RP Reactivated M3: Dune Prowling

"Suppressing fire!" Mike confirmed, switching weapons to her pistol to start hammering rounds downrange. It was a standoff weapon, barely worth the weight of carrying it. But it was semiautomatic and could be used to pop potshots at any form approaching or too close to Morris and Tacho. "You're gonna be okay, Tacho. You're coming home. Even if I don't. Just like Morris, I promise, okay, just wake up for me, beauty!"

With that, she emptied her pistol and let off a battlecry, sweeping the shotgun off her hip and leaping down the ridge to slide with hip and boot into the fray, loosing her first shots at whatever she slid past to make herself a more valuable target as she screamed in Trade. "I killed your driver, come get me, bitches!"

And come they did, whether gunning for Morris and Tacho or responding to her challenge, one took a shot in the pelvis from a slug, caving armor and rupturing organs before the bones simply shattered and the ruined waste system pouring septic slime into her rebreathers for her to drown in. The second caught a blast to the helmet, shattering faceplate and shattering skull as Michelle slid past. As she slowed, Mike burst to her feet, ramming the slide home to dive into the enemy's cover and punch through the soft spot below a Neko's breastplate with her bayonet before pulling the trigger. Number three was standing behind her friend as Michelle dropped her elbows and fired again, crushing neck seals and throat with a spray of viscera. Four and five were opportunity kills as Michelle let out a roar of challenge and sprinted for the downed truck.

Number six, though. Six took Mike's second to last round in the breastplate, breaking ribs but ultimately saving her before Michelle hit her like a freight train, an expert hand finding and ripping at the helmet release, intent on beating this woman to death with her own helmet. She somehow hoped Revjak was watching her helmet camera feed and finally understood her savagery. She recognized where this woman had been standing. And laid claim to this as her kill, her vengeance for Tacho's injuries.

Michelle Andrake loved the good fight. But she loved her work more. She loved a long night in Hydroponics, growing sweet fruits to feed the children, or barley for beer. Praying that Tacho or anyone's travels would bring her a pollenating, honey producing insect to make mead and boost her yields. She loved tending to the game birds she had long used for pest control, and her little corner of the bay was a paradise of food and greenery. She hated this side of herself, and preferred the quiet and clean joy of a sniping kill. The pause between breaths, the pull between heartbeats, the tiniest movement making the difference between a hit and a miss. The ability and power in her hands and mind to kill any threat on the battlefield with one clean shot and expert placement. That, to her, was more satisfying than this carnal blood rage and vengeance. More honorable. Not that the Iron Company cares about honor. Mike preferred a fair hunt. Not this. But this was necessary.

Maybe if she survived this, maybe while Tacho was recovering, she could take off duty and tend her fields, return to her roots, and be just another farm girl for a bit with a hammock between aeroponic stacks. Most of all, through all the firefights and all the chaos, she loved her team. Auli'i, Morris, and now Tacho. So she would give her life to ensure the safety of any one of them. She had a promise to keep, after all. Unspoken and unspeakable, but still the only oath that truly bound her. Freya's husband and the father of her child would come home. Even if Mike didn't. She hadn't declined our of care for the scarce dregs of her people. But for the love of a man who she could never claim, and his wife's happiness.

After her initial attack, Auli'i heard a satisfied shout from her teammate, Mike, the woman she thought of as a big sister. Mike had managed to hit a target, which was a small victory in the midst of the chaos. Auli'i was pleased to hear that, but unlike her adoptive father Morris, she didn't voice her appreciation aloud. Instead, she refocused on her next attack, determined to make her mark and succeed where she had faltered before.

However, things took a dangerous turn. The target Mike hit was the driver of the enemy vehicle, causing it to veer off course and head straight for Auli'i. She barely had time to react before Morris, always quick to protect her, knocked her out of the way just in time. The vehicle crashed into the ground where she had been moments before, sending debris flying.

Auli'i was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her composure. Her eyes darted around, and her heart sank as she spotted her mother, Tacho, in her Power Armor. Tacho was engaged in strafing their enemies, her movements calculated and fierce. But then, Auli'i saw Tacho get hit, the impact sending her sprawling.

