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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 13, 2010 23:52:54 GMT -5
Joey strode calmly through the command center, directly towards the commander. With Bryen right behind him, the two Spartans’ seven-foot tall figures towered over everyone else in the room. That alone would probably earn them quite a few stares.
“Commander Craig…” he said plainly as he approached. Clearly the man was busy, but this was important. Joey waited for the commander to react, then snapped a salute to his brow.
“Senior Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN one-zero-five,” he introduced himself. “We’re here to retrieve Twilight Sentinel’s shipboard AI. Don’t worry, sir. She’ll be in good hands.”
Joey looked to the circular dias near the commander’s console - the projector pad where Sigurn’s holographic avatar would appear. Technically, the Artificial Intelligence was the primary control interface between the ship and its human crew. Of course there was always a degree of manual human control, but it was extremely helpful to have an interactive computer entity literally “living” inside the ship itself that would help run things.
“Sigurn,” he asked the holoprojector, “Are you ready?”
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 14, 2010 18:53:00 GMT -5
Joey: (Just a quick note: your Spartan comrades name is Byren, and the AI's name is Sigrid. ENJOY! )
Commander Craig nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name being called, turning to face the two supersoldiers with unreadable contempt threatening to contort his facial features. The commander had an infinite pool of pity that welled in his gut, for the Spartans would never have a normal life after the war, or anything resembling normal. A shame, really.
"Greetin's, one-oh-five, i've been expectin' you." Craig stated, his accent from a southern descent.
"Sigrid, are you ready?"
I am, Spartan-105, or should i call you Joey?" Sigrid appeared on the dais behind and to the left of the Commander. Sigrid, adorned in semi-transparent attire of that matching a German Colonel in WWII. The well-kept, Luftwaffe uniform was matching of Sigrid's by-the-book attitude. Standing as if a lead pipe had surgically replaced his spinal column, he faced the Spartans with genuine respect, hands clasped behind his back. Despite only standing at a foot and a half tall, he carried the dominance of a General of human stature.
"Commander, Covenant warships are inbound, closing in on our position. Immediate evacuation of my presence is vital to the conclusion of my objective." Sigrid demanded, remaining utterly composed, his voice soft, and lilting, like a shallow stream whispering to the underlaying stones. The Commander simply nodded, and began giving orders to those under his command to take this fight to the Covenant.
Sigrid shifted his attention back to Joey, a subtle nod of respect to the Spartans, before saying, "Lets take this fight planetside, Petty Officer."
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Post by E-Stalin [Orthrus] on Jan 14, 2010 20:52:12 GMT -5
Semyon felt his guts fly up to nestle somewhere next to his lungs as the Gs pushed him up. He'd been expecting it, but that didn't stop the immediate Red-Out from ripping into his brain. For a few moments his vision blurred into bright red, an intense pain tearing at his head. He closed his eyes reflexively, and felt the gritty feeling of sand under his eyelids, caused by the swelling blood-vessels across the cornea, which were already rupturing and bleeding out across his vision. Four seconds....five...and it almost instantly vanished as the acceleration cut out, leaving him dizzy with bright streaks of blood swimming over his eyes. He blinked them away, letting the red tears roll to his cheeks instead, where they wouldn't interfere with vision. Wounded Cheetah; the effect was called. It was not at all unusual for Helljumpers to hit the ground with the dried bloody tearmarks on their faces, and their eyes would remain red for several hours. A new meaning to Devil Dogs.
He violently shook his head, even though he knew it wouldn't help, but it was a psychological thing. Although it left a pulsing pain in his temples, at least it cleared up the dizziness.
And that had just been the first few seconds. Next came that jarring shock that signified breaking atmosphere, and in just a few more seconds the HEV heated up to over 45 degrees Celsius, leaving Semyon sweating in his armor. The temperature control system wouldn't bring it down until he got out of the pod, where it could actually vent some heat. There was no water in the pod of course; some Helljumpers had opted to splash water over the pod interior to help cool it down some, and they'd ended up sitting in a sealed egg filled with enough steam to rival a bath-house. A few ODSTs still did it for exactly that reason; adding a Sauna to the ride down.
Counting off in his head, Semyon whispered the words through gritted teeth, "Five....four...three...two-"
He ducked his head down and tensed his body, just as the bone-numbing shock blew through his body. Had he kept his head up, it would have whiplashed. Before the pod had even fully settled, Semyon slapped the harness release, already grabbing his rifle by the forend, preparing to sling it over his head in about a half-second when the door would blow away.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 14, 2010 21:34:54 GMT -5
The door of the HEV exploded outward with a hydraulic thud, soaring 15 feet into the air, before one end touched the snowy surface of Pluto, sending it into a spiral, before finally slowly sliding another 5 feet .As soon as Semyon dismounted, the surrounding area unfolded before him. The snow surrounding his pod had boiled away, revealing charred grasses. His setting was that of a barren, wintry wasteland. Semyon had landed on the outermost edge of a town. if you could call it a town. It was more like a densely populated street, with 5 buildings on each side of the broad walkway.
