[Halo] Fireteam Eclipse [IC - II]

[Erasmas]

FIRETEAM ECLIPSE
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After contacting UNSC Command, the Fleet Admiral allowed a pitstop so that you could jettison your fallen members and say your final goodbyes. And then it was time to get back to work. With Oenomaus having been glassed, Crixus Station was entirely destroyed. So, the plan was to have you dock with the UNSC super-frigate the Prevailing Winds of Fortune, where you would be returning the Fleet Admiral to his duties and figure out where humanity now stood against the onslaught of Covenant forces that appeared to be tearing through your little corner of space. It was now clear that their intention was to obliterate your entire species from existence. The only mystery was "why". But, in the end, that didn't matter very much to the men and women of the Spartan Program - so why should it matter to you?

You finally re-converge with the major portion of the UNSC fleet, docked in deep space just outside of the Amayand Nebula.


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[darklink_shadow]

Feeling fairly antisocial at the time, Vidarr parked himself by a panel looking outside and gazed at the surreal beauty of this part of space. The Amayand Nebula... what makes it so beautiful anyways? Why does it feel so moving? It's just light... and yet I can't be the only one who doesn't want to look away. Vivian chimed in wordless agreement.

Lost in thought, Vidarr thought he knew the answer to his own question. Maybe because so much of the universe is so ugly, and smeared with the blood of the fallen. We kill those bastards by the dozens for each fallen brother, but there seems to be no end to them in sight. Either their numbers aren't important to them, because they are boundless or death has no meaning to them. But we will survive. This isn't Ragnarok, so this isn't the end of mankind. But it was the end for so many brave men and women already. I'm going to personally kill 20 for each fallen brother before I give up my ghost. Gods damn those monsters.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle has withdrawn further than usual. He's also spent more time than normal in the armory, looking at armor modifications for integration... However were one to ask Gnomere, she'd state that he's barely talking to even his AI's while doing so.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung is standing in his medbay, his gloved hands covered with blood. "... and that concludes the autopsy report of Spartan Gunnar-G527, declared MIA. Medical Officer Lieutenant Colonel Volsung-R36 officially concluding after action report of Operations Silent Derelict and Reclamation Castle, pending approval by Commander Valen-V21."

He steps away from the gurney, shucking off his gloves and throwing them into a nearby airlock for the disposal of biohazards. "Rho, I'm shutting the lights and putting instruments into sleep mode to try and keep it cool enough to preserve the corpses, and then I'm going to get some shut-eye. Feel free to go into power-save as well."

[moomoo]

No-one seemed particularly talkative on board, neither Anex, who picked his on place to gaze on the nebula, thinking about what happened, and wondering what might be next, and who might be the next.
Even though our missions are successful, it still feels that the Covenant are winning out on us on every one of them. I hope when we return in our next mission, the atmosphere will be better as it is now..

[Erasmas]

You land inside the Fortune, and are told where you will be quartered for the duration of your stay here while onboard. Fleet Admiral Harper informs you that you will have a day or two of downtime before he will be looking to reassign you to your next mission. For that time period, you are left to your own devices, though your access to the ship is limited. Since you technically don't exist... the standing order when among other UNSC personnel is that you simply do not disclose anything about your identity to anyone. However, there was no question in anyone's mind that laid eyes on you that you were Spartan - your height, build, and demeanor alone gave that away.

And as such, other than a few "way to go"s or "holy sh!t, a Spartan"s, everyone stayed out of your way. In your downtime, you all noticed that Valen had a new massive batch of callsigns added to his ever-growing list of a tattoo.



FU23
X696
G426
T97
X666
P24
OT34
G527
E507


After a while, you just found yourself waiting. War had been beaten into you so successfully, that you didn't feel right when there was nothing to fight against. Your steps felt too light without your armor... your hands empty without your weapons. Finally, the frigate's AI - a mousy little runt of a green guy called Aiden with a sweet disposition - put in the call into your quarters.

"Excuse me, Fireteam Eclipse? Fleet Admiral Harper would like to see you now. He's in the New Paris War Room on Deck 37."

[moomoo]

About time, the looks the people here are giving us freak me out.
Anex says as he prepares himself to appear before the admiral.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr stayed at the window for a few moments longer, then pushed himself up with a sigh. Finally. Back to work.

Ding! Good news! I have successfully repaired the damaged subaudio pathways to the...

You can sing again, got it. Anything else?

I managed to restored the corrupted backups to the knowledge database I was building.

I thought you said that was impossible.

It was.

Oh. But then... how?

Woman's got to have her secrets.

I probably wouldn't understand if you told me anyways.

There's that too.

Is this deck 37?

Yes. Paris War Room is on your left. First door now.

Sorry. Updating HUD now. Olivia apologized as a waypoint appeared before Vidarr. He prepared to mention that it was too late, and he'd already found it, but he had missed Olivia, and he decided not to say anything.

Vidarr walked into the room, the heavy stomp of each footfall a welcome feeling. He knew today was the day they'd have this meeting. Certain signs told him it would be soon after his last meal, not much more than two hours ago. The old ways, long forgotten by most but practiced by a few still worked. Sometimes. He had already suited up, and he was ready. Olivia's low, barely audible hum felt so refreshing to hear. The distinct whirl she produced while she constantly checked and updated his HUD was just like the sound of rain on a steel roof: familiar and comforting, despite the noise. Now all he needed was his gun, and target.

[Erasmas]

You walk into the War Room to find that it looks much like every other that you've ever been in before. The typical stark decorum of UNSC military installations - form and function being the rule of the day. Hard lines and dark grays dominated the space, accented only by the glows of various digital components that were essential to whatever operation it needed to fulfill. The room was not overly large, but the raked seating that surrounded the main floor showed that it could fit a fair number of people into the space... all with a good view of what was happening down in the middle. In that portion of the room was a massive hologram table, easily three meters long by two meters wide. It was dark at the moment, its flat surface a matte bluish gray and expansive. Against the wall opposite the auditorium-styled seating was a huge display screen, set a few centimeters away from the dark wall behind it so that what was illuminated on the screen stood out in bold contrast - right now, the clear glass only displayed the name of the ship in tall blue letters that bathed the entire room in their light.

The Fleet Admiral stood near the front row of seats, in a leaning sit against the situation table, his arms folded across his chest. He was back in full uniform and the stubble that had accumulated on his face during the stint of his capture had been removed. He looked like his old self again; for better or for worse. Seated across from him were Valen and a woman - a Spartan from the look of her. Neither were currently wearing their armor, just their black skintight undersuits.

As you all entered, finding some place to stand, the three occupants of the room looked up from their conversation. The Fleet Admiral stood up but kept his arms folded.

"Decided to suit up early, Vidarr?", Valen asked Eight. He walked over to the sniper and patted his armor's shoulder. "It does start to become a second home, doesn't it?"

The door hissed shut behind the last of you and Harper moved to stand at the far side of the table.

"Alright. Introductions are in order; I'll keep them brief. Fireteam Eclipse, this is the newest member of your team... Loki. Her fireteam designation will be Eclipse Five, as that is the first available number on your team.", he takes a moment to look at each of the existing members in turn. "It isn't anything personal, gentlemen... I trust that it won't become that way. She is a demolitions expert and has tactical awareness of your next destination that could prove valuable in this mission. Now, without getting any further, I want to say one thing. I know that you all have experienced heavy casualties during these missions and for that... you have my condolences. Sincerely. But this is war. And we are fighting for the very survival of our species, boys and girls. This threat is unlike any we have ever seen before and it means to wipe us from this universe. But I'm not going to let that happen. That's why I rely on you. To do the things that no one else can. To be my sword... and my shield. You are instruments of war. And there are times when you must be the first line of defense against this threat, just as there are times where we take the offensive to them. This is one of those times."

The Fleet Admiral unfolded his arms and leaned forward onto the edge of the table. "Aiden. Load Operation: Depth Charge." The hologram sprung up out of the table to show a metropolis that some of you might recognize as Arcadia, located on the planet by the same name.

"This is Arcadia, New Mombasa's sister city. The Covenant have established a blockade of the planet and are holding millions of civilians hostage on the surface below. As unfortunate as that is, our real problem only begins there. There is a top secret ONI facility located within the heart of the city. We have reason to believe that the facility has either been compromised, or it may be so shortly. The information that the Covenant could find here would give them the secrets to the Spartan Program. I don't need to tell you why this is a bad thing. An attack battalion of ships is set to attack the blockade in less than twelve hours. While we are fighting outside of the atmosphere, you will be delivered planetside as a contingency plan. Your mission will be to destroy the ONI facility - White Glove Protocol.", he paused, giving you all time to absorb the information thus far and to give you a chance at input.

[theskorpionking]

Loki's conversation with Valen ended as the Spartans entered the room. She eyes each one of them, giving the one in armor a bemused look. When Valen said the Spartans name she said, "Vidarr? Is that a common name where you're from? I only ask because I once knew someone by that name."

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung, having occupied his regular spot near the back of the squad, raises a hand to interject. "Sir, with all due respect, is there a reason that the ONI staff doesn't have automated procedures to destroy sensitive data for situations like this? And furthermore, how come the base personnel didn't have time to wipe it themselves? The Covvies aren't known for their subtlety when it comes to arriving in system."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr nodded to his commanding officer when the man approached him. Yes, sir. It is like a second home. Though I'm not sure where my first home is anymore. After a pause, he shakes his head. Perhaps my station with your team will be a bit more permanent.

During the briefing, he remains silent, but the new member is familiar. Something he remembered, but vaguely. Something that was once very important, but he had forgotten since then. Loki... Loki... Loki... who is Loki? His conscious mind couldn't figure it out. He knew that when he was younger he tried to remember the names of his friends and family, and things his mother had told him were important. That's how he found out the religion of his family, Neo-Nordism. So, was Loki friend or family?

To his surprise, she approached him. He removed his helmet, and held it, allowing her a chance to see his face. No one that I can remember. Though it was quite a long time ago. Your name also sounds familiar. Something I had tried to remember, but clearly have failed to do so. Welcome to Fireteam Eclipse. I'm Vidarr, your friendly neighborhood sniper. I'll keep the fleas off your ass while you bring the fire.

[Erik Vale]

"Because ONI thought it would be more entertaining if they had to draft soldiers from more important stuff, so the got their contractors to skip that step. Also prevents accidental or malicious activations of it."

Argyle stares at the map from his position.
"Given we're being ordered in, that means the troops already on the ground are to busy with the covenant, if they still exist in numbers, so I would presume we'll have our usual amount of support? And what's exfil looking like?"

[Erasmas]

The Fleet Admiral waited as the pertinent questions came in. He then set about addressing them.

"They had procedures in place to wipe all sensitive data from their computers before they evacuated the premises. However, we have no way of knowing it they were fully enacted or not, since communications was one of the first things the Covvies took down when they hit dirtside. And besides that, data isn't the only thing that we're afraid of falling into their hands. As much as I hate the damn bastards, I'll give them this much - they are crafty. Crafty enough to possibly reverse engineer any tech that they might find lying around. You will be bringing down the house on this one - I want that facility reduced to nothing more than rubble and a puddle of unidentifiable materials. Now, I can't send you in with the kind of payload necessary to do the job - it's too big, too heavy, too risky, and too easily detected coming through the atmosphere. You're going to need to raid one of our bases on the outskirts of the city, commandeer a tactical nuclear warhead, and deliver it to the ONI target - designated as codename Jericho. The status of that military base is unclear... but since it's got our name stamped real big on the outside, you're likely to encounter some resistance. Which brings me to O23's next point.", Harper had been showing you the location of both the ONI facility as well as that of the UNSC base by manipulating the holographic image throughout his briefing. He know zoomed back out to the whole city of Arcadia and looked Argyle dead in the eyes.

"We have no idea what the status of our forces in the field are at this time. There have been scattered reports from broken battalions and random soldiers from all over this damn place. We are doing our best to organize what firepower we've got down there in order to formulate some kind of strategy against this invasion. These boys and girls simply weren't ready for an assault this big. As for exfiltration... that isn't on your docket, Spartans. I need you there for this purpose and this purpose only. We've got other people working on that. Any more questions?"

[Erik Vale]

Argyle frowns as he thinks to himself.
'Going to wipe out a facility potentially already data-wiped, on foot with a nuke we have to find, instead of orbital bombardment, and no plan for exfiltration or support except what is made on the ground... We really are the sacrificial Spartans... He doesn't want 'Are you Insane?' or 'Were you dropped on the head as a child?' as far as questions go... I'll want the over-shield module.'
Argyle shakes his head, trusting his face to display his thoughts about the plan, even if it only made it to his fellow Spartans. That Valen was here before them meant it likely that some sort of 'all due respecting' had already gone on.

[theskorpionking]

Loki had a smirk on her face. "Sir. Get me the nuke. Get me close enough and there won't be nothin' left for those covie bastards to use." She then beamed a cocky smile to the other Spartans, "Just like that time I took out that covie cruiser."

[DoctorFaust]

"Actually yeah, one more question. Why aren't we just mounting a MAC cannon onto a ship we can afford to lose and hitting it from orbit?"

Volsung bristles up at Loki's statement. "Well that's just dandy for you, isn't it. Not all of us have had the opportunity to just blow up a target with potentially important information aboard like that."

[theskorpionking]

Loki stood up so fast that the chair she was sitting in had fallen backwards. “You’re one of those science types aren’t you? All you seem to care about is potentially important information. Some say that all I care about is the boom, well that ain’t true. I do what I do to save lives, not information. Was I supposed to ask the thousands of evacuee’s if it was okay to let the covies slaughter them just so Oni can get some precious information from their ship. No! Should I have told them that their lives weren’t important? No! The All-Father believes that all lives are important and have meaning no matter how small or insignificant. So yeah, it was dandy for me.”

She quickly realized that her little tirade was a foolish thing to do, then turned to Valen and the Admiral and said, "Please forgive me. My outburst was out of line. You see sirs, I take pride in what I do. And sometimes my pride gets the best of me." She then turned and faced the others, "I also apologize to all of you. I know we've all be through all kinds of Hell. And that we've all lost brothers in arms. I will understand if any of you think very little of me right now and I will not hold it against you." She then picked up her chair and sat back down, her eyes staring intently at the floor.

[Erasmas]

"Because, Lieutenant Colonel R36, we have no ships that we can 'afford to lose'. That blockade is directly over the city, which is precisely where Jericho is situated. There is near constant traffic going to and from the planet. What happens when that ship doesn't have the proper time to fire a MAC round? Or if it misses? Without precision targeting being painted on the ground by our usual guidance methods - there no telling how far off the mark it could land. I, for one, don't want any more civilian casualties than we've already got on our hands planetside. Now, if the two of you...", Harper looked from Volsung to Loki. "... are finished, then we can get this plan underway. Unless, of course, there are any other questions aimed at undermining my tactical approaches."

The Fleet Admiral seemed especially spunky today. Maybe he was still getting used to having coffee in the mornings again, after having been held prisoner. However, the look you all got from Valen told you that any further questions had better be about the mission specifics - of else you were likely to catch hell later.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr stifled a laugh with a fake cough. Excuse me. I do have one question. If we are able to recover the data, and bring it off the planet, would that be of any interest? I can foresee that being an argument later. The merits of keeping sciencetific knowledge versus the risk of our squad being captured or killed and thus losing the data to the enemy.

Also, if there are civilian researchers alive, should we move to rescue them? Covenant torture methods might not work on a hardass like yourself, fleet admiral, but most civilians are much more tender. If the Covenant get their hands on a few of the science types, they might be able to get a decent amount of knowhow outta them. I suppose that was two questions. A third would be, if the Covenant are about to escape with science types, should we prevent their torture by giving them the blessing of a swift and merciful death?

[Erasmas]

Harper listens to Vidarr's inquiries, then responds, "No. All of the intel onsite is either redundant with data at our other facilities or has been backed up elsewhere. Furthermore, I don't want that data walking around Arcadia... just in case something happens and your team becomes compromised. Likewise, this is not a rescue mission - we have other people taking care of that. You are to engage any hostiles that stand in the way of you accomplishing the perimeters of your mission, but that is all. I don't need you going around kicking down as much of the hornet's nest as possible... that's for another day. If you see any high-level clearance ONI personnel begin taken hostage... you have my permission to put them down - both out of respect and to keep what they know a secret. Every last one of them signed on knowing the potential risks of their job."

He then looked around the collective of your fireteam and asked once more.

"You all understand the mission? Anything else?" When no one else spoke up, the Fleet Admiral said simply, "Dismissed."

Valen snapped to attention and saluted Harper, before turning and walking out of the War Room. He headed straight back to your quarters.

