RP: Reactivated Reactivated M2: Reconnoiter

Michelle hopped off the tank, dropping to a knee as she considered, then picked up a rock. She hefted it in her hand for a moment, then picked up another. Perfect. She turned, her mind tracking Revjak's APC before she pitched the stone to pack off the armor, rattling the hatch just above his head-- a reminder that she made her living killing tanks exactly like his, and that he should address her with a little more respect. And a reminder to his crew that their commander's petulance was their biggest threat. Not that anyone but Tacho would really be able to confirm who had thrown the stone. If, in this storm, anyone truly had but the wind. There was no sound from her in the throw, as though she had pitched it between heartbeats and breaths.

But it was bare instants before she tapped Auli'i on the shoulder, checking her suit. With a thumbs up and a wordless nod, she requested the same. ("My tracker's off. We don't need the squids picking up my tracking signal. Rig for silent running. Sneak in, plant some charges and grab some popcorn for the fireworks. Morris, you mind me bringing back presents?")

Tacho empathized with Michelle's determination to keep a vigilant eye on Revjak, she recognized the underlying tensions between them. She concurred with Michelle's sentiment regarding nobility, and commented, "They're all the same—lined in gold, filled with bullshit, and an unquenchable thirst for getting other people killed for no reason."

She turned her attention to Auli'i, Tacho admired the apprentice Smith's inquisitiveness and eagerness to learn. She believed Auli'i's determination would prove invaluable in the field. Tacho found herself in agreement with Morris's reminder about maintaining focus on the mission, she understood that Revjak's presence could be distracting. She reiterated Morris's point and stated firmly, "Morris is right, everyone. Stay sharp, and let's get the job done."

Revjak's continued challenges to Auli'i's place on the team tested Tacho's patience. She responded with a stern look and an authoritative tone, she warned Revjak, "Revjak, enough of your nonsense. We have a mission to complete, and we're going to do it as a team. Any more of this, and you'll be eating humble pie with a side of sand." She emphasized her intolerance for further disruptions and made it clear that Revjak was the one displaying petulant behavior. As far as the rocks that flew past, it appeared they must have been stealth rocks - she just inwardly laughed as her scanners tracked them briefly and they disappeared off the mindhive's HUD that was projected into her mind through her symbiote.

Tacho addressed Morris's earlier comment with a touch of humor, and assured him, "Don't worry, I won't shoot him, just can't promise he won't be neutered by accident. Things slip around in all the squid guts, and it's easy to mistake small things for other small things." She maintained her vigilance and utilized her power armor's advanced Norian scanners, she blended herself into the environment to remain concealed with a VGI. Tacho unholstered her Plasma Flechette Rifle and activated the Mini-Missile launchers on her armor's shoulders as they approached the facility, she sensed the tension in the air and braced herself for whatever lay ahead.

'Guess that channel wasn't so private, was it Revjack?' Morris thought as he listened with no-small degree of satisfaction to Tacho ream him out, the man didn't respond; he'd cut the comm-or more likely had been stunned that someone had overheard him. And as long as it shut him up, it didn't matter. With a shake of his head, he began the tre-only to watch as a rock plinked off the hatch of the lead Defender and sighed. "Really Mike?" He growled, figuring that she likely was the culprit, "Quit aggravating the tankers-I know Revjak's a dick, but you're better than that." Figuring the chastisement to be enough, the big man adjusted his grip on his rifle. As the Norian seemed to vanish from sight-something that never got old-the squad made its way over a particularly steep hill. "Almost willing to be they're at the top of this." The yeoman sergeant said as they began the trek, taking point.

The visibility seemed to be clearing for a moment, and the faint white twilight of 'midday' provided some illumination, their armored boots crunching softly-barely audible over the wind. They could all make out the rocky, crag, and dune-ridden landscape of Sandraker. Morris for a moment thought he saw something, making him pull up for a moment before turning out to be just a dust devil dancing its merry way on the wind. The yeoman sergeant watched it for a moment before continuing. The almost ever-present duststorm was slowly abating, and visibility steadily improving. And it was at that moment as it completely cleared he crested the top that Morris cursed as saw what was ahead. "Get down and keep low, all of you!" He hissed over the comms-dropping into the toxic dust below and attempting to minimize his silhouette as much as possible and churning up a fair amount of dust. Before them, with a steep drop of at least sixty feet and nestled in the basin was something out of a nightmare.

