• Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Thread 2
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"Hell of a scare that was, then." said Taylor, a faint hint of humor in her voice. She then turned to the others. "Alright everyone. We're on the ground now, and more than likely they've landed nearby somewhere. Some of us can head outside into the snow and engage them, while some of us hang back in here. Amy, that anti-material rifle would be useful to get in some sniper fire on them before they get to us. Hit the bigger, heavier guys first if they have any. Valkyrie, switch your drones downstairs to automated, and get the ones up here ready. Keep them inside, though. We don't want them freezing up out there in the ice and snow." She looked to each of them, then the ones she hadn't named yet. "Mercy, you know what to do. Patch up wounded. Jason, stick with Mercy and assist her if she needs it. Aaron, I need you to set up some traps if you can. Smart mines, claymores, and bouncing betties would be perfect. Maddox probably made some, so run in there and check the Cataract's armory. Stock up on ammo and grenades if you haven't already. Iron, you're with me. We're gonna hit 'em when they get close." She finally took a breath. "Quickly. We don't have much time." Valkyrie rolled her eyes nearby, then hit a button on her holotablet which switched the drones downstairs to their automated roles. Their objectives were still the same of course. Both drones decided to switch to melee, slinging their weapons on their backs and charging Rask and Maddox in an attempt to pummel them.
Markus and Sting swiveled a bit as the ship touched down. Markus realised that if he was going to kill Maddox it would have to be soon as he could now possibly escape to the planets surface. As the steam cleared Markus began discerning figures behind the misty veil. He lifted his rifle and took aim at one of them, and sure enough it was Maddox, trying to pry the door to the elevator open. "This is the end o' the road fer you, cunt." he shout. Sting also lifted her guns and aimed at Maddox, "Awfully sorry partner, but I get paid for this." she exclaimed with a laugh, "Time for you to giddy up to hell." Markus and Sting fired a hailstorm of bullets towards Maddox. [Quickdraw roll] ----- Yuga viewed the Aurikha as the Ryojin floated closer. She contacted the armory, "Battery, fire a final salvo with the void cannons on the Aurikhas hangar doors." She hoped this would either damage the mechanics in the door and allow their own ground team to get closer with less opposition, or wound or kill anyone who were close to the hangar doors, should the shots penetrate the last of the Aurikhas fading shields. She turned to the pilot, "When the battery has fired, set us down 5 miles north of here."
Jason turned to Mercy and spoke up "So.. anything i could help you with? Medical supplies or something?"
Maddox and Rask both put everything they had into pulling the doors apart, and the gateway opened slowly but surely. Their time was already up, but they could taste freedom just a deck above. Now that they were on the ground, there was no need to go through the hangar. They just needed to access one of the cargo doors on the factory floor. In hindsight, it was clear that the factory was the best option they had never considered. Their ambition got the better of them, but if they managed to sneak out through the cargo doors, they might just duck the crew and save their own skins! Rask + Maddox: CH Estimate: 2/5 + 2/5 = 4/5 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Passed. With a roar, the two men cleared the doors and stumbled into the weightless space of the elevator shaft, so exhausted that they could barely climb even as their bodies were coursing with adrenaline. Behind them, the steam had fully cleared, bringing them within sight of their pursuers, but Frosty was ready first with a lunging knife attack! Frosty: [B]10[/B] x 1.75 x (No Feat Applicable) = 17.5... 18 Rask: DEF Roll = 8 10 DMG Rask HP: 18/50 The dagger plunged into Rask's back, jolting him with unbearable agony. His hands fumbled for purchase in the elevator shaft as Frosty's strength continued to pin him down. Maddox kicked at the wall but had trouble climbing, and blood was in his eyes. The two droids launched themselves into the shaft as well, swinging wildly at the traitors! Warhound 1: [B]6[/B] x 2(Roboticist) = 12 Rask: DEF Roll = 3 [B]9 DMG[/B] Rask HP: 9/50 Warhound 2: [B]3[/B] x 2(Roboticist) = 6 Maddox: DEF Roll = 2 [B]4 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 94/195 Rask was battered in pain; his arm was shattered in three places and the armor which guarded his scarred face was torn away, exposing to the world his previous brush with death. But to some measure of insane luck, the Warhound had managed to dislodge him from Frosty's grip, and the only crew member still targeting him was Ravis. [I]That stupid lirya couldn't hit jack shit with that old pop gun of his-[/I] Ravis: [B]5 DMG[/B] Rask HP: 4/50 [I]Dammit.[/I] While Rask was receiving his pummeling, Maddox didn't escape unscathed either. Markus, Sting, and Moloch were spraying the entire elevator entrance with lead and plasma. Markus: [B]3[/B] x 1.25 x (No Feat Applicable) = 3.75... 4 Sting: {2, 10, 6, 8}... [B]2[/B] x 1.75 x 4(Quickdraw) = 14 Moloch: [B]5[/B] x 0.5(Malediction) + 5(Malediction) = 7.5... 