Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: MzHyde on 09-08-2012, 20:01:27</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>09-08-2012, 20:01:27</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Chapter I: Strike! Assault On Devil's Island</strong></span></div><div align="center">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Wanzer1.jpg)</div><br><em>Supercarrier, USN Hawthorne<br>International waters, exact location unknown<br>August 11th, 2092</em><br><br><em>You were recruited in one way or another for this mission. Perhaps your CO approached you. Perhaps they found you at home. Perhaps a vehicle pulled up next to you as you walked down the street. Either way, you were given an opportunity to serve; not just your country, but the world as a whole. Honor, money, fame. Whatever you were offered, it was enough for you to accept the mission, despite being told little. As you headed to the airport all you knew was that it was 'a matter of some urgency' and that the danger was 'something that could effect the entire world'. Who are you to resist such intrigue? At the airport you were taken aboard a massive transport plane - big enough to hold a number of wanzers. Though you didn't see the bay where they were kept, you were assured that your wanzer had been procured and was already on board. Apparently whomever recruited you was sure you'd accept and had prepared in advance. On the transport plane you rode with a few others apparently on the same mission, but the engine noise and constant chatter of the flight crew prevented any real conversation.<br><br>The flight was short, though a bit rough with turbulence at the end as the plane flew into a storm. You were ejected into that very storm shortly after landing on the Hawthorne. The crew pushed you and your new comrades out into the pouring rain. Guided along, you ran across the deck, feet splashing in puddles the entire way. The crew led you inside and blessedly out of the driving rain. Past a few heavy metal doors, you waited inside a large conference room. It was empty for the moment, save for you and your new companions. You were told to wait, that a briefing would begin shortly. The room was filled with rows of folding chairs. Up front, there was a small table set up with a projector on it, pointed at the screen on the wall. For the moment, it was turned off and blank. Nothing else at all graced the sparse room. Guards blocked the doors leading out, restricting you from leaving until the briefing was over. It seemed that for the moment, you would have to wait for things to begin. A million questions buzzed in your head. What was this crisis? Why the secrecy? Did your new teammates know? </em>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>09-08-2012, 20:51:07</strong>
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				It was not the first rough flight Dimitri had been through. And being in a seat inside sure beat sitting in his Wanzer's cockpit, while being flown around on one of those heavy transport helicopters. That's one experience he would never admit to never having gotten use to.<br><br>But no, this was a breeze compared to those times. He just sat patiently, and tuned out the world around him. Their was so much chatter and back and forth, and he didn't throw his own voice into the fray. Some might even assume, incorrectly, that he had drifted off into sleep at some point, but he remained ever aware.<br><br>And then they were finally disgorged, out into the rain. Something not entirely unfamiliar to him; it was kind of refreshing, really. "At least it's not snow." He would say to the men and women that would be his comrades, for a time, as they hurried along to find shelter indoors.&nbsp; Mostly, though, he figured that not a single one of them had ever been to his beloved home country during the snowy season. If they had, they'd probably be laughing.<br><br>Once they were inside, he took only the briefest of times to get excess water off of him. Then it was back to marching along the corridors, and eventually entering into the meeting room which, he imagined, they would not be leaving any time soon.<br><br>He claimed a seat somewhere in&nbsp; the middle section of the table, his wet clothes a nuisance that he did not allow to throw off his Zen. He was wearing black leather boots, and night camo'd fatigues.&nbsp; The black beret on his head was, in a strange twist, unadorned. The back of his fatigues also <em>lacked</em> any of the typical OMON identifications, which meant that the others would have to guess at what he was; though, definitely not where he came from. When he had spoke earlier, his accent had&nbsp; been too thick and too uniquely Zaftran to be mistaken for anything else. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 01:37:51</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/ce/Kira_Singh_headshot.jpg)</div>To be heard at all they had to shout over the rain, the roar of the slowing rotor overhead, the usual ruckus of military vessels in play. Her voice didn't suit the volume required: too soft, too light, frail in the storm. Kira flashed a grin at the Zaftran through the wall of wet. "Are you kidding? I'd love to see one of these ships under snow!"<br><br><em>It's funny how little patience these top secret ops types have for delays. She'd been out on her morning jog when they came for her, all stiff uniforms and humorless directives. Kira hadn't been sure what to make of them, really. They weren't army, or at least not <em>her</em> kind of army, that much was obvious. Everything about them felt legitimate, but she couldn't shake a certain unease about the situation. Why come to her on her own time? Why not just pull her on base? It was only another hour before she was due at her station. Probably nothing, but still...<br><br>It was as she was considering whether or not to bolt that her captain stepped out of their big black SUV. She was so used to seeing the older man in good spirits that the thin-lipped look on his face seemed terribly out of place. He didn't need to say anything.<br><br>No, they didn't think it was a good idea to run to the airport. Fine. She got in the car.</em><br><br>Problem was, in all their emphasis on haste, they hadn't given her time to do anything but follow their flight plan. Surrounded by dour military personnel, Kira looked completely out of place in her long brown T-shirt, gray sweats and sneakers. Someone had offered her a hefty coat to shield against the rough weather en route to the ship's interior, so at least she wasn't freezing, but the cotton outfit was soaked through by the time they got inside regardless. A silent prayer of thanks that she hadn't worn a white shirt crossed her mind.<br><br>Somewhere aboard there would no doubt be a uniform of some sort in her size she could borrow; given they claimed to have Gada stationed nearby they might have even had the presence of mind to grab a few of her own suits before takeoff, but she wasn't counting on it. They seemed more like the "be prepared" type of organization than "be thoughtful."<br><br>Once they'd been left to their own devices in the briefing room for a while, Kira turned the borrowed coat around to cover her front and peeled the wet shirt off underneath it, wearing the coat more like a blanket than clothing. She wasn't quite shivering yet, but the faint tremors in her shoulders told her that was probably on the way. "Hospitable bunch, aren't they?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 03:45:50</strong>
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				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Apperance</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://payload61.cargocollective.com/1/6/197329/3520396/Croquis_05_905.jpg)</div></div><br>The girl who seemed to mind the weather the least also somehow seemed to be the most out of place. Hiding inside a rain poncho made out of a sheet of gray plastic with a red bird printed on it, the girl didn't look much like a military type. She was clearly a civilian, and roughly dressed one at that. If any of the group paid attention to the Huffman Island Wanzer Arena circuit, they might recognize her as The Vulture. One of the more promising rookie pilots. What the hell was an arena jockey doing on a military ship though?<br><br>It was not raining inside, and it seemed like the girl was using the tarp, not to keep warm, but for privacy. she kept it wrapped her body and avoided eye contact with the other pilots. She really didn't look like she wanted to be here.<br><br>The reality was just that. She didn't want to be here, But in her life she rarely had the option of doing what she pleased. This was just another job, and one that paid damn good at that. And for enough money, The vulture would do almost anything, she just wouldn't smile while doing it. Nobody could afford that.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 04:48:49</strong>
