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Post by OurLadyWar on May 24, 2007 23:28:20 GMT -5
00 – Homecoming Oh, a storm is threatning My very life today If I dont get some shelter Oh yeah, Im gonna fade away
War, children, its just a shot away Its just a shot away War, children, its just a shot away Its just a shot away - “Gimme Shelter” The Rolling Stones The morning burned through the thin clouds stretching across Sera’s sky. Seemed like the night would never end, but here the squad was. Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, and Augustus Cole*– all had bruises, exhaustion and empty bellies to shrug off. Minutes were lost to sleepy hours, all passed by unconsciously as the squad faded in and out of consciousness under Hoffman’s tired gaze. The morning sun was still climbing as the King Raven began its descent. As the squad came around, the familiar grounds of Jacinto Plateau came into view. Hoffman leaned out of the shade into the sunlight. “There’re beds. Meals. Runnin' water. Anything you want. ‘Sides,” he looked down on what was left of the base, that Marcus had turned his back on four years ago. There were still many repairs to be made. The closer they came to the remains of the military base, the squad noticed something. “Y’all’re heroes now.” COGs, superior officers, even petty officers were rushing from base towards the painted LZ. They were cheering! They were yelling and applauding as the helicopter touched down. Beyond the cheering crowd were doors leading deeper into the Jacinto base where the cots and hots waited. As the squad jumped from the King Raven, they were swarmed by their fellow fighters. Marcus and Dom felt their heads slapped, and their backs, as they were hit by multiple cheers. Two soldiers were holding up a sport’s jersey with the number 89 on the front, yelling for Cole to sign it. Three female officers in tight knit dresses and black berets, waved and blew kisses towards them. The one in the middle was applying lipstick and smiling invitingly towards Baird. Everything else was lost in a roaring, congratulatory haze. -------------------------- The locust riders braced to the reavers that charged through the sky. They had taken cover at the sound of a King Raven before setting out again. They moved in a unit of four with a figure riding at the center of them atop a rhino reaver. The creature snorted and shook its horned face with a hiss as the rider pulled on the reins. The rider was slim, a slender, leather robe was wrapped around its shoulders and tied over its head, hiding its features from the sunlight. “Survivors,” a voice hummed from the dark recesses of the hood. “We need to return for survivors.” The locust riders exchanged a glance and growled to one another. One rider ((seadog)) was particularly silent, in fact no one even knew his name. They only knew him as the best rider the Horde could offer, and he wasn’t a bad shot either. Then again, the Queen Mother had always been picky about her protectors. Her yellow eyes swam in the shadows of her hood, watching the Locust Rider’s back. “Take point, lead us back home.” Deep in infested, devastated tunnels the Locusts once over-ran, nothing stirred. Everything was still. The darkness only just cleared as the light began to fade. What had passed as a sturdy stronghold meant to protect the Queen Mother was now lifeless, nothing. A lone Theron Guard, wearing a tattered long leather coat, walked with other drones and Theron Guards across the remains in search of survivors. A few snipers and grenadiers stood watch some yards off. The guard removed his mask to reveal a scarred black and red face that ended in a small, pointed chin. Two pale blue eyes moved slowly over the damage until he saw wreckage stirring. He snorted, and replaced his mask. He went to the shaking mass of debris and heaved his shoulder into it. Rubble and wood were pushed to the side to reveal a Theron Sentinel. “Pravus,” the Theron Guard whispered above him, and pried a long shard of stone from the Colonel’s shoulder. “The explosion has passsed. I managed to get our Mother to the Reavers… hopefully she esscaped.” As his vision cleared, Colonel Pravus saw a mask hovering above him. There were deep slits in the iron surface, two haunting blue eyes watched Pravus through the mask. Kronos, a Theron Guard quickly rising through the ranks, straightened. He extended a claw to the fallen colonel. “Can you sstand?” ((OOC: Post your actions, and enjoy )) *EDIT: The previous Augustus Call will not be appearing in this game, in fact Augustus Cole will.