8 Maddox: DEF Rolls = {3, 1, 3} [B]19 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 75/195 Bloody, bruised, and shot to pieces, the two traitors climbed up the tunnel. Sooner than Maddox expected, Rask hit an emergency door button inside the shaft to open the doors to the second deck, the factory floor. He might as well, since the elevator car seemed to be heading back down again to where it would block them from going to the hangar anyway. "In here," he croaked, sounding quite unlike himself. "Ca... Cargo doors. Save me... and you can keep the money." Maddox grabbed Rask and dragged him back to his feet, and the latter scanned the room before pointing to one of the smaller slider doors. "...There," he said. --- The doors to the elevator opened into the hangar, and out stepped Yanim and Arkadam, unaware of the drama unfolding below their feet. Neasha was there to greet the two of them. "If you two are finished discovering your sexuality," she announced, to their horrified embarrassment, "there's still a mutiny and an attack going on." "We're aware," Yanim replied hotly, "and how dare you. Kanads aren't just... base, wild animals!" Neasha chuckled, which only bothered them further. "We were falling from orbit, lizard," Arkadam spat. "We were too busy holding each other and trying not to panic." "Anyway!" Yanim nearly screamed, "where are Rask and Maddox?" She was answered by a SULP worker's alert from the factory level: [quote]There's some real trouble going on in the TAC assembly! Where is security?[/quote] Yanim scowled. "The cargo doors... I'm going down there," she said. "No," Neasha said. "I lost everything in this fight. I want to go and end Rask myself. Won't you please direct the defense of the ship instead?" There was pause as the two looked each other in the eye. Yanim trusted that Neasha would handle the job well. "Alright, I'll stay then and you can go. And by the way, nice landing, Nea." "Hey, we don't have to lose a ship every time we leave port," she joked, dryly, before jumping into the waiting elevator car. Yanim and Arkadam turned to face the hangar. "What are you looking at?" Yanim barked, suddenly remembering Neasha's earlier jab. --- As Rask and Maddox neared the cargo door, Rask snatched a comm device off one of the workbenches and dialed into his collaborators' frequency. "Bladedancer... It's Dagger. I don't feel well. Maddox is with me, keh." He paused to cough up some blood. "Vak, listen, I think I'm gonna die, if I'm perfectly honest... I want you to know, you and Yuga... only level-headed, loyal comrades we ever hired. I'm sorry it turned out this way. Take care of Mad, he's one of us... and tell Yuga to bomb the shit out of Yanim and her little friends..." Rask dropped the comm device on the floor and nearly collapsed, and had to rely on Maddox to stay standing. --- Yuga's orders to attack the Aurikha came through regardless of Rask's opinions. CH Estimate: 4/5 [B]Actual: 1[/B] Roll Failed. Despite a direct hit, the shields and blast doors on the hangars held fast. The crew in the hangar was startled by the boom of the impact, but nothing pierced the doors.
Maddox gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. "Keep the money, you'll be able to spend it yourself soon enough." Then, like two brothers in arms, Maddox pulled up Rask on his shoulders and carried him while moving towards the cargo door. Sweat and blood was pouring down Maddox's face and for each step he took his wounds got darker as blood kept pouring out. Yet, despite his wounds Maddox started to feel a sense of relief. He was just a few steps away from freedom. Granted, Rigel would be extremely cold (especially for someone in a blood-soaked uniform) but it would be better than being locked away behind bars. "It was never supposed to go like this, but at least I can finally start over." He mumbled to himself. ----- Vakarus listened to the message from Rask and an urge to sprint headifirst into the crashed ship to save his former officer filled him. However he contained himself and signaled for the squad to move. The Vakr commandos moved up on a center approach while the Ayr marines split up into two smaller squads which covered the flanks. Any enemy stupid enough to step foot outside would either be spotted by Vakarus and his commandos while hiding from the marines or vice versa. Vakarus kneeled down briefly at a small snow-covered rock and scanned for targets with his rifle. Just as he was about to give the order to move forward a barrage from Ryojin struck the hangar doors but to no effect. Not willing to risk and indoors engagements Vakarus made several gestures with his left hand, ordering his warriors to spread out and take cover behind rocks, debris and piles of snow while waiting for the crew to leave their shelter. After all they were the ones who were inside a burning ship. "Vakr! Arovak nariin!" Yelled Vakarus while switching off the safety on his rifle. His commandos followed suite and readied their weapons, as ordered. Meanwhile the Ayr marines dug in on the sides although slightly farther out as to maintain their ranged advantage. ----- Iron nodded towards Taylor. "Lead the way."
[I]"Hunt!"[/I] heard Frosty. Frosty didn't give up chasing Rask and Maddox. He blasted off again with his knife out once more, but this time, Maddox was in his sights. [B]"TIME TO [I]DIE[/I], YANKEE!!"[/B] he yelled. Moloch also climbed his way up the shaft and into the cargo bay. Enraged at how long the fighting has gone and how Maddox was still breathing despite being pumped full of lead and lasers, he decided to take drastic measures. He was finished playing it safe. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prw2Cf387ZM[/media] Moving his arms in a circular motion and with his palms growing red, he shot burning fire out of his hands, sending flame towards the cargo doors control panel in an attempt to completely cover it in flames, delaying the traitors escape. [I]"Now, we get serious!"[/I] he said to himself.