"MOM!" Auli'i screamed, her voice breaking through the roar of the battlefield. Her immediate reaction was not sadness but a surge of fear and anger. The gribblies had dared to target her mother, and the sight of Tacho downed filled her with a fierce, burning rage.

"Okay, Gribblies, no more nice short fox," Auli'i muttered to herself, her voice low and determined as she struggled to control her anger. The battlefield was a whirlwind of noise and violence, but her focus sharpened. She couldn't afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment.

As she tried to regain control, she hoped the chirurgeon support Morris was calling in would arrive soon. They needed medical attention, and she trusted that Morris would ensure they got it in time.

With renewed determination, Auli'i joined Mike in providing suppressing fire. Her shots were precise and focused, aimed at keeping the enemy's heads down and preventing them from advancing further. Each pull of the trigger was driven by her fierce resolve to protect her family and exact justice for the harm done.

The chaotic environment only fueled her anger and determination. She scanned the battlefield, her eyes hard and unyielding, as she continued to fight alongside Mike and Morris. The gribblies had underestimated her resolve, and now they were about to face the full brunt of her fury.

Between Morris, Auli'i, and Michelle the three remaining Nekos decided at that moment discretion was the better part of valor, fading into the soupy fog that was Sandraker's atmosphere. Morris took that moment to fire a tagger pistol at them-unfortunately the shot went wide, embedded itself into the toxic dirt.

As they fell back into the maze of rock and sand, Morris scanned the environment, watching for any incoming hostiles-and after a few moments pulled Mike off of the now very dead neko. "That's enough." The big man's tone was calming-he'd seen it before-the battle-fury, or Ancestor's Curse as some called it-a vicious battle fury that nearly all Valhallans felt at one point or another-that was an almost zen like state of fury, savagery and blood lust, "Get on overwatch until that medievac arrives." Pushing her Stinger into her arms he checked the alien over-her form was still and he didn't dare try to move her too much. He leaned over her, cocking his head listening for breathing-slow and steady. Good.

Looking back to the truck, he called to Auli'i; "Check that truck-look for, nav computers, ciphers, maps, something-we might be withdrawn, or Grandmaster might keep us in the field-I want something just on case." Morris went back to tending Tacho: hoping that she was stabilized enough to be moved safely.

Michelle had been tearing at the dead Neko's armor, still smashing at the remains of her head with the helmet in her hand, until Morris's grip and strength ripped her off the corpse, his calming tone forcing her back to reality.

"Right." Mike took a breath, calming herself as she looked to Tacho's prone form. She looked up the far side of the ravine and picked up her discarded shotgun, hanging it in its proper place on her hip and her rifle across her back as she started climbing. Those three likely wouldn't go back to base. They would report the savagery that had happened, call for reinforcements, retake their downed truck. Which meant a larger fire team with a recovery vehicle was coming, and shortly. The team was down one.

As she reached the top, she looked out over the plain before settling into a position between two large rocks, protected from the storm as she was quickly buried in a layer of the sand, her rifle pointed out over the truck and her downed friend before voicing her suggestions. "Assuming we stay in the field, tag the truck and force them to rush with some sniper fire. Morris, Auli'i, you two get out of here with her. This was my fault. I'll complete the mission and get back to base on my own. I'll need a few extra oxy tanks. But I'll be okay. The gribblies will want their truck back. I'll make sure they don't get too good with the inspection. Tag the bodies, too. Cannibalistic bastards won't waste food."

Auli'i nodded in understanding at his command to check the truck for any valuable information. Moving swiftly, she approached the vehicle, careful to avoid any potential traps or remaining threats. The dust storm created an eerie environment, adding to the tension in the air.

Auli'i cautiously examined the truck, looking for any signs of useful artifacts or data that could be beneficial to their mission. She meticulously searched the interior, checking compartments and scanning for any hidden compartments. The glow of her ocular implants illuminated the interior, aiding her in her search.

After a thorough investigation, Auli'i discovered a hidden compartment beneath the driver's seat. Opening it, she found a cache of encrypted data chips and maps, along with a set of coded communication devices. The discovery sent a surge of excitement through her, knowing that this valuable intel could potentially provide insights into the enemy's movements and plans.

