The Battles of Some: Plains of Sivas

[ajtazt]

@wild_toa

Already starting to leave, the officer stops, turns, and thinks for a moment. “Probably best to give him the heads up, but with luck they’ll be gone by the time we anchor in.” Once more turning away to continue briefings, he hustles to the next waiting group of soldiers.

Perhaps, the additional power would even allow for a better analysis of the Colonials’ activities?

Nilas gave the officer a nod as they hurried off.

Depending on how well Nilas knows Captain Burakgazi’s preferences will determine his next immediate actions. He will either go to speak with the captain in-person about the hospital evacs or radio the message in. If it’s in-person, Nilas will heat for and wait just outside the area command would operate in. If reporting it via radio is acceptable, Nilas starts a light jog towards the city and, hopefully, in a direction towards the relay station.

Regardless of which it is, Nilas listens to see if anyone is already speaking to the captain on that command channel. And if no one is, he’ll open with a brief transmission to the captain, broadcasting to that frequency.

“COMMSAG24 to [insert captain’s call-sign if known here], permission to report, sir? Over.”

[DuneToa]

@BynariDistress

“What are your targets?” He asked, his voice cold and electric through his speakers.

“Who was your commander, and where were they attacked?” He continued. He needed to know, especially if there were friendlies in the AO that may require assistance after an engagement.

“Targets?”
Brenn paused, his breath still unsteady from the beating he’d just received.
“Our targets were infrastructure. Power plants, utilities, maybe command posts if we got the chance. Sabotage, hit-and-run. No direct engagements unless necessary. Our gear… not meant for field engagements.”
He halted to catch his breath.
“My commander? The sergeant was with the main body of paratroopers you caught. He’s probably dead, your forces quite outnumbered us. We weren’t expecting to land right on top of you.”
Brenn looked up at the two leaders, waiting for a response.

[BynariDistress]

@DuneToa

“Targets?”
Brenn paused, his breath still unsteady from the beating he’d just received.
“Our targets were infrastructure. Power plants, utilities, maybe command posts if we got the chance. Sabotage, hit-and-run. No direct engagements unless necessary. Our gear… not meant for field engagements.”
He halted to catch his breath.
“My commander? The sergeant was with the main body of paratroopers you caught. He’s probably dead, your forces quite outnumbered us. We weren’t expecting to land right on top of you.”
Brenn looked up at the two leaders, waiting for a response.

Rad looked to the LT and then to the dead man laying in the alley. Something didn’t set right with him. Yeah, the comments about targeting infrastructure sounded right; textbook military actions. But that was just it … it was textbook. Something in his gut was screaming that there was more to the story, but like a splinter in his mind, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
He sighed.

War never changes.

[wild_toa]

September 21st, 06:37 SST

Nilas @ajtazt
Deciding a radio alert is sufficient, you move to the city in search of the radio array. Only once you loose sight of the city edge and your landing zone does the captain’s channel clear.

@ajtazt

“COMMSAG24 to CRLNDR02, permission to report, sir? Over.”

“COMMSAG24 go ahead. Keep it quick, over.”

During your report, the hazy blue of the morning sky is oddly replaced with the color of rust for a few moments.
Then the wind hits
A rush of air so sudden and forceful it rips the breath from your lungs and forces you into a battle to keep upright, a fight only made harder by the radio equipment on your back.
Then, just as suddenly as it came, the roaring gust dies down to a whispering breeze.

---

Vitus @Ghid
As the ship drew closer, intrigue among the trailer’s occupants grew to panic, and as minutes passed, panic grew to hysteria. The driver, either oblivious or unfazed, continued on his route.

When the time came for the hulking wreck to pass over the city, some occupants took desparate, foolish measures to avoid something that either would or would not kill them all: some clutched the trailer, hugging the nearest of its low walls, some stood, then attempted to jump free, rolling ankles and receiving road rash upon landing. Some simply huddled closer to one another, either knowing it would pass by, or wishing to be with others in their demise.