The Warhound drones looked up the shaft, then to one another, before climbing up after them. Their targets were not getting away if they could do anything about it. They scaled the shaft, then entered the cargo bay where they continued to chase after their targets. In one last ditch attempt to kill Rask, the first Warhound attempted to grab him. His intentions? Rend his head from his body in a brutal execution. The second Warhound drew its weapon once again, and fired a few shots at Maddox to further wound him. - - - - - - - - "[B][I]GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE DOORS.[/I][/B]" yelled out Taylor, after the impact from the salvo collided with the hangar doors. Those that were close moved out of the way quickly, fearing for their lives should another salvo collide with it. "Amy, you can cloak, right? Do so and sneak outside through one of the alternate exits. Scout out their numbers. Shoot me a message about it, then get set up somewhere good with the anti-material rifle." she said. She then looked to Alex and a few of the others, whom she had forgot to give orders to before. "Alex, Porter, Janos, you're with me and Iron. Regular and close quarters combat. Hariim, electronic warfare. Bucky, assist either Aaron with the mines or Valkyrie with the drones. Amelia, you're with Mercy and Jason. Help the wounded." Taylor looked back to see Yanim and Arkadam. "Boss! We're getting set up to engage the incoming group. I've given out orders, but if you have any then shoot." Valkyrie, meanwhile, had decided to head back into the Cataract and get a few more things for her drones that were still with her. Namely the rocket launcher that Maddox had rebuilt. She grabbed it along with a few rockets, grenades, and other items. Then, she returned to where the last two drones were and began issuing out the weaponry. The assault rifle toting drone would get the rocket launcher as a secondary, along with a few grenades, and the MMG one would get grenades along with some of Maddox's spider mines. Now the pair of drones were a bit better equipped to deal with whatever was out there and waiting.
János nodded, albeit nervously. He grabbed his MAWS and quickly switched out a couple of its parts, slapping on some stubbier ones instead, to help him in close quarters combat as it did when fighting the Vultures. Earlier in the armory, he had put on a few spare pieces of armor on, the quality of which he wasn't sure of. However, it had to do. If only he hadn't preoccupied himself with other matters when the crew was allowed to order themselves things.
Amelia and Porter nod, not necessarily in that order, to Taylors commands. Porter is already ready. His shotgun fully loaded, grenades fully primed, machine gun slung over his back, and will follow Taylor to whatever destination she leads. Meanwhile, Amelia walks to Mercy, who makes a quick wave to, and stands beside her waiting.
Amy noded and bolted to the nearest exit she could find. She went in one of the maintainence tunnels and followed it untill she could find an exit to the outside. Turning on her cloak, she went outside. Taking slow and carefull steps to avoid grabbing the attention of anyone outside. The hatch was away from the hangar doors, but she didnt want to risk it. Last thing she needed was to get blown up. AGAIN! There was a small hill she could climb, not good for shooting, but good enough to to scout. She looked around the field with binoculars and started to relay information back to Taylor. "This is Amy. I'm outside and looking at the enemy. I see 12 guys in grey,black and orange. Must be Vakr. Flanked by guys in light armor by the looks of it. Ayr. 20-24 in total. Could have more somewhere." She zoomed out and looked up a bit. "Looks like thier ship is leaving. The big one at least. There is something in the distance. Its kicking up snow. Could be more reinforcments or some of the locals." --- Alex nodded and prepared himself for what was going to happen. --- The Fang emerged from it jump through hyper-space. Seth looked over to Tarvis with a slight grin on his face. "Half a day, right?" Tarvis was not amused. His face turned green and he bent over, emptying the contents of his stomach in a bin. "Told you not to eat or drink." "The hell...kind of engines...does this ship have?" "After Zeruel, I had this ship upgraded. Along with the new weaponry and armor, I had new warp engines put in. We got a deal from a company that owes us and they let us have it to test it for them. Should get a nice bonus for this run, considering the risks when we put it into high gear." Tarvis looked at him with suspicion. "What risks?" "You know that with regular warp engines there is a 0.0003% chance of something happening when put into high gear? Something like exploding, going back and forward in time or an alternate universe." Tarvis took a deep breath "How big is the chance on these engines?" "About 30%." Seth answered calmly while lighting a cigar. "We can talk about this later. Right now we have to handle this situation." He observed the imge in front of him. Two ships were in front of them, still a distance away. He wondered if he could convince them to pass through. Probably would have to engage if they were the one's that attacked Yanim. Judging by the damages on one of them, they might be. Then theere was the other problem. The beacon was still active and comming from the surface. "Are our boys down there active?" "Yes. The leutenant in charge grabbed whoever he could and started to move to the beacon's location. He said that he has a dropship with fighter escort ready to help them get the hell out. He's on route in an APC however." "Good. Have him send a message that he's there to help so they wont be mistaken for hostiles. As for the ships here. Lets see if we can bluff our way past. Call em up and say that we are here to reinforce one of the sides of the conflict on Rigel."
The Ayr marines had taken up a advantageous position among protruding rock formations on a slight incline away from the Aurikha. The marines had just finished putting up their shields and were readying their rifles. One of the marines slid down from a rock and ran towards one of the more decorated individuals in the group, "[Sergeant, I've spotted movement to the east]" The Sergeant didn't take his own binoculars down as he continued to scan the Aurikha, "[Got any confirmations?]" "[No, Sergeant. Looks like a troop. Could be reinforcements or Khergian militia]" the Marine replied The sergeant looked at the marine, "[Continue your monitoring. Inform me when you have confirmation.]" The marine did a slight bow and returned up to his post with a rock for cover towards the Aurikha as he continued watching the movement of the unknown troop. The sergeant looked over his position and his men. "[Steady and alert. I have intel of snipers and marksmen on the Aurikhas crew. Be vary and triangulate and return fire should we come under fire from them. Squad two, cover the commandos.]" ---- Markus and Sting chased after Rask and Maddox into the elevator shaft, but as Markus stuck his head in he could see Maddox entering the door one floor up. With the elevator on it's way down again they couldn't follow them through the shaft. Markus turned around and began running towards the exit and the stairwell, "They're one floor up. If we 'urry the fuck up we might get to kill 'em 'fore they bleed out." Sting followed, skillfully using her four arms to systematically reload her revolvers as she ran after Markus.