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Post by Pope Mega Force on May 25, 2007 7:57:04 GMT -5
Marcus pushed his way past the soldiers cheering for him and towards the food. This was Cole's sort of party. Marcus wasn't much for sentimentality or heroism. He did what was necessary to keep those ugly bastards back in their hole. That was all. He sat down and immediately began downing every piece of food in front of him.
"Jesus Christ. DOM!" Marcus yelled to his long time friend. "Get your ass over here and get some food!"
Marcus laughed for once in a long time. It had been ages since he had last laughed.
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Post by dagonex on May 25, 2007 10:12:20 GMT -5
"RRRAAAGGGHHH!!"
With a roar and a hiss, Pravus shoved Kronos away from him, his dreaded "Claw" keeping the younger Theron Guard at bay. The instrument of death that was once his left arm gleamed in the morning sunlight, save for the splotches of blood - both human and Locust - that dotted its reflective surface like islands on a map. Calling it a "hand" was really just a way of simplifying its description; it could still do what a normal hand could do, of course, but it was meant for so much more. Jutting from where his elbow used to be was only one of its weapons, a deadly blade that extended backward from the forearm, insuring that anyone he elbowed would be made see-through. The hand itself was adorned with cruel, twisted blades, hooks, and spikes; even the mechanized fingers ended in tiny ultrasharp drills, ready to spin and dig through concrete or flesh with nothing more than a thought from their twisted owner.
Pravus' one good eye (although his "bad" eye now worked better than the one he had lost) betrayed the rage locked inside him. Everything had been going so well, and then those infuriating COGs...
"Of courssse I can ssstand, worm!" he spat at Kronos, not so much out of anger at the younger Guard but at the ludicrousness of their recent loss, although Kronos' show of concern was a disheartening sign of weakness for a Locust. "It will take more than some ssspineless bombing to destroy the Horde! Where is the Queen? Where is RAAM? We mussst mount a counteroffensive, one that will shatter their bones and mangle their spiritsss, so they might finally realize how futile their efforts are!!"
Pravus' eye scanned the landscape, taking note of the reaver squadrons now circling the devastation that had once been their home. Oddly enough, he couldn't spot General RAAM anywhere. Surely RAAM would have been the first one on the scene to take charge, wouldn't he? He had been there, on the train, when the COGs showed up with their Lightmass bomb-
A dark thought flashed across the Colonel's mind, and he grabbed Kronos with his Claw and lifted the blue-eyed Locust into the air. Those damned blue eyes...he hated them. They reminded him of humans. "Kronosss..." he hissed in a dangerous undertone, "Where is General RAAM?" ============================================== Health: 4/4 Energy: 12/12
4 into Strength to grab Kronos and lift him by his cloak
1 into Social Skills to get an answer out of the whelp
Defense: 9 (3 from Toughness, 2 from RD and 4 from Armor)
Health: 4/4 Energy: 7/12
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Post by OurLadyWar on May 25, 2007 11:11:55 GMT -5
((OOC: I'll probably pepper some of these small responses in between bigger responses as far as dialogue and NPCs are involved.))
The cafeteria was mostly clear. Many of the heavy to light eatters had taken their attention off their food and rushed the windows and the LZ to welcome back their heroes. Even as Marcus got a head start on eatting he could not shake his newest fan network.
Something was off in this room though. A woman at a now empty table eatting a hefty meal. There were baked beans, two biscuits, two chicken breasts and a cold beer sitting in front of her. Despite this big meal, she was wirey with no muscle undefined, but still she had to be about Anya's height with a bit more build to her than the Lieutenant. One look at the red hair, the sloping tattoos moving down her right arm, and the pale green eyes was evidence enough. Her name was Cardinal. She had fought at Jacinto, testified against him, and joined the crowd of witnesses that threw his ass in jail.