Partially organic with what seemed to be a slick sheen that seemed to both absorb and replace the dust was a sickly yellow-brown, almost egg-shaped building-from what little he could make out there were odd, organic things sticking out of the ground as if almost grown-guard towers maybe? The whole thing seemed to almost pulse as if it were alive. Ruddy wanna-be voidic arse-wipes.

"Found the base." He called sardonically, doing his best to settle the bulky rifle in a position as he pulled a spyglass from his belt, couldn't see any movement though, "Can't see much though...Tacho-you got eyes?"

Aul’i blinked when she caught a glimpse of the flying rock, but she hadn't seen where it came from, but smiled as she saw where it ended up. Then her mind began thinking of things, such as electromagnetic fields. Personally, she hated it, made her fur stand all fuzzy, but she knew there were uses. Such as turning a rock into a bullet type of weapon. She wondered if that was strong enough to penetrate armor or perhaps the future dinner’s hide. The half-sized Fox knew that they already had lots of weapons that were effective against the creatures, at least she was sure she knew they had.

Indeed if her thoughts were proving one thing it was that she was getting bored of Revjak’s shenanigans, but she couldn’t help but grin and almost giggle as she heard Tacho’s words to him. Though she felt bad that it had to happen, but glad that she had people willing to stick up for her. Case in point, Auli’I looked over as Mike tapped her on the shoulder and soon proved herself on the list. Auli’i wordlessly nodded and like Mike had kindly done, Auli’I checked that Mike’s mask was secured, before she gave her ‘big sister’ a thumbs up. “Copy that, will keep my eyes open,” she told Mike before she saw Tacho disappearing.

Based on observed reactions from Papa Morris, and any others, seemed that they were used to this. But she couldn’t help but admit, that it looked cool to her. Finally, she was pleased to see the storm abating, but then she heard Morris cursing and if there was one thing, she learned ‘growing up’ close by, it was that when Papa Morris curses, it's never good. The half-pint dropped to the ground, grimacing at the toxic dust, as she crawled to where her papa was. “whomever their architect was.. gonna have to give them an F” she muttered to herself as she watched and waited for the next orders.

("Hey, Tacho,") Mike keyed her comm as they approached. She didn't need to say that first part, that lingering thought of just in case we don't all make it back. ("Thanks. That mead tastes like home. Took me there for a moment. When we get back, you wanna hear what my homeworld was like? Or are garden worlds and farms not quite to your taste? I know I said I owe you a kiss. But how about we settle for the same boon Morris gets?")

By the time Morris had finished his initial curs, Michelle was on her belly, her shotgun in her hands as she began belly crawling up the hill. Seeing the structure, she reached back, pulling the DMR off her back and double checking that the antiflash mesh was still in place on her optics before she propped her hips, pulling a knee up almost to her armpit to align herself into the rifle and find her sight picture. She checked that there was a round in the chamber before beginning to sweep the facility, analyzing every detail from her range and vantage point. ("Looks.... Looks like they're growing something. They've been here a hot minute.")

Tacho nodded in appreciation as she listened to Michelle's observations. She valued Michelle's sharp eye and dedication to assessing the enemy's activities. With a friendly smile, Tacho responded, "We'll have plenty of time for stories once we're back, Mike. I'm eager to hear about your homeworld. Let's save that chat for when we're sipping mead back home, alright?"

Addressing Morris's earlier question, Tacho's voice remained focused as she replied, "This is Tacho, Morris. I've got eyes on the facility, and it's a nightmarish sight. It's partially organic, pulsating, and altogether unsettling. We need to proceed cautiously. Everyone, stay on high alert." As she kept herself concealed with the VGI, she was aware that it only worked against visual scans. Tacho maintained her distance, as these adversaries had shown they were cunning. "I have a bad feeling about this. While I'm not entirely sure what this structure is, I suspect the squids have it well-guarded. Initiating deeper scans," she announced. Her power armor's advanced scanners activated, and she patiently awaited any significant findings.

Tacho remained ready for action, her Plasma Flechette Gun gripped firmly in her hand, and her Mini-Missile launchers primed and ready, just in case they faced another hostile encounter with the squid-like creatures.