Hercules watched from the Aurikha as the metal skull of his best friend clanged off the side of the ship and tumbled down to the planet surface, becoming a red-hot shooting star. Even though the pain of losing Sledge was intense, even dumb animals know not to jump into space after precious things.
Mercy internally grimaced as she realized her 'team' for the next little while was going to be Amelia and Jason. One who couldn't really fight all that well, and the other who was... well, Jason. Sighing under her breath, she began to think [i]tactically like a real soldier[/i] on where to actually set up a sort of triage station. She could do it in the Cateract, but the winding hallways and its relatively close proximity to the bay doors kinda flumped that for her. Instead, she decided to settle on setting up a makeshift center at the back of the Aurikha, since it's still close enough, and the path doesn't have a bunch of corridors- and hey wow that's pretty far away. Huh. She never realized how big this thing was. She probably needed the cardio anyway. In any case, Mercy slung her SMG on her shoulder again and started to speak. "Ah, Jason, was it not?" She turned on her heel to speak to him. "See if you cannot set up a wall around zhere, zhat is where we will be setting up zhe, ah, field hospital." She said, pointing over to the far side of the carrier, near a door leading further inside. If nothing else it would at least get him out of her hair. "And, ah... Amelia." She then turned to face her other squadmate after a moment of trying to actually remember her name. "See if you can't scrounge up some sort of medical supplies from around here- but ah, stay away from zhe hangar doors, oui?" She nodded to Amelia before heading up the ramp into the Cateract, making a swift detour to the medbay, unrolling a wheeled stretcher and beginning to pile medical supplies onto it, not to mention filling her own bag.
"You got it." Jason starts setting up a barricade in the far side of the carrier, using crates and some parts of the old barricade that he had constructed. while also keeping a look out if there were any enemies that have cloak their way in.
Taylor relayed Amy's message to Yanim. "We've got twelve Vakr outside, flanking a group of Ayr Marines. Around twenty to twenty-four total. Vakarus is probably leading the Vakr group."
The Boomes attempted to bluff their way past the Black Fleet vessels after deciding on an effective cover story: they had been hired by a corporation on Rigel to transport valuable assets out of Sanctuary Cargo Station. CH Estimate: 1/5 [B]Actual: 5[/B] Roll Passed. The English-speaking interpreter on board the Orikodzek replied its regards to the Fang in no uncertain terms: [quote]Mercenaries, we are conducting a lawful joint exercise with the Ayr Imperial Navy in the proximity of that station. Your arrival is highly suspect and we cannot allow any interference. Hold your position until you are cleared to proceed or else we will be forced to open fire.[/quote] The ships remained in standoff while the comm officers aboard the Orikodzek sent inquiries to the comm tower operators at Sanctuary to verify that they were expecting Boome mercenaries on courier duty. The tower operators, all khergians, had easily picked up on the motivation behind the requests (that is, to control traffic to and from the planet) and were in no mood to help the kanads or the ayr, or anyone else for that matter, to have their way. They [I]confirmed[/I] the Boomes' contract arrangement. On the kanad battleship, Commodore Siyada remained unconvinced, and was tempted to ignore the circumstances and continue holding the Boomes in limbo. However, he also considered the short length of time which had passed since the Aurikha had sent out its distress signal and reasoned that no one could have responded so quickly. Not wanting to illegally block traffic and risk creating hostilities between the Boomes and the Collective, he decided to relent. He informed the comm officer, who relayed it to the interpreter. [quote]Attention, mercenaries. Your arrangements have been confirmed by Sanctuary Cargo Station. You are clear to proceed.[/quote] --- Neasha stepped out of the elevator onto the factory floor, drawing her knives out of the scabbards she kept strapped to her forearms. Ahead of her, the Warhounds, Moloch, and Frosty were sprinting toward two battered and bloodied men vaguely resembling Maddox and Rask. Upon seeing how close the two were to reaching the cargo doors, she began to run as well, but she was far behind. Moloch would be the first to strike, trying to block the control panel to the cargo door with a wall of arcane fire. CH Estimate: 3/5 [B]Actual: 2[/B] Roll Failed. Maddox leaped at the controls as the blaze seemed to engulf him, and yet it was too unfocused, too diluted to inflict the kind of pain needed to deter Maddox. He powered through it instead, turning the safety switch out of its locked position and jerking it to the right, causing the cargo door to slide open under hydraulic power. The inside of the ship was well lit, but the pure white expanse awaiting them outside was practically blinding. Warhound 2: [B]4[/B] x 2(Roboticist) = 8 Maddox: DEF Roll = 2 [B]6 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 73/195 While Maddox reacted to being clipped yet again by the Warhound's gun, Rask tucked into the corner of the door and looked out to the horizon. He had no strength left, and nothing left to give. If this was where he was destined to die, he would taste the snow before it was over and remind himself of his home planet. He rolled limply out of the ship, falling like a ragdoll into the snow about 4 meters below. His body kicked up a flurry of powdery snow which revealed how soft and deep the coverage was outside, inviting Maddox to follow. As Maddox tried to, however, Frosty caught up with his jump pack and attacked with his knife, just as he had done to Rask. Frosty: [B]9[/B] x 1.75 x (No Feat Applicable) = 15.75... 16 Maddox: DEF Roll = 4 [B]12 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 61/195 Unlike Rask, Maddox was strong enough to force Frosty back after receiving a painful stab to the side. As he cleared the door, the remaining Warhound stopped dead in its tracks, as it and the other drone had been instructed not to leave the ship, where the cold and wet weather was likely to cause malfunctions and damage. Warhound 1: [I]Action Invalidated.