spent ammunition casings or tracks. It was as if the thing had never even been there. The second bit of bad news that the squad encountered was the fact that Senjo, their synthetic, had in fact been damaged much worse than it had at first seemed... A good portion of her stomach, just above the hip, had been torn into a 'bloody' mess. And she lay there inert as her systems had obviously initiated some sort of emergency shutdown. <br><br><br><br>As the squad took these things in, the device in the center of the clearing began to beep first slowly, but with each passing noise the next seeming to come sooner than the last. This mechanical beeping was soon joined by what could only be described as laughter &nbsp;(http://datacore.sciflicks.com/predator/sounds/predator_laughter.wav).....<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>26-04-2011, 19:39:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Wounded, but mobile.</strong><br><hr><br>Only after the chatter of gunfire had ceased did Mathias dare to struggle to his feet, the wound to his thigh smarting like a sonova bitch.&nbsp; The fact that he wasn't fading out told him that it hadn't struck an artery, but even with the suit's mechanical aid fast movement was probably out of the question.&nbsp; It'd have to be looked at before moving on.<br><br>Apparently undeterred, the Lance Corporal limped over to one of the nearby corpses and, stowing his flamethrower, bent over to procure one of the bizarre pulse rifles and inspect it.&nbsp; <br><br>"Nasty piece of work, these," he muttered irritably.&nbsp; "Think this is the one that shot me too.&nbsp; I'm thinkin' we just got ourselves some fancy trophies, eh?"<br><br>Then, a bit louder, "That aside, what the <em>fuck</em> is going on, and who the hell were those jackasses?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>27-04-2011, 09:01:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>G.S. Danko - Third Squad - Ooooo, shiny new guns!</strong><hr><br>Danko let out a low grunt as Jones grabbed the front of her chest plate and hauled her to her feet.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“Come on, sweet cheeks.” He said, pulling her along with him out of the way. “Can’t have the gunner gettin’ all squished in the first five minutes of the mission. ‘Specially when she looks like you.”</em><br><br>“I bet you say that to <em>all </em> the gunners,” Riska shot back with a wry grin as she stumbled after him. Soon, her gunfire joined his as Jones rushed forward to engage the hostiles, and between the combined fire of the squad, the enemy began to drop one by one, until finally the remainders were forced to fall back.&nbsp; Riska was particularly satisfied when one of the bastards dropped with a round from her gun in the back of his head. Or rather, where his head used to be.&nbsp; But goddamit!&nbsp; One of them managed to get away, running down the hallway behind the barricade like a mouse in a fucking maze.&nbsp; &nbsp;Pulling back on the M56, Danko walked forward to stand by Mathias’ side.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Nasty piece of work, these," he muttered irritably.&nbsp; "Think this is the one that shot me too.&nbsp; I'm thinkin' we just got ourselves some fancy trophies, eh?"</em><br><br>“You should pass that thing on to one of us that needs an upgrade,” Danko suggested, looking at the pulse rifle in his hands.&nbsp; “They’ve got the hook ups for the grenade launcher and the flame attachment.&nbsp; O Beng knows it seems we need the extra firepower if they’re all armed like this.”&nbsp; She slipped a few fingers through the holes in her chest plate for emphasis.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br><em>Then, a bit louder, "That aside, what the fuck is going on, and who the hell were those jackasses?"</em><br><br>“And why the hell do they need fucking HAZMAT suits?”&nbsp; Bending down, Riska retrieved what appeared to be a modified type of shotgun from one of the fallen men.&nbsp; “This isn’t Weyland-Utani’s logo, anybody recognize it?” she asked, turning the gun over in her hands.&nbsp; The same emblem was on the chemical suit the man worse.&nbsp; “Similar to an M33.&nbsp; Christ, this thing’s fully automatic.”&nbsp; The admiration was clear in her voice.&nbsp; “Laser sight … this is one hellavu goddamn gun.”&nbsp; <br><br>But there was still the matter of the man that got away.&nbsp; “Lieutenant, should we pursue?” she asked Mengsk, awaiting his orders.&nbsp; <br><hr>O Beng - the devil
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>28-04-2011, 01:34:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>PFC Jones – 3rd Squad – Returning to the rest of the squad<br><br>“I bet you say that to all the gunners,” Riska shot back with a wry grin as she stumbled after him.</strong><br><br>Marcus chuckled softly, Danko’s words ringing in his ears, as he lowered his weapon. He watched intently as the final surviving attack fled down the hall with his tail firmly entrenched between his legs before turning back to the rest of the squad. As he approached the main group, he nudged the G.S. playfully and leaned over to not quite whisper.<br><br>“Only you.”<br><br><strong>"Nasty piece of work, these," [Mathias] muttered irritably.&nbsp; "Think this is the one that shot me too.&nbsp; I'm thinkin' we just got ourselves some fancy trophies, eh?"</strong><br><br>“Hey Mathias,” Marcus then called out. “You even remember how to shoot that thing? Might put another hole in your leg if you’re not careful.” Then, looking around, Marcus took stock of the rest of the squad. Everyone seemed more or less intact and he noted with some satisfaction that Cooper was up. <br><br>“Nice shot, lover boy.” He said, giving the kid a simple nod before strolling over to one of the dead hostiles. Kneeling down, he pulled the strange looking pulse rifle from the dead man’s hands and gave it a once over. “It’s got mounting rails on it,” He muttered then speaking a little louder. “Hey L.T! Looks like we can switch over our grenade launchers and flame casters, mind if I switch up my rifle for this one? It’s a lot lighter and we all saw the damage it can do.”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>28-04-2011, 02:51:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Wounded, but mobile.</strong><br><hr><br><strong>“You even remember how to shoot that thing? Might put another hole in your leg if you’re not careful.” </strong><br><br>Mathias grinned, though it went unnoticed beneath his near-featureless mask.&nbsp; "My marksmanship is superb!&nbsp; It's just that I prefer to blow my loads a bit <em>hotter</em> and <em>longer</em> than one of these bad boys can handle.&nbsp; Oi, Cooper, head's up!"<br><br>He turned to the Private suddenly as soon as he caught up with the rest of them, throwing the pristine pulse rifle his way like an old piece of trash.&nbsp; "You know how to shoot one of those straight, right?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>28-04-2011, 07:46:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Tychus- 3rd squad, letting the smoke clear </em></div><br>"Negative Gunny, squad let those muzzles cool down. Anyone bring a scanner with them? I want this room locked down Asap. Once we are secure, check your injuries, patch up and suit back up don't want to be caught with our pants down now that we know we have hostiles."<br>Tychus denied the request to push forward, they had just been trapped in the middle of some ambush, like hell he wanted to keep moving before getting any and all information they could.&nbsp; <br><br>"Close these doors Arca then see what intell you can get from this data slate."<br>He had bent down after shouldering his rifle to retrieve the busted memory device and walked it over to the private to hand to her. His attention moved to Jones when he asked about keeping the weapons.<br>"Keep it as a back up, don't want to risk those things jamming up or giving out on you at the worst possible time. Play with it if you want, but be loyal to the wife."<br>Tychus grinned and reached back to stroke the end of his shotgun's handle as he moved over to inspect the bodies. <br>"Jones you look healthy, you get watch on that door, big bird ran out of." <br><br>"I'm going to be performing some battlefield triage or autopsy is someone wants to lend me a hand." <br>With that said he moved and dragged the bodies off and began to process of removing the equipment and inspecting the bodies. Tattoos, any physical abnormalities but also to inspect their equipment further and see if one of them had survived in order to interrogate one for information. If these guys equipped themselves in this manner, it meant it was important and Mensk wanted to make sure he prepared himself as much as possible before moving on. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>28-04-2011, 08:21:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>He lost track of how long they had been shooting.&nbsp; 5 seconds? 10? A minute? "CEASE FIRE!" he yelled.&nbsp; The chatter of everyone's weapons slowly died down.&nbsp; As the smoke cleared he watched for his target.&nbsp; "Watch the perimeter!" He could make out no silhouette.&nbsp; He ran over to Senjo.&nbsp; He tried to check for a pulse.&nbsp; Wait.&nbsp; Do synths even have a pulse? He had heard that synths could even get cut in half and still be able to function.&nbsp; She was probably as 'alive' as 'alive' could be for a synth.&nbsp; Wait, something else was wrong.&nbsp; "Something's not right...," he muttered out to no one.&nbsp; The motion sensors were all strangely quiet.&nbsp; If the creature had disengaged, they would have detected its egress.&nbsp; Yet not one of them had seen or heard it go.&nbsp; Could they all have missed it? He looked over at where the creature had been as he quickly retrieved his magnum.&nbsp; Blood drops, likely from his Magnum...but nothing else.&nbsp; No casings, armor shards, or dropped weapons.&nbsp; "Cover the perimeter.&nbsp; I'll grab Cybertits here and..." he trailed off.&nbsp; Beeping......slowly becoming faster...followed by what could only be described as laughter.&nbsp; Didn't he see that in a movie once? "Fall back towards the crash zone! It's a bomb!" He grabbed Senjo's inert body and hucked her over his shoulder.&nbsp; She was heavier than she looked.&nbsp; "Damn heavy synth broad...Better thank me for this...KEEP RUNNING!" He didn't know what kind of yield the bomb had, as he ran for what was surely his life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>28-04-2011, 21:52:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Pvt. Cooper - 3rd Squad</strong><br><br>Cooper was stunned for a moment. It was a cliche, but it had all happened so fast. He wasn't sure if any of the dead bodies that now lay around them had died from one of his grenades, but it could have happened. And if it did, then it meant that for the first time he'd just killed somebody. In retrospect he was glad that there had been so many other bullets flying around. It made it easier to think about. Whatever he'd done here, he'd done it along with his squadmates, at the direction of his LT. It wasn't his decision, which was of course how the Corps was supposed to work.<br><br>The thought of the flying bullets snapped him out of it. A lot of those bullets had been coming toward his squad, and some of them had hit. His training kicked in. As soon as it was clear that the fight was over, he unslung his medic kit and keyed the sequence that turned the large, flat box into a portable med station. With a pneumatic whine small stabilizing legs protruded from the corners and racks of patches, gels and pills swiveled out for easy access. A luminous green display showed null diagnostic stats; nobody was hooked up to the thing yet. He looked around for wounded, but of course even those who had been hit were playing it tough. They'd taught him that in training, too. <em>These are Marines. They ain't gonna come to you looking for an aspirin. You gotta look around and see if anybody's missing an arm, 'cause they ain't gonna whine about it out loud.</em><br><br>"Injury status summary," he dictated into the medical computer. A copy of the records would be uploaded and attached to the incident report. "Lt. Mengsk: Laser burn wound, shoulder. Lance Corporal Mathias: Rifle wound, thigh. Gunny Danko: Shotgun wound, chest." He thought for a moment, then decided not to put his own injury into the record. As he swallowed a stim pill for the pain, he reasoned that it had only been a bruising. Not worth wasting time talking about, and not something he wanted on his permanent record attached to his very first live fire encounter.<br><br>"Lieutenant, Gunny, Lance Corporal," he called. "When you have a second, I gotta look at those wounds." His tone was almost apologetic. They all had shit to do, but rules were rules.<br><br>[Marcus]<em>“Nice shot, lover boy.”</em><br><br>He acknowledged the compliment with what he hoped was a manly and confident nod, but was saved from having to form a response by Mathias' interjection. <em>"Oi, Cooper, head's up! You know how to shoot one of those straight, right?"</em><br><br>"Yes, sir!" Cooper replied. He took the proffered weapon. It looked simple enough - same controls and, as he sighted down the rangefinder, just about the same balance. And a much bigger kick, from what he'd seen. He set it down on the concrete floor next to his other weapon and made a note to move over the grenade launcher when he had a chance to.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>30-04-2011, 07:03:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				G.S. Danko - Third Squad - In the Garage<br><hr><br><em>As he (Marcus) approached the main group, he nudged the G.S. playfully and leaned over to not quite whisper.<br><br>“Only you.”</em><br><br>Riska let out a rude snort, rolling her eyes as she whispered back,” You think you’re <em>so </em> in, don’t you?&nbsp; Soooo <em>baxtalo</em>. Well, now you’re going to have to <em>work </em> for it, <em>raklo</em>.”&nbsp; Smirking at Jones, she turned to face the L.T. when he spoke to her.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Negative Gunny, squad let those muzzles cool down. Anyone bring a scanner with them? I want this room locked down ASAP. Once we are secure, check your injuries, patch up and suit back up don't want to be caught with our pants down now that we know we have hostiles."</em><br><br>“Affirmative,” Danko shot back, stepping over the body at her feet to begin a sweep of the room’s perimeter.&nbsp; She slung the shotgun over one shoulder as she moved, intending to have a closer look once the room was secure.<br><br><em>"Jones you look healthy, you get watch on that door, big bird ran out of." </em> <br><br>Riska let out a low chuckle at the L.T.'s selction of guard dog.&nbsp; “Enjoy watching that door, Mr. <em>Gavvers</em>,” she teased, stepping close to Jones and thumping the side of her gloved fist against his chest plate with a fair amount of force.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"I'm going to be performing some battlefield triage or autopsy is someone wants to lend me a hand."</em><br><br>“I will Lieutenant, once I’ve made my sweep,” Danko replied.&nbsp; Glancing over her shoulder, she eyed up the newest members of the squad and mentally added to herself, <em>‘’Cause I sure as hell don’t think that Fields and Cooper are up for that much blood so soon.&nbsp; Boy looks like he can barely stomach what just happened, let alone see it up close.’</em><br><br><em>"Lieutenant, Gunny, Lance Corporal," he called. "When you have a second, I gotta look at those wounds." His tone was almost apologetic. They all had shit to do, but rules were rules.</em><br><br>Riska shook her head.&nbsp; “Negative, Private,” she replied, moving towards the nearest wall.&nbsp; “I have orders to secure the perimeter and then I need to repair my armor.&nbsp; The L.T. and the pyro need your attention more than I do.&nbsp; Just a bad bruise, nothing serious.&nbsp; Besides, I’d have to drop the harness to remove my chestplate,” Danko paused to give the gun in her hands a loving caress.&nbsp; “And we don’t want me walking around without my baby, now <em>do </em> we?”&nbsp; <br><br>Smiling rakishly at Cooper, Riska turned and began to canvas the boundaries of their location, gun at the ready, just in case.<br><hr><em>baxtalo </em> - lucky<br><em>raklo </em> - non rom man<br><em>gavvers </em> - policeman<br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>30-04-2011, 08:35:28</strong>
