Aberrant: War Journal - War Journal

[Alex Green]

After the meal, the real Mike decides to get some sleep and goes to bed.

And while he is doing that, another Mike wanders around to get the lay of the land. Seeing that Daniels' is up, he approaches him to ask questions about what tunnels lead where (etc), what the local military situation is like, and also what he knows about the other soldiers.

(ST's call on whether Mike saw Rex leave).

[Heritage]

After the meal, the real Mike decides to get some sleep and goes to bed.

And while he is doing that, another Mike wanders around to get the lay of the land.

X4 Layout:

The center of X4 is the command center (also known as C&C), which is basically a long octagon, 25' x 35', with the long axis going east to west, and seven doors leading away from it. All corridors in X4 are 5' wide and 8' tall, by the way, and all doorways have a metal door that is lockable by turning a central wheel, not unlike those found on a ship or submarine, but most of them are left open at all time.

Starting at dead center south is the corridor that leads to all the crew quarters; the first branch to the west leads to the privates and non-coms cubicles, which are basically eight 10 x 10 plastic-walled cubes squeezed into a 25' x 45' room. Four cubes to a side plus a small latrine, with the hallway down the middle leading to the 'A' tunnel. There are thirty-two small lockers in the short hall leading to the quarters, most of which are currently unused. The walls of the cubes are thin, and there is little real privacy.

The southern hallway then has two side branches, one to each side that lead to the officer's rooms, four to each side, and they're all 15 x 20. At the end of the hallway is the beginning of the 'B' tunnel.

Back at the C&C, the short western hallway leads to the supply room, which is usually kept locked by Kelso. Mostly, this is dangerous stuff: ammo, grenades, demo charges and a few heavy weapons locked in 'the cage'. There are also locked cabinets that hold normal stuff, like cleaning products, toilet paper and office supplies. BTW, there is a short hallway that connects the cubicle area with the supply room, but it is an emergency corridor, and opening the door at either end sets off an alarm.

To the left of the supply room door is the 'snack station', an honest-to-goodness vending machine salvaged from god knows where; it doesn't take any money anymore, but everyone has a passcode to punch in, and it won't let you take more than five items a day. it's stocked with chips, candy bars, fruit juice and mysterious sandwiches in triangular plastic boxes. These sandwiches are rumored to have mystical powers ::shocked

To the right of the supply room door is a sealed hatch - this leads to the base atmospheric controls (AKA 'atmo'), where water is brought up from the earth and purified, air quality is monitored, etc. Typically only Jubersky ever goes down this shaft, and no one else really knows what's down there....

The northwest hallway leads to the 'garden' - every base has one, at General Chimera's insistence. Its primary function is to provide fresh air to the underground base, but it also serves many other functions as well. The simulated sunlight is good for avoiding depression, the veggies grown there supplement the crew's diet, and gardening can be a relaxing diversion from the horrors of combat. X4's garden is 25 x 45, making it one of the three biggest rooms in the base; the floor is actually planted sod, there are planting boxes against all the walls, a small stone bench and a cute little fountain dead center. A long work table is where Epstein does any repotting or pruning, and in the far corner is the 'shed', a locked 10 x 10 room with all the gardening tools, fertilizer, etc. The garden is also referred to as the 'make-out room', though no one knows why ::wink

The northern wall of C&C has the door to the observation post or 'OP' mentioned earlier - another place for couples to hang out ::blush

The northeast hallway leads to the 'engine room', home to X4's hyperfusion reactor ::blink It's a little nuke, as such things go, but it works like a charm. Four large tanks here hold the base's water reserves, and there are also stills for making grain alcohol (for a variety of reasons) and Capt. Blacknell's stoutworks (pretty much just the one reason). Both are maintained by Jubersky, who actually lives in this room on a crude bunk. He has a cube, but he never uses it - he says he finds the reactor to be soothing ::blink There's also a fold-down workbench, where he does repair work and invents things ::lookaround The room is a narrow 15 x 40, running north.

The eastern corridor leads to the 25 x 40 break room, the spiritual heart of the base; in addition to the kitchen area and break table, there are also two ratty reclining chairs and a battered couch, three bookshelves jammed full of all variety of reading material (much of it contraband ::ninja), a dartsboard (brought over from an English pub by the oh-so-British Blacknell) and the game station, a widescreen plasma TV hooked up to a variety of computer game sites off the OpNet. Up to four can play at one time, and inter-base rivalries can get intense ::devil There's also a coffee station where coffee, tea and espresso can be made near the kitchen area. Doors from the break room lead to the gym and shower to the north, and the 'C' tunnel to the south.

The short southeast hall from C&C leads to the t-port, a 15 x 15 octagon lined with white no-slip tile; the t-port controls are on the left-hand wall.

A final note on communications in the base:

There are intercoms on nearly every wall - every room has a numeric code, even the sleeping cubes, and you just punch in the code to talk. There's also a button to broadcast from every com, one for the C&C, one for the engine room, and one for the break room, and all four are clearly marked on each intercom.

The 'Green Screen' is the Green's internal network, using pirated bandwidth from the OpNet, which is secured by Intel spooks, Engineers, and some Blanks-for-hire (the chat room admin is actually a jovial Teragen member known as 'sinner' ::devil)

The 'Green Screen' is your connection to the outside world, providing news on the war, gossip, contraband novox tunes, TV shows and movies, official orders and all kinds of other cool stuff - it can be accessed from any of the monitors in C&C, put up on any of the wallscreens there, or accessed from anyone's quarters via a HUDset and small alpha-num pad, though voice activation is also preferred. Late night chats with other base personnel are therefore possible with at least some degree of privacy - just make sure to set your HUDset for 'chime' or 'vibrate' per your preference. Voicemail and e-mail are included.