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				After about ten minutes one of the doors opened and three people stepped inside the room. Two of them seemed to be high ranking officers, one of them wearing an OCU uniform and the other sporting USN colors. The third was a tall, dark-haired woman dressed in a long brown coat. The woman walked with a limp and moved up to the front row of chairs before seating herself. The two men both moved up to the front of the room, murmured to each other for a moment and then started setting up the projector. When that was done, the USN Officer made a little gesture to the guards outside and they shut the doors, giving the room some privacy. The two officers stood ramrod straight and stern faced before the room, the OCU gentleman speaking up first.<br><br>"Good afternoon. We apologize for calling you all out here on such short notice, but we have a crisis on our hands that cannot wait. As you may have noticed, the OCU and USN, as well as other countries, are all represented here today. The problem we are facing is potentially on a global scale. To get some small details out of the way first; your wanzers are all here and being prepped for combat as we speak. After this briefing is over you will be escorted to a changing room where uniforms have been provided. After that, the mission will begin. We are in no position to delay things." <br><br>It was at this point that the USN Officer turned on the projector and the screen displayed the first picture. It was of a dark-skinned man, simply massive and rippling with muscle. <br><div class="floatright"><div align="center">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Character%20Portraits/Durai.jpg)</div></div><br>"This is Jericho Durai," began the USN Officer, "and he is the most dangerous man in the world at the moment."<br><br>"It started years ago," continued the OCU rep, "Let me tell everyone right now, that the papers we had you sign on the flight over swear you to secrecy. I will re-state anyway; the information you are about to hear must not leave this room." He folded his hands behind his back, taking a breath before continuing, "The OCU was investing heavily in a super soldier program. It would give the candidates superhuman strength, reflexes, and intelligence through a combination of gene therapy, implants, and drugs. It was an utter failure. Not only was it obscenely expensive, but nine out of every ten candidates either went insane or simply died of unexplained causes. Durai was one of the... success stories... if you can call it that. When we scrapped the program, we... disposed of the candidates. Or so we thought."<br><br>It was the USN man's turn again and he stepped forward, "It was then that Jericho came to us, seeking revenge against the OCU. We were at war at the time and while he seemed a tad unstable, his combat skills were above and beyond anything we had. So, we allowed him to join in on several missions with hand-picked candidates from our army. These attacks were made with the utmost secrecy; they left no paper trail, only verbal orders were exchanged between our soldiers and... myself. They were called Operation Void, as they do not, officially, exist. Jericho Durai was always unbalanced, but as time went on he became more and more erratic. What you're about to hear is an excerpt of one of those missions, just before we decided to cut ties with him. You're going to hear Durai himself, Second Lieutenant Saunders," he motioned to the woman with the limp, "And Sergeant Major Chao." He stepped back and brought something else up on the screen. It was video feed from Halle's wanzer, a transcript of the speech playing out along the bottom of the screen. The scene is at night, much of it illuminated in green due to the wanzer's nightvision mode being active. The wanzer is at some kind of OCU facility, one that seems to be producing munitions or weapons, judging by the large number of vehicles and boxes. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Halle: Grim, at point one. Clear.<br>Chao: Dragon, at point two. Clear.<br>[silence]<br>Halle: Cerberus, report.<br>[silence]<br>Halle: Cerberus, report!<br>[silence]<br>Chao: I can't pick up his signal, Lieut.<br>Halle: Damnit. Did he go inside the complex? That's not part of the mission parameters. There are civilians in there.<br>Chao: What should we do? We're due to detonate the munitions soon. <br>Halle: Hold. We don't know what happened. He could've been captured.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Suddenly, there's some gunfire and small explosions. The wanzer's view shifts to see the side of a nearby building explode and another wanzer come racing out. The sound of deep laughter fills the room. Durai's voice comes over the comms system, rich and booming, the man sounding like he's having fun.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Durai: OCU slime! Die! Every last one of you pigs!</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> <br><br>The wanzer that emerged from the building is presumably Durai's. Halle's view zooms in on it. Durai's wanzer steps up to a wounded man, raises one foot and then crushes the suffering civilian with one stomp. Thankfully, the night vision makes this hard to see fully.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Chao: [cursing in Chinese]<br>Halle: Durai! For fuck's sake! What have you been doing?! Don't harm the civilians! We're only after the weapons, not the workers!<br>Durai: [laughing] Fuck that pussy shit! We're takin' 'em all out now!<br>Halle: What the hell does that mean?<br>Durai: I set my charges on the main stockpile inside! This whole place is going up! Time to get going, girlie! You got about thirty seconds! </blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>More laughing as Durai's wanzer retreats, shooting down anyone in it's path and knocking over vehicles with reckless abandon. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Chao: We have to get out of here! <br>Halle: ...All those civilians...<br>Chao: Lieut! Come on!<br>Halle: ...Fine. Let's-</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>A massive explosion rips through the facility. The view screen goes black. After a few moments 'SYSTEM REBOOT' appears on the screen and the view is restored. Fire. Smoke. Smaller explosions as munitions go off. The sound of Halle coughing, and groans of pain from Chao. Chao crawls into view, apparently having ejected from his wanzer and crawling twords Halle's. He is grievously wounded, his legs wrecked. <br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Halle: Chao? Chao? Are you alright?<br>Chao: F-fine... Lieut... <br>Halle: My wanzer is trashed.<br>Chao: Mine t-too. [swearing in Chinese]</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Halle crawls out of her wanzer, but the cameras inside can still pick everything up as she limps over to Chao, scoops up the wounded soldier and starts dragging him out of the way. Flames lick at them from behind and another small explosion knocks both of them down. Chao cries out in pain.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Chao: [screaming]<br>Halle: On your feet! Come on, we can make it!<br>Chao: [yelling in Chinese]<br>Halle: Chao! Come on! Come on!</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Halle is struggling to pull him up but even with the green screen it's obvious Chao is too far gone. He must've lost too much blood, the man too weak to support himself at all. Halle yells out as she tries to pull him up, obviously suffering herself.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Halle: God dammit Chao! Get up, soldier!<br>Chao: Mom... I... want... <br>Halle: Chao?<br>[silence]<br>Halle: Chao?<br>[silence]<br>Halle: Chao...</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Halle drops the man and fishes a pistol from his belt. She loads it and limps off screen. Gunshots are heard, then return fire. The video ends here. With a heavy sigh, the USN Officer shuts off the projector and looks at the assembled crowd. "At that point we decided to cut all ties with Durai. We took him on one last mission and at the end, we allowed him to be captured. We had heard his was imprisoned, but apparently this was either a lie or he escaped. Now, before we continue with the second part of this briefing, does anyone have any questions?"<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 05:09:32</strong>
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				"Hospitality isn't in their job description." it was the only thing he had said, in response to Kira's comment, during the long time of silence. <br><br>When the men entered, the sniper regarded them analytically, coldly. Sized them up, looked at what emblems they had to mark their ranks and the like, as well as the build of their frames. <br><br>He was quiet as the presentation went on, and studied it as closely as he could. The obnoxious green night vision made finer details difficult to make out, but he knew it'd be even harder to see anything without the NV.&nbsp; He remained stern and detached, even when Durai's ramblings could be heard; hell, even when their was an obvious death on screen. The harsh climate of his home country bred a rough, tough, harsh people, and coming from a military family as well... well,&nbsp; it probably wasn't even possible for him to have an emotional response to that scene. <br><br>He had a question, alright. But, it was one he didn't voice; he knew their'd be no point to it. Just leave it alone. But he did wonder why it was that neither the OCU nor USN took the time to just plain kill Durai.&nbsp; If they had, the situation that brought them all together never would have happened. But, their was a no point sharing his thoughts on the matter.<br><br>He just patiently awaited; maybe one of the others had a question, or maybe they didn't. Maybe the meeting would continue right along. He hoped that would be the case. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 05:39:28</strong>
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				The girl smirked as she watched the video. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. "So you made a monster and now you want to close the box back up?" She asked. "Am I getting this right?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 11:05:09</strong>
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				It wasn't much coverage, but Kira took note of what little they could glean of Durai's piloting in the clip. Pity he wasn't taking part in any actual combat. Ripping structures and civilians apart doesn't provide anything useful to watch. For all they knew from that clip the man could be a genius combatant or a worthless savage; either could accomplish the same feats.<br><br>To be honest, she couldn't say the direction this briefing was headed was anything remotely resembling encouraging. Top secret OCU project turned USN black op turned terrorist and now it was being dropped on them? Why? What the hell for?<br><br>Perfectly valid questions to ask, but they hadn't gotten far enough into the briefing to explain how the small crew they've assembled was related to this Durai person yet. Asking questions they doubtless intended to answer already seemed like a waste of energy. Instead she asked, "Why'd you set him up when you could've done it yourselves? Seems more dependable to do it thet way, righ'?