The hysterics came to a sudden stop when the bent, scorched, ugly mound came near, seemungly close enough to touch for a breif moment, before it rocketed past, continuing somewhere northeast of Ercis’ boundaries

---

Anders, Lyn, Rad @DuneToa @MakutaOisli @BynariDistress
Before Anders could respond, the daylight creeping into the alley from above dissapears for a moment, sending the troops on guard into high alert. Before anyone can ask the question everyone was likely now thinking, a hurricane force gale rips through the city, felt partially even in the shelter of your alley, only for it to dissapear in a second

---

Ace @NOTaHFfan
The ships rolling pushing your mind and body to their limits, your numb hands nearly loose grip several times before you feel something familiar: the latch to the door’s emergency release.

With hope restored, you see the flashing world outside continue: blue, green, blue, green, blue, green, blue, grey?, blue. One thing certain from the veiw is this: time is running dangerously short, and the ground has yet to loose a fight with a falling ship

[Ghid]

@wild_toa

As the ship drew closer, intrigue among the trailer’s occupants grew to panic, and as minutes passed, panic grew to hysteria. The driver, either oblivious or unfazed, continued on his route.

It took a moment for Vitus to realize the descending vessel was on a path directly towards both him and the vehicle he rode on. The other passengers panicking prompted him to join in their futile quest of somehow evading the massive object, turning around and placing one armored foot on the railing before a chilling sensation sank in all around.

And the rest of the world grew quiet for a moment.

@wild_toa

When the time came for the hulking wreck to pass over the city, some occupants took desperate, foolish measures to avoid something that either would or would not kill them all: some clutched the trailer, hugging the nearest of its low walls, some stood, then attempted to jump free, rolling ankles and receiving road rash upon landing. Some simply huddled closer to one another, either knowing it would pass by, or wishing to be with others in their demise.

The stars pierced the thin blue veil holding up the sky. An impossible vision of Sivas appeared beside the hurtling object, its light overpowering the shine of the twinkling stars. Her hair ran across his vision, long strands cutting through the light of the planet as his arms slowly closed around the space in front of him, hoping to find her still there.

His foot slipped, lodging in between the railing and the back of his seat. It was enough of a motion to draw him out of his stupor, but he willingly descended back inside, letting himself be consumed by the wholly illogical conclusion that somehow she was still on board.

@wild_toa

The hysterics came to a sudden stop when the bent, scorched, ugly mound came near, seemingly close enough to touch for a brief moment, before it rocketed past, continuing somewhere northeast of Ercis’ boundaries.

As it came rocketing overhead, Vitus’s eyes remained locked onto the massive shape, following it even as it threatened to blow out his eardrums with its passing. It tore towards the horizon, and Vitus blinked at its passing, his arms still wrapped gently around his torso, the rest of him now bent backwards so far the only thing keeping him from spilling onto the floor of the vehicle being the toe of his hardsuit holding onto the railing.

Thankfully, if anyone had noticed his embarrassing absorption into fantasy, they didn’t show it. The bruised and battered who had jumped did not include the sickly old man, whose obnoxious snore brought Vitus fully back to reality, barely able to pull himself back towards his seat. Despite his embarrassment, however, his eyes soon returned to the massive form as it traveled.

She’s not on board.

Yes she is.

SHE IS DEAD. SHE IS NOT ON BOARD.

…Yes she is.

[ajtazt]

@wild_toa

Then, just as suddenly as it came, the roaring gust dies down to a whispering breeze.

“Identified hospital evac chatter - emergency transports heading north. Sending general area coordinates, over.”

Nilas, between the report and his focus on finding that relay, fails to recognize the sky’s hue ■■■■■. Or rather, failed to acknowledge quickly, until the wind blast hit. So when he finally said, “over,” he was forced to pay attention.

A sudden punch to the gut did not do this sudden wind gust justice. It was more akin to running into a wall at full sprint. But instead of stopping, maybe having a broken nose, the wall kept moving. Running over him like an ocean wave enraged he wasn’t paying it any attention or respect.