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				<strong>~Lcpl. Roman “Rome” Beneke - In the clearing with Predator~</strong><br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/Corvus269/Characters/Roman.jpg)</div>Gunfire roared in his ears, the glare from the muzzle flashes lighting their faces in a spooky light. After what seemed like seemed like 10 minutes, Sgt. O’Shay gave the order, <em>“Cease fire!”</em> waving his hand in front of his face in to relay the same command in case he couldn’t be heard over the sounds of combat.<br><br>Rome let off the trigger at nearly the same instant as the rest of the squad filling the jungle with an eerie silence, the remnants of gunfire echoing in the distance. Everyone stood motionless for a few moments, trying desperately to see through the smoke from the gunfire to determine if their attacker was down. The distinct ‘tic-tic-tic-tic’ sound of the barrel of the M56 cooling was joined by similar sounds from the pulse rifles. For a moment, it was the only sound that could be heard.<br><br>The silence was broken suddenly when Sgt. O’Shay began moving towards Senjo, shouting another command to what remained of 1st squad. <em>” "Watch the perimeter!"</em> Rome tilted the M56 on his mounting and rolled to one knee. Lowering his weapon once more, he grabbed his helmet and put it back on, adjusting the sight reticle over his eye. He gave a heave and pushed himself up to his feet, moving position so that he was covering DeSilva’s six. Glancing at her as he moved past, he gave a little smirk. <strong>“You handle yourself pretty well, baby girl,”</strong> he shot at her. <strong>“And I love a woman who knows how to handle herself.”</strong><br><br>As he turned back to watch the perimeter, he noticed stains of bright green splattered on the jungle’s undergrowth. <em> "Cover the perimeter.&nbsp; I'll grab Cybertits here and..."</em> He was just about to comment on the fluid when the Sgt. O’Shay trailed off. His senses became keenly alert and suddenly became acutely aware of the rhythmic beeping sound coming from the device in the center of the clearing. <em> "Something's not right...,"</em> He heard Sgt. O’Shay say to himself. <em>"Cover the perimeter. I'll grab Cybertits here and..."</em> Sgt. O’Shay began. Rome slowly turned his head towards the device, realization slowly dawning on him causing his face to dissolve into a grimace of horror. “It’s a goddamn bomb,” the thought came to him even as Sgt. O’Shay.<br><br>Rome was already moving when Sgt. O’Shay yelled <em> "Fall back towards the crash zone! It's a bomb!"</em> Rome turned back towards the crash site, releasing his grip on his weapon and letting the gun sit free on its mount. He reached out with both hands grabbing both Zippo and DeSilva and giving them a push forward. <strong>”Move your sorry asses, Marines!”</strong> He jogged behind them, moving as quickly as his bulk and his gear would allow him. He glanced back at Sgt. O’Shay, checking if he needed any help carrying the out-of-commission Senjo, but he seemed to managing just about as well as Rome was. The sounds of devilish laughter drifted after them as they raced back to the crash where this nightmare had all began.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>01-05-2011, 08:41:47</strong>
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				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva with 1st Squad, battling the seemingly invincible creature in the jungle clearing ~</strong><br><br>Narrowing her eyes against the stinging dust and smoke, Angelina’s fingers cramped painfully in her too-tight grip on her rifle. The thunderous cacophony of their weapons discharging in united assault pummeled her ears until Sarge’s command, barely audible over the roar, <strong>"CEASE FIRE!"</strong>&nbsp; As the dust began to settle, she kept her trigger finger curled at the ready as her gaze pored over the clearing and perimeter, her chest rising and falling in panting breaths. But her searching eyes found no sign of the hostile in the vicinity, alive or dead. <em>Had it used the haze as cover for its retreat?</em>&nbsp; <br><br>As her gaze found the prone form of Senjo, a deep frown creased her forehead. <em>Ah, fuck - what the hell happened to Senjo?</em>&nbsp; Just then Rome moved past her, lobbing one of his signature quasi-offensive yet somehow endearing provocative remarks her way. As she quirked a brow and started to reply, a beeping sound suddenly started up within the clearing, and thoughts of witty banter immediately dissipated. Confused at first, her gaze quickly locked onto the mysterious device as the source of the sound. Keeping her rifle in firing position and eyes alert, she took a cautious step toward the device for a closer look. It suddenly registered in her brain that the beeping sound was speeding up, and she froze in her forward movement at Sgt. O’Shay’s warning command, <strong>"Fall back towards the crash zone! It's a bomb!"</strong><br><br>Turning toward Sarge, she saw him sling Senjo’s unmoving body over one broad shoulder and head out at a run.&nbsp; Frantically, Angelina’s gaze swept over the clearing, desperate to find a way out from the impending catastrophe. She saw the melted pile of guns next to the device, but she saw no sign of burned trees or foliage other than what Zippo had just crispified. <em>Maybe...maybe the blast radius doesn’t reach beyond the perimeter of the clearing?</em>&nbsp; But a maybe sure wasn’t something she was willing to bet her life on.&nbsp; Hustling to retrieve the satchel and pouches Senjo had been carrying, she glared angrily at the abandoned hulking sentry guns, knowing that no matter how valuable they were to the squad, even bruisers like Sarge and Rome wouldn’t be able to muscle those powerhouses back to the crash site. “Goddamn it!” she spat out in frustration.<br><br>Stumbling forward as Rome’s meaty palm shoved her in the back toward the way they had come, she started jogging in retreat as he yelled at her and Yui, <strong>”Move your sorry asses, Marines!”</strong> With the beeping continuing its ever-accelerating pace behind her, she glanced at Yui, again hoping her suit would provide some protection since it would obviously be slowing down her retreat. Maybe Senjo’s heavy and armored body would also provide protection for Sarge. As worry began to form for Rome as he took up the rear position while burdened by his weighty M56, the eerie sound of....laughter? reached her ears. “What the FUCK?”&nbsp; Her feet stepping sure-footed on the familiar topography, Angelina began to run, worry for her squad being gnawed away by the taunting threat sounding clear in that laughter, as well as the oppressive deja vu overwhelming her. Once again, she was running for her life through the jungle, her heart pounding in her ears.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Zillah</strong> on <strong>02-05-2011, 15:35:42</strong>
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				<strong>PFC Yui “Zippo” Sakuraba – 1st Squad</strong><br><br>It was glorious. All the flames and gunfire being poured into the zeeno-thingie’s direction … it felt great. I yelled as black smoke poured into the sky, feeling like we were finally doing something. I didn’t know if we were hurting the ugly critter, but we were fighting back. We were giving it a hard punch to the face, instead of taking punches.<br><br>I heard Sarge yelling for the cease-fire. It was hard to see at first … <em>wow</em>, we sure laid down some serious firepower. I glanced over to my side and saw Rome flirting away with the new girl, DeSilva. I rolled my eyes, and turned away. <em>Figures,</em> I thought. <em>Every skirt in this unit gets attention from the guys but me … even Senjo gets called Cybertits.</em><br><br>Suddenly, I remembered Senjo. And that she’d been cut down by the zeeno-thingie. I flicked on the safeties for my flamethrower, and started moving in her direction. <br><br><em>“It’s a bomb!”</em> Sarge screamed. I whirled around, not know what he was talking about. All I know was that he was pointing at the charred spot where the zeeno critter was, and then he was grabbing Senjo and running with her deactivated body. I felt Sarge grabbing at my arm, and shoving me back the way we came. I ran as fast as I could, following along behind him and DeSilva, who moved more quickly than I did. Sweat dripped down my body inside the gorilla suit, pooling inside it as I ran. <br><br>I heard the laughter, and silently cursed. I hoped that the fucking zeeno wouldn’t be getting the last laugh … and that I’d still get a chance to fry him good soon.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>02-05-2011, 20:56:28</strong>
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				<strong>PFC Jones – 3rd Squad – Guarding the door<br><br>Riska let out a rude snort, rolling her eyes as she whispered back,” You think you’re so in, don’t you?&nbsp; Soooo baxtalo. Well, now you’re going to have to work for it,raklo.”&nbsp; Smirking at Jones, she turned to face the L.T. when he spoke to her.</strong><br><br>Marcus just continued to grin as she replied, amusement evident in his expression. “Work for it?” He replied in a light mocking tone. “I don’t know about that. I have this feeling what I want will end up falling right onto my lap.” <br><br><strong>" Play with it if you want, but be loyal to the wife.”</strong><br><br>“I don’t know what that means, L.T.” He called back in a joking tone returning the Lieutenant’s grin. Marcus wasn’t known for his loyalty to anything, people, places, things, they were all just a means to an end. Still, the man had a point. Holding the new gun in his hand he looked it over.<br><br><strong>"Jones you look healthy, you get watch on that door, big bird ran out of."</strong><br><br>“Will do, L.T.” Marcus nodded and turned toward the door, once again using the man’s rank to respond. Ever since he’d joined the Marines, Marcus had never been able to stomach using the word sir. He would do it if he had no other choice, but only if he had no other choice. <br><br><strong>“Enjoy watching that door, Mr. Gavvers,”</strong><br><br>Marcus laughed as the Gunny’s hand made contact with his chest plate. He figured most men would have been surprised at the amount of force Danko could muster, but not him. He had learned very quickly in his life that a woman could be just as dangerous as a man if she needed to be, and a lot of the time even more so.<br><br>“Always do, darling. Always do.”<br><br>Strapping the new weapon over his back, Marcus ran over to the door and took up position on the right side of it. He brought up his rifle to the ready position and squinted a little to try and see if there were any signs of movement beyond it.<br><br>“Looks clear for the moment!” He announced, not taking his eyes off the area beyond.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>03-05-2011, 06:19:54</strong>
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				<em>Marcus just continued to grin as she replied, amusement evident in his expression. “Work for it?” He replied in a light mocking tone. “I don’t know about that. I have this feeling what I want will end up falling right onto my lap.”</em><br><br>Danko cocked one eyebrow and smirked back at him.&nbsp; “Good to know you <em>want </em> it.&nbsp; <em>Kai si thuv, othe vi si yag</em>. Hope you have a nice, <em>big </em> lap.”<br><br>Riska let out a low chuckle as the LT assigned Jones to guard duty.&nbsp; “Enjoy watching that door, Mr. <em>Gavvers</em>,” she teased, stepping close to him and thumping the side of her gloved fist against his chest plate with a fair amount of force.&nbsp; She enjoyed the laugh it drew out him in return.&nbsp; &nbsp;She had to admit that he had a nice laugh.&nbsp; Truth be told, she was rather enjoying this new playful side of Marcus.&nbsp; It was a nice change from his usual snarky, fuck you and the rest of the world too belligerence. <br><br><em>“Always do, darling. Always do.”</em><br><br>Riska pursed her lips and blew Jones a kiss as she walked away and began her sweep.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“Looks clear for the moment!” He announced, not taking his eyes off the area beyond.</em><br><br>“Gee, does it look <em>dark </em> too?” Danko quipped wryly, smirking as she moved around Jones to step into the doorway to his left, jerking her head towards the opening.&nbsp; “Think that maybe you can keep an eye on this one too?&nbsp; Or do you need a woman with a big gun to do it <em>for </em> you?” <br><br>Walking several feet down the corridor, never out of sight or sound of the squad, Riska gave it a thorough once over before heading back to the main room.&nbsp; &nbsp;She traced the perimeter of the room, walking down the far wall, marking the width of the doors they had entered through, and then back up to the front of the room to investigate another doorway directly opposite the first.&nbsp; Another investigation found it to be as dead as the previous one.&nbsp; <br><br>Heading back to the APC, Riska slipped inside to grab the armor repair kit from once of the storage niches.&nbsp; Quickly, she used a tube of patching resin to plug the holes that had been burned through the tops layers of her chest plate.&nbsp; It smelled like shit, but it would harden up in a few minutes and it sure as hell was better than walking around without full protection.&nbsp; <br><br>Coming back out into the main room, she walked over to where the Lieutenant was busy checking out the fallen personnel.&nbsp; “You still want assistance Sir, or should I take up position at one of the other doors?” she asked.<br><hr><em>Kai si thuv, othe vi si yag</em> - where there is smoke there is there also fire<br><br>OOC - Urban - just holler if I need to edit for something being in either doorway.&nbsp; <br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 23:50:32</strong>