[moomoo]

Anex likewise salutes and follows Valen to the quarters with a slight smile on his face.
It was nice to be of use again. He didn't ask a lot of questions because in his mind, the situation on the ground could always turn out differently as expected anyways, as they had encoutered during previous missions.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung stands and salutes, approaching Loki after she does likewise. "Hey, I want to apologize. What I said was stupid and, well, stupid is really the best way to describe it. It's just... we were deployed to a covvie ship for our last mission. Five of us didn't make it back."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr saluted the fleet admiral as he left, and then followed Volsung. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Vidarr was careful to remember that his friend was not wearing his suit, and a rough pat in suit was shattered bones out of suit. As careful as his touch was, his voice was less so; straight forward and impartial. The doctor is a sensitive man; very caring. You'll want him to be the one patching you up, from what I've seen. But he rants a lot, don't you, doc?

Vidarr gave the man another gentle pat before moving to hand to help put his helmet back on. Don't hold it against him too much. He's a good man. Short temper, but very loyal to his comrades in arms. And he's bad a few bad days. Vidarr turned his head to look at Volsung. But seriously, stop snapping at people all the time for coping with things differently than you. It doesn't come across very well the first dozen times.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung snorts and shakes his head. "Yeah, caring and ranting. They're my superpowers."

[theskorpionking]

Loki lets a hint of a smile cross her face, "Yeah? Well mischief and mayhem are mine. For what it's worth, caring isn't a bad thing. I lost a....friend when he had gotten between a Hunter and a baby that it was trying to step on just because it was crying. The fool got the baby away, but he didn't get out of the way of the Hunters foot. It snapped his spine in half, it was up to me to end his suffering. I didn't get much sleep for a few days after that."

[Erasmas]

Valen slowed down a bit and let the rest of the team go on ahead a ways, holding Loki back with him. Once the others were out of earshot, he spoke to her in a lowered tone.

"Listen, I know where you're coming from and all... but you have to understand that you are filling some big boots here. Harper may see us as just numbers and that's fine - for him. That's how this kind of operation works. But to us, those numbers mean something... someone. A brother or sister that has had our back when we needed it, or took a bullet or a grenade that was meant for us instead. I don't get a say about who's put on my fireteam, but that's where my influence begins. I'm sure that if the Fleet Admiral tapped you for this that you're capable for the task... I'm not doubting that. All I'm saying is that you need to be aware of whose place you're taking. Be worthy of your number. We clear?", Valen said, making sure that the new recruit was looking him in the eyes. When she made it known that he was understood, he nodded. "Hooah. Welcome to Eclipse, greenhorn."

Once back in your fireteam's personal quarters, your Commander addressed you collectively.

"Alright, everyone... let's huddle up. I know this isn't the most popular mission plan that we've been handed, but it's got plenty of stuff that'll excite you boys and girls. We're gonna start from the beginning, with all of the details left out by our dear, sweet, man-in-charge. Now, a portion of the fleet is going to engage the split-jaws in orbit outside of Arcadia, directly above the city like Harper said. Here's where the fun starts. We gotta go in hot, so as to avoid detection... super hot. Even the drop pods are big enough and slow enough to alert the planetside atmospheric scanners of any incoming projectiles on entry. So the Dawn Evader is going to fire us out of the MAC cannon... two at a time. Now, this will only be at only 10% power, so relax. However, that is still over 6,000 mph… and we have to be fired close enough to the battle in orbit as to pass as stray munitions fire. We will touch down in the ocean, approximately one klick outside of the city's port. There, hidden far beneath the surface of the water, is a Sting Ray that was dropped in several days ago by our boys dirtside. We recover the Sting Ray and use it to get us to the nearest saltwater filtration hub, which feeds fresh water to the city via a big pipe that runs along the ocean floor. We gain entry into the pipe through the facility, and ride that all the way into Arcadia."

[darklink_shadow]

You let him die in the heat of battle, where adrenaline and honor dull the pain. Much better than forcing him to linger. I need to go and carve some runes into the bullets I'm bringing with me. With any luck, this mission will go smoothly. While there will be a lot more enemy forces, we can avoid them and let the boots already on the ground do most of the grunt work. At least until the bunker is busted... then I'll be aiming to drop all my bullets into the skulls of murderers. Vidarr waved once, and headed back to their own ship, ready to take his knife to the bullets and carve out the tiwaz rune on each of the rounds he'd bring ready for his sniper rifle.

By the time Valen had called them together, Vidarr had already marked the t-like shape into almost half his bullets. He came to the briefing with two bags of bullets, one full of bullets with rune scratched into the lead, and another he fished uncarved bullets from before taking his knife to them and slowly, and silently marking them with the symbol for the God of Heroism and Glory, a recognized symbol of strength and honor in his culture. He didn't even look at the bullets, going off of his sense of touch to bless the lead, while paying close attention to his commanding officer. The plan was simple enough, it even sounded like a bit of fun. Any idea on the pairing?

[Erik Vale]

Argyle looks at Valen like he just said he heard the moon was blue cheese and he planned on eating all of it... This look slowly morphs into one of concentration as he speaks.
"I'm not sure who I wish to submit for psychoannalysis first, you or Harper... Spartans have survived and fought post High orbit drops but... Really we'd be wanting to go solo with reinforced insertion pods if just to equal the normal high orbit drop casualty rate... Preferably while utilising single use overshield modules and modifying our armor for 'Armor Lock' which would limit us tactically, and then..."
Argyle shakes his head.
"Sir, this is the sort of mission they'd send a group of twos for after making absolutely sure they're armor was as reinforced as possible, and still loose one or two on landing with the rest likely injured. If this is the only workable plan it's the only workable plan, but... Well, as much as they may have better planners than Gnomere and I, it sounds like someone's decided it's our turn to go MIA unofficially as well and skipped most of the thinking, especially with our extraction plan currently being titled 'Try your best'."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr waited for Argyle to finish his rant, then listened to Vivian talking in his helmet. We're dropping into water. Our casualty rate will drop sharply. We can expect zero losses if we all enter into deep enough water. Vivian would like to point out that while landing in undisturbed water is nearly as dangerous landing on land, it's easy to disturb the water. Shoot it before you land, and it'll stay disturbed for ... almost a minute based on the salinity of the water we're dropping into.

But, as for extraction, that's clearly not part of the mission. Maybe you forgot, we are soldiers. It's not our lot to die of old age. Besides, being trapped landside will give us plenty of time to settle our debts with the covenant bastards.

[DoctorFaust]

A look of concentration, or what passes for it for Volsung, spreads across the Spartan-III's face. "Well sir, if we have to do this by firing ourselves out of a MAC cannon, I think the teams of two should have redundancies whenever possible. Have at least one tech or demo per group, or the equivalent. And I like the idea of equipping ourselves with armor lock, just in case."

[Erik Vale]

"Vidar, if you would like to shoot down into the water while coming out of the MAC, feel free, but unless your packing a gauss, grenade, grenade launcher or rocket launcher, you're not going to do anything noticeable, and the reduction if you did would be minute if noticeable... We're also going to need to be modifying our armor for Hazmat for the extra air and sealing, just in case anyone gets lost or delayed underwater, so that we don't end up suffocating underwater."

[darklink_shadow]

Man up, soldier. Vidarr replies, with obvious disgust. I'm not sure what sort of faithless coward can stand among the Spartans and accuse his commanding officer of disregarding him as a sacrificial lamb. I've not been here long enough to hold much rank, but since you've clearly disregarded it, so will I.

Our CO has some pretty interesting tattoos. Anyone with an ounce of respect for him, or a dash of wisdom would know better than to act as you are. Valen bears the mark of the fallen, then he is a true leader; if he says go, I will be happy to die under his command, knowing that my life will only be lost if there is no other way. Your leader is a lion; wise and fierce but you quake like a kitten. If you cannot stand tall and proud, trusting in a man who wears every loss on his flesh like a sin he cannot repent, then you are lost; gutless, and a fool. Take a breath, master your fears, and tell me if you honestly cannot say in good faith that your CO has your back.

[Erik Vale]

The look Argyle levels Vidarr with suggests he'd either be about to punch or spit on him, however after grinding his teeth, he speaks.
"Vidarr. Of the original Onyx Wind, there are 3, I am one. I have witnessed each death. My sister, is a Spartan, picked up with me, and I left her when jump was called, disappearing under the guise of a 'training accident'. When jump is called, I will be in the air before you have bent knee. But if I'm told I will be jumping into a wall of hot plasma ahead of time, I'd like to know that it is the best option available before my head dissociates into ions, and if I have the time, I'm going to put my helmet on first. You wish to recede into religion rather than using that grey matter, fine, but the covenants doing that to, and I've already proven I'm better then them."
Argyle speaks calmly and levelly the entire time, and remains staring at Vidarr as he lets the insult sink in.



"Besides, I doubt this is Valens idea, and I expect Harper and those who came up with the plan have been tongue lashed by him already. I'm just doing what I can with what I have, it's no more than what I can do. You would be wise to keep that in mind in the future."

[darklink_shadow]

You're an embarrassment to the uniform. Attack my religion to hide your cowardice all you want. You bring shame to your fallen and your sister too, and nothing you can say can be even slightly as insulting as that fact. At least I act with honor and faith. Be there heavens, hells or anything in between, at least I know I'll have earned my place. And you'll have to deal with the fact you've earned yourself. And if there is no afterlife, I've acted with honor for nothing, and... you'll still be you, and that is a punishment all in it's own right.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle grits his teeth, one may notice he balled a fist mid way through Vidarrs triad. But a moment after he's done, he spits, landing next to Vidarrs boot.
"Just start talking about the Great Journey, and you'll have me wandering if an elite in armor walked into the briefing. Valen, if there's nothing further I'll be in the armoury, I've some adjustments to make."

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung speaks up in the middle of the argument, his voice ringing with anger. "Both of you, stop! You're both way out of line, and considering I'm the goddamn medical officer, I'm going to put you both for either psychiatric leave or one hell of a long time in the brig unless you can cool way the hell down in the next ten seconds. Am. I. Clear?"

[Erik Vale]

Argyles gaze shifts to Volsung with a chuckle.
"I remember you tried that once. Your order held for all of 30 minutes. And you'll note his head is still firmly attached and unbroken, my voice un-raised, and I haven't even slipped into my monotone, coming in or out. Several AI's have probably just lost a credit or two."
With that he shakes his head, eyes retuning to Valen.

[Erasmas]

Valen met Argyle's eyes as they drifted back to him.

"Are you finished?", he asked with a small amount of sting to his tone. He then looked around at the rest of his fireteam, "Are the rest of you finished?"

"I understand that you all may have doubts about this mission, like you probably have about any number of our previous missions. I have my own doubts, but I do what is asked of every soldier - I put my doubts deep inside and I locked it down. Because I don't need it clouding my judgement when the light goes green. Now, I want every single one of you on my team... but if you cannot do this, then I cannot have you on my team. At that point you have become a liability instead of an asset. With what we are asked to do, I don't have room for liabilities. So, liabilities can exit this room and this team right now.", he stood aside, revealing the door behind him. He stood there for several long moments, making the point very clear. When no one took him up on his offer, he lowered his arm and continued.

"The man above us has given this situation no small amount of thought. Does the situation have risk? Hell yes it does; that's why we're the ones given the job. But those risks have been calculated and deemed necessary to accomplish this task. I go to get this thing done and done right. With the obvious exception of Vidarr, your suits are already being augmented to handle the stress of the drop - another calculation. They build these things to take a ballistics round to the chest and keep ticking... I am 100% certain that we will survive being dropped into a puddle. There are apparatuses onboard the Sting Ray that will facilitate the extra breathable air we'll need for that leg of the mission. As for our own Evac, Valkyrie will be handling that. With any luck, our boys in the sky will have the Covenant too busy sweeping up the mess in orbit to pay that much attention to one transport - especially one equipped with stealth tech."

The Commander visibly relaxed. He looked back to Vidarr and Argyle. "I don't need the two of you chewing on each other while we're down there. If one of you gets into a bind, there can't be hesitation from the other to step up. So do whatever you need to in order to get sh!t straight between you before we deploy. And do it somewhere away from me. We got about 9 hours until it's time to suit up. Dismissed."

[theskorpionking]

Loki stands at attention as Valen "talks" to her. She felt her cheeks flush as her CO finished. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Crystal, sir." She saluted then made her way back to the teams quarters. She listened to what Valen had to say, but she had nothing to add. But it seemed that the rest of her new "brothers" had. She listened to the conversation for a bit, when she heard one of them mention being picked up with his sister, it reminded her of what happened when she was "picked up". So, I wasn't the only one grabbed along with their siblings then. Once the commander had finished chewing out the boys and they had been dismissed Loki pushed past them and said, "I've had quite enough of this testosterone fest for tonight." She headed for the showers and once she was sure that no one was around she punched the wall, leaving a nice dent in it. She clenched and unclenched her hand, knowing that it wasn't broken. She turned on the water and let it warm up. "Damn you, Conner." She said quietly.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr shook his head once at Valen. Don't worry commander, I know my place on the battlefield. Honor demands it protect my brothers, even the wayward ones. Moving out of the room, he started subvocally asked Olivia to point him towards where he needs to be to get his suit augmented. Once I drop off my armor, I'll be in my bunk. I've got a few more bullets to carve, and I've got a nap to take.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle nods slightly as he hears of the modifications.
"Don't worry Valen. I don't let down... I'll be in the armoury."

[DoctorFaust]

"No further questions, sir. I'll be in the armory as well." Volsung salutes, turns on his heel, and walks out of their quarters.

[moomoo]

Anex had followed the discussions intently, not wanting to interfere.
After all explanations, he just nodded curtly and went off on his own way.

[theskorpionking]

Loki finished her shower and crawled into her bunk, knowing that whatever sleep she got, it wouldn't be enough.

[Erasmas]

You all spent the remaining hours of your free time however you deemed appropriate. You got little downtime, and it was cherished when you did, but again that sensation of being too still crept into your consciousness. Things were too quiet, too serene, too chaotic in that everyone had separate tasks that they were attending to. You were used to a simple, straightforward goal - a NAV point to lead your way and remove any question about "what's next" from your mind... allowing you to concentrate on the Armageddon unfolding around you almost none stop.

"Excuse me. The fleet is approaching the Arcadian System and will be engaging the enemy blockade in approximately one hour. Fleet Admiral Harper has asked me to make sure that you begin your suiting up processes and prepare yourselves and your ship for departure."

"Alright, Eclipse. Let's get this show on the road!"

You all suit up, the process surprisingly faster here aboard the Prevailing Winds of Fortune... as it seemed as though the UNSC had further developed the technology. You were ready to rock and roll in three-quarters of the normal time, reporting to the hanger that held the Dawn Evader. Once you were all assembled, you climbed onto the ship and got ready to leave once again. Valen had you all assemble in the Cargo Bay as per the usual, and gave you the rundown, his helmet tucked under one arm.

"Listen up. I removed the hatch that will allow us to access the chamber to the Dawn's MAC cannon. We'll each climb in, two at a time, facing one another. Lock your weapons down in a vertical position and put your arms around your partner - I know, I know. But trust me, it's been too long since any one of you has had a hug... so just get over it. There will be a small steel disc beneath your feet; mag-lock to it. On 1 of your countdown, release your magnetic locks and hold on. Once you're free, let go of one another... careful not to push... that'll change your trajectory too much. Small adjustments here, guys - don't over do it. Valkyrie will be firing us from near the back of the fleet, near enough to the ensuing battle that we should be mistaken for stray fire. Watch your heads out there."

The Commander placed his helmet on and sealed it. "I've taken the liberty of assigning partners for this little exercise. O23 and VD47, you're up first... payback for that bullsh!t you pulled earlier, congratulations. R36 and 544, you're second. And that leaves you with me, Rookie. We'll be batting clean-up."

[DoctorFaust]

Freshly showered and fully armored, Volsung salutes in confirmation of the Commander's orders. "Sir."

"Oh, by the way, Loki, I got a chance to look at your dossier, and it looks like you're down a heavy weapon. Want a brute shot?"

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr entered the cargo bay, comfortable inside his suit, and stood silently while Valen spoke. Of all the people to be paired with, Argyle was the one he'd have hoped against, but he already figured this would happen. Don't worry, commander, I'm sure we'll be friends again once we hug it out.

As eager as we was for the heat, and glory of battle, something as minor as who he was going to be shot out of a cannon with seemed fairly unimportant.

[Erasmas]

"Exactly the point, Captain.", Valen retorted, firmly bumping his fist against Vidarr's chest armor.

[moomoo]

Anex salutes.
Let's do this!

[Erik Vale]

"Been a while since I've gotten to make an ODST feel useless. To bad I won't be able to share the recording. Come on Covie, I want to go spend some time in the pool."
Argyle smiles behind his faceplate as he heads out towards the MAC, his armor having some additional reinforcement and missing it's usual jet pack. His Spiker's blade has a thick foam with metal casing seath over it to prevent it from driving into anything.