'No kidding.' Morris thought as he extended the spyglass, pressing it to his helmet to at least get something resembling a view as best able; he made a note to put in a request to have some kind of image enhancer for their helmets added. Though it only had the ancestor's odds against it, he'd still put in. He couldn't see much, even with the weather being clear. "Doesn't seem to be any movement either Tacho, no hard points, no bunkers, nothing aside from those towers." Unless they were running dark-which meant the moment any emplacements or pillboxes hidden in the cliff opened up it was lights out. Hearing the duo's comments, he sighed. ("Good thing we ain't here to sightsee huh?") He joked, panning his spyglass along the basin, ("Gribblies would probably make horrible tour guides.") And the other side was yet another sheer drop, with the base being situated in the middle. The basin itself stretched at least a good 800 meters across- he could only see two entrances into it-narrow gaps that had likely been cut into the cliffside by erosion-and the whole thing was smooth-unnaturally so. They must have leveled it out, removing any irregularities.

Wide open terrain, two points with a long dash with no cover. Perfect-the gribblies knew how to pick their spots well. "Welp," He responded, lowering his glass, "Looks like we're gonna have to go around. The entrance is a least a good 500 meters either way, at least-no cover once we get in there too." And that if the gribblies didn't have something lying in wait for them. "I'll let Revjak know-" He paused for a moment, then spoke; "Tacho, you pick up anything?" He inquired, hoping she'd had better luck than he did, keeping an ear as he delivered Revjak the news. "Hey, Revjak-we found the base, over." A pause followed by a growl, "Then why are we still here, over?" Morris sighed followed by a rather deadpan response of "Well, the sixty foot drop might have something to do with that-there's two entrances to the basin, one to the east and one to the west," He continued, looking back through his spyglass, "Just narrow enough that one a Myrmidon can fit through-but they knock that out you'll be a sitting duck, and even if we maki it in, it's all open terrain with no cover and if the gribblies have arty they'll likely have whole area pre-sighted in, over." Revjack was silent for a moment, before replying. "Then we engage from the ridge, and have our own artillery fire before they have a chance to respond, over." Morris was doing everything he could not to facepalm. "Squire, if they have the ridge-"

As Morris was doing his best to convince the squire not to get them pasted before the mission truly started, Tacho's sensors picked up nothing, the indicator on her hud coming up blank as the sensor swept the area fruitlessly, however, the mindhive began to pick up some odd chatter, almost imperceptible save for it seemed to be located at regular intervals-and in fairly large numbers both around the base and at points along the steep incline they were located along. The network had an almost sinister quality to it, though, as if it were waiting for them to do something foolish...

Auli’i watched and observed, her ears picked up on her comrade’s words as she continued her observation. As they spoke of the structure, the fox apprentice smith, thought of ways that they could breach and enter the structure. Her body slipped down slightly, behind the hill, out of view, as she turned to check what she had access to. “Mom, papa, sis, an-Revjak, what kinds of explosives do you have on hand?” she asked through comms, as she looked through her own list. As an idea began forming in her mind, a risky one, she took another peek at the structure, to see if it had any kinds of observation points, something the future dinner could use to spot them.

“We’re gonna breach that eyesore, I’m guessing? I think I've identified a weak spot on that thing, but we might need explosives. Sticky ones would be best, but any adhesive will suffice." On the plus side, to show off her professionalism, she stopped herself from calling Revjak an annoying jerk/jackass. She hoped that made all of them proud of her as she focused on being professional.

Tacho continued to observe the nightmarish facility, her senses tuned to any signs of danger. Morris's comment about the lack of movement or visible defenses aligned with her own observations. She appreciated the added details he provided about the terrain and entrances into the basin, which helped in planning their approach. "Sightseeing? Here I thought this was the beachfront property on this sand-covered shit nugget," Tacho quipped in response to the banter, acknowledging the seriousness of their mission. The gribbles, as they referred to the enemy, were undoubtedly a significant threat, and they needed to remain focused.