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				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Patched up and ready to fry him up some baddies, extra crispy.</strong><br><hr><br>"Avert your eyes, ladies!" Mathias said loudly as he began removing his suit so Cooper could take a look at his leg.&nbsp; "I know I'm an eye-full, but I wouldn't want my <em>Olympian</em>&nbsp; proportions to strike you blind!"&nbsp; <br><br>The foxy grin nearly took up the entirety of his face, as though he was making up for the fact that his helmet hadn't been designed with expressiveness in mind.&nbsp; Not that he hadn't made an attempt to convince the engineering staff back at home base that installing some extra servos and maybe some waggling eyebrows to the faceplate wasn't of dire importance to the morale of his squad.<br><br>Mathias couldn't help but feel slightly vulnerable whenever he got out of the relative safety of his ape suit, despite having more than served his time without it.&nbsp; It was less that he feared the idea of death, so much as that beat up old mechanized tin can was a mark of status and pride that he preferred not to go without.&nbsp; To the contrary, there had been many a day where he could have <em>welcomed</em> an unlucky shot to the head.&nbsp; But those days were over now, and it was his job to be the big god damn fire-breathing shield at the head of the pack, turning hostiles to blackened sludge and taking the shots meant for his fellow squad members.&nbsp; He wasn't out to make himself a martyr, but taking punishment was something he'd grown abnormally accustomed to.<br><br>Kissing the cross around his neck and slipping it down behind his chest plate, the Lance Corporal pushed his helmet back into place and let the suit pressurize with a sharp hiss.&nbsp; "So, are we gonna keep actin' like ghouls and pick at the corpses, or shove off and make a few more?&nbsp; I'm itchin' ta get some fuckin' answers here."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>05-05-2011, 00:33:29</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>LT Mengsk about to open a can of worms on Squad 3 </em></div><hr> <br><br><strong>"It means keep your issued rifle in case that prototype decides to have a bitch fit in the middle of a fire fight marine." </strong><br>Mengsk said as had pulled put a knife and was cutting away at the Hazmats suits as the others patched up and healed up like he had ordered them. The room was secured which gave him time to work but he did not take long for he was not looking for the cause of death on those men. <br><strong>"Not necessary Gunny, squad 3 Radio silence now."</strong><br><br>He ordered as he cut off his transmissions to FATHER and the ship up in the planets orbit. With the Hazmat suited men piled he stripped them, checked ink on their bodies then dumped them on the floor callously one after the other before he came to his conclusion. <br><strong>"Second encountered hostiles have no dog tags, no USMC affiliated tattoos and seem to have a familiar marking on their bodies in various parts of their bodies with common letters appearing constantly, CGC. There weaponry is far more advance then what the USMC receives from Weyland Corp and by the physical conditions these men are in I can assume they are mercenaries. <br><br>First Encountered Hostiles had far more advanced technology, either cloaking technology or far ranged tech which is capable of releasing a beam strong enough to pass through armor and flesh with ease. I, Tychus Mengsk was the only one to experience the weapon first hand, the wound seemed to cauterize on the spot had it been any other location of vital importance I am sure it would have been fatal.<br><br>A recovered data slate describes a deserted colony and the acquisition of test specimens which might be the creatures coined "dick monsters" by...."</strong><br><br>Tychus report to his own personal device hidden within his suit before he dropped to his knees with a raging headache as he almost recalled a memory that was their on the tip of his tongue but not quite in reach. He stood up as quickly as he could trying not to worry his squad as if nothing had happened but he had spoken loud enough for them all to hear what he was reporting. <br><strong>"Open your radios back up squad, don't give FATHER any reason to be suspicious." </strong><br>He said with a sudden paleness coming across his face as he uploaded the damaged slate and sent it to his squads huds for them to review. <br><strong>"From what was pulled from the slate, that runner should be the only one but I ain't cashing it on on hostile intel. So get ready for another firefight, I got orders to investigate this ghost town since this unreliable source also claims there is not a soul here but us and that one that got away." </strong><br><strong><br>"You got point with me then Mathias, standard sweep and clear apes, let's get going I want to catch the game tonight." </strong><br>He ordered, pulling his helmet back on and letting the panel polarize so they could not see in as he reloaded his shotgun and walked out towards that open door. <br><strong>"Sarge you get our six this time." </strong><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>05-05-2011, 18:52:16</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>1st Squad</strong></span><br><br>With each passing second the sounds coming from the unknown device grew faster and faster, the interval between each beep shrinking and shrinking until suddenly they were no longer individual sounds but one solid tone. The moment this change occurred, the loud whine of a powerful charge building up began to emanate from the device. With their backs turned the members of 1st squad were unable to witness the entire spectacle taking place in the clearing. <br><br>What appeared to be arcs of electricity began to run across the surface of the device, each one stronger than the one before until they began to reach out from the device, striking the few trees that were standing in the clearing. Creating loud snapping sounds as the intense heat they gave of instantly superheated the air around them. As the whining noise reached it's highest pitch a sphere of blue white energy formed all around the device. As if immense explosive power was being held in check by some sort of field. Almost instantly this field seems to disappear and and the sphere of energy became a wave, which expanded 5 feet past the clearing in every direction. Wiping away any trace that anything but empty land had existed there before. <br><br>Despite how impressive this show was it turned out to be a mere faction of the raw power that the device gave off. The vast majority of the energy was not expelled outwards, but rather upwards. In the form of beam of blue-white energy that speared its way through the sky. And, presumably, into space. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>07-05-2011, 19:44:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Avert your eyes, ladies!" Mathias said loudly as he began removing his suit so Cooper could take a look at his leg.&nbsp; "I know I'm an eye-full, but I wouldn't want my <strong>Olympian&nbsp; </strong> proportions to strike you blind!"&nbsp; </em> <br><br>Riska chuckled loudly.&nbsp; "I'll try to hold myself back," she said.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Not necessary Gunny, squad 3 Radio silence now."</em><br><br>"Acknowledged," Danko replied, reaching up to shift her comm. system to silent.&nbsp; Though she wondered why the L.T. asked for them to shut their comms off, it wasn't her place to ask.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Open your radios back up squad, don't give FATHER any reason to be suspicious." He said with a sudden paleness coming across his face as he uploaded the damaged slate and sent it to his squads huds for them to review. </em> <br><br>Riska immediately complied, but the L.T.'s sudden fall and the look on his face had caught her attention, causing her brows to knit together in confusion.&nbsp; The man looked scared, and just what could frighten a man like Mengsk had her worried.&nbsp; The man looked like he'd seen a ghost.&nbsp; And as for the sudden drop to his knees, she was just fucking clueless.&nbsp; Just what the hell was going on here, anyway?&nbsp; <br><br>"Sir, is there something wrong?" she asked.<br><br><em>"From what was pulled from the slate, that runner should be the only one but I ain't cashing it on on hostile intel. So get ready for another firefight, I got orders to investigate this ghost town since this unreliable source also claims there is not a soul here but us and that one that got away."</em> <br><br>It wasn't the answer she was hoping for, but Danko figured it was all she was going to get for the time being.&nbsp; As the info from the slate popped up on her HUD, she could only hope that the L.T. would let them in on what he knew before it was too late.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"You got point with me then Mathias, standard sweep and clear apes, let's get going I want to catch the game tonight." He ordered, pulling his helmet back on and letting the panel polarize so they could not see in as he reloaded his shotgun and walked out towards that open door. </em> <br><br>"Affirmative," Riska replied as she fell into formation and started down the hall.<br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>08-05-2011, 00:24:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>“Gee, does it look dark too?” Danko quipped wryly, smirking as she moved around Jones to step into the doorway to his left, jerking her head towards the opening.&nbsp; “Think that maybe you can keep an eye on this one too?&nbsp; Or do you need a woman with a big gun to do it for you?” </strong><br><br>Marcus snorted out loud and arched his eyebrow at the Gunnery Sergeant. “That’s tempting Danko,” He replied, returning his gaze to the empty corridors front of him and to his left. “After all, I do like the way your ass moves when you’re lugging that thing down the hallway, but I think I got this one.” While there was a little humour in his statement, his mind was not very much on the byplay. He was anxious to move on after the lone survivor and even more anxious to find out just what the hell had happened here.<br><br><strong>"Avert your eyes, ladies!" Mathias said loudly as he began removing his suit so Cooper could take a look at his leg.&nbsp; "I know I'm an eye-full, but I wouldn't want my Olympian proportions to strike you blind!"</strong><br><br>“Just be careful lover boy,” He said to Cooper. “I’ve seen Mathias’ EX, and believe me you don’t want to know where he’s been.” Marcus was just about to add something else when the L.T.’s voice cut through the chatter. <strong>”It means keep your issued rifle in case that prototype decides to have a bitch fit in the middle of a fire fight, marine."</strong><br><br>To this, Marcus let loose another snort and replied with a “Yes sir,” that bordered heavily on the sarcastic. However impressed the ex-con might have been with Tychus’ actions in prior engagement, the man’s voice was quickly getting on Marcus’ nerves. Marcus wasn’t a new recruit, he knew how to handle his weapon; in fact he’d had more experience with combat than many marines before he’d even set foot in boot. It was becoming clear that the man had enjoyed hearing himself talk, which was a trait that Marcus utterly despised. <br><br><strong>“...squad 3 Radio silence now.”</strong><br><br>Despite his growing dislike of the man, Marcus kept quiet and quickly turned off his radio. He listened intently to the officer’s report on the fallen hostiles. The more he heard, the more perplexed he became. As the L.T. began to discuss the data slate’s content, the man’s voice wavered causing Marcus to look over just as the officer fell to his knees.<br><br><strong>"Open your radios back up squad, don't give FATHER any reason to be suspicious. From what was pulled from the slate, that runner should be the only one but I ain't cashing it on hostile intel. So get ready for another firefight, I got orders to investigate this ghost town since this unreliable source also claims there is not a soul here but us and that one that got away."</strong><br><br>“What the fuck?” Marcus muttered, not particularly caring who heard.<br><br><strong>"Sir, is there something wrong?" [Danko] asked.</strong><br><br>There was something very wrong with this guy and Marcus would be damned if it was going to get him killed. He kept his radio off as he turned to look the L.T. right in the eye. “Why would FATHER care whether we’ve got our radios on or not, <em>sir</em>?” Even as he spoke, he formed up with the rest of the squad, and let himself drift toward the back, nudging Cooper as he did and motioning for the younger man to follow him. When he was close enough to both Danko and Cooper he spoke plainly.<br><br>"Guys, I think we've got a problem. A big one."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 03:58:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Slightly confused, but still focused.</strong><br><hr><br><strong>“Why would FATHER care whether we’ve got our radios on or not, <em>sir?</em>”</strong><br><br>"Well shit, maybe he gets fucking lonely if he's not allowed to eavesdrop on our conversations, eh?" Mathias quipped, walking casually past the rest of them with his flamer at the ready.&nbsp; "Kinda skeeves me out now that I think about it.&nbsp; Wonder if a computer can be a voyeur?"<br><br>He couldn't lie, this situation was becoming more and more bizarre by the second.&nbsp; Between Mengsk tweaking out, a bunch of armored lunatics hosing them down with their shiny new iRifles, the total lack of civilians, and the <em>thing</em> that had somehow managed to blow a hole effortlessly through the LT's armor without being seen, it was becoming a little difficult to simply brush everything off with a bit of wry wit.&nbsp; <br><br>But Mathias was a good little soldier, and unless the orders were insane he was generally honor bound to follow them to the letter--with a little bit of his own personal flair, of course.<br><br>"Come out come out wherever you are, you little piece of shit!" Mathias called out, being the first to enter the hallway and apparently not caring one bit if anyone else within earshot knew it.