[Erasmas]

Valykrie appeared nearby. "We have been cleared for take-off, Commander. The forward attack squadrons and their fighters are now engaging the Covenant forces."

"Alright, Val. Take us out. Everyone - lock and load. Hooah!"

The Dawn Evader effortlessly took to the air space within the enormous bay of the Fortune. She turned about and taxied slowly towards the bay door exit, passing through the shield wall and into the black vacuum of space. Somehow, even though you could not see it or hear it, you felt the massive battle that was now ensuing somewhere between you and the planet of Arcadia. Valkyrie automated the boosters on your black ship and moved you out into position at the back of the UNSC Fleet, your cloaking mechanism going active as soon as you were away from the larger ship. Argyle and Vidarr take turns lowering themselves through the opened hatch panel and crawling through a short distance of maintenance access to get into the chamber of the MAC cannon. Once in place, they got into the instructed position and activated the mag-lock in their boots to attach to the steel plate that they placed inside. When they gave the all clear, there was a tense moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity.

And then everything was thrown into blinding motion and temporary confusion. The G-forces were intense, to say the least, and the shot had completely dropped both of the Spartans' shields and shaken their senses a bit. Coming back around, you both found yourselves hurtling towards a blue and green planet... with a lot of debris in your way. This was going to be like threading a needle.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/BattleAboveArcadia_zpse9bad3b6.jpg~original
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/Arcadia-BattleDebris2_zpsc28fa863.jpg~original


Slowly, the ringing in your ears faded and you hear a broadcast, "... read me? C'mon guys... O23? VD47? Can you hear what I'm saying?!"

[darklink_shadow]

I read you commander. The gun is deafening, so all I heard was my call sign. Sheilds were hammered, but ... Vidarr paused, and checked his HUD, but before he was sure everything was fine, Olivia, his suit's "dumb" AI chimed in. There is no damage to Vidarr's suit or my systems, Commander Valen.

Vivian is operating at 100% as well. Came the conformation from the "smart" AI. Everything is nominal. Shields look to be fully recharged before impact. We're approaching a rather large debris cloud however. Even so, the water's lovely, come and join us.

[Erik Vale]

"Bloods returning from my head commander. Shield was temporarily overloaded but I'm otherwise fine."
"I remain active."
"I am active... And hoping we can avoid all the micro-debre, looking through this spot looks like a good one if you wish to resemble a brute who charged a machine gun."
"Mhmm. Ok, Gnomere I want you marking little bits, Iaoch if I f*ck up you've got secondaries, remember to activate the oversheild module before we land..."


Because I can't find the colour any more, Gnomere speaks in Light Salmon... Unless someone else already has it.

[theskorpionking]

Loki accepts the gun and says, "Uh...thanks." She felt weird for taking it, but she wasn't sure why. It was just a gun and he was just being nice. It means nothing she mentally told herself. She wasn't used to these people yet or they weren't used to her, she had been bounced around from unit to unit, trying to find where she belonged. It tugged at memories from her early childhood that she tried to keep buried. For reasons that she couldn't understand the one named Vidarr reminded her of someone she once knew, but she couldn't quite place it.

Once they reached their destination Loki watched in amazement when the first two members of her new squad were jettisoned. "May the All-Father watch over you." She said, not sure if they would even hear it. She held her breath while they waited for Vidarr and Argyle to respond, then let it go when she heard that they had arrived. Knowing that they were able to survive meant that she sure as hell was gonna survive it too.

[Erasmas]

As Argyle and Vidarr come back to and release their boots' maglock attachments to the metal plate, they release one another and prepare to entire the debris field as now separate entities. Once the responded to Valen's broadcast, an audible exhale could be heard from his comms, "Good, good to hear. Keep us up on what's going on, and let us know once you splash down. Loading the second round now!"

The Commander gave the go-ahead for Anex and Volsung to make their way into the MAC chamber. Valen parted ways with them by patting them both on the backs.

"Luck in battle, boys."

[moomoo]

Thank you sir, see you soon.
Anex replies as he goes in and puts himself in the assigned position.
He nods to Volsung as the doors close.
Safe trip, brother.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung crawls in behind Anex, slipping the magnum he grabbed onto his hip mag plate. "Safe trip to you as well, brother," he replies as he slips his arms around the other SPARTAN.

"Aww, look, they really do love..."

"Electromagnets, Rho. Remember those?" He snorts and shakes his head. "Ready and waiting, Commander, irrespective of what my AI might say."

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

You enter the debris field at breakneck speed, with only the briefest of thoughts allowed to be applied to how much damage had been done already by the silently raging battle that was taking place off to your left and below you. You watched as a Covenant cruiser split in two, it's plasma reactor going critical and bursting with an enormous sphere of blue energy. For a moment, this distracted you... and it almost cost you dearly. As you pull your attention away from the carnage, where they lingered but for a fraction of a second, you both find yourselves on a collision course with a tumbling Sabre tangled up in some unidentifiable purple wreckage. At the last moment, you both make minor corrections in your body positions and narrowly miss the fatal impact, threading yourselves through gaps within the bulk of it.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Two

Now it was Volsung and Anex's turn. They too lower themselves into the hatch panel and make their way the short distance to the chamber of the MAC cannon. Situating yourselves in place, you readied your mind and body for what you assumed was about to happen. Activating the mag-locks in your boots, you attach the steel plate you had been given to act as a wadding, of sorts. When you were ready, you gave the all clear and waited.

The first instant seemed to take forever, but it was thrown into sharp contrast in the very next instant. Everything was suddenly blurring past you and there was a moment of confusion, as you attempted to get your bearings. The G-forces pulling at you were extreme and the first thing you noticed was that your shields had entirely depleted. As you regain your senses, you both found yourselves rocketing towards a blue and green planet. The second thing you notice is that there is a massive amount of debris between you and your destination.

The ringing in your ears finally went away, and you hear Valen's voice, "... still with us? R36? 544?"

[moomoo]

Hnnnngg, 544 is here, it seems we're on route, but we're not safe yet, there's a lot of things we can hit on our way down here.
Anex says as he looks around and assesses the situation.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsungs transmission is broken up by static, but the message itself is clear enough. "Shields...down...still...alive"

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

You continue to pass through twisted and smoldering wreckage - most of it laced with either the orange-yellow of molten metal and the brilliant-blue of plasma burn. Short-lived fires burned up the oxygen reserves held within the pieces that they clung to, quickly snuffing themselves out with their own devouring appetites. You passed through a cloud of Grunt parts, finding it difficult to even tell how many there had once been. Legs, masked heads still attached by the hoses of their tanks, arms still clutching weapons, and a feint bright blue mist made up of tiny droplets of their blood. You casually, some might say callously, reach up a free finger and wipe your visor clear.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Two

While Anex is getting his bearings, he doesn't see a stray computer terminal from a UNSC ship, and plows right through it. Normally, his shields would've absorbed that kind of impact... but since they were down from the initial shot out of the cannon, he was just left with the raw protective nature of his Mjolnir armor.

Volsung meanwhile, had seen the piece and corrected his trajectory well ahead of it, with nothing but a few sparks from the thing making contact with him. Luckily, he was also able to make his way back to Anex and give the Major a hand in getting back on target towards their objective.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Three

"Alright, rookie. Our turn. I'll go in first; you right behind me.", and with that, Valen disappeared through the opened hatch. Once you followed, you crawled into the small space, visor to visor with the Commander. You both set and locked your boots onto he steel plate beneath you and wrapped your arms around one another. He gave Valkyrie the all clear and before you knew it, everything became a blur.

After a moment of... you weren't sure how long... you came back around. Shields were down, in accordance to what the others had said, and there was a huge debris field ahead of you. Behind that, you saw the familiar sight of Arcadia, glistening blue and green.

"Ugh... whoa... Eclipse One, we are away. Repeat, Fireteam Eclipse is away."

"Roger that, One. Heads up out there."


[roll0] (Damage to Anex)

[DoctorFaust]

Moving with uncharacteristic grace, Volsung carefully guides Anex back onto the proper trajectory. He reaches out, moving his body as little as possible, and taps the other Spartan on the visor. "Anex, you good? Still conscious?"

[moomoo]

Whoa, f*ck, what was that? Thanks man!
Anex comes back to his senses and starts looking around if there is any more space garbage between him and the planet.

[DoctorFaust]

"A computer rose up, and took its just revenge on its human overlords. Good to see you're okay."

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

Getting the hang of things, Arygle and Vidarr zip through the last of the debris, making it through some more tricky spots with relative ease. With nothing truly troublesome remaining between yourselves and Arcadia, you pointed directly at the NAV point indicated on your HUDs and let the momentum do the rest. With your shields fully back online, the entry into the atmosphere is uncomfortable, but bearable. Your suits' external temperature readouts spiked somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 degrees Celsius. Before long, your broke through the upper cloud cover and could see the city of Arcadia to the northwest of your current marker. Plumes of smoke, still small from this distance rose up into the air above parts of the city proper... indications of the trouble already present down there.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/Arcadia-OrbitalView_zps2100f117.jpg~original



>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Two

You continue to rocket your way through wreckage of multiple ships from both sides of the conflict. Short-lived fires burned up the oxygen reserves held within the pieces that they clung to, quickly snuffing themselves out with their own devouring appetites. You passed through a cloud of Grunt parts, finding it difficult to even tell how many there had once been. Legs, masked heads still attached by the hoses of their tanks, arms still clutching weapons, and a feint bright blue mist made up of tiny droplets of their blood. You casually, some might say callously, reach up a free finger and wipe your visor clear.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Three

While Loki is trying to get the hang of how to make corrections and keep them small, she over-corrects and bumps into Valen. The impact, however small, sends both of them off-course, putting them on a direct collision path with a thin piece of Covenant plating. The Commander barely missing the edge of the purple piece, but Loki punches straight through it. Normally, her shields would've absorbed that kind of impact... but since they were down from the initial shot out of the cannon, she was just left with the raw protective nature of her Mjolnir armor.


[roll0] (Damage to Loki)

[moomoo]

I never trusted these pesky pc's.
Anex replies with a chuckle.

Looks like someone did a good job over here.
He adds, pointing to the Brute parts floating around.

[Erik Vale]

"Linkin- Loki? Valen? You two ok?"
Argyles eye's flicker to his fellows suit monitors when he notices Loki's flicker. Meanwhile a small square on the top of your HUD reveals Argyle's view of the ground.

[theskorpionking]

During the beginning of her training to become a Spartan, Loki had done research on her own name. All that she really remembered about it was when she was given it, she was told that mischievous. She had learned a lot about the trickster god Loki. She even learned that there was a religion devoted to the Norse gods. She followed that religion, but not too closely. She held on to certain aspects of it. The one dearest to her was the idea of Valhalla. Once she had seen that she wasn't going to miss the plating she thought to herself, I'm coming home, Conner. But as she burst through it, she let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. When Loki heard Argyles voice over her comm she said, "Okay? Okay isn't a word I'd use." Evidently, today wasn't a good day to die.

[Erik Vale]

"Vidar, let me know before I hit anything."
Argyle speaks to himself for a moment, basically erasing his HUD for a moment to look at Loki's suit readouts.
"Well your suits not ruptured... No major injuries are registered by your suit... I think I'd use okay for now, just try not to hit anything other than the planet as you continue on your way down and I'll take a look at you once we've landed. Reseting my HUD."
Argyle's HUD promptly returns to normal, allowing him to see out of it again as he turns his gaze again to the planet.

[DoctorFaust]

"Yep. Maybe we should take to carrying computers instead of guns. They would probably jam less."

Volsung whips his head around when he hears Loki and Argyle's transmissions. "What the hell happened? If it's serious, I should probably be the one looking, not Argyle."

[Erik Vale]

Argyle rolls his eyes, speaking into his helmet. Some is unpleasentness, some is checking suit augmentations, some is sending Loki's armor read outs to Volsungs HUD.
"Only thing I can think of is that she may need more help post landing. See anything you don't like Volsung?"

[theskorpionking]

Loki wasn't thrilled with the conversation going on, especially since it was about her. "Listen here, egghead. The only thing I'm gonna need help with post landing is which orifice I'm gonna stick your AI in."

[Erik Vale]

A sigh comes over the comms.
"Here I was hoping we'd get some well behaved support. It seems I was tricked."
Gnomere snorts. "That was bad... And take note, Iaoch is hard-wired in as silly an idea as that is and I'm already in a orifice under the suit, so you may wish to spend more effort on swimming over trying to get to one of us."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr chuckled, then cut his comm for a few moments before turning it back on. I don't think the lady likes being talked about like she's a vehicle in need of repair. I'm on the same boat. I'll tell the doctor when I need stitched up, either by being unconscious and bleeding, or speaking to him directly. A pause, and then He means well, Loki, don't be damaging quality AIs on his behalf.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung blushes crimson under his helmet. "Argyle, if you keep ribbing me, I swear to god, I'll just stop treating you. Loki, when a medic hears the statement 'major injuries', he is immediately concerned. That was not meant to be an insult to you. And if you'll excuse me, this planet is approaching rather fast now, and I think I'll concentrate on not falling into anything solid."

[Erik Vale]

"I wasn't. If I was ribbing you, you would have gotten nude pics, but yes, gazes down."
Argyle smiles as he turns his head back down, camera feeding his viewpoint to the other teams.

[theskorpionking]

Loki, being an individual that can't easily let things go said, "Oh you're funny. It's not like I haven't heard that a million times before." She listens to what Argyle's AI unit had to say the issued her response, "Hardwire don't mean a thing to me. If I want ya, I'll get ya. And I wasn't talking about the suit when I said I'd stick you in an orifice. I was talking about somewhere the sun don't shine, if ya take my meaning." After Vidarr's little speech, Loki smiled a little, "You call that a quality AI?"

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr chuckled, enjoying the banter quite a bit. I suppose not, but he has another AI, and that one is pretty good, if I remember correctly. Remind me not to upset you, Ms. Loki. Oh, the water is getting awfully close now. It looks like there are a few boats, or something.

Vivian chimed in: Hey, Vidarr, don't go complimenting other people's AI when yours is right here!

Vidarr laughed again. No one can hold an LED to you, Vivian, don't worry.

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

The elevation counter, which had activated the moment you had breached atmo, continued to rapidly diminish as you rocketed towards the blue water below. With impact imminent, you prepared yourself the best that you could for the inevitable plunge. About the time that you realized that you were holding your breath, you made splash down - a sharp sudden shift in speed and the senses. When you finally felt comfortable to move about and the myriad of tiny bubbles had mostly cleared out from around you, the counter read out at -42 meters. Looking about, you saw your NAV marker a mere 29 meters away, where you could barely make out a dark shape beneath the blue-green void between you.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Two

Getting the hang of things, Volsung and Anex zip through the last of the debris, making it through some more tricky spots with relative ease. With nothing truly troublesome remaining between yourselves and Arcadia, you pointed directly at the NAV point indicated on your HUDs and let the momentum do the rest. With your shields fully back online, the entry into the atmosphere is uncomfortable, but bearable. Your suits' external temperature readouts spiked somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 degrees Celsius. Before long, your broke through the upper cloud cover and could see the city of Arcadia to the northwest of your current marker. Plumes of smoke, still small from this distance rose up into the air above parts of the city proper... indications of the trouble already present down there.


[roll0] (Damage, if either should fail.)



>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Three

You continue to rocket your way through wreckage of multiple ships from both sides of the conflict. Short-lived fires burned up the oxygen reserves held within the pieces that they clung to, quickly snuffing themselves out with their own devouring appetites. You passed through a cloud of Grunt parts, finding it difficult to even tell how many there had once been. Legs, masked heads still attached by the hoses of their tanks, arms still clutching weapons, and a feint bright blue mist made up of tiny droplets of their blood. You casually, some might say callously, reach up a free finger and wipe your visor clear.

"Can it, Eclipse. I've got enough to handle here, playing the part of a bullet aimed at a planet.", you all recalled that your Commander was not keen on flying... so this was likely next to his least favorite scenario. "The only orifices that I want any of you concerned with are the ones of your own that should be puckered up right about now. That and the artificial ones we'll be giving to the Covenant clowns that have decided to move into this neighborhood."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr trudged towards his destination. He called over the comm Touched down. Moving to the destination.

[Erik Vale]

"Splash down... Distance to Nav-Point 29 metres, no injuries." Argyle speaks in his monotone as he quickly begins swimming for the marker.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung bursts through the final layer of clouds, the heat beginning to burn away his shields. "Approaching terminal velocity," he manages to mutter through clenched teeth. "It looks like the fighting is spreading faster than we thought. Can already see smoke over the downtown."