The buildings were stout and block shaped, with geometrical doors on the front. Each building was identical to the one next to it, the only thing separating one from another were the stenciled letters punched above the door, designating that buildings unique purpose. It seemed like some sort of Maintenance compound for the TerraStructure, from the thick cables that made humps in the snowy plain, winding into the base of each building, identical to those running from the TerraStucture's foundation.
And maybe a kilometer and a half away was the TerraStructure, looming over him like a storm. But unknown to Semyon, he was already in the storm. In the heart of it, to be sure. It was the calm before the chaos. This is what the ODST's lived for.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 14, 2010 21:47:06 GMT -5
“You got it,” Joey replied as he reached for the dais. He ejected Sigrid’s chip from the destroyer’s mainframe, yanking the AI safely out of the system. He took the chip and inserted it into a slot in the back of his Mark VI CQB helmet, installing the AI into his own neural implants for safekeeping. He endured the resulting bizarre half-second brainfreeze feeling with gritted teeth, but displayed no overt sign of discomfort.
Then he turned back to Commander Craig. “Orders, sir?”
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 15, 2010 21:42:28 GMT -5
JOEY: 5 COMBAT ATTRIBUTE POINTS ADDED (sorry for the delay, i meant to do this several posts ago) Now you may update your profile with the new statistics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sadness reflected on the Commanders face. Joey couldn't tell if it was because he faced a Covenant fleet that was preparing to obliterate him and the other ships, or if it was something deeper. something like pity. He couldn't tell. "Evacuate, One-oh-five, and do not let them get their slimy claws on Sigrid." Was all he said, as if the Covenant didn't know the location of Earth, or the fact that its mankind's last powerhouse planet, the last resort for man-kind. Remembering Colonel Kyomoto's orders, that the rest of the Spartans had EVAC'ed in Hangar B, and that a Pelican was awaiting them. It was time to leave. Minutes Before: Fleet Master Williams calculated his very limited options. The precious cargo of soldiers were being hastily evacuated, on both sides. By the will of the Fates alone, a large number of Covenant warships had careened of course from the armada, seven, to be exact. Retreat? That wasn't at all like the Covenant to retreat, usually fighting to the last warrior to destroy Mankind. That was when yet another miracle happened. The ships that had stayed on course pivoted slightly towards the turncoats, targeting them. Williams' jaw sagged open as he saw the Warship's lateral lines beggining to warm. his first reaction was to take evasive action. But the Covie's weren't firing at him for once. They were targeting each other. "Kilgore! link me up with the other Carriers!" Williams quickly bellowed to his Communications Expert. He had no clue as to why the Covenant were firing on their own. rebellion perhaps, though unlikely. Williams had never seen religious infidelity among the Covenant ranks. But the time to fight was now. Once Carmen Kilgore motioned him the okay, the Fleet Master moved to the two-way view screen, where he was displayed in the Command Centers of each transport. "Gentlemen, this is Fleet Master Williams. Those Covie basterds are taking up their energy to fight one another. lets join the mix shall we?" Williams smiled. Collectively, the fleet moved forward, the Just Passin' Through at the forefront. *** Rago roared in outrage as the Flood-contaminated Warships sped into the planetoids atmosphere.He felt his mandibles flare as the swathes of super-heated energy traced after the sacrilegious cruisers. Rage boiled inside him, tinging his soul as he saw only a single cruiser collapse under the Covenant fleets combined firepower. But now the other infested warships were out of firing range. Plus, their sheilds were depleted, since the power used to power their weapons also powered their energy sheild. And there was another problem. The alien fleet was advancing on them. "AHH! Return your attention on the Human fleet! wipe them out!" Rago bellowed slamming a closed fist into his opened palm for additional clarification. He was a Councilor Sangheili. He carried one of the most powerful ranks among Elites. And he would NOT be put down this pathetic band of pathetic warriors. *** Williams' pulse jumped, saying to the other Commanders, "Im sending each of you a time window with which to fire your MAC round, and your desired amount of Archer missiles, synchronized for optimum effect. I've also included which targets you will aim for." The time-frame appeared on a small screen placed on a rectangular dais next to him. The seconds ticked away slowly, sweat trickling down his brow as the Covenant fleet realigned themselves with the UNSC fleet. Before the Alien fleet could advance further, the first wave of MAC rounds ripping through space, electric suns heading straight for the enemy. The first wave struck with unending Accuracy. One ship that had not been able to recuperate its shields had three gaping holes riddling its once sleek hull. It took only a few seconds before the Carrier detonated in a ball of white fire. It was almost time for the second wave, when crimson-orange scythes cut through space, slicing into the Just Passin' Through.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 16, 2010 2:24:53 GMT -5