&nbsp; When he got to the first corner he stopped, motioning for Mengsk to move up before continuing down the corridors.&nbsp; Here the signs of abandonment were even more pronounced, hastily emptied rooms yawning open in utter silence and forcing him to move cautiously as they sweeped the area.&nbsp; It was unlikely that their target would try to mount another ambush alone, but he sure as hell wasn't about to get another nasty surprise due to carelessness.<br><br>"OooOOOoo...&nbsp; <em>Fok</em>, s'like walkin' into a damn crypt."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 00:21:27</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				GS Danko - Third Squad - Heading into god knows what<br><hr><br>Danko stepped into formation as Mathias took point and moved forward, settling in behind the LT with the big gun in her hands ready for anything that might try and jump them.&nbsp; "Enjoy the view, Jones," she called out as she moved ahead of him.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“Why would FATHER care whether we’ve got our radios on or not, sir?”</em><br><br>"I don't think it's Father that cares," Riska muttered under her breath, and the idea that the LT was trying to keep something from the command system - and by extension the powers that be - was more than a little disconcerting.<br><br><em>"Well shit, maybe he gets fucking lonely if he's not allowed to eavesdrop on our conversations, eh?" Mathias quipped, walking casually past the rest of them with his flamer at the ready.&nbsp; "Kinda skeeves me out now that I think about it.&nbsp; Wonder if a computer can be a voyeur?"</em><br><br>"Not everyone - or everything - is looking to get their rocks off," Danko replied with a wry grin.&nbsp; "Like you."&nbsp; <br><br>Still smililng, she padded cautiously off after their pyro, peering into the various rooms as they passed, checking for the one remaining hostile that had seen fit to ruin her outfit.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Guys, I think we've got a problem. A big one."</em><br><br>"Every officer is mental," Danko said quietly to Jones, knowing exactly what he was referring to.&nbsp; "Given the state of his armor, it's no big suprise that he has a few screws loose.&nbsp; But you're right.&nbsp; This thing is all kinds of <em>prikaza </em> and it's getting worse by the second.&nbsp; But what the hell can we do about it?&nbsp; Man obviously knows something he's not telling us."&nbsp; <br><br><em> "Come out come out wherever you are, you little piece of shit!"</em><br><br>Typical pyro bravado.&nbsp; Danko wasn't about to take the same chance.&nbsp; The gods only knew what kind of weapon the man was carrying and she didn't feel like finding out the hard way.&nbsp; Instead, she concentrated on doing their sweep, ducking into the rooms not claimed by the LT or Ben, making sure they were clear and then moving on, counting on the rest of the squad to cover their back.&nbsp; The place was a fucking ghost town.&nbsp; It smelled as dead as it looked; musty and dry, as if they air circulators had cut out weeks ago.&nbsp; <br><br><em>OooOOOoo...&nbsp; Fok, s'like walkin' into a damn crypt."</em><br><br>"Or your bedroom," Riska said cheekily, though her expression was al business.&nbsp; "Same sense of not being lived in or seeing any action."&nbsp; <br><br>Face grim, Danko silently followed the LT and prayed that there wasn't anything worse than what they'd already seen ready to jump out and bite them on the ass. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 03:45:25</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Feeling frisky.</strong><br><hr><br><strong>"Not everyone - or everything - is looking to get their rocks off," Danko replied with a wry grin.&nbsp; "Like you."&nbsp; </strong><br><br>Mathias balked, putting on a show of being grievously offended.&nbsp; "I'm hurt, Gunnery Sergeant!&nbsp; I'll have you know there's more to me than just a pretty face and a winnin' personality!&nbsp; I have feelin's!&nbsp; Painful memories!&nbsp; It just so happens that most of them be related to horrible, <em>horrible</em> bedroom liaisons."<br><br>The glow of the flamer cast an unwholesome light on the barren features of the corridors, illuminating room after empty room stripped bare of furniture or decoration.&nbsp; From the looks of it nobody had been living in this part of the colony for much longer than any of them had anticipated, and certainly long before the higher ups had seen fit to assign them to investigate.&nbsp; <em>Just what the hell happened here?</em><br><br><strong>"Or your bedroom," Riska said cheekily, though her expression was al business.&nbsp; "Same sense of not being lived in or seeing any action." </strong> <br><br>"Yeah yeah, keep tauntin' the man with a few hundred thousand degrees of fiery death at his beck and call!" Mathias muttered, a faux whine creeping into his voice.&nbsp; "I'll have you know that my <em>bunk</em> sees plenty of action.&nbsp; Me and my hand have a <em>very</em> loving, healthy relationship."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 04:20:21</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>GS Danko - Third Squad - In the hall - frisky back atcha!</strong><br><hr><br><em>"Yeah yeah, keep tauntin' the man with a few hundred thousand degrees of fiery death at his beck and call!" Mathias muttered, a faux whine creeping into his voice.</em>&nbsp; <br><br>"Awwww Benny, you know I love you," Riska cooed, panning the M56 across the wide expanse of another empty room.&nbsp; The glow from the flame of Mathias' thrower cast eerie shadows over the walls.&nbsp; "Like the little brother I never had.&nbsp; If I didn't love you, I wouldn't tease you."&nbsp; It was an argument she never bought from her father, either.&nbsp; It seemed to her that if he loved her so much, he wouldn't tease her at all, but it had all been good natured, just as her teasing of Mathias was.&nbsp; Aside from his obsession with fire, he was a fairly decent guy. "Besides, mine's bigger and you're in front of me.&nbsp; But I tell you what, when we get back I'll buy you a beer so you can cool that fire down a bit.&nbsp; Deal?"&nbsp; <br><br><em>"I'll have you know that my <strong>bunk </strong> sees plenty of action.&nbsp; Me and my hand have a <strong>very </strong> loving, healthy relationship."</em><br><br>Danko let out a rude snort.&nbsp; "Maybe you should buy it something nice, then," she suggested, "like a new ring, or some special handcream?&nbsp; Or maybe a manicure.&nbsp; i wouldn't want you to catch something important and <em>irreplaceable </em> on a hangnail."&nbsp; <br><br>Finished with the sweep of the room, Riska came back out and fell back into formation as they progressed down the dark and lifeless hall. <br><br>"You can come out anytime now," she muttered.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 05:16:57</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Uneasy.</strong><br><hr><br><strong>"Besides, mine's bigger and you're in front of me.&nbsp; But I tell you what, when we get back I'll buy you a beer so you can cool that fire down a bit.&nbsp; Deal?"&nbsp; </strong><br><br>"Deal.&nbsp; Just so long as you know it'll take a gorram <em>lot</em> of it."<br><br>Mathias turned a cautious eye towards the vents, stopping his advance for a moment to listen without the distraction of the servos whirring in his suit's joints.&nbsp; For a moment there was just the utter silence, the gentle hiss of the flamer, and his own slow breathing.&nbsp; They'd given the escaped hostile plenty of time to get well out of the way, and he surely knew the layout of the colony better than them, but it was still disconcerting to find an absolute absence of any and all activity.<br><br><strong>"Maybe you should buy it something nice, then," she suggested, "like a new ring, or some special handcream?&nbsp; Or maybe a manicure.&nbsp; I wouldn't want you to catch something important and irreplaceable on a hangnail."&nbsp; </strong><br><br>Danko couldn't see it, but a wicked grin had spread across the Lance Corporal's face.&nbsp; One of the many perks of wearing a full helmet was being able to make all the lewd faces he wanted towards the rest of the squad, with none of them the wiser!&nbsp; Of course, he didn't tell <em>them</em> that.<br><br>"I dunno Gunny, I ain't too partial for rings.&nbsp; Maybe a nice diamond-studded barbell, whadya think?&nbsp; Speaking of, wasn't that a show on a few years back?&nbsp; '<em>Pimp my Dick</em>'?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 05:48:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				GS Danko - Third Squad - Bein' sassy<br><hr><br>"I think you're confusing it with that Japanese game show where two men tried to see who could produce the most cum in a four hour period," Danko laughed.&nbsp; "Or maybe the one with the crazy arrangement of champagne glasses and water wheels that naked women pissed on so guys could watch it trickle down the path the glasses made."&nbsp; <br><br>When Matthias stopped, Riska came to a halt as well, taking the opportunity to eye the ceiling and the path behind them until he was ready to move.&nbsp; She knew the man's instincs were good, or else he wouldn't be carrying the weapon he was.&nbsp; It was damn freaky the way this section of the compound was deader than a doornail.&nbsp; <br><br>"Besides, I was referring to your <em>hand </em> Benny, not your dick," she added once they were moving again.&nbsp; "But now that you bring it up, pun intended, a little jewelry never hurts.&nbsp; That is, until a psycho ex or some bitch in a bar decides to pull it out 'cause they don't like the cut of your jib.&nbsp; Then, you might be rethinking the wisdom of your decision.&nbsp; I'm just saying." <br><br>Scanning the darkness in front of them, Dank ohad to ask, "Christ, just how far does this damn corridor go?"&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 10:20:11</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>LT having the worst case of Deja Vu...</em></div><hr><br>He felt like he had done this in the past, the came corridor, his squad mates, his mind was playing tricks on him. The questions were stacking up and he felt he had to tell them something before they mutiny or even worse they lost their morale. It was the reason he did not tell them to shove a sock in it and let them talk as they scanned, he was no hard ass but it might have seemed that way in the manner he barked orders in a fire fight, was he? <br><br>A snort of laughter came from the LT as they finally got to him with their chit-chat. His shotgun was still raised, the end of it still pointed in which ever roomed he cleared as they continued down. <br><strong>"This shit ain't right..."</strong><br>He mumbled to himself but perhaps the rest of the squad had heard him as they moved in deeper. One thing they could not take from his memories was the gruesome scene of a hatchery, he remembered that like it was yesterday...wasn't it? <br><br><strong>"If I know my colonies well, there is a few basement levels also, keep an eye out."</strong><br>Tychus said as they kept moving through the colony at a quick pace. <br><strong>"I know some of you have some questions, one each and I will answer them to my best of my ability." </strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>11-05-2011, 19:14:58</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong> Chapter 2(1st Squad): S.O.S. </strong></span><br><br>With the destruction of the unknown device the sensor jamming that had been blanketing the planet's surface dissipated then quickly disappeared entirely. Apparently FATHER's calculations had been correct and the device, what ever it had been, was the source of the jamming. As the veil was lifted over the planet's surface the three USN ships in orbit were able to scan the surface and identify several automated anti-air facilities. Including those that had been responsible for the destruction of 1st Squad's dropship. <br><br>Over the next 20 minutes the sky was filled with the signs of the planet's surface being bombarded with surgical strikes obviously meant to obliterate choice targets with little to no collateral damage.&nbsp; The contrails of orbit to surface missiles could be seen etching their paths across the sky and a distant rumble, easily confused for thunder, could be heard as each weapon found and struck its target. <br><br>It was amongst these these sounds and sights that 1st Squad received its new set of orders, broadcast by FATHER to each member as was the standard operating procedure for a squad who's officer had been lost and who could easily lose who was currently in command. They were informed that a new dropship was already on rout to ferry them to their next task. <br><br>A Weyland-Yutani executive distress signal had been detected sending an SOS from a cave system to their Southeast and they were to investigate and rescue the executive should they still be alive. It took no more than five minutes for the dropship to arrive, this time unmolested, and pick up the squad. As it flew them towards the caves anyone listening to their radios would have been able to pick up the chatter from 2nd Squad who seemed to be transmitting on the USMC general communications frequency rather than their own squad's band. <br><br>Minutes after their signal went out of range the pilot could be heard informing 1st Squad that they'd arrived at their objective. The dropship's rear ramp opened to reveal that the pilot was hovering roughly 5 feet above the ground with the rear of the craft less than 10 yards from the large mouth of a cave (http://www.pembrokeshirevirtualmuseum.co.uk/main_menu/archaeology/palaeolithic/hoyles_mouth_cave.jpg). "he's somewhere in there" the pilot said "My orders are to fly a holding pattern here, I can't give you any covering fire but if you need to bug out I'll be able to grab you as soon as you get clear of the caves....good luck."<br><br><br><br><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Chapter 2(3rd Squad): Contact </strong></span><br><br>The hall that 3rd Squad was slowly clearing eventually gave way to a spiraling staircase leading straight down. Without any orders from FATHER to the contrary it was obvious that they were to move forward and downward....<br><br>At the bottom of the stairs, roughly 4 flights worth of individual steps, a new hallway stretched before the squad. Though this one was quite different than the one before.An oddly thick layer of mistlike smoke seemed to blanket the floor roughly half a foot above the ground. It parted easily enough as each squad member moved their feet to the ground it covered. The lights in this hallway were also nearly non-existent, with only the bare minimum present to keep the entire hall from simply being pitch black. As they moved forward the white walls of the hall began to slowly give way to a black almost bone like material.