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

You continued to sink as you swam your way towards the NAV point and the dark shape in the near distance. Signs of strange aquatic life came in and out of your vision - seemingly curious about the newest additions to their environment. Within mere moments, you were able to make out the UNSC Sting Ray sitting idly before you. It was about the same size as a Hornet and this one had been outfitted with a large container beneath it - which looked like it was probably a buoyancy device to counteract the weight of your fireteam's collective armor. It had twin propellers mounted near the rear that could pivot for ascending and descending rapidly. The middle segment panel, when activated, would slide up and open to reveal the interior of the vessel; however, this was an "open water" craft and was not designed to seal itself off from the surrounding water. It was operated from a single seat situated at the front, with the capability of sitting six additional passengers aside from the pilot. Furthermore, the top was design with handles to facilitate another four passengers - there would be no shortage of room for your team.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/UNSCStingRaywithBouyancyDevice_zps1824a600.jpg~ori ginal



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Firedteam Two

The elevation counter, which had activated the moment you had breached atmo, continued to rapidly diminish as you rocketed towards the blue water below. With impact imminent, you prepared yourself the best that you could for the inevitable plunge. About the time that you realized that you were holding your breath, you made splash down - a sharp sudden shift in speed and the senses. When you finally felt comfortable to move about and the myriad of tiny bubbles had mostly cleared out from around you, the counter read out at -42 meters. Looking about, you saw your NAV marker a mere 33 meters away, where you could barely make out a dark shape beneath the blue-green void between you. And between you and that dark shape, you could make out the suit lights and silhouettes of Vidarr and Argyle swimming away.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Three

Getting the hang of things, Loki zips through the last of the debris, making it through some more tricky spots with relative ease. Valen, while trying to thread his way through a tighter spot in the debris, misjudges how much spin the cluster of objects had and careens into a jutting section of I-beam. Immediately he comes off course, by more than a small amount. Luckily, his shields absorbed the brunt of the damage, but it could still be problematic. He activates the jump jets on his shoulder and gets himself pointed back in more or less the right direction, though it would be unlikely that he will make the exact landing designation.

With nothing truly troublesome remaining between Loki and Arcadia, you pointed directly at the NAV point indicated on your HUD and let the momentum do the rest. With your shields fully back online, the entry into the atmosphere is uncomfortable, but bearable. Your suits' external temperature readout spiked somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 degrees Celsius. Before long, you broke through the upper cloud cover and could see the city of Arcadia to the northwest of your current marker. Plumes of smoke, still small from this distance rose up into the air above parts of the city proper... indications of the trouble already present down there.


[roll0] (Damage, if either should fail.)

[theskorpionking]

"Oh no." Loki says in a barely audible whisper.

[moomoo]

So far, so good.
Anex mumbles as he recovers from the impact.
He then starts to swim after the others.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr stopped just before the vehicle. Do you want to drive, or should I? He asked Argyle. Though, I'm not sure that this thing won't get flooded once we start getting inside. Commander, is this vehicle safe to enter without damaging it, or are there some protocols to getting inside? I don't want to fry the electronics.

[Erik Vale]

"Sting ray sighted, boarding."

[Erasmas]

Firedteam One

"It should be fine - the Sting Ray is designed to operate underwater and the interior area is intended to be loaded and off-loaded while submerged. You guys might have to pick me up."


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Two

You continued to sink as you swam your way towards the NAV point and the dark shape in the near distance, following Argyle and Vidarr. Signs of strange aquatic life came in and out of your vision - seemingly curious about the newest additions to their environment. Within mere moments, you were able to make out the UNSC Sting Ray sitting idly before you. It was about the same size as a Hornet and this one had been outfitted with a large container beneath it - which looked like it was probably a buoyancy device to counteract the weight of your fireteam's collective armor. It had twin propellers mounted near the rear that could pivot for ascending and descending rapidly. The middle segment panel, when activated, would slide up and open to reveal the interior of the vessel; however, this was an "open water" craft and was not designed to seal itself off from the surrounding water. It was operated from a single seat situated at the front, with the capability of sitting six additional passengers aside from the pilot. Furthermore, the top was design with handles to facilitate another four passengers - there would be no shortage of room for your team.


>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<
Firedteam Three

The elevation counter, which had activated the moment you had breached atmo, continued to rapidly diminish as you rocketed towards the blue water below. With impact imminent, you prepared yourself the best that you could for the inevitable plunge. About the time that you realized that you were holding your breath, you made splash down - a sharp sudden shift in speed and the senses. When you finally felt comfortable to move about and the myriad of tiny bubbles had mostly cleared out from around you, the counter read out at -42 meters. Looking about, you saw your NAV marker a mere 38 meters away, where you could barely make out a dark shape beneath the blue-green void between you. And between you and that dark shape, you could make out the suit lights and silhouettes of Anex, Argyle, Vidarr, and Volsung swimming away.

Valen, you could see, had splashed down nearly 100 meters from your position... the result of having been knocked off course in the last bit of debris.

[DoctorFaust]

"We all good?"

[Erik Vale]

"One would assume so."
Argyle finally opens the hatch, making his way to the cockpit and getting into the drivers seat, checking the various systems as he waits for the others to land.

[darklink_shadow]

Not so chatty huh? Vidarr said with a half-hearted chuckle. We'll come pick you up once you splash down, Commander. Argyle is driving. Vidarr climbed inside, seating himself near the entrance, ready to help the other get inside easily.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung climbs in behind Vidarr, waving away his offer of help. "If we have to go and pick up the CO, we should probably do it before he catches cold."

[Erasmas]

"Affirmative. We've all splashed down, though I am far from on target... about 120 meters or so. Definitely will need that ride sooner rather than later - I'm dropping in depth here.", came the broadcast from Valen.

Argyle fiddled with the control panel, familiarizing himself with the finer details.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/UNSCStingRayControlPanel2_zps5391e092.jpg~original


The other five of you load up into the Sting Ray with ease, Loki approaching last and climbing in. Once you were all situated, Argyle found the controls for the propellers and fired them up. Soon, a swirling trail of bubbles emanated from the twin devices and you were making headway towards where V21's callsign appeared on your HUDs. Within mere moments, descending slightly on your approach, you managed to collect your Commander and set your course for NAV Point Bravo. As you churned your way towards your next objective, you could all notice a shadow pass by overhead, above the surface of the water. It looked like it could definitely be a Covenant scouting vehicle, maybe investigating your drop. Whatever it was, however, didn't hang around long and was soon gone.

As you dive lower, eventually reaching the sea floor of the bay at around -100 meters or so, Valen chimes in, "Alright, when we get to the saltwater filtration station, we'll be coming up inside of some sort of docking bay that's usually used by the maintenance crews. Once we get inside, we need to find the main pipeline that runs back towards the city after the filtration mechanics. It's gonna be a long swim, but we should be fine."

[Erik Vale]

Argyle nods as he accepts the directions.

[DoctorFaust]

"Oh, wonderful. Not only do we have to swim in these half-ton suits, but we have to do so in a goddamn pipe. Whatever will the tactical geniuses in ONI think up next?"

[moomoo]

Anex chuckles at the remark.
Just another day at the office. Getting shot out of a spaceship and a bit of swimming. We will get to the 'shoot the covvies' part soon I guess.

[Erasmas]

"Maybe we could look into getting you a job there, Three. How's about a nice cushy job at a desk, with a nice bright screen that you can tap away at all day long?", Valen ribbed Volsung as a counter to the Lieutenant Colonel's complaints.

You continued onward, closing the distance to your next objective as a large boxy shape began to appear through the murky dark blue of the water. Within the 150 meter mark, you could tell that it was definitely a building, with a large pipeline that jutted out away from it towards the mainland.

"We enter it from underneath.", the Commander instructed Argyle. Diving a bit lower and slowing your speed to a near crawl, you passed beneath the edge of the raised structure and could see a place where the water formed a surface - its silvery reflection looking almost like mercury gathered in a rectangular depression in the bottom of this place. "Alright, open the hatch. Weapons at the ready... just in case."

He then assisted in sliding open the top hatch and readied his silenced SMG, taking a knee near one of the gunwales so that just his head and shoulders stuck up above the outer wall of the vehicle's interior. O23 put the Sting Ray straight into the area below the bay and slowly ascended the short distance until you breached the water's surface. You found yourselves in a descent-sized room with four mechanized arms towering above the sides of the pool at the room's center - where you now were. The soft purring of machines and pumps was somewhat muffled here, the cascades and drippings of water from you and your ship much much louder as they echoed off of the walls of this concrete box.

Despite your Commander's caution, the room appeared to be entirely empty.

"Alright, everyone out. Let's move.", Valen said as he climbed over the gunwale and and onto the docking platform that was closer to the water's surface. He kept his gun trained towards the two doors that seemed to lead out of this space, both in the direction of a steel staircase that led up to the floor level of the rest of the room.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/FiltrationStation3_zps3f1f83ae.jpg~original

[theskorpionking]

Loki hated the silence. "I've got a bad feeling about this." She mutters to herself.

[Erik Vale]

"... Permission to shoot E57?"
Argyle sets the Sting Ray to hold it's position long enough for everyone to get out, before sinking to the bottom. When he disembarks, it's with his spiker ready.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr pulled out his battle rifle, and stepped out, sweeping it's muzzle from side to side, checking the room thrice over. I've got a good feeling, though, Loki, so I'm sure it balances out.

[Erasmas]

"Denied... obviously.", came Valen's reply, which indicated that he was at least somewhat comfortable with the present situation. If he wasn't, the Commander rarely went along with a joke, even in the slightest. He rolled his right forearm towards his face, checking the data on his UGPS, and then motioned for you all to move forward - towards the smaller of the two doors, one that led off to the right. Your team stacked up, two watching the other door as a rear guard while the rest made to move into whatever lay beyond that indicated door. However, when V21 attempted to activate the door control panel, the panel beeped on him and a little red light blinked illuminated the letters 'ACCESS DENIED - NON-AUTHORIZED CLEARANCE'.

"Somebody do something about that lock, if you'd please."

[Erik Vale]

Argyle quickly moves up, quietly going about his job.


Argyle: [roll0]
Gnomere Assist: [roll1] Note: Natural 20, +10
Iaoch Assist [roll2]

Total: 48

[Erasmas]

Argyle barely even touches the control panel; he doesn't even have to pull the front off of the thing... and it little red light changes to a little green one. The display reads - 'ACCESS GRANTED' - and the door opens with a near-silent hiss. In the space beyond, the thrumming pulse of bass resonates to your very core - indicative of the massive machines in this small complex that pumped untold volumes of seawater through what was likely a complex filtration process, and ultimately on to the city of Arcadia. What was even more somewhat surprising was that everywhere you looked, the signage all denoted this complex as 'Station 8'... which meant that there were at least seven others that were probably just like it.

Your fireteam moved out of the docking bay area and into the corridor on the other side of the now unlocked door. You could tell by the slight fog that was forming at the edges of your visor that the air down here was incredibly humid, but luckily the systems of your Mjolnir armor kept minor issues like that from becoming major issues. You scanned the area with your eyes, the six of you moving in a leapfrog style pattern of coverage... moving from cover to cover in sets of two while the other four watched ahead. Soft dim lighting illuminated the various spaces down here, many of the surfaces of which were rife with corrosion, likely due to the high salinity of the air.

As you moved forward, there was still no sign that anyone else was home - friend or foe.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/FiltrationStation1_zpsf0c76f61.jpg~original

[DoctorFaust]

After a few minutes of silence moving down the tunnel, Volsung speaks up. "This is probably the last thing any of you want to hear, but I'm starting to agree with Loki. It is way too quiet in here."

[darklink_shadow]

It's too quiet? I think the ambiance is nice. The gentle hum of machines working away at their jobs... it's a nice prelude to the gunfire when we are ambushed. Vidarr says, keeping his gun ready for said ambush. But in all seriousness... there is nothing of value here. It was probably abandoned by its defenses, captured by the covenant, and then abandoned by the covenant as worthless. Were it not for the pipes granting us silent access, I don't think we'd be much interested in such a boring place.

[Erik Vale]

"Don't be sure this place is abandoned, this unit wasn't able to attempt to open the door before it did so. Best case scenario, the AI for the city is still active, but that is not the scenario the unit should be planning for." Argyle's voice has switched back into the monotone third person that indicates his rather stressed.

[theskorpionking]

Loki was glad that her helmet had hid her smile. "My first commander told me to always plan for the worst case. Because the first time you think you're safe, you're dead." She smiled again, she had really liked Commander Davis.

[Erasmas]

Valen said coolly, "Well, we weren't expecting any real resistance here. It's a minor utility facility, and with it being this deep underwater, ONI assessed it to be the best approach. So, I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the lack of a welcoming committee. But even still, like the lady said - not being surprised in better than the alternative."

Eclipse continued to move forward as a unit, sweeping all of the corners and possible little hidey-holes that someone might be settled in - all without any result. You passed a handful of other doors that led to who knows where else, but your Commander waved you past them, checking his UGPS occasionally. As you moved deeper into the complex, the whirring and humming grew more intense. Eventually, you came into a larger area, which seemed to house several of the large pumps and filters. They then all fed into one pipe near the back of the room, before it disappeared into the steel wall next to it. Through another door, you found a much smaller space, a room maybe 10 meters square, that was dominated by more of the pipeline on one side of the space. It was here that Valen finally came to a stop.

"Alright, this is where we make our hole. All of us have to pile up in this room and shut that door.", he indicated the only portal in or out of this room. "E57, use a shaped charge on the pipe big enough for each of us to fit through one at a time. Once she does that, this room is gonna fill up, probably pretty quickly. Find something to hold on to and wait until this room fills up - then the outward pressure should subside and then in we go. From there, it's a straight shot without any detours. Now, according to the plans that I was given, Station 8 will put us at a pump station located at the Rylack Corporation Loading Docks. From there, we are going to commandeer a vehicle that will help us keep a low profile. We then make the journey of about 4 klicks to the UNSC base, where we will acquire the Horn of Jericho. Everybody on the same page?"



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/FiltrationStation2_zps92bae334.jpg~original

[Erik Vale]

"Objectives noted."
Argyle backs away from the chosen detonation sight, finding something to hold onto that he thinks could support one ton of spartan.

[darklink_shadow]

Roger, Wilco. Vidarr said, and turned to train his gun at the potential entrances the covenant might use to investigate the sounds of explosions, and surging water.

[moomoo]

Anex nods and takes his own place while the charge is being placed.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung nods, mutters, "Yes sir," and moves to grab onto something that could support his weight.

[theskorpionking]

"Roger that sir." Loki says as she grabs the charge. She places the charge and backs away, finding cover. "Hang on to your butts." She says calmly as she hits the detonator.

[Erasmas]

You all find an out-of-the-way place to hunker down and grab a hold of some structurally sound anchor or another. He preps yourselves and make sure that your O2 levels are maxed out while the new recruit places her charge upon the large pipe. Once it was in place, Loki too finds herself a safe place to locate for the impending flood.

Once it was all clear, E57 blew the charge. There was a brief instant of quiet and then it detonated - neatly collapsed in a portion of the of steel pipe roughly a meter and a half square. Immediately, water began rushing out of the newly-formed hole in a jetstream-like column, slamming into the wall opposite of the hole and cascading onto the floor. After fighting against the initial deluge that threatened to sweep you all off of your feet, you held fast as the small room quickly began to fill with water. You all held on tightly against the enormous strength of the water that continued to assault you in an attempt to twirl you about this small box. Somewhere, a feint alarm sounded - likely due to the sudden drop in pressure in the line. However, once the water level had risen to that of the hole and covered it, the alarm seemed to have stopped. Within less than a minute, the room was entirely filled and the current within the room changed noticeably... now more of a gently sway this way and that as opposed to a typhoon-force to be reckoned with.

"Alright, everybody in. Next stop... Arcadia.", your Commander said as he walked over from his anchoring point and half climbed, half swam into the hole in the pipeline. Head first, he leveled out as best as his heavy armor allowed him to, and began moving his way forward and away from Station 8.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr nearly lost his balance, and his grip, but just as he thought he might need to drop his gun to grab on with a second hand, the violent flow calmed down. Seeing his Commander enter the pipe, he followed after him quickly, walking a little behind and to the right, pointing his gun down the path they were planning to take. While there might be nothing to shoot in this pipe, he was ready to shoot it anyways.

[Erasmas]

The swim took nearly half-an-hour, moving forward at a pretty quick pace... at least so far as a suit of Mjolnir armor could make its way through a seven-foot diameter pipe that was filled with water. On the plus side, the rushing pressure from behind sped you along much quicker than had you made the journey on your own. Still, after that long more or less trapped inside of a long dark tube was enough to make almost anyone crack. Luckily, your training was extensive and it applied to fitness of not just the body... but of the mind as well.

You were unceremoniously dumped into a large storage tank, where the water became turbulent once more. At the tank's bottom, there was a large grate... which appeared to lead into yet another filter before heading on to somewhere else. However, it was here that you were to get "out of the bath" as it were. Valen broadcast, "Aright. Our exit is that hatch up there.", he said, indicating a closed portal at the top of the tank, about a foot above the water's surface.