Quickly gathering up the items, Auli'i made a mental note to cross-reference the data with their own intelligence resources once they were back at their base. With the mission's success hanging on the line, every piece of information was crucial.

As she exited the truck, Auli'i heard Michelle's plan to stay behind and complete the mission while Morris and she evacuated with Tacho. Auli'i's respect for her teammate grew as she recognized the sacrifice and determination in her decision. The Iron Company were a family, willing to do whatever it took to ensure each other's safety and the success of their mission.

Her eyes widened, and she began thinking ‘hell no, sis, you’re not going along, either you come back with us, or I come with you. I am not fucking loosing another family member to the bitches” She said, she knew of course Mike is a strong warrior, but she right at that moment didn’t take a chance, couldn’t take a chance. Auli'i made her way back to Morris and Tacho, ready to assist in getting their injured comrade to safety.

"Lose the martyr complex Mike." Morris growled as he heard the approaching medevac, "It wasn't your fault that this happened, damned gribbly troopers are to blame." It went unsaid that at some point in this job your luck ran out-it simply came down to whether you survived when it happened or not. He saw the blocky form of the gunship coming into veiw, an ancestor's damned Universal. No one had anything good to say about the new ships save for it hadn't fallen out of sky yet.

As it landed, a trio of chirugeons lept out, carrying a stretcher between them. The lead yeoman nodded to him as the two set the stretcher down beside them he looked at the big man. "Status?" He inquired, his tone sharp and direct, "She's breathing and stable, gave her a lifesaver unit." Morris responded, as the two lifted the unconscious alien on to the stretcher before running towards the gunship, quickly loading her on board. "Understood. We'll get her back to safety." And hopefully be able to save her. As the gunship took off, his comm chimed. "Morris here." The yeoman sergeant was dreading what he would hear, "Morris, this is Revjak-what happened; I saw a gunship leaving your AO-what happened-over?" The man's voice was commanding, but he thought there was annoyance in his voice.

Morris braced himself for the worst as he gave his report. "Ran into a gribbly patrol-we drove them off but they got Tacho-had to medevac her-over." A pause, followed by a response of a "Copy that. I trust you can continue mission, over?" The big man looked back to the duo, followed by a "Should be able to, we've got a gribbly truck and should be able to pull something from it, over." Another pause, followed by a "Copy that, over and out." The squire cut the comm.

"Well, that went better than I expected." He turned back to the fox morph. "You pull anything?" They could use some good news after this shitshow.

"You give me something to go back to and I'll consider it. I'm not exactly eligible." He could almost hear the shrug in her voice as she settled deeper into her hiding spot, watching the chirugeons work. "My squad's all I have. So I'm gonna make sure you all get home. Even if I can't. Why I wear the detcord panties. And... Sorry about the blood rage. I'm working on it."

As Morris spoke to the chirugeons, Auli'i quickly made her way back to the team, closely following Morris's lead. She felt a mix of relief and concern as Tacho was loaded onto the gunship and transported for medical attention. The urgency of the situation was evident, and Auli'i was thankful for the swift response of the chirugeons.

Auli'i listened as he spoke to, providing a concise report of their encounter with the gribbly patrol. She admired Morris's professionalism and cool demeanor in the face of adversity. It reassured her that they were in capable hands, even as they continued with the mission.

When Morris turned back to her, Auli'i nodded in response to his question, indicating that she had indeed found valuable information in the gribbly truck. She retrieved the encrypted data chips, maps, and coded communication devices she had discovered and handed them over to Morris.

"I found these," she said, her voice steady despite the intensity of the situation. "They might give us some insight into the gribblies' plans and movements. Hopefully, they'll help us in the next phase of the mission." Auli'i understood the importance of gathering intelligence and using it to their advantage in their operations against the enemy.

Auli’I turned back and made her way to the ridge towards Mike and patted her arm. ‘I get it sis, but think, you have me, and Papa Morris to go back to. And together we have those we consider family to go back too. Your included in that, sis.” she said “apology is accepted; I had a bit of rage myself too.” she said to her.