(whew!)

Seeing that Daniels' is up, he approaches him to ask questions about what tunnels lead where (etc.), what the local military situation is like

Pvt Daniels nods a greeting to Mike.

Sir.

Then he frowns and looks down the southern corridor.

Didn't I just say goodnight to-

He stops and slaps his head.

Right, the clones!

Daniels looks around for a second, then leans in to the Scout's double.

Do you guys ever, like, plot to take over? Like, "We'll show him who's number one!"

He laughs at his little joke, then pales for a second.

Uh, obviously I'm joking, sir.

After recovering for a minute, he'll then speak freely.

OOC: Daniels would basically give you the same basic rundown on the 'A', 'B' and 'C' tunnels and Rimrock as he gave Rex, so all that info is now yours as well. He'll mention Yakima as well, providing Mike with the info I put up in the OOC about the city of intrigue.

And also what he knows about the other soldiers.

Daniels stretches and grins.

You want some dirt, sir? I'll give you everything I know.

He takes a sip from his coffee, rubs his hands together, and begins.

Okay, starting at the top. Sgt Colby is way cool, easily the best I've worked under - people say she's all easy and stuff, but I don't think so. She knows she's hot, so she has sex sometimes - what's wrong with that? Plus she's just a frickin' eerie shot with a railgun - you'd swear she'd erupted, but she's clean, man!

Kelso is a prick, but you probably guessed that - I mean, he's not a complete @sshole, but it's pretty close. Him and Colby both think the base is theirs, and they fight about it a lot; now with you guys here, I guess they're both wrong.

He grins and continues.

Doc Scoville's okay, but I swear he's like sick all the time. He, Kelso and Capt. Blacknell used to hang out a lot, talk about books and stuff, which is cool.

The private holds up his own tattered novel.

Since the captain left, he's been kinda down.

Jubersky's kinda cool and kinda scary as sh!t - you don't see him much, but he's always doin' stuff. If you want something done, just leave a note out for him; next day, it's done, like those elves and the shoemaker?

Daniels looks a little sad.

I think he's kinda nuts - he was in the Army, part of this experimental program? They put eufiber in his head, all up in his arms and sh!t - he says it's like he's got two nervous systems now, though he doesn't like to talk about it. It made him super-smart, but kinda crazy, too.

He flicks his eyes back to the monitors, and continues speaking while he cycles through different camera views.

Bo, Mortie and me are all pretty tight - heat of combat and all that? We do lots of stuff together, like play poker with Sarge, go huntin' and fishin' with her and Epstein, play on the game station. It's cool. And Epstein's a total fox, but she is way outta my league; anyway, I got a girl back home, at least I hope I still do.

He rubs his eyes and gets a little thoughtful.

There used to be more of us - we lost a lot of people last time we hit Rimrock. Pretty much a whole squad and some change. Epstein came in to replace our last Scout, who was a cool dude. I really liked him; I liked almost all of those guys.

He shakes his head and smiles apologetically.

Sorry, sir - didn't mean to get all misty on you. Does all that help?

(ST's call on whether Mike saw Rex leave).

Actually, seeing as he just went down the corridor that heads back to everyone's quarters, you probably don't make the connection, but Daniels would let you know if you're curious.

OOC: Longest. Post. Ever!

[Alex Green]

Daniels looks around for a second, then leans in to the Scout's double.

Do you guys ever, like, plot to take over? Like, "We'll show him who's number one!"

Mike smiles (he has heard this one before) and says, "That'd be like your right hand plotting against your left. I am him. He is me. In a couple of hours we will recombine and everything that I've become will forever be part of us. If it helps, think of us as a colony creature. Hmm, 'The Colony', now that would be a cool name." ::crazy

"I should probably go to the ends of the tunnels and 'learn' where they are. They sound like good places to be able to find with surety for warps. It might be fun to sneak over to the blues and leave some 'pranks' for them to find, but I'll wait a bit so we can get coordinated."

{Edited to be clearer on what Mike is doing}

Unless something comes up or he runs into Rex, Mike will journey to the ends of the tunnels, just so he knows where they come out and can find them in the future.

[Heritage]

Rex takes to opportunity to stretch the kinks out of his back, his spirits lifting a bit in the wide open spaces outside the 'hole'. He waits a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the starlight, then heads off - at a rapid pace - in the direction of the target patrol, blending in to his surroundings & bounding quietly across the mountain trails as if he was born to it. Occassionally he'll check his location on the GPS, & have a quick look for the enemy, but he aims to make good time before they get too far away from the spot where Daniels found them.

Moving at a brisk pace, Rex is fairly sure he's making good time, his primitive posture letting him cover a lot more ground than a fully-erect biped could. When he estimates he's within a mile of their most probable current location, given their earlier speed and heading, he hears a long blood-curdling scream coming from somewhere in the distance! The scream is soon followed by more cries, suggesting a mixture of blind panic and confusion.

[ProfPotts]

*Bloody typical,* thinks Rex, *can't get a good woman, can't get a good night's sleep, & now some bastard's stolen my prey. This job is really starting to be sucky...*

Rex heads - quicky & stealthily (as always) - in the direction of the screams.