"We're blind coming out of this tank, as we have no idea who may or may not be inside of this facility. The last intel showed that the Covies had at least been inside the building. Be careful."

[darklink_shadow]

Would you like me to take point, sir? I was plucked from the recon corps, after all. Vidarr asked, placing his rifle on his back to free his hands.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle walks to under the hatch. His helmet glows a moment.
"Assuming we don't want to blow it and go loud as one, you'll need a boost. However I believe 523 would be more suited here."
Strangely enough, Argyle is less stressed now, but he's low on inflection.

[moomoo]

I can move in under camouflage and scout the situation.
Anex suggested.

[DoctorFaust]

"Then that's what we'll do." Still slightly out of breath from the fast pace of the swim, Volsung returns his rifle to his back, moves to the side of the hatch, and prepares to give whoever decides to climb out first a leg up.

[theskorpionking]

Loki looks up to where the commander had motioned. She listened to the others talk amongst themselves before talking. "Please tell me that none of you expect this to be a ladies first kind of thing."

[Erasmas]

"I see no ladies here... I only see Spartans.", Valen says as he too moves into position to help lift other fireteam members into better position.

"Four, you'll go first. Activate your camo once you open the hatch and then take a peek outside. Once we're sure it's clear... out you go. Establish a perimeter in the immediate area. Eight, you're next; set up shop onto top of the tank and the two of you will cover the rest of us as we climb out of here. O23, you've got the jets... so that makes you last. I will stay up top and help you out of the hole."

[DoctorFaust]

"It's only ladies first if you're the pointman, Five. Or pointwoman, I guess."

[moomoo]

With the help of his teammates, Anex gets up to the hatch.
Before opening, he puts on his camera feed.
Ready to move in.
He broadcasts as he opens the hatch to go inside.
Immediately as it opens, he goes into active camo and goes inside.

[Erik Vale]

"Incorrect. But I've always been able to jump further than anyone else."
Argyle prepares to help Anex up, then assists in holding him up while he opens the hatch.

[darklink_shadow]

As soon as Anex is up, Vidarr gets his way up there, activating his own camo as he climbs up. Once above ground, Vidarr keeps a sharp eye out for enemies, and moves to find some high ground to set up on.



I'll draw my battle rifle, and then make some spot checks.
[roll0] Spot
[roll1] Spot
[roll2] Spot

Or however many are needed to look around the place.

[Erasmas]

Anex was hoisted up by the others and, broadcasting his visuals to the rest of the Fireteam, he opened the hatch. Immediately hitting his Active Camo, the interior air space at the top of the tank was momentarily filled with a static pop as the armor ability became operational. Slowly swinging the hatch cover back, Spartan 544 lifted himself the rest of the way out of the water reservoir. Looking about, he found himself in a large industrial type room, filled with all manner of unidentifiable panels, pipes, and mechanisms. However, he saw no sign of anything living... enemy or otherwise. And aside from the humming and whirring of all of the nearby machines... it was quiet too.

Climbing out, he makes his way down to the floor below, water coursing off of his armor as he went. Vidarr went out next, likewise invisible, and situated himself in a nearby rafter that the tank was secured to. VD47 likewise saw no sign of movement anywhere within the immediate space. One by one, the rest of the team ascended out of the watery holding tank. At last, Argyle was helped out and Valen closed the hatch behind you. Once you were all out, you made your way into a smaller room that was just off of the main area, this one with a large plate window that looked out onto the Loading Docks outside.

Cautiously, several of you moved up and took a leaning peek out of the window, taking in the surrounding area. You saw four Covenant stationed as sentries at some of the higher points and there definitely was some movement here on ground level, shadows passing amongst the large crates scattered here and there.


This is what it looks like, more or less.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/Arcadia-LoadingDock_zps264b6a34.jpg~original

And this is the map that we will be using for the next part.
:smallbiggrin:
You will be entering from the bottom right corner. The armored transport that you are commandeering is in the upper left corner.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/Battle-LoadingDock_zps391a023b.jpg~original

[theskorpionking]

"I don't like this. It doesn't feel right" She whispered, not sure why she did it. She was used to being the last person called in. She was used to being noisy. She wasn't used to all this sneaking around. She grabbed her DMR and made sure it was locked and loaded.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr made a hand gesture that Vivian would understand. Into each suit, the AI chirped: Four marks spotted. Moving in to a hidden position while active camo is up. Painting a target. I will fire on the signal.

Assuming I understand correctly, I will move into a position to fire upon one of them, and then I will lay down and stay hidden, even if my camo wears off with a readied action to use a Vital Strike with my BR. Trigger for my readied action is: Combat begins.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle shakes his head.
"Stealth serves us better, hold fire until spotted or ordered. I suggesting sending those with cloaks to scout ahead while marking covenant LOS' for us to follow."
Argyle activates his Camera and IR vision, watching the other's camo power gauges run down.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidar notices the camera feed, and turns on his own feed to share with the rest of the group. Wilco, O23.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung steps out of the container, making sure to keep his steps quiet and his head down. "Roger, roger, Two. I'll hang back and let you all do the dirty work for a change."

[Erik Vale]

Argyle waits for Valen to give final orders, moving quietly forward to cover, looking out for covenant.


Stealth:
Argyle Hide Base: [roll0]
Iaoch Hide Assist: [roll1]
Total: 24

Argyle Move Silently Base: [roll2]
Iaoch Move Silently Assist: [roll3]+10 for Nat 20
Total: 37

Spot:
Argyle Base: [roll4]
Gnomere Assist: [roll5]
Total: 15

Moving to V30 if possible, based on other's movements. I'm not sure exactly where we are.

[Erasmas]

"Alright, silenced weapons only... unless the situation turns into a dire exit. Minimize your shots; make 'em count. We only take out the ones that we have to in order to get out of here. I rather not pull down the whole g*dd@mn Covenant invasion force on top of our heads. Those without long-ranged silent ballistics, you lead us through this damn maze and use your combat knives for CQC engagements. Everyone else fall in behind them, single file, eyes on the skies."

[moomoo]

Anex takes out his knife and moved to the front.
I'll go out first.
He replies in a low voice.

[theskorpionking]

Loki secures the silencer to her DMR, "For the record, I still don't like this." She looked through the weapons scope, trying to get a clear view of the enemy stationed on one of the towers.

[Erasmas]

Volsung moves a short distance out of the door to the facility and hunkers down low as he allows the rest of the Fireteam to pass him by, his eyes trained upwards towards the pacing sentries.

Vidarr, the next to go, hustles around some of the stacked pallets and takes up a position beside a large crate. Luckily, the sun was not directly above and it provided plenty of long shadows between the labyrinth of crates and other things.

Anex came out following Vidarr, intent on moving to the front, but stopped a bit shy when one of the Jackals turned his bright red cyberoptic eye in his direction.

Loki, not entirely comfortable just yet, came up behind Volsung and took up covering the rear.

Valen moved past the two that had set up nearest the facility and stacked up against a long crate directly opposite of the door. "Duly noted, Five. Just keep up and keep your head down."

Argyle followed the Commander, advancing to the same crate and staying low against the metal container.

For the moment, none of the Covenant sentries seem to have noticed any of you. For the moment, you were in the clear.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung, seeing Loki attaching a silencer to her DMR, reaches into one of his chest pouches and withdraws the Magnum silencer he had grabbed for the pistol and attaches it as quietly as possible. Again, he lets most of the squad move ahead of him, but tries to keep close behind and minimize the sound he makes.

[darklink_shadow]

Moving ahead to recon a path. Vidarr said as he hurried forward. Someone hold this location. I am headed up ahead further. If we can make it into that warehouse, hiding should be a lot easier.

I have 40ft movement, so I will move to L34 and look down the path to see if anyone will see the group coming down that way. I will mark a way point at my location and at F31. Next action I plan to move to F31.

(End of this turn I will have used 2/6 of my camo.)

[Erasmas]

Volsung silences his pistol and moves up, bringing up the rear of the Fireteam's processional.

As Vidarr moves up and takes up a position against one of the concrete pillars, sees two Grunts round the corner about fifteen to twenty meters in front of him. The two appear to be on patrol, and have not seen the Spartan directly opposite from them. If the group presses forward, however, their paths will cross!

Anex hustles forward, right on the heels of Vidarr. He stops short when he comes to the wider alleyway between the crates, checking to see if the coast was clear before moving on. It was a good thing too, as he likewise saw the Grunts round the corner.

Loki fell in just in front of Volsung, moving up in line with everyone else, her eyes constantly looking upwards.

Valen moved up right behind Anex. Without a way to see either Vidarr, Anex, or Loki with his own eyes, he marked them with his UGPS - outlining all three of them in the Fireteam's HUDs with a feint green outline. Luckily all of Eclipses suits were in near-constant communication with one another, especially at this range, and this worked well enough to actually even be able to make out their entire bodies.

Argyle presses forward with the group, right behind Valen.

Apparently, the screen of Valen's UGPS caught the sun enough to cause a glint to flash towards the Covenant that were standing watch to the north. Immediately, both the Jackal and the Elite there began paying strict attention to the area of the shipping yard where you all were... the Jackal scoping in with his rifle. The third Jackal, to the west, must have noticed the vigilance of the others, for he too trained his Needle Rifle in that direction. The Elite could be heard giving his orders in Sanghelili.

"I saw something move in the southeast corner of the yard. You two... check that area immediately and report in! Snipers, keep your eyes trained for enemy movement, over there!"


Anex:
(Moves up to M33)
Active Camo - Round 2/6
Loki:
(Moves up to S32)
Active Camo - Round 2/5
Valen:
(Moves up to N33)
[roll0] (Hide check)
Argyle:
(Moves up to P33)
[roll1] (Hide check)

Jackal1:
[roll2] (Spot check, -2 for circumstances)
Jackal2:
[roll3] (Spot check, -2 for circumstances)
Jackal3:
[roll4] (Spot check, -2 for circumstances)
Elite:
[roll5] (Spot check, -2 for circumstances)

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr frowned and licked his lips. I can run to the other side of the warehouse and make a great deal of noise. Or we can begin a fire fight. Orders?

[Erasmas]

"Go for the distraction. 544, you're with him."

Valen gave the order.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr acknowledged, and moved quickly to get into position. He hurried down the hall way, and into the warehouse, before knocking over some boxes.


I'm going to go along this path: K32-> I32 -> G 31 -> E31 -> D30 (maybe breaking through some glass here?) -> C25 (Through whatever path I can) and then try to move into B25, but fail to do so because of boxes, causing them to fall. -> E15

I should be able to do that by taking a full round action to run, right? I have gear that is supposed to let me run farther than normal. If not, then do something similar. I will also take 0 on move silently once I get into the warehouse. I'll even try to take 10 on Move Very Loudly.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung tilts a head in acknowledgment to Vidarr as he heads off. "Luck," he mutters. Preparing for the beginnings of a firefight, he brings his Magnum into a firing stance, locking his arms at the elbow and pointing barrel down the corridor.

[moomoo]

Anex followed Vidarr in his run through the warehouse and created some distractions of his own.
When Vidarr halts, he immediately moves into position to cover Vidarr's back for if there might be any curious covvies sniffing around.
Not sure if this breaks our Active Camo or not, but anyway, I will be in some square close to Vidarr in order to cover him.

[theskorpionking]

"Running around like a buffoon will get you killed." Loki said to no one in particular. "If I had the right equipment with me, I could cause a better distraction." Of course that would get us all killed. "Disregard what I said. Running around like a buffoon seems like a better idea."

[Erasmas]

Volsung readies himself and his Magnum for the seemingly inevitable. From where he was, the only target he could get a bead on was the third Jackal, who was situated on a ledge nearest the big crane.

Vidarr and Anex take off, still under cover of their Active Camouflage armor abilities. With Four directly behind him, the Spartan sniper hustles to the side door of the warehouse on the northern end of the dock yard. The door at first won't open, but with a quick push of a button on the control panel beside it, both members of Eclipse are admitted entrance. The doors hiss open and you see more crates, drums, and containers that line the walls small front room that appears as though it might open up into a much larger facility further to the north. Immediately, Vidarr begins pulling over the contents of the space, causing all manner of ruckus and mayhem. He then retreats to the far west end of the room and ducks away to the southern corner. Anex manages to get into the space with him, keeping his gun trained in the direction of the doors.

Loki, likewise still invisible, moves to the other side of Volsung and kneels down, resting her silenced DMR on top of a drum for added stability. And then she too waits for the sh!t to hit the fan.

Valen steadies his silenced SMG, tightening his grip and pressing himself against the crate to his left. He then awaited the patrolling Grunts.

Argyle falls back a bit and stacks up behind one of the concrete pillars supporting the landing above him. Eclipse Two then also waits.

The Elite, upon hearing the noise of the crashing below him, points to another, unseen, patrol amid the large containers and shouts, "Rettus, there is now calamity in my building! Come, enter from the first floor and meet me inside!" He then disappears from view.

The howl of a Brute goes up, and his frantic movement can be heard from the western end of the open area. He collides with some smaller crates and sends them sprawling out of his way as he makes progress towards one of the doors into the building where Anex and Vidarr had disappeared into.

The Jackals remain vigilant, watching the yard in their scopes and waiting for any hint of movement. But without a target, they are made to simply wait.

The two Grunts slowly stalk forward, trying hard to find what had caused the alarm to go up in the first place. They creep forward at an agonizingly slow pace.


Loki:
(Moves to S30)
(Ready an Action - shoot Jackal3)
Active Camo - Round 3/5
Valen:
(Ready an Action - shoot either Grunt)
Argyle:
(Moves to R34)
(Ready an Action - shoot either Grunt)
[roll0] (Hide check)

Rettus:
(Moves to H16)
Jackal1:
[roll1] (Spot check)
If someone is spotted
[roll2]
[roll3]
Jackal2:
[roll4] (Spot check)
If someone is spotted
[roll5]
[roll6]
Jackal3:
[roll7] (Spot check)
If someone is spotted
[roll8]
[roll9]
Grunt1:
(Moves to L29)
Grunt2:
(Moves to L28)

[Erik Vale]

Argyle watches the grunts through his IR as they crawl along, waiting to be able to advance.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung presses himself further against the wall as he hears footsteps nearing the corner, trying to think unobtrusive thoughts.

[Erasmas]

Volsung, Argyle, and Loki all continue to bide their time... ready to pounce when the situation turns hot.

Valen slowly works his way backwards, now that the path behind was clear, and takes cover behind the corner of the crate on the other side of Volsung. He keeps his SMG trained on the far end of the alleyway that he just backtracked from.

Meanwhile, Vidarr and Anex hear the Brute's approach, just outside of the large bay door that stands open immediately beside them. The massive furry creature stomps into the space. Rettus, or so he had been called, sniffs at the air and then begins to emit a low growl as his knuckles tighten around the haft of the large humming gravity hammer he held.

"Little men are hiding from Rettus. Come out and witness my strength, weaklings!", he sputtered out of his tusked maw.

The two invisible Spartans took the opportunity in this savage's little "speech" to duck out the very door that he had waltzed in through. Luckily, their active camo made it impossible for the hammer-wielding Brute to see them leaving.

The Jackals continued to sweep their attention back and forth between the two areas of the yard that had been pointed out to them.

The two Grunts continued to move forward and finally, the foremost one hops around the corner of the crate at the far end, where the fireteam had split up. He has his plasma pistol charged and held at the ready, seeming somewhat puzzled at the lack of a target.

But that's when it happened. The Grunt must've seen something that drawn his attention around where Valen and Voslung were tucked behind the crate, for he suddenly grew very agitated and started jumping around and screaming.


Valen:
(Moves to S32)
[roll0] (Hide check)

Grunt1:
(Moves to L33)
[roll1] (Spot check)
Grunt2:
(Moves to L32)
Jackal1:
[roll2] (Spot check)
Jackal2:
[roll3] (Spot check)
Jackal3:
[roll4] (Spot check)
Rettus:
(Moves to D18)

[Erasmas]

Valen and Loki's guns both erupt when it becomes evident that the group had been spotted and the alarm was going up.

The first bullet in the Commander's gun jams, and he immediately curses a blue streak as he begins working the faulty bullet free from the chamber. Loki's shot PINGs off of the metal railing just in front of the Jackal that she was shooting at.

The Grunt yelps and releases his charged plasma pistol towards what little of Valen he saw. The green tracking bolt barely misses him, splashing into the corner of the large container that he had taken refuge behind. Likewise, the sniper almost directly above the larger portion of your fireteam fires down at Eclipse One. Not as lucky against this attack, a bright pink crystalline projectile embeds itself into Valen's left shoulder - causing his shields to sparkle with a golden pattern.


Grunt1:
[roll0] (Attack - versus Valen; +4 from charging)
If hit, drops shields
Jackal2:
[roll1] (Attack - versus Valen)
[roll2]

Because of where Valen is in relation to these attacks, he will receive a +8 to his AC... making it a [25].