(5) COMBAT ATTRIBUTE POINTS RECEIVED PROFILE (SPARTAN-105) UPDATED ------------ Not that anyone would ever tell due to the golden visor obscuring any detail of his facial expression, but Joey made a puzzled face - confused at the commander’s apparent sadness. His words, 'Evacuate, One-oh-five,' rung in his head. He felt sympathy for the man, even if his expression confused him. So all he said was “Yes sir,” in reply. Then, an abrupt message from Fleet Admiral Williams onboard the Hindenburg was patched through across the fleet, announcing the Covenant’s unprecedented infighting and the Admiral’s plan to use the opportunity to strike. As curious as he was to see how things played out, Joey paused only long enough to watch the message, then turned and left the bridge. He had his orders. “Talk to me, Artemis,” He said on Green Team’s private COM frequency once he and Bryen got into the hall and began jogging back to the hanger. “Command just received word that the Covenant ships are turning on each other. Have you gotten any news from Colonel Kyomoto about this? Maybe ONI knows something about this that command doesn’t.” As the Spartans hurried back the way they came, Joey kept a careful watch on the motion tracker in the corner of his HUD. If there were to be any more Covenant boarders in their path, he wanted to know about them first.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 17, 2010 19:00:21 GMT -5
"Semyon! Semyon are you there? Over. If you can here me respond." It was Hovis, his voice pained and distant. Before he could respond, however, a large Covenant Flagship screamed through the clouds before him. The ship was damaged, with chunks of metal shearing away from the heat caused by the emergency landing, smoke venting from the aft section of the ship. It raced for the ODST, 5 kilometers away. And then 3 kilometers. The ship nose-dived into the ice, sending the latter half swinging forward, tunneling a crater in its wake as it screamed forward. It was only half a kilometer west of him when it finally screeched to a halt.
It only took a moment for the things to emerge. At first Semyon had mistaken them for elites, but something was wrong with them. Their arms and legs were twisted at an unnatural angle, and their skin tones were a brown, almost green color. It was something Semyon had not yet encountered before. And they were headed right for him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOEY:
There was a moment of static on 105's COM, before Artemis responded, "Yes, apparently there have been many mentioning of- hold on. Damn!" The sound of muffled bursts of gunfire resonated through the COM, followed by the distinct dying screech of a Jackal.
"Okay, back to what i was saying, Colonel Kyomoto claims, and I find this hard to believe, but the terms 'parasite' 'infestation', and 'Flood' have been mentioned numerously. Its not a rebellion that is causing the Covenant to fire upon there own ships, its the Flood, Joey, and there heading for Pluto's surface. You better get up here."
Moving with renewed effort, the duo double-timed it back to the Hangar B doorway.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 17, 2010 19:49:07 GMT -5
“Roger that Artemis. We’ve secured Sigrid and will link up with you in just a minute. Get the Pelican prepped for takeoff, I want us out of here the instant Bryen and I step onboard. One-oh-five out.”
Flood. It wasn’t a term that carried much joy. It wasn’t very long ago that the Spartans of Green Team learned about the ancient alien parasite - an extremely destructive life form first discovered by none other than John-117 when the Pillar of Autumn came across the ring-world Halo after fleeing Reach. Information gathered from that discovery was strictly need-to-know material, privy only to the highest echelons of ONI Section 3 agents (and certain Green Team computer-hacking experts…).
But setting how they learned about the Flood aside, the bottom line is that the Spartans understood the terrible consequences should the Flood be allowed to infest the colony. Something had to be done.
Right now.
The thought of infected Covenant ships crashing onto Pluto’s surface caused Joey’s pace to pick up to a near sprint. With Bryen right behind him, they hurried to Hanger B. He prayed that there would be no Covenant to get in their way, willing his motion tracker to remain clear as they thundered through the Twilight Sentinel’s corridors.
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Post by E-Stalin [Orthrus] on Jan 17, 2010 23:53:39 GMT -5
(Sorry for having vanished)
Semyon stared at the distant figures, magnified in his visor and glowing red. Without shifting his gaze, he quickly started counting them in general terms; a dozen, a few dozen, a hundred. It all depended on the numbers; whether to flee or kill them. Still standing still, he quietly spoke into his mic, "Yeah I'm here...hit by a few buildings somewhere, maybe two klicks away from the target. There's Elites on the ground. Where are you?"