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>As they reached a T junction they found their final attacker. He was laying face up on the floor, his arms and legs splayed out, his weapon no less than a foot away from his hands, and his chest slowly rising and falling. As they drew closer it was revealed to the members of 3rd squad that this was not the only difference between the man's current condition and how they had seen him last.<br><br>His faceplate had been smashed in, and a strange creature (http://images.wikia.com/aliens/images/9/94/Alien_facehugger.jpg) seemed to have attached itself to his face. The side's of the beast's yellow body puffed outward and then caved inwards in time with the man's chest rising and falling. Almost as if they were both breathing as one. <br><br>Even as the members of 3rd Squad were forced to take all this in, things seemed to worsen even more. The sound of almost reptilian hisses and shrieks could be heard from both branches of the T junction. The high pitched BEEP of their motion detectors began to go off, with movement being registered as coming from their left, and their right. The high speed of the devices' frantic bleeps increased with every second. Whatever was approaching was wasting no time in closing the distance with them!<br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>12-05-2011, 00:00:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Completely fucking tweaked.</strong><br><hr><br>The playful back and forth between him and Danko had been left behind the second they came upon the mist-shrouded corridor.&nbsp; Mathias had muttered something about environmental filters possibly being damaged, though he wasn't any tech expert.&nbsp; The others didn't seem to have any problems breathing, so he jokingly added that maybe the survivors were setting up rock concert and their fog machine was on the fritz.<br><br>That's when they all noticed the change in the decor.&nbsp; Mathias had run his hand over the bizarre, knobby material, but he was at a total loss as to what the hell it was.&nbsp; Definitely <em>not</em> regulation molding for a damn civilian colony.&nbsp; In places it seemed to have been fused right into the surrounding metal of the walls, while in others it had simply consumed the surface utterly.&nbsp; There wasn't any symmetry to it either.&nbsp; Just spontaneous slopes and ridges and tubes, like the work of some demented abstract sculptor with too much modeling clay on his hands.<br><br>"Feckin' mother of Joseph, the <em>hell</em> is that gnarly sonova bitch?"&nbsp; The Lance Corporal bent over the fallen hostile cautiously, jabbing at the disgusting thing that looked to be making love with the man's face.&nbsp; "Frisky little bugger or somethin'," he said nervously, poorly attempting to mask his complete and utter confusion.&nbsp; <br><br>Thankfully there wasn't much time to ponder the damn thing, because scarcely had they arrived at the interaction when a chorus of hideous screaming echoed from both ends and their motion sensors went off like they were having panic attacks.<br><br>"Well shite, looks like we've got some company!" he cried, planting his feet in a solid stance and aiming his flamer down the left branch.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>12-05-2011, 03:01:29</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Tychus...now this feels familiar...</em><hr> <br><br>"That's a face fucker, now I know what happened to those damn colonist..."<br>Tychus grimly admitted as he placed the end of his shotgun to the creatures face after Mathias backed away from it and unloaded a burst of fire into the creature and the dead man. <br>"If one of those things ever gets attached to my face, kill me."<br>He ordered before the scanners went wild. <br><br>"Fire, if you got it, use it, the sons of bitches don't like fire! Gunny, you get the right side, don't let anything near you! Mathias hold your fucking ground, I got your back! The rest of you, turn around and start shooting!" <br>He barked out loudly, grabbing a frag grenade from his belt and lobbing it down Mathias and Gunny's corridors. The clunking sounds bounced for a while before the explosion came and a horrendous screech unheard of (to the squad) in the world was made. His shot gun was not the best for a ranged fight but he knew how fast those things could get up close so he watched his unit's asses and would make sure none of them became a victim of the dead yellow suited bastard. <br>"Ohh and don't let their blood splatter on ya apes! You ain't gonna like it!" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>12-05-2011, 04:11:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>"Enjoy the view, Jones," she called out as she moved ahead of him.</strong><br><br>“Will do, Danko.” Marcus replied with a devilish grin on his face. He made something of a show at eyeing the Gunnery Sergeant’s rear and then reached out, giving her ass a playful slap as she made her way down the corridor. Then taking up a position toward the rear of the squad, he kept his eyes open all the while listening to Danko and Mathias’ quips at each other.<br><br><strong>"Well shit, maybe he gets fucking lonely if he's not allowed to eavesdrop on our conversations, eh?" Mathias quipped, walking casually past the rest of them with his flamer at the ready.&nbsp; "Kinda skeeves me out now that I think about it.&nbsp; Wonder if a computer can be a voyeur?”</strong><br><br>“Maybe,” Marcus replied, his tone quiet. “It just doesn’t seem right. None of this is right.” <br><br><strong>"Every officer is mental," Danko said quietly to Jones, knowing exactly what he was referring to.&nbsp; "Given the state of his armor, it's no big surprise that he has a few screws loose.&nbsp; But you're right.&nbsp; This thing is all kinds of prikaza and it's getting worse by the second.&nbsp; But what the hell can we do about it?&nbsp; Man obviously knows something he's not telling us." </strong><br><br>Keeping his rifle at the ready he glanced at Danko as she spoke. “Obviously.” He echoed her sentiment with a growl. “It’s not like I’m asking for a blow by blow of his first homosexual experience,” The ex-con went on. “I just want to know what’s going on so I don’t get killed by the first thing that we come across. I don’t know, maybe I’m just unreasonable that way.”<br><br><strong>"I know some of you have some questions, one each and I will answer them to my best of my ability."</strong><br><br>Speaking up, Marcus called over to the L.T. “I’m pretty sure I already asked one, L.T.” He said, his voice as cold as ice. With the radios reinstated he didn’t bother to reiterate it. He didn’t get a chance to hear the L.T. answer because by that point, the squad had just reached the bottom of the forth flight of stairs and came up upon the final attacker in the middle of a T junction. “I’m going to say this again,” Marcus spoke, as his took in the horrific sight. “What the fuck?”<br><br><strong>"That's a face fucker, now I know what happened to those damn colonist..."Tychus grimly admitted as he placed the end of his shotgun to the creatures face after Mathias backed away from it and unloaded a burst of fire into the creature and the dead man.</strong><br><br>“Well slap my ass and call me spanky,” Marcus growled. "Looks like someone or something wants a piece." He could hear the sounds of movement approaching them from both sides of the junction. As the Lieutenant began to bark out orders, Marcus moved over to the right branch and switched on his flame caster. Moving a few steps into the corridor so as not to accidently hit Danko, he pulled the trigger and unleashed a wave of flame down the hallway.<br><br>“Don’t like fire huh?” He called out, taunting the unseen creature. “Well you picked the wrong marine, honey, because I’m all kinds of hot!”<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ebb</strong> on <strong>12-05-2011, 22:48:55</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong> Pvt. Ed Cooper - 1st Squad</strong><br><br>Cooper followed the more experienced soldiers down the seemingly endless hallway. Occasionally there was a pause in their banter, but by the time he'd thought of something clever to say, the other partner had already chimed in. He ended up clearing his throat a lot, and investigating the new rifle in his hands. All of the controls and the readout display seemed the same. It looked like the breakdown for cleaning would probably be a little different. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it, but was happy to feel the weight of his original rifle now slung across his back. <br><br>By the time they'd reached the misty hallway with the black shell that seemed to grow across the walls, Cooper was officially creeped the fuck out.<br><br>He revised his opinion when the sight of the... thing on the dead man's face came into view. The others were standing closer, but he could see just past Mathias' shoulder. <em>Face fucker</em>, the LT had called it. What the hell? Cooper glanced at the other marine's faces, but found their expressions mostly unreadable. Had he just missed a training class or something? There was some kind of... octopus looking thing, clamped across the face of the dead--<br><br>No fucking way. The man wasn't dead. He was breathing. With that <em>thing</em>... Cooper turned away, the taste of his last meal rising up in his gorge. The dropship ride hadn't turned his stomach, but the sight of this pulsating alien creature threatened to. He might have vomited, if the sudden explosion of a shotgun shell hadn't startled him out of it. Spinning back around, he saw only a thin gruel of mixed red and gray where the man's head had been. In a way that was better. The thing that didn't fit in Cooper's little world was now violently dismissed from it.<br><br>Cooper's world was just about to get a lot bigger, though. His instincts kicked in at the LT's order, and he formed up on Mathias' left flank. Cooper clicked off the safety on his new rifle and raised it into firing positions, ready to target on.... something. <br><br><em>What the fuck was going on?</em>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>13-05-2011, 04:26:49</strong>
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				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva -1st Squad, no fucking clue ~</strong><br><br>Her breath gasping in harsh pants, Angelina laid her damp forehead on her arm as she rested it against the side of the downed drop ship, leaning her body into the steadying solid metal.&nbsp; Her long dark hair hung limply past her bowed head, and her lungs burned sharply from her sudden balls-out run. <em>Maybe the air is thinner in this hellhole or something,</em> she pondered to herself as she straightened back up and flexed her legs, brows knitting into a fierce frown as she glanced around at her squad as they all regrouped, their grim faces mirroring her angry confusion.<br><br>Her ears suddenly picked up the unmistakeable low whine of an orbit to surface missile, followed by the muffled thunderous roar of impact.&nbsp; Over and over the symphony of destructive retribution rained down on the planet’s surface, comforting music to the marine’s ears.&nbsp; “Eat that, you Jabba the Hutt laughing, invincible invisible alien violent motherfucker!” she vented her impotent anger out loud before taking several deep calming breaths, rolling her head around on her neck trying to relieve some of the tension.<br><br>Angelina flinched as the radio in her combat helmet crackled loudly, giving way to the unnervingly calm monotone voice of FATHER relaying their next set of orders - to play white knight to some goddamn Weyland-Yutani executive who got himself holed up in some cave. <em>Just great. Fucking perfect.</em>&nbsp; Shortly thereafter, the new dropship landed nearby and everyone piled in. Closing her eyes and rubbing her temples as the ship shuttled them to their new destination, she cracked her eyes open as a broken, partial transmission began to stutter over her radio. “Anyone else picking up this chatter?” she asked, pressing her fingers against her helmet now to hold the radio closer to her ear, hoping to better hear the jumble of frantic dialog. “Holy shit, this doesn’t sound good...”<br><br>The transmission grew faint and then ended, just in time for the pilot to advise they had arrived at their objective. As the dropship’s rear ramp opened to jettison its human cargo, Angelina looked around to see if by chance there was another synthetic on board to replace the one they’d lost, and who could possibly aid in Senjo’s repair should they all make it back to the ship. Although she had plenty of faith in her team, she just didn’t like the odds of running this mission as a foursome, considering all the unknowns and the the ugly ass-whipping they just got handed back there in the jungle. Standing up to peer out of the maw of the ship, Angelina checked and adjusted her gear as she listened unhappily to the pilot convey information. <br><br><strong>"He's somewhere in there. My orders are to fly a holding pattern here, I can't give you any covering fire but if you need to bug out I'll be able to grab you as soon as you get clear of the caves....good luck."</strong><br><br>“Well, today Lady Luck seems to have taken a holiday,” she quipped. “And exchanging a raging clusterfuck for spelunking in a shithole cave is just the fan-fucking-tastic cherry on top of my day. I HATE caves.” she grumbled angrily to herself as she jumped from the ship, expelling a loud “oomph!” as she landed heavily on the hard ground.&nbsp; <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>14-05-2011, 07:45:18</strong>