She kicked a leg up on the edge of her table, watching out the window as the COGs were welcomed back. Around her leg was a long, seventy pound weight. Many of the COGs would strap weights around their legs to build the muscle and stamina for quick, powerful sprints. With proper training, a COG could cover a thrashball field in under thirty-seconds. Eventually, her attention shifted back to Marcus.
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The Theron Guard barely squirmed. He allowed himself to be lifted, those blues hovered ghost-like behind the slits in his mask. Small teeth were bared, the fangs were sharp. He stared at the Colonel, but made no move to fight against him. He did grip Pravus's wrist to keep himself from being choked by the collar of his jacket.
"Raam iss dead, Pravuss," he informed the Colonel coldly, with no empathy, no sorrow, just heavy hitting fact. "He went down with the train... the immulsion will have sswallowed him up by now. There wass nothing we could do, Pravuss. The Queen was our top priority," he leaned his head down close, Pravus could see the blues narrow, "Raam's orderss."
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Post by malice on May 25, 2007 11:27:59 GMT -5
It was hard not to enjoy the reception they were getting, it felt good to have that shit behind them, and even better to be recognized for it. Dom picked up one of the female soldiers in his way by her waist and set her to his side... out of his way. Through a sea of highfives, close handshakes, and various pats, he made his way to the cafeteria as well. He sat down to eat with his back to Cardinal. Too bad the food still sucked.
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Post by The Punisher on May 25, 2007 12:40:21 GMT -5
Cole grinned broadly as he stepped off the Raven with his eyes wide, his arms outstretched to his endless sea of fans. His hearty laughter was drowned out by the cheers that came back at him. He took up the first few jersies and pens, working on signing every single one. "Hey, easy, now, baby!! The Cole Train's got plenty of time and plenty of attention to give! Yeah, there ya go- Whoa, easy now, I've got you- You sure you want me to sign there- Heh, alright, alright, give me some space now! WOO!! Damn, Baird, it's like the old days, ya know what I mean, man? The Cole Train's back in business!" His laughter went on, as he eventually moved through the crowd, hitting the cafeteria like a train.
"Mmm, mmm! What have we got today?" He went to filling his plate with at least two of everything, his bulging muscles working fast to fill the three plates he had brought. "This sure kicks the sh*t out of the stuff those Stranded gave us. This is what I'm talkin' about, yeah!! Black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad!"
He looked as the others stared at him.
"Cole Train's gotta get his green on, ya'll."
He sat down beside Dom and Marcus, grinning as he punched Marcus in the shoulder. "Man, you two blew that f*ckin' big-ass monster off his feet!! Didn't even see what hit him. You two always get so f*ckin' lucky like that... First that bigass monster, and then that bigass monster! I-"
He turned to look at Cardinal down the way and grinned, leaning forward over the table. "Yo!! Is that who I think it is! Cardinal, what's up, baby?!"
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Post by dagonex on May 25, 2007 12:55:52 GMT -5
It was almost cute, the way Kronos tried to act threatening. Like a fly attempting to impress you with its buzzing. But Pravus was more stunned by the revelation of RAAM's fate. In his cold, mechanized heart he knew it was what the General would have done. RAAM was, like all Locusts should be, a creature of pride. If he went down with the train, than Pravus could only assume that it was with honor. No doubt he was the last defense against the COGs, knowing the General as he did.
Colonel Pravus was extremely tempted to toss Kronos aside, or engage the Claw's fingertip drills and scar the Locust for his insubordinative tone...or worse. But attacking his own men would not be lucrative at this point. No, his hatred needed different targets. He slowly lowered the blue-eyed Kronos and took a moment to absorb the information he had just received.
His eyes narrowing even more than Kronos' had, Pravus' gaze bored into the younger Locust, and with one word conveyed all that he needed to. "Who?"
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Post by OurLadyWar on May 25, 2007 13:58:01 GMT -5
Here she was just wanting to finish the beer and move on to the training room. Still, Cardinal couldn't deny an old squad mate a hearty hello, even if the man she helped put in prison was sitting right next to him.