[/I] Maddox stood up after hitting the ground and wiped the snow out of his face and eyes. He turned around, trying to find Rask, before realizing the latter was still face-down in the powdery ice, surrounded by his own blood which stained the snow cherry red. Maddox shook his head, having seen how distant Rask's eyes were aboard the vessel, but hadn't believed it until now. He was alone. "After him!" Neasha screamed, beckoning Moloch and Frosty to follow as she jumped out of the Aurikha, forcing Maddox to keep running in the thigh-deep snow. [video=youtube;ALHKfBLVZos]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALHKfBLVZos[/video] --- The Aurikha had come to rest facing east by northeast, with the enemy assembling entirely on the south side of the hangar. The battlefield was covered in soft, powdery snow which had just been dropped during the morning hours, and the terrain was largely clear aside from the debris dropped from the damaged carrier and a line of rocks dotting the side of a shallow hill rising to the south of the Aurikha. The ship's landing legs had been buried into the snow down to the hard ground beneath, and this stance resulted in the reactor floor of the ship was against the blanket of white, giving the ship the appearance of lying on its belly. The cargo doors to the factory floor were thus about four meters above the ground, with the much larger hangar doors of the floor above much higher, at nearly 20 meters. The ship had originally been designed so that the second and third decks would both be used as hangar space, with the main landing ramp located on the third deck. However, the third deck's conversion to a factory floor meant that there was no longer a main ramp at that level. The second deck, where the remaining hangars were located and the current location of the Cataract, had four telescoping ramps spaced as far apart as possible, placing two on each side of the ship. This configuration gave the Aurikha's current defenders a significant height advantage over their enemies, but they lacked cover. The lay of the land meant that the enemy's line, positioned behind rocks and debris on the slope, was about parallel with the carrier at a distance between 40 and 90 meters away. Vakarus and his 11 vakr comrades took up the center, and were generally closer than their ayr allies on the flanks. With the majority of available cover also being located on the flanks, the vakr were forced to advance rapidly, with two warriors sheltered behind fallen objects at 40 meters out while half of the remaining group, including Vakarus himself and his ally Ranak, were positioned behind a large piece of armor plating which had landed slightly to the east. The remaining 4 were split with a pair of 2 on the right flank in front of the right-side ayr line, and the other two on the far left, each behind their own rock. The ayr were more organized, having a selection of cover to choose from in their approach and less committed to advancing immediately. With the exception of one lone fighter on the far-left of the left flank, the rest were in perfect formation behind the rocks. None advanced closer than 80 meters. Inside the ship, Yanim finally acknowledged Taylor. "Their objective is likely to capture me," she said. "That means I can draw fire. I'll join you all outside and employ my skills as a sharpshooter." Seemingly out of nowhere, Skada, the little robotic fox Yanim kept as the company's mascot, appeared while toting Yanim's rifle. Yanim had summoned him using her implant. "Hold on a moment," she added, activating her comm device. "Constantine, are the cannons online?" Constantine replied: [quote]No mam, the reactor's putting out only a trickle right now. We can run the cannons or we can run the shields, but not both. I picked the shields.[/quote] "I agree," Yanim said. She looked back to Taylor and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."
[I]"Captain Taylor, Maddox simply will not die! We have shot him with all we had and he still breathes! He has escaped through the cargo door and we are in pursuit!"[/I] spoke Moloch through comms, his patience running out. He leaped through the cargo doors, hitting the snow running as he continued chasing Maddox down, firing his MAG all the while. Frosty, on the other hand, completely lost his mind. Shooting him didn't work, and neither did stabbing him seem to have any effect. Once again using his jump pack to get close to Maddox, he flew right at him with both hands out forward. He was going to tackle and strangle Maddox, only letting go when he felt Maddox's life pass through his fingers.
Maddox was still alive? The man was determined. "Understood. What's the status of Rask? Is he still with Maddox?" Taylor asked in reply to Moloch's message, before Valkyrie laughed aloud nearby. "You know how you wanted Rask alive? Well, he's [I]face down dead[/I] in the snow outside now." she said with one hell of a grin as Taylor looked to her. Inside her helmet, her face switched quickly to anger but she kept her frustrations under control. She wanted Rask brought back alive to answer for his betrayal, but it was too late now. She shook her head, before looking back to Yanim. "We should try and stay inside the carrier if we can. They'd have to come to us, and we know the layout of the ship. We can establish choke points throughout the ship to engage them. It also allows us to use Valk's Warhounds more effectively, as well as traps. If they want you so bad, then they won't destroy this carrier with you inside." stated Taylor, as she looked back to Yanim. "Would probably be good to find an elevated position with cover so you can pick off those that come in. I figure Arkadam's gonna stick to you like glue, but Valk can assign two of her drones to watch your ass too." Valk responded nearby with a thumbs up, as she hit the button to recall the two drones downstairs. They couldn't do anything more in regards to Maddox, because they weren't equipped to deal with the snow and harsh climate outside. "This is gonna be [I][B]fun.[/B][/I]" she added, glancing up to Taylor and Yanim and flashing a grin. This would have been [I]more[/I] fun if she had a mech to drive about, but these drones would have to do.