[ezekiel]

The erratic sounds of wild gunfire echo towards Rex accompanied by the thump and boom of 20mm high-explosive/anti-personnel grenades. It all lasts about 20 seconds only to end as abruptly as it started, only eery silence remains.

...

...

Rex hears a thump behind him. Whipping around he sees standing a few meters before him a hulk of a man standing a full 2m high (6'8''). A green and white mask covers his face (think Spawn with the Greens' colors instead of red, white and black and with no cape) and his head is covered in dozens of small spikes making him look particularly mean. An "8" is stamped in brown over his heart and shoulders. If Rex knows anything about the Eights, he'll know that standing before him is Sergeant Havoc.

"Welcome to Eights territory"

[malkboy]

Daniels watched the monitors for any signs of activity as the night continued on. When he looked up, sitting there was another Green on top of a couple large wooden crates used to send supplies in. Daniels fell back, startled by the sudden appearance.

"Hey Honey, I'm home and I brought something for us all," said the officer sitting on the crate. He was wearing an olive t-shirt, green camo combat pants, a pair of perfectly shined combat boots, a green ballcap, and a camo combat jacket. The patches on jacket, still looking new, indicated the man was a Sergeant Major.

Walter takes a long look at Daniels before hopping off the crate, "Sergeant Major Walter O'Reilly from Transport and Supply. You boys expecting a refill on yer gun food? Or how about your personal dining machine? If not, well then I come bearing gifts..."

[Heritage]

Daniels watched the monitors for any signs of activity as the night continued on. When he looked up, sitting there was another Green on top of a couple large wooden crates used to send supplies in. Daniels fell back, startled by the sudden appearance.

Gah!

"Hey Honey, I'm home and I brought something for us all," said the officer sitting on the crate. He was wearing an olive t-shirt, green camo combat pants, a pair of perfectly shined combat boots, a green ballcap, and a camo combat jacket. The patches on jacket, still looking new, indicated the man was a Sergeant Major.

Walter takes a long look at Daniels before hopping off the crate, "Sergeant Major Walter O'Reilly from Transport and Supply. You boys expecting a refill on yer gun food? Or how about your personal dining machine? If not, well then I come bearing gifts..."

Once he recovers his composure, Pvt Daniels struggles to his feet and salutes, a goofy grin on his face.

Welcome to X4, Sergeant Major! Sarge said you might be coming soon, but we figured an AM arrival. Let me see if I can get someone to help settle you in.

After a moment's thought, he punches a number into the intercom. The more-than-a-little peeved voice of First Sgt. Kelso can be heard.

Daniels? What the hell? If this is an emergency, why aren't you waking Colby, damn it!

Daniels makes a funny face and continues.

Sorry to bother you, sergeant, but Sergeant Major O'Reilly from T&S is here.

There is an odd series of squawking noises from the intercom - Daniels is just barely keeping from laughing out loud. Kelso soon manages understandable human language.

They sent him here at this hour? Why the hell - y'know what, forget it. I'll be right there.

In short order, Kelso appears wearing a bathrobe, glasses askew and bedhead hair all tufty.

Not like I was able to get any real sleep anyway, what with all the giggling from Epstein's bunk...

Kelso approaches O'Reilly and salutes crisply.

Welcome to X4, Sergeant Major. I'm First Sergeant Kelso; if I'd have known when you were coming, I would have been here already. I'll show you to your quarters.

[malkboy]

Kelso approaches O'Reilly and salutes crisply.

Welcome to X4, Sergeant Major. I'm First Sergeant Kelso; if I'd have known when you were coming, I would have been here already. I'll show you to your quarters.

Walter faces First Sergeant Kelso and gives him a tight, clean salute. Taking a moment to glance at the officer and his bed rattled state.

First Sergant Kelso pleasure to meet you, but however if you knew when I was coming you'd have been the only one. I was gathering some supplies for the soldiers on this base, which before we rest I suggest we at least get this ammo where it belongs. Those half sandwich hand grenades can be deadly if not properly stored you know?

[ProfPotts]

"Welcome to Eights territory"

Rex's mood isn't helped any by the fact that the big gimp standing in front of him apparantly spotted his chameleon-camouflaged & stealthy form with no difficulty, & that he himself failed completely to notice the huge man's own approach. Not to mention the fact that he seems completely unable to get anything done to relax in these parts - including fighting the enemy! ::rolleyes

Straightening his stance, the naked reptile-man looks 'Havoc' over, shakes his head, then says,

"You just took care of my excercise partners? F'ck this for a game of soldiers." ::angry

Rex turns & continues on his way towards his original target - to see for himself what's happened.

[Heritage]

At X4:

Walter faces First Sergeant Kelso and gives him a tight, clean salute. Taking a moment to glance at the officer and his bed rattled state.

First Sergant Kelso pleasure to meet you, but however if you knew when I was coming you'd have been the only one. I was gathering some supplies for the soldiers on this base, which before we rest I suggest we at least get this ammo where it belongs. Those half sandwich hand grenades can be deadly if not properly stored you know?

Kelso doesn't seem to pick up on O'Reilly's sense of humor - he grumpily takes over monitor duty after lending him the keys to the supply room, which allows Daniels to help put the stuff away. Though tired himself, the big private's spirits are clearly lifted by the sight of Kelso's suffering.

A few miles outside Rimrock:

Rex is not having a good night - deprived of both female companionship and a good kill, he stalks through the forested hills looking to see what happened to his juicy prize, fuming over his rotten luck.