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				<strong>GS Danko - Third Squad - Let's ROOOOCK!</strong><hr><br>Danko had no time to think about how she’d pay Jones back for his hand on her ass – though she’d be sure to make him pay – as they came to the end of the corridor and started down several long flights of stairs and into the compound’s sub-basement.&nbsp; Everyone seemed to go quiet as they moved, as if they all sensed that things had suddenly changed.&nbsp; It was damn quiet.&nbsp; Too quiet.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"I know some of you have some questions, one each and I will answer them to my best of my ability."<br><br>“I’m pretty sure I already asked one, L.T.” He (Jones) said, his voice as cold as ice.</em><br><br>Riska nodded in silent agreement.&nbsp; &nbsp;“Maybe you could just tell us what they hell we’re dealing with here rather than playing a game of twenty questions.&nbsp; Sir,” she said.&nbsp; “Seems pretty obvious that you know more than you’re letting on and with all due respect, I’d rather not die because someone kept something important to themselves.”&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>As they descended, there was a noticeable change in the air.&nbsp; Though the air outside had been warm and humid, it was even hotter and wetter down here, and as Riska set her boots on the floor when they reached the bottom, she frowned at the coating of mist that hovered at ankle height, billowing around the squad as they moved.&nbsp; This new hallway was dark as pitch, and she was grateful for the lights carried by several members of the squad, as well the glow given off by the flamethrower in Mathias’ hands.&nbsp; <br><br>Danko was fully alert now, taking one cautious step after another as she moved, gun ready in her hands, glancing around at the sterile white walls.&nbsp; Gradually, the surface began to shift; forcing her to frown again as the smooth surface gave way to an uneven, almost organic looking dark surface.&nbsp; It was like some bizarre and random bones, clinging to the walls, transforming it into a skeletal tunnel.&nbsp; She eyed Mathias as he ran a gloved hand over the stuff.&nbsp; Even though she couldn’t see his face he was clearly as amazed by as she was, but Riska left touching it for another time, when the hairs on the back of her neck weren’t standing at attention, like they were now.&nbsp; <br><br><em>Feckin' mother of Joseph, the hell is that gnarly sonova bitch?"&nbsp; </em> <br><br>With Ben and the LT in front of her, Danko wasn’t able to see just what had caused the Lance Corporal to speak immediately.&nbsp; She could only see the form of the man lying on the floor.&nbsp; But once he moved to the side, the sight came into view.&nbsp; “What the <em>hell</em>?” she murmured, staring at the thing glued to the man’s face.&nbsp; As she watched, its tail or whatever the fuck it was curled tighter around the man’s neck in response to Mathias’ prodding.&nbsp; Though she’d seen her fair share of strange shit out in space, Riska had never seen anything quite like this.&nbsp; Unconsciously, one hand released her gun just long enough to form a warding sign against evil.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Frisky little bugger or somethin'," he said nervously, poorly attempting to mask his complete and utter confusion. <br><br>“I’m going to say this again,” Marcus spoke, as his took in the horrific sight. “What the fuck?”</em><br><br>“I’ll second that,” Danko said.&nbsp; Behind them, Cooper sounded like he was going to throw up. <br><br>&nbsp;<em>"That's a face fucker, now I know what happened to those damn colonist..."</em><br><br>“Excuse me, Sir, a what?” Danko asked, now totally convinced that the LT had been holding out on them and had known what they were walking into the entire time.&nbsp; “Are you saying that that thing has got something down his throat, like some weird ass alien <em>blow job</em>?”<br><br>The report of the LT’s shotgun was all the answer she got.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"If one of those things ever gets attached to my face, kill me."</em><br><br>“Ditto,” Riska agreed.&nbsp; “If it comes to that, I’ll do everybody in this fucking squad.”&nbsp; <br><br>Then all hell broke loose as the motion trackers began to go wild, as if the LT’s shot had woken something up.&nbsp; Lots of somethings.<br><br><em>"Fire, if you got it, use it, the sons of bitches don't like fire! Gunny, you get the right side, don't let anything near you! Mathias hold your fucking ground, I got your back! The rest of you, turn around and start shooting!"</em> <br><br>“Affirmative!”&nbsp; Danko barked, moving quickly into place.&nbsp; “Jones, I’m going to need some fire here!”&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Ohh and don't let their blood splatter on ya apes! You ain't gonna like it!"</em> <br><br>“<em>Now </em> he’s sharing,” Danko grumbled under her breath.&nbsp; Planting both her feet wide to support the report of the M56, she began to fire in full automatic mode, the bursts from the gun’s muzzle lighting up the hallway as she panned left and right, adding to the fire from Jones’ flame caster.&nbsp; <br><br><em>“Don’t like fire huh?” He called out, taunting the unseen creature. “Well you picked the wrong marine, honey, because I’m all kinds of hot!”</em><br><br>Unlike Jones, Danko had no witty taunt to toss into their unseen attacker’s face, just a burning and grim determination to make them all kinds of dead as quickly and efficiently as possible.&nbsp; <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>17-05-2011, 04:01:17</strong>
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				Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>O'Shay hadn't run like this since his time back at Parris.&nbsp; As he went, the beeps faded but still went faster and faster.&nbsp; Suddenly he felt the reverberation as the alien bomb went off.&nbsp; The white light lit the landscape like a searchlight.&nbsp; He kept running...faster...faster.&nbsp; The heat was building behind him.&nbsp; He swore he could feel his hair being singed off.&nbsp; <br><br>(Yup, more Gears of War.&nbsp; Seemed appropriate.&nbsp; Starting at around 0:43 to about 1:43&nbsp; When I hear O'Shay speaking in my mind, he's using Marcus Fenix's voice.&nbsp; No bullshit.)<br>Gears of War - Cinematic 28 (720p) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVK2hL7JUGc#ws)<br><br>He and the rest of the squad had been well clear of the explosion, but not of the sudden wave of air pressure which sent them off balance.&nbsp; O'Shay's ears rang from the sudden change in air pressure.&nbsp; He staggered for a bit before resting Senjo up against the crashed lander.&nbsp; "I'm gettin' too old for this horsshit," he muttered before looking up.&nbsp; Streaks of light were breaking through the cloud cover and popping through, causing explosions to be heard in the distance.&nbsp; It looked like FATHER was now hitting the new targets.&nbsp; He wanted to think that was it.&nbsp; He was never that lucky.&nbsp; <br><br>The orders were clear.&nbsp; Rescue the W-Y executive captured.&nbsp; "Motherfucker.&nbsp; More stupid suits...W-Y must be fuckin' breedin' 'em.&nbsp; <br>"Squad! Reload your weapons! Huck your gear! We're going spelunkin'!"<br>He grabbed some extra rope and hooks from the lander before the new one came in.&nbsp; O'Shay strapped Senjo into the lander.&nbsp; He would have to hope she could be fixed.&nbsp; "Everyone strap in!"<br><br>The flight was mercifully brief as he prepared to jump back out.&nbsp; "Zippo! Take point! Watch your damn corners! I don't want you frying the damn suit!"<br><br><strong>"he's somewhere in there" the pilot said "My orders are to fly a holding pattern here, I can't give you any covering fire but if you need to bug out I'll be able to grab you as soon as you get clear of the caves....good luck."</strong><br><br>"Thanks, but you better get your ass here if we come out hot!"<br><br>Well, today Lady Luck seems to have taken a holiday,” she quipped. “And exchanging a raging clusterfuck for spelunking in a shithole cave is just the fan-fucking-tastic cherry on top of my day. I HATE caves.” she grumbled angrily to herself as she jumped from the ship, expelling a loud “oomph!” as she landed heavily on the hard ground.&nbsp; <br><br>"Put a sock in it, DeSilva! Squad! Watch your corners and lines of fire! I don't want no friendly fire! DeSilva! Cover Zippo! Rome! Bring up the rear! Move out!"<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>20-05-2011, 02:44:49</strong>
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				<div align="center"><strong><strong><strong>Lcpl. Roman "Rome" Beneke - 1st Squad - Regrouping at the downed dropship</strong></strong></strong></div><br>The blast from the device warmed his back and nearly threw him from his feet as the squad reached the wreckage. Rome's heart thudded loudly in his ears, his huge, barrel chest rising and falling with quick breaths, winded from their life or death sprint. Thumbing the safety toggle into the safe position, he swiveled his bulky weapon skyward, locking it into the neutral position. His massive, strong hands moved behind his head where thick fingers laced, locking securely as he slowly paced to and fro, heaving and trying to catch his breathe. He was sucking wind, hard. Sweat gathered on his dark skin, the humid jungle climate thick and seemingly tangible exacerbated his perspiration. After a minute or two of pacing, he neared the dropship, turned and collapsed on the mangled rear loading ramp of the wrecked craft. He pressed the release switch and hefted the M56 from it's harness. Carefully propping the weapon against the ramp beside him, he leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees, spread wide. He glanced up at Zippo and smirked.<br><br>"You move pretty good in that tin can, Zippo. Kinda makes me wonder how you move when you're not in that gorilla suit. Maybe I'll take ya for ride sometime, find out for myself." He teased, flashing his pearly white, toothy grin. Even in times of great stress, Rome often teased and flirted, or recalled random sexual conquests of his. It was a coping mechanism, just one of the ways he dealt with stress. No sooner had those words left his lips than he glanced over with an appreciative, ogling glance at DeSilva's long, stretching legs and her lush ass. <br><br>He was just about to comment on DeSilva's... assets when his thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sounds of the orbit-to-ground strike missiles screaming down from USN ships high above, and he glanced up to see the beautiful contrails spreading out in all directions like veins, or a spider's web. The screams were accompanied shortly thereafter by the menacing sounds of the muffled, yet still thunderous "BOOM. BOOM BOOM," the explosions reverberating one after another in quick succession, vibrating in his chest even at such distances. Rome finds the sounds and the sensations of the precision orbital strike relaxing, and he closes his eyes for a moment, an odd smile stretching his thick lips wide. "Gorram, that's a beautiful sound. Music to my fucking ears." He enjoyed the sight and sounds of the strike for a good 20 minutes, laughing occasionally and cursing those being struck. "Compliments of the Navy and the Colonial Marines, bitches."<br><br>Suddenly his radio crackles to life, FATHER'S "voice" filling his ear with the squad's new mission. He listens intently, eyes shifting to and fro in frustration, which grows into anger.&nbsp; "You gotta be fuckin kidding me?! Our Lt. is dead, our synthetic is out of commission, we're down to four marines and there's a goddam invisble badass out there, laughing his fuckin monster ass off as he nearly blew us to kingdom come... and they want to send us into some fuckin caves to fetch some pussy-ass Wey-Yu exec?!?" Rome shouted incredulously. "I mean, no one even knows if the mother fucker is still alive. It's just a goddam signal! Fuck this shit. We need to regroup, refit, get reinforce..." <br><br>His bitching and moaning was cut off as the radio was flooded with heated shouts and the confusion of combat, sporadic gunfire interrupted intermittently with static and white noise. Rome's thick brow furrowed angrily. Somewhere out there, it sounded like second squad was getting its ass handed to it and Rome was sitting here helpless to do anything about it. He griped and groaned the entire time while waiting on the dropship. The dropship finally arrived and Rome grabbed his M56, affixing it to the harness once more before clamoring up the ramp and up to the pilot. "Fuck this cave nonsense, Take us to second squad's location, ASAP!" The pilot shot Rome a look but didn't reply, bringing the dropship about after the remainder of 1st squad was aboard.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Pilot:<br>"he's somewhere in there. My orders are to fly a holding pattern here, I can't give you any covering fire but if you need to bug out I'll be able to grab you as soon as you get clear of the caves....good luck."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Rome cursed under his breath, stomping towards the lowered ramp. He quickly wondered how Senjo would be and the thought of how she would be missed in the caves passed from his mind as quickly as it came.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Pfc DeSilva:<br>“Well, today Lady Luck seems to have taken a holiday and exchanging a raging clusterfuck for spelunking in a shithole cave is just the fan-fucking-tastic cherry on top of my day. I HATE caves.”</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>"Fuckin A, baby girl. This is some fucked up shit, no doubt. FUBAR!" He chipped in, landing beside her in the cave's entrance. He gave her ass slap as he passed her, believing he would be on point.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Sgt. O'Shay:<br>"Put a sock in it, DeSilva! Squad! Watch your corners and lines of fire! I don't want no friendly fire! DeSilva! Cover Zippo! Rome! Bring up the rear! Move out!"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>"Yes, Sarge," he said simply, giving DeSilva a wink as he turned to the back of the column, "bringing up the rear..." he muuttered as he passed her, flashing her smirk and a wink.<br><br><br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Urbanzorro</strong> on <strong>24-05-2011, 20:57:36</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong><span class="bbc_u">1st Squad</span></strong></span><br><br>&nbsp;One of the side effects of the intense forces used to shape a uninhabitable rock into a real planet with a real ecosystem was the formation of usually large&nbsp; and complex geological features. The cave that 1st Squad found itself traveling through was a prime example of this fact. It even seemed to double back on itself at times, and at others simply continue on forever... <br><br>As they made their way through the cave, all was silent and dark. The location of the Weyland-Yutani executive's locator beacon growing closer and closer with each passing minute. Then suddenly the sounds of gunshots could be heard, booming and echoing loudly against the walls of the cave. But rather than the sound of weapons firing on full-auto these shots were fired in short controlled bursts as if who ever was doing the shooting was in no way panicked by their situation.&nbsp; They were followed quickly by voices, also echoing off the walls and carrying further than they normally would.<br><br><em>"Hostiles spotted....engaging" </em><br><strong>"Moving to support"</strong><br><em>"Outcome uncertain...relocate executive"</em><br><strong>"Securing executive"</strong><br><em>"Understood, Holding Position"</em><br><br>Even over the boom of the weapons' reports the sounds of inhuman shrieks could be heard, what ever the unknown firers were shooting at had obviously been hit and didn't like it very much. <br><br><br>Whoever had been shooting had obviously either killed their targets or been killed themselves, as the gunfire suddenly came to a halt and silence once again filled the air within the cave. The soft ping of the motion the squad's motion detectors now the only sounds in the cave as they dutifully showed that two objects were moving towards them at a quick pace, making their way down the cave.