As Morris discussed the need to go around the basin due to the lack of cover and the narrow entrances, Tacho maintained her vigilance. When he inquired about her findings, she responded with a hint of disappointment, "Negative, Morris. Nothing on the sensors so far. I'm not willing to put any money on them not having heard that Myrmidon approach though..." She knew she didn't need to say that the squire had the mind of cheese; it appeared to be straightforward. Probably the only thing that made sense in this mission was the fact that Revjack's brain and manhood were in competition to see which was the smallest. She switched briefly over to the team without Revjack and said, "Knew I should have sent a babysitter in with him..." She then switched back to their usual channel.

However, her power armor's mindhive picked up some peculiar chatter, and an unsettling feeling crept over her. She relayed the information to the team, her tone laced with caution, "Hold on, team. I've got some strange network chatter on the sensors. It's located all around the base and at points along the incline we're on. These squids have some serious bullshit cooking, I think. Proceed with utmost caution."

Tacho's attention then turned to Auli'i's inquiry about explosives and breaching the structure. She appreciated the young apprentice Smith's enthusiasm and resourcefulness. "Auli'i, let's hear your plan. If explosives are needed, we'll make it happen. Just keep safety a top priority," she responded, ready to consider the risky yet potentially effective strategy that Auli'i had in mind.

("Could be some kind of early warning system. If it's as organic as the rest of it, could be telepathic, too. Hold all. They don't know we're here, let's not make them aware. I recommend hit them with a rocket attack and dive the objective soon as the rolling fire hits. Then hit them again to cover our retreat and haul ass.") Michelle rolled over on her back, checking her gear one more time.

("I got... eight pounds of serious putty in bricks with magnets and gel stickers, sixty feet of detcord wrapped around my fun bits, a few APHE shells, and a whole bunch of DUAPs. Got four detonators free, too. Whatcha thinking, floof?")

("Revjak, I told you already-we don't have another-hold up;") Morris groaned in frustration as he silenced the comm for a moment, listening to the girls talk-Tacho's report worried him, "If it's telepathic they would've picked us up by now." He replied in Trade to Mike's comment, "Even with the tanks and Revjak making a racket." The big man crawled back up to the ridge, peering through the spyglass once again. "Rocket attack might work if we actually have a few launchers on hand," Morris replied, watching one of the towers-no movement, not even a visible port could be electronic...why they didn't have guards milling about was beyond him, "Could have a few of the Mules start shooting at them and then have a spotter perform counter-battery."

"The issues we have is twofold; getting into the basin, and whatever those signals are." The big man was pensive momentarily, before continuing; "Tacho, see if you can't zero in on the closest one; might be able to spoof it somehow." Listening to Auli'i, he thought for a moment and shook his head. "That's if we can get close enough to breach." He responded, and he heard Revjak sigh over the comm. "We were supplied with Slamfires Morris." Grenade launchers got it, "The two of them have a good idea-" He heard the slight bitterness in the tone-must turn his stomach something fierce to admit that, "The launchers can provide limited indirect fire-once this begins, have them continue to conduct harassing fire and use the artillery to shell the base as we make run on it, over."

Not a bad idea at all.

"We still have the problem of those signals Revjak, over." A pause, followed by a sigh, "I am aware Yeoman Sergeant; figure out what they are and deal with them; we will be on standby until then, over and out." As the squire cut the comm, Morris sighed-he really needed a drink.

"Right you heard him," He said in resignation, "Guess we've gotta do what we already know needed doing."

Before her addition to the plan, Auli’I listened as Tacho, Mike, and Morris spoke. Tacho’s comment about sightseeing on this toxic world, brought a smile to her maw, before Tacho made her report on what her sensors found, and Morris’s response to that including, Mike’s statements. Auli’i’s thoughts of breaching formed further untill Tacho reported her sensors detecting signals. Which was a concern, to the young apprentice smith.

The idea of attacking seemed logical, the chances that the defenses will activate on the non Gribblies would make her breaching idea difficult to impossible. Her eyes closed , and tuned her Fox senses down to allow her mind to focus. In her Mind’s imagination, she went through simulations, some bizarre and unreal. Before the strategy came to her mind, especially with new information provided to her. Of course, considdering Tacho, Mike’s and Morris’s speaking directly to her.

The silence was a small bit of time, before she spoke. “ok, so we use Slamfire, and rocket attacks, to slam into…” She rechecked the structure, then pointed. “that side, which diverts there attention there, “while a smaller group moves over to that side.” Again she points, “and use the explosives, Mike mentioned for a breach move. “ She said before she relayed to their HUDs her diagrams of the structure she’d made including possible weakspots.