Soon he comes upon the remains of five US soldiers in various states of being quite dead; some have been neatly decapitated, others appear to have been tricked into firing upon their own comrades. Judging from the visibile evidence and what he heard, Rex would estimate that the whole affair was over in less than three minutes.

[malkboy]

Kelso doesn't seem to pick up on O'Reilly's sense of humor - he grumpily takes over monitor duty after lending him the keys to the supply room, which allows Daniels to help put the stuff away. Though tired himself, the big private's spirits are clearly lifted by the sight of Kelso's suffering.

Moving his bag out of the way, O'Reilly just shakes his head a bit. Reaching inside the pocket on the duffle, Walter brings out a couple of white pills and sets them in front of Kelso.

Aspirin is not a luxery afforded often upon us soldiers, so take a couple of mine and relax, Sergeant Kelso. We'll be back as quick as we can.

Walter grabs a crate and follows Daniels to the supply room. Once inside with the two crates of supplies, Walter takes a good look around as they stow the two crates in the cage.

So Private, do you have a name to match the salute? Which by the way, you really don't have to do again. I mean it's a nice perk of being an officer and all, but it isn't really needed unless around other officers. And what's up with Kelso, did someone beat that man up with his own sense of humor?

[Heritage]

Moving his bag out of the way, O'Reilly just shakes his head a bit. Reaching inside the pocket on the duffle, Walter brings out a couple of white pills and sets them in front of Kelso.

Aspirin is not a luxery afforded often upon us soldiers, so take a couple of mine and relax, Sergeant Kelso. We'll be back as quick as we can.

Kelso blinks for a second, then smiles.

Thank you, Sergeant Major - that's very thoughtful of you.

He washes the pills down with some of Daniels' coffee. (Hey! ::angry ::smiley6)

Walter grabs a crate and follows Daniels to the supply room. Once inside with the two crates of supplies, Walter takes a good look around as they stow the two crates in the cage.

So Private, do you have a name to match the salute? Which by the way, you really don't have to do again. I mean it's a nice perk of being an officer and all, but it isn't really needed unless around other officers. And what's up with Kelso, did someone beat that man up with his own sense of humor?

Daniels puts down his burden and offers a firm handshake.

Philip Daniels, Sarge. And don't mind Kelso - he just doesn't like they way we do things out here in the boonies. He's a spit-and-polish kinda guy, but he runs a tight ship. He's probably also pissed that you guys are taking over the place - lotsa Cobras, lotsa chaos.

As the last of the supplies are packed away, Daniels wipes his brow on his sleeve and cocks his head at Walter.

If you don't mind me asking, Sarge, but aren't you a little young to be a sergeant major? I mean, no offense, but you look younger than me, and I'm twenty-two.

[ProfPotts]

Rex takes in the scene of slaughter ::blink ,

*Only five of them? Who in Hell takes nearly three minutes to kill five baselines? If I go over fifteen seconds I consider myself slipping. Sh!t, I've done five lousy guys in one stomp before now... Sheesh, either someone's incompetant, or a really sadistic bastard - drawing their deaths out as long as possible. At least with me it's usually bloody fast!* ::confused

The Cobra examines the bodies, looking at the soldier's equipment, & whatever else they have on them, checking dog tags, looking for unit tattoos - all that sort of stuff.

[phoenix]

Raphael gets up from his bed, tossing aside the several layers of sheets that he had been using - all that he had been able to find in the room.

I wonder if any of the others find this place a little chilly.

Reflecting slightly, it occurs to him that it just might be his naturalization to a warmer climate. What appears to be a puddle made of fabric of some sort forms a peculiar, anthropomorphic arm and reaches up for him, and he touches it affectionately. It flows up his arm and over his body, quickly taking the shape of his day's outfit.

Well, my juice is pretty much back from that sparring match earlier today - so no reason to keep sleeping.

He pulls out from his bag a HUD set and a small keyboard. He had tried mikes before, but had found voice recognition technology, even on modern computers, to be shaky at best - the rest of the world's opinion notwithstanding.

Let's see who's on the Green Screen. Failing that, maybe I'll try to rustle up a game of darts with someone - with that racket, someone has to be up.

[malkboy]

Daniels puts down his burden and offers a firm handshake.

Philip Daniels, Sarge. And don't mind Kelso - he just doesn't like they way we do things out here in the boonies. He's a spit-and-polish kinda guy, but he runs a tight ship. He's probably also pissed that you guys are taking over the place - lotsa Cobras, lotsa chaos.

Walter takes Daniel's hand and gives it a good but less firm shake.

"Pleasured to meet you, Philip. And I don't mind Kelso so much as I was wondering what was burdening him. I know how it feels to lose a post like he just did. And no one said the TS part was going to be any less of a tight ship, after all, tight ship and tough **** go hand in hand right?" says Walter with a large grin.

As the last of the supplies are packed away, Daniels wipes his brow on his sleeve and cocks his head at Walter.

If you don't mind me asking, Sarge, but aren't you a little young to be a sergeant major? I mean, no offense, but you look younger than me, and I'm twenty-two.

Walter chuckles at Daniels, "Well Daniels, I look younger than you for one simple reason. I AM younger than you! I'm nineteen and for reference I have only been with the movement the last year and a half. Seems like every time I get permanently reassigned waiting for me is some sort of promotion. The horrors of being a pencil pusher and being good at it. But don't worry about it too much, I can get just about anything this Movement has stocked and some things they don't have stocked too. Anyway thanks for your help in getting this stuff stowed."