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 17:53:36</strong>
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				The OCU Officer's eyes bored holes in the floor and he remained silent to the questions. The USN gentlemen, however, spoke up, "We wanted to make it look like he'd died during the mission. Assassinating our own men in cold blood is not USN policy, no matter how insane he is. Besides, outright killing him had been tried. He survived." The USN Officer's gaze shifted to the OCU man for a moment before he looked back at the assembled soldiers. "Moving on. We fear that it's gotten even worse. The OCU did not destroy all evidence of their super soldier program. I believe it was called The Red Emperor Project," he eyed the OCU man, who nodded and began, "...Some of the data still existed. We planned to perfect it at a later time when it was more cost feasible to run more tests. We don't know how, but Durai has made off with this data." He stopped there. The USN Officer picked up, "And on top of that, the USN has been working on new prototype wanzers. Data regarding that has also been stolen. Up until a few days ago we had considered these to be separate incidents. Then we received a message."&nbsp; <br><br>Again, the projector started to run. It displayed Durai again, in a recorded video message. The large man is standing with his arms folded, behind him are soldiers transporting high-tech looking wanzers into a building in the background. Durai is outside and trees and the sky can also be seen behind him.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Durai: "Greetings, USN and OCU pigs! Have you forgotten about me? Of course you haven't. Men as dark as me are never forgotten. Especially when you had a hand in creating me. Let me start with the OCU; I've taken the liberty of securing all of your Red Emperor data. After all, I am the only survivor. It seems fitting. Look at who helped me get it!" </blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Jericho snaps his fingers and an OCU soldier is brought it, gagged and struggling. He is shoved to his knees in front of Durai. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">OCU: "Help! Let me go, please! I did what you wanted!"<br>Durai: "Ooohhh, tsk, tsk. That wasn't in the plan. I have to make an example of you, I'm afraid. Unless... you act like a pig for me! Haha! C'mon, act like a pig! Go piggy!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Seeing no other choice, the OCU soldier gets down on his hands and knees and crawls around in the mud, making oinking noises. Durai watches on, cackling madly. As the OCU soldier figures he's finished, he looks up. Straight into the barrel of Durai's pistol. One shot and he flumps over onto his side, dead. The big man leans towards the camera and grins.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Durai: "See that? Pigs die. They don't deserve to live. They're meant to be devoured by the wolves, by stronger predators like me. With the Red Emperor data I'm going to MAKE more men like me. Men already loyal to me and my cause. Men that I've hired or told about your evils."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He leans back again.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Durai: "It's the USN's turn now, though. Your prototype wanzer design? The one you thought was so top-secret and classified? I've got it now. I took it, erased all your data on it, and killed anyone able to reproduce it. The funny part is that all I had to do was pay some people off. It's like you're an entire nation of traitors! Don't worry though, I did you a favor and killed them afterwards. Now, I suppose you're wondering what it is I want; money? an apology? No. I want blood. Your blood. I want your cities to burn! In one week I am going to launch and attack that will show the world that the OCU and USN are nothing but pigs! Pigs waiting to be slaughtered by wolves like me and my men!"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>With that, Durai aims his weapon at the camera and shoots it, killing the feed. The USN Officer steps forward again with a heavy sigh, "And that's it. He plans on launching his attack, wherever it's aimed, tomorrow. He was clever enough to steal top secret data from both the OCU and the USN, so we can't afford to simply wait and counter his strike. It could be exceptionally deadly, especially if he's now using both the prototypes and training super soldiers. Rather than risk civilians harm, we're sending you directly into his strong hold. Second Lieutenant Saunders will now explain the mission." The USN Officer nodded to Halle, who rose from her seat and started to limp to the front of the room. The brief pause in conversation would give those gathered a moment to consider things. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>10-08-2012, 21:16:36</strong>
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				About the time the soldier is revealed on&nbsp; the video, and commanded to act like a pig; that's when Dimitri actually feels something. Revulsion. He, himself, wasn't sure if it was because of the patheticness of the soldier up there, or just how fucked up this Durai fellow was. Maybe it was a bit of both.&nbsp; But either way, listening to it was enough; he didn't need to see the brutality or the display. <br><br>When it was over, and the opportunity presented itself, he would look towards the officers in charge. Particularly, the USN one. "Excuse me, commanders, but is he correct in stating all the wanzer data was erased? Their are no backups?" It boggled his mind that such a thing was possible, but what did he know. He was a point and clicker when it came to most computers.&nbsp; But he ever so did wish he could see some combat information on this prototype. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 03:57:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Character%20Portraits/Halle1.jpg)</div><br>The USN Officer sighed, "The data for our prototype was all in one location. We haven't even gotten a test model up and running yet, it was all just data. It was being built by Diable Avionics for us at one of their labs. The staff detected a breech of their system security. A malicious program stole the data and then wiped everything out. Not just the wanzer data. Everything. They couldn't even get solitaire running if they wanted."<br><br>"If that's all the questions, I'll begin," remarked Halle. The female pilot stood in front of the group, her hands clasped behind her back. "I am Second Lieutenant Halle Saunders, USN, Hell's Wall. I've been chosen to lead this operation due to my extensive combat experience and my experience with Durai." She spoke in a stern voice, her facial expression cold and deadly serious. "I know we're all from different countries here, and some tension may exist. Let me tell you right now that if I see any infighting in this group I'll shoot you myself. There is no room for insubordination. Your ranks are meaningless on this mission. I follow orders from the people in charge and in turn, you follow me. This is too important a mission to be fucking around. Trust me when I say that Jericho Durai is smart enough and crazy enough to cause indiscriminate bloodshed. Not just in the USN or OCU, either. If he feels sleighed in some... insane way... he will no doubt visit Zaftra and the other countries as well. He is an expert pilot, intelligent, inhumanly strong, and he can be very persuasive when he needs to be." <br><br>At this point, Halle brought up another slide. A map of a small island. She stepped aside so everyone could see, then motioned to the map, "This is Devil's Island. Apparently this is where Durai has chosen to make his base. The USN has traced his last communication to a fortified building here," she points to the center of the island, "so we'll be landing here," she points to the edge of the island, to the south. "We will be dropped in from the air tonight. Our wanzers will be equipped with Reverse Altitude Flight Thrusters - RAFT units. Once we drop from the plane we'll use the RAFT to slow our descent and make a landing in the jungle. Once there, our job is to destroy any of Durai's outer defenses. Any naval forces he has, posted soldiers, and wanzers at the southern end of the island. Once it's clear, combined USN and OCU ground forces will land and start a sweep of the island." <br><br>She advances a frame, showing a closer image of the island and the complex at it's heart. <br><br>"That done, our team will spearhead the attack. We push to the center of the island, assaulting Jericho's main force head on while the OCU/USN soldiers flank them. After that, we take out the building, find Durai, and put him down like the dog he is." She looks up at the others. "Questions?