Markus and Sting ran up to the cargo door and while Sting jumped after without hesitating while letting out a screeching warcry, Markus remained inside the Aurikha. He crouched down and leaned on the door frame taking careful aim at Maddox. No hard task, considering that Maddox didn't have any kind of snow camo and was about as inconspicuous as a ink stain on a sheet of paper. --- Looking through his binoculars, the Sergeant could spot the commotion going on near the side of the Aurikha. He first noticed Rask jumping down, and not getting up. Next came Maddox who still soldiered on. He contacted Vakarus, "Dagger is dead. Extract the human, but if we encounter heavy resistance we must withdraw. The human is not our primary objective." He looked to his right, "[Squad one, open fire in unison on any pursuers of the human, right side, 60 to 70 meters.]" He then contacted Yuga, "[Kapu, Dagger has been eliminated. We will try to extract the human.]" Yuga pondered briefly and then replied, "[Acknowledged, Sergeant. The human possess intricate information of Terika's workings.]"
Maddox cursed after seeing Rask's bloodied corpse remain in place face-down into the snow. Despite the loss of his former co-boss Maddox kept going, slogging through the snow while his uniform got heavier by the second as blood continued to pour out of his wounds. He used his pistol to blindfire across his shoulder, hoping to strike whoever was closest to him. ----- Vakarus rose up from his cover and took aim. "Forgive me, Frozen-one." He fired a shot at Frosty. Meanwhile Ranak and two other warriors advanced roughly ten meters, having relocated to new cover before opening fire at the four-armed demon which reminded them of the evil Vakr god of death.
Amy layed down prone on the hill she was on, looking through the scope of the AMR. She could see the chase for Maddox spill out outside of the ship and the enemy engaging her crew-mates. She could take a shot at Maddox with the rifle and end it. Or she could take aim at the vakr leader. Killing him would demoralize the rest. Whoever she shot at, would lead to her revealing her position and getting away would be hard. "Captain, I can take a shot at either Maddox or the enemy commander. Gonna have a hard time taking another shot like this afterwards, so who do you want dead more?" --- [QUOTE]Attention, mercenaries. Your arrangements have been confirmed by Sanctuary Cargo Station. You are clear to proceed.[/QUOTE] "Thank you. We'll be on our way." The communcation between the two ships was cut as Seth looked at Tarvis. "They might have bough it, but will most likely realize our bullshit once we go straight for the beacon." "Orders?" "We go to the beacon, but keep an eye on them. Once we are in the atmosphere they will probably follow us. That's when we engage them. Have the fighters be on the ready." He took another drag from his cigar. The Fang picked up speed as it was cleared to move. For a while it looked like it was heading straight to the Sanctuarry cargo station. But once it took a turn towards the location of the downed ship, it was only a matter of time untill they would have to engage in the air. On the ground, the members of the TBC should be recieving his message. [QUOTE]Attention, TBC. This is commander Seth Rollonso of the Boome marines. We recieved your distress signall. Currently on route towards your location. Problem is that the two ships in orbit might follow us, so we might get slown down. Leutenant Orso is leading a detachment of troops and is near you. Point his men in the right direction and they will shoot. [/QUOTE] A seconds transmission came through. [QUOTE]The boys are ready TBC. We're comming in on the left of whoever you guys pissed off. Orders?[/QUOTE]
Yuga looked over the radars as the Ryojin sat itself down roughly 3 kilometers away from the battle. When she noted that a ship was incoming towards the Aurikha she looked towards her first mate. "Engage the shield, signal the armory to engage the siege mode and steer the incoming vessel away from the battle." she said. She frowned as she looked back to the radar map. It must be the reinforcements Yanim sent for and they had somehow evaded the orbital blockade. She contacted the Orikodzek, "Seems Terikas reinforcements managed to trick you. No matter. We will diverge it away from the battle." she paused for a bit to inhale some vapors, "Take heed, Commodore. Rask Vor'pagng has been killed. We will try to extract another informant but our job is to be considered done. Should you want to capture Yanim Terika you will have to contribute your own force, as per our agreement." --- [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NlCYLkQoWg[/media] Nearby on a hill, a Khergian sat on the roof of an armored truck, looking out towards the commotion through his binoculars. "[Well? What is it?]" another khergian said as he peeked his head out from a hatch in the roof. "[Looks like a big crashed ship, with a lot of movement around it. Call the [I]Glavni[/I]]" The khergian ducked down and reached for a radio, "[Glavnivoy, this is Razved 6, we think it might be a battle. Should we check it out?]" The radio was silent for a brief moment before the stern voice of a woman crackled through the speakers, "[Sanctuary said there are domov ships in orbit. Wait for it do die down and then inspect it. If there is no one alive we move in and strip it.]"
[QUOTE]"Captain, I can take a shot at either Maddox or the enemy commander. Gonna have a hard time taking another shot like this afterwards, so who do you want dead more?"[/QUOTE] Taylor thought for a moment after receiving Amy's message. Shooting the enemy commander would certainly demoralize the enemy, but shooting Maddox would prevent him from escaping with them and revealing anything that he may have learned while with the crew. Like the information about the Archives and Yanim's intentions. "...shoot Maddox. He's a high value target, and needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. [I][B]Do not[/B] let Maddox escape.[/I] Also, keep mobile. Don't let the Vakr and Ayr get a fix on you. Shoot and run." stated Taylor, sternly.