His hardsuit, already doing much work to keep him upright, whined at the extra strain. Nilas tipped back, flailing his arms around in attempts to get any motion to help him lean forwards. There was no thinking, just instinct. The flight kind. And boy did his panic instincts know that it was better to fall on his face than on the back of that equipment.

And when the winds left just as they came, he almost did fall face first. The suit, and equipment weight, more so than his reverse swimming managed to keep him from tipping too far. But a few stumbling steps were still needed before such momentum could be stopped.

Catching breathable air, Nilas gave a panting swear. What was that?! He almost shouted.

He started flipping through channels faster, trying to find what was going on. It took a second or two before he remembered to use his eyes and looked towards whatever just happened…or crashed? And started to resume his pace towards his prior goal. It seemed learning what was going on in orbit was a lot more important all of a sudden.

[DuneToa]

@wild_toa

Before Anders could respond, the daylight creeping into the alley from above dissapears for a moment, sending the troops on guard into high alert. Before anyone can ask the question everyone was likely now thinking, a hurricane force gale rips through the city, felt partially even in the shelter of your alley, only for it to dissapear in a second

What was that?
Anders glanced up, but aside from some smoke, there is nothing unusual in the sky.
Did these Colonials just take out one of our frigates?!
The thought was enough to briefly shake him out of his panicked stupor, and he quickly stood up, pulling himself up so that he leaned against the wall. He realized that his pulse was elevated, but not for the usual reasons. Not from excitement, nor from hatred. Just fear…
Pull yourself together, trooper! This is no time to be lounging around!
He looked back at Rad and the other Colonial officer.
“What will you do?”

[MakutaOisli]

@wild_toa

Before Anders could respond, the daylight creeping into the alley from above dissapears for a moment, sending the troops on guard into high alert. Before anyone can ask the question everyone was likely now thinking, a hurricane force gale rips through the city, felt partially even in the shelter of your alley, only for it to dissapear in a second

Lin lowered her lmg for a moment, her eyes darting about for a moment.

“What…was that?”

@DuneToa

“What will you do?”

Her eyes narrowed and she trained the gun back onto him.

“What kind of stupid question is that? I would love to riddle you with bullets, but I’ve got no clue if I’m allowed that concession.”

[BynariDistress]

@wild_toa

Before Anders could respond, the daylight creeping into the alley from above dissapears for a moment, sending the troops on guard into high alert. Before anyone can ask the question everyone was likely now thinking, a hurricane force gale rips through the city, felt partially even in the shelter of your alley, only for it to dissapear in a second

The display inside Rad’s visor grew dark, the sudden change catching his attention. The darkness quickly turned to night for a brief moment, his sensors calibrating to focus in the dim light when an alert streaked across his vision. Before he could react, the servos is in his suit stiffened against the surprise gale that swept through the alleyway. He leaned into the wind, shifting his gaze in the direction from which it came but was unable to detect anything more than the presence of the troops seeking cover between the buildings.

And just as quickly as it arrived, it ceased; darkness returning to dawn and the atmosphere becoming eerily calm, some loose papers and dust swirling in the dying wind.

@DuneToa

He realized that his pulse was elevated, but not for the usual reasons. Not from excitement, nor from hatred. Just fear…

Seeing movement from his periphery, Rad instinctively reached for his rifle, bringing the weapon about to face the enemy trooper; the servos in his suit relaxing, allowing him normal movement once more.

@MakutaOisli

“What…was that?”

Rad was wondering the same thing. His suit wasn’t picking up any threats, no incoming trajectory paths from orbital or ground based artillery, nothing from the comms either. It was just … silent.

Quote: “He looked back at Rad and the other Colonial officer.
“What will you do?” “

@MakutaOisli

“What kind of stupid question is that? I would love to riddle you with bullets, but I’ve got no clue if I’m allowed that concession.”

Rad heard the LT’s words while he studied the face of the trooper in front of him. But his focus was shaken; he couldn’t shake that feeling in his gut that something wasn’t right. Why did the sky grow dark and what caused the wind?