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 05:44:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kira ran the details back to herself: OCU supersoldier gone rogue, then gone rogue on his going rogue, now equipped with data for constructing some kind of cutting-edge wanzers with the information for making other supersoldiers like himself. Data was no problem on its own; Durai might have enhanced intelligence, but that didn't make him capable of speeding up time. Of course, they hadn't said yet how much he'd had already... "You said you'd only made the connection between these thefts a few days ago. How long has it been since they happened? Has he had the time to build anythin' with the information or is it just bad data he migh' sell to other unpleasant folk?"<br><br>Ultimately it didn't matter. It wasn't as though their mission was going to change depending on whether Durai was surrounded by state of the art technology manned by the best soldiers on earth or if he was huddled inside a fortress made of cardboard boxes. Still, it's nice to know whether you're jumping in the deep end or the <em>bottomless</em> end of the pool before your feet leave the ground.<br><br>"Oh, and while I'm thinkin' about it, if you're in charge of shootin' infighters, who takes care of shootin' you for shootin' us? Terrible cycle of violence, thet is. Durai won't have to lift a finger." She said it with a smile, albeit a thin one. Hard to even attempt keeping chipper in that atmosphere.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 08:55:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=148619.msg6742916#msg6742916">Quote from: Shjade on 11-08-2012, 05:44:12</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"You said you'd only made the connection between these thefts a few days ago. How long has it been since they happened? Has he had the time to build anythin' with the information or is it just bad data he migh' sell to other unpleasant folk?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>"I bet he's gonna build it for himself and try to take on the entire world with one wanzer. You sure you need us to fight him?" The vulture chewed her fingernails and looked highly amused with this whole story. But she still didn't seem to be taking the whole thing very seriously. "I mean a super-soldier in a super Wanzer, is one thing, but this isn't the arena. I can't see one guy taking on two armies by himself like that. That sort of thing only happens in bad video games."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 10:10:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"And who says he needs to take on the world? All he really needs to do is seize a nuclear weapon, and you're talking about millions of deaths, and a landscape that will be turned into a radioactive wasteland. A super soldier in a super wanzer could do just that, and he's already shown himself to be highly skilled with computers and electronic security."<br><br>He said these words with a scowl, and a voice that was as cold and harsh as the Winters in his home country. Clearly, he did not approve of the woman he was scolding, and her inability to take a mission seriously. Or, rather, her apparent ability to trivialize and dismiss things. <br><br>"Even worse," he continues along,&nbsp; berating her"Imagine the nuke is USN property and hits the OCU. Guess what the OCU is likely to do, <em>before</em> they can figure out what happened? Or any other countries could be involved, for that matter. The E.C., my beloved Zaftra, the African's..." he heaves a sigh, and shakes his head.<br><br>"It's not good. Crazy or not, alone or not, he is a dangerous man, and needs to be dealt with." He concludes, with a firm nod of his head.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 17:04:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Halle ignored the snarky comments and answered the good questions, "The thefts were done quite some time ago. Since both are top-secret projects neither country exactly wanted to come out and announce it. And, if you were actually paying attention to the video," she eyed Vulture, "then you'd have seen, plain as day, that he is certainly not alone. All those men and vehicles in the background are his. They are loyal to him and they fight for him. The Red Emperor program isn't something that needs to be administered from birth. It is a process involving drugs and implants. If he's been able to perfect it, he could have administered it to his men in the span of weeks. That time is, of course, also enough to start building an army of wanzers. Even aside from the prototype, he's more than likely got some standard wanzers for defense. So, yes, we do need an army to beat him considering that he as one of his own."<br><br>Halle moved to the front of the room and rapped three times on the door. The guards outside opened it and then another one down the hall. "Everyone follow the open doors. They'll take you to the locker room where you'll find a bin with your name on it. It'll contain a pilot suit for you and a sidearm. After that, report back to the deck and re-board the aircraft. We leave in ten."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>11-08-2012, 20:05:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well, an army's one option, sure. You could just as well nuke the bestard, couldn't ye? Shiny wanzers and genetic monsters don' stend up well to messive shockwaves and radiation last I checked. Not thet I'm in the habi' of checking prototypes' resistances to heavy-tonnage bomb warfare. Lemme guess: Plan B, righ'?" Kira kept the sigh she wanted to let out in check. Being dissatisfied with the situation was fine. Expressing that dissatisfaction was not. As unprofessional as she may like to appear when off-duty, this was most certainly time to be army first, disgusted second. She'd be having a long talk with her captain when she got back from this operation. Not "if," "when." Positive thinking helps.<br><br>She had to turn the coat around the right way again. She faced the nearby wall for the moment that took to avoid unwarranted showing off, did up a couple of buttons to make it better cover, picked up her soaked shirt and headed for the doors. They'd have time to talk more in the air if needed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>12-08-2012, 20:31:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture shrugged as she listened halfheartedly to the explanations. "Whatever, as long as I get paid, I guess." This mission was bigger than any job she had accepted as a mercenary, and much bigger than the usual arena fight, but still she didn't seem to be taking it seriously just yet. At least if she did she wouldn't show it.<br><br>Vulture stood up and stretched. Under the tarp it became evident that she was wearing her civilian piloting clothes, which did not include a top. It wasn't safe to pilot without a fireproof suit, but her Wanzer's AC unit was busted, and the fans at the arena appreciated it. Still this was hardly appropriate garb for a military ship. Waiting till all the other pilots had left the room before following them out and down the hallway, taking up the rear guard position as they walked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>13-08-2012, 02:56:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As they walked along, Dimitri would become quiet, remaining as stern and frigid as he had been the entire time. At one point, he would glance over at Halle, and communicate silently to her that he was uncertain about the other members of this group. <br><br>However, he had the feeling that at least this woman leading them&nbsp; could be trusted to know what in the hell she's doing; hopefully the others will be smart enough to follow orders in the field...&nbsp; His thoughts stay to himself, however; though he was tempted to express his concerns to the woman that would be leading them, he knew doing so would create an unnecessarily hostile environment, and such a thing before a mission was not good. <br><br>A hand came up to remove the cloth cap he wore, the brim of which he used to wipe at some sweat--or was that rainwater?-- from his brow.&nbsp; It revealed his hair, chestnut in color, kept trimmed down to a buzz cut, for tactical reasons. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>14-08-2012, 02:10:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The group was soon escorted back onto the runway, the rain still pouring down in sheets. Takeoff was rough and once again there was little time for chat as each pilot attended to their wanzers. With such work being done the flight seemed to take no time at all and in short order they were called to get into their cockpits. The voice of the OCU Officer crackled through their comm units, "This is base. From here on out, callsigns only. No names. We don't know what kind of radio surveillance Durai has. You're about to drop onto Devil's Island. Exit the aircraft when the overhead light turns red and the door opens. Jump one at a time and only when the light flashes to signal the next person; we don't want you all crashing together as you fall. The RAFT units will activate on their own, then detach shortly before you land. Good luck out there and remember, if you come back alive you'll have hefty rewards and commendations waiting for you. Base out." <br><br>Halle was first off the line, her heavily armored Frost HW, with it's red paint, seemed to blend in to the flashing crimson light. She approached the edge of the ramp as it lowered fully, lept out without hesitation and soon disappeared behind the clouds. The rest of the group would follow behind her one at a time. As they fell the deceleration would kick in, slowing their descent to a more manageable and survivable level. The ride before that point, however, was fun as hell. The group managed to land fairly close together and as soon as everyone had touched down Halle waved them over. "Alright. I'm on point. Vulture, take up the rear and make sure nobody ambushes us. Himsa, right behind me. If we have any unexpected encounters I'll draw fire and you hit them from the side. Habar, support us with your rifle and keep an eye out for any other snipers. Our first target is their costal defenses. Expect enemy wanzers and soldiers. We're going to take out a costal battery so ground troops can land. Got it? Let's move."