He didn't bother saying over. He'd dropped that habit after he'd stopped using TOC radios. While waiting for an answer, he slung his rifle over his head and flicked on the reflex sight mounted on the reciever.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 18, 2010 15:38:19 GMT -5
Semyon: (good to have you back) The Covenant warship was propped up in the sky at a 45 degree angle, smoke roiling from several damaged sections, as the Flood emerged, at least 25 of them, leaping and crawling from unseen crevasses, and landing on the hard-packed snow. Kicking up snow as they sprinted forward, their gait uneven, almost like a newborn lamb taking its first steps. But these things were far from any adorable quadruped. And the closer they got to Semyon, the more gruesome details he could depict. Even the beasts' eel-like heads were contorted, the face completely fused to its shoulder, the facial expression of pure agony. In place of a head, there was a trio of feelers, with crimson cilia tipping the end of each antenna, gently probing the winter air. The arms on most of the creatures had a set of whip-like tentacles replacing what were once arms. And the only thing standing between Semyon and the Flood was an open plain. "I landed by... using my expert knowledge on the subject of Geography... In the middle of friggin' nowhere. Wait. I see some buildings... Aww, okay, I see you now." Was Hovis' agonized response. Movement in his peripheral vision caught Semyon’s gaze. And, should he look there, could barely make out Hovis, waving frantically, on the far side of the maintenance compound. The moment Saushkin looked at his comrade, right away he could tell something was wrong. It was now or never. Fight, or Flight. He would have to commit to one or the other. Either way, the parasites were heading his way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joey: Quickly racing through the dark corridors, Joey and Byren made it to Hangar B in no time at all. Darkness was dominant in the hallway leading to the vehicle bay, since lighting the ship was the last thing Commander Craig was worrying about, but the hangar itself was well-lit. The Hangar doorway was large enough to fit two Scorpion Tanks side-by-side, and still have plenty of room. Inside was even more spacious, With numerous olive drab crates lining the walls to Joey's right and left flank. On the far wall, were three D-77H-TCI's, more commonly known as Pelicans. Each gunship was blocky and geometric, painted in the traditional olive-drab of the Military. The last one, however, was covered in black and azure-colored tribal thorns, intertwining and then separating across the Pelican's wings, spinning across its exterior. This was the Spartan's ride to Pluto's surface. Joey was met quickly by Artemis, and the rest of his teammates. Byren strode ahead, adorned in teal-colored Scout armor, BR55 aimed at the floor. Artemis and Byren quickly clapped an open palm on the others armored shoulder. Artemis, his Brute Spiker Rifle resting in his experienced hands, The dark green of his Recon armor reflecting his permanent pessimistic attitude towards life. Robert and Jack shuffled up quickly behind Artemis, armored in the standard sage Mark VI Mjolner armor. Dimitri remained detached from the group, perched on the hood of a Gauss Warthog, polishing his MA5B assault rifle, protected in Black-as-night Explosive Ordnance Disposal armor, or EOD armor. "So, in which one did you wanna take?" The team leader, or Artemis, asked Joey, gesturing to the vehicles populating the majority of the Hangar. There were three vehicles. The first was the Gauss Warthog, the second a LAAV Warthog, and the last, a Scorpion Tank. Ahh, decisions, decisions. (Since you have 4 points in knowledge, Your ability to operate vehicles is somewhat dim for know, so you may be a passenger or driver in either of the Warthogs, and you can ride on the Tank Treads of the Scorpion if you want.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rago Roared as the Humans continued the assault. The humans were relentless. But the humans would perish, not he. "Launch another salvo!" He bellowed. But before his command could be registered, an explosion rocked Rago in his seat, and immediately tensed up. The Elite studied the screens at his disposal, and saw the Harbinger had been riddled with pockets of fire, three gaping holes handicapping the ship completely. It had taken most of the Human fleet to demolish that single ship, But now it was the Covenant's turn.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 18, 2010 23:21:11 GMT -5
(Sorry for having vanished) Nah, you're good. Gave us the time to flesh out our separate posts concerning your drop! With two game arbitrators, expect our updates for your storyline to frequently blend together. And hey! Speak of the devil... ----------------- SEMYONShortly after Hovis finished speaking, another voice came to life through Semyon’s helmet-COM. “Woo! Glad that’s over! I swear I got launched right in front of those Covenant ships’ firing lines! Thought I was cooked for sure! And… Hey, where the hell am I? Why the fuck am I up to my armpits in snow…”“ Well, at least we know the inter-team radio works,” the Master Sergeant’s voice cut in over Punk’s. “ Hovis, you don‘t sound too good. Report. Everyone else sound off. I want to know who's not dead yet.” " I'm here... Obviously," Punk responded, starting off the chain of replies... ----------------- Lifting his Battle Rifle to rest casually on one shoulder, Joey strolled up to the teammates that came to greet them and gave Artemis a pat on the shoulder after Bryen. Then he pointed at his own visor with two fingers, then made a u-shaped swish through the air… the Spartan smiley face sign. After the disaster at Reach and being redeployed to Earth to field-test the Mark VI CQB armor, he hadn’t had another opportunity to be with any of his fellow Spartans. The war stretched their numbers thin - what few there were left. There hadn’t been time for a proper reunion earlier due to Kyomoto’s briefing, but Joey felt a great comfort to be back with his brothers, his true family. “I like what you guys did to the Pelican,” he said with a smile in his voice. Next, he walked over to the Gauss ‘hog Dimitri was using as a seat. The M12G1 on the back of the Warthog was essentially a miniature MAC gun, using magnetic coils to hyper-accelerate a heavy projectile round to supersonic speeds. He nodded a greeting to Dimitri as he passed around the hood to the driver’s seat. “Dibs,” Joey declared happily. But then, in a much more somber tone, he added on a private COM channel so only Artemis could hear. “Don’t take this the wrong way brother. It’s so great to see all you guys again… But something doesn’t smell right to me. I didn’t get the chance to ask earlier, but why do you think ONI needs a whole six Spartans for one op? Little suspicious, don’t you think? That, and the thing about the rouge merchant, a cover-up, and now the Flood?” He finally removed his BR from his shoulder, letting it drop from his hands and hang by its sling. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Something’s not right…” he repeated.