"Cole, hey," she said in a husky, wry voice. "Heard you guys are bonefied heroes now. Pretty impressive." She looked around the cafeteria, and snickered at the absence of one other member. "Where's Damon?"
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Kronos staggered a step back from Pravus, hissing coldly as he fixed his coat. "We believe it wass the soldierss that gave uss such trouble lasst night. Sstill, we haven't recceived confirmation on these factss yet."
He lifted his gaze to the Locust Riders that circled the opening in the crags above. They would land soon, he hoped, with the Queen in one piece.
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Post by dagonex on May 25, 2007 16:27:06 GMT -5
Colonel Pravus growled at Kronos' response. He had heard about the small squad of "supersoldiers", a quartet of COGs who had somehow survived wading through the very heart of Locust territory. Not only that, but they had left a dead Corpser in their wake, a feat that did not so much impress Pravus as just really piss him off.
"I want namesss, Kronos. Names, dessscriptions, numberss, everything we can find. They have sstruck our heel this day. We will respond by crushing their headsss."
Pravus looked up to the Locust Riders that Kronos had already turned his attention to. With RAAM gone and a good portion of the Locust war effort now vanquished, surely the Queen would need a new leader for her armies. A strong leader, unafraid of COGs or Lightmass Bombs or those damned Hammers of Dawn. The Horde would need someone to rally the troops, to reinspire their broken spirits and lead them to a victory that would remind them and the humans just who was the superior race of Sera.
She would need someone like him.
Colonel Pravus waited for the Reavers to descend, eagerly awaiting an audience with his Queen.
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Post by Grimsolace on May 26, 2007 2:55:37 GMT -5
The last COG out of the King Raven, Baird could afford a moment to marvel at the crowd. He surveyed the crowd looking for an easy escape, saw none, and decided to drop down and stay by Cole's side, accepting what congratulations that came his way, as he slowly inched his way through the sea of appreciative soldiers. He only finally noticed the black berets interest when he had finally picked his way to the edge of the crowd. While Baird returned the black berets smile good-heartedly, he decided he was too hungry and tired to really pursue it further.
Once in the cafeteria he grabbed what could be generously called a steak, some beans and a watered down beer and started to his parties table. Baird gave Cardinals back a smile, happy to see his old comrade. He let his tray flop to the tape.
"I let those three assholes get at the bar before me. I had to wait for the 'chef' to bring out some more food." He offered as an excuse for his tardiness, with a slight grin to show he wasn't too serious.
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Post by Pope Mega Force on May 26, 2007 13:07:07 GMT -5
Marcus ignored Cardinal and continued with his meal. "Yeah we did, Cole. Nothing to it. Aside from a few hundred rounds." Marcus allowed himself a grin and shoveled a few more helpings into his mouth.
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Post by OurLadyWar on May 30, 2007 17:26:23 GMT -5
"Hey... think ... gonna head out. No need - ... don't need any trouble here. - " Cardinal caught Baird's greet, and nodded back to him. "Hey, Damon," she nodded, drifting back into a whisper with Cole. "Take it easy... Anya... something about wine." Cardinal chuckled, the last snatches of her whisper vanishing before she clapped Cole on the back. "Later, Private," she said, and offered a wave towards Baird, "good to have you back," before heading for the door.
The weights strapped to her calves sounded like heavy spurs. Her hand was in her back pocket and the other was wrapped around the cool beer bottle. Wrappings and bandages were seen peppering her flesh. Just as she was leaving, Hoffman pushed through the doors, and crossed her path. He approached the table where the rest of the squad was feasting. "Managed to get the plebes to calm down, they'll be givin' y'all a bit more space here on out. When you're done, got a private out front can show you to a bed, or there's a trainin' fascility down the hall. Lieutenant Stroud’s also wantin' to welcome you back, not to mention some other fans you may have acquired."