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>14-08-2012, 02:26:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He was quiet and diligent as he prepared himself for the mission during the flight.&nbsp; When the time came for them to drop down, he would follow after Halle; they were probably the only two with experience at these drops, so it made sense. After she had gone out, he waited long enough, before jumping out in his Wanzer after her. <br><br>He'd stay pretty damn calm, even during the rapid fall; eventually the RAFT kicked in, and worked to slow the descent to a reasonable pace, but it's nothing he hasn't done dozens of times before. As soon as he lands and it becomes discarded, he turns his attention to scanning the surroundings, even before Grim has a chance to tell him what to do.<br><br>"Copy that, Grim." His own Wanzer was not very heavily armored, so he was more than willing to keep towards the center of the group.&nbsp; As they move along, he is quite specifically looking for any high locations that would make for good sniping positions for him to fire down upon the target from.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>14-08-2012, 09:18:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The woman who came out of the locker room was not the same woman who had gone in. Kira's long hair was drawn back tight, braided close to her scalp and down her back, clearing her face of even stray wisps that might distract her in a heated moment. Her pilot suit was a comfortable fit, not restrictively form-fitting, but her expression was shut down from the easygoing look she'd worn throughout the earlier stages of the rendezvous. So far as she was concerned the others didn't even exist; she was consumed with the collection into her own space, the quiet meditation prior to the imminent conflict ahead of them.<br><br>Still, she must have been paying attention, else she would have missed her jump spot behind Habar. It wasn't all that different from using her usual Wren pack, really. A higher altitude than she could achieve with those boosted jumps, of course, but the sensations were much the same, if at a greater intensity. When the RAFT fell away her Wren was left behind like its much younger cousin, its jets flaring briefly just before landfall.<br><br>In reply to Grim's description for their plan of action Himsa simply worked her Wanzer's hands around her up close and personal choice of armament, checking her grip before they began their advance, the deep brown of her Zenith striding in the wake of Reaper's crimson spearhead.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>16-08-2012, 03:10:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture changed into the flightsuit in the cockpit. The faulty cockpit AC unit had been replaced but she left it partly unzipped out of habit. She buckled into her Wanzer, a Calm painted a rusty redish brown, several shades darker than Halle's, and took a sip from the camel-back hanging from the roof. Her only response to Haille's orders was a gruff "roger" before maintaining radio silence.<br><br>Before this mission the closest thing to a combat drop that she had been in, was a gimmick arena match where both sides were dropped from carrier planes to simulate an airborne assault. It wasn't at all realistic as both sides were droped within gun range of each other and had been shooting each other on the way down for the audience's excitement, but Vulture at least knew how this sort of thing was done. By comparison this time she just had to sit back and let the computer land the Wanzer for her.<br><br>Vulture hit the ground last and spun around with her two machine guns raised. It was the kind of dramatic pose that would be popular in the arena, but a waste of time in the field. Another old habit apparently.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>16-08-2012, 16:18:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The trip to the coast was without surprises and was relatively quiet by any standards. It would be the last moment of silence the group would enjoy on Devil's Island. <br><br>Halle halted the group as they approached the tree line. There was a small harbor with several small boats at the dock and a number of soldiers on patrol. A single dirt roadway led deeper into the island. The only building was one single level administrative-looking concrete monstrosity but less for aesthetics and more for withstanding ordinance. A single guard tower rose up next to it. Their primary targets, several coastal defense guns, were lined up along the shore at the edge of the tree line and covered with camouflage to make them harder to spot. Here and there were a few wanzers patrolling and several more parked and shut down. All Zinc models, produced by Jade-Metal Lyman of O.C.U. Australia. Stubby little things with tough armor and mean melee skills. Halle cocked her head and thumbed her comm button, "Notice anything strange? Look at the harbor. The boats they have docked there can't transport wanzers. From the sat photos I've seen, there's no runway on this island either. So either he's got no way to get his forces on and off this island or..." Halle let the question trail off. The answer was frightening and simple; there were transport vessels here, they were just gone already. Were they too late? Halle shook off the thought and quickly picked up the conversation again, "The plan is unchanged. We need to stop the defenses here. Habar, Himsa, you're with me. We're going to hit the enemy soldiers and wanzers here, do as much damage as we can. Vulture, you take out the coastal guns and destroy anything that looks valuble. On my signal."<br><br>Halle waited ten seconds. It was all she needed for one of the patrols to just pass by their location. As soon as the enemy wanzer had it's back turned, she called the attack and led the assault, her red Frost shooting out of the jungle like a comet. She opened fire, peppering the back of the unlucky bastard that had just passed them by. The poor Zinc shuddered and sparked as the volley of gunfire hit it from behind, the wanzer soon toppling forward in a smoking heap. There was plenty more where that came from, though. The rest of the patrol was heading to their position, the majority of the enemy outfitted with rifles and peppering them with fire. A few enemy Zincs at the back were preparing to launch missiles and one even further back was raising a sniper rifle for a shot. On the ground, enemy soldiers were racing towards the wanzers that were still parked. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>16-08-2012, 17:45:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"They might be using Zaftran VTOL's. You can land those things anywhere there's flat ground." He would offer to Halle. With the corruption in his own country, he could see a few of those disappearing; especially if this Jericho was as dangerous and intelligent as he was made out to be. Plus, one could potentially cover a VTOL with enough camouflaged netting to make it hard to notice by aerial recon.<br><br>"Roger, Grim." He would say to the orders, and began siting things with his Wanzer's optics. He was looking over the parked wanzers, and also around them for anything that looked explosive. It would be much more efficient to&nbsp; use a few shots to blow up any munitions or fuel, and let the resulting explosion wreak havoc, than to shoot them all; especially when you had a gun with a relatively small magazine.<br><br>However, when the order is given, his attention quickly zoomed in onto the active wanzers. He searched, and searched, very quickly; meleers,&nbsp; a few with missiles, a sniper... Oh, fuck. Another sniper. He zoomed in with his rifle, and let out two shots, both hitting the center mass of the robot. The resultant explosion is a good indicator that the Sniper was dead and done with.