[QUOTE]...shoot Maddox. He's a high value target, and needs to be eliminated as soon as possible. Do not let Maddox escape. Also, keep mobile. Don't let the Vakr and Ayr get a fix on you. Shoot and run.[/QUOTE] Amy looked through the scope again. She had a clear shot at Maddox. 'Sorry Mad.' She held her breath and pulled the trigger.
Siyada rolled his eyes. "[Figures... My apologies for the inconvenience, Captain Shuur. Seems the port authorities aren't feeling cooperative today. Should you suffer any damages at the hand of these bandits we'll be sure to have the khergians [I]reimburse[/I] you.]" Siyada turned off his comm connection and gave out orders to his crew: "[We are executing a contingency plan. We were mislead about those mercenaries; the Ryojin intends to engage but they have just informed us that they are unlikely to capture our primary target. It's up to us.]" The Orikodzek and the Viokhmar began to pull away from the wreckage of the Tyrta and began their plunge toward the planet's surface. Inside, teams of marines began preparing for the engagement. On the bridge of the battleship, Siyada's intelligence officer suddenly called for the Commodore's attention. Having contacted the patrol's HQ at Spirra Central Command to inform them of the Tyrta's destruction, the Orikodzek had been provided a wealth of defense intelligence which had been brought over from the suspended SS operation. Only now did the kanads understand [I]why[/I] the Aurikha, its crew, and especially its leader was wanted by the Collective government. Siyada was concerned, now aware that his enemy was responsible for major destruction on Voyak and had thoroughly outwitted and destroyed batakya deployments on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, Captain Vixe was absolutely livid, instructing her marine team leader to "[dominate, humiliate, and take no prisoner aside from the Bloody Fox herself,]" and declaring that "[Terika will be brought to Ébo onboard the Viokhmar with both her thumbs removed.]" In summary, the kanads did not appreciate being caught unprepared. --- Yanim listened to Taylors rationale and nodded. "I'm worried about the ones who are chasing Maddox right now. If we stay inside the ship, they might become surrounded." Thinking for a moment, she continued, "If the enemy begins to lose the battle, I would not be surprise if they change tactics. We can't assume they'll take me alive, after what happened on Itara. But you [I]are[/I] correct in that we stand a better chance if we lure them into the hangar bay. We also need to get the ship moving again; even if we repel the enemy, they'll simply come back in greater numbers unless we can get away from this location. Constantine-" she said, clicking her comm line on, "put everyone you've got on repairing the reactors, the engines can wait so long as the landing thrusters are still functioning. We need to move as soon as the enemy retreats." [quote]Yes mam.[/quote] "Right," Yanim said, turning back to Taylor. "Let's get ready. Arkadam, take this," she said, handing him another battered old gun from Skada's back. "Type-1" was etched into the receiver. As Yanim demonstrated how to prime the weapon for fire, the transmissions from the Boomes arrived. "Orso, this is Terika. You should be approaching a ridge whereupon you'll have your last line of cover before the descent into the killing field. Keep your units on the ridge for now, we're trying to lure the enemy into a bottleneck so we can make enough time to fix our reactor core. If they retreat, there's a real possibility the enemy will simply bomb us until we're eliminated, understand?" [B]10 Turns Until Reactor is Fixed.[/B] --- The landing ramps on the starboard side of the ship began to extend to the ground, signalling to both sides that the real battle was about to begin. One of the blast doors was raised about a meter and a half off the ground, providing an opening for the enemy to enter the ship while still protecting most of the hangar from further bombardment by the Ryojin. Maddox could hear the ramps extending as he high-stepped through the deep snow, heading toward a massive fragment of debris about 20 meters from the ship, and about halfway to vakr position, a good rendezvous point. Hearing Neasha and Moloch behind him, gaining on him, he pointed his pistol over his shoulder and fired blindly, just hoping to hit [I]someone.[/I] CH Estimate: 2/5 [B]Actual: 5[/B] Roll Passed. Maddox: [B]10[/B] x 1.0 x Crit(CH1/2, 2, Passed, x2) = 20 Neasha: DEF Roll = 4 [B]16 DMG[/B] Neasha HP: 103/99 (Nanosurgeon) A bullet struck Neasha in the body and she stumbled, falling face first into the snow. Moloch became the closest behind Maddox and began spraying the latter from the hip. Moloch: [B]2[/B] x 0.5(Malediction) + 5(Malediction) = 6 Maddox: DEF Roll = 4 [B]2 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 59/195 Maddox continued to prove himself the most elusive man in existence as Moloch missed on practically every shot. He did manage to wing the traitor once, however, and it was enough for his magic to leech in and deal a more potent attack. Markus was tired of waiting, however, and decided to wipe away the "inky stain" in his sights. Markus: [B]10[/B] x 1.25 = 12.5... 13 Maddox: DEF Roll = 5 [B]8 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 51/195 Maddox slowed down as yet another bullet pierced him. Escape seemed so close, but Frosty, however, was even closer. He preferred a more direct approach than firearms as he dropped out of the air like a hawk, trying to tackle Maddox and strangle him. Frosty: CH Estimate: 5/7 [B]Actual: 3[/B] Roll Passed. Maddox was knocked hard to the ground as Frosty pounced on him, the two tumbling through the snow and creating a plume of ice. The traitor threw wild elbows out of fear that Frosty was trying to stab him again, and was caught off guard when he felt the artisynth's hands wrap tightly around his throat. Before he knew it, Frosty had planted his feet on either side of Maddox's torso and was pulling the latter's head back while choking him. Frosty: [B]9[/B] x 1.75 x (No Feat Applicable) = 15.75... 