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Post by E-Stalin [Orthrus] on Jan 21, 2010 17:32:36 GMT -5
Clucking his tongue, Semyon set off a brisk jog toward Hovis. He couldn't outrun the creatures, but he'd wait until they got a little closer before opening fire. A short engagement at a hundred meters, maybe a hundred fifty, and then a grenade would finish off the group. It'd be better to be closer to backup when that happened.
Holding onto his rifle in a two-handed carry, he continued across the plains with the rifle butt just touching his shoulder, so he could snap in without fumbling about.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 22, 2010 23:02:51 GMT -5
(Sorry i have not been able to update the RP, i just got back from my Great Grandmother's funeral late last night) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Semyon: BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The fence surrounding the maintenance compound is 10 feet high, with coils of barbed wired lining the expanse of the fences peak
The afternoon sun beat down on Semyon as he rushed to meet the ODST, the sounds of heart-wrenching warcry's closing in from behind him. It wouldn't be long now.
Ivan Hovis, armed with a stolen Covenant Plasma Rifle, limped towards his comrade, still unaware of the imminent battle looming in the not-so-distant future. Moving south at the border of the compound, away from his pod and closer to Semyon, he finally caught sight of the Flood battalion advancing behind the ODST. Fear lanced through his heart, but he quickly jettisoned all emotion.
"This is Hovis, my pod was damaged, it caved on impact. I caught some flak in my leg and side." Ivan declared over the COM, his voice strained with the agony of the jagged shrapnel that was buried deep in his leg and left, lowermost rib, blood pulsing slowly from both wounds. An HEV imploding on impact was the 21st century equivalent of jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Needless to say, Hovis was lucky to be breathing.
"Me and Jumpy are here." Corporal Tourn Valdis declared quickly, adding, "Were both right at the Innie's doorstep on the TerraStructure." Valdis' voice was like the rasp of dried Autumn leaves against a Permacreet sidewalk.
Both soldiers rushed to the company of the other, knowing the chance of survival was increased if you had somebody shooting over your shoulder. Hovis had an extended arm cinched on the geometric handholds of COMPOUND A's fenced border.
"Me and Saushkin are at COMPOUND A, with footmobiles moving in on our position, over." The PFC stated bluntly over the COM, weezing heavily, as crimson specks dripped silently to the ground, painting the ground an unnatural red at his feet.
All the while, the parasite army advanced, ravenously screaming for blood, gaining quickly on the ODSTs. They were maybe two hundred meters and closing fast. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joey:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Perdition is the Capital of Animus Prime, located in the northwestern section of the continent, a lush jungle filled with a diverse set of imported animals and crops.
Artemis' response was crisp and clear as Dimitri slung the MA5B across the magnetic plate on his back, saying, "Kyomoto has already evac'ed to Headquarters to Perdition, and will further debrief us once we rendezvous. As to why we are here... I can only speculate, but with as few of us as there are left, it has to be something big." Sigrid spoke up for the first time since his journey in Joey's mind.
"It is, of that i assure you, Spartan-135. I personally formed the reports that will be the foundation for your mission. I would inform you of your objective, but it would hardly be protocol." He declared in a lilting, yet firm voice. By this time, Artemis had taken up the passengers seat, cradling the Brute Spiker rifle across his lap.
Byren moved into the Troop Carrier in the graffitied Pelican, the designated driver of the SPARTAN Pelican, while Jack and Robert moved into the troop bay. A handful of seconds passed, and the already thrumming Gunship hovered backwards slowly.
"Hold on." Byren warned as the tribal D-77H-TCI moved into place, the giant maw of the C-shaped clamp on the tail of the transport loomed over the Gauss warthog. The pelican, under Byren's experienced hand, gently lowered, until the clamp was within reach, lowering at his command, the metallic fingers wrapping around the midsection of the 'Hog, curling underneath its midsection. Locked in, Byren's eternally calm voice rang through the COM once more.
"Joey, Artemis, Dimitri, seal your suits, im locking the troop bay." As soon as he concluded saying so, the ramp on the Pelican flapped up slowly, shutting off Robert, Jack and Byren from the three Spartans in the LAAG.
In the cramped cockpit, Byren's hands were a blur as he typed in a quick series of controls, the Hangar Gate opening at his command, revealing the space below. Clasping his fingers together at the joints, cracking his knuckles loudly, before gently wrapping his hands around the twin control yokes. He smiled wryly, shoving them both forward in unison, the transport jumping forward in reaction.