<br><br>Once that one was handled, he went back to looking at the best way to disable the Wanzers that were not operating. They weren't an immediate threat, but in five or ten minutes, they would be; better to nip it in the bud, now, while the others were engaged with the actives. If their are explosives, those are shot at; if not, he'll just start firing into the bodies of the Wanzers, looking to damage the cockpits or the engines. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>16-08-2012, 18:04:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Himsa responded, "We're on an island, righ'? Doubt this is the only dock around the place. Worth a coastal runabout once it's in the clear." Not that it mattered. As Halle said, the plan was unchanged. Either their targets were present or they weren't; the only way to be sure was to move on the facilities they could find regardless.<br><br>"On my signal."<br><br>"Rogah." She'd said earlier she wanted Himsa to come at their main force from the side, flank them, after Grim herself took point. She'd been less clear on which side, of course. Thus, when their leader opened fire on the enemy patrol, there was a great rush of air behind her and the sound of turbines in action. Gada was airborne. With their attention focused on the source of incoming fire, the enemy wanzers didn't register an incoming projectile from overhead until the zenith had already come crashing down on top of them. A pair of rods struck as one, unbalancing one of the scattered units for a follow-up blow that sent it reeling toward the empty wanzers parked not far away, its falling metal frame providing a hefty blockade for the pilots trying to get to their vehicles.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>16-08-2012, 20:18:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture acknowledged the commander's order with a simple "Rodger" and then waited for the shooting to start before crashing out of the treeline and opening fire at the coastal batteries. Shooting with both guns at once while walking slowly down the line of the batteries along the coast. This was arena style shooting, but worked well enough here. After a few seconds the last battery exploded just before Vulture ran out of ammo. She then spun around and used her wanzer's repair unit-sub arms to reload both guns simultaneously. As a single zinc escaped from the rest of her team and charged at her, Vulture activated her jets and boosted off of the docks and landed crashing on one of the smaller boats. Letting the enemy wanzer overshoot and land in the water. Vulture then waited a few seconds for her jets to cool, before leaping off of the boat before it completely sank beneath the waves, swamped by the added weight of her wanzer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>18-08-2012, 03:05:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The team's sniper had managed to incapacitate a few of the parked wanzers, much to the frustration of one of the enemy pilots that tried to get his to operate. Himsa's improvized Downed Wanzer Blockade stopped a few more. There were just too many ground troops, however, so some of them did manage to start up and were soon turning to bring their weapons to bear on the team. Of the half dozen or so wanzers parked only two of them were operational, however, so things certainly could've been worse. <br><br>Vulture's methodical destruction of the coastal guns raised the ire of the enemy forces. It seemed like they knew what the team was up to, so all attention turned upon the arena pilot and her assault wanzer. Guns spun away from Himsa and Habar and trained upon Vulture. "They're on to us! Batteries down, but let's put 'em on the retreat before we call in!" said Halle, dashing between Vulture and the enemy wanzers. She raised her Frost's shield and intercepted the gunfire, the bullets pinging off her shield and heavy armor. She fired back and aimed for the arm it was holding it's rifle in, disabling it in a few short bursts. <br><br>By now alarms were blaring in the camp and more sirens could be heard going off deep in the jungle. Obviously alarms had been raised at an outpost deeper inside the island. Soon enough they'd be faced with more troops an armor. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>18-08-2012, 06:03:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He felt it was kind of funny; he's hardly moved at all during this encounter. Just a few steps here and there to better set up the shot. Whereas, everyone else was running about, and ducking, dodging, weaving, firing.<br><br>The Wanzer that Halle disabled, by virtue of taking out its arm, is soon hit again, this time through the chest of the armored suit. It crumpled over to the ground; though not apparent to any yet, the pilot would be quite dead. <br><br>Their might be one or two other enemy Wanzers here active, but as he was not currently getting shot at, and the others could handle them with ease, he was now scanning along the perimeters, looking for any enemies that might be approaching from the interior of the island. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>19-08-2012, 09:01:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture landed on the pier and activated her calm's roller wheels, skating up the pier before boosting back onto the shore with her guns are the ready. Aiming at the treeline while she rotated her legs and rolled behind the administration building where she took cover, waiting for the re-enforcements to arrive.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>19-08-2012, 22:50:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It wasn't often Himsa was given the luxury of cherry-picking her targets after having closed into striking distance. As a rule, her proximity was reason enough for weapons to be pointed her way. When all those guns turn on Vulture instead, a strange sort of smile curled across the woman's lips. Their priorities, in this case, were a mistake.<br><br>It was a mistake she intended to fully enjoy.<br><br>Or would have, had she the time, at least. Given their more guerrilla-style intentions she only had enough to crash into the nearest pair blocking her best exit path. The rods came down on the first at either shoulder, denting so deeply into the frame that they gave her a grip on it. She pivoted and swung her arms, throwing the wanzer sideways into its compatriot to send them both to the ground in a heap. The pivot became a full spin, carrying her momentum all the way around until she brought it down on them again, smashing into the center mass to finish disabling the wanzer on top of the pile and leaving its weight to keep the other pinned.<br><br>If only she could have stayed to enjoy her handiwork a bit longer. Alas. A rush of air and she leapt skyward again, directing herself more toward Vulture and Grim, regrouping.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>22-08-2012, 00:49:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>To be honest, it seemed like a fairly grim situation. They'd wiped out the coastal forces, but more were coming. A storm of enemy wanzers, RPG-equipped soldiers, two tanks and two gunships were headed for the beach. Skilled as they were, they wouldn't be able to last long against such overwhelming numbers. It would be death by a thousand cuts. Things looked bad, the enemy wanzers taking the front and peppering their location with rifle fire. Halle kept at the front of their merry band of soldiers and mercenaries, using her Frost HW's heavy armor and shield to absorb as much gunfire as she could. The gunships were not far away and the tanks would be rolling in behind the wanzers. The soldiers would probably flank from the jungles or other places to catch them by surprise with RPG fire while they were busy with the wanzers. <br><br>"Regroup behind the building! If we don't get any cover we're going to get blasted to pieces out here! Hold this beach until-"<br><br>Suddenly, she cut off as the high priority comm channel crackled to life.<br><br>"Grim, this is Base! Your team did a good job clearing away those defenses. So if you don't mind, let us handle this. You might want to get to that cover."<br><br>Halle waved her team to move and let them all slip behind the building before she joined them. Together they fought off anything that came around the corners. It only took a moment for reinforcements to arrive though. Three transport ships sailed in, two of them large and specially designed for carrying wanzers, the third a regular troop transport. Their front hatches opened and out of the larger ships streamed groups of wanzers, unloading a volley of missiles so great it nearly choked the sky with smoke. <br><br><div align="center">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/FMAssault.jpg)</div><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>22-08-2012, 02:16:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Damn, RPG'ers. Why'd they have to go and bring those guys out? His own Wanzer wasn't built for hits; one or two shots from those things, and he'd be dead. Direct hits, at any rate.