RP: NSS Acadia [Mission 4]: Heads of the Beast

Harrison pulled away from the concrete barricade he had taken cover behind and returned the Longbolt to the speed clips on his back, switching to his S-TAR again. The ex-merc took up a cover position on Sam's left flank, raising the muzzle of the rifle and checking the corridors on all sides as the Marine vanguard advanced into the building.

"I never did like clearing buildings," Harrison said quietly, mostly to himself.

Alex was in the rear most of the time. So far she didn't fire a single bullet. There was no need to. Others sprayed their targets so hard, it would be waste to fire. And nobody even got shot yet. Miracle. Alex hoped it will stay that way.

She had her drum magazine loaded and mass driver on. Mass driver shoul be online for 90 rounds. Drum magazine had 120, so she will have to change battery before changing magazine.

When Chief ordered them to move into appartmeng building Alex replied just, "roger that." And moved on.

This time she didn'T want to get behind so she moved a little forward ready to shoot any zombie showing up. With that she moved semi-crouched toward the builiding. She moved a little forward to cover Anselm. Her SMG was perfect for builidings. "I got your back," she said to large albino while scanning her surrounding for anything dangerous.

Kajiim stopped, and turned to chad and then back to the clearing. "Chad..." Kajiim begun still forming the sentence, "that is brilliant." Kajiim stood up garbbing his Panzerfaust and ran over to the wounded, "Hey is it cool if I borrow these for a few?" asking the security guards on the ground as he picked up a couple of their rifles knowing that his shotgun will be almost useless for the ambush. Finally running back and vaulting over the barricade into the open courtyard. "Ok I'll take the left side 2nd farthest building 4th floor." Kajiim informed Chad on his posistion.

Running up to the building shotgun at the ready, he cautiously made his way to his spot keeping an eye out for any unfriendlies that might be hiding. Once there he figured he should also find some quick ways to other firing points. He pulled out the rifle and waited. "Ok Chad, here's what I'm thinking.. when the first armored vehicle rears its ugly head we disable it keep to it from moving at the very least that'll create an obstacle for the rest of the damn squids and buy time for Jack and Luke. It'll also make picking off the small fries a lot easier."

Jack looked at the guards before him. Most of them were wounded with only three of them able to move mostly unhindered. The rest of them, approximately five of them to be exact, were forced to simply lean against the original barricade and tipped over monster truck. Jack moved to take cover behind the engine block of the truck. Switching his scope to thermal vision, he watched the area in the direction that the fire had come from, and waited patiently for enemy movement.

His assault rifle wasn't rated against Rippers...it looked like he would have to get mean and start using his fists if there were any Rippers that managed to get past Chad and Kajiim.

"This is Jack: I'm secure as I can get down here, let's hope your plan works, Chad." Jack said.

"F this I'm out of here!" The pilot shouted over the Comm as he pulled up and away from the Senate, trailing smoke from one of his jets. The TacNet displayed the a outward moving line marking the Shuttle's egress route, but as that happened another incoming line was marked, originating from high above.

"This is a shuttle from the Kennewesian Border Guards ship NSS Ranger, escort to Senator Patrino Roachmere's personal craft. Can someone confirm his status? We are inbound ETA 10 minutes carrying light Power Armor support. Hang in there."

At this point static on all comm channels were steadily increasing, like at the Wazu Nebula and on Rok'Veru, it was the harbinger of stronger Misshu units. The Master Chief had certainly picked a bad time to reply "... that... Kajiim? ... Senate at all cost. I repeat... Hold... ..."

Through his scope Jack could see another shuttle lifting off in the distance, it was the same one that passed right through the Greenhorn's formation as they were dropping. Walking down the main street from that direction were four Rippers, the first three infront were evenly spaced from each other and were knocking aside cars and infected that stood in their way with their forearm blades. If there was nothing to hit, then they would randomly fire shots towards the Senate building. Most of this would also do cosmetic damage, but the head of the Security Force standing next to Jack was vaporized as the Aether beam passed right through the flooboards of the monster truck.

The Ripper to the rear of the group had red colored markings, and was less interested in casuing mayhem and distruction than observing its surroundings.