<br><br><br>Seconds later the tight beam of a flashlight could be seen coming out of the darkness, followed by a &nbsp;man in a white lab coat (http://images.wikia.com/residentevil/images/1/1c/Sam_Isaacs.JPG), and a second man (http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/360/5/f/Next_Soldier_by_Roalmeh.jpg) who appeared to be wearing an odd form of body armor. The man in the labcoat was holding a rather large and menacing looking pistol (http://www.2000ad.nu/termight/props/lawcast.jpg) and the one in the armor a standard issue pulse rifle. <br><br>As soon as they spotted first squad the man in the labcoat began to rush towards them even more "thank God you're here" he said "those....things are back there!"&nbsp; <br><br><br><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong><span class="bbc_u">3rd Squad</span></strong></span><br><br>The sound of clawed feet striking metal echoed through the halls, and was almost instantly overpowered by the roar of all of 3rd squad's weapons firing at once as the squad did it's best to turn both the left and right branches of the hallway into kill zones and insure that nothing closed the distance with them. The sheer amount of firepower being poured down each hall, along with the seeming lack of any cover, would have proven more than enough to stop almost any advance on the marines' position.<br><br>But in spite of this fact the motion detectors began to ping louder and faster, what ever was charging on them was gaining ground!<br><br><hr><strong><span class="bbc_u"><em>Left Branch</em></span></strong><br><br>The incoming targets were closing with lighting like speed, within seconds they had gone from the edge of the motion sensor's effective range to nearly point blank range. There were three of them (http://images.wikia.com/annex/images/4/41/Adult_Fiorina036.jpg), each one brown in color and roughly the size of a large dog. They moved on all four legs with a swiftness that was almost too much for the eye to easily follow. One ran along the floor, another along the right wall, and the last along the left as if they somehow understood that spreading out as much as possible was the best strategy to use against the weapons that were being used against them. <br><br>The combination of the flames from Mathias's flamethrower and the shrapnel from the grenade thrown by Tychus caused the creature moving along the floor to fall down, writhing and dying, its blood hissing and smoking as it came into contact with the floor. The creature running along the right wall found itself blown off its feet by the sheer force of the rounds from Coop's weapon impacting with it, only to be finished by a blast to it's center mass from Tychus's weapon. But even as these two creatures died, the 3rd showed no fear, hesitation, or even instinct for self preservation as it leaped forward from the wall, it's forward legs outstretched and revealing fingers that ended in vicious claws.<br><br>It struck Coop with enough force to drive the man from his feet, it's claws digging into his shoulder pads as it attempted to rip through them and drove it's razor tipped tail forward striking at where Coop's head was located. <br><br><hr><br><strong><span class="bbc_u"><em>Right Branch</em></span></strong><br><br>The creatures moving from the right side of the hall, though still quite fast, were nowhere near as quick as their brethren, but what they lost in speed they more than made up for in size. As they closed the distance they (http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/2/21012/421372-04_super.jpg)&nbsp; became visible. Even though they too were able to crawl along the walls, their bodies were jet black and they were each easily larger than a full grown man. The four of them moved together, with one on each wall, one on the floor, and one on the ceiling. <br><br><br>At about mid range, the combination of smartgun and pulse rifle rounds proved enough to down one of the creatures. It fell from the ceiling with several holes in it's body and leaking a dull green fluid that could only be blood. It's blood actually seemed to be eating through the floor as the life left it's body.&nbsp; <br><br>The gout of flames from Marcus's weapon struck the creature on the floor it began to thrash around, it's shrieks and screams almost painful to hear as it was obviously burning to death and beyond all reason it seemed to still be attempting to move forward. As if its impending and closely approaching death was of little concern when compared to what ever task it had been.<br><br>Even as Riska's weapon roared its fury in her hands, the targeting lens over her eye mysteriously displayed no targets, as if the weapon's auto-lock system was on the fritz, or as if the enemies she was attempting to target could somehow confuse it.<br><br>The two remaining creatures kept moving forwards and quickly closed the remaining distance. As they drew close enough to strike both creatures reared up on their hind legs revealing that they could walk on two legs just as easily as four.&nbsp; <br><br>One of them had several holes already in it's center mass but seemed not to be bothered by the massive physical damage it had incurred, the second had used it's kin as a sort of 'human' shield seemed completely unharmed as of yet. With a frightening hiss the unhurt creature lunged at Arca, striking at the woman's chest with it's tail. Even though her chest plate seemed to hold, if for no other reason than because the beast's tail didn't appear from inside her back, she was thrown to the ground. And it quickly followed up it's attack with another strike from it's tail. This one digging deep into the woman's thigh. The second creature seemed to understand that it's very blood was a weapon and appeared to do it's best to move so that it's blood splashed onto Marcus before it swiped at him with it's right arm. It's claws digging deep into his own chestplate as it followed this strike with another from its left arm, this one aimed at taking out the man's neck...<br><br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>25-05-2011, 07:59:05</strong>
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				<strong>PFC Marcus Jones – 3rd Squad – Let’s fight<br><br>“Affirmative!”&nbsp; Danko barked, moving quickly into place.&nbsp; “Jones, I’m going to need some fire here!”</strong><br><br>“Thought you’d never ask,” Marcus said as he bared his teeth in a predatory grin. The shrieks of the wounded creature filled his ears like a morbid symphony as the flames from his caster kissed it again and again. Even so, Marcus noticed that it continued to try to engage them even after its death was a certainty. <br><br>“Fuck me, they don’t give up,” He muttered to himself as he switched his weapon back to full automatic pulse fire. Even as the first creature died, two others barrelled passed it with an unnatural ferocity. Things were going to get up close and personal fast. Marcus braced himself for the impending onslaught and levelled his weapon, unleashing a spray of pulse blasts at the creature serving as the ‘human shield’. <br><br>As he fired he let out something between a guttural growl and a mighty roar that sounded every bit as animalistic as they did and took a step toward the oncoming creatures. All rational thought seemed to have left his mind for a moment as the sound of his heart pounded heavily in his head. He was vaguely aware of the unhurt creature leaping passed him and onto Arca, but he barely gave it a second look as he locked his focus on the hurt creature.<br><br>It snarled and snapped, desperately trying to instill fear in a man to whom it was foreign. From this distance Marcus could smell the acrid scent of the creature’s blood and it only served to urge him closer to it. He tried to step to the side as the creature swiped at him with its arm but the impact forced him back a step as the creatures claws sank into his chestplate. The smell of the creature’s blood pervaded his senses as the acidic goo splashed onto him, filling the edge of his awareness with a sense of warmth and the sound of hissing as it tried to eat through his armor.<br><br>Marcus was already moving as the creature lashed out with its other arm. Stopping his fire, he used his weapon like a sword pushing it against the creature’s forearm in an attempt to parry its attack. Then he pressed the barrel of his weapon into direct contact with the creature’s already damaged center mass and with a defiant roar he pulled the trigger.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Aiden</strong> on <strong>25-05-2011, 17:33:50</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>Tychus</em></div><hr><br>The little fuckers where fast, but they where in melee range of Tychus and that was his fucking domain!&nbsp; Lowering his slug thrower he blasted the dog sized freak in the sides to throw off its momentum followed by a brutal kick to its face before he stomped it down like the cockroach it was. <br><strong>"Fall back to first open room, down the hall apes, rock and roll!" </strong><br>He barked his command, adding a new clip to his shotgun before he tossed two grenades down both branches. Not bothering to let Cooper get to his feet he began dragging the man by the back of his uniform, if he was smart he would shoot while being dragged.<br><strong>"Go go go!" </strong><br>Tychus waited for his men to move so they could find a safe spot to regroup, patch up and a little enlightenment. He was sure after this skirmish was over he would be unable to keep the information he had on what the hell those things really were. <br><hr><br><br>*Rock and roll-Military slang for firing a weapon fully-automatically
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dragondancer</strong> on <strong>26-05-2011, 03:17:52</strong>
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				<strong>~ Pvt. Angelina DeSilva - 1st Squad, in the cavernous labyrinth on mission to rescue a Weyland-Yutani executive ~</strong><br><br><strong>"Fuckin A, baby girl. This is some fucked up shit, no doubt. FUBAR!"</strong><br><br>Rome voiced his agreement with her sentiments as only he could, punctuating his comments with a slap on her ass as he moved to take point position. <em>Baby girl.</em> Angelina shook her head in mild amusement at the nickname their smartgunner had apparently locked on to. Choosing to ignore the ass slap for the moment, she was grateful for his distraction and teased, “FUBAR...Flirty Ultimate Bad Ass Rome?” Grinning mischievously, she puckered her lips and blew him a kiss with a wink.&nbsp; <br><br>Stepping closer to the entrance, Angelina peered balefully into the dark mouth of the cave, an uneasy shiver scuttling down her spine. Even in the densest, most remote areas of the jungle, one was never too far from being able to glimpse a steadying patch of sky. She’d never liked caves, but after her last terrifying experience, dislike had made the leap to hate, and now just the thought of descending into the bowels of some cavernous labyrinth was enough to bring an unpleasant queasiness to the pit of her stomach. <em>”I really, REALLY hate caves!”</em> she again quietly groused to herself, as she worked on shoving down the rising low-level panic creeping up on her.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>"Put a sock in it, DeSilva! Squad! Watch your corners and lines of fire! I don't want no friendly fire! DeSilva! Cover Zippo! Rome! Bring up the rear! Move out!"</strong><br><br>Sarge’s no-nonsense voice barking out commands soothed her rough edges just enough, and she was able to drag her focus back to the mission. Zippo had been uncharacteristically quiet since the blast, and she hoped their flamethrower wasn’t suffering from some kind of impact concussion or something. Taking close flanking position to cover her, Angelina raised her eyebrows at Rome as he passed her. <br><br><strong>"Yes, Sarge," Rome said simply, giving DeSilva a wink as he turned to the back of the column, "bringing up the rear..." he muttered as he passed her, flashing her smirk and a wink.</strong><br><br>Rolling her eyes, she marveled at the man’s irrepressible personality, and figured the rest of the squad probably appreciated his ability to keep things light as much as she did. Except when it was time to bring the hammer down, and then nobody did it better. <em>Four.</em> Well shit - they were sure as hell a small team, but at least they were a kick-ass team! She bolstered her fraying nerves with that thought.<br><br>Hitting her shoulder flashlight and turning her helmet camera on, Angelina grabbed another four rounds from her pack and quickly stuffed them down the throat of her grenade launcher. <em>You never know.</em> Following behind Zippo, she reluctantly entered the menacing yawning hole, glancing back over her shoulder once for one last look at the sky.<br><br>Encroaching darkness and disconcerting silence greeted them as they made their way through the winding tunnels, panic gnawing at the edges of her control with every minute that passed. She could feel the weight of the earth above her pressing down as they descended deeper, a disquietingly claustrophobic sensation. As they followed the Weyland-Yutani executive’s beacon, Angelina fervently hoped they would find the bastard soon and get the hell out of this place.<br><br>Suddenly, controlled bursts of gunshots rang out, their staccato blasts echoing loudly through the narrow chamber.&nbsp; As a monstrous shriek bellowed out in response to the gunfire, Angelina flicked off her rifle’s safety and moved forward to close the distance between her and Zippo. Tensing for the expected battle, the sudden silence was unnerving. A moment passed, and the harsh breathing of her team was all that could be heard. Breaking the silence, the distinct sound of two objects moving toward them at a fast clip was announced by their motion detector.<br><br>As the beam of a flashlight rounded the corner up ahead and two figures rushed forward, Angelina lifted her finger off the rifle trigger but left it hovering just above it. Between the white lab coat on the one man and the freaky supervillain outfit of the other, these dudes just weren’t right.<br><br><strong>"Thank God you're here" he said "those....things are back there!"&nbsp;</strong> <br><br>Glancing around at the rest of her squad with a wary frown on her face, she listened for their motion detector to alert them of any approaching hostiles. Even if they weren’t being followed at the moment, Angelina was more than eager to blow this hole and figured the finer details of the executive's story could be found out later, topside. “Drop your weapons!” she demanded, “We’re here to escort you safely off-planet, we’ve got you covered.” 