"Hold onto your hats." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEANWHILE:
The cavernous chamber in which Rago sat was filled with Sangheili navigators, all working festidiously at their computer consoles, their hands typing methodically. All the while their Supremeness sat in his throne, elbows on his knees, and his hands claped in an arch, quickly testing possible ideas in his mind, and envisioned how they would play out. Finally he came to a conclusion.
"Y'gar, alert the commanders of the Swift and Sure, the Last Request and the Death Wish, they will land on this human colony, and exterminate all Flood outbreaks." Rago sat back, setting his arms on the cold steel armrests at his side, delving deep into his mind, even as the battle in the vacuum continued to unfurl right before his snakelike eyes, while his underlings continued to work relentlessly.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 24, 2010 0:16:04 GMT -5
Joey:
The whir of a klaxon alerted all in Hangar B of the opening of the Space Lock, and after 30 seconds, all other doors sealed. The 30 foot wide space lock had a split cutting down vertically, with two thick strips of metal on each side locked into place on the other door. Byren waited for an okay from the Spartans that their suits had been sealed, and with a quick series of buttons from Byren's trained hand, the locks sprung up and out with a hiss, and with the tug of a small lever, the door itself split, revealing the specks of stars and vacuum beyond. The warpainted Pelican had rocketed out of the Hangar well before the limited amount of oxygen could be sucked into the abyss beyond, the rear pointing jets alight with a malignant fire.
Byren controlled the Tribal Pelican, nicknamed Metacom, roared through the vacuum, cradling the LAAG underneath it. The 'Hogs passengers could only watch as the Covenant fleet neared, with 3 of the Transports sectioning off the armada, only these didn't merit any noticeable attention from the rest of the Covie's.
"Probably sent to cleanse Pluto of the Flood." Sigrid commented absent mindedly, as Metacom rushed to Pluto. Should Joey so decide to do so, Joey could easily float away from the vehicle, and be lost forever, because his suit could only generate so much breathable oxygen for an hour or so before he would die of Asphyxiation.
The trio of alien ships headed away from the battle, towards the far side of the planet, while Metacom and its willing passengers soared through zero-gee. Joey could make out Animus Prime, basically a giant rectangle of a Continent, The majority of its surface a lush green color. On the Western part of Animus Prime, it was early morning, and through the darkness, was an overlay of thin tendrils of light, city lights. And thats where they were heading.
Weight quickly resumed its natural course as Byren steered the Metacom into Pluto's upper atmosphere, flame collecting on its angular nose, but not reaching the vulnerable LAAG. It was eerily dark, and the clouds rushing up to meet Joey, Artemis, and Dimitri, appeared as Wraiths, coming to claim their souls, the condensation beading on his golden visor. Finally, the Metacom broke through the clouds, showing a vast expanse of Jungle for miles.
The electrified towns seemed numerous from space, so they must not be far. Hovering a few feet above the tree tops, the pre-morning sight was beautiful, and eerily empty at the same time, as the trees and tall grasses swayed slowly back and forth in the gentle breeze, the lake in the distance could have been mistaken for a pool of matte-black oil. Pluto, having no significant moons, had extremely dark nights, pitch black in fact, for had the Pelicans headlights not been stabbing into the night, Joey couldn't be able to see past the hood of the LAAG.
Racing above a field of parched crops, the worst happened. Was that movement in the field? A quick blast of fire illuminated an area of the field, showing an Innie, armed with a now obsolete rocket launcher, a jet of smoke and flame leaping from the rocket launcher's exhaust port. But out of the other end came a rocket, a trail of fire and exhaust tracing it as it screamed after them, roaring the tale of the Spartans ensuing demise. The angular explosive was a flare, and was easy to track as it gave off enough light for Byren to get a glimpse of from out of the cockpit, but could not escape the inevitable.
Joey's teeth rocked inside his skull as the missile made its mark, detonating at the transports tail, sending the Metacom into a deadly spiral, the rear half careening dangerously downwards. Metal screeched, and the Metacom shuddered. At this point everything was a blur, a smear of black and dark gray as the Spartan felt the LAAG disengage from the Metacom, Byren yelling something about emergency release. Dimitri was flung from his perch behind the gun, disappearing into the night, while Artemis was braced firmly in his spot in the passenger side, the twin blades of his spiker jammed hastily into the dashboard. With a jerk, the Warthog slammed into the ground, bounced, and then stopped. Silence filled the early morning sky as Insurrectionist forces wormed their way through the fields, as the Metacom continued through towards Perdition.
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Semyon:
Before Semyon could react, another Covenant ship came into view, this one coming in much more controlled, flying silently through the evening sky. It slowed to a stop next to the TerraStructure, and a beam of bluish-purple energy faded into existence. The Covenant had arrived.