[theskorpionking]

"Damn!" Loki says bitterly as she sees that her shot was a miss.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr swears under his breath, as he ais his battle rifle at the jackel firing on his commanding officer. Suddenly, Vivian's music changed sharply, and Vidarr exhaled as he squeezed the trigger before running to cover.



Vital Strike!
[roll0] to hit, [roll1] Pagan Damage
[roll2] to hit, [roll3] Pain Damage
[roll4] to hit, [roll5] Paingan Damage

Run to I9?

Vivian starts singing. +4 to hit and damage.

[DoctorFaust]

"Oh, son of a bitch," Volsung growls. He spins back around, looking for the source of the needler shot that hit Valen, and, seeing the Jackal standing above them, draws his own rifle and returns fire.

[Erasmas]

Volsung fires his own Needle Rifle up at the third Jackal, but his gun jams as well!

Vidarr is quick to put his attention on the Jackal that had shot Valen, his Battle Rifle barking into action. However, his first two bullets were apparently badly damaged and flew off in chaotic directions. The third bullet of his three-round burst, on the other hand, was another matter. It hit, splitting the skull of the Covenant sniper and sending his lithe body cascading over the railing for a nose dive onto the ground below his perch. VD47 didn't wait around to watch the less-than-graceful plunge though; he was already on the move westward - his retreat partially impeded by the myriad drums and containers.

Once Eight's shot made him visible, Anex decided that he probably should lay down some proactive fire at the Brute that was a mere 5 meters away from him. He leveled his Assault Rifle and let it rip, backing away to follow Vidarr's run. His first four bullets found their mark without any trouble, Rettus' shield failing with the initial one. The second shot draws blood, but the others are deflected off of the massive Covenant's armor.

Loki took aim and fired three more times at the third Jackal sentry. Her first two bullets did the trick, and drop her target like a bad habit. The Jackal crumpled to the floor where he was standing.

Valen, having meanwhile cleared his jam, returned fire upon the first Grunt that had come around the corner. All of his shots hit the Grunt and send the little bastard spinning to the ground.

Argyle took his shots at the first Jackal, the one furthest north of the entire area. However, his first bullet is problematic and misfires, without harm to himself or his gun luckily. His second shot hits, but his third misses.

Jackal one will return fire at Argyle, behind cover. His first shot takes the Spartan by surprise, embedding itself into his inner left thigh. But the other two smash themselves against the concrete pillar that O23 was hiding behind.

Grunt two fires at Argyle while retreating. With the position that Arygle had taken to get away from the sniper, it protected him against the barrage of pink crystals that flew from his Needler.

Rettus whirls around when the guns near him come to life. He roars and then bounds after the retreating Vidarr and Anex.


Anex:
(Moves to K11)
[roll0] (Attack 1 - versus Rettus)
[roll1]
[roll2] (Attack 2 - versus Rettus)
[roll3]
[roll4] (Attack 3 - versus Rettus)
[roll5]
[roll6] (Attack 4 - versus Rettus)
[roll7]
[roll8] (Attack 5 - versus Rettus)
[roll9]
Loki:
[roll10] (Attack 1 - versus Jackal3)
[roll11]
[roll12] (Attack 2 - versus Jackal3)
[roll13]
[roll14] (Attack 3 - versus Jackal3)
[roll15]
Valen:
[roll16] (Attack 1 - versus Grunt1)
[roll17]
[roll18] (Attack 2 - versus Grunt1)
[roll19]
[roll20] (Attack 3 - versus Grunt1)
[roll21]
[roll22] (Attack 4 - versus Grunt1)
[roll23]
[roll24] (Attack 5 - versus Grunt1)
[roll25]
Argyle:
[roll26] (Attack 1 - versus Jackal1) <--- Critical Miss!
[roll27]
[roll28] (Attack 2 - versus Jackal1)
[roll29]
[roll30] (Attack 3 - versus Jackal1)
[roll31]

Jackal1:
[roll32] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll33]
[roll34] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll35]
[roll36] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll37]
Jackal2:
[roll38] (Attack 1 - versus Anex)
[roll39]
[roll40] (Attack 2 - versus Anex)
[roll41]
[roll42] (Attack 3 - versus Anex)
[roll43]
Jackal3:
[roll44] (Attack 1 - versus Loki)
[roll45]
[roll46] (Attack 2 - versus Loki)
[roll47]
[roll48] (Attack 3 - versus Loki)
[roll49]
Grunt1:
[roll50] (Attack - versus Valen)
[roll51]
Grunt2:
(Moves to H33)
[roll52] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll53]
[roll54] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll55]
[roll56] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll57]
[roll58] (Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll59]
[roll60] (Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll61]
Rettus:
(Moves to I13)

[Erik Vale]

Argyle fires another round at the Jackle, before shifting without confirming his kill to fire on the nearby Grunt.

B16 Jackle
Hit: [roll0]
Crit: [roll1]
Dam: [roll2]
CDam: [roll3]

H33 Grunt
Hit: [roll4]
Crit: [roll5]
Dam: [roll6]
CDam: [roll7]

Hit: [roll8]
Crit: [roll9]
Dam: [roll10]
CDam: [roll11]

[DoctorFaust]

The first needle that Volsung fires comes out of the magazine twisted, and jams the firing chamber. Biting back a curse, Volsung quickly cycles out the dud projectile and reenters the firefight.

[moomoo]

As soon as Anex is around the corner he looks for some place that will give him some cover, and then waits there for the Brute to catch up to shoot him down.

Prepared action - shoot on Rettus when he comes into view
[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]

[roll8]
[roll9]

[Erasmas]

Volsung clears his needle rifle of the jammed crystalline round.

Vidarr hustles further away from the pursuing Brute, clearing the rest of the smaller crates and things out of their way. He lines up a shot on the last remaining Jackal and fires his Battle Rifle. The shot passes clean through the side of the creature's head.

Anex follows close on Vidarr's heels, and when the Captain goes to take his shot on the Jackal sharpshooter, 544 wheels about and levels his Assault Rifle in preparation for Rettus' pursuit.

"Press the advance! There's only one of the little sh!ts left. Go, go, go!", came Valen's orders.

Loki, reacting first and perhaps wanting to prove herself, sprinted past Volsung and Valen himself. She rounded the large crate and fired three shots at the retreating Grunt before taking cover behind the next set of containers.

Valen moved out right behind her, likewise firing upon the Grunt. His first two shots hit. Luckily, the Grunt was already dead... unluckily, his SMG jammed. He pressed on a little further forward, ducking behind another of the large concrete support pillars to his right.

Argyle fires at the last sniping Jackal before turning his attentions on the Grunt as well. His first shot hits the sniper before his body even has time to fall from Vidarr's already lethal shot. The small Covenant stood no chance with this kind of concentration of firepower.

Rettus continues to give chase, appearing in the space that the two Spartans had just made between two of the larger containers. He roars, spittle flying from his fanged mouth as he holds his Gravity Hammer aloft and moves to close. Anex, having readied his attack against him, opens fire. But Anex's Assault Rifle jams! And the Brute is getting closer!

Meanwhile, the Elite that had been atop the building with the now-dead Jackal sniper, makes an appearance on the ground floor of the building at the north end of the bay.


Vidarr:
(Moves to J3)
[roll0] (Attack - versus Jackal1; +4 from Vivian)
[roll1] (Damage from Vital Strike)
Anex:
(Moves to K4)
[roll2] (To confirm weapon jam - 01-50=:smallfrown:; 51-00=:smallsmile:)
Loki:
(Moves to O32)
[roll3] (Attack 1 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll4]
[roll5] (Attack 2 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll6]
[roll7] (Attack 3 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll8]
Valen:
(Moves to K34)
[roll9] (Attack 1 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll10]
[roll11] (Attack 2 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll12]
[roll13] (Attack 3 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian) <--- Critical Failure!
[roll14]
[roll15] (Attack 4 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian) Next roll was a 5 (low 50% on a d20)... results in a jam!
[roll16]
[roll17] (Attack 5 - versus Grunt2; +4 from Vivian)
[roll18]

Rettus:
(Moves to L7)
Elite:
(Moves to C18)

[darklink_shadow]

Negative commander, there is one **** and one big turd. A brute has got us all but cornered. There is an elite out there some where, likely the CO of this bunch. Brute doesn't look to play nice with that hammer. We'll need someone to come play with us over here.

Vidarr spoke as he moved out of line of sight of the beast and attempted to climb atop a box.

[moomoo]

As Anex's gun jams once again, he drops it with a curse.
Leave him to me.
He grumbles as he comes out of cover and with a roar of his own charges onto the advancing Brute with his knife.

[theskorpionking]

Loki still hiding behind the containers asks, "Does anyone have visual on the Elite?"

[DoctorFaust]

Muttering, "'scuse me," Volsung pushes past Loki and begins to move up the aisle towards Valen's position.

[Erasmas]

"Two, you're with Four and Eight; make your way to their position and help them out with their dance party. Eclipse Three and Eclipse Five... you're with me and we're hunting for this Elite.", Valen called out once the situation in the immediate area had cleared.

[Erasmas]

Volsung moves forward cautiously, on the lookout for the unaccounted for Elite.

Vidarr makes his way to one of the nearby crates that has a ladder leaning against it. Within seconds, he has ascended the metal container and positions himself to fire upon any hostiles that make their presence known.

Just below his position, Anex draws his Close Quarters Combat System (also called his "knife") and jumps out in surprise at the Brute known as Rettus. Spartan 544 drives the incredibly strong blade up beneath a gap in the Covenant monster's armor, connecting deeply into the fur-covered tissue. Rettus howls in a mixture of pain and anger, he yellow-tinted fangs beared towards the sky. When the knife is retracted, however, the Brute is still standing... and is still holding his hammer at the ready.

Loki, her answer in the lack of a response from her fellow Fireteam members, got her confirmation from the Commander, "Sounds like a negative. Let's go."

Valen then presses on at a walk, keeping his SMG held at the ready and his eyes peeled. He moves up and rounds the last of the large crates at the northern end of the bay. He then begins heading westward along that row, making his way towards both the other group that was engaged with Rettus... and towards the objective.

Without a further word, Argyle hustles towards where Anex now was going toe-to-toe with the Brute.

Rettus, recovering from the stabbing that Anex delivered to him, rears back with his Gravity Hammer and swings the humming weapon down at Eclipse Four. However, the pain from the knife wound must have caused him to misjudge his attack, and the strike lands at the base of the crane beside the two combatants instead, denting the steel structure and causing it to groan with complaint.

Suddenly, the Elite emerges from the northern building, out of the same door that Vidarr and Anex had used only moments before. He calls out, "Rettus, where did you get off to?!", he says in frustration. However, the nearby sounds of the combat with Anex draws his attention, and he fails to see that Valen has rounded the far corner.


Valen:
(Moves to H29)
Argyle:
(Double-moves to R21)

Rettus:
[roll0] (Attack - versus Anex)
[roll1]
Elite:
(Moves to G16)

[moomoo]

Seeing that the Brute in front of him had left his defenses open thanks to his missed attack, Anex launches with another attack of his "knife".

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[theskorpionking]

"Roger that, sir." Loki says, following the commander. She kept her battle rifle at the ready, looking around cautiously as they moved.

Loki will move to H30

[DoctorFaust]

"Roger, sir." Volsung keeps moving down the aisle, picking up speed to try to catch up with his commander.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle contines his quiet run, at least, quiet by spartan standards. As he crosses an open area he slowls slightly, spotting the elite out of the corner of his eye.
"Mark it."
Suddenly, a little tac marked 'Elite's last Location' appears on everyone's HUD's, indicating it's position as Argyle continues, just rounding a final bend to spot the Brute, and he begins to raise his spiker...


Double move to O8 [Thanks 40ft move speed], Drawing my Spiker at the same time, transferring my DMR to my left hand. I should have cover from the elite but I'm out in the open as far as the Brute's concerned.

Move Silent check vs Brute:

Argyle: [roll0][-10 for Speed, my bad]
Iaoch: [roll1][-10 for Speed, my bad]
Total: 20
Brute has -2 to hear me [20ft distance, I think]. He can see me perfectly fine, however I'm my silence gives him no reason to look.

[Erasmas]

Volsung hustles up and rounds the corner after Valen, catching up with the ranking Spartan.

Vidarr's Battle Rifle barks out once more, this time in the direction of the emerging Elite. His three-shot strike hits its target, dropping the Covenant creature's shields entirely and wounding him as well.

Nearby, Anex continues his fatal dance with the hammer-wielding Brute. However, it draws to an end when 544 steps onto the head of his enemy's wayward Gravity Hammer, giving himself just enough lift and height to allow him to leap upwards. Anex spies his opening and slashes the blade across Rettus' throat, before landing on the ground behind his foe. A quake runs through the massive beast as he off hand drifts up to his now-bleeding neck, and then he collapses.

Loki, like Volsung before her, falls into step with the Commander.

Valen, seeing the Elite's shields pop from Vidarr's gunfire and with the Argyle's tagging, switches to his DMR and opens fire upon the last remaining Covenant. All three of the shots find their mark, and the one who was the apparent leader of this squadron is no more.

Argyle, meanwhile, moves west just in time to see the Brute fall and his brother stand.


Valen:
(Moves to F25)
[roll0] (Attack 1 - versus Elite; +4 from Vivian)
[roll1] (+4 from Vivian)
[roll2] (Attack 2 - versus Elite; +4 from Vivian)
[roll3] (+4 from Vivian)
[roll4] (Attack 3 - versus Elite; +4 from Vivian)
[roll5] (+4 from Vivian)

Elite:
(Moves to C16, after firing)
[roll6] (Attack 1 - versus Vidarr)
[roll7]
[roll8] (Attack 2 - versus Vidarr)
[roll9]
[roll10] (Attack 3 - versus Vidarr)
[roll11]
[roll12] (Attack 4 - versus Vidarr)
[roll13]
[roll14] (Attack 5 - versus Vidarr)
[roll15]

[theskorpionking]

"Nice shot Commander." Loki says a little to enthusiastically. She then straightens up and calmly says, "Pardon the outburst sir. It won't happen again."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr, spins in place, looking for additional enemies, not standing down yet, despite the threat being over. Looks clear, I'll cover your retreat. Move to the exit.

Ready Full-Round Action to Vital Strike the first threat he sees.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung regroups with the rest of the fireteam, giving Rettus' body a sharp kick as he passes it. "Alright Commander, where the hell's the bomb we're looking for."

[moomoo]

Anex gives the Brute one last look and then goes to collect his faulty Assault Rifle and unjams it.

[Erasmas]

"No need, Five. There's no harm in being passionate about doing your job. And being excited for your brothers-in-arms is an extension of that.", Valen addressed Loki's apology. He then broadcast, "Alright, the UNSC base that we need to get the package from is located approximately 10 klicks to the north of our current position. Our intel says that the Covies haven't pushed out away from the city that far yet, so we should be in the clear once we get outside of their area of occupation, but we probably have little time until they make it out that way. Eight, you have eyes on that transport?"

When Vidarr gave confirmation that he could, indeed, see the armored truck from atop of his perch, the Commander continued, "Good; mark it with a nav point. We get into that truck, hunker down and keep a low profile on our way out of the city."

And with that, your Fireteam makes its way to the armored vehicle and climbs inside.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung swings himself up into the armored car and settles into the seat closest to the door. "Another road trip. Wonderful. At least this time the vehicle isn't quite so open to plasma turret fire."

[moomoo]

Anex jumps in the back of the vehicle with a chuckle.
I fear this will be no sight-seeing tour either though

[theskorpionking]

"Still don't mean that the covies can't take us out if they wanted to." Loki says as she climbs inside the vehicle.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle jumps in quietly taking the drivers seat, should no one object, his HUD currently covered with maps as he plots the best route.

[Erasmas]

Valen gets into the passenger side of the front, beside Argyle, and the rest of you climb into the back of the armored truck. The engine starts up and you pull out of the Loading Docks, quickly finding yourself on one of the streets that runs parallel to the highway... which was a congested nightmare due to all of the poor SOB's trying to evacuate amid the invasion. You drive north, heading out of the city of Arcadia and into the suburban sprawl that surrounded it. Making the long way around more than one roadblock, you found yourselves thankful that Loki had come along, since she was able to tell you which backstreets and cut-throughs might be best. More than once, her hunch had been right.

Finally, you seem to have largely left the Covenant presence behind you, and you were only another three or four klicks away from the UNSC base. And with the amount of destroyed Warthogs and downed Pelicans that you saw littered about while in Arcadia... you didn't expect that there would be much of anybody home.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle slows slightly, he and his AI's looking for a route through the busted vehicles.
"It may be worth getting out and walking..."

Starts up, not stars up :p

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung grunts noncommittally. "I think the visibility of eight brightly colored half-ton suits of armor would offset the increase in speed."