Kajiim and Chad could not see the Ripper group from where they were hiding yet, in fact, they could barely see themselves as their suit's surfaces changed colors to match their general surroundings. Their electronic signatures were also 'meshed' into the walls and floors. Limited booster capability is next to be restored.

Jack winced as he listened to the sound of metal contorting from the intense heat of enemy fire behind him. Jack didn't even need to look back to know that the man who had been on the other side of that metal was now ash, though thankfully most of the wounded were laying down at the moment, and Jack was willing to bet that the security personnel who hadn't been laying down before were probably doing so now. Jack almost had to stop himself from growling at the Rippers, who he was currently hid from as they began their approach.

"Guys." Jack came over the radio calmly "I have approximately four tangos, Rippers, moving down the road from the direction of the anti-air fire." Jack steadied his aim and took a quick glance to identify their leader once more.

Jack took a deep breath and kept his sights trained carefully on the leader: watching their movements. If he opened fire he risked exposing his position...he just had to hope to whatever greater power there was that Chad and Kajiim could take out the Rippers. Until then Jack had to sit patiently for the next ten minutes until the shuttle from the Ranger could drop off it's as-yet unspecified 'light Power Armor support' on his location.

"Rodger that pilot: be warned, however, that there are at least four Rippers on the ground and a large number of infected." Jack radioed to the shuttle "We will try and secure a landing zone for you but the airspace will probably still be a little toasty on your arrival." Jack gave a brief glance in the direction where the shuttle was supposed to be coming from "By the way: what kind of toys are you bringing us, over?"

The suspicious shadow Anselm was covering shifted a bit, and instead of a shambling figure raising a gun at him, came a Marine holding a palm up at him in a classic "Fuck, don't shoot!" pose. Closer inspection on his uniform placed him at the rank of Staff Sergeant.

"We got this building locked down, already. All hostiles have retreated to the mall across the street."
The NCO was joined by a few Privates. "COs are requested in the next room. We're in the process of planning an assault on the mall across the ways."

Anselm kept his Dart trained on the Staff Sergeant, raising the shotgun to meet his fellows, "Last I heard, there were Mishhu in this building fighting our marines," he seemed to work something stuck in his teeth before continuing, "and last time I had the pleasure of seeing people after they dealt with Mishhu, well... there's a reason I'm ready to blow yer head off given the provocation; guns out where I can see them, Sergeant and Company, or I might have to."

The last bit had been broadcast over the squad comms, letting everyone, especially Chief Ran Rui that PFC Wyatt didn't like what he found.

"Mayhew, keep the Chief away until we lock down the unknowns," the albino growled at his squadmate without turning his head, "and don't take yer muzzle off of them until one of the boys is in front of you."

The Staff Sergeant, caught without his hand on a weapon, simply shrugged and dropped his GSAR, motioning for the rest of his squad to do the same. He simply raised his hands in the air, his squad following suit.

"You are going to have a hell of a time explaining to Central why you leveled a weapon at a superior, son." The Staff Sergeant shook his head slightly, keeping both hands on his head, now.


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If rage was not an emotion but a physical force that could be exerted upon some unfortunate object, it would have washed over Anselm like some terrible hell-wave, carrying him into the next room and throwing him out the window.

"WHAT. THE. FUCKISTHIS." The Chief stormed past the squad, eventually grabbing the barrel of Anselm's Dart and raising it towards the ceiling. "Next time you're feeling a little suspicious as to any friendly you see, check 'em for fuckin' wounds, Private."

At that, the Staff Sergeant and company lowered their hands slowly, still not electing to grab the weapons they dropped on the ground until Anselm's superior gave the go ahead.

"Real sorry about this, Staff Sergeant." Was all the Chief said, as he reached out to shake the Marine's hand. As the Chief shook his hand, his eyes immediately wandered to the empty holster at the Staff Sergeant's waist, then to the ground, where the corresponding sidearm wasn't.

Before the Chief could ask the Staff Sergeant for a serial number, he found himself being pulled to the Marine, who had produced a combat knife and swung it horizontally at the Chief, who bent backwards in time to let the blade pass relatively harmlessly across his nose and cheek.