Tacho took in the exchange of ideas and strategies from her team members with a thoughtful expression. Michelle's speculation about the peculiar signals being a telepathic early warning system intrigued her. She weighed the possibilities in her mind, knowing that underestimating the enemy could lead to disastrous consequences. "Telepathic, huh? It's a possibility we can't ignore," she responded. "But for now, let's play it safe. No sense in giving away our position just yet. Let's talk this out."

As Auli'i proposed her plan, Tacho observed the young apprentice Smith's growing confidence. She appreciated the creativity and resourcefulness Auli'i was bringing to the table. When Auli'i outlined the coordinated attack using Slamfire and rocket strikes to divert the enemy's attention and create an opportunity for breach, Tacho couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the young fox's strategic thinking. She examined Auli'i's diagrams of the structure, noting the potential weak spots.

"Excellent plan, Auli'i," Tacho commended her. "Your idea has merit, and I believe it could give us an advantage. We'll coordinate closely when the time comes. Keep refining it, and we'll be ready to execute."

Tacho's eyes scanned the eerie, pulsating structure once more, her mind now focused on the impending assault and the need to counter those mysterious signals. She knew their mission was far from straightforward, but with her team's determination and ingenuity, they were ready to face whatever challenges awaited them. She drifted forward and focused her scans on the nearest emission of the signal. Then said, "Scanning the nearest transmission source now," she paused for a moment and waited for the results. In the meantime, she suggested, "What if we hit them where Auli'i suggested, while at the same time, I can fly up and use my mini-missile launchers to launch a spread of attacks on the other side of the facility to further divide them?" Recon seemed to be turning into a strike, sometimes they had to bust into something to see its workings better and test its defenses.

"Not the other side of the facility," Michelle commented. "As close to us as you can without risking hitting us. That'll cause chaos and scatter the troops we're running at and minimize their ability to hit us. Bonus points if you make it look like an unguided mortar strike. They'll center in the craters cause mortars don't hit the same place twice. Give you juicy opportunities for causing mass casualty."

She rolled back over onto her belly, tucking her leg up as though ready to sprint. "We'll have Revjak drop fire on anything big and shiny, bonus points if he's willing to sync with our net for targeting designators. Also be careful, if they have worms, we do not want to get hit. I don't know about you guys but I can't hit moving targets while I'm running. Not if they're smaller than me. Not with a shotgun."

"That's what Plasma Gouts and Flamers are for Mike." Morris responded as he peered once again over the cliffside; still couldn't see any pill boxes; or external defenses for that matter, "We don't leave home without em." It had become standard procedure that one squad member be armed with either; just because occasionally a big fucking wall of fire or ball of plasma hurtling down at the bad guy was just what was needed to keep them at bay.

"Hitting them from the air isn't too bad of an idea Tacho-and flanking also not a bad idea either fuzzball." The big man continued; fruitless in his searcj search for any sign of movement or external defenses and replied, "But we're also working on the assumption that the gribblies aren't shanked on talon root and gut breaker." He lowered the spyglass for a moment and sighed-still nothing, before looking at Tacho. "Given how prominent flying armor is in the sector they've probably got more than a little anti-air; figured you'd learn by now." How many times had she gotten tagged by flak? Any time the Norian had gotten it into her head to make a high flyby of a target he'd give her a reminder of that with predictable results.

"We'll need to spoof the guns-if any somehow; the problem is we don't have a Snooper with us," He sorely wished for one of those right about now, "Unless one of you knows an electronic warfare specialist we'll likely need to straight up hit the base before we can do anything and we don't even know if they'll come out." Morris pointed back to the base. "For all we know they've got embedded emplacements down there." Those were the worse-especially if they were good-you didn't know if they were there until it was too late.

"Revjak," Morris radioed, finally deciding to bite the bullet, "Send the launchers and forward observer up; we'll give you the signal when ready over." A scoff followed by an irritated "It's about damned time," and a response of "Roger, sending, over and out."