16 Maddox: DEF Roll = 1 [B]15 DMG[/B] Maddox HP: 36/195 Maddox couldn't reach the ground with his hands, which were locked behind Frosty's knees in a spread-eagle sort of way, but he still needed to find a way to break free. He was running out of time, and Vakarus could see this from afar. He sighted Frosty with his rifle and fired. Vakarus: [B]6[/B] x 1.75 x 2(Psionics) = 21 Frosty: DEF Roll = 3 [B]18 DMG[/B] Frosty HP: 48/50 CH Estimate: 1/4(Consecration) [B]Actual: 4[/B] [B]36 DMG[/B] The plasma struck Frosty in the face and head, badly burning him and lighting his clothing on fire. Rather than letting go, as Vakarus expected, Frosty let out a terrifying, evil roar and pulled his knees inside, pressing them against Maddox's back and jerking hard with his arms. There was a crack, loud enough for the vakr and everyone chasing Maddox to hear at once. It was the sound of Maddox's neck being broken. Maddox HP: 0/195 [B]Incapacitated.[/B] Frosty slowly stood from Maddox's limp body, hearing the latter's agonized, terrified breathing in the final moments. Away on the hillside, Amy looked through her scope and sighed. "Sorry, Mad." Amy: [B]4[/B] x 1.5 x 1.5(Specter) = 9 Maddox: DEF Roll = 4 [B]5 DMG[/B] [B]Total Incapacitation. Enemy Eliminated.[/B]
The very same smooth and seductive voice Taylor heard weeks ago came out of Frosty's mouth once again as he slowly let go of Maddox. "Know this, Maddox. In this life, you were a better rat, than you [I]ever[/I] were a man." And then, it all stopped. Frosty stood frozen for a moment as he tried to process what just happened. His thoughts were flowing back into his head. The killer instinct was fading away. "O-Oh no..." Tears slowly rolled down his face as the realization he just murdered Maddox hit him. The silence was deafening, only being broken by the sound of Moloch running and screaming towards Frosty. [I]"We have to go! [B]NOW!![/B] Take his body, i'll cover you!"[/I] Frosty hoisted up the now headless human swiss cheese that was Maddox's dead body over his shoulder and sprinted back into the Aurikha. Moloch sprayed his MAG wildly at wherever the fire could possibly be coming from, guarding their retreat back into the ship.
As the other fighters beat a hasty retreat back toward the Aurikha's hangar bay ramps, Neasha did the same. "H- hey, wait for me!" she called out, somewhat disgusted at the sight of Frosty carrying Maddox's now-headless body.
:snip:
In his final moments Maddox thought about his family. He thought about the mistakes he'd done to get here. He just wanted a fresh start. Then everything vanished as life left his body. SSOID Operative Maddox H. Graves was now dead. Unknowingly the crew had just spit on one of the galaxy's most powerful men, namely the SSOID director himself. ----- Vakarus lowered his rifle. A million feelings rushed over him. First Rask and now Maddox. "Yuga'atvan, our former comrades fight fiercly. They just claimed Maddox's life." His pulse was increasing and his blood was boiling. "I will prevent the heretic puppet from desecrating his body." Holstering his rifle to his back Vakarus grabbed his staff with both hands. The plasma blades on each end appeared, slicing through the cold air. Vakarus began to channel psionic energy into his weapon which caused the blades to turn brighter and slightly bigger. Tiny purple and blue sparks began to jump into the snow. Then, despite his large size, Vakarus rushed forward and leaped towards Frosty. He swung his staff, hoping injure or shred one of Frosty's arms. Meanwhile Ranak was tracking the AMR muzzle but realized that his target was cloaked. He prayed to the gods and sent a small wave of psionic energy towards Amy's last known position. In primal times before the Vakr had developed the base for their society their hunters this form of psionic echolocation while hunting.
Yuga frowned. None of this had gone as planned. Rask and Maddox were dead, and with them went a trove of information on the TBC and Yanim. She detested Yanim, but it was no reason for her to make her a enemy of the empire. "Withdraw from the assault and return to the shuttle. Our mission here no longer serves a purpose. That is an order, Va'un." she said with a slow, stern tone. She contacted the armory, "[Battery, fire on the incoming vessel. Force them out of the air.]" She then turned to her first mate. "[When the battery has fired, take us away. Terika is the Batakyas problem now.]" --- The Sergeant watched the slaughter of Maddox. If he had had facial features, his face would have formed into a disgusted grimace. The order then came in from the Ryojin, and the scout came down to inform him that the troop were in fact Boome marines, most likely there to assist the Aurikha. This was a battle he was not about to fight. He looked out over his soldiers, "[We're retreating to the shuttle and leaving. Squad one, cover the Vakr's retreat and force the mercenaries back into the Aurikha. Squad two, find that sniper and pin her down.]" The squad turned turned their attention towards the Vakr. They too must have been ordered to retreat. Should they wish to fight to their death, they would be left behind. --- Sting had tumbled into the snow and got up, ready to pump Maddox full with lead. Problem was, he was dead and headless when she was ready. She stood confused for a while before Markus threw down a rope to her from the factory door. After hauling her up, he looked out towards Rask who lay face first in the snow. After spitting in his direction he closed the door.
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