When the Staff Sergeant brought the knife down in a stabbing motion, the Chief crouched and brought his right arm up to connect with the forearm of the Staff Sergeant, holding the tip of the blade just a foot over his head.

"Shoot these motherfuckers!" An obvious order, but given by a man who's life was in jeopardy. Taking his left hand, the Chief grabbed the RPB at his left and fired it into the attacker's midsection in a horizontal sweep, aiming to shoot through him to the rest of the infected Marines behind him.

Anselm glanced at the Chief, Dart still pointing to the ceiling in slight confusion, "I wasn't just going to- fffffAAAAGH!!!" Anselm roared, dropping the tethered SMG for the raw close-range power of the shotgun that had already unloaded one shot the moment Chief gave his order.

The shotgun boomed twice more in rapid succession, launching their numerous payload at the False Sergeant's minions, as the marine's left hand connected solidly with the pump action, advancing on the unarmed used-to-be-marines in a fury of a rage-extended curse and the cascade of several shot cases that were filled with buckshot just a moment ago.

Alex wantede to stop Chief, but he stormed inside so quickly she didn't have chan. "Si-" she tried to say, but Chiefs outburst and Anselm stopped it. Instead she held her gun at ready and stepped to side of Anselm so she could shoot.

Chief walked to other sergeant to have chat but he freezed for a split of a second and then other sergeant drew his knife realy fast and started brawling with chief. "Shoot these motherfuckers!" yelled Chief Ran. Alex didn'T need him telling her as she raised her gun and aimed at sergeants face. He was zombie anyway, she was helping him now. Chief Ran was in crouched position so other sergeant towered above him. There was minimal chance of friendly fire when she pulled the trigger and her gun sent a short burst of mass accelerated bullets at mans head. She just hoped her aim was true. She then opened fire at men behind sergeant.

"Ooohhh shiiit..." Henry cursed under his breath as he stayed near Harrison, keeping close to his bulk and even using it to hide, "You know what, I can't say I have a taste for doing so either."

He'd been keeping fairly quiet with his suppressed Styrling Dart as he cleared out the building alongside Harrison, having spent another two magazines keeping various zombies out of the flanks with varying success. Sometimes it took more bullets than usual, but his target would eventually go down.
He snapped his final magazine of ammo in, and mumbled bitterly about not bringing more ammo.

He only had one magazine of ammo left, but five grenades. None of them entirely suitable for the situation at hand. He stayed close to Harrison, as he continued clearing out the building alongside him.

Phaedra covered her comrades as they advanced toward the apartment building and then quickly followed behind the last marine, keeping her eyes on the windows looming above them. As she made her way towards the apartment, she heard Anselm on the comm.

"Last I heard, there were Mishhu in this building fighting our marines...and last time I had the pleasure of seeing people after they dealt with Mishhu; well...there's a reason I'm ready to blow yer head off given the provocation. Guns out where I can see them, Sergeant and Company, or I might have to."

Phaedra ducked behind one of the destroyed trucks before continuing towards the building entrance.

"WHAT. THE. FUCKISTHIS?" shouted the Chief.
"Next time you're feeling a little suspicious as to any friendly you see, check 'em for fuckin' wounds, Private."

Phaedra had just made it to the lobby entrance when suddenly the Chief shouted "Shoot these motherfuckers!"

Gunfire erupted from within and Phaedra threw herself out of the doorway, slamming herself against the wall outside. She was eager to face the enemy and aid her comrades, but without knowing the situation at hand she was at a disadvantage. She peeked around the corner of the door and saw that the squad had engaged a group of apparently infected Marines. She pulled back behind the cover of the wall just as a burst of stray rounds zipped through part the doorjamb.

"Well shit," thought Phaedra as she gritted her teeth and leapt through the door, landing roughly on the floor and crawling on her belly to the nearest available cover.

Sean complied immediately with his new, satisfying orders by unloading on the now apparent enemies, at least a three round burst at each he could safely target. "These bastards just don't give up, do they?"

Rather than risk blowing the building to pieces by firing her Zweihander at marines that were a few feet from her, Sam slung it over her back and grabbed one of the HHGs hanging from her belt holsters. "Close combat ain't my forte, how does this shit keep happenin' to me?!" she hollered as she braced her gun arm with the other, firing off a couple of shots at the men assaulting Ran.