As the pair head back towards C&C, Walter keeps an eye out for signs of activity. Glancing over to the private Walter asks, "So who's actually in charge of this place now?"

[Haze]

Let's see who's on the Green Screen. Failing that, maybe I'll try to rustle up a game of darts with someone - with that racket, someone has to be up.

,,

Jamie opened his eyes, going from completely unconscious to fully alert in the time it takes him to blink. He sits up, his hand from under the pillow retreiving a wicked looking curved dagger. He shealthes it in a scabbard by his bed, and swings his legs over the side of his bed, pulling on his pants and heading out into the hall.

[ezekiel]

Straightening his stance, the naked reptile-man looks 'Havoc' over, shakes his head, then says,

"You just took care of my excercise partners? F'ck this for a game of soldiers."

"I waited as long as I could...but eventually they just seem to give up, I had to finish it." ::devil

The Cobra examines the bodies, looking at the soldier's equipment, & whatever else they have on them, checking dog tags, looking for unit tattoos - all that sort of stuff.

Rex notices that no ammo remains on any of the soldiers (either they shot it all or it was taken away) and that one is actually alive! His hands have been crushed but otherwise he seems unharmed and he's trying his darndest to play dead before the Cobra. Rex notices the smell of urine mixed with that of blood. Stabbed to his thigh is a message:

'if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?... The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.' - H.

Edit: Ok, maybe not unharmed...but he'll make it if Rex doesn't expedite his death...

[Heritage]

As the pair head back towards C&C, Walter keeps an eye out for signs of activity. Glancing over to the private Walter asks, "So who's actually in charge of this place now?"

Daniels can only shrug.

I guess the new members of the X-Ped team - this whole deal is sort of an experiment, as far as I know. Most of them are SSOs or Master Scouts, so I guess someone thinks we can all just get along.

He grins as they return to C&C.

We're all finished, Sgt Kelso - I'll take over the monitors again.

Kelso just shakes his head and waves Daniels off.

Nah, I'm already awake, so you might as well turn in.

He holds up Daniels' mug, his eyes never leaving the screens.

Can you get me a refill? Black, two sugars?

The private rolls his eyes ::rolleyes and plucks the mug from the first sergeant's pudgy hand.

Sure, Sarge, no problem.

He motions for Walter to follow him into the break room.

OOC - Anyone who wants to be in the break room can be present now.

[Haze]

Jamie is already present in the breakroom, a mug of hot coffee held in both hands, in a vain effort to heat him in the chilly room.

He looks up at those entering the room. Smiling to them, he takes a swig of his coffee.

"Morning."

[malkboy]

Walter picks up his duffle bag and slings it over his shoulder. Then when Daniels is ready, Walter follows him down to the break room.

[Heritage]

Near Rimrock:

no ammo remains on any of the soldiers (either they shot it all or it was taken away) and one is actually alive! His hands have been crushed but otherwise he seems unharmed and he's trying his darndest to play dead before the Cobra. Stabbed to his thigh is a message:

'if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?... The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.' - H.

A quick search of the dead soldiers turns up both personal effects (wallets, letters and photos from families and girlfriends, Scout and RA insignia patches kept as trophies) as well as some quality gear: knives, durable watches, small med kits, and of course their weapons, all of which have been emptied. Ration pouches and cigarettes are also plentiful. Their insignias show that they belong to the 1st Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Squadron of the 14th Cavalry Regiment.

The last remaining soldier opens his eyes and glares at Rex when he approaches, his face a mixture of fear, pain and hatred; he hauls himself into a somewhat more erect position, his left leg leaving a bloody trail in the dirt.

Just f@ckin' kill me, man - finish off your buddy's work! You f@ckin' Greens are all savages!

X4:

Kelso calls into the break room from his postion at the monitors.

Sorry to bother all of you, but it looks like we just got our first orders from Major Kendall.

[phoenix]

Raphael walks into the break room, simultaneously brandishing a deck of cards and eyeing Jamie's coffee, when the speaker says in a sharp whine,

"Sorry to bother all of you, but it looks like we just got our first orders from Major Kendall."

Raphael gives a mock enthusiastic "Woohoo!" in perfect octaves, then goes off in the direction of the command center, such as it is.

[Bahamut810]

Frenchie is...remarkably....still asleep. Mabey he was up all night...who knows?

[Heritage]

OOC: It's still quite early, maybe 4 am at the latest. The date is September 16, 2056, so daylight is still a ways off. And yes, even with the heaters on, it gets chilly under a mountain. ::xmas

[Haze]

Sorry to bother all of you, but it looks like we just got our first orders from Major Kendall.

Jamie looked at Kelso over the mug he was currently drinking from. On this new information, he decided to finish the cup there and then.

Setting the cheap ceramic down, he headed towards the command centre.

[Alex Green]

Mike was soundly sleeping when the speaker says in a sharp whine,

"Sorry to bother all of you, but it looks like we just got our first orders from Major Kendall."

So he wakes up, and makes an appearance. Hopefully grabbing some food in route.

Speaking of Mike, something has changed about his appearance. Last night he was "Mr. No One Specific", and now this morning he looks much, much better, like a movie star. The really odd thing is that nothing about his appearance seems to have specifically changed, its just the over all effect that is difference.

At some point over the last few hours his Clone finished his scouting and merged with the original, so we are back to one Mike.

[ProfPotts]

Just f@ckin' kill me, man - finish off your buddy's work! You f@ckin' Greens are all savages!