As they dismounted, Tacho's mindhive as it zeroed relayed the network's translation. The voices were harsh and mechanical, but filled with malice. <//Adjust//Reallcate// combat pattern, ensure maximal ability to //hurt//maim//kill//> a second transmission responded with <//aknowledged//submitting//, adjusting blast patterns to ensure maximum efficiency.//> It became increasingly clear that it was no early warning system-but more likely, some kind of weapon; given the number of similar signals surrounding the base they'd almost blundered their way into a minefield of some kind...and an intelligent one at that...

Once the short fox finished speaking, her ears picked up the responses, reactions, and other speeches/comments. She smiled as Tacho commented on her plans, saying that it was an excellent plan that pleased the little fox. Her words of it having merit and could give them an advantage pleased her even more. She was showing, that she was a benefit to the Iron Company which also added to her pleasure, and her head nodded to Tacho, she was certain she could refine it, just needed new info, which her favorite and only papa provided, reminding them of the possibility of anti-air weapons.


He was right, that they had been working on the assumption that the gribblies aren't shanked on talon root and gut breaker. At least she’d been, and it stemmed from her hope that the mission would go well. She was happy when Morris commented that her flanking idea wasn’t a bad idea, his words further added to her confidence. She looked back to the base ahead of them, and tried to use her eyes, and focused on her hearing, which as a fox anthro was likely to be higher than most Valhallans, she hoped that she could use her sense of hearing to hear if there was something there. She’d be able to smell it, but with the mask on it was making that difficult, and she didn’t dare take it off as the environment wasn’t safe for that.

"Okay, so we got a plan, we got the nasties, wait for Tacho's signal and full send?" Mike cocked a smile towards Morris, stowing her rifle in exchange for her shotgun and racking the slide to chamber a round as she prepared herself for the mad dash. "Cause this det cord's starting to chafe and I wanna fuck up some gribblies and go home."

"Flamethrower" - Defender LAV

An eyebrow arose from behind the helmet of Brigandine Assault-pattern Combat Hardsuit Armor; the personally-modified lenses shining a soft orangish-yellow as swirling symbols, painted, glinted like blue-green, even if dull, upon the plates of armoring visible on its external surface. The others upon the ridge she had been listening to, alongside her... friend, though she felt strange at times about him, Revjak, were not ones she enjoyed. Especially the beastkin masquerading as a member of the Iron Company; she wanted to snap its neck and skin it to serve as a new blanket for her bunk. Armored digits tapped silently against the length of her Mauler Autocannon; eye-lenses flicked to Revjak as she switched her comms to private with him. Half-query, half-response, and all malicious snark, filled her tone and tune of her sultry-deep words.

"I assume we can't have the beastkin accidentally hit by one of the Mishu? Still, Sir -- do you trust them? I don't find them competently capable for this task; the uppity upokokōhua thirsting for a womanhood doesn't exactly strike me as worth having around, to say less of the beastkin and her defenders."

Still, she kept herself restrained -- not seeming to budge a muscle, and remaining on private, as to ensure she didn't interrupt or cause unneeded conflict. Still, if there was an opportunity, she was not averse to leaving the mutt to die. It didn't deserve rights -- not when Marika saw what they did to women and children as much as they did to grown, combat-capable men. So for now, as fingers tightened on the autocannon, she awaited their imminent deployment to the battlefield...

Revjak looked up at her momentarily, murmuring something into the comm before responding over the private channel, "Unfortunately no," He responded, peering out the cupola's vision ports, "While I'd like to leave it to its much-deserved fate, the beastkin will have to remain for now-as for capability..." Revjak shook his head as he watched the dismounts advance, "While I can't speak for Andrake,-" Someone he'd love to leave to the gribblies along with the mutt, "-Morris is a reasonably competent soldier and be counted on to do his job, Tacho as well, much as I despise her." If only that alien wench didn't have the Grandmaster's ear...

Shaking his head, he popped the hatch slightly, peering out to get a better view of their surroundings; and was immediately greeted by a smattering of blue-white beams leaving spots across his vision even as molten metal splattered across the deck of the hull. "Under fire!" He roared over the comms as he slammed the hatch shut, "Dismount-all units dismount!" unfortunately he'd forgotten to switch over from their private channel as the rest of the convoy fell under fire; the Mules immediately shifting to deal with the new threat, autocannons chattering at the aggressors as the ramps haphazardly dropped-the Company's dismount had been sloppy as the yeomen moved to cover-the APC's and myrmidon's turrets traversed to bring the guns on target.