He lowered his rifle to a ready position and looked to the sky, trying to get his sensors to spot anything unusual. After a moment of frustration, he turned back to the LT.

“LT, are you picking up anything strange on your sensors?” He asked over their private comm. “Because so far I’m getting nothing.”

[wild_toa]

September 21st, 06:38 SST

All @Ghid @ajtazt @DuneToa @MakutaOisli @BynariDistress

Several moments pass after the wind, allowing thoughts to be gathered, questions to be raised, and baffled looks exchanged. Before theories can be voiced, however, the ground shudders, knocking over anything remotely unstable, sending civilians and troops of all kinds into a panic in time for a ear-piercing screech: the sound of metal tearing apart, ripping through itself, and anything else it touches

---

Something monumental, albeit normal to those high above, has just happened outside Ercis

[Ghid]

@wild_toa

Several moments pass after the wind, allowing thoughts to be gathered, questions to be raised, and baffled looks exchanged. Before theories can be voiced, however, the ground shudders, knocking over anything remotely unstable, sending civilians and troops of all kinds into a panic in time for a ear-piercing screech: the sound of metal tearing apart, ripping through itself, and anything else it touches

---

Something monumental, albeit normal to those high above, has just happened outside Ercis

The rough quaking of the ground took the transport vehicle in one direction before throwing it violently the opposite way, which successfully woke the sickly old man from his slumber. It also successfully threw Vitus, who was sitting on one foot backwards in the seat, partially over the railing, the weight of the hardsuit barely able to keep him on the vehicle. However, the steady arm at his hip swung around, the added force letting the bag of tools slide from its grasp.

The little girl opposite where he sat started crying, as the other passengers began picking themselves up from the impact, and with that as the final prompting necessary, he leaned even further over the railing, the bar biting into his stomach, as he tried to catch the bag before it hit the ground. However, his efforts were not fast enough, and his arm not long enough, to succeed in his endeavor. For a moment it seemed like he was about to lose his tools forever.

And then came the screech.

The source of the horrific noise did not seem important. Vitus only cared for whether or not the shaking had been due to the touchdown of that massive craft, which had passed so close it felt like he could touch it. Now the abominable noise came tearing through the air, slamming into Vitus’s ears with the force of a jackhammer and sending the already disoriented boy into a panicked fit, smashing his hands over his ears and tipping over the railing with no clue as to which direction was up or even that he was falling.

The screams from the vehicle made it clear that he wasn’t the only one reacting very poorly to the sudden interference, but it wasn’t until a moment after that he was willing to open his eyes and flinch away from the vehicle track only an inch from nearly crushing his skull underneath. Looking about for a moment, he pressed his hand into the bag of tools to remind himself that it still existed before, despite his not-best efforts, his dazed and mildly concussed focus shifted to a much more important topic.

She’s on board. Where is the ship? I have to get to the ship, she’s STILL ON BOARD!!

[ajtazt]

Nilas, having just started to resume his pace from the gust, gave a surprised, almost grumble-like noise when the quakes hit. Not taking any risks this time, he snapped the tablet back into place and dove onto his stomach. The equipment on his back meant he could not roll or lessen the impact of such a bellyflop aside whatever protection the suit provided and breaking the dive with his arms.

“Ugk,” came his cough upon impact.

It was always situations like these that the weight of his gear was truly pressed upon him. Every time it sucked. But it would be worst to have even more pinned atop him, so Nilas moved his head around to recheck his surroundings. Looking for anything that could collapse and fall on him while starting to crawl forward regardless. Until the quakes stopped, it would not be worth standing and jogging again, but he wouldn’t be slowed. Not now. Not when–

Then the screeching metal came. His crawl became more frantic for a moment, unable to identify exactly where the overwhelming noise originated. Unable to identify possible danger to himself. But if it became evident that he wasn’t in immediate danger and nosiness could return, he had two thoughts.

1. Dear, you need to work on your pitch. Your singing is awful.
2. Whatever was going on, he needed to learn fast or this might truly be his last mission.