Rex looks at the soldier with a certain sadness in his eyes, thinking to himself,

*They may be th' enemy, but they're still soldiers, damnit! Sure I'd kill 'em, eat 'em, & put th' fear of... well, of me I guess... into 'em, but this sick sh!t is above & beyond. I may have to have words with gimp-boy...*

Taking one of the med kits, the Cobra kneels next to the wounded man & does his best to patch him up. As he does so he growls,

"Savages? Yeah - I guess we all are in this fight. But don't go gettin' the impression that we're all like th' gimp who did this - th' Greens are soldiers, boy, just like you - we ain't sick terrorist, serial killer, f'cks like Havoc. Now, this don't mean we're an item or anythin' - you 'n' me - just that I prefer m' prey t' be moving when I eat it, okay?"

Seeing no comm's gear with the unit's stuff, Rex gathers up the 'quality gear' as well as the ration pouches, cigarettes, & Green 'trophies' - bundling them all up with some of the clothes of the fallen if needs be. With the weapons he'll take sidearms or knives, but the larger guns he'll throw as hard as he can in the direction of Rimrock (maybe it'll grab someone's attention enough to find the wounded guy?).

With a final glance at the wounded soldier, Rex shoulders the salvage & starts the sprint back 'home' - his own need to kill having been diluted by the twisted actions of Havoc. As he runs he tries to prevent the sick feeling the incident left in his gut from turning to hatred for his 'fellow soldier' - after all, he's known other sick f'cks like that in the past: guys who thought it somehow cool to collect the ears of the fallen enemy, or took the opportunities war provided to rape & murder - of course, he didn't know any who were alive now... Instinct & logic started to fight a battle in the Cobra's mind as he tried to decide whether to kill Havoc or not... ::devil

[Heritage]

X4:

Realizing he is now surrounded by eager novas, Kelso looks just a little embarrased ::blush

Uh, maybe I shouldn't have used the com - this one doesn't look super-time sensitive. But have a look for yourselves.

The following message is on the Green Screen:

09:16:2056   03:37:36

TO: All Base X4 personnel

FROM: Maj. Kendall

SUBJECT: Mission Objectives, re: Rimrock US Army outpost

It has been determined by RAC that the military presence at Rimrock, WA can no longer be tolerated. The reconnaissance troop stationed there poses an ongoing threat to all of our bases in the area. Proceed at earliest opportunity to recon of Rimrock and environs in preparation for final attack orders. Use any and all Base X4 facilities, personnel and supplies in the course of this mission.

Good Luck,

Major Thomas Kendall,

8th Infantry Battalion

Greens Regular Army

OOC: 'RAC' stands for 'Regular Army Command'.

Near Rimrock:

Taking one of the med kits, the Cobra kneels next to the wounded man & does his best to patch him up. As he does so he growls,

"Savages? Yeah - I guess we all are in this fight. But don't go gettin' the impression that we're all like th' gimp who did this - th' Greens are soldiers, boy, just like you - we ain't sick terrorist, serial killer, f'cks like Havoc. Now, this don't mean we're an item or anythin' - you 'n' me - just that I prefer m' prey t' be moving when I eat it, okay?"

Seeing no comm's gear with the unit's stuff, Rex gathers up the 'quality gear' as well as the ration pouches, cigarettes, & Green 'trophies' - bundling them all up with some of the clothes of the fallen if needs be. With the weapons he'll take sidearms or knives, but the larger guns he'll throw as hard as he can in the direction of Rimrock (maybe it'll grab someone's attention enough to find the wounded guy?).

OOC: Whoops, forgot about coms! ::blush Yes, they all have com units; if you have to change your post, feel free to edit if you choose.

The soldier is clearly still afraid and in pain, but the patch-up seems to have taken a lot of the hatred away; still keeping his eyes on the giant reptile, he digs into his chest pocket and pulls out a crumpled pack of smokes and a lighter.

You want one? I'm gonna need one myself if you ain't gonna kill me.

He looks at Havoc's note as he lights up:

'if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?... The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.' - H.

Is that from The Merchant of Venice?

He shakes his head sadly.

God, why do the crazies always quote Shakespeare?

He laughs a bit, but it clearly pains him; after a moment, he does his best to draw himself up and look commanding, and gives Rex a short nod.

Sergeant First Class Dale Cuttler - I'll give you a minute before I call for medivac.

[Prince of Boredom]

X4 Command Center

A blinking light starts flashing on the comms panel, then...

"X4, this is Warpstation Bravo. Standby for t-port of your field medic, Lt Smith. Sorry for the early hour, but we just found him, apparently he's been on 'liberty'..."

Transport Room

Markus stands around, not appearing the least bit disoriented by the experience, and looks around to see if anyone is there to greet him. The extremely (though not mega) handsome man looks to be about 6 feet tall, and in rather good shape. He's wearing standard issue camo's with the med corps white cross, his hair seemingly just this side of regulations. He drops his standard issue weapon and medical kit, keeping hold of the backpack slung around his shoulder.

"So this is an x-ped base, pretty sparse..."

[Heritage]

X4 Command Center

A blinking light starts flashing on the comms panel, then...

"X4, this is Warpstation Bravo. Standby for t-port of your field medic, Lt Smith. Sorry for the early hour, but we just found him, apparently he's been on 'liberty'..."

Kelso snorts and roll his eyes ::rolleyes

Great, just what we need, another party animal - this whole base is going to sh!t.