Ivan turned. Now there were three sets of enemies, Insurrectionists and Covenant at the TerraStructure to his East, and the Flood to the west of him. The newbie began to panic, saying "What do we do now man? What do we do?" Things were slowly beginning to go to hell for the Helljumpers.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 24, 2010 3:51:03 GMT -5
SEMYON
“Keep it together, trooper!” Master Sergeant Dawson barked at Hovis over the radio. “Now Fireteam Delta, listen up! Seeing as that Covenant ship just happened to land right on our Rally Point, we’re going to have to improvise. Corporal Valdis, set a waypoint at your position. That spot is now Rally Point Bravo. Everyone is to RV there on the double, understood? I want you and Jumpy to recon that area until everyone else arrives. Saushkin, you get Hovis and yourself to the rally point as fast as you can. Punk… just try not to get yourself killed. Delta One out!”
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"It is, of that i assure you, Spartan-135. I personally formed the reports that will be the foundation for your mission.” Joey was slightly startled when the AI finally spoke up, using his own armor to communicate with the other Spartans. It felt as if the crisp voice emanated directly from his mind - a strange sensation to say the least. He had briefly forgotten that Sigrid was now quite intimately at one with him now that the AI was interfaced with his suit’s neural network. “I would inform you of your objective, but it would hardly be protocol."
Great. More surprises… Joey mentally sneered. He wondered if Sigrid could hear that thought.
As the Metacom Pelican began to stir, Joey quickly jumped into the driver’s seat of the Gauss hog. He had to move the seat all the way back just to fit, but he felt reasonably secure by the time the decorated dropship clamped onto the LAAV.
"Joey, Artemis, Dimitri, seal your suits, im locking the troop bay."
Joey winked his acknowledgment light in response: causing his dot on Bryen’s motion tracker to blink, wordlessly signaling that his suit was sealed and he was ready to go. After that, he waited through the exiting procedure, and soon felt the Pelican and it’s unorthodox cargo lurch out into space.
Green Team blasted out among the stars and cruised through the silent vacuum between the Twilight Sentinel and Pluto. Joey held tight to the steering wheel - there was nothing but his armor protecting him from the black nothingness they floated through. His Battle Rifle, secured to him by it’s sling, began to rise up and try to drift away from him. He pushed it back down and marveled at the scale of the massive ships while Bryen carefully skirted through the battle’s outskirts on the way to the surface.
"Probably sent to cleanse Pluto of the Flood." Sigrid remarked of the three Covenant spacecraft that broke away from their fleet. The AI would feel Joey wince at the comment. The Covenant’s definition of “cleansing” involved the liberal application of enormous laser beams that would undoubtedly wipe out the Flood, but also reduce the colony to molten slag in the process.
Soon, he was able to visually identify geographical landmarks as they neared Pluto, burning into the atmosphere as they approached. His gut got pushed back like on an intense roller coaster ride as they shot towards the surface, a region of dense jungle near the capitol settlement of Perdition. He could only fathom as to why a jungle environment was installed when Pluto was terraformed, but if he had to guess, it would be that much like the tropical rainforests of Earth, the jungles would produce an abundance of greenhouse gasses to supplement the atmosphere generated by the TerraStructure installations.
They could not have been far from the capitol by now, but then all hell broke loose. As they skimmed over the jungle canopy, a sudden (presumably Insurrectionist) rocket blasted into the Pelican, sending it into a wild spiraling dance over the treetops. As Spartan-105’s vision blurred and head rattled, he felt that lurch of his stomach again that told him the warthog was falling. Everything was a smear of leaves, snapping branches, and violent shakes all the way to the final crash at the bottom.
Joey groaned as he tried to blink away the dizziness and nausea. His mind was already racing, analyzing, preparing for a fight. He was sore and shaken from the abrupt crash, but he was a Spartan. He’d fight on.
“Oww… son of a…” he grunted. “Ahh…H-hey… is everyone all right? Artemis?”
He glanced to his right. Artemis was still secure in the passenger seat, and looked in just as good shape as he was. Joey then craned his neck back to check out the gunner position.
“Dimitri?…”
The Spartan in black EOD armor was gone. Joey looked all around the Warthog, but could see no armored hulk laying nearby. But It was so dark, Dimitri might be right next to them and Joey would never see him. Or worse, he could be under the hog…
“Dammit,” he muttered a curse as he opened up the team COM. “Dimirti, can you hear me? Where are you? Please respond.”
Meanwhile, he tried the ignition. After the beating it took on the way down here, Joey could only pray that the engine would start and they would have no major mechanical failures. Warthogs were infamously sturdy and rugged vehicles, but he was prepared for the worst.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 24, 2010 16:28:33 GMT -5
Joey:
There was only response Joey recieved on the Team COM was the harsh rasp of static in his eardrums. Dimitri could have passed out, dead, or maybe he simply lost his helmet in the commotion. Joey couldn't know. It would probably be a good idea to keep an eye open for him. But surely the Insurectionist that attacked the Metacom would not have done so alone, and one could only assume that a platoon of traitors were converging on their position.
As soon as the Spartan twisted the ignition, the Warthog thrummed to life, gentle tremors resonating through the vehicle. there was only one problem, and that was that one of the headlights had busted, the light on the Driver's side. aside from that, everything seemed to be functioning perfectly.