&nbsp; Luckily for him, he was able to get to cover without any incident, and before Halle even gave the order to do so; he didn't need to be told to do it. He knew, because this was part of his training. <br><br>So, instincts honed by training and trials under fire--though admittedly, both involved the comparatively claustrophobic streets of cities--He placed a whole building between himself and the oncoming enemies.&nbsp; Also--perhaps seen as cowardly--he put himself in a position where he was unable to take any shots at enemies making it past the building, leaving that task up to the assaulters. His reasons were two-fold: The rifle he used was not particularly good up close and personal, and the assaulters had more ammo they could afford to make use of. His rifle was already 2/3rd's empty, and he only had the one full magazine in his backpack.&nbsp; Hooray for tactical decision making.<br><br>'So, where to from here?" He would ask Grim, after their reinforcements had arrived, and saw fit to absolutely annihilate the enemies immediately posing a threat to them. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kevben Battleheart</strong> on <strong>22-08-2012, 21:42:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Andrew had looked forward to this operation all day. He had been briefed on all the bits that he needed to know and he knew his job well: to aid the Strike Team in fighting the enemy forces and drawing fire off of them so that they could continue on with their assigned mission. A small smile was on his face at the last order. Drawing the enemies attention was something that he did best, hence why he always armed himself with missile launchers and a grenade launcher. Explosions always drew a persons attention away from something that they were doing, and since he would be constantly firing, the enemy would have no choice but to confront him unless they wished to be blasted into scrap.<br><br>About thirty seconds before the landing boat touched land did his wanzer, Bishamon, grumbled to life as its various systems and functions came online. "Alright Devil Dogs, let's show them what happens when you incur the wrath of the USN!" he spoke into the shared coms before switching over to an open channel. An idea entered his mind, but he held off on it until the landing ship's ramp clang open and everyone began to fire. Andrew added his own firepower into the barrage before having his wanzer stride out of the ship. "Tell the men the Calvary's arrived." he contacted Halle.<br><br>His wanzer moving towards the enemy, his grenade launcher spat out death as grenade after grenade was released and sent arcing to the enemy wanzers to try and cripple their legs and alternated to fire off another salvo of missiles into the approaching enemy ranks. "Get your ass's out from behind that building or I'm coming to force you all out." Andrew contacted once more as he took cover and carefully fired off several more grenades from the safety of his cover. He was certain that he had the enemy's attention, but was careful not too take too much fire himself. His wanzer might have been built to take punishment, but even it and he wasn't invincible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>23-08-2012, 00:43:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture was the first behind the building, so she just sat tight and ran a system check. Down two magazines of ammunition and a few seconds of boost fuel, but the only real damage was minor stress on the legs, all within acceptable tolerances. She was trying to figure out a way out of this situation when she spotted the assault ships entering the bay. "Well you're quite welcome asshole." was her reply over the radio as Andrew hailed the squad. Annoyed at what she perceived as rude and ungrateful language coming from the assault leader. After all, his team had saved the day, but not for any reason as heroic as rescuing her, and it had been her actions which had disabled the shore defenses which allowed them to land in the first place. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>25-08-2012, 09:06:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mind your wings, Vultcha. Sure there'll be carrion aplenty when the dust settles." Himsa, having no means to take part in the new fully long-range affair of the battle, was kneeling at the rear of their small unit, somewhat in the shadow of Grim's shielding but far enough back to present herself in pieces as a target for stray fire. Their commander might have the best defenses available, but leaving her as the enemy's only focal point seemed inadvisable all the same. With a rod held up on either side of her wanzer's core she felt well enough protected from the slim chance of taking system-critical damage, so she could afford to have a few shots fired her way if it would spare Grim's barrier that much more punishment. They might need it more later.<br><br>On the plus side, though useless in a largely rocket-propelled engagement, Himsa was treated to a lovely view of the ongoing destruction from her position. The curtain of smoke trails alone was worth the coming. It seemed almost to transmit its scent through her sensors, a charred sort of homey warmth that wrapped around her suit and called her out to bathe in the vapors. "'Course carrion might be all that's lef' at this rate. How long do we watch them pound sand before we move inland?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>25-08-2012, 22:09:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Halle peered out from around the corner of the building. The missile strike had driven the enemy forces back into the island. Those that hadn't been outright destroyed, of course. "Now seems as good a time as any. We're going to keep our momentum going and press on. Letting them get re-oriented would be a mistake." Halle piloted her wanzer out from behind the building and started to head down the path the enemy had retreated on when their high priority comm channel lit up again.<br><br>"Base to Assault Team. Come in, Grim."<br><br>"Grim. Go ahead."<br><br>"We're keeping a portion of our troops here to hold this beach. Take Albein and some of his troops with you. You will encounter another outpost before you hit the main base."<br><br>"Copy that. Grim out." Halle lifted her head and turned her wanzer slightly, waving Andrew over to them. "You heard Base. You're with us. Our group will take point, the grunts come along behind us. Let's not waste any more time. Move out!" <br><br>The group moved together up the jungle path. It was wide enough only for two wanzers to travel side-by-side together and the trees all around them were thick, making it hard to spot enemies that might be lying in wait. It appeared that Durai's forces didn't have time to set up any ambush along the road, though, as the journey up it was quiet. Surprisingly so. The addition of Albein and about a half dozen USN troops bolstered their numbers quite a bit. It didn't take long for the next outpost to come into sight. It seemed to be a kind of barracks and munitions depot, a centrally located place where Durai's men could arm and move out quickly to anywhere on the island. There was one road in and one road out, creating choke points. In the center of the cleared space were two barracks. To the right, a garage for wanzers, and far to the left, a munitions depot. Vehicles and wanzers were parked all over. <br><br>Apparently the enemy had enough time to set up for the attack after all, because the surviving wanzers had their weapons trained on the road the group had come up. It was a natural choke point and Halle's wanzer was quickly bombarded with gunfire. She used her shield to deflect most of it, but her Frost HW was starting to show signs of damage. She acted quickly, calling out orders over the comm, "Split up! Half of you break left, the other half break right! Hit them from both sides at once! Move!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>25-08-2012, 23:15:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As one would expect of a Sniper, Habar found himself near the middle of the group; ahead of the grunts, but behind everyone else in their special unit.&nbsp; The brief jaunt up the road was far too peaceful for his liking, and when their bold leader ended up getting a few handfuls of lead thrown her way, he couldn't call himself surprised.<br><br>As the first shots pinged off her shield, he was already moving. Constantly monitoring their progress, and especially analyzing the lay of the land, he already had a great idea of where to go should they have to fight; and fight they had to. <br><br>He went to the right, the thrusters in his legs coming to life as he jumped right up ontop of the Wanzar hangar. The sturdy building creaked and groaned under his weight, and if it weren't for his Wanzer being fairly light, it might've given way...<br><br>But for now, it was the perfect spot for him to start taking shots. The high angle afforded him some degree of cover from those on the ground, and allowed him to see most of the battlefield, and gave him a clear line of sight to the enemy Wanzers and vehicles.