Transport Room

Markus stands around, not appearing the least bit disoriented by the experience, and looks around to see if anyone is there to greet him. The extremely (though not mega) handsome man looks to be about 6 feet tall, and in rather good shape. He's wearing standard issue camo's with the med corps white cross, his hair seemingly just this side of regulations. He drops his standard issue weapon and medical kit, keeping hold of the backpack slung around his shoulder.

"So this is an x-ped base, pretty sparse..."

The door at the end of the short hallway opens, and a grinning Pvt Daniels pokes his head in ::biggrin

Morning, sir! Welcome to X4; the command center's this way.

OOC: All the player characters are now in play ::thumbsup

[phoenix]

09:16:2056   03:37:36

TO: All Base X4 personnel

FROM: Maj. Kendall

SUBJECT: Mission Objectives, re: Rimrock US Army outpost

It has been determined by RAC that the military presence at Rimrock, WA can no longer be tolerated. The reconnaissance troop stationed there poses an ongoing threat to all of our bases in the area. Proceed at earliest opportunity to recon of Rimrock and environs in preparation for final attack orders. Use any and all Base X4 facilities, personnel and supplies in the course of this mission.

Good Luck,

Major Thomas Kendall,

8th Infantry Battalion

GM Regular Army

Raphael peers over Kelso's shoulder to read the message.

"OK. What do we know about Rimrock's surveillance and defenses? How careful would I have to be to do a recon flight? I'm usually pretty visible from the sky - is there forest I can hug, or will I just have to keep my distance?"

Great, just what we need, another party animal - this whole base is going to sh!t.

Raphael laughs.

"All work and no play, Kelso.."

He jogs in the direction of the Transport Room to welcome the new meat.

Transport Room

Markus stands around, not appearing the least bit disoriented by the experience, and looks around to see if anyone is there to greet him. The extremely (though not mega) handsome man looks to be about 6 feet tall, and in rather good shape. He's wearing standard issue camo's with the med corps white cross, his hair seemingly just this side of regulations. He drops his standard issue weapon and medical kit, keeping hold of the backpack slung around his shoulder.

"So this is an x-ped base, pretty sparse..."

Raphael is standing in the room to greet him by the time the t-port is executed, arms crossed in childish mock offense.

"Oh yeah? Maybe you're pretty sparse!" ::tongue

"Come on Mr. Smith, you'll be late for death.. We just got our mission brief, and trust me, it is.. I'm Raphael, by the way. But just because I saw you first doesn't mean I have to introduce all the others!" ::wink

[ProfPotts]

OOC: Whoops, forgot about coms!  Yes, they all have com units; if you have to change your post, feel free to edit if you choose.

[To keep it simple he'll do the same as previously posted - he won't take any comm's (too easy to track & all that), but will make sure that the wounded guy has one on hand - to call for medical assistance]

You want one? I'm gonna need one myself if you ain't gonna kill me.

Rex shakes his head,

"Nah. Anyway, I'm just not killin' y' today, soldier." ::wink

God, why do the crazies always quote Shakespeare?

"'Cos they're all pooftahs with no imaginiation I guess... I don't get why th' guy wears th' gimp-mask either...", Rex shrugs.

Sergeant First Class Dale Cuttler - I'll give you a minute before I call for medivac.

Rex laughs at this ::laugh ,

"That's mighty generous o' ya', boy - considerin' the situation & all... I'm Rex - & if we meet again in combat then I'll not hesitate t' eat ya'. Now, I'm gonna' steal your watch & th' rest o' ya' smokes, then leave ya' t' ya' bleedin'."

Conversation over the lizard-guy returns to the base with his swag.

[Heritage]

Back at the base, some complete b@stard (Kelso) has woken up Sgt Colby, who drags her sorry @ss into the C&C, wearing sleepy pants, a threadbare Mickey Mouse T-shirt and a squint-eyed scowl.

Kelso, you're death is forthcoming.

She yawns and works a kink out of her neck; shuffling over to the Green Screen, she peers at the message.

Dude, it says 'earliest opportunity' - that means we have a little leeway on the timetable, you dickless wonder. God, my head is throbbing.

She turns to the assembled novas and baselines.

Let's put it to a vote: do we act on this now, or do we finish resting up a bit? I know some of you novas are fine and ready to go, but your baseline support staff is currently feeling like hammered sh!t.

[Bahamut810]

Frenchie walks in all blearie-eyed and in nothing but his briefs!

"Well...I seenk that wi need to rest fierst. I know zat I havent gotten enough sleep yet... Oh jes...please keep the racket down...zat intercom is too loud to use in non-emergency situations..."

And with that he turns and goes back to bed.

[Heritage]

Frenchie walks in all blearie-eyed and in nothing but his briefs!

"Well...I seenk that wi need to rest fierst. I know zat I havent gotten enough sleep yet... Oh jes...please keep the racket down...zat intercom is too loud to use in non-emergency situations..."

And with that he turns and goes back to bed.

Colby nods her approval.

One vote for sanity, courtesy of the scary Frenchman in his undies.

Raphael peers over Kelso's shoulder to read the message.

"OK. What do we know about Rimrock's surveillance and defenses? How careful would I have to be to do a recon flight? I'm usually pretty visible from the sky - is there forest I can hug, or will I just have to keep my distance?"

Daniels taps a button, and topographical map of Rimrock comes up on the wallscreen behind them.

They've got a Fox APC with Aberrant Detection Electronics - pretty good ADE with a four kilometer range, including straight up.

He indicates the mountainous terrain surrounding the small town.