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A salmon colored triangular Icon appeared on Semyon's HUD, just west of the TerraStructure. It wouldn't be very hard to reach that position at all, the only problem was that the raging army behind him was less than 150, and it wouldn't be long at all before they were knawing on his back.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 24, 2010 17:47:39 GMT -5
Joey felt the Warthog rumble beneath him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, just so long as no wheels fell off once they started moving, they should be okay.
As the hog started up, he noticed only the passenger-side headlight turned on. He frowned. That could be a problem. In this kind of darkness, it would be hard enough to see even with two good headlights. All he could do was activate the powerful spotlamps on either side of his helmet and hope it would help.
“Hang on,” he said to Artemis as he stepped down on the accelerator petal. He eased the hog forward, testing it a little just to make sure nothing was going to fall apart. But soon he had the jeep up to speed and began to circle their landing area.
“Dimitri respond,” he tried again as he weaved the gunnerless hog through the jungle trees and brush. He kept an eye on his motion tracker as he franticly covered ground in search for his missing teammate. Whoever popped a shot at the Pelican was sure to have friends. He just hoped that he’d see a friendly dot on his HUD before enemy ones.
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LoneWolf
Warrior
Companions are a luxury I can't afford|--|Lime gr
Posts: 249
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Post by LoneWolf on Jan 26, 2010 16:43:33 GMT -5
Joey:
The Spartan steered the LAAG through the foliage, only the gentle rumble of the vehicles engine and the soft crunch of leaves resounded through the field. Even with the added advantage of having his helmet lamps activated on full blast, and the enhanced sight capable of all Spartan warriors, Joey still had trouble making out movement much past the hog. It was pitch black in the jungle, but it would be much easier to see if he ventured out back into the field.
"JOEY! Are you there? Their all around me! Im pinned down in a ravine. Im counting at least 2 dozen Innie's, all closing in on my position. Repeat: That is 2 dozen Heavy Footmobiles, advancing to my position." Dimitri's voice was filled with the calm fortitude of a Spartan facing death. "Heavy Footmobile" was Spartan code for heavy-duty battle armor, Explosive Weapons such as Grenade Launchers, or Bazooka's, and to be considered a "Heavy Footmobile", you would have to be a veteran soldier. So the troops advancing on Dimitri probably weren't your run-of-the-mill soldiers.
"Im in a field, just east of where the Pelican was hit. Im poppin' a flare for your reference." Dimitri stated. And now the sound of small explosions, and the oh-so familiar chitter of an MA5B. Dimitri's MA5B. They were moving in on the Lone Spartan.
But Joey had problems of his own, as the roar of a vehicle pierced the night, and the Spartan had no time to react to the sudden appearance of another warthog, as its engine growled as its turncoat commander rammed the hood of the Hog into the side of Joey's LAAG.
The Insurrectionist vehicle was a warthog, but had the disadvantage of being the civilian version of the Military vehicle, combatting the darkness with its bright yellow paint job. Thus, the transport had no weapon mounted on the back, making it relatively harmless. Relatively. The turncoat transport wheeled backwards to feed the Spartans another serving of whoop-@$$. Now was Joey's chance.
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Post by Blade Knight on Jan 26, 2010 20:25:00 GMT -5
“I read you Dimitri, hold on! Okay, I see the flare. We’re coming to… UHHH!!!”
Before Joey could finish responding to his comrade’s call, the gauss ‘hog was violently jerked sideways as something came barreling through the darkness and plowed into their side. The crash caused Joey’s head to whip sideways and dent the crossbar separating the driver and passenger seats. If he were a normal human not cased in MJOLNIR armor, that may have been fatal.
Instead, Joey merely shook his head to clear it, and he was just fine. He then turned his helmet lamps on the source of the accident. The light revealed a bright yellow civilian warthog with a crumpled nose and a driver with an angry face glaring at him. Innie anyone? Had to be. Who else would pick a fight with a SPARTAN-II? This guy must have been on patrol, waiting to investigate whatever fell out of the sky after they ambushed the Pelican. Now… how is it they knew where and when and who to ambush? That mystery would just have to wait. Right now, Joey had a hostile target to neutralize.
Since Artemis hadn’t stirred since the fall, Joey could only assume he must have been knocked out. Joey didn’t want to put yet another teammate at risk, so that meant crazy driving was probably a bad idea. So he came up with something different, and spontaneously burst into action.
The crash killed both vehicles’ momentum, forcing the turncoat warthog to back up in order to deliver another strike. Joey slid out of the drivers seat of the gauss hog the moment the other jeep began to wheel backwards. The Spartan took five fluid strides, three across the ground, two across the hood of the other hog, and crouched down on top of the enemy vehicle, leaning over the windshield with his battle rifle stabbing one-handed right in the Innie’s face.
BANG!!! BANG!!! BANG!!!
He unloaded three rounds point-blank into the rebel’s cranium, the muzzle flashes were like explosions in the darkness.
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