( - Bed: Sleeping will give two extra stones in one panel of combat - The Training Fascility: Will give +2 to any combat for one panel - Speaking with Anya: Will give Int. Bonus at a specific moment in the game. Said info will be PMed. - Sex: Those “fans” will let you regen two extra stones after spending stones, along with what you automatically regen for one panel)
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Kronos narrowed his eyes, offering a whispered snarl at Pravus's demands. His hands balled into fists. "One they called Ssantiago.. the other, I don't recall," he trailed off, as the figure riding the rhino reaver brought the beast to a gliding land on the cracked stone ground. A bare foot offered her balance as she dismounted, and the other Locust Riders landed their carriers slowly. She peered across the devastation of her once proud hive.
She leaned to the nameless Rider and whispered something to him silently before approaching Pravus and Kronos, as well as the other troops that remained of her depleted great army. The hood of her slender coat was pushed back to reveal a Theron face with two black ridges that rose from her black and red features. They stretched over her head, becoming the multi-layered spikes that were prominent with the Berserkers. Kronos went to one knee beside Pravus as she approached. The other survivors – wounded or not – followed, bowing their heads.
Pravus felt a claw glide under his chin and directed his gaze upwards. A long knife hung at her hip beneath her coat, she wore her own set of armor, and it was stained with the blood of her Horde. Her small black eyes were hard to read, but he knew she was affected by the destroyed underworld that once belonged to them. She touched his jaw with her thumb to keep his attention. Her words reached Pravus’ mind more so than his ears, and echoed through his memory. The others heard her, too. “Pravus, I know your face anywhere. You were loyal to Raam, he regarded you his best soldier, and I cannot rightfully blame him.” Her black eyes searched his face, her voice was sharp, but smooth, a cold coo that haunted the ears of her listeners. “What has happened to your brothers and sisters is atrocious, and must not go unpunished.” Her attention shifted to Kronos before returning to Pravus. “There is much we need to discuss, and there is much that needs to be done. You and you,” she nodded towards Kronos, then turned toward the Locust Rider that had led them back home, “and you. Follow me.”
(Reply here, then bonuses will be in PM)
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Post by malice on May 30, 2007 19:56:19 GMT -5
Once he'd filled up on enough hot food, Dom stood up.
"Well, Gentelmen, I'm done. Stroud can kiss my ass if she thinks I'm gonna run drills after the day we've had."
He slapped his teammates on the back and retreated from the cafeteria. He was accompanied by a few soldiers with a lot of questions and a lot of congratulations. The group bled off slowly and finally he was to the living quarters, where he couldn't get out of his armor fast enough. Glimpsing his tattoo in the mirror he paused a moment and sighed. He then showered and passed out on the first cot he could get to.
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Post by seadog on May 31, 2007 8:29:37 GMT -5
(OOC: I'm sorry I haven't posted yet. My computer crapped out on the 15th and I haven't been able to get online again untill today. Still don't know what was wrong with my computer. I just started working again. Psylocke, would you mind PMing me what the queen whispered, please?)
The locust rider was famous for his skill, but also famous for his character. Though not very social, he was very hyper, which was not a respectable quality of a Locust. The nameless rider darted his eyes quickly about the room in silence while figeting with bow as a nervous habit. He stopped only momentarily to listen the queen's words before playing with his bow again. He had heard all of the conversation going on, though nobody would know it from his behavior. The rider was very quick to follow the queen's orders and eager for anything to occupy his energy.
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Post by The Punisher on May 31, 2007 9:41:38 GMT -5
Cole went to scooping the food into his mouth, nodding to the other soldiers as they discussed the tactics they had used to win the war. He laughed heartily, a deep grunting chuckle in his gut, and finally stood up, looking over to two of the women who were talking to each other and looking over to Cole every few moments.
"Yeah, I gotta take my leave with Dom, boys. The Cole Train's gotta get his play on, ya know?" He slapped Marcus on the shoulder with a laugh before he nudged Baird. "Anybody wants to find me, tell 'em I'm sleepin' or some sh*t."
And before anyone could blink, Cole had already begun to escort the two ladies to his bed.
((Guess what I chose.))
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