[darklink_shadow]

My armor is dark. Vidarr countered with a smile clear in his voice. But I'd rather keep the cover of a vehicle anyways.

[Erasmas]

"We stick with the plan.", Valen decreed. He then pointed through the windshield of the truck, "Loki's directions have been good so far and have taken us around most of the trouble. We've only got a little more of a way's to go."

[DoctorFaust]

"Sir, yes sir," Volsung replies, settling back further in his seat. "I'm going to try to catch some sleep. Wake me when we get there."

[Erik Vale]

Argyle speeds back up, not too much, and begins making his way through the destroyed vehicles.
"Gnomere, let me know if you pick up the covenant battle-net, with luck it'll be a nice warning pre-ambush.

[theskorpionking]

"Is it to early for the obligatory Are we there yet? Loki asked, recalling an early childhood memory.

[darklink_shadow]

Probably isn't. Next you should whine and tell Argyle to hurry up because you need to use the restroom.

Vidarr pulled a gun cleaning rod from within the armored pocket of his suit, and shoved it down into the barrel, and pulled it out again twice before putting it away.

[theskorpionking]

"No, next I'll complain to the commander that your on my side of the armored truck." Loki said with a slight laugh.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr chuckled a little and learn over to wave a hand in front of her visor. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you.

[theskorpionking]

Loki chuckled, "You're lucky I don't have my magnum with me."

[Erasmas]

"Connected, Lieutenant Colonel. There is a myriad of communications within the planetary confines of Arcadia. Beginning to sort through them now.", came Gnomere's reply.

You continue on, making the turn off of the main road and onto the driveway that leads out to the UNSC compound. Driving slowly in order to miss the concrete roadblocks leading up to the guard shack, you pass right through the entrance... where the metal bar that was meant to stop admittance was little more than twisted remnants curled up back against the small building. As you made your way to the main grouping of buildings, where you knew the nuclear storehouse would be, a sinking feeling began to take hold. There were a handful of Marine bodies strewn about here and there and the buildings that you passed showed signs of combat... though you saw no telltale signs of plasma or other Covenant passing. Scorch marks and ballistics damage riddled the buildings more and more the deeper you got into the base.

"Sir... it would appear that the Covenant are aware of this base's presence. However, they have it marked for inspection at a later time, as it has been labeled as 'an area where the enemy is engaged with itself'."

And that's when you saw it... a Scorpion tank that had been painted with a very obvious red symbol... parked on the lawn of the Munitions Depot. And sitting in front of the tank, was a blast hole in the concrete building that was easily two meters across. However, you saw no sign of anyone anywhere.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/Symbol_zps7bb13545.jpg~original

[darklink_shadow]

Rebels? Vidarr asked hesitantly. He checked replaced his clip with a fresh one.

[Erik Vale]

"I think we have our reason for Data clearance. Also, didn't you hear Gnomere's memo? Just keep your eyes peeled, I rather not find out one of these tanks was just playing dead just before we get hit."
Argyle slows down somewhat, the only reason he doesn't bother with IR assistance being that the vehicles have likely been out all day, and will be hotter than whoever's inside them.

[moomoo]

Anex begins to mentally prepare for what supposedly will be another firefight, however this time maybe with his own species.

[Erasmas]

"Steady Eclipse... Innies are what we were initially made for. We've all run a thousand exercises with these guys on the other side of the scenario. It's the same as fighting the split-jaws, just with a little less malice... maybe.", Valen eased, as he likewise checked and cycled the magazine on his Battle Rifle. "Why don't we pull up over there, Two, right behind that Scorpion? I'd like to decommission it before we head inside... no good if we're chased back out of that hole just to then have to escape the range of that cannon."

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung sits up in his seat, his voice still bleary from sleep. "Whmm? Whassit this time?"

He stands up and walks over to the window into the drivers compartment, taking a look out through the windshield. "Huh. I, uh, guess the Innies here have access to military hardware."

[Erasmas]

"'Have access' or 'stole'. Either way it's disconcerting."

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung cycles the magazine in his needler, making sure that there is a projectile in the chamber. "You don't need to tell me that," he mutters.

[Erasmas]

Argyle brings the armored truck to a stop so close behind the marked Scorpion that it was too close for the gun to even be used. Opening the doors, your Fireteam piles out of the transport and takes various positions of cover, scanning the immediate vicinity for any possible threats. Meanwhile, Valen climbs atop of the tank and throws open the hatch, training his Battle Rifle into the pilot's cabin.

"It's clear.", the Commander said. "Alright, let's move inside. I'd like to have the package and be gone before the damn split-jaws decide that this place is worth a second look. I know that protocol usually dictates a Return-Fire only with Innies. But make no mistake, this close to the city, this is a war zone, guys. And we don't have time to d!ck around here... so if it ain't friendly, drop it and move on."

Valen then moves up towards the broken hole in the building ahead, stacking up on the right side of the recently-made opening.

[theskorpionking]

Loki follows Valen, eager to get on with the blowing things up. "Locked and loaded sir. I've had a few run-ins with 'em in the past. They won't hesitate to shoot us, so I won't hesitate to shoot them."

[darklink_shadow]

Sir? Are we decommissioning the tank or not? If not, I suggest we at least steal it back. Vidarr checked his magazine again, and then raised it ready to fire at anything that looked possibly hostile.

[Erasmas]

"I'd like it taken out. It's way too slow for us to bother with. But whoever's doing the dirty work, make it quick.

[Erik Vale]

"On it."

Argyle moves around the back, breaking open some of the plates with his spiker to get at the engines, looking to quickly do as much damage as possible that will definately cause problems, even grabbing some items and electrifying them...



Gnomere: [roll0]
Argyle [Assist]: [roll1]
Total: 17
Poor rolls... very poor roles. I should have taken 10.

Also, using Shocking Grasp.

[Erasmas]

Argyle seems to be having a small amount of trouble with making sure that he was damaging systems that would be vital to the Scorpion's operation. However, with the application of a few electrical bursts to the parts that he had managed to expose, a resonant snap could be heard deep within the bowels of the tank. Within seconds a small amount of black smoke could be seen issuing from somewhere beneath the treads. It would seem like the job was done.

"Alright. Wrap it up. Let's get this bomb and get out before the devil even knows we're here."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr took point and started hustling towards a nav point on his HUD. He waved his gun around the first room, and Vivian called through the Comm. Clear. Moving to the next room.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung once again takes up the rear, keeping his needler leveled but clear of the other Spartan's.

[Erasmas]

As you begin to clear room after room, finding only signs of recent firefights and not one of your own, you begin to wonder if there is anyone left. You have seen a few bodies here and there, mostly of UNSC personnel... but a couple of Innies as well. Making your way steadily towards the objective marked on your HUD via Nav Point, you have gone through at least half a dozen rooms deeper into the complex before you hear the sounds of shouting, followed by gunfire, somewhere up ahead.

"F^ck you, you piece of sh!t cowards!", came a woman's voice echoing off of the concrete, just before an explosive BANG reverberated and slightly shook the building.

[Erik Vale]

"Switching to infrared. Gnomere, if you can find out who that was and any pick up UNSC forces do it sooner rather than later. Do we declare our presence?"
Argyle speeds up, however only moving to take second place, keeping his DMR down low.

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr shook his head. UNSC will recognize us on sight. Our computers should recognize them on sight. If we can get into their local comm, we can alert the good guys. But I'd rather our allies we surprised than our enemies lay a trap.

[DoctorFaust]

"I'm with Vidarr on this. I'd rather allies be surprised than tango's be ready."

[Erasmas]

"Alright then, we keep quiet until we know more... or until we don't have a choice. Move up.", Valen said as he did just that, jogging forward to the next bottle neck point. The Commander stacked up to the right of an open doorway that was marked as "Armory" - at least you were headed in the right direction.

The noise definitely sounded like it was coming through this open door as you moved closer. Taking a peek inside, you see a hallway that ends in a t-section, which looks to have crates blocking the right hand branch. Occasionally, gunfire erupts from either direction, passing across the open space that you can see. As of now, it was impossible to determine who or what was on either side of the skirmish... though it was clear that both sides were using human-tech weapons.

[darklink_shadow]

Commander, shall I scout ahead under my cloak? If I spot a single hostile, I'll use my dagger. Otherwise I'll update your HUD with intel.

Vidarr readied to flick on his camo and take a look around, should the CO give him the green light.

[Erasmas]

Valen gave a single nod in Vidarr's direction, indicating the go-ahead that VD47 was looking for.

[Erasmas]

"What the...?", came the surprised call from the Innies hunkered down in the south hall. But it was too late, Vidarr's grenade had caught them unawares as it settled into their midst. The subsequent explosion not only scattered the crates that they had been using for cover, but it scattered them as well. Out of the four individuals that were engaged in the firefight with those in the small room to the north, only one appeared to have survived the blast. Shielded from the majority of the damaging energy by one of her comrades-in-arms, she now laid on the ground coughing up blood, but still alive nonetheless.

At the same moment, the enemies of the now-decimated insurgents were similarly perplexed by the sudden change of events.

"They... they blew themselves up with their own grenade!"

"No. I saw that come in; it wasn't theirs! There's somebody else down the hallway that leads back to Check-In."

"Well. The enemy of my enemy...", the male voice began. Then, the same female voice you had heard earlier finishes, "Don't count on it."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr laughed at the confusion for a moment, and then spoke aloud. This is Warrent-- err. This is Captain Vidarr. Callsign VD47. Fireteam Eclipse saw that you were playing with some rogues, and we thought we'd come see what the fun was all about. Senior Officer Commander Valen is now in charge. Don't fire, I am coming around the corner.

Vidarr turn the corner, and spotted the Innie still breathing. Vidarr stormed over and grabbed the gun from the injured woman. I'm guessing you surrender, right? Vidarr looked further down the hall. Suspecting the woman might try something, he readied to put some lead between her eyes if she pulled anything funny.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung rounds the corner behind Vidarr, and similarly calls out, "Lt. Colonel Volsung. Callsign R032. I'm the medic for our unit. You have anyone that I could still be of use to?"

[moomoo]

Anex also rounds the corner but doesn't speak.
Instead he assesses the situation carefully.

[Erasmas]

A third voice sounds from the small room, this one decidedly more calm and collected.

"Hold your fire! They're UNSC! And if they're calling themselves a Fireteam...", the voice trails off, followed by a barrage of gunfire. "Mason, come over here and lay down some suppressive fire on these boneheads; just a small burst whenever they get brave enough to look like they're gonna move up."

"I'm outta ammo!", the other male voice came back.

"Here, take mine. And get Halifax's last frag, just in case."

As this dialogue occurred, the injured woman at Vidarr's feet just stared wide-eyed back up at him, gasping for air. "Please... I... I don't wanna die!" It appeared she had gotten more than she had bargained for. With that, there was an exchange of noise that sounded like people moving positions in the small room, complete with a barrage of fire from down another hallway. And then a figure emerged, clad in the armor of an ODST.

"Well, I'll be damned! You are Spartans! I have no problem saying that I'm happy to see you guys. Corporal Richard Winston of the 111th Shock Troop Battalion... or at least what's left of her. We'd kinda started thinking that you guys had forgotten about us. As for a medic, yeah... Halifax took one in her calf."

A red-haired woman stood up from behind the crates that choked the room, rising up beside the Corporal Winston, "Yeah, I'll be alright. But a bandage would at least keep the blood from running down into my boot."

"I'll give her that much. She sure is tough for a cop."

"Captain Tess Halifax of the Arcadian Police Department. If Winston's happy to see you, then so am I."



Cpl. Richard Winston
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/NPC-ODST_zpsa2cb809b.jpg~original

Cpt. Tess Halifax: APD
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Halo%20Onyx%20Wind/Ripples%20to%20Waves/NPC-ArcadiaPolice2_zps3af8d5e0.jpg~original

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung pulls a canister of biofoam from his chest cases and throws it to Vidarr. "Put this on her wounds. Don't want her bleeding out on us."

He then turns to Halifax and gestures for her to remove the boot from her wounded leg. "I've got a bit more biofoam on hand if you need it, but I want to see the wound first."

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr knelt down and checked the woman's wounds. If she isn't bleeding out, he'll pick her up and carry her into the defense point. If she is, he'll spray some foam on her, and then move her.

Thanks Volsung, I'll keep her from dying. She's going to tell us quite of bit of intel. If she tells us enough, we can turn her over to the local police. She doesn't want to die, she says. She'll earn a jail cell, or she won't.

After he moves to the other point of conflict, and readies to fire upon any hostiles.

[theskorpionking]

Loki steps into the room and looks around. "Nice work." she says coolly to Vidarr.

[Erasmas]

"Sure. No problem.", Halifax states flatly as she lowers herself onto one of the nearby crates. She unlaces her combat-style boot and gingerly pulls it off, revealing a once-white sock caked with crimson. "Sonnuva b!tch!", she grits through her clenched teeth as she drops the boot with a wet squish. Then, she rolls up her uniform's pant leg, the cloth likewise soaked. Her leg was streaked with blood as well, leading up to and around a deep puncture wound in her calf muscle, about four inches below the knee joint. A quick inspection showed no exit wound - a sign that the bullet had likely lodged itself in the bone.

Meanwhile, Vidarr checked the woman in the hall; finding that while it didn't look like she was in immediate danger of bleeding out, that it was very possible that she could still die from her extensive wounds. With some effort, and no small amount of screaming from the Innie, you get her moved into the small room. Then, the sniper stacks up against the crates beside the one they called Mason, another of APD's finest, it would seem. Down the relatively short hallway, there were yet more crates... with more Insurrectionists hunkered down behind them. It looked like there were three holding down the front line, but you could hear more voices than just three from down that way.

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung glances critically at the wound, and sighs. "Small mercies, I guess," he mutters as he kneels besides the wounded woman. "You can still walk, so I doubt it did too much damage to the bone, and you aren't dead, so I doubt it hit any major arteries. On the other hand, I'm not confident that I have the supplies to safely remove the bullet."

He glances at the wound again, and then shuts off his external and team mikes. "Rho, options. Given current supply level, obviously."

"And he finally remembers that I exist." The AI's usual avatar overlays itself onto Volsung's HUD and begins flicking through programs. "Quickest would be to just fill it with biofoam and wrap it, but that'd leave a mess for whoever has to actually treat her. Or you could put the leg to sleep, give her something to bite down on, and remove the bullet. I'm pretty sure they included the local anesthetics that we requested."

The medic looks up at Halifax and asks, "How good are you with pain?"

[Erasmas]

The woman looks down at you, somewhat defiantly, though a flash of mild panic flares behind her eyes despite her efforts to hide it.

"Better than most.", she replies.

[Erik Vale]

Argyle makes his way towards the sounds of gunfire, silently moving through the UNSC forces and cops alike, following Vidarr, tapping him on the shoulder after observing the situation.
"Overshielded charge or grenades? Unlesss. Valen, what's the chance you'd say yes to trying to talk the innies into working with us? It'd save ammo if nothing else?"

[darklink_shadow]

Vidarr gave Loki a thumbs up at her comment before settling down to prepare to fire on his enemies. When Argyle tapped him, he didn't look away, but he did acknowledge the question with a quick grunt. After a moment of thinking, he shrugged and said, Overshield. What are the chances they get tricked by the same thing twice? Then again, stealth team could go in and wreck their day pretty badly. I wouldn't try talking to them. They'll lie and betray us. We were trained to put them down, not convert them. Up to the CO, though.

[DoctorFaust]

"Good. Because I really don't want to have to knock you out completely if I don't have to." Volsung rummages through his medkit for a moment, and then withdraws a syringe of sedative. He flicks it a few times, making sure it's clear of air bubbles, then slides it into Halifax's leg and depresses the plunger. After waiting a few moments for the drug to kick in, he goes back to the medkit and withdraws a small tool attached to a battery pack.

"Hey, could I get someone to hold her for me?" Volsung asks. "Again, hopefully this won't be painful, but they taught me not to take risks I don't have to."

[Erik Vale]

"Who said anything about conversion? Let them know that they're going to die unless they lend a hand, offer them a ride up while watching them carefully, and then they can be put in a cell."

Despite Viddar speaking outside his suit, Argyle remains quiet.

[darklink_shadow]

A good craftsman doesn't use faulty tools. I think these insurgents are shoddy, at best. Who leaves a tank undefended? We've got one prisoner already. Don't suppose we need anymore for Intel. But if the CO wants to make friends, I'll play nice.

[Erik Vale]

"You may not realise, but while we were trained for threats to humanity, the rebels are much less threatening, for example they aren't destroying the UNSC and glassing planets, so if we can save ammo and direct them to the bigger threat, that's a opportunity we should be taking.[/B]"
Argyle takes a slow breath.
"Besides, shoddy fighters still make ok plasma sponges, and a tank isn't too useful when you're fighting in base corridors."