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kuroneko</strong> on <strong>27-05-2011, 23:28:28</strong>
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				<strong>G.S. Danko - Third Squad - It's a Bug Hunt</strong><br><hr><br>Danko's grip on the smartgun tightened as their quarry finally came into view.&nbsp; Though she'd seen her fair share of alien shit in her time in the Corps, these things were something else entirely and it wasn't just their size.&nbsp; Looking at these things could make a person believe in the devil, cause they sure as shit proved there was nothing right in the universe.&nbsp; Surely they came from o Beng, and were as black as his heart.&nbsp; <br><br>The muzzle of her gun barked and flared, sending a hailstorm of bullets in their direction along with the fire that flowed from Marcus' caster.&nbsp; Still some distance away, their combined efforts took one of them down.&nbsp; Riska frowned as the flames rolled over it and it screamed out its death, not because the sound could have peeled paint off the walls, but because none of the bastards showed up on her targeting lens.&nbsp; Not that she needed it, per se.&nbsp; Shooting the fuckers in the small confines of the hallway was like shooting fish in a barrell.&nbsp; But that wouldn't always be the case.&nbsp; Sooner or later, she was going to need a lock for the heavy gun she carried.&nbsp; It was then she noticed how the thing's blood was eating through the floor and the LT's words about their blood came rolling back through her mind.&nbsp; <br><br>Certain beyond any doubt now that the LT had been holding back on them, Danko grit her teeth and flicked the targeting lens out of the way as one of the creatures charged Marcus, who had run out to meet the thing like a gladiator in an arena.&nbsp; She wasn't sure whose screams were worse - his or the creature's - but she hissed as one of they rose up on their back legs and blood spattered all over his chest plate.&nbsp; "Jones!&nbsp; Lookout!" she shouted, as the creature swung at his exposed neck.&nbsp; <br><br>The man would have to deal with the thing himself.&nbsp; It was injured and hopefully on it’s way down.&nbsp; Danko was too busy firing at the one that was coming towards she and Arca at a full lope.&nbsp; As if sensing that the smaller tech was the most vulnerable of the pair, it lashed out at Fields with its tail, knocking her onto the floor before driving the bony tip of its tail deep into her leg.&nbsp; Turning, Riska stepped backwards and planted her back against the wall and let the smartgun rip, hoping that any blood would be tossed backwards by the impact rather than falling on the trapped woman.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Fall back to first open room, down the hall apes, rock and roll!"</em><br><br>“The hell with that!” Danko yelled over the rapport of her gun.&nbsp; “I’m not going to be trapped in a room with these things bearing down on us.&nbsp; We need to make for the first floor!”&nbsp; <br><br>Letting out a low rumble, Danko ejected the spent canister of ammo from the M56 and fitted it with a roll of radioactive rounds.&nbsp; “Eat this!” she roared at the thing pinning Arca as she let loose with a new spray of deadly fire.&nbsp; Above them, a small round shape soared over their heads.&nbsp; Riska recognized it all too well.&nbsp; <br><br><em>"Go go go!"</em> <br><br>“Goddamit!&nbsp; We have a man down!”&nbsp; Danko shouted at the LT.&nbsp; Glancing back and forth between the LT, who was dragging Cooper, and the wounded girl, Riska practically burned with conflicted frustration.&nbsp; <br><br>“Jones!” she called out as she began to move, “We’ve been ordered to fall back!&nbsp; Stop dancing with your new girlfriend and see if you can grab Fields while I rip this thing a new asshole!”<br><br>Shifting position, Danko continued to fire as she moved to the middle of the intersection, waiting for Matthias so they could cover their asses as they retreated.&nbsp; <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>28-05-2011, 00:12:29</strong>
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				<strong>Lance Corporal Benjamin Mathias - 3rd Squad - Feeling like he just got dropped into a B-Movie plot.</strong><br><hr><br>As much as he tried to tell himself that none of this was actually happening, he knew enough to trust what was in front of his own eyes.&nbsp; Mathias had seen plenty of messed up shit in his time, and had done things no man should have to do in order to survive, but <em>this</em> was whole new territory.&nbsp; Humans were easy to understand, easy to predict, and easy to kill.&nbsp; These things were something else entirely.&nbsp; They were fast, fierce, suicidally focused, and undeniably <em>alien.</em><br><br>But they bled just like anything else, and that's all that mattered to him.<br><br>"Move yer bloody asses so I can serve us up some deep-fried roaches!" he yelled over the din of fire.&nbsp; The close quarters made it difficult enough to just get a shot in without risking friendly fire, let alone unleash a gout of flame at the ugly bastards.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>30-05-2011, 04:27:27</strong>
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				<strong>PFC Marcus Jones – 3rd Squad – Trying to save Fields</strong><br><br>“AAAAAAAAHH!” Marcus roared as he fired, his expression one of pure unadulterated rage. He gave no more conscious thought about fighting his alien monstrosity than he had in any fight he’d ever been in. It was just something trying to kill him and finding out that he wasn’t going down easy. In midst of the adrenalin fuelled murder haze he was vaguely aware of Danko and the others calling out to each other over the din of battle, but it was the Lieutenant’s voice that finally cut through.<br><br><strong>"Fall back to first open room, down the hall apes, rock and roll!" </strong><br><br>Stepping back, Marcus fired a burst of pulse blasts as the creature and tried to get out of its rage. Blinking a little to clear his vision, he glanced down at his chestplate. The thick acidic gooey blood had begun to mix with his armoured alloy, bubbling a little but appearing to hold strong.<br><br><strong>"Go go go!"<br><br>“Jones!” she called out as she began to move, “We’ve been ordered to fall back!&nbsp; Stop dancing with your new girlfriend and see if you can grab Fields while I rip this thing a new asshole!”</strong><br><br>Danko’s voice brought his attention to the squad’s tech, who was lying on the ground bleeding from a deep wound in her leg. “Sure thing, gorgeous!” He called back as he slung his rifle over his back and ran to the fallen marine’s position, trusting Danko’s smartgun to cover his back.<br><br>“Damn!” He growled as he knelt beside, pressing his hands against her sound in a vain effort to staunch the bleeding. After a second, he gave up and gathered Fields up in his arms while shouting toward the rest of the squad. “Cooper! As soon as we get somewhere safe Fields is going to need that medkit of yours!” <br><br>“I got her Danko,” He told her, tossing a single glance back at the Gunnery Sergeant. “Let’s go!” With that, Marcus began to sprint down the hall after the rest squad.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Michael Corvus</strong> on <strong>02-06-2011, 02:51:54</strong>
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				<strong>~ Lance Corporal Roman “Rome” Beneke - 1st Squad, in the cavernous labyrinth on mission to rescue a Weyland-Yutani executive ~<br></strong><br>Rome had to admit, he was rather impressed with how Pvt. DeSilva handled his crass remarks. He was equally impressed with the manner in which she handled herself in a tight spot. Taking up his position at the rear of the column, as ordered, he followed behind Pvt. DeSilva as she covered Pvt. Sakuraba, who had been particularly quiet after incapacitation of Senjo and the explosion back at their downed drop ship. He wondered if the young girl had been rattled by the turn of recent events. <br><br>Though he was very much enjoying the view of Pvt. DeSilva’s shapely… assets afforded him by his position behind her, the fact that he had been placed at the rear of an advancing column in a terrain that could suddenly and unexpectedly restrict his field of fire was gnawing at his mind like a vulture picking at a scavenged carcass. Rome began to grumble as quietly as Rome can grumble. He couldn’t understand why MSgt. O’Shay had put him and the significant firepower of his M56 at the rear of the column and had taken point for himself. As far as Rome was concerned, this flew in the face of conventional military tactics, and the more he thought on it the more agitated he became.<br><br>As they ventured farther into the unknown abyss before them, light gave way to darkness which soon engulfed them completely. His flashlight had been busted in the crash along with his motion tracker, so it was a relieved sigh that was given when DeSilva switched on her shoulder mounted flashlight, illuminating the cave before them and eliminating at least that small sliver of the unknown from the equation. He yanked back on the weapon’s charging handle and thumbed the safety off before switching his helmet mounted camera and targeting lens on.<br><br><br>Finally unable to keep his mouth shut about it any longer, Rome blurted out in a rather indignant tone, <strong>”Sarge, why the fuck am I back here looking at asses and elbows when me and <em>Sexy Beast</em> should be the spearhead of th…”</strong><br><br>He was cut off by the unmistakable staccato of the M-41 Pulse Rifle’s full auto fire echoing eerily off the cavernous walls, accompanied by nearly indiscernible voices shouting from an unknown direction. The reverberation of the noises bouncing off the solid, stone walls made it nearly impossible to tell in which direction the commotion originated. Instantly, Rome thumbed the safety off and brought the beast around on a swivel. Fortunately they currently found themselves in a rather spacious opening and Rome was able to get a clear line of sight on anything that might be approaching. <br><br>A beam of light up ahead sliced through the pervading black, jostling and bobbing erratically and he could hear footsteps and the sounds of labored breathing approaching directly in front of them. Leveling his weapon on those who approached, he placed a large hand firmly on DeSilva’s shoulder to calm her, hoping she wouldn’t blast the idiots for running up on Colonial Marines unannounced like they did in unknown territory with unknown hostiles in the area. <br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Man in lab coat:<br>"Thank God you're here" he said "those....things are back there!" <br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br><strong>”You fuckin’ run up on a Marine like that again… you can thank God yourself, Stupid FUCK! I’ll be sure to arrange the meeting personally.”</strong><br><br>Giving the man a cursory look up and down, he glanced sidelong over to DeSilva, a smirk on his face. <strong>”Mother fucker... and I thought scientists were supposed to be all smart and shit.”</strong> He muttered the last part more to himself than to DeSilva, but she easily picked up on it. Stepping past the man in the lab coat, he strained to see in the darkness ahead, his smart gun pointed in the direction the strangers had fled, but DeSilva’s shoulder lamp only penetrated the darkness for a certain distanced before it too was devoured by the darkness. Keeping his eyes fixed ahead, his tone was still patronizing when he addressed the man once more. <strong>”Now, use your scientifical words and tell us what <em>things</em> are back there. Are they big and ugly with pointy dreadlocks and lasers on their shoulders?”</strong><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Fall of LV-6329 (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CmdrRenegade</strong> on <strong>06-06-2011, 04:03:08</strong>
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				Master Sgt. Michael "Sarge" O'Shay<br><br>Sarge proceeded up into the cave in his self-assigned position.&nbsp; He was glad the team was working together.&nbsp; This mission was only hours old, but still had pressed them hard.&nbsp; Harder than even he had expected.&nbsp; &nbsp;”Sarge, why the fuck am I back here looking at asses and elbows when me and Sexy Beast should be the spearhead of th…” Before Sarge could tell him to cram it, he was interrupted by the BLATBLATBLAT of a Pulse Rifle.&nbsp; That sound was as familiar as his own breathing.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>Hostiles spotted....engaging" <br>"Moving to support"<br>"Outcome uncertain...relocate executive"<br>"Securing executive"<br>"Understood, Holding Position"</strong><br><br>He also heard those shrieks.&nbsp; It did not take him long to remember that.&nbsp; It was too much like LV-1875.&nbsp; <br>"Stay frosty.&nbsp; Hold your fire and check your targets.&nbsp; Zippo, if the suit's in the line of fire, move left and engage.&nbsp; I don't like the smell of fried shitball." This mission was downright retarded.&nbsp; What business did another suit have down here?<br><br>The franticly moving beam of a flashlight came up.&nbsp; Whoever was doing this was running scared.&nbsp; <br><br><strong>"Thank God you're here" he said "those....things are back there!"</strong><br><br>“Drop your weapons!” she demanded, “We’re here to escort you safely off-planet, we’ve got you covered.” <br>"Do what my Marine said.&nbsp; Now."<br>”You fuckin’ run up on a Marine like that again… you can thank God yourself, Stupid FUCK! I’ll be sure to arrange the meeting personally.”<br><br>Giving the man a cursory look up and down, he glanced sidelong over to DeSilva, a smirk on his face. ”Mother fucker... and I thought scientists were supposed to be all smart and shit.” ”Now, use your scientifical words and tell us what things are back there. Are they big and ugly with pointy dreadlocks and lasers on their shoulders?”[/b]<br><br><br>"Rome, Zippo! Watch that tunnel! De Silva! Watch the path out! Motion detectors on!" he barked before turning back to the scientist and his "bodyguard".&nbsp; "FATHER, O'Shay.&nbsp; Confirm identity," he relayed into his communicator.&nbsp; "If you're our executive, we're taking you out of here.&nbsp; Pick your weapons back up.&nbsp; Either way, I know I'm not gonna like what's back there."<br><br>
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