[DuneToa]

@wild_toa

Something monumental, albeit normal to those high above, has just happened outside Ercis

Brenn visibly flinches at the sound. In his mind, he remembers multiple times he saw ships disabled in orbit or blasted by heavy weapons fall into the ground.
So this is what the end is like, he thinks. A long fall and only this hideous noise before all ends…
He shakes his head. The LT and the cyborg are still staring him down, and he is disarmed. Well. Time to think fast.

“We need to get moving! If that wreck is anywhere near, it’ll flood the area with any liquids on board. Most of them are toxic.”
Even as he speaks, he realizes that no one will be paying attention, with the troops mostly scared and confused by the screeching, and their leaders trying to figure out what just happened.
“That was a ship! It just missed us after getting shot down! We need to move, now!”

[BynariDistress]

@DuneToa

Brenn visibly flinches at the sound.

The troopers movement registered with Rad just as an alert PINGED in his HUD. Tilting his head in the direction of the alert he could finally see the cause of the wind and the darkening of the sun. The inbound vessel was enormous and his instincts along with his suit’s sensors were screaming at him.

@DuneToa

“We need to get moving! If that wreck is anywhere near, it’ll flood the area with any liquids on board. Most of them are toxic.”

@DuneToa

“That was a ship! It just missed us after getting shot down! We need to move, now!”

Rad’s attention returned to the trooper before him, the man’s words tearing him away from the hulk plunging through the atmosphere. Turning to the LT, Rad opened a private channel.

“LT, he has a point. That thing could impact any moment now and who knows what will be in the wreckage. Not to mention if its drive core is breached …”

The realization of a possible fuel leak changed his focus. Allowing muscle memory to take over, he scrolled through the sensors on his suite - but either he was too far away or the readings were too weak - either way, nothing was obvious.

Then, using his external speakers for all to hear, he continued. “There is a high enough chance that thing’s drive core could go critical on impact. It’s not the Fluids I’m concerned with, it’s the fallout. Most of our suits can’t handle that kind of radiation LT.”

He lowered his weapon, waiting for the LT’s next order - but for once, he found himself agreeing with an enemy combatant.

[MakutaOisli]

@DuneToa

“We need to get moving! If that wreck is anywhere near, it’ll flood the area with any liquids on board. Most of them are toxic.”
Even as he speaks, he realizes that no one will be paying attention, with the troops mostly scared and confused by the screeching, and their leaders trying to figure out what just happened.
“That was a ship! It just missed us after getting shot down! We need to move, now

Lin grumbled. Did she see the ship? Yes. Did she want to? No. She wanted to crush this poor schmucks head into good ol fashioned paste, but nooo, she can’t do that.
And it didn’t help that now she has to make a decision.
Does she kill the soldier, or take him for more interrogation?

UUGHHHH…I hate stupid choices.

@BynariDistress

Then, using his external speakers for all to hear, he continued. “There is a high enough chance that thing’s drive core could go critical on impact. It’s not the Fluids I’m concerned with, it’s the fallout. Most of our suits can’t handle that kind of radiation LT.”

He lowered his weapon, waiting for the LT’s next order - but for once, he found himself agreeing with an enemy combatant.

She grumbled again.

God, this guy is getting on my stinkin nerves. I was just assigned, moron, it’s your squad-

She turned to him, and bit back any rude or snarky tone she so desperately wanted to use on him, and sighed.

“Fine. Let’s get out of here. But you-”

She turned sharply to Brenn, as a murderous glare crossed her nonvisible eyes-

“Are coming with us.”

[DuneToa]

@MakutaOisli

She turned to him, and bit back any rude or snarky tone she so desperately wanted to use on him, and sighed.

“Fine. Let’s get out of here. But you-”

She turned sharply to Brenn, as a murderous glare crossed her nonvisible eyes-

“Are coming with us.”

“Aye aye, ma’am.”
Brenn saluted, the gesture hiding his immense relief at not being violently dismembered by the two officers.
“Do I get my gun back, or do either of you want to bring it?”