[darklink_shadow]

You're full of it, Argyle. You didn't sign up for anything, none of us did. And maybe you forgot, but we're we actually trained to put down innies, not Covenant.

Vidarr sighed with annoyance at his comrade's nonsensical jabbering. Just stop wasting oxygen, and go bother the CO. I'm going to waste the next fool who sticks his head up.

[theskorpionking]

"You know, a few well placed charges around here could take care of our insurgent problem." Loki added to the conversation, pulling a non working detonator out and playfully pushing the button.

[Erasmas]

"Stow it, you two. We're aren't making friends and we aren't using anybody as a plasma sponge - neither of those are a means towards accomplishing our objective. If we can get answers out of her pertaining to what's left of her group, then so be it. Once we get what we need out of her, or after she chooses to cooperate, then she falls into custody of the Arcadian Police."

"It'd be our pleasure.", Mason says from behind his shielded riot helmet, still crouching beside Vidarr's position. When Volsung calls for someone to help hold Halifax down, he hustles over to where the medic was working on her. "Hey, Cap... you doing alright?"

"Don't play coy, Mason... just do what the Doc says. I'll try not to hurt you... too much.", she jokes weakly. Mason removes his helmet and removes the third crate that was sitting on top of the other two, giving Halifax room to lie down with her lower legs still draped over the edge. He then puts his torso crosswise over hers and hold both of her wrists. "You're in charge.", he says with hesitant conviction. The leg seems deadened by the local and they both appear to be ready for Volsung to do his thing.

Meanwhile, Valen gets the ODST's attention, "Corporal Winston, unfortunately we weren't sent here to dig you out. Now, I don't mind lending you a hand in turning the tide and getting rid of this trash... but then you're on your own again. We have a very specific objective and we're on a ticking clock. I need to know the location of the nuclear armaments within this facility."

Winston took a posture that denoted mild amusement, though he tried not to chuckle. Silently, he leveled a finger in the direction of the impending firefight with the remaining Insurrectionists.

[darklink_shadow]

Just what I wanted to hear. Vidarr retorts, looking at the CO and then returns to waiting to take a shot. He had seen where the armaments were waiting for them, and he set his jaw. Of course they were that way. Which other way could they be? Down the already cleared hall? Never.

Loki, if you can take them out, that'd be real dandy. We'll get headed towards the nuke as soon as we're able. Looks like we won't have be friends with the neighborhood kids after all. Good. I'm not too keen on traitors. Damn it, stick your head out already...

[DoctorFaust]

Volsung cracks a smile when Mason drapes himself over Halifax. "I didn't mean quite that much," he says. "But thanks anyway."

After fiddling with the instrument he retrieved from the medkit for a moment, he flicks it on, making a slight buzzing noise, and reaches out to insert it into the gunshot wound. At the last second, Volsung is interrupted by his AI. "Hey, doc, you do know the other end goes in first, right? Magnets have poles, after all."

Volsung bites back a curse, flips the device around, and again prepares to insert it into the wound. He spares a moment to glance up at Halifax and smile reassuringly, saying "Just think, once you get back home, you'll be able to tell everyone you know that you got waited on by a Spartan.", and then sticks the metal rod into the hole.

Slowly, he moves it further and further into the wound, until a faint clink is heard, and he removes it, dragging the bullet out with it. He drops the tool back onto the medkit, empties a biofoam reservoir into the wound, swabs the site with a disinfectant, and then wraps it in a field dressing. "There. Might still want to get it looked at in case I was wrong about the bone or muscle, but you should be good otherwise. Just...maybe don't go running for a while."

[Erik Vale]

Argely grits his teeth, looking to the barricade set up.
"Negative, I'm oversheilding, make a hole and be ready to clean up."

Argyle moves towards the barricade, ready to charge over it once Vidarr moves out of the way.

/Argyle isn't told no by Valen]
Turn 1:
Iaoch: Protection from Arrows, I've DR 10 against range for a max of 40 Damage [Which has almost tripled my shields].
Argyle: Moves to a location he can charge, assuming Vidarr moves that'll be L or K 2. I'll ask him to move the barricade if needed.

Turn 2:
Ioach: Casting Ghost Sound, being a 16 man roar [or equivalent, but that's it's volume] peaking and maintaining peak once I reach G2, and will be maintained for one round after I complete the charge.
Argyle: Charges. *Tries to figure out rules* I think I'd Bull Rush their barricade as my charge 'attack' unless I can stand on top of it to attack, the details are best resolved in the OOC.

However, assuming in their turn someone shoots at me stupidly in close range, here's an AOO:
Spiker Razorback attack.
Hit: [roll0]
Crit: [roll1]
Dam: [roll2]
CDam: [roll3]

[darklink_shadow]

Oh? Well, don't let me be in your way, go get em tiger. Vidarr moves down to give his comrade a clear path, but kneels beside the officer manning the other half of the barricade.

[Erasmas]

The woman flinches a little when the medic makes contact with the bullet, but with Mason on top of her, she doesn't compromise the positioning of the wound. After Volsung was finished and the wound was field dressed, Mason helped Halifax to sit back up before returning to the barricade with Vidarr.

"Thanks.", the officer offered Eclipse Three in exchange for the treatment. She then flexes her ankle a little and muses, "Huh. That stuff is pretty amazing." You get the feeling that she may be referring to the biofoam; something that you're pretty sure wasn't circulated in regular medical circles yet. And yeah, she feels great right now, but you would know that it would be a different story once the local anesthetic wore off.

Given the go-ahead by Valen, Argyle gets into position as his AI prepares for his charge. O23 bursts forward, vaulting the barricade where Vidarr falls into place right behind him. As the roar comes up from his suit, the Insurrectionists behind their own barricade level their Assault Rifles and open with automatic fire into the narrow hallway. Two of the men are shaken by the tremendous cacophony, but the third seems unfazed. The first man, even though he was more blind-firing than anything else, manages to get lucky with one of his shots... the rest going wild. The second, more confident enemy, hits with his first shot... but his gun seems to jam on his last. The third man, also taken aback by the noise, fires... and his gun jams as well! And without a single one of them even coming near Argyle.

And when the foolish foes engage, coming out from behind their cover, it becomes apparent that they weren't the only ones at the ready. Vidarr fires his three-round burst at the first Innie, all three finding their mark with ease and dropping the only man behind their barricade who's gun hadn't jammed.

The unwavering man begins talking excitedly into a headset, "Sir, they're making the push now! Addleson's hit! They have one of those crazy powered suits of armor! We need back-up now!!!"


Innie1:
[roll0] (Will Save vs. Ghost Sound; if failed, all subsequent attacks are at a -2)
[roll1] (Readied Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll2]
[roll3] (Readied Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll4]
[roll5] (Readied Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll6]
[roll7] (Readied Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll8]
[roll9] (Readied Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll10]
Innie2:
[roll11] (Will Save vs. Ghost Sound; if failed, all subsequent attacks are at a -2)
[roll12] (Readied Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll13]
[roll14] (Readied Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll15]
[roll16] (Readied Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll17]
[roll18] (Readied Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll19]
[roll20] (Readied Attack 5 - versus Argyle) <--- Critical Failure!
[roll21]
Innie3:
[roll22] (Will Save vs. Ghost Sound; if failed, all subsequent attacks are at a -2)
[roll23] (Readied Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll24]
[roll25] (Readied Attack 2 - versus Argyle) <--- Critical Failure!
[roll26]
[roll27] (Readied Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll28]
[roll29] (Readied Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll30]
[roll31] (Readied Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll32]

[darklink_shadow]

Throw your weapons towards us, and lay on the your bellies. Failure to do so will result in extreme violence. And your guns are all jammed!

Vidarr barked out, half as loud as his gun barked, moving to take aim and put down the man with the comm.

[DoctorFaust]

"I'm not surprised that you feel good. I just gave you a sedative powerful enough to be used on Spartans," Volsung replies, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "But seriously though, use the leg as little as you can until you get a corpsman with a full setup to look at it. I did just pull a bullet out of your leg, and the stuff I used to fill the hole is a stop-gap."

When the firing starts, Volsung yelps in surprise and hurries over to his squad, tugging his rifle free from his back. "You heard the him! Surrender, and we don't gun you down where you stand."

[Erasmas]

Argyle crashes into their barricade, sending two of the crates flying backwards, and scattering the two men that remained alive and bunkered in. The one who had radioed for help had pulled out a fragmentation grenade, a fact that Argyle realized only once the crate the man had been hiding behind had been knocked free. Another three-round burst from Vidarr tears through the air beside O23 and tags the grenade-wielder three times, killing him. The grenade falls from his hand and bounces once, nearly in slow motion. And then it explodes.

As Argyle is driving his knee into the chest of the third Insurrectionist, cracking several ribs in the process, pending saving throw. However, the blast seemed more than what the man could take, a piece of shrapnel embedding itself right into the man's temple. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The sounds of mobilized chaos abound from beyond where the barricade had been, Eclipse Two being able to see that there was another doorway at the far end of this room where more Innies had now barricaded in.


Grenade Damage:
[roll0] (This will be against a flat DC=25)
Innie3:
[roll1] (REF save vs. Grenade)

[Erasmas]

At least two more men were behind the barricade through the door into the next area. Argyle could tell that it was a large room, and according to the building's schematics and the directions you had been given... this was the place you were here for. The two men opened fire at O23. The first Innies' gun jams... a problem that did not seem isolated to your Fireteam. The second's first shot is wild, but his second hits right in the neck. His shields falter, but it looks like the extra bit of help that Gnomere had provided was going to prove very useful! The rest of the shots from the second man are all poorly aimed, however.

A third, another woman, then joins the ranks and shoulders a rocket launcher, firing it at Eclipse Two as well! Her attack too is miscalculated, the rocket streaking right past Argyle and slamming into the crate in the hallway. It detonates, the flames and force barely even being felt at O23's back. The twisted remnants of the crate itself slammed into the barricade where the rest of Fireteam Eclipse and their allies were hunkered down.


Innie4:
[roll0] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle) <--- Critical Failure!
[roll1]
[roll2] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll3]
[roll4] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll5]
[roll6] (Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll7]
[roll8] (Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll9]
Innie5:
[roll10] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll11]
[roll12] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle) <-- Critical Hit!
[roll13]
[roll14] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll15]
[roll16] (Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll17]
[roll18] (Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll19]
Innie6:
[roll20] (Attack - versus Argyle)
[roll21]

If the above attack misses Argyle by less that 10 points, it will travel all the way to the wall behind all of you in the small room. If that's the case, I will need REF saves from Mason, Vidarr, Volsung, Loki, Winston, and Halifax!
Mason:
[roll22] (REF, just in case)
Halifax:
[roll23] (REF, just in case)
Winston:
[roll24] (REF, just in case)

[theskorpionking]

"He's gonna need some back up." Loki stated to no one in particular. She started moving down the hallway to offer assistance if needed.

[Erik Vale]

"Rocket Launcher!"
Argyle begins dropping the moment the rocket leaves the tube, tossing a small object towards the clusster of insergents. By the time he's hit the ground, you can see it's a inferno grenade heading right for the face.


Iaoch casts true strike.

Aiming for the one with the rocket launcher:

Hit: [roll0]... 1 off a critical! Nooooo!
Crit: [roll1]
Dam: Info not given, however they are going to be introduced to the chunky salsa rule given my to hit is so much higher than my AC.

[Erasmas]

Loki hustles down the hall behind Argyle, just getting through the doorway of the next room.

Argyle, the rocket having narrowly missed him, tosses his flame grenade through the doorway with AI-assisted precision. The flames erupt as he drops to the floor. Screams from three voices accompany the burning orange fire and the Spartans could see that two of them were actually set ablaze.

Anex likewise charges forward, sliding in on one knee behind a crate and opening fire with his Assault Rifle. A single sweep of his automatic fire, and he finishes off the three tangos inside the doorway, silencing their screams.

Vidarr's goes to sound off with his Battle Rifle once more, but sees that all of the marked targets had already been dropped. So he holds his shot for the time being.

Valen moves up to take Anex's previous position, stacked up against the door leading into the hallway. "Did you say that they had a rocket launcher?!?! Where in the hell are they getting all of this UNSC firepower?!"

Mason, having seen enough with that rocket, falls back to where Halifax was, collecting her and moving into the south hallway, "C'mon, Cap... I think we're way out of our league! Let's let the big boys handle this... and we'll mop up afterwards!" Halifax didn't put up much of a fight, leaning on the other officer to make her way over the other barricade and out of harm's way.

More combatants flood in to fill the gaps left by their fallen comrades, just behind the wall of fire that was now present. This time, they bring forward a mounted .50 caliber machine gun and start laying into your position. Loki takes the attention, since she is standing out in the open, and three of the five shots find their mark. Though her shields sparkle and dance, they still hold at around 30%!

Winston falls in where Mason had been, firing his own DMR at the newly arrived party guest with the big gun. His first two shots are dead-on, and double tap the damned fool right in his forehead. The machine gun fire stops just as soon as it had begun.

However, it was very apparent that there were still more Insurrectionists behind that barricade willing to put up a fight!


Argyle:
[roll0] (Grenade Damage)
[roll1] (How Long They Burn)
Anex:
(Moves to B3 (Old Map))
[roll2] (Attack 1 - versus Leftover Innie)
[roll3]
[roll4] (Attack 2 - versus Leftover Innie)
[roll5]
[roll6] (Attack 3 - versus Leftover Innie) <--- Critical Hit!
[roll7]
[roll8] (Attack 4 - versus Leftover Innie)
[roll9]
[roll10] (Attack 5 - versus Leftover Innie)
[roll11]
Winston:
[roll12] (Attack 1 - versus Innie8)
[roll13]
[roll14] (Attack 2 - versus Innie8)
[roll15]
[roll16] (Attack 3 - versus Innie8)
[roll17]

Innie4:
[roll18] (REF save - versus Argyle's Grenade)
Innie5:
[roll19] (REF save - versus Argyle's Grenade)
Innie8:
[roll20] (Attack 1 - versus Loki; +4 for being mounted and stationary)
[roll21]
[roll22] (Attack 2 - versus Loki; +4 for being mounted and stationary)
[roll23]
[roll24] (Attack 3 - versus Loki; +4 for being mounted and stationary)
[roll25]
[roll26] (Attack 4 - versus Loki; +4 for being mounted and stationary)
[roll27]
[roll28] (Attack 5 - versus Loki; +4 for being mounted and stationary)
[roll29]

[Erik Vale]

"A hacker getting them access to the armour depot and armory. Permission to be liberal with the grenades?"

Iaoch focus' Argyle's suit lights on the machine gunner as Argyle opens fire on him.


Flare save DC is 14 Fort. Failure applies a -1 to hit.
Remember, I'm prone which gives me an AC boost vs Ranged. +4 I think.

Opening with my Spiker.

Order: Hit, Crit, Damage, CDamage

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]

[roll12]
[roll13]
[roll14]
[roll15]

[roll16]
[roll17]
[roll18]
[roll19]

[Erasmas]

Loki rushes towards the doorway, firing her Brute Shot as she advanced. Once she reached the door, she turned and slammed her back against the wall beside it. None of the targets were close enough for the burst effect of her launched grenades... but it kept them further at bay all the same.

Argyle, firing from the ground as his shields begin to come back online, manages to hit with two of his steel projectiles. They both embed themselves in one of the tangos that was moving into position to take over the machine gun. It staggered the woman, but wasn't enough to take her down.

Anex leaps over the crate during the momentary lapse of enemy fire and moves to stack up beside Loki on the far wall.

Vidarr, having slid in behind Anex, now takes advantage of the vacated space directly behind the crate and takes cover.

"Winston, follow my lead!", Valen says, picking up the crate nearest him at the rear barricade and moving forward into the room where the majority of his Fireteam was now engaging the enemy.

The Innies fire blindly through the fire and their own barricade, but it was more panic fire than anything else and the bullets fail to threaten any of the Spartans.

Winston picks up another of the crates and follows your Commander, "Yes sir!" However, with the blasted remnants of the rocket-launchered crate just on the other side of his own, he fails to see it there and loses his footing. He too falls prone, though his is not on purpose, and he drops his crate.


Loki:
(Moves to what would be N33 (New Map))
[roll0] (Attack 1 - versus space M31)
[roll1]
[roll2] (Attack 2 - versus space M31)
[roll3]
[roll4] (Attack 3 - versus space M31)
[roll5]
Anex:
(Moves to what would be O33 (New Map))
Valen:
(Moves to C2; places crate in B2 (Old Map))
Winston:
[roll6] (Strength check - x1.5 for two-hands) <--- Critical Failure!
(If successful, moves to D1; places crate in C1 (Old Map)) (Crate tumbles into H1)

[theskorpionking]

Loki cursed as her shots neglected to find targets. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I promise this will all be over soon."