There is, however, a lot of heavy terrain around Rimrock - it's basically in a valley boxed in by three mountains, and all that rock does reduce the ADE's effectiveness, if you can come in from the right angle. Also that sort of long-range equipment is really good at picking up strong Q-signitures, but weaker ones can usually slip through undetected.

Colby grins and murmurs to herself.

Looks like someone's bucking for corporal.

[Alex Green]

They've got a Fox APC with Aberrant Detection Electronics - pretty good ADE with a four kilometer range, including straight up.

Mike says, "Rather than doing anything sneaky, we could start with a brute force approach. I'll make two clones. Send them to a remote location. They both powermax and make bombs with area. Then one opens a warp gate above the Fox, and the other tosses the bombs in. The bombs go off when they are disturbed, which happens when they hit the ground. That's most of my juice, but if it goes bad all we lose is two clones."

"Hopefully that takes care of the APG. Then with them blind and realing, everyone else can warp in and attack something from somewhere."

[ezekiel]

Arriving at HQ, Havoc stops by T&S and hands over various ammo (mostly 20mm though a few rifle clips and grenades as well) to whoever's at the counter, naming him/her by name.

"Courtesy of the Blues (Joes?) ...Try not to give it to someone who'd just waste it like they did..." ::wink

A few minutes later...

Havoc enters a small room and gently sits on the side of a small bed, its frame creaking under the added weight.

"Julia... "

a slight moan comes from the girl as she rubs the drowsiness from her eyes and looks up

"Papa! You're back!"

"Yes, I may be gone by the time you're up. Daddy's going to visit the bad men again, make them leave."

"Forever?"

"No...but they won't like it."

"Good."

Havoc smiles through his mask, hugs the little girl and tucks her back into bed

"Now go back to sleep. I just wanted to see you and tell you how much I love you..."

Mike says, "Rather than doing anything sneaky, we could start with a brute force approach. I'll make two clones. Send them to a remote location. They both powermax and make bombs with area. Then one opens a warp gate above the Fox, and the other tosses the bombs in. The bombs go off when they are disturbed, which happens when they hit the ground. That's most of my juice, but if it goes bad all we lose is two clones."

"Hopefully that takes care of the APG. Then with them blind and realing, everyone else can warp in and attack something from somewhere."

The imposing giant walks into C&C just as Mike stops talking, apparently aware of all that's been said

"I hope your clones can take a bullet, they might be on their guard. I just took care of one of their patrols..."

Havoc greets the soldiers in the room before continuing

"Perhaps we could use their sweetened mines against them...just a thought but it seems right that they'd go by their own weapons. - an evil grin appears on his face - Just bombing them seems...unsportsmanlike. If we go brute force then I don't care about the APC. All they'll see is us destroying them.

Havoc turns to Kelso

"Know if they've got any nova's cooped up there?"

[phoenix]

Let's put it to a vote: do we act on this now, or do we finish resting up a bit? I know some of you novas are fine and ready to go, but your baseline support staff is currently feeling like hammered sh!t.

"Well, I'm good to go, but looks like there's no rush, so why hurry?"

There is, however, a lot of heavy terrain around Rimrock - it's basically in a valley boxed in by three mountains, and all that rock does reduce the ADE's effectiveness, if you can come in from the right angle. Also that sort of long-range equipment is really good at picking up strong Q-signitures, but weaker ones can usually slip through undetected.

Raphael nods.

"Would it do any good for me to do it, or would it be an unnecessary risk? I wouldn't mind buzzing them."

They both powermax and make bombs with area.

[Can we cool it with the mechanics slang IC? Those be gamin' words ::confused ]

"Rather than doing anything sneaky, we could start with a brute force approach. I'll make two clones. Send them to a remote location. They both powermax and make bombs with area. Then one opens a warp gate above the Fox, and the other tosses the bombs in. The bombs go off when they are disturbed, which happens when they hit the ground. That's most of my juice, but if it goes bad all we lose is two clones."

Raphael nods.

"Sounds good. If juice is an issue, I can take care of the portals involved you'd rather save yourself."

He frowns.

"So wait - if you make a clone, does he have his own juice account? And, do you have a 'central mind' or some **** like that, or what?"

Havoc greets the soldiers in the room before continuing.

Raphael nods agreeably.

Just bombing them seems...unsportsmanlike. If we go brute force then I don't care about the APC. All they'll see is us destroying them.

"No sportsmen here, Havoc. But good point about the APC."

[Heritage]

"Courtesy of the Blues (Joes?) ...Try not to give it to someone who'd just waste it like they did..."

OOC - 'Joes' would be the proper term - 'Blues' are the crazed Michaelites up near Colville.

Sgt Colby hold up her hands in alarm.

Whoa, whoa, let's not be hasty, guys! Before we start talking about bombs and clones, look what the orders say.

She points at the Green Screen monitor and reads across.

'Recon of Rimrock and environs in preparation for final attack orders' - this sounds like a pretty aggressive recon you're planning. Admittedly we should always be prepared for the worst, but is high-profile the way we want to go? If it is, that's fine, but we need to be sure of our priorities.

Havoc turns to Kelso

"Know if they've got any nova's cooped up there?"

Kelso opens his mouth to answer, but Colby silences him with an upraised arm, her expression somewhat guarded ::sly

Well, hello to you, too, sergeant! I'll answer your question, but a few introductions would be nice, y'know? To the best of our knowledge, there are no little Tommies with wires in their brains working for Uncle Sam in Rimrock.

OOC - Rex can show anytime now, Proff, if you were waiting for me ::biggrin