-------

Unfortunately, as with all things-no plan, or in this case the vague outline of a plan survives contact with the enemy. As the spotter and gunners had made their way up the ridge; the all-too-familiar snap-crackle of Gribbly particle weapons filled the air as a few stray beams impacted the dirt as the yeomen the ground. "Shit!" Morris rolled on his back-adjusting the massive thunderer attempting to draw a bead on a target; his rifle barked-the awkward angle jamming the stock into his shoulder-ignoring the pain, he sprang to his feet with a roar of "Get up and move!" at the rest of the team. "Revjak!" He roared over the comm sprinting down the hill, unbeknownst to him the man was still on a private channel, "Revjak come in!" Pulling the spotter to his feet as the rest of the yeomen quickly rose; one of them bringing his launcher to bear. A dull Chunk! sounded, sending an HE round sailing through the air-followed by a puff and a flash. The firing ceased a moment, followed by yet more particle blasts.

The yeomen were returning sporadic fire while taking cover behind the APC's or using terrain features for cover; while not as uncoordinated as one would expect from a sudden ambush it wasn't perfect. "Mike-overwatch now! Auli' with me!" The big man barked, "Tacho-get us some air support!" How the hell had those bastards gotten this close?! What the fuck was Revjak doing?! He slammed into the hull of the nearest defender as he threw himself into cover, the impact reverberating through the hull and nearly knocking the wind out of him...fuck! Peering around-he could barely make out the forms of the NMX infantry as Sandraker's ever-present winds began to howl, stirring up the dust and causing visibility to drop rapidly...

Auli, the young fox anthro, moved with agility and determination, quickly reaching her father's side. As she dropped to the ground, she found cover, making sure to shield herself from the toxic atmosphere that loomed over the battlefield. With a trained instinct, she ensured her weapon was ready, ready to contribute to the defense of her team.

The atmosphere crackled with tension as the chaotic battle unfolded around them. Auli's ears twitched as she listened to her father's barked orders and the sporadic exchanges of gunfire. The swirling dust from Sandraker's winds added an extra layer of challenge, obscuring visibility and heightening the sense of urgency.

Despite the adverse conditions, Auli remained focused and composed, determined to fulfill her role in the unfolding battle. Her eyes scanned the chaotic scene, trying to spot any movement within the swirling dust clouds that might indicate the enemy's position. With a steady hand, she kept her weapon trained and ready, awaiting the next command or the opportunity to contribute to the firefight.

Auli's determination on the battlefield was not just a result of her combat training but also a testament to the resilience instilled in her by her father. Despite being an apprentice Smith and a Technician, specializing in building the Iron Company's technology, she was no stranger to the prejudice that some members harbored against her due to being an Anthro, a beastkin.

Her father's guidance and unwavering support had shaped her into a capable warrior, both on the battlefield and in the workshop. She had learned to navigate the challenges that came with being different in a world that often resisted change. The battlefield was her proving ground, where she aimed to demonstrate that her skills and dedication were not defined by her species.

Auli's keen senses, a characteristic trait of her beastkin heritage, became her advantage on the battlefield. Focused and alert, she strained her eyes through the swirling dust and toxic atmosphere, using her heightened senses to pick out any signs of the Gribblies, also known as the NMX.

The chaotic sounds of battle surrounded her, but Auli's concentration was unwavering. Her ears twitched as she tried to discern the distinct noises of the enemy—footsteps, weapons, any clues that might reveal their positions amidst the mayhem. The swirling dust, stirred up by Sandraker's winds, created an additional challenge, but Auli's keen senses allowed her to cut through the visual impairment.

As her comrades sporadically exchanged fire, Auli became a sharp-eyed sentinel, searching for any movement that betrayed the presence of the NMX forces. Her focus on the task at hand showcased not only her natural abilities but also the disciplined training she had undergone.

In the midst of the battle, Auli's determination to prove herself and contribute to the defense of her team was evident. With each movement and calculated observation, she showcased the unique strengths that her beastkin heritage brought to the forefront, turning her into an invaluable asset in the face of the Gribbly onslaught.