Viktor immediately regretted asking, and clammed up. Back to the important business, he switched to the shotgun and was bringing up the rear. He'd just put a toe over the threshold when things got ugly. Seeing Phaedra come his way, he'd backed out and clung to the wall. Back here his shotgun was no good: too many friendlies.

He followed Phaedra in, but went the other way for cover, and looking for room for future advancement.

"Aww shit!" Harrison shouted as the bullets started flying. Having been a little ways behind the chief, he didn't have time to see the False Marines who were firing, but only the bullets that they were firing into the hallway, in hopes of suppressing some of the Real Marines. The ex-mercenary slammed his back into the wall on the right side of the doorway, and pulled the charging bolt on his S-TAR. Switching his weapon from full auto to semi-auto, Harrison experimentally poked the top of his head through the doorway, attempting to gauge the position of the False Marines inside.

The ex-merc was immediately forced to pull his head back in as a burst of bullets from one of the fakers almost took his brainpan off. Harrison let out a curse and a held breath as he took stock of his head - everything intact, of course - and then leaned back into the doorway, where he drew a bead on the first Marine he didn't recognise as being from his unit and let off five shots in his direction, then pulled back out of the doorway. "I sincerely do not know, Sam," Harrison replied in a sage-like voice after pulling back out of the doorway, "But you'd best get used to it; because this is gonna be happening a lot."

Chad was sitting on the 3rd floor of the building across from Kajiim, and he had picked up a few more minor weapons on his way over to the building as well, and was curently placing his new DART and Longbow in the most convienent places near diffent windows. His stealth systems had fired up as he placed the rolling block civilian rifle to the window on his left, and caught the view of the first Aether beam pass through his perifial vision.

Definatley Rippers from what he knew about their weapon systems, and no one except for him was prepared for any kind of armored advarsary. He even had his obligatory RAPTOR still at hand even if he wasted all of the coin rounds, and he could be twice as accurate, (and more useful), with the small carbine. He also still had the 4 EMP grenades he had brought with in case of just such emergency.

Chad was fit for this kind of squid fucking.

He had listened to the comm and confirmed with Jack that the enemy were Rippers. This was bad mainly because the makeshift barricade of vehicles was now absolutely useless against this fire power, and all Chad could do for now was wait for the bastards to walk in front of the window he was poised at, and hope he could take out the CO.

"Kajiim, once you see the first line, throw any explosives you may posess at them. We need to get the shields down on them ASAP, man," Chad whispered over the comm link. "Once I start fireing, Jack and Lucas, I want you to fire any suit based hail fire in their general direction. We can worry about the dead after the Rippers are officialy RIPed. Also, once they are out of the way, push Barricade forward and create a perimeter for the drop ship in front of the Senate building."

Now it was time to let the plan come together.

Jack had been concerned at first when he believed that the only person capable of taking on Rippers at long range was Chad...but then something clicked in his brain. His LSP! Every Hostile came with an LSP-01a submachine pistol attached to the hip as standard equipment, the techs had put the suits together as they were supposed to be, and that meant that Jack actually did have something outside of his vibrosaw knife.

Not to mention it could cross it's maximum atmospheric range of two thousand meters in less than a second with a muzzle velocity of three thousand meters per second. Jack slowly moved his assault rifle to his back, then drew his LSP as he continued watching the Rippers advance towards his cover.

"Listen guys: it just hit me." Jack said "The Hostiles have LSPs, we're not totally unarmed: these things are rated against enemies like the Rippers." Jack was whispering, most likely a reflex about being close to an enemy he was trying to hide from.

"Copy that" Kajiim responded to Chad's plan, laying his two grenades in front of him. Right as Kajiim was about to return to the firing position he heard Jack come over the comms talking excitedly about some smg attached to the hips of all HOSTILEs. Looing down he saw his lifesaver. "No fuckin' way, thanks for the heads up Jack." Kajiim grabbed the smg and slung it across his chest.

Now ready at the 4th floor window opposite of Chad, Kajiim held a grenade in his right hand ready to throw, the other laying on the floor right in front of him. He was ready to rip them a new one.