<br><br>A shot rings out from above the hangar, a single round flying through the air as it impacts into an armored vehicle; likely some sort of tank, with a cannon or machine gun turret, but it didn't really matter what it was, because once the shot hit home, ripping right through the damnably machine, it was little more than inoperable scrap. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>26-08-2012, 01:38:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Himsa swept right when she saw which way Habar was headed. Grim had been soaking up most of the fire they'd received so far in both engagements; she couldn't shield everyone forever. Himsa could pick up the slack in providing their sniper with some cover, then. He simply seemed too prime a target left on his own with a mixed assault force pushing in on the base.<br><br>Where Habar took up a position on top of a hangar, Himsa drove into the space ahead of it, charging into the open in her earthtone Zenith with rods at the ready. Whereas Grim's defense relied mainly on absorbing damage in a manageable fashion, Himsa focused more on avoiding it altogether, skirting around the impact zones of incoming large-caliber fire and jetting across and over obvious firing lines of smaller weaponry, navigating around as much of the hostility aimed in her direction as possible while closing the distance.<br><br>By the time the front-runners of the enemy came within small-arms range of Habar's position on the hangar she was there to engage them, doing her part to provide the sniper with as much time as she could buy him to line up his shots while she crashed into the advancing force aimed his way. A few shotgun pellets were already smoking in the arms of her wanzer, nothing it couldn't handle.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>26-08-2012, 21:23:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture, who had been walking backwards to cover the rear flank, spun around to face the new enemy and activated the foot rollers to slide in the opposite direction from Himasa and Habar, Raising her guns and shooting as she moved. She had started firing with her left gun a few seconds before the right, and thus ran out of ammo in that one first, by reloading one gun at a time with the sub-arms while the other was still shooting, she managed to keep up a continuous stream of bullets as she circle strafed around the enemy. Her shots were less focused than before, lacking a big dumb target to blow up, but still managed to do a passable job of suppressing infantry and chewing up light armored vehicles. Although her movement spared her from any serious blows from the enemy, she did take a lot of small arms fire and a few shots from a heavy machine gun. Dealing damage that was mostly cosmetic, but still enough to start worrying about.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kevben Battleheart</strong> on <strong>29-08-2012, 21:19:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>Halle lifted her head and turned her wanzer slightly, waving Andrew over to them. "You heard Base. You're with us. Our group will take point, the grunts come along behind us. Let's not waste any more time. Move out!" </em> <br><br>Andrew smiled hearing the orders as he took one final shot with his grenade launcher as he urged his wanzer out of cover and advanced towards the strike team, meanwhile switching over to his squads personal channel. "You heard the little lady and Command. Devil Dogs 6-10, hold down the area with the main force. 2-5, you're with me following the strike team. Give them hell brothers." he commanded and quickly joined ranks with the Strike team while his men fell into rank behind him.<br><br>Andrew was rather twitchy when they all traveled along the jungle path, no doubt thinking that there could be an ambush at any moment as the jungle provided too many hiding spots for the enemy to take cover until the moment was right, but once they were at the second outpost he breathed a sigh of relief and immedietly jumped into action at Halle's command. "Devil's 2 and 3 strike left with me. Devils 4 and 5, aid the sniper." he ordered of his own men as he move to the left but paused behind Halle to take quick advantage of the fact that she was taking most of the fire and released another salvo of missles towards the men who were firing at her to try and scatter them and lessen the damage she was taking on.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MzHyde</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 18:44:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Halle turned slightly towards Andrew and opened up a comm channel to him only, "Keep in mind, Sergeant, that I outrank you both in the USN and for the purposes of this mission. You might not like it, but you need to just follow orders. I will command the grunts here. We're trying to stop a psychotic soldier with stolen weapons. I don't have time to argue over command with you." With that, she closed the channel and took off to the left behind some cover. <br><br>To all she said, "Hit the enemy from both sides at once! Don't let up until they're forced to retreat or destroyed! Watch your fire and use controlled bursts!" as she brought Reaper around to the enemy flank and opened fire on one of the closer wanzers. Her rifle stitched wounds up it's side and the crippled machine soon toppled over, out of commission. The strike team's combined fire was withering and quickly wearing down Durai's forces. At this rate, they'd be retreating in no time. One or two of the grunts on the strike team's side were taken down, but they seemed to be incurring no heavy losses. It almost seemed too easy. Especially considering that they haven't seen any of the so-called prototypes yet. Where were these wanzers? And where were the supersoldiers? The enemy they'd faced so far seemed to be mercenaries, amateurs at best. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 19:17:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With more than enough cover on his side, the sniper was mostly left alone to pick and choose his targets with practiced ease. In particular, he always went after the ones with the rifles, since to him, they posed the significant threat to them all.<br><br>Once those few had lost their arms, literally, or just plain had their cockpits torn apart by the high caliber rifle rounds, he moved on to targeting the ones that were beginning to lose their nerve, and thinking of retreat. If he could help it, if his ammo held out long enough, and if he had any say in it, not a single enemy was fleeing this battlefield. They'd all have to leave in caskets; the lucky ones, at any rate. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shjade</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 09:42:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The eternal upside of hand-to-hand (such as it is) combat: ammunition is never a concern. Power supply, yes, but not shells. As long as all the parts kept working Himsa could, and would, keep swinging. The downside is, of course, keeping all those parts working is more difficult when you're not throwing arm-sized shells from yards away.<br><br>Kira's seat jerked from the impact of an explosion hitting far too close to home, thankful - not for the first time - for the Zenith's internal stabilization keeping her from feeling the worst of it. Her right arm was still operative, but only just. She'd started leaning to the right to take stray fire on the left side, babying the limb to keep it from losing function altogether, but that meant being off balance for any offensive action. Her role in the small-scale skirmish was just about over, just had to hold it together a little while longer, long enough for the main force to steamroll what was left of the enemy in this spot. Already she was falling back, jetting over a spray of machine gun fire and landing behind the front lines, then heading for one of the support wanzers to the rear of the formation for some much-needed repair attention farther from the main fighting.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Front Mission [IC: Chapter I]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AKunoichi</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 23:38:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Vulture watched the counter on her HUD irritatedly and commed up Halle "Commander, do you have any sort of resupply planned in the near future? I'm specked for dueling aces, not mopping up trash. If they keep throwing grunts at us I'm gonna run out of ammo."<br>She then sighed and drooped both guns, transferring them to her sub arms which stored them on her back as she turned to catch a wanzer that had been charging her with a shotgun. Catching it by the arm and throwing it off balance. The Poorly maintained machine's arms wrenched off sending the body flying.<br><br>Prying the gun from the dead arm's fingers and installing a new driver, She readied her new temporary weapon to face the next wave.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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